SUNDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2018

NNPC Justifies Withdrawal of $2.201bn from NLNG Account To meet with N’Assembly again this week

Kunle Aderinokun, Peter Uzoho in Lagos and Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has again justified the

withdrawal of $2.201 billion from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) fund, saying the corporation has the power and the legal backing to carry out such withdrawal.

It also emerged yesterday

FG to pay marketers N236bn of outstanding subsidy claims Friday

that oil marketers under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), who

have been owed about by N348 billion by the federal government as outstanding payment on petrol subsidy claims, would be paid N236 billion on Friday. That was as DAPPMAN yesterday denied

reaching an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Finance on the payment of the N800 billion subsidy arrears.

Chief Financial Officer of NNPC, Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, spoke in defence of the

corporation yesterday in Lagos at an interactive session between it and business editors/energy correspondents.

Abdulrazaq argued that the Continued on page 8

Emefiele: CBN to Commence National MFB to Enhance SME, Agric Credit … Page 8 Sunday 9 December, 2018 Vol 23. No 8635

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Northern Elders Call For Free, Credible Polls to Avoid Conflict John Shiklam in Kaduna

A frontline northern sociopolitical think-tank, Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) yesterday warned that it would be dangerous to deny Nigerians free, fair and credible elections

in 2019, a situation that might result in political conflict.

The Chairman of the NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi expressed this concern at a news conference he addressed in Zaria, Kaduna State to mark his 80th birthday.

Abdullahi said anything short of free, fair and credible elections “will be an invitation to avoidable crisis. o deny the possibility of fair and credible elections in 2019 will be dangerous for the country.”

He said contrary to

insinuations, the North was not averse to restructuring as being perceived in some quarters, noting that the region stood to benefit more.

Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria,

also advocated for parliamentary system of government, noting that the system was more accountable than the presidential system.

He explained that the presidential system was not only “corruption ridden, but

full of impunity,” thereby calling for parliamentary system Also commenting on the crisis in the university system, he said lack of funding was the major problem militating

Continued on page 8

Beaufils: ISIS W’Africa behind Attacks on Nigerian Military Says no quick wins in fight against graft Hints UK has returned £70 million Malabu loot UN WORLD ANTIC O R R U P T I O N D AY Olawale Olaleye British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Laure Beaufils, has said ISIS West Africa, and not Boko Haram, was responsible for the rise in insurgents’ attacks in the North-east. Beaufils said the federal government must pay attention to the new development.

Speaking exclusively to THISDAY ahead of the United Nations Anti-Corruption Day, which holds today, Beaufils said there were no quick wins in the fight against corruption. She added that part of the successes the cooperation between Nigeria and the UK had recorded in the fight against graft was the over £70 million Malabu oil loot that had been returned to the Continued on page 8

GLOBAL HONOUR FOR RIBADU ON UN ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY… L-R: Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), Mr. Yury Fedoyov; Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hammad al Thani; Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, and former Chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, after Ribadu was conferred with lifetime/ outstanding anti-corruption award by the Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Centre (ROLACC) in Malaysia…Friday

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Emefiele: CBN to Commence National MFB to Enhance SME, Agric Credit Invests N213 billion to support power Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in collaboration with the Bankers Committee and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), will set up a Micro Finance Bank (MFB) to enhance financial inclusion and credit to the agricultural sector as well as small and medium scale enterprises (SME). CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele disclosed this yesterday in Lagos at the opening ceremony of the 10th annual Bankers’ Committee retreat.

Emefiele explained that the national MFB slated for launch next month would leverage the existing NIPOST presence in the 774 local government areas of the country and aid the CBN and the bankers’ committee’s effort in accessing the Anchor borrowers’ fund, SME fund and

other initiatives tailored towards SMEs, farmers and the CBN’s financial inclusion drive.

He also said this was to help ensure the success of the N26 billion set aside to finance agric businesses and other small informal businesses under the Agribusiness/Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS).

The CBN governor said the apex bank, knowing the key role that power plays in the economy, had invested N213 billion to revitalise the sector.

Emefiele said, “Today, the central bank has N220 billion that is set aside under the micro small and medium enterprise fund. Nigerians were happy when they heard that the banks, out of their magnanimity, decided that five per cent of their profits would be set aside to support agric business and

SMEs. “We have over N60 billion sitting in the banks currently in CBN and why should that money be sitting in CBN and just be earning Treasury bill rates. It is meant for the micro small and medium enterprises and for the weak in our economy that would not ordinarily have access to knock at your door. “That was why we voted last week at bankers’ dinner that a national micro finance bank would kick-off by January 2019.

In order to collectively address the challenges militating against the achievements of the objective of the AGSMEIS initiative, the CBN is considering the proposal for the establishment of the national microfinance bank, which would leverage on the Nigerian Postal Service presence in 774 local government areas

across the country. “We have called on NIPOST and they have agreed to join us in this. They would provide their facilities in 774 local governments and this would be their own contribution by way of equity into the establishment of the national MFB. We would provide the infrastructure and this MFB would be available in 774 local government across the nation.�

He said he expected the bankers committee and NIPOST to have representation on the board of the proposed national MFB. “The task and responsibility to improve our rural communities lies in our hands and we believe strongly that using this infrastructure of the national MFB, we would get to achieve the objective of creating jobs, and enhance

the skills of our people in our rural communities, improve and grow the economy so we can achieve the development that we so badly require in Nigeria today,� Emefiele said.

He said the MFB would be expected to engage in strategic partnership with NIPOST, with the aim of leveraging NIPOST’s locations, while the NIRSAL, which is owned by the CBN, would be expected to bring its experience in financing low income entrepreneurs and de-risking credit originated by the national MFB by providing guarantee in line with its mandate.

On investments towards power, he said, “In collaboration with the government, the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility was set up to rescue and reset the electricity industry for privatisation in

2015. The CBN, in line with the proposal establishing the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility, invested N213 billion in it. The aim was to provide refinance for the participating banks and also to ensure that necessary bank guarantees are put in place to back the contracts for the industry. “The Bankers’ Committee played the role of first line financiers, ensuring that the facility is repaid. Through the facility the Distribution companies have been able to post LCs in favour of NBET. Other outcomes are the purchase of over 700,000 meters, purchase and installation of 500 transformers, recovery of 1,000 megawatts and increase in gas supply commitments. Several contracts were also executed as a result of this intervention.�

gather data and information on large corruption cases and you just need a little bit more time to do all those things.�

Beaufils dismissed insinuations that the collaboration between the UK and Nigeria had yielded very little results. “We have recorded some success stories this year. We have recovered about ÂŁ70 million of the Malabu loot and that has gone straight to government’s treasury account,â€? she stated. The Deputy High Commissioner added, “The government will be able to use it as it sees fit and civil society organisations are monitoring how that is being done. I think the fact that

that happened a few months ago is a demonstration of our commitment, and I can assure you that we have no intention of keeping a single pound of money looted from Nigeria. “What we are doing is to ensure that legal processes are done in a very thorough fashion and that they are not rushed so that we can have due process that is followed, and on the back of that, assets that were stolen are returned.

So, I expect that we will be seeing more of that and I know that some people are frustrated that it is taking so much time.

But I know that we will be seeing more of such funds being returned, such as we have seen in the Malabu loot.�

“Government is fully committed to pay the first tranche as promised and it will be paid through promissory note that would be issued by the Debt Management Office (DMO).�

He said the decision to pay through promissory notes was based on the need to manage cash injection into the economy, explaining that injecting cash of that magnitude into the economy may affect the country negatively.

Ikem-Obih said this mode of settlement had been agreed between the government and the oil marketers since 2017, and it was not a new development.

He noted that the government decided to pay the money to the oil marketers in full and had directed that there would be no deductions from the marketers' account to settle debts owed government. “Some oil marketing companies, DAPPMAN and MOMAN members, are indebted to federal government agencies, like the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). But the government had directed that the debts should not be deducted from the payments.

This is because if we do, most of the marketers would be left without a dime,� Ikem-Obih added.

BEAUFILS: ISIS W’AFRICA BEHIND ATTACKS ON NIGERIAN MILITARY nation’s treasury.

Shedding more light on the war against insurgency, especially, the recent rise in attacks on military formations in the North-east, Beaufils said, “I think it is the ISIS in West Africa that is responsible for a lot of the terror in the North-east. Why it is so difficult to defeat, as it is often the case with terror or guerrilla organisations, is that they use unconventional methods, throwing in very mean young girls, women with guns on their backs, attacking and bombing populations of people. “It is very difficult to spot them in a crowd. It is very difficult to know what they are planning and it is very

difficult to stop them. I think the government has to really focus on them and I think we have all seen an upsurge and I think it is important that we do speak about it.�

She maintained, “We are really committed to fighting extremism alongside Nigeria.

We have provided a lot of support, not only to the military in Nigeria to address terrorism, and I think it is right that we continue to focus on the Northeast right now, because a lot of people are suffering and this is why our organisation is in the North-east to see that the people have access to basic services and put them in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs). “But now because of security

concerns, they are worried about putting our people there. So, I think it is really essential that we continue to shine the spotlight on North-east and on the situation there, and on the civilian population that are suffering.�

On concerns about the slow pace of prosecution of corruption cases, Beaufils said, “That is speed and systems and, ultimately, what you need for a country to really have robust anti-corruption policies are strong institutions. If you had those then you are much more protected from corruption.

But these take a very long time to do and I think a long term approach is absolutely necessary. “The chances are also that

the people have short term expectations and political cycles are also short term. Putting perpetrators behind bars is a short term reward, which is why I think the EFCC is attempting to extradite people that are charged and to see that people that have demonstrated to have corrupt practices, to see that they are indeed punished.�

She reiterated that there were no quick wins in the fight against graft, saying, “I think also it’s a good thing that they are challenging expectations and creating disincentives for people. So, they are all short term. “In fact, there are no quick wins, because the legal system is long and I know that you

NNPC JUSTIFIES WITHDRAWAL OF $2.201BN FROM NLNG ACCOUNT controversy arising from the withdrawal was whether the NNPC had the power to withdraw and not that the fund was misappropriated.

He said, “These are all legal issues. NNPC is the shareholder of record representing the interest of the Nigerian people in the joint venture business.

The issue around legality is to deal with why or how the NNPC used those funds. “There are two reasons. First one is, the 2018 Appropriation Act is very clear on this. The second is the Nigeria NLNG Appropriation Act Section 7, sub-section 4(b) makes it very clear. And what the National Assembly is saying is that we don’t have the legal authority to use this fund. We have provided them with those legal authorities and, basically, we will be meeting the committee again sometime next week.�

Abdulrazaq said neither the legislature nor the executive had the power to interpret the constitution when there was confusion arising from legal matters, arguing that section 6 of the Constitution was very clear on that. “That power is not vested in the executive neither is it vested in the legislature. We have provided this information to them and will soon see them to clarify some of those issues.

We just want people to know that this issue has absolutely

nothing to do with whether the money is misappropriated, it is just whether we have the authority to withdraw the fund and we have provided the authority. We are hundred per cent confident that the fund used from the national coffers is under the law and it is legal,� he stated.

According to the CFO, “The interesting thing about democracy is that we need strong institutions and we need to also respect the law and the constitution. The constitution of Nigeria is the grundnorm.�

He explained that part of the money was being used for under-recovery and funding of some infrastructure projects, like the Second Niger Bridge, which is being managed by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

Besides, Abdulrazaq tried to allay fears about a looming fuel scarcity, saying, “There is 2.6 billion litres premium motor spirit (PMS) in stock to serve Nigerians throughout the Yuletide.�

Briefing journalists on the current cash-calls status, the Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, NNPC, Mallam Bello Rabiu, said a balance of $5 billion was left to be paid. Rabiu said the cash call payment was brought down to $5 billion after the offsetting of $8 billion of the debt owed the joint venture partners. He

noted that up till 2016, NNPC was not paying the cash call, but that same year, it agreed to start paying the outstanding for five years.

Rabiu revealed that the corporation was saving about N305 billion every year by exchanging petroleum products for crude oil.

He stated, “What has happened before is that every litre of fuel consumed in this country was either imported

by NNPC or the private sector.

And when they bring the products in, you calculate what they bring or they don’t bring and the documentation would be used by the marketers to collect subsidies and that was how we arrived at that subsidy scam. Trillions of naira were claimed by the marketers as subsidies. In fact, we inherited about N2.2 trillion and now it has been reduced to about N800 billion. “One way we thought the upstream sector could support the downstream sector is to use the crude oil itself, which has value, more to our advantage in solving the problems of PMS importation. When we came in, the cost at which we were importing metric tonnes of PMS in this country was international price plus $86 per metric ton and we were consuming at least one million metric tonnes of PMS every month. But we said we can

actually give you the crude and collect the product and we can give you the price plus or minus 2. With that arrangement alone we were able to save $88 million per month from importation of PMS. Why do we have to continue the subsidy regime?

With $88 million per month, we are saving N305 billion every year. The next thing is for us to ensure that our refineries are working so that we can produce in this country and don’t import.�

Meanwhile, oil marketers under the aegis of MOMAN and DAPPMAN, who have been owed about by N348 billion by the federal government as outstanding payment on petrol subsidy claims, would be paid N236 billion next Friday. Chief Operating Officer (COO), Downstream, NNPC, Mr. Henry Ikem-Obih, disclosed this yesterday. Ikem-Obih said after this first tranche, the balance of the subsidy debt will be cleared by the government in 2019 and 2020.

Speaking after a meeting with officials of petroleum product marketers in Abuja, Ikem-Obih, said, “We agreed that after the first tranche is paid, the marketers would form a committee to work on details of how the next tranche will be paid in 2019 and the last tranche in 2020.

Continued on page 90

NORTHERN ELDERS CALL FOR FREE, CREDIBLE ELECTIONS TO AVOID CONFLICT

against university education in the country today.

He said, “I believe in restructuring of this country if we must move forward as a country. I have always argued that our first big mistake is to throw away parliamentary system of government in favour of the presidential system. “Presidential system, we know, is not for poor countries. It is a sophisticated capitalist based political system that gives special privileges and advantages to the strong against the weak. It is not appropriate for Nigeria. “I argued that presidential

system is most accountable.

In parliamentary system, you cannot be a minister without being elected from a base. So, you are already accountable. But in presidential system, it is not so. Apart from this, presidential system is corruption ridden and we have seen it. “There is corruption and impunity in the system. If we are going to restructure this country which I believe we should, our first priority is to move away from this presidential system to parliamentary as a more accountable and less corrupt system.�

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

9

SUNDAY COMMENT

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

ELECTORAL ACT AND THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO The rejection of the electoral amendment bill presages a return to impunity

A

fter months of speculations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) might be uncomfortable with the idea of legalising the use of smart card reader for the accreditation of voters in the 2019 general election, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday confirmed the fears of many critical stakeholders. With his refusal to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may be forced to rely on the use of ‘incident form’ in the accreditation of voters and the attendant lack of transparency in that process.

While we feel disappointed that the president would withhold his assent to the bill, we are not surprised. In 2015, the use of the card reader also generated so much unease in the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) evidently because of the same cold calculations. But it is nonetheless unfortunate that the president would take a decision that unwittingly delegitimises the technology that has helped to improve on the credibility of elections in Nigeria and may have been responsible for his coming to power.

The implications of the presidential veto of the electoral amendment bill are quite obvious. Since the Supreme Court has already cast doubts about the legality of the use of card reader because it was not provided for in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2015, the refusal by the president to sign the new bill into law may have rendered its use illegal. If INEC therefore deploys the card reader for the 2019 general election, any dissatisfied candidate or voter can go to court and invalidate the process.

The only option left for the National Assembly is

A disservice was done to the nation by the refusal to sign into law a bill whose overarching objective was to reduce human interference in the electoral process and minimise malpractices

Letters to the Editor

T

his is to give an informative response to a supposed release issued by the University's Public Relations Officer, published

by The Punch Newspapers on the Tuesday, December 4, 2018 where he stated, in contrast to the statement of the Students' Union Action Committee that "the OAU Community, particularly, the students, are eagerly waiting for a day when either President Muhammadu Buhari or Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo, or both of them, will come to OAU on a visit."

To start with, it is imperative to state that the university's P.R.O is an administrative member of staff (not a student) whose function is to give necessary information about the admin-

for each of the two chambers to gather two-third majority and override the presidential veto. But because the issue has been politicised, it will become an APC versus PDP battle. In that case, the legislators will most likely not be able to get the endorsement of 73 senators and 240 House members needed to override the presidential veto. So, as things stand, the 2019 election will be conducted with the Electoral Act (amendment) Act, 2015. That precisely is the wish of the president given the content of his letter to the National Assembly.

W

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 believe a disservice was done to the nation by the refusal to sign into law a bill whose overarching objective was to reduce human interference in the electoral process and minimise malpractices. For instance, some of the amendments mandate the immediate transmission of voting results from polling units to collation centres while giving INEC powers to utilise full biometric accreditation of voters with smart card readers and/or other technological devices, as the commission may deem fit.

However, it may be unfair to blame only the president on the electoral bill fiasco because there was also tardiness on the part of the lawmakers. Although the Senate passed its first version of the electoral bill in March 2017, the House of Representatives only came out with its own version in January this year. Besides, the House version introduced a new and patently self-serving sequence of elections. In that first bill, the national assembly election was to hold first, followed by governorship and state assembly while the presidency was to come last.

That usurpation of the powers of INEC on fixing election timetable was the basis for the rejection of the first amendment by the presidency.

When the sequence of election was removed from the amendment, the president rejected the second bill forwarded to him by raising the issue of punctuation marks while the third bill failed to get his assent because, for some curious reasons, the National Assembly had removed the substantial issues contained in the original bill, including provisions for the use of card reader.

When examined critically, given what transpired, it would seem the whole fiasco was contrived between the executive and the legislature to achieve a predetermined end. And it is a shame.

If action speaks louder than voice, as the old saying goes, it is difficult to fault the sentiment expressed by the main (PDP) opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, that the oft-repeated promise by this administration to conduct a free and fair election next year now sounds very hollow.

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.

Re: Osinbajo is Welcome in OAU istration of the university. He is not in the position to speak for the student populace, not to talk of taking decisions on behalf of the students who form the largest population of the university community.

Therefore, the statement issued by the PRO is not only erroneous but misleading.

Furthermore, I make bold to assert that the rejection of irresponsible, corrupt, and by the virtue of the latter, anti-student politicians in OAU campus is a longstanding position of the union through her congressional resolution of the Students' Union since 2005/06 and also 2008/09 parliamentary year respectively where corrupt politicians were declared persona non grata on OAU campus without any sense

of political partisanship.

This position remains not countered because it is still valid as corrupt politicians are the same leopards whose skins have never changed.

From and for the records, a long list of corrupt politicians have been given same rejection and warning in times past while the erring ones have always had their regrets.

The likes of Olusegun Obasanjo, Nuhu Ribadu, Goodluck Jonathan, Ayodele Fayose and Rauf Aregbesola have all had themselves to bitter regrets and blame because they ignored the initial warnings against their presence on campus by the student populace.

It should be recalled that the reasons for rejecting Osinbajo was adequately stated

in a release of the Students' Union Action Committee some weeks ago. While I had expected that the Presidency and the Office of the Vice-President would have done the needful regarding all demands for an immediate need to attend to the dying state of public education in Nigeria, I find it rather odd that their administration went ahead to introduce a 'no work, no pay' policy (which was reversed after the agitations of Nigerian masses).

I consider it not only a rickety, but an unproductive approach to the crisis of the education sector, but unfortunately, the PRO rather made claims that the vice -president who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and renowned professor of law whose brilliant performance in the present administration has done the academic community proud. One finds it hard to logically measure to any extent at all,

the correctness of such claims.

It is rather obvious that this present administration, like every other, is not only anti-students but also anti-workers. To cap it all, this piece should serve as a valuable information to all students, staff, the general public, and also to other anti-people politicians, who want to be celebrated in public and in academic environment but further contribute to mass impoverishment of the people and the decay of public education through their policies.

If this cannot be challenged in an academic environment, then there is no education at all.

If the government exists for the people and not that the people for the government, then, a word they say is enough for the wise!

––Binzak Azeez, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

10

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9, 2018

NEWS

Acting News Editor Gboyega Akinsanmi E-mail: gboyega.akinsanmi@thisdaylive.com, 0808198 6590

TCN Secures $1.63bn to Expand Power Transmission Capacity to 8,100MW

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at the weekend disclosed that it had secured $1.63 billion from sources which include

the federal government and multilateral agencies to increase its electricity transmission capacity under the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP) to 8,100 megawatts

(MW).

The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Usman Mohammed disclosed this at a session with journalists, noting that the $1.63 billion would ensure the TCN build

its electricity wheeling capacity from about 5,000MW to the reported current level of 8,100MW within months.

At the session, Mohammed said, “For the Transmission Expansion

UNITED FOR MAMA GOLDCOAST...

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; his wife, Dolapo; former President Goodluck Jonathan, and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at the interdenominational commendation service of Madam Goldcoast Dickson, mother of Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson in Toru-Agiama, Bayelsa State...yesterday

Rehabilitation Programme, I have told you that it is $1.578 billion and we actually have an increase of $55 million.

So, if you add this, it will become $1.63 billion. That is how it is.”

In 2015, Mohammed said the capacity of power distribution companies (Discos) was about 3,500MW, while those of transmission and generation companies were 5,000MW and 4,000MW respectively, but that has changed.

As at December 2017, the managing director said, “We did a combined peak of 5,224MW. What does that tell you? It tells you that even the capacity of distribution moved from 3,500MW to 5,224MW. For transmission, the capacity moved from 5,000MW to 7,124MW in December last year when we did the simulation. And generation moved to slight above 7,000MW. “The good news is that transmission has again moved up. We did a simulation about two weeks ago and the capacity of transmission has moved to 8,100MW. “Several power transformers had been installed across the network. But there was not enough lines to take power to them. These constituted idle capacities in

the network.

“This is not adequate.

That is the reason I can tell you that we have installed more than 2,000MW but what has been added to the grid is only about 1,000MW. Where is the remaining?

They are the capacity that we have that cannot be used because there is no line to give them power.

“So, what we have decided is that we are going to buy high capacity conductors that can carry more load but with considerable weight. We are looking at using gap conductors that can carry about two and half times the capacity of regular conductors and they are safe,” Mohammed noted.

He said the procurement processes for this set of conductors had been signed and engineers from TCN would commence work on the re-conducting of the lines, saying this will increase the country’s transmission capacity to over 10,000MW. According to him, the federal government has taken a decision to recapitalise TCN, but wanted the owners of the Discos to recapitalise their own businesses in order to make Nigerians get the full benefit of the massive investments on electricity transmission assets.

PDP Accuses FG of Freezing Peter Obi’s Bank Accounts EFCC invites Doyin Okupe over hate speech Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation yesterday accused the federal government of freezing bank accounts of its vice presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, his wife, family members and their businesses.

In a statement by his National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party condemned the stoppage of transactions

on all accounts belonging to Obi, his family and businesses by anti-graft agencies.

He said that since his nomination, Obi, apart from facing series of failed attempts by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to destroy his reputation, he had also continued to receive all manner of threats and blackmail, including threats to his life and those of his wife and children.

He said, “Having realized that the majority of Nigerians are rallying behind the duo

of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi as the our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates respectively, the Buhari Presidency and the APC have resorted to all manners of machinations, including smear campaigns and direct attacks on their persons and business concerns, in a bid to run them down.”

Ologbondiyan reminded Buhari that neither he nor Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was, in 2015, as candidates, harassed, attacked at the

airport or subjected to blackmails, and wonder why they were now employing such tactics just because Nigerians had resolved to do away with them, come 2019.

He stated that the Buhari presidency “is intimidated by Peter Obi’s resume, particularly, his general acceptance as epitome of fiscal responsibility, frugality and transparency in governance.”

“Otherwise, why is the Presidency on a wild goose chase in investigating Peter

Communal Clash Claims Eight in Niger

Udoma: Buhari Has Delivered Campaign Promises

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Olaseni Durojaiye

Not fewer than 8 persons have been confirmed killed in a communal conflict that broke out between the Gaba and Anfani communities in the Lavun Local Government Area of Niger state.

THISDAY findings revealed that the incident occurred precisely on Thursday, noting that some of the victims of the communal clash were beheaded.

On account told THISDAY that one of the victims had his two feet cut off, tracing that the dispute between the communities to a parcel of land which the Gaba community were said to have given to their Anfani counterparts over 50 years ago.

A Niger State High Court sitting in Bida was said to have

ruled in favour of the Gaba community last week directing the Anfani community to vacate the land.

THISDAY learnt that to enforce the court decision, the Gaba community sent 11 men to the disputed land to carry out its survey. One of the eleven people was a surveyor from the State Ministry of Works.

According to another account, the people of Gaba laid ambush against their Anfani people, thereby slaughtering them like goats. The assailants were assisted by some people from Emikpan village a development that made them to overpower them.

However, it was gathered that the surveyor was spared after it was discovered that he was not a native of Gaba.

Minister of Budget and Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari has delivered on three key campaign promises to fix the economy, fight corruption and combat insecurity in the North East geopolitical region of the country.

The minister, also, said the administration’s strategic economic plan, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, was a product of wide consultation among a cross section of Nigerians.

He stated this in his keynote address at an event organised by the Institute of Chartered Secretary and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) which

held in Lagos recently.

He stated that the aim of the ERGP was to re-route Nigeria from being import dependent to one that produces most of what it consumes as a way to reduce the nation’s import receipts, conserve foreign exchange and boost its external reserves.

“Buhari had promised to do three things – fight corruption; restore security; and fix the economy. We were therefore determined to halt the economic decline.

“We accomplished this, first, by introducing an expansionary fiscal budget in 2016 to reflate the economy and stimulate economic activity. This expansionary budget was accompanied by the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP).

Obi, who left office as Governor of Anambra state five years ago with a nationally acclaimed clean record, intact reputation for frugality, transparency, zero tolerance for corruption and leaving behind a huge saving of N75 billion naira in cash and investments; without owing any salaries, pensions, gratuities or even contractors for contracts executed.”

He said all discerning Nigerians know that the reasons for an investigation

on a man like Peter Obi, is a journey to no where aimed to stifle him of funds as well as attempt to distract our campaign and divert attention from the failures of the Buhari administration.

In another development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday invited one of the spokesmen of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for alleged hate speech and cyberstalking.

Group Canvasses One Million Votes for Sanwo-Olu Segun James A campaign group, ‘I want Sanwo-Olu Campaign Organisation’ has promised the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu nothing less than one million votes in the coming election.

The promise was contained in a statement by the group’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Adewale Oriade, canvassing support for SanwoOlu based on his achievement as Commissioner for Establishment and Training in the administration of Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

According to the group, with our numerical strength across the state and beyond, we have the capacity to mobilise that volume of votes for the APC candidate.

The statement said, “We have confidence that he would build

on that experience and step it up to take Lagos State to the next level that would be able to favourably compete with other Mega Cities of the world.”

It said that Sanwo-Olu’s tutelage under Fashola that took the baton of performance from the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would not deviate from the foundation laid by Tinubu and actualised by Fashola, expressing confidence that Lagos is back to another safe hand after Fashola.

It urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties “to wake up from their dreams of wanting to occupy the Alausa Government House next year, the organisation warned them to keep off insisting that, “there is no vacancy for any other party in that house beside Sanwo-Olu.”

THISDAYt SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 2018

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

OPINION Revisiting The Rot In Public Varsities Government should attend to the needs of public education system, writes Oludayo Tade

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ince November 5, 2018 when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a nationwide strike, the experiences for students, parents and business concerns have not been palatable. Reports have it that all the meetings held so far with the Minister of Education are yet to resolve any of the demands of ASUU. ASUU predicated its strike on the need to revitalise the comatose public varsity education, unpaid accumulated earned academic allowances, failure to release NUMPENCO license, and other issues documented in the 2017 Memorandum of Action signed with the President Muhammadu Buhari. ASUU had argued that the federal government constituted a team itself to ascertain what it would take to fix the observed problems in the university system. They came up with N1.3trillion as against the sum of N1.2trillion contained in the ASUU-FGN agreement of 2009. This can be found in the NEEDs Assessment Report of Nigerian Public Universities of 2012. In this piece, I highlight some aspects of the report to bring to the fore the rot in the Nigerian university system as at 2012. I invite you to imagine how precarious public universities will be in 2018, after six years of inadequate funding.

The NEEDS assessment committee was led by the then Executive Secretary, TETFUND and now Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu with about 10 terms of reference which include the appraisal of physical facilities for teaching and learning; number of staff; requirements for the upgrade of municipal facilities among others. At the time, there were 74 public varsities (37 each of federal and state varsities) but 27 federal and 34 state universities were visited by the committee. The committee in their report submitted that irrespective of region or ownership, the universities have common problems. Using their words, “the report is factual, graphic and some cases grim”.

On physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, the committee found that the physical facilities were inadequate because they were used beyond the original carrying capacities; many lecturers including professors share many small offices.

The infrastructure was reported to be poorly ventilated, furnished and equipped. Due to lack of facilities, universities improvise by conducting lectures in uncompleted buildings, open-air sports pavilion, old cafeteria and convocation grounds. In some cases, workshops are conducted under corrugated sheds or trees. There is pressure on existing facilities owing to unplanned expansion.

For instance, Ebonyi State University was reported to have established 11 faculties in 11 years. Umudike, University of Maiduguri, UNIJOS, DELSU, Bauchi State University, Akwa Ibom State University to UNIBEN and OAU were universities reported with broken chairs.

There were also dilapidated lecture rooms and overcrowding everywhere.

In the area of laboratories and workshop, the NEEDS assessment committee reported that Nigerian public universities had no cuttingedge equipment, laboratory nor workshops that could rank among top 1000 in the world! Where some equipment existed, it had a ratio of 1:500 students. Kerosene stoves are used as Bunsen Burners in many universities. Do you complain about collapsed buildings in Nigeria? The 2012 report had it that engineering workshops in our varsities were carried out under zinc sheds and trees. In many of these universities, science-based faculties run dry labs because they lacked reagents and tools to conduct experiments. This is why limited world class scientific discoveries come out of here. Most researchers and students depend on foreign travels to conduct their experiments.

And because of lack of funds, many simply forget the idea; a major reason our science has lost steam.

The report added that 20 per cent of our universities do not use interactive boards; more than 50 per cent don’t have public address system despite having overcrowded classrooms. Internet facilities are generally non-existent, epileptic or low. Most state universities have become TETFUND universities because the only visible projects are TETFUND intervention projects. It is interesting to note that TETFUND itself was the brainchild of ASUU to the federal government on how to fund education.

In terms of staffing, Nigerian universities are microcosm of the larger societal politics. In the report, I saw that Nigerian universities

How shall we live in sin and expect grace to abound? Why should we train human beings in zoo and expect them to behave as a normal person when they graduate?

are now centres of casualisation where under-staffing and reliance on part-time and adjunct lecturers reign. In many federal universities, recruitments have clear ethno-cultural bias. Limited number of universities cannot attract foreign scholars due to terrible remuneration and inconducive environment.

As such, many of them remain grossly under-staffed. ASUU says that Nigerian universities need no fewer than 50,000 academic staff. As at 2012, there were 37,504 academics in public varsities. About 23,030 of these teach in federal while 14,474 teach in state universities. The lecturer-student ratio is embarrassing!

The report indicated that the lecturer-student ratio for University of Abuja was 1:122; National Open University 1:363; and Lagos State University 1:114. When compared with REAL world class institutions, such as Harvard, Yale, MIT and Cambridge with 1:4, 1: 4, 1:9 and 1:3 lecturer-student ratios respectively, we would understand the reasons for the poor outcomes that we have in our clime. “There are more numerically support staff in the services of the universities than the teaching staff they are meant to support- a scenario in which the tail is wagging the dog. The implication of this is over-blown personnel cost and misuse of available resources in the university system”.

The report goes further to state that Nigerian universities are “in the crisis of manpower. Instead of having 100% of academics with PhDs, only about 43% do so. The remaining 57% have no PhDs. There are universities where the number of professors is not more than five! And the total number of PhDs in the entire university is not up to 30!” Of the 7935 total publications, 3304 were published in in-house local (within university) journals while 3288 were published in other local journals. Only 1343 were published in foreign journals.

In the area of student enrolments, of the 1,252,913 students in Nigerian Universities (in 2012), 960,132 were enrolled in 25 public varsities (16 federal and 9 state universities). This figure has not changed to date making access and quality unattainable. You must have read the stories of infested beddings in UNILAG, OAU, UI, among others. The lavatories were said to be less deserving for human being. This too has not changed. With 181 recommendations, the committee could not explain why university management and their councils build gigantic gates while libraries are understocked, and have inadequate accommodation for students.

––Dr Tade, a sociologist wrote this from Ibadan via dotad2003@yahoo.com

Nigerian Women And Quest For Leadership Kathleen Okafor argues that Nigerian women have proved their mettle in the search for authentic leaders

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ith the global ascendance of women to sociopolitical and economic leadership positions, there is the sub-topic of Authentic Women Leadership. An authentic woman leader should first of all have good leadership qualities. What is leadership? Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an organized group towards achieving a common goal. According to Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is a psychological process of influencing followers and directing them to accomplish a certain task or duty. A leader’s style may be autocratic/authoritarian or a democratic leader who welcomes participation. The leader may also be hybrid or a combination of both authoritarian and democratic styles.

To the authentic woman, leadership is crucial because it provides a sense of direction, promotes development of the group, maximises efficiency in achieving goals. An authentic woman leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. She directs, guides, coordinates and is capable of initiating changes for the accomplishment of the organizational goals.

Qualities possessed by authentic women leaders include: vision, persistence, initiative, flexibility, good communication and social skills, charisma, dynamism and commitment to organizational tasks/goals.

Other qualities include: confidence, honesty, accountability, etiquette, creativity, self- control over emotions and temper, sound judgment and informed decision-making, and being a good listener who is easy to approach and talk to.

A vital question now is: how can women provide competent, effective and result-oriented management of organizations in order to achieve the best results? Do women make better managers of human and economic resources than their male counterparts? Do women have to adapt to male-dominated administrative cultures and expectations in the workplace and other areas of socio-economic interaction?

These are some of the issues that are discussed under the topic of Authentic Women Leadership. In essence, it is about women’s natural ability to achieve results and greater socio-economic development by being their authentic, natural selves rather than by simply following male-oriented patterns and cultures.

Women are known to be better at multi-tasking than men: they can coordinate and concentrate equally on several tasks and duties simultaneously while males tend to concentrate on one task at a time. This can be easily observed in women’s historic role in the management of various issues concerning children, offices, clients, clubs, homes,

etc. Women can respond rapidly to different problems and issues at the same time and with equal attention and effectiveness. In the workplace, women are usually better able to successfully manage multiple policies or targets. Without losing focus on the big picture, they can micro-manage specific details of various sub-sectors of the general sector. This skill of multi-tasking is certainly very beneficial in a corporate or administrative environment.

In the area of socio-economic and political administration, many examples abound of women who have demonstrated excellent leadership and management skills. During the 2008/2009 world economic recession, Germany astonished the world by being the only developed country that continued to grow while the economies of other developed countries went south. The nation’s veteran leader, Angela Merkel, is generally credited with this achievement.

Her excellent economic management and competence ensures that the German economy has continued to grow every year since she took office in 2005. While reducing fixation on the highly volatile financial securities sector which caused the economic crisis in New York and London, she preferred to focus the German economy on the more stable manufacturing, engineering and automotive export sectors. As world stock markets collapsed with banking and financial stocks, thereby bringing down most western economies, Germany’s industrial sector and its exports were able to maintain the country’s continued economic growth, thereby resulting in trade surpluses and increased social prosperity.

Merkel’s cautiousness demonstrates the natural quality of women. Unlike their male counterparts some of whom can be reckless, women tend to be more cautious about risks and where such risks are inevitable, they are more likely to prepare in advance for any negative consequences of the risk. Female business managers and executives should therefore be very attractive to investors and clients who can be rest assured that the company has a sober and pragmatic management team running its affairs. Same applies to public administration and government bodies. Female economic managers such as Merkel will usually emphasize a ‘rainy-day’ fund that is set aside in case of unexpected crisis or emergencies while at the same time working to reduce possible liabilities or threats to economic stability. It is not only in Western Europe that authentic women leaders are found. Africa apparently has her own Angela Merkel in the person of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance Minister during the governments of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was able to eliminate

all foreign debts owed by the Obasanjo government and this saved the nation so much funds which would otherwise have been used to pay interests on the huge debts owed to the foreign lenders. These funds were re-channeled to social development projects such as infrastructure, healthcare and education.

However, Okonjo-Iweala’s best achievement was yet to come.

During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, she was again recalled from overseas where she was Managing Director of the World Bank, to serve as Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy between 2011 and 2015.

Her highly competent economic management expertise made Nigeria the largest economy in Africa, thereby toppling the mighty Republic of South Africa from the top spot.

With a national Gross Domestic Product of almost $700 billion, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was on course to pilot Nigeria’s economy to the $1 trillion mark by 2016, a first for any African country, when the unexpected happened, politically.

Other role models for Nigerian women leaders include the multi-billionaire oil magnate, Folorunsho Alakija and the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed. From the above examples, we can clearly appreciate women’s capacity for good governance, excellent management and result-oriented competence whether in socio-political or economic-financial management.

Apart from the ability to multi-task, women have certain other strengths and advantages over their male counterparts. To start with, most women leaders usually put in more work than males, in order to reach the top of the organization. They are able to defy the odds and this is replicated in their subsequent management of the organization because they are ready to overcome any obstacle in order to achieve targets and excel, the same way they prove everybody wrong by reaching the top. This determination and unyielding energy is vital for decisive, result-oriented leadership.

Women are also naturally good in the art of nurturing things.

This is traceable to their natural role as mothers who nurture infants all the way to adulthood (women also sometimes have to nurture boyish husbands who have refused to grow up, all the way to maturity).

–– Dr. Okafor is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Baze University, Abuja (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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LETTERS NUC'S Accreditation of University Programmes

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ver since independence there are few things Nigeria has got right. From the fall in the value of our currency, to divorcing agriculture for a hasty marriage to crude oil, ours has been a constant tale of decline.

There’s hardly any facet of our national life spared by the rampaging wind of retrogression, not even education!

Education, particularly at the tertiary level, has had more than its fair share of bad times. Dilapidated infrastructure, incompetent administrators, corruption, etc., are some of the challenges tertiary education especially universities are grappling with.

These catalogues of challenges combine perfectly in team work fashion to deal hard blows on the quality assurance of university programmes. To stem this negative tide, the NUC was established as an advisory agency in the cabinet office in 1962 following the recommendations of the Ashby Commission, which was in 1988 vested with the powers to lay down minimum academic standards for all programmes being taught in all Nigerian Universities by the NUC’s amendment decree No. 49 of 1988.

Some of the criteria laid down include philosophy and objectives of the programme to be accredited, the curriculum, teaching staff quality and quantity, student admission, retention and graduation, standards of degree examination, financial support, physical facilities, administration of department and employers rating of graduates.

Experts over time have lauded the initiative to accredit university programmes. Recently, the Vice- Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin

Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education

University, Prof Igbekle Ajibefun opined that accreditation of programmes has helped in keeping academic programmes in Nigerian varsities in good standing and has also helped to standardize them.

What the condition of academic programmes would be without the regular supervision of the NUC is better imagined. Especially at a time when university management has been liberalized and has become an all comers’ affair.

Also, the comments and recommendations given by NUC teams to universities which are mostly comprised of accomplished academics are a goldmine of free but quality advice which any serious institution can bank on to improve its quality delivery.

Another commendable policy of the NUC is the establishment of the carrying capacity of programmes offered in Nigerian universities. This refers to the minimum number of

students that the human and material resources available in a university can support for quality delivery.

The most significant impact of the NUC’s accreditation efforts and oversight on universities generally could be seen

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in the standard of the private universities available in the country today.

Federal universities in the past dominated the ranking of top universities in the country, but today according to the latest university ranking Covenant University emerged the best university in Nigeria and also broke into the top 800 universities in the world, all within 15 years of its establishment!

In 2017, a joint study by Stutern, Jobberman, and Budgit revealed that Covenant University students are the most employable in the country.

Other private universities like Afe Babalola University, Landmark University, Babcock University, etc., are also mounting a spirited challenge to overtake government-owned universities.

The role of NUC cannot be divorced in these achievements as it is the body responsible for granting licenses for the establishment of these institutions.

In spite of the commendable successes of the NUC as a body and particularly its accredita-

A

website,Spynigeria.ng.

“They (Nigeria and Ghana) have all the natural resources in abundance to make them the most important and sought-after countries in the world but corruption is a major problem and a curse to them. Give me just a year and I will transform these two countries into first class countries that will attract businesses all over the world. Nigeria should give in; Ghana should give in and let us colonize them for the second time so they will eventually learn how to run a country.”

tion of the half-baked and undercooked meat pies we call graduates of our university system”.

Similarly, the management of Obafemi Awolowo University recently criticized the NUC regulations which does not allow for back -to -back interim status resulting in the nonaccreditation of five of its courses which included its law and dentistry programmes.

It is clear from the above criticisms that while there might be some lapses with the way the accreditation is done in some cases, there is a silent consensus on the need for a regulator to set the benchmark for universities to meet up with before they are allowed to carry on with academic programmes.

NUC must look into the criticisms of its accreditation programme from relevant stakeholders and address same promptly in order to sustain the relevance and efficacy of its accreditation programmes.

––Oriloye Fuad, Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, Ondo State

So, Ikeogu Oke Died

flung away the newspaper, blurting out, “Why should this guy die? It dawned on me that my hunch usually holds good, but bad was the premonition of his death.

Aggrieved as though having lost a soulmate, even though we never met, could my compassion have been accentuated by his jubilant triumph at the 2017 Nigerian Prize for Literature and all his poetic accolades, though futile they have become unless good deed lives after him.

But good men die and the bad live after them. I stumbled on his trademark photograph, portraying his native costume, sober visage, benign demeanour and ennobling gait and was jolted by the caption, in The Punch of Tuesday, 27th November 2018, “….mourn award-winning poet”.

I knew he was a timeless philosopher, a legend that had to die, untimely as it is, for legends live in the hearts of men, as iconic vestiges. They are like meteors that rocket across the sky illuminating the firmament but for a moment, then fall to the earth as meteorites of funeral, only, in his case, not tragic as I thought or feared. There was something of his physiognomy that smacked of one. But then, I could not place my hand on what it is about him that bereaved me.

Was it his “denge denge” refrain at the end of each own hymnal verses, or his sleeveless singlet or his apron of games’-hide, or his loin cloth, Santa Claus hood and sling-over bag, becoming of a native doctor or a masquerade was his signature attire with an aura of a certain tragic-comedy.

North Korea, Nigeria And Fake News

claim has been circulating online that North Korea leader, Kim Jung Un expressed his interest in re-colonizing two West African countries, Nigeria and Ghana. The claim was first published by an obscure news website abiapulse.com, which apparently tried to shore up the veracity of the story by naming Al Jazeera as the source of the statement allegedly made by the North Korean leader. The report was further given prominence on another

tion programme, it is not yet Uhuru as far as quality assurance is concerned in Nigerian universities.

A number of stakeholders in the educational sector have criticized the NUC handling of accreditation of programmes. Professor Oyewale Tomori, a former Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer University accused the NUC of aiding and abetting corruption in its accreditation exercise , and said there were allegations that some people “receive brown envelopes” – a euphemism for bribes – which also undermine the credibility of NUC accreditation.

Tomori said it was “clear and glaring” that many lecturers were “hirelings” who peddled their certificates to numerous newlycreated staff-starved universities”. He said, “When universities hire lecturers for accreditation purposes, like building contractors hire artisans on a daily basis, then you wonder what type of accreditation we are getting in our universities which led to the produc-

CDD fact checkers ran an integrity check on the entire claim with a view to determining if such a statement was actually made by the North Korean leader.

To do so, our fact checkers searched through Al Jazeera, a recognized global news network, while similar searches were conducted on several other globally reputed news agencies to see if such statement was reported.

Our findings indicate no such news item was published, broadcast or promoted on Al Jazeera.

The claim by the websites that the North Korea leader stated his interest to colonize the two West African countries, is fake news.

CDD calls on the public to beware of the several forms and strands of fake news, misinformation and disinformation making the rounds, especially as Nigeria counts down to the 2019 polls. Obscure news sources must be treated with utmost circumspection; news from these sources must therefore be verified before sharing.

––Idayat Hassan, Director, CDD Senior Communications Officer

He couldn’t have been around for much longer, sputting up in that manner. Unlike the effusive out-pouring of encomiums, eulogizing this great son of Africa, mighty man of the pen and citizen of the world, words fail the tears awash my soul. Monastery monks and erudite scholars do look down on material wealth, but the wisdom of the poor is despised, so society never listens to the poet and philosopher, by so doing repeat the mistakes of history.

He was probably a man of stubborn moral rectitude and modest means, despised by his neighbours, for he had no official position. Responsibility is saddled, what joy is there then in authority, that men should so covet, if not for shame and pride. For honour is the greatest need of the human soul, even before money, whose face value is a promissory note and real value is that of choices that come with opportunity cost, on a scale of preference, known as priorities. So, material time is the period of a given amount of resources to accommodate ones indifference curve.

But maybe we can search out the significance of his life and death in the learning and prudence of King Solomon, his sweet-lips of éclairs and soliloquy in his twelfth Ecclesiastes “Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have no pleasure in them. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves,

and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened.

And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; And also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities saith the preacher; all is vanity. Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea he gave good heed and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd and further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is weariness to the flesh.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man, for God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

––Willy Eleje-Abili, Abuja

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9, 2018

THISDAY WEEKLY GUIDE TO 2019

Amosun

Okorochas

Ganduje

Agbaje

The Road to 2019: Flashpoints to Watch (VIII) Not in many places did significant political activities take place last week, preparatory to 2019. A majority of the states were caught in plain campaign lockdown, writes Olawale Olaleye

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resident Muhammadu Buhari’s not assenting to the ElectoralAct Amendment Bill 2018 was clearly not a good way for the people to end the week. That this happened for the record fourth time has begun to attract different interpretations, a majority of them quite unpleasant.

Yet, the president, earlier in the week, had reaffirmed his commitment to a credible poll in 2019. But with his not signing the ElectoralActAmendment bill, because of the timing, which he reckoned posed huge threat to the 2019 polls, a majority of the people still felt his decision contradicted his earlier position.

This however came at a time the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) had raised the alarm over alleged plan by the presidency to disrupt election in 10 states. The same CUPP had also earlier adopted the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),AlhajiAtikuAbubakar, as its candidate in the presidential election of next year.

But one of the National Leaders of the rulingAll Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu may have taken attacks againstAtiku as a personal responsibility. He spent the most part of last week shading the PDP candidate particularly, accusing him of incompetence. ButAtiku has since refused to dignify him with a response.

Notwithstanding, some 59 pro-Buhari groups, last week, reportedly switched support forAtiku, thus swelling the ranks of the former vice-president, amid complaints of no money to fund election.

Curiously, the First Lady,Aisha Buhari stirred a fragile debate in the week, when she accused two unidentified men in the government of her husband as having hijacked the administration.Although not new to controversial statements, her comments last week further raised political discourse at a different level.

While all these lasted and the uncertainty over next year’s election continues to mount, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, listed some of the threats to the 2019 elections to include increasing rate of vote-buying, rigging plans by political parties, acts of thuggery, flashpoints of electoral violence, ballot box snatching, small arms/light weapons and militant groups.

Interestingly, everyone appeared to be overwhelmed with campaigns activities last week and very little manifestation of the flashpoints or internal malcontents were exhibited. But some of the few that did, indeed, went on the overdrive.

IMO The Dirty Fighting Continues Till the time of the election next year, Imo is one state that is not likely to stop giving itself away in

terms of what to come. Governor Rochas Okorocha, last week, sent another message to President Muhammadu Buhari to call the national chairman of his party, Adams Oshiomhole to order.

The Imo governor is still smarting from the way the primary election that edged out his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu was handled and had since resolved not to have anything to do with Oshiomhole. But the chances of his son-in-law shone a bit when some members of theAPC in the state assembly – about 19 of them – joined him in theActionAlliance (AA) party he had defected to penultimate week. This development leaves the state of affairs in Imo in very uncertain condition and continues to present the race as a free-for-all.

OGUN A Multiplicity of Confusion The situation in Ogun State is clearly a complex one, with each to its own. In theAPC, Governor Ibikunle Amosun would have nothing to do with the party’s candidate, DapoAbiodun but unapologetic about his support for his choice candidate, Hon.Adekunle Akinlade.

In fact, the state’s First Lady, Mrs. FunshoAmosun was in Ipokia, Ogun West to campaign withAkinlade and she went all out selling the choice her husband made with such marketing mastery. She reportedly excited her crowd when she said to them thatAkinlade was the one with the ticket whileAbiodun was only keeping the envelope in which the ticket came.

However, in the PDP, the party leadership made a significant move last week, when it handed Mr. Ladi Adebutu its flag, indicating he was its choice for the election as against Senator Buruju Kashamu, who currently enjoys legal privileges and is recognised by INEC. Unfortunately, this has not only created a mixed bag of confusion, it has further deepened the crisis in the state’s chapter of the PDP. Expectedly, all the candidates in the state are said to be gearing up to effectively push up their campaigns this week.

AKWA IBOM A Knotty Survival Battle Despite surviving an impeachment plot penultimate week, respite is yet to come the way of theAkwa Ibom State Government as it alleged last week that the federal government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was planning to indict Governor Udom Emmanuel, and some officers of the state over a purported withdrawal of N1.7 billion from the state coffers.

The state government in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Udoh, argued that the alleged indictment of the officials by the EFCC

was a “baseless and malicious allegation, tainted with political undertone to malign the integrity of the current Government ofAkwa Ibom State.”

For some weeks now, the leadership of the PDP has been alleging attempts by the ruling party to surreptitiously take over the oil rich state.And everything so far playing out looks so much like it.

Akwa Ibom, for every reason, has become a critical flashpoint and the last is certainly yet to be heard of the situation in the state.

KANO Another Respite for Ganduje By now, the Kano State Governor,Abdulahi Ganduje might have heaved a relieving sigh as a Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Tijjani Badamasi, Thursday granted an order of injunction restraining the state House of Assembly’s Investigative Committee from further investigating the $5million bribery allegations involving Ganduje.

The court had earlier ordered the state House of Assembly to maintain the status quo ante pending the determination of the originating summons filed by the National Coordinator of Lawyers for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria, Mohammed Zubair, which ruled in favour of the plaintiff.

With the latest development, Ganduje can now face his campaigns even though, there are no guarantees that the issues of bribery would not come up again in the thick of the campaigns. But at least, not to the extent of the threat it constituted to his career had the assembly gone ahead to investigate him.

LAGOS The Real Battle is Just Beginning Before the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. JimiAgbaje launched last week, his counterpart in theAPC, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu had literally taken over town, in what was nearly turning out to be a one-man show.

But that is no longer the case.Agbaje only stayed calm because INEC had not lifted embargo on campaign for his category of election.And now, he is no longer holding back as both candidates now attend almost the same events in a sense that suggests competition for attention.

An example was their attendance at the Experience, an annual praise and worship crusade

by Pastor PaulAdefarasin, during which the crowd excitement that heralded the introduction ofAgbaje outshone that of Babajide Sanwo-Olu. It is true that theAPC is the ruling party and has everything at its beck and call, this election is however not a walkover for it. Regardless of all

that Sanwo-Olu has to his advantage, the election is neither of both to lose. The winner would have to walk through the hurdles and breast the tape through hard work. The battle is just beginning in Lagos.

EDO A Developing Petty Billboard War Strangely, in nearby Edo State, candidates of the APC and the PDP in Edo South Senatorial District, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon and Senator Matthew Urhoghide traded blame over the destruction and defacing of their campaign billboards in some parts of Benin City, the state capital last week.

Obahiagbon in his usual verbosity fired the first shot, when said he was flabbergasted beyond words that political opponent could still resort to politics of primitivism and crudity by resorting to billboard vandalism either directly or by proxies. He said such acts must be deprecated by all decent and reasonable men in any civilised society.

But Senator Urghoghide, on his part, said he was taken aback by the political intolerance being displayed by his opponent, because according to him, “You cannot see me retaliating. The electorate knows who is serving them and I have told the PDP and my supporters not to retaliate. I am calling on APC and the Edo State Government to call their people to order. We need election to be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.”

Although not much has been heard of Edo State for some time now, the kind of news it has churned out has no elevation in whatever sense but one that called for caution from all the actors in the state, because at the very least, the state might be tilting towards violence with such tendencies.

Situating the Presidential Run The PDP presidential campaign train moved out last week with so much force that showed it was ready for the battle ahead. From Sokoto to Kwara and Oyo, the party held down the states in the North West, North Central and South-west zones with relatively intimidating crowd.

Of course, the two parties have not backed down on trading tackles as it has formed the core of their engagements since the emergence of the candidates of the two leading political parties in the country.

But the presidential end of the campaigns hit hard on the PDP yesterday, when the party raised the alarm that the bank accounts of its vice presidential candidate, Peter Obi had been frozen by the federal government.Although there was no official response yet to the allegation, observers have begun to interpret this as an element of intolerance on the part of the government.

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BUSINESS

MInister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu

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OPEC Secretary General, Mohammed-Sanusi Barkindo

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OPEC Conference and Minister of Energy and Industry of United Arab Emirates, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei

OPEC’s Battles to Keep Oil Market Stable Chineme Okafor writes on the latest move by oil producers on the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) platform to calm activities pushing the global oil market to conditions they consider threats to their interests

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ember countries of OPEC stood up to defend their interests two years ago when the global oil market reportedly went into a precarious position.

At that time, oil supply was said to have heavily outpaced demand between 2014 and 2016, and inventories on the back of this expanded rapidly. Commercial inventories of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, which is usually a key indicator of the health of the oil market reached a record high of more than 400 million barrels (mb) in July 2016.

It was thus clear from this that there was a huge excess of oil supply, which naturally had an impact on prices and economies of producers like Nigeria.

To revive the market, OPEC started out negotiating ways to curb the inventories and this ultimately led them to engage with 10 non-OPEC oil producing countries led by the Russian Federation to act, and under an umbrella of the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’ (DoC), which was signed in December 2016, they voluntary decided to adjust their production levels to cut back the oil stock overhang, and re-balance the interplay of supply and demand.

Since then, the DoC has according to the OPEC impacted the oil market, and helped bring down total OECD commercial stocks in absolute terms by 213mb since January 2017.

Also, prices were restored to comfortable levels, until recently when they reportedly plunged by 30 per cent on account of a broader market sell-off and growing consensus that supply will outstrip demand in 2019.

Based on the potential impacts of this, OPEC

and its non-OPEC allies saw the December 6 and 7, 2018 meeting in Vienna as another opportunity to find ways to either stick together in the spirit of their 2016 DoC or bear the consequences of any unworthy development from the market heading into 2019.

Taking Charge Based on conversations and notes exchanged with THISDAY, market experts and analysts were of the view that OPEC and its allies may have to cut their production levels to restore stability in the global oil market and prices.

Thus, analysts felt anything less than that could mean a low oil price in 2019 based on ample supply; rising stocks; and slumping refining margins.

According to them, if OPEC and allies agree to cut production – which looked likely, at the meeting, then, they would have effectively overlooked recent calls by US President, Donald Trump to them to bring down oil prices which traded on an average of $60.61 per barrel for Brent in early December from an average of $76.73 per barrel that it traded for in October.

In its oil market report for November, the International Energy Agency (IEA) explained that since the middle of the year, oil supply had increased sharply, with outputs from the Middle East; Russia; and the United States making up output falls from Iran, Venezuela and elsewhere.

Additionally, the IEA explained that new data it gathered showed that the pace of oil production has accelerated, and the higher output, in combination with Iranian sanctions waivers issued by the US and steady demand growth, suggests there was a 0.7 million barrel a day (mbd) stock build in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Also, the IEA report stated that stock levels of OECD countries have for four months in a

row increased.

But the cartel, according to the Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Falih, would do what would be necessary to ensure that the growing oil inventories in the market are kept at levels that are comfortable and not distortional.

Al-Falih, who took charge of consulting with key players within the cartel and allies, was a guest to the Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, recently in Abuja, where they both talked extensively on the need to continue to work together to stabilise the oil market. Both ministers briefed journalists on their conversations in this regards.

The Saudi minister, however, said the cartel had taken note of the instability that was growing in the market, adding that this has been amplified by geopolitical tensions and speculative activities by financial investors.

According to him, when producers gather in Vienna, Austria, they will, “do the right thing in stabilising the market and giving producers and consumers comfort,� in such a manner as to ensure that the oil market is stable in 2019.

Emerging Threat Starting out at its meeting, OPEC stated it was likely going to adopt new strategies in their renewed push to ensure that prices of oil in the global oil market does not slide back to the low levels they were in 2015, and which necessitated the DoC that put out 1.2mbd.

President of the OPEC Conference, and Minister of Energy and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, stated at the opening of the 175th General Meeting of the OPEC Conference that heading into 2019, the group recognised new threats to its 2016 DoC, and that, “this will require us to change the strategy we took in June 2018.�

As at the time of filing this report, OPEC had not disclosed the nature of the new strategy it would take, and was still meeting with non-OPEC members. Analysts however posit that a deal would be reached notwithstanding.

In his opening remarks, Al Mazrouei, explained the 2016 DoC had been hugely successful, but there was a consensus amongst the group that prospects point to higher oil supply growth than expected global requirements.

He said these were signs of a potential slowdown in oil demand, which the group had to carefully watch to ensure it did not disrupt the DoC. “In looking back on 2018, I think we can all say it has been a positive year. We have witnessed positive progress on removing the inventory overhang, the market has seen further re-balancing and there has been excellent collaboration between OPEC and non-OPEC participants in the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’. “I would like to acknowledge and commend the achievements of OPEC member countries, as well as participating non-OPEC producers in the ‘Declaration’, for their continuous efforts over the past two years to pursue a balanced, stable and sustainable global oil market. This serves the interests of consumers, producers, the industry and the global economy at large,� said Al Mazrouei.

He further stated: “However, I think we can all recognise that our work is not done. As we look forward to 2019, we see a new set of challenges.

This includes the general consensus that prospects point to higher supply growth than expected global requirements and there are signs of a potential slowdown in demand.� “Today, it is vital that we thoroughly examine the potential gap between supply and demand in 2019, and how this might impact inventory levels and the extremely ‘hard won’ market

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OPEC’s Battles to Keep Oil Market Stable

OPEC building

balance we have achieved over the past two years,� he added.

Expressing confidence that parties to the DoC will stand by it, Al Mazrouei, explained: “We need to focus our joint efforts on maintaining the balanced market we achieved in 2018; sustaining the stability we all desire; and, ensuring that there is a firm foundation to allow the industry to make the necessary investments to continue to meet expected future oil demand.�

He noted in this regard, “We need to remind ourselves of the importance of a cooperative, agile, and forward-looking OPEC, and fully appreciate the value of the joint efforts with our non-OPEC friends through the historic ‘Declaration of Cooperation’. “Experience has repeatedly shown us that the enduring principle of cooperation and the bravery to try something new, such as the ‘Declaration’, can bring about great success.�

Production Level Though expected to participate in whatever decision OPEC takes, Kachikwu told journalists on the first day of the meeting that as hard as it would come for Nigeria, she will make efforts to cut back her output if OPEC decides to.

Unwilling to state how much oil Nigeria will cut, Kachikwu said: “Very difficult to do that, where we are now is that everybody must be seen to contribute. The smaller it is the more amenable we are to participate, the larger it is the more difficult it will be to participate.�

He further explained to Bloomberg, “I am keeping all fingers crossed, we’ve gotten exemptions three times understandably, this time around, I think there is a decision that everybody must be seen to chip in. We don’t know the numbers yet but let’s get in there first, I know it is going to be very little.�

Shortly after the OPEC meeting where no decision was announced yet, Kachikwu said he was confident a deal would be reached but added that the position of non-OPEC countries led by the Russian Federation was relevant to whatever will be achieved after all.

He however told THISDAY that, “Given what has happened today, I think we are fairly close to getting a deal within OPEC, however, we

will still leave it up to non-OPEC. It depends on what happens in non-OPEC. According to him: “Still preliminary, we will like to see how it moves. What we have are some level of proposals on the table right now.

Tomorrow, we have a meeting with non-OPEC, some level of meeting with OPEC members and by then we will know for certain where we stand on this issue.�

The minister refused to disclose what number Nigeria has agreed to cut its oil production to accommodate the demands by OPEC and non-OPEC, but was quick to state that Nigeria had remained a committed and cooperative member of OPEC. United Group Going into the meeting, analysts further told THISDAY the group was still united in its purpose, which was why Al-Falih undertook visits including to Kachikwu, to perhaps get his support for a production cut at the meeting.

According to CNBC, Russia’s energy minister, Alexander Novak, returned on Friday to Vienna after discussing with Russian President, Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Novak, was reported to have said Russia would seek an agreement with OPEC and non-OPEC producers. Also indications emerged Russia could

contribute a cut of around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the deal even though OPEC delegates have been pushing for it to cut around 250,000bpd.

Further, analysts said a big cut would be needed to reverse recent price falls and that Russia’s volume would be key to this. “Reversing the overwhelmingly bearish price sentiment will likely require a credible and cohesive message from the OPEC meeting,� said U.S. investment bank, Jefferies, to CNBC. Jefferies added that, “Even a 1 million bpd cut could lead to a ‘sell the news’ reaction in the short term. If no agreement is reached, oil prices have significant downside.�

Sealed Deal After two days of touchy negotiations, OPEC and their non-OPEC allies finally broke a deadlock over production limits talks and collectively agreed to cut their outputs by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day (mbd).

Agreeing with its partners to remove 1.2mbd from the market, OPEC countries decided to take up the burden of limiting their production by 800,000 barrels per day (bd), out of which Kachikwu, told THISDAY that Nigeria could contribute up to 40,000bd to, representing about 2.5 per cent of her 1.7mbd current production level.

Kachikwu explained that the output cut was as a matter of fact in the best interest of Nigeria,

In looking back on 2018, I think we can all say it has been a positive year. We have witnessed positive progress on removing the inventory overhang, the market has seen further re-balancing and there has been excellent collaboration between OPEC and non-OPEC participants in the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’

adding that with larger oil volumes in the market weakening prices, Nigeria would have found it difficult to implement its budget for 2019.

However, some details of the agreement as stated

by Mazrouei, and Novak, at a press conference after their joint meeting showed that as OPEC countries take out 800,000bd from the market, non-OPEC members would have to take out the balance of 400,000 with Russia contributing as much as 230,000bd of this.

Also, Iran; Venezuela; and Libya were granted exemptions from the cuts because they’ve either suffered sanctions or production disruptions, and would not be able to participate in the cut.

Mazrouei, in his remarks at the briefing stated that the parties took note of oil market developments since it last met in Vienna in June 2018, and reviewed the outlook for the year remainder of 2018 and 2019. “In view of the current fundamentals and the consensus view of a growing imbalance in 2019, the conference decided to adjust OPEC overall production by 0.8mbd from October 2018 levels, effective as of January 2019, for an initial period of six months, with a review in April 2019,� said Mazrouei.

He further stated that the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) of the parties will monitor timely and fair implementation of the production cuts resolution and report back on a regular basis.

According to him, agreeing to this decision, member countries confirmed their continued focus on fundamentals for a stable and balanced oil market, in the interests of producers, consumers, and health and sustainability of the petroleum industry. “Member Countries remain committed to being dependable and reliable suppliers of crude and products to global markets. The Conference thanked all OPEC member countries, as well as non-OPEC countries participating in the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’ for their continued commitment to achieving and sustaining balance and stability in the market,� he added.

He reiterated that the deal was a strong signal to anyone doubting the cooperation of the group, and that they can overcome whatever challenge thrown at them.

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L-R: Director, Investment One Limited, Mrs. Joke Chukwumah; Group Managing Director, Investment One Limited, Mr. Nicholas Nyamali; Chairman, Investment One Limited , Egbert Imomoh; and Executive Director, GTBank Plc, Mr. Ademola Odeyemi at a symposium ... recently

Shaping Nigeria’s Future with Technology From a humble beginning as an asset management company some 10 years ago, Investment One, formerly GTB Asset Management Limited, has transformed to a one-stop shop financial services group with five subsidiaries. The company says innovation and application of technology, are its secret.

Bamidele Famoofo reports The Symposium ontrary to the custom of rolling out the drums, which many corporate organisations do in Nigeria to celebrate major landmark achievements, Investment One Financial Services Limited, otherwise known as ‘Investment One’, says the future of the economy of Nigeria is what is more paramount on its mind, even as recounts its success stories in the last 10 years of its existence as a business entity in Nigeria.

To demonstrate its commitment to making the country to grab the opportunity for rapid growth and development locked up in technology, Investment One assembled a team of leading entrepreneurs in different fields of business and professionals at a symposium titled : ‘Ideas Shaping the Future’ organised to mark its 10th year anniversary in Lagos recently.

Group Managing Director of Investment One, Mr. Nicholas Nyamali, said the changes and disruptions which technology is already causing are inevitable and that businesses operating in the country must be prepared for them. He suggested that one of the ways to prepare for the possible job losses that might occur as a result of adoption of technology especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be for professionals to become to make the right investment decisions as a way of providing for the rainy days.

Executive Director at GTBank Plc, Bolaji Lawal, who kicked off the discussion, said banking had become all about technology.

He noted that modern-day banking, apart from embracing technology as it breaks per time, must also be tailored towards the lifestyle of customers rather than developing products for them.

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“Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technology are about to take over certain jobs like tellering in banks in the next five years,� he warned. He pointed out that the kind of job skills that will be needed in the banking industry in the future will not be from the social science fields and the likes, but technology inclined skill sets engineering, computer related programmes among others.

Lawal, who was until his appointment as Executive Director, the Divisional Head, Digital Banking Division, revealed that GTBank Plc is already reaping the dividends of using technology to run its operations. “One of the areas we are benefiting from technology as a bank is in cost reduction.

We have also been able to increase our customer base in the last five years to about 14million as against five million customer base we achieved in 15 years without the necessary technology which now make banking easy for our customers.

The analogue way of doing business will only deliver linear growth while digitalising banking operations will grow the business exponentially,� he argued.

Lawal also lamented the apparent lack of preparedness of Nigeria for technological revolution that will drive the world in a few years to come, saying, “We have no national strategy for digital development in Nigeria. The data bank is not available anywhere and our national assets cannot captured, and so we are not competitive as an economy, we don’t have the values to drive growth and therefore we are engaged in endless struggles as a country.�

Google Programme Manager, Developer Ecosystem for Sub-Saharan Africa, Aniedi Udo-Obong, who spoke after Lawal, was tactical in his comment about the fear of job as a result of embracement of technology. “The jobs won’t disappear, but the tasks

may fizzle out. At least the emergency of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) did not put staffs out of job. Artificial Intelligence gives people more tools to change the future and does not really threaten jobs,� he said.

He, however ,acknowledged that technology is growing rapidly across the globe with Google playing a critical role in making that happen.

Vice President, Farm Products Development at Farmcrowdy, an online agricultural initiatives in Nigeria, Tope Omotolani, was convincing in telling the story of how her company which is barely five years old, had been able to boost agricultural production in Nigeria through the empowerment of farmers and sourcing investors through its digital platform. “We have successfully deployed technology to drive agriculture using our digital platform. Farmcrowdy is Nigeria’s First Digital Agriculture Platform that empowers rural farmers by providing them with improved seeds, farm inputs, training on modern farming techniques and sales of their farm produce, which gives them the capacity to farm more acres, and leads to increased food production and security in Africa,� Omotolani disclosed.

Omotolani, who called on private individuals to seize the opportunity which the agricultural sector offers for wealth creation added: “Innovation and excellence will transform agriculture sector in Nigeria, but it is unfortunate that Nigerians do not believe in continuity. We hardly sustain what we start.

There is a lot that players in other sectors like banking, technology can contribute to the development of the agriculture sector in Nigeria, which will in return boost the economy at large. Innovation must be introduced in agriculture to boost productivity in that sector.

“For the Nigerian advertising and music executive, public advocate and founder of X3M Ideas, a Lagos-based digital advertising agency, Steve Babaeko, “Its either you innovate or die�.

His company, which was listed in 2017 as one of Nigeria’s fastest growing communication agencies is reputed for the use of technology in creating customer satisfaction.

Group Head, Medical Services at AXA Mansard, Dr. Tokunbo Ali, agreed with the other panelists at the symposium saying, the future is all about technology. He said the only way to bridge the yawning gap caused by shortage of medical doctors in Nigeria is to use robots in place of human doctors, most of whom have fled the country for greener pastures that exist abroad.

Reeling out statistics, he said, “More than 3,000 medical doctors have fled Nigeria since 2017 to date. The situation in Nigeria today is one doctor have 12,000 patients to care for instead of one doctor to 600 recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The future of healthcare will be a situation, where a patient will sit in the comfort of his office and get attended to by a through the means of technology anywhere in the world. Technology is the solution and the way forward in the health sector now. The future of healthcare is technology all the way. Investors are therefore needed in the industry to make a difference.�

The Award After the discussions in the morning, Investment One wrapped up its 10th year anniversary with a dinner where it rewarded excellence being one of its core values. Chairman, Board of Directors of Investment One, Mr. Egbert Imomoh, and Group Managing Director, Nicholas Nyamali, were honoured for serving the company meritoriously for 10 years while eight of management staff were recognised for excellence and dedication.

Investment One Financial Services Limited was incorporated in 2008 as GTB Asset Management Limited, a wholly owned asset management subsidiary of GTBank to undertake the businesses of asset management and securities brokerage. In 2011, following new regulatory requirements, GTBank divested from the company following a management buyout and the company’s name was then changed to Investment One Financial Services (Investment One) with the long-term goal of becoming the leading non-bank financial services group in Nigeria.

Recognised as one of the fastest growing companies in Nigeria by ALLWORLD in 2013, Investment One is today a leading player in the Nigerian financial services industry with distinctive offerings in wealth management & trust, mutual funds, pensions, real estate, private equity/venture capital, investment banking and securities brokerage.

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TOYIN AKOMOLAFE

Akomolafe

To Encourage Investment, Govt Must Match Talk with Action Chief Toyin Akomolafe is the president, Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), which membership cut across diverse business interests in Nigeria and the United States. Akomolafe, who prior to his current appointment, was the chairman of Sino Nigerian Marketing Network, is also the founder and chief executive officer of Index Brook Group of Companies. He speaks with Kunle Aderinokun and Bamidele Famoofo on pertinent issues affecting trade and investment including the trade war between China and the US, African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), ease of doing business, and the prevailing interest rate. Excerpts:

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You Can’t Claim to Do Business in Africa, When Not Engaged in Nigeria

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t will be a good way to start by asking your opinion on the trade war between the US and China?

The trade war between US and China would be quite an interesting subject for discussion if its potential impact were not so perilous to the world economy. My involvement with the Nigerian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and recent election as the President, NigerianAmerican Chamber of Commerce gives me a unique perspective of both sides of the isle. China is too important a market for foreign firms to exit. Even though they differ greatly, both countries need each other. The markets are intertwined and dependent on each other so it will be cutting off the nose to spite the face if you think you would allocate a winner takes all status to either party. On the other hand, co-dependency between the U.S. and China is extremely strong and can work in both nations’ favour.

Recent conjecture that China is winning the trade war is wrong, that is just perception. Nobody wins a trade war, and in a case when the world’s two largest markets are in conflict, it is tantamount to mutually assured destruction. Everyone loses out in the bigger picture. World trade is affected, global growth slows, jobs are lost, livelihoods wrecked and prosperity impeded. Recently, the Trump administration imposed a 10 per cent charge on $200 billion of Chinese goods and it is due to rise to 25 per cent in January, 2019. Another $50 billion of Chinese goods already is subject to 25 per cent duties.

Beijing has responded with its own tariff increases on $110 billion of American goods.

President Trump has threatened to expand U.S. penalties to all goods from China. To strengthen the resolve of his home front base, he established a $12billion programme to compensate and support farmers affected by the trade disputes. China’s global exports rose 12.6 per cent to $217.3 billion in October, down from September’s 14.5 percent growth.

Imports rose 20.3 per cent to $183.3 billion, accelerating from the previous month’s 14.3 per cent. The global trade surplus was $34 billion, up from September’s $31.7 billion.

The data is notoriously volatile and the longer-term trend shows the potential dangers ahead for both parties.

A recent publication from the South China morning post shows that the worsening USChina trade war might cost the world much more than US$430 billion of lost GDP. We should be expecting rough times if the trade war persists. That is why the two leaders must sheath their swords and check their egos. President trump said, ‘America first’ but as a Nigerian, we know that the Iroko tree cannot be the only tree in the forest. It will be very difficult to think any country can stand on its own. They would be well served by that age-old Chinese saying - where one thing stands, something else will stand beside it. It is not a winner take all situation, both parties should be able to make compromises.

The trade war has hijacked prices of consumer goods. One thing about the tariff “punishments� is that the main victims of these actions are America’s own global multinationals, and of course America’s own consumers. Which is why the farmers’ subsidy programme was instituted by the American government. Trump’s tariffs “largely tax the exports of foreign enterprises operating in China, whether U.S.-owned or with parents domiciled in other advanced economies (all U.S. allies)�. Once prices go up and considering that Nigeria is an import-driven economy, we will definitely bear the brunt of the war.

The relation between both countries’ trade flows is extremely strong. If U.S. exports to China are hitting a brick wall, then China will feel the effects through global multiplier effects as the trade row drags down world economic activity. If Trump is truly having an epiphany, Chinese President Xi Jinping also needs a wake-up call that the time for compromise is long overdue.

Critically, both countries need to come together to thrash out their respective problems amicably. A heated trade war is

Akomolafe

not the answer both in the short and long run. Both countries need each other to consolidate strong sustainable growth for both economies specifically, and the larger world trade. Talking is just the start and working together is the ultimate goal. A new U.S.China economic pact could seal the deal.

They might not like to admit it, but America and China’s fortunes are conjoined – each economy is dependent on the other as the world’s two greatest superpowers. When I was growing up, Chinese goods were regarded as inferior, but now it is not. I am in the petroleum industry, most of the equipment’s are imported from the United States and the level of inclusion of Chinese products in the oil & gas industry has come to stay.

How will the AfCTA agreement impact business activities or operations of members?

In 2012, the African Heads of State and Governments resolved to establish African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) treaty to create a single continental market for goods and services in member nations of the African Union, with free movement of business persons and investments using a single currency.

Despite the recent shift in the growth poles of the global economy from developed countries to emerging and developing countries, Africa lags behind and remains marginalised.

This is partly because the continent remains a fragmented bundle of small resource-rich, but commodity-dependent economies.

North America, from Mexico to Canada has its own free trading block initially memorialised as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), it has since been renegotiated by the Trump administration into a new agreement called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), similarly, member countries of the European Union (EU) have greatly benefited from their common association

and free trading. AfCFTA is well overdue.

For Africa to optimise its resource endowments and translate them into welfare gains for its teeming population, regional integration is inevitable. The free movement of goods enhances growth for our member companies and now sees Africa as a global market and not as a microcosm, where market is restricted. The cornerstone of AfCFTA is promotion of industrialisation, sustained growth and development in Africa. The agreement is being pursued based on its potential to “boost intra-African trade, stimulate investment and innovation, foster structural transformation, improve food security, enhance economic growth and export diversification, and rationalise the overlapping trade regimes of the main regional economic communities�

In the United States, small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs) constitute about 45 per cent of the GDP, even in the oil industry, you have small marginal field players playing active roles in the value chain and making a good living. I will admit that the East African countries have been the most active in Africa with regards to this system of trade; Ethiopia, Kenya and recently Rwanda are doing well for themselves.

AfCFTA provides opportunities to exploit new frontiers and reach larger markets with Nigerian exports of manufactured goods and services. Member companies can take advantage of the opportunities this presents and the member nations make the aggregate of the parts greater than their sum.

Among exporting companies, 84 per cent expect AfCFTA to increase their volume of exports; the enthusiasm is shared by 91 per cent of small companies and 100 per cent of agriculture and trade businesses. Importantly, exporters of agricultural commodities view Nigeria as competitive within the continent and believe that CFTA will give them access to do business in African countries that are otherwise not easily accessible Nigeria is still the largest economy in Africa.

One cannot claim to be doing business in Africa if they are not engaged in Nigeria, An enlarged regional market will provide incentives for inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and cross-border investment for member States and companies, which is needed to spur productivity.

Some have argued that the treaty would impact government revenue and social welfare, as elimination of all tariffs among African countries would erode the trading states’ treasury by up to $4.1 billion annually and deepen poverty, with millions of Africans potentially exposed to starvation and death.

Others, particularly among the poorer economies, are afraid the benefits in the free trade area may not be equitably distributed among economies. These arguments highlight the need for a lot of education and advocacy.

We need enlightenment programmes to aid people understand the benefits of the agreement.

What speciďŹ c roles is the chamber playing in protecting the interest of member companies?

The chamber hosts breakfast meetings to which we invite thought leaders across industry to educate and enlighten member companies on topics that resonate with socio-economic issues of Nigeria vis-Ă -vis the United States. We organise capacity building workshops where members are exposed to best practices to scale up and sustain their businesses and professions.

The chamber also engages in trade missions three times each year, in the last meeting with the executive committee, we agreed to focus on each sector of the economy to be more effective. We are currently targeting the ICT sector; we will like to explore opportunities for partnering between Silicon Valley and our chambers of commerce members.

Having member’s attend such programmes creates value for them. The Americans are looking at investment in Africa with more

27

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ëœ ͺ͸͚΀

Nigeria Has Fared Badly in Implementation of AGOA emphasis on Nigeria, largely because of our population. The U.S. Commercial Department which is our strong partners, have been very supportive lately in our plans for member companies.

Give us your assessment of trade and investment as well as the economy in general?

I like to base my assessment of trade and investment on the facts on the ground. We have already discussed the state of trade affairs between the U.S. and China. In Nigeria, we are not walking our talk yet and there are a lot of conflicts in policy implementation.

The Ease of Doing Business ranking has improved, thanks to the various initiatives of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), aimed at making the business environment more favorable.

The key thing is for government to play its role of providing a conducive business environment to enable the private sector do their own bit. We are interfacing the government agencies to let them know that we are the practitioners and should be the bridge between the government and the business community.

Is the current interest rate regime favourable to member companies’ businesses?

The Central Bank of Nigeria kept its benchmark interest rate on hold at 14 per cent on September 25th 2018, as widely expected. The last time policymakers changed rates was in July 2016, when they lifted the monetary rate by 200 bps. The committee noted inflationary pressures rebuilding, as the annual inflation rate increased for the first time since January last year to 11.23 per cent in August from 11.14 per cent in July, mainly due to higher cost of food. Interest rate in Nigeria averaged 10.88 per cent from 2007 until 2018, reaching an all-time high of 14 percent in July of 2016 and a record low of 6 per cent in July of 2009.

The committee from the CBN noted the uneven expansion in global output amidst growing trade tensions, rising oil prices and debt levels as well as currency depreciation in most of the notable emerging markets and developing economies.

When interest rates rise, banks charge more for business loans. This means you’ll need to use more of your earnings to pay interest on your loans, which decreases profits. You might decide not to start new projects or expansions during periods of high interest rates, which hampers the growth of the company. When interest remains low, businesses can borrow more readily. Lowinterest loans can fund business growth and increase profitability because businesses can earn enough off new ventures to pay for the loan interest and have money left over for profits.

Customers have to pay interest on their personal loans, home loans and car loans.

The higher the interest, the less money in customers’ pockets. By extension, less money in circulation, the market is stifled, money is not flowing around and this can breed social insecurity.

Businesses can invest their excess cash in interest-bearing accounts to make more money. During periods of high interest rates, businesses earn more from these investments.

When rates are low, businesses may be more likely to use their cash for new equipment and plant improvements. While this can be good for equipment sellers and construction firms, banks lose out. Banks make their money from providing loans. When they don’t get business investments to boost their assets, they can’t make as much money because they have less to loan out.

Tell us about your objectives and high points for the Chamber during your tenure as President?

I am very passionate about this issue. In my acceptance speech, I opined that I would like to focus on three main thrusts for the Chamber. I am committed to re-branding and revitalising our image and balancing the American and Nigerian aspects of the

Akomolafe

organisation. We need to overcome cultural differences and work closely to have an underlying economic interest. I will fully participate in all economic fora and partner with leaders and leading organisations that could propel us toward a successful future.

Also, I am committed to making this organisation serve its members, providing more networking and business opportunities.

We are looking at building a new secretariat during my tenure, The NACC is the oldest and foremost Chamber of Commerce in the country, it is very important that we have a secretariat of our own, this will be a cornerstone to define my tenure. Dr. Oba Otudeko, CFR, Chairman, Honeywell Group, who will be the chairman at my inauguration on December 14th, will be present to lend his support to this project and so is Chief (Dr.) Olusegun Osunkeye, OFR, OON, CON, former chairman, Nestle Nigeria Plc, who will be the guest speaker at the event.

I am committed to an aggressive membership drive to attract new members who are doing business with the U.S. to join the chamber. I will encourage more chapters to be established for the chamber in Nigeria and the US to create the critical mass that underscores the eminence of NACC among the pack. I am committed to de-personalising the vision and strategic plans of the chamber.

My goal is to foster inclusivity in key decision making. All internal stakeholders need to feel a sense of belonging. After so many years as a member of this chamber, I appreciate the importance of harnessing the competence and wisdom of the executive, the board, state chairmen and past presidents in running the affairs of the chamber.

What is the perception of made-inNigeria products in the U.S. Market vis-Ă -vis the International market and how is the Chamber contributing to the growth of Made in Nigeria?

I am so proud to be a Nigerian at this moment. I was at the Africando Conference in Miami, Florida recently and there I saw so many Nigerian products. It is now a fad to wear hand bags made with Nigerian Fabrics from Nigeria, like the Ankara. Also, I saw people proudly wearing Nigerian Ankara fabrics. I am extremely proud of one of our member companies, who owns one of those

companies making Nigeria proud in the U.S. Market. Such products are evidence of the kind of impact Nigerian products are making.

We have quite a number of members producing, packaging and labelling their own products especially in the agricultural, fashion and apparel sector. Last but not least, the quality of film production in Nollywood, Nigeria’s film sector, is improving every day.

We are starting to export those products also.

The chamber has organised and still organising workshops to encourage profitable and standard export. We have opened conversation with the Nigerian-Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to see how we can maximise export opportunities. We have also started conversations with Business Clinics to leverage the ingenious cluster mechanism that allows small businesses rely on each other to exploit the export market.

Also, the chamber organises annually, The African Food & Products Exhibition (AFPE) which focuses on encouraging the promotion of Made in Nigeria by showcasing them at the exhibition.

What is the future of the Chamber’s relationship with the United States Mission in Nigeria vis-à -vis the United States?

The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, is a fantastic person, who is very passionate about Nigeria. I have met him a couple of times, I was with him in Abuja during the SME Conference organised by the Chamber in October, 2018. His passion was obvious. The team at the Consulate are awesome, I have a good relationship with John Bray, Consul-General, and we agreed recently to have member’s evening together once in a month and Brent Omdahl, the Commercial Counsellor has been very supportive.

It has been a good time for us together and in my tenure, we will explore our socio-economic interests for the growth of the Chamber.

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been extended to 2025.What opportunities abound with the Act for the Chamber and the economy?

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a trade program that allows

eligible countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to export certain products to the U.S. duty free.

Nigeria happens to be one of the eligible countries.

The Act has been extended to 2025, but it is worrisome to note that the implementation plan is yet to be put in place. That is why most of our export through AGOA are being routed through countries like Ghana. I was with Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment recently at a conference in Washington D.C. and he promised to work on the plan.

The Chamber is the Private Sector AGOA Resource Centre and we have been at the forefront in promoting AGOA in Nigeria. We carry out regular sensitisation programmes and capacity building programmes and partner various stakeholders on AGOA related initiatives. It is a wake-up call for us to try and take advantage of the existing window we have.

The United States controls about 24 per cent of the world GDP. Hence the U.S. has the highest consumer markets in the world.

The opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa to export over 6,000 products into the United States through economic diversification cannot be over emphasised, be they agriculture products, leather products, etc.

Nigeria is completely reliant on oil for exports. As a result of new technology at Shale Oil, optimisation of existing wells and the disruptive technology of fracking, the U.S. has now become a net exporter of oil and the biggest producer. We must have the ability to export other products to the U.S. with the incentives of ‘no duty’, which will create jobs, diversify the economy and add to foreign exchange.

However, we have fared badly and we need Government-conscious efforts at promoting AGOA. We need the national strategy on AGOA like other countries, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana are benefiting enough. Shea butter is big and Niger State is the biggest shea butter producer in the world but our shea butter is exported through Togo and its processing is being done in Togo. We need a national strategy otherwise, 2025 will pass us by without having significantly improved our market stance in these areas. We are a work in progress and we hope to achieve and learn from what other countries are doing.

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˜ ˞ DECEMBER 9, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Continental Reinsurance Shares Suffer Decline on ProďŹ t Taking Goddy Egene Profit taking in the shares of Continental Reinsurance Plc (CRe Nigeria) led to a decline of 12.5 per cent to close lower at N1.75 per share last week.

The new price offers investors a higher premium on the N2.04 that Continental Reinsurance African Investments Limited (CRe Investments) has proposed to buy all the outstanding shares of CRe Nigeria.

The board of CRe Nigeria

recently said it received an offer from CRe African Investments Limited to acquire all the outstanding and issued shares through a scheme of arrangement.

According to company, CRe Investments is making this offer in order to initiate a much needed restructuring exercise for CRe Nigeria, with a view to consolidating the CRe Nigeria’s operations and repositioning it for enhanced competitiveness in the global insurance market.

The shares of the reinsurance

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

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

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

got a boost after the news broke.

However, profit taking by some investors led to decline in the price of the equity, falling from N2.00 to N1.75 last week CRe Investments is offering N2.04 per share for the 10,372,744,314 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each or one ordinary shares of $1 each in the capital of CRe Investments for every 176 ordinary share of 50 kobo each held in CRe Nigeria It is intended that the transaction will be executed through a

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 0612-2018, unless otherwise stated.

Scheme of Arrangement under Section539 of the Companies& Allied Matters Act Cap C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and other applicable rules and regulations.

The company said it had received the Securities & Exchange Commission’s ‘No Objection ‘to the scheme.

The scheme is also subject to the approval of the shareholders at a CourtOrdered Meeting as well as the sanction of the Federal High

Court. The meeting is scheduled to hold on December 20, in Lagos.

Continental Reinsurance recorded a decline of 23 per cent in profit before tax (PBT) from N4.65 billion in the 2016 financial year to N3.57 billion in 2017. Profit after tax (PAT) dropped by 21 per cent from N3.12 billion in 2016 to N2.47 billion in 2017.

Despite the reduction in bottomline, the board of directors had resolved to maintain the same level of dividend as in the previous year, which was 14 kobo per share.

Chairman of Continental Reinsurance, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola had told shareholders at the last annual general meeting, that their vision for the firm to be the premier pan-African reinsurer is undaunted. “Our view on Africa is permanent, our objective is an Africa that grows from within and our strategy is always towards taking advantage of the immense opportunities that abound across Africa for the benefit of all stakeholders,� he said.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 158.80 160.16 -10.44% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 274.46 276.07 18.75% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 1.31% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 6.92% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.70% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.21 2.23 -3.76% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 16.49 16.98 -9.78% ARM Discovery Fund 355.25 365.96 -8.69% ARM Ethical Fund 28.22 29.07 3.29% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.66% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 130.47 131.38 -13.99% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.29% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.17% Paramount Equity Fund 11.46 11.76 3.38% Women's Investment Fund 100.93 103.52 0.30% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.32% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.84 0.85 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.16 1.16 10.38% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,170.18 1,170.93 11.53% FBN Heritage Fund 140.52 141.70 0.74% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.73% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $112.12 $112.68 3.00% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $111.84 $112.40 2.86% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 145.71 147.76 -8.24% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 1.20 1.22 -6.99% Legacy Debt Fund 3.22 3.22 11.40% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.02 1.02 2.43% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.26% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 106.19 106.55 5.86% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.16%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.15 2.16 1.63% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.44% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 123.73 123.91 7.49% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.19 1.21 4.14% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,090.43 1,090.43 12.89% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.09 11.19 -14.26% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.79% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.35 11.66% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.12 12.18 9.81% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.53% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 127.32 127.74 -1.84% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.69 1.69 13.82% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,297.56 2,312.32 4.55% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 188.28 188.28 8.12% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.94 0.95 -6.44% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 245.49 245.53 13.74% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 158.77 160.59 -11.34% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.94% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,392.84 8,494.78 -11.73% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 6.87% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Wealth for Women Fund N/A N/A N/A ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 11.12 11.28 -7.67% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.19 12.30 -5.62% Zenith Income Fund 20.62 20.62 11.73% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.85%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

9.00 139.49 51.55

-20.11% 5.31% 1.42%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.21 115.39 87.80

10.31 117.83 89.45

-13.73% -19.22% -19.63%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.02 7.22 14.48 12.13 141.04

4.06 7.30 14.58 12.33 143.04

-15.14% -24.50% -17.03% -38.14% 4.99%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.13

17.03%

SPECIALIST FUNDS Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

Thevalueofinvestmentsandtheincomefromthemmayfallaswellasrise.Pastperformanceisaguideandnotanindicationoffuturereturns.Fundpricespublishedinthiseditionarealsoavailableon each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

THISDAYt SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 2018

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A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

09.12.2018

Goodheart Obi Ekwueme We Need Good Men in Politics ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R t %&$&.#&3 Ē, ċĉĊđ

34

COVER

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W

ith an incandescent visage, a graceful gait and a sense of modesty, he sits calmly on a sofa in his living room.

That he is the son of Nigeria’s first Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, is considered as an appurtenance. In his own world and way, Goodheart Ekwueme, the founder of Revival House of Glory International Church (RHOGIC) is a man of immense intuition, both terrestrial and celestial.

He was barely 11 years old when his late father and an architect of repute became Nigeria’s number two citizen in 1979.

But rather than indulge himself, he set out to be his own man.

After his secondary education at King’s College, Lagos, he went to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied accountancy. At the insistence of his father, he sat and passed the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) examinations. Although doing well, he knew his calling was to go into the full-time ministry as a pastor.

Again, going into Pentecostalism was a challenge for his father who would have preferred him to be an Anglican priest.

But the young Ekwueme followed his heart and his father gave his consent before he passed away.

With a successful father who was one of the foremost architects in Nigeria and having decided to embrace spiritual calling, he had to work hard to be successful. Today, Ekwueme, the lead pastor of RHOGIC is one of the most influential pastors in Nigeria. Without a doubt, his life is a lesson in hard work and perseverance.

Ekwueme does not know how to indulge in frivolities but December 3, this year, was different. It was the day he turned 50. The day did not go unnoticed

Goodheart Ekwueme

as he was celebrated.

Looking dapper in a tuxedo with a silver beard adorning his chin, he reflected on his life at 50, saying: �Well, the sound of 50, the sound of jubilee makes me feel hmmm but it is really here. I am reminded when we were young in our teenage days and we saw those uncles who came to the house; we will be referring to them as, this ‘old uncle’. God forgive my ignorance then. Today at 50, I don’t feel like those ‘old uncles’ I once referred to as a teenager. I really feel like a 25- or 30-year-old in my mind and thinking and I trust God I will feel this way for a long time to come.

They say age is but a number, it is what you make out of it that it will be for you. There are many things that begin to happen to you emotionally, psychologically when you come to an age as this. “You think more deeply, the reality that you probably have spent more of your life than what you have left.

So I am thinking you can’t waste time any more, I am thinking posterity, I’m thinking legacy but I am also thinking about eternity more consciously than before. So these are thoughts that are beginning to settle more in my heart.

And one strong thing the Lord is challenging me at this point in time now is to begin to pray for and about the wisdom of God.�

It has been over a year since his father passed away, Ekwueme still misses him. “To have such a towering figure of a father to be alive, you can go in and out, do battle and come back, he is there. I miss his amazing wisdom. He was evidently a man of knowledge in various topics and subjects. There was hardly anything you would talk about that he didn’t have something meaningful to say

To have such a towering ďŹ gure of a father to be alive, you can go in and out, do battle and come back, he is there.

I miss his amazing wisdom. He was evidently a man of knowledge in various topics and subjects. There was hardly anything you would talk about that he didn’t have something meaningful to say and contribute. He had great breadth of mind and was a very deep thinker. I miss his charm and warmth. He loved children, his family; he had a way of remembering all of us in various ways, birthdays

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COVER

The young and the old-Goodheart (left) with late father and former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme

His Gumption, Vision and Devotion and contribute. He had great breadth of mind and was a very deep thinker. I miss his charm and warmth. He loved children, his family; he had a way of remembering all of us in various ways, birthdays, etc. Oh boy! My birthday comes down the road, typically every year I expect my father to call me personally, the first thing he will do is to sing the typical happy birthday song to me in his rich baritone voice. So that is something, that I have not got once now during my last birthday last year December 3, shortly after he passed away on November 19, 2017. This would be the second year that I won’t hear him say happy birthday to me,” he stated.

Ekwueme’s spiritual trajectory began over 19 years ago when joined the House on the Rock under the tutelage of its Senior Pastor, Paul Adefarasin.

For 17 years, he devoted his time to his spiritual growth until two years ago when he moved to another ministry. He explained his switch.

“Let me interject, somebody once said and I agree that you don’t have to start a ministry to be in ministry. I honestly don’t see myself to ever ‘own’ a ministry or a church. I am just glad to be called by God to serve Him in ministry. It is God’s prerogative as the ‘ultimate employer’ of His ministers to post or re-post them to the duty post of His choice. That was my case! As I mentioned earlier, the Lord caught me early and when he did it wasn’t a time to be cold or lukewarm for the Lord, I threw myself right at it, I began to read my Bible, pray, evangelised and within a short time I knew I was right inside God’s will.

“At the Ahmadu Bello University, I was a campus fellowship pastor. The Lord graciously used me to pioneer a fellowship and all kinds of things on

campus. Many years later the paths of destiny between me and the founder of House on The Rock Churches would cross by divine providence in 1995 in the city of Lagos, where He led me to join and serve the church. It was from there that I was sent to Abuja, precisely in 1999, to minister. I served there for 17 years to the best of my ability. It was from that ‘spiritual duty post’ that God would re-assign me to yet another ‘spiritual duty post’ otherwise called Revival House of Glory International Church (RHOGIC) – a young but growing ministry,” the RHOGIC pastor narrated.

His father chose politics; Ekwueme believes the pulpit is his calling.

Sharing his view on the temporal and the spiritual, he said: “As a clergy I encourage as many people I know to go into politics. I think the more good men in politics, the merrier. So I encourage people with good values, good intentions not to go there for a job, not even as a career but go there to serve. Right now, I don’t see myself going into an elective office but I am not God. I have no taste or desire for it to be honest. But I have also learnt in my walk with God to never say ‘never’.

I let Him show me what’s next to do.”

Although there is uncertainty on his future in politics but Ekwueme is still of the opinion that pastors still have a lot of role to play in nation building.

“Pastors have a role to play in nationbuilding. They form a great part of the conscience of the nation. Recently, I preached a message, ‘silence no more’ and I essentially took my text from the story of Esther, and how she became comfortable in the palace, a woman who was orphaned, raised by an uncle, Mordecai, suddenly providence showed up as a queen. Mordecai said, hey girl don’t you forget you are still a

Jew; don’t get too comfortable in the Palace. I was challenging myself as a cleric that you cannot continue to stay in the place of neutrality. We must be willing to be vocal, while being vocal, know how to speak appropriately with respect and cordiality to those in power and authority,” Ekwueme added.

And as Nigeria heads to 2019 general elections, the pastor said: “I pray that this difficult season that we have been for the past few years will give way, supernaturally, miraculously to a far better government and governance for us as a people. I see hunger in the face of Nigerians, I see tears, I see pain, I see question marks written all over many faces, chaos, and confusion and as a cleric it brings me a lot of concern, a lot of hurt. Nigeria and Nigerians are deserving of a better system of governance and rule. I pray such better system of governance and rule will come into reality.”

Ekwueme as a spiritual father to many folks is also a doting father to his family. How does the man of God balance his spiritual life with the home front?

He explained: “It’s a balancing act. I am married to a wonderful woman and we are blessed with four wonderful children, three boys and a girl between the ages of eight and 18.

Ministry can take a toll on family and other areas of life if great caution is not given. As such one continues to make deliberate efforts to balance out things as much as it’s possible. They are beautiful, upright and godly children being trained in the ways of the Lord.

They have not given us any trouble in any regard; they are of no concern whatsoever. We only trust God to take them to do far more that He has used

I agree that you don’t have to start a ministry to be in ministry. I honestly don’t see myself to ever ‘own’ a ministry or a church. I am just glad to be called by God to serve Him in ministry. It is God’s prerogative as the ‘ultimate employer’ of His ministers to post or re-post them to the duty post of His choice.

That was my case! As I mentioned earlier, the Lord caught me early and when he did it wasn’t a time to be cold or lukewarm for the Lord us parents to do in our own life time.”

Life they say is not a bed of roses.

And like human, does Ekwueme have any regrets in life? “I can’t say there are regrets because again walking with God I have learnt to carry myself as one who is imperfect in the hands of a perfect master, who also has the ability, willingness and the love to mould, shape, break you into what He desires for you to be. I am very grateful that I have enjoyed tremendous progress in both my personal and spiritual life,” Ekwueme 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 t DECEMBER 9, 2018

ENCOUNTER

Edet Amana

‘Nigeria’s Main Source of Revenue, Crude Oil, Its Biggest Problem’ A first encounter with Engr. Edet James Amana will hardly reveal that he is 80 years old. The indefatigable Nigerian combines the wisdom of his age with intellectual prowess of his academic pursuit to excel in all facets of life. As he turns 80 on December 11, Amana speaks with Funke Olaode about his life, career, state of the nation and his new book. Excerpts:

Y

ou’ll be 80 on December 11.

How has life treated you so far?

indicators of the way my life would run.

So, adding value became part of my life.

Life has been very good to me. Not that I have not had challenges but challenge in life can often been stepping stones to greater achievement. In my case, the challenges which I have had in my life have been a stepping stone for me to reach the next level of my existence. I remember the main challenge was in 1966 when I had an encounter with soldiers during the Nigerian civil war. They (the soldiers) shot me and I lost of blood. In fact, they wanted to blow me up with (a) grenade but somehow providence intervened and stopped them from blowing me up.

You have plans to launch a book on December 12. What is it all about?

It is a book called, ‘Sojourn of Providence, Sir Edet Amana at 80’. It will be launched on Wednesday, December 12 in Lagos. The book is about me. It is a biography ( a compendium) written by people around me: my family members, members of my church – Methodist church – where I have spent most of my time in worship, friends from social circle, business life, etc. All the proceeds (realised from the launch) will go into funding Edet Amana Foundation, founded to cater for the less privileged in the society. Over the years, we have been doing a lot of philanthropy; giving scholarships to funding educational facilities, empowerment of widows, health. For the past seven years we have organized an annual medical outreach.

So we are bringing all the philanthropic activities together under the foundation.

Considering the scenario you have painted did you ever think you would live up to 80?

To be frank with you, I don’t think I ever sat down and thought about how old I would want to be. But one of the things that have helped me to live a healthy lifestyle was the injury that I sustained when I was shot by the soldiers. The injuries required me to do a lot of exercise which became a routine for me. Also, I had to mind what I eat because during my hospitalization I took a lot of antibiotic which had a negative effect on my body. So I understand if I have to live a long life I have to refrain from something that would subject me to taking medications for a long time.

Being conscious of my diet, exercise and of course, the grace of God has helped me this far.

What were the factors that shaped your life while you were growing up?

It was my family background, particularly my parents. My father was a teacher and a preacher; and my mother was a very homely person. The Christian family background in which I grew up had characterized my life. My father being a teacher inculcated knowledge as an integral part of our living which has remained my primary strong point.

As a child what were your dreams?

Amana

My dream was always to excel in whatever I undertake to do. Later or quite early in my life even from primary school level of my education I always strived to excel and to add value to people’s lives. I remember in my early days at school, I was very friendly with teachers because they could use my talent to add value to the environment. I was very good at drawing and painting and the teachers engaged me to draw things on the board or on the wall which they used as teaching aids. When I look back, those little things were the early

You were born a year before World War II broke out in 1939.

What was it like living in the shadow of that war?

It wasn’t a pleasant experience for those who grew up after that war.

Though the war was far away in foreign lands but because Nigeria was a colony of Britain, the country was officially at war. So the organs of production were all focused on the war effort. There was a lot of scarcity in this country. As a little child growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s, I found out that my father couldn’t get tyre for his bicycle.

There was a lot of hardship as many institutions were closed down; the schools were shut down and many ablebodied men were sent to the war front in Burma. But I was fortunate because my father could have been one of those that were sent out. After the schools were closed down, he began trading in palm oil products. That again affected my background because it affected my thinking and action.

During your early years Nigeria entered a golden era but it didn’t last long. How and where did the nation get it wrong?

Initially, the country was doing well but after the independence in 1960 things went wrong. I believe the turning point in the country was the civil war because before the war Nigeria was a true federation of states and the states had autonomy to operate in many areas of their requirements. But during the war the country became a unitary in terms of governance as power is concentrated at the centre. That is an ambiguity which

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ENCOUNTER To Achieve Nigeria of Our Dreams, Everyone Must Change Their Attitude I am not only worried but I am also proactive about what needs to be done to change the present trend in the poor education standard in this country. I believe the overall nature of things in the country affect a lot of things including education because in those days especially in the 1950s, we didn’t hear of students having to pay to pass examinations. We didn’t hear of people having to buy result for admission as everything was done purely on merit

hasn’t helped us as a nation. Also, discovery of oil hasn’t helped either because being the only source of revenue has become the greatest problem. You know the mentality of getting rich without working because they know that at the end of the month they will get the monthly allocation from the centre. All the programmes such as self-sustenance that helped the regional system were abandoned and the effect is what we are experiencing today.

At what stage did you develop passion for engineering that you studied up to PhD level at the Imperial College, London?

Being an engineer comes to me naturally. I never thought of doing any other thing because right from my childhood I was called ‘engineer’. I was fixing all kinds of things. If things weren’t broken I always found a way of making them better – because I was also good at Mathematics and sciences. I had this additional gift and ability to draw.

All this really helped to tailor my career to the profession of my dream. In fact, I was an all-round student. I graduated with a first class at the Imperial College.

I was top of the first class in the honour’s list in 1964. Owing to my outstanding performance and the quality of my degree, I was exempted from studying for a master’s programme. I went straight to do a doctorate.

Your generation had the best of education. Are you not worried about the falling state of education in Nigeria today?

Yes, I am worried. I am not only worried but I am also proactive about what needs to be done to change the present trend in the poor education standard in this country. I believe the overall nature of things in the country affect a lot of things including education because in those days especially in the 1950s, we didn’t hear of students having to pay to pass examinations.

We didn’t hear of people having to buy result for admission as everything was done purely on merit. Now, that merit has been eroded. Nevertheless, we still have some brilliant students who are making the nation proud both nationally and internationally but on average we can say the standard has fallen.

And the way forward is to entrench excellence in every area. This excellence I am talking about is a mindset – an attitude. That attitudinal change I am talking about is not restricted to students alone but involves teachers and even the government. You know I had the privilege of being a pro-chancellor of a university and one of the things I did as the pro-chancellor of Wesley University was to see how we can change the approach and attitude of looking at education as something that must be funded by either the government or by the proprietor. The state and federal universities are being funded by governments while private universities are being funded by the proprietors.

For me, there are many people who can actually fund education. Again, the products of education should focus on the market, and that market must be able to support education in such a way that it is suitable for the market. In other words, education provider should look at the needs of the society. Again, people should continue to train their minds. For instance, students who study medicine and come out to do something else can still do well because they have trained their minds to succeed in whatever they apply their minds to do and this is what

didn’t see how I could leave that to take up a ministerial appointment. In the mid-1990s, I had a strong feeling to get more active in mainstream politics by running for office – which I did. I ran for the Senate in 1998 and won under the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) but Abacha’s death put an end to that episode. And when Gen. Abdulsalami came with the transition programme, I got interested to govern the country under the All People’s Party. The party was doing well but it got entangled in the Nigerian way. education is all about. Those who drive the policies must appreciate this and put in place structures that will make it work.

Looking at your profession – engineering –, do you think progress in terms of advancement has been achieved as Nigeria is often bedevilled with building collapses and other failed projects which have led to loss of lives and other resources?

Honestly, I am very worried. Well, everything revolves around attitudinal change I have been talking about. This country has a regulatory body which states what should be done when carrying out certain projects. Do you know that only few people keep to this regulation? Surprisingly, property investors don’t observe regulations and don’t engage professionals and a proper contractor who will drive the project.

For instance, a building comprises of several components; the foundation and structure before you go into other things that make it functional. Now, if a building is designed by an engineer who has got the training he will know that a bungalow built on marshy ground will have problems. But quite often people don’t want to engage an engineer with this general impression that it is just a bungalow and they do it their own way.

If a bungalow collapses, the catastrophe may not be pronounced but a skyscraper will have a lot of effects because when

it collapses it falls on the people below and it causes a huge catastrophe. It is sad because it causes loss of human lives.

The owner of the property also incurs a huge loss because the investment is gone.

I think the authority must address these issues from the four angles mentioned earlier: for a building, you must engage the right professionals. The regulatory authority must certify and be involved that the design is done properly. The right contractor and supervisor must be engaged to be able to understand the design. And of course, the investor or property owner must know that by getting the right people involved in their projects they are maximizing return on their investments.

As the 2019 elections approach what is your wish for Nigeria?

My wish for Nigeria is that we should really have a government which can really focus on good of the people and the country. And to do that, there must be a lot of changes and to do that we must do something about the structure of the country as the current political structure we are running is unitary as we are not practicing federalism. Again, there is the need for us as a nation to sit down and deliberate about restructuring.

This shouldn’t be a party affair alone but for the whole nation.

Then there is the need to address the attitudinal situation which must start with our leaders who point the way to assure that action is aligned to bring about the required change.

You tried to dabble into politics at a stage before you beat a retreat.

What do you think about the current state of the nation?

At 80, what have you stopped doing or what do you plan to do?

Well, I didn’t dabble into politics. I was involved in politics. I have always been in politics. But for some time now I have not sought political office or aspired for any office. To me, politics is very important and we should all take an interest in how we are governed. I was in politics during the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1970s when President Obasanjo handed over power to President Shehu Shagari. In fact, I was nominated as minister of works but my business, Amana Consortium (a firm of engineers) which I founded in 1972 was young and was doing very well. I

Well, the age 80 is just a number and I don’t think it has changed the way I look at my life. Every day I wake up with new ideas and I pray to God to sustain me to keep adding value to mankind – just like I did when I was 50 or 60. Although the energy may not be there like when I was much younger but when you have passion doing something that energy will come.

For me, I keep aspiring for new ideas because as human aspiration ends the day we stop breathing. At 80, my life has run smoothly and I thank God for taking me thus far.

DECEMBER 9, 2018 t T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

High Life

63 with LANRE ALFRED 08076885752

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

This Is What Former Energy Bank Boss, Sam Ayinuola’s Wife, Ikomi Learnt About Honour Why she keeps a low profile Tinubu

Ambode

Dangote

The Social Barometer of 2018 Taking stock of the events that shaped high society

A

s the year, 2018, gradually fades to an end, for some, it is ending with a whimper. And for a few privileged folk, it is ending with a bang. But for the rich upper class and nouveau riche of Nigeria’s high society, the outgoing year is leaving them with varied blessings and mixed feelings. A bad beginning means a bad ending for some even as it eventually transforms to a blissful ending for others. And too many folk for whom the year started out well, are desperately wishing it away as they struggle to reorder their lives from the several bad turns they suffered, even though 2018 seemed promising and packed with goodies from the beginning. Whatever your fate or that of your loved ones, hardly anyone would forget the interesting incidents that shaped Nigeria’s high society; the bliss and tragedies that marked the lives of natives of this aristocratic divide resonate far beyond their gated mansions and

posh neighbourhoods. The following stories no doubt highlight the varied fates and mixed blessings that shaped Nigeria’s high society in 2018...Why Aliko Dangote Told FT That He Needs A Wife... Thunderous Accolades, As French President, Emmanuel Macron, Opens Alliance Francaise Mike Adenuga Centre, Decorates Mike Adenuga With French Highest Honour …Why Globacom Chairman Excites The Awe Of Global Leaders. Close Shave! Nestoil Boss, Ernest Azudialu’s Private Jet Skids Off Runway In Abuja...‘Memo To Mr. Freeloader!

Intrigues As Nwankwo Kanu’s Wife, Amara, Disgraces His Brother, Ogbonna, On Social Media’... How Oando Boss, Wale Tinubu’s Brother, Deji Tinubu, Slumped And Died... Molade Okoya’s Daughter, Tosin’s Husband, Akeem Alobo-Bakare, Takes Wife Number 3...

Mother Of All Weddings...Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo’s Damilola Marries Bola

Shagaya’s Son, Shamusideen... Aliko Dangote’s Daughter, Fatima, Marries Former IG, MD Abubakar’s Pilot Son, Jamil... Marital Tragedy! Obasanjo’s Marriage To Adebutu’s Daughter, Tope In Trouble... Ambode: US Arrested SanwoOlu For Spending Fake Dollars... Royal Celebration…Oba Adedapo Tejuoso’s StarStudded 80th Birthday Celebration...Ooni Marries Evangelist As New Wife... Alaafin Of Oyo, Oba Lamide Adeyemi Welcomes Two Sets Of Twins With Two Wives...

President Buhari’s Son, Yusuf, Returns To Nigeria After Proper Treatment Abroad....

How Chuba Okadigbo’s Son Died And Buried In The US... Indimi Sisters On War Path As Hauwa Weds Sister’s Ex Boyfriend... And Top Businessman, Okon Iyanam, Was Killed... Real Reason Peter Igbinedion Walked Femi Otedola Out Of His House... Gov. Ambode’s Ouster; Is This The End For Niyi Makanjuola’s Visionscape...

Tayo Ayeni Plans Low-Key Birthday with the Needy Why Skymit Motors boss wants a modest celebration

Ayeni

True wisdom comes not from a moment’s eloquence nor does it emanate from any happily chosen word, but from the accumulation of a lifetime’s thoughts and experiences stored up in the psyche. It involves shunning noise and razzmatazz of the social arena and celebrity acclaim for the simplicity of a modest life. There is no gainsaying Tayo Ayeni is gifted with wisdom of the ancients. The boss of Skymit Motors does not live for the glitter and noise of the celebrity arena hence his decision to embrace modesty and celebrate his birthday on a low profile this year. When Tayo clocks 56 in few days, he would not roll out the drums. Gone, for him, were the madcap years of letting expensive cognacs and champagnes flow like a rivulet in his beautiful home in Lagos; or setting sail on a yacht for different territorial waters with stops in the party cities of the world.

Unlike several magnates and socialites of his status, Ayeni will scorn the lure of a lavish party with high society on

December 28, his birthday, to mingle and feast with the less privileged. The auto magnate intends to spend quality time with impoverished segments of the society and thereby improve their fortune by impacting positively in their lives in cash and kind. This is no doubt a departure from the norm for the hardworking auto magnate who is notable for throwing classy, high octane parties in celebration of his birthday, every year. Findings revealed that the boss of Skymit Motors planned the low-key anniversary with his wife, Tutu, who is fully in support of his decision to help and honour the needy.

The couple allegedly decided to show compassion to people in need, particularly in these hard times. The celebrant’s decision was borne of a conscious need to identify with people’s pains and contribute his quota to the alleviation of widespread poverty in the society. Thus there would be no champagne popping or anything like that this year as Ayeni clocks another year.

H

onour is like a match, you can only use it once. Then you kindle its fickle flame to sustain it. However, without money and native intelligence, honour manifests like a disease, driving its affecter to commit great acts of folly. But Ikomi Ayinuola, wife of a former Executive Director in Union Bank, Sam Ayinuola, understands the twisted indices of honour. That is why she carries on with the wisdom of the ancients in a world corrupted by ego and vulgar affluence.

Ikomi who runs the once popular lingerie store called Fundamentals in Lagos, understands that to keep your cherished spot on the social ladder, you must know when to consciously raise your profile and when to lower it. After years of gracing the Nigerian social scene with her elegance and beauty, Ikomi has adopted a low profile. Broke? Never! They are doing pretty well in their little way. After a glorious stint, spanning several decades in the social circle, it seems that the irrepressible forces of nature have combined to make Ikomi slow her roll. In the days when she held sway, no party was complete without her.

She and her friends held the society scene by the throes, dictating its pulse at will and never letting up in the fashion department whenever it mattered. As time went by, however, younger socialites started sprouting, giving her and her ilk a good run for their fashion and socializing facility.

Now, it is age that is playing tricks on her physiognomy. The light-skinned beauty now chooses the gigs she attends these days, leaving the jumping and humping around to the younger women. Interestingly, however, there is no gainsaying that the former managing director of Energy Bank in Ghana, disappeared from the social scene. And the reason is not farfetched: many years ago, Sam, an Executive Director in Union Bank had flaunted his intimidating presence in the social scene; his influence and nobility was quite enviable that even his fellow big shots in the banking industry craved to be part of his social circuit. But with the advent of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’ banking reforms, which exposed the underbellies of many banks and the corruption of many bank MDs, the Union Bank boss was caught in the maelstrom triggered by Sanusi’s remedial measures. However, many of his colleagues and business associates vouched for him claiming that he is man of honour and integrity without a single smudge on his enviable banking career. No sooner than he survived the storm, Sam decided to keep a low profile.

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HIGHLIFE

From Lagos to Malaysia…

1BHFBOUSZ BOE DMBTT BT 4BOJ %BOHPUF T TPO .PIBNNFE NBSSJFT .BMBZTJBO CSJEF Since news of their engagement floated in from across borders and seas, the social media, broadcast and print media buzzed with gripping narratives of their fairy tale romance. Their story is the stuff dreams of grandeur are made of.

Zara, the beautiful Malaysian bride, hails from an enviable pedigree; Mohammed, the nephew of billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, presented as a wonderful hunk worthy of the love, high lust and devotion of several rich, glamorous heiresses. Zara is ravishing and lovable. By the end of her wedding day, she had provoked endless streams of well wishes, accolades and the way her curves flared in her dazzling bridesmaid’s dress.

Nigeria and Malaysia were fascinated with the Nigerian prince marrying the Malaysian princess.

The grandeur. The splendid, majestic state of being rich, unapologetically splendid and royal. The wedding and reception took place at the palatial mansion of the billionaire bride’s father in Malaysia some weeks ago. Zara looked every bit a princess. Even so, she cut a different portrait from the deviously glorified pony show of a princess that is spoon-fed to girls at a very young age.

The marriage ceremony was no doubt intended to celebrate the families astounding wealth and the couple’s unblemished love. Not a few dignitaries in the consummately wired crowd were pleasantly enthralled by the very wellheeled couple’s ingenious way of declaring their undying love for each other and cementing it in holy union—albeit with enormous helpings of fairy tales, expensive perks and elan.

H

Sani Dangote

Man of the People, Ayo Adedoyin, for Kwara Governor )PX TPO PG CJMMJPOBJSF NBHOBUF DIJFG TBNVFM BEFEPZJO

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Adedoyin

Like a closet gladiator, bursting through his self-woven sheathe of tact and obscurity, Ayo Adedoyin, has decided to cast his lot in the political arena. The Agbamu, Kwara-born magnate and boss of Peacegate Group, an aviation services provider with stakes in real estate, oil and gas, logistics and trading sector of the economy, has conquered the business world to his satisfaction and thus his decision to try his luck in politics. He has therefore set his sights on conquering a new frontier and ruling a new terrain by joining politics. Adedoyin has thrown his hat into the ring as one of the contenders for the governorship seat of Kwara State come 2019. Adedoyin is

the son of the foremost industrialist Chief Samuel Adedoyin. With the backing of his father and a massive war chest at his disposal, he has no financial constraints to prevent him from aiming for Kwara’s number one office. To achieve his ambition, he has embarked upon open and clandestine courtship of Kwara’s political powerbrokers and electorate.

Adedoyin is trying to woo the main power blocs in the state to his side. With the battle for 2019 gathering momentum, the handsome dude is confident that his connections in the celebrity sphere, as well as his ties to the top players in several sectors of the economy will help him capture the governorship seat.

Group Calls for Governor Amosun’s Suspension After publicly declaring unequivocal support for the governorship aspiration of Adekunle Akinlade as against his own party, the All Progressives Congress, APC’s candidate, a group, the Youth Vanguard, has called for the indefinite suspension of Governor Ibikunle Amosun from the APC. The group’s call is premised on a statement credited to the governor where he reportedly declared at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Presidential Lodge in Ibara Housing, Abeokuta, Monday, that Akinlade, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM)’s candidate, has his ‘full blessing.’

While his infernal opposition to Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, the APC’s governorship candidate, is very well documented, Amosun, nevertheless, promised to campaign for President Muhammadu Buhari. “We will do everything possible to ensure Buhari wins massively in Ogun, but they should not miss it. I, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, will not work for any other candidate that they are rooting for to become governor. No way.

They are free to do whatever they want, but I will not support them,” different media reports quoted the governor as saying.

He also blamed Adams Oshiomhole, the APC chairman, for the crisis that led to the

defection of his loyalists from the APC. In a statement signed by the group’s president, Dr Yemi Ishaq, “What governor Amosun has done by declaring his support for another party’s candidate is patently anti-party.

How can you remain in the APC and be supporting the governorship candidate of another party? We don’t think the party can afford to have a brazen Judas in its fold in the general election. It is time for Amosun to go and join his people in the APM.” Thus, the group called on Oshiomhole to urgently suspend Governor Amosun from the party before he wreaked further havoc on the chances of Abiodun. In the run-up to the party primaries, Governor Amosun had unilaterally written out his preferred candidates for all elective posts in the state, including introducing Akinlade, his former Special Adviser and current Member of the House of Representatives as his anointed for the governorship seat. The governor’s action drew widespread flaks but he stood his ground. Alas, Akinlade lost the APC ticket to Abiodun, a factor Amosun cannot live with.

Sensing that he might have been outfoxed by the party, he made repeated visits to Aso Rock to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to overturn the party’s decision. On his last public visit, he railroaded two royal

)PX 0MV "HVOMPZF T %BVHIUFS -BNJEF T .BSSJBHF UP *CJEVO *HIPEBMP T #SPUIFS %BSF $SBTIFE ow son of billionaire maThere is no gainsaying Olamide Agunloye, the daughter of Chief Olu Agunloye, the perennial Ondo gubernatorial candidate, was not happy in marriage. Contrary to popular belief that the couple enjoyed a great marriage, the reverse was the case. Conflict and distrust bordering on infidelity frequently marred their union.

Eventually the couple fell out of love and their marriage hit the rocks thus affirming fears that they lacked the patience and enduring maturity to surmount the storms of matrimony. However, Olamide a former popular tailor, remains undaunted in the midst of life’s challenges. While the beautiful woman eschews the allure of romantic entanglement at the moment, she is open to trying her luck with a promising suitor in the nearest future. Thus she is taking her time and scorning the advances of the long queue of eligible bachelors who have been knocking on the door of her heart without success since her tragic marital experience. She was once married to a very hard-working and handsome dude, Dare Ajayi, but the union could not survive the first few challenges that came its way and it crashed down to earth faster than a malfunctioning rocket, leaving unpleasant memories in the minds of everyone involved. She has even reverted to her maiden name. When Dare married Olamide, he thought he had met a beautiful lady with whom he would grow grey in a lush vineyard. It was the childlike romantic in his romanticizing. It was a big wedding years ago. So breathtaking was the party and consumption of continental cuisines and drinks that the rivers of champagne and expensive alcoholic drinks thinned to a tributary. Thereafter, the couple crisscrossed the world for their honeymoon playfully running after each other and picking pebbles on the sandy esplanade of holiday resorts. Reality soon dawned on him as she apparently had other plans. Bliss deserted Dare’s marriage in unexpected hours, like a crushed knight fleeing the gates of a fallen fortress.

And contrary to belief that the marriage recently hit an iceberg, the couple allegedly separated from each other a long while ago but they succeeded in keeping it under wraps to avoid the noise and scandal that could result from undue media exposure.

For Olamide, she is enjoying her time in the sun, bobbing and weaving with excitement because of the freedom that comes with being single.

Ai

fathers, the Alake of Egbaland and the Olu of Ilaro; and a former minister, Iyabo Anisulowo, to join him to beg the president to have a rethink, all to no avail. Reports say the president pointedly told him he could not upturn the decision of the party’s National Working Committee which conducted the primary and presented Abiodun as the authentic winner. It was on the heels of this that Akinlade and other loyalists of the governor decamped to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to pursue their ambition.

Ibidun Ighodalo

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HIGHLIFE

Unbreakable! Why Willy and Nkiru Anumudu Celebrate 32nd Wedding Anniversary Yes, Willy and Nkiru Anumudu’s story reads like a dreamy exposition to extraordinary verses of love. Rather than dwell on familiar intrigues and alien realities that render human passion a shoddy and infantile enterprise in the annals of mortal romance, the story of their love becomes the reference point for aspiring romantics.

Their love story is best told in a more substantive format and literary forum hence this only represents a cursory glance at the genesis of their love.

That the duo started out as friends and cautious romantics is a reality known to their loved ones: friends, family particularly. According to Williy, loving Nkiru is both enlightening and invigorating; it reveals to him daily, his immense and unpredictable capacity for compassion and high affection.

There is no gainsaying Willy and Nkiru cut a wonderful contradiction to high society marital norm. Like two rousing

Nkiru and Willie Anumudu

lovebirds, united in a bond of eternal romance and rewarding wedlock, the couple painstakingly reinforce the foundations of their marriage with limitless doses of love, trust and respect for each other. Thus while several celebrity marriages crash and burn, the Anumudus’ marriage remains intact. On Tuesday, the two lovebirds marked their 32nd wedding anniversary. It was a day of joy and thanksgiving in the home of the Anumudus. When you talk about Nigeria’s power couples, the names of Willy and Nkiru Anumudu easily come to the fore. Willy, Globe Motors boss, and his formidable socialite wife, Nkiru, tied the nuptial knot on December 27, 1986 and have walked the troughs of life together ever since.

The couple’s union has produced four grown children. Reliable sources say they will celebrate their 32nd year together during their son’s traditional wedding in their hometown.

Death be Not Proud...Yemi Edeki is Back on Her Grind Death is never endearing. It is never splendid or replete with bliss. Thus everywhere it visits, it devastates, like the brute end of a bloody saber. At its intrusion in the world of Yemi Benson, widow of the late Gbenga Edeki, it flipped the ravishing lady inside out and rendered her a pathetic husk of her former vibrant self.

It brought her interminable pain and heartache but as you read, Yemi has rediscovered her path to hope and vivacity. Yemi is back on the grind, five years after her husband died of cancer. She contradicts the African widow stereotype in more ways than could be imagined.

She is not a symbol of neglect nor is she caught in a perpetual vortex of misery and

lack; impressively, she is holding firm even in the face of life’s scariest vicissitudes.

Yemi is soldiering on, living up to the vows and passion that united her and her late heartthrob in enviable love back when he was alive.

She was at the premiere of Chief Daddy, another great movie from the stable of Mo Abudu, some days ago. She was looking

‘Small Girl With Big God’ and Maje Ayida’s 100m Suit against Toke Makinwa Begins Toke Makinwa may wish that mankind were propagated like trees.

The ravishing Instagram slay queen rues the cost of her expensive marriage thus her application for divorce from Maje Ayida, her estranged husband.

There is no gainsaying wedlock exerted a damaging cost on Toke; it caused her severe emotional woes thus causing her to nurture jaded views about love and marriage. It will be recalled that Toke parted ways with her fitness guru husband soon as after she discovered that he had impregnated another woman. Toke’s 18-month-old marriage to Ayida hit the rocks when the latter impregnated his longtime girlfriend, Anita Solomon.

The controversial OAP filed a petition for decree of dissolution of marriage to the Lagos state High Court over what she considers irreconcilable differences between her and Maje. This is coming months after their marriage crashed following disclosure by the presenter that she was still going through the break-up process and that it’s been difficult for her. However, after also slamming his ex-wife Toke with a N100million lawsuit for defamation of character, Maje Ayida and popular OnAir Personality have resumed for trial.

The estranged couple who are

locked in a legal battle after the OAP published her book, ‘On Becoming,’ were brought before Hon. Justice Ogunjobi of the High Court of Lagos State some days ago. The defamation proceedings between Maje and Toke which also had the publishers of the book, Kachifo Limited, joined as defendants kicked off in the early hours of Tuesday. The trial is coming 22 months after it was filed by Ayida’s lawyers.

According to an eyewitness who made live tweets from the court proceedings, Toke’s lawyer got the exhusband to admit to having unprotected sex with other women while he was still married to his client. According to the narration, being a womanizer was one of the accusations Maje agreed to. When the court resumed after both lawyers were calmed by the judge, Maje was asked about having a live-in-lover. Maje, however, denied having a live-in lover, but admits to womanizing. He actually says he’s a womanizer. He mentions two women: Hauwa and Aisha. He also admitted to impregnating Anita. Maje also said Anita was his ex-girlfriend at the time he impregnated her but he had visited her and they had sex which resulted to pregnancy when he had issues with Toke.

Makinwa

really nice with a wide grin smile.

However, Gbenga would be remembered for his infectious warmth, kindness and towering humanity, which made him the darling of all. He was a good man, without pretence; mature and with a fine sense of factor. Yet death claimed him, leaving in his wake a cacophony of heartfelt tears and misery.

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Femi Otedola’s Distinction

Last March, billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola, dazzled at the Augustine University’s Fundraising and Founders’ Day event held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The Chairman of Forte Oil, who was the chief launcher on the occasion, reportedly wowed with his speech.

Otedola, who was represented by a director in Forte Oil, was said to have been given a standing ovation and deafening applause for what many described as a most inspiring speech; while he also made a pledged to donate a well-equipped faculty of Engineering building to the institution, which will be worth over N500 million.

We gathered that many mouths were agape while other billionaires present at the event trembled over Otedola’s wondrous gift.

As a gentleman with distinction known for keeping his words, the shrewd businessman has fulfilled his promise. The penultimate Tuesday, he laid the foundation of the building in the presence of the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Most Reverend Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins and his mother, Lady Doja Otedola among other notable personalities.

Without a doubt, this has further confirmed Otedola’s love for quality education. For his belief in the South African Late President, Nelson Mandela’s saying that education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world.

It will be recalled that his father, the late Michael Otedola, who was a former governor of Lagos State, had reportedly handed over the first parcel of land meant for the development of the institution to Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie some years ago.

“So, it was Otedola’s utmost joy to continue where his late father stopped,” a source said.

A deep pocket, he loves giving back to his society without blinking an eyelid. Indeed, philanthropy comes naturally to him. This he does effortlessly. However, he loathes people singing his praise over such acts of humaneness. He is not your kind of billionaire that calls for publicity over little donations.

Over the years, Otedola has been responsible for the education of countless underprivileged students in Lagos State through the Michael Otedola University Scholarship Scheme, which was established in 1985.

Otedola

Not Yet Uhuru for Igbinedion’s Granddaughter’s Hubby When Prince Osmond Eweka, husband to Imade, Sir Gabriel Igbinedion’s granddaughter, was arrested in July this year in New York, the families were not only troubled but also sad.

However, the family rose stoutly in his defence, saying it was a case of mistaken identity and that he was innocent of all the charges against him.

They were said to have engaged the services of a fire brand lawyer who swung into action immediately. He was said to have deployed his legal gymnastics to ensure the release of Eweka. But it later turned out to be another case of joy that has a slender body. In other words, it was a temporary relief.

Society Watch gathered that it is not yet Uhuru for the handsome dude and his accomplice.

A source hinted that the matter that was adjourned was again called for hearing a few days ago in New York, where he appeared in dock alongside his accomplice in the alleged crime.

It will be recalled that Eweka was alleged to have been involved in a job scam.

The young man allegedly duped New York job seekers several thousands of Dollars for non-existent employment.

Igbinedion

The Benin Prince, alongside his friend, Kamel McKay, allegedly created bogus employment agency firms and used Indeed.com to find their victims.

They were said to have collected between $300 and $700, promising the victims high-paying jobs in New York.

However, many of the job seekers were reportedly turned away because the

employers did not know anything about it.

“They have allegedly pocketed $54,000 and never provided a single job to their victims,’’ a source said.

It was also disclosed that Eweka’s first appearance in court was in July, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of larceny and scheme to defraud.

Some of the jobs Eweka and McKay promised their victims were for hotel housekeeping and front desk receptionists.

According to court documents, Eweka and McKay used an office space in the Empire State Building and another building on Fifth Avenue to run two bogus employment agency firms, Stamford Consulting Firm and Howard Consulting Group.

A source revealed that their modus operandi is using fake names. While Eweka allegedly presented himself to unsuspecting victims as Sean Jackson, McKay posed as Tyrone Hayes.

Eweka and the daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom got married in 2016 in an elaborate wedding that attracted top personalities from across the world.

Imade, 26, a trained lawyer from the South African University is also a popular female rap artiste with the sobriquet Spaydez.

Worries Over Adama Indimi’s Status

Adama

Adama, one of the daughters of billionaire businessman and Chairman of Oriental Petroleum Oil, Mohammed Indimi, is strikingly beautiful. Besides, she has a good sense of fashion.

Adama, who runs a travel agency, Kauna Solutions, is not in short supply of men who want her as partner.

However, what Adama, a graduate of the Lynn University, Florida, US, gains in physical attributes, she lacks in character.

This, it was gathered, is the only reason she is not hooked to date.

Before now, the outspoken young lady had been romantically linked with many men, including the award-winning singer, D’banj, who later dumped her for Didi

Kilgrow.

Until the relationship broke up, they were an item. Many thought they would definitely walk down the aisle, in spite of the religious and tribal differences, especially as the Ogun State- born star was a regular guest at her family’s house in Abuja.

Well, that is no longer news, as Society Watch gathered that tongues are beginning to wag over the single status of the lady.

“Adama’s single status is becoming a source of worry to her parents and they don’t feel at ease with it anymore. In fact, her father warned her to come home next year with one of her numerous admirers,” a source said.

Sam Iwuajoku’s High-wire Connections Sam Iwuajoku, Chairman / CEO, Quits Aviation Services Limited, has been known only with one thing all his life: business.

When he started out over 40 years ago as Managing Director, Steelman Nigeria Limited, he operated like a briefcase-carrying businessman, who never really operated from an office.

Then, it was the era of “Import Licence”, and he made so much money, which he put to good use.

In the early 1980s, his paths crossed that of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and they chummed up immediately. The friendship was further cemented when Iwuajoku, a Chemical Engineering graduate of the University of California, joined the league of sugar importers like the likes of Deji Adeleke, Alhaji Saro, Sheikh Mujaddadi and Dangote in the country.

It did not take long before they realized that they shared certain interests. In reminiscence, Dangote was said to have influenced him in a lot of ways so much so that he embraced the Islamic faith and officially adopted the name “Ismael”.

As proof of the strength of their friendship, these heavyweights in sugar

importation pooled resources and established Liberty Merchant Bank in the early 1990s.

While Sam and others involved became directors, Dangote’s brother, Bello, who died with Ibrahim Abacha and 13 others in a presidential jet crash in Kano, was made the managing director.

Today, both Dangote and Iwuajoku, who are both in their 60s, are best of friends.

When Halima, Dangote’s first daughter, got married to Sani Bello in Kano, a decade ago, he was by Dangote throughout the ceremony.

It was, therefore, not surprising when Dangote reciprocated the gesture in March this year in Lagos, when Sam Iwuajoku Jnr. walked his bride, Stephanie, down the aisle.

It was also gathered that he recently set up Legend Hotel, Lagos Airport, a curio collection of Hilton, in Lagos. The opening of the hotel attracted huge top personalities that included Aliko Dangote, Forte Oil Chairman, Femi Otedola, Oando Group Executive, Wale Tinubu among others.

The brainy businessman got married to Miss Bola Ogundele, a graduate of the Lagos State College of Science &

Iwuajoku

Technology, Isolo (LACOSTECH) in the mid ‘80s.

However, the marriage, which produced two kids, later crashed due to irreconcilable differences.

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SOCIETY WATCH

Lulu Briggs at the Crossroads?

Dumo Lulu Briggs is popular and wealthy. He is, indeed, a master in the art of making money.

His company, Platform Petroleum, is one of the top-rated in the country.

At some point, he considered going into politics and he eventually gave it a shot.

He was said to have ventured into politics with the sole aim of serving his people.

But it appears it was a wrong move, as the hunky businessman is said to be regretting taking the step.

Consequently, he is said to be at a crossroads now, unsure of the next step to take, politics-wise.

It was revealed that the 54-year-old wrote a letter to the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, where he made known his grievances over the state’s party governorship primary election, which he described as “shambles”.

It was also gathered that he stated how sad he was with the result of the primary that produced another top player in the oil and gas sector, Tonye Cole.

In the letter entitled, “Taking leave of a family”, he said. “Beloved brothers and sisters of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State, I greet you with mixed feelings, as I write these lines to accordingly Express a hard decision.

“Yes, hard decision because I formally joined you in April last year and you received me with warmth and love.

You made me feel at home, and we worked hard as a family to reposition the party and stabilize our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who was then under tremendous pressure. We quickly rolled up our sleeves and laboured behind our leader and with you.

“Inspired by the leader’s claim to equity, justice, and fair play, we inconvenienced ourselves to ensure success and our beloved All Progressives Congress became bigger and stronger.

The claim by the leader that Rivers State should be governed at this time by someone of riverine extraction was believed to be a sincere and patriotic

position. Hence we encouraged the membership to follow wholeheartedly.

“For those who know Dumo Lulu Briggs intimately, I am an unrepentant team player who puts group interest over self. We didn’t walk the streets because we were idle, we were not insulted because we were hated; instead, we did because sacrifices were required to liberate our state.

“Our loyalty to the leader and party was total as is necessary for Party Democracy to thrive. As you all know, the principles of loyalty and fidelity demand justice for all. “To lead and we follow” must always bear the supposition of truth, equity, and justice.

“We need to create a Rivers State of expanding opportunities and citizen responsibility. A State growing in diversity and in the bonds of love and ONENESS. Therefore, nothing must be allowed to threaten our sense of a common future.

“The facts are known, we took steps to protect the party from sliding into a personal estate, if the PDP in Rivers State is owned by a strong man and our leader in the APC by default becomes a feudal lord, then our state is doomed. I have nothing personal to lose or gain, but we have all to lose if in a democracy we allow the aberration of overlords, hence my decision. While we were together, I enjoyed your comradeship and so find it hard to leave, yet, men of conscience would when necessary overlook personal sentiments and emotions.

“I am 100% Rivers just as you and so I trust that we shall keep our friendship and possibly realign if and when we feel the need. I bear no grudge or malice and I implore that you take none toward me, what is obvious is that I have to continue my quest to help liberate our state by advancing my vision on another platform.

“I take from the experience valuable lessons, and from you, I took warm memories. I pray that God keeps us healthy and able to rescue Rivers State and elect a governor who will give Rivers people quality leadership and service.

“Once again, I reiterate that it is about Rivers people and my doors are open, praying that we find ourselves in ONE

Briggs

ACCORD.’’ This is not the first time he had shown interest in the number one job of the state.

In 2015, the son of Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs, a former national Vice Chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic, was one of the prominent governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State.

Briggs, who holds a master’s degree from the University of London, had reportedly spent several millions of naira to actualise his dream. But he was disqualified by the working committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a development that deflated his balloon of hope.

Not one given to surrendering easily, the billionaire businessman, again, nursed the ambition of becoming the number one citizen of the state in 2019.

Consequently, he dumped the PDP for the ruling APC. But, again, he has failed to realize his age-long ambition.

Joshua Iginla’s Largesse On Sunday, December 2, all roads led to the Champions Royal Assembly headed by renowned cleric, Joshua Iginla, during its 12th anniversary celebrations.

Tagged Majesty to Majesty, the 80,000-seat auditorium widely known as City of Wonders came alive to the admiration of all.

Beaming with some smiles, the man famously called the Oracle of God gave out a four-bedroom duplex worth several millions of naira, N5 million cash and a promise of another edifice in 2019 under construction at Ekiti to his younger brother, Precious Iginla, who is also a pastor and General Overseer of

his own ministry, during the service.

Aside that, he dazzled 11 members of his choristers who have released an album each by supporting their dreams with cash gifts worth N5 million.

Speaking during the anniversary, he declared that he could see many of the guests moving from failure to favour and also enjoined them to live in love.

He further admonished them to make forgiveness a virtue if they want to make heaven. “I don’t begrudge anyone and I have consistently lived a life of forgiveness.”

One of the highlights of the event was the cutting of one of the biggest cakes in the world weighing 50kg, which many described as life-transforming.

Iginla

Homeland Integrated Boss, Louis Ekere’s Kind Gestures Billionaire businessman, Dr. Louis Ekere, Chief Executive Officer, Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Limited, is a great achiever by all standards.

He is known to have contributed hugely towards the development of the nation’s oil and gas sector.

It was, therefore, not surprising that he was awarded with an honorary Doctorate degree by the Trinity International University of Ambassadors, Atlanta Georgia, United States of America, recently.

The award is conferred on individuals who are deemed worthy and are doing great work at home and abroad.

Incidentally, the conferment of the award is coming on the heels of his recent graduation from the prestigious Harvard Business School.

In his resolve to ensure Nigerians across every spectrum enjoy quality healthcare services, Dr Ekere, an alumnus of the prestigious IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain and the Lagos Business School, recently opened the multi billion-naira WellMed Healthcare Ltd, an indigenous healthcare company in Lagos that offers one-stop diagnostic solution services with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including 1.5 Tesla MRI, 64-slice CT Scan, 4D Ultrasonography, fully digital X-ray, 3D Echocardiography, Resting and Exercise ECG and fully automated pathology laboratory with a menu of over 3,000 tests.

Apart from this, Dr Ekere, who was recently awarded the Certificate of Merit by the US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (USA), is also involved in several philanthropic activities, the recent being the free medical testing on world Hepatitis Day, free medical outreach at Ajah, Lagos, and environs, where residents were screened for chronic lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

He has offered free highend radiologic and pathology investigations, including MRI and CT scan, hitherto unaffordable, to indigent patients of public hospitals including Massey Street Children’s Hospital, General Hospital, Lagos and Epe General Hospital.

Dr. Ekere has employed and sponsored indigenes of host communities, where Homeland IOS Ltd operates amongst several other activities.

Another Feather in Olu Okeowo’s Cap

Okeowo

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Olu Okeowo, is known to have recorded many feats.

For a man born to be great, the honours keep coming in torrents. Recently, he was honoured with an honorary doctorate of Science by the Wesley University, Ondo, Ondo State during its eighth graduation ceremonies.

The real estate mogul was recognized for his enormous contributions to the Nigerian economy, particularly as an employer of labour, and for creating avenues for the training of high-level human resources for

the economy.

The shrewd businessman is also said to be expanding his coast with the launch of a betting and gaming platform, Gibet.

The platform is set to take the industry by storm with sports betting, visual sports and casino.

The shrewd businessman, who is unarguably one of the best property merchants in Nigeria, has been around for sometime.

Today, Okeowo, also a quiet philanthropist, has become a reference point in the nation’s property sector.

Ekere

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LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Reverend Mbaka as Merchant of Venice For those of you who did not read literature, the Merchant of Venice was a powerful story written by Chinua Achebe or was it Dele Momodu? Mbok leave me, we are still looking for my WAEC certificate so you will pardon me if I am a little bit confused as to who wrote the book. That is not the issue here abeg.

The point is that this priest or whatever he is looking like is commercializing his prophesy o. So from the videos and reports in the national dailies we are seeing, as long as you keep the donations coming, you will surely win elections o. Me, I do not know why our leaders do not learn from history. This was the same circle with Jonathan who was accused of coming to collect prophesy on credit and when he could not meet his obligations the ‘grace’ left him o not even the struggle of Madam Peace brought back the “grace” to him and he lost. Now

our present oga is making the same kind of mistake. I have seen the video where he is being accused of treating the man of God with levity and if not for his pretty wife who has been sending some kind of support, he would have been impeached by now. In fact, it is because of his refusal to recognize that power is flowing from the long catholic robes that he is having this problem of being cloned or not.

Why can’t this man just cover his head with his frock and just sizzle somewhere and quietly tend to his flock? Is the Catholic Church so weak that it cannot do anything about this ‘person’? These are the reasons why some of us have stopped attending their church o. It was a Reverend Sister like this who saw vision for my sweet girl ‘Anne’ and asked her to leave me o. Mbok, it was traumatic for me that period o. She will be going for confession and me I will be following her

not knowing that they were entering her brain and turning it against me till the woman left and turned me into a sad Duke of Shomolu. If I had known shey, I would have been sending donations and support and I am sure the prophesy going by what we are seeing would have been different.

Me I will not hide my mouth and I am not afraid of any prophesy, nobody can dethrone me as The Duke of Shomolu so I will say the truth.

This Rev Mbaka is a serious problem not only to the Catholic Church but to Nigeria and I really do not blame him or his ilk, I blame leaders who in their fear driven by inept leadership, rely on these kinds of people to deliver the votes for them. This is Nigeria. Mbok, Buhari and Atiku focus and leave all these kind people alone. They have nothing to offer.

Frederick Fasehun - A Heavy Dawn

The Duke has received the news of your passing with a heavy heart and has immediately ordered the lowering of our flag and a procession to mark your passing.

Although I did not agree with your politics and recent passion for some elements that scuttled our democracy and limited our freedoms, I still regarded you with the highest respect and dignity. We met twice at your hotel somewhere in Isolo. Your quiet mien and calm disposition belied the thunder your intellect and passion for your country that your words and actions showed. That day, it was a marketing call as a rookie broker.

We were mandated to help raise capital for the now defunct National Bank and you know as a wise man, I concluded that this was an opportunity for the children of Oduduwa to rise up and reclaim this symbol of their ethnic prosperity so I announced gleefully to the bewildered staff and colleagues at BGL that I was coming to market you. They were shocked because this was at the peak of the wahala between your group and the splinter group led by your erstwhile man and now the Are Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land the iconic Gani Adams ( na iconic I call am o, make dem no drive me out of Shomolu o, I cannot come and cry o) so I made my contacts and within 24 hours I was seated in your presence. Suffice to say that the discussions had nothing to do with National Bank or buying any shares. We talked very deeply about the position of the Yoruba in the Nigerian Project. Although as a young man I refused to be cowed by your very strong logic and held on to my beliefs the way a drowning man holds on to the last pole in the water to save his life. All your logical punches not making me leave the emotional pole. I held tightly, not agreeing that the Yoruba was marginalized and as such had to find a way out of the artificial construct.

I remember asking you if Yoruba with all your Awolowo and Abiola, your Lagos,

Awolowo

Reverend Mbaka

with glee and in my reply I told them I met a great man and would take this punishment with a great equanimity knowing well that as a patriot I would be taking the punishment for Nigeria. I left you that day with a renewed respect for your passion, intellectual depth and full understanding of the issues. As you go to your maker, be rest assured that we will complete the work holistically and make Nigeria great. I will be at your burial and I will give a silent eulogy my lord. Rest in peace sir.

AISHA BUHARI FOR PRESIDENT

Fasehun

the biggest commercial centre in Africa, your Cocoa House, your universities, your beautiful Yoruba Nollywood Actresses, your sea ports, your Obasanjo and all are crying marginalization, what do you now want my Akwa Ibom people to say? Mbok, I did not agree and still do not agree. The session lasted five hours after which you offered me a drink which I refused fearing that you may

Obasanjo

hypnotize me and turn me into a Yoruba warrior. I hugged you, leaving you better educated even though still holding on to my beliefs that all this energy and intellectual strength could be better directed to building a stronger national polity instead of just limiting it to a people who were having a very good deal in the construct. I got to the office without a cheque and received a query

Buhari

This is the solution to all these cloning and US fugitive wahala we are facing in this country. This mummy is the best middle ground we can get. Her forthrightness, boldness and courage under fire remain to be seen especially for a lady brought up under ultra-conservative traditions. As I was penning this column, a news report just hit me. She was quoted by a national daily to have said that TWO NIGERIANS ARE SERVING AS A CLOG in the wheel of her husband’s government. Mbok, if this is not Mary Magdalene come back to us, I don’t know what to say o. Can you imagine, she even went further according to the report to say that she knows that her hubby’s aides seated would not want her to say this but she went ahead and you see why I have to marry one of her daughters or nieces as reward for this forthrightness. She really deserves to be The Duke of Shomolu’s mother-in-law. Kai, the only thing remaining is for her to give us these two names.

Mummy the power that has given you this courage would give you the courage to give us these names. We need to know so that we can drag them out of Aso Rock and secure this second term. Mummy, if you give us these names, I, will give you two VIP tickets to my new play, Oba Esugbayi, coming up this December at the Muson. But you have to make sure you come with an original certificate, certifying that you will be coming with the original Buhari o otherwise no entry. I will also give you the highest honour that can be conferred on anybody

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LOUD WHISPERS

Blac Chyna

in Shomolu far higher than the one we gave Majek Fashek after he came to Shomolu and sang ‘send down the Rain’ and rain fell. So mummy, as you have started, continue, the names plssssssssss….. welldone. When next you are less busy come over to Shomolu and get some Afang and Fufu; you truly deserve a state dinner. God bless you.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR- AMERICAN STATE OF MIND

Mbok my lord, it is not only you that cannot enter America. Even the Duke of Shomolu cannot also enter America so it is not a problem. Kindly let’s deemphasize this matter otherwise you will be rubbished.

Don’t let people goad you into wahala.

Entering America or not will not solve the problem you are facing right now but in fact it is worsening your credibility problem.

I was saddened when I read that you had secured a US visa and had jetted out to the place. My quick question was why the ill-advised move. I posited that if this was true, there was no way you would not be embarrassed. I was relieved to later see the report that you were on a private visit to the UK. My lord don’t let anybody push you o. Even if they give you visa complete with a golden diplomatic immunity, DON’T TRY IT o. I guarantee you that you will not come back. I am not saying you are guilty of anything. I am just saying that it is a gambit that should not even be considered at this time. Focus on the electorate who are going to vote and leave this American matter alone. I have said my own, if you like listen, if you don’t like, don’t listen; it is really your problem. It is not me that is on the ballot, it is you. I have spoken and my own prophesy na free, you don’t have to support or donate anything. Thank you.

Ganduje

Alibaba

Abdul-Aziz Yari – who is your father?

In this era of cloning, I cannot say emphatically that the video I watched showing the sweet Governor of Zamfara daring Adams Oshiomhole to send his Committee to Zamfara ‘if dem papa born dem well’ is the true image of His Excellency. I have been looking very closely at the figure I saw there to determine if it was the real Governor or the cloned one because that kind of talk should not come from a man holding that kind of position. Was this a clone and if he is a clone, is he also from Sudan or na Libya dem go buy am come from? The clone/Governor even ended the video with a diatribe in Hausa. Kai, Adams don suffer o. The fight I hear started with the primaries to decide the Guber candidate for Zamfara and today I hear there is no candidate for APC in that race and all Adams can think of is to send Committee and that is why they are querying his paternity? What the Governor/clone is saying is that he doesn’t believe you are who you say you are. That maybe we are seeing a cloned Adams and that if he is

truly who he says he is, then he should dare coming or sending anybody to Zamfara, then the truth of his paternity will be revealed. Kai, these APC people, they are a bundle. Adams my lord over to you. In Shomolu once they dare you like this, you cannot keep quiet o, you have to fight for your honour. You have to pack your bus and enter Zamfara in night bus and prove to this Governor that you are a true son of Oshiomhole, anything less will drop your ratings in our eyes. Kai, this kind of fight used to be sweet in oshodi o. By now I would have expected Adams to jump and shout emiiiiiiiiiiii, emiiiiiiiiii and pull his khaki shirt, remove his glasses and give his beautiful wife to hold for him while chanting some war songs as he moves with aggression towards Zamfara to prove that dey born him well. But I am sure our baba go just siddon there for Abuja and be singing Aluta songs and be speaking English.

Please go Zamfara we need to know ‘if dem born you well’.

SANWO-OLU/AGBAJE : IS LAGOS IN BONDAGE?

This is the question this election needs to answer. We cannot dodge this question for it has to be answered. Is Lagos in bondage?

Agbaje fired the first salvo as he revs up his campaign and in response, Sanwo-Olu chose the historic Badagry to address the issue. He said like I have read, that Lagos was not in bondage and that Lagos under successive governments and guided by a carefully designed masterplan witnessed years of unending growth and infrastructural development and as such cannot be said to be under any kind of bondage. Well, I believe him but let us ask Agbaje what he has seen to make him ask this question. J.K why did you say we are under bondage? After all we are not walking in chains, we are free to marry wives, have children and are not in any kind of prison. We have the full liberty to choose our leaders, support them and punish them when they err. We have our jobs, good healthcare and are the 5th largest city in Africa with an IGR that some nations are dreaming of so why did you say we are in bondage? If I did not know you well, I will say this is beer parlour talk but you are a serious-minded and focus-based leader with strong pedigree and a considerable amount of influence. Why did you say this thing o.

It is causing rumpus in the land. Are we in some kind of bondage we do not know? Are we slaves or something? Sanw-Olu you will have to do much more than that symbolic declaration in Badagry. By the way, Joke is from there o, help me greet her papa. You will have not only to answer the question but show us graphically and truthfully that

Mujota

plenty o. If the Duke cannot do something about it who will? I dey wait. I will grill this man. Enough is enough.

ALIBABA – FEAR!

Atuyota why fear dey catch you? Your people have thrown their heads into the ring o. See Banky, see Desmond, see Kate Henshaw you are still speaking English.

Truth is that of all these people and indeed the whole of the entertainment industry, you are the one with the weight, clarity of thought, network and passion to do anything serious about true representation of our people at whatever level you want to engage. Your positions on national issues, your crusade for the right things to be done and your reach are all very pertinent when it comes to a serious run for office. So this your fear is what I do not understand. Be like say Mummy B afang dey neutralize your resolve. Guys it was in Alibaba’s house I ate the most delicious afang in five years. Kai, Mary can cook o. When I finished, they gave me warm tea to go with it. Please anybody in search of Afang, kindly go to Alibaba’s house, it’s an open Invite and ask for Mary B and she will give you afang to eat o. My own they put eight pieces of meat and snail. Kai, you see why people don’t take me seriously, here I was talking about Alibaba’s possible run for office I don digress go dey talk about his wife Afang. But do you blame me, the woman put periwinkle and some dry fish and then garnished it with what we Ibibios call Ekwong. Ma Abasi I almost died for I slept off on my way back home. Ohhhhhhh, it is about Alibaba and not Mary’s Afang.

Ali you say you won’t come out because it is all about money politics. Before nko was it going to be perfect, would power be handed over to you because you be Alibaba and your wife can cook Afang? Mbok jump in, Nigeria needs you. Jump into the pool and use your phenomenal followership to cause a major revolution in the way things are done.

It is your birthright and this is a clarion call, Nigeria needs you, me I need Mary’s Afang.

Let’s do this.

DUPE MUJOTA – BEAUTY ON THE SOAPBOX

Yari

Agbaje was just reciting nursery rhyme.

That in my mind’s eye is the question of this election. Is LAGOS IN BONDAGE? SanwoOlu over to you. I don run o, na Agbaje ask o no be me.

DUKE OF SHOMOLU SUMMONS THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR

Look, if not for the passing of the legendary 41st American president, the Dukedom of Shomolu would have severed all diplomatic ties with the United States of America with all its economic and social implications. But that said, it has come to our notice that the National Assembly has summoned the American ambassador on the back of an enormous increase in the rate of visa refusal to Nigerians. Let me first state here clearly that it is not their fault, shebi if our country was working, we will not be flocking there to go and embarrass ourselves and they would not be this arrogant in the way they are treating us.

But now that we found ourselves in this situation, so we have to look critically at it. Your Excellency, or whatever it is they

call you, The Duke will meet with you on December 31, 2018 just before he goes for his end-of-year vigil. Kindly come with your original passport, equivalent of your WAEC result and a female interpreter preferably chubby and single. Come prepared with answers to the following questions: is Nigeria in the ‘No Fly COUNTRY’ list but are afraid to publicly announce it hence the increased visa rejections, what exactly have we done wrong? Are we suffering because of Atiku? Have you done a census in your country that we have filled our quota? How many Ibibio people are there? And much more important how long will this situation last?

Please come very prepared as a failure on your part to answer these questions and more would lead to the imposition of comprehensive sanctions on your country which would include but not limited to the ban on the export of afang to your country and a possible invasion and colonization of your country. Kindly take this visit very seriously, you have been warned. Mbok na so I sidoon, dem just send me mail revoking my visa just like that o and I hear we are

Dupe Mujota is currently the commissioner in charge of Education in Ogun State and she is beautiful. You should see her. Elegant, composed and graciously well kept. She backs this up with a strong intellectual mien. Let me stop before I start sounding like society reporter. She is today vying for the State House of assembly in Ogun State. She will be bringing to the position years of cognate experience as an Investment banker, having headed two major Asset Management Firms with Funds under management running into trillions of naira. She has over those years garnered tremendous wealth of experience, depth and network that she brought to bear on her role as a commissioner in Ogun State. It is all these positives that she would be taking into the House if elected. I am supporting her o and would fly into Ogun state to mobilize support for her candidacy. A gifted orator and a well-balanced professional who brings a lot of value to the table. I know I am expected to balance this write up with small yabis but truly I cannot lie, there is no negative so far except the fact that she loves boli and groundnut to a fault and that is neither here nor there. Let’s do the right thing Ogun State, let’s give proper and effective representation a chance. This is it.

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THE ANBUCRAFT REVOLUTION IN ART AND LITERATURE PAGE 74

09.12.2018

GETTING INTO THE YULETIDE MOOD Sir Emeka Nwokedi takes a bow before the joint performance of the MUSON Choir and MUSON Chamber Orchestra

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

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GETTING INTO THE YULETIDE MOOD Ă˜ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂ‘ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă’ĂœĂ“Ă?Þ×ËĂ? Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ™Ă–Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă‘Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă‹ Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă“ĂžĂŁĚ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂšĂ“ĂœĂ?ĂŽ ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ?ʾË Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? ĂšĂœĂ?ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂ?Ă? Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ë› Okechukwu Uwaezuoke ĂĄĂœĂ“ĂžĂ?Ă?

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Night in Bethlehem should be the MUSON Centre’s season’s greetings to its habituÊs. After all, this Lagos’s one and only venue for classical music has a known tradition of hosting its Christmas concerts on first Sundays in December.

Talking about the production itself, the programme booklet calls it an operetta. And that, it is not. Unless the organisers consider the Nativity story, around which it revolves, a light-hearted issue. Yet, nothing can be more serious than the story of a Saviour, Who was born to arrest the premature destruction of the entire mankind. By setting their will above their Creator’s, men opened a Pandora’s box of evil and marked themselves for destruction. To save the erring mankind, the Sublime One incarnated His Love in flesh and blood as Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

So, it happens that this Nativity story – which have been enthusiastically re-enacted in both liturgical and secular traditions – has been subjected to various adaptations. The version embedded in the MUSON concert programme, which expectedly effervesces with evergreen Christmas melodies and sing-along carols, is credited to the Nigerian composer and musicologist Laz Ekwueme. This, of course, comes with the joint performances of the MUSON Choir and MUSON Chamber Orchestra, conducted

by Sir Emeka Nwokedi.

Scene opens somewhere in the premises of Bethlehem Hotel. Achamber maid Ruth (Jennifer Maduka) forces her soprano voice through the defective acoustics, as she sings about a busy day of polishing and scrubbing. She is interrupted and rebuked by the owner of the hotel, simply known as Lady (Angela Izegbu), who is expecting royal guests. Because of the expected guests, she turns down a stranger (Jon Williams) who seeks lodging at the hotel and instructs her husband Simon (Dennis Adeoti) to inform enquirers that there are no more rooms.

The poor sound quality persists, taking the shine off the initial duet by Mary (Ifeoma Ubani) and Joseph (Fred Duke). But somewhere along the line, the musical production soon resolves itself into some euphony. The arrival of the Magi – a. k. a. the Wise Men – on the heels of an aria ensemble by Mary, Ruth, Lady, Joseph and Simon brings the narrative to its expected climax.

The hotel-owning Lady scoffs at the poor while keeping her lodgings for the rich. But, it is ironically the new-born child of the allegedly poor Mary and Joseph that the much-awaited

The MUSON Choir and the MUSON Chamber Orchestra in performance

VIPs are seeking. Indeed, the narrative – like many before it – strangely labels the couple from Nazareth poor, even when no historical evidence corroborates this assumption. According to the well-known biblical account, Christ’s birth in a stable was merely a consequence of the overcrowding of Bethlehem, which was receiving an unprecedented influx of visitors for a planned nationwide census. It had nothing to do with poverty or the fact that Joseph could not afford a decent accommodation for his pregnant wife.

Voices of shepherds confirm that the existence of the child the Magi – Gaspar (David Adebowale), Melchior (Chidubem Nwokedi) and Balthazar (Daniel Etim) – are seeking. As the identity of the child becomes evident to all, even the supercilious lady asks for the forgiveness.

It is at this point that the production dovetails into medley of Christmas carols sung mainly by the choir and the audience. First, there is the popular “Silent Night� composed in 1818

by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small Austrian town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg and was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. It is followed by “O Little Town of Bethlehem�, written by Steven Taylor, Phillips Brooks and Lewis Redner. John Francis Wade’s “O Come All ye Faithful� concludes it all and sets the stage for the curtain call.

Flashback to the concert’s first part before the brief intermission... There is the opening song, “Lo! He Comes with the Clouds Descending�, which obviously is inappropriate for this

BRIEFLY

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F

Asidere

or Playspot Studio, Saturday, December 1 heralded a new beginning. The studio, a brain-child of the artist Duke Asidere, has relocated to a new space at the Gbagada Phase 2 Estate from its previous location in Egbeda. Since it was launched in September 2012, the studio has become a meeting place for artists’ interaction through its workshops, open studio and seminars.

The event, tagged “Open Studio�, the artist cautioned, should not be misconstrued as the launch.

Rather, it was an occasion designed to get the artist’s friends to visit the studio. In this informal ambience, they were expected to interact with the artist and his works. But there was less interaction with the latter more and more members of the visual arts community swarmed the venue. Even in this informal setting, ideas were swapped between artists and networks were firmed up.

The 1990Ahmadu Bello University graduate hopes to open the doors of the studio to include collectors, art writers and critics as well as other stakeholders. The new Playspot Studio, which occupies the ground floor of a duplex, is a more accessible location and will make it easier for it to be more inclusive in its programmes.

Among the studio’s new target audience are secondary school students around Gbagada.

Reeling out its programme for 2019, the artist hinted at a solo exhibition, which he hopes will hold sometime mid-next year at Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos. The planned solo outing will feature 12 paintings and a few drawings.

Back in the Egbeda neighbourhood of Lagos, Asidere had held workshops for more than 30 artists in five venues. The workshops, which were part of the activities that marked his 50th birthday, took the form of street painting. Besides Egbeda, they held in Palmgrove and Ojuelegba areas of the lagos mainland, among other venues.

Art, the 57-year-old artist said, must be relevant to societal issues. That explained the “ProtestArt� concept of the studio.Artist themselves, he added, must lift themselves above unprofessional conducts and engage in self-cleansing before hoping to address the larger society. “We must share our art with ordinary people on the streets,� he argues. “Art has the power to change our society for the better only if artists take the lead.�

The formerAuchi Polytechnic lecturer, who also holds an MFAfrom theAhmadu Bello University, hopes to get the new Playspot Studio ready in a few weeks’ time.

season. The song, composed by the British choral conductor, organist and composer, rather alludes to the eschatological hopes of the devotee. Still, its inclusion in the programme shrouds the event in an ambience of solemnity. But, the next song “Of the Father’s Heart Begotten�, also by Willcocks, chimes with the Yuletide mood.

It gets better, albeit still solemn, when the choir moves on to “Mary, Did You Know?� by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. With this song, the choir becomes more confident. Then, the audience gets the chance to hear the concert’s first soloist – the tenor David Asuquo – when the choir lunges into the next song, “Angels, We Have Heard on High�, which was arranged by Daryl McKenzie.

The next soloist – Stephen Nwagwughiagwu, bass – features as the choir sings Pietro Yon’s “Gesu Bambino�.

Really, the solemnity of the season cannot be overemphasised. This is especially with the present trivialisation of the entire concept of the Yuletide, which explains why commerce takes the centrestage. As the erring mankind swarms around the golden calf of earthly transience, “Everlasting Light� by Claire Cloninger and Mark Haye reminds the audience of the reason for the season.

MUSON’s one-time resident pianist Tunde Sosan temporarily ascends the dais as the orchestra’s conductor, while his little daughter (clad in a red dress) recited the sobering introductory lines.

If the concert lapses into light-heartedness at this stage, it is because of the sanguine tempo of the ensuing songs in local languages. First, there is “Keresimesi, O De�, composed by Aderemi Olajide, and “Amuworo Anyi Otu Nwa� by Sam Ojukwu.

Ending the concert’s first part with the familiar “For Unto Us a Child Is Born� by Georg Friedrich Handel amply compensates for the lapses of this segment. With the choir singing with so much gusto, the ambience becomes more joyful and less solemn.

It is also an unwritten tradition that all MUSON Christmas concerts conclude with JosĂŠ Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidadâ€?. This comes after the curtain call to permit the members of the audience to exchange season’s greetings as they file out of the concert hall. –––This concert held at Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos on Sunday, December 2 from 6 pm

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THE ANBUCRAFT REVOLUTION IN ART AND LITERATURE Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

I

t was my buddy Tony Akudinobi, the utilitarian art honcho, who heads Hammerhead Integrated Ltd, that brought to my attention the fifth Anambra Book and Creativity Festival (Anbukraft) holding from October 22 to 27 at King David Hotel, Awka, Anambra State. The remarkable event of my attendance was the first meeting with Prof Krydz Ikwuemesi, the irrepressible painter, art critic, ethno-aesthetician and cultural entrepreneur who happens to be a key brain behind ANBUKRAFT. A first class graduate in Fine and Applied Arts, Ikwuemesi stresses that ANBUKRAFT is wholly a private initiative that enjoys no support whatsoever from the government.

The fifth edition was dedicated to the art patron Dr. Okey Anueyiagu and the recently deceased legendary critic Prof Ben Obumselu.

Ikwuemesi lives in Enugu but lectures at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). It was in 2012 that he met with other interested artists and writers to host the maiden edition of the book and creativity festival. The dream was to promote a cause other than politics and trading in the eastern flank of Nigeria. It was indeed a challenge, Ikwuemesi admits, given the mercantilist attitude that holds sway in the terrain. “As you know, buying and selling is the in-thing here,� he says with a wry smile. For Ikwuemesi and his fellow initiators, Anambra State ought to champion books and the arts and creativity in general as the homeland of such celebrated figures as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Prof. Chinua Achebe, Obumselu, Ben Enwonwu, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, etc.

The drive to fill the yawning gap gave birth to the festival. Ikwuemesi readily agrees that it has been quite difficult consolidating the initiative which he put together with some like-minds from the UNN and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. “There is the urgent need to humanize this state and the region and Nigeria at large,� Ikwuemesi submits. “Crude materialism ought not to be the only drive in life. Totalizing the society entails promoting the finer ends of art and literature.�

Ikwuemesi admits that the festival has not been well-exposed by the press even as he reveals that that Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Radio Nigeria and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) have been of some help in generating publicity. He counts on some of the patrons of ANBUKRAFT such as Justice Peter N.C. Udeadi (Chief Judge of Anambra State) and the Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, for lending support.

Now that the King David, Awka venue of the festival is proving to be too small there is the mooting of the hosting moving to Chimedie Museum in Onitsha where there is enough space. Mrs Oby Ezekwesili and Nze Akachukwu Nwamkpo are other notable figures lending support to Anbukraft. They are as ever a bulwark for good works.

The Anambra State Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Indigenous Artworks, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Sally Mbanefo had some enervating sessions at the festival. The visual thinker, poet and musician, Tony Akudinobi, who exhibited his arresting works at the festival, presented two chairs to Mrs Sally Mbanefo.

Ikwuemesi wants the government to create the enabling environment that would in the end serve the festival well in its bid to draw people to Anambra State. The festival is not geared toward profit-making, Ikwuemesi informs. It’s indeed a crucial forum for artists, writers, poets, sundry craftsmen and even practitioners of culinary arts to

showcase their diverse talents. The aim of ANBUKRAFT comes wellstated: “The festival is conceived to address issues of intellectual desertification in Anambra State and Nigeria and the lack of critical thinking and creativity that are the bane of our society. To this extent, it seeks ways of encouraging the general population to readdress itself to the art of living and holistic development through a humanising quest for knowledge and a celebration of the creative enterprise to ensure the triumph of the human spirit and the advancement our creative industries.�

Ikwuemesi as a director and convener believes that ANBUKRAFT will grow in strength in the years ahead given the passion of the motivators.

Anambra State for now lacks the ambience provided by organs like Alliance Francaise and the British Council in Enugu. The dream is that the state will grow in time to match the ambitions of ANBUKRAFT. The background that made ANBUKRAFT urgent and necessary deserves to be rendered in full thus: “Most developing countries, especially those in Africa, in the years following colonization, have held on

Ikwuemesi

to a lopsided notion of development.

In these countries, including Nigeria, development is perceived as if it is a phenomenon that exists outside society and as if it is only about science and technology. Not only that. The apocalyptic tendencies of postmodern religions in Africa, coupled with endemic underdevelopment, have also brought about nescience and cultural self-hate, the kind that breeds extremis (that is, the tendency to act in ways calculated to bring history to a forcible end). The result is the prevailing general apathy towards the quest for knowledge, creativity and excellence which pervades countries like Nigeria, in spite of the noise made by politicians about “greatness� and “development�. Little wonder the reading and publishing culture in Nigeria is in crisis when good books and a creative sensibility should hold the keys to knowledge and development. This situation is particularly obvious in much of the eastern states in Nigeria where commercialism and crude materialism seem to take a front seat, with the apparent transformation of education into a dangerous tool for a bread-and-butter existence.� ––Uzoatu writes from Lagos

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CICERO

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

IN THE ARENA

The Significance of Presidential Debates The issues in next year’s presidential election are many and the candidates must talk through them for the people to make an informed choice, writes Olawale Olaleye

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riting on ‘The Role of Presidential Debates’, the Bill of Rights Institute, a United States-based organisation, devoted to educating individuals about a free society, gave a catchy and rather instructive description of the 1960 debate between Richard Nixon and JF Kennedy as a critical marker of that year’s electrifying campaigns. It further contended that even the mere demeanor of the candidates weighed heavily on the results posted at the end of the day.

First, ponder this bit: “In 1960, a sweaty, nervous-looking, and makeup-free Richard Nixon squared off against a youthful and energetic looking John F. Kennedy in the first nationally televised presidential debate. Historians generally agree that this televised appearance had a profound effect upon the result of the election. Since then, the importance of these debates has grown immensely. For many, these debates are what they rely upon to decide upon which candidate will receive their vote.”

With a good understanding of the role presidential debates had played in virtually all of US elections, save for the 2016 election, which proved bookmakers wrong and inexplicably so, the culture of debate is arguably an integral part of the US electoral tradition, which even in the face of certain reservations, cannot be yanked off. Many other developed societies have also etched this culture into their electoral tradition.

There is no debating the importance of giving voters the opportunity to hear candidates discuss and debate key issues prior to elections. Although there have been controversies on the role of presidential debates in modern election cycles particularly, if the current format of debates in the US helps or hurts the very objective, no stronger argument has been so far advanced on why debates should no hold.

In their joint report titled: “Presidential debates and their effects: Research roundup”, Denise-Marie Ordway and John Wihbey, argued that whilst the ‘news media often anticipate televised presidential debates as a national event of great importance — a kind of Super Bowl of American democracy, political scientists have noted that, in contrast to the party conventions, the general election debates do not typically have dramatic effects on voters.’

To the extent that the debates are important in terms of persuasion, they held the view that the format might slightly favour the challenger, about whom the public knows less. They also feared that gaffes could potentially hurt candidates, as with ‘Gerald Ford’s faulty knowledge of Eastern Europe, George H.W. Bush’s looking at his watch and Al Gore’s audible sighing’.

Therefore, while reporters often look for a winner and loser, viewers experience the debate differently, making two simultaneous judgments: One, whether or not the candidate seems “big enough” to be president; and two, whether one of the candidates is a better choice.

This was why a political scientist, Thomas Holbrook, once pointed out that the earlier debates are more powerful in terms of voters’ learning about candidates. In his study “Political Learning from Presidential Debates,” Holbrook states that “The evidence overwhelmingly indicates that the most important debate, at least in terms of information acquisition, is the first debate … The first debate is held at a time when voters have less information at their disposal and a larger share of voters are likely to be undecided.”

Thus, talking about the value of presidential debates as in others, first, it increases voter knowledge on issues, because in debaters’ often disparaged encounters, they always take on the deceptions perpetrated by the other side, thus exposing each other to the learning of the audience.

Another noteworthy importance or weight of the debates is their capacity for what political scientists in the US call “agenda setting”. The salience of a given policy or campaign issue in the public mind, DeniseMarie Ordway and John Wihbey wrote, could rise as a result, and this might play to the strength or weakness of a particular campaign.

Curiously, however, political scientists have cautioned against overestimating the influence and even democratic utility of debates in

general; and they put caveats on the ability of social science to measure their true effects. Experimental studies confirm that citizens have a great deal of difficulty making meaningful judgments about two competing messages and assertions of fact, as in a debate setting.

Yes, there might be increased voter knowledge on issues, but it does not necessarily equal persuasion, Denise-Marie Ordway and John Wihbey reckoned. Rather, debates, they maintained, could reinforce partisan positions, with partisans merely becoming more critical in their choice. Moreover, the debates are only one communications data point in the overall campaign — taking place amid a sea of ads and other cultural conversations — and are difficult to disentangle from other dynamics.

In the final analysis, one thing has not been taken away from the culture of debates in a presidential bout and it is the fact that it is helpful in decision-making. This is why often voters would say the candidates’ commercials were not helpful. However, some scholars think that, when asked about the influence of debates, citizens are predisposed to assign them outsized significance – they conform to ideas of rational deliberation — and to downplay the power of negative ads and other such opinion-shaping communications.

The run-up to next year’s elections has been paved with loads of intrigues and familiar political shenanigans, such that the level of fluidity and uncertainty are almost inestimable. But elections must hold next year and the people must go out to elect one of the many contenders at all levels but with eyes gazed on the presidential bout.

The Nigerian Election Debate Group (NEDG) and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) recently announced the dates for the 2019 presidential election debates. While fixing the presidential debate for January 19, that of the running mates is to hold next Friday, December 14.

Unfortunately, what should ordinarily excite the people has rather exuded huge indifference, because the average Nigerian politician

especially at the presidential level is always avoiding debates. And the reason is simple: they hardly can understand the issues let alone able to sell them.

Although some of the presidential candidates, including Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had indicated their readiness to participate in the debate, the sitting president, Muhammadu Buhari, unfortunately appears to be subtly avoiding the debate.

This unsavoury situation appears to be killing the mood already and gradually the debate culture. In 2015, the same thing happened between Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan, same with 2011.

There is no over-estimating the importance, weight or value of debates in any electoral process. They allow the people to know their candidates well and better. They increase the knowledge of the people on issues defining the election. They help the candidates to set their own agenda as well as analyse their strengths and weaknesses.

They expose the attitudinal dispositions of the candidates in different ways. They enrich the electoral process and make the eventual choice deserving of their votes. The advantages are a legion and cannot be glossed over.

But when leaders start to avoid debate for obvious reasons, then, the electoral culture of such a people is doomed. It is true you can’t give what you don’t have. But why seek to give what you don’t have? These are the abnormalities that presidential debates or any debates at all unearth and take care of. And except Nigerians begin to embrace this critical culture with huge impact in the choice of leaders, to even begin to discuss progress and development is impossible, because they cannot even stand before you to define what development is.

Nigerians, for this election, must insist on the presidential debates and every intending candidate must be ready to defend his or her policy document, failing which makes the people’s choice of candidate easier.

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

How Did She Beat Aso Rock’s Security?

O

Mohammed

ne of the most embarrassing reports of last week was the one about a certain woman, Amina Mohammed also known as Justina Oluoha, who was alleged to have breached Aso Rock security or compromised the security of the villa (as some reported it) to the extent that she impersonated one of Kogi State first ladies and defrauded many people, feigning close relationship with the First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari.

First off, the reports presented a poorly coordinated security architecture at the Villa, such that a flatly nobody could access the place with fake identity and in some cases, bring people in and make

claims that were not genuine. It goes without saying that if the security of the nation’s seat of power is that porous, it is understandable then why the challenge of insecurity appears intractable. To say the least, the manhandling of the woman, a supposed innocent citizen is a disgrace to the security agencies of this country. In fact, unfortunate!

Above all, it suffices to ask: what is with Aisha and impersonators?

That should propel some kind of study. The other time, it was one of her security aides, who allegedly impersonated her to the extent of raking in close to N2billion. She denied knowing this too the same way she has denied knowing Amina, who on the other hand has reportedly said she was not alone in her racket. Aso Rock’s security needs emergency overhauling. Period!

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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BRIEFINGNOTES Disturbing Politics from the Pulpit Recent outbursts by two iconic clergies while on the altar may have signalled of disturbing trend emanating from the pulpit, writes Olaseni Durojaiye

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he outbursts of two iconic preachers, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adorations Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria (AMEN) and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, were rightly interpreted by many as total descent of the pulpit into the political arena even as they described it as unholy in the least. The two unsavoury incidents marked a new twist in the narratives bordering the foray of religious leaders into the murky waters of the nation’s politics.

The church’s foray into politics is not anywhere near new.

The political development of countries in the Americas, Latin America and North America particularly, is replete with the church’s involvement and interventions from time to time.

In some cases, the churches were known to have gone into alliances with conservative parties and even pushed agenda that bordered on anti-corruption, good governance and morality as evidenced in countries like Colombia, Brazil and even the United States.

In Nigeria, many religious leaders have in the past openly showed chummy relationships with political leaders, thus the coinage political pastors, without many people batting an eyelid, because such dalliances were viewed as within the purview of the rights to associate.

However, inasmuch as the political rights of any individual, irrespective of his calling must be respected and held sacrosanct, it is all the same expected that respected religious leaders would demonstrate great circumspection in all their endeavours at all times. This is all the more important given the cult-like followings that they are afforded by their followers and how fanatical the people can get when issues concern their religious leaders, whether Muslim or Christian.

It is against the background that many commentators fault the utterances of the two preachers, especially given the fact that their statements were considered caustic and political. Observers argued that two instructive factors made their utterances even more disturbing: The fact that the drama of the absurd were enacted right on the altar and the need to shun any statement that could carry even the least subtle incitement or hate, as electioneering enters full swing, Both Father Mbaka and Bishop Oyedepo stirred the hornet’s nest while on the pulpit and political analysts were quick to see the dangers in their inactions thus the conclusion that that their actions did not portray them as exhibiting any modicum of circumspection.

Father Mbaka had put the vice presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Peter Obi on the spot, when he tried to make him openly commit to assisting his ministry during the church’s 2018 Bazaar and Harvest celebration.

Obi, had refused to be goaded along the line, preferring instead to assist the church in the ways he deemed. He refused entreaties to do so, even when a bag, supposedly containing some money were handed to his wife who tried to talk him into handing the bag of money to the ‘church,’ he refused still and stood his ground.

In the video that went viral, the priest then said in Igbo “In your capacity and what God has done for you as governor ... God hates stinginess. What I am saying is not to please you, but what will save your life, otherwise you and Atiku will fail”. He then added: “The way you and Atiku are moving will end in shame”.

Continuing, he had said, “If there is a place they will coat words for you, it is not in Mbaka’s altar. You can save your political destiny, or in 2019, you will not even know how they did the election. What will make my brother to come for bazaar and he won’t even break kola?”

Expectedly, different reactions have continued to trail the encounter. Many commentators were piqued by the priest’s outburst, particularly coming when he was on the pulpit. Some critics of Father Mbaka insisted he shouldn’t have made such condescending statements from the pulpit, adding that doing so was dangerous for the polity particularly when general election was around the corner.

But some of his supporters blamed Obi, and claimed he

Mbaka

Oyedepo

acted out of tune by insisting on not making public pronouncement of how he intended to assist the church. Some who interpreted it from the cultural perspective argued that it is unheard of for someone to attend a bazaar and not donate to the church’s cause.

Interestingly, many commended Obi for having stood his grounds. Those sympathetic to Obi explained that he did not refuse to assist the church. They maintained that he merely insisted on supporting an identifiable church project in private and not public.

According to them, his stand was in line with the bible, which states that when you give, do not allow your left hand know what is in the right hand or right hand to know what is in the left hand so that your heavenly father will reward you.

On his part, Obi demonstrated candour and respect for the pulpit and spoke against disparaging men of God while he also enjoined the people to pray for them to be guided aright always.

Obi, who said among his siblings were reverend father and sister, noted that it was “wrong for priests to be attacked based on what they say on the pulpits. Please let us leave Fr. Mbaka alone; our duty to him is prayers for God to lead him aright ... I have full respect for men of God and will always remember them in my prayers. When they go wrong as humans, subject to human frailties, ours is not to castigate them, but to pray to God to lead them aright.”

On the other hand, Bishop Oyedepo too got it wrong when with his misunderstanding of a satire by Dr. Olatunji Dare in The Nation newspaper. The preacher had said it was possible that Nigeria was being re-colonised by Sudan while commenting on the infamous rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was dead.

In a video that went viral, Oyedepo referenced Dare’s satirical commentary on the rumoured death and alleged cloning of President Buhari, and insinuated that the president could have died, when he sought medical treatment in London and that someone cloned as him is currently presiding over Nigeria.

Referring to the piece, he said the Nigerian government entered an agreement with the family of one Jubril from Sudan to give them a replacement for Buhari and that the resources of the nation are now being shared with Sudan.

However, Dare, a renowned satirist, in the piece

Oyedepo quoted, had merely taunted those propagating the President’s rumoured death and cloning, when he joked that representatives of the Jubril family showed up in Abuja, from Sudan and threatened to spill the beans if the federal government did not meet their demands.

Quite unfortunately, Bishop Oyedepo went on to state that the federal government had refused to issue a statement, debunking what Dare wrote, fuelling speculations that it could be true.

The two incidents are proof of the increasing foray of religious leaders into politics. While their rights to share political views is recognised, it becomes disturbing and worrisome, when they get involved in murky turf, that is, the nation’s politics in the manner that the two did.

Given the passion that Nigerians attach to matters of faith and by extension their pastors and Alfas, prophets and sheikhs; their utterances could easily be mistaken for incitement, thus, the need for them to always exercise extreme caution, that is, if it becomes impossible for them to distant themselves to intervene in the nation’s politics.

It goes without saying that the inactions of the two men of God demean their hard earned reputations. Bishop Oyedepo is a bigger culprit in the court of public opinion.

A section of those who hold the view claimed, right or wrong, that his reactions to Dare’s article revealed his fixation about President Buhari.

In arguing their viewpoint, they recalled his dalliances with the presidential candidate of the opposition PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar resulting in the two of them being pictured inside Atiku’s private jet even as they noted that the preacher had accompanied Atiku to the truce meeting at the Abeokuta, Ogun State residence of former president Olusegun Obasanjo some weeks back.

No doubt, the two widely followed clerics hit a record low last week. The church is supposed to offer buffer whenever the polity was losing its balance and not heat it up as their statements were capable of doing. This was why some commentators opined that the flaks flung their ways were not out of place.

In all, many see the trend of mixing the pulpit with politics as un-Christian-like and capable of causing havoc in the polity even as they insisted that it could upend the fragile harmony that has been trailing the campaigns so far.

NOTES FOR FILE

Pondering INEC’s Early Warning

Yakubu...ls INEC ready

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, last week, raised the alarm that conflicting court orders might affect the schedule for procurement of sensitive materials ahead of the 2019 elections.

He added that INEC’s National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had also pointed out that the acrimonious nature of the party primaries and the refusal of some parties to follow constitutional stipulations in the nomination of its candidates

had thrown up challenges for the commission.

That is not a piece of news to take with a pinch of salt. It is important to take heed of this early warning by INEC and start building the necessary safety nets into such assumptions before they blow on the nation’s collective face at the eleventh hour. INEC has raised a valid fear, which if not worked towards and stem, could cause avoidable disruption in the election schedule. Let the authorities rise to the challenge now.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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SUNDAYINTERVIEW Ahmad Gumi

Gumi...politicians must confine themselves to issues

Under Buhari,It’s a Crime to Be Rich In this interview with John Shiklam, renowned Islamic cleric and scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, spoke on a wide range of national issues, declaring that President Muhammadu Buhari is using the fight against corruption as a mere slogan to attract votes from ordinary masses in the north. Excerpts:

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hat have you to say to politicians as 2019 campaigns begin?

My advice to the political parties and the contestants is that they should confine themselves to the issues that really concern Nigerians and avoid negative campaigns, blackmail and anything that will divide and polarise the nation. They should stick to their agenda. What do they have to offer? They should avoid negative campaigns, because Nigeria is inflammable; Nigeria is sick and does not need negative campaigns.

We have seen in the past that negative campaigns do not change people from making up their minds on what they want. It has very little effect, because a human being has that tendency to swallow the negativity of somebody he likes and amplify the negativity of somebody he doesn’t like.

What are the issues the politicians should focus on?

In Nigeria, the main issue now, is the economy. Even these religious and ethnic problems are caused by economic issues. Nigerians are fighting over money, nothing else! In fact if there is a place, where people are sharing money, you can’t differentiate between a

northerner, a southerner, a Muslim and a Christian.

There was a time they asked me about this issue of corruption and I said we are making too much noise about corruption. I am against corruption, but you may be surprised that this corruption is uniting Nigeria. So, whoever can boost the economy, create jobs and improve on the living standard of Nigerians can succeed.

That is why there is clamour for power to shift from there to there. It is all for economic reasons. We should analyze the two parties and see their programmes and get economists to discuss how to improve the Nigerian economy.

President Muhammadu Buhari once advised religious leaders like you not to be involved in politics. Do you agree with him?

No, the President was saying please, don’t criticise me and don’t be with the opposition, but you can come and praise me and be with APC. This is what he was saying.

It doesn’t mean anything other than that. A man who has a pastor as his vice president, what can he tell religious leaders?

So, religious leaders can play politics?

Every religious leader, whether Christian or Muslim, plays politics. So, let’s not deceive ourselves. Religious

leaders are human beings. They have needs. They are part of the society; they want good leaders, who can make the society a better place for the practice of religion.

Of course, there are religious leaders, who play their politics for selfish gains and there those, who play politics with national interest at heart.

Some religious leaders are conscious of whatever will destroy the nation. Some of them want to get close to those in power to get some personal aggrandizement, but in the long run, everything boils down to economic interest – whether you are pursuing a personal or a national interest. That is why I am always surprised when they say some religious leaders are bought with money, when they are seen with the opposition (parties), when actually the key to the Central Bank Safe, is in the hands of the government.

If a religious leader wants money, he will support the government. How much can the opposition give him?

So, usually religious leaders, who align with government, are those who are pursuing personal interest, especially when the government is performing badly. Nobody hates success. No matter how you hate a leader, when you are getting results, you will forgive him. No matter how you love a leader, if you are not getting results, you have to complain. So, it depends if there are results or no results.

Continued on Pg. 78

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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SUNDAY INTERVIEW t ‘UNDER BUHARI, IT’S A CRIME TO BE RICH’ t Continued from Pg. 77 Are you getting results from the present administration?

This is a question that should not be asked. Is there result or not, should not be asked?

I want to hear from you, are there results?

It should not be asked! I heard that now if WAEC wants to give you certificate, they will only record the subjects you passed. When you failed (all the subjects), do you have a result? So, we don’t have a result now.

What results do you have? There is none!

You have been very critical of the Buhari administration, why?

Not only this administration, even the ones before him – Jonathan, even before Jonathan, Obasanjo. Things have not been right, up till now we didn’t get it right.

But you have been more critical of this government and there are insinuations that your criticisms are probably, because of the disagreement between your late father (Sheikh Mahmud Gumi) and Buhari as a military head of state in 1984?

No, no, no, not at all! At a point, I had been pro-Buhari since 2003 to 2007. I worked so much to have him, because I thought Nigeria needed somebody like him.

But when I got close, I understood the complexity of Nigeria. It is not as simple as I saw it. It is a complex society and it needs a very smart person, somebody who is very persuasive. Nigeria is a school where you don’t need somebody with whip; you need to persuade and explain and pacify people to bring them together. This is what Nigeria needs.

You think our leaders are using force?

When we had Obasanjo, a former military man, he was ruling Nigeria halfway military, halfway democracy and there were a lot of things that needed to be corrected.

The best person I could have really supported was (the late Umaru) Yar’adua. He was quiet, not corrupt and in fact, he fought corruption the right way, without making noise or making it a slogan or capitalising on sentiments.

There were a lot of politicians during Yar’adua’s administration, who on their own, found that Nigeria was not good for them and they ran away.

Like who?

I don’t want to mention names. But Yar’adua was not corrupt and he was doing the job. Unfortunately, God took his life.

Are you saying that the current fight against corruption by the government is not impressive?

It is not impressive at all. It is just a slogan to get the support of the talakawa (the masses). This Buharism you see is nothing but the talaka want somebody to come and squeeze the rich people. They thought if he comes, he will emasculate and squeeze the rich people and they will have enough money, this is what they thought. This is why they are still hoping. Even with the stark failure, what they are saying now is that the rich people will not allow him.

Why not dialogue with the rich men since squeezing them is not feasible? But if you want to squeeze them, just as we spent four years in a stalemate, the next four years would be more difficult. Look at what we are facing now! Shi’ites is getting more militant. I have seen video of Shi’ites throwing stones, attacking a police man.

This is a very serious development. Now, they are not afraid of security agents, they want to revenge. In trying to revenge, they may start looking for weapons that would be effective. So, you have another insurrection, once he (Buhari) insists he must continue and the resistance continues. By the time he finishes four years, we will have a full blown armed resistance. We are dealing with Boko Haram and now Shi’ites is coming up.

How about the herdsmen?

The herdsmen, I am meant to understand that it is criminality. I sent some scholars, who preach, to go to Gumi and Bukkuyum areas in Zamfara State to speak with the Fulani leaders there. The Fulani leaders admitted that it is their children that are responsible for what is happening there, but they cannot control them, just as in Kaduna or Lagos, where we have area boys, whose parents cannot control them.

These boys lack education; no Islamic education. They are just left like that. So, if you want to cure the Fulani herdsmen problem, you need a lot of money to educate them. Get them off the bushes. No government can tackle the problem of Nigeria if the economy is not buoyant.

We must address the economy.

How do you think this problem between the Shi’ites and government could be addressed?

I have been suggesting that their leader should be released. Look at the leader of IPOP, Nnamdi Kanu, when he was released, the South-east has calmed. If he were still in incarceration, the situation there would have been serious. They should release him. Moreover, they are covered by the court and the court ordered for his release.

He is beginning to realise and recognise the authority of the nation, because if he was granted bail and he accepted bail conditions, it means he recognised the authority. But when you continue to incarcerate them, they will develop resistance. This is exactly how Boko Haram started. So, the problem is being manhandled.

Unfortunately, some Sunnis Muslims, especially local Ulamas, because of sectarian differences, think this is kudos to the government and we should support what is happening. I am not a member of Shi’ites; I am just looking at the nation. I don’t support some of the things the Shiite do, but as Nigerians, we have to support them humanely.

Exactly a year before they were attacked, I wrote an open letter to the Shiite leaders, advising them to stop blocking roads. I told them if they continue blocking roads, something bad will happen one day. I have been advising the Shi’ites and the government to do the right thing.

Let them release him and let him fulfill the bail conditions.

The Shi’ites must live like Nigerians. There is no problem taking a Stadium or a Square to do their religious programmes like others do. But they should not block the roads. Don’t abuse people’s sensibilities; you can’t abuse companions of the prophets.

You were recently accused of double standards in certain quarters on the issue of corruption. This was because when Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima was governor of Zamfara State, you defended allegations of corruption against him, but you have condemned allegations of corruption against the current Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje. Is that correct?

Yarima came to Saudi Arabia one time when I was there. He was telling me what they were doing in Zamfara. I used to hear stories (of what was happening there). I asked him if what he was doing what people needed. I asked him why he was not building roads etc for them. He told me that he studied economics and there is something called human development.

He said some people live in very remote villages and that it is not the good roads that they need, they only need donkeys to bring their farm produce home.

When I came back to Nigeria, a lot of delegations from everywhere were visiting me. I realised that people that were well dressed and well fed at that time, were coming from Zamfara.

Food should be the responsibility of government. No man should sleep without food. Subsidise food, subsidise important drugs like that of malaria and typhoid, subsidise education. These are the basic things that we need. Don’t try to impress people with dual carriage way, railway lines.

There was a governor in Kaduna, who showed me a plan of how he wanted to develop a Millennium City.

When he showed me the plan, I told him that I had been

to Rigassa (a suburb of Kaduna) and I saw the “millennium city” with millions of people there. I told him, they (Rigassa people) need roads and basic infrastructure and I asked him to develop area. His mind was focused on modern city – for who? For ghosts? This is the problem with our leaders.

So, even this government has blundered, because they have four years, they want people to quickly see the things they are doing and they forget the basic ABCD of responsibility of government. So, coming to Yarima, he is the poorest of all the (former) governors, but when he was in power, Zamfara people were the richest among Nigerians. For me, that is not corruption.

But when you say you will not give me a job until I give you bribe, it is corruption. This bribe, by our own religion, you are eating fire. When I said this government should not fight corruption openly, I know they have the tendency to use it as a slogan, because the Talaka want to hear that somebody is emasculated in prison. I was detained in Saudi Arabia; I don’t want anybody to be detained unjustly.

If there is evidence that somebody has stolen money, it is better to ask him to return it than put him in jail.

If the selling point (of President Buhari) is fighting corruption, when I know he cannot fight it, it is going to fail and people will suffer. Buhari’s supporters are more in Kano. That is where he is almost being worshipped, because (the late) Aminu Kano implanted the struggle of the Talakawa against the ruling class.

So, Buhari rode on that. The Talaka, no matter how poor, he doesn’t mind seeing the ruling class humiliated. This kind of attitude should be changed. It is not Islamic, it is not religious. I have said in several interviews that the coming of the APC is creating another class struggle, not just religious, but regional class. People just want others to be jailed!

I was ready to forgive Buhari, but when I realised that he mishandled Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), I felt that we have to stand on our feet, if not, we would be producing another Mugabe or Paul Biya. Why I am concerned about Dasuki is that a security adviser is a servant of the President.

He cannot go to the Central Bank and collect money. Somebody has to authorise that, which is the President. He cannot distribute the money without the approval of the president. Being a messenger, how can he be a victim of the vicious war, if the principal cannot be touched? There is no way. To me, it is pure injustice. There allegations of corruption against the governor of Kano State, but all we hear is politicking. They are not ready to investigate him, he is not ready to resign and they are all claiming to be Muslims. Before then, this same governor, in an extravagant wedding ceremony, spent so much money.

The President was there. They are notoriously known for extravagance of money and now everybody knows where that money comes from. The president knows that. That is hypocrisy!

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Sanwo-Olu...I’ve no medical record at Gbagada hospital

Sanwo-Olu: AmbodeWill Certainly Lead My Campaign to Victory The campaign of Babajide Sanwo-olu, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State is in full swing. He has been moving from one part of the state to the other, addressing the people on his plans to build a new Lagos, with quality infrastructure and people-oriented projects. Sanwo-olu took time off his tight schedule to address select journalists, including Bennett Oghifo, on pressing issues around his candidature, particularly insinuations that he is a stooge of Bola Tinubu, and the role of incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in his campaign

Y

ou defeated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the APC primaries that would have earned him a second term. Do you think he will lead your campaign?

Yes, it is true that I won the APC primary which qualified me as the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections. I must also let you know that the last two months have been very interesting for me and the entire political landscape in the country because of the unprecedented nature of the outcome. That means politics is working. It also implies that when you give power to the people, especially via the type of primary we ran, which was direct primary, you certainly cannot second-guess the outcome. With that outcome, Lagosians, who are APC members, have provided me with the huge opportunity of serving Lagosians and given me the responsibility of leading the state.

As the winner of the APC primary, and by the reason of their votes, I am now in this position; seeking the supports and votes of Lagosians towards becoming the next Governor of Lagos State. I am humbled by their trust in me, and I must say that I am equally equipped for the role of the Governor of Lagos State. The second part of your question, which is whether Governor Ambode will play a role in my campaign. See, Governor Ambode is my Governor.

We have only one Governor in Lagos today, and his name is Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. We are in the same APC. He will certainly lead my campaign and play all the important roles he needs to play for us to win.

The primary has gone, and we are in the trenches with our sleeves rolled-up, working hard and strategizing on how to attain electoral victory for our party. Beyond politicking, Governor Ambode is my brother. We have known ourselves long before now. As I said earlier, we are members of the same political family.

As party men, we are building a strong coalition and formidable force that will deliver victory to our party in the coming election in

Lagos. He has all the machinery that will help me, and the party achieve this goal. In terms of bitterness, I hold no bitterness and he probably does not as well. We will do all our best. I will open up to him to give me all the support I require to do well in the election.

Party men and women have spoken.

The task before us is to go to the people of Lagos, who are not card carrying members of our party, to seek their mandate. We need to make Lagosians know that my candidacy is the one that will deliver the greatest good for the greatest number of people. That is what this election is about and that is what my candidacy represents.

Are you really the choice of APC members, or just a stooge of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whom he imposed on the party?

I find comments like this interesting when I hear them. I am sure you have been following developments in Lagos APC since the primary where over 1million party men and women came out to cast their votes and the results were out, a product of which I am. My emergence or candidacy has nothing to do with Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. It has nothing to do with the party leadership.

It has to do with me taking part in a direct primary.

A direct primary in which every card-carrying party member exercised their voting right. It is not fair to reduce this to just a man, who is our leader. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is not just a state leader, he is a national leader of our party. He is preoccupied with issues about the development of Nigeria. He is busy with how to achieve the Nigerian dream. He is our father. He is our leader. We are all his children. There is no issue about somebody being his favourite.

The issue is about over 1 million card-carrying members of APC in Lagos who decided who the party flag bearer should be with their votes, and this, I think, is the way to see what happened.

Who is Babajide Sanwo-Olu and at what point did you decide to become Governor of Lagos State?

Thank you very much. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is a 53-year

old man. If I begin to say everything about myself it will probably take about 53 years to roll-out the answers to your question. In very simple term, I have been a public and private sector man. I have done 17 years in the private sector, banking to be precise, I have done 13 years in the public sector. I was a 3-time Commissioner in Lagos State, and until recently, the MD/CEO of perhaps the biggest and oldest real estate development company in Nigeria - that is Lagos State Development Property Company (LSDPC).

I have been Special Adviser to a Deputy Governor of the state and later to the Governor. I have served under 3 Governors of Lagos State. I have run the balance sheet of banks, 3 different banks, where I was Treasurer- Lead Merchant Bank, UBA and First Atlantic Bank (now part of First City Monument Bank). I have worked as a Seismic Surveyor with United Geophysical Nigeria Ltd (a seismic data acquisition company) in a role which took me round the whole Niger Delta and Lake Chad region prospecting crude oil for Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

I also ran a start-up company in the 90s, which allowed for extensive nurturing of my entrepreneurial skills. I have done so many great things. As to when did I decide to be Governor, I have always known that the opportunity will present itself one day. Let me say my children too have always said to me that Daddy with all this your passion for public service, helping people and all that, it would not be out of place for you to run for office and steer the state.

On a lighter note, with the ‘Not-Too-Young-To-Run’ people right behind us. If I don’t take the opportunity now, I may not have it again.

I have always had it in me and since the opportunity presented itself, there is no better time than now to do it.

Your main opponent in the election is Jimi Agbaje. Where do you think you are better than him and are you scared that you can lose to him?

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CICERO/INTERVIEW t ‘SANWO-OLU : AMBODE WILL CERTAINLY LEAD MY CAMPAIGN TOVICTORY t Continued from Pg. 79 Well, Mr. Jimi Agbaje is a fellow Lagosian. He is an Egbon. He is someone I know and he is someone I have personal respect for being an Egbon. That is how we were trained and brought up to have respect for people and most especially those who are older than us. He is certainly older than me, but on the political landscape, our pedigrees and experiences are not the same. If you talk of public service experience, effective representation and credentials, I am certainly better than him. Yes, it is true he has contested 3 times and you know what the results have been for him. You asked if I am scared. Scare of what? What will a 53 years old man like me be scared of. We are going into the election and I am sure it will be a good contest. At the end of the day, I will win the election. Let me say again that I respect him and his tenacity for wanting to lead the state.

What will you say about Governor Ambode’s statement regarding your mental health and allegation of spending fake dollars in the US? This is the umpteenth time I will be asked this same question and my answer has been the same. You need to know that during politicking, things happen and people say things they don’t really mean all in the spirit of politics. They have to say it just to throw darts at the other person. Governor Ambode is someone I have great respect for. He is the Governor of the state. He is my Governor and he occupies the office I am aspiring to. I am in no way going to speak against that office or the person that sits in that office. Like I said before, it was all politics that went the wrong way. The simple answer is, none of those things happened. I have never been detained in the US or any country in the world. I did not spend fake dollars anywhere in the world and I am not that type of a person. I was still in the United States a couple of months back. I have never been to Gbagada General Hospital for any ailment. I don’t have any medical record at the hospital.

In fact, the two times I have even been to Gbagada General Hospital were to donate. One was on my birthday when I went around the wards to donate gifts. The second, I was on charity mission, looking out for those who needed help which I provided. That is who I am and who I will always be. I have done this in the last 5 to 6 years.

Will you complete ongoing infrastructural projects initiated

by Governor Ambode in the event his administration is unable to complete them before May 2019?

You know governance is a continuum. You take over both assets and liabilities whenever you assume office as Governor in the case of a State. And whichever way you look at it we are same party. I have been in the system as Commissioner. I have run the state civil service as the Commissioner for Establishment, Pensions and Training. I have managed the Budget of Lagos State as Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning. So, I know how some of these things work. Part of what we will see is the medium-term expenditure framework and projects that are ongoing. We will certainly continue all projects that already have public funds committed to them. It will make no sense to have abandoned projects everywhere. We will complete any uncompleted project and put them to use for the benefits of Lagosians and Nigerians in general. We will certainly bring about other projects and innovations that will complement all of the things that are happening in the state.

Lagos has the largest population of middle-class and possibly the poor people in Nigeria, who often struggle to pay for expensive private schools and private hospitals for their children.

What will you do to arrest the decay in public education and healthcare in Lagos?

Let me first correct something here. I think it is not fair to generally use words such as ‘decay’ and ‘complete breakdown’. They are extreme and also suggesting that government is not doing anything at all in the two sectors you mentioned. That is not true, but it may mean that we need to improve on what we have and do much better.

If we begin to compute the number of people in Lagos daily who use existing facilities in the state, then we will realise why effective planning has been difficult. Our plan is to roll-out a lot initiatives and improve on social planning. Our focus is on the people at the bottom of the pyramid. The very poor people you talked about, who do not have any choice. Those who are able to take their children to private schools or private hospitals have choices, and can pay for what they need. Again, I must add that, the school a child attends is a prerogative of the parents. Those who will take their children to private schools will still do, regardless of whatever government provides. It is the poor people who do not have a choice that the government must make giving their children the opportunities they need in life a priority.

We must bring opportunities to the poor. We have about 1,300 public primary schools in Lagos. We will improve on the infrastructure in our public schools and hospitals, and train personnel to deliver quality services to the people. I am a product of the public school system from primary school to the University. I understand what you are saying perfectly. We must make the school system functional, and run it better. It is imperative that we create opportunities for the children of the poor. On health, we have commissioned a research, which will be completed soon. Some of the issues around accessibility, affordability and effective healthcare delivery system will be frontally addressed.

We have the facilities, but we need to bring a lot of reforms into the health sector that will make healthcare affordable to Lagosians, and qualitative too.

We will look at the State Health Insurance Scheme (SHIS) for citizens and how all these tie into a working healthcare system. We will integrate the reports of the survey into our policy agenda on healthcare. Finally, we will espouse our manifesto and will soon be releasing them to the public going forward.

There seems to be a logjam around waste management in Lagos with PSP operators and the Cleaner Lagos Initiative

championed by the current APC government in the state with Visionscape. Will you abandon the Cleaner Lagos Initiative or re-tweak it and also the matter of N50billion Bond Guarantee Lagos State gave for Visionscape?

Let’s be very careful about just throwing figures all around. I don’t know anything about N50 billion. It is possible the government may have given Visionscape some amount. I do not know the terms of engagement of Visionscape as we speak. I am not the Governor. I do not have the specifics. What I will say is that we won’t throw away the baby with the bathwater. If there are issues around the Cleaner Lagos Initiative and Visionscape engagement that can be resolved, we will certainly look into them. If it is about the implementation of the initiative, we will see what the problem is. If it is the structure or the process around the whole arrangement, we will look into that too. I am sure that there are positives to keep in the whole idea, while we will certainly do away with the negatives.

On Private Sector Participants (PSPs), I am sure it is not all bad news for them. Whatever must have gone wrong with the PSP arrangement will be holistically looked into. The bottom-line is Lagos needs to be clean. The refuse needs to go. More importantly, we now need to go back to ourselves as individuals and embrace a better culture of refuse disposal, which begins with waste sorting. It is when we start sorting our waste that waste management becomes more effective, and transformable to wealth. We do not need to mix organic waste with plastic bottles for example and all what not. Our people must sort waste and separate them properly.

We need a total mindset change. Advocacy must come into this.

Public enlightenment will play a pivotal role in this attitudinal change.

It is not going to be a one-size fits all solution. What I can assure our people is that we will solve the problems associated with waste management in Lagos. Lagos will be cleaner and more livable for all.

Too much man-hour is lost to what has become a very bad traffic situation in Lagos and this has led to low productivity in Lagos with people spending hours in traffic. Do you have any plan to tackle the gridlock in Lagos if elected as Governor?

Traffic management is a very serious issue, but also a low hanging fruit our government will pluck easily. Our first study commissioned a couple of weeks ago on traffic hot spots in Lagos showed that there are about 47 points in Lagos where traffic gridlock is always very bad. By the time we drill further down in the last phase of the report, it may be a little above 60 points, where traffic is usually very bad around Lagos. One of the things we need to creatively think about is identifying the causes of gridlock in these areas. Already, we have seen that in some places, location of fuel stations have been identified as one of the causes of the problem. In some other areas, offices and commercial buildings without parking spaces are contributors to the jams. Quick Service Restaurants, where vehicles are reversing-out of car parks also contribute to blocking of our roads. Of course, we also know that bad roads are a major contributor to this challenge.

We need to design solutions and look at each location case by case.

We are currently working with some traffic management experts, who will help us look into the issues and come-up with smart solutions.

There are areas all we need to reduce the big roundabouts. There is also the issue of our people. I mean behavioural issues that we need to address. Many of our people do not know that they are not the only road users. People must drive responsibly and respect the

right of other road users. We need to take some of these messages back home to educate ourselves. People must know that the same right they have to use our roads is the same right others have. We must respect ourselves on the roads. Appropriate road use conducts can contribute significantly to removing congestions from our roads.

Traffic signs and traffic lights must be obeyed. It is only when we do the little things we need to do as citizens that we can solve some of our problems, including the gridlocks on our roads. People should not drive against traffic when there is no need to do so, or when not directed to do so by traffic management officers. We will bring increased efficiency into traffic management in the state. LASTMA officers will be retrained, and where there is need for recruitment of more officers, we will do that. We will do a lot of enlightenment campaign around the issues, while working on implementable solutions.

Every challenge will get a bespoke solution. We need to know the requirements of each traffic hot-spot.

Part of the solution could also be, for example, in the morning, during rush hours you see places where traffic is moving on one side and not moving on the other side. A smart solution is to look at how we can extend some of the free lanes in the morning and in the evening reverse same into another lane. This means that in the morning, we turn a 4-lane road into a 6-lane, and reverse the order in the evening because the pressure point has changed. People are going back home from work and other places they drove to in the morning. See, simple solutions like directing traffic to the free lanes to decongest our roads as quickly as possible, especially in the evening, during rush hours, could reduce travel time and enhance our productivity. Even, there are health benefits to effective traffic management, so it’s a major point of consideration for our government.

Our focus is beyond just road travels within the state. We are thinking about an integrated transportation system befitting a megacity state like Lagos. A 3rd of Lagos is water. That suggests that we have a huge water transportation opportunity and alternative. The waterways need to be properly mapped to help navigation. Where we have water body that needs to be dredged to allow boats to move well, we will do. I know one of the problems with water transportation in Lagos is lack of investment, and operators are not willing to invest because of poor returns. The operators complain of poor patronage. When they take people from Ikorodu to Island in the morning, they return the boat empty without passengers because less people go towards the area in the morning. We will have to look at how we can help them solve that problem, such that the venture becomes profitable and water transport more efficient.

We also have the rail projects that we need to complete, especially the Blueline from Okokomaiko to CMS. We need to complete the track and bring the rolling stock to get it operational. It is about funding. We will find a way to complete that rail project. Lagos needs a transportation system outside the roads that can move thousands of people daily.

As we continue to engage on expansion of our BRT corridors, develop water transportation and deal with the road issues, I believe we will be able to address the problem of traffic gridlock in Lagos.

It is worth emphasizing too, that there is no mega city like Lagos, where traffic challenges are eliminated completely. In cities like New York, Chicago, Cairo etc., where they have better public transportation system, they still have traffic issues. It is just that people know the traffic hours, which is usually the rush hours in the morning and evening, and plan their journeys accordingly.

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Beaufils...We’ve better relationship with Nigeria than many other countries

The Ch a l l e n g e s o f Figh tin g Corruption in Nigeria, by UK Envoy As the United Nations marks the Anti-Corruption Day today, British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Laure Beaufils, in an interview with Eniola Bello, spoke about the UK assistance to Nigeria – the progress, the challenges and the prospects, among other issues. Excerpts:

O

n October 31, 20003, the United Nations in its passage of Anti-Corruption Convention set aside December 9 every year as Anti-Corruption Day to raise public awareness for anti-corruption.

That UN Convention charged its delegates to, among others, “promote, facilitate and support international cooperation and technical assistance in the prevention of and fight against corruption”. What has the United Kingdom done in these areas to help Nigeria fight corruption?

We have been very engaged in the anti-corruption agenda working with Nigerians and the government in Nigeria for a very long time. Right now, the UK department for international development (DFID) has a very large programme that supports the government’s fight against corruption, and it is £20 million over five years through a

programme called Anti-Corruption in Nigeria Programme (ACORN).

That programme is really looking at three things that DFID refers to as the three S, which are Sanctions, Society and Systems, and by that, we are focusing on strengthening capacity of the agencies working on corruption as well as the judiciary, strengthening their capacity to investigate corruption and to take forward the cases to the various stages of sanction systems.

It is also looking at society: what are people’s perceptions of corruption? How can we ensure that people really say “no to corruption” systematically and are increasingly engaged in demanding an end to corruption? Working with civil society groups and individuals, in particular youths, we are getting a sense that a critical mass of the people are saying they have had enough. And this is based on a lot of research and evidence to inform our mission.

We are also working to strengthen the systems. I think it is

a very comprehensive package designed to work with the government and civil society partners to address corruption.

But, of course, aside from the programmatic work, it is part of our diplomatic conversation on a regular basis, and it is part of our engagement here in Lagos with businesses, because sadly, corruption is often something that we see across sectors that we cover here in Nigeria.

So, across all the things we do, it is a subject that we come up with and we discuss in practical conversation with our counterparts and in our diplomatic conversations.

In that area of your work you mentioned sanctions, how many Nigerians, who are politically exposed have been sanctioned by your government?

I’d like to go back to Nigerians and this is about Nigerians taking responsibility in Nigeria for people, who

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‘The Challenges of Fighting Corruption in Nigeria, by UK Envoy’ Continued from Page. 81 We have recorded some success stories this year. We have recovered about £73.3million of the Malabu loot and that has gone straight to government’s treasury account. The government will be able to use it as it sees fit and civil society organisations are monitoring how that is being done. I think the fact that that happened a few months ago is a demonstration of our commitment and I can assure you that we have no intention of keeping a single pound of money looted from Nigeria

have been corrupt in this country and that is the sanctions regime that I am talking about. It is about strengthening the capacity of the agencies to detect, investigate and prosecute cases of corruption here, domestically.

Would you say the anti-corruption agencies have been able to do as much as you expected considering the kind of assistance that you have given them over the years?

I think a lot has happened and if we looked back at what has happened over the years, it is easy for a lot of people to think not much has happened but I think there have been a lot of things that have been done over the years. For instance, on the issue of systems that we have been talking about, we have seen the Treasury Single Account (TSA), we have now got the Bank Verification Number (BVN), we have got the government’s commitment to Open Government Partnership and we now have an Action Plan around the Open Government Partnership, which is really a good way to start addressing transparency and we can address the issue of corruption that way.

There is also the global dialogue on asset recovery, and there is a lot that are being done, but of course, a lot more still needs to be done and I think if you asked me where we need to put in a lot more efforts I would agree that it is in strengthening the capacity of the enforcement agencies to enforce the sanction part of things and we will continue to focus on that and we urge the government to continue to invest in this.

The other area where we will like to see a lot of progress is in the legislative side, because there are still some anticorruption bills that are not passed and which we think are really essential, and in particular, The Proceeds of Crime Bill, which is something we look forward to see it passed as soon as possible.

Talking of recovery of assets, I remember when your former Prime Minister Cameron described Nigerians as fantastically corrupt and President Buhari, in his response, said he would prefer the recovery of stolen assets instead of an apology. We do know that the UK is a major destination country for the proceeds of corruption from Nigeria. What is your government doing to ensure that such stolen assets are recovered?

We have recorded some success stories this year. We have recovered about £70 million of the Malabu loot and that has gone straight to government’s treasury account.

The government will be able to use it as it sees fit and civil society organisations are monitoring how that is being done to ensure the money goes where it is intended to go. I think the fact that that happened a few months ago is a demonstration of our commitment to making sure that stolen assets are recovered and I can assure you that we have no intention of keeping a single pound of money looted from Nigeria.

What we are doing is to ensure that (due) legal processes are done in a very thorough fashion and that they are not rushed so that we can have due process that is followed, and on the back of that, assets that were stolen are returned, so, I expect that we will be seeing more of that. I know that some people are frustrated that it is taking so much time and I understand the desire for things to move fast, but I know that we will be seeing more of such funds being returned such as we have seen in the Malabu loot.

So, aside from the Malabu loot, are there no others?

There may be things that are ongoing but of course you can understand my constraint. We don’t speak about any ongoing legal cases. But I know that right now in the UK, there are works that are ongoing to ensure that funds that have been looted are returned.

A Nigerian court has ordered the anti-graft agency to get a former energy minister, Deziani AlisonMadueke, who is in the UK to stand trial in Nigeria.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said it is going through the process of having her repatriated to Nigeria. How will the UK assist with that?

I hear what you are saying and I know there are a lot of questions around that but as you know this is an ongoing case and I really cannot comment on cases that are ongoing.

There is also the case of Kola Aluko, who has alleged cases of corruption. Is there a way the UK government can help Nigeria get him back to the country?

I cannot talk about these particular cases for legal reasons. However, the level of cooperation between UK and Nigeria is amongst the strongest between the UK and other countries. But in this kind of case, there are a lot of discussions ongoing and information being shared between our National Crime Agency and its counterparts here, and I think that level of relationship is growing from strength to strength. We are working as you know and a lot of the work is behind the scene, as you can understand it will be right that they are behind the scenes.

One of the key pillars of the Buhari administration when it was inaugurated was to fight corruption. You have been in Nigeria now for two years, how would you assess the fight against corruption by this government?

I think it takes us back to the point I was trying to make earlier. I think there has been progress. There has been the TSA, the BVN, we spoke about the Global Open Government Partnership and (its) Action Plan; these are measures that are being put in place. But the point for me is that it is a long term process. These things take a very long time. We are talking about behaviour change, changing the understanding of what’s right, what’s wrong, social norms – these things take very long time. I think there have been a lot of structures of government business, which are hard to change. It will take time and I think one of the key challenges is getting the political leadership to focus on this, continuing to build capacity of the key agencies and the judiciary to ensure that the sanction regime is really put in place.

And of course changing norms, changing behaviours and changing societal perception of corruption so that when you see corruption you say no, stop it; and make it your personal responsibility not just the responsibility of someone, who is more powerful. So, I believe it is a journey, and according to a poll (price Waterhouse Coopers) conducted in 2016, only 20 per cent of Nigerians believe the government is fighting corruption very well.

Why the people think that the government is not fighting corruption is, because the court process is slow and of course, some people think that the government

is using it as a tool to fight the opposition. What do you think the government could do across board to ensure it moves faster and there’s better result?

It’s a two-in-one question that you have asked, because you talked about moving faster whilst of course it needs to be sustainable. That is speed and systems and ultimately what you need for a country to really have robust anticorruption policies is strong institutions. If you had those then you are much more protected from corruption but these take a very long time to do and I think a long time approach is absolutely necessary. The chances are also that the people have short time expectations and political cycles are also short time.

Putting perpetrators behind bars is a short term reward and I think that is really important but it is also important to focus on longer term anti-corruption initiatives. In fact, there are no quick wins, because the legal system is long and I know that you gather data and information on large corruption cases and you just need a little bit more time to do all those things.

What would you say are the challenges you have over the years assisting Nigeria in fighting corruption?

I think there are lots of challenges, but so much has to do with the system, (elements of which could undoubtedly benefit from) an overhaul. Although there are a lot of champions, there are also vested interests and I think the vested interests are the ones that are moving back progress.

That’s a challenge there. I spoke about the challenge of long term institution building and strengthening public support and interest despite that, a long term agenda is important.

And then there is the political side of it so that priorities that may have been clearly set can become secondary. That is also a challenge.

Moving to the February 2019 elections, what is your government doing to ensure that Nigeria conducts free, fair and credible elections?

We have been working with all stakeholders on elections for a very long time. We have been engaging on political issues and elections for a very long time. Through our Department for International Development (DFID) we have a very strong programme of support in assisting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and we are working very closely with all stakeholders, through proper political participation on one hand and everyone, in particular youths and women, to ensure that the people have a voice and go out and vote.

We also have a programme with INEC to ensure that they have the capacity to put in place the basic right systems and at the polling stations to minimize the opportunity for fraud.

On the political level, we are working with parties to make it clear that we expect that the elections are free, credible and indeed peaceful and that is very important, and I think we have made it very clear through large interventions and we also made this clear when the Prime Minister was here.

You could see through very different levels of interactions what needs to happen to help ensure there is no form of intimidation and it is important that we speak out clearly and publicly on this. You’ll remember the case of the Osun rerun elections a few months ago, it was a strong statement that we put out with the European Union, because we did witness practices that were very concerning and then we

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‘The Challenges of Fighting Corruption in Nigeria, by UK Envoy’

thought we needed to speak out.

In the north east, the Boko Haram terrorists appear to be returning stronger despite claims that it had been technically defeated.

As Nigeria’s traditional partner, why is it difďŹ cult for the Nigerian government to overcome this terror group despite your support over the years?

I think it is the ISIS in West Africa that is responsible for a lot of the terror in the North East. Why it is so difficult to defeat as it is often the case with terror or guerrilla organisations is because they use unconventional methods, including sending young girls and women with guns on their backs, attacking and bombing populations of people and it is very difficult spot them in a crowd.

It is very difficult to know what Islamic State West Africa is planning and it is very difficult to stop them. I think the government has to really focus on them and I think we have all seen an upsurge and I think it is important that we do speak about it. We are really committed to fighting extremism alongside Nigeria.

We have provided a lot of support, not only to the military in Nigeria to address terrorism and I think it is right that we continue to focus BeauďŹ ls with the MD of THISDAY, Mr. Eniola Bello on the North-east right now, because a lot of people are suffering and this is why the UK department for around the world and certainly Nigeria is one of them. international Development is in the Northeast to seeing that As for his Royal Highness, Prince Charles, he and his the people have access to basic services and put them in wife, The Duchess of Cornwall, often go on tours and to Internally Displaced Camps.

Commonwealth countries in particular. As you know at But now because of security concerns they are worried about putting out people there, so, I think it is really essential that we continue to shine the spotlight on North east and on the situation there, and on the civilian population that are suffering.

Some months back, Prime Minister Theresa May was in Nigeria, and shortly after, Prince Charles was also here. The general thinking was that they were on tour of some African countries to explore new markets post-Brexit. How do you respond to this?

The Prime Minister came to Africa because Africa really matters to her and the UK. When she made a speech in Cape Town, she spoke about the breadth of the partnership that we have with African countries and that is certainly not a post-Brexit opportunistic trade relationship. It is much more, because it includes (not just trade but other issues such as climate change to Fintech, and arts and culture); and indeed the fact that while she was in Nigeria, she celebrated that by wearing a Nigerian made jacket.

So, the relationship is not just about trade. Of course the relationship about trade and partnership is true but this is a win-win relationship, where we trade UK investments into Africa in general and Nigeria in particular; and that will create wealth in the UK and in Nigeria. And indeed she has committed the UK to becoming the top G7 investor in Africa by 2022 and this is long term. So, to say it is just about Brexit, no, it is much broader than Brexit. More than ever before, it is about a more forward-looking, stronger and fruitful commercial relationship with all our key partners

I have travelled all over the states of the South-west and I have travelled to Kwara, Enugu, Rivers State; I have gone to Kaduna; I have gone to a lot of states and my plan is to travel to many more before I leave. I honestly feel it is a great privilege for me to be serving in Nigeria. I never expected to be so energised by the people in particular and I keep saying to everyone who asked me that Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people and not just its oil

the Commonwealth Summit that held this year, it was confirmed that he would become the head of the Commonwealth after Her Majesty, the Queen, so he is more than ever before interested in Commonwealth countries.

He has visited here on very many occasions before Brexit. It wasn’t Brexit that made him come here. He is interested in the people; he’s interested in Nigeria’s culture, the values. He has personal interests that he (has been able to drive, such as his commitment to environmental sustainability and creative industries), so it is not really about Brexit. It is about the history and the personal relationship between the royal family and the people of Nigeria.

Two years of your duty tour here, how much of Nigeria have you explored? What is your impression of the people, the culture and the government?

I have travelled all over the states of the South-west and I have travelled to Kwara, Enugu, Rivers State; I have gone to Kaduna. I have gone to a lot of states and my plan is to travel to many more before I leave. I honestly feel it is a great privilege for me to be serving in Nigeria. I never expected to be so energised by the people in particular and I keep saying to everyone, who asked me that Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people and not just its oil.

Its youth in particular that I have seen here is second to none. The entrepreneurship and the desire to do better for oneself and the community and indeed one’s country.

I find that energising and indeed inspirational. I also think Nigerians are also resilient, fun-loving; they are hugely very respectful and I consider myself to be very lucky to meet very many Nigerian friends in the last two years and I know that I will be making more friends before I go.

I am sending the message loud and clear to the UK and I know that sometimes Nigeria suffers bad name in the UK and that they are as a result of stereotypes or rather as a result of Boko Haram or corruption, which unfortunately taints the reputation of Nigeria. Yes, there is truth in that but I can assure you that those in the know and those that are interested in the creative industry, the music, the literature and fashion for example, are having a more sophisticated understanding of Nigeria, the people and the talents you see here. This is why you see so many people are interested in partnerships with Nigeria and indeed, we see a lot of interests in partnering Nigerian companies in the city of London, which is the centre of our financial and professional services.

I think my message is one of positive message, positive sentiment about this country. We are well aware of the challenges. They are significant challenges we must not shy away from and we must be committed to working with the government of Nigeria across all of these challenges, and they are not insurmountable challenges if there is the political will to address them, because we are full of the belief that Nigeria has the capacity to tackle those challenges.

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ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™ĂœË? Olawale Olaleye Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ë? ĂĄĂ‹Ă–Ă?Ë› Ă–Ă‹Ă–Ă?ĂŁĂ?̜ÞÒÓĂ?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

National Assembly sta protesting non-payment of salaries

A We e k o f M e l o d r a m a at the National Assembly In a week mired by a protest embarked upon by federal legislative workers, the National Assembly commenced moves to make June 12 a national holiday, report Deji Elumoye and Shola Oyeyipo

U

nlike in 2017, when President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 Appropriation Bill in record time on November 7 to the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives, less than three weeks to the end of 2018, the Executive was yet to bring the 2019 Appropriation Bill before the legislature as at the close of work last week.

There are indications however that President Buhari may present the budget to the National Assembly this week with the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Friday to fine-tune and approve the budget proposals. President Buhari is therefore expected this week as a guest of the National Assembly to lay the 2019 Appropriation Bill before the lawmakers.

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, had given an insight into the 2019 Appropriation Bill on October 18, at the consultative forum on the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP) 2019 to 2021, when he said the

federal government intended to submit the 2019 budget proposal to the National Assembly before the end of November, which did not materialise.

According to him, government projects achieving 2.3million barrels per day with production currently going up to 2.15 million barrels per day.

The federal government equally proposed an oil price benchmark of $50 per barrel in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). Udoma said with a rise in the price above $80 per barrel currently, the government moved the oil price benchmark to $60 a barrel and N305 was proposed as the naira-dollar exchange rate, while the projected target gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the 2019 budget was put at 3.01 per cent, reduced from 4.5 per cent in the ERGP; 3.6 per cent in 2020 and 3.9 per cent in 2021. “Growth is expected to increase from 0.8 per cent in 2017 to 2.1 per cent this year and 3.01 per cent in 2019 with the continued implementation of the ERGP in 2019 and an improved outlook for oil prices,� he said.

On revenue, Udoma said based on the oil price and oil production assumptions,

the government expects to generate about N3.6 trillion from oil, N500 billion more than last year’s earning. And N6.9trn revenue is projected to be available to the budget in 2019.

Meanwhile, June 12 of every year may soon become a National Holiday in the country if the current steps being taken by the National Assembly are anything to go by. Last week, the House of Representatives adopted the report of its Committee of the Whole to officially make June 12 a national holiday.

The legislative work titled: “A bill for an act to amend the Public Holidays Act, Cap. P40 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, was co-sponsored by Hon. Edward Pwajok (Plateau, APC) and Kayode Oladele (Ogun, APC) and adopted at Thursday plenary.

The Bill was designed to update the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari had on June 6, 2018, declared June 12 as a national holiday.

The Bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole on November 22, 2018, by the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara after passing second reading. While debating the bill, Pwajok noted that countries set aside some days to commemorate special

events such as independence, religious festivals, and some heroes.

The Senate is also expected in the coming days to debate and pass similar Bill so that the two chambers can then harmonise their positions on the June 12 holiday after which the Bill would be transmitted to President Buhari for assent. And if signed into law by President Buhari, June 12 anniversaries will henceforth become public holidays to commemorate Democracy Day celebration, while 29 May will only be celebrated every four years when there is the inauguration of a new president.

Again, last week, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who had on several occasions failed to honour the invitation of the Senate to appear before it over the myriad of killings across the country put up a surprise appearance at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs.

Idris, who stormed the venue of the public hearing with over 100 policemen including senior officers, did not spare the upper legislative chamber in his presentation. He expressed reservation over moves by the Senate to subject the appointment and removal of Inspector

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A Week of Melodramas at National Assembly General of Police to confirmation of the Senate.

Representing the Nigeria Police Force at the public hearing, he also kicked against the move to reduce serving Deputy Inspectors General of Police ( DIGs) from seven to one as proposed in an amendment bill for the enactment of the Police Act, 2018 sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South).

Idris, who commented on the draft bill, which has 85 sections, however, aligned with a proposal for five-year tenure for Inspector-General of Police. “The proposed bill will help in reforming the Police and reposition it in its key role in the administration of justice. There are a few observations by the Police Force.

The confirmation and removal of Inspector General of Police by the Senate should be expunged from the bill. Appointment of the IGP as recommended by the Police Service Commission and nominated by the President without Senate confirmation is desirable to Police to avoid politicisation of the whole process�.

On the proposal for one DIG as against existing seven DIGs, Idris said it would be counterproductive as unbearable pressures administratively and operationally would be put on IGP and the only DIG. “Presently, I have seven DIGs working with me at the Force headquarters.

Reducing them to just only one DIG will be retrogressive considering the enormity of administrative and operational responsibilities attached to the office of the IGP�.

Also speaking at the public hearing, the Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police, said the Commission agreed totally with the majority of the recommendations made in the bill, stressing that, if passed into law and effectively implemented, would improve the police service.

He, however, noted that the Police Affairs Committee could recommend adequate accommodation of officers and men of the Nigeria Police within police vicinity for efficient service delivery.

According to him, more policemen should be accommodated in barracks nationwide while more living quarters should be provided for officers. “More men should be in Police environment, barracks for the junior ranks and officers’ quarters for senior officers.

This will make them behave well and be well-disciplined police�, he said.

On his part, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, in his submission advocated improved welfare for policemen and one of the ways of doing that, according to him, “is for the federal lawmakers to drastically cut down their monthly jumbo pay.�

In his opening address, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, represented by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, said the Police in the country should be up and doing in securing lives and properties of the citizenry.

According to him, the 75-year-old colonial laws under which the police operate need to be repealed and new laws enacted to put the Force abreast of modern-day policing in line with global best practice.

Saraki said the new law, when enacted would guarantee better performance of police and adequate protection of citizens’ fundamental rights and privileges under the law just as he advocated a comprehensive review of funding framework for the force.

Na’Allah, who is the sponsor of the bill, said Nigeria police, which was in the past as one of the best Police forces in the world, has regrettably had its credibility eroded, adding that the police force has suffered in the hands of politicians and

Saraki and Dogara

even the general public. “Every attempt to insulate the police as a responsible institution has failed.

There are so many allegations against the police. Police need to be insulated from politics and politicians,� Na’Allah further said.

In other news, however, workers at the National Assembly, last week, shocked both the management and leadership of the legislature, when they made good their threat to picket the Assembly over unpaid salary arrears and outstanding promotion.

The workers under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), on Tuesday, barricaded all entrances to the chambers and denied the legislators chance to carry out legislative duties for that day.

PASAN had penultimate weekend threatened to picket the National Assembly if the management failed to accede to its demands, including outstanding workers’ salaries and promotions. The workers, in their hundreds, amassed at the foyer of the National Assembly as early as 8.am barricaded the entrances to the two chambers thereby preventing Senators and House members from carrying out their legislative duties.

The federal lawmakers including the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who arrived for plenary, were prevented from gaining entry into the Chambers by the angry staff, who insisted that there wouldn’t be sitting in the National Assembly until the payment of their Consolidated Salary Structure (CONLESS).

The protesting workers, who chanted several anti-Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Mohammed Sani-Omolori songs, displayed placards with inscriptions such as: “Executive, fund National Assembly now�, “Omolori must go�, “Our Mumu Don Do�, “CONLESS has been approved since 2010�, “Promotion is our right, say no to consultancy�, etc.

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki in company with Speaker Dogara, at about 1.55 pm, addressed the workers and sought their co-operation in resolving the issues at stake.

Saraki, who told the aggrieved workers to give the National Assembly leadership up till Friday to find a lasting solution

to their demands, was however halted with shouts of ‘No Alert, No Sitting, No Alert; No Sitting’.

Later, Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan and his House Counterpart, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, told reporters that the leadership of the National Assembly decided to intervene “in the matter between the workers and Assembly management so that matters will not get out of hand�.

He, however, cautioned the workers against disrupting the sitting of the two chambers of the Assembly, saying “much as the workers have the right to complain, they should not prevent Senate and House from carrying out their legislative duties�.

Chairman of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Hon. Bature Musa had earlier justified the picketing saying the intention of the protesting workers was not to have a faceoff with the lawmakers but to drive home their request for the payment of their outstanding salaries.

Though Musa, who spoke with reporters during the protest initially promised that lawmakers would not be prevented from accessing the red and the green chambers, when they arrived, that was not to be as Senators Kabiru Marafa, Ben Bruce, Ekweremadu, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Doguwa, among others, were prevented from entering the respective chambers.

According to him, “the word picketing does not prevent anybody from working; it is a message passed to the leadership of the National Assembly and don’t forget, it is for a duration of between 9.am and 2.pm then after that everyone will return to work. “What we had at the back of our minds when we set out for the picketing was that when the legislators come around, they would definitely find out what is happening, because we have written to them almost eight months ago, and nothing seems to be happening.�

In his reaction, Sani-Omolori blamed the non-payment of salary, which led to the agitation by PASAN to the nonrelease of the 2018 budget by the federal government, saying it was not within the powers of the legislature to facilitate the payment the workers were requesting for. “I still insist that they need to be a bit patient with the system. Like I said, in my

reply to their letter; in an unprecedented manner, the presiding officers acceded, without hesitation to their requests for this increment.

It was bargained with them and they captured it in the budget. “So, how is it in their (lawmakers) powers, if the money is not released? And in any case, the reality on the ground is that it is not only the National Assembly that is suffering from non-release of funds.

That is the reality of the Nigerian situation. So, I think we all have to be patient. “It is a matter that has been on for some time now and we have tried to explain to them.

We approved a salary increase for them, which was captured in the 2018 budget, but as it is today, it is common knowledge that the level of implementation of the 2018 budget, especially, the new addition to the National Assembly, which has not been implemented – that is where we had hoped that the addition would be paid. So, to the extent that the money has not been released and that there is no way we can make the payment.�

On the protest, Sani-Omolori noted that, “We told them it is wrong and we tried to prevail on them to try to see through things in the correct way. As a matter of fact, I wrote a letter to them and I also had series of formal and informal consultations with their leadership to make them back out of what is clearly an act that is not in tune with their own rules�.

Asked if he was worried by the action of the workers, the CNA said: “I am worried that in an institution that you think people should be able to look at things properly and then they are not looking at it.

That is why I am worried.�

The Assembly leadership later held a closed-door meeting with the National Assembly management as well as officials of PASAN, which the Assembly management was given up till last Friday to resolve all issues pertaining to the outstanding salaries and promotion of the parliamentary staff.

This appears to be a tall order as the Assembly management as represented by the Clerk of the National Assembly as at weekend was yet to meet the demands of the aggrieved parliamentary workers.

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SOCIALMEDIABITS Last week on social media, a bishop denied sharing booty, a priest “placed a curse” and the President assured he’s real...

P

op stars, politicians and preachers have some things in common: they love the microphone, revel in the spotlight and are adept at swaying a crowd. They also have followers, fans and adherents in the thousands, in some cases millions, in whose eyes they can do no wrong.

Currently, all three groups are trending on social media, sometimes in overlapping circumstances.

With December upon us, Nigerian Afropop stars – many now globetrotters and global brands – are headlining concerts back home.

In a similar ritual, churches across different denominations are also holding end-of-year events; concerts, crusades and congresses.

And in the lead up to the 2019 elections, politicians are holding rallies across the

country.

PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, kicked off his campaign in Sokoto at the beginning of the week. Pictures show a multitude welcoming him, prompting Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a member of the APC, to accuse the PDP of importing supporters from neighbouring Niger Republic.

In a week marked by satire and sarcasm, Doyin Okupe, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, called El-Rufai’s attention to the “rented crowd from Cotonou” at the PDP South West rally in Ibadan.

Meanwhile Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in Ilorin, in continuation of the Cont’d on pg 87

with DEMOLA OJO demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

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SOCIALMEDIABITS Tradermoni scheme launched by the Federal Government. The initiative offers interest-free loans to petty traders and artisans but Senate President and PDP stalwart, Bukola Saraki, accuses the government of vote-buying.

Osinbajo and the government he represents are unbothered though, as they bask in the reception N10,000 begets. He has been nicknamed “STARBOY” by presidential aide Bashir Ahmed.

Considering the moniker has for some time been successfully appropriated by Wizkid the artiste, it’s sort of appropriate the hashtag NextLevelNigeria comes after in Ahmed’s tweet. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, a catholic priest known for political predictions has “placed a curse” on the aspirations of Atiku and his VP candidate, Peter Obi, because Obi refused to pledge money to his ministry during a bazaar. The priest declared: “The way you and Atiku are moving will end in shame.”

At the same event, Kano State Governor Umar Ganduje was pictured with the priest.

Yes, the real Ganduje, with a dark cloud of bribery allegations hanging over him.

Ganduje “sowed a seed” which probably means he receives blessings.

This may or may not have been reason for Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Ministries to declare that he is “dangerously wealthy” despite not “sharing any booty”

from any government.

The bishop was chided (on Twitter) a few days before by another presidential aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, for interpreting satire as fact.

Oyedepo had advised President Buhari to address rumours that an impostor is running the country.

The President obliged him (and many others), assuring his audience in Poland that he is the real Muhammadu Buhari. This wasn’t lost on the international media with columnists, comedians and talk-show hosts having a field day mocking his comments.

According to the Washington Post, “I assure you, it’s the real me,” sounds like something a clone would say.

Back in Nigeria, the President’s wife, the real Aisha Buhari (an impostor was arrested during the week by the DSS), was recorded saying just two men in her husband’s administration are running the show and hindering the President’s progress. Hopefully we get names this week. Of real people.

There was nothing satirical about comments made and a picture shared on Twitter by yet another presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie. In a bid to discredit her principal’s main opponent in next year’s elections, she resorted to passing an old picture for new in what can only be described as fake news.

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INTERNATIONAL ‘The Book’ as an Instrument of National Integration: The Contextual Case of Nigeria

N

ational integration is not seriously taken like national disintegration in international law and relations and the reasons cannot be far-fetched.

First, no country or government wants disintegration. On Nigeria’s official crest, it is clearly stated ‘unity and faith.’ It is a truism to say ‘united we stand, divided we fall.’ Many also say there is strength in unity. All these sayings simply show the importance of integration which is about objectivity and unity of purpose. It is also about objectivity and means. It also explains why the contrary, disintegration, necessarily raises and requires more attention. For instance, weakness of the state, political instability, heightened underground activities, especially underground economy, and perhaps most disturbingly, possible dismemberment of the whole country, are major preoccupations against which every responsible government is fighting.

Secondly, the United Nations is hostile to the dismemberment of any of its Member States, even though it also preaches the gospel of self-determination during and in the post-colonial era. It is in an attempt to protect the independent and sovereign status of every Member State of the United Nations that Article 2 (7) provides for non-intervention in the domestic affairs of independent and sovereign states of the international community. In other words, emphasis is generally placed on the principle of sovereign equality.

And perhaps most interestingly, the belief of the United Nations in national unity and integration necessarily became accentuated with the adoption of regional integration as a policy of catalytic agent of economic growth and development. In this regard, the Breton Woods institutions came up with the theories of Structural Adjustment Programmes at the national levels and regional integration at the regional levels. The message was essentially that it was the only panacea to economic growth and development. In fact, the sermon of regional integration was seriously adhered to by African leaders to the extent that the 1991 Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community had to redefine the UN definition and perception of Africa as a ‘region.’ Before 1991, the United Nations referred to the whole of Africa as a region, while West Africa, North Africa, etc were considered as sub-regions.

As provided in Article 1(d) of the 1991 Abuja Treaty, Africa comprises five regions: West, East, Central, North and Southern. When two or three countries come together in any of the regions or between and among the regions, they constitute a sub-region. It was because of the need to fast track regional integration in Africa that the division of Africa into five regions was decided upon and by so doing, putting an end to the reference to the five regions as sub-regions.

However, and most unfortunately too, the people who are supposed to know and promote regional integration, more often than not, wrongly refer to West Africa as a sub-region, and by so doing creating unnecessary confusion. Even African diplomats,, especially the Nigerian diplomatists who ought to be serving as a beacon of light and providing exemplary leadership, are precisely the ones leading in the description of West Africa and others as a sub-region. African scholars and diplomats are by law of nature required to follow and promote the definition and typology of Africa as defined by African leaders and as provided in the 1991 Abuja Treaty on the AEC. In any case, if regional integration is believed to be a possible catalytic agent of economic development, can there really be a realistic regional integration without first attaining national integration?

Which countries of Africa can boast of national integration? Can Nigeria be described as having achieved national integration, especially in light of the struggle for self-determination by the MASSOB (Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra), MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta), IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra), etc?

This question reminds of the 2018 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Publishers Association, held on Thursday, 6th December, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. The theme of the conference was ‘The Book: An Instrument for National Integration.’ The theme is interesting from three main perspectives: interpretation of ‘the book,’ the competition of choice between ‘the book’ and social media, and problems and challenges posed by ‘the book’ and by the social media.

As regards ‘the book,’ which book is being referred to here? ‘A book’ can be any book, in other words, it is indefinite. There is no specific book in mind. When we talk about ‘the book,’ then we are factoring in specificity. Consequently, the notion and conception of ‘the book’ can only be rightly assumed to imply all books put together. But even at that, what really is a book, as differentiated from

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Buhari a pamphlet, a monograph, a study, a journal, a magazine, etc ?

John Ruskin has it in his Seasame and Lillies that ‘all books are divisible into two classes: the book of the hour, and the books of all time.’ Adistinction is also made at the level of readers of books by Gilbert Keith Chesteron in Charles Dickens: ‘there is a great deal of difference between the eager man who wants to read a book, and the tired man who wants a book to read.’ The great deal of difference to talk about is at the level of an ‘eager man’ and a ‘tired man’ both of whom want ‘a book.’ One possible interpretation at the level of types of books that will be suitable for reading for the eager man can be a sophisticated book while books that can be read on a lighter mood cannot but be preferable for the tired man. In this regard, novels, story books, etc, may be the ideal for the tired man. As reading and studying a book does not have the same challenges, a book to be studied by the eager man may be the ideal thing for the eager man.

And perhaps most importantly, there is also the important distinction made by Francis Bacon in his Essays: of Studies. As he put it, ‘some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.’ This differentiation is simply to underscore the point that the type of book that will be required for the purposes of national integration cannot just be an ordinary book. Many are the books that preach against national cohesion. They advance the cause of self-determination. This is why the understanding of ‘the book’ must first be put in context before seeking an understanding of how the book can facilitate national integration.

On the issue of choice between ‘the book’ and social media, it is argued that emphasis is generally put on use of the social media while the preferential treatment is still for books. Most unfortunately, however, the observation is still that Nigeria is currently playing host to a poor reading culture. Who really wants to read a book for pleasure? How do we explain the new but poor reading culture in the country? This question brings us to the third aspect, which is about the problems and challenges posed by both the social media and ‘the book.’ The merits and demerits of e-books were raised. Many of what is posted in the social media are not subject to peer review.

One important observation made by Professor Yinka Omorogbe was the report of the IOM that, in the ďŹ rst half of 2018, 2,225 irregular migrants arrived in Italy. The three top countries of origin of the migrants were Tunisia, Eritrea, and Nigeria.’The IOM report also has it that there were more than 10,000 deportations of stranded migrants from Libya since the beginning of the second half of 2017 with so many casualties, and that 60% of this ďŹ gure are from Edo State. This revelation cannot but partly explain the interest and commitment of the Edo State government in seeking an enduring solution to the menace of human trafďŹ cking and illegal migration

Consequently, the extent of scientific value of such books cannot be easily ascertained. Apart from this, there also the problems of costs of book publication, plagiarism, piracy, dearth of good authors, and distribution. How are all these issues attended to at the conference?

The More Critical Questions The more critical questions cannot be well understood without first understanding the vision and mission, on the one hand, and the objectives of the Nigerian Publishers Association, on the other.

The declared vision of the association is ‘to harness the potentials for the growth and development of the knowledge sector through the promotion and protection of the rights of publishers in Nigeria.’ Put differently, there are two main visions as declared: have the potentials for the growth and development of the knowledge industry well harnessed and also have the rights of the publishers in Nigeria also well protected. The first presumption here is that the professional rights and interests of the publishers will always be consistent with those of the larger society. The world over, the interests of any professional group are, a priori, selfish, even if the interests of the larger society are said to be borne in mind. The vision of the Nigerian Publishers Association cannot be different. What is particularly good about the vision of the association is that it wants to grow and develop the knowledge sector.

As regards the mission, the association wants ‘to advance the knowledge industry through effective coordination of publishers for maximum production and forge a common front before government and individuals.’ In this regard, the emphasis of the mission is on the need to coordinate the publishers and the ultimate goal, as declared both in the vision and mission, is to develop or advance the knowledge sector.

It is in light of these considerations that the Association was established in 1965 as a not-for-profit professional group and that its declared objectives, numbering eleven in all, seek among others, ‘to confer, consult, maintain, contact and cooperate with any persons, association, societies, institutions or bodies of persons establish (sic) in Nigeria or elsewhere having objects in whole or in part similar to those of the Association and to represent the Nigerian Publishers’ Association internationally.’ Perhaps more interestingly too, the Association wants ‘to serve as a medium for interchange of ideas with respect to publication, sale, copyright and other matters of interest to book publishers located in Nigeria and to form committees to report on such matters.’ Without jot of doubt, there is no disputing the fact that the 2018 Annual Conference of the Association was in fulfilment of its objectives, mission and vision. As righty pointed out in his welcome address, Mr. Gbadega Adedapo, the incumbent President of the Nigerian Publishers Association, the Association ‘serves as a bridge between government and the populace in the area of provision of sound and quality educational materials.’ Besides, the Association ‘also serves as a collective voice for all books publishers nationwide and a force to reckon with by the Government in the formulation of policies on education and the Book.’ It is within this framework that the critical issues raised in the conference should be explicated.

First, Mr. Gbadega Adedapo raised the issues of piracy, moribund paper mills, erratic power supply, high tariffs on printing products, inclement environment of publishing and government established grant to support publishing. True, all these problems necessarily make the costs of publishing expensive. This also can aid piracy. In the words of Mr. Emmanuel Abimbola, the Executive Secretary of the Association, ‘piracy and other infringements remain the greatest challenge to the publishing industry in Nigeria. In order to enjoy steady growth and development of the creative industry, protection of intellectual property is very essential.

Christopher Nikko of the Covenant University distinguished in 2014 between and among various types of piracy: ‘local reproduction of fast moving titles using newsprint or poor textured paper, abuse of publication rights, tech reproduction overseas, circumventing e-book version, illegal reprography, unauthorised excessive production by printers, and translation without permission.’ Thus, the problem of piracy cannot but have a complex nature.

But true, efforts are currently being made by Government to address this problem of piracy. From the perspective of Mr. Afam Ezekude, the Director General of the Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), efforts are already made to amend the existing copyright act and would soon be forwarded to the National Assembly for possible passage into law. The NCC is also to have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Customs Service that would enable the NCC to inspect any container suspected to contain copyright items. And more important, an e-registration portal for interaction between publishers and authors is also under consideration.

In spite of all these efforts, piracy appears to have so far defied all policy measures for various reasons. There is the poverty-driven factor in seeking to engage in the illegal act. The quest for money for survival is a major rationale for piracy. As Nikko has observed, ‘book piracy is an illegal and illegitimate reproduction of other people’s intellectual property for economic reasons without prior consent or authorisation.’ The paucity of books is another critical factor. But perhaps most interestingly but also more disturbingly, is the non-preparedness of many countries to endorse the international agreements on protection of intellectual property rights. The non-preparedness necessarily makes the arrest and prosecution of suspected criminals difficult.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ECEMBER 9,2018

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Saying Goodbye to a Loving Mother, Sister and Friend Henry Seriake Dickson

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ince August, when our dear mother, Mrs. Goldcoast Dickson (Mama Gogo), was called to be with the Lord, my family and I have passed through what is clearly the worst period of our lives.

Mama Gogo was hale and hearty and only complained of pains in her right leg about December last year. By January this year on returning from pilgrimage to the Holy land of Israel which she insisted on embarking on despite the pains. I asked the doctors to repeat her rounds of routine checks at the Bayelsa Diagnostic Center. Results at the center revealed suspicious lesions in her body, consequent upon which she was immediately sent off to London for further checks. My younger brother, Akpolagha who was at the time in London took her to the Hospital where further tests confirmed the lesions were cancerous.

My world almost came to an end when I heard that the diagnosis was cancer and that the organ affected was her lungs. This meant that at the time we confirmed it, the cancer from the lungs had already spread to all parts of her body, which was the cause of the pain in her right leg she earlier complained of. Surprisingly, previous tests and examinations in Yenagoa and Abuja could not detect the cancer until then. It proved to be a fast growing and aggressive form of cancer for a woman who never smoked.

This was the beginning of several agonizing months that followed as she immediately started a battery of tests and treatment regime in London. We again transferred her to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas, USA. The cancer proved to be too aggressive and defied treatments and efforts to contain it. She finally returned to her creator on the 8th of August 2018. I was comforted however, that I and other members of my family were with her in her final moments.

Although there was no written record of her birth, by available accounts she was born over 72 years ago to the family of Oruama Nipe, one of the earliest sailors from this area popularly called Captain Nipe and Areambrado of Indiamazi in Sagbama community. Mama Gogo was the third of four children; Afani, Queenmary and her only brother Kumasi Akpi, who died in 2006 as a serving Superintendent of Police.

Her two surviving elder sisters are here with us today aged about 79 and 76. In their family, there was an age gap of three years between one child and the next.

Her sailor father whose children all bore names of either marine vessels he worked on or popular port cities he visited as a sailor named my mother Goldcoast. Queenmary was a British vessel her father worked on at some point, while Afani is a popular native Ghanaian name, popular amongst Ijaws who went to Ghana at the time.

Goldcoast was the colonial name for present day Ghana and Kumasi is a port city in Ghana. She was his favourite child and he gave her the pet names Atabeniere (meaning, a wealthy woman from the sea) and Goldcoast colony.

As a child learning to speak, I could not pronounce the name ‘Goldcoast’ correctly. My infant tongue twisted her name as Gogo and that became her name until her death. Everyone including my father, her mother and siblings called her Gogo. She often cautioned me jokingly, however teaching an important lesson that my tongue should never be used to make any negative pronouncement as it could stick.

My mother was a kindhearted, soft-spoken, decent, loving and caring woman. Everyone in my father’s household and community, to her father’s household, family, community and indeed all who encountered her even for a brief moment, felt her positive infectious personality. Her community here at Angiama fondly calls her Ebikomboere (meaning the woman that brings good things) It was not a surprise therefore that even in her sick bed in the United Kingdom and in the United States of America, she was more concerned about the health, wellbeing and welfare of others. She would crack jokes and engage in lively discussions with the doctors, nurses and care-givers most of who developed strong bonds with her. Being fully aware of the severity of her illness and the impending loss of this warm personality, some of them would leave her bedside to secretly shed tears.

I want to thank all the doctors at the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre, those in London and the doctors, nurses and caregivers at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston Texas, USA, for their care and the expression of willingness to support the Goldcoast Dickson Memorial Cancer Centre and other charitable activities to be instituted in her honour.

In addition, all my associates, appointees, and friends who have encountered her even for a brief moment, felt her warmth and motherly disposition. Each one of them has a story to tell. She can never be remembered for throwing the weight of her status around either by conduct or in speech. She was always in the background, ever supportive and prayerful. She never lost her maternal instincts to care for people around her despite her critical health condition at the time.

Whenever we I visited her with friends, she would ensure that we all ate groundnut and farina and would entertain us with drinks and everything else that she had. Then she would crown it all with a motherly embrace before I left her presence. This had been the practice between the two of us for the past over thirty years. I never left her presence without that special embrace, the last of which was on her sick bed in America. We had agreed that her children and most of her grandchildren would be around to spend the summer holiday with her in the United Stares to keep her company. Most got there, only for her health to nosedive suddenly about a day or two later. When I got the news of her deteriorating health, I rushed down to see her. She passed on the 8th of August 2018, two days after my arrival in the company of her loved ones and family.

Clearly, my siblings and I miss her love, support and prayers.

Although I particularly miss her embrace, I am confident that in the course of her time with us, I have received blessings, prayers and embraces that will last a lifetime.

Interestingly, it was after she had passed on that I learnt of the several

Mama Goldcoast Dickson groups of young couples that she quietly mentored. In my fathers community and her own, she will be remembered for her acts of kindness, soothing words and respect.

She asked me to build a market in Toru-Orua and kept reminding me that it had to be completed ‘for her women’ (as she put it). On one of my last visits to her, she again demonstrated her compassion for the needy by making suggestions of certain rural women to be allocated stalls. These were the women who in her view, needed to be supported and encouraged to become entrepreneurs. I am happy that the market has been completed and I reported so to her before her passing. We were both looking forward to it’s commissioning, having told her of my desire to name it after her.

Being the last wife, my mother was both a wife and like a daughter to my father. She was younger than his first child, a male who died at infancy and slightly older than his first daughter, Siliki. Even in this large polygamous household, she endeavoured to make a success of her marriage. My quintessential mother was the center of love, unity and care for the family. I saw her cook all my father’s meals with uncommon diligence and she was indeed a great cook. She loved and cared for him till his death in 2011 at about the age of 86. She passed on as the only surviving wife.

Mama Gogo, was more than a mother to me. As her first child, she was my elder sister, my friend, confidant and my prayer warrior. Growing up in the village in those difficult days, in the 70s and 80s, my mother and I farmed and fished together to feed the family. I can tell first hand, how she struggled with the pregnancy of all my siblings, compounded by the challenges of farming, fishing and maintaining her home.

I recall my first trip to the secondary school. My parents had escorted me, new to the waterside to board the Lagos-Amassoma boat en route Toru-Ebeni where my school was situated. My mother started crying perhaps wondering how I would cope and care for myself since I was only about 12 years old and that was my first time of being separated from her for a protracted period. Perhaps the memories of the tines we spent kept the tears in her eyes since I always accompanied her to all her farms and everywhere else. I still remember the stories she told me and the joy she exuded whenever we caught some fish. She would say, ‘oh my children, we will eat today’. And on the day we were not so lucky, you could see the sadness envelop her face.

I often tell the story of her forthrightness, integrity, love and sacrifice.

As typical of most of the women in the village, they would fish at night, return early in the morning to cook for their families, set out to the farm and return at night to start the cycle all over again.

One of such nights, in 1981 while this wonderful woman was fishing, drums of diesel totaling five floated towards her canoe. She was initially afraid since it was dark and the floating object could have been anything but she summoned courage, quickly took out her fishing net and solicited the assistance of another woman named Bekeyeibo who was also fishing nearby. Together, they moved the drums to shore. That ended her fishing for that night. My mother informed my father and they both handed over the drums of diesel to the community as lost but found items.

Prior to this event, I had dropped out of school for over half a term because my father had explained that the downturn he was experiencing in his business at the time made it impracticable for my brothers and I to continue with our education. For this reason, he decided that I, being the youngest, make the sacrifice of dropping out until his financial situation improved, though he acknowledged that I was the most promising academically. I recall my mother getting angry and crying, trying to

change a situation that was beyond her control. Growing older, I now understand her feelings, frustration and anger at the time.

Not too long afterwards, the owner of the drums of diesel who had lost them to heavy rain and erosion from a far-off location came enquiring community after community. Of all the drums of diesel he lost, only those found by my mother were reported. Typical of my dad, he told the owner that they were only custodians and unconditionally released the drums of diesel. To show their gratitude and appreciation for her unassailable integrity and selflessness, the owner rewarded them with 90 Naira. My parents from the money, gave 30 Naira to the other woman who assisted her. With 60 Naira remaining, my mother gave me that unforgettable, triumphant, soothing and re-assuring look only a loving mother could saying, “My son, you would be heading back to school tomorrow”. What a relief! That was how I was able to join my classmates after almost losing a term. The entire school had feared that I was not returning.

She taught us love, respect, tolerance and compassion. She gave encouragement, love, care to my siblings and I, our spouses and her grandchildren. My mother cultivated a special bond with all her sonsin-law and daughters-in-law. She cooked, fed, sang and danced to the delight of her grandchildren, teaching them the Ijaw tradition whenever she had the chance to, addressing each with the special names she gave them, as I also do. They all have fond memories of her that will last their entire lives.

Throughout her life time in the village, I never saw my mother quarrel with anyone. She was a peaceful, sympathetic and compassionate person. She would give her last meal and money to anyone in need.

My father often joked that trading was not my mother’s strength as she was always giving out her wares on credit and was too sympathetic to demand for payments.

Her greatest gift was prayers. When later in her life she knew Christ, she became a prayer warrior, praying and fasting frequently. She attended all devotional services of the family and later on of the government when I became Governor. At the end of every morning devotion she would embrace me and make pronouncements of blessings and protection over me.

Whenever I was in a political battle or facing a challenging situations, my mother will fast and pray and then tie her wrapper around her breast. While embracing me, she would proclaim as my father often did, the ancestral titles and blessings of my worthy ancestors which the Ijaws call Kile and the Yorubas call Oriki, to remind me that I am from a long line of great ancestors, warriors and kings who were not intimidated nor defeated. She would tell me to go and return in peace with victory and triumph.

To the glory of God, my parental blessings and prayers have always earned me victory and triumph till date and I believe always. As most of you may already know, I am a product of two proud and rich cultures; Kpadia and Obu families of Orua in Tarakiri kingdom and the Fidipote royal house of Ijebu ode My parents taught me to live a simple life. They taught me contentment, honour, courage, compassion and prudence. My father was the epitome of courage, honour, integrity and hard work. I learnt from him the ability to say no when no is the right answer irrespective of what others may say and, that time and God vindicates the just, while my mother taught me love, humility, compassion and hard work also.

Like my father, my mother never bothered me for anything personal even as a governor. She was always concerned about my wellbeing, progress and success as well as the wellbeing of others and never about what she could benefit or gain materially.

She prayed and constructed a bank of prayers enough to last my siblings and I for a life time. I had hoped as well as she did that she would recover and return home for thanksgiving. Knowing the severity of her illness, I prayed for more time for her, I did not expect the end would come as suddenly as it did. My desire was to see her by my side when I rounded off my term as governor and have more time for my family, with my mother playing her usual supportive role, which she did so well. She was the best and sweetest mother anyone would ever wish for. Just as she always said, if there was another life, she would love to have me and my siblings again as children, I too say, ‘if there is another life, I would have none as a mother except her’.

On behalf of my family and all the communities involved in the ceremonies for the interment of my mother, I would like to once again thank everyone for the enormous outpouring of grief and sorrow all through this trying period of mourning. In particular, we remain eternally grateful to all Nigerians for sending us your thoughts and prayers and for offering us your shoulders to cry on. I am also appreciative of your prayers for the repose of her soul and for us her family to bear her departure with fortitude.

My mother is not the only one to have died of cancer. It is common knowledge that cancer is one of the leading causes of death the world over. It is fast decimating our population here in Nigeria and in the Niger Delta especially.

That is why in memory of her life and all that she stood for, my family and I, through the Seriake Dickson Foundation, have decided to establish the Goldcoast Dickson Memorial Cancer Centre in Toru-Orua, the community where she spent over 60 years of her life. And in her compound in Angiama which is her paternal home, the family has decided to build a nursery and primary school, as well as a clinic all in her honour. I know that my mother would have loved that. She will be laid to rest in the chapel constructed in her honour as was her wish.

Accordingly, the family will be inviting friends, public - spirited individuals and the public to support the foundation in this regard. I am exceedingly grateful to all the individuals, business leaders and organizations that have directly and indirectly indicated their readiness to partner with us now and in the future.

For as long as we live, we will always miss our mother.

Dearest Mother, Sister, Friend and confidant, rest on the perfect bosom of the Lord. You ran a good race, rest till we meet again.

Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson

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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 ˾ DECEMBER 9, 2018

NEWSXTRA HDP Deplores Buhari for Withholding Assent to Electoral Act Amendments Tobi Soniyi Hope Democratic Party has said that the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the electoral bill intended to aid smooth and credible election in Nigeria portends danger and cast a big pall over the credibility of any election without those commendable reforms.

The party, in a statement signed by My Yusuf Ibrahim, the Director of Publicity for HDP’s presidential candidate Chief Albert Owuru, said Buhari should have signed the amendments to the Electoral Act. The party said: “To do otherwise will amount to arrogating to himself the duty assigned under the law to the judiciary.

It is not his duty to venture into continuous interpreting of any section of the bill duly passed by the National assembly having previously reviewed same.

“His job is to assent to it in the circumstances and under the tensed situation the nation is fac-

ing. Any other scrutiny regarding interpretations of any section of the passed bill once assented to becomes an exclusive preserve of the judiciary.”

HDP said it believed that the president was ill-advised inspite of his good intentions adding that the rule of law required that in matters of law making, after the NASS had passed a bill, any technical or grey area that was not apparently injurious to the nation at large, the assent of the president became a necessity and a patriotic duty to save the nation unnecessary acrimony that might be interpreted for personal reasons. It said: “It becomes the duty of the judiciary whenever such issue arises for adjudication or clarification, to do.

“Our great party has been in the front vanguard in championing of this electoral reforms and had strenuously fought in court on these issues with the National Assembly and INEC and in the matter in which the AGF duly represented the presidency.

Ume-Ezeoke: Buhari Group Consolidating in Six Geopolitical Zones Gboyega Akinsanmi Deputy National Coordinator South, of ‘I Stand With Buhari Movement’ (ISWB), Hon. Chineme Edwin Ume-Ezeoke has disclosed that the movement is consolidating and widening its spread to ensure a landslide victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election in 2019.

Ume-Ezeoke, who expressed optimism regarding the victory of Buhari based on his outstanding performance in the last three years, said Nigerian youths deserve better places in leadership and should be given the right tools to build their capacities so as to contribute to national development.

The former Special Adviser to late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua told journalists that Nigeria is gradually returning to greatness as the current administration has committed itself to deal with those vices that had over time crippled socio-economic advancement of the country.

Speaking on the Movement’s approach to create more awareness across the major zones in the country, he said the strategy is purely

issues-based and devoid of propaganda as the various achievements of the present administration can be felt at all levels.

“Our approach is based on facts and it is important we make the people see the truth that corruption had been the bane of development and this is what Buhari administration prides itself on by courageously fighting the monster. We have to educate our people that there is danger in voting those who do not have the boldness to deliver Nigeria from clutches of bad governance”, he stated.

“The Movement has been in the forefront of grassrootsoriented sensitisation, mobilisation and empowerment of Nigerian youths across all the geo-political zones for greater nation building.

“From inception the vision has always been to stand as a backbone to ensure adequate support for this administration through the propagation of the mission and vision of president Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria by ensuring that everyone remains actively engaged in defending the core ideals of Buharism which includes standing for honour and integrity in all we do.”

Dr. Charles Fadipe for Burial Dec. 12 Founder of Mount Sinai Hospital group, Dr. Charles Babatunde Fadipe, who died on November 7, will be buried on December 12.

According to the order of funeral service, service of songs will take place at his home on Monday, December 10, while a night of tribute and wake keep will hold on Tuesday December 11 at the Lagos City Hall.

A funeral service will hold on Wednesday December 12 at the First Baptist Church

Lagos, while his remains will be interred at the Vaults and Gardens.

This will be followed by a reception at the MUSON Centre.

The late Dr. Fadipe, who was a presidential aspirant on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and chairman of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) in the Third Republic, is survived by his wife, Morayo, chidren and grandchildren.

“This was to ensure that the said electoral reform is entrenched in our body polity as we have made it a pre-condition to participate in future elections that will be devoid of vote stealing, vote buying and swapping of results at coalition canters,

unnecessary intimidation and violent thuggery and use of security loyal to the state to announce false election results.”

The party said that Buhari’s refusal to sign the bill was clearly another pointer to the blurred line between the ruling

All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in their methods and tactics and the reason why Nigerians must reject them and their methods and ways.

It said that both APC and PDP had, both in election preparation

and governance of the country, exhibited crass incompetence and insensitivity in the affairs of the nation.

It therefore warned Nigerians to reject both the APC and the PDP and the new fear of giving in to any one of them.

FOOTPRINTS OF A TITAN...

Chairman, Ocean Marine Solutions, Hosa Okunbo; former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and wife, Cherie, at Omnia Strategy Cocktail Reception at the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair, London...recently

NNPC Justifies Withdrawal of $2.201bn from NLNG Account While explaining the disparity between the N800 billion claimed by the oil marketers and the N348 billion approved by the National Assembly, he said the debt position of all the marketers to the government was considered and agreed upon as at June 30, 2018 and presented to the National Assembly for approval, which after consideration of the debts, approved the sum of N348 billion.

He assured Nigerians that the NNPC was ready to ensure stable supply of petroleum products during the Yuletide and beyond, stating that

presently, the corporation has over 2.8 billion litres of petrol in stock which would last 55 days.

Ikem-Obih further stated that 90,000 metric tonnes of diesel, imported by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and NNPC Retail, would arrive the country in the next couple of days. He said MOMAN, DAPPMAN and IPMAN had assured the government that their facilities would be available throughout the festive period, while all the NNPC depots across the country and its 618 retail outlets would also

be dispensing the products.

In addition to the imported fuel stock, he stated that the country’s refineries would also be contributing to fuel supply, with the Warri Refinery reportedly returning to production last Thursday, while Port Harcourt refinery would soon resume production.

Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer of A.A. Rano Limited, Mr. Aliyu Sa’id, said his company would not be part of any operations shutdown by DAPPMAN and MOMAN. He said the timing was wrong, and oil marketers should not be seen to be sabo-

taging the efforts of government in ensuring stable fuel supply during the Yuletide season and beyond.

In a similar vein, Managing Director of A.Y.M. Shafa, Mr. Ahmad Abdullahi, stated that at this time that the country was going through series of challenges, which included security and financial problems, any plan by the oil marketers to stop operations could make things worse.

Abdullahi urged other oil marketers to support the government and trust its decisions as it concerns settlement of the outstanding claims.

Ortom Proposes N196bn Budget Lagos Laments Govts’ Failure to Prepare Staff for Retirement for 2019 Fiscal Year The Lagos State Government billions into the RSA of retirees.

George Okoh in Makurdi Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom yesterday proposed a budget estimate of N196.5 billon to the State House of Assembly for the 2019 fiscal year.

Ortom, who presented the budget through the Deputy Governor, Mr. Benson Abounu, christened it the Budget of Peace Security and Prosperity, appealing to all stakeholders to join hand together come 2019 to stem the tide of insecurity in the state.

He disclosed that the breakdown shows that N106 bullion “is for recurrent while N90 billion is for Capital expenditure,” adding that N52 billion “is for administrative, N86 billion for economic sector while N52.9 billion is social sector.”

Speaking after the budget presentation, the speaker of the assembly, Hon. Titus Uba

pledged to give the budget estimate a speedy passage while extending the suspension of the three local government council chairmen for another three months each.

Uba read the letter sent to the house by the Secretary to the State Government professor Anthony Ijohor, requesting the assembly to extend their suspension following the inconclusive investigation into financial allegations leveled against them.

The chairmen suspended include, Vandeikya, Dennis Akura, Gwer Vitalis Uar and that of Ogbadibo Local governments James Akula and his deputy Eugenia Ameh.

In another development, the assembly approved the removal of the member of the Judicial Service Commission, Mr. John Ochoga and a member of Local government Service Commission. Mr. Mike Kondoun.

has lamented that many state governments in the federation do not see the need to prepare their employees for retirement.

The Commissioner for Establishments, Training & Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke made the observation at a retreat organised for the state’s trade union leaders held at the Michael Imoudu Institute in Ilorin, Kwara State.

At the retreat, the commissioner said the state government had seen the need to prepare its workforce for retirement by remitting money into officer’s Retirement Savings Account, RSA of retirees.

He said the union members had the advantage of having served an organisation that had made adequate arrangements for their future in retirement.

He added that the state government had paid accrued pension rights running into

Oke stated that when both employee and employer adequately plan for retirement, the transformation becomes far less stressful than it would otherwise have been.

“While many employers of labour and indeed, many state government do not see the need to prepare their employees for a new life, the Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration is a people-oriented one and we have resolved that everyone who has worked diligently for the state has to be recognised, paid his/her dues and assisted to prepare for future challenges.”

Oke said there were challenges inherent in facing a period of retirement, while advising members of the union not to be apprehensive about the challenges, while urging workers to envision a productive future in their retirement years.

THISDAYt SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 2018

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ DECEMBER 9,2018

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CICERO/FORTHERECORD

Ekere’s Vision for Collective Prosperity Here is an abridged version of the manifesto by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Nsima Ekere, titled: ‘Vision for Our Collective Prosperity’

T

he Solemn Assembly, which flagged off our APC’s Governorship and State Assemblies Campaign, yesterday, marked the beginning of our countdown to a New Dawn in Akwa Ibom State. After three and a half years of failed promises, stunted growth and stranded development, Akwa Ibom is about to restart its long walk to greatness.

The ambitious development roadmap of our state, designed by the architect of modern day Akwa Ibom, His Excellency, Arc (Obong) Victor Attah, and built upon by his successor, HE Senator, Godswill Akpabio, has been derailed. It is time to get our State back on track.

Since May 29, 2015, we have witnessed the slow deterioration of our physical, economic and social infrastructure. In spite of our position as the highest producer of oil and gas, with abundant natural, mineral, agricultural and aquaculture resources, Akwa Ibom posts very high levels of poverty and joblessness.

One in two Akwa Ibom persons of working age has no job! We are the State with the second highest unemployment rate in Nigeria. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 1.8 million of the 3.3 million economically active population of Akwa Ibom State is unemployed. That means more than half of our working population is out of work.

Education is no longer a passport to a better life as many of our well trained and skilled people roam the streets unable to find decent work to earn a living. Poverty, joblessness and hopelessness have triggered a wave of violence, restiveness and insecurity across the State.

In Education, the State’s performance in the West Africa School Certificate Examination (WASCE) dropped from No.14 in 2015 to No.17 in 2018, reflecting the impact of poor funding, poor learning environment, poor teacher-student ratio, and lack of the right motivation for teachers.

Our budget for education has been consistently below the UNESCO recommended minimum of 26 per cent. At 1.6 per cent for 2018 and the same level maintained for 2019, we are grossly underfunding the future of our children and grandchildren.

Infant mortality rate in the State is one of the highest in the Country today with 69 deaths per thousand. Our aged ones have not retired well, because they are often owed their gratuities and pension. We cannot continue like this.

Every four years, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria offers us an opportunity to reshape our future by choosing the right political party and candidates to lead, define and direct our growth and prosperity. Since 1999, Akwa Ibom State has placed its faith and trust, in a party, whose faulty leadership recruitment process, especially since 2015 have impoverished us and translated into the sad state of affairs that we experience today.

Moving Akwa Ibom away from today’s pains requires a full embrace of APC’s promise of prosperity and change. As the party’s governorship candidate in the March 2019 elections, my call to serve is founded on the need to offer Akwa Ibom State a new vision for our collective prosperity; one that affords our people a State in which their best dreams are realised and the expectations met; a State rich in opportunities and the resources to exploit them; a State where every citizen will have an inalienable right to a decent living.

I want to serve as your governor, because the good and hardworking people of Akwa Ibom deserve better than they are getting from the current administration. Akwa Ibom deserves the best in Education, Health, Infrastructure, Rural Development, Jobs, Wealth Creation, Security and much more. Our children deserve the right foundation, training and environment to become global champions. Our young ones deserve transformational opportunities to launch unto greatness.

Throughout history, Akwa Ibom has always been a State of big ideas and big dreams. This is the State of Brigadier Udoakagha Jacob Esuene’s Champion Breweries, Mercantile Bank, Manilla Insurance, Investment Trust Company. This is the State of Dr. Clement Isong’s University of Cross River State (now University of Uyo), Sunshine Batteries, Qua Steel Mill and Quality Ceramics; of Obong Victor Attah’s Ring Roads, Akwa Ibom State University of Technology, Ibom Power, L’Meridien Ibom Hotel and Ibom International Airport, which his successor, Chief Godswill Akpabio completed and put to use for the benefit of the State. This is the State of Godswill Akpabio’s Sports stadium, Specialist hospital, a befitting Government House Complex, the e-library, Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, and world-class Infrastructure.

We want to think big and dream big again. We will overhaul the education sector, recreate the economy, expand infrastructure, revive health services and build a society where the poor is well protected. In all of this, my great Party and I will be sincere with and accountable to the Akwa Ibom people.

My administration will have zero tolerance for corruption and we will manage your resources prudently, transparently and efficiently.

Our policies and programmes will aim to create jobs and opportunities, promote private enterprises that will build industries and businesses that transcend the boundaries of our State and Country. On the short term, we will focus on reflating the economy. In addition to our direct job creation initiatives, we shall institute and enforce explicit local content requirements in all government projects and programmes.

above; establish nursing homes in each of the Senatorial districts for the elderly who lack family care; design social protection policy to cover the most vulnerable among our people, including people living with disability, the aged, poor widows, orphans, etc; provide a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme which will cover the very poor among our people who will be identified by the State Social Protection Policy as follows: N5,000.00 to the extremely poor; Poor multiple-birth mothers to receive (one-off) N100,000.00; Orphans to receive N5,000 through foster parents; Poor handicapped persons to receive N5,000, in addition to skill training

Gender, Women, And Children

We will domesticate the National Gender Policy including meeting the 35% target of women and youth participation in governance through affirmative action; mainstream gender equality concerns into all sectors of the economy both in the public and private sector; ensure women are given the political support/ entitlement needed for substantial participation in political and economic processes and put in place, programmes to reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the State.

We will enforce the Child’s Rights Act in Akwa Ibom State and expand the Federal Government free nutritional meals for children in all public primary schools.

Pillar Four: Security

Immediate implementation and disbursement of funds for the proposed unemployment and poverty reduction programmes to address the fundamental causes of insecurity. In our first 100 – 180 days in Office, we will convene a Security Council meeting on the conflict of the border communities. Decisions reached at the meeting would be implemented immediately.

Pillar Five:governance And Institutional Reforms

There is no doubt that both governance deficit and institutional weakness cut across the public and private sectors of the State.

When such lapses become glaring, the State cannot be attractive for any type of investment, development and progress can also be effectively undermined.

Ekere

Overall, our policies and programmes should create 400,000 direct and indirect jobs every year.

The New Vision

The strategic focus of my administration will be to build a better tomorrow filled with opportunities, unity and hope for all Akwa Ibom people. Our policies and programmes will be motivated by the collective aspirations of our people for a rich, prosperous and safe State founded on social justice and equality for all. The new vision for our collective prosperity is anchored on five thematic areas.

We call them the Five Pillars of Change. These are: Economic Prosperity, Infrastructure and Rural Development, Education, Health and Social Protection, Security, Governance and Institutional Reforms.

Pillar One: Economic Prosperity

My topmost priority will be to address the twin challenges of mass unemployment and poverty with massive investment in public works by rebuilding public facilities and expanding the State’s stock of hard infrastructure. Also, we will adopt and implement APC’s very successful conditional cash transfer schemes, empower the youths with training and funding to function as Transformative Entrepreneurs and launch a number of other initiatives to drive growth and create opportunities for all.

Every investment must be employment sensitive.

Pillar Two: Infrastructure And Rural Development

An assessment of all ongoing and abandoned State Government projects will be conducted to determine the extent of government investment in the sector, identify projects that have been abandoned with the aim of completing all ongoing and abandoned projects. New projects award under my administration will be complementary to existing projects to ensure the integration of major towns, villages and local government headquarters to Uyo through our ONE Akwa Ibom initiative, an ambitious programme to link all local government headquarters by dualized motorways.

Pillar Three: Education, Health And Social Protection

Akwa Ibom State was renowned for the quality of its schools, and could boast of having the best teachers. It is a matter for deep regret, that from this glorious past, we have moved down from 14th position in 2015 to 17th in 2018 in the WAEC ranking and to a point where our public education system is in complete shambles.

The entire foundation school system requires a complete overall.

Health

The cornerstone of our administration’s health policy is Health with Hope; a strategy to reverse the indicative negative health indices of the State, restore hope in our people and offer a system that makes deliberate efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of our people.

Social Protection

Our government will establish the State Health Insurance Scheme (SHIS), to adequately address issues pertaining to the availability and accessibility of quality health care in the State; provide free and comprehensive medical care to children below five years of age, and the elderly who are 65 years of age and

Conclusion

Our Five-point ONE Akwa Ibom agenda is both a covenant and a pledge, made before you this day, and before God Almighty, to redress the sad reality of our development challenges and set us all on the path of our collective prosperity.

We live in changing times. The best of yesterday may be grossly inadequate for tomorrow. These times require creative, versatile and transformational leadership, not a transactional one; an innovative thinker to lead the charge into a new phase of growth and prosperity. I am the man you can trust to bring 21st century strategies to address the 21st century challenges that confront our people and State.

The 2019 general election is all about you; it is about the 1.8 million young Akwa Ibom men and women without jobs and the opportunity to earn a decent living. It is about the civil servants and pensioners, who have been denied their legitimate entitlements over the past three and a half years. It is about communities, whose roads have been degraded and they can no longer access their home with ease. It is about handouts on the eve of elections, about teachers, disrespected, despised and denied the reward and recognitions they deserve.

It is about misrule and wrong priorities, it is about arrogance of leadership and democratic intolerance. It is about transparency in governance, about grand lies and deceit. It is about local governments’ councils, the chairmen, councilors and executives, who are forced monthly to sign off their legitimate Federal Allocations, so that the government at the state can spend it on everything except the people and the local governments that own the resource. It is about starving the people and the systems for three years to stockpile the financial armoury to subdue them at election time.

I am stepping into the ring to fight for you, build bridges of hope and opportunities, to unite Akwa Ibom behind a common vision of greatness. I am stepping in to bring real peace and healing to our brothers and sisters in Ika, Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun.

In the past decade, I have served this state in various capacities and I have a track record of working on the side of the people. At my current position as Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Akwa Ibom has remained uppermost in my heart even as I serve the region of nine states.

When I am elected governor, I will give my whole-hearted devotion to the call and responsibilities of office everyday of the four years that your mandate and the tenure allow. My administration will be fully dedicated to the welfare of our people, and will be accountable to only God and the good people of Akwa Ibom State. I will operate an interactive and all-inclusive administration.

As your Governor, I will be your voice and your eyes. I will work and fight for you. I will defend your best interest. I promise to make a positive difference in the lives of our people and with your support I will not fail.

I appeal to all Akwa Ibom people to vote for me. Your thumbprint is the key to the new Akwa Ibom of our dream.

You have within you the voice to speak a new dawn into being for our people. For your Vote is your Voice!

––Ekere is a former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State and until his current aspiration, the Managing Director of the NDDC

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SUNDAYSPORTS

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

Chelsea End City’s Unbeaten Run, Liverpool Go Top

helsea scored in each half to beat Manchester City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge yesterday, inflicting the first defeat of the season on the reigning champions and preventing them from going back to the top of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side had the bulk of possession and chances in the opening period, with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane spurning opportunities, but found themselves a goal down at the break.

In the final minute of the half -- and with their first attempt on target -- Maurizio Sarri’s side took the lead as N’Golo Kante blasted home from Eden Hazard’s pass.

Kyle Walker had a free kick well saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga as City looked for a way back into the game after the break but Chelsea sealed the points after 77 minutes when, from an Eden Hazard corner, David Luiz looped a header beyond Ederson.

The win saw the Londoners bounce back from their midweek defeat at Wolves and move up to third in the table.

Manchester United returned to winning ways as they saw off bottom side Fulham 4-1 at Old Trafford. Diogo Dalot almost set up Romelu Lukaku as United started on the front foot, but they needed only 13 minutes to break through as Marcus Rashford set up Ashley Young to lash home.

Young almost grabbed a second after 25 minutes, but United doubled their lead when Lukaku and Rashford linked to set up Juan Mata before Lukaku tapped in Mata’s cross to all but seal the points before the break.

Ander Herrera should have made it four before he brought down Kamara in the area and the Fulham player converted from the spot.

The Londoners’ brief hopes of getting into the game were snuffed out when Andre Anguissa fouled Rashford to pick up a second booking, and United got a fourth through Rashford after 82 minutes.

Mohamed Salah scored a hat trick as Liverpool eased to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth to return to the top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea.

WAFU U20 Cup: Flying Eagles Tackle Niger Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will today begin their campaign in the WAFU U20 Cup Tournament in Lome, Togo as they square up against the Junior Mena of Niger Republic.

The Nigerien side on Friday shocked the Black Satellites of Ghana 1-0 in the opening match of Group B to send warning signals to seven –time African champions Nigeria.

Hosts Togo head Group A that also has Burkina Faso, Senegal and Mali, but the withdrawal of Benin Republic depleted Nigeria’s Group B. After playing Niger today, the Eagles will have to wait until Wednesday for their next match, which is a potentially –explosive encounter against arch rivals Ghana.

Head Coach Paul Aigbogun said yesterday that the clash with Niger Republic at the Stade Municipal will be approached with all the seriousness it deserves. “The fact that Niger Republic defeated Ghana is a message for us. No team can be under-rated these days. We will take the game as a battle and ensure we come out victorious. The Flying Eagles are seven –time champions of Africa; it is a pedigree that we intend to sustain.�

RESULTS & FIXTURES Bournemouth Arsenal Burnley Cardiff Man United West Ham Chelsea Atl Madrid Valencia Napoli Cagliari

0-4 1-0 1-0 1-0 4-1 3-2 2-0 3–0 1–1 4–0 2–2

Liverpool HuddersďŹ eld Brighton Southampton Fulham Crystal Palace Man City Alaves Sevilla Frosinone Roma

David Luiz (right) celebrates scoring in the 2-0 win over Manchester City yesterday

Salah struck once before half-time and twice after it, with a Steve Cook own goal in between, as Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded the most comfortable of victories.

Salah appeared offside when Asmir Begovic could only block Firmino’s effort from the edge of the box but followed up to fire past the keeper from 10 yards and then doubled the lead after a fine individual run.

Andy Robertson’s cross cannoned in off the unfortunate Cook to make it 3-0 before Salah had the final word with 13 minutes remaining, running in behind Cook and dancing round Begovic before steering a nonchalant finish away from two defenders on the line.

A late goal by Lucas Torreira gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over Huddersfield at the Emirates Stadium. The Terriers frustrated Arsenal in the

opening stages but the home side sparked into life as the game approached the half-hour and were almost rewarded when Alexandre Lacazette fired over after Matteo Guendouzi had created the chance.

Lacazette thought he had opened the scoring shortly before half-time but was flagged offside, and then Jonas Lossl made a stunning save from Torreira as a first half featuring six yellow cards came to an end.

Unai Emery opted to make a double change at half-time, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Lacazette making way for Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and was rewarded when Torreira produced an overhead kick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross to seal the points.

West Ham continued their excellent form with a dramatic 3-2 win over Crystal Palace at

the London Stadium. Palace needed only six minutes to take the lead when James Tomkins guided a free kick into a dangerous area and James McArthur steered home.

West Ham almost levelled when a Lucas Perez shot whizzed just wide, but they could have been two down when Luka Milivojevic hit the bar with a free kick after Andros Townsend was fouled.

Andy Carroll replaced Perez as the Hammers made a half-time change, and the home side levelled through a superb Robert Snodgrass strike from the edge of the box.

They took the lead on the hour when Javier Hernandez reacted fastest to a rebound before Felipe Anderson made it 3-1 -- but Jeffrey Schlupp gave the visitors renewed hope when he struck after 76 minutes.

Lagos All-Sail Championship Set to Light up Waterways Olaseni Durojaiye

The Lagos All-Sail Championship debuting this week is set to up the ante regarding water-based activities in the state, as well as create awareness around the safe and healthy use of the waterways.

The championship will feature four categories of races: King, Queen, Prince and Princess Sea boat races.

According to the organisers, the three-day tournament billed for December 13 through 15 will be a yearly competition with the support of the Nigeria Rowing Canoe and Sailing Federation (NRCSF).

The initiative has also received support from stakeholders in the private and public sectors.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, the initiator of the tournament, Maleek Shehu, said; “For the past two and half years, we have been on the drawing board working on this and having put everything in place, we believe we are set to stage the maiden edition of the tournament that will help to put our waterway to use. “Among other things, we hope to create awareness around the safe and healthy use to which our waterways can be put to. This kind of event will add colour to our waterways and boost tourism in Lagos State. “The maiden edition will have four titles to be competed for with winners emerging in the King of Sea, Queen of Sea, Prince of Sea and Princess of Sea categories. All stakeholders including the marine police, Nigeria Ports Authority among others are involved in the tournament. Also, safety precautions have been put in place to ensure that we compete under a safe atmosphere,�

L-R: Initiator, Lagos All-Sail Championship, Maleek Shehu, and President, Nigeria Rowing Canoe and Sailing Federation (NRCSF), Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (Retd) showcasing the King of the Sea trophy while Ladi Ani-Mumuney (middle) looks on during the unveiling of the Lagos All-sail Championship in Lagos

Shehu said.

In a brief remark at the event, President of NRCSF, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (rtd), said the organisers have the full backing of the federation.

Porbeni said, “We are excited about the initiative that will raise the profile of water sports. When we were contacted, we were so excited with this and we hope and believe this kind of tournament will help to raise home-grown athletes.�

Marine life aficionado and safety consultant to the tournament, Ladi Ani-Mumuney, also stated at the briefing that a championship of

the calibre of the Lagos All-Sail Championship will ignite interest in water sports as well as impact the country economically.

Ani-Mumuney also disclosed that over 300 athletes drawn from riverside communities will compete in the rowing and canoeing event of the competition with the sole aim of helping to discover talents.

Also speaking, Nollywood star, Caroline Hutchins said proceeds from the tournament will be deployed to supporting the less privileged communities in the state particularly in riverine areas of the state with the provision of basic amenities.

Sunday December 9, 2018

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Price: N400

MISSILE

Lamido to APC-led Federal Government “Now in this current political dispensation, if you steal public funds and ‘stash’ them in the bank and you are a member of opposition, they will tell you to come back to APC. They will forgive you, but if you refuse, they will prosecute you.”

– A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, speaking at the inauguration of election committee in Dutse, Jigawa State

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simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Ingredients for a Credible Election

O

n Friday, a little-known civil society group, Zamfara Unity Forum, issued a press statement raising the alarm that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was trying to interfere in the 2019 governorship election in Zamfara state. The allegation is that the anti-graft agency has arrested Mallam Dauda Lawal, the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and kept him incommunicado for over a week. This, the group alleged, was to force Lawal, a former banker, to drop out of the governorship race in favour of an unnamed anointed candidate. Unfortunately, the INEC deadline for substitution of the candidate has passed.

Zamfara presents a unique case in Nigeria.

The incumbent Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, had reportedly wanted his commissioner for finance, Alhaji Mukhtar Idris, to be his successor. However, he could not get his way through. Some of the aspirants reportedly met and decided to endorse Lawal for the governorship ticket following the inability of the party to hold a primary election in the state. Zamfara had been a fierce battleground during the primary, with reports of violence and gunshots rocking the state. Nobody would expect such a virulent contest in a state considered to be one of the poorest in Nigeria. But so it goes.

To make matters worse, INEC is yet to accept the candidature of Lawal. As far as the electoral umpire is concerned, APC did not hold any primary election in Zamfara and can therefore not present a candidate in the March 2, 2019 governorship election.

The APC, on the other hand, says it will field a candidate because its constitution, a copy of which is in INEC’s possession, allows the party to pick its candidate either by a primary election or through the consensus option, depending on the circumstances it finds itself. There seems to be a logjam there.

My opinion is that this would be eventually resolved by a court of law. I won’t worry about that.

What I really worry about is the implication of EFCC arresting Lawal at this point in time. Ever since I read this press statement, issued by one Comrade Usman Bungudu who was described as the convener of the forum, I had been expecting the EFCC to deny it. No such denial is forthcoming. I found this disturbing. The arrest of Lawal, for whatever reason, is ill-timed. Even if the EFCC has any serious case against him — which we do not know yet — it is going to be very difficult for the agency to explain to the public that it had nothing to do with Zamfara politics. The ordinary interpretation would be that EFCC is being used to decimate Lawal.

Why am I worried? As we prepare for the 2019 general election, I would say the greatest challenge ahead is the test of credibility.

Whether or not we like it, the 2015 elections remain among the best we have organised.

It was not as if they were perfect; far from it. The figures still looked incredible in at least six states across the country. There were reports of “communal voting”, underage voting and disenfranchisement in key places.

But, by and large, 2015 represented a step

Buhari

forward rather than backward. And President Goodluck Jonathan put an icing on the cake by conceding while the final result was yet to be officially announced. He also did not challenge the outcome at the tribunal.

We should be making progress from there — by taking several steps forward, by adding what can make the elections more transparent and credible — instead of going backward. The Zamfara case, if true, will represent a step backward. No state institution should be involved in trying to influence the outcome of any election. The police tried to arraign Senator Ademola Adeleke over allegations of examination malpractices before the Osun state governorship election but backtracked at the request of President Muhammadu Buhari. Many Nigerians had accused the police of trying to influence the Osun governorship election in which Adeleke was the main opposition candidate.

As things would later turn out, Adeleke still lost the election and has now been charged to court by the police. Of course, police could, technically, argue that they were doing their job. You cannot, convincingly, argue against that. But it’s not all things that are lawful that are expedient. The moment politics is in the mix, the official argument would only be weakened. If EFCC had arrested and detained Lawal months before the Zamfara primary election, it would have been difficult to build a case of interference against the anti-graft agency. But coming right in the middle of an electioneering process, this move will certainly and justifiably raise dust.

We desperately need credible elections next year. We should not have to be arguing over legitimacy again. It creates moral and political setbacks. We need to focus on the key ingredients for credible elections: absence of violence and corruption; an unbiased electoral body; transparency; and neutrality of state institutions. When there is violence, credibility suffers. When there is inducement of voters, the system is distorted. When the electoral umpire is less than unbiased, the cause of a credible election will not be served. When state institutions, such as the security agencies, perform their duties in a way that influences election outcomes, credibility crumbles.

President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently maintained that he wants us to have credible elections in 2019. He has

said it at every turn. In fact, I have lost count of how many times he has praised Jonathan for conceding the 2015 presidential election. This is what is called legacy. You don’t have to be a fan of Jonathan — but anywhere people discuss 2015 elections today, his name is mentioned in positive light for the way he reacted to his loss.

If I were Buhari, I would do everything possible to create my own legacy so that history would be kind to me too. One legacy is to ensure that state institutions are not working, overtly or covertly, under political influence.

By all means, 2019 must be better than 2015. That is one sure way of evaluating our progress as a democracy. I shivered recently when the chief of army staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai, said the army will replicate its success in the Ekiti and Osun elections in 2019. No, that does not sound right. To start with, APC was vehemently against the deployment of soldiers for election duty when PDP was in power. What changed? Also, statements such as this lead to accusations of partisanship against the military. There were allegations of intimidation of voters by security agencies in Ekiti and Osun and the cases are now before tribunals. The army shouldn’t be talking about “replication”.

INEC, under the scrutiny of Nigeria’s development partners and civil society organisations, has sought to be above the fray. Just as APC subjected INEC to intense pressure ahead of 2015 apparently to exact neutrality from the umpire, PDP seems to be copying the same strategy. No pressure can be too much on INEC because it is the body that can make or mar the elections. The way it handled the Osun governorship election has been criticised by the PDP, which believes it won and has headed for the tribunal to seek justice. We leave that to the judiciary to determine. But INEC must not just be fair, it must be seen to be fair. This is the least expectation of all neutrals.

Above all, Buhari must consciously work for credible elections as part of his legacy. He needs to review his decision to withhold assent to the electoral amendment bill, which many activists think will instil more transparency in the process — especially the aspect on electronic transmission of results from polling units. Enhanced transparency could be a win-win for everybody. Buhari should point out the new provisions he does not agree with in order to reach a compromise with the national assembly. I have not seen any provision that cannot be further amended in the national interest. We must not throw away the baby with the bath water.

Buhari saw himself as a victim of tainted elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011. What reforms has he promoted to make our elections more credible? What would history record against his name in electoral reforms? He needs to sincerely ask himself these questions. Jonathan gave us the popular slogan: “My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

Buhari must give us his own by way of absolute commitment to credible elections.

Also, he must let it be known to the security agencies that their role is to help the process run smoothly and fairly. He must let it be known to the EFCC and other anti-graft bodies that they should not meddle in the elections. Progress.

And Four Other Things…

BOKO HARAM I watched Hon. Sanni Zoro’s address to the house of representatives in which he lamented how unsafe parts of Borno and Yobe states are because of the Boko Haram insurgency. This, apparently, questions claims by the federal government that we are winning the war. However, it is comforting that Zoro went and returned alive, meaning there is still a bit of progress despite the recent setbacks. It is now left for President Buhari to do the needful by carrying out a comprehensive overhaul of his strategy, both military and non-military, so that we can deal a fatal blow on the insurgency. Things certainly have to change, except we want to be living in denial.

Rethink.

AISHA AGAIN Hajia Aisha Buhari has refused to enter a ceasefire agreement with the “two men” she has been fighting since 2015 for allegedly running her husband’s government despite not contributing “anything” to his victory.

Speaking at a summit recently, she relaunched her tirade. “Our votes were 15.4 million in the last elections and after that only for us to be dominated by two people… this is totally unacceptable,” she said. I think she owes us a book on these two mysterious men. If I were Aisha, though, I would be busy promoting Buhari’s re-election bid rather than giving the opposition more ammunition to take him out. Or is it a case of “my way or nothing”? Odd. MBAKA, MBA! I am generally against the involvement of clerics in partisan politics. Jesus Christ himself refused to be drawn into political games throughout his ministry on earth. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of Adoration Ministry Enugu, Nigeria (AMEN), has not only been deeply involved in partisan politics, he has now become brazen with financial demands from politicians. He said Buhari “will go nowhere if he remains ungrateful” to his ministry, apparently because he endorsed Buhari in 2015. He has also said Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate, and Mr. Peter Obi, the running mate, might “end in shame” for failing to make donations at his harvest and bazaar celebration. Embarrassing.

AND FINALLY… The Jubril Movement has sent me cracking since it launched the ultra fake news that President Buhari died in London last year and was surreptitiously replaced by one Jubril Al Sudani. Good effort, especially as I am a lover of humour. But the movement must be alarmed at how they are being taken seriously by respected people.

Bishop David Oyedepo, unable to see the humour in Prof. Olatunji Dare’s satire on the Jubril tale, took to the pulpit to raise the alarm that Nigeria may be up for sale since the government had not refuted Dare’s claim that the country has negotiated, financially, with the Jubril family to keep the “secret” secret. Laughable.

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