SUNDAY 26TH AUGUST 2018

$3.3bn Egina FPSO Sails to 200,000bpd Offshore Field Ejiofor Alike Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is set to record another milestone as the $3.3 billion Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) unit built

by Samsung Heavy Industries of Korea (SHI) for the 200,000 barrels per day capacity Egina oilfield will sail away in the early hours of today (Sunday)

from LADOL Free Zone in Lagos to the offshore field, investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that with the successful completion of the fabrication and integration works in Lagos, the FPSO will in three days’ time arrive at the Egina oilfield located in

Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130, which is being developed at the cost of $16 billion by the French oil major, Total.

The FPSO sailed away from the quayside at Samsung Yard in Geoje, South Korea on October 31, 2017 and arrived at the Samsung Yard (SHI-MCI

FZE quayside) in LADOL free zone in Lagos in January, where it was integrated locally

by Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria (SHIN) Limited.

It was gathered that the fabrication and integration of the Egina FPSO in Nigeria was the first time such complex

tasks were executed in Africa as there is no other FPSO integration yard elsewhere in the continent.

The SHI-MCI FZE located in LADOL Free Zone, is a fabrication and integration yard, the only one of its kind in Africa, built by SHI as part

Uduaghan Set to Join APC 'Within the Week' ... Page 8

of the efforts to make Nigeria the hub of FPSO integration in Africa.

THISDAY gathered that with the completion of the fabrication and integration works, the FPSO, which is one of the world's largest, will today enter into the offshore phase.

Continued on page 27

Sunday 26 August, 2018 Vol 23. No 8530

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Defections: Balance of Power Between the Parties Olawale Olaleye

It suffices to say that the defection fever, which recently hit the two major political

N E W S A N A LYS I S parties, is yet to subside.

Importantly, what appears to be happening now is that

whatever ‘Party A’ loses in a certain area is gained back by ‘Party B’ in other places, thus, escalating the level of uncertainty that has enveloped

the already fluid, but tensionsoaked space.

With the pending defection of a former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan,

it is trite to say the last is yet to be seen or heard about the defection bug, which ultimately is being driven by individual ambitions.

It goes without saying that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost

Continued on page 8

APC, PDP Equally Corrupt at All Levels, Says Carnegie Endowment Lists 20 sectors vulnerable to corruption, including media APC dismisses report as nonsensical PDP rejects allegations, says party has since re-positioned itself Bayo Akinloye A report on corruption by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has slammed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as being corrupt and inclined to using political

power to steal public resources.

The report titled, “A New Taxonomy for Corruption in Nigeria,” which was published recently, said despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s anticorruption posture, there was little difference between his party, APC, and PDP. Continued on page 8

“Corruption is the single greatest obstacle preventing Nigeria from achieving its enormous potential. It drains billions of dollars a year from the country’s economy, stymies development...”

US Senator, John McCain, former Presidential Candidate, Dies at 81... Page 10

90 HAPPY CHEERS FOR THE MATRIACH...

Celebrant, Chief (Mrs) Suzanne Elumelu (sitting) flanked by her sons, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu; and Director, Africa Prudential Plc, Peter Elumelu, and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia (middle), at the 90th birthday celebration organised for Mrs. Elumelu by her children in Lagos... yesterday

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

PAGE EIGHT

APC to Make Direct Primaries Optional Olawale Olaleye in Lagos and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Challenged by current realities, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has concluded plans to make direct primaries – choosing party candidates through voting by all members – optional. THISDAY learnt that two major reasons were behind the decision, namely, the fear of a backlash from insistence on direct primaries, considering the closeness of elections, and the cost implication of involving all members in primary elections.

Consequently, the APC leadership, at a recent National Working Committee (NWC) meeting, decided to throw the issue open, thereby leaving the choice of what method to embrace to the leaders of the party at the state level, in most cases, the governors.

Although the APC leadership had planned to use direct primary to elect all its candidates for the 2019 general election, it reckoned that the choice came with consequences, which, if not managed properly, could hurt the party at the polls.

However, with the open option already accepted and tacitly supported by the NWC, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party is expected to meet this Thursday to consider the development.

A top APC leader and NWC member, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that the NWC had earlier considered adopting the direct primary election method as against the indirect or delegate system. The source said most members of the NWC supported the direct primary election method based on its successful experimentation

during the recent Osun State governorship primary.

Similarly, for the same reason, the source said APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole and other members of the NWC had met for four consecutive days last week, trying to take a position on the issue and other concerns in the party.

While the meeting was meant to deliberate on how to approach next month’s primaries and avoid any crisis that might lead to further defections, those pushing for direct primary believed it would act as a mechanism to check the antics of some of the governors and leaders bent on sustaining their hold on party structures.

But a few days to the NEC meeting, where a decision on the method to adopt for the primaries would be finally made, the leadership of APC started to have a rethink, considering the processes involved in organising a direct primary as well its huge financial involvement.

The source said given the deliberations at their previous meetings with Oshiomhole, the party might eventually revert to the delegate method for its primaries, although as an optional method, depending on the disposition of the states.

Chief among those said to have kicked against the adoption of direct primaries were some of the APC governors, who allegedly told Oshiomhole to drop the idea of direct primary because of the funding and potential crisis it could cause.

A chieftain of the APC and Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, speaking on the development, said though direct primary was a good way of ensuring participatory democracy, it was

also very cumbersome and could lead to crisis and defections.

Okechukwu, who spoke with THISDAY by telephone last night, said, “Direct primary election method is good in terms of deepening democracy, but it is cumbersome and difficult to manage. It is also very expensive and may get out of hand.”

But another party chief, who spoke in favour of direct primary, on condition of anonymity, said there was no such challenge, as being feared, maintaining, "Yes, our people are desirous of it, we cannot deny our members the opportunity to participate in choosing candidates for elections.

Governors are members of the party and they will do as it directs. The party belongs to all members and not an exclusive preserve of a few or the club

of a few members.”

The APC constitution states that nomination of candidates for elective offices at the local government council, state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate, as well as governorship and presidential positions shall be through direct or indirect primary election. The party's constitution also provides that only members that are financially up to date are eligible to vote or be voted for.

But there have been fears among the leading political parties on what might likely be their fate should they go into the primaries for the 2019 general election. With growing concerns and apprehension following the recent gale of defections that hit the ruling party, APC and

the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are presently poaching each other’s members as a means of gaining the upper hand ahead of the 2019 elections, even as the leadership of the two parties are wary of the implications of rancorous primaries.

Oshiomhole had expressed delight at the outcome of the direct primary in Osun State, which produced Governor Rauf Aregbeshola's Chief of Staff, Gboyega Oyetola, as the party's governorship candidate for the September election in the state. During one of the party's meetings, Oshiomhole allegedly said even at a short notice, the Osun State direct primary was able to hold with little or no hitches.

Since then, the proposal for direct primary was said to

have won the support of the presidency and a good number of party stakeholders.

National leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has also succeeded in getting stakeholders of the party in the state to endorse the choice of direct primary. Tinubu, while justifying the move, said apart from increasing members’ participation, the introduction of direct primary would rank as one of the remarkable democratic reforms that the APC would bring to the polity, if it is successfully pulled through.

But the opposing governors had insisted that with the use of direct primary, there was always the problem of compilation of party membership register, which would in turn create bigger problems for the party.

Uduaghan Set to Join APC 'Within the Week' Olawale Olaleye The immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is set to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this week, THISDAY has learnt. The move comes after a major wave of defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last month, which saw Senate President Bukola Saraki and many federal legislators quitting the ruling party for the main opposition PDP. Uduaghan, who is expected to issue a statement to announce his exit from PDP during the week, sources said, would join APC to secure election into the Senate.

According to inside sources, Uduaghan’s resolve to leave

the PDP followed unresolved differences over his political ambition, which involved a concession the party leadership in the state was unwilling to make. However, sources close to the former governor, attributed his decision to leave the party to disagreement between him and the incumbent governor, Ifeanyi Okowa. Sources in the PDP told THISDAY last night that Okowa was doing everything within the PDP zoning arrangement to resolve the issue as different ethnic groups such as Ijaws, Itsekiris and Isokos are laying claim to the Delta South Senatorial ticket. Inside sources hinted that Uduaghan intended to realise his desire to go to the Senate on the strength of an automatic ticket, a choice

that would naturally deny incumbent Senator James Manager the opportunity of doing another term.

However, while Manager was said to be willing to take his chances at a primary between him and Uduaghan, the latter was said to have insisted on being handed the ticket on self-recognition, a request the leadership of the party thought was difficult to make, given the prevailing political atmosphere.

THISDAY gathered that prominent persons in the state, including the sitting and former governors, had intervened with a view to arriving at a compromise, but Uduaghan was said to be unwilling to shift his ground.

Sources also hinted that

because of ethnic rivalry between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris, Uduaghan's demand became seemingly impossible within the many considerations, except in a situation, where both men (Uduaghan and Manager) would be seen to have keenly contested the position, with one losing and the other winning.

Although PDP leaders in the state and beyond were said to have wished Uduaghan well as he planned to quit, they also reckoned his exit was inauspicious for the party at this period, when the numbers really matter.

Uduaghan is expected to make an official annoucement on the development later this week.

between the government and its people.”

It said corruption in the country was “ubiquitous and takes many forms”, singling out 20 sectors where corruption is most prevalent and the forms of graft peculiar to them. They included the political and institutional sector, where the report identified political party corruption, media corruption, electoral corruption, legislative corruption, and bureaucratic corruption; economic sectors, where petro-corruption, traderelated corruption, industrial corruption, agricultural corruption, infrastructure corruption, among others, were said to be rife; and the security sectors, which were plagued by defence sector corruption, police corruption, judicial corruption, and anti-corruption corruption.

On Nigeria’s defence and security agencies, the report said, “Decades of unchecked corruption have hollowed out the Nigerian military and security services and rendered them unable to effectively combat Boko Haram or address ethno-religious and communal conflict... High levels of defence sector corruption have serious frontline consequences... Military sources have privately blamed the deaths of 83 soldiers in a late 2016 Boko Haram ambush directly on equipment shortfalls and low morale resulting from an uptick in corruption among army leaders.”

Page, a former American envoy to Nigeria, added that corruption could be seen in how the government tended to “waste” limited resources.

He took a swipe at Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha.

“Among the forms of corrupt behaviour, the taxonomy includes ‘legalised

corruption’ and ‘deliberate waste’. These categories are not generally recognised as forms of corruption, but they make sense to include in the Nigerian context. These tactics include legislators’ exorbitant salaries –roughly $540,000 annually –, vanity projects such as one governor’s decision to erect multimillion-dollar bronze statues of South Africa and Liberia’s former presidents), and Nigeria’s three – yes, three!

– expensive and unnecessary space agencies,” Page explained.

However, the PDP spokesman, Ologbondiyan, rejected the corruption report, saying, “While the report vindicates our position on the All Progressives Congress, it certainly does not reflect our new thinking and initiative. Under the Prince Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee, we have turned over a new leaf as a party and that is why Nigerians who find the corruptible and condemnable vices of the APC and the federal government despicable have abandoned the APC as a party and are rallying to the PDP, which today is a veritable alternative capable of changing the direction of governance of our nation.

“Therefore, any report that is discussing PDP in the time past cannot be said to be addressing the brand new PDP, which has repositioned itself to take over the leadership of government and provide good governance for the generality of our people.”

The top official of the ruling party discribed the report as "nonsensical" and should not be taken seriously. Saying that APC was doing all it can to fight corruption. The official warned that Nigerians should be wary of these reports that paints the country in bad light.

APC, PDP EQUALLY CORRUPT AT ALL LEVELS, SAYS CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT In swift reaction a highly place member of the APC who does not want to be named because he is not the party spokesman said given all they have done in the fight against corruption the report is 'nonsensical.'

In his own reaction to the report, the PDP said it was a wrong evaluation of the party in its current state under the leadership of Uche Secondus.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said by telephone last night, “That report cannot be addressing the repositioned, rebranded PDP.” The report said, “Kleptocratic capture of political party structures is a sine qua non of gaining power and thereby unlocking corruption opportunities across a range of other sectors. Little distinguishes Nigeria’s two main political parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – in this

regard. Both are constellations of fluid national, state, and local elite networks.

“Both are almost identically structured, non-ideological organisations. Both rely on misappropriated public funds to finance election campaigns.

Neither values internal party democracy, allowing money and high-level interference to corrupt candidate selection processes.”

According to the report, top politicians in the two major political parties are always seeking, by hook or by crook, opportunities to secure lucrative public appointments or high-level backing for their ambitions.

It stated further that party officials always sought to monetise their influence over internal party processes by soliciting cash from aspiring politicians or seeking to be co-opted by them.

Giving an insight into the corrupt practices prevalent

in APC and PDP, the report explained, “According to the chairman of a national political party, ‘(Party officials) are not supposed to (receive money for expenses and allowances) but they make money, sometimes in many, many crooked ways.

The party sells membership cards... (but) party officials at that level keep the money for themselves. People who want to run for office... virtually bankroll the parties in their localities.

Sometimes they even decide who becomes the chairman in their ward or the secretary of the party. They also have to find a way of running their families, so the way they do it is through this very indecent manner.’”

The report frowned upon what it called “the symbolic relationship between legislative and bureaucratic corruption”, which resulted in the country having three “expensive and unnecessary” space agencies.

DEFECTIONS: BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN THE PARTIES grounds in the Middle Belt and other parts of the Northcentral.

The defection of governors of Benue, Kwara and Sokoto states along with a significant number of Senators, including the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and 36 House of Representatives members to the PDP effectively reshaped the balance of power between the ruling APC and the opposition party, PDP. But it appears what the APC lost in the North-central and part of North-west, it is gaining with its inroad in the South-south, snatching former Minority Leader, Godswil Akpabio. And now, barring any unforeseen circumstances, former Governor Uduaghan is joining

him in the APC either for reason of ambition or underlining misgivings within the PDP in Delta state.

Interestingly, all is not equally well in the PDP. Although the party has had some good times celebrating the defections into its fold, it is not true that it was not badly hit by the defection of someone like a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, who, as a PDP top shot, was a poster boy.

In the midst of this convolution, one thing is clear: the equation is still very fluid and the chances do not weigh unevenly on either of the sides.

The import of this is that even the weight of incumbency is not a fate-changing factor in next

year’s election, because the dynamics are quite different and the issues of campaign would be up for debate on their own.

Thus, basically, the safest assumption is to infer that the two major parties are still running neck-and-neck, a situation that could naturally create opening for an underdog.

But as it currently stands, the two parties, APC and PDP, are the issues of 2019.

Some parts of the North-west are also in this league. From Kano to Kaduna and Sokoto, the level of defection that has been witnessed exposes dispositional failings of the ruling party and the government, such that suggests the party cannot afford to rest on its oars.

It said it had identified 500 kinds of corruption in Nigeria.

According to the author of the report, Matthew T. Page, corruption in Nigeria is complicated, far-reaching, and multifaceted.

“A new taxonomy can help us make sense of it. Corruption in Nigeria runs the gamut from the jaw-dropping, to the creative, to the mundane. It encompasses the oil minister who diverted billions of petro-dollars in just a few years. It includes the local official who claimed a snake slithered into her office and gobbled up $100,000 in cash.

And it involves the cop shaking down motorists for 25 cents apiece at makeshift checkpoints,” Page noted.

In the report, Page, a non-resident fellow with the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja, proposed a new framework or taxonomy for looking at corruption in Nigeria. This taxonomy, he pointed out, aimed to help make complicated and expansive topics more digestible.

“The framework works by detailing 20 sectors that are especially vulnerable to corruption (such as media, infrastructure, and police). It also identifies eight categories of corrupt behaviour that cut across these sectors (such as bribery, subsidy abuse, and favouritism).

These eight categories are further divided into 28 tactics, meaning that overall, the framework covers over 500 distinct kinds of corruption,” the author stated.

The report concluded, “Corruption is the single greatest obstacle preventing Nigeria from achieving its enormous potential. It drains billions of dollars a year from the country’s economy, stymies development, and weakens the social contract

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

2019 AND THE POLITICS OF VIOLENCE The goal of politics is to organise to secure power to serve the people. Violence should not be part of the game

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igeria is no stranger to political violence. Over the years, it has become a regular staple of electioneering campaigns, coming in form of inflammatory rhetoric, intimidation, armed conflicts between gangs of rival politicians, bombings and assassinations.

However, the pattern of impunity that is being witnessed almost on a daily basis in the buildup to the 2019 general election is such that many are fervently praying that a replay of the extreme violence that dogged the exercise of 2007, where hundreds of innocent people, including National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were killed, is not repeated.

Indeed, as the country braces for the 2019 general election, there are renewed concerns over the wave of political violence. From north to south, east and west, thugs are again being mobilised and armed to serve political ends. Penultimate Friday, emotions ran high in Ido Ekiti as the remains of the late Bunmi Ojo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was committed to mother earth.

Ojo was shot dead on 10th August by unknown gunmen. A month ago, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meeting in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State attended by party chieftains ended in gun shots that claimed the life of Borishade Adeniyi, the Apapa Local Government PDP chairman.

Similarly, Sunny Ejiagwu, newly inaugurated APC chairman in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State was hacked down a fortnight ago.

Ejiagwu’s killing was the third in less than a month, coming barely a few days after a PDP youth leader in the state was brought down. A month earlier, Amos Akano, director-general of Ezihe Foundation, one of the groups supporting the governorship ambition of Uche Nwosu, Chief of Staff to Governor Rochas Okorocha,

was kidnapped and murdered. And only recently during the by-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill a vacant constituency seat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ended in violence, just like that in Lokoja, Kogi State a week earlier, where two persons were reportedly killed.

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Electoral violence is not only a violation of the law, it also constitutes abuse of the constitutional right of the people to choose their leaders. Violence discourages political participation as it scares many away from the polls

Letters to the Editor

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e have spent so much time, with rolled up sleeves throwing punches at the elitist class over poor leadership and devastated economy. The electorate has escaped critical lens of analysts.

The ordinary voting public has always assumed the posture of innocent, hapless victims; it is often concluded they have been made poor by politicians, used only for their vote value. The truth, which is bitter, is that the electorate has refused to see the bigger picture beyond the mouthful of food in exchange for their thumb printing on ballots for a politician or political party.

The electorate is yet to realise that they have the power to hire and fire leaders through the ballot box. Compromises made only

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

e can go on and on to list the people who have met their death as a result of the growing political violence in the country.

But more worrisome is that a recent report by United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on electoral violence risk assessment in Nigeria suggests possible escalation of electoral violence before the 2019 general election. Everywhere in the country today, there is the pervasive sense of fear and insecurity. Armed robberies, kidnappings and other allied crimes have conspired to paint a picture of a country practically at war with itself.

The brewing political violence is further intensified by the tension and deep division between the APC and the main opposition PDP. This is not helped by the prevailing atmosphere of wanton killings and deaths across the country, engendered by the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herdsman clashes, communal killings and general banditry - all aided by the ease with which just about anybody could access arms.

This newspaper has repeatedly maintained that electoral violence is not only a violation of the law, it also constitutes abuse of the constitutional right of the people to choose their leaders. Violence discourages political participation as it scares many away from the polls. We believe that the goal of politics is to organise to secure power to serve the people and violence and bloodletting should not be part of the game.

Our democracy is increasingly losing its shine essentially because the political parties want to be “democratic” in a manner that advances only the personal interests of some leaders and not that of the society. It is clear that with eyes to the enormous spoils of office attached to the nation’s political positions from the presidency to local councillorship, many of our politicians would do anything in order to ensure easy ride at the polls.

Given the foregoing, until political leaders imbibe a culture that puts premium on the sanctity of human lives, our democracy will remain imperilled to our collective shame.

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

The Electorate As The Problem make them complicit in the nexus of political back-turn experienced in Nigeria. They must learn to take from thieving politicians but vote for competent people, that way vote for money will be discouraged. It is instructive we ask ourselves that out of the millions of voters currently getting prepared for the 2019 election, how many are real to themselves, patriotic to the nation and its success? How many will vote without self-centered social or economic interests? Examining the greed of many voters, it is safe to assert that they are no different from thieving politicians as everyone seems to have a price.

With elections around the corner, the usual suspects are at it playing scripts to dazzle the gullible electorate. Those on political pilgrimage are already travelling

to meet godfathers, those “under pressure to run” are preparing to crack to accept to lead, as one of the contenders has already trekked 800 metres, delivering heavy political mileage among admirers.

The real voters are not really on social media, most social analysts do not even have voters card.

These so-called analysts however help politicians to nourish already programmed minds of real voters on the street, which they harvest during elections. In 2015, the election that brought in President Muhammadu Buhari was largely adjudged peoplebased. It had been described in most of my analysis as bandwagon votes. A flashback to the June 12 election where late M.K.O. Abiola was declared winner, is adjudged free and fair. In 1999, former President Olusegun

Obasanjo was voted in. These elections have similar political build up, which forced Nigerians to vote massively.

Decisions of electorate were triggered by eruption of desperation. Nigerians are yet to be systematic, objective in their final resolve to vote their leaders based on ability and not puerile sentiments. As 2019 looms, with desperate, confused and frustrated citizenry, will the electorate just settle for tokens or be driven by patriotism for constructive reason to effect real leadership change? Actions of our leaders have shown that the electorate has lost value before some class of politicians. Most times the voting public do not count provided a set of notable Nigerians endorse ambition of politicians. This is the reason why we witness frequent pilgrimages to former leaders for blessings.

Our leaders have come to realise that voters in Nigeria can be coordinated like sheep’s, once a political, religious

or ethnic champion gives approval.

To adorn their robe of ambition with assurance, they give money, food items at the point of voting. The gullible voters simply give away their birthrights, letting plunderers into their prebend for the next four years. The circle continues as simple-minded voters content themselves with food that can only last a day.

Citizen voters have failed to realise that no sane government would rig if the bulk of the electorate gravitates towards a party or a candidate, all that cannot make meaning to a token-based electorate; this has made rigging very effective. It is time for voters to understand that whoever gives money or food for votes seeks to steal the future. Religion and ethnicity have become an integral part of our heritage, which our leaders deploy to domicile followers.

–––Israel Ebije, ebijeo5@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

NEWS McCain, Ex-US Presidential Candidate, Dies at 81 Tobi Soniyi in Lagos A member of the United States of America’s Congress, Senator John McCain is dead.

A terse statement from his office said that McCain died on Saturday surrounded by his family.

McCain, who died at the age of 81, according to CNN, was a naval bomber pilot, prisoner of

war, conservative maverick, giant of the Senate, twice-beaten presidential candidate and an abrasive American hero with a twinkle in his eye.

He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in July 2017 and had been undergoing medical treatment.

Last Friday, his family announced that McCain had decided to stop treatment.

Before his death, he was in the Senate for the sixth term.

He was also a Republican presidential nominee in 2008.

He was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumor during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, McCain was a fighter pilot

during the Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war.

While in the custody of his captors, he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.

In a memoir he published in May, McCain said that he hated to leave the world, but had no complaints.

He wrote, “It’s been

FIGHTING CRIME

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari, Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Bello Masari and Air Officer Commanding, Special Operation Command, Air Vice Marshal Sampson Akpasa during a session with troops deployed to curb the activities of bandits and criminals in Zamfara and neighbouring states shortly before departing to Abuja...yesterday.

quite a ride. I’ve known great passions, seen amazing wonders, fought in a war, and helped make peace.”

“I’ve lived very well and I’ve been deprived of all comforts. I’ve been as lonely as a person can be and I’ve enjoyed the company of heroes. I’ve suffered the deepest despair and experienced the highest exultation.

“I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times’, he wrote.

McCain left Washington in December 2017 to attend to his health.

He often disagreed with the US President, Mr Donald Trump.

CNN reported in May, that the McCains did not want Trump at his funeral.

However, former rivals and Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush had been asked to give eulogies.

According to reports, McCain spent his last few months out of the public eye in his adopted home state of Arizona, reflecting on the meaning of his life and accepting visits from a stream of friends and old political combatants.

Prior to his death, he was not completely quiet, blasting President Trump in a series of

tweets and statements that showed that while he was ailing he had lost none of his appetite for the political fight.

“The Arizona Senator repeatedly made clear that he saw Trump and his America First ideolog y as a departure from the values and traditions of global leadership that he saw epitomized in the United States”, CNN reported.

Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain said: “He served his country, and not always right -- made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors -- but served his country, and, I hope we could add, honorably.”

McCain was divorced from his first wife, Carol, in 1980.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy, and seven children, including three sons who continued the family tradition of serving in the armed forces and a daughter, Meghan, who is a presenter on ABC’s “The View.”

He also left behind his mother, Roberta, aged 106.

For his military service, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

PDP Accuses INEC, APC of Complicity in Kogi’s Bye-Election Rigging Yekini Jimoh inLokoja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kogi West, at the weekend said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and All Progressives Congress (APC) were complicit in violence and money inducement that characterised the just concluded by-election held in Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency.

Also, the senatorial district warned against allocation of an automatic ticket “to any

aspirant by its members, or the enforcement of same through the directive of any body, committee, group, association or interests outside the district.”

This was contained in a statement the Zonal Chairman of Kogi West PDP, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ojo issued after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Iyah-Gbede residence of Maj.-Gen David Jemibewon at the weekend.

The meeting was attended by the national state leaders including Maj.-Gen. David Jemi-

bewon, Chief Samuel Akande, Hon Hassan Salau, Dr. Stephen Olorunfemi and Chief S.K. Adedoyin.

After reviewing the bye-election, the statement condemned violence, insecurity and monetary inducement that featured during the process at the behest of the APC government, leaders and members in the state.

The statement also said the party leaders were disappointed at the decision of the INEC to announce the APC as

the winner of the by-election.

It observed that the number of registered voters in areas where elections were cancelled, which stood at over 19,000, was higher than the difference in votes cast for the presumed winner and the candidate of the PDP, which stood at about 12,000.

It said: “Members, therefore, resolved to challenge the illegality in an appropriate court. The injustice meted by the INEC notwithstanding, the meeting encouraged members to be

resolute in pressing for free and fair elections in the general and Governorship elections coming up in 2019.”

The statement affirmed their disposition “to providing a level playing field to all aspirants, irrespective of their age or status in the party.”

On the automatic ticket, the meeting agreed that giving the ticket as either a reward, incentive or concession to reciprocate political alliances or honour any memorandum of understanding would neither

be justifiable nor be acceptable.

It said a twin method of consensus and competition “will be adopted, with consensus being the first effort while competition through primary election, in line with the guidelines stipulated by the national leadership of the PDP will be the ultimate option.

“To reinforce the stand of Kogi West, its resolution would be communicated to the State Executive Committees and National Executive Committees,” the statement said.

Obaseki Pledges to Stamp out Human Trafficking Dikko: Protesting Soldiers Will Be Disciplined Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has pledged to stamp out the menace of human trafficking and illegal migration from Edo State, as the government has set up necessary legal and institutional framework to combat the scourge.

The governor also called for strengthening of transnational ties between state and non-state actors to end modern slavery and other ills, which benefit from human trafficking.

Obaseki made the commitment in commemoration of the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition, which is marked on August 23, every year, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisa-

tion (UNESCO), to remember the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition.

Obaseki said that though slavery might have been abolished centuries ago, it continued to rear its head in the guise of human trafficking and other formsofforcedenslavementforsocial andeconomicgains.

He said: “On this day, it is important to recall the milestones recorded in the fight against human trafficking, a trend that almost deprived us of our youth population, which had foreshadowed a dim future for us.

As we mark this, we are forced to signpost the modern version of this societal ill: human trafficking.

“To stem this, we set up the Edo State Taskforce Against Human

Trafficking; enacted the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law 2018 and set machinery in motion for top-of-the-range basic and technical education in the state.

“These are geared towards curbing the trend of human trafficking and ensuring that our young ones get the best of education in the state to make them competitive at home and abroad.”

He said that the state government’s rehabilitation and reintegration programme was geared towards restoring the dignity of those that might have been caught in the web of human trafficking, as efforts were in top gear to ensure that they settle back properly into society.

TobiSoniyi The Nigerian Army has said that it will discipline soldiers who protested at Maiduguri airport in Borno state in accordance with the rules of service.

Two weeks ago, some soldiers revolted at the airport alleging that they were being deployed in the frontline of the battle against Boko Haram.

Speaking at a programme in Borno on Friday, A.M. Dikko, commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, said mutiny was an offence that attracts penalty.

He said: “We don’t punish in the military. We discipline. Discipline is the bedrock of the job. If there’s

no discipline, then we can’t have an army.

“So, if a soldier errs, he must be corrected.”

Dikko reminded the soldiers involvedintheactoftheoaththeytook during recruitment and reminded them that they voluntarily joined the military.

He said: “You have decided to put your life on the line for the territorial integrity of Nigeria. So it is very important that we are reminded of our roles and responsibilities to the nation and our responsibility to the society, most importantly our responsibility to ourselves because we are not a conscript army. We are a regular military.

“Those who have volunteered

to serve and that is the only time you will volunteer, subsequently having offered your service, it is the responsibility of the services to deploy you where they find you appropriate.

“So it is important that we continue to retain our professional comportment so that we can serve diligently. It’s important that we uphold the values and ethics of the system that we belong to.

“It is also important that we understand it is a service to our fatherland. It is not a service to ourselves.

“The bedrock of your service as a soldier is discipline. A soldier must remain disciplined at all times. A soldier must obey instructions.”

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2018

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Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION Buhari’s 800 Metres Trek to 2019 Presidency The Daura trek downplays the enormity of ill-health that the nation is experiencing, argues Oludayo Tade

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he ‘not-too-old-to-run’ movement in the presidency has given Nigerians reasons to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is fit to vie for the exalted seat, compete with younger aspirants and run for a second term in 2019.

The venue of the fitness test was Daura, the hometown of the President where he was reported to have, against protocol, covered a space of 800 metres while receiving cheers from the Daura residents who lined up the road to catch a glimpse of the ‘I-am-fit-to-run’ trek. My check shows that 800 metres is like trekking the track of a standard stadium twice but the burden is reduced with cheers.

Trekking is not new to the Buhari Presidency. Recall Hashim Ibrahim trekked from Lagos to Abuja to honour and congratulate the president when he won the 2015 election?

While Hashim got to his destination, others got lost along the way. This premeditated Daura Trek, as a practical response to Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s query regarding the health challenge of the president, downplays the enormity of illhealth that the nation is currently experiencing. Even Hashim Ibrahim was reported to have regretted trekking from Lagos to Abuja to honour the president. Like millions of other Nigerians, Hashim is displeased with Buhari’s policies which he felt were making lives harder for the masses.

If the president is fit to run, is Nigeria as healthy as the president – or as sick as the president? The 800 metres trek of the Daura prince less than 200 days to the 2019 polls is therefore insignificant compared to the unhealthy situations and kilometres of trekking Nigerians are daily engaged in to navigate unhealthy governance experiences.

One way to diagnose our health status as a country is to look at the health sector. How healthy is our health institution in the last three years of this ‘healthy presidency’? The first family has made several sojourns to the colonial headquarters to either fix the self-caused mishap of bike-riding Yusuf and of Mr President. This is not bad at all because they are entitled to the privilege of the office of the land. But what is bad is that there is no effort to put in place such ‘healthy’ health institutions back home which makes those at home die in the absence of a caring government. It is even worse that the health sector is not adequately funded. Consequently, the good hands in the Nigerian health sector are being forced to undertake longer treks towards the global north where better working conditions and environment are certain. It does not appear that this transnational trekking will abate soon. This means that beyond 2019, a healthy president, if victorious, will

govern a much more unfit nation and an unhealthy populace.

There are also other forms of trekking that are being triggered

by Nigeria’s general un-healthiness under healthy president Buhari. For instance, insecurity has made trekking a ‘modern’ transportation strategy employed to escape unsecured terror zones across the country. Reports of those kidnapped informed us that they are made to trek distances far into the thick forest.

They are forcibly removed and relocated on foot. When they are lucky to be released, people trek to the main road before help comes their way. Is the energy of the healthy president spreading to those in internally displaced camps? Where did their energies come from, having been forced to move midnight on foot when killer teams of either Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen visited them? Their precarious living conditions in IDP camps show how unhealthy their lives have been and how uncaring our government has been to them.

Similarly, that Nigerians want to trek to global north and endure hardship on the way is partly a result of unhealthy governance that made realising life goals difficult. Even after their rescue and return to Nigeria from Libya, little or nothing has been done to properly ensure their integration beyond the first few days of media hyping of government magnanimous gestures. This is why despite the reports about hardship on the way, people still prefer to die while trying outside the shores of the country to secure greener ‘pastures on the other side’. To those in power, a trek to 2019 presidency is far valuable than having a real healthy president watering our grasses to make it greener for people to stay.

That is not all. Yearly, over one million young people write JAMB. Yearly, at least close to one million if not more students graduate into the unemployment market that is getting wider by the day. Since 2015, education funding has nosedived.

The 800 metres trek of the Daura prince less than 200 days to the 2019 polls is insignificant compared to the unhealthy situations and kilometres of trekking Nigerians are daily engaged in to navigate unhealthy governance experiences

Curricula in educational institutions are not healthy to equip students on self-sufficiency. After the promises and dashed hopes, unemployed graduates trek daily in search of non-existing jobs. Many more trek on a daily basis to take up menial jobs. The unhealthy situation of these young people has received less attention from a government who denies that youth unemployment is such a big problem in the country.

Living in denial and self-glorifying their government multiplies unhealthy populace who tries to trek out of their daily unhealthy circumstances. Not all will be conformist waiting for God to do it; others detour into crime and criminality.

The unhealthy situation in the nations’ education affirms the failure of the leadership both at the state and federal levels. Recognising this fact, many have willing and cashbacked students embark on transnational trekking to Ghana, Benin Republic, South Africa and global north countries for a healthy-qualitative education. Public educational institutions are grossly underfunded and workers work in the most excruciating conditions. Yet these institutions are supposed to produce full-baked products with 25 per cent funding from government! Until the situation gets worse, ‘healthy’ presidency will not do the needful but will compound the woes by scaling down the education budget. Little wonder other African universities are poaching for our best brains who are now open to transnational trekking to the real healthy countries.

Beggarly agents of the state (police, customs, immigration) would rather ask for what you will give them than do their job which is to secure the state. Inside the country, policemen, SARS, and traffic wardens officially or unofficially trek to demarcated economic locations to extort people. They also complain of poor funding and have to generate their own IGR to perform the job of (in)security!

Thus, the Daura 800 metres trek is not a healthy assessment of the president’s fitness to rule. It shows the president is actually worried about his health and needed to prove it.

A president is as healthy as the country he superintends. As it is today, the indices point to the negative; that the country is unhealthy under the President Muhammadu Buhari even though he claims ‘I am fit presidency’. Obviously, many areas critical to making Nigeria healthy is yet to be covered.

The pot-holes in governance must be fixed, not patched to underscore the president is healthily governing the nation.

Until then, the 800 metres ‘not-too-old-to-run’ trek unveils an unhealthy country.

––Dr. Tade, a sociologist sent in this piece via dotad2003@yahoo.com

A New Hymn On Tackling Corruption Innocent Edemhanria argues the need to go beyond the traditional measures that emphasise law enforcement and sanctions

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raditional approaches in tackling corruption in Nigeria have not yielded the desired results.

Instead, certain emerging issues including ethnic, religious and political threads tend to undermine the successes of the fight against corruption and the rule of law. Recognising the enormity of the bane of corruption on development in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari once quipped at the beginning of his administration that “I will kill corruption before corruption kills us”. Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu has also made statements which indicate that even though the Nigerian government is keen on the fight against corruption, corruption is fighting back. What this means is that the authorities and institutions addressing corruption issues in Nigeria recognise that there is some level of resistance to the anti-corruption campaigns.

The magnitude of the issues confronting the corruption fight in Nigeria may have been underestimated. Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, said at the launch of the ‘Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative’ on 17 September 2007, that “Corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law. It leads to violations of human rights. It erodes public trust in government. It can even kill when for example corrupt officials allow medicines to be tampered with, or when they accept bribes that enable terrorist acts to take place.”

In presenting this strategic case - context and the need for intervention by the Anti-Corruption in Nigeria programme (ACORN), the DFID (Nigeria) has also stated that corruption is rife in Nigeria mainly because of three factors. One, the institutions and systems supposed to ensure sound management of resources are weak. Two, an ineffective sanctions regime persists and results in a culture of impunity, and three, social acceptability of certain corrupt behaviours encourage a culture of corruption. Therefore, Nigeria’s resources have been consistently plundered for the purpose of creation and maintenance

of an equilibrium of power through deep-rooted network of patronage not for poverty reduction, or equal distribution to all. This context note by the DFID made reference to ActionAid Nigeria‘s Corruption and Poverty in Nigeria Study published in 2015.

During a roundtable at the Behavioural Exchange conference organised by the Behavioural Insights Team in 2016, several points were made regarding corruption and behaviours. One of such points was that the extent to which corrupt behaviours are perceived to be widespread in society is likely to affect people’s expectations of honesty, and so their own corrupt behaviour. We update our beliefs of social norms with the information in our environment. Indeed, examples from the behavioural literature demonstrate how observed social norms can influence dishonest behaviour.

So, just the way the world has moved beyond unimaginable strides in ICT and telecommunication, space technology, means of transportation and others fields, Nigeria ought to over time shift from the traditional approach to fighting corruption to more innovative ways that could bring about the needed result. Experts, policymakers and development workers alike have made efforts to evolve alternative or complementary approaches to tackle corruption.

The new thinking is that there is the need to go beyond the traditional measures that emphasise law enforcement and sanctions. In Nigeria, a number of institutions or agencies have been set up to fight corruption. Some are a consequence of the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Others are necessary to conduct the business of governance. Available literature points to the fact that a possible reason why past efforts regarding institutional, policy and legal frameworks experience setbacks is because there seems to be a disconnect between the anti-corruption efforts and citizens’ participation. Take for instance the Sasel Institute of Governance report entitled Behavioural

influences on Attitudes Towards Petty Corruption: A Study of Social Norms and Mental Models in Tanzania.

The report published in December 2017 made reference to certain implementation gaps wherein countries continue to experience high levels of corruption despite substantial legal and institutional reforms which adhere to international anti-corruption best practices.

Targeting change in social norms which encourage corruption is the new window as there is empirical evidence of the impact of social norms on corruption. The secret of this approach is that it increases citizen participation and adopting such approach in the fight against corruption in Nigeria could make citizens to build a strong resistance to corrupt behaviour as a matter of fact. The truth of the matter is that both the existing approaches and the new thinking or approach could play complementary roles in addressing corruption issues in Nigeria. This will be a more holistic and inclusive approach that could bring about the desired result.

A Chatham House report published in May 2017 and authored by Leena Koni Hoffmann and Raj Navanit Patel, “Collective Action on Corruption in Nigeria a Social Norms Approach to Connecting Society and Institutions”, supports this view. The report proposed the reinforcement of Nigeria’s ongoing anti-corruption effort by first understanding why people take part in corrupt activity, and full consideration of the societal factors that may contribute to normalising corrupt behaviour. The report holds the view that this holistic approach would better position public institutions to engage Nigerian society in anti-corruption efforts and concluded that “as behavioural drivers influence people’s choices and preferences around corruption, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies should systematically integrate these methods into the long-term approach to their mandates.”

––Edemhanria, a development strategist, wrote from Benin City.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

LETTERS MAINSTREAMING HEALTH IN 2019 POLITICAL DISCOURSE

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n accordance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, health is a fundamental human right. Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in dignity. Also, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

From the foregoing, it is clear that government owes her citizens the obligation to provide and make available a good health care delivery system that will ensure that everyone enjoys the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in dignity. There could be no better welfare for the people when good health care system is not provided. Therefore, access to other fundamental human rights is completely dependent on the right to life which is made possible by access to good health care system.

Adewole, Federal Ministry of Health

According to the World Health Statistics 2018, Nigeria currently has the following health indicators: Life expectancy at birth (Male) is 54.7, Life expectancy at birth (Female) is 55.7, maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 lives birth is 814, proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel is 43%, under five mortality rate per 1000 live births is 104.3, Malaria incidence

per 1000 population at risk is 350, density of physicians per 1000 population is 0.4, density of nursing and midwifery personnel per 1000 population is 1.5, density of dentistry personnel per 1000 population is 0.0, tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population is 219, prevalence of stunting in children under-five age is 43.4%, etc. With such very poor health indicators, it means

that most Nigerians are very far from enjoying the right to health and this calls for very serious attention as we move towards 2019 election.

It is the responsibility of each political party seeking to get power come 2019 to state in clear terms the “What” and “How” strategy to be used in handling the present poor health indicators. The trend of giving mere promises by political parties without stating how those promises will be accomplished should change.

The 2019 political discourse should be issue-based and bringing health into it is very fundamental because a healthy nation, they say, is a wealthy nation.

Taking an insight from the present administration manifesto on health, they promised to: one, prioritize the reduction of the infant mortality rate by 2019 to 3%; reduce maternal mortality by more than 70%; reduce HIV/AIDs infection rate by 50% and other infectious diseases by 75%; improve life expectancy by additional 10 years on average through the national healthy living programme. Two, increase the number of physicians from 19 per 1000 population to 50 per 1000; increase national health expenditure per person per annum to about N50,000 (from

What Does Democracy Offer Imo People?

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hat does ideal democracy offer the people of Imo State? Ideally, democracy offers the people of Imo the promise that at the barest minimum, they should have unfettered opportunity to choose those to whom all Imo citizens can entrust with our welfare and collective development, those who will best represent Imo because our aggregated choices, counted as votes will make them our honest representatives taking our individual and collective interests before their personal and vested interests. Maximally, democracy promises the people that in exercising the interests of Imo people on their behalf as governor or holders of other positions, it is expected that elected officials will formulate and implement public policies to take care of people.

What are these policies that democracy will help us to make into welfare and benefit for Imo people? They are simply problems and opportunities that we identify daily and yearly in our communities and state. In identifying them we use the best brains, established benchmarks and lessons learnt both locally and globally to develop solutions and alternative solutions following technical and paradigmatic principles, applying our resources according to deliverable priorities, efficiently and effectively to turn such solutions and alternatives into democracy dividends.

These are the simple explanations for the promise that democracy offers in the form

of acceptable elections and the deliverables from credibly and legitimately elected officials.

Many early philosophers like John Stuart Mills, Thomas Hobbes, Schumpeter, Jugen Habermas and others have elucidated these promises and their dimensions, while more modern philosophers and technocrats have shown the nexus between philosophical expectations and ideals and the technical nitty-gritty that transforms identified problems and opportunities or what policymakers call policy issues to the solutions of modern societal challenges and needs.

Where these have been applied diligently and committedly, society has been the better for it. These steps are important to development and although they may also be found in some none democratic states, a contrast that stands democracy out is the attribute of accountability to voters and where that fails, the freedom of the media to call out those who have failed either to deliver the expectations of democracy or be accountable to voters during and between elections.

Many of those we elect to deliver these ideal promises of democracy on our behalf run away from doing these things for our people, instead they take our meagre resource to such places where people have been true to these ideals, to enjoy the sacrifices their leaders made to deliver such promises of democracy to their people. Worse, they have become not only resistant but increasingly intolerant of accounting to voters, they are gradually trying to create a

new model that disdains and tries to dispense with voters by undermining the process of credible and acceptable voting.

Indeed, we must ask what have they delivered as democracy to our people?

To be more specific, what has democracy through elected representatives offered Imo people since the state was instituted? When they go abroad with our resources to enjoy effective healthcare, they create a system that they are even afraid to use. Although they promoted such sub -standard health facilities as part of their accomplishments. They send their children to educational systems that provide higher standards in content, higher standards of reward to personnel and better outcome for providing life skills for learners, at the same time they create and perpetuate sub-standard education at home.

They turn our state into a regional and urban planning nightmare while posing for pictures in the architectural paradise created by diligent and altruistic leaders in other countries. They are quick to describe other countries as a machine that works when referring to regimes of reliable, effective and efficient weights and measures, financing and insurance. They marvel at the transaction interphases –banking, transport, etc.

These things work in other places not because God loves them more than us, but mainly because their leadership deferred immediate gratification of their personal interests and need for the collective benefit of their society and as

a reward they built a better society in which naturally as leaders they live a better and safer quality of life.

Contrastingly, those who have been entrusted to do the same for our people have debased and corrupted democracy rather than make it work for our people. It is heart-warming that Imo people are resilient, despite the many shortcomings and much disappointment; the hard work and coping abilities of our people have aided them to not only survive but in some cases outdone expectations.

Still, we can do better, where our people managed to survive they can soar. It takes a disciplined determination to create enabling incentives and regimes.

What can we do differently?

First we must create an enabling political environment that stays true to democracies expectations of accountability, allowing our state to benefit the most from what Albert Hirschman describes as effective “voice” that avoids the exit of our people from participation in the decisions that affect their lives, their progress and their development.

At the heart of accountability to our people is the need to allow the wishes and aspiration of our people as expressed in intra-party and inter-party elections to be fully expressed, for only in subjecting leaders to such approval or rejection will they truly be alive to their democratic obligations.

––Stanley Amuchie, Owerri, Imo State

less than N10,000 currently); three, increase the quality of all federal governmentowned hospitals to word class standard within five years. Four, invest in cutting edge technology such as telemedicine in all major health centres in the country through active investment and partnership programmes with the private sector. Five, provide free ante-natal care for pregnant women, free health care for babies and children up to school going age and for the aged and free treatment for those afflicted with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDs; boost the local manufacture of pharmaceuticals and make non-adulterated drugs readily available.

Looking at the above promises and what the administration planned to do in the health sector, the “How” to bring those wonderful promises were entirely omitted. Same applies to all the other political parties.

They state the “What to do” without the “How to do”. The question begging for answer from the above manifesto is: How many years does it take to train a medical doctor if they are to increase the number of physicians from 19 per 1000 population to 50 per 1000?

What is the present health budget if they are to increase national health expenditure per person per annum to about N50,000 (from less than N10,000 currently)? Failure to state how this will be done has often been the challenge of all the political parties in Nigeria.

Therefore, as we prepare for 2019, the right engagement should begin by citizens demanding to know what and how each of the political parties will bring about serious change in the health sector - changes that will improve the present poor health indicators.

We should not be carried away by vote buying. We should not forget that the vote we sell will deny us access to good health care system which is our fundamental human right.

An ideal political party should carry out research and come up with strong strategies to handle these poor health indicators, come up with effective health financing strategy on how to finance health beyond the annual government budget. Good health insurance package that will provide affordable and accessible universal health coverage for Nigerians should be the norm. Campaigns and other political discourse should be issue-based and not just mere attack and exchange of hurtful words.

According to a World Bank Report of 2014, some African countries that are less endowed in resources dedicated larger percentages to healthcare: Algeria (10.67%), Botswana (8.82%),The Gambia (10.62%), Ghana (7.08%), Guinea Bissau (9.51%), Madagascar (15.61%), Malawi (10.77%), Sierra Leone, (7.86%), South Africa (14.06%), Tunisia (13.57%). Political parties desirous of taking over government come 2019 should study them and find out how they were able to dedicate such percentages to health. The average budget for health in the last nine years has never crossed 5%. Based on Abuja Declaration, the federal government is to dedicate 15% of the federal budget to health but this has not been achieved since 2010.

Based on the 15% projected allocation, from 2010 to 2018, only N2.429 trillion has been budgeted for health as against N7.553 trillion, leading to a funding gap of N5.124 trillion.

Unfortunately, the amounts –––Victor Oliver Abel, Centre for Social Justice, Wuse, Abuja.

Time For Kurdistan Republic

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ot quite long ago I opined that President Donald Trump was mooting the idea of a country and homeland for the Kurds in my piece titled, “Donald Trump Wants to Create a country for the Kurds.”

If I know Trump well, then I can wager that he would not rest easy on the Kurdistan Republic issue until he finds an opening, albeit just a small crack to squeeze his opinion through. Now, the imbroglio surrounding that jailed US pastor by the Erdogan government in Turkey has riled President Trump to no end such that trade sanctions are being imposed on Turkey and I can wager still that Mr. Trump has been in touch with Gen. Mathis to discuss the scenarios.

No, the US would not invade Turkey but the

time is just about ripe to seize the opportunity of this diplomatic fiasco with Turkey to create a Border Defence Force under the auspices of the United States, which would be made up of predominantly ethnic Kurds just inside the buffer zone between Syria and Turkey.

The former anti-ISIS militia would be turned into a standing army that will control a huge chunk of territory favourable to the Kurds.

This action is just the right precipitation for the nucleus of a future Kurdistan Republic. And credit must go to young Jared Kushner who is married to Ivanka Trump when the Kurds finally get a country.

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

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Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

INTERNATIONAL Most Unfortunate: Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s Conception of a Leader and PMB’s 800-Meters-Trek Fitness

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overnance of Nigeria since the accession of the country to both national and international sovereignty on Saturday, October 1, and Friday, October 7, 1960 has been more or less by a panel-beating style of work, especially following the end of the country’s civil war on January 12, 1970. How panel beaters work in Nigeria is a truism: manual panel- beating to smoothen an uneven surface and then putty-filling. However, it is important to note that panel beaters only make efforts to amend but are not able to restore what had been damaged to its original status quo ante. This is precisely how political governance has been managed in Nigeria all along and why efforts could not be objectively made to really articulate what Nigeria’s main problem is all about.

If truth be told again, Nigeria’s main problem is that Nigerians do not know what their problem is all about. Rather than deal with the root causes of their problems, emphasis is placed on the symptoms or on secondary causes of the problems. Their inability to know what the problem is all about also stems from another inability to decide who should lead in the resolution of a given problem, and perhaps more disturbingly, the inability to decide how best the problem should be neutralised.

In all these cases of inability, the fundamental truth again remains the approach, which is largely predicated on untruth, dishonesty and injustice as major pillars of political governance.

No member of the Nigerian elite can rightly claim not to know that political governance is problematic and characterised by avoidable recidivism. Most unfortunate, however, how many of the servants of God, be they Christians or Muslims, speak to the truth in Nigeria? Who really is interested in truth-telling in Nigeria? How far can truth-telling ensure individual safety? Can it be rightly argued that the PMB administration is interested in truth-telling and honesty of purpose as basis of political governance? The answer cannot be in the affirmative. Consequently, for as long as political governance is largely driven by reckless insincerity and injustice, Nigeria’s future cannot but be bleak and most unfortunate.

The case of the conception of a good and a great leader by the Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi, and the reported interpretation by the Presidency of the trekking of 800 metres by President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) as a demonstration of his fitness for a second term in office jointly point to the challenge of retrogressive type of mentality of political governance in Nigeria and particularly why, for a long time to come, Nigeria cannot but remain in a vicious circle of non-development..

Abiola Ajimobi and Leadership Concept In principle, the conception of leadership takes into account several factors. Jago in 1982, defined it as a process of social influence which maximises the efforts of others towards the achievement of a greater good. In this regard, emphasis is placed on the fact that leadership is a resultant from social influence and not from authority (www.google.com.ng).

True, leadership is a process in which whoever is the leader provides a vision to pursue, a mission to achieve the vision and show inspirational commitment in doing what is right. In this regard, a leader, especially if he or she is to be considered good, must have a clarity of purpose, that is, his vision must not be ambiguous or subject to doubts. A leader must be decisive, humble, courageous and have much passion. A leader must have a positive attitude and a good sense of creativity. He must have listening ears and ready to share ideas, as well as be prepared to collaborate.Regardless of the various types of leadership so far identified (coercive, authoritative, pacesetting, democratic, affiliative, coaching, etc), there is no disputing the fact that leadership exists because there is followership. Leadership is, at best, meaningless in the absence of followership. Put differently, if there is no follower, there will be no one for a leader to coerce or to impact on in terms of his or her courage, humility, decisiveness and passion. In fact, leadership is a manifestation of a vertical type of relationship in which authority is necessarily top-bottom in design.

In light of the foregoing, how do we explain or understand the conception of a leader, of a good leader, and of a great leader from the perspective of the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi?

For the governor, leadership requires courage that is driven

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Ajimobi

by restoration, transformation and repositioning strategies in political governance. This is so because of the nature of leadership challenges in Nigeria. As reportedly quoted in Daily Sun of August 22, 2018, p.3, Governor Ajimobi said, ‘as a leader, anytime you want to make a change, some people, enlightened, unenlightened, ignorant, mischievous will play politics with it. But a good leader must have the courage to go ahead.’

This statement has dangerous implications for democracy.

First, when a leader wants to make a change, in whose interest is the quest for change? Is it the interest of the politicians or that of the generality of the people? In both cases of interest, playing politics with interest cannot be ruled out. When a ruling political party wants to make a change, the opposition party may be against, not necessarily because the opposition party is not patriotic or anti-progress but because of other considerations like difference in ideology, prioritisation of development projects and difference in development models.

When politics is played with an attempt to make a change, which may be for the better or otherwise, depending on perceptions, Governor Ajimobi has it that, a leader, if he is good, ‘must have the courage to go ahead.’ The implication of this is more serious: forging ahead and disregarding whatever the opinion all others may have, is also admitting that Governor Ajimobi and his government know better than all others, even if a government is elected on the basis of an electoral campaign.

It also suggests a holier-than-thou attitudinal disposition.

This situation necessarily creates the long gap between those governing and the people being governed. The case of the United States under the Donald Trump administration serves as a good illustration of this point. Donald Trump campaigned on the basis of anti-illegal immigration and making America great again. In fact, he not only promised to ban all Muslims entering the United States, but also to build a barrier wall along the US border with

Public reactions to PMB’s 800 metres trek appear to have done more damage than the good image intended to be procured and projected for the purposes of the 2019 presidential elections: mockery of the trekking. PMB’s men should therefore be more sagacious in their strategic electoral calculations beyond the argument that PMB has integrity, impeccable character, unrepentant anti-corruption fighter, etc. If the Ike Nwachukwu-led Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs covered up cases of very serious misconduct in the institute, and the matter was not only reported to PMB but was consciously suppressed PMB’s objectivity of purpose is called to question, he cannot be fit for a second term. For me, the main and only criterion for eligibility to lead Nigeria is evidence of honesty and objectivity of purpose which PMB cannot tell me he now has

Mexico to prevent Mexicans coming into the US illegally.

Even though he was elected on the basis of his electoral promises, his wishes have been challenged by unforeseen new situational realities. For instance, before his election, Donald Trump wanted to lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to only 15% and huge tax cuts for working Americans. The bill was hotly debated in the US Congress and by the general public. The maximum rate Donald Trump could get when the bill on it was passed in December 2017 was 21%.

There is also his pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare which was put in place by Barack Obama to extend healthcare to the estimated 15% of Americans not covered by healthcare, but which Republicans see as ‘job killer.’ This wish could not be passed in the Senate, especially in light of the public opposition to it. Obamacare is seen as a special health programme for the poor. Its elimination is seen to imply loss of health insurance. The essence of the foregoing is to show how the goodness in a policy at the level of government is not seen as a big deal at the level of the people who the Government is purporting to represent and defend.

Consequently, if Governor Ajimobi is suggesting that a leader who is good should have courage to push his or her agenda through in the face of politics by opposition elements, there is the need for rethinking, because the people still remains the repository of power. Power belongs to the people who elected the Government. This brings us to another statement credited to the same governor: ‘when you restore, you must transform. We have restored and we have transformed. And now, we are repositioning, and repositioning is always a work in progress. You can never stop repositioning. Wherever we stop, somebody else will pick it up from there.’

Perhaps most significantly, he agreed with the definition of a good and great leader as given by Robert Thomas: ‘a good leader will take his people where they want to go, but, a great leader will take his people to where they ought to be.’ Again, there are many insinuations in this definition. The goodness in a ‘good leader’ is to the extent that he is obedient to his people, by complying with their wishes. The wish of the people, in this context, is going to where they want to go to. The business of a leader is simply to lead them but the leader becomes good if he succeeds in taking the people to the wanted destination.

In this context, a good leader becomes ‘a great leader’ the moment he is able to take the people to where they ought to be.

The first implication of this statement is that the people are not only considered myopic, but also perceived not to know what is befitting for them. The great leader is considered to be necessarily more knowledgeable than the people. He must be able to go beyond the limitations of both the good leader and the people.

As much as we want to agree with the foregoing criteria for defining a great leader, the point has to be made that any leader, good or great, wishing to act contrary to the wishes of the people cannot be described as good and great. A good leader is any person who is able to translate the wishes of his people into concrete action by not only using his experiential, socio-political and educational background but also ensuring the engagement of the people being led in the achievement of his vision and mission. Most importantly, a great leader is any person, who has not only met the foregoing criterion and the immediate objectives of the people, but who is also able to achieve more than what the people expect.

If we look at these definitions from the perspectives of politics in Nigeria, who among the professional politicians can be described as a good leader or great leader? In terms of politics of party defections, to what extent can it be argued that the defectors acted in the interest of the constituencies that elected them? In other words, is the act of defection by politicians good or great? True enough, Nigeria used to have leaders who were good and great. Today, there are no good, not to mention great leaders in politics. The goodness and greatness that we all can see is in the area of sharp practices, and particularly corruption. This means goodness and greatness is more celebrated in the area of negativity. This brings us to the politics of PMB’s 800 metres trek as a determinant of fitness to contest in the 2019 presidential elections.

PMB’s 800 metres Walk On Tuesday, August 21, 2018, PMB opted to trek 800 metres from the EID praying ground in Daura back to his private residence in order to show his physical fitness for election and a second term in office. The decision to trek back home came on the heels of the comment of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State. He said PMB is ‘just too old to be Nigeria’s leader, despite his integrity and impeccable character.’ More important, he explained that ‘we love President Buhari and that was why we supported him in 2015 unconditionally and while doing that, we are too sure that he will seek re-election after his first term. But when things are wrong, we have to tell him. We still believe in his integrity, patriotism and courage, but these are not enough for a leader.’

And perhaps most importantly, Governor Tambuwal has it that ‘we all know that there is a vacuum in the government, occasioned by his indisposition probably because of his old age or health condition. That is why Nigerians are yearning for younger ones to lead this country.’

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

BUSINESS

Editor Kunle Aderinokun 08033204315, 08111813084 Email: kunle. aderinokun @thisdaylive.com

Trading floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange

NSE: Portfolio Investments Hit N1.6tn at Half Year, Records 70% Growth Bamidele Famoofo

A 2018 half- year performance review of portfolio investments in the equities segment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has shown that turnover value increased to about N1.6 trillion from about N935billion recorded in half year 2017.

However, the latest trading figures from major custodians and market operators on their foreign portfolio investment (FPI) flows in six months (January –June) published by the NSE, revealed that value of transactions both by foreign and domestic (local) investors dropped appreciably in June compared to May. “Total transactions at the nation’s bourse (FPI) reduced by 41 percent from N318.27 billion recorded in May 2018 to N187.78billion (about $614.1 million) in June 2018. But the cumulative transactions from January to June increased by 70.78 percent from N935.26 billion recorded in 2017 to N1.597 trillion in 2018,” the NSE report revealed.

Foreign investors outperformed domestic investors by 9.07 percent in June 2018 as total domestic transactions reduced by 31.87 percent from N125.32 billion in May to N85.37 billion in June 2018. Foreign transactions also reduced by 46.92 per cent from N192.95 billion to N102.41 billion within the same period.

There was 22.71 percent decrease in foreign inflows from N62.06 billion in May 2018 to N47.96 billion in June 2018. However, there was also a significant reduction in foreign outflows, which reduced by 58.40 per cent from N130.89 billion to N54.45 billion within the same period.

The domestic composition of transactions on the exchange between January and June 2018 showed that the institutional composition of the domestic market reduced by 38.88 per cent from N92.03 billion in May to N56.24 billion in June 2018. The retail composition also decreased by 12.52 per cent from N33.29 billion to N29.12 billion within the same period.

“This indicates a significantly lower participation by retail investors over their Institutional counterparts,” the exchange noted.

A track of events showed that transactions at the nation’s bourse increased by 49.96 per cent from N212.23 billion recorded in April 2018 to N318.27billion (about $1.04billion) in May 2018.

The cumulative transactions from January to May increased by 97.13 per cent from N714.99billion recorded in 2017 to N1.409.47trillion in 2018.

As usual, foreign investors outperformed domestic investors by 21.25 per cent in May 2018 as total domestic transactions increased by 39.71 per cent from N89.70 billion in April to N125.32billion in May 2018. Foreign transactions also increased by 57.47 per cent from N122.53billion to N192.95billion within the same period. There was a 3.45 per cent decrease in foreign inflows from N64.28billion in April 2018 to N62.06billion in May 2018.

However, foreign outflows increased by 124.70 per cent from N58.25billion to N130.89billion within the same period.

At the start of 2018, FPI investment decreased by 17.96 per cent from N480.80 billion recorded in December 2017 to N394.44billion (about $1.29billion) in January 2018. However, in

comparison to the same period in 2017, total transactions increased significantly by 313.81 per cent from N95.32billion recorded in 2017.

Foreign investors conceded about 15.64 per cent of trading to domestic investors. Total foreign transactions decreased by 19.42 percent from N206.48 billion recorded in December 2017 to N166.39billion in January 2018.

Domestic transactions also decreased by 16.87 per cent from N274.32 billion to N228.05 billion within the same period.

Foreign inflows decreased by 47.10 percent from N173.43billion in December 2017 to N91.75 billion in January 2018 while foreign outflows increased by 125.84 percent from N33.05billion to N74.64billion within the same period.

Meanwhile, a comparative analysis conducted by the research unit of the NSE (2011 and 2015), revealed that foreign transactions consistently outperformed domestic transactions. However, domestic transactions marginally outperformed foreign transactions in 2016 and 2017, accounting for 52 per cent of the total transaction value in 2017.

Also, foreign transactions which totalled N1.539trillion in 2014 declined to N518billion in 2016, but increased significantly by 133 per cent to N1.208trillion in 2017 thereby accounting for about 48 per cent of total transactions in 2017.

Over an 11 year period, domestic transactions have decreased by 62.46 per cent from N3.556trillion in 2007 to N1.335trillion in 2017.

However, there was a significant increase in 2017 by 111 per cent from N634 billion recorded in 2016.

However, a comprehensive review of the

performance of the stock market in June indicated that the NSE ASI advanced in the month of June, buffering YTD returns to 0.46 per cent, from a negative of 7.67 percent in May 2018, excluding the Oil & Gas Index which gained 7.12 percent month on month (MoM). Other sectoral indices ended in negative territory albeit improved from previous months’ returns with the exception of the Insurance index, which took a further 5.66 per cent hit. Turnover declined significantly by 41 per cent MoM, lowering daily average turnover to N4.94billion by month end to justify the 41.3 per cent decline in market depth, which closed at 8.13 per cent. But despite improvement in market breadth from 0.28 in previous month to 0.84, losers still topped the chart relative to gainers.

“Despite a strengthening of the naira against the dollar, turnover in the IEFX window declined by 20.7 per cent relative to May 2018. This may have contributed to lower net portfolio flows to the equities market as earlier indicated. The observed growth in the nation’s foreign reserves could be attributable to the rise in crude oil production within the period, which made up for the drop in crude oil price,” NSE disclosed.

The report also added that, “FPIs continued to dominate trading with 54.2 per cent participation, while domestic investors constituted 45.8 per cent within the month. Amongst the domestic players, PFAs led the pack with 22.6 per cent, followed by institutional investors (non-PFAs) who accounted for 11.4 per cent of market activities. Retail participation also increased to 5.4 per cent from 2.96 per cent in the previous month.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

BUSINESS/MARITIME

A Thorny Maritime Security Contract The maritime security contract, which is a contractor-financed programme, awarded to an Israeli firm, HLSI Security Firms and Technology, by the federal government attracted needless controversy because of entrenched interest and politics, writes Eromosele Abiodun

T

he Gulf of Guinea remains one of the most dangerous waters in the world for merchant shipping. At least 52 Nigerian pirate attacks occurred in 2016. According to a report by EOS Risk Group, the majority of attacks off Nigeria in 2016 involved oil/chemical tankers, followed by offshore support vessels.

Bulk carriers, containerships, general cargo vessels, LNG tankers, fishing vessels, a refrigerated cargo vessel, a dredger and a vehicle carrier were also subjected to attacks during the year, according to the group.

“Target vessels were mostly tankers, which recorded 48 per cent of the attacks; OSV recorded 21; Containership four per cent while Liquefied Natural Gas vessels had four per cent of the attacks,” it stated.

The report indicated that about 21 per of the cases had armed security presence onboard when attacked, while they were absent in 69 cases, and five cases were unknown.

Even now, incessant pirate attacks and kidnappings are taking an alarming toll on shipping in Nigeria’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea. This year alone, freight costs have risen six times, amid fears insurance could also be hit. Statistics from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) showed that in the first four months of 2018, the number of incidents significantly increased in the region, with 36 reported, against 17 the same period in 2017.

Last month, 11 crew members of FWN Rapide were taken hostage off Port Harcourt, spending four weeks in captivity. The mariners were sailing on board the Dutch-flagged vessel from Takoradi in Ghana, when they came under attack. In February, five armed pirates attacked ST Marseille, a Luxembourg-flagged tanker as it anchored in the Bay of Cotonou. They had approached the tanker in a speedboat and opened fire.

The same month, armed pirates attacked two vessels in separate incidents off the Coast of Bonny Island. The development has left stakeholders worried that foreign shipping companies may introduce a minimum of $200,000 (about N72 million) as insurance premium before calling at the nation’s ports.

It was in a bid to stop the attacks and avoid huge insurance and shipping cost that the federal government awarded maritime security contract to an Israeli firm, HLSI Security Firms and Technology.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had late last year announced that the federal government has engaged an Israeli firm to police Nigeria’s territorial waters for three years and train members of the Nigerian Navy and security personnel after which the Nigerian security agents will take over the security of the nation’s waters.

He stated this while speaking at the World Maritime Day with the theme, “Connecting Ships, Ports and People,” held in Lagos.

Ameachi, who did not mention the name of the Israeli firm disclosed that the development will save shipping companies over $180 million (N55.62 billion) in security fees adding that Maersk alone pays $18 million annually for its ships to be escorted in and out of Nigeria.

According to him, “Security is a major challenge globally especially in the Gulf of Guinea. There have been major concerns and developments to address the issues of Maritime security along the Gulf of Guinea. Various initiatives, actions, programmes and centres/organisation have been developed and established to counter this insecurity. This administration has seen the need for all relevant maritime agencies to synergise to improve efficiency in our ports.”

Politics and Animosity However, the news of the award of the contract did not go down well with bosses of the Nigerian Navy giving that it has the primary responsibility to secure Nigeria’s territorial waters.

Before the contract was awarded, the Nigerian Navy was pushing for NIMASA to contribute 1 per cent of its revenue to the Navy to enable it acquire materials to secure Nigerian waters. To this end,

A containers-laden vessel

a bill requiring the amendment of the NIMASA Act was sent to the national assembly. NIMASA opposed moves by the Nigerian Navy seeking an amendment of the NIMASA Act to contribute 1 per cent of its revenue to the Nigerian Navy.

The move was condemned by industry players during a One-Day Public Hearing on, “A bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act, No. 17 2017 to increase the functions of the agency; and for related matters (HB; 1131 & 1178),” before the House of Representative Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration.

Speaking at the event, the President, African hip Owners Association and former Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, pointed out clearly that it will be against all international conventions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) entered into by Nigeria, which has to be implemented.

Also lending his voice to condemn the proposed bill, the Chairman, Ports Consultative Council, Kunle Folarin, noted that Nigeria was a critical stakeholder in the international maritime space, hence the need to exercise caution in amending any bill that may jeopardise the future of Nigeria in the global maritime sector.

He said, “NIMASA’s efforts on regional cooperation should be consolidated, rather than trying to usurp some of the functions of the agency as it will affect the day-to-day operations of NIMASA in carrying out its mandates.”

He, however, was quick to caution that the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration should ensure that NIMASA and Nigerian Navy should not work at cross-purposes as they are both critical to the safety and security of the nation’s territorial waterways.

House of Representatives Committee on the Nigerian Navy was not also happy about the contract.

According to the reps, the contract was not just a security breach but also defies the local content law, which promulgates patronising made in Nigeria goods and services.

The Chairman of the Committee, Abdussamad Dasuki, representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency, Sokoto, disclosed this during an on-the-spot assessment of the units and bases under the Western Naval Command in Lagos.

Also, the contract raised eyebrows with several civil society organisations calling it an aberration to the sovereignty of national security.

Concurring, Dasuki said ceding the patrol of waterways and other critical national assets to such foreign companies was to the detriment of the navy, whose constitutional role it is to safeguard and patrol the coastal waters and the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

According to Dasuki, the maritime trust fund falls under maritime security and anti-piracy, thus the move to circumvent the navy out of its constitutional roles will not be allowed to happen.

“One of the challenges we are having at the house of reps, has to do with the sister agency of the government, which is NIMASA. A situation whereby it is giving out jobs that are ideal for the Nigerian Navy and contractors in Nigeria to foreigners, especially jobs that have to do with our security, is not acceptable.

“We as a committee are very much against it. We have the Nigerian Navy and it should be empowered. We should promote what we do locally so I see no reason why we cannot contract the over $180 million job to them. It is not acceptable and we have made it loud and clear. We will continue to work until something is done about that particular situation,” he said.

Also, on January 30, 2018, the House of Representatives mandated its Committee on Public Petitions chaired by Uzoma Nkem-Abonta to investigate the contract.

However, Amaechi was alleged to have refused to make the contract documents available to the committee leading to the probe being stalled.

“We have been demanding these documents and we have received no responses. This is about the 8th hearing on this issue. If the contractual documents and agreements cannot be produced within the next 72hours, we will be forced to close this matter and make our recommendations to the House,” Nkem-Abonta lamented at the committee’s sitting.

Cancellation Following the criticisms by several maritime stakeholders and security experts, who accused the minister of moving against a similar, but much cheaper contract signed by the previous administration only to replace it with his own version, President Muhammadu Buhari terminated

the controversial contract via a memo dispatched by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

The president had in the memo, directed the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to terminate the contract with immediate effect.

He also ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) to investigate how the contractor obtained security clearance for the job without an end user certificate.

Buhari also ordered HLSI Security Systems and Technologies to supply items equivalent to the $50 million upfront payment it received from government.

Denial Speaking on the matter last week, the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dakuku Peterside, said the federal government only suspended the contract to allow for proper scrutiny of the Israeli firm and claims of impropriety of the contract.

According to Peterside, the firm has since been given clean bill of health to proceed with the contract after the conclusion of the investigation.

He said, “At some point, there were issues raised about the status of the firm and indeed the president directed that further investigations be made on the status and record of the firm. The status of the firm had been investigated earlier, but new information came up and based on that, the president directed that the firm be further investigated. The firm was further investigated and given a clean bill of health and of course, we are on with the project.

“It was a contractor financed programme. They are supposed to deliver a number of security items including special mission vessels, special mission aircraft, helicopters, command and control centre and retrain a number of our military personnel.

That contract is still in place. Nobody has cancelled the contract.”

Peterside explained that the contract awarded to HLSI was not to take over maritime security in Nigeria but to train and complement the effort of the nation’s security personnel.

“For us, tackling maritime crime is a top priority issue which can never be ignored. Maritime security does not put the country in a good light in the international community so I can say emphatically that the programme is still on,” he added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

What Manner of Economic Diversification?

The effort of the federal government to achieve economic growth through diversification may not be getting all the necessary support it requires as core sectors identified to achieve economic diversification are not getting funds from banks, reports Bamidele Famoofo Diversification here is no doubt that petroleum (crude oil) has contributed substantially to Nigerian revenue since its discovery in 1956 and more especially, since 1970, when its price was on the upward trend.

However, it is a known fact across the globe that for a country to attain growth and development, its economy has to be diversified.

“Diversification does not occur in a vacuum.

Mono-economy needs to give way to the productive development of various sectors of the economy”, Economics Lecturer, Chinecherem Uzonwanne, at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, disclosed in a recent report on diversification of Nigeria’s economy.

Uzonwanne, who argued that there was an urgent need for the Nigerian government to begin looking into diversification of various sectors of the economy so as to attain solid economic growth, cited instability in oil price, especially since June 2014 when price of oil fell by more than 40 percent from $115 a barrel, to about $70 per barrel till date. “It is a well-known fact that Nigeria’s continuous large earnings or revenue from this sector will be impossible.”

It would be recalled that the Nigerian economy slipped into recession in 2016, a development triggered by dwindled government revenue occasioned by the fall in oil prices in the international market and unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The country, however, emerged from recession in the second quarter of 2017 after oil prices improved and relative peace was restored in the Niger Delta. But even as official figures show that the nation has exited recession, many Nigerians still complain that the effect of the exit is not felt in the economy.

T

Plan The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, like other administrations before it, indicated interest to diversify the economy when the prices of crude dropped below $40 per barrel, before climbing to about $70 per barrel at the moment.

To achieve its economic diversification agenda, the Buhari government formulated a growth plan contained in its Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP), being directly supervised by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. ERGP, according to government’s economic management team, is aimed at increasing national productivity and achieving sustainable diversification of production, to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens, beginning with food and energy security.

Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf, acknowledged that the ERGP was both a recovery and growth plan. “The government recognises the economic challenges that Nigeria faces and the need for urgent action. This plan is a blueprint for recovery in the short term and a strategy for sustained growth and development in the long term”.

According to Yusuf, the policy objectives of the ERGP included targeted support to non-oil exports through specific incentives; removal of barriers to the local production of goods that are currently imported and support economic diversification. It also intends to improve the capital account balance by attracting foreign capital into the economy, particularly foreign direct investment (FDI), as well as increase accretion to the country’s external reserves.

According to the Ministry of Budget & National Planning, ERGP focuses on six core

Oil palm plantation...the agriculture sector needs better support than it is currently getting

sectors to grow the economy. Minister in charge of the ministry, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, identified agriculture and transportation, power and gas and manufacturing and processing (including solid minerals) as the key sectors that will be developed to diversify the economy.

Financing Though government has openly talked about the commitment to achieve the economic diversification agenda as contained in the ERGP, there are concerns that the avowed seriousness on the part of government does not yet extend to funding.

For instance, statistics on how the banking sector in Nigeria distributed credit to the economy as at end of second quarter in 2018 showed that the banking industry seems not to be on the same page with government to achieve the diversification plan as commercial banks still prefer to give more money to operators in the oil and gas sector to the detriment of sectors already identified to stabilise the economy.

The total amount of credit allocated by banks to the oil and gas sector in the second quarter of 2018 was put at N3.45 trillion compared to N3.42 trillion in the first quarter of the year. The NBS said the sector’s allocation in second quarter was the highest compared to other sectors.

Credits allocated to agriculture and power and energy, two major sectors expected to drive economic diversification stood at a dismal 3.41 percent and 2.71 percent respectively as against 22.52 percent enjoyed by the almighty oil and gas sector in the period.

Even the real sector represented by manufacturing sector got total credit allocation of N2.019 trillion, representing 13.16 percent of total credit to the economy in the second quarter of the year. The sector got less financing in second quarter compared with the N2.073

trillion it received in the first quarter.

The agriculture sector got total credit allocation of N523 billion in the period under review, up from the N502 billion recorded the previous quarter.

The power and energy sector also recorded total credit allocation of N416 billion in the period under review, lower than the N426 billion it got in the first quarter of the year.

According to the report, a total volume of 509,668,433 transactions valued at N32.90 trillion were recorded in the second quarter of 2018 on electronic payment channels in the banking sector.

Credit to government at N1.47trillion or 9.61 per cent of total credits far exceeds combined lending to both agriculture and oil and gas that stood at 6.12 percent.

Beyond the banking industry, experts have said 90.6 percent of the 6,529 new projects inserted into the 2018 budget by the National Assembly did not align with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

A recent analysis by BudgIT shows that approximately 6, 529 new projects valued at N579.08 billion was inserted into the 2018 budget by the National Assembly.

“Out of the 6,529 new projects entered into the budget, 90.6 per cent or 5,918 items have a unit value below N200 million. Also, the projects cannot be directly linked to the written, medium-term aspirations of the government as highlighted in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan”, the report disclosed.

Communications Lead of BudgIT, Abiola Afolabi, said: “An analysis of the inserted projects shows that N63.64 billion or approximately 11 per cent of the new projects added by the National Assembly will be spent on various training and capacity building programmes in 2018.

Given that the budget will be largely funded by borrowings (as highlighted

in the 2018 fiscal plan), it is disheartening to discover that most of the identified line items therein show a significant disconnect from the developmental goals of government, as stated in its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). We are alarmed at the number of micro-projects added by the National Assembly that may not fall within the core scope of the Federal Government.”

CBN Interventions The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it has disbursed a total sum of N1.181 trillion through its several intervention schemes in an effort to help grow the Nigerian economy which is recovering from a recession, triggered by a drop in oil income. According to the CBN, the amount represented the total monies that had been disbursed as at June 2017, through its several intervention schemes. The Financial Stability Report for the period ended June 2017, released by the apex bank showed that N472.98 billion used for 513 projects had been disbursed through the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) since its inception. In the first half of last year, the sum of N79.56 billion had been disbursed to 11 banks for 23 projects compared to N35.99 billion disbursed to 13 banks for 39 projects in the preceding period. This reflected an increase of N43.57 billion and a decrease of 16 projects. Repayments under the scheme during the first half of 2017 stood at N19.78 billion through 17 banks for 185 projects, bringing the repayments to N244.79 billion from inception. Also, a total of 21,073 loans valued at N3.03 billion had been guaranteed under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS)in the first half of 2017 for two commercial and 36 microfinance banks as against 34,774 loans valued N4.47 billion for three commercial and 37 microfinance banks in the second half of 2016.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Factoring as Innovative Credit Finance Option for Export Promotion In this analysis, James Emejo explores the benefits of the Factoring Assignments (Establishment) Bill, which is being promoted by the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), to provide better financing alternative for micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) to boost their export businesses, when passed into law

A textile production line

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s the trade policy bank of the federal government, NEXIM Bank is confident that increased access to trade finance has the potential to significantly boost the non-oil export value chain, particularly from production to non-oil commodities, a situation which could further act as catalyst for the economic diversification agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, one of the major factors militating against the optimal performance of the non-oil export segment had been identified as lack of access to export finance as well as dearth of appropriate trade instruments to aid exporters, particularly the small businesses that are critical for employment generation.

According to Head, Strategic Planning, NEXIM, Mr. Tayo Omidiji, inadequate access to export finance by the MSMEs has unfortunately allowed for a situation, where a huge proportion of non-oil trade is done at the informal level and are not captured by government statistics, creating revenue leakages as a result.

Further worried by the financial handicap of the non-oil sector, partly occasioned by the stringent conditions set out by commercials for loan advancement to the sector, the development finance institution has taken the bull by the horn by resolving to promote factoring as an innovative, alternative trade finance tool and SME development strategy.

Omidiji said factoring refers to a complete international trade financial package that combines export working capital financing, credit protection, foreign accounts receivable book-keeping and collection services.

Essentially, the concept involves a business

selling its accounts receivables to a third party called a factor at a discount to solve an immediate cash needs.

NEXIM noted: “As a form of factoring, export factoring is offered under an agreement between the factor and exporter, in which the factor purchases the exporter’s short-term foreign accounts receivable for cash at a discount from the face value, normally without recourse. An area that NEXIM has become the primary financial establishment in Nigeria.”

The bill is intended to regulate factoring as an alternative source finance rather than bank loans.

Omidiji explained that though the global factoring industry has developed over the years as a major trade finance industry, estimated at €2.6 trillion in global transaction in 2017, out of which Africa accounted for only 0.8 per cent, dominated mainly by South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritius, Egypt and Kenya.

Afriexim Bank, one of NEXIM’s key stakeholders promoting the initiative in Nigeria, projected that factoring volumes in Africa could rise from €24 billion in 2012 to about €200 billion by 2020 buoyed by the continent’s increasing volume of merchandise trade over the past 10 years.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, NEXIM, Mr. Abba Bello, appealed for the expedited passage of the Factoring Bill by the National Assembly so as to provide better financing alternative for the cash-strapped SMEs in the country.

The draft bill had already passed through first and second readings in the House of Representatives, as well as the public hearing stage and now at the committee

stage for necessary fine-tuning.

Bello said factoring “will be one of the financing options that will mitigate the traditional challenges of SMEs in meeting the eligibility criteria for accessing credit from the traditional banking institutions.”

He expressed concern over the high level of informal trade in Africa, with informal non-oil exports recently estimated at a minimum of $12 billion annually in Nigeria as against recorded non-oil export trade averaging about $3 billion annually in recent times.

“While this challenge is a reflection of the large informal economy, estimated at 41.43 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP in 2015 by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it is also symptomatic of the dearth/poor access to export credit, particularly among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the principal players in cross border trade.

“Empirical data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria indicates that less than 1 per cent of the total loans and advances disbursed annually were allocated to the non-oil export sector over the years,” he added.

He further explained that it was against the background of the credit constraints to SMEs that NEXIM saw the need to partner with trade facilitating institutions namely Afreximbank and Factor Chain International (FCI) and other stakeholders, under the auspices of the CBN FSS 2020, to develop and promote factoring as an alternative trade finance instrument and an SME financial inclusion strategy.

While expressing optimism that the bill will be quickly passed into law, he underscored

the need for continued sensitisation, constructive engagement and capacity building to stimulate necessary investment interests and sustain the momentum towards rapid development of factoring in the country.

According to him, its passage will ultimately contribute towards improving Africa’s share in the global factoring volume and support the current efforts to boost Intra-African Trade, while also formalising informal trade.

He added that there was a high degree of correlation between the global growth in factoring volumes and the increasing preference for trading under open accounts, which currently accounts for over 80 per cent of international trade.

The bank believes the bill is particularly critical in trans-border transactions, where uncertainty and risk are especially heightened.

“International factoring plays a catalyst role in bolstering export trade for business by surmounting the attendant challenges confronting MSMEs such as low credibility and increased costs of alternative forms of financing,” it stated.

At the public hearing, Omidiji had told the House Committee on Banking and Currency that enacting the factoring bill will improve the legislative infrastructure that would ease the creation, perfection and enforcement of collateral as part of the financing provided to businesses through factoring.

According to him, strengthening legislation would provide the much-needed credibility to factoring as well as bolster business assurance to investors.

However, the Financial System Strategy 2020 further noted that though factoring might not be a panacea, it nevertheless, had the immense potentials to unlock financing for MSMEs across the country, adding that the lack of legal infrastructure in the country continues to stifle growth.

“The enactment of the factoring bill will therefore be highly commended but also complementary to other efforts to stem the growing tide of inequalities and financial exclusion that have inhibited the potential of MSMEs in Nigeria,” it stated.

In addition, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) described factoring as a welcome development that will expand the financial services market currently dominated by the banking sector.

It stated that the bill will “further promote and diversify out-sourcing services with positive impact on the financial/banking services industry by smoothening the financial services value chain.

This will have a salutary impact on the goals of financial system efficiency and stability.”

Basically, the corporation’s role in factoring becomes inevitable, where factors get involved in financing receivables of failed banks that are under liquidation.

Ideally, stakeholders also canvassed for stringent punitive measures to check any act of breach of trust particularly deliberate issuance of fraudulent invoices in the course of factoring transactions.

The committee chairman, Hon. Chukwudi Onyereri (PDP, Imo) however, assured stakeholders that it would do justice to the bill by attending to all grey areas identified in the course of the hearing.

If the piece of legislation sails through, it will no doubt be an immense game-changer for export financing in the country.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26,2018

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THE EXECUTIVE ABIODUN DABIRI

How We’re Using Transport System to Transform Lagos into a Smart City, Making it Attractive to Investors The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr. Abiodun Dabiri, explains the prospects for local and foreign investors in Lagos State’s transportation system as he marshals the blueprint of the state’s focus to turn the megacity into a smart city. In this interview with Kunle Aderinokun, Gboyega Akinsanmi and Bayo Akinloye, the LAMATA helmsman also reveals how the government is revolutionising Nigeria’s transport system

Dabiri

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t seems everywhere you turn in Lagos there’s one construction or the other being embarked upon the state government to improve the megacity’s infrastructure. But this sometimes brings about dire constraints on the comfort and movement of Lagosians. Why can’t the government do something concerning how these projects impact negatively on the people?

I want to thank you for the fact that you recognise that there is a lot of infrastructural projects going on

KOLA OLASUPO

in Lagos. It is the vision of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to have what we call the integrated multimodal transport system, where are able to give people options on the mode of transport they want to use – wherein you have the rail system, the road and the water system. It is for that reason you see a lot of work going on. Let me now zero in on the work’s impact on people you raised. All over the world – people have said we’ve made Lagos State a construction site –, when Dubai started the people there experienced some inconvenience. But

today, everybody is going to Dubai and they’re amazed about the infrastructure and development of that place. While Dubai was undergoing its transformation its inhabitants were complaining but today everybody is smiling. In Lagos, a similar thing is happening as people complain that the governor has turned Lagos into a construction site.

I think if there’s anything people should do here is to identify the good work the governor is doing.

Yet, that’s not to say that we didn’t factor in the plight the people may face in the projects.

The people are part of the programme that we’re doing. If you look at the Oshodi-Abule Egba project, when we started the contractor was working through the corridor from end to end. But in the last three months, we’ve been able to sectionalise the ongoing project. Now, the contractor is only working from Abule Egba to Iyana Ipaja because we discovered that the construction is impacting on people seriously. So, we’ve been able to limit the contractor to that segment. In addition to that, our men are there – including LASTMA – and

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26,2018

THE EXECUTIVE

It’s Part of Lagos State’s Master Plan to Have Cable Car System and One Private Firm Has Started Work on It If we have fund available today, the whole of Lagos would have become a construction site. Lagos State is expanding – 86 people are entering Lagos every hour. Every hour these people are coming and are not going back. Therefore, what we need to do is to keep developing and improving on our infrastructure

Dabiri

we’ve ensured that when work is ongoing at the corridor, the other carriageway is left for motorists to use. Also, while work is ongoing at the other carriageway we should open the BRT corridor for people to use. You’ll agree with me that area is densely populated; there’s no way the level of construction in that area won’t have impacts on the people. I appeal to our people with the assurance that we have them in mind and that’s why we’re trying to do what we’re doing to make sure we finish the project on time. The ongoing project is to make life better, comfortable and for them to have a new experience in terms of transportation.

Would the impact of the construction not have been less burdensome if much of the work takes place late in the night, at the wee hours?

It is part of the things that we have on the table for the contractor to use. The state government had to put street lights in that axis. At the moment, the challenge of the contractor working in the dead of the night is that of security. Right now, it’s not safe to let the workers work at that period of time.

We’re looking at that. Also, when the project started they’ve cut all the cables and providing light was impossible, therefore making the construction site pitch-dark in the night. We’re trying to work around those issues now.

How has it been running this strategic agency?

It’s been a good journey so far. I’ll say very interesting in the sense that if you saw how LAMATA started. LAMATA started from the point of view that the state needs an agency that’ll be able to bring – people were working in silos then; you had the ministry of transportation and you have the local government chairmen doing their own thing. However, with the wisdom of Lagos State government and the World Bank the need for an agency that focuses basically on transportation in Lagos State – that’s why LAMATA was created and the agency has been able to develop a strategy called Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) for Lagos State. That defines what needs to be done until 2032 to bring comfort to the increasing number of people in Lagos. Through that master plan, we’re expected to have 14 BRT routes, six rail lines – monorail – and then 26 water routes. We’ve

started implementing this. We’ve put in place two BRT routes. The third one is the Oshodi-Abule Egba route. And, of course, the rail system: you’ll see its implementation. We’ve started with the blue line. We’re equally negotiating the Marina express on the red line. We have other lines. The strategic transport master plan has been able to give us direction on how to tread. Today, everyone can see the bus reform we’re doing. This is what gave birth to all those things we’re doing.

Can you expatiate on the BRT corridors and will they be ready for operation?

Talking about the BRT corridors, the first one is from Marina to Mile 12. The second one is from Mile 12 to Ikorodu which has been completed. We also have from Oshodi to Abule Egba. The fourth one will be from Abule Egba down to the boundary between Lagos and Ogun State. Similarly, we have Apapa-Oshodi expressway; that’s another corridor down to Apapa. I think the Federal Government have taken over that road now to rehabilitate it.

We also have Isolo and Iyana Oba down to Abule Egba. Those are the major BRT routes.

The other ones are feeder routes. We call them quality bus corridors. The other one is the LagosBadagry route. We’ll start operations there very soon – before the end of this year, from there down to Okokomaiko.

Those are the trunk roads and then we have what we call quality bus corridors which are the feeder routes – and we have plans the feeder roads too. Because when you have the trunk roads, you have high-occupancy vehicles that can ply roads like the Ikorodu Road. And then you have midibuses – 32-seater – bringing people to the trunk roads. That’s the network we’re doing.

Our concentration isn’t only on the trunk roads.

We have plans for the feeder roads. The starting of operations of the Badagry route will be up to the Trade Fair Complex. The road is ready for use.

A lot of works are going on in terms of building corridors and terminals. People want to enjoy all facilities springing up. When will they begin to enjoy the facilities like the Ikeja Terminal?

This thing is a network. Some people when they leave their houses for work may have to board three or four buses before they get to their destination.

So, we have Ikeja Terminal – that terminal alone

will service about 23 routes. Our plan is to do these things in phases – now all the infrastructures aren’t ready. Apart from the bus terminals we also have to talk about the bus shelters. Then, we have the buses too. Lagos is a smart city; what we want to operate is what we call ‘smart operation’, where people come you’re not using cash. It’ll be electronic ticketing to enter the bus. So, everything must be ready and that’s what we’re working at achieving.

Our aim is to make sure these things start before the end of this year. What we’re trying to run is a holistic system of operations which will be done in phases. We can’t go state-wide. Even the phase one that we call Ikeja zone: that’s what we’re still working on now. Until we’re able to put everything there we’re not going to come out. But very soon before the end of this year we’re coming out.

Can you give us an update on the Marina blue line as it appears you have substituted one contractor for the other?

We don’t need to water down what CCCC has done. CCCC has done a great job. They started the project. And let me explain to you: for the rail project, you have different components. We have what we call fixed infrastructure which is civil work and that’s what was given to CCCC. They’ve started it and they’re going to finish it.

What we’ve signed with Aston is what we call movable infrastructure and then the systems that’ll run the rail – signalling, instrumentation and telecommunication. Rail system, unlike the bus you buy and then you begin to use, requires instrumentation, telecommunication, signalling, power. These were not part of the contract given to CCCC. Their contract was mainly to design and build fixed infrastructure which are the civil works that we’re seeing and the tracks being laid. On these tracks we’re going to put what we call the third rail – it’s not part of CCCC’s contract. It’s the third rail that’ll communicate the power to run the rail system – the coaches. These are different projects entirely. Building a rail system isn’t something you start today and you complete say in three years.

We’ve been a lot; we’ve had third-party encounters.

Without mentioning names, we’ve had problems with some oil companies that when they brought their barges until they moved we had to suspend work for about three weeks. The rail construction is going through the lagoon now. There, there are

a lot of wreckages that have to be removed before construction can continue. We’ve never stopped this project for one day but because of issues we’re encountering around this project that’s why the work seems to be slow. So, Aston is to provide the rolling stock, that is, the coaches – provide the third rail, signalling, telecommunications and then what we call station fit-out and to put the station in a functional and operational state. That is what Aston will start doing and that’s going to get the project to passenger operation.

Against the backdrop that Lagos is a megacity, what challenges does LAMATA face?

I won’t say LAMATA – Lagos State government in the sense that Lagos State wants to do a lot.

The first challenge – like I told you we have the Strategic Transport Master Plan – is fund. If we have fund available today, the whole of Lagos would have become a construction site. Lagos State is expanding – 86 people are entering Lagos every hour. Every hour these people are coming and are not going back. Therefore, what we need to do is to keep developing and improving on our infrastructure. However, there’s a snag: people aren’t paying taxes – they’re not paying enough.

Every money received by this administration is being used to provide adequate infrastructure for people. Also, the current state of the economy isn’t helping people. If you go to the bank, what they’ll give you is short-term loans. They can’t give you long-term loans. And, you can’t use short-term loans for all these kinds of projects. That’s why Lagos State government, through LAMATA, is ready to work with investors to make all these things happen. Like I said we have six rail lines: we have the blue, red, and green, orange, purple and then you have the monorail. Therefore, Lagos State is ready with the people. The reality is that it’s the foreign investors that have been coming. Our people aren’t even showing interests. We have people who have the money but they’re not showing interests.

The rail system is something that can be there for 50 years and someone is still making his money.

The government can’t do it alone – not just in Lagos State, all over the world the government can’t do it alone. We need the involvement of private investors.

What has Lagos State done to help people find these projects attractive as something they can invest in?

If you look at our PPP law, it is very attractive. The state government is trying to make our environment conducive for people to come and invest in. You know a lot of people do not come and find out what the state government is doing. But foreigners are coming now. We are discussing with Marina Express already. Marina Express is a consortium of local and foreign investors. But we have not

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26,2018

25

THE EXECUTIVE

Why World Bank Will Not Support Lagos State Rail System seen enough traffic. Honestly, the government of Lagos State is ready. With what we are doing with Marina Express, it shows we are ready. The federal government is helping us to make things work.

You talked about the bus reform initiative earlier. Can you tell us more about that?

Lagos State needs to move to the next level.

As we all know, Lagos State is a mega city. We cannot call Lagos a mega city while we are not able to provide a comfortable transport system for the people. That is the way the Ambode administration is looking at it. That is why the administration is coming up with the Bus Reform Initiative. The initiative is to provide air-conditioned, comfortable, safe mode of transport system for the people. It is not that we are taking danfo off the road, but we are replacing it with a better option. Who are the people we are using? It is the same drivers that are operating in the state. Already, we are training the same set of drivers in Badagry and Epe. We are training them vigorously. People are asking us every day: why have we not started? But work is going. We cannot purchase this kind of buses and give them to drivers without proper training. If you want to go to where we are training, we can make an arrangement for you. We are not going to bring drivers from anywhere. The ratio is this: for one big bus, we need two and half drivers. If we are bringing 100 buses, we need 250 drivers. And we plan to bring 5,000 buses to start with. On this note, we are talking about 15,000 drivers. Where are we going to get them from? We are going to get them from the same set of drivers in the state. But our plan is to re-culture these drivers. We want to rehabilitate them. We want to re-orientate them. Look at the Ikeja Bus Terminal you talked about. You will not see paraga in that place. If you go to Oshodi transport interchange, you will not see paraga there. All these new bus terminals are not garages. If you will see anything at all, you’ll perhaps see KFC, MTN or Airtel. It is going to be a place where people can relax. When you are coming in the evening, you can see down and relax. So, we want to create a hub where people can sit down and drink coffee. This is the king of things this government is trying to do in Lagos State. It is not that we want to take danfo off the road. We just want to replace it with comfortable transport system that will appeal to the people.

We are targeting the middle class. Let me say this.

Somebody starts working today. The next thing is to start thinking about how to get a car. It should not be. If you go abroad, people are thinking about how to have their own homes immediately they start working. The reason is simple. If they come out of their homes, they can enter a comfortable public bus or train. In that case, what do they need the car for? That is what we are targeting.

We want to change the orientation of our middle class. When they come out of schools, their first target is not to start thinking about how to buy a vehicle, but how to own a home to start with.

That is where we are going to. So, it is beyond danfo people, though they are part of what we are doing. We have co-opted them. We have talked to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). They are exactly part of what we are doing. It is beyond taking the danfo off the road.

It is about restructuring the economy of Lagos State. It is also about re-orientating the people of Lagos State. With this, people can now be thinking about things that reign or things that are tangible. If you use your first savings to buy a car, it does not make sense. The day you purchase a car, it starts depreciating. If you pay for your mortgage today, it starts appreciating. This is the kind of things we are looking at.

You also talked about the state’s strategic transport master plan. How many years does the master plan cover?

We have done the first one. It will elapse in 2032.

But by 2019, we are planning to take it 2040. In the plan, we have taken into consideration the future realities of the state, especially its growing population.

Since your agency deals with transportation generally, what is LAMATA doing about water transportation?

In planning, LAMATA is involved in water transportation. But in implementation, we have Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) in charge. But like I said earlier, we have strategic transport master plan. If you look at the master plan, we have been able to identify 26 routes on our waterways. Currently, through the World Bank,

Dabiri

we have been able to secure a grant to conduct studies on our waterways. And the report will be submitted by the end of September. When the new Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson, came in, one of his focal points has been waterway. Just last month, we had a roundtable on waterway. It is something at the heart of the state government. We discovered that only about one percent of Lagos population used our waterway. But we are just planning to take up it to 20 percent. That is the agenda of Lagos State.

Basically, LAMATA is limited to planning. But in implementation, it is the LASWA. And of course, the Ministry of Transportation is looking into this.

What impact is the rising population of Lagos State having on the transport system?

It is seriously impacting on our transport system.

As they are coming, people must move from one place to another. Two things are critical as people move into the state. The first one is public transport while the second is housing. We have been able to capture in our strategic transport master plan.

We know the rate at which people are coming in.

We know the population of Lagos State. We know the modes of transportation. We know the pattern of movement. That is we have been able to come up with master plan. Recently, another thing we are working on is not-motorised transport (NMT) system. We have about 40 per cent of people moving around Lagos, walking from one place to another.

We have been able to develop a policy paper around it. We have collaborated with foreign people already.

It has been given to the Ministry of Transportation.

Very soon, we will come up a policy. You will begin to see us developing pedestrian walkways around Lagos so that people can walk from Point A to Point B seamlessly. You discover that people do not walk again because there is not facility for it. That is what we want to do so that people can walk. If you go to London, you see people coming out of their houses and walking to bus or train stations. But people are talking here that our bus stations are too far. It is part of the plan to keep our people in good shape. When you walk about 100 or 200 metres in the morning and you do the same in the evening, you do not need special exercise again. On the streets of London, that is why you see people in the morning going to bus or train stations. This is one of the things we are looking at. When the policy is out, the implementation

will follow immediately.

When you talk about inter-modal transport system, you can take away cable car system.

Is LAMATA considering the option of cable car system?

I have explained our strategic transport master plan in detail. The master plan has identified three cable car routes. People have shown interest in only one of them. The project is still on. They (the company working operating a cable car system in Lagos) started very well. Until recently, they have been able to secure all the stations. I think they are having issue with funding. But the project is still on. The state government has not taken it away from them. The other two cable car routes have been part of our strategic transport master plan from the beginning.

What is happening to the other two?

People have not come up for the other two. They have not indicated interest in them. Like I said, we have six rail lines. But investors have only shown interest in three: green, red and the blue that we are constructing. People have not really realised what we have. I visited somewhere in Spain about four years ago where there is a family running what we are doing. We can see what they are doing. People have not really realised what we have. People are not really coming forward to take advantage of what we have. That is why the state government decided to take up the blue line. The blue line is being constructed by the state government. We are using the internally generated revenue (IGR) to construct it. The state government is using your tax to construct it. That is why it was as if it was taking a while. It is huge.

What happened to the World Bank loan?

The World Bank will not sponsor rail. Aside, we did not take money from the World Bank to build the blue line.

We used the money we obtained from the World Bank to construct the bus rapid transit (BRT) along Ikorodu road. The World Bank does not sponsor rail because they will tell you they can use the money to construct one rail for 10 BRTs. So, they do not sponsor rail.

For a while now, we have not heard about the partnership between the Lagos State Govern-

ment and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to build Marina-Ikoyi-Lekki monorail. Why? Actually, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is ready to give us loan to for the project. They call it monorail that will run between Victoria Island and Ikoyi. But this administration has been able to analyse the traffic situation in the axis. If we have a monorail that will run between Ikoyi and Victoria Island, who are the people that will board it? Where are they coming from? They are people coming from Ajah. They are the people coming from Eleko. They are the people coming from Ibeju. While these people are stranded there and you build monorail in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, what will happen? It is going to be a wasted effort.

We now proposed to use the loan to construct the green line. That is where we have a challenge now.

Already, the state government is working on the blue line that will bring people from Okokomaiko to Marina. Our system in Lagos State is like people are going from mainland to the Island. That is where everybody is going. What we can use to change this traffic direction is the rail system we are talking about. We call it transport-oriented development (TOD).

This will encourage people to build real estate around train stations. By the time we begin to have real estate, it will attract banks. When banks are around train stations, people will start setting up eatery there. Then, you will begin to see hotels and shopping malls coming up along the corridor. As time goes, people will not need to move from the mainland to the Island anymore.

The critical problem that we have now is the green line. We are constructing the blue line already.

Marina Express is trying to build the red line. The green line is coming from Lagos Free Trade Zone to Marina. If the JICA can fund the green line for us, you can come back to the monorail later. We do not want to put the cart before the horse. Go and see people coming from Ajah. If you are coming from Ajah to Marina, you have to leave your house by 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. If you stay at home until 6:00 a.m., you are in serious problem. When you have a rail system, you come at your time. We have been able to target these three axes: Sango-Ota, Okokomaiko and Ajah. If we are able to do these rail lines, we have honestly been able to solve almost 50 per cent of our traffic challenges. But we are still negotiating with the JICA on the green line.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Leather Industry Gets Boost as BoI Embraces Made-in-Aba Products Nigeria’s leading development finance institution, the Bank of Industry, is on the threshold of becoming a veritable game-changer and growth catalyst for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) across the country. Tobi Soniyi reports

A shoe-making factory...shoe production is of the major SME concerns in Nigeria

L

ast week in Aba, the Bank of Industry unveiled its new innovative product, Cluster Financing of small and medium industries in the manufacturing sector.

Specifically, the bank is propping no fewer than 70,000 artisans engaged in the leather products business. Each beneficiary, all members of the Leather Products Manufacturers Association of Abia State, LEPMAAS, have started receiving short-term loans, between N300,000 and N500,000.

The disbursement of loans to the first batch of beneficiaries was witnessed by Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan, members of the organised private sector, sundry cooperative and business groups in Abia State.

The Aba Finished Leather Goods Cluster Financing scheme is driven by BoI, but Fidelity Bank will handle the disbursement of about N400m every quarter to 300 new target beneficiaries, all members of the cluster. The package was designed to provide a tailored bundle of financial and nonfinancial services including capacity building to qualified members of LEPMAAS. Beneficiaries will maintain SME accounts with the commercial bank and will enjoy zero-cost in opening current accounts.

Indeed, this latest intervention is targeting some 150,000 artisans at Aba shoe and leather goods cluster who produce shoes, trunk box, belt and bags for markets in Nigeria and its neighboring countries including Cameroun, Togo, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Mali.

Members of LEPMASS, the umbrella association of the Aba Cluster, are in four distinct clusters with 284 production lines. The group is structured into 14 administrative zones.

Analysts have hailed this collaboration between

the two banks as a win-win situation for its flexible terms, the propensity to accelerate import substitution in the leather products industry, create more jobs and earn the nation huge foreign exchange.

Such optimism is not misplaced going by the enthusiasm exuded by the Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan. “Taking a cursory look at the Aba cluster and the contributions of the members of LEPMAAS to the leather sector, informal computations put revenue from the cluster at over N10 billion annually despite the competing volumes of similar goods being imported into the country,” he observed.

The federal government is not oblivious of this opportunity. It is writing a National Leather and Leather Products Policy after acquiring machineries and equipment to modernise the leather craft industry in Aba, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enalamah, disclosed in his message.

The Aba Cluster scheme, owing to its tailored framework, may be the magic tonic to bring out the best from the famed industrial ingenuity of Abians.

The loan from BoI is at very low interest and is without any collateral; available for procurement of materials to expand and improve existing production lines. Pitan spoke on the promising outcomes. “It was this significant opportunity to substitute import volumes by supporting quality improvement of Made in Aba products, create additional jobs and improve the quality of lives of the artisans that led the Bank of Industry to design this tailored programme.

“By providing low interest, non-collateralised loans, BoI has offered flexibility for qualified members of LEPMAAS recommended by their line and zonal chairmen to access up to N300,000 towards the procurement of materials to expand and improve their production activities.

These members are also covered by a guarantee provided by the LEPMAAS executives, who are working closely with the bank to ensure prompt repayment of these loans by the beneficiaries,” he elaborated.

For the industrious Aba craftsmen, this is also an opportunity to learn best practice methods.

The BoI is offering “a bouquet of financial and non-financial services.” The Ford Foundation and Fidelity Bank are providing invaluable support service described by Pitan as “well-rounded product that speaks to the financial and capacity development needs of the members and executives of LEPMAAS.” Specifically, the Ford Foundation, already pursuing an advocacy agenda in the Aba cluster region, will be providing a grant that focuses on strengthening the capacities of the leaders and beneficiaries in the cluster even as it erects monitoring structures to ensure loan repayments.

Fidelity Bank will provide account management services to the loan beneficiaries. A fully furnished secretariat to support the governance activities of the LEPMAAS executives was commissioned shortly after cheques were distributed to loan beneficiaries who successful passed the litmus test of BOI’s evaluation process.

Pitan promised that the bank was keen in growing the size of beneficiaries from the increasing number of applications endorsed by the LEPMAAS leadership even as he advised beneficiaries to be diligent in the repayment of their loans to ensure the sustainability of the scheme.

He had kind words for Governor Ikpeazu, the champion of “Made in Aba” revolution, for his keen interest and support for the scheme, while promising that BoI will continue to focus on the growth and development of the Aba Finished Leather Goods cluster through initiatives that promote the Aba brand both locally and globally.

Aba is an industrial hub not only in Nigeria but the entire West-African sub-region. Entrepreneurial activities in the city revolve mainly around finished leather and garment works. But business clusters have emerged as entrepreneurs strive to build synergy with similar businesses and link up with customers and support institutions.

BoI recently secured a $750million (N250billion) facility from 16 financial institutions to fund the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector of the economy. The loan was syndicated by the African Export-Import Bank, Afrexim, and financed by 16 lenders including the Afrexim, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and British Arab Commercial Bank Plc. The deal is the outcome of a strategic corporate plan to enable the bank meets its obligations and aspirations. The big idea is to raise a N1 trillion loan facility, locally and abroad, to part-finance the industrial component of the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

The gesture extended to BoI is the single largest syndicated facility to be received by a development finance institution in Nigeria. Pitan had expressed confidence on the bank’s capacity to effectively utilise the fund for its purpose even as he promised financial life blood for local enterprises for a period of between five and seven years as BoI seeks to bridge the funding gap for MSMEs, estimated at N704billion.

“The idea is to support industries. This package will enable us loan additional N250billion to willing and able entrepreneurs in the industrial sector,” said Pitan, who also disclosed that the bank will target enterprises in the creative industry, manufacturing and gender-based businesses.

The ultimate objective is to act as a catalyst in creating wealth for small and medium enterprises, create new jobs and thereby drive down unemployment rate in the country.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 5, 2018

BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE

How Top Executives Can Benefit from Big Data and Digital Revolution Alim Abubakare

F

rom marketing, operations to HR, supply chain, finance to strategy, there is no doubt that organizations are operating in the era where information and data are extremely critical. In fact, every driver of organisational performance and value creation is increasingly shaped by the digital revolution. Leaders know that the present socio-economic landscape in Nigeria is volatile but the million dollar questions are how could they do more with less- drive sales in an effective and efficient way, innovate, develop new revenue streams, improve service delivery, survive, consolidate and grow? The answer is Strategic outcomes from big data. Our website, texem.co.uk has more information.

With Big Data analysis being the process of analyzing large volume, variety, and velocity of data to discover buried patterns, hidden correlation, and other useful information to shape decision making and unlock value, Texem UK has developed an executive development programme that would help Leaders to improve individual, team and organizational performance.

During this programme, executives would be opportune to learn how Big Data creates value for their business, how it enables decision making, how it helps to narrow segmentation of customer for targeted clients, and how it opens new business opportunities by developing new and innovative products (for private sectors) and services (for public sectors).

All the possibilities that Big Data can bring to a business will be learned and how it can be implemented in your organization will be discussed.

For example, Big Data can create new opportunities for your business in areas such as Product/service development, design, marketing, sale or support, that is why you cannot afford to miss Texem UK’s forthcoming programme on Harnessing Big Data: Insights and Action for Strategic Outcomes which will hold from 3rd to 6th September 2018 at Oracle University, Reading, UK. To register, please visit https://texem.co.uk/programmes/harnessing-bigdata-insights-and-action-for-superlative-results.html Executives who attend this programme would learn the secrets of modern-day competitive intelligence, the importance of virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence and how this could improve policymaking, gain insights to develop, implement, and manage collaborative

Professor Rodria Laline Sep forecasts, how to develop transparent, interrelated and aligned processes, analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making, actionable insights in leading an analytics transformation, case studies of Superlative Results from Harnessing Big Data and ways to avoid business analytic failures.

The programme would be facilitated by worldrenowned faculties grounded in actionable insights and over two hundred years real-life experience in total: Professor Rodria Laline (Visiting Professor of Harvard, Insead and IESE and Chair of Intrabond. Capital); Michael Connaughton, Head of Analytics & Big Data, EMEA – Oracle. Others are Neil Sholay, VP Innovation, Oracle; Andrew Sutherland, Senior Vice President, Systems, and Technology, Oracle; Andrew Sordam, Oracle Vice President Sub-Saharan Africa; and Obi Ejimofo, CIO, Asoko Insight Cost: £3000 i.e. N1,500,000 (which covers study materials, meals during the programme, group picture, and certification).

Commenting on the programme, Laline said,

“In an era of very scarce resources, roller-coaster paced innovation and cut-throat competition, how do we challenge today’s board governance and leadership practices when artificial intelligence and cognitive computing power is aggregated in the hands of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and the likes?

“Will we outsource our brains? Will we connect our human mental states to the dynamic interfaces of modern intelligent systems? Are we underestimating how technology is shaping us? What happens if we leave all algorithms affecting our lives obscured in black boxes?

“What kind of values do we embrace? Who are we? How do we want to live? Big data and predictive analytics are transforming practices in the new business ecosystems.

“What goes into big data, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence many of us don’t know?

Discover how to strengthen your own contribution and overall board effectiveness to truly drive business value, competitive advantage, and board

engagement. “Make a powerful statement to your investors, management team, customers and the public about your commitment to governance excellence. Learn to ask clever questions. Take control. Join TEXEM at Oracle University”.

Executives who have attended Texem’s programme in the past have shared commendable testimonials.

“I found this program very, very rewarding. In the past, I always had a way of thinking that the matter of sustainability-related only to policy matters but during this program, it has been broken down into the company level and for me, there are a number of takeaways that I hope to begin implementing once I get back home,” Frank Aigbogun – CEO and Publisher BusinessDay “We have been taught some key ways on how to manage a recession and get out fit, I will definitely bring it to bear in my business. I have gained some more leadership skills here as well,” said Bayo Ojo SAN, former attorney general of the federation.

––Abubakare, Chairman, Texem

NEWS $3.3bn Egina FPSO Sails to 200,000bpd Offshore Field Cont’d from Pg. 1 THISDAY Columnist, Omokri, A top official of SHI, who spoke off the record, told this paper last night that with the completion of the major risky phase of the FPSO project, “mooring, hook-up and offshore commissioning will proceed favourably offshore with the final completion expected before the end of the year” According to him, “the project cost management is proceeding as scheduled with thorough preparation” “The only major balance work now is the commissioning work in offshore and to make the FPSO ready for entry of hydrocarbons (oil and gas) within 2018,” he added.

The Egina field will add 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil to Nigeria’s daily output when it comes on stream, amounting to an increase of 10 per cent to Nigeria’s daily production at peak.

It was gathered that in line with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010, SHIN has successfully completed the Egina FPSO work in SHI-

MCI yard under the stringent local content regulations with similar safety and quality standards applicable in the Geoje shipyard in Korea.

Though Nigeria has five producing deepwater fieldsBonga, Agbami, Erha, Akpo, Usan, with gigantic FPSOs, the Egina FPSO is unique in the sense that it is the largest FPSO in the country, and is also the first FPSO to be integrated locally in Nigeria, and indeed, Africa.

“This volume of onshore work was never before accomplished in Nigeria. Therefore, the major risky portion of Egina project has now been completed. This achievement has been followed by very good response from the authorities of the Nigerian government and international clients. This would lead SHI to gain a competitive edge in future offshore project orders to be placed in West Africa, of course including Nigeria. In terms of history, SHI won the order to build Egina FPSO in 2013,” the SHI official added.

The FPSO is 330 metres in

length, 61 metres in breadth, and 34 metres in height, with capacity to produce 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day and storage capacity of 2.3 million barrels and topsides weighing 60,000 tonnes.

The FPSO will be installed in Egina offshore field, located 200 kilometres from Nigerian shores.

The $3.3 billion FPSO contract is a turnkey project in which Samsung covers the entire engineering, design, procurement, construction, transportation, and commissioning.

SHI earlier formed a joint venture with a Nigerian local company and established a mega production facility in Lagos, to meet the local content requirements.

The yard, which was completed in October 2016, is 120,000 square meters and has world-class construction and painting facilities as well as a robust quay wall of 500 meters, which has the unique strength in West Africa for berthing of mega size FPSOs. “We are very proud to

announce the successful completion of the first ever Nigerian onshore integration works for Egina FPSO with thorough preparation in compliance with Nigerian local content, both schedule and cost management have been proceeding as planned,” the official said.

According to him, “Samsung is confident of successfully completing the remaining offshore works for Egina FPSO project through close cooperation with our client, Total along with our coventurers, being supported by all relevant Nigerian government agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); National Petroleum Management Services (NAPIMS); Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB); Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA); Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and NIS, with stringent safety and quality control,” the source added.

Gives TEDx Talk Next Week THISDAY columnist, Mr. Reno Omokri, will next week deliver a TEDx Talk on restructuring.

Tagged TEDxApata, the talk will take place in Ibadan and tickets are already on sale on the TED website.

An advocate of restructuring, Omokri was one of the aides of former President Jonathan who supported the convocation of the 2014 National Conference.

Omokri is also a bestselling author and has written about the urgent need to restructure Nigeria along the lines of meritocracy and true federalism.

THISDAY has taken an exclusive look at the promo for the talk in which Omokri makes the following assertions: We need to make Nigeria work for Nigerians otherwise Nigerians may end up walking out of Nigeria. Now we are seeing this already. Every year, literally hundreds of thousands of Nigerians try to make it to Europe, some on foot, through the Sahara Desert, and the Mediterranean Sea. Hundreds,

maybe thousands die in the process. Others become slaves in Libya.

This is happening because Nigeria, as presently constituted, is the hardest place to succeed.

We can’t run away from restructuring. Nigeria is not working for Nigerians. Nigerians are intelligent people, but Nigeria is not an intelligent country.

An unintelligent country can’t provide the enabling environment for intelligent people.

Nigeria is never going to move from being a consumer nation to being a prosumer one if we do not restructure. A prosumer is a person who consumes what he produces.

A consumer is s person who consumes what others produce.

It is very hard, in fact almost impossible, for a nation to become wealthy, if she only consumes.

We need a paradigm shift from consumption to prosumption.

Now, prosumer is a word that exists, but prosumption is a word I made up to explain the act of consuming your product.

28

AUGUST 26, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

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T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

26.08.2018

Ghali Umar Na’Abba on

Family

ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R ˾ Ͱʹ, ͰͮͯͶ

COVER

Set to Revive His Political Engine When Ghali Na’Abba, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was growing up, there was no limit to what he could dream to become.

He saw, first-hand, Nigeria’s leaders come and go in his family’s house. He witnessed the pains of many ordinary Nigerians and the pleasures of few elites. Funke Olaode writes that the trajectory of Na’Abba‘s childhood, his political philosophy, passion for true leadership and courage to stand against bad leadership are the basis of his life and the essence of his politics

“N

a’Abba! Na’Abba!

Na’Abba!” the adults screamed and the little children chorused.

There were not a few people eager to open the door for him. With his radiant eyeballs shining through his bespectacled face, he beamed a smile of appreciation towards the milling crowd, clasping his two palms in gratitude. Adorned in white agbada, the one-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, walked through the door, calmly but majestically.

Even in the comfort of the living room –far away from the excited crowd – the distant echoes of the chants could still be heard, “Na’Abba! Na’Abba!

Na’Abba!” It took some time before the reverberation died down. He smiled, as if to say, “What could I do about the crowd?” Even though he is no longer in the limelight as regards Nigeria’s political goings-on, Na’Abba exudes a charm that has lingered despite the passage of time. He brims with confidence and speaks with eloquence.

His name is synonymous with the third term agenda – being one of the few federal lawmakers that aborted the then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s illicit dream to perpetuate himself in power – the ex-ruler has continued to deny the accusation though. Today, Na’Abba still stands tall among his political peers.

Born on September 27, 1958, his political life began during his student days when he was elected as Secretary of Ahmadu Bello University chapter of People’s Redemption Party (PRP). But for the 59 years old, injustice meted out to his people while growing up as a child in Kano played a bigger role and tilted his young mind towards extreme interest in politics.

“Since childhood, I have been interested in politics, having grown up in the area of Kano that had produced Mallam Aminu Kano. Therefore, all that area was a Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) enclave and I used to see frequently uniformed men

Na’Abba

(law enforcement agencies) coming to harass people from my area to the extent that my father was jailed. And a lot of time we couldn’t come out of our houses to go to school because we were always under siege particularly in 1964 when I was barely six years old.

“NPC, which comprised of the conservative aristocrats were oppressing NEPU, which most of its members were radicals. So there was this contradiction between the aristocrats and the common man of which our parents stood to protect.

Even at that age, I became worried and l once asked, ‘Why must we be under siege? Why must we not be allowed to exercise our rights? Why must we not to be allowed to belong to any political party of our choice?’ My mind became curious and that was how I started reading about happenings in the newspapers, including politics. And because of my obsession to change the condition of the oppressed I vowed to embrace politics,” he recalled.

Apart from the politics of that era which awakened in him the desire to represent his people, the renowned politician recounts his early years in the cosmopolitan city with nostalgia, saying: “It was fantastic growing up in Kano.

Kano used to be a very interesting place.

You know Kano was popular then with its big market and still is. Kano is on the trail of the trans-Saharan trade. We used to see a variety of people coming from the Arab cities such as Algeria, Mali, Morocco, Mauritanian; and places like Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. It was like a melting point of so many things. We have the famous Koromi Market and a lot of people (used to come and) still come from African countries as far as Sudan to purchase many things from Kano. When I was growing up we just had the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero who was installed in 1963.

“I remember he visited my primary school in 1964. And because I was among the brightest pupil in the class, before the Emir came, we were rehearsing what we should say when he arrived. When the D-day came and he came into my class, he looked so overwhelming that I couldn’t

NPC, which comprised of the conservative aristocrats were oppressing NEPU, which most of its members were radicals. So there was this contradiction between the aristocrats and the common man of which our parents stood to protect. Even at that age, I became worried and l once asked, ‘Why must we be under siege? Why must we not be allowed to exercise our rights? Why must we not to be allowed to belong to any political party of our choice?

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AUGUST 26, 2018 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

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My Enduring Desire Is to Improve People’s Lives talk. He was such a humble man. He walked up to me, knelt down, held my hand and said I am a human being like you that I should speak and not be afraid of him. Then I started talking and eventually said what I was told to say. It was a very interesting episode.”

Na’Abba’s family’s political richness is not in doubt. It is same with the family’s material prosperity. His family business, Na’Abba Commercial Trading Company, founded by his father was very popular in Kano back then. The company was into export of reptile skins (used for shoes and bags) and import of goods and services. However, living in affluence did not prevent the family and him from being radical.

He explains: “I grew up in a family that was rich but also radical – that influenced a lot about my life. I used to have a lot of friends and was very liberal with money. When I was growing up in my family, I met a lot of people who were not even members of the family but were bearing the family’s name. Not only were my parents rich but were also community leaders. My grandfather was close to the Emir and big politicians used to see most of the ministers from Kano in my grandfather’s house. All the ministers came from time to time. I used to see the late Maitama Sule, the late Ibrahim Musa Kashashi and so on. Right then, I started entertaining the idea that one that I should be a Minister. In fact, that inspired me a lot to study political science. But destiny later played out as I became more than a minister – I became Nigeria’s number four citizen.”

Commenting on the current crop of leaders in the country and whether they are measuring up, Na’Abba points out: “For me, leaders should act like parents. Leaders must show love to the people. Leaders should show empathy.

Leaders shouldn’t have a restricted mind but a broad mind. And leaders must treat people the same no matter their backgrounds because the easiest way to sow seeds of strife within any community is to treat people differently or to discriminate against them. I don’t discriminate against any people because I believe every human being has a common humanity. So differences in religion and ethnicity must not be our guiding principle in governance.

I believe what should guide us is our common humanity. And that was why when I was speaker in the House of Representatives, I adopted this approach and that was why my colleagues supported me. We created such a bond that even today we are all together as brothers.”

In the last 15 years though, Na’Abba has been a fringe political player. What did he miss? What went amiss? He answered: “I missed my colleagues. I missed positive policies what would have impact in the citizenry. What happened was that when we were fighting to ensure that democracy took root in the country, there were other people who were busy trying to snatch away politics from people and they succeeded. And that is why until now the people of Nigeria have never successfully elected the kind of people they want into political positions because certain people, particularly the governors have appropriated our political parties to themselves and they (the governors) alone decide who goes anywhere. And some of us who seem to be independent-minded for true governance got on the wrong side of politics. They tell us that we are not team players because we have the courage to tell them that certain things are wrong and shouldn’t be done.”

For many, the political travail that eventually sent him into political oblivion can be traced to his disagreement with Obasanjo. Does he still enjoy a cordial relationship with Obasanjo? Did he regret the stance he took against the ex-president?

“Well, I believe we enjoy a cordial

Na’Abba

I grew up in a family that was rich but also radical – that influenced a lot about my life. I used to have a lot of friends and was very liberal with money.

When I was growing up in my family, I met a lot of people who were not even members of the family but were bearing the family’s name. Not only were my parents rich but were also community leaders. My grandfather was close to the Emir and big politicians used to see most of the ministers from Kano in my grandfather’s house. All the ministers came from time to time. I used to see the late Maitama Sule, the late Ibrahim Musa Kashashi and so on. Right then, I started entertaining the idea that one that I should be a Minister relationship and what happened at that period, I didn’t take it personal but in the interest of the nation. It is my duty to make the Executive accountable which was what I did. I was called names; described as arrogant and someone who never listens. I never regretted anything

Photos: JULIUS ATOI

that I did or said because I was proved right. My effort then was to ensure that everybody could use his or her Godgiven endowment to become whatever he or she wants. And that is the beauty of democracy. Unfortunately, people like Obasanjo and co. seized our political party, damaged it and eventually killed the other political parties. It was Obasanjo who killed Alliance for Democracy (AD) and APP after appropriating PDP to himself. Most of the things he did then brought us to this sorry state,” Na’Abba replied.

For a man who exemplified sterling leadership qualities when he held sway as the House of Representatives speaker, Na’Abba believes that all hope should not be lost on the country. Prescribing the way forward, he says: “I believe in Nigeria and its potentiality. Nigeria should belong to the First World and not the Second or even Third World. One of the reasons we have not moved forward as a nation is that that we have been having series of unprepared leaders – series of accidental leaders – people who shouldn’t be in the position of authority.

I think this has to do with the fact that Nigerians are consistently being denied a right of choice. We have excellent materials for leadership – for presidency but the system that is used to recruit people into power is being continuously manipulated to the benefit of those who exercise power for their selfish reasons.

Unless we make our democracy work in such a manner that people who merit being in position of leadership become leaders. My prayer is that our recruitment system is rejuvenated so that people who have abilities and capacities will be elected by the people so Nigeria will enjoy good leadership.”

Did he agree that his inability to yield ground in the face of political turbulence eventually sent him to a political Siberia over the last 15 years?

“Well, he (Obasanjo) and my governor then put heads together to ensure that the results of my election were manipulated in favour of my opponent.

Two things actually helped them: PDP in Kano was divided. A faction was

led by me, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and Alhaji Musa Gwadabe. And other faction was led by the governor. In 1999, during the first election there was no faction. Every member of PDP in my constituency voted for me and that was how I defeated the opponent from the APP. In 2003, because of the division, members of the faction we led voted for me and members of the faction led by the governor were asked to vote for APP. Naturally, I couldn’t win. But all the mobile police men in the Northern Region were in Kano to ensure that I didn’t win that 2003 re-election.”

“In fact,” he added, “my result was the first to be announced in Nigeria. By the time the election was concluded in 2003, subsequently, our political parties were seized in all the states by the governors. That was why you see a lot of things happening in this country particular the quality of low leadership because there have been no elections as most elections of candidates into the National Assembly are emerging through selections or chosen by the governors. Almost 80 per cent of elected representatives either in the House of Representatives, the Senate or local government councils were chosen by the governors.”

As the country is approaching 2019 elections, Na’Abba yearns to serve his people again. “I am still positive that I will join the fray towards 2019. I am considering contesting to become something but wouldn’t want to disclose it now,” he states.

Na’Abba’s political philosophy sounds strange in today’s Nigeria. But does he mean every word he says? “My philosophy of life is that I should be an instrument with which other people’s lives are improved. My philosophy about life is that I must do things that will improve the quality of Nigerians and that was why while in the House of Representatives I made a lot of sacrifices.

I could have died; I could have been killed with what I led my colleagues to do. I was always in the bad book of the powers that be but God saw me through.”

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GLITZ PERSONALITY

Amy Traore-Shumbusho My Mission is to Restore People’s Smile, Self Esteem A dentist par excellence, she runs a foremost dental clinic in Nigeria. With a passion and mission to transform the dental landscape, the Managing Director of Smile360 Dental Specialists, Dr. Amy Traore-Shumbusho, is re-defining how Nigerians smile and more important, how they pay attention to oral health.

In sharing the narrative of her life, Dr. Amy exemplifies the harmony between selflessness and ambition as captured by Funke Olaode

I

n her floral, fluorescent dress, she flashes a smile revealing her sparkling white set of teeth. Seated with her elbows hooked on the table, she intermittently pushes back her glowing dark hair that is being swept hither-thither by the evening breeze.

Beneath her glistening skin and teeth – and the effervescent smile – is a heaving heart that seeks for the good of others.

Her body language is unambiguous.

As the owner of a foremost dental clinic in Nigeria, her vision is to serve as a leading voice on oral care in Africa – an ambition she is inching closer to day by day. She also seeks to inspire both dental practitioners and patients by being a catalyst for transforming the way Africa’s dental industry is perceived on the continent and around the global – that is her mission.

She believes that through customised education, professional development and empowerment she will revolutionise the dental industry. Over the years, she has been able to tick the right boxes and still counting through 25 years of experience as a dentist, consultant orthodontist – that is her passion.

Welcome to the world of Dr. Amy Traore-Shumbusho: a specialist in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedic.

Dr. Amy, as she is fondly called, has consulted for leading clinics until eight years ago when she established Smile360 Dental Specialists. Recognised as an authority in Africa on invisible orthodontics and self-ligating braces, she has won, four times in a row, award of the Best Dental Service Provider in Nigeria (2015 to 2018).

Her glistening career cuts across the Arabia, Africa and Europe. After her secondary school in Mauritania in 1985, she studied Dental Science at the University of Rabat, Morocco, graduating in 1992. Subsequently, she went for a postgraduate course at the University of Toulouse, France. Barely 30 years old, she went on to acquire a doctoral degree in orthodontic. Dr. Amy is one of the first specialists in invisible orthodontics in West Africa.

Born in France by a Nigerian mother, Eno Edet-Traore – sister of Nigeria’s first indigenous Inspector General of Police,

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GLITZ PERSONALITY

How I’m Changing Oral Health Narrative in Nigeria Louis Edet – and a Mauritanian father, Ladji Traore, Amy’s brilliance manifested early in life. After her secondary school education at Lycee des Jeunes Nouackchott in Mauritania, she got a scholarship to the University of Rabat to study dentistry or medicine. She opted for dentistry. What influenced her decision to dentistry?

“Nothing actually influenced me.

Everything was very funny: I just spent a lot of my holiday going for my dental check-up and decided one day that being a dentist myself could be the best way of saving money. I was attracted to medicine just like my older brother is a medical doctor. But I just thought that there are fewer emergencies in dentistry. I have always wanted a profession that would allow me to balance my personal and professional life: have a better family life and excel in my profession.

“Going into orthodontics is something that I pushed further because use orthodontics is like what cosmetic surgery ery y is to g general medicine. Most of our patients ients are healthy but need to take their smilee to the next level. I had to pay the pricee for that as y you know orthodontists are specialists ecialists who have had at least three years’ ars’ advanced postgraduate education after fter the degree in dental surgery. At the end nd of my y professional and academicc training, I had spent 13 years in the university.” ersity.” y Dr. Amy began her career eer at Albi, South-west of France. She left France for Nigeria and pitched her tent nt with Schubbs Dental Clinic. To achieve her mission, pursue her ambition and maintain her passion, she left Schubbs bs to set up p Smile360. Today, she is taking king dentistry on a full swing.

With in-depth knowledge, dge, g unparalleled customer service vice and a transformative vision, from m running ga small dental clinic, Amy has as transformed Smile 30 to a topmost dental tal clinic in Nigeria. Amy leads an army my y of highlyg y skilled dentists, nurses, hygienists gienists and g support staff that are recognised gnised for their g cutting-edge dental technology, ology, gy state-ofthe-art surroundings and an ambience that spells excellence.

Throwing more light on n what makes the clinic tick, she pointed to what the clinic boasts of: an array off world-class treatment, using surfeit of cutting g edge g equipment including invisalign, salign, g endontic treatment, digital smile design, sign, g cosmetic dentistry, implants, Hollywood wood smile, among others.

Her clinic is the first purpose-built urpose-built p orthodontic centre in Nigeria eria p providing g first class treatments and services ervices in the most ambient environment. nt. The centre’s facilities include 12 dental chairs; 3D X-ray; ultra oral scanner; children’s n’s section; reception and lounge. Amy y has her reasons for going to that length. ength. g “Smile360 is setting high gh dental g standards in Nigeria to match atch that of the UK and US. The dentall centre also provides comprehensive services ervices such as teeth whitening, Hollywood wood smile,

TEAM ASSITANT EDITOR OR OLUFUNKE OLAODE ODE REPORTER VANESSA OBIOHA HA DESIGNER NDE WAHAB AKINTUNDE THISDAY ON SUNDAY DAY A EDITOR DU SHAKA MOMODU RS DEPUTY EDITORS E WALE OLALEYE TOBI SONIYI THISDAY NEWSPAPERS PERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN AIRMAN ENA NDUKA OBAIGBENA TOR MANAGING DIRECTOR O ENIOLA BELLO IRECTOR IR DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR AFE KAYODE KOMOLAFE

invisalign, digital smile design and implants. Other services include family dentistry, endodontics, prosthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontic and invisible braces, dental implants, maxillo-facial surgery, periodontology, laser dentistry. This is aimed at design a beautiful smile,” she explained.

Since she opened Smile360 in 2010, Amy has immersed herself in the best possible mission. “My commitment is much deeper than monetary gains. My passion is centred on changing the way that dentistry is viewed in Africa. For years, I’ve watched citizens from Africa leave our continent for the UK, US, India and Dubai in search of skilled oral practitioners,” she noted. “The popular belief has been that the best doctors, latest technology and most cutting-edge services could only be found elsewhere. Nothing can be further from the truth. My drive and commitment comes from shifting how the oral health industry is viewed in Africa by educating our community to realise they have access to the best of the best right here.”

A proven expert in oral care, she said further to prove her intent: “For instance, we launched out in 2010 when the awareness on this type of practice was very low but I have always believed that change happens with the proper education.

I knew with every fibre of my being that if we made a conscious decision to offer a service that was unparalleled, we would eventually be rewarded with a loyal clientele.

“And that is precisely what happened. I believed that if we made a commitment to offer ‘redcarpet service’, hire the best oral practitioners, introduce the latest technology and go above and beyond with our customer service, Nigerians will patronise local practitioners with international services.”

For Many Nigerians, including the elite, the general perception is that health has to do with how their internal organs function well. They forget that the mouth is an integral and vital part of the body.

Amy

explains: “I think we (dentists) need to work with doctors to have them encourage their patients of the significance of oral health care; maybe an awareness campaign that will move people into paying attention. Right now, it is far too easy to dismiss the work of the oral care industry as cosmetic or frivolous. But, if we are able to partner with doctors, and raise awareness that way, we can begin the process of working in tandem.”

Ingenious and compassionate, Dr. Amy has continued to ensure that her patients walk away completely transformed.

Even for those who cannot afford her services, Project Smile360 – a corporate responsibility initiative – was launched in 2011 to help those who suffer from the unbearable pain, trauma and stigma of dental flaws but do not have the financial means to seek care.

Commenting on that works, she points out: “Every year, we are blessed to be able to change a few lives through our initiative.

Although, we have been able to directly

impact the lives of 20 people. We think the impact of our work spans much wider. We believe that every time we help someone transform their smile and self-esteem, we are also changing the lives of all the people who interact with that person. The desire to smile is wired in us and failure to express that due to dental flaws has many social ramifications such as one becoming a recluse or developing pitiable behaviours.

“Thus, the victims continue with the unbearable pain of their inability to smile due to a lack of the financial capacity to afford smile makeover treatment on their own. There is a significant need for programmes like Project Smile. Our mission is to give back by restoring smiles.

Project Smile is dedicated to helping beneficiaries claim their smiles, their selfesteem and their lives.”

Project Smile’s effort to give back to the community has earned her nationwide recognition. “We are grateful for the recognition and it is not something we take for granted. We believe that we are our biggest competition — not other clinics. We recognise that the award is the icing but the cake is our patients,” she said.

As a mother, wife and a dentist, Amy is driven by love and family. “My drive comes from being committed to making an impact on the lives of everyone I encounter — both personally and professionally,” she concluded.

Nothing actually influenced me. Everything was very funny: I just spent a lot of my holiday going for my dental check-up and decided one day that being a dentist myself could be the best way of saving money. I was attracted to medicine just like my older brother is a medical doctor. But I just thought that there are fewer emergencies in dentistry.

I have always wanted a profession that would allow me to balance my personal and professional life: have a better family life and excel in my profession

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with VANESSA OBIOHA ͮͶͮͶͯ͵Ͷͷ͵ͱ͵˜ àËãÝãÖàÏÜ̶Ñ×ËÓÖ˛ÍÙט entertainment@thisdaylive.com

ENTERTAINMENT Matthew Ohio

Putting Nigerian Music on Global Stage When Matthew Ohio launched the ‘Industry Nite’ platform 10 years ago, Nigerian music was not too popular in other parts of the world. Today, the platform has toured African continent and the United States exporting Nigerian music to a larger audience. Vanessa Obioha writes about Ohio’s undying passion to promote Nigerian music

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atthew Ohio hardly forgets a face. He recognised some of the artistes who had come to audition for his ‘Industry Nite’ show that afternoon. Some of them waved from a distance, others approached him for a handshake or a hug.

Ten years ago, Ohio had the unique idea to create a platform for budding artistes to express their creativity and also serve as a networking ground for music stakeholders.

Tapping on his social skills which he inherited from his diplomat father, Ohio set about business. Following the success of his 2007 six-city tour with music superstar Tuface which was sponsored by MTN, Ohio registered an entertainment company, El’Carnaval in 2008. Under the company, he launched the Industry Nite.

It was the place to be every Wednesday night. The who-is-who in the music industry gathered there to scout for new talents as well as connect with the reigning stars. Each edition witnesses at least 30 artistes scurry for a chance to grab the mike.

Artistes like WizKid and May D, as well as other African acts like South African AKA gained prominence there.

Recalling those early days with nostalgia, Ohio said, “The first show featured May D. That shows you how long he has been in the business. And a girl called Ibiyemi. They were the first performance acts we had on the platform at a place called Coconut Grove in Ikoyi.

However, it was 2Baba’s early endorsement on Industry Nite that really helped us. It pooled crowd to our show. Once people heard he was around, they come in large droves. Sound Sultan was always there too. Another memorable act was the late rapper, Da Grin. His first performance was outstanding. Then the tribute show after his untimely death brought the house down.

“It was at that show that people noticed WizKid. Many industry heavyweights were Ohio there that night. It really cemented Industry Nite as the industry’s platform for budding and existing artistes. The Mavin launch was also impressive as well as WizKid’s first Industry Nite at Oriental hotels. We even ran into trouble with the hotel management as some of the hotel’s guests were bounced.

People parked all the way from Mobil headquarters. Everywhere was full. It was crazy!”

But things have changed over the years. The weekly soiree is now a monthly gig and still attracts large following. Also, Nigerian music is now well appreciated, unlike those days when it was hardly played in clubs.

“Five years ago, we weren’t that popular. The music hasn’t crossed over but now we have the Whites, Asians and Arabs playing Nigerian music. When we started Industry Nite 10 years ago, they used to bounce artistes in clubs in Lagos.

I remember going to the club with a top Nigerian musician and they bounced us.

Now if you want that same musician to appear in the club, you will probably spend N5m to N6m. Artistes are paid to appear in clubs. That’s also why we reduced our frequency because we believe the industry has grown to a bigger level, so the frequency was no longer required,” he explained.

Much of this success, Ohio said, is attributable to Afrobeat, a genre created by the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. To him, trafficking, prostitution, money laundering. it is Nigeria’s cultural identity. “Afrobeat But the only time you hear something goes beyond music. You hear a lot of positive about Nigeria and Nigerians is negative things about Nigeria from other our music. And it is Afrobeat music, the parts of the world. From immigration to contemporary Afrobeat sounds. It is the human trafficking, to financial fraud, drug

Five years ago, we weren’t that popular.

The music hasn’t crossed over but now we have the Whites, Asians and Arabs playing Nigerian music. When we started Industry Nite 10 years ago, they used to bounce artistes in clubs in Lagos.

I remember going to the club with a top Nigerian musician and they bounced us. Now if you want that same musician to appear in the club, you will probably spend N5m to N6m

biggest export we have now. People listen to Nigerian music all over the world. Even hardcore, hip hop clubs in America are playing Nigeria’s Afrobeat music. Likewise the mainstream clubs, they play WizKid, Davido, etc. That’s what makes people interested and intrigued by Nigeria. You see people who have never been to Nigeria do shaku-shaku dance.

“You see a lot of Africans in the Diaspora wanting to come back home due to the impression they are having about Nigeria through our music and movies. What Nigerian music has been able to do is to put Nigeria out there in a confident way.

It has really helped the image of Nigeria internationally. People are now proud to be associated with Nigerian music. Back in the day, Nigerians living abroad used to deny their identity because of the widespread negativity attached to the country. I know some of my friends who used to claim they were Jamaicans or Carribbeans. The attitude towards us now has changed mostly because of our influence in pop culture.”

The popularity of Nigerian music over the years also opened up touring cities in the country such as Enugu and Owerri while cities like Calabar, Ibadan and Benin continue to steal the spotlight. He pointed out that while Lagos enjoys its commercial and entertainment fame, Abuja is gradually becoming the next entertainment hub.

Despite the achievements recorded in the industry, Ohio who is a graduate of Mass Communication from Ogun State University – Olabisi Onabanjo University – said the industry has barely scratched the surface. He added that the industry lacks the structure to

promote music tourism. Music tourism, he pointed out, is one of the bankable ways an artiste can ensure his longevity in the industry.

“There are two major revenues for music business – touring and sales. If you cannot tour, you cannot make money irrespective of your fame. Today in America, artistes like Madonna and Celine Dion are still touring and making money because those structures are there. But in Nigeria, you will see that after an artiste has one or two hit songs, he is financially unstable due to lack of touring platforms.

Nobody is booking him. Music tours are like your pension fund. It is what is going to keep you after your hits. You cannot be that lucky and have a hit every year. If you can’t tour to where your fans are, you can’t make money,” Ohio said.

As a result, most Nigerian artistes hardly tour Africa, despite the huge presence they command on the continent.

Though he has been able to create a network of venues and promoters who are interested in touring artistes in Nigeria through his platform, he is expanding to Africa in order to deal with the dearth of touring platforms.

While providing touring packages will ease music tourism on the continent, he stressed that artistes also need to understand the nature of tours. He argued that most artistes overpriced themselves, making it difficult for promoters to get them on tours.

“Some of these artistes overprice themselves and they don’t tend to look at their environment. This sometimes makes it difficult for them to tour. Imagine expecting a promoter in Kaduna State to pay you N6m or N7m for a show. How touring really works is that artistes go into partnership with promoters and they share the profit. But Nigerian artistes want to be booked. They want to charge their full performance fee which is not possible.

As global as Beyoncé and Jay Z are, they don’t charge promoters their full booking because they know they will make profits from other means such as sponsorships and ticket sales,” Ohio argued.

Nonetheless, he is optimistic that with time, the system will be restructured. No doubt, showbiz is a lifelong aspiration for Ohio. It gives him satisfaction that he is building a platform for the next generation.

Perhaps, his greatest fulfilment is seeing artistes performing on the world stage – to boldly beat his chest that he was part of their success story. Not all the artistes remembered their humble beginnings at Industry Nite.

Ohio cited an example: “Before she (Yemi Alade) became popular, her manager used to come to our house to beg us to put her on our platform. Nobody knew her. We used to take her on our tours which cost us money. It was so bad that at a point another female artiste accused me of having an affair with her because of the way we pushed her out there. We even gave her one show in Cotonou. Then she released ’Johnny’ which fetched her fame and we were happy for her because that it is the whole idea behind Industry Nite, so that artistes can grow. Once we called her to perform at one of the Industry Nite shows at Hard Rock Cafe and she turned us down, saying that she only performs on bigger stages. Can you imagine?”

To mark the 10th anniversary of Industry Nite, Ohio launched the Music Assembly Against Human Trafficking (MAAHT) Foundation in collaboration with NAPTIP. The foundation is a global assembly of musicians and entertainment industry professionals committed to ending human trafficking in Nigeria.

AUGUST 26, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

High Life

61 WITH LANRE ALFRED 08076885752

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Glad Tidings! Tinubu’s Green Light for Ambode’s Second Term

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hat appeared like gathered dark clouds over Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s second term aspiration seem to be giving way to brightness as 2019 general election closes in on us. Ambode’s camp has been thrown into wild celebrations since a piece of cheery news conveying Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s support for the reelection bid of the Epe-born governor. Ambode’s apologists and beneficiaries of his good graces became spritely ecstatic last Monday when the news broke that Tinubu had bowed to pressure to deploy his political clout to ensuring that Ambode coasts home to victory at least at the party level. This new development has opened a new vista in the relationship between Asiwaju and Ambode, which has been strained for some time. Recall that Ambode’s chances of clinching the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket thinned out because of Asiwaju’s rumoured withdrawal of support for him. In fact, the once voluble

chants of ‘Ambo Lekan Si’ slogan were practically thinning out at a point; not even the wailing and pleas of his supporters were enough. Governor Ambode was reported to have found his way to Tinubu’s bad book due to differences between the benefactor and beneficiary over the governor’s style which has not been favourable to Lagos political establishment, especially grassroots politicians who are used to free money. All Ambode does is work, work and work. Without recourse to immodesty, Ambode is the most hard-working governor in the South-west, nay, Nigeria. Ambode was reported to have decimated the politicians and their economic influence by shutting out avenues through which they should have been empowered and indirectly impact their followers. The truce between the “Oracle of Lagos” (as Asiwaju is fondly hailed) and Ambode was said to have been facilitated by Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who intervened to calm frayed nerves. Now that Asiwaju has sheathed his dagger, Ambode is ready to throw open his cash vaults.

Tinubu

Ambode

Stella Okotete’s Obsession

Stella Okotete

It is the eyes of a child that fear a painted devil, so goes a popular saying, but when the painted devil is a ravishing female sitting atop a big company, she becomes a terror of some sort. It takes a discerning mind to see through her plots and sidestep her maneuverings.

There is infinite wile in the heart and smile of a painted devil. If by virtue of her sass and unrivalled wiles, she wins the heart of some people in government, she succeeds in turning them into her parlour pets and gets them to wag their tails in utter submission to her craziest whim. Stella Okotete is a name that may not reverberate in the consciousness of many. In Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) where she holds sway as Executive Director, Business Development, her words carry as much forcefulness as her presence is assertive. She may not head the bank, but she is one woman whose words are obeyed absolutely obeisance. The fear of the Delta State-born policy analystturned-politician is the beginning of wisdom. She has earned the sobriquet of the Iron Lady at NEXIM bank. Ask the beleaguered staff of NEXIM Bank, the fear of Stella is the beginning of wisdom.

Her influence is so overwhelming that employees of the bank tremble at her sight as she brooks no disrespect or dissent from any one, no matter how highly placed he or she may be. Her word, they say, is law as senior managers at the bank fall over each other to pay homage to her while she flaunts her influence and expensive wardrobe. Little wonder, many worship the ground she treads on while praying and hoping that they don’t incur her wrath because her word is law. A visit to the bank’s new head office last Monday revealed

a lot as most staff walked about like they were under a cloud of doom with their brows furrowed in deep worry.

Stella’s influence at NEXIM might not be unconnected with the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, with whom she reportedly shares a close relationship.

Stella is that no-nonsense female boss who goes by her work showing she has a point to prove. She is straight-faced and blunt you don’t come close without something extremely important and urgent. Her vertical leadership style is innate. When she sneezes, even top management staffers catch cold.

It is being speedily believed at NEXIM that she might be suffering from the Queen Bee Syndrome. The Queen Bee boss is the alpha female who is obsessed with preserving her power at all cost, which comes with some aggression towards the female folks or subordinates at workplace. While Stella’s intellectual capacity is industry-wide acknowledged no doubt; such cannot be said about her human relations skills, if she has any at all. The Benson Idahosa University graduate of International Law and Diplomacy is a thorough-bred professional with experiences in public policy design and implementation, public-private partnership management, international development and general administration. The Urhobo woman began her political journey years back when she was elected a councillor in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

It was gathered, unconfirmed though, that her marriage has given way due to some differences with which her husband could not reconcile with. Stella doubles as the CEO of ExtremeDay Spa Ltd and President of E’ Girls Right Foundation.

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HIGHLIFE

15 Years After, Mike Adenuga Celebrates Globacom’s Inspiring Mileage of Glow and Distinction

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or Globacom Limited (or GLO), Nigerian telecommunications giant, the passage of a decade and a half symbolizes much more than a flower in a border, it represents the victory of human will, the manifestation of vision borne of resolve and an overwhelming capacity to excel, whatever the odds.

Globacom has been recognised for its commitment and rare dedication to the growth of the industry into a world-class business concern which also generates employment for millions of Africans in Nigeria and other parts of the continent where it operates.

Yes, it has been solid 15 years since Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, made that bullish entry into the telecommunications ecosystem of Africa with the launch of Globacom Nigeria Limited on the August 29, 2003, and changed the landscape forever. Globacom will be 15 years on Wednesday. The entry of the telecoms giant was not just with funfair, the ground was hit running as he made resounding and indelible mark with immediate effect that it would not be business as usual. Adenuga turned possibility to certainty when he ensured that phone use stopped being the exclusive preserve of the rich and that calls could be charged on a per-second basis after the then existing operators had sold lies that per-second billing was a mission impossible. The double-crash in purchasing cost of starter pack and calls jolted many like a thunderbolt.

With that audacious move, Globacom became the company before which walls of impossibilities fell and crumbled. Consistently acknowledged as Africa’s biggest and most efficient mobile telecommunications network, the national carrier in the past fifteen years, represent the victory of human will, the manifestation of vision borne out of sheer resolve and an overwhelming capacity to excel, irrespective of how insurmountable the odds may appear.

Mike Adenuga

At its arrival in the market in 2003, the Globacom brand was launched with ‘Glo with Pride’, apparently to awaken a familial spirit of patriotism and promote a sense of pride in the network among Nigerians. The intention, it seemed, was to project the brand as an indigenous brand Nigerians home and abroad could be proud of and such intention could only be achieved by the brand’s delivery of world-class quality service, something the brand struggled to achieve with considerable success.

The ‘Glo with Pride,’ initiative was later followed with the ‘Rule your World’ campaign which was geared to serve as a message of empowerment meant to inspire Nigerians towards positive

pursuit and attainment of individual dreams and goals. From inception, the Globacom network sought to project its commitment to the support and realization of its existing and prospective customers’ dreams and desires Becoming the fastest-growing telecommunications company in Africa and Middle East in its first year of operation was a feat that received international rave reviews.

Globacom has gone ahead to record many firsts where its competitors have only succeeded in playing catchups. The first 2.5G and 3G networks in Nigeria were to Globacom’s credit.

In 2010, Adenuga reportedly spent a fortune on Glo 1 Submarine Cable, an undersea cable system, which stretches from Europe to Nigeria and has landing stations in 16 West African countries. Glo 1 has been providing bandwidth to all telecom operators, carriers and corporations, connecting them to all the major destinations in the world. Less than a year after this milestone, Globacom launched the fourth generation mobile technology, 4G-LTE network services. Its corporate social responsibility has been unusual. From sponsorship of Nigerian national teams and the league, to sponsorship of numerous sporting tourneys; taking up sponsorship of countless number of entertainment-based shows and headlining major festivals across Africa by being their major sponsors, registering the Glo brand in the minds of millions. Ambassadorial endorsements are another area Globacom has earned some thumbsups. A host of entertainers across the African continent have pocketed multi-million naira deals as brand ambassadors. The last one and a half decade has been some redefinition of service and business as depicted

by Glo. Currently Globacom remains a giant in the communications sector with over 40 million subscribers in Africa; yet the number is increasing on a daily basis.

Jennifer Atiku Loses Sister to Cancer in Dubai Again, death has intruded the enamored world of the rich. Jennifer Atiku-Abubakar has lost her loving sister, Princess, to cancer in a Dubai hospital. Jennifer was devastated and inconsolable. She raved and ranted about her loss, tearing and tugging at her hair, leaving her husband, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to pacify and assure her that he would bend over backwards to quadruple as her father, sister, friend and husband. Jennifer knew he meant it but the sense of loss was overwhelming and she realised that the best that she could do is to cherish her late sister’s memory and give her a befitting rite of passage. Nobody ever makes a lovely corpse but when she was alive, Princess characterized the essence of loveliness and more.

Now that she has passed on, Jennifer would fight the battle of her life of her sister. Although she spared no expense to get her back on her feet, her efforts and prayers amounted to naught as she yielded to the sickness to the consternation of her loved ones.

Jennifer and Abubakar Atiku Nothing lasts forever; as the seasons turn, so does human life wither to age and disease, everything vanishes like morning dew. But tragic as her demise was, her family, friends and other loved ones may seek consolation in the fact that

even in death, the infinitely generous and compassionate woman has gone on to join the heavenly choir invisible of the immortal dead; the souls who pass on but continue to live in minds and lives made better by their presence.

Austin Avuru

Seplat Boss, Austin Avuru, Celebrates 60

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ustin Avuru is a man of immense means and that much was on display last weekend when the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc clocked 60. It was a day when class, glamour, colour and pageantry were displayed.

The birthday celebration of the billionaire businessman was too grand to have escaped the binoculars of the paparazzi who beat all baits to get the shindig to the media. Held in his sprawling mansion in Lagos, guests were treated to sumptuous meals and finger foods. To say it was a classy celebration is an understatement as men and women who bestride various industrial sectors in Nigeria were there to celebrate of theirs. The petroleum industry big guns were conspicuously present.

Trust the ladies, they strut around showing love and support to a man whom they adore. His tightfistedness gave way for once to throw a lavish event, as everyone present had enough for their fill.

Everyone was thrilled and dazzled.

It was an event well-planned and executed. The oil magnate is at the twilight of his career as he is likely to be stepping down at the end of the decade, 2020.

Effiong Okon, the newly appointed Executive Operations Director of the company has been fingered as Avuru’s likely successor. Avuru who became Seplat CEO in 2010 has been said to be slowing down.

Arguably, one of the richest oil barons in Africa, Austin Avuru is a widely regarded oil and gas industry leader on the continent.

He led the company into takeover, from Shell, of operatorship of Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 4, 38 and 41 in 2011. On his watch, Seplat quadrupled production of crude oil in those assets from less than 20,000BOPD to close to 70,000BOPD.

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HIGHLIFE

Private Jet: Davido Eats Humble Pie

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fter initial boast, which was punctured by an investigative report, that he would be taking delivery of a private jet he had purchased a couple of months ago, the pop star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido has not only eaten the humble pie but also regurgitated it in humility after his failed second attempt to claim ownership of the private jet recently acquired by his father, Deji Adeleke.

The singer had courted controversy in May when he revealed that he was awaiting the arrival of his newly acquired private jet in two weeks from the time he went on social media. He even released some documents in a bid to lend credence to his claim but the barely legible documents were immediately rubbished as some fabrication from a pit of lies, as they did not reflect anything to justify he had bought a jet except showing Challenger 605 valued at $27 million.

The net worth of the’30 Billion’ crooner was also called to questions by critics who opined that he does not have the wherewithal to own a private jet.

It was revealed that what Davido was celebrating as buying a jet was a plan to enter fractional ownership with a jet company, an arrangement that does not confer ownership on him.

However, he continued with the false ownership when he took pictures on a certain jet with his partner, Chioma on his way to Cotonou, in Benin. In what appeared to be a move to counter Davido’s claim, pictures of Davido’s father and his friends praying on the said private jet showed up and went viral. The images were accompanied by captions that revealed that Davido’s father owned the jet. Seeing that he has been boxed into a corner, he waxed philosophical saying that his father’s assets were as good as his, just as his are as good as to his daughter’s.

Davido

‘Sealords’: Ilashe Beach Becomes a Pleasure Trove Ilashe Beach is where spectacular panoramic views meet contemporary living. It is the pleasure trove for all the rich men these days. Chances are that you would not find them at home during weekends, as they head to the beach once it is Friday. For this set of rich men, it is party galore from Friday through Sunday non-stop unless nature calls.

The masterfully-designed ocean springs perfectly positioned on a massive land mass running into acres receive high-net worth guests who ply their trades at the top echelon of the nation’s economy and politics. From Richie Shittu, Tayo Ayeni, Abdusamad Rabiu, Wale Oladapo, Segun Fowora, Folly Coker, Tunde Fowler and many others, few weekends are adjudged as fulfilling as those spent on the luxury island. Their beach houses are of numerous exotic designs and so beautiful that little wonder some beautiful young ladies can kill to be with them.

The beach serves as a good spot where top earners in the high society openly satisfy their fetishes without fear because what happens in Ilashe stays in Ilashe.

Uniquely located in Badagry, Ilashe a rustic, a lush haven with air of luxury and elegance.

Amaka Chika-Mbonu

Tayo Ayeni

Segun Fowora

Abdulsamad Rabiu

After The Acerbic Storm, Amaka Chika-Mbonu, Returns

After Marital Tragedy With Ghanaian Husband, Anita Ibru Back In Social Whirl

You never let a crisis go to waste!

Nothing sums up the world of Amaka Chika-Mbonu like this opening opener.

Amaka could have chosen to wallow in self-pity and defeat after going through a harrowing matrimonial experience in the hands of a husband whose lecherous desires were untamable that he fathered two kids from a woman who was married to his protégé and whose marriage certificate he signed as their pastor. That experience had the tendency to send Amaka to her early grave or tamper with her mental health. But no, she has chosen a novel way to vent her hurt by making it a healing balm to many homes and marriages. Amaka, who is a Christian marriage counsellor of 15 years, has since recovered from the shock, and come out with her second book, ‘49 Ways To Get Rid of The Other Woman (Without Getting Caught)’.

The book probably was inspired by

Lest you think that Anita Ibru is just another victim of overexaggerated spinsterhood gone awry, she isn’t. In fact, the mother of two had once been married to a Ghanaian, Marcel Kouassigan.

They got married in 2012 and the marriage crashed years after. Burnt and severely disillusioned by her unsavory experience in wedlock, she never misses an opportunity to impress it on her friends that marriage isn’t anywhere near the top of the list of her priorities, at least for now. Anita has put the emotional trauma and all the baggage heartbreak behind her in order to focus on more important endeavours like raising her children and growing her business. And she is doing very well. She has reverted to her maiden name, which she probably felt commanded more respect.

her unpalatable experience. This book seems to have direct reference to what had occurred to her or what she had experienced in the past. Her other book which was launched last year titled: How to get your wife to swing from the chandelier in a red negligee, a book said to be for couples, but written from biblical perspective. Amaka, a supremely gorgeous and stylish lady who once lived in a very sweet and near-perfect world that was shattered by the unbelievable scandal, became a subject of public sympathy in 2010 when her husband, pastor, and former Managing Director of Citizens Bank and later Assurance Bank, Amaka Mbonu, was caught in an adulterous scandal that was exposed through DNA test. The cheating woman, Doreen, happened to thebewife of his protégé, Henry, both of whom looked up to Mbonu as their mentor and pastor.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Ajimobi, Lam-Adesina’s War Deepens

I

f you are one of those who think the smouldering war between Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi and Federal House of Representatives member, Dapo Lam Adesina, is ending soon, you had better have a rethink, as the fight is getting messier by the day.

Society Watch gathered that it started months ago over Ajimobi’s inability to support Adesina’s reelection bid to the Green Chamber, a development that has polarized the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.

It was further gathered that Lam Adeshina, a former commissioner in the state, is accusing Ajimobi of planning to terminate his life.

“It is because of this that he now goes about with a team of armed mobile policemen and stern-looking thugs,” the source added.

The source revealed that the security team is always wherever the Federal House of Representatives member goes, even to his barber’s shop.

Sources claimed the situation had degenerated to the state where threats have been issued by stakeholders on either side and some aggrieved individuals exited the party.

Lam-Adeshina

Adejoke Adefulire-Orelope In The Cold?

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ntil her current appointment, Adejoke Adefulire-Orelope had once occupied the exalted position of Deputy Govenor of Lagos State.

Upon leaving office, she had attempted to represent her constituency, Lagos West Senatorial District, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, believing that her alleged godfather, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would pave the way for her. But she soon found out that she was wrong.

Faced with rejection by delegates at the party’s secretariat even before the election, she opted out of the race, thereby making Solomon Olalekan Adeola, one of the contestants, win the election.

In the interval, she has reportedly been making clandestine moves to gain relevance again in the state. Hence, she went back to the drawing board to restrategise for 2019.

Even as the 2019 election draws near, there is a cloud of uncertainty over her ambition, particularly as Senator Adeola is back to contest with the backing of top political stalwarts.

Adeola’s sudden return to Lagos to contest the senatorial seat became necessary after he was forced to drop his gubernatorial ambition in Ogun State due to some forces.

Today, Adefulire-Orelope may have again been left in the cold and her relevance is said to be gradually thinning out.

Zahra Buhari’s New Habit

I

ndeed, marriage, as the popular saying goes, has a way of changing a lot about a man or woman.

It is a known fact that many have been forced to kick their old or bad habits, at least for them to be seen and regarded as more responsible.

Perhaps, this is the thinking in some quarters about the daughter of President Muhamadu Buhari, Zahra, who is now married to Ahmed Indimi.

Since she got married, the mother of one is said to be keeping a low profile, while also trying to stay out of controversy.

It will be recalled that until she got married, her name was synonymous with controversies. How? She was first in the news for the wrong reason shortly before the 2015 general election.

Zahra, who was then an undergraduate student at the University of Surrey, UK, had posted some hot pictures of herself online, which generated mixed reactions in several quarters.

Before the dust raised by that singular act could settle, Zahra, who is described as a social media savvy, was accused of living a reckless lifestyle by some online publications and blogs.

However, her father’s media handlers rose in her defence, fingering his opponents as the sponsors of the odious publications.

It got worse soon after her father defeated former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the March 28, 2015 general election.

Zahra was allegedly romantically linked with many men, including Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and later Zamfara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari. However, both were quick to debunk the story.

As fate would have it, she ended up in the arms of indimi. The wedding, which attracted many top personalities across the country, has been blessed with a baby boy.

Nonetheless, if she will still go back to her old habit remains to be seen.

Zahra Buhari

Ex-beauty Queen, Tokoni Atins’s Rising Profile When Tokoni Atin, a former beauty queen and Chief Executive Director, Amaryllis Skincare Limited, walked up the stage to receive her award at the recently held second edition of Women Entrepreneurs Network organised by Emirati Events, all eyes turned on her.

The little introduction of Atin done by the master of ceremonies had made the excited audience anxious to behold her. Everybody was in agreement that it was a well-deserved honour for Atin, who is a force to be reckoned with in the skin care industry.

Though the event, which held on July 14, 2018 at NAF conference Hall and Suites, Abuja had come and gone, the founder of Tokoni Atin Foubdation, successfully made a good impression on the invited guests, who were mostly experts in the beauty, fashion, financial, business and banking sectors.

Amongst dignitaries at the special award night were the former Minister for women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Ismail and Mrs Gloria Shoda, President National Council for Women Society.

During the evening of fun, young female entrepreneurs were lectured on how to start and maintain sustainable and gross profit-generating businesses.

Tokoni Atins

Also, grants and loans options were made available to them.

As part of her efforts to give back to the society through her Foundation, the former beauty queen is planning a training event in Abuja between September 24 and October 5, which

will be powered by Amaryllis School of Natural/Organic Skincare.

Prospective students, it was gathered, will be taught on becoming experts in natural, organic skincare formulation, IT and social media, business and finance.

Worry Over Bimpe Ladoja’s Single Status

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impe, daughter of Senator Rasheed Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, is a chattered account ant.

Beautiful and affable, Bimpe, who is in her 40s, has all it takes to be attracted to any man.

However, her parents, just as her numerous friends, are said to be daily worried about her single status.

For them, it is even more worrisome that the United Kingdom-trained accountant has never been romantically linked to any man.

A source disclosed to Society Watch that ‘’the fact that she is still single is a source of concern to her parents.”

However, another source revealed that the major reason she seems to have shut her heart against love is because of

a health challenge she is battling with.

“It is due to her frequent illness which has drained the pockets of her parents. ‘’Bimpe was born premature. She is always in and out of hospital, so does not seem to be so much interested in going into any relationship,”said the source.

Her father made his fortune in business. He is an engineer and a farmer, whose food crops are sold not only to the people of Oyo State but also beyond. He also owns a shipping company.

Despite his status, the high chief of Ibadan, however, lives an incredibly simple lifestyle such that an unsuspecting person would place him among peasants.

Bimpe Ladoja

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SOCIETY WATCH

Tony Elumelu Celebrates 90-Year-Old Mum It is doubtful if anyone could imagine what would have dominated the mind of top banker, Tony Elumelu, Chairman, United Bank For Africa, UBA, as he planned to celebrate his dear mother, Mrs. Suzzane Elumelu, who turned 90 last week.

No doubt, the founder of Heirs Holding, owes his nonagenarian mother a lot in life. For him, watching her mother and the patriach of the family age gracefully gives him immeasurable joy.

As a result, the respected banker today would be hosting family members, close friends, business associates, celebrities, politicians and high-net worth individuals across different walks of life, who all are expected to celebrate his mother at Harbour Points.

Elumelu, no doubt, is a glittering star in the business firmament.

Though he might not be said to be clairvoyant, his childhood betrayed him as a potentially great person in life.

As a child, his dream was to become one of the greatest economists and bankers in the world.

Luckily, providence granted him his heart’s desire. At 34, he set forth on the path to greatness when he led a small group of investors to acquire the defunct Standard Trust Bank, a small struggling commercial bank in Lagos, and restored it to profitability within a few years.

Again, he became a reference point around the globe in 2005 when he led one of the greatest mergers in the history of African banking sector- the merger of Standard Trust Bank (STB) and United Bank of Africa (UBA).

Victoria Walker

Victoria Walker’s Grand Plan

E

Tony Elumelu with mum

Hajiya Mariya Yuguda’s Worry

S

he was once powerful, influential and highly connected. When her husband, former governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, held the reins of power, her word was law. As the First Lady then, she had large hangerson. Many sought her listening ears for so many things. Life couldn’t be any better. But like they say, power is transient, as soon as her husband’s tenure expired in 2015, things changed and now Society Watch gathered that it is indeed turbulent moments for Hajiya Mariya Yuguda.

It was learnt that the exit of her husband from power might have started taking its toll on her.

Unlike when her husband was the governor. Insinuations are rife that she is currently going through financial constraints to run her pet-project, A .D Rufai Foundation, which was created to pursue issues germane to the survival and progress of the society.

Virtually all Yuguda’s friends and beneficiaries of his government, who had been of financial assistance to the foundation have since abandoned Mariya to grapple with the trauma of a financially incapacitated project. Sources of

Hajiya Mariya Yuguda

funding the foundation include fund raising activities and partnership with government and donor agencies. ‘’ So terrible is the financial crisis at the foundation that almost all the workers have left because their salaries and allowances could not be

paid. At the moment the corporate headquarters of the Foundation located a few metres away from Bauchi State Government House stands empty with only a gateman’’ a source revealed.

It was gathered that shortly after they moved out of Government House, some official vehicles of the Government of Bauchi State allegedly used for the foundation were retrieved from Mariya on the directive of Governor Mohammed Abubakar. As if that weren’t bad enough, reliable sources disclosed that Mariya, who enjoyed a long vacation from her official duties when her husband was Governor has been finding it difficult to adjust to her job in the office of the Secretary to the government of the Federation (SGF) as an assistant director without all the paraphernalia of her former life.

Mariya, a graduate of law from Ahmadu Bello University, who was once rumoured in the media to have been divorced by Isa Yuguda founded the Senator A. D Rufai Foundation to immortalize the philanthropic ideals of her father.

Mariya is a professional administrator, she was first the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Bauchi State between 2001 and 2004.

xcept you have had any dealing or encounter with her, the name Victoria Walker may not ring a bell to you.

But those whose paths have crossed hers would readily admit that she is a blessing to her generation and humanity at large.

The woman of substance, who obtained her first degree at 21, started out as a relationship manager with a wealth management research firm.

Her brilliance and creativity shone while she held that position.

A few years after, she floated her own company, Universal Digital Currency Reserve Foundation(UDCRF), where she operates as the Chief Operating Officer.

If UDCRF has become a mega company today, it is simply because beautiful Walker is doing something right.

Already, she has trained over 150 people from around the world on block chain technology and the various cryptocurrency.

As a reward for her hard work, she sold 55 ledger wallets and two million pounds in Bitcoin purchases.

In recognition of her contributions, she was appointed as the Ambassador for the United Digital Currency Reserve Foundation (UDCRF), a nonprofit organization that supports central banks, corporations and entrepreneurs with financial liquidity in a digital currency backed by gold and other assets on the block chain in March 2018.

Interestingly, UDCRF, it was gathered, is planning to extend its hand of kindness to Nigeria, which is rated as one of the fastestgrowing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa .

For her, there is no going back on her plans to embrace the African market, bring block chain and crypto currency to the doorsteps of Nigerians.

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POLITY

Like Edo State House of Assembly, Like National Assembly Chris Nehikhare

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ebruary 20, 2010 the then Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, took a trip to Calabar, Cross River State. Before he left, he had “mobilized” APC members of the state House of Assembly to strike and effect a change in the leadership. Oshiomhole took that trip for the sake of plausible deniability. APC had 12 members, so did PDP. APC membership grew to 12 through defection of a couple of PDP members.

The speaker before the “purchased defection” was PDP. PDP had majority in the house and it was able to produce the speaker at the time the house was inaugurated. The constitutional requirement is clear, you need 2/3 majority to impeach the speaker or the deputy speaker!

Oshiomhole who wanted a puppet speaker began to scheme. He calculated that the tenure of the assembly was coming to a close. He knew for a fact that his machinations were illegal but with the Edo state police command and judiciary in his pocket, he knew he could buy time. He knew that as long as he can install his chosen one there, the house will continue to sit and with the support of the state judiciary, he can delay the eventual upturn of his illegal parliamentary coup.

On February 20, 2010, they struck. They filled the public gallery of the legislative chambers with thugs on the payroll of Oshiomhole. They took over the kings square area, where the Anthony Enahoro House of Assembly complex is situated, with the police providing cover and protection. They attempted to take control of the house. They failed. Many were injured and bruised. It was a bloody coup attempt.

Oshiomhole, realizing that his coup had failed, directed the police to arrest the PDP members. When that failed, he directed his Chief Justice of the state to issue a bench warrant to arrest the Speaker and other PDP principal officers and members for fighting in the chambers. The PDP speaker

Oshiomhole challenged the issued bench warrant in court and on appeal it was crushed. Justice Idahosa was reprimanded for his judicial naivety.

Oshiomhole wanted them out of circulation at all cost so that his defeated rebel group can take over the house. He approached his court to issue a “kangaroo” injunction stopping the Speaker from presiding over the house. Evidence

abounds that the injunction papers were prepared by a serving judge with the assistance of a lawyer. The injunction was granted. The speaker, a lawyer, couldn’t disobey a validly obtained court order no matter how crooked the process was in obtaining it. The injunction was challenged in court but Oshiomhole and his APC house members abandoned the case as they had achieved the purpose for which it was instituted. With the speaker restrained, with a huge financial inducement, Adams Oshiomhole got one more member to decamp from PDP. APC members became 13 and PDP reduced to 11. With total disregard to 2/3 constitutional requirement for impeachment, Oshiomhole declared a fait accompli and installed his Speaker. Oshiomhole used the police to lock down the illegal house of assembly for the remainder of their tenure even though the rightful leadership and other members never attended plenary. The case to determine if the speaker of Edo State House of Assembly was legally removed is still in court 8 years after.

Oshiomhole in his “triumphalism” boasted then that the courts cannot help his appointment!

He is also boasting now. He has said repeatedly, that the courts cannot help Saraki. He is shouting that Saraki must be impeached. He has used the police to stop Saraki from getting to the National Assembly, EFCC to intimidate Ike Ekweremadu and convert Akpabio. He has attempted to use DSS but failed!

As governor, he funded his coup in EDHA, who is funding Oshiomhole’s Obsession with “Saraki must be impeached”?

This is the modus operandi of Adams Oshiomhole... In his mind, since it worked in Edo State, he is deploying same template at the national level. He will spend state resources, use security apparatus and influence judicial processes. His type is what is wrong with Nigeria.

Brute, Corrupt and Ignorant!

––This piece was contributed by Chris Osa Nehikhare from Benin City.

Ogunsakin: The Metamorphosis of a Cop Sam Akpe

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he inner chamber of the main auditorium of the International Conference Centre wore a dark look on July 10, 2018. Two reasons accounted for this. First, the auditorium was badly lit.

Second, the occupants of the hall on that day were dressed in black suits and black graduation gowns. All of them were about to be called to the Bar. A call to the bar is the traditional, conservatively procedural induction of fresh graduates of the Nigerian Law School into the learned fraternity of legal practitioners. It is comparable only to the inauguration of elected legislators. On July 10, a few hundreds of the freshly-minted legal minds had assembled in this hall for the ceremony, an event exclusively performed by the revered members of the Body of Benchers after certification of the graduates by the Council of Legal Education.

On the dot of 3 p.m., members of the Body of Benchers, led by its chairman, walked leisurely but orderly into the inner belly of the hall where the graduates, hitherto seated rose. Not many speeches were made. At 3.24 pm, the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, asked the graduates, still standing, to put on their wigs.

That was a milestone towards their confirmation as lawyers. The adornment of the wigs had an instant effect on the atmosphere; it brightened the hall a little more.

For the records, the graduates were left standing for 86 minutes throughout the ceremony. From the time members of the Body of Benchers entered the hall; they stood still until the chairman went to deliver his address and casually asked them to take their seats.

Describing law practice as “the most noble of all professions,” he declared to the delight of the graduates: “from this day onward, I shall address you as my learned friends.”

Standing in that crowd of joyful baby lawyers and savouring the delightful atmosphere was the suave, clean-shaven retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ayotunde Johnson Ogunsakin. The story of his pursuit of legal education is known not to a few because of the controversy that trailed it. Known simply as Tunde by friends, the retired AIG studied history at Obafemi Awolowo University and had planned to be a diplomat until fate pushed his huge frame into police uniform. Trained in the sensitive shadowy-room of intelligence gathering, he earned a specialisation and huge reputation in financial intelligence; particularly in the money laundering business.

I recall an interesting story a retired top police officer told me about Tunde. One evening in 1991, Tunde, a deputy superintendent of police, was summoned by the then Commissioner of Police in charge of Interpol, Lawal Mashi, to his office at Alagbon Close, in Lagos. A case file containing a copy of a petition was given to him to study. The petition stated in summary that the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) account in New

Ogunsakin York had been defrauded and a cool $21 million had developed wings and flew into a private account in Switzerland. The Swiss account was in the name of NEPA but was neither opened nor owned by NEPA. It was 5.30 pm on a Friday. The natural thing was to study the file and begin investigations on Monday. But Tunde thought otherwise. His instinct took the better part of him. He called his partner, Adamu Lafia, who is presently an assistant inspector general of police. Lafia advised that the matter be rested till Monday. Tunde, who was Lafia’s senior, disagreed. Together, they left for NEPA headquarters in Lagos.

On arrival, they locked in the remnant of the account and administrative staff and started asking questions and gathering documents. This lasted till 2am on Saturday. They left NEPA office with loads of documents which they locked up at the police headquarters; and went home to catch some sleep.

At about 10 am, Tunde was again summoned to the office; this time by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Bureau. He was questioned on why he should be sleeping while NEPA office was on fire. Tunde told the officer not to worry as long as the police headquarters was not on fire.

What happened was that some desperate NEPA officers, fingered in the fraud, had decided to burn down the office that early morning so that the entire documents pertaining to the fraud would not be traced. Unknown to those arsonists, all the

required documents had been taken to the police headquarters by Tunde and Lafia.

Just imagine what would have happened if Tunde had agreed to put off the investigation till Monday. Later, they went to the United States of America, United Kingdom and then Switzerland.

The money was eventually fully recovered because one police officer did something extraordinary.

At a point in his career, Tunde was head of operations at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC); and at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). At the EFCC, he worked under retired AIG Farida Waziri. He gained popularity both on the right and the wrong sides by going after big offenders of the EFCC Act. They included former state governors, top bankers, and the highly-connected serving and retired public servants previously considered to be untouchable.

Often described as controversial and pretty uncompromising, both the complex nature of his job and his unrestrained passion for hard work have often created trouble for him. For instance, when it became clear that he could not be stopped from executing the functions of his office at the EFCC, some ignorant fellows came up with a tar brush. This time, it was not unconnected with his desire to go to school at old age by enrolling for a law programme at the University of Abuja. Unknown to those who alleged that he was pursuing an illegal academic programme, Tunde actually followed due process by applying and obtaining the permission of the then Inspector General of Police before embarking on the academic pursuit.

As soon as this truth was published, another crisis emerged.

Tunde was accused of paying two students at the University of Abuja to write a test for him. This was more scandalous and capable of not only rubbishing his impeccable records but wrapping up his stay in the police force on a sour note. His friends got worried. His bosses became cautious. His enemies gloated. Actually, two students were arrested for writing the test on Equity for Tunde on April 7, 2009. On interrogation, the two accepted that they jointly agreed that one of them should write the test for Tunde because he was absent from school and was not aware of the test.

Though the students denied being sponsored to write the test; as was alleged, Tunde was still not free. However, reprieve came his way on September 2, 2010. A panel set up by the university to investigate the incident meticulously scrutinise the evidence and submitted that the two persons involved acted independently.

The panel, headed by a professor of law, in its report submitted that “in view of the facts before the committee, the committee is handicapped in recommending Tunde Ogunsakin for any punishment.” Thus, Tunde was cleared of any complicity in the scandal. He was thereafter allowed to continue and complete his course of study. Today, he has become a learned gentleman. *Akpe is a former assistant editor at the Punch

ARTS & REVIEW

AT THE 10TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES IN SOUTH AFRICA, NIGERIA HARVESTS LAURELS PAGE 69

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PUBLICATION

26.08.2018

KENNETH UPHOPHO

A TORCHBEARER FOR NIGERIA’S CONTEMPORARY THEATRE EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\ENCOUNTER

Kenneth Uphopho at the Vrystaat Festival in South Africa, recently

One of the scenes from his play

KENNETH UPHOPHO: ATORCHBEARER FORNIGERIA’SCONTEMPORARYTHEATRE Contemporary Nigerian theatre scene would be boring without the effervescent contributions of the likes of Kenneth Uphopho, writes Yinka Olatunbosun

T

he fate of theatre in the later years of military rule in Nigeria hung precariously on a thin thread. The forebears of theatre in Nigeria had passed, as new professionals struggled to revive the thespian experience without government's subsidies or grants. Some playwrights fled the country for the anti-military rule content of their plays.

Then comes democracy. All of a sudden, theatre starts to trend with the intervention of some die-hard theatre directors, passionate producers and talent hunters in developing the contemporary theatre scene that now flourishes with exportable world-class productions.

One of these torchbearers, Kenneth Uphopho, had recently participated in the Vrystaat Festival, held at the University of Free State, Bloemfontein in South Africa. Upon his return to his busy life in Lagos, he was engaged on some of the issues that still constitute great obstacles to the full development of the business of theatre in Nigeria.

Beginning with his personal experience, Uphopho relived the fond memories of his early years – from how he honed his skills as an actor to how he later became an arts manager relying on non-formal institutions for performing arts.

From high school right to college, he had been an all-round performer.

“As a performer, I appeared in over 200 productions between 97 and 2010,” he said. “But I always knew that I would become an artiste even from the beginning. With my interest in books, especially plays, I participated in drama presentations at church and other peer group functions. I knew I was born to do this. For over eight years while I was working with Ivory Ambassadors, I was regularly working with other organisations in drama, music, producing and directing.”

Uphopho is often referred to as a Nollywood actor for his roles in movies such as The Meeting (2012) and Down and Out (2012) but his expertise traverses the screen and stage-acting.

He is a pioneering member of Theatre@Terra Project, an initiative to revive theatre tradition in Lagos where theatre producers were offered free access to the use of the make-shift auditorium for performances all year round. For five years, he performed and directed some productions at Terra Kulture alongside other firebrands like Wole Oguntokun of the Renegade Theatre fame and Segun Adefila, the founder, Crown Troupe of Africa.

As director and partner at PAWSTUDIOS, he had added another feather to his cap with his

position as the Director, Lagos Fringe, having served as the pioneer festival director for the British Council’s Lagos Theatre Festival, developing actors, curating and creating content for contemporary theatre. With the help of British Council, he had understudied the Brighton Fringe, England’s acclaimed arts festival. He also met with the UK Association of Fringe Festivals coordinated by the World Fringe Network to gain insight into their experiences in sponsorship and funding, audience development, programming and networking. He also directed the first season of the musical with rave reviews, Saro.

Of course, staging self-funded theatre productions in Nigeria came with its measure of demands for self-sacrifice. Sometimes biting really hard on his children’s school fees and his house rent, he sometimes resorted to loans for some productions. With the intervention of corporate sponsors in some productions, the financial burden on many art managers like Uphopho has become less than it was some years ago.

“Right now, my focus is on the Lagos Fringe, an open access arts festival for creative entrepreneurs and performers to showcase their work, either existing or new work to a diverse audience,’’ he said, in reference to the forthcoming production in November which will be done in collaboration with the African International Film Festival and Women in the Arts Festival. It is set to be a multi-genre show for performing arts.

Without such collaborations with cultural organisations, theatre productions would have died again in Nigeria. Uphopho frowned at the lack of political will in pushing the creative industry forward in spite of its growing economic relevance.

“All over the world, theatre, art and culture are subsidised because the government understands that these elements go beyond just tools for social integration. They value it because it represents who they are. It is a shame that the reverse is the case here where we pay mere lip service. We have survived thus far by partnering with international institutions, collaborating with partner producers for shared risks and self- funding of projects where you only rely on gate earnings.

“That said, these are great times for the arts because we have advocates who have explored mediums of expressing their projects through corporate subsidies.

There are more institutions looking at advancing and supporting the arts now. There are also interventions from the state government especially Lagos state via platforms where you can utilize state owned venues at huge discounts or next to nothing.”

His recent international trip South Africa featured his production of a true-life story titled, Esther’s Revenge, which he directed. For the habitués of the Freedom Park in Lagos, that play title will certainly sound familiar as a building with a food court in the old prison yard-turned-cultural hub is named after it.

“The play is set in the 50s when Ada Esther Johnson murdered her white lover, Mark Hall in 1953 after she found out that he had used the 400 pounds she loaned him for business for a trip to England to marry and English bride,” he explained. “Esther had stabbed Mark with a pair of scissors in an altercation that followed and Mark eventually died from the injuries.

It was the promise of marriage across that Atlantic capable of breaking all racial and segregation borders in the colonial era.” In performance, role-playing by some members of the audience was introduced for them to interact with Esther, hear her side of the story and decide whether or not she deserves the death penalty as proclaimed by the Appellate Court at the time. The play was first premiered at the Lagos Theatre Festival before it made the shortlist for the Pan African Creative Exchange (PACE) at the Vrystaat Festival.

With the rise of social media productions for drama and comedy and the uneven distribution of performance venues in Lagos, one may wonder if live theatre experience will not be threatened once again. Uphopho argued that the experience in a theatre is a different ball game from what the social media has to offer.

“I think it is a function of interests, education and exposure to arts and culture,” he argued.

“Art is Life. Live theatre is interactive because you are there sharing the same space with the actors, the feeling is palpable you can almost touch the energy in the room. You see, if viewing ‘Mona Lisa’ on your phone is not the same as being in the same room with the original, why would any body sacrifice the live theatre experience for a solitary interface on the phone?

I don’t think that social media platforms are formidable competitions for the theatre today. I think they serve their respective audiences with just the kind of satisfaction they hope to get from it. So, choose your experience.”

It was inevitable to broach the National Theatre question as many still argue that the National Theatre should be made a school of performing arts or sold completely to investors.

Uphopho believed that the National Theatre should be overhauled and made to serve its original function.

“Let professionals run the place, employ programmes who have vast international network to curate creative exchanges and performances in the space. There is a lot that can be done but first things first. I believe a massive renovation and a total overhaul of the system as well as a total transfer to an independent autonomous institution for smooth running will lift the value to what it used to be.’’

If Uphopho, he had to live this life all over again, he would still be a creative, with a clause. And that is to preserve the knowledge of the system so that he wouldn’t have to endure hardship to exercise his passion.

“There are things I could have done better five years ago if I knew what I know now,” he said.

“Over all, it just feels like the system is practically designed to frustrate or see you fail at pursuing your dreams especially when it comes to the creative industry. This is a fact and I am not dismissing the giant stride we have achieved thus far or the opportunities we have created through the Lagos Theatre Festival and the Lagos Fringe.”

Uphopho’s wife, Brenda, is also a producer and arts administrator. With their busy schedules, they are guided by certain principles to regulate work-family relations.

“Sometimes, I can get too caught up in the mix of things being a director but she keeps me grounded.

She has her tough schedules and moments too but you know the saying that women can multi task.

Brenda makes everything look easy,’’ he said.

BRIEFLY TI OJU RI Opens on September 7 AnexhibitionofworksbyRajiBamideleopenson Friday,September7theInternationalInstitutefor CreativeDevelopment(IICD-Center),Abuja.Thesolo exhibition,whichhisfirstsolo,istitledTIOJURI:An InquestintothePerceptionofDistortedRealities andrunsuntilSeptember14.

Itfeatureshyperrealisticdrawingscentered onthemesthatrangefromman’sescapismand embracetoreality.Bamidelehopes tocreate conversationsthatdrawattentiontothesubjectivenessoffocus,thatis,howone’smentalandphysical statehoneshisdefinition,acceptanceorrejectionof whatgoesonaroundthem.Theexhibitionisinall,a thematicexpositionoftheartist’sbackgroundthat makesuphisideology.

Ahyperrealistwhoseworksfocusonnaturallaws, mathematical,philosophicalandscientificprinciples, BamideleisbasedinLagos,Nigeriaandcurrently enrolledasastudentattheUniversityofLagos.His workscanbefoundinprivatecollectionsandhave beenexhibitedinseveralartshowsincludingatthe 2015and2017editionsofthe LifeinMyCityArt Festival(LIMCAF)andingalleriesincludingOmenka Galleryand ThoughtPyramidArtCentre.Heisalso arecipientofthePrixdelaJeuneCréation,aYoung TalentsAwardfromtheFrenchEmbassyinNigeria intheframeoftheLIMCAFeventaswellasaSilver memberoftheAfrica'sYoungEntrepreneur(A.Y.E).

Thisexhibitionisacollaborativeprojectand sponsoredbytheInstitutFrançaisdeNigeria(IFN) —abodyoftheFrenchEmbassyofNigeria.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ST 26, 2018

ʜ ˺˺

AT THE 10TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES IN SOUTH AFRICA, NIGERIA HARVESTS LAURELS Chinonso Njoku

T

he world came together with various voices from across the globe singing in harmony at the 10th World Choir Games held in Tshwane (Pretoria) South Africa from July 4 to 14. This would be the first time in Africa since inception. With the theme “Various Voices, One Harmony�, it was indeed 11 days of global unity and merging of different cultures of the world with conviviality and devoid of rancor, and any kind of discrimination. Over 300 choirs from 62 countries which cut across five continents of the world were in attendance and competed on same stages, co-habited in hotels and hostels, shared tables and same meals in a massive central dinning hall at the University of Pretoria. Of great significance in 2018 World Choir Olympics is the co-celebration with the great Nelson Mandela’s posthumous centenary birthday.

At the opening ceremony on July 4 at the cosy Sun Arena, there were felicitations from the Premier of Gauteng Province, the President of Interkultur, Gunter Titsch, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Councillor Solly Msimanga, who welcomed all participants. There was also greetings from Mzwandile Matthew who doubles as the President of African Cultural Development Foundation and the South African Choral Music Association. The performances at the opening ceremony were significantly African with extensive singing, drumming and dancing in exclusive African style.

Competitions, friendship concerts, evaluation concerts started on July 5 in various locations which include the two main universities in Pretoria – The University of Pretoria and University of South Africa, Pretoria.

Friendship concerts were free performances in the city squares, public venues, parks, streets or malls. Both local and international choirs brought their music to the host city, its residents and visitors. They presented their repertoires in a relaxed atmosphere and had the opportunity to sing for each other outside competitive stress.

Sunday, July 8 was specially marked as the African Mayoral Legacy Concert. African choirs from Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya and Namibia joined the local Tshwane choirs as they took some time off from the World Choir Games competitions to celebrate the African Legacy Concert. This was hosted by the Executive Mayor of Tshwane (Pretoria), Councillor Solly Msimanga, and sponsored

by Sun International. In keeping with the World Choir Games theme of building bridges through choral music, the African celebration concert emphasises social cohesion and creating new bonds of friendship.

Nigeria’s significant representation in the concert was by two soulful renditions by Lagos City Chorale greeted by loud ovations, and later, a meeting and photo session with the Mayor.

The bi-annual meeting of the World Choir Council took place at Tshwane House in the city centre on Monday, July 9. Council representatives from over 50 countries and different continents were present at the meeting. Solly Msimanga, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane welcomed the participants. The President of Interkultur, Gunter Titsch in his opening speech reiterated that aim of the World Choir Games which is to foster peace and unity among the nations of the world through sweet harmony of choral music. The topic “Studying Opportunities for Choral Conductors and Choral Managers� was the major focus. At the section of “Interacting with Interkultur� anchored by the Director of Choral Networking, Gent Lazri, Sir Emeka Nwokedi, Nigeria’s representative at the council regretted poor attendance from African countries and urged Interkultur to use more of international popular media to reach a wider audience as that will create awareness in African countries and will consequently evoke interest which will subsequently attract sponsorship for African choirs to the World Choir Games. He further called on the Interkultur to consider hosting an African Choir Games taking a cue from European and Asian Choir Games. He expressed hope that Nigeria would host the African Choir Games in future as Nigeria is a singing nation and her choirs are doing well in international choral festivals and competitions.

The festival rolled to an end on Saturday,

July 14 with three great events – the Parade of Nations, the Awards Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony which was held in Sun Arena.

The Parade of Nations was very colourful as choirs from different countries, in their national colours processed from the Tshwane house to the historical Union Building where Nelson Mandela’s statue stood tall. Nigeria’s flag was flown by five choirs from Nigeria – Lagos City Chorale, Mountain Top Chorale, New Wine Chorale, Musica Casa and Riverbank School Choir.

In the awards ceremony, different choirs won Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. Remarkably, the five Nigerian Choirs won laurels (Silver and Gold) in different categories.

The closing ceremony was quite colourful with remarkable programmes. The festival choir consisting of over 1,000 voices from different countries with Lagos City Chorale representing Nigeria was thunderous in rendering the Festival Song – One Voice composed

by John Rutter and Singomanqoba where the South African composer, Dr. Sibongile Khumalo took the solo as well as seven other songs. The high point of the event is handing over the mantle to the representative of Flanders, Belgium – the host of the 2020 World Choir Games. It was a hilarious festival indeed.

Lagos City Chorale at the event Kudos to the organisers of the 10th World Choir Games – The Interkultur, African Cultural Development Foundation, Gauteng Tourism Authority and the City of Tshwane for their conviction that peace and unity of the world could be achieved through the sweet concord of choral music. We once again stress the

importance of the choral arts which is the soul of every culture and urge our Governments and Corporate bodies to give support to the World’s choral movement which will help in no small way in lifting out nation and uniting the world just like football and other sporting events. ––Ms Njoku, who was in South Africa, writes from Lagos

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70

AUG Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\LITERARY CAFÉ

A TEST OF FAITH Eniola Bello

prophetess. The evidence for such an outlandish accusation? The galaxy of politicians and governors and ministers and top business chiefs that honoured the author by attending their father’s burial, and the gifts of money and cows that have become a n late 2014 up until the 2015 elections, Emeka Obasi and national tradition at such events. The failure of the other siblings, and the family elders, I worked together on a project along with a few of our colleagues. The committee, of which Emeka was secretary, to quickly intervene and arrest the distrust arising from the accusation widened the gulf, leading to further accusation that the author’s assumed wealth could only have usually met once weekly. I noticed, like other committee been because he used occult powers to shave off his siblings’ heads. members, that Emeka was always battling with some SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE is also a history of the author’s childhood years amid niggling cough during our meetings. Emeka’s apparent discomfort from the persistent cough, however, would not hunger, want and deprivation; it is a narrative of his school years, his love of the deter him from canvassing his views and ideas, or deliver- written word, his academic exploits, and the challenge of surviving in a university environment on the back of grinding poverty; it is a reminiscence of his escapades as ing on whatever was assigned to him from previous meetings. a cub reporter, his career growth in journalism, his financially rewarding foray into It then occurred to me that behind that delicate look and friendly disposition is a mentally tough character. For he could easily have public relations, and his enduring test of being an employer and media entrepreneur; it is a romantic tale of love, friendship, trust and respect in marriage; it is a testimony used his apparent health challenge, obvious to all of us in that of God’s goodness, grace, mercy and favour in the author’s life; it is a gripping story committee that it was no ordinary cough, to excuse himself from of hurt, forgiveness and healing. the secretarial job or stay away from meetings, and we would all Divided into 18 chapters of 372 pages, SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE combines a have understood. reporter’s investigative skill with a I did not get to see Emeka again columnist’s strong views. At every until late last year or thereabout point, the author is at pains to prove when I ran into one of our colthat his siblings were behind his leagues in that committee who asked near death ordeal. Like a painstakif I had seen Emeka lately. When ing reporter, for every allegation I replied in the negative, that we against any of his siblings, he states hadn’t seen since 2015, he brought the source of the allegation, then me up to speed on his situation; that supports it with one, two or three his health condition so deteriorated other sources, in journalistic parlance that it was a miracle he was still checking and cross-checking the with us. I later called Emeka, went facts, mentioning names and places to his house and was shocked to at every point. Since allegations see what remained of his being, a and counter-allegations are aired pipe running into his nose from an through third parties perhaps oxygen machine by his side. This, because of the siblings’ inability, if however, did not deter him from not unwillingness, to sit together to engaging me in a lively conversation discuss their problem, the danger about the unfortunate situation of of the book becoming a fictional our country. Over the years, Emeka tale is checked by the meticulous had developed the habit of giving checking and cross-checking from me a call when he felt strongly other sources. The author usually about issues raised in my column, slaps every narration of the different particularly whenever I was unsparangles to the family squabble with ing in my criticisms of his friends, very strong views, expressing his including the man in Minna. We disappointment and pain and anger would invariably meet at his wife’s and disbelief. Although written in place on Adeniyi Jones, and over simple prose, the book is suffused pepper soup and its accompaniment, with flashbacks and reflections and we would exchange perspectives points of view running into one on Nigeria’s peculiar problems. another in a seamless flow.

On this day of my visit, oxygen In more ways than one, the book machine and all, he cleverly moved is a spiritual tour de force. The the conversation away from his ill smoke of evil billowed out from the health to the nation’s politics and vision of a prophetess; but as life (mis) governance. I was pleasantly was being choked out of the author, surprised, and happy, that the illness did no more damage than physically weaken him. His mind was the intercessory prayers of a network of pastors led to his rescue. It is doubtful if one would have such a near encounter with death and not draw closer to God. From the still active, if not hyperactive. He was mentally alert and was on top of information like a seasoned reporter that he is. Reading the title to every page in the book are biblical quotations, references and words of praise, worship and thanksgiving. Almost every chapter opens with a quote from the Bible. book SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE, my initial assessment of Emeka And the author narrates the Saul Damascus kind of experience when he heard an as a mentally tough person is further reinforced. For it takes an unquantifiable inner strength for a man who wrestled with death, audible voice in the quietness of his car, “And did I let you down?” while one day querying God for allowing the mystery illness befall him, (Chapter Nine/This is for physically and spiritually, to so lucidly put down the account of His Glory). On Page 219 of the same chapter, the author vividly describes seeing a events in this book while still battling for his life.

Christ-like image moving gently within a bright light while a prayer session was SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE is an account of the author’s battle going on in his office. with a debilitating illness that almost took his life. The illness, However, the author is so much at pains to defend himself against the accusation of which showed its face with the niggling cough I had earlier being an occultist that he restates his innocence in every chapter with similar points he described, started sometime in 2014 and soon brought down the had earlier canvassed. If such repetition is understandable on account of the gravity of author into a vegetative state, a man unable to leave his room or the accusation from his siblings, the repetition in Chapter Eight, of his early childhood take his bath or use the convenience or eat; a man who though and school years in Chapters One and Two, is rather boring. Also in an attempt at not disabled, but was confined to a wheelchair as he was moved defending himself against the accusation that he didn’t help his family members, between hospitals. It is a story of a nameless disease – an illness the author inelegantly lists every little assistance he had rendered every of his sibling medical professionals in some of the best hospitals in and other members of the larger family. That seems rather petty. He also appears London could not put a name to. In tests after tests after tests, confused with the usage of first person pronouns in objective and subjective cases. they couldn’t put their fingers on what ailed the author even On page 336 for instance, he writes, “My wife still has a room in her father’s house, as the patient’s condition deteriorated before their very eyes. It which is always open to her and I anytime we visit.” There is a problem of collocation was after the physicians had practically given up on him that between “her and I”; the first pronoun is objective, and the second subjective. Two, the the author’s battle for life moved from the medical, fully to the pronouns in question are objects, not subjects of the sentence. That being the case “I,” spiritual – a network of pastors in Nigeria and South Africa and should read, “Me”. In any case, if there were to be ellipsis of “her and”, the sentence UK and USA battling for his soul in an avalanche of intercessory would be very awkward without “Me”. prayers and fasting.

In his time of trial, the author still remembers to inject humour in this story of The book is also an account of a deadly family feud arising gloom and doom. In the course of reading the book, twice I burst out into rib-cracking from sibling envy. It is the story of the author growing up, laughter. Like Job, Emeka has stood a test of faith, and like Job he has overcome one among 11 children from the same father and mother, in depression and risen up in victory. In responding to God’s question after his ordeal, Umuaroko, a small community in Abia State, becoming the first university graduate in the family and glowing like a bright star in Job said: the firmament, and consequently igniting the envy and distrust “My ears had heard of you and anger of the other siblings. It is the story of brother against but now my eyes have seen you.

Therefore I despise myself brother, and sister against brother culminating in a deep gulf of And repent in dust and ashes.” disagreement among siblings, and swallowing up a complex - Job 42:5-6 relationship of uncles and aunties and cousins in the larger family.

It is a story of envy dipped in the gall of betrayal, of hypocrisy, of SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE can only be Emeka’s testimony of repentance in dust greed, of pettiness, of spiritual manipulation leading to unfounded and ashes, having heard and seen God. How fitting would it be were the Choir here to render Chapter 18/Final Altar Call, written in verse and capturing the very essence accusation. The seed of distrust was planted when the elder of Emeka’s battle and victory, in a song of praise and worship. sister to the author accused him of being an occult member, an ––This review of Emeka Obasi’s SAVED FOR HIS PRAISE (A Personal accusation hung on the peg of a revelation from some prophetess.

Most of the other siblings, especially the first son, and then Testimony) was read at its public presentation at the Nigerian Institute of the larger family, appeared to believe the said revelation of the International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, on August 18

I

VISUAL ARTS A solo show berths at National Museum Yinka Olatunbosun Juliet Ezenwa Maja-Pearce speaks contemporary visual language with her new body of works currently showing at the National Museum, Onikan. Titled Beyond 2018, the six-day exhibition which opened to the creative community yesterday serves as a visual testimonial of the artist’s 27 years of practice and her exploit in new experimental skills.

The artist had a solo show at the Nike Art Gallery in 2012 and several group exhibitions over the years. According to the curator of the show, Mr Luciano Uzuegbu, the 20 pieces on display are products of oil, acrylic and found objects with themes from socio-cultural parlance such as ‘women rights’, ‘marriage’ and ‘togetherness’.

“I wanted to produce something retro; taking from the past and presenting it in a modern and new format. I wanted to produce something uniquely different. Of course, I studied African masks and with regard to the Ogolo or maiden Igbo masks, you cannot study it without encountering and drawing references from the master, Ben Enwonwu,’’ she said.

“Many of my masks I have adjusted to tell my story about theme. For instance, assigning horns, a symbol of strength to maiden masquerades as opposed to the chauvinistic traditional association.’’

With her works, she hopes to propagate the message of gender quality so that women can aspire to leadership positions with confidence.

She had executed UN-sponsored projects that advocate girl-child and women’s rights thus becoming one of the strongest voices in visual art to support the campaign.

Juliet is largely influenced by the works of Bruce Onobrakpeya as observed in her details and techniques. In Togetherness and Marriage series, she played more with of-white and less vibrant colours. And like the Malian artist, Abdoulaye Konate, she formed abstract geometric shapes with labyrithine motifs.

Later in her career, her use of bright colours typifies those of the Auchi school artists which she encountered during her studio practice with Sam Ovraiti as an apprentice and artist-assistant.

BEETA Playwright Competition Returns Yinka Olatunbosun BEETA Universal Arts Foundation (BUAF), in partnership with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, has launched its second edition of Beeta Playwright Competition (BPC), towards discovering new talents in the art play writing.

The competition is designed to preserve the Nigerian culture, history and heritage by breeding raising new playwrights skilled at conceptualising new, dramatic that capture all areas of the country’s life, from the grand to the absurd.

The competition, which is open to indigenous playwrights between ages 18-40 ends on August 3. This will be followed by the announcement of the top 10 finalists, who will participate in a writing workshop after which the winner will be unravelled at the grand finale.

Award winning actress and producer, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, conceptualised Beeta Playwright Competition (BPC) to make a statement in showcasing Nigeria’s emerging playwrights for the next generation. Paul Ugbede’s play, Our Son the Minister emerged winner of the competition’s first edition.

Graham-Douglas’ foundation published the play and staged it at Terra Kulture Arena, touring the country afterwards.

According Union Bank’s Head of Corporate Communication and Marketing, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, the bank recognises how invaluable arts is to Nigeria’s culture and history, hence the commitment to developing talents in the creative industry through partnership with BUAF. The competition, which is also supported

by The Guardian, Nigeria, WAPIC Insurance Plc, Terra Kulture, Olajide & Oyewole LLP, and YNaija.com awards N1 million worth of prize to the winner plus a publishing deal with Paper Worth Books Limited. It culminates in the stage production of the winning entry by BUAF at Terra Kulture Arena.

The second edition will has Shaibu Husseni, Ego Boyo, Ayo Jaiyesimi, Kenneth Uphopho, and Ibiso Graham-Douglas, as the panel of judges for the competition, with Prof. Ahmed Yerima as chairman.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

CICERO

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

IN THE ARENA

The PVC Revolution Is the response to the ongoing voter registration exercise fired up by the quest for change in 2019? Olawale Olaleye asks

T

he continuous voter registration exercise across the country is one electoral idea to which the average voter has responded positively, as far seen in many parts of the country. The turnout at every designated registration centre is evident.

Particularly instructive is that the attitude to the registration exercise is a conscious embrace of the idea by an average prospective voter, who has either decided that the current government must leave office in 2019 or resolved that against all odds, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration must secure its constitutional second term.

Recently, a public policy analysis and manifesto rating organisation, Deep Dive Intelligence, claimed its findings revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was clandestinely contributing to mass disenfranchisement and voters’ apathy in the country, an online news portal reported.

According to the organisation, there was a high, systematic suppression of voters in the southern part of the country, saying its findings were based on the fact that nine states with the highest number of abandoned Permanent Voters Card (PVC) were in the South, with Lagos State leading the pack with 2.2 million abandoned PVCs. But INEC is not completely oblivious of some of these misgivings. Its National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has been complaining about the staggering number of abandoned PVCs in many parts of the country. He once worried about the situation at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as a case in point.

Also, at a recent meeting with civil society groups, Yakubu hinted that apart from the 7.8 million PVCs that were yet to be collected, the commission has had to embark on the production of some PVCs that have not been printed since the last general election.

“There are some we have not printed from the last general election; so, we are meeting some stakeholders next week in this regard to settle it,” he explained, noting that Lagos State had the highest number of uncollected PVCs with 1.4 million cards, followed by Oyo State (700,000) and Edo State with 540,000. This was as at April, 2018. This was as at April, 2018.

According to him, Ogun State, as at then had the highest percentage of the least collected PVCs, while Bauchi and Zamfara,

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

recorded the highest rate of collection by number and percentage.

Even then, INEC still had to print about 4.23 million PVCs just as it continued with the registration exercise. However, of the nearly 66.5 million registered voters in the country given the record in April, about 54.43 million had PVCs, leaving a balance of 12.03 million in uncollected and yet-to-be printed PVCs. In the regional analysis for the period under review, out of the over 13.73 million registered voters in the South-west, about 9.24 million had their PVCs. The rest had either not been collected or printed. In the South-south with about 10.1 million registered voters, those with PVCs were 8.42 million.

The South-east which had about 7.67 million registered voters, only about 6.62 million were armed with their PVCs. Yet, the insurgency-ravaged North East with an alleged registered voter population of 9.12 million had about 7.92 million voters with PVCs. The North West, not unexpectedly too, had the highest figure, both in terms of registered voters and those with PVCs. While the zone had 16.13 million registered voters, those with PVCs were 14.56 million. In the North Central, where there were 9.77 million registered voters, only 7.66 were with PVCs.

Buhari’s ‘Endurance Trek’

W Buhari doing is 800 metres walk

But all of these statistics have changed significantly in the last four months and this is as evidenced by the chart above. With the continuous registration exercise in top gear, INEC has recorded fresh registration of voters to the tune of 13,013,989. The current PVC collection is also in the region of 847,693, while transfer request of cards is approximately 641,274. The total replacement done is 999,656. This update was as at last week, August 20, 2018.

Curiously, the registration bug has been caught by nearly everyone and has even scaled up in many parts of the country as voters now struggle to get registered or update their existing registration. This, of course, validates the level of awareness so far generated about the importance of next year’s election to the future of the country.

The ‘Get-Your-PVC’ campaign by different groups and individuals as well as the response so far generated is one of the best experiences in the nation’s electoral process as the countdown to 2019 speeds up. It is evident that the development would not only shape the tide of the 2019 elections but alter significantly, what has been known as the voting pattern across the country.

This is why intending voters, who have come of age, are expected to seize advantage of the extension granted by INEC to register and start to learn to make use of their voting powers in designing their own future through informed choices of leaders.

alking 800 metres home from the prayer ground on this year’s Eid-el-Kabir is the new singsong of the Presidency and supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari, who claimed it was a feat that has proven the president was fit to seek reelection in 2019. Some have also argued that the spin was in reaction to the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who said recently that the president was very sick.

Now, for the purpose of education, walking to and from the eid is an Islamic im-

perative, which if possible, requires even taking different routes to and from the eid ground. The walk, therefore, is an action that seeks to complete the process of the eid rites, being an act of Prophet Mohammed (SAW), which is Sunna – optional.

However, attempts to politicise this and redirect the whole essence is a most unfortunate image spin, which has reduced the substance of the exercise and made nonsense of both the significance of the day and the intended political manipulation.

The presidential media failed yet again another elementary test of projecting and sustaining the image of the presidential institution.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

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BRIEFINGNOTES The Grudge Match BetweenTinubu and Saraki The recent public spat between the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, which signposts their deep-seated political differences and ambitions are not likely to end after next year’s election, writes Olaseni Durojaiye

E

ven though it flows with general expectations, the prediction that the nation’s political space would come alive and rev up in upbeats at the approach of the 2019 elections years has turned out to be on point.

The level of political activities in the country in the past couple of months, starting with the rejuvenation of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the decision to rebrand the party and ongoing plans towards that objective, and the realignment of political forces, which culminated in the gale of defections among others, simply signpost the approach of an election year.

The unfolding political enactments in the polity were further revved up last week with the now public feud between Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and a National Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

For the records, the two have never been known to be the best of friends. Besides, prior to the formation of the APC, both politicians have never been in the same political party. This, perhaps, explains why some political watchers described the two as conservative and progressive, respectively. This profiling may not hold water though, especially with those who hold the view that Nigerian politics is far from being ideology-based.

While Saraki’s political trajectory saw him journey from the All Peoples Party, where his late father and erstwhile strongman of (old) Kwara State politics since the Second Republic was a founding member, to the PDP and then the APC before his recent defection back to the PDP; Tinubu’s has followed the path of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC) which later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) and then the APC. The relationship didn’t improve when they found themselves in the same APC and this played out when Tinubu elected to look beyond Saraki when it was time to decide who becomes president of the eighth Senate. The battle didn’t abate even after Saraki had emerged the Senate President.

Rather it intensified on different fronts. Those in the know alleged that the National Leader of the APC was the unseen hand behind the Senate president’s travails at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and his brushes with the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

Last week, Tinubu fired the first salvo. The well-publicised statement came few weeks after the gale of defections from the ruling party began.

At the last count, 12 senators and 36 members of the House of Representatives and three governors had dumped the ruling party. The former governor of Lagos State stated that the Senate President decided to leave the ruling party because the party would not guarantee him an automatic ticket, adding that Saraki’s decision was also informed by pecuniary reasons.

Tinubu’s statement had read: “Nigeria is undergoing a historic transition. Sometimes awkwardly, tentatively, yet inexorably, we nurture political and governance reform. We steadily close

Tinubu with Saraki, when the former went to the senate president to plead with him not to leave the party, a meeting that necessitated a recent statement by Saraki

the door on the old malpractices that have caused a rich nation to reside in the tenement of the global poor.

“For Saraki to talk about lack of governance is for him to deny, who he is and the position he holds. This man stands as Nigeria’s Number 3 citizen. Clothed is he in ample power and influence. If he saw areas, where the government and the nation needed help, he could have easily applied his energies to these areas. He could have drafted legislation and easily got laws passed.

“However, no progressive enactment bears his name for he cared not for progress. He has been more focused on changing the rules of the Senate to favour himself and changing the order of elections so as to coincide with his selfish designs.

“In a fundamental way, the APC may be better for their exit. It would be untrue to say their departures did not generate concern. As the air clears and we can better assess what is lost and gained by their exit, I can truthfully say the APC will be better off because they are gone.”

Exercising his right of reply, Saraki punctured Tinubu’s claims. He explained that some leaders of the party practically pushed him out of the party, insisting that Tinubu was aware of his frustrations. Saraki also disclosed that Tinubu’s support for reelection bid of President Muhammed Buhari was a plot in the larger script aimed at Tinubu’s presidential ambition come 2023, adding that his relationship with Tinubu has always been defined by his opposition to his plan to foist a Muslim-Muslim ticket on the APC in 2014 to pave the way for Tinubu’s emergence as vice-president.

“I have been consistent in my complaints to all leaders of the APC, including Tinubu, that a situation where the National Assembly is

not constructively engaged or carried along in key policy decisions, particularly those that will eventually require legislative approval, is not in the best interest of the nation.

“Tinubu himself will recall that during the various meetings he had with me at the time he was pursuing reconciliation within the APC, I raised all the above issues. I can also vividly recall that he himself always expressed his displeasure with the style of the government and also mentioned that he had equally suffered disrespect from the same government, which we all worked to put in office.

I also made the point that whatever travails I have gone through in the last three years belong to the past and will not shape my decisions now and in the future.

“However, during those meetings, the point of disagreement between Tinubu and I is that while I expressed my worries that there is nothing on the ground to assure me that the administrative style and attitude would change in the next four years in a manner that will enable us to deliver the positive changes we promised to our people, he (Tinubu) expressed a strong opinion that he would rather ‘support a Buhari on the hospital stretcher’ to get a second term because, in 2023, power will shift to the South-west. This viewpoint of Tinubu’s was not only expressed to me but to several of my colleagues. So much for acting in the national interest,” he had stated.

If the grudge match between the two politicians is about their separate presidential ambitions, then the match will continue till 2023. Goings-on within the APC and PDP with regards to who picks the presidential ticket of the APC and PDP lend credence to this permutation.

That President Buhari will pick the APC presidential ticket is a fait accompli. Same cannot

be said of Saraki in the PDP where there are about six equally strong contenders for the sole ticket. Among them are former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former Caretaker Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; former governor of Kano State and serving Senator, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; incumbent governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; a former Minister of Special Duties, Saminu Turaki and Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Irrespective of the outcome of the unfolding drama, those in the know of political schemes and permutations in both camps maintained that the battle would resume in 2023. This conclusion is not farfetched going by the presidential ambitions in both camps. However, few factors will shape the narratives, when that bridge beckons, chief among which will be resources, both human and material; party platform may countless.

In this regard, Saraki may hold a slight edge.

From being chairman of the Governors Forum to becoming the President of the Eighth Senate, the amiable Kwara-born politician has been able to build bridges across the nation among past governors and legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly. Besides, his loyalists transcend legislators and his North-central zone. A pointer to that was his ability to rally members of the PDP to support his emergence as the Senate president.

On his part, Tinubu’s influence cannot be said to be on the wane even with his ill-fated attempts to install his associates in Kogi and Ondo states.

Although his hold on the South-west may not be as strong as it used to be, that may not be his biggest challenge. What will be his biggest challenge will most likely be the enemies he would make getting Buhari a second term in office.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

NOTES FOR FILE

Essentiality of the Card Reader

INEC National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu

President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act amendment bill two weeks ago, citing likely constitutional infraction, is a major setback to the much sought after credible elections in 2019.

If the president and his team are sincere about delivering credible election in 2019, they know for sure, that the card reader remains a major enhancer of such a feat. It therefore amounts to sheer hypocrisy to promise credible election on the one hand and yet throw overboard a major enhancer of that goal, on the other hand.

The Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers State 2015 governorship election is enough a lesson for the government to have embraced a much broader disposition on the issue of the card reader, whose essentiality cannot be displaced in the entire mix of the 2019 intrigues.

What this could mean, however, is that while the Buhari government appears to lack the capacity to drive and ensure a credible poll in 2019 – evidently so – the people might have resolved to actively participate in the process, from the start to the end, ensuring that their votes count.

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Ojo: Fayemi’s Election Was a Clean Win Kayode Ojo, one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in the July 14 election in Ekiti State in this interview with Shola Oyeyipo, dismisses some misgivings about the election. he also addresses other burning issues. Excerpts:

Y

ou recently participated in the electoral process, in Ekiti, which culminated in the election of Dr. Kayode Fayemi. You are supposed to be an aspirant of the party. But he won the primary and also went on to win the election.

What, generally, is your view on the exercise from the primary through to the election?

Generally, the primary process needs improvement. No doubt about it. We witnessed the main election and the main election I can conveniently say was credible and transparent. It portrayed the general view of the people to change the PDP to a reliable government in the APC. So, you were satisfied with the process that produced Dr. Kayode Fayemi?

Well, at the end of the day, I will say yes.

amount of debt this government has racked up is high, even though I don’t have the actual figures. I know we are in a serious situation. I think the biggest challenge he is going to face is on the finances of the state. How is he going to get money? How is going to be able to take care of all the backlog of salaries that are being owed and at the same time be able to pay the current salaries and then go to capital projects and all the other expenditures?

He will take care of the people. So, I know it is going to be extremely difficult. After the first time of Dr. Fayemi, he has gone out to be a minister and gathered experience. He has mingled with people and I believe this his second coming would be much better.

Nationally, a lot is happening on the political turf. There have been defections and impeachments, lest anyone forgets that your party promised change. Are you impressed Is it because you are a member of APC with the change the people are being served? or you are genuinely saying that as an Ekiti Let me tell you something about politics that I person? know and I am sure is the truth, it is that every Number one, I am a party person. So, we are politician is in politics because of what he wants not saying the process is perfect. It wasn’t, but at to be and then to be able to translate that to the end of the day, there is party supremacy. I know people – to be able to help them. If you look at the we can continue to improve on the system. situation and you look at the calculation, politics is also about mathematics and you look at that There was a major concern about the calculation and you see that your two plus two is exercise and it was what people called not going to get you four in a particular place and vote-buying. It wasn’t peculiar to Ekiti but you know that two plus two is going to be four in the dimension it took in Ekiti was disturbing. another place, you’re almost bound to see if you A lot of people tagged it ‘see and buy, and it can explore your end game there. That is what is was actually done by both parties. Do you not happening. think the outcome of the election could have If the president was not running for the second been tainted by that development? term, I can tell most of those leaving wouldn’t have People were talking about ‘see and buy’; I didn’t left, because most of them want to be president see anything in my polling unit, where I voted. and they know that there is no way they can So, I can’t say whether anyone bought people. defeat the president at the primaries and they don’t What I didn’t see, I can’t comment on it. But I want to wait. Also, if you look at it, especially the was told PDP gave some people money – N4000 guys from the north, they know that if President or something, but what I didn’t see, I can’t Buhari finishes the second term they probably corroborate. would have to wait another 16 years before it gets But I will say this, for people in Ekiti, the poverty back to them. For example, add 16 years to the rate is extremely high and even if you give to age of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Is people any little thing, they might say ‘he is trying he not 74 now? He would be 90 years old! We are to induce me’. not Malaysia that they just elected a 93-years-old I went throughout the state in 18 months trying Ojo...I’m not impressed with the fight against graft man. So, he knows that for him now, it is his last dice, so he has to campaign for the primary. You have to take care of everybody to throw the dice anyway. But throwing that dice as a politician then – from people trying to buy basic food to those who want to pay Apart from this image, there is nothing you can really hold on to in you must have some excuses why you need to move and all these. school fees of their kids, some to help them go for treatment and all Ekiti in almost four years. There is nothing on the ground. It was just That is what is going on. of those, so, what do you call all of that? last month (July) that January salary was paid. People have not been Ekiti politics, until we get a good government that is going to paid and they are going to vote for the man, who more or less was But it possibly can’t be that everyone who has left or who help the people out of poverty, money is always going to be an acting like he was going to vie for a third term. He didn’t even allow will be leaving is doing so because they want to be president? issue. the candidate to sell his programmes. I don’t know whether you Some people are aggrieved. I read but I don’t know how far it is watched the clip on Channels TV when the anchor asked: “What can true that the Senate President was saying all the appointments went There was tension in the build-up to the exercise. A lot of you say you have done for the people” and he said, “Why are you to Lagos and Katsina. That he wasn’t given slot. The Speaker too people thought that your party was going to descend heavily asking that kind of question? Last week, I was still frying garri with was not given slot. with its federal might, so, the opposition had alleged the my people”. Please, is that an achievement? abuse of power to intimidate the opposition. Did you see But that is public knowledge, isn’t it? such indications and in what way does it typify change?

You, other guys, are completely elitist. Do you think this is If that is true, I think there are better ways to handle that. We are Look, ask anyone that was in Ekiti in 2014; that lived through going to change the impression of leadership in the state, given almost at the end of the term. This is not the time. It could have been 2014 and that lived through this July election, they will tell you it is the way they have cheered on the incumbent? said about a year ago. If all that you have said is true, I think the like comparing death to sleep. There was nothing like federal might We are not all elitist. I am not elitist. I campaigned in Ekiti for 18 Senate President should have remained in the party and fight from in the July 14 election. The policemen that were there were there to months. I was there with the people, but I don’t do it for the show. inside to correct all the anomalies. Then build a closer relationship. maintain law and order and security. Nobody was harassed. All the I can stop by if I want to buy boli. I can get down from my car and Maybe you spoke to the president and he did not act immediately, it PDP chieftains and leaders were moving around. They were doing choose the one I want to buy. It is because I need it that I want to do is not all of us that act now-now. Some people take their time before their things normally. that, not because I want to buy ponmo so that I drive 200 miles and they take action or act. If I were him, I would have continued to talk, In 2014, some APC leaders were arrested, some of them were throw it away. That is what Fayose does. It is not that he takes the even if it means I had to meet the president every day or every other taken to the next state and dropped to walk back home. They ponmo home to go and eat. He throws it away. So, we are not elitist. day, except he doesn’t want to see me. didn’t even have a chance to vote. They couldn’t vote! But in this Dr. Fayemi has his own style. Everybody has his own style. When I election, all the PDP were there. They were able to do what they was there, I went to the joints to have at least a bottle of beer with the Do you know how many times they have been itching to had to do. I know President Buhari a bit. I know he does not guys and they appreciated that. I know that Ekiti people want you to see him before the whole thing went south? believe in shenanigans and to deny people their rights. There was come to their level. If you have anybody in Ekiti ask, the people there Well, I believe with Adams Oshiomhole as the new chairman, nothing like federal might in Ekiti. like me. They want me because they know me. I am not elitist. I can people may say he is a little bit brash, he is definitely more active. I relate to the elite and I can also relate with the common people. You would have worked with the chairman of the party, who is ready to The eventual emergence of Dr. Fayemi is what some people cannot blame Dr. Fayemi if he cannot to go to the bear parlour and listen or ready to take action, even to confront the president if need have described as ‘conspiracy of the elite, because they feel have pepper soup. What is important is the dividend of democracy be and say, ‘hey, we need to do this’. I think if he had done that, the elite at some point they came together to push Governor that he is going to give to the people to make their lives better. what I think the people didn’t see in him is maybe they didn’t see Fayose out, but when you look at the result of the election, is some real genuine sincerity in his grievances. You know sincerity can it not disappointing on the part of the so-called elite that in Is it true that you’ve offered to work with Dr. Fayemi? come with okay, this man is sincere, that is the way I actually see spite of everything, the difference was less than 20,000 votes.

Absolutely! these things.

How do you explain that?

Well, I understand where you are coming from but the fact is In what capacity are you offering yourself for service?

What’s your take about the state of security generally in the that in any election you only win by a simple majority. That is what In any area, they need my help. I am ready to make sure the country? is important. It is not the margin, even if it is by one vote. So, that government succeeds. That is the most important thing. It is for the Well, the security has somehow been challenging. From what I was what the APC was concerned about. We are not concerned if government to succeed because it is when the government succeeds read in the news about all those killings, kidnappings and all those we won by 200,000 or 1 million votes so that we can change the that we can have continuity and my eyes are on that continuity. things going on, of course, the security situation of the country is still narrative of Ekiti state from the image you just mentioned, which very much challenging and I think a lot more needs to be done in was terribly negative.

What challenges do you think Fayemi might start off with? that area.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com) Number one is the debt. The state is in very heavy debt. The

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SUNDAYINTERVIEW Senator Ahmed Makarfi

Makarfi

If You are an Unjust and Unfair Leader, You Will Become as Weak as Anything Speaking recently with some journalists, a former governor of Kaduna State and erstwhile National Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari is paying lip service to the Not-Too-Young to Run Bill he recently signed into law. A frontline presidential aspirant of the PDP, Makarfi also explained how he will tackle corruption if elected. John Shiklam presents excerpts of the interview

T

here are many presidential aspirants in the PDP and recently the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, talked about bringing all the aspirants to a roundtable to discuss the possibility of a consensus candidate. What’s your reaction to that?

You don’t rule out anything in politics. First of all, I have not read that statement of the BoT chairman. I have not even discussed it with him. Assuming he made the statement, politics requires dialogue. Such dialoguing may produce what the BoT chairman is alleged to have said. It may also just reduce the people in the field... In my going around, I had also propagated the need for us to come together to talk to one another and see how we can bring unity among all of us, because we are stronger united and divided we will become quite weak and we will just become picky dogs and that is something that we must avoid. How we’d get there, I can’t say. You have many ways you can get there. I am not asking or forcing anyone to pull out of the race, but I am of course for dialoguing amongst ourselves and other leaders and to see, irrespective of who emerges as the candidate, all others would rally around the eventual candidate to work as one.

It is only by dialoguing and discussing before that is determined. Interests can be discussed and balanced and then ultimately how we go forward is decided. If all of

have to do primaries, let’s go with the understanding that we will all work together for the eventual winner. So, it is good to talk. I will be prepared to talk in any discussion that will bring unity amongst us. I can’t say what I will do or not do at this particular stage, but I have not been summoned for any particular meeting. Maybe it is just an idea that the BoT chairman is saying it loud for others to hear, but politics is full of a lot of things and in the next few days, we will see what will happen.

Talking about harmonisation and integration of returnees, how has it been especially, as one of the governors is contemplating joining the presidential race?

Well, you see, it depends on the way you look at this particular issue. What I have been made to understand, which is the true position of the party because I did discuss with the committee on the harmonisation and the party leadership is that where you have a sitting governor coming into the party with all his apparatus of government, certain parameters of integration were agreed upon with the state.

It’s not something to do with the nation. Do you get my point? And where he is a senator, certain parameters to do with his senatorial zone were agreed upon, or state assembly or even House of Representatives. But I think some are misinterpreting this to be wider than what the intended purpose is.

For example, if you are in the House of Representa-

tives, gunning for the Senate, it does not apply to your ambition for the Senate, because it relates to your current position, it does not relate to any other position that you are looking for beyond your current position; and this is worth discussing, dialoguing and ironing out issues with all involved.

Even here in Kaduna, I have called for a meeting of key leaders of the party so that we can see how politically we can bring about a hitch-free integration of returnees into the party without causing any unnecessary disruption that can be counterproductive.

How is the PDP coping with the gale of defections from the APC to its fold?

I had long predicted these defections many months back. When we were going through difficulties and people were losing hopes and I was asked a similar question as far back as last year, my reply was that the time for defection from APC and other parties to the PDP will be coming and it has happened. I predicted it correctly and I am not surprised. Personally, I feel happy that it has taken place. It is also not the end of it. We have seen the first wave and we expect more defections to follow, especially because of the reaction of the APC and its government. Some are just buying their time and do it at a later day. You know it happened to us in the PDP. It is a matter of time.

Personally, I am happy that we are getting returnees and getting new party members, especially new people

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CICERO/INTERVIEW t ‘I’M OPEN TO A PRIMARY OR CONSENSUS TO CHOOSE PDP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE’ tContinued from Pg. 74 that have never been in the PDP before and the party should be prepared for a lot more to come in. Of course, every positive thing comes with challenges. The challenge will be integrating all the party men and women. I am equally happy that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has set up machinery, which has been working day and night to bring a smooth integration and harmonisation of interests of party men and women in states that are more heavily affected by the defection.

That is how politics is played – constructive engagement and that constructive engagement is still going on.

I believe at the end of the day, people will accommodate each other in the overall interest of the party. It is a challenge but challenges are there to be overcome. I am confident that the national leadership of the party is equal to the task to see to the integration.

There are fears that because of a large number of those vying for the PDP presidential ticket, some people may not be happy with the outcome of the selection or election of whoever emerges and that this may the chances of the party winning the poll. What do you think?

When I was answering a similar question in relation to what the BoT Chairman said, I did say that it is good to talk and dialogue before the D-Day to ensure that there is unity among all party men and women. We have done that before. We should continue to talk and dialogue among ourselves. This way, we can reduce the trouble and the fact that we are talking and in constant dialogue will make it easier, fair and transparent.

If you look at the primaries conducted in Ekiti and Osun, nobody will say that it was not free, fair and transparent. Look at the margin between the winner and the runner-up in Osun. It is only in a free and fair contest that you get such a margin. So, the party is living up to its word by ensuring there is a level playing field for a credible primary. I don’t foresee any problem.

At the end of the day, we will have a single candidate in a democratic way and that candidate will generally be acceptable to all of us.

Would you prefer that a candidate emerge through a primary or via consensus?

I am open to either. It is not what I want but what is achievable. We should subject ourselves to anyone that is widely acceptable to all of us.

You said recently during your tour of some states that you would not leave the PDP if you don’t get the presidential ticket. Why did you say so?

Whatever is the outcome I will accept it in good faith; whether I emerge the candidate or not. Any way I can contribute to the success of the party, what I can do, I will do. But the question is, will I leave the party and go to another party? I have said it repeatedly that if I leave PDP, I will go into political semi-retirement. By semiretirement, it means that you won’t find me contesting an elective office. I may still be a political player, playing whatever role that I could play. But at my age, if I don’t get nominated now, you can imagine what my age will be at another chance.

I don’t belong to those who think you should continue to seek electoral office irrespective of your age. What is the essence of the Not-too-Young to Run in this case? So, it defeats that purpose. The President just signed this into law. It’s not just signing the law; we should take every step to actualise laws that are good for our country. So, definitely you may find me not playing active politics that I am playing now, but definitely, not leaving the party that I am in. If I say I am leaving politics, I am leaving it for good. I won’t move to another party, for what – to seek election or appointment? It is not something I will think of.

What do you think about the recent by-election in Taraba State and the one suspended in Rivers State as a result of violence?

I said it when I went to commission projects in Rivers that one governor who has been under consistent siege of intimidation and harassment, is Governor Wike of Rivers State by the federal government. It is uncalled-for and this must stop. The Taraba State election in Takum went fine. The one in Port Harcourt - look at the disruption in connivance with the security agencies involved. We all know the federal government is always behind these crises in Rivers State. Nobody should be beyond being called to order. The person in the federal government that is consistently causing security breaches and the crisis in Rivers State must be called to order.

The government knows him. We all know him and the President owes it as a responsibility to this nation, wherever such individual exists, should be called to order.

Otherwise, the havoc they will cause to our democracy and country would be grievous. Therefore, INEC did the right thing by suspending the election. Beyond that, the correct thing should be done and the police or any security agency must not allow themselves to be used by an interested party to hijack the political process whether in Rivers State or any part of this country. The siege on Rivers State, its people and government must stop.

One of the allegations against this government is that the fight against corruption is selective. How will you fight corruption if you’re elected as the president?

First of all, the issue of corruption did not start in 1999. When you have something pervasive as it is, no matter your good intentions, we need to talk to one another about how best to deal with this issue once and for all. And the only way to deal with it, just like the

I don’t belong to those who think you should continue to seek electoral office irrespective of your age. What is the essence of the Not-too-Young to Run bill in this case? So, it defeats that purpose.The President just signed it into law. It’s not just signing the law; we should take every step to actualise laws that are good for our country

talk for National Conference – conferencing is a holistic and comprehensive way dealing with corruption in this country and putting a stop to it.

It is not so much of jailing Mr. A or B or so. It is a complete change of orientation of Nigerians and if you draw a line and you take corrective measures and it never occurs again, you are far better off as a nation. But if you don’t discuss it and evolve a nationally acceptable approach across board – meaning across all interests, professionally and otherwise and we embrace it as a national philosophy and national agenda... I have read a lot of write-ups in which people alleged that if you move from one party to another party, even if you have a case, it is put in the cooler.

These people are being short-sighted. That is not the end of it, when things changed, watch crime channels (on DStv) where after 30 years, a case that was unsolved is revisited and somebody will solve it. So, it is a temporary reprieve and this will continue to draw us back except we come together as a country and discuss a holistic way of fighting corruption. How I will approach it is through a national discussion on evolving a comprehensive programme to deal with issues of corruption in all facets of our society, not just politics.

Some people say you appear to be too soft to make hard choices for the country. Is that correct?

Some of you worked with me when I was the governor of Kaduna State. I was softer that time and we handled Kaduna very well. Not by intimidation, not by jailing or abusing anybody, but by governing on the principles of justice, fairness and equity. That is what can make any man strong. If you are guided by these principles, you will be a strong man because people will listen to you.

They will respect you; they will give you all the necessary support you require to succeed as a leader.

No matter how strong you are, if you are an unjust and unfair leader, you will become as weak as anything. So, I have been tested and my frail body did not give way. But I assure you, if you follow me on a campaign, you will collapse. I am walking, you have to run. With that kind of capacity, there would be nothing that is beyond me.

And of course, a tree does not make a forest. No matter how capable you are, if you don’t have a good team, you are likely going to fail. So, the first thing a leader needs to do is to have a balanced, good team and delegate power.

But you have to monitor the power you have delegated to ensure it is being applied for the good of all. That is what I did in Kaduna and I succeeded and that principle will apply nationwide should I have the opportunity and I assure you, we will succeed.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

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CICERO/TRIBUTE

Oba Otudeko with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD); held in Nairobi, in 2016)

At 75 Oba Otudeko Still Active in World of Business In this tribute, Obinna Chima chronicles the accomplishment of Oba Otudeko, a consummate boardroom guru, businessman, industrialist and philanthropist, who turned 75 recently

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enultimate Saturday, Dr. Oba Ayoola Otudeko turned 75. Not one to celebrate ostentatiously, he, however, could not prevent the numerous accolades and congratulatory messages that accompanied the milestone achievement. And, in a unique way, which confirmed his stature as a national icon and frontline leader of the organised private sector, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR led with the felicitations that came Otudeko’s way.

Congratulating Otudeko, Buhari saluted his “vision, wisdom and dexterity in setting up businesses that cut across the oil and gas industry, flour mills, hospitality and transportation.”

By all means, Otudeko is a foremost Nigerian entrepreneur and visionary reputed for his highly successful domestic and foreign investments that cut across diverse sectors of the economy.

25, he had qualified with honours, winning several prizes, as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered & Corporate Accountants, UK. By virtue of the exceptional scholarship that has defined his career, not only did he win the Mayor of Leeds Prize for best final accountancy student and Third Prize A.C.C.A final year accountancy student, both in 1967, but was acclaimed the best London final year student in his Chartered Institute of Secretaries course in 1968.

Ultimately, Oba qualified as a Chartered Banker, Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Corporate Secretary. He holds fellowships of all three professional institutes.

In 1972, he married his better half, Mrs. Adebisi Aderonke Otudeko (nee Oduntan), a princess from the Tunwase ruling house of the Awujale Royal Stool, IjebuOde, Ogun State. They are blessed with several brilliant and accomplished children, who have begun to make their marks in their various professional and business fields.

Background and Education

Early Career

Born in Ibadan, Oba is a scion of the Otudeko and Omo Oba Adejonwo noble families of the Ijebu stock of South-west Nigeria. He owes his start and success in life to God and to his late and beloved parents, Pa Emmanuel Onakoya Otudeko and Madam Susainah Adefowore Otudeko.

He began his primary school education in 1949 at St. James’ Primary School, Oke-Bola, Ibadan and completed it at St. John’s School, Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State in 1955. From 1956 to 1960, Oba was at the Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo Town, Oyo State for his secondary school education.

Oba was indeed a regal and highly-gifted youngster who showed early signs of a bright and outstanding future. By

Oba was in bank employment for 23 years, rising to become the General Manager and acting Chief Executive Officer of then Cooperative Bank, Ibadan from where he retired in 1983. His meritorious years as a distinguished banker would later earn him a directorship position on the Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 1990 to 1997.

From Trading to a Leading Nigerian Conglomerate Honeywell Group He probably took his business sense from his parents who were extremely enterprising parents. The evolution of his flagship company, Honeywell Enterprises, later Honeywell Group, could be traced to the transformation and refocusing of his mother’s extensive trading network in commodities.

Honeywell initially began operations over 4 decades ago as a trading concern, importing and marketing commodities such as: baking yeast, stock fish, glass and steel rods, among others. Today, the Honeywell Group has evolved into a diversified conglomerate with businesses across major sectors of the Nigerian economy that contribute significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These sectors are: Foods &Agro-allied; Real Estate, Energy and Services.

It is fair to say that few Nigerians, now or in the past, have exhibited the same level of untrammelled vision, passion and conviction premised on the ability of Nigerians to excel and compete against the best in the world. Oba’s bold vision, intellectual depth, uncommon clarity of purpose, entrepreneurial drive and undoubted patriotism are indeed the cornerstones of his disciplined approach to life and business.

Oba’s visionary leadership nurtured the Honeywell Group’s rapid growth into a composite and esteemed indigenous brand that now traverses the entire country.

Today, Honeywell Group’s articulated vision is “to become the most admired company in Africa in terms of its successes, practices and people.”

The Group’s activities in key sectors of the Nigerian economy continue to contribute to solving economic challenges in the country. In the Foods & Agro-allied sector, the Honeywell Group states its commitment to provide nutritious and affordable food products to as many Nigerians as possible. Through Honeywell Flour Mills Plc (HFMP), one of the largest food processors in Nigeria, the company produces over 400,000 MT of affordable food products annually, from two locations in Lagos. A third location in Sagamu, Ogun State, is nearing completion.

In HFMP’s 24 years of existence, it has fulfilled the

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

CICERO/TRIBUTE t ‘AT 75 OBA OTUDEKO STILL ACTIVE IN WORLD OF BUSINESS ’ t Continued from Pg. 76 nourishment needs of millions of Nigerians through manufacturing of branded consumer food products. Commencing operations with a 200MT/ day mill in 1998, and producing one product (Baking Flour), the company’s flour milling capacity has increased by over 1,205% to 2,610MT, while also adding other manufacturing capabilities in Ball Foods, Noodles and Pasta. As a listed entity on the Nigerian Stock Exchange since 1998, it has long set the highest standards of corporate governance, integrity and compliance.

HFMP is also committed to the long term development of Agriculture and cultivation of local crops in Nigeria and consequently the attainment of food security in Nigeria.

The company states an ambition to significantly cut back on the importation of raw materials through substitution of imported raw materials with locally available inputs.

The platform for HFMP’s backward integration agenda is the Honeywell Foods and Agro-allied complex that is currently under construction in Sagamu, Ogun State with the Phase I of the project ready to be commissioned before the end of the year. When completed, the complex will consist of up to 15 integrated factories anchored on innovation, backward integration and local sourcing of raw materials.

Honeywell Group is also a significant player in the Real Estate Sector. The Group’s activities are conducted through two companies; Uraga Real Estate Limited and Anchorage Leisures Limited. Uraga Real Estate, which manages a significant land bank across Nigeria, leverages over 20 years of experience in development management, property/facilities management, and real estate and fund/asset management.

Honeywell Group, in conjunction with Nigerian partners and international investors, set up Anchorage Leisures Limited, as a vehicle to develop and make investments in Nigeria’s hospitality and tourismReal Estate sub-sectors.

The flagship development of the company is the 170 room, 5-star Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. The hotel is operated in partnership with Rezidor International.

In the Energy sector, Honeywell Group Companies have been at the forefront of building and investing in critical infrastructure necessary for the development of sub sectors within the Energy Value Chain. Pivot Engineering Company Limited (PECL), has over the last 25 years been actively involved in providing Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services to the power industry.

The company has worked extensively with the Federal Government on landmark power projects such as the OAY (Owerri-Ahoada-Yenagoa)project for Transmission Company of Nigeria (former Power Holding Company of Nigeria), where itwas responsible for the EPC that successfully delivered a 132KV double circuit transmission line, which connected Bayelsa State to the national grid for the first time. Uraga Power Solutions Limited (UPSL), an off-grid fossil-fuelled generation and renewable energy solutions provider, develops, finances, constructs, owns and operates captive and embedded off-grid power plants to provide superior power solutions to an array of customers including factories, hotels, industrial estates, malls and residential estates. It engages in both the acquisition of existing ‘brownfield’ power generation assets and the development of ‘greenfield’ projects. UPSL currently manages 37MW of industrial power assets.

Pivot-GIS Limited, another Honeywell Group company in the Energy sector, is an Engineering, Procurement and Construction services provider in the upstream oil and gas industry. It has built and currently manages critical oil and gas infrastructure for NNPC and various International Oil Companies operating in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry. The company has executed a number of critical EPC for onshore and offshore projects and also provides Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services to its various upstream clients. The company also has a subsidiary company Rosetti Pivot Limited, which is a JV partnership with Rosetti Marino, an integrated group of companies headquartered in Italy, providing engineering, procurement and construction and installation services to the offshore oil & gas, petrochemical, power and ship building industries.

Through HOGL Energy, the company owns and operates over 35,000MT capacity tank farms in Apapa and Calabar, with capacity to receive various grades of white fuels.

In the Services sector, Pavilion Technology Limited (PTL), provides innovative security services to individuals and clients in the public and private sectors. Specific services offered include technical electronic security systems, manned guards, escort services, executive protection, event security, marine security, outsourced labour, and security consultancy. Pavilion has over 2,000 verified and adequately trained manned guards, securing facilities 24/7 all over Nigeria. It also has a technical partnership with Avigilon; a global provider of trusted security solutions.

As further embodiment of the entrepreneurial nature of the Group and in fulfilment of its mission statement, which is to “use enterprise to make our world better“, in 2018, the Group launched its venture capital platform, Itanna, which is focussed on identifying and partnering with the next generation of Nigerian and African businesses. The company clearly states that these businesses will be companies that leverage technology to transform traditional businesses and disrupt existing business models. The first cohort of the programme, has recently commenced and will be further

(Oba Otudeko (right) exchanging pleasantries with Immediate Past UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2016)

(Oba Otudeko leading Honeywell’s Management team to conduct Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his entourage around the soon-to-be-commissioned Honeywell Integrated Foods Complex, Sagamu) developed over a period of four months.

Trade Promotion, Investments and Other Economic Development Activities

Oba is a man of many parts. He is a strategic investor who has been at the forefront of catalysing the growth of key sectors of the Nigerian economy. He played a leading role in the telecommunications revolution in Nigeria. He was a leading investor and pioneer Chairman of Econet Wireless Limited (now Airtel Nigeria), which was the first GSM company to switch on its network, following the liberalisation of the telecommunications space in 2001.

This investment led to the creation of millions of jobs and spawned thousands of new-era businesses in Nigeria especially in the SME category.

A widely-acknowledged boardroom guru, Oba is currently Group Chairman, FBN Holdings Plc, owners of First Bank of Nigeria, Limited. He was also the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc., FBN Bank (UK) Limited, Fan Milk of Nigeria Plc(one of Nigeria’s oldest and leading dairy food processing and Distribution Company which has been in operation for over 50 years and currently at the forefront of backward integration for dairy products in Nigeria) and Airtel Nigeria.He has, at various times, served on the Boards of Central Bank of Nigeria (1990 – 1997), Guinness Nigeria Plc (1999 – 2003), British American Tobacco Ltd (2001 – 2004) and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, headquartered in Lome, Togo (2002 – 2010).

As a foremost capital market investor, he was elected the 16th President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in September 2006, where he customarily assumed the responsibility of inspiring step change transformation of the Nigerian capital market.

To facilitate investment flows into Nigeria, Oba was the pioneering Chairman of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce (NSACC). He was formerly a Board member of the Franco-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Council Member of the Nigerian-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce. During his tenure as the NSACC Chairman, the volume of Nigeria-South Africa bilateral trade grew significantly from $16.5 million in 1999 to $2.9 billion in 2010.Dr. Otudeko is unrelenting in his efforts at promoting multilateral African trade and deepening public-private partnerships. He was at some time in the past on the Board of the NEPAD Business Group – Nigeria.

Oba advocates a market-driven but sustainable national development. He also believes in adherence to good corporate governance practices and a business environment that allows new business opportunities translate into greater shareholder value.

Public Service

Although Oba is more renowned as a private sector business leader, his love and passion for Nigeria has intermittently propelled him into public sector roles. Prior to the advent of the Second Republic in 1979, he was an active member of the Constituent Assembly mandated to draft a new Constitution for Nigeria. In 1993, he was Chairman of the National Maritime Authority and for over three years, until 1993, he was a Council Member of Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN).Specifically, in the banking sector, he was at various times Council Member of the Nigerian Banks Employers’ Association, the Bankers’ Committee, and the West African Bankers’ Association.

Continued on Pg. 78

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

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CICERO/TRIBUTE t ‘AT 75 OBA OTUDEKO STILL ACTIVE IN WORLD OF BUSINESS ’ t Continued from Pg. 77 Between 2013 and 2014,he was Chairman, Business Support Group (BSG), the working group responsible for the delivery of the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) of the National Planning Commission.

He also served as Member, Presidential Advisory Council on Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan from 2014 to 2015.

In 2001, he was appointed Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, formerly Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. He served until 2010.He currently serves as a member of the Office of Distinguished Friends of the London Business School.

Philanthropy

But for Oba, it is not all about wealth-creation, he believes that created wealth must be put to good use, especially for national development.

It is in the light of this that he founded the Oba Otudeko Foundation (OOF) as a vehicle for human and capacity development initiatives. In fact, the OOF’s articulated mission states that the Foundation “is committed to programmes aimed at ensuring that Nigeria keeps pace in the technologies and competencies that will define the twenty-first century and beyond, through people empowerment, capacity, and institutions building.” The Foundation also has four focus areas – Education, Health, Public Enlightenment and the Environment – through which it implements its interventions.

Presently, the OOF has fully developed the strategic framework for implementing a pivotal intervention called, Footprints Occupational Training Centre. Through this initiative, OOF hopes to restore Nigerians’ pride in basic craftsmanship and skilled labour, whilst offering comprehensive technical and vocational training to teeming Nigerian youths in critical areas of Machine Work, Fabrication & Welding, Plumbing & Pipe Work, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning and Electrical Installations.

In the meantime, some of OOF’s interventions include: donation of an auditorium (Honeywell Group Auditorium) to Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos; donation of a Students’ Cafeteria to Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State; donation of an Administrative Building to All Saints College, Edun Village, Ibadan; Institution of a Central Administrative Building for the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. OOF also supports worthy social causes, provides grants to students and regularly supports orphanages and old peoples’ homes.

Recognition

In further recognition of his many contributions to the economic and social development of Nigeria and his consistent commitment to good causes and the Nigerian nation, Oba’s National Honour was again upgraded to Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) in November 2011, having previously been awarded the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in November 2002 and the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in December 2000.

His other awards include: Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State; Honorary Doctor of Business Management from Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State; Honorary Doctor of Science Degree (D.Sc.) from Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo Town, Oyo State; the ZIK Foundation for Leadership Award; Sardauna Magazine National Excellence and Leadership Lifetime Achiever Award; Nigerian Investment Promotion Achiever of the Year Award; Nigerian Telecoms’ Outstanding Contribution to Telecoms Award; the Paul Harris Fellow Award of Rotary International; Honorary Citizen of Dallas Texas, USA; Honored Citizen of Meziara, Lebanon; Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the ThisDay Awards in 2009 and 2013, Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award; Leadership Newspaper Business Person of the Year 2015; Silverbird Extraordinary Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2016 Africa CEO Forum’s Africa CEO of the Year Award; and recently, Vanguard Newspaper Lifetime Achievement Award.

Oba Otudeko is definitely a national treasure, who has contributed over 50 years of hard work and commitment to the growth of business corporations and institutions impacting the Nigerian economy. We wish him more years of active service and contributions to further (Oba Otudeko leading Honeywell’s Management team to conduct Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his entourage around the soon-togrowth and development of Nigeria.

be-commissioned Honeywell Integrated Foods Complex, Sagamu)

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2018

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SOCIALMEDIABITS Last week, social media responded to the President walking 800 metres, heavyweight politicians writing letters, and the place of women in Nigerian culture...

T

wo days last week were set aside for Eid el Kabir celebrations and it was no surprise that the Sallah festivities threw up one of the interesting topics trending on social media.

After Eid prayers in Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari walked 800 metres from the prayer ground to his private residence. His supporters cited it as proof that he was fit and ready to run for elections next year.

His opponents scoffed; another aspirant, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar put up a few posts, one in particular suggesting that he jogs longer distances every morning but does not make a big deal out of it.

Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose suggested that

the Athletics Federation of Nigeria be the umpire for next year’s election.

Two thoughts though: Who measured the distance and how long did it take to finish?

And secondly, will this birth a ‘not too old to run’ campaign on twitter?

At about the same time, former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu and Senate President Bukola Saraki wrote letters that were broken into bits and serialised on twitter. Of course their respective supporters traded accusations and counter accusations. In the end though, these guys are always in bed together, no?

The Senate President has been trending for a few weeks following his defection from the Cont’d on pg 81

with DEMOLA OJO demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

AUGUST 26, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

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SOCIALMEDIABITS ruling APC to the opposition PDP. The APC is hell bent on getting him to resign his position or get him impeached which is somewhat understandable. What is a little surprising is a prominent member of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria calling on him to leave office.

This supplied enough ammunition for those who believe the Fulani Herdsmen and the ruling party are pursuing the same agenda.

Meanwhile social media kept the issue of 112 women arrested by the police in Owerri on the front burner.

Arrested penultimate week for “illegal assembly and holding an unlawful protest”, the women had protested topless to question the government over the disappearance of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, after an alleged invasion of soldiers on his father’s residence September last year.

The action of the police only amplified the impression that the government clamps down only when those with dissenting views are involved.

The way women are treated in Nigerian (and by extension, African) culture was also a topic on twitter especially regarding marriage.

Regardless of which side of the divide you lean to, what isn’t in doubt is that the very foundation of our norms are being questioned and shaken. But Jollof rice will remain a staple at weddings hopefully.

It isn’t in doubt that Nigerian’s love their Jollof and claim to have the best or as internationally-renowned rapper Wale believes, the only one.

He wasn’t the only global star of Nigerian extraction in the news last week. Multiple Grammy award winner, Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, popularly known as Seal was pictured alongside Femi Kuti at The Shrine in Lagos.

Across the Atlantic, Folarin Falana, famously known as Falz, was seen hobnobbing with Sean Combs in Los Angeles.

Music (certainly) and Jollof (probably) are among our biggest cultural exports.

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NEWSXTRA APGA Snubs Buhari, Zones Presidency to North David-Chyddy ElekeinAwka Ahead of the 2019 General election, the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the weekend disclosed the plan to resolved to pick its presidential candidate from the North.

The party rejected the decision to adopt President Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate, noting that its decision was founded on sound political principles, values, and ideology, The party disclosed the decision after a critical deliberation in Awka, Anambra State, saying it had zoned the presidential candidacy to the north while the vice presidential candidate would be of South-east extraction.

In a communiqué it issued after the meeting, the party noted that the meeting was held at the instance of Governor Willie Obiano, who is the party’s National Leader and BoT Chairman.

The communiqué stated that the board members deliberated on the future of the party with specific attention given to the upcoming general election and the options facing the party.

After the meeting, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees,

Alhaji Sani Shinkafi said after due considerations based on popular demand by party members, the party resolved “to zone its presidential candidacy to the north and the vice presidential Candidate to the South-east.”

Shinkafi noted that with the goings on in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), APGA would present a viable option for Nigerians and solution to the sociopolitical problems the nation is presently facing.

He explained that the party “is not contesting the presidential election for sake of notice but aside its right to contest every political position, the party is set to field qualified candidates to fly its flag and will also evolve strategies that will enable the party achieve the ambition of forming a central government in 2019.”

The party had besides 2003 and 2007 when it fielded the founder of the Party, late Biafra Warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu adopted former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and 2015, an action which THISDAY learnt the party still regrets to date.

A source within the party however revealed to THISDAY that the party was targeting a

Suspended Elections: Abuja Politicians Seek Redeployment of Rivers REC Dayo Akinwale in Abuja As a fallout from the Rivers State by-election of August 18 that was suspended, pressure is now mounting on the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters in Abuja for the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga from the State.

A source at the commission’s headquarters told our correspondent that some politicians in Abuja who felt threatened by the commissioner’s insistence on doing the right thing wanted him redployed.

“So far the commission has not found any reason to redploy the commissioner”, the source added.

Effanga had issued a statement on the day of the election that “as a result of this widespread and wanton disruption of the electoral process as reported from the field by the Supervisory Presiding Officers and Supervisors from the Commission and also, having reviewed the situation, the Commission in accordance with the provisions of Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) has decided to suspend the elections forthwith”.

The statement said INEC was fully prepared for the poll and had deployed on time its personnel and electoral ma-

particular presidential aspirant from the north, who he described as a heavy weight politician.

“The aspirant is not in APGA for now, he is in another party,

but it is hoped that he would move to APGA if he is unable to secure the ticket of his current party.”

The source said APGA had made initial plans to adopt Presi-

dent Buhari as its candidate, and as payback for letting last year’s governorship election result which Obiano won to stand, despite attempts by APC stalwarts to rig their candidate in.

However, the party rescinded the decision after weighing Buhari’s growing unpopularity, especially in the southeast, where APGA is mostly considered as an Igbo party.

YOU ARE WELCOME

L-R: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu during a visit to the Government House, Enugu, yesterday.

Ohanaeze: Igbos Have Legitimate Reasons to Be Angry with Nigeria ChristopherIsiguzoinEnugu

Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday said the people of South-east had legitimate reasons to be angry with Nigeria, citing undue proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Ohanaeze, a pan-Igbo socioterials in the 142 polling units where the poll was conducted. cultural organisation, hailed the It said many electoral of- release of Igbo women who were ficials were manhandled and recently arrested and detained injured while some were held for protesting the disappearance of the IPOB Leader, Mr. Nnamdi hostage.

However, the decision to Kanu in Owerri, Imo state last suspend the election had im- week.

The President General of the mediately drawn various reactions from the two key parties organisation, Chief John Nwodo expressed this concern in a statein the state.

The All Progressives Congress’ spokesperson in the state, Chris Finebone, said in a statement that “the APC views the wording of the memo (INEC REC) suspending the PHALGA 3 bye-election as A Benue State High Court sitting substantially mendacious, un- in Makurdi has directed the state necessarily alarmist and gen- governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom to erally convoluted with sinister serve the National Chairman of All innuendos by the author in a Progressives Congress (APC), Comway that does not represent radeAdamsOshiomholethewritof an accurate assessment of the summons in a N10 billion defamation he filed against Oshiomhole process so far.

“We hope that INEC will andhisparty.

The presiding judge, Justice Theresa not be misled to derail or embark on a line of action that IgochegrantedOrtom’sex-parteapplicawill leave her with a legal bad tiononFriday,seekingthepermissionof nose. This will neither be to the the court to serve Oshiomhole and the benefit of INEC nor the system APCatAbujaoutsidethejudicialdivision ofBenueState. in any way”, Finebone added.

OshiomholehadaccusedOrtomof Another chieftain of APC and a former majority leader havingahandinthedeathoftwocatholic in the Rivers State House of priestsandtheirparishionersatMbaAssembly Mr Chidi Lloyd lom community on the ground alleged in a programme in that one of the priests had preached a national television (AIT) a ‘very critical sermon’ against the on Monday August 20, governor.

Consequently, Ortom dragged 2018 thatb”Obo Effanga is a member of PDP, we know, we Oshiomhole and the APC before have the records”, without, the court for alleged defamation of however, giving any proof of character, demanding a whopping sumofN10billionincompensation. this allegation.

ment yesterday, saying the IPOB leaders “are daring to speak out in the face of degradation, marginalization and inhuman treatment.”

He, however, said Ohanaeze “is pleased that reason and respect for human rights prevailed and that a little over one hundred women who were exercising their fundamental human rights could not conceivably be any threat to peace in Imo State.”

Nwodo, who is recuperating abroad from a mild surgery, warned Ndigbo against “shooting themselves on the foot no matter the provocation. I salute the courage of the Imo State judiciary and the professionalism of

Court Grants Ortom Leave to Serve Oshiomhole, APC When the suit came on Friday, counsel to Ortom, Mr. Samuel Irabormovedanex-parteapplicationto enablehimservethecourtprocesses ontheAPCnationalchairman.

Afterarguingtheapplication,the judgefoundmeritinitgrantedhim leave for the Defendants to be served at the APC National Secretariat, No. 40, Blantyre Street, Wuse II,Abuja.

The judge directed that Oshiomhole and the APC “have 30 days to enter appearance and file their defence.”

In his suit, Ortom had claimed that Oshiomhole and the APC assassinated his character and damagedhisreputationwheninanAPC sponsored news conference held on July27.

He is seeking an order of the court to declare that the allegation of Oshiomhole and the APC against him “are false, mischievous, unsubstantiated, defamatory and libelous of the plaintiff.”

the State Attorney General.

“Never again shall we Igbos at this critical time shoot ourselves again on the foot. No matter how provocative, incendiary and unruly IPOB may be, they are our children. Aggrieved children can sometimes lose their guard,” he noted.

He urged Imo State Government “to demonstrate some restraint in the future. Here are young people described as terrorists for daring to speak out in the face of degradation, marginalization and inhuman treatment.

“While they are proscribed, Fulani herdsmen and their sponsors, Meyetti Allah move about

freely reeling out new threats, occupying Southern and Middle Belt farms forcibly with the law enforcement agents either aiding them or intentionally looking away.

“Churches are invaded, priests killed yet no one is arrested.

Thousands are killed, thousands are rendered homeless, no one cares. IDPS are established only when the displaced come from a favoured section of the country.”

He noted that Boko Haram looted, plundered and kidnapped, though the federal government negotiated with them spending unappropriated and undisclosed sums.

Court Ruling on Price Increase Affront to Market Economy MultiChoice Pay TV operator, MultiChoice Nigeria, has described the court r u li ng r e st ra i n i ng it f r om i mple me nt i n g it s n e w s u b s c r ipt io n rat e s a s a n a f f r o nt to f r e e m a rk e t economy.

The company’s position was made known in a statement released yesterday.

MultiChoice said it received, on Thursday, an interim court order dated 20 Aug ust f rom t he Federal High Cou r t regardi ng t he pr ice adjust ment t hat it i mplemented on 1 Aug ust 2018.

“We believe that the order is an affront to the free market economy and we have now filed

a Notice of Appeal and an application for stay of execution, pending the hearing of the Appeal.

“The CPC h a s b e e n ac c or d i ng ly s e r ve d w it h t he r e q u i sit e pr o c e s s e s. I n l ig ht of t he appl ic at ion for a stay of execution, the status quo therefore prevails,” the statement said.

The company said it would always operate within the ambit of the law and will cooperate with the authorities to ensure the best outcome for its customers, even as it pledged its commitme nt to pr ov id i ng t he b e st q u a l it y of e nt e r t a i n me nt a nd pr e m iu m c o nt e nt at t he b e s t p o s si ble pr ic e s.

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THE COVER

Buhari in a handshake with Idris, when the IG visited the president recently

The Opposition Under the Yoke of Partisan Police

NIGERIA

Police’s alleged complicit in some of the reported malpractices that characterised a recent bye-election in Rivers State has exacerbated fears about the management of next year’s general election. Although the two major parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – had accused each other of masterminding theelectoralbrigandage,videosofpolice’sunrestrainedinvolvementinsomeoftheactivitiesthatdisruptedtheexercise, which has since been suspended, questioned the professional integrity of the force as well as their capacity to take themselves out of the political equation as an unbiased umpire. In examining some of the recent acts of partisanship by the Nigeria Police, Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the force is in dire need of sustainable reform, which unfortunately appearsimpossibleunder thecurrent administration of the 19th Inspector GeneralofPolice,IbrahimIdris

2019

C

onstitutionally, some of the primary reasons the police exist are to serve and protect the citizens.

This is a global practice. But in Nigeria, the reverse seems to be the case. Decades of rot without deep reforms have turned the policing outfit into a bulldog for its master.As the cliché, ‘he that pays the piper, calls the tune’, might sound, it also holds true for the Nigeria police.

From time immemorial, the police have been a political tool for the taskmasters to unleash on their perceived enemies. From Ekiti State to Rivers State, the end is seemingly not in sight for police partisanship and cover for its paymasters. In subverting the rule of law, the police do not give recourse to the fact that their actions are undermining democracy, and also create an enabling environment for instability and chaos to reign supreme.

The often brazen display of partisanship by the police has in the past two years been on the increase with recent incidents playing out in the National Assembly, Benue, Ekiti and recently, Rivers States. It has also brought to the fore, the danger inherent in centralising the operational control of the police in the hands of the president.

This also explains why the clamour for a multi-level policing has

always hit a brick wall, because the arguments, both for and against have always been defeated by the habitual unprofessional disposition of the force, which derives from their helplessly complicit leadership.

Truth is that the police have always been like this with an average Nigerian nursing little or no confidence in them. However, this time, they have gone totally nuclear, crossing without circumspection, the threshold of professional expectations.

The Police and Elections

Nigeria is the only jurisdiction operating a federal system, where the President holds absolute control of the police and easily manipulates them to achieve his political interest and advantage. The extant legal framework ensures that the NPF remains partisan and accountable only to the president, who appoints and can, at will, fire the IGP. This, not only destroys police professionalism and effectiveness, but also undermines the principle of separation of powers.

It was this hold on the police that played out in the recent Rivers State election. The fixed bye-election into the Port Harcourt Constituency III, Rivers State House of Assembly on August 18, 2018, was aborted midway. Trailed with tales of violence, partisanship by the police and ballot snatching, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo

Effanga, was forced to suspend the bye-election.

The seat became vacant when Hon. Victor Ihunwo, a member elected from the constituency, became the Executive Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council. However, what was supposed to be a smooth process turned out to be a show of power, resulting in unmitigated violence.

While the All Progressives Congress (APC) blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for intimidating their party supporters and agents with hoodlums, the latter in turn, accused the APC of colluding with the police and military to perpetrate election irregularities.

They particularly accused the APC of using the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to intimidate members of the PDP. Many analysts have noted that what happened during the bye-election could best be described as impunity, because according to them, the partisanship of the operatives of the Nigeria Police came to fore, despite their attempts to deny it.

The PDP, in a statement, said the use of security forces, including special police and military units, in such a brazen assault on the will of the people, particularly as witnessed in the bye-election, was completely provocative, incendiary and has an unlimited capacity

Cont’d on Pg. 84

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The Opposition Under the Yoke of Partisan Police Continued from Page 83

A scene of the police blockage of Saraki’s residence election in Ekiti State.

He went on to stress the obvious that the police have no business being partisan, rather, they were to provide security for the electorate, election observers and ballot materials on the day of election and nothing more. What was later alleged to have played out was the antithesis.

While not dismissing the role the police played in the recently held Ekiti election, social media influencers would rather declare it tit-for-tat. According to them, the PDP under former President Goodluck Jonathan had enacted the same scenario of using military and police power to subdue APC in the election that saw Governor Ayodele Fayose emerge winner.

NIGERIA Police’s Culture of Indiscipline

With all these allegations of partisanship, the blame rests squarely on the topmost echelon of the force. The reason, again, is not far-fetched. For a security force that should thrive on discipline, a break in chain of command often ripples down the ladder, with the resultant effect being a chaotic organisation. Little wonder the indiscipline that reigns supreme in the force.

Many industry watchers have put the blame squarely for the blatant partisanship the police leaves in its wake, on the doorsteps of the IG. After all, the buck always stops at the desk of the head.

Their reasons are not far-fetched: from the IG’s outright disregard for presidential orders, to being tone-deaf to the many atrocities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) nationwide, running battle with the National Assembly, gaping ignorance in the face of the Benue crisis, allegations of misdemeanor, and of recent, undue interference with elections.

Tagged in some quarters as the ‘most controversial IG’ to ever occupy the Loius Edet Force Headquarters, Idris has been fighting on all fronts, a strategy many opined is bound to fail, given that a warrior or security strategist must always protect his flanks.

Charity, they say, begins at home but to many, this IG has been anything but charitable to those he was constitutionally charged to protect. As a former peacekeeper to foreign nations, having spent many years on peacekeeping in different countries across the world, where he would later lead one of the commissions as an acting commissioner of police, many thought he would bring this skill to bear in policing Nigerians. Sadly, that aspect is yet to be seen.

2019

Policemen wrestling a suspect to the ground

to elicit violent resistance from the people and derail the nation’s hard-earned democracy, especially as the 2019 general election approaches.

Despite initial assurances by the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Zaki Ahmed, that the bye-election would be free, fair, credible, and devoid of violence, the exact opposite happened with the deployment of 1,500 police operatives for the election.

Expectedly, as the chief executive of the state, Governor Nyesom Wike had taken umbrage at the police for their unprofessional conduct during the bye-election. He claimed the consistency with which the police interfered with the electoral process in the state was a declaration of war on the people.

But the police in their usual defensive style have denied shielding any political party in the aborted bye-election. The CP said a level playing field was provided for the political parties, in line with Police Standard Practice, for a hitch-free bye-election.

But before the Rivers election, there was the Ekiti election. As shocking as it might seem, about 30,000 policemen were deployed to the then tension-soaked state for the election. Although it was adjudged successful in some quarters, the underbelly of the election – stank of vote-buying, police alleged harassment and undue interference – happened despite the threat by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to dismiss any errant policeman found hobnobbing with politicians or acting in a way that could vitiate the July 14,

Politics of Idris’ Emergence and His Many Gaffes

Perhaps, it would be fitting to go back memory lane to all the drama that happened with his appointment and the subsequent action he took that heat up the polity. Skipping all those who were gunning for the topmost echelon of the police job, Buhari had picked Idris, leading to the mass retirements of some eggheads in the police.

Soon enough, he was bugged down with allegations of his past misdemeanor, purportedly ranging from cowardice during a Boko Haram raid in 2012 in Kano, where he locked himself up as the terrorist group maimed lives, his alleged affairs with subordinates,

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SUNDAYCOVER

The Opposition Under the Yoke of Partisan Police

Offa robbers being paraded by police and even his alleged role in the 2015 election in Kano. All these allegations were never answered when he assumed office as the 19th indigenous IG. Soon after his appointment, his first missile was targeted at his seniors and course mates. In promoting him, the presidency had skipped over 12 other senior CPs, over 22 senior AIGs, and of course over the seven most senior DIG police officers. THISDAY had exclusively reported how he wrote to the presidency to terminate their appointments. His second salvo was at his predecessor, Solomon Arase.

He had alleged that the former IG went away with 22 vehicles including two seven series BMW, an accusation that Arase did not take lying low. For weeks unending, the duo threw accusations at each other. It was later alleged that his attack against Arase was based on the four administrative queries given to him over his purported incompetent showing as CP. Those initial actions by Idris soon set the pattern for his administration; controversy upon controversy. While he sometimes might not be in the middle of a controversy, his men were, as they put their foot one after the other in their mouth.

that followed his statement, he later backtracked, blaming the media for misunderstanding him.

Many security analysts had blamed the IG’s body language by not exerting a firm hand when the fresh crisis broke out recently in Benue. His flagrant disregard for presidential orders in the Benue crisis also merited no punitive measure.

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.

While the service chiefs obeyed the presidential directive, not so for Idris, who visited and left same day but not without leaving a deputy inspector general of police behind. This lack of discipline and blatant disregard for authority has been partially blamed for what is playing out today. Even when his action came to the knowledge of the president, no sanction was served him.

it might be compelled to use force on the number three citizen.

Although the list of the police’s misdemeanor is endless, analysts have posited that the only way out is a truly independent police.

What’s the Way Forward?

To insulate the police from political control, NOPRIN, a network of 46 civil society organisations spread across Nigeria and committed to promoting police accountability and respect for human rights, recently charged the National Assembly to commence a constitutional amendment.

For this to happen, they noted that the National Assembly should support and pass into law, civil society’s bill presented since 2006 for the amendment of the Police Act and relevant sections of the constitution to, among others, remove operational control from the president and make the police accountable to multiple constituencies. Also, the director, International Human Rights Law Group in Nigeria and previously Associate Professor of Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Ibrahim Jibrin said for law enforcement agencies to continue to play their constitutional role, it was imperative that they were not used in a partisan manner.

He said once they are pushed into partisanship, they lose their neutrality and can easily become actors in the political game.

He went on to add that the Nigeria police face a political and constitutional dilemma, because of the constitutional provisions, which place the control of the police on the shoulders of an elected executive president, who is also the leader of his political party.

Quoting Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution, he said it gives powers to the president, acting on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council to appoint the IG. On the flipside, he said under sub-section 3 of section 215 of the same Constitution, the president is also empowered to give lawful directives with respect to the maintenance of law and order to the IG and he shall comply or cause them to be complied with.

Harping on the balancing clause that the presidency often neglects, he said there is an equivalent provision in section 215 (4), which creates such relationship between a state governor and a commissioner of police, noting that in today’s order, it’s often disregarded, at least for governors that are in the opposition. Jibrin said the challenge was that the constitutional framework was being made possible, at least in practice, for the president to give an unlawful directive to the police regarding public safety or public order and the IG, who is employed by him and has power to dismiss, is likely to obey. “More likely, we may be witnessing the leadership of the police going out of their constitutional role to please a president to whom they feel grateful for their appointment. Whatever the situation, we cannot grow and consolidate our democracy, if we do not develop a non-partisan police system,” he said.

As unattainable as it might seem, the federal government, experts say, should in the interest of democracy use the police constitutionally and within the ambits of the law. For policemen, their loyalty must first be to the country and not to the president, even though the appointment of the IG was sanctioned by the presidency. It’s only when these ethos play out evenly that the unwanted and undue partisanship by the police in the political sphere will wane.

Thus, as a first step to containing the excesses of the current police leadership, experts suggest a change in leadership, because the incumbent appears not only compromised but fully descended into the arena. Yet, the question is: can Buhari sack anyone? The jury is still out...

NIGERIA The Onslaught on National Assembly

Shortly after that dust settled, it was straight to another fire, this time it was a dirty fight with Senator Isa Misau. The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, had accused the IG of misdemeanors, which ranged from corrupt practices and misconduct, nepotism in appointments, his alleged “secret” marriage to a serving policewoman, which is against the public service rule, the special-promotion-for-a-fee for selected officers, and the deployment of policemen to guard VIPs and corporate organisations, which he pegged at an income of N120bn annually.

In his response, Idris had branded Misau a deserter. Thereafter, the federal government, through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, filed two separate sets of charges against Misau on the grounds of injurious falsehood against Idris and the force at large.

For a long time, the Senate requested of the IG to appear before it and answer to some of the allegations in the spirit of accountability.

First, he avoided the Senate summon and when it became embarrassing, he sent a representative and when this would not suffice, he ran to the court, praying not to be probed by the Senate.

And since the Buhari administration appears to be averse to accountability, he eventually got away with the purported probe and instead, became very hostile to the National Assembly members in the name of ‘doing his job’.

The Politicisation of Offa Robbery

The recent vote of no confidence passed in Idris by the National Assembly, was a seeming first in the annals of the force. First, it was the Senate that passed a vote of no confidence in him, declaring him ‘unfit’ to hold public office. This was after his third refusal to appear before the Senate despite series of invitations. The House of Representatives soon followed suit in their condemnation of the IG. Rather than answer the invitations to brief the parliament, Idris went to court to challenge the declaration of zero confidence in his administration. The judgment remains to be seen.

While waiting for the courts to do the needful, Idris and the force however set plans in motion to injure the Bukola Saraki-led Senate. Like a badly written script, the police accused the Senate president of sponsoring the deadly Offa robbery in Kwara State which claimed many lives. That accusation set off a ricochet of events that linger till date.

In their allegations, the police paraded some suspects, who had allegedly identified themselves as Saraki’s political thugs and the procurer of the arms they used in the Offa robbery operation, although they said Saraki was unaware of their robbery adventure.

Saraki has since distanced himself from the accusation and has even gone as far as writing the police to clear his name. Not long after, he was absolved by the Attorney General of the Federation, a move that has since been discountenanced by the police.

Curiously, the police have not been able to produce, even on public request, the main leader of the robbery gang, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, believed to have been murdered by the police to blur out some of the facts of the operation.

In another move deemed treacherous to democracy, some police officers recently blocked Saraki’s convoy at his Abuja residence at the Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama. The move was said to have been planned to forestall Saraki from appearing at the Senate chambers to preside over the planned defection of some senators from the APC to the PDP. Given the furore it generated, the police authorities denied knowledge of any deployment of its personnel to the homes of the top Senate leaders.

According to the police spokesman, the policemen seen in the video circulated on social media were those attached to the Senate President. Alleging that the siege was stage-managed, the police said they would not be deterred in ensuring Saraki faced the law for his purported involvement in the Offa robbery, adding that

2019

The Herdsmen Politics

Idris, again, shot himself in the foot with his gaffe about the Benue attacks on New Year’s Day, which claimed about 73 people. Given the wide-scale killings over the seemingly intractable clashes between the farmers and the herdsmen, the IG had in a seeping remark declared that the New Year’s Day attack was a mere communal clash between communities and not herdsmen attacks as widely believed. According to him, “Obviously it is communal crisis.

Herdsmen are part of the community. They are Nigerians and are part of the community, are they not?” But with the condemnation

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NEWSXTRA BPP Accuses NPA of Procedural Lapse in $44.861m Dredging Contract EromoseleAbiodun The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) slammed the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for a procedural lapse in the $44.861 million (N16.150 billion) Warri Channel dredging contract dispute between Dredging International Services Nigeria (DISN) Limited and Dredging Atlantic Limited (DAL). theBPPinalettertotheManaging Director of Dredging Atlantic Limited admitted that the NPA carried out arithmetic corrections on the financial tenders of both Messrs Dredging International

Services Nigeria and Dredging Atlantic Limited as part of the evaluation process to ensure that tender prices are correct and that bidders are properly ranked.

The BPP in the letter: BPP/S.1/ A&WR/18/VOL.I/079, dated March 23, 2018, read in part: “This is to refer to the Dredging Atlantic Limited letter of compliant dated February28,2018,whichrequested for an administrative review of the decision of the NPA with respect to the tender for remedial works at Escravos Channel-Replacement of Navigational Aids and Mirror Dredging at Delta Port Notice No-4012, over various acts of non-

compliancewiththerequirements of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), 2007.

“Be informed that the Bureau received a request for Due Process Certificate of “Non Objection” from the NPA for award of this project and that the request has already been reviewed and certified by the Bureau.

Notwithstanding the above and in accordance with sec. 54 of the PPA, 2007, the Bureau has considered the complaints raised in your letter and wishes to comment as follows: the NPA carried out arithmetic corrections on the financial tenders of both Messrs

Dredging International Services Nigeria and Dredging Atlantic Limited as part of the evaluation process to ensure that tender prices are correct and that bidders are properly ranked.

“Sec. 31(4) of the PPA, 2007 supports correction of arithmetic errors. The NPA however failed to communicate the outcome of the corrections to the affected bidders in line with sec. 31(5) of the PPA, 2007. This procedural lapse has already been communicated to the NPA to ensure compliance in subsequent procurements but is not grievous enough to warrant nullifying

the tender exercise.”

The BPP added: “Messrs DAL alleged that the NPA refused the DAL/ its representatives to counter sign on all vital pages of the tender of Messrs DISN. The Bureau observed this lapse during the prior review exercise on this procurement proceeding and drew the attention of the NPA to Clause 60 of the Public Procurement Regulations for goods and works, and advised the NPA to ensure strict compliance with this procedure in subsequent procurements in order to enhance transparency and ensure that there are no substitu-

tions of bids after submission.

“Considering that the Bureau has not observed this as a persistent breach by the NPA, this procedural lapse is not sufficient to warrant cancellation of the entire procurement proceeding.

“Messrs DAL further alleged that the NPA manipulated the publicly announced tender figures of Messrs DISN from $44,998,053.76 to $44,861,596.81 and the tender figures from Messrs DAL from $44, 880, 348.21 to $44, 918,741.22 during the arithmetic errors checks and corrections.”

Several calls to NPA for reaction were not returned

Wike Asks Churches, Embassies to Speak against Electoral Violence ErnestChinwoinPortHarcourt The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike yesterday asked churches, non-governmental organisations and embassies in the country to lend a voice and ask the Federal Government and Security Agencies to allow the will of the Rivers People prevail in elections.

Wike lamented that it was worrisome that churches, NGOs, civil society organisations and embassies in the country were not speaking against the violence allegedly perpetrated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government.

He expressed this concern at the ceremonial enthronement of Rev. Wisdom Ihunwo as Bishop of the Diocese of Niger Delta North, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at the Cathedral Church of St Paul, Port Harcourt.

Wike, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, observed that Rivers State “is a very peaceful state and will continue to remain peaceful.”

He, however, regretted that

during the Port Harcourt State Constituency 111 By-election, security agents hiredby thefederal government unleashed mayhem on the state in an attempt to subvert the will of the people.

He said the state government wouldcontinuetopartnerwiththe Church “to ensure that the people are well educated,” noting that in 2016 the State House of Assembly through legislation empowered the Rivers State Government to support missionschools.

While congratulating Bishop Ihunwo,Wikesaid: “Ibelievethatthe Almighty God who has called you ataseasonlikethiswillestablishyou andgiveyougoodsuccess.”

In his sermon, the new bishop noted that God expected all Christians “to put in their best in the propagation of the gospel in order to get a reward from him.”

Ihunwo said under his watch the Niger Delta North Diocese would continue to propagate the gospel of Christ with vigour because that is what God has called them to do.

Stop Playing Politics with Religion, Tribe, Kalu Tells Nigerians Former Governor of Abia State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu yesterday asked Nigerians to stop play politics with religion.

He warned against the politics of religion and tribe after paying a courtesy visit to Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi at the State House, Enugu yesterday.

During the visit, Kalu commended the governor for showing respect to President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders in the country irrespective of political affiliations.

He explained the reason behind his vision the Enugu Government House despite belonging to different political party with the governor, noting that he was just on a routine visit.

He said: “I pass through here. I also tell the President and Commander-in-Chief that I am going to him. There is no way I

can come to Enugu without passing through here, more over he (Ugwuanyi) is a very close friend of mine.

This is like a home to all Igbos.

This is the headquarters of Igbo land. I am in very good terms with the governor, not just because he is a governor. You know MV Neya and MV Sophia Maria when he was Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport, hecommissioned them in Malaysia.

“So, people should stop playing politics of tribe. We go to the same church. He is a catholic. I am a catholic. I wish him well; I hope he is also wishing President Buhari well.”

Kalu expressed delight at the friendship the governor has maintained with political leaders across the board, stressing that such uncommon leadership style has brought peace and development to Enugu State.

GIVING BACK

L-R: Head of Human Resources, Seven Up Bottling Company Limited (SBC), Mrs Yinka Olufade; 7UP Harvard Business School MBA scholarship winner, Mrs. Ulunma Izejiobi; Senior Brand Manager, SBC, Mr Segun Ogunleye; HR Business Partner, SBC, Chinenye Irokwem, at the unveiling of Ulunma Izejiobi as the winner of 7UP HBS 2018 in Lagos... recently.

Ngige Deceiving Anambra People FG Unveils N22bn Road with Buhari’s Name, Says Umeh Project in Adamawa David-ChyddyElekeinAwka A lawmaker representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh at the weekend accused the Minister of Labour & Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige of using President Muhammadu Buhari’s name to deceive the people ofthestate.

Umeh, former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), noted that Ngige had been campaigning for Buhari on the promise that the president would make him the President of theSenate.

Hemadetheallegationatanews conferenceinAwkaattheweekend, noting that he was opposed to any person contesting elective positions in thestate.

Fortnight ago, Ngige had claimed that he was under pressure to vie for the senatorial position, noting that he would make his declaration open soononwhethercontestornot.

However, Umeh said: “Anyone is free to contest with me. Ngige told some people that the president told him to vie so he will become the senate president in 2019. He told some traditional rulers that he was under pressurefromsomeIgboleaderstovie.

“He has been going about telling different people different things. He is simplydroppingthepresident’sname and using it to deceive many people,” Umehsaid.

Hefaultedtheclaimthathewould notstandforpreliminaryelectioninhis party while disputing allegation that he gave himself the ticket of the party as a parting gift after his tenure as the APGANationalChairmanin2015.

According to him, I will buy form and contest for the ticket of the party, and anyone is free to contest against me too. I can tell you that Governor Obianohasnotblessedanyone.People are using Obiano’s name the same wayNgigeisusingBuhari’sname.to campaigninthestate.

The senator noted that he had been approached severally by his colleagues since the recent gale of defection hit the Nigeria political space, noting that he would remain in the APGA contrary to some speculation.

He condemned the recent trend of vote buying, which characterised the Ekiti State governorship election andby-electionsinKogiState.

He said that it posed serious risk to democracy, noting that the trend was occasioned by the level of povertyinthecountry.

DajiSaniinYola The Minister of State for of Power, Works and Housing , Mr. MustaphaBabashehuriyesterdayunveiled the reconstruction of Mayo-Belwa, Jada, Ganye and Tongo road at the costofN22billioninAdamawaState Speaking at the unveiling in Mayo-Belwa, the minister said the 122 kilometers road had outlived its service life and characterised with several failed sections, potholes, multiple cracks, depression and washout edges at different sections oftheexistingalignment.

He explained that it was in this regard that the Federal Executive Council approved the award of the contract for the reconstruction of the road to Messrs Triacta Nigeria Limited at a contract sum of N22,699,176,016.86.’

According to him, the contractor is to deliver within 36 months adding that if the road is completed, it wouldgreatlyreduceaccidents, help in fighting against armed robbery, kidnapping and others forms of crime.

Also speaking, Secretary to the GovernmentoftheFederation,(SGF) MrBossMustaphahasrevealedthat theroadhasbeenneglectedforclose

to 25 years by the previous governments.

He explained that it was President Muhammadu Buhari that rehabilitated the road when he was the chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and coincidentally the same Buhari is contracting the road outforreconstruction.

Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow commended the president and said he would compliment the president’s effort by embarking on more roads construction in all the localgovernmentareasofthestate.

Commenting earlier, the Ganwari of Ganye, His Royal Highness, Umaru Sanda expressed his appreciation to the Buhari’s administration for approving the road for reconstruction.

Hesaidasaresultofthedilapidated nature of the road many people hadlosttheirlives,pregnantwomen had untimely abortion in process of taking them to the hospitals and armed robbery cases were rampant ontheroad.

Sanda said the road have been neglected foenover 20 years adding that the road when completed woukdnreduce accidents , robbery cases while the contract would also createemploymentfortheyouths.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 26, 2018

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SUNDAYSPORTS

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

Chelsea Chase Top Spot at Newcastle

C

helsea visit Newcastle today at St James Park knowing that an emphatic victory will send them top of the table alongside Liverpool.

Standing in their way is a team managed by one of their former managers, Rafa Benitez.

Chelsea know the task ahead of them is an arduous one; Newcastle United have won four and drawn one of their last five home Premier League matches against Chelsea, winning 3-0 on the final day of the 2017-18 campaign.

To help Chelsea is Eden Hazard, who could make his first Premier League start of the season as Chelsea with manager Maurizio Sarri confirming the Belgian is ready for more game time and could be in the starting XI. Sarri also reiterated his desire to keep the forward at the club, saying: “I think Eden is ready for 50 or 60 minutes, I don’t know for 90 minutes, but he can start.

“I am the coach of a very good team, a very great club, and so I think with such an important player I cannot sell without the possibility to buy another player at the same level. So I think Eden will stay with us for the whole season.”

Benitez and Sarri know each other well, with the Blues boss taking over from the Spaniard at Napoli and Benitez was full of praise for his counterpart.

“Chelsea are a top side with a very good manager. I know Sarri well from Italy. They are playing well and are dangerous. But we are confident our fans will be behind us and support us,” he said.

“We have to get our approach right - to try and win, but make sure we play in the right way. He’s quite clever and he said he’ll need time, which is true. But he knew his team had quality so I was expecting a good start. I think they will do well, but hopefully not this weekend!”

Centre-half Cahill has yet to figure for Sarri this season and could have to wait a bit longer, with the manager saying: “With Cahill I think at this moment for a defender it’s more difficult to play in my team after only 20 days of training.

“I told him that he needs to be patient now but that he is very important for us.”

DeAndreYedlin has trained this week after being injured in the opening day loss to Tottenham and looks set to be involved, while Javier Manquillo - who replaced Yedlin against Cardiff - will be assessed.

Hazard is primed to start for Chelsea today

Benitez also confirmed that some of the new summer signings are close to starting as they improve their fitness.

Chelsea have lost 11 away Premier League games against Newcastle United, only losing more against Arsenal (12) and Liverpool (13).

This will be 11th time a Newcastle vs Chelsea fixture has been played on a Sunday in the Premier League - Newcastle have only lost once (W4 D5) previously, a 5-0 drubbing in November 2003 at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle United have won their three home

Premier League games on Sunday in 2018 (against Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea) while Chelsea have lost all three of theirs away from home (against Man Utd, Man City and Newcastle).

Chelsea have won four of their last five away Premier League contests, losing the other versus Newcastle in this exact fixture in May. Sarri could become the fifth Chelsea manager to win his opening three Premier League games in charge of the club after Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink and Jose Mourinho.

Rafa Benitez has currently won 49 of his 106

Salah Strike Sends Liverpool Top of Premier League Mohamed Salah’s 23rd-minute strike proved to be the difference as Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield.

Salah scored the only goal of the game - his 29th in 29 appearances for Liverpool at Anfield in all competitions - side-footing a first-time effort past Mat Ryan in the first half.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were far from their best and they had Alisson to thank late on when he pushed Pascal Gross’ header past the post, but they held to maintain a 16-month undefeated league run at home and secure their best start to a Premier League season in five years.

Liverpool, who were unbeaten in each of their last 22 Premier League games before the game, started in confident fashion. Salah combined with Sadio Mane, who failed to hit the target with an effort from the edge of the penalty area.

Brighton were trying to stay compact but they were struggling to keep the hosts at bay.

Roberto Firmino made an excellent run to the near post to meet Andrew Robertson’s cross.

The Brazil international made good contact with his header but he could not beat Ryan, who clawed the ball away from goal.

The hosts continued to pile the pressure on and Trent Alexander-Arnold was the next to go close, clipping the crossbar with a free-kick and they finally made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute through Salah.

There were two changes for Brighton from

their win over Manchester United as Leon Balogun and Yves Bissouma came into the side to make their first Premier League starts in place of Lewis Dunk and Pascal Gross.

Liverpool have won their last six matches against Brighton in all competitions, scoring 21 goals and conceding just five.

Of the 17 teams to play in the Premier League both last season and this season, Brighton have won the fewest points in their away games (11).

Liverpool have kept 11 clean sheets in the

Premier League in their 18 games since Virgil van Dijk’s debut in January 2018, more than any other side in that period.

Since the start of last season, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 45 Premier League goals, (34 goals, 11 assists), 12 more than any other player in this period.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Roberto Firmino has had a hand in 59 Premier League goals (36 goals, 23 assists), 14 more than any other Liverpool player.

Juventus Beat Lazio on Ronaldo’s Home Debut Cristiano Ronaldo made his home debut for JuventusastheybeatLaziotoextendtheirwinning start to the season. Miralem Pjanic’s delightful finish from 25 yards put the Italian champions ahead before Mario Mandzukic struck from close range after half-time.

Ronaldo, a £99.2m summer signing from Real Madrid, has not scored in two Serie A games.

Fans held up banners and posters supporting Portugal forward Ronaldo, making his first competitive appearance for Juve at the Allianz Stadium.

However, he touched the ball only once in the Lazio penalty area in the first half and, shortly before Juve’s second goal, had a dipping shot superbly tipped over by Thomas Strakosha.

Ronaldo also missed inside the six-yard box,

Joao Cancelo’s low cross hitting his heel only to rebound to Mandzukic, who doubled Juve’s lead.

Juve have six points from two games, Lazio have lost both their opening games.

matches as manager of Newcastle United in all competitions.

Eden Hazard has been directly involved in 110 Premier League goals (69 goals, 41 assists) - only Frank Lampard (237) and Didier Drogba (159) have had a hand in more goals for Chelsea in the competition.

Uzoho Joins Elche from Deportivo Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, has joined Spanish Segunda division club, Elche FC, on a season-long loan deal from Deportivo La Coruna.

Uzoho, who was Nigeria’s first choice at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, was looking to move to a club where he will play regular football after his sudden rise to international stardom.

“The club and the R.C. Deportivo de la Coruña have agreed the transfer of goalkeeper Francis Uzoho on a one-year loan deal which comes after he played for Nigeria at the 2018 FIFAWorld Cup in Russia,” reads a statement on Elche’s official website on Friday.

The 19-year-old will have his medical at the club on Monday and meet up his new team-mates afterwards.

Uzoho made two appearances for Deportivo La Coruna in the LaLiga last season. He, however, played 28 games with the club’s B side, Deportivo La Coruna Fabril in the Segunda B

RESULTS & FIXTURES Wolves Bournemouth Arsenal Huddersfield Southampton Liverpool Watford Fulham Newcastle

1-1 2-2 3-1 0-0 1-2 1-0 v v v

Man City Everton West Ham Cardiff City Leicester City Brighton Crystal Palace 1:30pm Burnley 4pm Chelsea 4pm

Uzoho

Sunday August 26, 2018

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE

Fasua to APC and PDP

“They (All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party) are special purpose vehicles for the illegal access to the common wealth of Nigeria and you can see that is why it is easy (for the) people are darting from one party to another, because there is no difference in ideology” – Fasua, a presidential aspirant and chairman of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Tope Fasua, spoke at the public launch of his book and manifesto at the international conference centre in Abuja.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Estimated Billing and Other Related Offences

T

he electrician told me something that shocked me to my bones.

“Oga, I can help you connect all your air conditioners and water heaters to power without going through the meter,” he said. “I will bury the cables underground and connect them directly to the electric pole. Nobody will know. I have done this for a lot of people in Lekki and other parts of Lagos.” This happened when I was building my house in 2010. He thought he was making me a great offer. I was devastated. How much is electricity bill that these billionaires would not want to pay? I told the electrician straightaway that I would never do such a thing in my life.

He laughed it off as if saying I was a fool.

What he was suggesting was not only illegal, it was ungodly and an act of economic sabotage. But, apparently, it was endemic.

In Lagos, for instance, you would expect areas like Ikeja GRA, Magodo and Lekki to generate big revenue but it is shockingly not so, according to industry insiders. I was told that this is basically a major reason why the “estimated billing” system adopted by power distribution companies has come to stay. The fact that someone has a meter does not mean they will pay the accurate rate for power consumed. Many are subverting the billing system. Only those with prepaid meters can escape from estimated billing, even if they bypass the meter.

Energy theft is a major attack on the economy of power companies in the country.

There are three “branches” of the electricity sector — generation (GenCos), transmission (TransCo) and distribution (DisCos). I will use this hypothesis to illustrate the situation.

Let’s say a GenCo generated electricity worth N20 million for Ikeja GRA in July 2018. TransCo (the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which owns the high tension lines) transported the power for the Ikeja DisCo to supply GRA. By the time the Ikeja DisCo supplies the electricity and collects revenue for July 2018, it could only get N10 million from consumers. That is what the meters read for July.

That means GRA residents stole the other N10 million worth by bypassing meters and making illegal connections. Unfortunately, Ikeja DisCo has to pay the TCN for transmitting the power and the GenCo for the power they have generated. The GenCo, meanwhile, is also owing the companies that supplied the gas for power generation. The DisCo collects revenue on behalf of GenCos and TCN. When energy is stolen, therefore, it will affect the entire chain — from generation to transmission and to distribution. As an example, Ibadan Disco generated N50 billion revenue last year while incurring a cost of N70 billion. It will inevitably owe the GenCos and TCN. We all pay the price, though. There is a provision for associated technical and commercial (AT & C) losses in the tariff regime to make up for theft and other leakages.

But with tariff almost impossible to adjust upwards, the DisCos are making do with “estimated billing” — a system that punishes the just along with the unjust. Since Ikeja DisCo, hypothetically, supplied GRA with N20 million worth of power and cannot typically recover more than N10 million, it would

Fashola

divide the number of GRA houses by the cost and send estimated bills of say N35,000 to each house. That is probably why DisCos are very reluctant to make prepaid meters available for customers. It is a survival tactic.

What I have just described is one of the devils tormenting the power sector in Nigeria. There are several. Unfortunately, rather than for the government and the energy companies to sit down and have a meaningful discussion on how to solve these problems, all we are hearing is exchange of words between the minister of power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and the 11 DisCos under the umbrella of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED). Accusations and counter accusations are being traded on the pages of newspapers while helpless Nigerians are gasping for breath under the weight of estimated billing and erratic power supply.

What are the issues in contention? There are a million issues. There are many to blame on the DisCos and many to blame on the government and its agencies. Fashola has complained that the DisCos owe the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) — the government-owned company that buys power from GenCos and sells to DisCos — over N800 billion. The DisCos, on the other hand, are complaining that government agencies owe them in trillions.

They simply don’t pay bills because they are “government” even though electricity bills are budgeted for. Most military formations, for example, do not pay bills. How then can DisCos settle their liabilities to NBET? The most difficult issue, though, is how DisCos will recoup their investment, which ANED estimates at N11 trillion. Many of them bought the privatised PHCN entities in 2013 thinking they were buying MTN. They were expecting big returns and were promised many sweet things by the federal government — including that they would not inherit any liabilities and would be allowed to charge cost-reflective tariff. They took heavy loans from banks only to discover that they did not only inherit liabilities, they were even denied the assets of some of the companies they bought. To make matters worse, they could not increase tariff, meaning all odds were stacked against them.

To be sure, no Nigerian wants to hear about increase in electricity tariff. I am

speaking for myself. I would first demand stable electricity before they demand higher tariff. Unfortunately, power supply cannot improve if the companies do not invest in the necessary infrastructure; they cannot invest except they have the funds; they cannot have the funds except they charge tariffs that will cover their cost; but they cannot expect Nigerians to pay higher tariff when power supply is erratic. This is a cul de sac.

As at today, while the average retail tariff is over N80 per kilowatt hour, the average price as approved by the regulator is about N32 per kilowatt hour. It’s not adding up.

The easier way out, many would say, is for government to subsidise electricity as a transition plan. That means bearing the shortfall on behalf of the power providers, and the cost on behalf of consumers. In 2013, it was suggested that a subsidy of N400 billion should be made available by the government for the transition period so that we would attain stable power supply and then begin to pay cost-reflective tariff, but only N100 billion was approved, apparently because to get the funds was a tough task. Eventually the money was not there. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had to give provide a “power intervention” loan of N213 billion. It only postponed the evil day.

To solve these problems, the DisCos are asking the federal government to “expedite action” on the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) which was designed to tackle expected challenges. The PSRP provides for (1) an annual federal government budget that will include provisions for fully funding historical and future sector deficits from 2017-2021 (2) the establishment of cost reflective tariffs across the board over the next five years and sooner on a bilateral willing buyer/willing seller for premium customers; and (3) a payment assurance facility to be established by the CBN to support NBET. There are similar funding initiatives by the World Bank Group.

All that Nigerians want to see is stable power supply. Most of us are not interested in who can speak better English between Fashola and ANED. We cannot be dancing disco without music. President Muhammadu Buhari is scoring big points on road and rail infrastructure as well as agriculture, but he will also be judged on what he achieves in the power sector. Improvement in power generation without the ability to transmit and distribute electricity will solve only one problem. Whatever it will take to resolve the crisis with the DisCos must be done.

Nigerians are frustrated with the power situation. They deserve to see the light.

There are reports, or rumours, that the federal government wants to buy back the DisCos. It must be a joke. We sold Yola DisCo to IEDMC (as core investor) for $59 million in 2013 and agreed to pay $87 million as compensation when we took it back from them after they declared force majeure over Boko Haram. They are yet to be paid. I don’t think this is what the federal government should be getting involved with now. I would rather suggest that since the government still owns 40% of these entities, it should consider injecting capital as equity holding.

Nigerians have had enough of estimated billing and erratic power supply. Please, let there be light.

And Four Other Things…

GARRULOUS GARUS Is Garus Gololo, the Benue state coordinator of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), playing the role of an agent provocateur? He was quoted by PUNCH as saying Senate President Bukola Saraki was undermining President Buhari and would be forced out if he did not resign. I found this very strange. Critics have been accusing President Buhari of being the brain behind killings by herdsmen, and the worst a herdsman can do at this moment is to be seen to be openly fighting for Buhari and threatening Saraki. The Miyetti Allah we know would normally talk about herdsmen/farmers’ clashes rather than the impeachment of Saraki. Weird.

MULTIPLE CHOICE There is something I would like to be educated on — and I am being honest.

On Monday, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, issued an order restraining the Multichoice Nigeria from increasing its subscription rates. My questions: should subscription rates be determined by the courts in a market with so many operators? Can the courts restrain the English Premier League and other content providers from charging Multichoice millions of dollars for broadcast rights?

Of all the foreign companies operating in Nigeria, why is Multichoice the only one not allowed to raise its rates by the court?

Has any court ever stopped British Airways from increasing its fares? Political?

DEMOLITION MAN Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Emperor of Oyo State and self-proclaimed “Constituted Authority”, incredibly ordered the demolition of Music House owned by Yinka Ayefele, the Gospel musician, last weekend.

Amid public outcry against the action, there were those who argued that if Ayefele’s property actually violated planning laws, then he should have no complaints. Which is a fair argument, to be honest, just that when you have a radio station that gives airtime to political opponents of the governor, it is all too easy to invoke the law to deal with you. Even those supporting Ajimobi’s action know this very much. Authoritarianism.

AND FINALLY… I think the Buhari administration seriously needs a BS detector. When the president was accused of not having enough women in his cabinet, one of those funny guys working in the Presidency said it was because Buhari was shy around ladies. To explain Buhari’s decision not to use his office in the Presidential Villa on his return from his medical leave in the UK, one of them said it was because of rats (and cockroaches?)

Just when you thought you had heard the most bizarre thing ever, Buhari did the Great Sallah Trek in his hometown, Daura, and we were informed that the 800km walk was a clear indication that he was fit for another four years in office. Ludicrous.

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