FAAC: States Insist on Full Remittance by NNPC Claim corporation remitted N127bn instead of N147bn
dubuisi Francis in Abuja There appears to be no let off for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the controversy surrounding its remittance to the Federation Account for distribution by the
three tiers of government for the month of May. The commissioners for finance from the 36 states of the federation met last night and insisted that the states would not accept anything short of the NNPC fully remitting N20 billion outstanding to the
NNPC: Issues will be resolved with the VP who chairs NEC
Federation Account. According to them, the state oil corporation remitted N127 billion instead of N147 billion into the Account, for the month of May. The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting where stakeholders
gathered in Abuja on Wednesday for the sharing of the May allocation ended in a stalemate over the NNPC remittance Addressing journalists on Saturday on recent developments over the calims and counter claims of remittances to the federation acccount,
the Chairman of the Finance Commissioners Forum, Mr Mamood Yunusa alleged that the national oil company remitted N127 billion as May earnings instead of N147 billion, leaving a shortfall of N20 billion. Yunusa said: "Based on all provable assumption parameters,
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is to remit N60 billion as Royalty based on the verbal admission of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and based on the MTEF (Medium Term Cosntinued on page 8
CBN: Bank Customers' BVN Enrolment Hits 33.6m ... Page 13 Sunday 1 July, 2018 Vol 23. No 8473
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2019: Tinubu, Govs May be Seeking Amaechi’s Removal as Buhari’s Campaign DG Asiwaju tells ex-Rivers governor to resign
Abimbola Akosile Less than a week after the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its national convention
amid deep disaffection, a fresh crisis appears to be brewing in the party. Some governors in conjunction with a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola
How President upturned Imo congress
Tinubu, as well as some top security officers are alleged to have commenced moves against the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, principally
to replace him as DirectorGeneral of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 campaign. This development is said to be connected to scheming ahead
of the 2023 presidential run. Many party members see the emerging situation as a huge challenge for the new leadership of the party under Comrade
Adams Oshiomhole. While the power play in the APC assumed a new dimenCosntinued on page 8
US Accuses FG of Condoning Human Trafficking, Says Nigerians Travel to Togo for Child Sex Claims Nigerian embassy officials in Tripoli requested money before evacuating victims from Libya Calabar, transit point for children subjected to forced labour in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon Lai Mohammed: We are not condoning trafficking Bayo Akinloye For the second consecutive year, Nigeria has been placed on Tier-2 Watchlist by the United States government for failing to meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The latest report accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to allegations of trafficking levelled against senior government officials and soldiers as revealed in the 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report. The newest human trafficking report obtained by THISDAY on Saturday from the US Department of State also accused Nigerian judges of corruption and not being conversant with the 2015 amended anti-trafficking act. For the fourth consecutive year, the document showed that Nigeria did not report any prosecutions or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking offences, despite consistent reports of officials committing trafficking offences each year. It added that Nigeria’s ports Continued on page 8
SKIPPO IS 55…
L-R: Chairman, Forte Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola; Minister of Power, Works & Housing and celebrant, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Guest Speaker and Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika and President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during the first edition of BRF Gafest 2018 with the theme: "The Youth in Nigeria: Mapping the Future", to mark Fashola's 55th birthday anniversary at the City Hall, Lagos ...recently
Messi, Ronaldo Exit World Cup Unsung ... Page 79
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Nigeria Has Recorded Nearly 20,000 Deaths under Buhari, Says US Body More than 53,000 people killed since 2011 Christian Solidarity Worldwide: Fulani militia killed 1,061 in 106 attacks between January and April UK parliamentarian, Baroness Berridge urges Nigerians to use 2019 presidential election to seek end to violence Bayo Akinloye The United States Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) says it has documented at least 19,890 deaths in Nigeria since June 2015, just after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015. This is as the United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) disclosed that Fulani militias killed 1,061 people in about 106 attacks on communities in central Nigeria in the first quarter of 2018. CSW said 11 other attacks on communities in the southern parts of the country by the militia claimed a further 21 lives. In a related development, the UK House of Lords on Thursday expressed worry about the inability of the Buhari government
to end killings in Nigeria, warning that ethno-religious violence in the country may escalate to the Rwanda type genocide if the federal government remained complacent about it. The concern followed a debate on the recent killing of about 200 people in Plateau State by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The CFR, an independent body of experts dedicated to providing advice on policy options facing countries, put the cumulative deaths in Nigeria from May 2011 to May 2018 at 53,595. This statistics was obtained by THISDAY from a section of the organisation’s website, Nigeria Security Tracker (NST). According to the think tank, the NST tracks violence that is both causal and symptomatic of weakness of
Nigeria’s political institutions and citizen alienation. It said the data was based on weekly surveys of Nigerian and international media and that they included violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups (or conversely the state employing violence to respond to those incidents.) CFR added, “Different groups in Nigeria resort to violence. The militant Islamist movement Boko Haram is active in northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones. A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscrimi-
nately. Police are notorious for extrajudicial murder.” In the CSW’s latest report, equally obtained by THISDAY, the organisation said, “During the first quarter of 2018 CSW documented 1,061 deaths in 106 attacks by the Fulani militia on communities in Adamawa, Benue, southern Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states, with an additional 17 lives lost in attacks in the south of the country. CSW also documented seven instances of violence targeting Fulani herders or communities in which 61 people lost their lives; two of these attacks occurred in the south of the country. The recent deaths in Plateau State bring the number of casualties recorded so far in herder militia attacks in central Nigeria in the second
2019: TINUBU, GOVERNORS PLOT AMAECHI’S REMOVAL AS BUHARI’S CAMPAIGN DG sion, details of how President Muhammadu Buhari intervened in the recent crisis that rocked the Imo State chapter of the party emerged at the weekend. There was growing discontent as members rejected the president’s seemingly coercive intervention. THISDAY gathered from impeccable sources at the weekend that the plot to displace Amaechi as the campaign DG had been on long before the national convention but was kept under wraps till after the exercise, as some of the actors had waited to see how the convention would pan out. One of the reasons Amaechi is being opposed, according to the sources, is that many APC leaders feel he has a presidential ambition in 2023 and that the platform could put him in a vantage position by fortifying his ambition with vital contacts and network. Although some of the northern governors, who ordinarily are Amaechi’s friends, are believed not to be averse to his ambition, if established to
be true, they are said to nurse reservations about his closeness to el-Rufai. The relationship is being interpreted to mean that the Kaduna governor might be Amaechi’s favourite candidate as running mate in the event that he chooses to run in 2023. This is alleged to be why Tinubu is moving fast to oust Amaechi as the campaign DG. The former Lagos State governor has never hidden his interest in the country’s top job. He has taken steps to rally northern governors by dangling the running mate ticket before them, without showing preference for anyone for now. The northern governors are believed to see their chances brighter with Tinubu than Amaechi, who they feel might have settled for el-Rufai. The move against Amaechi as the president’s campaign DG, THISDAY, gathered, is being anchored on a bourgeoning narrative that the position should be held by a serving governor. There is also a position being advanced that the campaign director-general should, apart
from being a governor, be chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, which narrows the job to Zamfara State Governor, Yari Aziz. THISDAY sources close to Tinubu said there was a short meeting between him and Amaechi at the weekend in Lagos, where Tinubu allegedly asked Amaechi to drop his position as Buhari’s campaign DG. But when the former Rivers State governor disagreed, Tinubu was said to have asked him to resign his position as minister if he must retain his appointment as Buhari’s campaign DG. Sources said Amaechi had immediately reeled off names of political parties’ DGs, who did not resign their former positions as at the time they took the job of DG in previous elections, noting that there is nothing conflicting between the two positions, to the best of his knowledge. He was said to have also mentioned at the meeting that the talk about his presidential ambition was the imagination of certain persons
in the party, because he had never shared such information with anyone. Meanwhile, the on-going celebration in Imo State by Governor Rochas Okorocha was said to have been made possible by Buhari, who was allegedly uncomfortable with Senator Osita Izunazo and ordered the new leadership of the party to declare the Okorocha faction of the party winner of the congresses in the state. THISDAY gathered from reliable party sources that when some top APC members noticed the president’s body language, they approached him and advised against unilaterally declaring a faction of the party winner of an inconclusive congress. Such a move, the members believed, would contradict Buhari’s professed stance against injustice. But the president was said to have dismissed the admonitions, saying as long as it is against Izunazo, they should go ahead and declare the Okorocha faction winner.
US ACCUSES FG OF CONDONING HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SAYS NIGERIANS TRAVEL TO TOGO FOR CHILD SEX and waterways around Calabar were transit points for West African children subjected to forced labour in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, pointing out that Nigerians travel to Togo for child sex. However, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in his reaction stated that the federal government was not condoning human trafficking, instead was doing a lot to stem the tide in terms of advocacy and seeking international cooperation to fight the vast and complex criminal trade. According to the report, “Despite persistent and egregious reports of government employees complicit in human trafficking offences, the government made negligible efforts to address the allegations, and the military generally denied such allegations without investigation. “The Nigerian military continued to inappropriately detain, arrest, and interrogate female and child trafficking victims for alleged association with the insurgencies and did not provide trafficking victim protections. Therefore, Nigeria remained on Tier 2 Watchlist for the second consecutive year.” The document alleged that a foreign government informed National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) of a Nigerian diplomat who attempted to
secure a visa for their domestic employee by posing as a family member (an indication of trafficking), but neither NAPTIP nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported conducting an investigation or taking disciplinary action against the suspect. The US human trafficking report stated, “Widespread and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces and undermined accountability for trafficking offences. For example, one NGO reported a suspected trafficking case to police, but the police refused to investigate the case because the NGO did not pay a bribe. In more than 14 IDP camps, reports documented government officials, service providers, and security forces, including the Nigerian military and CJTF, who forced IDPs to have sex in exchange for food and freedom of movement in and outside of the camps.” In addition, the report accused the government of failing to provide evidence that use of children in support roles in detention in the Giwa Barracks had ceased, saying, “The government has never reported an investigation, prosecution, or conviction—including of any government official—for child soldiering offences. Sexual exploitation of women and girls displaced by Boko Haram and the Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) remained widespread,
including by state security, military personnel, and CJTF, some of whom forced women and girls to provide commercial sex acts in exchange for food and freedom of movement inside IDP camps and others who fraudulently recruited female IDPs for jobs outside of IDP camps but transported them to military barracks for sexual exploitation by Nigerian military personnel.” On the allegations against the judges, the report stated, “Despite a 2015 amendment that removed judges’ ability to sentence traffickers with fines in lieu of imprisonment, Nigerian courts penalised seven traffickers with the option of a fine or imprisonment. This is an increase from the previous reporting period, when judges only penalised one trafficker with the option of a fine. Judges issued fines reportedly due to a lack of familiarity with the 2015 anti-trafficking law and at times due to corruption.” Lai Mohammed: We are doing a lot to stem the tide of human trafficking The minister of information however stated that the federal government was not condoning human trafficking as it is currently doing a lot through NAPTIP to stem the tide through advocacy and equally trying to get international co-operation to help fight this scourge. "I am aware of the effort the DG is making
through advocacy to hot spots. She is wooing stakeholders and sensitizing communities, she has won the buy-in of traditional rulers and the message is being relayed to the grassroots. As you know human trafficking is a vast and complex criminal trade and we are seeking international help to fight it. We are already doing a lot on this score. The Oba of Benin has been vocal about it. So we are not condoning it, instead we are ramping action to tackle it." Efforts to reach the director general of NAPTIP was unsuccessful, however a source at the agency who spoke with THISDAY on condition of anonymity said NAPTIP has seen the report and is currently taken a critical look in order to respond appropriately. The source, however noted that the report did not indict NAPTIP in the area of trafficking. "NAPTIP has not been downgraded", he said, adding that the issues of child soldier and child labour mentioned are general issues. He disclosed that the DG has already expressed concern about the development and will accordingly put machinery in place to ensure the agency improved on its mandate of tackling the menace of trafficking in the country. He also called on Nigerians to support NAPTIP in its efforts at eradicating trafficking by reporting suspected persons and cases of trafficking.
quarter of 2018 to 440.” The organisation said the figures were obtained by its offices in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria using organisational records, a timeline issued by the Office of the President of the Nigerian Senate, #MiddlebeltMassacres in Twitter, news sources, and the United States-based Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker. It further noted that there was more to the violence going on in Nigeria – often referred to as “farmer-herder clashes” – than meets the eye. The report added, “However, attacks by herder militia are currently occurring with such frequency, organisation and asymmetry that the characterisation as ‘clashes’ no longer suffices. Armed with sophisticated weaponry, including AK-47s and on at least one occasion, rocket launchers, the herder militia is believed to have killed more men, women and children in 2015, 2016 and 2017 than Boko Haram, in what local observers increasingly describe as a campaign of ethno-religious cleansing.”
CSW also said it had documented over 400 deaths in 46 attacks during the second quarter of 2018. In one of the most recent, at least 200 people were reported to have died in coordinated attacks on around 50 communities in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area in Plateau State, which began on June 22 and lasted until June 24, the report said. The majority of victims of the Barkin Ladi attacks were said to be women and children. The CSW report noted that 120 people were killed as they returned from the funeral of an elderly member of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN). Speaking on the violence, CSW’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, accused the Nigerian government of refusing to fish out the perpetrators of the violence. Thomas called for the formulation of a holistic security strategy to address the violence and other threats to national security as a matter of urgency. Read the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com
FAAC: STATES INSIST ON FULL REMITTANCE BY NNPC Expenditure Framework) submitted by NNPC. The Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) expected was to be 1.46 multiplied by 60 billion amounting to N87.6 billion; amounting to N147 billion expected in the federation account as against N127 billion paid by NNPC." He also disclosed that, at the inconclusive FAAC meeting on Wednesday, "NNPC claimed it spent N3.5 billion on product leakages, pipline vandalism, but the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), an agency that is supposed to keep such record claimed ignorance of the amount." Yunusa also observed that the states got more revenue from NNPC when crude oil was $50 per/barrel, adding that they now receive far less when the commodity is almost $80/ barrel, wondering why such should be the case. He said that as "equal stakeholders in the business, NNPC owes it a duty to Nigerians in the spirit of openness and transparency and by the Act that established it to be open and transparent to all stakeholders but states as stakeholders in federation account are not expected to take NNPC's account hook, line and sinker but are allowed by law to ask questions for clarity." Following Wednesday's deadlock in the FAAC meeting, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun had briefed President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and state governors on the development Adeosun who also briefed journalists said: “In my capacity as the chairman of FAAC, I briefed governors on the deadlock that we have got currently in the Federation Account and explained what happened. There was quite an extensive debate on what to do. “For the purpose of this briefing, we operate the NNPC as a business. We have invested public capital in that business; and we have expectations of return. And when that return falls lower than our expectations, then the owners of this business, which in this case are the Federal Government and states, need to act.
“So, that was what caused the deadlock yesterday (Wednesday) and we really felt the figures the NNPC was proposing for FAAC were unacceptable. We felt that some of the costs couldn’t be justified, and so we have decided that rather than approve the accounts, we will go back and do further work.” She added, “Further negotiations and interactions are going on with the NNPC as we speak. However, we did brief both Mr President and Mr Vice President on the deadlock and asked for their support and their forbearance in this, because the consequence of this is that salaries might well be delayed in many states as a result of this. “But we feel that in order to get to the accurate figures that we need, we have asked for forbearance and the governors and the Federal Government are all in agreement that we need to get to the bottom of those figures.” The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had earlier justified its N147billion June remittance to the Federation Accounts and Allocation Committee (FAAC), saying it is in line with the terms of agreement it had with governors on the matter. A release by NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, on Thursday stated that the agreement corporation had with the governors was that it would make a monthly remittance of N112 billion to FAAC subject to sufficient funds from sales of domestic crude oil allocation for the corresponding month after meeting cash call obligations on JVs, deductions of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)cost under recovery and pipeline maintenance. The release stated that NNPC was able to surpass the terms of agreement with the governors on the monthly remittance for the month of June by N35billion, having taken a cue from their postures by taking from the sum meant for settling cash call obligations. But yesterday, Ughamadu stated that the issues will be resolved by the Vice President who chairs the NEC.
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JULY 1, 2018
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SUNDAY COMMENT
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
THE LAGOS TANKER EXPLOSION As long as truck drivers continue to do what they like, they will continue to endanger lives
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n one of those tragedies for which our country has become notorious, no fewer than nine persons were burnt to death with scores of others wounded last Thursday in Lagos when a truck loaded with petrol fell and spilled its content on the road. Following the accident, about 54 vehicles within the vicinity of the Otedola Bridge axis on Lagos-Ibadan expressway went up in flames. While we commiserate with the families of the deceased, we need to point out that this accident, like many of such before it, could have been avoided by simple common sense and inexpensive remedial interventions. It is common knowledge that We urge the Federal there are too Road Safety many rickety Corps and the vehicles on our Vehicle Inspection roads. The tyres Officers across of several of them are worn out the country to be while some othmore alive to their ers are in a state responsibilities of total disrepair by ensuring that and indeed, not road unworthy petrol worthy. To worsen tankers, trailers matters, the drivers of a good number of these and heavy-duty vehicles are barred trailers and tankers are often either drunk or from plying our half asleep behind the expressways, wheels. especially during If we are to stop the the day carnage on our roads, we must begin to hold critical stakeholders in the transport sector accountable. The authorities at both the states and the federal government must unearth the owners of such vehicles, name and shame them, ensure that compensations are paid to the victims, their families and the state/federal government, and prosecute them for criminal negligence and wilful damage to public property. Where it is established that such accidents may have occurred because of the bad state of our roads, which is often the case, the federal or state governments should
Letters to the Editor
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also be held liable for criminal neglect by the victims. But above all, the authorities should begin to device a way of putting an end to such carnage on our roads.
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S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS OLAWALE OLALEYE, TOBI SONIYI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE
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, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI , PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH, PATRICK EIMIUHI ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com
ust recently on this page, we advocated ridding the nation’s expressways, especially the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, of the nuisance of ailing petrol tankers and trailers which park on some of the roads. Much as we appreciate the useful services rendered by the owners of these oil tankers and vehicles, we want to insist that they should render their services carefully and within the ambit of traffic rules and regulations in order not to endanger the lives of innocent citizens. But given the nature of the Otedola Bridge accident and the associated issues, there are things that critical stakeholders must do very quickly. First, we urge the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) across the country to be more alive to their responsibilities by ensuring that unworthy petrol tankers, trailers and heavy-duty vehicles are barred from plying our expressways, especially during the day. It is indeed ironic that while many of the agencies that man our roads harass innocent motorists and road users, they turn a blind eye to the illegality and nuisance caused by worn-out oil tankers and heavy-duty trailers that threaten the lives of all road users. As we have argued repeatedly, what is happening on most of our highways across the country is anathema to decency in road usage while this armada of trailers and petroleum tankers will be considered primitive in more civilised societies. Unfortunately, years of toeing the path of impropriety and poor infrastructure development and maintenance in the energy and other sectors are having their toll on other forms of business. That explains why we have tankers of all sorts on the roads every day with all the risks they pose to other motorists. To compound the challenge, in the crowded field of reckless drivers in Nigeria, tanker drivers stand out. They go on strike at the least provocation. They block the roads anytime and anywhere without a care for other road users. Yet until the government checkmates the excesses of these drivers, and more importantly revive our rail systems and create a more orderly and cost effective means of lifting bulk cargo and petroleum products, we will continue to witness the kind of tragedy that last Thursday turned the Otedola Bridge and surroundings in Lagos into another hell on earth.
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.
An Open Letter To Gov Simon Lalong
commiserate with you and the entire people of Plateau State on the recent attack in the state by the armed Fulani herdsmen which sent almost 200 people or more to their early graves. It is very unfortunate that the government, which you are part of, cannot secure the lives of the people as one of its duties and responsibilities as contained in the constitution. However, I have been listening and reading your speeches or comments as captured by both the electronic and print media concerning the killings in Benue State by the same Fulani armed men. Sir, regarding the attacks in Benue State by the armed herdsmen, you have for long blamed Governor Samuel Ortom and linked the attacks and killings in Benue to the signing into law of the bill that banned the open grazing
in the state. According to you, Ortom shouldn’t have signed into law the bill in question. You went further and described the action of Governor Ortom towards open grazing by the Fulani herdsmen as improper. You finally advised Ortom to revisit his decision in order to bring peace and unity in the state. Sir, I am still asking myself why did the Fulani herdsmen attack and kill your people when you have not signed into law a bill that can prohibit the open grazing in Plateau State. Before now, Fulani herdsmen were only after the Tiv people in Benue and Taraba, killing them like chickens. During President Obasanjo’s administration, when T.Y.Danjuma was the Minister of Defence, Nigerian soldiers were sent to Taraba in the name of peacekeeping regarding the
conflict involving the Tiv, the Fulani and the Jukun. Nigerian soldiers went there and took side with the Fulani and Jukun against the Tiv. The army helped Fulani herdsmen and Jukun to attack and kill the Tiv in Taraba and Benue respectively and accused the Tiv people of killing 18 soldiers to justify their action. As the killings of Tiv people were ongoing, some Igbo people were happy. According to them, during the Biafra war, Tiv people refused to join them to fight the Nigerian government that was dominated by Fulani people. Also, some people accused the Tiv of always stealing from the Fulani herdsmen, their cattle. They described Tiv as stubborn people who like trouble. Now, the Fulani herdsmen have graduated from killing only the Tiv, they are killing
Igbo, Idoma, Yoruba, Biron and many more. The herdsmen are killing almost everywhere in the country. Why are the Fulani herdsmen killing everywhere and everybody except those that are practicing the same religion with them? May be everybody is stealing their cow, maybe we are the ones troubling the herdsmen, maybe we should peacefully hand over our lands to them, maybe we should allow them to continue raping our women without reporting them to the compromised authorities, maybe we should all begin to practise the same religion the herdsmen practise and maybe we should surrender everything we have to the herdsmen including ourselves. President Muhammadu Buhari visited Plateau State to sympathise with the people of Plateau and held a closed door meeting with the leaders of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area where the herdsmen attacked and committed genocide. In the meeting, the president
advised the leaders to go back to their areas and teach their people how to tolerate Fulani herdsmen and live with them in peace. This is the same thing President Buhari said when he visited Benue State after the New Year killing in the state by his brothers, armed Fulani herdsmen. How can people tolerate and live in peace with the Fulani herdsmen that are killing them, raping their women, destroying their houses, converting their farms into grazing fields for their cattle and sending them to IDP camps? The same president who before now said that Fulani herdsmen are foreigners and Ghadafi’s hit-men, want us to tolerate their excesses and live with them in peace. As if that is not enough, the same president is also planning to take over our land and build ranches for the Fulani herdsmen, who according to him, are Ghadafi’s hit-men. ––––Awunah Pius Terwase, Mpape, Abuja
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JULY 1, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R
NEWS
News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08114495306 (sms only)
Sarak i: Incessant K illings of Nigerians Require Drastic Action t House to debate Plateau killings next week t Presidency seeking to derail investigations, says PDP Onyebuchi Ezigbo and James Emejo in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara state capital called for drastic action from both the National Assembly and the Presidency to address the current spate of incessant killings in parts of the country that had claimed the lives of many
Nigerians. Recollectingtherecentwanton destruction of lives in Plateau state, Saraki frowned on the unfortunate incidents, while expressing deep displeasure and added that the National Assembly under his leadership would not shy away from its responsibilities. Saraki spoke with newsmen in Ilorin after an assessment tour of some ecological-prone areas
in the metropolis. He said, “As you know very much so, that the National Assembly under my leadership many months ago had seen the danger. We had called for security summit to address the issue of security architecture. “We had seen the need for us to review the security structure. We had invited service chiefs on the matter. You are all very aware that some service chiefs
decided in their own wisdom that there is no need for them to work with the National Assembly to address these issues. “We are beginning to see the wisdom in some of the things weweresaying.Wehavealways stoodforwhatisbelievedisgood forthiscountry.Wealwayspoliticise everything in this country. “There is no society that continues to experience incessant killings as it is and then we think
it is business as usual. It requires drastic action. It requires collective collaboration of all agencies and all arms of government for us to be serious. “We on our part at the national assembly; we will not get frustrated but we have been sounding this alarm. A society where gunmen could go in, shoot for seven hours and nobody is caught. That is not a normal society,” Saraki
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lamented. He noted that, “As we resume we will continue on our part as parliament to ensure that those who have the responsibility of protectinglivesandpropertyare accountable to the people. It cannot continue; it is not something to be politicised. “If somebody is not capable he should give way for others that are competent. We have heard that security personnel are working at cross purposes. A is not talking to B and B is not talking to C. They don’t attend meetings jointly. Things need to be done. “Let us forget about party; these are people’s lives. It is not about the Speaker of House of Representatives or the Senate President; it is about Nigeria. The sooner we see that and address this, the better. More of thesecouldhavebeenprevented since we have been shouting about this. “Until we sit down all of us both the presidency and legislature to thrash out the issues. We must discuss the issues. Something needs to be done. Something is wrong. This cannot continue.” On the issues of recent flood victims in the state, the former governor of Kwara state said: “Some of these issues have been long-standing. My office has been going round to offer palliative measures to those that have been displaced to go back to their homes.
1983 Coup Stalled Nigeria’s Progress, Says Utomi t Commends Buhari for honouring Abiola, others Bayo Akinloye
A political scientist and former Special Assistant to ex-President Shehu Shagari, Prof. Pat Utomi, has suggested that had Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and some military officers not overthrown the democratic government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Nigeria would have made significant progress as a nation, claiming that the former dictator ousted
that government to prevent Dr. Alex Ekwueme from becoming the next president. Inanexclusiveinterviewwith THISDAY, Utomi lamented that therewasmoreunhappiness,unemployment,povertyanddespair in the country than ever before. Whenaskedhowhefeltabout Buhari, a former dictator now a democrat,theformerpresidential aidenoted:“TheviewIholdabout what we’ve been through the
yearscanbefoundinaninterview I gave to the New York Times, January8,1984.Inthatinterview, IsaidNigeriawouldonedayfeel sorry that they had thrown the baby out with the bathwater (as many rejoiced over the coup led by Gen. Buhari that ousted the government of Shagari). I think any living Nigerian with a brain will know that Nigeria would have been further ahead today if that coup didn’t take place on December 31, 1983, although - in my view - I was convinced that
thecoupwasdonetopreventDr. Alex Ekwueme from becoming the president in 1987.” Though he praised President Buhari for taking the initiative to recognise June 12 as Democracy Day and honour the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election along with others, he admitted that more needed to be done to salvage the country from collapsing. “The life of 25 years is a very short time. In the United States, people are still lobbying for
people who ‘were convicted for one thing or the other’ about 200 years ago to get formal pardons. So in the life of a nation, I think that 25 years is not a terribly long periodoftime.Atleastpeoplelike us who were active in the (June 12,1993)strugglearestillaround. Will it have been better if it was done22yearsago?Sure.ButIdon’t think that it was bad being done eventually. “It will start (the country’s healingprocess)butitwon’tclose becausetheopenwoundsaretoo
manyandtoomanypeoplewho are closer to those problems still bear personal animosities. It’s important to begin the healing processwhichiswhyIembraced the June 12 honours – it’s a good process,” he said. The political scientist further notedthatattheheartofNigeria’s fragile security was the issue of underdevelopmentandeconomic woes.Hearguedthatwithmany hungryandangrypeopleonthe street,thecountrywouldcontinue to grapple with insecurity.
BuhariLeavesKatsinaforMauritania, PastorBakareBidsFarewelltoMomas SGF, SSGs of 36 States, FCT Tinubu,Govs,DangoteCommiserate Meet Tomorrow in A’Ibom to Address AU on Anti-graft Francis Sardauna in Katsina
President Muhammad Buhari yesterday left Katsina State for Mauritania after a condolence visit to communities affected by rainstorm and flood in the state on Friday. The President is expected to participate at the 31st Ordinary SessionoftheAssemblyofHeads ofStateandGovernmentofAfrican Union (AU) taking place on July 1st and 2nd in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Buhari will at the summit, deliver an address on the theme ‘Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.’ The Special Adviser to the
President, Media and Publicity, Mr.FemiAdesina,saidPresident BuhariandotherAfricanleaders will take part in an interactive session with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Financing AU-led Peace Support Operations authorised by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Dominant issues affecting the continent such as peace and security, HIV/AIDS, regional cooperation, climate change will also form part of discussions of the African leaders. Beyond that, President Buhari will also hold series of high-level bilateral sessions on issues of shared common interests to the country, Africa and the world.
Pastor Tunde Bakare, Senior Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly yesterday bade farewell to his mother who was laid to eternal rest at the family house located at Sodeke Area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, lamenting that he will greatly miss his loving mother. Madam Eebudola Bakare, mother of Pastor Bakare passed on at age 108 last May 5 in her son’s Lagos residence. Bakare, the convener of Save Nigeria, at the funeral service of his mother held at the Victory Life Bible Church, Ajebo road, Abeokuta, likened the exit of his caring mother to a bodily part of him chopped off. Hereminiscedthathismother, in her early life, “carried a heavy
load of intercession for him”, describing her as a great cook. Bakare, who was the running mateofPresidentMuhammadu Buhari in the 2011 Presidential election, made this disclosure during the funeral service for the centenarian at the Victory Life Bible church where she worshipped regularly in her lifetime.ProminentNigeriansin attendance at the funeral service include the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote;
Okon Bassey in Uyo
The forum of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Secretaries to the State Government (SSG) of all the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja holds in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday, July 2nd. The meeting, which is the second quarterly meeting of the forumisgoingtotakeplaceatthe Ibom Five Star Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo. The first meeting of the body took place in Yola, Adamawa State capital. Briefing journalistsinUyo,Secretarytothe Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr.EmmanuelEkuwensaidthe meetingoftheforumofSGFand
SSGhasasitstheme:‘Improving accesstoservicesatthenationaland sub-national (State) levels’. “AlltheSecretariesofthevarious stategovernmentsaremeetingin Uyotobrainstorm,deliberate,share ideas,lookathowthepulsearefelt ineachofthestateoftheFederation. “If SSG in the various states gather,therearealotofdocuments, memo,proposals,andprojectsto discuss and coordinate. I can tell you at the end of the session, we usually have a good idea of what we need to do”, he said. Ekuwen maintained that the meeting would discuss the sustainable development goals of the government and access to primaryhealthcaredeliveryatthe federal and state levels.
T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JULY 1, 2018
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
NEWS Obasanjo: Nigeria Must Urgently Reform Public Procurement Policies Abimbola Akosile Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for a review of the public procurement policies to promote business integrity, eliminate corrupt practices and drive national transformation; as a matter of urgent national emergency.
Obasanjo made the call at the 6th Annual Christopher Kolade Lecture on Business Integrity, titled: ‘The Role of Business Integrity in National Transformation’, in Lagos weekend. The lecture, according to reports, was organised by the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) Ltd., an anti-corrup-
tion, research and advocacy organisation concerned with issues of accountability and transparency in public and private sector. The former president said the country’s procurement process probably construed the largest source of leakage. According to him, awards of contracts, supply, service contracts and
others usually contain provisions for bribes and kickbacks. He identified poor investment, poverty, infrastructure decay, institutional inefficiency and wide range of socioeconomic crisis as some of the negative consequences of corrupt practices and lack of integrity in public and private businesses.
WORKING TOGETHER
L-R: Chairman/CEO, Raven Resources Group, Mr. Adeniyi Makanjuola, and Managing Director, ENOC Marketing, Mr. Burhan Al Hashemi, at the signing of an exclusive Technical Services & Marketing Agreement (TSMA) at ENOC Headquarters, Dubai, UAE… recently
“As Africans, we need to look inward; we need value and reorientation that is anchored on our virtues of truthfulness, hospitality, respect, honesty, obedience and patriotism. “And as a matter of urgent national emergency, Nigeria must re-invigorate efforts to reform public procurement policies, especially the Public Procurement Act, which regulates public procurement and aim to minimise the abuse of processes, rules and standards in the awards and execution of public sector contracts. “I will also recommend that we adopt a code of ethics in doing business in Nigeria and ensure a framework to make it work,” he said. “Integrity is the foundation of leadership as there are no moral shortcuts in the game of business and life. We need integrity in the public and private business and it must start at the top. Organisations and public institutions must run their businesses in a forthright manner. “Make integrity the heart and soul of your business culture. If the entrepreneur does not have integrity, others who walk with him or her will definitely falter and the society will also suffer for his selfcentredness and misconduct,” he said. Obasanjo added that if the operating structure of the
government is transparent, accountable and operate against the backdrop of genuine transformation, “economic ventures and investments would sprout and the national reserve will swell, good planning will see public infrastructure booming and becoming reliable. “When justice rules a nation, everyone is glad; when injustice rules everyone groans. Show me a righteous ruler and I will show you a happy people and a wholesome society,” he noted. Obasanjo said that Kolade had distinguished himself as an icon of integrity and transparency throughout his career in the corporate world as well as national and international assignments. He urged Nigerians to adopt the lifestyle of the latter to transform and rebuild the country. Kolade, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to the U.K., urged Nigerians to uphold the virtue of integrity in their dealings to make Nigeria a better country. According to him, “This kind of gathering gives us the encouragement to believe that no matter the difficulties, there is hope that things can be better. God has created in us the capacity to practice integrity to know right from wrong and to choose right over wrong.
No Commercial Oil Find Recorded in Bida Basin Yet, NNPC Declares Chineme Okafor in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on Saturday declared that it has not recorded any commercial oil find in the Bida Basin, stating that the processes required to achieve that were still far. NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru,
explained that the speculations that oil has been found in commercial quantity in the Bida Basin should be discountenanced, adding that the search for oil in the basin was still ongoing. In a statement from NNPC’s Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, Baru said the NNPC was desirous of finding oil in the frontier
basin, but that it was currently at the fourth, out of 10 intensive stages to determine if it had oil deposits in commercial quantities. The statement said he made the submission while delivering his acceptance speech when he was conferred with a fellowship award by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) University in Lapai, Niger State.
It explained that he also spoke on the topic: “The Role of Inland Basins in Unlocking the Socio-Economic Benefits of a New Nigeria.” He stated that upon completion of determination of hydrocarbon generated, the NNPC would initiate another six stages of integration of the studies to identify positive hydrocarbon anomalies, acquisition of 2D seismic data
over anomalies, acquisition of 3D seismic data to validate identified structures, drilling of exploration wells, drilling of appraisal wells and evaluation of the engineering and economic parameters required. He emphasised that NNPC recognised that the Bida basin exploration was in the fourth stage of these activities, adding that it is important to state that efforts have not advanced to
the level of declaring discoveries, talk-less of claiming that the oil and gas present is in commercial quantities. “It is also imperative to state that even after commercial discovery of hydrocarbons, it is pertinent that pronouncements be made only after due validation of claims by the industry regulator - the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR),” Baru, said.
Monarch Raises the Alarm over Herdsmen’ Threat to Farmers in Adamawa LG
Raven Energy Partners ENOC Diamond Bank Rewards Budding Entrepreneurs with Group to Begin Jet Fuel N15m through BET 7 Operations in Nigeria
Daji Sani in Yola
Raven Energy Limited (Raven) the Nigerian subsidiary of Raven Resources Group, a global player in the Oil, Gas, and Power industry has signed an exclusive Technical Services & Marketing Agreement (TSMA) with Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC); a leading integrated global oil and gas player operating across the energy sector value chain. Raven Resources Group is a multi-national oil and gas investment company with interests ranging from marketing and distribution of petroleum products, oilfield equipment manufacturing, commodities trading, and deployment of power generation infrastructure.
The Hama Batta of Demsa Local Government Area in Adamawa State, Alhamdu Teneke has revealed that suspected herdsmen had said they would not allow farmers to access their farms in Numan federation, comprising of Demsa, Numan, Lamurde, Shellang and Guyuk local government areas of the state. The paramount ruler, who was addressing a team of the UN- Women Media Network on advocacy visit to his palace yesterday in Demsa, said the herdsmen had threatened that even if the farmers cultivated their farms, they (herdsmen) are going to destroy their farmlands, THISDAY has learnt. “But we have informed the government
about the incident. Definitely, if the government does not come to our rescue this particular raining season, our people will not be able to farm”, he said. The chief explained that these farmers depend on their farms for their livelihoods, adding that if the farmers don’t farm, then there would be famine because they would have nothing to eat. He maintained that most communities under Numan federation require security presence for the farmers to go their farmlands, adding that these security personnel are the ones to confront the herdsmen. “The entire Numan people are living in fear of the unknown. In some areas the herdsmen categorically stated that they would not allow the farmers to farm on their land.”
ENOC Group (Emirates National Oil Company) owns and operates assets in the fields of exploration & production, refining, supply & operations, terminals, fuel retail, aviation fuel and petroleum products for commercial & industrial use. At the recent signing in Dubai, UAE, Chairman and CEO for Raven, Adeniyi Makanjuola, said, “This is a major development for Raven and provides a strategic partnership with a global industry leader that will not only strengthen the infrastructure locally available but will also provide additional cost savings and enhanced productivity by reducing turnaround times.”
Leading retail bank, Diamond Bank Plc has once again demonstrated its passion for supporting small businesses by rewarding finalists of the seventh season of the Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET) programme with N15million grant. Ikenna Ubah, Tope Alake, Jumoke Dada, Bayo Ojelabi and Osagie Azeta emerged winners of the grants having displayed exceptional skills and productive business ideas after six months of entrepreneurship training. The BET programme, which is the Bank’s flagship Corporate Sustainability project, is run in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University and has catered to over 350 en-
trepreneurs since inception in 2011. Speaking at the BET 7 dinner and award ceremony held in Lagos recently, CEO of Diamond Bank, Uzoma Dozie, said the programme is aimed at inspiring, encouraging, mentoring and supporting budding entrepreneurs with basic skills required to build, grow and manage a business. He stated that BET 7, with the theme, ‘Innovation and Social Impact’, is aimed at taking the programme beyond the classrooms by leveraging technology to share the experiences of the young entrepreneurs who have passed through the BET programme with the world to inspire, motivate and challenge other entrepreneurs in Nigeria to be innovative and creative.
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͺ
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NEWS CBN: Bank Customers’ BVN Enrolment Hits 33.6 Million t Apex bank directs banks to resolve USSD disputes in 3 days Nume Ekeghe
The number of bank customers that have registered for the Bank Verification Number (BVN) rose to 33,583,538 on June 24,
2018 from 30,655,000 in October 2017, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said. This represents an increase of 2,928,538 or 9.55 per cent over the eightmonth period.
This is just as the CBN has directed all commercial banks to resolve disputes arising from use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel within three days.
Speaking at the ‘Meet The Executive’ forum organised by Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Lagos, the CBN Director, Banking & Payment System Department, Mr. ‘Dipo Fatokun, described the introduction of the BVN initiative as one of the success stories in the financial system. He said: “BVN is an-
other thing of great success and a very fantastic initiative we launched which provides customers with unique identification and can be verifies across the Nigerian banking industry. “Just as development usually ride on another, the BVN has provided a basis for a lot of offerings to happen in the financial
services industry. We now see people offering credit, ability to open bank accounts on the go, and so on.” Also speaking on USSD resolutions, Fatokun said the central bank believed quick resolution would help build more confidence in the payment system and bring more people into the financial services net.
EbonyLife TV Ends Exclusivity with DStv, Expands Globally
TIME TO UNWIND L-R: Aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, hanging out with current UK Minister for International Trade and immediate past Minister for Defence, Liam Fox, in London...yesterday
EbonyLife TV has announced that from August 1, 2018, they will be broadcasting on the StarTimes network (Satellite 191 and Digital Terrestrial 107), thereby ending its exclusive arrangement with DStv. StarTimes is a leading multinational media company with a strong presence in Africa, operating in 30 countries and with over 10 million subscribers. The partnership with StarTimes is a bid to provide premium, homegrown content to a larger audience across Africa. In addition to expansion of its linear television audience, EbonyLife has launched a global, digital video-on-demand (VoD) service, EbonyLife ON, that allows Nigerian subscribers, who
cannot afford expensive satellite TV, to watch its high-quality content for as little as N500 per month. Viewers in the Diaspora have already been accessing the service for $2.99 per month. CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu, is thrilled about the global expansion. “This is an exciting time for us. StarTimes is a force to be reckoned with in Africa. It is a privilege for EbonyLife to have an additional home with the network. Together with the global reach of EbonyLife ON, we will have the potential for millions more people to enjoy our gripping dramas, riveting talk and fun entertainment shows,” she said. MD of StarTimes, Justin
Zhang, shares similar sentiments with Abudu. “EbonyLife TV is synonymous with quality, which is important to us. As one of Nigeria’s leading television networks, it made sense to include them in the StarTimes family and to continue delighting customers with engaging, original content,” he said. This collaboration is a winwin for both parties – StarTimes will improve its offering by providing an additional, first-rate channel to users and EbonyLife TV gets an opportunity to broadcast to an even greater number of viewers. EbonyLife ON is now available online to viewers in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Osinbajo Lauds New 12,500 Jobs Created through Lagos Employment Trust Fund Abimbola Akosile
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN has commended the Lagos State Government for establishing the Employment Trust Fund (ETF) through which loans are granted to small scale businesses and people with business ideas, saying that it was laudable that over 12,500 new jobs were created within the first six months of the scheme.
The ETF is an initiative of the State Government established by the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode through which a total of N25billion is earmarked to be disbursed within four years to empower business owners with capital to revive moribund ventures, boost trade and as well help to start new ventures. While delivering a keynote address at the Special Parliamentary Session to mark the
third anniversary of the 8th Assembly of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Osinbajo said the ETF, which was created in 2016, was an excellent example of how State Governments could intervene in creating opportunities for small businesses. “At this point, I want to mention that the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund which was established in 2016 is an excellent example of State intervention in creating opportuni-
ties for small businesses. “As of May 2018, 7000 loans totaling about N5billion have already been given out and 12,500 jobs were created even within the first six months of its operation. “This is a very important initiative of the State Government and we think that it is important because it understands and addresses the concern of an important segment of our society – the young bright minds that require
UNICEF Distributes 350,000 Mosquito Nets in Borno
Be Good Ambassadors, Bridge House College Students Charged
Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri
Olaseni Durojaiye
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be combating malaria in Borno State with over 350,000 mosquito nets. According to the Fund, the insecticide treated nets are aimed at reducing infant mortality in the troubled state. UNICEF, in a press statement by its Communication Specialist in charge of Borno Field Office, Kusali Kubwalo said the collaboration is with the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) and the Borno State Ministry of Health (SMOH). Kubwalo said the exercise, which aimed at distributing 358,134 long lasting insecticide treated nets in the troubled state, is to ensure the survival of children under the age of five. She revealed that: “So far, UNICEF has already distributed
long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN) to 45,868 children under 5 and pregnant lactating women in Shani local government area of Borno state.” She said: “The distribution aims to ensure that pregnant women, children under 5 years and other members of their families are protected from malaria, which is endemic in Nigeria and considered to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children and pregnant women. Kubwalo, in the statement quoted UNICEF Chief of Borno Field office, Geoffrey Ijumba, as saying: “Preventing malaria is critical to improving nutrition, maternal and child health. Pregnant women and their babies are especially at risk, since malaria infection during pregnancy can lead to stillbirth, low birth weight and other complications.”
Against the backdrop of rising cases of misdemeanours amongst teenagers and young adults, eminent Nigerians have charged the Bridge House College Lagos class of 2018 graduates to shun vices, be of good behaviours and go on to become the flagship of their generation. The speakers included Youth Developmental and Public Leadership expert and founder/ CEO of Rise Networks, Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji; the Chief Executive Officer of BUA group, Abdulsamad Rabiu; former First Lady of Lagos, Dame Abimbola Fashola; member of the Ogun State Executive Council, Ms. Ronke Onadeko and the Executive Director of the college, Mrs. Foluke Abdulrasaq. The speakers, who all spoke at the 14th Annual Graduation
and Awards ceremony of the college held in Lagos recently, harped on the importance of being disciplined and focused if they must achieve their potential and put to good use the training that they received from the school. Highpoints of the ceremony included speech by the college ambassador, Abubakar Gobir; awards presentations to distinguished students and artistic presentations by some of the graduating students. In her keynote address, the guest speaker, Mrs. Akerele-Ogunsiji, who was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the 20 Most Powerful Young Women in Africa enjoined the graduating students to be focused on their academics when they travel abroad for their university education and to shun vices including drug abuses.
some capital to multiply their thoughts and trade,” Osinbajo said. He said as part of measures to address poverty in the country, the federal government was already working on a scheme relating to the ETF through which loans would be given to small traders, adding that the initiative would commence in July. “In the area of job creation, our party - the All Progressives
Congress (APC) realised that we simply have to adopt a bottom-up economic model one where government directly intervenes by massive social investment programme in matters of poverty and this sort of programme addresses youth, especially graduate employment and credit to small businesses but especially credit to the smallest businesses like the one-table trader, the bread or plantain seller and so on.
PharmAccess, PCN, PSN Launch Pharmacy Framework to Strengthen Healthcare Delivery The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), in collaboration with PharmAccess Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that provides access to funding, and other stakeholders in the healthcare value chain have launched the Pharmacy Framework Manual to strengthen the value chain of the pharmaceutical industry by stimulating stronger regulation and providing access to affordable capital. The framework, which was launched in Lagos recently, is expected to address the inadequate access to affordable capital for the procurement of pharmaceutical products at the last mile service delivery points that has posed a major challenge to the health sector particularly in rural and hard to reach areas where many of the
low income earners live and work. The Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Elijah Mohammed, in his remarks said the framework is the outcome of PCN’s partnership with other stakeholders in the sector. According to Mohammed, the partnership is borne out of the need to ensure adequate provision of equitable and sustainable access to life-saving medicines within the healthcare system, as enshrined in the National Drug Policy. “The development of the framework was with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders and contents are in alignment with the policies and guidelines for the regulation of Community Pharmacists, Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors, Manufacturers, Importers and Wholesalers.”
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ͯ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
OPINION Social Media And Tribal Hatred The social media could be put to better use, argues Ijeoma M. Ezeuko
T
ance in Nigeria. They exaggerate and spread the news of the killings of people in one part of Nigeria while suppressing information of the decimation of another group of people in the other part. It is not that these incidences are fictitious; they, at best, exacerbate facts and distort reality by either undermining or overblowing information. All these are fuelled by the easy access to information via social media. Different tribes of Nigeria are somewhat agitating the separatism cause. They are widening the tribal gap, they know it but cannot be bothered. All they want are autonomy and secession. This is the generation that did not witness the civil war of the late sixties. To them it is history and remains as such. They did not live through the untold slaughtering, starvation and stagnation. Anyone who witnessed the war and is still in his or her right senses will never recommend it as a way of dividing the nation. Yes the nation has a myriad of problems. It is a nation that is divided along ethnic and religious lines yet blessed with rich natural mineral resources and human power. Yes, the "federal character" as enshrined in our constitution is our greatest undoing according to the renowned writer Chinua Achebe in his short book " The Trouble with Nigeria" I agree absolutely because it gave room for mediocrity over meritocracy. The wrong candidates fill important positions causing gridlock on the nation’s development The issue of federal character is a major contributor to the decay in our polity and the reason why tribal e-war is gaining momentum. Everyone is on edge. Dramas keep unfolding - Boko Haram, BBOGs, Fulani herdsmen, Nnamdi Kanu, Biafra, dollar/pound rate, bag of rice, DSS and judges, Saraki, Wike, Dasuki, Southern Kaduna,
ribal sentiments in Nigeria have undermined the unity of the country. To further express my regrets, the younger generation that ought to hold a stronger view of a detribalised nation is rather divided along ethnic lines, with government promoting regionalism and tribes. I remember growing up in the eastern part of Nigeria. All our friends and acquaintances were of the Igbo extraction. We were deeply rooted in our rich culture, all other traditional values were obscure to us. Inter-tribal marriages were rare. Only a handful of people we knew inter married since the culture did not encourage marrying from other lands outside your community and kingdoms. However, we grew up and migrated to the different parts of Nigeria and the world. It became a global village. We started seeing the different cultures of the world. We started travelling far and wide. We relished in the different sights, sounds, food and dressing. We saw ourselves as having the same humanity with others. It didn't matter anymore, we were more knowledgeable, more accepting and we became better for it. It seems plausible to assume that this narrative of mine is relatable to most people. Then again, the introduction of social media, we all joined the bandwagon, connected with long lost friends. It became a never ending party. First was MySpace, Hi Five, then Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, what'sApp and Snapchat . Who would have thought that at a click, tap on the screen, you gained access to free information? Suddenly, blogging appeared as a hit. It became easier to get a message across to Nigerians on blogs than to announce it on the dailies. Then the hate that we didn't even know existed started rearing its ugly head - cyber bullies emerged. A straightforward story ends up in pieces for the simple reason that a Yoruba man is spewing vile insults on an Hausa woman or the Igbo teacher is raining curses on the Edo bus driver and vice versa . When I read all the insults, I literally close my ears with my fingers as though to stop the deafening sound of the unprintable. I often wonder who these individuals are that hide behind a cold screen under the guise of a moniker and let their fingers run wild. I also shudder at the ones who do so with full disclosure of their identities. Those are the people that instigate war, hate and intoler-
Whenever you find a post on Facebook or any of the social media handles with the most comments, the topic of discussion is the Nigerian political debacle. These discussions are always with ethnic and religious undertones and colouration
Plateau. The list is endless. Whenever you find a post on Facebook or any of the social media handles with the most comments, the topic of discussion is the Nigerian political debacle. These discussions are always with ethnic and religious undertones and colouration. Something must be done fast for a volatile, ethnically and religiously charged country as ours. My prayer therefore is that another group of social media users, those who believe that the Nigerian dream is still achievable, should rise to the occasion. They should begin by doing some damage control. They should showcase the beauty of inter-tribal marriages, the rich cultures of the various ethnic groups, the beautiful sceneries of the different parts of the country, the positives of every tribe. It should become a movement and over time, the message will be passed to the right audience. Many people are still living in obscurity and have not yet had first-hand experience of the other tribes of the nation. So as basic as my two kobo may seem, it is a step in the right direction. Also, with the help of the music industry growing in leaps and bounds. Musicians sing and rap in their native languages, they showcase their culture through their music cinematography - these are commendable and should be encouraged to bridge the segregation. Sooner or later, ideologies, prejudices and biases will lessen among social media users and from there, it will hopefully have a multiplier effect seeping through to the people at the bottom ladder of the society. That is the impressionable tribal citizens that do the dirty work of genocide; the crux of the Nigerian matter. Our generation must be better than the ones before us. We owe it to our children to salvage our nation. It's not just enough for us to put them in schools where they recite the national pledge and sing the national anthem on every assembly day. We must actively be seen to be protecting our heritage. Social media is the most powerful tool to do just that. So next time you log onto any social media platform that piques your interest, hesitate to comment on any topic that promotes tribal hate, just "waka pass." Delete those chain forwards that ask you to pass on to only your tribal comrades. There are so many beautiful things we can achieve if we give up the hate and give peace a chance. –– Ezeuko is a Research Fellow of the National Judicial Institute
Babalakin at 58 Steve Omolale and Ayo Olaosun pay tribute to Bolanle Babalakin, lawyer and businessman, at age 58
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s the erudite lawyer and astute businessman, Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin (SAN), turns 58 today, many people may be wondering what has been the driving force behind this man, who has been consistent in whatever he believes in, courageous in the face of insurmountable challenges, persistent in his approach to everything, unperturbed by the vicissitudes of life and unshaken by the turbulence that appears on his way to the top. By no little measure, Babalakin, who is a man of many parts and has been very successful in all, is acting according to the golden words of Mark Caine, who said: “The first step towards success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." Despite his privileged background as a son of a distinguished and incorruptible jurist, this Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) refused to be a captive of the environment in which he found himself. His focus has always been on attaining success in all endeavours, all on his own. While many of his contemporaries with similar privileged background became captives of their immediate environment and were busy pursuing inanities, getting pleasured in the warm arms of girls, dancing wild discos, drinking beer and popping champagne in the ancient city of Ibadan where he was born, Babalakin’s attention, right from the word go, was fully focused on achieving success and this he proudly did. According to the words of Vaibhav Shah, "Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them.” Therefore, only a few people know the private sacrifices this philanthropist of note made to achieve success, but today everybody can see the glory and drink from the fountain of his success. For Babalakin, who can be best described as an amazing personality because of the energy with which he pursues whatever he believes in, equipping himself with quality education at an early age was the first step to an eventful life. To demonstrate this, he obtained his Ph.D on the eve of his 26th birthday at the world-class University of Cambridge, having earlier attended the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG) for his first degree in law, where he is today the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council. He is the first alumnus to occupy this exalted position. And, indeed, his 58 years on earth have been very eventful.
Affectionately referred to as BOB by his employees, professional colleagues, friends and admirers, Babalakin, who is also the Chairman of the Resort Group and who has interests in litigation and dispute resolution, real estate, infrastructure development, construction and transportation (aviation and roads), as well as philanthropy, has consistently pursued those interests with the focus of an eagle and the vigour of a lion. Rather than waning, his zeal for perfection in all that he does or you do for him continues to grow. He does not accept 99.9 per cent as a pass mark; it must be 100 per cent or nothing less. This, we can confidently attest to, having worked for him for several years now. His fledging law firm, Babalakin and Co., with over 60 lawyers in its Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt offices, which he established after a short stint with the renowned legal luminary and his mentor, the late Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, has produced many Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and judges. As a successful businessman in a hostile clime like ours, Babalakin has been severally subjected to all manner of intimidation and harassment, but he has always triumphed and come out stronger on each occasion. Undeterred, he has always followed the postulation of the great scientist, Albert Einstein, who says: “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” His staunch and legendary belief in the rule of law and an orderly society where everything must work perfectly has seen him fighting several legal battles with strong forces over some of his various multi-billion naira investments, such as the first privately-funded public-private partnership airport terminal in West Africa, the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), built and operated by his Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), a pioneering idea, which many of his traducers have not been able to replicate anywhere in the country till date. His resilience has also seen him engage in legal battles over the unjustly cancelled Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concession, which was awarded to one of his firms, Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited (BHSL) and the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikoyi, Lagos, also awarded to another of his firms,
Resort International Limited (RIL), among others. In all these and other legal battles, Babalakin has always triumphed over the conspiracies of a few, leading to the award of several billions of naira damages in his favour by courts. Sadly, these damages have not been paid till date. His philanthropy, which knows no ethnic, religious or political boundary manifests in many segments of the society. Babalakin believes in giving back to the society. His good gestures are clearly visible in the education and health sectors of the society, among others. For instance, Babalakin runs an elaborate scholarship scheme under which many Nigerian youths have been trained, and are still being trained home and abroad; donated an 80-bed hostel to the University of Ilorin in the name of his father, the Hon. Justice Bolarinwa Oyegoke Babalakin (rtd); treated over 20,000 Nigerians with various eye diseases in Zaria, Kaduna State and Owo, Ondo State; donated a 500-seater auditorium to the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, in memory of his late mother and has just opened a 4,000-seater Bola Babalakin Auditorium in his Gbongan hometown in Osun State, among several others. Babalakin’s unquenchable thirst for and commitment to scholarship has seen this cerebral lawyer serving the nation in various capacities to help reform the education sector without drawing any allowance for his selfless service. Among some of these are: Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Maiduguri; Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities in Nigeria; Chairman, Implementation Monitoring Committee of the Agreements entered into between the federal government and the various unions of Nigerian universities, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); Chairman, Federal Government Committee to Re-negotiate the 2009 agreement between the government and the university unions and currently, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, UNILAG. As a committed family man, Babalakin is married to his heart-throb, Olugbolahan, a lawyer and daughter of Hon. Justice and the late Mrs. Y.A. Jinadu. They are blessed with children. ––Omolale and Olaosun are on the Media Team of the Resort Group
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
LETTERS SUPER EAGLES AND THE CURSE OF ARGENTINA
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n local football parlance, when a football team constantly thrashes another soccer squad at every given chance, the one on the receiving end is often referred to as the ‘wife’ of the all-conquering side. If viewed from this perspective, Nigeria’s senior national soccer team, the Super of Eagles, is without doubt the perennial soccer ‘wife’ of the Albicelestes of Argentina. Since the Super Eagles made its debut in the World Cup in USA 1994, the Albicelestes of Argentina have been a constant thorn in the flesh of the Nigerian national team. In USA 94, the Super Eagles enjoyed a rare scintillating debut, whipping Bulgaria 3-0 in a match that saw the late Rashidi Yekini scored the country’s first ever World Cup goal. Not a few Nigerian soccer fans would easily forget gangling Yekini’s famous animated chants after scoring that memorable goal. It was a most glorious moment in the country’s soccer anal. The whole country resonated in wild jubilation. At last, the Eagles have landed on the big world stage! So we thought. But then, the Albicelestes of Argentina had other ideas. In our second match against the Argentines, the Super Eagles were quickly brought back to earth as the game was briskly settled in
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the first 29 minutes. Ironically, it was the Super Eagles that shot the first salvo with a clinical Samson Siasia eighth-minute goal. Not quite long after that, the Diego Maradona inspired Argentine side quickly responded with a Claudio Caniggia 22nd and 29th minute brace. And that ended the contest at Argentina two, Nigeria one. Thus began the Super Eagles series of miseries in the hand of the Argentines. At the Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup, the Super Eagles again had the misfortune of squaring it up with their
nemesis, the Argentines. Though, the Coach Adegboye Onigbinde-tutored side was able to lessen the tally to just a solitary Gabriel Bastituta’s 63rd minute header via a corner kick, the Argentines were actually the better team on the day. But for the resolute Super Eagles defence ably marshalled by Taribo West and goalkeeper Ike Shorounmu’s countless heroic saves, the result could have been scandalous. At the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa, the Super Eagles also had the ill-fated fortune of facing the Argentines. As it was in
2002, the Super Eagles fell to a lone Gabriel Heinze sixth minute goal, crashing out of the championship in the group stage. As if there is a conspiracy by FIFA to persistently compound Super Eagles’ World Cup woe, the team was once again pitched in same group as the Albicelestes in Brazil 2014. In the ensuing match, the Super Eagles fought gallantly to put up a better show, coming behind twice to hold the Argentines, thanks to an Ahmed Musa brace. But then, as it is often said in football lexicon, form is temporary while class is permanent. The Argentines eventually outclassed the Super Eagles through a classy Lionel Messi’s genius that ended the match 3- 2 in favour of the Albicelestes. The latest painful loss of the Super Eagles to Argentina at the ongoing Russian 2018 World Cup makes is the fifth time in 24 years that the South American team would stand in the way of the Super Eagles’ progression at the global soccer championship. Now that broken soccer fans’ hearts are being healed, it is important to dissect the Super Eagles’ 24 years of bashing in the hand of the Argentines. Looking at the successive World Cup defeats the Super Eagles had suffered in the hand of the Argentines, it is obvious that the gap between the two teams is not really so wide. Rather, what
On Whose Side Is The National Assembly?
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his question reflects a critical opinion held by a majority of Nigerians, especially the electorate who have given out their political will by voting. Of course, 2019 election is around the corner. It is a question from the collective opinion of the average Nigerian whose main interest is to have a proficient government, a country safe and secured, and the National Assembly is very crucial if these goals would ever be achieved. Lawmakers, the world over are quite instrumental to achieving a sane country with robust developmental strides, they are those formulating ideas into policies, check and balance the executive arm; at higher level of authority some would turn ideas into statutory corporations, authorities, agencies, others into acts and laws so long they are in line with executive arm. Nigeria's National Assembly is not an exception with a constitutional backing in Section 47 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. There is no doubt about the capacity of the National Assembly but there is a huge doubt on whose side the Eighth National Assembly is. A senator represents the total number of persons in his senatorial district, same goes with the House of Representatives member projecting the
interest of all the people from his constituency. But in many cases the word "suppose" will be added to the statement above. Beyond this, the National Assembly members are also to check the executive, to ensure the human, natural and economic resources of Nigeria are well utilized regardless of political loyalty and aspirations. These are becoming mere paper tigers like other things clogging the wheel of Nigeria’s democracy. This question was never a construction of political pressure, both the ruling party- APC and the opposition party- PDP play active roles in the ongoing distrust of what the National Assembly stands for. It is a question birthed from continuous sloppy deviation of the eighth National Assembly, with its medicine after death approaches, most of the deliberations end up majoring in minor and minoring in the major. Anyone who comes into equity must come with clean hands. The National Assembly with so many loads of controversies, scandals, ideologies they surmounted, challenged and some they rolled under the carpet, have not come this far untainted. Claiming neutrality with these accumulated issues would account for swimming in a pool without getting wet.
The debate on immunity for National Assembly members starting from the principal officers dominated public space at a time; then the controversial request that Nigeria Customs Service’s boss, Col. Hameed Ali must appear before the house in his official uniform; the summon of the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris over the killings in Benue and others, the constant rejection of acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu and which has made him one of the longest serving acting chairmen in recent times, the symbol of authority, the Mace was taken and dropped at the city gate in Abuja, the Offa Robbery, the motion for the impeachment of Mr. President if security is not enhanced, the spontaneous red-carpeting and divided party loyalty among many others have in one or the other stained the “objective” garment of the National Assembly. The passage of the 2018 budget which President Buhari claimed he was compelled to sign, also raised many eyebrows to the stand of the National Assembly in the pursuit of a better Nigeria. Allocations for constituencies and senatorial districts were increased to N578 billion, with additional 6,403 projects without due consultation with the executives, while 4,700
projects of the executive were reduced to N347 billion; the absence of both the Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives, although they sent representatives, during the budget signing was also significant and has sent home messages unintended. The National Assembly certainly has reasons for these changes, they want more and better grassroots projects for Nigerians. President Buhari has also promised to present what will be the earliest supplementary budget which is backed by Section 84, subsection 4 of the constitution, to complement these changes. Despite all these challenges, the eighth National Assembly has achieved some successes: its active role in combating illegal migration in Nigeria, with several public hearing in affected areas, ongoing support of the anti-grazing law in affected areas, its role in the actualization of the nottoo- young- to- run bill. But on whose side is the National Assembly standing? Is it standing on the side of the electorate that exchanged their rights by voting, or the executive working assiduously to make things work? Or are members of the assembly on their own side for their pockets, party and family? –– Jegede Joseph, Lagos.
is essentially observable is that the Eagles seem to have so much respect for the Albicelestes. In, at least three of the encounters, 2010, 2014 and 2002, the Argentines were not really too fantastic against the Eagles and could have been taken to the cleaners if only the latter had a better mental fortitude. So, the Eagles’ flawed mental resilience is basically an issue in almost all the defeats. In the last defeat especially, the Super Eagles were obviously needlessly awed by Messi and his colleagues. In the first three matches so far played by the Albicelestes in the current World Cup, it is evident that there is really nothing extraordinary about them. The Iceland and Croatia national teams have shown that with the right metal approach, the Albicelestes could easily be caged. Up till the time it squared up with the Eagles, the Argentines have only managed to score one goal in 180 minutes of football. The team’s defence and midfield were seriously defective. The Croatians noticed this and duly exploited it. Lack of concentration particularly cost the Eagles dearly in the latest loss as the team was just few minutes away from holding the Argentines. The way the Eagles defence allowed Marco Rojo to sneak in the winner for the Argentines simply reinforces this. In bigger soccer stages such as the World Cup, the stakes are higher and so every second counts. You can’t afford to let off your guard at any time, not for any reason. If you do, you must be ready
to pay dearly for it. As it is often said in soccer, it is not over until it is over. Hopefully, the Eagles and their handlers had learnt this, albeit in a bitter manner. Also, clumsiness in front of goals especially cost the Eagles greatly in the last match. In crucial matches, like the one we played against Argentina where result is everything, experienced teams take their opportunities because chances are always hard to come by. The Croatian demonstrated this against the Argentines when they punished them with two goals resulting from their goalkeeper’s school boy’s errors. Sadly, the Eagles couldn’t display such decisiveness in front of goal. The manner in which Odion Ighalo and other strikers flopped the few chances that came their way clearly reflects this. Except there is a remarkable change in their mental attitude when playing against seemingly bigger teams such as Argentina and others, the Super Eagles and, indeed, other African national teams would never be able to either match or surpass the Cameroonians record of qualifying for the quarter final of the World Cup which was set by the Lions in 1990. With the abundance of soccer talents in the country, it is shameful that the Super Eagles and the other four African representatives at the Mundial couldn’t make it to the second round of the ongoing World Cup. ––Tayo Ogunbiyi, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa Ikeja
Killings And Farmers-Herders Clashes
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he first approach to solving a security problem is stripping it of all political pretences and nuances. The killings in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara and other places should be properly phrased. The casual resort to tagging or reducing mass killings or massacres to "farmers-herders clashes" is sadism. It mocks the dead and drives a dagger deeper into the wounds of the bereaved. Nigeria is at present an island of blood. Too many souls have been dispatched to the place yonder untimely. Framing the killings in the central part of the country as “herdsmen-farmers clashes” is skirting around a serious issue. What happened in Plateau at the weekend is pre-meditated massacre. What happened in Benue, where Catholic priests and parishioners were killed, is a deliberate massacre not “herdsmen-farmers” clashes. What happened in Taraba, where a seminary was attacked, is intentioned criminality not “herdsmenfarmers” clashes and so is that
of Zamfara. As a matter of fact, I have always given this government the benefit of the doubt on matters of security. But the government has been inconsistent in the excuses it gives for the killings in the north central region lately. First, the government said the killers were not Nigerians - that they were foreign invaders. Even President Muhammadu Buhari said the killers were aliens from Libya. However, the government later changed its narrative and said anti-open grazing laws were the smoulders of the killings. Second, John Agim, defence spokesman, said the killers were political thugs hired by desperate politicians to cause disharmony in the area. But Dan-Ali, defence minister, said openly that for peace to reign in the north central region - that is, for the killings to stop - all anti-open grazing laws must be suspended, implying that the laws were the reason –Fredrick Nwabufo, fredricknwabufo@yahoo. com
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ͯ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
INTERNATIONAL
Unilateralism versus Multilateralism: United States and the Dilemma of its Declining Global Power
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he conduct and management of international relations as at today is increasingly being marked by rise in isolationist nationalism and selfish trade protectionism to the detriment of global peace and security.At the inception of contemporary international relations in 1870, that is, at the time of Franco-Prussian war, bilateralism began to be the hallmark of modern inter-state cooperation. Interest in multilateralism as a framework for maintenance of international peace and security began at the end of World War I with the establishment of the League of Nations, and particularly with the carving out of International Relations out of Political Science as a new discipline of its own. The word, ‘international,’ as explicated by Joseph Bentham, an English philosopher, means between nations. In common usage, ‘between’ applies to only two people or things while ‘among’ applies to more than two. Explained differently, ‘between’ is about bilateralism, that is, what transpires at the level of two countries. ‘Among’ refers to multilateralism, that is, a relationship involving many countries. When only three countries are involved, the relationship is referred to as tripartite or trilateral. However, in the late 1970s, a French school of thought came up with a new argument that the notion of multilateralism is too ambiguous and that there was the need to differentiate between multilateralism at the global level and multilateralism at the regional level. At the regional level, there are the ECOWAS of sixteen countries created in 1975, the Organisation ofAmerican States, founded on 30 April, 1948 and comprising the 35 independent states of theAmericas, the European Economic Community of Six, which later became nine, then ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty-eight and now twenty-seven, with Brexit. In the eyes of the French school, relationship among this group of countries should be referred to as plurilateral while multilateralism should refer to relationships at the universal scale. This is how bilateralism has become part of the lexicon and has been co-existing with multilateralism and bilateralism. What is trending now is the gradual return to unilateralism and national protectionism in the conduct and management of international relations, especially as evidenced by United States foreign policy under President Donald Trump. The unilateralism à la United States has an isolationist character that reminds one of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine. In fact, the way the United States is engaged in the conduct and management of international questions is now imperialistic in design, manu militari in execution, non-compromising in negotiation and counter-productive in outcome.And most unfortunately too, the United States is celebrating its 242nd Anniversary of Independence amidst a growing anti-American environment this year as a result. In fact, US foreign policy under Donald Trump is not only straining relationship with its traditional allies, it is also pointing to the limitations of the main thrust of the policy: ‘America First.’ United States global power is gradually being eroded. Consequently, the future of global peace and security remains very shaky to the extent that many questions should be raised on the ‘state’ as the main unit of analysis in international politics; first, is multilateralism giving way to unilateralism? the challenges of global trade and national protectionism; the conflict between unilateralism, on the one hand, and bilateralism, plurilateralism and multilateralism, on the other hand; and most importantly, what is the future of the competing national interests in the context of an emerging new Cold War order? And perhaps more notably, it should be said that the way Donald Trump is currently engaged in the conduct and management of international affairs will not only prove right the theory of Professor Jean-Baptist Duroselle of the University of Paris-Sorbonne, who has argued that ‘tout empire périra’(every empire shall perish). What Professor Duroselle is simply saying is that there is a beginning of, and there is an end to, any given empire, imperialism, and domination, etc. In other words, if the United States was great, for how long could the greatness be sustained? Is the sustenance best protected by unilateralism? Is it best done on the basis of bilateralism or multilateralism? Is it possible for the United States to be a global leader without followers? It is impossible because leadership without followership is, at best, meaningless. It is the myopia and
VIE INTERNATIONALE with
Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846
e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com
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meaninglessness with which the United States foreign policy has now come to be characterised that has the potential to undermine makingAmerica great again. It is also for this same consideration that the foreign policy thrust of ‘America First’ cannot but remain more of rhetoric than anything else. US foreign policy under Donald Trump is a clear pointer to this observation.
US Foreign Policy of Unilateralism US foreign policy of unilateralism did not begin with President Donald Trump. Previous presidents had engaged in it. In most, if not in all the previous cases, the first and main reason given is allegation of bias against Israel, while the second reason is always bad management of the organisations concerned. It is on record, for instance, that the US, in disagreement with the policies of the UNESCO, withdrew from the organisation in 1984 and asked the United Kingdom to represent and protect its interests. In this regard, the United States refused to pay its arrearages to the organisation. The United States later returned to the UNESCO in 2003 but the Trump administration announced on October 12, 2017 that the US would withdraw again from the UNESCO and the reasons are not far-fetched.As contained in the communiqué of the Department of State, the reasons were ‘US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organisation, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.’ The United States stopped paying its assessed dues to the UNESCO in 2011 and, therefore, currently has arrearages to the tune of US$542,671,681, representing about 22% of the budget of the organisation. In the eyes of the United States, the UNESCO is an ‘already highly questionable UN agency,’ to borrow the words of
There is absolutely nothing wrong for the US to seek military domination of the space over which no country has exclusive sovereignty.The problem is that others also have the same right over the use of the same space.Consequently, it should be expected that other powerful rivals might react, meaning that arms rivalry in the space cannot be ruled out in the near future. By then, the emerging Cold War cannot but become more pronounced. In the event of a more pronounced Cold War, who will be the allies of the United States? Currently, it is already ‘G-6 plus 1’, to borrow the coinage of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, at the level of G-7, who tried to suggest that the US is one country against six members of the G-7
Ms. Nikki Hayley, the US ambassador to the UN. This statement is very characteristic of US foreign policy pronouncement whenever the US finds it difficult to make use of any organisation for the protection of its foreign policy interest. What should be noted, most unfortunately, is that the US was one of the first signatories to the agreement establishing the UNESCO in November 1949 and it was the US delegate to the conference, Archibald MacLeis, who provided the draft of the opening of the agreement: that ‘since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. The UNESCO was established as an instrument for the promotion of global peace and security, by particularly building peace in the minds of men through culture, education and science. However, the United States under Donald Trump is only now building unrest, protectionism, belligerence and partisanship-driven mediation in conflict resolution, particularly in the context of IsraeloArab conflict. US has partisan interest and yet wants to still lead in the resolution of the dispute between Israel and theArabs. No wonder, Israel is always quick to support any US foreign policy on this matter. For instance, on the announcement of possible US withdrawal from the UNESCO, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saw the future withdrawal in December 2018 as a ‘courageous and ethical decision because UNESCO has become a theatre of the absurd and instead of preserving history, it distorts it.’ In fact, Netanyahu has directed its Ministry of States.’ Even though the US is always using the anti-Israel bias as a case for withdrawing, Sheila Jackson-Lee, US Congress woman, said in 2001 that ‘US membership of the UNESCO will enable us to better combat the threatsAmericans face in the 21st Century.’ This is the truth but since the UNESCO may no longer serve that purpose, the rationale for the withdrawal is understandable. In this regard, what is the implication of US withdrawal from UNESCO for the promotion of global peace and security, especially that the major reason for the establishment of the UNESCO is to prevent new conflicts and use the organisation to foster international peace and security? What about Donald Trump’s promotion of US national security to the detriment of collective security in international relations? Again, the story of US withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement and from the Iran nuclear deal is not in any way different.As regards the climate change agreement, on June 1, 2017 President Trump announced the intention of the US to withdraw not only from the agreement but also to cease the implementation of the agreement with immediate effect, especially the NationallyDetermined Contributions. The announcement was promptly followed with an official letter of withdrawal from the agreement onAugust 4, 2017. Since resignation of membership can only take effect from the following end of December of the following year, the United States has to remain a member until December 2018 and also remains obligated to settle all assessed dues to the UNESCO during the period. We believe here, and strongly too, that the withdrawal cannot be a true reflection of the national interest of the United States, because, in June 2016, a national poll carried out by the Chicago Council on GlobalAffairs revealed that 71% ofAmerican adults supported US participation in the agreement. The poll conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication in November 2016 also showed that 69% of the registered voters favoured continued US participation in the agreement.Additionally, in June 2017, only 28% ofAmericans supported US withdrawal from the agreement. However, President Trump did not bother about majority-driven governance, even though, grosso modo, the withdrawal was also greeted globally with condemnation. The British newspaper, The Independent, for instance, saw the withdrawal as a ‘tension between myth and reality, while the China’s Xinhua State news agency described it as a ‘global setback.’ Perhaps more disturbing, the Toronto Star, said: ‘in the long catalogue of destructive things that Donald Trump has inflicted on the United States and the world, pulling out of the most important global attempt to slow the impact of climate change must go down as the worst.’ Regarding the US withdrawal from the Human Rights Council, the US sees the Council as a ‘hypocritical and self-serving organisation.’As noted again by the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, the US gave the Council opportunity after opportunity to make changes but ‘it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded.’ Additionally, she accused the Council of ‘chronic anti-Israel bias’ and ‘not worthy of its name.’ Thus, the US had the same reasons of bad administration and non-reform and anti-Israel bias for withdrawing from the Human Rights Council. Without doubt, the Council is quite politicised and the US has been complaining about it. However, no one wants to accept the domineering mainmise of the US in the Council, and by so doing, a systemic problem emerged. The problem is essentially a resultant from the freedom of voting for one’s preferential candidate as member of the Council. Under the administration of KofiAnan as UN Secretary General, the Council was reformed and 47 member States of the UN were elected into the Council which was hitherto calledCommission. What is noteworthy about the withdrawal is that the Washingtonian government made it clear that the withdrawal was not permanent and that whenever there is reform of the Council, the US will not hesitate to rejoin it. (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)
T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JULY 1, 2018
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
BUSINESS
Makoko area of Lagos...economic situation of the country has pushed people to live in squalor
FALLOUT OF BROOKINGS REPORT ‘Nigeria’s Population Fast Becoming More of Poverty Liability than Huge Potential’ Kunle Aderinokun Following the Brookings Institution’s report, which placed Nigeria with a population of about 200 million, higher in extreme poverty than India populated with 1.3 billion people, reactions have continued to pour in from analysts and stakeholders. To the analysts, the report did not come as a surprise as the growth rate of the nation’s economy is slower than that of the population. In fact, one of the analysts pointed out that the country’s population was fast becoming its poverty liability rather than a huge potential. According to another analyst, while the foregoing is apparent, there has not been a deliberate attempt by the government to end extreme poverty. The Brookings Institution had reported that Nigeria had overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor as at the end of May 2018. The report titled, ‘The Start of a New Poverty Narrative,’ obtained on the institution’s website, also pointed out that the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number two spot. The Washington-based institution stated: “At the end of May 2018, our trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall. “In fact, by the end of 2018 in Africa as a whole, there will probably be about 3.2 million more people living in extreme poverty than there are today. Already, Africans account for about two-thirds of
the world’s extreme poor. “If current trends persist, they will account for nine-tenths by 2030. Fourteen out of 18 countries in the world—where the number of extreme poor is rising—are in Africa.” However, the federal government has dismissed the report, saying the indices used for the report might have been complied when Nigeria was in recession. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, spoke while fielding questions from journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. According to him, Nigerians should not lose sleep over the report since the current administration’s urgent infrastructure programmes and enabling environment for businesses would make poverty in the country disappear. He argued that the Brookings Institution’s report might have been written based on when Nigeria was in recession, advising that the country should not kill itself over the report that poverty was increasing. “I think first, we need to understand when we get these reports, there are reports that are lagging in indicators which means, people are reporting on history. There are reports that are leading indicators which means that they are forward looking and of course, there reports that capture generally what you do which is current. “They are actually dealing with what is current. So, when you get reports from Brooking institutes or all sorts of people, you need to look at the context. Somebody may have written a report when we were in recession. Remember that if you are in a recession, what it means is that even though, your population is growing, people
don’t stop procreating, your growth fact, which means that in theory depending on how they run those numbers, you will be going the other way. “There is absolutely no question that there an urgency to create employment in Nigeria. And it has to be a collective responsibility. What I can tell you, with certainty based on ones background in business and economics, is that if we complete the things on infrastructure and you implement these reports we are doing, that is what I mean by a leading indicator, poverty will go down,” he stated. But a renowned economist and CEO, The CFG Advisory Ltd, Adetilewa Adebajo, said, “This is most unfortunate for Nigeria but not surprising.” “Our population is becoming a liability as our GDP has not kept up with our population growth of 3 per cent over the last three years. If we cannot reverse this trend with sustained GDP growth of at least 5 per cent per annum we will remain an improvised nation,” Adebajo said. “The potential of a 200 million market will also remain an illusion that we might not attain and realise. This is ironic as Nigeria remains the largest economy in Africa, but its population is fast becoming a poverty liability instead of the huge market potential asset,” he added, Similarly, another economist and CEO, Global Analytics Consulting Ltd, Tope Fasua, noted that, “This event occurred precisely on the 17th of January 2018, not today. Some of us had been speaking about this and of course being ignored. The World Poverty Clock is being ignored by the Nigerian government.” According to him, “The import of this
data is that Nigeria not only produces the largest sheer number of extremely poor people for the world but in real terms or per capita terms, we also have the largest ratio of poor people compared with any country in the world. India has about 1.3billion people and we have more poor people than that country. This is a national tragedy and not an issue only for the current government by successive governments since the return to democracy and even the military.” “The fact is that we must now do something revolutionary. The fact is that we cannot keep kicking the can down the road. There is no elite consensus to end poverty in Nigeria and the elite are still sucking the people dry not knowing that if they had a better vision that empowers the poor, the rich will be even richer - and more comfortable,” Fasua advised. Saying, “Our economic thinking is way too shallow,” Fasua advised the government to “study how India is now taking more people out of poverty on a daily basis.” “One of their core policies is the Swatch Barat, Clean India, which is quite revolutionary that Bill Gates has written about it band studied it and praised it. The programme unleashes wealth from among the people, and helps them set their priorities right. The programme creates millions of small jobs at local level. India has built 70million toilets in 4 years. These are jobs for plumbers, bricklayers and so on. These are jobs for young enforcers who ensure that people stop defecating openly. Bill Gates called it the largest behavioural change programme in modern times. We need to think deeply here. There are jobs if we organise ourselves. There are jobs in
the millions in the public sector, not only entrepreneurship,” Fasua noted “Our governments have unfortunately been irresponsible by trying to shirk their responsibilities for the private sector. The private sector is not in the business of creating jobs, but maximising profits by using as few resources as possible. When you have 180 million people with 70 per cent of them being eligible to work, a government had better think of how these numbers will be engaged, and fast. “We need a new ethos that begins to move away from the idea of getting rich by all means, and begins to emphasize dignity of labour. What the report didn’t say which is also a sad reality, is that Nigeria is the global headquarters of income inequality. We are decidedly class society. We revel in it. But that is our own undoing,” he lamented. In his own analysis, Director, Union Capital Market Ltd, Egie Akpata, posited that appalling poverty status of the nation would not change except there was a deliberate effort to foster growth of labour-intensive industries. According to Akpata, “Countries that are able to lift their population usually focus on broad areas: create the enabling environment for labour intensive industries to thrive and broad based provision of quality, free education and healthcare. Nigeria has not been able to achieve success in these areas. “It is unlikely that this trend will change unless there is a concerted and deliberate effort to remove the several impediments to growth of labour intensive industries. Issues like cost of power, poor transport infrastructure, high borrowing costs, port inefficiency etc have to be urgently addressed.”
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
As State Debts Skyrocket, DMO Enforces Rules of Borrowing While state governments in Nigeria find it difficult to bridle their appetite for spending, they are unable to generate enough revenue to satisfy their needs. So, as debt resulting from borrowing grows, the government at the centre takes proactive moves to forestall a looming disaster. Bamidele Famoofo reports Threat
I
t is no longer news that no state government in Nigeria must approach any bank for loan or visit the bond market to raise long-term capital without first getting the consent of the federal government through the minister of finance. While this may be perceived as restrictive and infringing on the rights of state governments the argument on the part of the federal government is that the magnitude of debt by the state is becoming alarming. “To reduce their exposure to huge indebtedness, the state governments can no longer borrow from the banks or the bond market without the express approval of the minister of finance acting on the advice of the Debt Management Office,” Patience Oniha, Director General of the Debt Management Office, said. Another reason the federal government must give approval to states before they proceed to add to their mounting debt burden was that loans owed by most state have been converted into bonds, which means they will be serviced from the allocations due to them from the joint federation account. Debt Data sourced from DMO puts the domestic debt of all the 36 states as well as the federal Capital Territory (FCT) at about N3.35trillion as of December 31, 2017. A three-years tracking of the total domestic debt of all the states and the FCT, showed that the burden has risen consistently. Total domestic debt in 2015, which was put at about N2.50 trillion, increased to N2.96trillion, representing 18.4 per cent growth. Growth decelerated to 13.2 per cent from N2.96trillion in 2016 to N3.35trillion in 2017. According to the DMO, the 36 states and the FCT raised the nation’s domestic debt by N1.64trillion in the past three years. The debt stock data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that Lagos has the largest debt burden. The state’s debt stock is 35.61percent of the country’s foreign borrowings. Kaduna (5.79 per cent), Edo (5.64 per cent), Cross River 4.08 per cent and Enugu, 3.23 per cent, are all trailing Lagos. The spread of domestic debts is more even with Lagos taking up 10.85 per cent of the total local debt. Sokoto state borrows little locally. It owes just 0.78 per cent of the aggregate borrowing within Nigeria. Interestingly, the federal government owes 78.23 per cent of the country’s entire debt stock as of December 31, 2017, while the states accounted for 21.77 per cent. Nigeria’s foreign debt profile stands at $18.9 billion and its local borrowings amounted to N3.35 trillion. IGR Revenue generated by the states from internal sources remains a far cry compared to the debt burden hanging around the neck of most of the states, though statistics supplied by NBS, indicates that it has been on the increase at least in the last three years. Internally generated revenue (IGR) figure in 2015 by all the states and the FCT, stood at N682.67 billion, representing a growth by 18.4 per cent compared to N801.95 billion recorded in 2016. IGR growth dropped to 16.12 per cent from N801.95billion to N931.23 billion in fiscal year 2017. On the average, each state in Nigeria generated an IGR of N25.17 billion monthly in 2017,
Federal government received a total of N289.04 billion from the N701.02 billion. States received a total of N181.96 billion and local governments received N137.33 billion. The sum of N49.76billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund. Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N4.61billion, N8.67billion and N4.06billion respectively as cost of revenue collections. Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the federal government o revealed that the sum of N247.12billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N5.25billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.62billion as stabilization fund; N8.82billion for the development of natural resources; and N6.05billion to the FCT Abuja. On the other hand, the ministry of finance, through the FAAC, distributed about N5.64trillion revenue generated in 2017 to the federal, state and local governments. The state governments, which exclude FCT Abuja got about N1.52trillion between January and November in 2017, according to data sourced from the website of NBS. States, which include Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Lagos, classified as oil-producing states shared an additional N341.91 billion 11 months of that year as derivation revenue. The figure represents 6.06 per cent of the total revenue distributed by the FAAC in the review period.
Oniha
compared to average debt profile of N90.5 billion, which leaves each state with N65.3 billion deficit in fiscal 2017. Thirty-two states recorded growth in IGR while four states which include (Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Osun and Taraba) recorded a decline at the end of 2017. The NBS disclosed that Osun State 2017 IGR figure only accounts for nine months, which it said would be updated for the remaining three months when available. FAAC As of end of May 2018, the three tiers of government have shared about N3.28 trillion through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). The figure showed an increase of 41 percent over N2.33 trillion
distributed within the same period in 2017. Analysts have attributed boom in oil revenue to increase in distributable revenue among the three tier of government in 2018. Though the figures on a monthly basis have not been predictable, it increased substantially from N638.09 billion in April to N701.02 billion in May. “FAAC disbursed the sum of N701.02 billion to the three tiers of government in May 2018 from the revenue generated in April 2018,” NBS disclosed in June when the figure was released. The amount disbursed comprised of N612.64 billion from the Statutory Account, N87.97 billion from Valued-added Tax (VAT) and N418.88 million being excess bank charges recovered.
To reduce their exposure to huge indebtedness, the state governments can no longer borrow from the banks or the bond market without the express approval of the minister of finance acting on the advice of the Debt Management Office
Intervention The federal government has empowered the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, as well as the DMO to censor applications for loan from states to determine if they meet the obligatory requirements “The criterion is that the cost of servicing the debt, including the new one being requested, should not be more than 40 per cent of their revenue in the past 12 months. What we recognise as the states’ revenue is what they receive on monthly basis from the Federation Account, because this can be easily verified,” Oniha said. The DMO boss disclosed that the DMO recently turned down requests to borrow from a few states, because approval would have taken them beyond the threshold of servicing debts with more than 40 per cent of the revenue. In a few cases, the DMO has had to advise the states to reduce what they wanted to borrow to ensure that it stayed within the limits stipulated by the Sub-national Borrowing Guidelines articulated by the agency. The guidelines stated, “Given the country’s recent experience with an unsustainable public debt portfolio, it is important that measures are taken to prevent a relapse into debt unsustainability. “This challenge is quite demanding, because the federal and state governments need to mobilise substantial resources in order to fund the growth and development of the economy. “In this context, it is necessary to have sub-national borrowing guidelines in addition to the existing borrowing provisions, so that the states could be assisted to be prudent in their borrowing and debt management activities”, Oniha added.
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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JULY 1, 2018
BUSINESS/ENERGY
After Bolstering Prices, OPEC Now Looks to Ramp Up Output The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is making a success of the oil price rebalancing measures it initiated and executing with non-OPEC members led by the Russian Federation, writes Chineme Okafor
A
t their bi-annual meeting in Vienna last week, the OPEC and non-OPEC members led by the Russian Federation, decided to increase their oil output by a million barrels per day.
Indicating the output raise would be based on them adjusting their compliance levels with previously agreed output cuts to 100 per cent as against the 147 per cent recorded so far, the group made the decision some six months ahead of the expiration of an existing output restriction agreement they had reached. In simple terms, the development entailed that OPEC and its allies will now pump more oil into the market in the coming months – starting from July. And, while this happens, it is likely that the prices, which the group had worked hard to raise to circa $70 per barrel, could be impacted in the near term, but then, the group would in their calculation gain some extra market advantage in terms of volumes. Decision Rising from the 4th OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial meeting in Vienna, under the Co-Chairmanship of OPEC President, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, who is Minister of Energy and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, and Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, the two blocs said in May 2018, they recorded a conformity level of 147 per cent in the 2016 production cut agreement they reached and would now adjust their compliance to 100 per cent. Specifically, OPEC announced its members would adjust their compliance levels to the OPEC-only agreement which it said was 152 per cent as at May to 100 per cent. In the communique they issued after their meeting, the group stated their respect for the rights aof peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their natural wealth and resources, but reaffirmed their continued commitment to the Declaration of Cooperation (DOC) to a stable market, the mutual interest of producing nations, the efficient, economic, and secure supply to consumers, and a fair return on invested capital. They also noted the overall improvement in market conditions and sentiment, as well as the return of confidence and investment to the global oil industry, which may have contributed to the decision to raise output. “Recalling the 171st OPEC conference resolution reached on 30 November 2016 for a production adjustment of 1.2 million barrels a day (mbd) for OPEC member countries, with the understanding reached with key non-OPEC participating countries, including the Russian Federation, to contribute a production adjustment of 0.6mbd. “Recalling the DOC reached on 10 December 2016; and noting that countries participating in the DOC have exceeded the required level of conformity that had reached 147 per cent in May 2018. “Accordingly, the 4th OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial meeting hereby decided that countries will strive to adhere to the overall conformity level, voluntarily adjusted to 100 per cent, as of 1 July 2018 for the remaining duration of the DOC and for the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) to monitor the overall conformity level and report back to the OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial meeting,” said the communique. The group equally stated that they will meet again on December 4, 2018, to review their decision and its impacts on the market. Also, OPEC Secretary General, Mr. Muhammad Barkindo, dismissed suggestions that pressure by the United States President, Mr. Donald Trump, played a role in OPEC’s decision to increase oil production. Barkindo said the decision to increase oil output was taken without political influence, even though Trump had in several tweets claimed the group was manipulating the market artificially. Barkindo, however, explained that: “The impact
Barrels of oil
of geopolitics is visible everywhere in this industry, and therefore our efforts to insulate the organisation from geopolitics have never been more challenging than now.” According to him: “The founding fathers of this organisation designed it in a way that will be an apolitical organisation focusing on the industry and as a technical body that advises member countries. “So, politics is not for us in the organisation. We remain focused as an apolitical organisation and will remain focused on our core responsibility of trying to manage the market, especially the instrument of supply management to maintain stability at all times.” He said OPEC had transformed and that was why the organisation remained a strong voice in the global energy industry. “The family is growing and for us, the more the better. Equally important is the fact that for the first time, we have been able to establish a Declaration of Cooperation that brought 25 countries to share responsibility to this one industry that we all belong. We are trying to institutionalise this cooperation because we all agree that we are better together. That is why we are focusing on how we can stay together. “We are now developing that framework. This will allow countries to join OPEC as full members, some as associate members,” he said. Potential Impact For oil, 2018 has been a good one for it so far. Buoyed by the OPEC and non-OPEC members’ agreement to restrict their oil output by 1.8mbd, prices have gained some advantages and was nearing $80 per barrel in May for the first time since 2014. The development has helped oil companies across the world and oil-dependent countries like Nigeria to recoup their losses from the 2014 price slump. Also, based on the price rise, OPEC and non-OPEC countries now plan to raise their outputs, but this according to experts, did not mean they would be able to immediately pump more oil into the market by their findings, most of the member countries do not have the wherewithal to quickly ramp up their output.
in Q2; 1.592mbd in Q3; and then 1.751mbd by November. Analysts however told THISDAY that the country’s ability to benefit from the current development would depend largely on its ability to raise its output levels, and which will largely include constantly meeting up with its obligations in the joint venture oil production agreements it has with oil firms, as well as making sure the Niger Delta is safe and stable for production.
Barkindo
A scenario analysis done by Forbes indicated that at most, the overall increase in the OPEC oil supply that will reach the markets could be around 600,000bpd. However, the development should serve Nigeria, which has its 2018 budget benchmarked on 2.3mbd oil output and $51 per barrel price, well, because unlike before when she was placed under a watch not to exceed certain output levels even though she was technically not part of the restriction measures. She should be able to ramp her output to meet the 2018 budget benchmark. The country was thrice exempted from the output cut, but was subsequently asked to cap her production to 1.8mbd, a level she never really attained in 2017. According to OPEC records, the relative peace in the oil-bearing Niger Delta region of the country, ensured the country improved her out from about 1.388mbd in first quarter of 2017 to 1.751mbd in the last quarter of the year. The OPEC records indicated that from 1.388mbd in Q1-2017; the country’s oil output rose to 1.485mbd
Other development Apart from the review of the output agreement, the cartel also admitted a new member – the Republic of Congo, into its midst as its 15th member country. Congo’s admission into OPEC at the 174th ordinary meeting, makes it the eighth African country now within the ranks of OPEC. It joined Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, Libya and other African countries in the cartel. Its Minister of Hydrocarbons, Jean-Marc ThystèreTchicaya, reportedly announced immediately after the OPEC meeting ended that his country was now a member of the cartel. Thystère-Tchicaya, said: “The Republic of the Congo is thrilled and honoured to be joining OPEC and to do our part to preserve an equilibrium in global oil markets and ensuring a sufficient flow of investments into hydrocarbons.” “Severe oil market downturns like the one the world experienced recently remind us of the essential role that institutions like OPEC in ensuring stability. We are proud to cooperate with the world’s oil leaders,” he added. As an OPEC member, Congo will now enjoy the benefits of policies instituted by the cartel which controls about 40 per cent of the world’s oil production and more than 80 per cent of established oil reserves. The country will also benefit from OPEC’s coordination and unification of the petroleum policies of its members, as well as the determination of the best means for safeguarding their interests, individually and collectively. In 2017, OPEC made Congo. which is mired with economic challenges, one of its 11 non-member countries to profit from the output cuts.
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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 JULY 1, 2018
THE EXECUTIVE
Jadesimi
SUNDAY ADIGUN
DR AMY JADESIMI Nigeria on the Threshold of Sustainable Industrial Revolution But Businesses Need Long-term Low-cost Capital For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a local company, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), is playing host to a $3.8 billion floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, otherwise called the Egina FPSO. Applauded as first-of-its-kind in sub-Saharan Africa, the project was handled by the Korea-based Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) on behalf of Total Oil Exploration, with LADOL serving as its local content partner. The Managing Director of LADOL, Dr Amy Jadesimi, asserts that the feat has put Nigeria on the global map. With the achievement, she believes Nigeria is on the threshold of sustainable industrial revolution. However, Jadesimi decries the level of financial scrutiny that businesses have to go through to access loans, warning that unless the federal government urgently makes policies to provide long-term, low-cost financing for small- and medium-sized businesses, the country may not be able to have global giants like the General Electric and Facebook. She speaks with Kunle Aderinokun, Eromosele Abiodun, Bayo Akinloye, and Ugo Aliogo
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
THE EXECUTIVE
LADOL is on the Path to Make Nigeria Hub of Africa
Cont’d from Pg. 24
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ADOL a key player in Nigeria’s oil and gas, maritime and logistics sector, how has it been so far?
LADOL is one of the facilities in Apapa port but we are also an industrial free zone. We cover a lot of sectors and in doing that we really understand how the economy is going and particularly how the private sector is faring. What I will say is that in the maritime sector, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has really done well. I think the Managing Director of NPA is really taking some giant strides in revolutionizing NPA and making it a modern parastatal, running a modern port. Of course, that cannot happen overnight. For instance, when the FPSO was coming, they formed a special committee and brought everybody together; brought in their new tugs and buoys. It was very professional. They were able to stand toe to toe with the international players when it comes to bringing in a vessel which is one of the most valuable in the world. That is really impressive and for a private investor, it means that we can continue to invest in development and reach for these massive projects – even beyond Egina – beyond Nigeria, for West Africa and for Africa. We have the confidence that the NPA can parley with us to make a greater success. I think in terms of the economy – we obviously had a recession but I also look at things from a global perspective. From a global perspective, compared with other export commodities-dependent countries, Nigeria has relatively done well. If you look at what is happening in Latin America – even a powerhouse like Brazil and you look at what is happening in Nigeria – we are actually doing better. But are we doing well enough? Of course, not. We still need to improve. What the past few years have shown me is the importance of having a striving private sector. What that means is that we need to see more efforts now in supporting the private sector. We need financial reforms so that we can give long-term loans – not just to companies like LADOL but to small and medium-sized companies. We need to create tens of millions of jobs and that means you need to support small, medium and large companies; and to do that we need those financial reforms to go hand in hand with the enabling environment.
Let’s talk about the FPSO vessel that sailed into the country recently. What is happening at the moment?
Jadesimi
Our role as far as the Total FPSO was to provide the facility in which the top sides – there are 18 top sides with the giant module that sits on top of the FPSO vessel. Out of these 18, six were fabricated in LADOL, which is the first for local content and going forward we would be able to do many more that for two reasons. First, when we started the Egina project, the shipyard in LADOL was not even built yet. So we have shown that local content capacity development works extremely well. We can build a facility. We can be operational and we can contribute to a project within a shorter period of time than people estimate. So our own facility will continue to support and do more fabrication and more integration. But more important, by being able to receive the FPSO vessel – this is the largest FPSO in the world being 70m-wide and 380m-long, I think must be about three football pitches – we are showing the world that we can receive that vessel and we have the crane capacity. Nigeria currently has the highest crane (lifting) capacity in Africa. Showing that to the world will definitely increase the local demand for fabrication because from now on everybody knows that whatever you manufacture in Nigeria can be fully assembled and integrated in Nigeria as opposed to what was happening before where you manufactured something in Nigeria and sent to the other side of the world to be made part of something bigger. Naturally, the economics in that situation is not too attractive. The other side is that now that LADOL has received the FPSO whether you are making another ship or an Aeroplane or railway components, all of those pieces can be fully assembled locally. That would naturally and dramatically increase local demands and we are estimating a far increase in local demand for fabrication engineering and that increase will not be satisfied by LADOL. That is why we say that we estimated that 50,000 direct and indirect jobs would be created. For every job we create in LADOL, we think 10 jobs will be created outside of LADOL due to the increased demand for fabrication and engineering. Fabrication yards currently exist across
Nigeria, it doesn’t matter what geopolitical zone you are in – we are all in Nigeria. As time goes on we will need more yards to be built so that we can keep more people perpetually employed.
What is the update on the issues LADOL has with Samsung? Samsung is the contractor that was appointed by Total to carry out the EPC for the Egina FPSO. So what that means is that for this first project, Samsung did the fabrication, engineering and procurement for the FPSO. Going forward, what we are looking at is having a situation where we work with our technical partner that, maybe Samsung, and over an agreed period of time that technical partner transfer technology to us and the other Nigerian companies that they are working with so that similar to what happened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within a 10-year period Nigerian companies will have technology to do that EPC work by themselves.
Now that the FPSO had come in, what is the next step for LADOL? We have been very busy since 2001 fulfilling this long-term vision. The FPSO coming in is an important milestone. But it is a milestone on a very long path which we clearly charted out in the past 17 years. The next milestone that we are looking for is further development within the free zones. We have already started building additional infrastructure. The construction of the power plant is ongoing. We are building new roads and more storage areas. We are doing that to accommodate our non-oil and gas clients. For instance, in the agricultural sector, one of the biggest issues Nigeria faces for agriculture export is the lack of processing and storage facilities. We are building new cold storage and processing facilities so that we can work with the agricultural companies that we are in discussion with to help them export from Nigeria. Many people know that in some agricultural areas such as yam and cashew nuts, we actually have high levels of productions but we don’t export (them). They get exported from
neighbouring countries because we don’t have the type of facilities that LADOL is currently building.
Are you looking at the possibility of extending LADOL’s expertise to West African countries to see if they can take advantage of what you do here? A core part of LADOL’s mission is to make Nigeria the hub. We started out saying that we should be the hub for West Africa. We have now expanded to say we should be the hub for Africa. With the shipyard, we have the highest lifting capacity in Africa. In terms of our neighbouring countries, they will gain a lot of benefits by building manufacturing engineering in Nigeria – because as the largest market, the Nigerian market is large enough to justify the type of investment that LADOL is making. Other neighbouring countries are smaller. Therefore, they cannot justify those kinds of investments. So they can use us as a regional hub for some of those high-value, massive industrial projects that the Nigerian market can cope with. The benefit they get is by working with their neighbours as opposed to working with people from the other side of the world; they get tremendous cost-savings. They also are able to absorb more of the technology, not to mention the fact that you can create a West African period of prosperity because we are able to collaborate, trade with one another and help one another – not just in terms of industrialization but sharing know-how and service provisions. That is really something that leads to prosperity within the region and we know that if we look at the success of the European Union (EU). The EU is having problems now but when they first came together, it was very successful. One of the keys is whether people like it or not. If Nigeria is the hub, it will lead to great prosperity for everyone. If Nigeria is not the hub and our massive population now has to pay high prices to get services from other places, it is very likely that the entire regional economy will also suffer. It is important to them that we work together and collaboratively. It is beneficial to them to leverage
facilities, infrastructure and know-how that we are investing in Nigeria and jointly we can create a prosperous West Africa.
Three years ago, oil prices dropped drastically.The news in town then was that there will be no further investment in FPSOs. Now oil prices are moving up. In terms of investment in FPSO, what are the possibilities? For us, FPSOs are not really all that; what I mean by that is we are not focused on the petroleum sector exclusively. The real significance of the Egina FPSO coming in is that it proves that you can handle the most complex industrial project in Nigeria. But FPSOs are only going to come around once every five years. That is not the basis you develop a business model. We have actually developed a business model based on a range of other industries outside of oil and gas. So there is the railway, aviation, agriculture and even technology and having that shipyard enable us to participate in all of those sectors. In terms of what is happening in the oil and gas industry, prices are going to go up and down. Honestly, Nigeria has very little control over those prices. So my focus is or I think Nigeria’s focus should be on lowering the cost of doing business. We are blessed with an abundance of natural resources in oil and gas, in crops and minerals and other areas. The important thing is to make the industries we build around these sectors as efficient as possible. If they are very efficient and competitive, it will not matter what global prices are set. We still have a striving industry by servicing our own market, then eventually servicing the international market.
Have you ever thought about the political risk to your business? In terms of what is happening in the maritime industry and how politics plays into it, I think there are different business models that people pursue at different times. Anybody who has studied economics or even anthropology and development of society, when you have lowincome high growth countries at an early stage,
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26
THE EXECUTIVE
Nigeria Needs More Companies Like LADOL to Achieve Prosperity they often suffer from monopolies. But as those countries grow, those monopolies become almost unstable because what a monopoly does is to enrich a very small number of people and keep everybody else down. In Nigeria, you also have the fact that we have a private sector that is very resilient and adds a tremendous amount of value. LADOL is proud to be one of the companies in the private sector. In terms of the shifts we have seen happening in the maritime industry, these are really micro-economic shifts. These are shifts that always happen as the country transition into the next stage of development where naturally the private sector will play a bigger role in contributing to the economy and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So that is not really a political thing. To me, it has always been clear that it is inevitable that monopolies will fall because everywhere in the world, even in America, they had the Standard Oil monopoly. They had a stronger monopoly than even the ones we have had in Nigeria that fell. Monopolies will always fall. That is a long-term trend as you see around the world as economies develop. In terms of political risks associated with elections, my dream is that of a Nigeria where it doesn’t matter who the president is. We need to get to that point as soon as possible and I think that this administration agrees with us. I think they have put us on a path to a Nigeria where the government will focus on regulation and private sector will focus on business as opposed to the situation we are in now – where 90 per cent of the business is the government. The fall in oil and the economic shock we experienced taught us the lessons that the country will not be able to survive unless the private sector is allowed to thrive. The government has learnt that lesson and if you look at the enabling business environment policies, those policies are actually designed to increase the participation of the private sector. That is what tells me that this government recognizes that we need to move to that place where an election is interesting, but it is not life or death.
Recently you said Nigeria will lead the sustainable global maritime economy. How possible is this given what you said the government has 90 per cent of the economy? The key thing is that for Nigeria’s economy to develop, the private sector must be allowed to develop. What we have seen is that this government is allowing the private sector to grow. That growth I believe will be highly accelerated because Nigeria is such a naturally prosperous country. The fundamentals of our market are strong. We have a huge market that is poorly served by the local businesses and that is why most things are imported. So if you let private sector strive, there are many business opportunities: small, medium and large. If the government stops standing in the way, I believe the private sector will strive. If you look at what is happening in the global maritime industry, particularly in the areas of sustainability, the biggest issue they are struggling with in wealthy countries is how to redesign or retrofit or in some ways modify without it causing them too much money, jobs and existing infrastructure. We don’t have that problem. We are blessed with an abundance of business opportunities. There is a huge market and we are just developing the infrastructure and facilities and training the human capital now. The reason I think Nigeria will be able to lead not just maritime, even agriculture and technology, is that if we continue to allow the private sector to thrive if we continue the financial and economic reforms that I mentioned earlier so that our local banks and international banks give us long-term loans. We already have smart hard-working people to invest in new technology and solutions that are much better than the ones currently being used in wealthy countries. Naturally, it will take much longer for those wealthy countries to change the way they do business than it will be for us to develop new ways of doing business and excel in many areas which they are currently leading.
How has the downturn in crude oil price that plunged Nigeria into a recession affected LADOL? Actually, when the oil price fell it had a positive impact on LADOL. Our value proposition is that we provide services at a much lower cost than the cost prevailing in the market. In fact, the minimum cost-saving that companies enjoy by moving to LADOL for their deep offshore support was 50 per cent. For some companies, it can be up to 80 per cent tremendous cost-saving. And this has been known in the market since 2006 –j it’s been
term it is something we are looking at. We think that the characteristics of the company make it suitable for listing, but we think to do it now will be premature.
What about your plans to get into the power business, when can we expect to see action in that regard? To be clear we are not a power company, we are just building power for our own needs. That was why I talked about power plant; we are not a power company. Let us look at your other engagements. Recently, the Global Maritime Forum elected you to a strategic committee. Tell us about the forum and your role there. The Global Maritime forum is a non-profit organization set up to promote sustainable development and sustainable maritime sector. The forum’s first event is going to be in Hong Kong in October this year. It is really an interesting forum for me to be part of because it brings together international players at different levels of maritime value chain and that is where I can see where Nigeria needs to improve, where Nigeria can fit in, and most important, I can be a voice telling the world that Nigerians are serious players; that the market is untapped but highly prospective and that it is not a market anybody can afford to ignore.
At a forum, you said Nigeria requires more companies like LADOL and INTELS given the size of the country. Can you tell us more about this?
Jadesimi
clear. Even that whole period of 2006 to 2016, I had thousands upon thousands of meetings and I never had a meeting where anybody disagreed with me that economically it would be attractive to operate out of LADOL. However, when the oil price was over $100 people behaved irrationally. They didn’t save – and by people – I meant particularly international companies. It is also important for people to realize that these excesses that we are talking about were far more egregious in the West than they were in Nigeria. When we see headlines about how much Nigerians are spending and so on, just know that for every dollar that a Nigeria makes, there is a foreigner making $10 on that same deal. So, when the oil price was about $100, a huge amount of our money was spent outside of the country – a huge amount of our money was paid for international organisations to do works. Yes, local content was also able to make some strides but the efficiency of the local content, the quality of the local content also wasn’t pushed as hard because it was a period of huge excesses. So, when the oil price fell, the reason I said it was actually a good thing – and I agree with the president on this, it was a good thing – was that when the oil price fell people started to behave rationally. And what is the rational thing to do? When you have a deep offshore and offshore shock, the rational thing to do is to get your services as much as possible from local suppliers. Because everywhere in the world where you have real local content – meaning you are working with transparent, hard-working Nigerian companies that are providing quality products – everywhere in the world you have those dynamics it saves company’s money. As soon as the oil price fell the first thing the international companies did was to rationalize their business model and start seeing where they can get more local solutions. One of the places where they could get the biggest cost-savings was from LADOL and it was no coincidence – the level of local content at LADOL and the way we provide the service also include a high level of local content. We don’t just provide our clients with an empty space; we give them a fully integrated solution. Meaning, if you want us to manage your inventory, we will collect it and put it in a warehouse that we have built. We will electronically tag it and when you want to deliver it we will deliver it for you. You can seat in London and watch on your screen the movement of your cargo, which is all electronically tagged. That is very high local content because we are doing everything as opposed to a scenario where someone wants to sow something in Nigeria, you give him an empty land and say come and build and they do everything themselves. Having that fully integrated value proposition maximizes local content, efficiency and it maximizes cost-saving. The other benefit that you see in the fall of oil price is the higher use of local suppliers. That means you start to create prosperity in Nigeria and this is also important to international companies.
Everybody, almost every single day, every single hour, is seeing the migrant crisis. We have seen horrible, heartbreaking scenes. We have cried. Some of us have seen our relatives on the television. The solution to that crisis is not different policies in America or Europe. The solution to that crisis is more jobs in Nigeria. The international companies can play their part by patronizing companies that are providing real local content. That will show that Nigeria is an attractive place to do business which will attract more investments and you can create a virtual cycle. The wonderful thing about all this is we don’t have to guess whether or not this will work. It has worked in the United Kingdom, Norway and Brazil. We know that this works. The fall in the oil price and this sort of crisis that it created, created an environment as well as in Nigeria where we can start to create this virtual cycle of development. The last thing I will say on that is part of the reason we have been able to start this cycle of development in Nigeria, and other countries have not is because we already have a local content act in place. We already had a private sector that was there but was struggling and growing. Our population is not just big; our population is hard-working. Our population is intelligent. We have over 100 million mobile phone penetration. So we have a lot of advantages that other countries do not have.
Statistically, what proportion of your operation is local content? LADOL is 100 per cent Nigerian. So, we are 100 per cent local. There is nothing like a foreign investor in LADOL.
Generally, what is the biggest challenge you face as a company? The biggest challenge we face, as is the case with every Nigerian company, is getting adequate finance. By finance, I mean low-cost, long-term loans. The level of financial scrutiny that Nigerian companies go through is huge. I know what LADOL goes through; I can’t even imagine smaller companies going through it. It is ludicrous. The level of security that people are asked to provide is crazy. I am constantly talking about this now because Nigeria is really on the threshold of becoming great; the country is on the threshold of sustainable industrial revolution. But we need the finance. General Electric and Facebook were not just created. All these companies got long-term, low-cost finance and that was what enabled them to create, invent, and invest. One of the major things holding back the country is the access to the right source of financing.
LADOL has plans to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) how far have you gone with your plan? We have always had that as one of our targets, but it is not something we are going to do in the near term. But I will say in the medium to long
What we suffered from in the last 20 years is a monopoly that kept the market small. Obviously, if a company wants to build something like the Egina FPSO, they cannot find sufficient capacity in Nigeria to build that entire vessel. Now let’s compare that situation to Brazil: if go to Brazil now they build an FPSO that produce 150,000 barrels of crude oil every 18 months. They have 30 FPSOs in Brazil working right now and they have 70 per cent or more local content, which is where we need to get to. But obviously, we cannot get there if only one company is doing everything. It is not possible. We need thousands, if not tens of thousands, of companies, contributing. We need millions of people working on different jobs so that we have a thriving environment where a company can now come and say, ‘Okay, I need to deliver a vessel not even for Nigeria. I need to deliver a vessel to Angola. I have 50 different companies I can choose from in Nigeria so I am going to Nigeria.’ Whereas right now, you come to Nigeria and you want to do a project for Nigeria, you put out a tender for the project, you only have two companies that respond and both of those companies are foreign companies. That is the situation we are in now. What they have in Brazil where they are building an FPSO every 18 months, something we struggle to do every five years is not acceptable.
What can the government do to address this? I think the government has made a good start. We are hoping that in the few years they will do more – take bolder steps. This is a time for bold action; we have to cut down the bureaucracy even stronger. We need to see more accountability in government. The government has put out these enabling policies but they now need to back that up by saying what the penalty would be if the enabling environment is not enforced. If you as a civil servant or minister fail to do what you are supposed to do what is the consequence? We need to see bolder actions being taken to reinforce the policies the government has already put in place. We need to see more support for the private sector. What we have seen so far is government saying, ‘Okay we are going to streamline the processes and government is effectively going to get out of your way,’ which is wonderful. But going forward, we also need to see the government saying, ‘how can we help you?’ And how they can help us is if you are a small business, ‘I am going to enable you without putting up your house gathering the whole family, the whole village has to mortgage in other for you to raise monies,’ which is completely impractical. The government needs to have a way that small businesses can access finance in a more practical way; and for large businesses, we need to make hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. So how can they help us to get access to that kind of money in a low-cost, long-term way?
27
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JULY 1, 2018
INTERVIEW
Bamgbose: Hajj Savings Plan, New Frontiers for Muslims Recently, Sterling Bank Plc, Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) and TAFSAN Investment, the investment arm of NASFAT, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a collaborative effort to create awareness among Muslims about Sterling Bank’s Hajj Savings Plan designed to make it easy and affordable for prospective Muslim pilgrims to go on Hajj in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Chairman of TAFSAN, Alhaji Biyi Bamgbose, in this interview with Obinna Chima, says they have a big plan for the product
W
hy was TASFAN Investment created?
TAFSAN is the business arm of Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT). The company started life as a business committee 10 years ago and later evolved into a big cooperative society before it transformed into a limited liability company. As the investment arm of NASFAT, our mission is to help the Muslim Ummah through the empowerment of members and other Muslims. We also work with structured committees in NASFAT. For instance, we work with the empowerment, education and children committees at the branch level within and outside Nigeria. We also work with other committees to help NASFAT to achieve its mandate.
In what ways has TASFAN Investment empowered members of NASFAT and the Muslim community in general? TASFAN Investment was upgraded to a limited liability company as part of a deliberate effort to serve NASFAT members and the Muslim community at large. This is because of the belief we hold that any organisation that cannot benefit its members and the larger society is not serving its community. So, we organise training and empowerment programmes at regular intervals for our members. About 90 per cent of the products we sell in the market and to our members are produced by beneficiaries of these programmes. This has enabled them to grow from subsistence levels to commercially sustainable levels today.
What is TASFAN doing about educating NASFAT members on the benefits of noninterest banking products and services? The practice of non-interest banking products and services in Nigeria is a recent phenomenon even though it has existed in advanced economies for many years now. We have embarked on the education of our members within and outside the country. We have been telling them that non-interest banking is at the heart of business in the Islamic world. Interest on money is forbidden in Islam. We want to make sure that as many members as possible benefit from non-interest banking products and services. There are a lot of products that have been introduced to us by banks. But before they were exposed to our members, we made sure they were discussed extensively and that they were within the tenets of Islam.
NASFAT, TASFAN and Sterling Bank recently signed an MoU. What was the MoU about? We just signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sterling Bank aimed at encouraging NASFAT members to embrace the idea of savings for Hajj with ease. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a journey of a lifetime and we do not want people to go through it under pressure. This is why we went into the alliance with Sterling Bank so that our members can save towards it. Saving towards Hajj is not a new phenomenon because some intending pilgrims used to save through individuals in the past. But this approach to saving for Hajj is fraught with problems. Those who tried have tales of woe and we have seen problems here and there. So, we decided
Bamgbose
to formalise the practice for the benefit of our members with the help of Sterling Bank. This way, the savings of intending pilgrims will be safe and even grow under the principle of non-interest banking. Those who embrace the savings plan will also enjoy full banking benefits on their savings. Also, TASFAN has a travels and tours arm that deals with matters related to travelling. As a result, 95 per cent of businesses conducted in this arm of TASFAN are based on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The pilgrimages include Umrah and Hajj at different times of the year and they come with lots of benefits for our members. The Hajj Commission recently recognised our travels and tours arm as the second-best Hajj operator in the country. We are proud of the launching of the Hajj Savings Plan because we know that it is not only NASFAT members that will benefit from it, but also the entire Muslim community. When the product was launched, we thought it was for adults only. We thought it was for men and women who want to go on Hajj, but we have just realised that there is a growing interest from parents who want to take advantage of the plan to prepare their children for Hajj also. This is the big question we are trying to address now. We have a big plan for the Sterling Bank’s Hajj Savings Plan but we need time to grow and nurture it to maturity. It is a marathon and
not a sprint. The product is opening up new ideas and frontiers, especially for our children. We are working to use it to fund excursion pilgrimage for our children next year.
What are the benefits of this partnership? There are several benefits of the savings plan. One, the account holder will enjoy profit sharing on savings at an agreed profit sharing ratio, enjoy takaful (insurance) cover of up to N500,000 and also enjoy early payment for Hajj in the year he is scheduled to perform it.
What is the difference between Hajj and Umrah? Pilgrims perform more rites during Hajj than Umrah because Hajj is a religious obligation while Umrah is for personal spiritual purification. Both take place in Mecca. During Hajj, the pilgrim is allowed to go to Mecca and Medina and to climb Mount Arafat while the pilgrim on Umrah is restricted to Mecca.
How many people has TASFAN Investment helped over the years? We have empowered a lot of people - particularly our members - and I will break it down to three levels. They are the suppliers, the distributors and the society at large. For the suppliers, we have more than 50 of them that are trading with us in the different products we are involved in both locally and internationally.
We have provided them with our network and our market and this has enabled them to move from subsistence levels to sustainable levels and about 10 of them have become fullfledged companies. They are now big and are doing businesses with us and other Islamic organisations as well as the general public. The second level of people we have empowered are the distributors of our products. For instance, we developed a product to supply school uniforms to NASFAT schools but other schools are now coming to us to supply their schools as well and we are meeting their needs across the country. In this regard, we have also empowered a company that produces mats for us. The company was on the brink of closing down when we intervened. Today, it has become a big company to the extent that it is also producing for other customers and we now queue to get our orders. We have also empowered our business committees to be self-sustainable. They no longer rely on contributions to survive.
Is there any other thing TASFAN Investment is doing? TASFAN Investment also has an agricultural farm and a block making business. We are really expanding the horizon of the investment arm and we have other areas we want to go into but we will take them gradually.
30
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͺ
MARKET NEWS
Adebise Takes Over as Wema Bank MD/CEO as Oloketuyi Retires Goddy Egene Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi will retire effective September30, 2018 after nine years. However, he will proceed on terminal leave from July 1, while the current Deputy Managing Director/C EO, Mr. , Ademola Adebise will take over in acting capacity subject to regulatory approvals. The bank disclosed this in a statement on Friday. According to the statement,
Oloketuyi was named GMD/ CEO of Wema Bank Plc in June 2009. Upon joining Wema, he was tasked with returning the bank to profitability following the 2008 banking crisis which saw the collapse of many banks. “At that time, Wema Bank had negative retained earnings in excess of N66 billion and was declared a bank in grave financial situation by the regulatory authority. In his decade-long leadership, he completely turned around the fortunes of the bank, recapitalizing
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
the bank and returning it to profitability. The bank is now positioned to deliver dividends to shareholders in the near-future. In his time as MD, the bank also regained its national banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria, which has allowed it to expand to the North and East of the country, significantly increasing its market share and customer base in the process,” it said. Speaking on the incoming MD/CEO, the bank said
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 28-June-2018, unless otherwise stated.
Adebise has been part of the bank’s executive management team since the transformation programme began in 2009 and has played a pivotal role in the execution of the strategic turnaround programme for the bank. “Adebise has over 28 years’ experience in the banking industry (inclusive of four years in management consulting), and has worked in various capacities in information technology, financial control & strategic planning, treasury, corporate
banking, risk management and performance management,” the bank said. It added that before joining Wema Bank, Adebise was Head, Finance & Performance Management Practice at Accenture (Lagos Office) where he led various projects for banks in business process re-engineering, information technology and risk management. The bank expressed confidence that the appointment of Adebise
will lead to its continued transformation and growth, particularly as it positions itself as a market leader in Nigeria’s retail banking segment through technology and innovation. Adebise is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program (AMP) of the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree holder in Computer Science from the University of Lagos. He obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Lagos Business School.
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 184.59 186.31 4.14% Nigeria International Debt Fund 245.95 247.71 6.68% 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 0.84 0.85 1.64% ACAP Income Funds 0.64 0.64 6.81% 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 13.25% 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 19.21 19.79 5.16% ARM Discovery Fund 407.45 419.73 4.73% ARM Ethical Fund 29.32 30.20 7.31% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.10% 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 149.03 150.08 -1.75% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.53% 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 13.13% Paramount Equity Fund 12.09 12.40 9.04% Women's Investment Fund 104.48 107.16 3.83% 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 12.84% CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.11% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.15 1.18 9.82% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.16 8.91% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,167.38 1,168.10 7.73% FBN Heritage Fund 100.00 100.00 5.61% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.60% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 112.22 112.64 1.84% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 112.06 112.48 1.80% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 176.09 178.76 9.55% 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 1.37 1.40 5.24% Legacy Debt Fund 3.07 3.07 6.43% 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 3,161.32 3,194.26 5.89% Coral Income Fund 2,643.10 2,643.10 8.00% 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 12.82% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 103.42 104.52 3.50% 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 12.81% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.16 2.19 2.57% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 14.20% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.65 121.00 4.89%
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 1.19 1.21 4.03% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,076.93 1,076.93 6.78% 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 13.56 13.67 3.21% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.73% 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 1.35 1.37 13.31% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.82 11.87 7.01% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.56% 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 132.19 134.31 2.56% 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 1.60 1.60 7.55% 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 2,381.73 2,401.78 6.19% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 186.84 186.84 5.89% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.04 1.05 3.47% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 239.52 239.58 8.76% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 184.92 186.90 3.23% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.30% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,803.43 9,936.64 1.38% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 3.61% 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 1.32 1.33 -1.59% United Capital Bond Fund 1.66 1.66 5.74% United Capital Equity Fund 0.96 0.98 4.43% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.51% United Capital Eurobond Fund 106.42 106.42 3.42% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 5.05% 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 13.10 13.31 4.67% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.86 14.01 5.19% Zenith Income Fund 20.43 20.43 7.91% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.86%
REITS NAV Per Share
Yield / T-Rtn
11.41 136.22 103.70 51.30
1.01% 2.84%
Bid Price
Offer Price
Yield / T-Rtn
12.34 150.89 111.10
12.44 154.03 113.12
1.79% 5.62% 1.67%
Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund Union Homes REIT
0.92%
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 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
4.71 8.98 17.70 20.07 145.33
4.75 9.06 17.80 20.27 147.33
-0.53% -6.12% 1.05% 2.05% 6.19%
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.
Okon Iyanam was Killed Pg. 60
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WEEKLY PULL-OUT
01.07.2018
Okon Iyanam
MODUPE OZOLUA I HAVE NO REGRET PIONEERING PLASTIC SURGERY IN NIGERIA ASSISTANTEDITOROLUFUNKEOLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com
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MODUPE OZOLUA
My Journey from Body Enhancement to Life Transformation “I will never forget that moment. I cried for over an hour because I felt I had failed that woman. I felt we could have probably saved her life if we had come a few weeks earlier.” A couple of years back it would have been impossible to find her where flies arrogantly fly in the face of the destitute and tease the injured as they flit around their wounds. A lot has changed about her: from being the ‘material’ girl at the age of 27 – changing how people look and feel using plastic surgery –, she has become the humanitarian queen that yearns for the comfort of the poor, not the rich. Avant-garde and with flawless skin that shimmers in shadow; with a rich resume reflecting resplendent successes, Modupe Ozolua is not just for the glitz, the light, camera and action. Imbued with foresight and ingenuity, she has become the metaphorical bridge built between the divide of the rich and the restless poor. Her name may remain the signpost of the one who pioneered plastic surgery in Nigeria but Ozolua has taken a leap of faith and is healing the wounds of many, writes VANESSA OBIOHA
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Ozolua
irst, she aspired to be a flight attendant. Like a fleeting fancy, she thought of another aspiration. To the then bright-eyed youngster being a medical doctor was an inevitable path she must pass by all means. Well, even though she never became a medical practitioner, she has excelled as a pioneer of a medical field in Nigeria – plastic surgery – as she set up a body enhancement centre in 2001 under the company, Body Enhancement. She was just 27 when she took the bold step to encourage Nigerians to indulge in face-lift and other beauty-enhancing procedures. The country was taken by surprise but Modupe Ozolua has since moved on. But what made her to venture into a path not hitherto trodden? “Growing up in Nigeria, I saw many family members and friends’ mothers travelling to Europe to indulge in luxury spas and health farms. I knew Nigerian women and men would appreciate the opportunity to improve their physical appearance in the comfort of their own country with family and aides around to take care of them. Knowing those facts, I made some inquiries and got extremely positive feedback and thus proceeded to establish Body Enhancement Ltd in Nigeria,” she recalled. She hit the jackpot instantly and her fame rose like a meteor – there was no stopping her. Her passion and care for her clients were unparalleled as she made it a duty to be in the theatre during surgical procedures for the clients. ”I made sure the surgeon did what the client wanted. I would always ask the nurses and anaesthesiologists’ opinion on the results of the procedure before I gave approval for the procedure to end. If I didn’t feel we
did what they client wanted, I wouldn’t allow the surgeon to stop working. Although it was very demanding, standing in the operating room for hours overseeing this, I had to do that to look after the client’s interest,” she stated with pride. Even though – to date – most of those clients still consult her for surgeries, by 2003, Ozolua had shifted her focus to reconstructive surgery where she treated people with severe burns or similar lacerations that muddled their beauty. Ozolua, however, found herself an easy target for bad press. On more than one occasion, she was a victim of blackmail. She recalled an ugly incident where a Nigerian tabloid published defamatory stories about her every week because she refused to be ‘friends’ with the publisher. She even went as far as suing a magazine when the attacks became insufferable. “All the various smear campaigns against me in a bid to blackmail me made me realise my business had put me in an ocean (fame) that required me to swim with bloodthirsty ‘sharks’. Things had to change. That’s why I shut them out as far back as 2005 and barely spoke to the press since then,” she said. At the time Ozolua was enjoying what she knew how to do best, a new vista began to open before her. In the course of championing body enhancement surgeries, she often encountered indigent people that needed reconstructive surgery. One of them was a couple who sought her services after the wife suffered severe burns and lacerations from a fire accident. Unfortunately, they couldn’t afford to pay for the surgery. Ozolua found herself making plans to launch a foundation that will provide financial assistance to the disadvantaged in need of her services, leading to the founding of a foundation – the Body Enhancement Annual Reconstructive Surgery (BEARS). When the foundation kicked off – within its first few months – it provided free corrective surgery to children born with birth defects within. The organisation is now known as ‘Empower 54’ following some changes in goals and objectives. “Initially, it was called BEARS (Body Enhancement Annual Reconstructive Surgery) Foundation because it was the charity arm of my cosmetic surgery business, Body Enhancement Ltd. It was changed much later because our humanitarian activities had extended beyond reconstructive surgery and they were holding more than once annually. In addition, our foreign partners were confused by the acronym, BEARS, because they thought it was an animal conservative organisation saving the animal, bear! “It was then shortened to Body Enhancement Foundation but my foreign board of directors advised we completely make it independent of Body Enhancement Ltd as it wasn’t a foundation
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MODUPE OZOLUA solely funded by the company. At that point, after deliberation, we finally decided on Empower 54. As our organisation conducts humanitarian activities in various African countries, the 54 represents the number of African countries on the continent, thus, translating to ‘Empower Africa’.” Globally recognised, the organisation provides humanitarian assistance such as medical missions, hunger eradication, educational, women/girl empowerment and refugee programs to underprivileged Africans. It has as its patron the South African icon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and recently got the backing of the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, in one of its poverty eradication programmes. Through Empower 54, Ozolua’s altruistic nature became even more apparent. It shows a part of her that is in stark contrast to the lifestyle attached to her persona in the past. One of her notable achievements was her involvement in bringing relief to survivors of Boko Haram’s insurgency at the internally displaced persons’ camps collaborating with the Borno State Government to evacuate – to Maiduguri for urgent CMAM treatment – over 1,500 extremely malnourished children rescued from the extremist group’s captivity. Nothing prepared Ozolua for what she was about to encounter during her visit at the IDP camps. There she saw loss of hope, independence and once ‘free spirits’ caged in a devastating environment. “It breaks my heart to see anyone suffering. The thoughts and emotions that go through me when I’m at an IDP camp might not necessarily be same others have because I see things beyond the obvious. What I saw was the loss of hope, loss of loved ones that are displaced when fleeing and they don’t know if their children, husbands or wives are dead or alive. I see loss of independence, loss of living in dignity, loss of basic fundamental human rights to choose what’s best for them. I see previously ‘free spirits’ now caged in a necessary system that’s helping them. “But they have no say in what’s best for them. Some IDPs aren’t even allowed to leave their camps due to security reasons, thus they are prisoners within the walls of hope that shelter them. When I look at situations relating to IDPs or underprivileged people, I see and feel their pains, it drains me emotionally, physically, spiritually and psychologically; but at the same time, they inspire me to carefully review my organisation’s definition of ‘help’ because it is critical to interact with those we want to help for us to prioritise their needs – and not just act on assumptions and perceptions,” she explained. Often, Ozolua is painfully reminded that she is no superhuman and can only assist within her capacity. In such helpless situations, she feels devastated – sometimes too weak to carry on. On one occasion in 2016 while she and her were preparing for a medical mission in Kwara State and went for pre-mission investigations. The programme was heavily advertised in the media and drew a lot of crowd. “Many people came and among them was a woman with breast cancer. I was interested in her case and promised we would contact her for surgery when we returned for the medical mission. Such a huge programme required a lot of planning and we experienced a few months’ delay. When we got there, I asked my personal assistant to call the woman with the breast cancer to inform her we had returned and I wanted to schedule her for a surgery. When my PA called, the woman’s daughter answered the phone. After she was told the purpose of the call, the girl started screaming and crying that her mother died a few weeks before we arrived. “I will never forget that moment. I cried for over an hour because I felt I had failed that woman. I felt we could have probably saved her life if we had come a few weeks earlier. It took over 20 people to calm me down and convince me it
ALL THE VARIOUS SMEAR CAMPAIGNS AGAINST ME IN A BID TO BLACKMAIL ME MADE ME REALISE MY BUSINESS HAD PUT ME IN AN OCEAN (FAME) THAT REQUIRED ME TO SWIM WITH BLOODTHIRSTY ‘SHARKS’. THINGS HAD TO CHANGE. THAT’S WHY I SHUT THEM OUT AS FAR BACK AS 2005 AND BARELY SPOKE TO THE PRESS SINCE THEN
wasn’t my fault. They reminded me we came the earliest we could and I had to get it together because I’m the ‘magnet’ that holds the team together. After they reminded me that hundreds of men, women and children were outside waiting for me to flag off the ceremony for them to be treated – my emotional breakdown would let them down – I got up and did the needful,” she narrated. Another incident that traumatised her was when she met a child with
imperforated anus in Kano State. Watching the child walk around with a catheter Ozolua said reminded her of God’s countless mercies in her life. One thing was certain, however, through gripping tales of suffering and pain she has witnessed, Ozolua realises that success is more than material achievements – she is convinced success is a way of helping as many people as one can. From the being the ‘material’ girl to
becoming the humanitarian woman, she is determined not to allow her past glory overshadow her current selfless endeavour. “Why should it bother me to be duly credited as the non-medical personnel who pioneered a highly specialised aspect of medicine in West Africa? Or be duly credited for putting Nigeria on the global map as a location of plastic surgery at the age of 27 years old? It’s an honour, not an insult,” she said without remorse.
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The Babaekos
STEVE BABAEKO
MY STRATEGIC INCURSION ON AFRICAN CONTINENT IS DEVELOPMENT ADVENTURE His gait is unmistakable; so is his swag. His style is simple but the complexity and perspicacity of his vision are enthralling. Though unassuming, he is reputed for traversing uncharted paths. His hunger for value, thirst for fulfilment and desire for feats remain insatiable. From the doldrums of the street, he has beaten the odds to become one of Africa’s finest, yet remains humble. Often regarded as the game-changer in Nigeria’s advertising space, the suave and often sombre advertising genius remains impeccable professionally and personally. It is little wonder that he has begun to make headway as he makes plans to establish his footprints in South Africa in order to cater for the sub-Saharan. In this encounter with ADEDAYO ADEJOBI, Group Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko talks about his South-Central African project and other strings he is pulling behind the scenes. Black Excellence: Pushing the Envelope across Africa teve Babaeko is intriguing. He is ingenious. He disrupts the norm and opens up new vistas hitherto not envisioned. His life is ruled by the eternal vision to impact life and establish what is for the public good and excitement. To him, life’s potential is limitless. Haunted by the nostalgic memories of an indigent childhood, he exemplified the grass-to-grace narrative. Growing up from such backdrop, it has become his bounden duty to excel, to exhilarate, to inspire and replicate his successes in others. For that reason Babaeko is expanding his frontiers. Speaking about the
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impulse behind his decision to expand the X3M frontiers to South-Central Africa, he says: “I don’t want to call it the South Africa project. I want to call it the South-Central Africa Project because what we are doing now covers about five territories in southcentral Africa and South Africa being the arrowhead where the operation is panning out from now goes to Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. So it’s a south-central Africa project. The vision is clear. There are over 1.3 billion on this continent for us not to be doing business with one another. “If you look at America, South-East Asia, North-East Asia, and Europe, the level of intra-continental trade is higher than you find in Africa.
Sometimes it’s even more expensive to travel from one African country to the other than to travel to Europe. These and many more have informed our vision to bridge the inter-trade gap among us on this continent. Nigeria and South Africa are the biggest economies on the continent, so if we get it right with these economies, we can actually change the story of this continent for good.” It all sounds great like a mellifluous sound bite. It is not an easy project to embark upon given the uncertainties on the continent and the phenomenal African factor. However, Babaeko is adept at beating the odds. It has taken him more than a year to put the project together. “In South Africa like most
countries have rules and you just have to play by them. They are welcoming if anybody has genuine intentions of doing business goes there. But you have to play by their rules. When I went to South Africa we conducted some interviews and tried to recruit South Africans to run the operation. We cannot go there and say as Nigerians we know the South African culture more than them. So everywhere we go, we are going to incorporate locals to run that place,” he adds. Beyond South Africa’s Volatility and Xenophobia In spite of South Africa’s notoriety for volatility and xenophobia, Babaeko beams with enthusiasm and
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PROPAGATING BLACK EXCELLENCE THROUGH ADVERTISING agencies would die. Common sense would prevail eventually.” Since starting over five years ago with seven people and now over a hundred personnel across the group, the modest advertiser thinks his firm, X3M Ideas is not big, even though he’s keeping sealed lips over his value and billing. He operates with the mentality of a start-up. To him, size is a matter of the mind.
thoughtfulness of an inventive mind as he says: “It’s a south-central Africa agenda and we’ll be all over the place. Some of the clients we already work for have footprints in some of these countries. I was in Lusaka two weeks ago and on the billboards were Dangote cement creative material we developed here. Access Bank is also in Lusaka, Zambia. One of the reasons we are doing this is because our clients are moving in that direction and we’ll be living in a bubble if we don’t do the same. I really don’t see the challenge of xenophobia as a big issue. Every country has internal problems to deal with. I’m sure the South African government is on top of those issues. We are comfortable doing business in South Africa or anywhere else because we just need to push the African agenda more. If we want this continent to get better, we need to cross-fertilize ideas. I consider this the beginning of the vision to leave a good footprint across this Africa.” Competing with Big Sharks Knowing fully well that South Africa boasts of the biggest accounts and advertising agencies, his expansion drive to that region is as though one is swimming in vast ocean filled with the big sharks. Yet, fear is not in focus when Babaeko is expanding his frontiers. He is a game-changer who knows how to negotiate bends and navigate through stormy waters. In a tone of implicit self-belief, not arrogance, Babaeko notes: “We are already a major player on the continent. Recently, we were in Morocco for the crystal awards and people were asking me what global agency we are affiliated to and I said we are an independent agency. We are competitive and are not looking back. We’re entering South Africa like a major player who has done something substantial in Nigeria. To start an agency five years ago and rank high in Nigeria is not a tea party. We have already left our mark on the market. It’s time to just go big or go home. After South Africa, we are looking at East Africa, and Kigali looks very interesting at the moment. The Rwandan economy has been growing at a steady rate for the past five years and I had the good fortune to meet with some of the Rwandan government officials in a conference in Dubai a few months ago, and they are speaking a language I find very interesting. So, it’s somewhere we are looking at in the nearest future. You’ll be shocked what opportunities lie in those climes.” Trends and Challenges of Integrated Marketing Communications Regarding trends in marketing communication chain, especially going digital, the new frontiers and emerging markets pose a challenge as the African population struggle to grapple with the realities of new media communication and poor internet penetration. To Babaeko, that stumbling block seems to be a stepping stone. He explains: “One thing about Africa is that because I’ve done extensive travelling across this continent. For my family holiday, I prefer to have it in Africa and I’ve been doing that for like ten years now. So, I have a very good overview of the
Walls Apart – Nigeria and South Africa Comparing advertising bodies in Nigeria and South Africa and their roles, he bluntly said that they are walls apart because South Africa is ahead in terms of budget and is already saturated, especially at the level of the multinational players. There are still opportunities though as he ventures into the South African market to feast. Nigeria – Living up to Global Creative Billing Babaeko does not think Nigerians are not original or lack creativity. On the contrary, he thinks the creative energy level in Nigeria has increased tremendously. In testament to that, before now Nigeria hardly ever got a mention in some of the continental competitions award. But these days, Nigeria is like the emerging power house to watch on the continent. He was a jury at the Crystal Awards last year; so he knows Nigeria is becoming that country to watch out for. The Agency Babaeko is not frivolous. He is fastidious. He knows where he belongs and he understands the capability of his organisation. He does not flaunt his prowess but he asserts it. “It has always been there from day one. I told my team from the first meeting I had with them. Anybody that calls X3M Ideas a small, new or a start-up agency would be fired. We are not any of those. We are THE agency. We set the pace already and that was the psychology anybody that works with us must have from day one.” That explains his mindset too. He does not see himself as competing with any agency in Nigeria. Instead, he’s deep-rooted in the ideology of playing local at the global level with best practices. That single-mindedness defines his obsession to spread black excellence, especially in the field of advertising across this continent.
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continent. The tendency for Africa to leapfrog is very high. Technology makes it easier for us to pick up.” The Mergers and Acquisitions One thing the advertising guru strongly advocates is the need for mergers and acquisitions in the advertising space.“Even if we have the south-central Africa project in some
markets, we are actually talking to people we want to merge or acquire right now. In Nigeria, it is still inevitable that if we don’t merge in the next five years, they would mention some agencies’ name and they’ll be extinct. People need to get acquired. Nothing is wrong in being a small fish in a big pond, and that’s what merger and acquisition will do. It’s inevitable, if not
IN NIGERIA, IT IS STILL INEVITABLE THAT IF WE DON’T MERGE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THEY WOULD MENTION SOME AGENCIES’ NAME AND THEY’LL BE EXTINCT. PEOPLE NEED TO GET ACQUIRED. NOTHING IS WRONG IN BEING A SMALL FISH IN A BIG POND, AND THAT’S WHAT MERGER AND ACQUISITION WILL DO. IT’S INEVITABLE, IF NOT AGENCIES WOULD DIE. COMMON SENSE WOULD PREVAIL EVENTUALLY
A Fair Appraisal With advertising budgets decreasing and the clients cutting low on media spend, for him, prudence is the way to go. He has always been prudent which is why he probably doesn’t own houses in Banana Island or drive flashy cars. He believes in deploying the scarce resources to vital areas of operation. He prides himself in taking good care of his staff, which is the backbone of his business. In a fair appraisal of Babaeko’s landmark achievements, he sees the relationship with his clients more important than financial returns. Since he discovered advertising in 1995, he has never looked back –not for a fleeting second. The Autobiography of Worms In what he will rather keep under wraps –his autobiography – he goes hard and bare on some important women who almost made living impossible for him when he started out.
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J ˜ ͺ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
INSIGHT APC Convention: Lest We Forget Tunde Rahman
listen, discuss, persuade and find a common ground so that in the end we can have a winhey predicted severe turbulence win solution in any state we have challenges if not outright chaos. They were and even on issues affecting various arms of wrong. The success of the All government elected on the platform of our Progressives Congress convention party”. belied the cynical predictions. The This brilliantly encapsulates what needs party held a convention to elect its to be done. Oshiomhole has hit the ground national officers. Competition for in full stride. He immediately launched office did not tear the party apart as into series of meetings with his executives some people wanted and a few honestly feared. and other stakeholders to quickly map out Instead, holding the convention energized the his strategies on the way forward. Already, membership, galvanizing and strengthening some are saying that the active approach of the party in the process. After President Oshiomhole will make a significant differMuhammadu Buhari gave the final speech to ence. This energy and optimism probably draw the curtain on the event, party members would not exist but for the holding of the were beside themselves, basking in joy and convention. excitement of the moment just concluded. The Now that the convention is over and was party members with whom I talked spoke well successful, it would be easy to forget that, at of the convention. There was a general sense of one point, the idea of holding a convention accomplishment and happiness. The party had had been put in grave danger. In the infalbeen reawakened to itself. lible light of hindsight, the holding of this Over 7,000 delegates participated in the convention seemed inevitable and proper. convention. The convention enabled the However, this was not the case beforehand. party to affirm its reason for existence and Getting to the decision to hold the convenselect a new leadership that would give tion became a dramatic journey. There were impetus to the APC’s mission of progressive people who attempted to turn the party and democratic good governance. Being an away from the conduct of a democratic coninstrument of democratic governance, it was vention and even the holding of congresses essential that the party honoured the tenets at the state and local levels. of democratic practice by conducting a conAs the tenure of the Chief John Odigievention that would elect the party leadership. Oyegun-led executives drew to its natural APC had good and able people to replace the conclusion, some sought for that group an prior team. The highlight of the convention unnatural extension. Oyegun and his allies was the emergence of a highly accomplished sought to subvert the national and party conand charismatic former Labour leader and ventions by forgoing internal party elections former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in order to give themselves an extra tenure Aliu Oshiomhole, as the national chairman. without recourse to the will of the majority the mature decision to contest or not. While With the emergence of Oshiomhole setting of the party. Against the ideals of the party, it is impossible for everyone to be pleased by an upbeat tone, the elections for the other every outcome of every contest, the convention an extension by virtual fiat was in the offing. party positions followed suit. This move came to a head at the February was an exercise in fairness as well as political A team of skilled and energetic officials and moral suasion. The delegates by and large, 27 National Executive Committee meeting. was the end result: former Ekiti State At that session, a voice vote was taken to recognized the value of the convention and governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, is now forego elections and extend the tenure of the appreciated the atmosphere in which it was the Deputy National Chairman (South), Oyegun executives by one year. conducted. the National Legal Adviser Babatunde Injustice may prevail for a moment but There were some minor rough spots and Ogala is a renowned lawyer. National justice never can be completely obscured. an instance of a minor tussle between a small Organising Secretary Emma Ibediro is well For the Oyegun crew, there was a problem number of rival delegates. However, these known as skilled administrator. National that refused to be ignored. For reasons best brief hiccups were of minor consequence Woman Leader Salamatu Baiwa is popular known to him, the former National Legal and had no bearing on the substance of and capable. Some in the immediate-past Adviser rendered a piece of flawed advice. the proceedings. Given the vast number of executives like National Secretary Mai people and the important stakes involved, the The APC constitution did not say what he Bala Buni, Deputy National Chairman convention was a generally harmonious event purported it to say. The Constitution did not (North) Senator Lawal Shuaibu, National empower the NEC to substitute itself for the as the vast majority of delegates conducted Vice Chairman(North-west) Alhaji Inuwa National Convention in the present situation. themselves with a decorum befitting the task Abdulkadir, National Vice Chairman Consequently, the NEC could not extend at hand. (South-South), Mr. Hillary Billiard Etta, party officials’ tenures beyond the appointed Comrade Oshiomhole promises an active and a few others retained their positions four-year tenure. leadership that will give greater focus to the in acknowledgement of their performance More importantly, the attempt at tenure progressive nature of the APC, highlighting while holding these key offices. extension collided against Section 223 of the differences between the reformist vision At the convention, some positions eventu- of the party and the reactionary designs of the national constitution, which provides ally went unopposed while some were vigor- the PDP. In his acceptance speech, the former for election of executive committees of ously contested. This is how things should Edo governor stressed his commitment to “the political parties every four years. The party be. Everyone was given a chance to step provisions of our constitution, commitment to had entered into a legal quagmire because forward to contest for office or step aside if of people’s attempt to skirt the democratic internal democracy, mutual respect for each they thought the odds aligned against them. and every one of us-purging ourselves of any process upon which the party was founded. People were given the opportunity to make To correct the situation, there was but ignorance- and a commitment to honesty:
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one thing to do. Return to honouring the democratic norms of the party. What I would call the most progressive element of what is a progressive party moved into corrective action. Spearheaded by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, these constitutionalists began to indicate the problem with the position taken by Oyegun and the rest of his impositionists. President Buhari watched the unfolding situation. He carefully weighed and measured the arguments of both the constitutionalists and the impositionists. Because of his studious approach, President Buhari would see that the weight of justice rested on the side of the constitutionists. The impostionists tried to pull a fast one but had been found out. When the President made his courageous statement in March 2018 that the APC should forego the improper convenience of automatically extending the tenure of party officers, the tide had turned. Conventions and congresses would be held so that party members could exercise their democratic right to vote for officials of their choice and could run for office if they saw fit. It was as if the trumpet of justice had sounded just when the impositionists thought they had silenced it. For Asiwaju and the progressives, tenure elongation was anathematic because it was both unconstitutional and patently undemocratic. It was unthinkable that the party with ‘Congress’ in its name would take action to avoid holding the required congresses and convention. Thus, the March 27 NEC meeting will be recorded as one of the finest and traditionbuilding moments of this party. President Buhari wasted no time at the session. He went straight to the meat of the matter. His was a categorical position: No tenure elongation. After the President made a declarative statement, some tried to downplay its significance by stating the President merely expressed his personal opinion. What followed was a period of several weeks where some people still tried to forestall an elective convention. President Buhari, however, stuck to his constitutionalist position because it was the right thing to do.. Having lost the legal battle, the impositionists argued that an elective convention would erupt into public acrimony and cause possible implosion of the party. This was but a veneer to cover their real intention. Their fear ran contrary to the available facts. Barely a year after the merger forming the APC, a convention was held. That convention was a picture of decorum and open process. It galvanized the party and generated much public goodwill for it distinguished the party for the behaviour of the PDP and other parties. If the APC could hold a successful convention so quickly after its very formation, there was no excuse for not holding a convention four years later. Still, the plot at tenure extension refused to take its place in the graveyard of bad ideas. –Rahman, Special Adviser, Media to Asiwaju Tinubu, is former Editor of THISDAY on Sunday Newspaper
The Devil Is Still to Blame Ibe Ikwechegh
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he must have walked back into the room to find her husband’s face swollen and in pain from the first stab she dealt him earlier. Amid what should have given cause for rethink, she dealt the final stab to him and so we are likely to think of Maryam Sanda as Evil. But the problem of evil is deeper than humans can comprehend. Why is man so evil? Why is there evil in spite of the omnipotence of God? Does evil have different genres? All evils are equal but, to employ Orwellian-grammar, some evils are more equal than the others. Who is the real author of evil? And above all, who is to blame for man’s evil? We think of the recent Guatemala volcano, killing over 109 persons; the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami that wiped out 230,000 people and the 2017 flooding that displaced over a 100,000 people living by River Benue banks. In our pantheistic world-view, insisting that the universe and nature are the alter egos of God, we see such disasters as His act; actus dei. But natural disasters are not the only evil, if at all they are. In December 2005, parents waited happily at Port-Harcourt Airport to receive their
children, returning from School for Christmas Holidays. The DC9-32, bringing home these angels, slammed on the runway and burst into flames. Only one of them survived with a heart rendering disfigurement. Auto crashes, fire accidents, miscellany of diseases in our hospitals, are nothing but plain evil. In this genre of evil, the theist and the most of us will curse the devil. So, what about the murder allegedly committed by Maryam and the reported Udeme Odibi’s movie-like killing and chopping off her husband’s genitals and giving herself some scuffs as a ruse? What about Evans, who built an empire at the expense of fellow men, whom he held hostage like caged birds. A few years ago, a daughter of a General, met a guy online. It seemed like a prospect for life’s beautiful things. In the innocence of her upbringing, it was lost upon her, that there were many beasts in designer-suits. She went to meet him and experienced the most gruesome manner of dying. Murder, rape, arson, treachery, stealing, kidnapping and other evils are easily designated as the evil of man for which only he is accountable. These are neither natural disasters nor accidents and so we hold man as the sole author and ‘give the devil a break’. The story is told of Adam and Eve who lived as man and woman in nakedness and were
not ashamed. This illusive state of affairs in which ignorance was bliss prevailed until ‘the serpent’ entered the scene. He re-educated them on what might, in every sense in which empiricism may be conceived, have seemed to be the advantages of the ‘forbidden fruit’; ‘enlightenment’, ‘godlike status’ and ‘knowledge of good and evil’. The first bite brought them to a new dawn of amazement and shame. This story, offered in many forms, to most theists, provides the first account of the antagonism between God and the Devil. Maybe, our atavistic instinct that God is the antithesis of the Devil and that there is always in the human heart, a tension between good and evil derived essentially from the Adam and Eve field experience. It seems that upon a preponderance of many theological philosophies and moral opinions, our deeds are either good or bad. Our discussion assumes that the Devil is the personification of that evil. Good and evil are often prescribed as a choice. James Russell Lowell wrote, “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight, and the choice goes by forever between that darkness and that light”. Marvel at Lowell’s selection of antonyms, with choice as a nucleus.
Our named actors in this discussion, one might think, had choices; to kill or not to kill; to kidnap or not and so forth. In the volumes, it is written that there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is death. Does this not defy the assumption that choice is an antidote? If the choice ‘seemed’ right, has such a man not exercised best judgment albeit towards a fatal end? It is possible that evil attacks the very faculty for good choices. The prescription of choice assumes that man is ever capable of rational decisions and inferentially accords man undeserving qualities. Maybe, evil is not just a matter of choice but an attestation to the philosophies and ideas that we are a product of our environment. At a conference, a young man asked Dr. Ravi Zacharias about his response to the view that evil is not within man but outside of man since he is a product of his environment. Dr. Zacharias quipped that in that case, ‘we should not be imprisoning people like Madoff but their neighbours’. The philosophy of environmental impact on conduct will run aground if it cannot show us that Maryam grew up in an environment of husband-stabbing women or that Evans was raised in a hamlet of kidnappers. –Ibe Ikwechegh, Lawyer, Training Consultant and Public Speaker
T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JULY 1, 2018
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High Life
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...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous
...And Top Businessman, Okon Iyanam was Killed
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ently, she sobbed, clasping her hands to indicate her mood. Her tired gaze stared into the distance. And her eyelids blinked as if to shut out the present. But she couldn’t. Vignettes of blood and hastily carved curses stole from her lips into the chilly air. Muna Iyanam is bereaved! Her partner has been killed in cold blood. If Muna, indeed, had one chance to make a wish, she would wish the death of her husband was a mere nightmare. Watching her bemoan her fate, you could feel and touch her grief and like someone who has signed out on laughter, the sounds and melody of tumbrels and harps for her have stopped making any meaning for now. It’s often said, other deaths only speak but murder shrieks out. Yet each man kills the thing he loves. Some do it with a bitter look, some with a flattering word. The coward does it with a kiss, the brave with a sword; Okon Iyanam’s murderers did it with a blazing gun. Last Wednesday, Iyanam was killed by some gunmen at his guest house in Mowe, Ogun State. His family
UNGRATEFUL LOT! LAMIDI ADEDIBU FAMILY MISERABLE AS NIGERIANS FORGET HIS 10TH YEAR REMEMBRANCE Yes, it has been ten years since the death of self-acclaimed ‘strongman of Ibadan politics’, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu. He died on June 11, 2008. On that day, the beautiful widow, Bose Adedibu wept and poured out her grief like an opera conductor dreaming in a Handelian mist. While her husband was alive, she had the sweetest experience of the world; she knew what it was to be the sweet heart of the political godfather. She understood what it was to be courted by the lowly-placed, the high and mighty seeking innumerable favours from her husband. But no sooner had her husband died than Alhaja Bose tasted the bitter pill of betrayal. In friendship, she found coldness and in trust, she found treason. No sooner had the remains of her powerful husband were lowered into the grave than his friends and political associates began to desert his political empire and family. One after the other, they deserted the Adedibu family and would not want to have anything to do with the people the strongman left behind. The situation also forced Bose to shun her late husband’s political associates
Lamidi Adedibu
and friends are still mourning and wondering what could be the motive of his murder. They are at a loss about who could have been responsible for the gruesome act. Hence the matter remains a Gordian knot as no one can categorically trace his death to a specific person. But that Iyanam met his end in a gruesome manner that illfated Wednesday night is not in doubt. In the wake of his demise, not a few friends and family alleged that there is more to his death than meets the eye. The death of this young businessman reminds us of our dour humanity, and of the fragility of our hold on human subsistence. The world is indeed a stage and life itself is but a walking shadow. Life is a permanent shuttle in the sepulcher, and what we have are fleeting memories, stilled mementoes, fraught memories and the fractured memorabilia of those who are gone forever, never to be seen again. Iyanam was until his death the Chief Executive Officer of Bond Consulting. A pioneer staff of Globacom, he left the telecom company and was briefly with the Enyi Odigbo-led DDB Lagos before joining Insight/Grey. particularly those he assisted when he was alive who later turned their backs on the family. But such dismal happenstance is now a thing of the past. However, sources close to the Adedibu family revealed that it was heart-rending for them to note that the memories of the ‘Alaafin Molete’ have faded from the hearts of even his trusted aides and political associates while he was alive. It was even more heartbreaking to note that no newspaper or broadcast station remembered the milestone in the life of the Adedibus. There was no paid advertorial in remembrance of the late politician who was widely regarded as an unpretentious statesman, even from his state, Oyo State Government. Could it have been that the memories and legacies of Adedibu have been eroded with the passage of time, or it just slipped through the minds of the so-called associates, admirers and friends of the acclaimed ‘Alaafin Molete’? Prompting insinuations that most of our politicians have short memories indeed. It is therefore a surprise that ten years after, many have forgotten all about him. Funny how time obscures some heroes, you might say.
CUT OFF IN HIS PRIME: LONDON SOCIALITE, TOPE DOUHERTY’S SON STABBED TO DEATH In the hitherto enviable and exotic world of Tope Douherty, a popular London socialite, the sky is no longer a silvery and opalescent delight; it is now pitch black and brackish. And sadly, it would take almost forever for things to return to normalcy for her. Her grief is occasioned by the death of her second child, Jordan Omogbolade Douherty. We gathered that the 15-year-old was stabbed to death, when over 100 youths mobbed a birthday party at a community centre in Clockhouse Lane, Collier Row, Romford, East London, penultimate Saturday. Jordan is the youngest person to be fatally stabbed in London this year. It is gathered that he attended Harris Academy in Chafford Hundred. Three teenage boys were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and taken for questioning at different police stations in East London. Jordan was a rapper and featured in a string of YouTube videos
Okon Iyanam
with the group C17 under the name Young Valenti. His older brother, Roland, performs as Valenti. Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses to come forward after a ‘large fight’ took place following an event at the North Romford Community Centre, Clockhouse Lane, on Saturday, 23 June at 9.05pm. Police and the London Ambulance Service attended the scene and were confronted by around 100 young people. A Met Police spokesman confirmed a 15-year-old boy was found with stab wounds and although he was treated at the scene by paramedics, he was pronounced dead a short while later. Det Sgt Gurj Singh said: “I would like to directly appeal to those present to contact police about what they saw and heard to help my team build a clearer picture of what took place. Equally, if you have video footage or images of the violent aftermath to the party, we need to hear from you.� Response team Inspector Michael O’Donoghue from East Area Command said a large crime scene will remain in place for some time and high visibility patrols will be stepped up in the area.
POLITICS NOT BEAUTY PAGEANT! ELISHAMA IDEH’S AMBITION TO ‘SERVE’
Like many other elections across the world, there are the also-rans and the real contenders; those who come to make up the numbers and those who vaunt about their intentions for the cheap popularity and pecuniary benefits. This is why it is too early in the day to categorise the ambition of a beautiful woman, Elishama Ideh, one of the high society flying ladies. Give it to her, she is not only brave enough to declare her intention to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, she is blunt enough to say. “It must be emphasised strongly that coming from this background of my work in the sociospiritual sphere, I was able to witness the stark reality of the decay and poverty level of our people and how special social security schemes or infrastructure are not in place to curb the debilitating situation which is why my heart and my passion has been stirred up to rise first as a citizen of this great country and become a change agent that the nation desperately needs.� Undeterred by the cynicism that has trailed her declaration in view of the dynamics of contemporary Nigerian politics, she said her vision is to see a Nigeria where things work. To achieve her dream, she has embarked upon a rigorous campaign exercise intimating the electorate about her ambition. While she is entitled to the inalienable right to vote and be voted for, let’s hope she would not forget to honour and observe the demands of public service and accountability. Her ambition makes one wonder if she isn’t just another desperate public office seeker vowing to build bridges even where there are no rivers.
ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE’S WIFE, IARA, DAZZLES ATTHE APC CONVENTION
Elishama Ideh
Like still waters turned bubbling sea, Iara Oshiomhole is back. The beautiful wife of Adams Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo State and new chairman of APC, is back on the grind and it doesn’t look like she will lose steam or quit anytime soon. The permanent feature at a series of high society soirees in the past seem set to rekindle her spark with uncharacteristic vitality and panache so much that hardly anyone would remember she had at one time or the other
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Timothy’s Cross...Slow Your Roll, Timothy Oguntayo is not Broke Ëž Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă?Ě‹Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă• Ă?â̋ Ă•ĂŁĂ? Ă‹Ă˜Ă• ĂŒĂ™Ă?Ă?
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f mischief-makers have their way, they would say Timothy Oguntayo lives from hand to mouth now. They would say the former Managing Director (MD) of Skye Bank, lives by barter now. They would say he pays his lawyer by making a dress for the latter’s wife. They would allege that he pays his doctor the same way. Whether the rumours are true or untrue, the most crucial lesson Timothy takes away from his recent experience is that, it takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart; one to slander you and the other to get the news to you. Had Timothy’s friends his love in their hearts, they would assiduously quash the ugly rumours doing the rounds about the former bank chief. The ex-Skye head honcho has been in the news recently due to a shameful rumour being peddled about him. Report has it that since he was sacked as the bank chief, he has been living in dire straits. It is alleged that he is broke and has to squeeze himself really dry to meet his needs and that of his family. This according to the rumour disappeared from the scene. And to make good her pursuit, she recently stole the show at the APC convention last weekend in Abuja. She was the cynosure of all eyes, as she looked resplendent in her perfectly cut attire and infectious smile. Back in the days when her husband held sway over Edo politics like a medieval emperor, the couple became the darling of the state’s high society and their house automatically became a Mecca of sorts for political jobbers, hangers-on and favour-seekers. But immediately after his tenure expired, she went into her anonymous cocoon. Rumour distributors and retailers came up with acerbic news. They claimed that the couple had exhausted their love for each other. They drew inferences from half-truths or flimsy realities that wouldn’t stand the test of logic or superior reasoning. For instance, they argued that when the passion was hot and love was young between them, Adams and Iara attended every event together. The makers of mischief insinuated that love seemed to have waned between the couple and their passion for each other had ebbed to barely imperceptible degree. Some people said she had retreated into her anonymous cocoon because she was pregnant. Others argued that their marriage had simply run its full course. They claimed that the lady had gone back to her country, having had her fill of the groove. The latter’s elevated public office and clout was the only thing she found attractive about him, they said. However, reality is very different
Iara Oshiomhole
mill, explains his recent low profile. Against the backdrop of the unpalatable news however, very close friends and associates of Timothy have risen to his defence, claiming the rumours of his insolvency are hogwash. Those who should be in the know dismissed the rumours as the figment of some mischievous folk’s imagination. The former MD is not broke, they said, claiming that he made money as a banker that can last him two lifetimes. Yes, he might not be able to dress the part or live la vida loca lifestyle but Timothy is big, argued a source close to him, maintaining that the banker is simply being modest by not painting the town red with unnecessary expenses. They also told us that Timothy is a very nice guy. Indeed, you cannot be the MD of a bank like Skye bank at that time, without making money for yourself. To this, Timothy’s detractors respond that he is never modest, but he is simply a miser who doesn’t throw money around like a drunken sailor. They argued that it is very difficult to come by anyone who had been a beneficiary of his touted generosity. from the pictures of pain and bleak reality painted by haters of the ex-Edo governor and his trophy wife. People who should know however, confirmed that Adams is too much in love with the woman to let go of her. The couple got married in 2015, in a two-part grand wedding ceremony held in Edo State, Nigeria and the bride’s homeland, Cape Verde. Now, according to her apologists, Iara is back in town, mischief-makers can go and take a running dive.
OMISORE’S POLITICAL AMBITION LOSES TRACTION ˞
Senator Iyiola Omisore is a man in distress. His hopes are fading off into unknown vistas and his dreams of greatness are silently mutating into a horrid nightmare. The controversial senator’s impotence has finally caught up with him as the proverbial sword of Damocles hinders the strides of a medieval tyrant. Findings revealed that Omisore is really going through a lot in his ambition to become the executive governor of Osun State. This is a sad reality of the politician’s current state given the fact that he has been nursing the ambition to emerge as the state’s governor since his stints as deputy governor and senator of the state. However, like the biblical Moses, it looks like Omisore will have to be content with only a glimpse of the Promised Land. You couldn’t have forgotten so soon, like a greyhound, Omisore dumped his party, PDP, to join SDP in other to achieve his guber ambition. But the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Osun State, Chief Ademola Isola, has said the leadership of the party in the state is not aware of the intention of Senator Iyiola Omisore to contest the governorship election. Omisore had penultimate Saturday picked the expression of interest form in Abuja to contest the September 22 governorship election in Osun State. But the state chairman of the SDP on Monday at a press conference in Osogbo said the intention of the former deputy governor of the state was unknown to the party in the state. The SDP chairman said, “There are only three governorship aspirants in our party. They are: Mr. Abdulwakeel Adeola, Mr. Kolawole Oladeji and Mr. Munirudeen Atanda. The three aspirants are known as governorship aspirants.� By virtue of this,
Timothy Oguntayo
his governorship hopes appears to have been shattered into smithereens, postponing any good news from that end by yet another four years in the least.
GLAD TIDINGS! AGAIN, COURT RESTRAINS EFCC, AGF FROM HALTING AITEO’S OPERATIONS Like persistent, soothing draft of the north wind across the Pacific, glad tidings of happiness and joy rent the air in Aiteo Group, even as you read. The reason is hardly far-fetched! A federal high court in Abuja has ruled a stay of action in the case brought against Benedict Peters, founder and chief executive officer of Aiteo Group. In February, the group got an interlocutory injection restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the attorney general of the federation (AGF) from interfering or obstructing its business operations. In suit number FCT/HC/CV0536/17, the court heard that properties belonging exclusively to Peters were wrongfully included in a list of properties allegedly owned by Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum. At the hearing on Monday, Peters asked the court to restrain EFCC and the UK-based agencies from “interfering/ continued interference with the properties, either by way of criminal indictment, charge, interdiction, extradition or in any other manner infringing in the quiet and peaceable enjoyment of the said properties.� Peters also demanded $5 billion in compensation for what he described as a “series of unlawful and fraudulent conspiracies allegedly organised by the EFCC, AGF, the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service (UK) and individuals, Helen Hughes, Stacey Boniface, and John Banister�. A.T Gazali, counsel to the AGF challenged the ruling, arguing that the defendants were entitled to the protection of sovereign immunity. After listening to the arguments of both counsel, the court made an order enjoining the parties to maintain the status quo. The case was adjourned till a date to be communicated to the parties.
DAPO ABIODUN‌TO WHOM HONOUR IS DUE Industry is a tasking field, in which the degree of brilliance in the performance
is left to the merchant’s honour. In full acknowledgment of this fact, Prince Dapo Abiodun is now a doctor of finance. However, his ascent to the steep slope of entrepreneurial success and acclaim was pockmarked with challenges. It was replete with rigours and disappointments. But he towered above all odds to become a successful magnate with vested interest in oil and gas. Today, he is celebrated at home and abroad as one of the crème of Nigeria’s league of extraordinary entrepreneurs. For the umpteenth time, Abiodun, the chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission, and Heyden Group, has commanded the applause of significant institute. Like an indefatigable knight and conqueror of life’s greatest odds, the foremost entrepreneur has recorded yet another remarkable feat on the conferment of the Doctorate of Finance, (Honoris Causa), penultimate Saturday, at the 23rd Convocation Ceremonies of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. Like a lightning shaft from Eden, Dr. Abiodun dazzled a large audience and commanded applause at the ceremony with his gift of gumption and unparalleled intellect in an electrifying speech. Dapo personifies a classic success story of the man who grew to be a titan under the heavyweight of daunting odds, along the torturous path to acclaim. Asides are his manifest depth, his candid cadences, touch with just the faintest whiff of reticence, amplifying his graceful modesty and ability to navigate the tricky slopes of toil, acclaim and humane ethics - whether in the cut-throat world of commerce or social politics.
Dapo Abiodun
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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 ˾ ULY 1, 2018
SOCIETY WATCH
with BAYO ADEOYE .... 08054680651 email: bayoolunla@gmail.com
Continental Reinsurance MD, Dr. Femi Oyetunji in Trouble
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r. Femi Oyetunji, Managing Director of Continental Reinsurance PLC, is an experienced insurance broker that knows the business like the back of his hand. In fact, he is one of the best in the business in the country today having been in the industry for decades. However, this is not the best of time for the man as he has been taken to the Federal High Court in Lagos by an aggrieved shareholder of the insurance company, Mr. Maduka Kanma Okafor, for allegedly running the company in a manner that is illegal, oppressive and unfairly prejudicial and discriminatory to him. As gathered, joined as co-respondents in the petition filed before the court are five directors of the company. In a petition filed before the court by the law firm of Sonnie Ekwowusi on behalf of Maduka kanma Okafor, the petitioner alleged that he is a shareholder of Continental Reinsurance Plc currently holding 19,890,013 and he practically built the company’s ICTfrom the scratch with so many positive groundbreaking records.The petitioner was employed by the company in July, 1993 and rose to the rank of Deputy General Manager, head of the Company’s Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT)Department when he disengaged in August 2016. However, Okafor alleged further that when Oyetunji joined the company in January 2010 and became its group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, he went all out to dismantle the cost-saving mechanisms of the company as well as abolish the pre-existing progressive structure and Corporate Governance structure system set up by the security and exchange commission, SEC and the board of the company, by always favouring a South African com-
EX-TOP CUSTOMS OFFICIAL, IBRAHIM MERA, WAKES UP FROM HIBERNATION As a Deputy Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Prince Ibrahim Mera was very powerful and influential. He was undoubtedly the richest in the Customs while many wondered about the source of his stupendous wealth, those close to him maintain that his wealth could be traced to the vast estate bequeathed to him by his father. Mera, who is also described as a car freak, has properties in some states in Nigeria, including Argungu in Birnin-Kebbi, Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja as well as in London. According to our findings, Mera was perceived to be haughty in some quarters, and has been locked in a fierce battle with his former immediate boss, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde, the then Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, over some undisclosed issues. In fact, he was rumoured to be the likely successor to the former Comptroller-General, Inde, when his tenure was winding down. However, before his very eyes, his balloon of hope in the Customs was burst, as President Muhammadu Buhari refused to look in his direction, following the appointment of Col. Hameed Ali (retd.). In the wake of that development, Mera, among other top officials, turned in their letters of voluntary retirement from the service. However, those in the know confirmed that they were actually frustrated out of the organisation. Well, that is not the story, as the Argugun, Kebbi-born prince, who is known to be an extrovert, has completely gone underground and has not been seen at any social event since
pany called Dimension Data to execute the ICT contract of the company even though the tender of the South African company was unbelievably high and its solutions non-futuristic and often not the best. Okafor stated that because of Oyetunji ‘s personal interest in favour of Dimension Data and its subsidiary namely, Internet Solution mentioned some particular projects which were executed to the detriment of the insurance company and its shareholders. In the year 2016, Oyetunji was alleged to have paid three extra budgetary bills in quick succession to Dimension Data to repeat the ICTaudit which was earlier successfully completed, in excess of, $100,000,followed by another $12,000,and another N12,825,000 all unbudgeted and unjustifiable. WhenOyetunjiwasemployedin2010bythe company,theboardapprovedthesumofN20 milliontopurchasetwocompanyvehiclesforthe useofthecompany.Thisamountatthattimewas appropriateandsufficientlybudgetedtopurchase aV8ToyotaLandCruiserandToyotaAvensis2.0 literenginevehicles,buthechosetopurchasea RangeRoverVogue,whichcostlessthanabout N18million.HethendemandedandgotthebalanceofN2millionincash,furtherhebroughtinone ofhisusedcars,(aHondapilot)whichhadbeenin useforsomanyyears,andputitinthemaintenance poolashissecondentitledcar.Inactinginthis manner,hedidnotseekanyauthorisationfromthe boardofdirectorsofthecompany. The illegality, oppression, discrimination and high-handedness of Dr Oyetunji at the company to the acquiesce of the board of Directors became so unbearable that one Mr Abdul-Rasheed A. Akolade, who was senior manager (life) at the company at that time had to tender his letter of
he left the service. While some alleged that he decided to keep a low key as to keep away from the prying eyes of the anti-graft agency for his alleged atrocities in the Customs some insinuate that he is still frustrated over the way he was treated. Unknown to many, this is not the first time his dream had been shattered. It was revealed that when his father, Alhaji Mohammed Mera, the then Emir of Argungun, died, he had hoped to succeed him as Emir of Argungu, in line with his royal title of Ciroman of Argungu (Crown Prince). He, however, lost out in the battle of succession to his elder brother, Samaila Mera, who was allegedly imposed on the Emirate by the then Military governor of the old Sokoto State under whom he had served as Commissioner for Water Resources. Mera, who is said to have been the choice of their late father, felt betrayed by the imposition of his elder brother, but he resigned to fate. Just as many were wondering about his whereabouts. It was gathered that Mera had woken up from his ‘hibernation’ and he is throwing his hat into the ring for the number one job of the state in 2019. A source revealed that he is currently consulting elders and political leaders in the state for his ambition. ‘’ Although Mera is a billionaire with lots of influence in the state he has no clout to wrestle power from the incumbent, Abubakar Bagudu, who will be seeking for his second term in office in 2019. Bagudu is being loved by the masses especially farmers who he has empowered tremendously. Before now Mera has no meaningful contribution to the development of the state. So, it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the Chairman of Mera Agric and Foods to become governor of the state’’ a source said.
TONGUES WAG OVER GBEMI SARAKI’S DISAPPEARANCE
Ibrahim Mera
That Senator Gbemisola Rukayat Saraki is keeping a low key profile in the political and social circles is no longer a secret. For some time now, nothing much has been heard about the beautiful senator, in spite of the fact that she holds an influential office as the Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University, Otuoke. Although Gbemi, as she is fondly called, is a chieftain of the APC, she has opted to operate in the background. The former senator, until now, had held
Femi Oyetunji resignation. In his email, he said he was resigning because of the illegality and abuse of corporate governance at the insurance company. In violation of corporate governance to the detriment of the shareholding interest of the petitioner, the Managing Director exclusively diverted the catering services of the company and all soft supplies and sundry contracts to his
Gbemi Saraki sway both in the social and political scene, especially in her state, where she was tipped to take over from her late father, Olusola Saraki. She contested on two occasions the Kwara State guber seat, first in 2011 and then 2015. While she was able to secure the ACPN ticket in 2011, her bid for the PDP ticket failed to materialise in 2015. Also, many are still waiting for the gorgeous woman to take another shot at marriage, since her union with Segun Fowora collapsed many years ago. We gathered that when she clocked 50, many expected her to introduce her new man, but it was not to be. A source claimed that she might have bidden farewell to marriage, as she recently called it quits with the only man in her life. Gbemi and the man, who is said to be married, were an item on the social scene for years, and many had thought that it would lead to wedlock. But the relationship has now reportedly collapsed like a pack of cards. The light-skinned beauty attended the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. She did her mandatory national service at the Nigeria Bank for Commerce and Industry, Lagos. She worked for the Societe Generale Bank (Nigeria) as Head of Money Markets and later as Head of Domiciliary Accounts. From 1994 to 1999, she was executive director of Ashmount Insurance Brokers, Lagos.
sister/cousin namely, Folake Oyetunji, who also signs as Folake Adesanya through her various business names at patently uncompetitive prices. Folake Oyetunji, without proper bidding, variously was awarded contracts by the Managing Director. (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)
in the oil and gas sector during the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. In fact his last major outing, it was gathered, was in February, 2016 when his company signed a 300 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Cummings Cogeneration Ltd, as part of plans to build one of Africa’s largest gas-fired power plants. But since the Jonathan administration wound up in 2015, Onoh has literally taken cover for some inexplicable reasons. Obviously, his story will continue to astound many who know him to be a businessman and chief executive with an unusual gut. As a businessman, he does not cringe, even in the face of difficulty. Perhaps, this unique attribute was the impetus that made him go into the oil and gas business at a time when many had not given him any chance of survival. Indeed, when Onoh set up Eurafric Oil and Coastal Service in the 90’s, many had sneered at him, but he simply refused to allow his dream die. A couple of years after, the owner of Sapele Power Plc in Ogorode, Delta State struck a deal to provide over 10 million litres of diesel to the landlocked West African country of Chad. Then, the only way to get the fuel delivered was to send it by truck through Nigeria’s northern borders. He was, therefore, advised to bring in the fuel by sea, store it in the Apapa depot owned by the old African Petroleum Plc in Lagos and engage a third party logistic firm to handle haulage of the product by road. This arrangement worked so well for him that he not only became a multi-millionaire, but he also empowered most of the other firms and commercial partners working with him at that time.
TONY ONOH’S UNUSUAL QUIETNESS Where is Tony Onoh, the CEO, Eurafric Oil and Coastal Services? This question may remain unanswered until probably he gets back his groove on the social scene. However, if you are wondering why the question is so important to those asking, it is perhaps because Onoh was one of the big boys
Tony Onoh
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A WALK THROUGH A WOMAN'S WOES IN WANAWANA’S SHOES PAGE 65
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PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
A Spirit by Daniel Obasi, photography, 580 x 785 mm, 2017
01.07.2018
EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com
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JULY ͯ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
ARTS & REVIEW\\EXHIBITION
Some of the works at the exhibition
PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
Six male avant-garde fashion photographers deploy their creativity in the service of social reformation. Yinka Olatunbosun reports
G
bam! is the catchword for this rare show. Aptly derived from a visual symbol of agreement, with clenched fists, the sub-theme is simply “Unearthing and Reclaiming a New Becoming". What then is the agreement made by six youthful artists representing a new breed of photographers? Essentially, it’s about changing the cultural narratives of and for the African people. As clichéd as that may sound, the first taste of their artistic expressions recently struck a chord of recognition of some sacred aspects of African culture that had been frontally challenged by some of these artists at this on-going show, which runs till September 15. Let’s look at the pieces from the walkway at the entrance of The Wheatbaker hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos. Lex Ash’s photography is one pot simmering with heated conversations around cultural sentiments that may be obsolete. Hot debates can easily be sparked with his Kolanut story in “Ekpere’’. But Ash is not looking to curate troubles. He might have been intrigued by an experience he had at his homestead, somewhere in the South-eastern part of Nigeria, but at the moment, his artistic expression in “Ekpere’’ reeks of global relevance. It’s in the news that women
are finally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. For Lex Ash, the women in Igboland deserve similar liberation. They should be allowed to break kolanut- an age-long tradition that had been the preserve of men. As it stands now, it doesn’t matter how young a man is; once he is in a traditional setting, he is expected to break the kola nut even where grey-haired women are present. With the red cap wearing female in Ash’s daring work, he hopes to propagate the seed of women empowerment as a photographer. Noma Osula’s mark is made at this exhibition with the subject of tribal marks. Gradually fading with time, tribal marks have resurfaced in his indoor photography shot in Ejigbo. With this collection, he aims at changing the perspective on tribal marks as an element of cultural identity and not a mark of imperfection. Osula’s exploration of this traditional scarification and our concept of beauty is a social critique on our post-colonial identity as Africans. Actually, tribal marks offered visual clues to people’s background or ethnicity in earlier times. But now, tribal mark is hard knock gospel to preach among the millennials albeit its cultural importance. The 23-year-old graduate of the University of Lagos, Daniel Obasi showcases his photography done between 2016 and 2017 in a series called “Spirit". Obasi is a self-taught photographer with a portfolio of film projects screened at the Bucharest Fashion Film Festival in Romania. Add to his boasting rights
his works shown at the Smithsonian National Museum of African History and Culture, Washington DC. He had produced a photo essay titled, “The Illegals Project”, where this young Afrocentric photographer returns his audience to African roots. From the robe-belt on his waist to his curiosity with Androgeny and Diahomey tribe, this cerebral Obasi comes through with strong photography that can set online search engines on fire as the knowledge-thirsty dig into history to appreciate the African rich heritage and aesthetics. An interesting turn came with Kola Oshalusi’s documentary’s depiction of youths in northern Nigeria. It’s not the usual story of victims of terrorism as prevalent in the media. Oshalusi’s lens are focused on young adults, in clusters, in a show of resilience against the backdrop of harsh socio-economic climate. Using monochrome, Oshalusi didn’t omit his chance to make reference to the issues of “otherness’’ such as identity and castigation in his “Race series". Ola Ebiti’s works speak volumes about his fascination with the male form and his articulated views on culture. He is a UK-based stylist, writer and fashion photographer with specialty in menswear. In this show, Ebiti gives some dose of Yoruba worldview in “Abu Was a Masquerade".
Self-portraiture is Kadara Enyeasi’s tool in this show, curated by SMO Contemporary Art and A White Space Creative Agency. In one of his pieces is a model with a crucifix, adorned in traditional skirt pose the question of identity in post-colonial Africa. As the group walk wound up at the reception, the Founder of A Whitespace Creative Agency and co-curator of GBAM!, Papa Omotayo acknowledged the efforts of these men of shutter speed. “The works are fluid, referential, charged with self-reflection and steeped in narrative and contradictions of modern contemporary African identity and style," he said. For Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the Founder of SMO Contemporary Art and co-curator for the all-male show, this exhibition expands the context of fashion photography far beyond flash-reflecting stilettos, accompanying pop music, and cat walks documentation. “Gbam! broadens the common perception of fashion photography as an art form and spreads its tentacles wide to provide socioeconomic critique as it questions perfection vis-à-vis identity, equality, traditional norms and expectations," she observed. In all, the exhibition, sponsored by Louis Guntrum and The Wheatbaker presents 25 photographs with a renewed understanding of perfection from the point of view of the millennials.
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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Y 1, 2018
ARTS & REVIEW\\SPOKEN WORD
A WALK THROUGH A WOMAN'S WOES IN WANAWANA’S SHOES
Oris Aigbokhaevbolo
R
upi Kaur has over a million followers on Instagram. Efe Paul Azino has a festival known by perhaps a few hundreds. Koleka Putuma was hailed by a roomful numbering to the mid or high tens at the last Ake
festival. Is the difference, then, that the men of yore had qualitative merit and today’s poets have quantitative? The jury is still out on that one. What is clear is that for many followers—a word now hijacked by social media—poetry has become inseparable from performance or e-performance. The idea might have taken hold in the academia as last year the literary critic Adam Bradley published The Poetry of Pop, a suitably titled book. This, of course, takes us back to ancient times when recitals were the rage—but don’t tell this to the book-reading-in-tranquillity elite who seem to approach history from halfway. No need telling that to Wana Udobang (Twitter: 33,000 followers) who, having enjoyed fame as radio personality Miss Wana Wana and as spoken-word poet WanaWana in Lagos, has now released a second poetry album with music. The opener, ‘Showgirl’, is backed by such explosive aural detail that it sounds less like poetry than a Broadway number. The verses on ‘Showgirl’ might raise the curtain but what is within is hardly fit for a song-anddance routine. Our narrator is emphatically not a showgirl; if she’s anything, she’s an exhibitionist of grimness. “Sometimes,” she says, “I soak [my pain] in red lipstick.” Although that intro is delivered in the first person throughout, it is by the second track that narrator properly becomes indistinguishable from protagonist. Using free verse, as a thousand and one poets are wont to these days, Udobang speaks of a childhood violation by an uncle on ‘Untitled’. But where the less secure might overplay their hand in seeking to let rhetoric reach trauma, Udobang tells it straight: Between childhood memories of Terrahawks and Thundercats These memories are struggling to fade And I am failing to forget You might ask: Is this poetry? Not if you believe poems must use the iambic pentameter and end-of-line rhyme. But the war against that tradition is long won, and the argument long worn. A few years ago, Warsan Shire, perhaps the most influential of millennial poets, expressed the trouble with the iambic pentameter. “[I]f you don’t speak in that accent,” she said, “or that’s not your actual language, the meter doesn’t fit your work and so therefore they tell you you’re wrong and that’s bullshit.” If you insist on seeking traditional elements of poetry, within those four lines quoted above, there is alliteration and there is rhythm. Above all, in an age favouring the confessional mode of self-expression, there is a perceptible sincerity in Udobang’s conveyance of sorrow. For several minutes encompassing more or less the first half of this 11-tracker album, Udobang is a subtle trumpeter of female pain. And she is never more convincing as when the notion of her verses is absolute pain. But subtlety departs her work on occasion and her lines become more sermon than poetry, as happens in these lines from ‘Dorathy’ and ‘Open Letter’ respectively: “You will not leave the warmth of your home even if the heat will kill you.” “Allow the tears cascade over the concaves of your belly… Your belly will birth greatness.” But the poet knows her audience. Arranged like this, these words do not do a lot for a serious reader of book-poetry, but they might serve a live audience. And the lines “a new kind of normal” and “I caught your reflection in a pool of your tears…” from ‘For Didi’ and ‘Open Letter’ have the charm of accessibility but move too close to cliché; a page-poet’s reputation will barely survive such hackneyed formulations. While she escapes a full-fledged commitment to cliché, Udobang sometimes flirts with sentimentality in a way that reveals the
difference between speaking words to a live audience and keeping them—in the pages of a book or encoded in a disc. Much of the power of performance poetry derives from three sources: the form’s ephemerality, the corporeal presence of the poet, and the community of listeners. These three—plus the politeness that is encouraged in public spaces—might move a live audience to applause. Alloyed with live music, it is always a winner. With a book or disc, those extra-textual pressures are dispensed with. What might be amusing accompanied by a poet’s body language might provoke an eye-roll without it—as is the case with the first few lines of the ode to young love, ‘20’. Luckily the sweetsick sensation of that piece’s first few lines disappears when ‘20’’s narrator moves on to considering the fate of the girl child her affair might birth: She will not inherit my woes Not atone for your sins Again, there is the sound of church-speak within those lines, but this time Udobang has borrowed the poetry of the more sophisticated and solemn forms of the Nigerian Christian prayer (you hear the less sophisticated forms in Nigerian pop music). And as these contemplative lines are the most effective portion of ‘20’, they confirm the popular aphorism “happiness writes white”: Joy doesn’t show up on the
WanaWana
page. “[T]he poet,” observed Clive James, “will exploit grief when it comes.” It might be expected that on some occasions the music threatens to overwhelm Udobang’s words, but that doesn’t happen—even when on ‘The Banquet’, the soft backing music can be enjoyed separately. Instead a union of singing, speaking and strings produces the album’s highlight, ‘Dorathy’, an excellent piece that is
both an account of domestic abuse and a tribute to the poet’s mother. The singer Cat Mayel works a melody of Yoruba and English, surrounding Udobang’s paean to her own mother, a woman “who will never make the history books” and “whose survival is a puzzling miracle”. It is the piece that most rewards replay and confirms In Memory of Forgetting as a tender document of a woman's survival. A survival through a series of assaults inflicted by a host of men—notably a husband, a father and an uncle. (Though patriarchy goes unmentioned throughout the album, it is the villain here, and family is its enabler. But by speaking out, especially on the potent paralipsis deploying 'This is not a Feminist Poem', the victim has seized the narrative. Poetry laced with music gives the artist and her narrator the last word. Udobang’s work is connected with the unfortunate zeitgeist: In the west, the Harvey Weinstein scandal has brought out several reports of what supposedly the most liberated women in the world encounter at the workplace; at home, the rescue of the Chibok girls is yet incomplete. As In Memory of Forgetting adds to the ––Aigbokhaevbolo, the West African editor of MusicInAfrica.net, writes from Lagos
The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike
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JULY ͯ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
ARTS & REVIEW\\WORKSHOP FESTIVAL Tourism Corporation Endorses Abuja Literary Festival
Nigeria by Wasiu Arowolo
Project Coordinator - Dr. Ayo Adewunmi
ART IS EVERYWHERE WORKSHOP TURNS WASTE TO ART
T
he 12th edition ofArt Is Everywhere (AIE) which is a waste to art project held at the premises ofAlliance Française Ibadan betweenApril 16 and 21. The creative workshop had 25 participants, mostly young artists from Ibadan,Abeokuta and Ile-Ife. The participants included students from The Polytechnic Ibadan, ObafemiAwolowo Univeristy Ile-Ife, and some secondary school students from Ibadan metropolis. Art is Everywhere is a waste-to-art project initiated in 2005 in collaboration with Alliance Française Enugu and with initial support from Prince Claus Funds, The Netherlands. The project objectives include rediscovering waste as a resource for artistic creation thereby drawing attention to environmental issues, providing avenue for training younger artists and creating inter cultural exchanges. AIE workshop has been held in various cities in Nigeria and the Gambia, including Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, Zaria and Banjul. So far over 230 artists have benefited directly from the project. The uniqueness of AIE Workshops lies in its mobility and the synergy of various categories of artists, academics, studio and junior school. AIE 12th workshop is peculiar in a number of ways; it is the first time that all the workshop resource persons (Okechukwu Eze, Okocha Eze, Lanre Tejuoso and Moses Ibanga) are beneficiaries of the project. For the first time also, the workshop included photography and performing art. Various lectures were given at the one week workshop. Lanre Tejuoso spoke on the topic “Working with Wastes: Personal Experience”. Tejuoso graduated from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, he is currently a studio artist in Abeokuta where he owns Aroko Green Museum. Tejuoso one of the artists selected for the Dak’art 2018 in Dakar Senegal is renowned for his performing art and his waste-to-art conceptual art. The highlight of the AIE 12 was the enactment of his performance, titled “ Eje Ohun Wara”, meaning, Milk and blood.
The performance which took place on the street of Iyaganku area of Ibadan drew attention from the public. According to Tejuosu, he was only trying to engage his audience in a dialogue about the Herdsmen killing in the country. He affirmed that he has no solution to the problem, but rather believes that urgent solution is required. Other lectures were “Finishing & Detailing in Waste-to-art” by Okocha Eze who is the MD of T-CREATIONS, Enugu, an interior decoration company in Enugu; “Reusable Plastics as a Creative Resource” by Okechukwu Eze, one of the coordinators of Art Is everywhere Project who lives and runs a studio in Lagos. Eze works with varieties of reusable materials. He won the 2nd position in the prestigious Life in My City National Art Competition in 2010 with his artwork “National Cake”. His experiments with recyclable plastic has been considered dynamic. At the opening ceremony the project coordinator, Dr. Ayo Adewunmi, who lectures at Department of Graphic Design, Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, Enugu, talked about “Art Is Everywhere: Concept and Vision”. He traced the history of AIE to the Overcoming Maps tour of the Pan African Circle of Artists (PACA) in the early 2000s, the lecture of Professor Adande in Benin Republic, title Art Is Everywhere and encouragement by the world renowned artist, El Anatsui. Adewunmi added that more importantly for him is the symbolism of the workshop. Beyond the restoration of discarded materials to reusable state is the metaphor of hope for the dejected, the rejected and the abandoned. The ideology which advocates the maxim, “never give up”, encourages people never to consign themselves to hopelessness, because from the heap of one’s ruin may arise beauty and appreciation. He illustrated that with a work titled “Group Photo” by Charles Achibi, made with discarded slippers, plastic container covers which now adorns a house in Paris. AIE is one of the few workshops that have made valuable contributions to the development of modern Nigerian art. Recent researches have
shown steady growth in the reuse of wastes in creativity since 2008. Talking about follow up on past participants, Adewunmi observed that many of AIE alumni have excelled in their practices. He gave the example of Lanre Tejuoso, who is one of the three Nigerians selected for Dak'art 2018 in Senegal, Okechukwu Eze, who won LIMCAF 2nd Prize 2010, Izu Moneme who won LIMCAF Mixed Media Category Prize 2015, Chnenye Mariagoretti Eze who won LIMCAF Overall Prize 2012 and Ifedili Chibuike who won 1st Prize, Sterling Bank National Recycling Art Competition in 2017. The one week workshop started with searching for waste materials around Ibadan and from the second day participants began to explore and experiment with their various materials. At the end of the workshop on Friday, April 20, over 60 art objects were ready for exhibition. Among the objects is “Nigeria” by Wasiu Arowolo, produced from cow horn, metal and wood. The work, according to Arowolo addresses the situation of Nigeria, a country which is richly blessed with resources but lack the leadership that could turn around the fortune of the nation. He said, “The problem is the leadership and not the people. Another work “Bicycle” by Gbenga Oduola, one of the guest artists at the workshop illustrates the circle of daily struggles of Nigeria who are currently facing extreme difficulty. Moses Ibanga’s “Playing by the Rules” made from plastic particles and wastes of different types suggest equality between people and culture. At the closing ceremony of the one week workshop and the opening of the products exhibition on April 21, the Director of Alliance Francaise, Nicolas Michelland who hosted the workshop and who personally supported the workshop, expressed delight in the success of the 12th edition of the AIE workshop. Michelland noted that he met Dr. Ayo Adewunmi when was working at Alliance Francaise Enugu, recalling that it was there AIE was founded in 2005. He said, “I have been longing to host the AIE workshop, I am so happy it was a successful outcome”.
RESIDENCY
Alexis Galleries Introduces Art Residency Programme
I
n addition to its plethora of exhibitions this season, Alexis Galleries recently introduced a one-month artist-in-residence programme in Victoria Island, Lagos. For this maiden edition, six artists were selected across generational gaps, from emerging to established artists, to build a sustainable relationship that will inspire innovative thinking. These artists are Oluwole Omofemi (painter from Ibadan), Samuel Tete-Katchan (sculptor/ painter from Ghana), Sunday Effiong Isaac (metal sculptor), Olorunyemi Kolapo Obadiah (painter from Abuja), Oyelusi Olusunkanmi (painter) and Dr. John Oyedemi (painter). For the CEO, Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac
Mastrogiannis, starting off strong with six artists was a tough decision that needed to be made. Walking into the Gallery II which doubles as a studio for the artists, the entire place looked chaotic-very typical of artists’studios. Sometimes, an individual artist painted four or more works simultaneously, as the ideas came. Their time was also limited. One month was all they had to release their creative energy within the confined space that shielded them from daily distractions. All the works from this residency will be showcased at an exhibition slated for October. Speaking on the residency experience, Oyedemi, who is likely the oldest among the artists, revealed that the programme has drawn the participating artists closer.
“We relate like brothers,” he began. “Initially, I had a room to myself. But now, we flow from room to room. We’re from different places yet we came together and relate freely. It’s been great.” Oyedemi who studied fine art at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria added that the residency programme allows for crosspollination of ideas. The youngest among the lot, Obadiah expressed his pleasant surprise at the outcome of the programme. The first week was difficult as the artists were still trying to get to know one another. “By the second week, we got along,” he revealed. “We reflect change in different ways in our works.
The NigerianTourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has endorsed the Abuja Literary Festival, an initiative of the AbujaWriters Forum (AWF), slated for June 28 to 30 in the nation’s capital. The endorsement signed by Ms Funebi Otu-Umondak on behalf of the Director General, Folorunsho Coker states: “The Corporation believes that through the film screenings, drama performances and international art and photo exhibitions, the Abuja Literary Festival will be an avenue to showcase the rich tourist attractions and potentials of Nigeria thereby promoting domestic tourism in line with the Corporation’s Tour Nigeria brand. “Furthermore, it will engage youths in the country to develop their intellectual abilities in the creative industry, which will reduce unemployment and project Nigeria positively. “The Corporation expects that the Abuja Literary Festival will also have and invaluable impact on the Nigerian tourism sector.” Meanwhile, Professor Idris Amali has been confirmed for the bookrama session titled In The Spotlight. A professor of oral literature and author of several poetry collections including Back Again at the Foothills of Greed and EFEEGA War of Ants, Amali is currently Director of Academic Planning at the Federal University Lafia. Some others billed to be at the Festival include Professor Jamaine Abidogun (historian and scholar), Professor Okello Oculi (novelist, poet, and chronicler of rural African village life), Carlton Lindsay Barrett (novelist, essayist, playwright, journalist and photographer), and Sifa Asani Gowon. They will be on panel titled Outside, Looking In. The festival programme and complete list of panellists will soon be made available on its website and arrangements have been concluded for the five-day drama writing workshop which will kick-start proceedings.
MUSIC
Lagos is Set for World Music Day Yinka Olatunbosun In commemoration of this year’s edition of World Music Day, Lagos joined other cities in over 120 countries across the globe for a festival of free live music called Make Music Lagos. It was the Lagos edition of Make Music Day under the guidance of the US-Based Make Music Alliance. The festival had its maiden edition in 2016, delivering three concerts with performances by Bez, Cobhams Asuquo, Tosin Martins, Olufunmi, Wura Samba, Johnny Drille, Pita, Wole Oni, Lagos Mainland Choir, amongst others. At last year’s edition, Lagos music enthusiasts witnessed a collaboration of Mass Appeal, Learn to Play and Street Studio in multiple venue concerts. The concerts featured the legendary musician, King Sunny Ade, Daddy Showkey, Adewale Ayuba, Omawumi, Bez, Sound Sultan, Morayo Music and Folabi Nuel. This year, the World Music Day held at the newly opened Johnson Jakande Tinubu Park in Alausa. The musical instruments teaching initiative, Learn to Play ran from June 19 to 21 at the Lagos State Education District 1, Agege while Learn to DJ, a teaching initiative with DJ Jimmy Jatt as the lead instructor alongside other DJs took place on June 21 which was the World Music Day. No fewer than 16 concerts were hosted on the day in various places in Lagos. A crowning concert would be held at Muri Okunola park on June 24 with performances by Lagbaja, Waje and others. The Chairman, organising team for the Make Music Lagos festival, Adeola Akinyemi, promised that this festival will be a success story for lovers of music.
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CICERO
Editor:Olawale Olaleye Email:wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819
IN THE ARENA
A scene at the Thursday inferno in Lagos, which claimed nearly 60 vehicles and 9 lives
The Horror of Indiscretion Lagos, on Thursday, was thrown into sudden mourning, when an avoidable fuel explosion claimed many lives and vehicles, writes Olawale Olaleye
T
he menace and nuisance often constituted on Nigerian roads by articulated vehicles are now a culture of abuse that has been condoned to fester over time. With near-zero enforcement of extant regulations and sanctions in the event of infractions, this category of vehicles has earned their ugly name – lion or king of the road – harassing and intimidating other road users, such that often come at a very huge cost. Last Thursday, in Lagos, hell lowered its furnace and unleashed its fury upon the surface of the earth, in a misfortune that claimed many innocent souls. This was however made feasible following a moment of sheer recklessness by some impossible fellow. In all, no fewer than 59 vehicles of different categories and people numbering nine were reportedly consumed in an inferno that lasted a couple of hours. According to THISDAY’s account of the accident, “pandemonium erupted Thursday on Otedola Bridge in OjoduBerger area of Lagos, when a tanker fully laden with petrol exploded and fire engulfed virtually all the vehicles around it”. The THISDAY report said although an official figure of casualties had yet to be ascertained as of the time the story was published online, it was learnt that over 40 cars were razed with some drivers and passengers caught up in the inferno. Two versions of how the accident occurred have been doing the rounds. The first version claimed that the tanker, which was heading out of Lagos had a failed break, then the driver lost control and the truck hit the median before falling off completely, spilling its content. The other version was slightly different. This version recorded that a commercial with a failed break rammed into the tanker leading to its eventual skidding and thus spilling out its content. The aftermath was an explosion that wreaked havoc and caused hours of gridlock. Whichever version of the account is true, what is established is that a certain reckless fellow put a lot of people through that avoidable mess and misfortune. It is crucial to state that in 2010, a coroner’s inquest had found a Dangote Sugar Refinery-owned truck to be at fault
for not slowing down on the sloppy end of the same Otedola Bridge inward Berger thus causing multiple accidents. At the same time, it blamed the police for mounting a roadblock, which made it impossible for vehicles to flee the scene of the accident. Interestingly, one of the recommendations put forward by the coroner was that there should be a ‘slowdown sign’ along the bridge with distinct lane demarcations, where they would merge at the end of the bridge. But as it turned out, none of the recommendations has been taken seriously or put to use by the authority. Thus, eight years after the ruinous accident, an even more terrible accident, which left the state and people more devastated, has happened. But before taking any action on what happened on Thursday, the government must first establish with clarity, what happened to be able to put paid to some of the swirling speculations. Once that is done, then, it behoves the government to dust up the recommendations of the 2010 coroner’s inquest and regulate the movement of vehicles along that ever busy road as well as other roads. There are so many ignored regulations guiding the operations of the articulated vehicles including their time of movement. The government must ensure that this is taken very seriously as part of efforts to protect and save lives. It is good to commend the government for rising up to the challenge as it happened. After all, emergency agencies like the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and other secondary responders had deployed to the scene as soon as they could. But the truth is that the government could actually do better. The speed of its first responders was not impressive. Perhaps, there is the need to bring in more equipment that could help in such fatal accidents as witnessed last Thursday. After all, there are firefighting choppers in developing and civilised societies around the world. With its mega status, Lagos naturally ranks among such societies. It is not enough to flash the many billions it generates monthly without commensurate infrastructure as development markers. It is possible in Lagos and what is required is the will to deliver it. Also important, there is the need for personal safety awareness on the party of the people. It is disturbing to learn that the
moment the tanker fell off and started to spill its content, some persons still sat in their vehicles not thinking of the impending explosion. A majority of those caught in the inferno were people who refused to heed the urge to abandon their vehicle and seek safety first. Sadly, such instinctive reaction is a no-brainer. People naturally scamper to safety when they come face-to-face with incidents that threaten their lives, to say the least, an inferno stoked by fuel. While it is understandable that momentary shock in some instances might have kept some people to their seats, the need to embrace safety awareness on-the-go is not negotiable. Above all, the government must handle the corpses of those caught in the inferno with civility. It is important to establish the identity of the dead. It is bad enough that lives were lost in that inferno; families of the deceased must be given the privilege and honour of burying their dead after they have been clearly identified. What happened last Thursday was a major disaster that should precipitate moments of reflections on the state of the nation, coming days after the Plateau State massacre by herdsmen, which claimed about 120 lives. It should be a moment of sombre national reflections, which should boost the beauty of the nation’s unity in its already coloured diversity than the gapping cleavages of the traditional fault lines. Moving forward, the task of keeping the society safe, the roads particularly, is not a function of the government alone. It is about roles and responsibilities. The people have their roles and government its responsibilities, both of which are complementary. An abdication of one undermines the imperative of the other. Had someone acted responsibly, perhaps, the mourning last Thursday would have been turned into a wild jubilation. This is why government in collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies must try as much as possible to enforced stricts licence issuance and compliance, expose and sanction manipulation at loading stations, ensure safety measures at all times and uphold road worthiness of the tankers before they set out. Above all, government must start considering others safer means of moving such products as done in other civilised society.
P O L I T I CA L N OT E S
I Kwankwaso with Atiku at a recent meeting
What’s Kwankwaso Up to?
f familiar with former Kano State governor and Senator representing Kano Central, Rabiu Kwankwaso, you’d know he is one politician not given to vain talks. Hardly so! You may pause, take an introspective break and reflect on this, you can rarely count how many times you’ve heard him speak. But, last week, he took certain steps which raised genuine questions about what his ulterior intentions could be. First, he was not at the All Progressives Congress (APC) convention, because according to him, he did not want to embarrass the party.Two, he chose to visit Ekiti State,
where he reportedly campaigned for the PDP ahead of the July 14 governorship poll. And lastly, he paid former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar a surprise visit – all in the same week. Well, it is already public knowledge that Kwankwaso seeks to be Nigeria’s president. But he has refused to link any of these to his ambition.Yet, the discerning can always connect the dots. Apart from clearly, establishing the fact that he was done with the APC, he has not shown his hands yet. So, what does he really want? Observers can only hope that the question finds its answer pretty soon as the nation journeys towards 2019.
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BRIEFINGNOTES
Politics of Abaribe’s Arrest Last week’s arrest of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is largely believed to be located more in politics than the official reasons advanced by the DSS, writes Emmanuel Ugwu
S
enator Enyinnaya Abaribe saw his arrest and detention coming. On May 28, 2018, he told a gathering of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Obingwa Local Government that Nigeria was at a crossroads, noting that the nation was saddled with “a very vicious and dangerous government”. He said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was deceitful and had been over-indulging in all the bad things the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had accused PDP of doing. Worse still, “they don’t want people to talk,” he said, adding that “if you talk they come after you”. On Friday, June 22, 2018, “they” came after Abaribe. So his statement has turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Senator representing Abia South. He was picked in Abuja by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who waylaid him at his barber’s salon. The arrest was followed immediately with a search of the Senator’s residence at Abuja and then detention. It was not until Tuesday, June 26, 2018 that he regained his freedom. The DSS, in their characteristic nature, did not disclose the reasons for the arrest of the Senate committee chairman on works. This unbridled silence by the security agency sparked wild speculations as to why the Abia South Senator was clamped into detention by the secret service. But one reason bandied about was that the arrest was in connection with the role Abaribe played in the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Abaribe...his survival challenge––– Nnamdi Kanu. that “the judiciary is beginning to tow the line of the executive The IPOB leader, whose whereabouts is presently unknown, by throwing the law overboard in matters that affect the was released from Kuje prison on May 12, 2017 after 18 months South-east”. in detention. His freedom did not come easy as Justice Binta Aside Ohanaeze Ndigbo, there were other strident voices Nyako had granted the IPOB leader bail with very stringent that condemned Abaribe’s arrest and called for his immediate conditions. release. It was in fulfillment of one of the conditions that Senator The Abia State House of Assembly in a resolution Abaribe came into the picture as he was mandated by the Southvehemently condemned the DSS for clamping the Abia South east caucus in the Senate to stand as surety for Kanu. Senator into detention. The Senator also deposited a bail bond of N100 million. Two The Abia lawmakers took their stand following a motion of other people that stood as sureties for the IPOB leader were urgent public importance presented on the floor of the assembly a Jewish Rabi, Emmanuel Shallom Ben and Mr. Tochukwu by the member representing Obingwa West state constituency, Uchendu, an accountant. Hon Chidiebere Thomas Nkoro, who called on the Abia The theory of linking Abaribe’s arrest to his role as Kanu’s legislature to condemn the arrest. surety was reinforced by the threat of Justice Nyako, who on The legislators expressed deep anger while making their October 17, 2017, warned that Abaribe and the other sureties of contributions to the motion, some pointing out the unbridled the IPOB leader would be jailed and made to forfeit their N100 million bail bonds if they failed to produce the IPOB leader in the bias which the present federal government has always displayed on matters concerning the Southeast. next sitting of the court. The lawmakers described the action of the DSS as “undemExpectedly, there was a rash of angry reactions over the ocratic and uncivilised”, adding that it was a flagrant breach of arrest and detention of the Senator. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria and trampling among groups that believed that Senator Abaribe’s travails were on the fundamental rights of the Abia South Senator. as a result of his role in securing freedom for Kanu. The Abia assembly also called on the National Assembly to In its reaction, the apex Igbo socio-political organisation rise up and condemn what has become incessant harassment of insisted that Abaribe lacked the capacity to produce the IPOB federal lawmakers by the DSS and other security agencies. leader, who disappeared from the scene, along with his parents On its part, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party after the troops of Nigerian army invaded their residence at (PDP) saw Abaribe’s arrest as orchestrated political intimidation Afaraukwu Umuahia on September 14, 2017. by the ruling APC. President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, National publicity secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, in said in a statement he issued condemning Abaribe’s arrest that a statement pointed out that the arrest had further laid credence the circumstances at the time of the “disappearance” of Kanu to the opposition party’s earlier alarm that the Buhari adminwere beyond the “contemplation of the law that a surety could istration had begun a “clampdown” on perceived opposition guarantee the production of an accused person”. members. He blamed Kanu’s disappearance on the controversial and “The clampdown on Senator Abaribe is feared to be in furbloody operation python dance, which the Nigerian Army therance of the moves to intimidate and emasculate members of launched to capture Kanu and flush out members of his separatthe National Assembly, who are known for their outspokenness ist organisation camped at his residence. against the constitutional violations and misrule of the APC “The army in the name of ‘Operation Python Dance’ administration,” he said. invaded Nnamdi’s home and destabilised normalcy there,” The PDP spokesman noted that it was unsettling that Nwodo said in the statement, insisting that “it is only the security the federal government gave no reason(s) for the arrest and agency that can disclose Nnamdi’s whereabouts” because “what detention of Senator Abaribe thereby heightening apprehension happened in Umuahia was an invasion, a war of a kind” hence that the ruling party was steadily dragging the nation into “Nnamdi may have been killed or captured in the imbroglio or authoritarianism. even escaped into hiding”. According to the party, the apprehension of Nigerians was According to the Ohanaeze leader, “Senator Abaribe has exacerbated by the alleged plots by the federal government to no capacity, nor has any surety in the circumstances to know frame up other lawmakers, including Senate President Bukola the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu (hence) “the onus lies on the Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, as security forces to disclose his whereabouts”. well as Senators Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani. He also blamed the court for holding Abaribe and other “Nigerians can now see that our dear nation is fast sureties responsible for the IPOB leader’s disappearance, noting
descending into a fascist state, where constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech no longer obtains and citizens are marked, arrested and detained on the whims and caprices of those in power,” the PDP lamented. It however reminded the Buhari administration and its security agencies that “the laws of our nation are clear on the process of arrest and prosecution of any citizen and not recourse to clampdown and intimidation.” But contrary to the widely held views that Abaribe was arrested over the disappearance of its leader, IPOB said such view was untenable. The organisation through its media and publicity secretary, Emma powerful, adduced the 2018 budget padding controversy as the reason for Abaribe’s travails. IPOB insisted that the Abia South Senator was being hunted down “for exposing the N30 billion fraud” adding that linking the organisation to Abaribe’s arrest was diversionary and an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the Nigerian public on the fraud contained in the 2018 federal budget. “Attempting to use the issue of IPOB agitation to deflect attention away from the real motive behind the public arrest of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is a ploy that will not wash with the public. The only plausible reason he was arrested is because of his public exposure of 30 billion Naira budget fraud perpetrated by the APC government,” IPOB stated. The Biafran group said no matter how hard the federal government tries, no amount of blackmail with the name of IPOB would ever succeed in covering the injustice being perpetrated in the land by the powers that be. “Attempting to link Senator Abaribe to the fanciful concoction of proscribed organisation, guns and terrorism is a cheap and tacky attempt, designed to appeal to the base instinct of those core northerners opposed to the idea of self-determination as championed by IPOB”. In Abia South, news of the arrest of the senator was greeted with palpable anger. Though there were no street protests, strong feelings were expressed in public discussions and phone-in radio programmes condemning the arrest and detention. The strong feelings emanating from Abia South over the arrest and detention of their senator was expressed by a sociopolitical group, Abia South Peoples Assembly (ASPA), which at a news conference condemned the arrest with strong words. Leaders of the group, Chief Isaac Ogbonna, president general and Mr. Chizuru Kanu, secretary general, told journalists at Aba that they were convinced Senator Abaribe was arrested for raising the alarm over budget fraud. The group noted that Abaribe not only exposed the fraud but also signaled his intention to investigate how N30 billion found its way into the 2018 budget for the ministry of power without his knowledge as the chairman of the Senate committee on power. “Senator Abaribe’s unlawful detention came on the heels of the comments on the floor of the senate on the issue of N30 billion which found its way into the 2018 budget for the ministry of power where he is the chairman,” the ASPA said. It also described the arrest as an attempt to stifle opposition voices and further marginalise the South-east zone, adding that it was a contradiction that a government that prides itself in waging war against corruption turned round to persecute somebody for blowing the whistle over a colossal fraud in the budget. The wide spread concern and condemnation generated by the arrest and detention of Abaribe derived from the Senator’s rising profile as an outspoken lawmaker. He has never hidden his disdain for the undemocratic tendencies of the Buhari government and has continued to speak out against its misdeeds. Most importantly, the South-east zone has come to see in Abaribe, a replacement for the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije. This is because Abaribe has never shied away from speaking out against the policies of the federal government especially, the perceived marginalisation of Ndigbo in the scheme of things. For this Abaribe is now regarded as the “Voice of Ndigbo”. Indeed the profile of the Abia south Senator has shot beyond the confines of his home state as he has continued to enjoy a wide spectrum of admiration and support across the South-east zone and other parts of Nigeria. It is unlikely that he would be deterred after the DSS harassment. ASAPA said those trying to stifle their Senator were chasing after the wind, warning that “no amount of intimidation and arrest would stop the Senator from speaking out against injustice and marginalisation of the people of the South-east zone”.
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CICERO/REPORT
A Fresh Start for APC With the All Progressives Congress’ National Convention over and done with, the party has a rare opportunity to start afresh, writes Tobi Soniyi
B
efore the All Progressives Congress’ National Convention held in Abuja last weekend, many had predicted that the party would implode. Others had argued that even if the party managed to hold the convention, it would split into factions, not less than three. But to the disappointment of these pundits, this did not happen. Although there were skirmishes during the convention, the event was successful in the final analysis. How the party was able to whip everyone into line remains a mystery to date. Among those who made it happened, the party’s former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, is believed to deserve special praise for accepting his fate. In the true spirit of sportsmanship, he accepted the fact that certain interests within the party no longer wanted him and left quietly. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is considered the only unifying factor in the party, is also being considered for commendation for doing his best to keep warring parties together. This is because if you take Buhari out of APC today and there will be a crisis. In fact, the president is said to factor this into account in his resolve to seek re-election despite increasing unacceptability. He has continued to pull forces that are opposed to one another together in the interest of the party. Other members of the party are also believed to deserve some pats on the back for choosing not to resort to litigation to truncate the convention. In the Peoples Democratic Party’s era, many cases would have been filed in the court of law. Perhaps, injunctions would have been procured to stop the convention. Amidst, the plots and counter-plots that took place before the convention, those who predicted that the convention would split the party believed that the party was too fractured to survive. Whilst they were not wrong, the fact that the party pulled through the challenge does not cancel out the fact that there are issues in the party that must be urgently addressed. To understand this, it is important to establish that ahead of the convention, there were those who wanted the Odigie-Oyegun-led executives to stay another one year in office, to allow for a smooth re-election of the president. They did all that was within their powers to ensure that the convention did not take place but failed. When it became clear that the convention would hold, they pushed for affirmation as the method that should be adopted during the convention. Again, this was not to be. The ward, local government and state congresses which preceded the national convention were largely marred by irregularities. In at least ten states, parallel congresses took place. Lives were also lost during these congresses in other places. With all these hiccups, no one expected the APC convention to go as smooth as it went. But it did. Even though the national convention had come and gone, it will amount to naivety on the part of the new leadership and indeed the entire members of the APC to assume that all the disagreements within the party had disappeared with the convention. That’s not correct. Many remain dissatisfied and aggrieved. As a matter of fact, the convention has thrown up new enemies and issues, even as resentment among members remains on the high side.
Former APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun formally hands over to his successor, Adams Oshiomhole at the party secretariat, Abuja
The first step for the APC under the new leadership of Adams Oshiomhole should be to begin reconciliatory moves aimed at resolving bottled up anger among the party faithful. The new national chairman should not take the civility of members for granted. If he does, that may turn out to be a costly gamble. The party should encourage aggrieved members to come out and express their grievances so that they can be appeased. The fall of the PDP in 2015 should be instructive to the APC. Those who contributed to the former’s downfall in the 2015 presidential election are now members of the latter. The PDP national leadership then failed to listen to them. They chose to follow their conscience and abandoned the party when it needed them the most. A political party is a voluntary organisation with free entry and free exit. Retaining membership of a party is
critical to winning an election. Thus, with 2019 elections a few months away, APC needs to retain its base and win more people to its side. It is therefore believed that with the national convention behind it, APC can now begin to look forward to the 2019 elections with hope. It may be encouraging to party members to learn that a majority of their leaders have confidence in the Oshiomhole leadership to steer the ship of the party better with its many challenges. But even more exciting is the fact that Oshiomhole has a grasp of what the issues are and has promised to address them as urgently as possible. Whilst he considers Ekiti the first assignment of his executive, Oshiomhole must know that the growing discontent by members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is equally tender and must be addressed immediately. No doubt, a new APC is not impossible. It is however not a tea party.
NOTES FOR FILE
Ekiti APC and Its Jesters
Fayemi and Oni at an endorsement event
A major event awaits Ekiti State in the next few weeks and it is the governorship election, considered a crucial precursor to the 2019 elections, although following closely is the Osun State governorship election billed to hold sometime in August. It is, however, stunning to learn that weeks after the governorship primaries that was hotly contested and clearly won by a former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a very prominent member of the party and a former governor of the state, Segun Oni, has aligned with those who loathe Fayemi to push an obnoxious agenda, more so after reportedly reconciling with him. Perhaps, you have not heard that Oni, who not only embraced Fayemi, when he deservingly paid him a visit after the primaries but also promised to put the pain of his defeat behind him and work for the party, has recently gone to court, where he sought a nullification of Fayemi’s candidacy on account of the time of his resignation. That was so uneducated, only if he had sought help. What should surprise one isn’t just that, you probably should
be more worried that this is also coming after President Muhammadu Buhari, hosted him alongside other aspirants and leaders of the party to a dinner, where the president reportedly appealed to them as well as charged them to work for the party. What more? He was at the kick-off rally! What this means is that all the while he has been unhappy with Fayemi to the extent that he now seeks his nullification, further citing his manner of emergence. How did he emerge? This, of course, confirms speculations doing the rounds that Oni does not have a mind of his and is being remote-controlled by some leaders from a nearby state. It is also worthy of note that the timing of the suit was instructive. It was shortly after the convention. In other words, a majority of them are banking on the new national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to unsettle some of the gains of the John Odigie-Oyegun leadership, albeit in their favour. How parochial can anyone be? They are simply jesters, who seek the impossible at collective detriment, however, for venal interest.
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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 ˾ JULY 1, 2018
SUNDAYINTERVIEW Pat Utomi
Utomi...Nigeria has never been this polarised
Buhari Overthrew Shagari to Prevent Ekwueme from Becoming President A political scientist and former Special Assistant to ex-President Shehu Shagari, Prof. Pat Utomi, tells Bayo Akinloye, in this interview that had Gen. Muhammadu Buhari not toppled the government of his principal through a military coup in 1983, Nigeria would have become better today. He also notes that there is more unhappiness, unemployment, poverty and despair in the country today than ever before. Excerpts:
D
o you think the recognition of MKO Abiola by the federal government came a little too late? The life of 25 years is a very short time. In the United States, people are still lobbying for people who ‘were convicted for one thing or the other’ about 200 years ago to get formal pardons. So, in the life of a nation, I think that 25 years is not a terribly long period of time. At least, people like us, who were active in the (June 12, 1993) struggle, are still around. Will it have been better if it was done 22 years ago? Sure. But I don’t think that it was bad being done eventually. Do you find it ironical that neither President Goodluck Jonathan nor President Umaru Yar’Adua honoured Abiola but it took a dictator-turned democrat, President Muhammadu Buhari, to award the late Abiola with the GCFR? Well, in the world of politics, nothing is a straight-line graph. The bottom line is that our country desperately needs healing right now. We desperately need the past being reconciled (with the present) so that we can move forward. There is too much pain bottled-up and this bottled-up pain is being seen often not understood in many of the so-called security challenges around the country – whether in kidnapping, insurgency, terrorism. In many ways, these are connected to many injustices of the past. This country is full of historical injustices. Somebody has to take the lead in trying to help heal those wounds, because they are preventing progress that we should be making as a country.
Do you think the honour will put a closure to many open wounds in the country? It will start but it won’t close, because the open wounds are too many and too many people, who are closer to those problems, still bear personal animosities. Nigeria has seen all manner of things. There were much genocide you can think of in the 20th century – Nigeria experienced a significant one. I’m not talking about something far away. In the Nigerian civil war, I had experienced it first-hand. I also was one of those, who resisted the annulment of June 12. The files are still full in the court in the SSS files of attempt to kill me. I’m talking, because I survived. People like Kudirat Abiola didn’t survive – so injustices are many. The injustice has deepened the cleavages of ethnicity and religion – personally, I don’t feel any of those. There’s a joke I keep saying to people that if people realise how small these things (ethnicity and religion) are. I’m privileged to be very close friends with both the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto and the Sultan of Sokoto. When I go to Sokoto on some occasions the sultan, the bishop and I sit on the floor eating. I just wish all the people quarrelling in Nigeria can see the three of us sitting on the floor eating and joking about everything. Then they will know they shouldn’t be quarrelling and abusing one another on the Internet. Political leaders need to show leadership in helping to heal some of these wounds. Is it correct that the award given to Abiola and Gani Fawehinmi was to woo the South-west ahead of the 2019 presidential election? I was not there when the decision was made. So, I don’t know what the motivation was – I’m not guessing. But it’s
not a crime in politics to make such moves. I can’t speak with any authority on what the motivation was, because I wasn’t there. Talking about 2019, you’re a member of the Nigeria Intervention Movement. Do you think this movement can wrest power from the incumbent? Who are the possible presidential candidates you are considering to contest against President Buhari? Again, this is part of the thing with attempts to create a movement to achieve certain goals. Sometimes they get misunderstood. Sometimes they get confused. Sometimes people have different perspectives and come to the table. Let me preface a little talk about social movement in Nigeria and my involvement with social movements. I don’t think we’ll be revealing something new when we say Nigeria is a horribly governed country. It is far from its potential for some many simple reasons. In my view, sometimes some people will say because it has had terrible, wicked, and greedy past leaders – maybe it’s true or not but I tend to think that the wickedness of such people are exaggerated. I think the biggest problem with Nigeria is that it has had leaders, who were not educated enough and wise enough to understand the consequences of their actions. I think if the people, who usually were holding a gun to Babangida’s head to annul the (June 12) election only had the broader picture of the consequence above their immediate self-interest, they’d probably act differently. Let me start with June 12: I was principal to the founding of one of the most important movements of that time called the Concerned Professionals. It was designed to draw into
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SUNDAY INTERVIEW t ‘UTOMI: BUHARI OVERTHREW SHAGARI TO PREVENT EKWUEME FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT’tContinued from Pg. 70 the political arena people who ordinarily would say, ‘Leave these soldiers; leave these politicians. God will judge them.’ Don’t wait for God to judge them. God has given you a brain, so be active in deciding your own future. We supported NADECO. Now, the whole idea of the Nigeria Intervention Movement was to repeat the same movement that we built up under the Concerned Professionals – that if we can attract a lot of professionals, they can then go into whatever party they want to. They can take over the existing parties and turn them around – If they think it’s not working they can create another party. The NIM as I understood it was not designed to be a political party. It’s a force designed to create capacity to take over an existing party or create a new one. A former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, said the security architecture of Nigeria must be changed. What do you think? I believe that and looking at the security architecture in Nigeria one important thing to bear in mind is the state of the economy. The more we have unemployed people and the more we have bad or poor education – as most people are certificated but they’re basically illiterate – the easier it is for people, who have grievances to recruit people and brainwash them to become agents of disruption of normal order. The general state of anomie that seems to be overtaking us in Nigeria, for me, significantly is economy. Therefore, the beginning of thinking insecurity is thinking a developmental state that aims to create a full employment economy – people who are educated enough in civic matters to resist those who seek to use them to abuse the state. Of course, there are other aspects of the security architecture that need to be reviewed. Of course, Gen. Alani Akinrinade is one of the most outstanding officers of the Nigerian Army and still alive. He knows what he’s talking about. So, we need to listen to people like him. Only six states – all from the South-west – out of the nation’s 36 declared June 12 a public holiday. Does that bother you? I think there’s a matter of how people try to draw emphasis to things that are unnecessary and unfortunately, Nigeria has got into this very sad ethnic arithmetic in which things are interpreted in ethnic ways. I often repeat a statement that came from the World War II by Reverend Martin Niemoller, who said, ‘First they came for the Jews and I said these Jews are too troublesome anyway. Then they came for the communists and I said well thank God I’m not a communist. Then they came for the Catholics and I said at least I’m a protestant and finally they came for me but there was no one else to speak up.’ Why do you think the 30 other states didn’t celebrate June 12? I just think it’s because they consider it as something that is too politically problematic. ‘Let just leave it. The day that the South-west succeeds then we would join them.’ Some are worried about Buhari’s possible second coming, citing his poor health records as president. Do you really think that should be a cause for concern? In recent times, many of us have been talking about restructuring and all of that. One of the things I said to myself is that I want to become a village man. I want to focus on local issues and leave Abuja alone – let Abuja take care of itself. By the time I fix my village maybe I can then find out what’s happening in Abuja. Besides, I’m not a doctor; I can’t tell who is well or who is not well. Some have suggested that there should be an independent team of medical doctors to test the fitness of presidential candidates before contesting in the 2019 poll. Do you agree? You can’t single one person out. If you’re going to test the fitness of all the public office holders then we should test the fitness of every aspirant in any position. This time round one would have thought that you would also throw your hat in the ring to contest the presidential poll. Why are you not contesting? When I turned 60 two years ago, I wanted to retire completely. I said I had reached what should be called a retirement age and I was told that the academic age (of retirement) is 70. I’m more interested in serving Nigeria from the edge, where it stands than on a position or a title. One of the things that I focus on a great deal is the concept of the leader, who has no title. If I could find a way of making a difference without holding a position, I’ll be happier. There’s an obsession in this country with titles and positions. I want to make a difference. There have been accusations that Buhari’s war
allowed in certain corridors, where crops were not planted. They didn’t bother farmers too much. But with time, our society became increasingly urbanised, the corridors. We do not do enough as a society to move into a ranch economy. More than 30 years ago, we should have been there. Again, one of the failures of this country is failure in economic planning with continuity. As for back as the 1950s, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was setting up ranches especially a huge one in northern Ondo that has been disused for some time now. If we had continued with ranches at that time and if the railway system had not collapsed and we could have had a system in Yobe State or Jigawa processing meat put in cold storage in trains would get to Lagos within a day, the people would get their meat easily. The second part of this sociological challenge is that these herdsmen are entrepreneurs 50 years ago, because you’ll see the cattle belonged to them. But today those cattle we see around probably belong to people in the National Assembly, some governors – even some southerners, who have invested in that business. The herdsmen basically are now labourers with no stake. They are, in fact, going through a transition crisis and there’s no brain to discuss the issue as it is and the simple answer is Islamisation.
against corruption is largely being waged against individuals in the opposition party. People say the anti-corruption war is not transparent. What more do you think the government can do to show sincerity and transparency? I’ll just give the same answer I gave when they accused Obasanjo of the same thing that Ribadu was attacking his opponents – going after his opponents. I said: ‘Okay, it’s good. At least you people did something. Whether you’re the man’s friend or enemy let them go after you. If they finish catching his enemies then he can get to his friends.’ I think that people will always say something. Let’s deal with corruption; it doesn’t matter who it is. Besides, catching people is important now that two governors are in jail. My prayer is that before the end of this year, we should have at least ten governors in jail. Why is it important for them to go to jail? Not that I want them to suffer – many of them are my friends, very good friends for that matter – but because I want us to learn a lesson that will be a deterrence in the future. But more importantly, my preferred approach is an approach that makes it more difficult to be corrupt than the one that catches those who have been corrupt. The APC is battling to have a common front going into 2019 elections. Do you see the party failing next year? It’s not a fair question to ask me, because I’m a member of the APC. So, what will I say that would be fair? Perhaps, I should not say anything. Buhari has often been accused of nepotism and condoning corrupt practices of people in his government like Babachir Lawal. What is your thought on that? I’m assuming the investigations are going on and when there is enough information, some actions will be taken. As a matter of principle, I would think that it’s important to clear that there are no secret sacred cows. In fact, people around you should be the first to be held accountable, because it points straight at you if you don’t hold them accountable. I would hope that such philosophy is borne in mind. But people should not also be persecuted just because they are close (to the government). There should be some kind of balance in these matters. Killings in the North-Central have continued unabated. What do you think is responsible? How can these be stopped? You know again that part of the problem that I have with the limitation of the public sphere in the market place of idea in Nigeria is that it has been reduced to a certain level of mediocrity that quality conversation is absent today in Nigeria. The issues in the North-Central are deep and complex. But they have been treated as Islamisation. First of all, the herdsmen-farmers clashes are part of a major sociological challenge in a transition society, transiting from an agrarian society towards an industrial society. Fifty years ago, the herdsmen were principally entrepreneurs; they own their cattle and the land tenure system was different. But they were able to reach some kind of accommodation with the farmers. They were generally
Politicians have been accused of fueling the herdsmen-farmers violent conflict. What is your take on that? The politics of Nigeria is very simple, because most of the politicians have nothing to offer. Therefore, they look for something that creates a cleavage that they can then use a fake or mere sentiment to attract us. So, the failure of the political class is what leads to problems of these cleavages in our society. You were a special assistant to former President Shehu Shagari. What was the experience like? And how do you feel that the dictator now turned democrat, who toppled that government is ruling now? First thing about my experience is that I learnt very early. I was 27 years old at the time. But I didn’t get appointed, because I was somebody’s son or uncle. At that age, I had two master’s degrees and a PhD. Therefore, I was coming to the table with something. Not only the degrees I had but I had served in the US as an intern in the US Congress. I knew how the American system worked and that was what I was bringing to the table. Obviously, I dealt with frustration of the system and I kept talking about the permanent secretary that worked with me – every day I’d not sleep at night working on what we could change in the system to make it work for the Nigerian people. Once I began to talk to the PS, he’d say: ‘you know if you do this you’ll step on the toe of the minister of that.’ One day, I said to him: ‘Mr. PS is there anything that’s possible to do?’ My point is one of the great lessons from my experience was a decision that I made then that I’d never go back into public life without critical enough mass to make a difference. This was the reason when President Yar’Adua asked me to join his cabinet and I told him I couldn’t give him advice, because but I didn’t want to be a token. To his credit, President Yar’Adua said to me that I’d make a greater difference inside than from outside and I said okay find seven good people and I’d be pleased to be the eighth and then he threw it back at me and said I should find the seven good people and come with them. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough. The view I hold about what we’ve been through the years can be found in an interview I gave to the New York Times, January 8, 1984. In that interview I said Nigeria would one day feel sorry that they had thrown the baby out with the bath water (as many rejoiced over the coup led by Gen. Buhari that ousted the government of Shagari). I think any living Nigerian with brain will know that Nigeria would have moved further ahead today if that coup didn’t take place on December 31, 1983, although – in my view – I was convinced that the coup was done to prevent Dr. Alex Ekwueme from becoming the president in 1987. Has Buhari made the country more divided or united than he met it? I think we have been polarised as a country and it is much worse today clearly – whether somebody caused it or not, the bottom line is that the country is more polarised today. It’s important to begin the healing process, which is why I embraced the June 12 honours – it’s a good process. What areas do you think the present administration should improve on? Every government everywhere can improve on some areas, because life is work-in-progress – but very importantly, the economy. There’s despair in the land. There’s such a level of unemployment, unhappiness and poverty in the country. I think normal economic policy is not enough anymore.
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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 1, 2018
CICERO/ISSUE
Ambode’s Re-election Déjà vu Although the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is largely believed to have secured sufficient public approval in the last three years in terms of delivery of good governance, certain forces within and outside his political network are alleged to be working against his second term bid. Akinwale Akintunde gives an insight into some of the intrigues likely to militate against his re-election bid
T
he last six months have been challenging for Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. His challenge is not really due to the backlash of a new waste disposal regime, which was introduced in 2017. It is also not about the 2018 Land Use Charge Act, which caused a momentary storm in the state. Even though the corollaries of the two regimes had elicited public wrath, Ambode’s job was not really on the line. Despite strategic reforms his regime had introduced and massive infrastructure projects it had implemented within three years, Ambode was recently caught in the web of high wire political intrigues. For different reasons, therefore, certain political actors have been plotting against his re-election, a development that is already redefining the politics of succession in the state. That, perhaps, might be the reason the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has not publicly endorsed him in spite of the streaks of endorsements streaming in. Ambode’s travails became open last weekend. In a conversation with THISDAY, factional Chairman of Lagos APC, Mr. Fouad Oki, revealed that Ambode’s re-election had long been under threat. He fingered the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in the plot “to stop Ambode from seeking re-election in February 2019.” However, according to Oki, Aregbesola is not hatching the plot alone. Among others, Oki claimed that he was working with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and Chairman of the House Committee on Lands, Hon. Bayo Oshinowo, to thwart Ambode’s return to Lagos House. Oki was unequivocal about Aregbesola’s subtle Ambode...will he survive it like Fashola did? reported the governor to Bourdilon, the home of Tinubu. He said plot against Ambode’s second term plan. He alleged that they accused Ambode of building his political groups across the Aregbesola “has been meeting political groups in the state just state “to undermine Tinubu’s leadership. They allegedly twisted to stop Ambode. His allies have problems with Ambode. As a the facts presented to our leader.” result, they have made up their mind on what the result of the Across the state, he explained that Ambode “has a support primaries will be. If they have issues with him, they should not group with members in all LGAs and LCDAs. He set up the situate it within the party process.” support group before he got party nomination. And its members have been canvassing support for Ambode’s re-election. Sadly, Behind the Plot the activities of the support group were reported to Tinubu.” With his sterling record of performance, what could have At the end of the meeting, according to him, the matter gone wrong between Ambode and Tinubu? What roles are was resolved in favour of Aregbesola’s allies the second time. Aregbesola and his allies playing in Ambode's travails? Where He said Tinubu directed Ambode “to collapse his support has Ambode offended them? Different political leaders, who spoke in confidence with THISDAY, explained what might have group into the Mandate Group, a support group of grass-roots leaders that Aregbesola founded before 2003 to rival the Justice pitted Tinubu’s allies against Ambode. Forum, another political group that helped Tinubu win the 1999 Evident in Oki’s revelation, Tinubu did not originally have governorship election and led by Alhaji Olatunji Hamzat, now a issues with Ambode. Rather, according to a key leader in king in Ogun State. Oshodi, Aregbesola and his associates are not really at home Besides the problem with Ambode’s support group, a party with Ambode. He acknowledged that their grouse with faithful from Kosofe provided an entirely different perspective Ambode started before the 2017 local government elections and to the plot against the governor. He said, “These people are became full-blown during the recent constitution of the LGA/ complaining about Ambode’s policy decisions, especially his LCDA executive council. waste management reforms. Most members of the Mandate Before the council elections, for instance, the party leader Group are waste collection operators (WCOs). The new waste explained that Ambode promoted the candidature of some policy edged them out of reckoning entirely. party faithful, who supported his election in 2015. However, he “That indeed explained why the policy did not succeed and explained, Aregbesola and allies opposed Ambode’s support for its eventual reversal to the old regime that only served parochial those candidates and eventually edged them out of the contest. interests. They perceived it as an attack on their survival. But Since his candidates could not secure tickets, the leader noted Ambode introduced the policy in order to manage over 13,000 that Ambode nominated them “to be secretaries of some LGAs metric tonnes of wastes generated in Lagos metropolis daily.” and LCDAs.” At the initial stage, he said Tinubu, Ambode He equally cited Ambode’s decision “to dismiss some and the APC State Executive Committee (SEC), then under the members of the State Executive Council as another allegation chairmanship of Otunba Oladele Ajomale, agreed on a list of they brought against him.” He said Aregbesola and his allies nominees for different positions in all the 20 LGAs and the 37 were not particularly disappointed at the manner the governor LCDAs. dismissed Mr. Ganiyu Johnson as the Commissioner for Works After the whole process, he said all the council chairmen & Infrastructure. agreed “to abide by the list of nominees the SEC compiled to However, the leader added, “Ambode did not dismiss any accommodate all interests in Lagos APC. They all signed to cabinet member on his own. He allowed them to leave after implement the proposal of the SEC, which was designed to due consultation. Some left due to poor performance. Others address deep-seated grievances that resulted from the outcome quit because of their insubordination. The case of Johnson was of the primaries. Except in a few cases, council chairmen never not different. He was allegedly insubordinate. He claimed that implemented it. he spent millions to support Ambode’s campaign. He even “Rather, they threw away the resolution of the SEC and demanded a return of what he allegedly spent.” inaugurated their own Executive Councils. After he was briefed by different groups, Tinubu eventually summoned a peace meeting. It was resolved at the meeting that all interests should Beyond the Plot maintain status quo. That was how Ambode was schemed out Aregbesola’s allies are not working against Ambode alone, entirely.” according to an APC chieftain in Alimosho, they “are working After Aregbesola gained control of most LGAs and LCDAs, against all political figures that are not members of the Mandate another leader in Lagos Island alleged that the Ambode-Aregbe- Group.” He claimed that the Oki faction pulled out of Lagos sola friction became worse. He explained how Aregbesola’s allies APC due to what he described as Aregbesola’s undue domina-
tion.” He added that the Oki faction pulled out due to injustice and unfairness, which he said had been “a cause for concern for most party faithful especially, those who could not go with Oki or defect to another political party. We are all political disciples of Tinubu. We often work in his interest. But it is wrong to hand over the APC structure in the state to Aregbesola alone.” The chieftain further explained that there are four main political groups that are loyal to Tinubu in the state. The groups are the Justice Forum (JF), which have been in place before 1999; Mandate Group, which Aregbesola set up to rival the JF; Crusader, which Ajomale established to broaden Tinubu’s support base in Ejigbo, Isolo and Oshodi as well as Ideal Group, which Senator Ganiyu Solomon established to consolidate Tinubu’s support base across the state but domiciled in Mushin. Although there were many other such groups in the state at the time, the four are the main groups visible to the public. Immediately after the 2007 election, according to the chieftain, it was agreed that there should not be different political groups in Lagos ACN. He said an agreement was also signed “to stop all support groups. Tinubu was privy to it. While other leaders collapsed their groups in honour of the agreement and deference to Tinubu, Aregbesola did not honour the agreement. “In the House of Assembly and all local councils, Obasa and Oshinowo have been compelling all elected and appointed officers to join the Mandate Group. This is an outright breach of the agreement we are signatories to. They always attribute their decision to Tinubu. But we all know it is not true. Most of us did not like this development. But we can no longer keep quiet.” The alleged breach of this agreement was evident in the just concluded ward and local government congresses. The former lawmaker noted that the process was a charade. In some places, there was no congress in almost all parts of the state. Where there was congress, there was violence, which claimed lives in some parts. “In Kosofe, for instance, it was a case of violence. The congress could not hold. In Agboyi-Ketu, there was no congress. In Alimosho, former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke OrelopeAdefilure was schemed out of the process. In Epe, they doctored Ambode’s list. There is no local council, where there is no issue just because Aregbesola and Oshinowo want to control the APC structure in Lagos,” the source pointed out. Beyond the plot against Ambode, the former lawmaker claimed that Aregbesola “is nursing a senatorial aspiration in Lagos West, a position currently being occupied by Senator Solomon Olamilekan. Oshinowo has been working underneath to edge out Senator Gbenga Ashafa from returning to the Senate next year. He has been moving round Ikorodu and Epe, seeking support. But we are all waiting for them.” According to him, there is no trust again across the party. A lot of party chieftains are dissatisfied with the way Tinubu has allowed Aregbesola and his allies to exclude key leaders that have been instrumental to the success of his party since 1999. Oki and his supporters left before Aregbesola and Oshinowo. Others leaders, who have not left, are not happy, because they have been excluded.
Hope in the Horizon? For some party leaders, the Ambode-Aregbesola feud is similar to what his immediate predecessor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) encountered between 2009 and 2011. Before Fashola finally secured re-election, Tinubu’s allies came together under the aegis of the True Face of Lagos (TFL) to truncate his reelection bid. One APC leader noted that Ambode “has not experienced one tenth of what Fashola went through in the hands of those claiming to be more Tinubu than others. They would have impeached him had it been the court did not stop the State House of Assembly. They almost pushed Fashola out of the defunct ACN.” Specifically, another former lawmaker explained that the reason the TFL could not impeach Fashola then was because the party stalwarts “stood with Fashola. At the end, Tinubu allowed reason to prevail. He eventually endorsed Fashola for second term in 2011. (See the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)
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TRIBUTE Obaseki: The Technocrat in the Saddle Adds Another Year Crusoe Osagie
a modular refinery and pockets of innovation hubs that will be scattered across the state, amongst other projects. On completion, these projects will not only see to the rise of the state as an economic hub, but as a cynosure of all those seeking to make an industrial city from what used to be a largely civil servants’ state. The most intriguing part of Obaseki’s numerous conceptions, is the nexus between one project and the other. Edo State currently has a community of related projects, in which the main or bye product of one project is useful to the other project (s). To illustrate, the 1800 housing-unit Emotan Garden project will source cement, sand, steel, tiles from companies that are located in Edo State. The demand for these building materials will impact positively on the scale of these companies whose managers will hire more Edo youths to produce to scale and meet the demand of the housing estate. This interconnection has also been factored into the ongoing repositioning of the colleges of agriculture in the state, which will train young graduates for the numerous large scale farms in the state. In same way, the Benin River Port is the link to the international market for companies that will operate from the Benin Industrial Park.
G
overnor Godwin Obaseki’s emergence as the new political leader in Edo State was the product of a deliberate and intense search for someone who is conversant with the issues of development; inclusive socio-economic growth anchored on industrialisation, and someone who can enthrone a sturdy and sane political order; people-centred and reforms-oriented governance propelled by the rule of Law. Rare as the combination seems, the lot fell on the investment banker cum politician given his flair for clear-cut strategies in delivering on assigned tasks and a knack for best practice. With an illustrious career built in boardrooms and solidified in shopping for Nigeria-bound investments across the globe, Obaseki comes off as the result-focused industrialist, who goes into investment negotiations with clinical finesse, armed to the teeth with raw data and guarantees as well as a deep understanding of the sanctity of contracts. A Team Player On assumption of duty, the governor assembled a team of mainly technocrats with clear tasks and performance Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State evaluation framework that will measure periodically, input, output and outcomes. Obaseki’s Solutions Ecosystem His close aides attest to his systems approach and orientation to issues and problems, which begins with defining a problem, designing and developing system solutions, with attendant models for evaluation. The designed and tested solutions are set in legislation templates and transmitted as bills for enduring laws, to the legislature. Development experts contend that the lack of depth and policy short-termism account in part, for policy failures in developing countries. Governor Obaseki would rather create a network of related issues to a problem and proffer myriad of sustainable solution options for tackling the problems. Creating an ecosystem of sustainable solution options to problems cannot happen in one day, which explains his disposition to engagement with experts and other stakeholders, to ensure everyone is on the same page. Alaghodaro Investment Summit Obaseki’s predisposition to development models anchored on well- researched ideas gave birth to the first edition of the Alaghodaro Investment Summit, which brought together subject matter experts who converged on Benin City from November 10-12, 2017, to chart a better future for Edo people and residents in the state, with the theme, “Envisioning the Future.” The three-day investment summit took the place of a one-year anniversary funfair that would have cost the state millions of naira, at a time the country was struggling to come out of a recession. The governor assembled local and international investors and business leaders, bankers, policymakers, lawyers, the academia, industry experts and members of the diplomatic community for a three-day idea incubation session, covering agriculture, manufacturing,
From the early days as the chairman, State Economic Team, under former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Obaseki had developed an acute understanding of the developmental needs of Edo State, perfected which holes to plug for the state’s economic resurgence and when duty called, he wasted no time in providing a clear direction for his team culture and tourism, civil service reforms, forest regeneration, education and healthcare. A Prudent Manager of Men and Resources Governor Obaseki took over the reins of power at a time the Nigerian economy was neck-deep in the worst recession the nation has witnessed in decades. His expertise in the frugal application of scarce resources was called to task. At a time most states in the country, including the supposed rich states, were owing salaries, the Edo State government under his watch was up to date in salary payment. Civil servants received their salaries regularly before the end of
each month. From the early days as the chairman, State Economic Team, under former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Obaseki had developed an acute understanding of the developmental needs of Edo State, perfected which holes to plug for the state’s economic resurgence and when duty called, he wasted no time in providing a clear direction for his team. He sounded a note of warning to all government officials, including civil servants, that there would be no room for frivolous spending of the state’s resources. Specifically, the governor migrated revenue collection from analogue to digital platform to ensure transparency in the revenue collection process, embarked on the reform of the education, health, sports, justice sectors and began the retooling and retraining of civil servants. He has been nicknamed the ‘Wake and See Governor’ by Edo people and residents in the state, who are overwhelmed by the ease with which developmental projects spring up in their neighborhoods. Investment/ industrialisation drive From his close study of the state, he understands that the state possessed several strategic assets that make it an investor’s delight. He had deployed this skill in brokering for investment for the globally-acclaimed, record-setting 450MW capacity Edo Azura Independent Power Project (IPP), among others. More so, the industrialisation plan pursued by the Edo State Government is quite grand and encompasses a wide range of strategically connected projects, namely; the Benin Industrial Park project that will host over 1000 companies; the 1800 housing-unit Emotan Garden project; the Benin River Port in Gelegele, which will serve as the gateway for evacuating products manufactured in the industrial park; an auto assembly plant;
Education The governor’s penchant for technology-driven systems has also found expression in the state’s education sector, where tech-based teaching method has been adopted in public schools. The reigning Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) initiative, is winning hearts and minds of Edo people, most of whom have begun withdrawing their wards and pupils from private schools and moving them to public schools where information and communication technology tools such as minicomputers are now being used for teaching. Edo-BEST is a basic education reform blueprint that prioritises the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in teaching, as well as harmonises teaching and learning outcomes across locations and promotes interactive classroom management model, among others. Barely 18 months in office as the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has demonstrated that governance is about deep and strategic thinking, as well as the execution of people-centred projects that will enhance their wellbeing. Keen watchers of developments in Edo would agree that Governor Obaseki deserves accolades for the clearheaded leadership he has provided in Edo State, amid a very turbulent economy, particularly, as he adds another year today. Even though in his modesty, he is the last person to pay attention to accolades and praises, it would almost be a crime against nature to allow this day pass without wishing him a very happy birthday. – Crusoe Osagie is the Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy to the Edo State Governor
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JULY 1, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
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THE COVER
Audacity of the Herdsmen
Typical Fulani-Herdsmen grazing with their cows
Six months after the horrendous New Year attacks in Benue State, which left 73 persons dead, the herdsmen struck yet again, this time with heavier blood flow on their trail after mauling over a hundred people, in what is now being insensitively described as reprisal attacks in Jos, Plateau State. Although the herdsmen, who seem to have become law unto themselves had unleashed pockets of attacks on some villages and communities in different parts of the country since their January conquest in Benue, the recent Plateau killings appear tops in all of their killing sports, lately. Unfortunately, reaction from government is a template – constant and lacking empathy. President Muhammadu Buhari has a conviction – the killings, even without any verifiable investigations, are being sponsored by desperate politicians. His media team thinks it is a competition with the previous administration and therefore, still doing better. Yet, the leadership of the Miyetti Allah often admits responsibility for some of these attacks. What this could therefore represent is an evident collapse of the nation’s security architecture, typified by leadership failure and exacerbated by official conspiracy. Otherwise nothing can possibly explain the audacity of the herdsmen in a nation governed by the constitution and the rule of law, write Olawale Olaleye, Chiemelie Ezeobi, Shola Oyeyipo, George Okoh and Seriki Adinoyi
H
ave you seen those gory pictures from Jos, Plateau State circulating the airwaves? Perhaps, you’ve heard some of the tear-jerking stories of the Fulani herdsmen invasion, which left over one hundred dead – women, children and the aged inclusive. Or haven’t you seen tributes accompanied by pictures of good-looking people with decent living, who called in on Plateau at the most unfortunate time being shared on the social media? Well, if you haven’t yet, maybe you should not bother anymore, because a glance at just one of the pictures could leave you numb for so long a time. But you would be justified to ask if those who delight in such terrifying killings are actually human or sane? Even though a brain check would be required to ascertain that, the layman would be pardoned to assume so. They come in the dead of the night when people are fast asleep. They maul without mercy. They burn houses as many as they choose to. They operate for hours in a society governed by laws and not a resistance from anywhere and they proudly stroll back to their ‘safe houses’. Days ago, the Zamfara State Governor, Yari Aziz screamed aloud over the recent killings in his state, denouncing his constitutional title as the Chief Security Officer of the state. He said it was merely titular, bearing no corresponding powers to deliver just what is required to keep his state safe. He alluded to the continuous killings in his state and that in spite of the interventions sought from the federal government, nothing was done to tame the tide. And days after he raised the alarm, the monsters struck in Plateau, beating their own Benue record of bloodletting which claimed 73 persons.
Trajectory of the Herdsmen
For balancing, it is fair to understand that the issues in the North especially, North Central, are quite deep and somewhat complex. Unfortunately, as Professor Pat Utomi, said in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, they are often treated as Islamisation agenda. First, according to him, the herdsmenfarmers’ clashes are part of a major sociological challenge in a society in transition like Nigeria – transiting from an agrarian society to an industrial social unit. Recall that some fifty years ago, the herdsmen were principally entrepreneurs. This was because they owned their cattle and the land tenure system was different at the time. But they were able to reach some kind of understanding with the farmers. They were generally allowed in certain corridors, where crops were not planted. They didn’t bother farmers as much. However, with time, Utomi explained, the Nigerian society became increasingly urbanised and the hitherto available corridors were shut at the herdsmen. This was further made impossible by the fact that the country’s leadership did not do enough to move into a ranch economy. Thus, more than 30 years ago, when Nigeria should have been there, it is still not. Obviously, one of the failures of this country, he reckoned, is the failure in economic planning with continuity. This is against the backdrop that as far back as the 1950s, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had set up ranches especially a huge one in northern Ondo, but which has been disused for some time now. If Nigeria had continued with ranches at that time and the railway system had not collapsed, the country could have had a system in Yobe or Jigawa State, processing meat and putting them in cold storage in trains for the Lagos use. The other slant to this is the sociological challenge. Utomi noted that the herdsmen were entrepre-
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Audacity of the Herdsmen neurs some 50 years ago, because the cattle belonged to them. But today, that has changed. The cattle seen around, he argued, most likely belong to people in the National Assembly, some governors – even some southerners, who have invested in the business. So, basically, the herdsmen are now labourers with no stake. “They are, in fact, going through a transition crisis and there’s no brain to discuss the issue as it is and the simple answer is Islamisation.” This is why the idea of a ranch economy cannot be thrown aboard in the entire debate of herdsmen invasion as it is in fact the only way out until a better technology waltzes through. That said, nothing can justify killings in the manner they do or the attempt to justify reprisals by equating human lives with those of cows allegedly killed. The country must move away from such mundane and totally primitive demeanor and embrace the kind of civilisation that encourages development. Even if not true, the allegation of Islamisation cannot be totally dismissed with their growing tendency.
Plateau’s Recent Invasion Plateau went up in flames last week with coordinated attacks, which resulted in the killing of over 200 persons in two days. Suspected Fulani herders had swooped on some villages in Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South Local Government Areas in night attacks, leaving a harvest of deaths in its trail. A day prior to the attacks, the herders had issued a release and told the police that their cattle were missing, and that five of their kinsmen were on their way from Kara market in Jos South Local Government Area to Barking Ladi, when they were attacked. They however concluded that since their kinsmen were missing, the Berom might have attacked, killed and went away with their bodies. The police immediately swung into action in search of the missing Fulani herders and promised to rescue the victims. But the following day the herders took laws into their hands, struck and killed the Beroms that had gone to mourn their kinsmen who were killed in previous attacks. The Fulani herders didn’t stop there; they went back, reinforced and launched night attacks on about 10 villages simultaneously killing over 200 persons. It was as if the claim of the missing Fulani, which though may be true, was to justify the planned attack. The villages attacked included Gindi Akwati, Ruku, Kura, Rapps, Kinshan, Gengere, Heipang, and Gana Ropp. Mr. Francis Chung, President of Gashish Development Association (GDA), said the attackers, who wore masks had swooped on the people at about 11p.m on Saturday night and shot sporadically at the villagers killing 139 persons. Corroborating Chung’s claim, member representing Barkin Ladi in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Peter Gyendem, described the situation as worrisome. He claimed over 150 persons were killed. Another eye witness, who narrowly escaped in Gana Ropp village, near Bethany Christian Academy, Mr. Joshua Gwom said a Clergy, Reverend Musa of the Assembly of God’s Church, his wife and granddaughter were all hacked to death by the attackers. The crisis immediately escalated to Maraban Jama’a and Angle-D in Jos South Local Government Area. The development has forced the state government to impose a dust-to-dawn curfew on the three restive local government areas. This is even as the state governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, who was in Abuja to attend the All Progressives Congress (APC), National Convention, was forced to cut short his stay at the convention and return to his troubled state. The curfew notwithstanding, the Dorowa Babuje, a Beromdominated village was attacked while the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo was in Jos. Several other dignitaries from across the nation, including President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Bukola Saraki, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and some ministers have been trooping into Jos to commiserate with the people. As it is, the development has set back the peace process embarked upon by the state government.
History of Plateau Crisis Plateau has a history of almost two decades of violence triggered by ethnic, religious and sometimes, political differences. For a state that prides itself as the ‘home of peace and tourism’, what has been seen in the past decades describes it in the opposite. The crises have actually been multifaceted, which has made it difficult for successive administrations, right from the days of Chief Joshua Dariye to proffer any lasting solution to it. Though it hardly occurred among the indigenous tribes of the state, the Hausa-Fulani settlers have been the one taking on each of the tribes, one after the other. After decades of their sojourn and business activities in the land, the Hausa-Fulani would rather prefer to be called indigenes, and would demand to be given the rights accruable to the indigenes, especially politically. For the Fulani, the Berom land is good for their grazing, and they must claim it by terrorising and chasing them out. In the heat of all this, two Berom illustrious sons – Senator Gyang Dantong and Honourable Gyang Fulani – had to pay the supreme price, when they went to bury their kinsmen who were killed earlier in one of the attacks. Governments at both the state and the national levels constituted panels of inquiry to unearth the immediate and remote causes of the various crises at different times but the reports were never implemented. Among the panels constituted at various times were The Nikki Tobi Panel, Fiberesima panel, Bola Ajibola panel, Emmanuel Abisoye panel, and even the one constituted by the House of Representatives. All ended up a waste of time as none of
Some herdsmen relaxing with their weapons after an attack
A totally burnt down building in the recent attack in Plateau the reports was ever implemented. It is alleged that some sacred cows were indicted. This has been the bane of the unending crisis in the state, as people who felt terribly hurt by the loss of their loved ones and properties continued to see those indicted in their misfortune move freely. In fact, some of those indicted later secured juicy federal government appointments. Particularly since the 2008 crisis, Plateau has suffered huge casualties especially in the villages, as those who felt that they didn’t get justice in spite of the series of panels resorted to self-help. They mobilised themselves into groups for attacks and counterattacks leading to more casualties in the villages. While these happened in the villages, Jos the capital city was only sitting on a keg of gunpowder. Any minor provocation easily degenerated into serious mayhem. One of them was in 2010, when a man whose house was destroyed at Dutse-uku in the city centre in 2008, went back to re-build his house, and in the process, he was attacked by his neighbours of different religious divide, leading to another round of uncontrollable riot that claimed hundreds of lives.
The Pains of the Berom The Berom have continued to insist on one demand – they must not be terrorised out of their ancestral land. They had addressed press conferences three times, announcing that they were not only rejecting the cattle colonies proposed by the federal government, but that the government should “demonstrate justice by helping us to reclaim the large portions of land that have been forcefully taken away from us and occupied by some of the killer herdsmen.” They added that over 50 villages and farmlands have been taken over by the Fulani after terrorising and killing the villagers and chasing away the remnants, who are now refugees in other places. He said the Berom Houses in those villages are now being occupied by the Fulani herders while they use their farmlands for grazing their cattle. President of the association, Rwas Choji Dalyop Chuwang said the call became necessary, because they were also worried that the killer herdsmen currently occupying
their lands are not the ones that had lived among them previously, lamenting that several of them have been traumatised, humiliated and killed by the herders, who have also destroyed their property and chased them from their ancestral homes. But in spite of the repeated cries by the Berom, the state and federal governments had looked away while the Fulani continued to occupy their lands and homes. Only after last weekend’s attacks in which over 200 persons were killed that Governor Lalong began to assert his powers when he warned that his administration would not tolerate land grabbing in any part of Plateau. “Those fighting, killing people and destroying their settlements with the intention of taking ownership of such places would not be allowed to do so. If anyone thinks he can chase people out and grab their lands, we as a government would not allow you to own the land,” he said, noting that his “administration is working out modalities for prosecuting land-grabbers to discourage the act.” If only the federal and state governments had taken proactive steps to address forceful occupation of Berom land by the Fulani, which is indeed similar to the cries of other indigenous tribes, perhaps these needless killings would have been long averted.
Benue after the Assault Since the massacre of 73 people on 2018 New Year’s Day in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, life in the state has not been the same for most rural dwellers as more attacks and killings have turned the state into a mourning field. From Guma to Logo, Okpokwu, Kwande, Gwer, Gwet East, Makurdi and Agatu, it has been tales of woe as many residents, families and farmers have been displaced, killed and maimed, while properties and farmlands have been burnt down. Casualties of the January attack included women, children and some members of the Live Stock Guards, who were assigned to enforce the anti-open grazing law while many people were seriously injured. The affected communities in that attack were Gaambe-Tiev, Ayilamo and Turan all in Logo Local Government
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Audacity of the Herdsmen
Buhari and service chiefs at a security meeting
Osinbajo visits Lalong in the wake of the recent attacks on Plateau
February 21 and 24, 2016 after attacks on Agatu LGA by Fulani herdsmen. More than seven villages were burnt. On March 9, 2016, eight residents were killed by herdsmen in attacks on Ngorukgan, Tse Chia, Deghkia and Nhumbe in Logo LGA. Former Senate President, Senator David Mark’s convoy was attacked on March 11, 2016. Six people including an APC youth leader were killed by herdsmen in an attack on Tarkaa LGA on March 13, 2016. On February 29, 2016, 11 people were killed in Edugbeho Agatu LG. Among them was a police inspector. Two people were killed in Obagaji Agatu on March 10, 2016. It took security agencies extra efforts to prevent killings in Agatu on March 5, 2016. On January 24, 2017, 15 people were killed by rampaging Fulani herdsmen in Ipiga village in Ohimini LGA. 10 more were killed in Mbahimin community, Gwer East LGA on March 11, 2017. Seven were killed when herdsmen attacked a Tiv community, Mkgovur village in Buruku Local Government Areas. On May 8, three persons were killed by herdsmen in Tse-Akaa village, Ugondo Mbamar district of Logo LGA. On May 13, 2017, armed herdsmen struck again in Tse-Akaa village and killed eight more people and between December 31, 2017 and January 2, 2018, 50 persons were killed in fresh attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen that invaded Gaambe-Tiev, Ayilamo and Turan in Logo, Umenger, Tse-Akor, Tomatar and Guma LGAs. The killers struck twice on January 17, 2018. Four people were killed in Uhime and Angyo communities at Dooka in Doma, Nasarawa State by Fulani herdsmen. Another four were killed in another attack by suspected armed herdsmen in Logo and Guma same day and on January 30, 2018 an attack on NNPC officials in Benue claimed one. Ten people were killed on March 5, 2018 in Omosu village. On March 7, 26 people were killed as herdsmen sacked Benue village in a fresh attack and since then, till now, it’s been nearly a daily occurrence as there have been incessant reports of killings in Benue communities. In January 2018, persons suspected to be herdsmen attacked and massacred the bus driver of Gloryland School and on March 18, five persons, including a first-year student of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo State, Collins Ojierakhi, were allegedly killed by herdsmen in Ugboha, Esan South East and Odiguete Ovia North East local government areas of Edo State. Earlier, on January 21, 2018, a farmer named Ifeanyi was killed by herdsmen in Onicha Olona following argument with some herders in his cassava farm. Many of the fish farmers in Delta State have abandoned their trade after four of them were killed. On April 30, 2018, two people were killed in Onocha-Olona in Aniocha-North local government area of Delta State. Going by the estimate of a Non-Governmental Organisation, the Coalition on Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Nigeria, no fewer than 2000 lives have been lost to violent activities and clashes between herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria while countless thousands have been displaced by incessant farmers/herdsmen’s conflicts.
An Overwhelmed Security Architecture The worrisome increase in deadly attacks between farmers
Senate President Bukola Saraki also visits the governor Area while Umenger, Tse-Akor and Tomatar near Tse-Abi in Nongov District were of Guma Local Government Area. The herdsmen, who invaded Gaambe-Tiev, Ayilamo, and Turan around 10 a.m on New Year’s Day as the people returned from service opened fire on everyone in sight. They further invaded Tomatar, in a guerrilla manner, knocking on houses and gruesomely killing them with machetes as soon as they opened for them. They went on to also attack Umenger and Tse-Akor. The two attacks and killing of innocent people generated massive protests in the state and threatened the peace that hitherto existed. Many groups, including the state government protested the killings and a mass burial was held for the victims at the state capital, Makurdi. But since January, over 20 other attacks had been recorded, including the killing of two Nigerian priests and 17 worshipers in April. Even more pathetic is that the situation in the camps, where people are kept is deplorable. A Former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Dr. Sam Ode, expressed concern over the difficulties victims face as he recently donated N400,000 cash as scholarship for children in the Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs) camp, Abegana, Makurdi.
Growing Culture of Killing Though there have been series of clashes between farmers and herdsmen over the years, the earliest documentation of the killings started in July 1999 but reached a very disturbing climax around 2015. Benue State has recorded an estimated 1,269 deaths in 14 out of the 23 local government areas over the years. It is obviously worst hit. The killing spree however escalated between the end of 2014 and May 29, 2015, when the new administration took over. Some 100 people were killed earlier in the month by herdsmen in villages and refugee camps at Ukura, Gafa, Per and Tse-Gusa, Logo LGA. A person was killed on July 7, 2015 and mourners in Imande Bebeshi in Kwande LGA were injured. 12 persons were killed and 25 others injured in Buruku LGA after herdsmen’s attack on November 5, 2015. On February 8, 2016, 10 people were killed in a clash between herdsmen and farmers at Tor-Anyiin and Tor-Ataan in Buruku LGA. Estimated 500 people were killed and 7000 displaced between
and herdsmen has continued to beggar questions on why the combination of forces amongst the Nigerian Police, the Department of State Security and the tripartite arm of the Armed Forces has not been able to contain the menace. For many, the police, who are constitutionally charged with all things pertaining to internal security, seem to have bitten off more than they are able to chew, hence the involvement of the military. A security analyst, who spoke to THISDAY, blamed this on the body language of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who allegedly did not exert a firm hand when the fresh crisis broke out recently. President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the IG to redeploy to the area like he ordered the military three years ago to redeploy to Maiduguri, when the reign of Boko Haram intensified. But while the service chiefs obeyed, it was not so for Idris, who visited and left same day, albeit not without leaving a deputy inspector general of police behind. This lack of discipline and blatant disregard for authority has been partly blamed for what is playing out today. According to a security expert, the move by the IG in disobeying the president’s directive without sanctions signalled a lack of zero confidence in this administration. He noted that for a security force that should thrive on discipline, a break in chain of command often ripples down the ladder, resulting in chaos. Little wonder that indiscipline reigns supreme in the force. Another worrisome trend, which is chiefly the source of these killings, is the proliferation of illegal firearms in the country. These firearms have found their way into the hands of the cattle herdsmen. A soldier, who spoke on the ground of anonymity, told THISDAY that they were more worried about the weapons used by the cattle herdsmen, noting that some of them were too sophisticated and expensive to be bought by the itinerant herders. He said when initially deployed to tackle the issue, they had the mindset that cattle herdsmen were only known to go about with knives and sticks. That mindset, he said lasted only about a week before the truth started staring them in the face. (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)
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Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com
WORLD CUP 2018…
JUNE 14 TO JULY 15
Host Nation Russia Face Spain Challenge for Quater-final Place Demola Ojo in St Petersburg
W
orld Cup fever is well and truly on and the hosts will be hoping the feel-good factor continues as the Russian football team battle the odds today when they face their biggest challenge to date in one of the pre-tournament favourites, Spain. Russia got off to a blistering start with wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt giving them a cumulative score of eight goals for and one against. Hoiwever, they were handed a healthy dos of reality when they were pummeled 3-0 by Uruguay. Looking at the bright side, coming second to Uruguay means they get to play former world and European champions Spain at the Luzhniki Stadium, where they surely, have great memories of that five-goal haul against Saudi
Arabia in the competetions opening match. The host nation will reckon that if there was ever a good time to play Spain, it would be now. Despite boasting some of the best players in their respective positions at this competetion, Spain have managed only one win, a single goal victory against Iran. They have been pegged back to draws by both Portugal and Morocco, the latter at the risk of elimination. Dismissed as no-hopers little over a fortnight ago, Russia will try to get back onboard a wave of national euphoria and pull off what strikerArtem Dzyuba called a “minor miracle”. While Russia arrived at the finals winless in eight months before finding some badly-needed form, one of their better results in that period came in a 3-3 draw with Spain last November. For Sergei Ignashevich, one of three holdovers from the Rus-
Russia celebrate one of their 8 goals in the competetion sia side that lost to Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2008, there are no secrets about their upcoming opponents. “Spain plays the same style as in previous years,” said the 38-yearold defender. “Spanish defenders play very high leaving spaces that a counter-attacking team can use.
This is probably their only weak spot if they have any.” He continued, “The fact that the game will be at Luzhniki Stadium with almost 80,000 people supporting us is probably the only good consequence from the fact we finished second in our group,” said Ignashevich.
The hosts are at full strength and with the support of fans at the Luzhniki, will hope to upset their opponents by attempting to build on the performances of Portugal and Morocco - who managed to score and remain undefeated against La Roja. For this particular test, the defen-
sive problems within Fernando Hierro’s side will be met by the issue of facing one of the highest goalscorers at the tournament so far. The entire squad is available andthecoachcouldmakechanges in all positions as - up to this point - what has been tried has not gone as expected.
Army, NSCDC Dominate Security Cavani Brace Sets up Uruguay, France Q’final Clash Agencies Half Marathon Championship Like Messi, Ronaldo exits world cup unsung Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Nigeria Army and Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have dominated the second edition of the Armed Forces and Security Agencies Half Marathon Championship organised by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja. The Championship, which is the brainchild of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, saw both agencies scouping both the team and individual prizes. For the individual male category, Gyan Emmanuel of the NSCDC came first in 1 hour, 7 minutes; and was followed closely by his compatriot, Goyet Gideon with additional 44 seconds, while Raymond Nandel of the Nigerian Amy took 3rd prize at 1 hour, 11 minutes and 33 seconds. For the female category, the 1st position went to Badum Debourah of NSCDC at 1 hour 22 minutes, 2 seconds; and second position went to Dinatu Yohanna of the Nigerian Police while Naomi Yohanna of the Nigerian Army came 3rdt in a time of 1 hour, 39 minutes and three seconds. For the teams categories, the
Nigerian Army emerged overall winners followed by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps while the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) came third in both the male and female categories. However, in the ceremonial tug of war event, the Nigerian Army topped the Federal Fire Service for the prize. The 21 kilometer Half Marathon race, which commenced from the Dutse junction on the Kubwa expressway and ended at theAguyi Ironsi Cantonment, Abuja, was flagged off by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha by 7.30am. Speaking at the sporting event with the theme: “Racing to Bond”, Olonisakin sated that the improved understanding, synergy and cooperation between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies, which this competition amongst other initiatives promotes a more cohesive national security institutions for the overall objective of effective and efficient security for all Nigerians. To this end, he said the DHQ will strive to ensure that the Armed Forces and Security Agencies Half Marathon Championship becomes the rallying point for
the services and agencies where officers and men converge every year not only to cheer their athletes but for further interactions leading to better understanding. “ It is expected that the bond of friendship and understanding that will be developed through this annual championship will lead to improved synergy among all the security agencies for more efficient and effective security service delivery to our dear country,” he said. Also speaking , Mustapha who was the Special Guest of Honour, said the Half Marathon Race will foster synergy, collaboration and better relationships which are needed among the armed forces and other security agencies to enable the nation tackle the myriads of security challenges confronting the country. According to him, the novel marathon competition will ginger physical fitness and mental alertness which is necessary to combat the security challenges facing the country. “What I have seen displayed this morninginthe championship is friendship. If our armed forces and security agencies synergize and collaborate this way security challenges would be defeated on time as them come,” the SGF said.
Duro Ikhazuagbe in St Petersburg Paris Saint Germain forward, Edinson Cavani, was worth all the hype last night as his brace for Uruguay helped set up the first quarter final match of the 2018 World Cup here in Russia against France at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday, July 6. Cavani’s superb two goals in the 2-1 victory ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of success in RussiajusthoursafterLionelMessi andArgentina were knocked out, after being beaten 4-3 by Les Bleus (the French team). The PSG man who deservedly was voted the Man of the Match
opened the scoring early on, playing a superb one-two with Luis Suarez before thumping home a header from his strike partner’s cross. Cavani became the oldest UruguayantoscoreaWorldCupbrace as the 31-year-old is 108 days older than Diego Forlan was when he did this against South Africa in 2010. Uruguay had not conceded a goal at this World Cup before Pepe rose unmarked to nod in an equaliser from close range, prompting a brief spell of dominance for Portugal. But Cavani secured Uruguay’s place in the last eight when he
steered a brilliant shot beyond goalkeeper Rui Patricio. The win may have come at a price, though, as a limping Cavani was helped out of the pitch by Ronaldo in a rare show of fair play. Uruguay made a slow start to this World Cup competition by scraping past Egypt 1-0 but have gotten stronger with every game - and in Suarez and Cavani, they possess one of the most potent strike partnerships in Russia. Exquisite technique, timing and teamwork were all present as the twocombinedtoscoreagoalinside thefirst10minutesthatfewsidesat the tournament would have been able to prevent.
Dogged Denmark Dare Classy Croatia A place in the quarter finals of the 2018 World Cup is up for grabs as Denmark and Croatia faceoff in what is a clash between two unbeaten teams. While Croatia have reached this stage with three straight wins, Denmark have battled to draws againstAustralia and France, with their only victory coming in their opening game against Peru. The second of the three allEuropean ties in the Round of 16 at Russia 2018 is a first in the
history of the FIFA World Cup. In their five previous meetings in friendliesandqualifiers,bothsides have won two and drawn one. Expectationsarerunningsohigh for Croatia after they dismantled Argentina 3-0 that Luka Modric and Co are fancied to equal or even better the third place Croatia achieved at France 1998. Denmark also have happy memories of that World Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals, the nation’s best ever
performance. Though the Scandinavians will not start as favourites, they have shown an ability to make the absolute most of the few chances that come their way. Their tally of two goals is the lowest of the 16 teams left in the competition, while only three sides of the 32 that started Russia 2018 had fewer shots on goal in the group phase. They remain unbeaten, however, and are determined to cause an upset.
Sunday July 1, 2018
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Price: N400
MISSILE
Adeosun to NNPC We operate NNPC as a business. We have invested public capital in that business and we have expectations of return and when that returns falls lower than our expectations, then the owners of this business, which in this case is the federal government and states need to act. – The Minister for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun while briefing journalists in the State House, Abuja at the end of the monthly National Economic Council meeting.
SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!
simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961
Before the Next Massacre…
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uote me: the Plateau killings, in which over a hundred defenceless citizens lost their lives, will not be the last. I am not trying to be a prophet — much less a prophet of doom — but the reality of Nigeria is that things hardly change. Internecine killings have been going on consistently for the past 18 years, mostly in northern Nigeria, and there is yet no sign that they are about to end. The Plateau killings are not the first and will not be the last. It doesn’t take a genius to predict that the next massacre is just by the corner elsewhere. Without a realistic conflict management strategy in place, I can sadly assure you that we are just helplessly waiting for the next mayhem. What sparked off the latest bloodbath in Plateau state? Predictably, truth is the first casualty. People easily take sides and always end up with so many versions of truth that you would be performing a miracle to be able to put your finger on the real thing. The initial story was that herdsmen went on the rampage in Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Mangu and Jos south local government areas of the state. Why? An account says some herdsmen had been killed and their cattle rustled by Berom youths days earlier, hence a reprisal. Up till now, we are still not sure of the facts. We are left to speculate. My article today assumes that it was a product of the intractable herders/farmers/villagers crisis. Initially, Mallam Danladi Ciroma, the north-central chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), was widely reported by the medial as suggesting that the Plateau attacks were “retaliatory”. He has since denied saying so, but he pointed out that the biggest issue “on ground” in the state is cattle rustling. In January 2018, after the Benue killings, Alhaji Garus Gololo, a leader of Miyetti Allah in the state, told BBC pidgin that the attacks were in retaliation for the stealing of their cows. “As we were relocating to Taraba through Nasarawa state, thieves came to steal 1000 cows from us at the border town of Nengere, so we fought them back,” he said. There are recurring decimals of “cattle rustling” and “reprisal” in the narratives. We can thus make some general observations based on what is in the open. One, herders are losing their cattle to armed robbers. Two, herders are also losing their lives to these violent rustlers. Three, the security agencies appear overwhelmed and unable to bring the rustlers to justice. Four, the herders embark on revenge missions. Five, the security agencies appear overwhelmed (some even say complicit) whenever the herders exact revenge. Six, the offending herders are also hardly brought to justice. Overall, we have something like a mutually assured destruction (MAD) in our hands. In every conflict, though, there are remote and immediate causes. Therefore, my oneparagraph summary does not capture all the nuances of the herders/farmers conflict in the north. Things are much deeper. A broad view of the crippling crisis will identify more triggers than “rustling” and “reprisal”. Some analysts have partly blamed the genesis on atrocious geography — desertification and a disappearing Lake Chad — which is increasingly driving herders southwards in search of fresh pasture and inevitably putting them in conflict with farmers and villagers as a result of destructive grazing practices.
Buhari
In addition, the Boko Haram insurgency has pushed them southwards. That said, we also cannot ignore the fact that the grazing routes created by colonial masters have been ruined over time. The encroachment on these routes by farmers and builders has never been addressed and it is not to be unexpected that one disruption leads to another. Evidently at play is a fierce struggle for scarce resources. So at the base of these herders/farmers confrontations is an economic issue which unfortunately plays into our fault lines and inflame passions. Any analysis of the conflict that does not recognise this as a factor will be most unhelpful, and we cannot begin to think of a permanent resolution in isolation of these economic issues. Another deadly undertone is that, historically, the north is strongly divided along ethno-religious lines, and these differences are more pronounced in the Middle Belt where the scars of wars from the 18th and 19th centuries are still being nurtured. In states such as Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa, there is eternal tension between Muslims and Christians. It is very evident in the way people take sides over the herders/farmers issues. The historical fault lines are always activated after each mayhem — even by the most educated and enlightened commentators. It always generates an emotive response devoid of rationality and pragmatism. It is also indisputable that the anti-grazing laws in Benue and Taraba have become very contentious. The “state police” (vigilante), in enforcing the law, have been accused of extorting the herders, stealing their cows and in some cases killing the herders. The herders then regroup and fight back, with the reprisals turning out to be deadlier than the original “crime”. Their victims are almost always innocent villagers. One fair conclusion we can quickly reach is that the anti-grazing laws cannot on their own resolve the issues at play. I do not know how much of impact assessment the state lawmakers did before passing the legislations. Is it worth the bloodshed? I think not.
But then we are also faced with practical questions. Should any state government fold its arms and allow herders to continue to destroy the farmlands and livelihoods of other people in order to feed their cattle? I think not. No honest human being should answer yes to that question. On the other hand, can any government stop open grazing without alternatives and not provoke repercussions? Will any herder fold his arms and watch his livestock die from lack of water and pasture? Again, I think not. I don’t think any rational person will say that is the way to go. There we see the crux of the matter. Finding a middle ground is what we are always running away from. There are at least three realities we must face if we are to sincerely address the crisis. One, herders cannot continue to destroy people’s livelihoods without repercussions. Your right to do your business must not encroach on my right to do my own business. Two, herders are human beings and economic agents who cannot be wished away or wiped off the surface of the earth. Anybody who thinks we will stop having herders in Nigeria is daydreaming. Three, and consequently, we must find a balance between the rights of the farmers and the rights of the herders if there is ever going to be peace in the land. Any proposal that ignores these three realities will NOT solve any problem. In the end, something has to give. Of all the proposals on ground, ranching is the most reasonable and the most appealing to me. But the nomads will have to imbibe a new breeding culture. This will not happen overnight. Teaching an old dog new tricks is a tough task. When you have been doing something the same way for thousands of years, it is a heritage you don’t want to give up. The transition period will be hard. Ranching is a multi-billion naira economy waiting to explode — with enormous benefits. Caution: states should not be forced to provide land for ranching. Only the willing should sign up. We shouldn’t attempt to solve one problem by creating another. Unfortunately, 2019 elections are around the corner and everything is tainted with politics. This makes crisis resolution pretty difficult. There are those taking advantage of the situation to play dirty politics and will go to any length in their dangerous game. These are the moments that need genuine problem-solving. Political leaders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, intellectuals and the media all need to exercise leadership in these tough times. Let us all remember that there is no medal to be won it we allow our house to be set on fire. We will all bear the brunt. If Nigeria is not at peace, Nigerians cannot be at peace. Comfort for the tree is comfort for the bird. My parting words are to Buhari. Dear President, someone once said that leadership is not what you do every day; it is how you rise to the occasion when the occasion arises. The insecurity in the land is the biggest test of your leadership so far. Nigeria is bleeding. Mr. President, don’t let it be said that Nigeria bled to death under your watch. Be firm. Be courageous. Be open-minded. Expand your circle of advisers. Seek help wherever you can get it. Do the needful to calm frayed nerves. Re-jig your security set-up if need be. Culprits must be diligently prosecuted. Justice must be done. Another massacre is just around the corner — except we earnestly begin to do things differently.
And Four Other Things… THE PEACE MAKER Here is one to shame the bigots in Nigeria. An imam in Plateau state hid over 200 people, including Christians, inside his mosque during the recent killings in the state. He did not discriminate in saving the lives of men, women and children from the killers. He did not separate Muslims from Christians. He acted as a protector to all. This is the Nigeria I love. His identity was not revealed, but God knows him very well and I have no doubt that he will receive his due reward. True religion respects the sanctity of human life. No matter how religious you are, if you don’t respect human life, you are not better than a beast. I hope our Christian and Muslim leaders will learn from this imam. Godliness. TANKER DEATHS A fuel tanker broke down, burst into flames and killed nine people on Thursday evening. Many more were injured while scores of vehicles got burnt. The cause? Break failure, according to reports. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Anytime you come across these fuel tankers, please take a look at their state of health. Many of them don’t have complete tires. Even some tires are worn out, but they keep dragging them on the road. We have the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) which is supposed to enforce safety on our roads, and we also have certification from ministry of transport (MOT) which confirms that these trucks are roadworthy. Innocent people always pay the price. Dreadful. GALLANT EAGLES The Super Eagles crashed out of the World Cup on Tuesday after losing 2-1 to Argentina in their final group match — but I was not terribly disappointed. My frustration was that we were so close to securing the needed result when we conceded the killer goal in the 86th minute. Nevertheless, I saw a Nigerian team that played their hearts out and fought gallantly to the last drop of their sweat. I loved it. The story would probably have been different if Jude Ighalo had buried his chance in the 75th minute instead of waiting for an uncertain penalty. But that’s the way life goes. We did not start the World Cup well and we paid the price, but it was a decent outing. Kudos. AND FINALLY… A presidential spokesman said on Thursday that there were more wanton killings under PDP governments (between 1999 and 2018) than under the APC administration (from 2015 till now). I don’t know the purpose of the comprehensive list of killings that was released, but I must confess that it was well researched. It was a celebration of tragedies. He seems to be a football fan: he more or less developed a league table with invisible columns for “goals for” and “goals against” to compare and contrast dead bodies under PDP and APC. I have been complaining about unprofessional public communication in Nigeria for a while but this should take the cake. Ridiculous.
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