SATURDAY 13TH MARCH 2021

Sylva: No Petrol Price Increase Until FG Meets with Labour Minister douses tension, says calculations to arrive at a reasonable price ongoing Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government yesterday strongly pushed back on insinuations that it had increased the pump price of petrol from N162 to N212.61

per litre.

In a statement personally signed by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, the government said it had not given such approval, adding that there was no way

fuel pump price increase could have been effected without the knowledge of either the President, Muhammadu Buhari or the minister.

Describing the information as “misleading”, the

government maintained that it was unthinkable to raise the price of the product when negotiations were going on with organised labour and urged the general public to disregard such reports.

The government apologised to Nigerians for the inconvenience caused by panicbuying motorists embarked upon, and maintained that it would not intentionally deceive Nigerians.

“Irrespective of the source of that information, I want to assure you that it is completely untrue. Neither Mr. President, who is the minister Continued on page 5

Astrazeneca Vaccine Okay, WHO Tells Countries… Page 8 Saturday 13 March, 2021 Vol 26. No 9470

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Security Agents in Manhunt for 39 Abducted Afaka Students Atiku: No resources should be spared to secure abductees US offers to help Nigeria Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna A combined team of security agents are on the trail of bandits that abducted 39

students at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday night.

Army Spokesman, Brigadier-

General Mohammed Yerima, confirmed that a team comprising men of the Army, Air Force, Police and DSS were combing the forest in and around Igabi, in pursuit

of the bandits.

The bandits in large numbers had attacked the institution about 11:30 pm and kidnapped several students and staff.

They broke into the institution by breaching a perimeter fence and encroached about 600 metres to attack the first facility.

The bandits had attempted

abducting over 200 students in the school, but troops of the Nigerian Army were said to have rescued 180 of the Continued on page 5

Hassled Monguno Recants on Missing Arms Money Under Ex-service Chiefs Now says orders are either inadequate or yet to be delivered Presidency: Funds can’t get missing in Buhari's government Charles Ajunwa and Ahamefula Ogbu in Lagos, Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Claims early yesterday by the National Security Adviser to the President, retired Major General Babagana Monguno, that funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-terror war got missing under the leadership of the ex-service chiefs, attracted immediate reprimand from powerful forces in the Presidency, forcing the NSA to recant and amend his assertions.

Also yesterday, the Presidency tacitly confirmed the pressure on Monguno, when President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu appeared on a television

programme in the evening and said funds can’t get missing under the Buhari government and that the NSA was misquoted.

In an interview on BBC Hausa yesterday morning, the NSA, said the new service chiefs had not seen any of the arms said to have been procured by the immediate past service chiefs and that the failure to provide arms to frontline military personnel was a setback to the fight against insecurity in the nation.

Sources told THISDAY last night that Monguno was immediately chastised by forces in the Presidency, who accused him of not considering the implications of his claims Continued on page 5

Pinnick Wins FIFA Council Election... Page 39

OSINBAJO IN SOKOTO...

L – R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar III, during the visit of Osinbajo to Sokoto State ......yesterday godwin omoigui

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T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͹ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹

PAGE FIVE SECURITY AGENTS IN MANHUNT FOR 39 ABDUCTED AFAKA STUDENTS students, during a fierce battle, before they escaped with 39 students.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed that efforts were being sustained by security agencies towards tracking the missing students.

The commissioner said the abducted students include 23 females and 16 males.

In a statement yesterday, the commissioner said: “Further checks in the wake of the attack indicate that 39 students are currently unaccounted. for.”

Aruwan said the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, on receiving a distress call about the attack, alerted the 1 Division Nigerian Army and the Air Training Command of the Nigerian Air Force and they immediately moved to the school to engage the bandits accordingly.

The commissioner said: “Some of the rescued students were injured and presently receiving medical attention at a military facility. Receiving the report, Governor Nasir El-Rufai thanked the troops for their swift response and the rescue of the 180 citizens. He also wished the injured students speedy recovery.

“As at the time of this update, a combined team of Army, Air Force, Police and DSS troops are conducting an operation to track the missing students. Citizens will be updated on emerging developments.”

Troops Foil Kidnap Attempt, Rescue 180 Students in Kaduna Giving an account of the role played in the Afaka abduction, the Army in a statement yesterday said troops

of Quick Response Force of 1 Division, Nigerian Army foiled an attempt by armed bandits to kidnap students of Turkish International Secondary School located in Rigachikun, Kaduna State.

The statement said troops acting on a tip off on the impending abduction of the school children mobilised to protect the school from the bandits.

It said while the troops were securing the secondary school, another distress call came that bandits had stormed the Federal School of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, with the aim of kidnapping the staff and students prompting the troops to swiftly move to Afaka and engage the armed bandits.

"Following the fire-fight, troops were able to rescue 180 persons comprising 132 male students, 40 female students and eight civilian staff," said the statement signed by Army

Spokesman, Brigadier-General Yerima.

It said the rescued students were evacuated to a safe place while the injured were receiving medical attention at a military facility.

Atiku Commiserates with Affected Families Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has commiserated with the families of the abducted female students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Mando in Igabi.

The abduction came barely two weeks after nearly 300 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Niger State regained their freedom from bandits who had abducted them from their school.

Reacting to the trend, Atiku, on his verified Twitter handle, expressed worries about the effect it will have on the

education of the girl child in the North.

“A situation where only girl students—an already vulnerable group that is playing catch-up in the North, is specifically targeted for abduction raises serious concerns,” he said.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the affected students’ families, even as I urge that no resources should be spared to secure their release. The question is: how long shall we continue with this situation?”

US Offers to Help Nigeria The United States Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Michael Gonzales, has said that Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province were not involved in the spate of abductions going on in Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna states, and in other parts of

the North-West.

Although Boko Haram has opportunistically claimed credit for several of these kidnappings in the past, Gonzales said there was no indication that the terrorists were involved in these.

The official, who said the US was disgusted by the abductions of school children, said the US was ready to provide appropriate support to the federal government, if requested to do so, stating that the criminal activity was being carried out by bandits who were motivated by money and other economic considerations.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs said this on Thursday during a telephonic briefing with journalists, attended by the acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism and acting Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, John Godfrey.

HASSLED MONGUNO RECANTS ON MISSING ARMS MONEY UNDER EX-SERVICE CHIEFS on the Buhari government.

The source told THISDAY: “He (Monguno) was told that his claims imply that there is corruption in the Buhari government and he was pressured to go and amend his statements.”

Another source said the immediate past army chief, Tukur Buratai also complained to some powerful forces in the Presidency that the NSA embarrassed the ex-service chiefs, resulting in the rebuke of Monguno.

Apparently under pressure, the NSA had to amend his claims later yesterday in a press statement, saying government had provided sufficient resources for the arms procurement but the orders were either inadequate or yet to be delivered and “that did not imply that the funds were misappropriated under the former service chiefs.”

The statement issued by the NSA office to clarify issues raised in the earlier BBC interview adds: “We would like to state that the NSA was quoted out of context as he did not categorically say that funds meant for arms procurement were missing under the former service chiefs as reported or transcribed by some media outlets from the BBC interview.

“During the interview, the National Security Adviser only reiterated the federal government’s commitment to deal decisively with insecurity and stated President Muhammadu Buhari’s continued commitment to provide all necessary support to the Armed Forces, including the provision of arms and equipment.

"In the interview, the National Security Adviser clearly informed the BBC reporter that Mr President had provided enormous resources for arms procurement, but the orders were either inadequate or yet to be delivered and that did not imply that the funds were misappropriated under the former service chiefs.

“The NSA also informed the reporter that Mr President is following up on the procurement process as is usual with contracts relating to military equipment. In most cases, the process involves manufacturing, due diligence and tedious negotiations that may change delivery dates.

“As the National Security Adviser conveyed during the Aso Villa media briefing, questions relating to defence procurement should be channelled to the Ministry of Defence. All security and

intelligence agencies are working together to bring an end to insecurity with the full support of Mr. President and stakeholders, including the media and civil society, as part of a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to address our security challenges."

The clarification apparently tried to whitewash the NSA’s BBC interview during which he unequivocally stated that some funds meant for the purchase of arms got missing under the leadership of the ex-service chiefs.

Duing the BBC interview, the NSA clearly said: “No one knows what happened to the money but by God’s grace, the president will investigate to find out whether the money was spent and where the arms went.

“It is not that we are not working to end the security challenge in the country. The president has done his own part and allocated huge amount of money to purchase weapons but they are yet to be here. We don’t know where they are.

“I am not saying that the past service chiefs have diverted the money, but presently we don’t know where the money is."

On the possibility of a probe into the disappearance of the

funds, he said: “I am sure the president will investigate this.

As I am talking to you now, even the Nigerian Governors’ Forum has started questioning where the money is. So I assure you that the President is not playing with anything that has to do with the people.

I can’t say the money was stolen but we didn’t see anything and even the new service chiefs said they didn’t see the weapons.

"It is possible the weapons are on their way coming.

Maybe from America, England and other places, but as at now, I didn’t see anything and the service chiefs too didn’t see any weapons too.”

The NSA had earlier said on Thursday at a State House briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja, that the President had released a lot of funds for the military to purchase firepower and win the insurgency fight.

The ex-service chiefs, who retired last January, are Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

President Buhari appointed them in July 2015 but the Commander-In-Chief replaced

them in January 2021 after persistent clamour from Nigerians for fresh blood in the country’s anti-terror war, especially against Boko Haram in Nigeria’s North-East region.

The new service chiefs are General Leo Irabor as Chief of Defence Staff; Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru as Chief of Army Staff; Vice Admiral A.Z Gambo as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Chief Marshal Isiaka Amao as Chief of Air Staff.

The Presidency has said no fund was missing under the watch of the immediate past service chiefs, adding that procurements have been made for military weapons but the arms were yet to be delivered.

According to Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, missing funds can’t happen under the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

Shehu, who spoke yesterday on a television programme was reacting to reports on the NSA’s interview on BBC in which he said funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen the country’s anti-terror war got

missing under the leadership of the ex-service chiefs.

Shehu said the NSA was misquoted, stressing that Monguno did not accuse the ex-service chiefs of misappropriation of funds.

He said: “About the $1 billion taken from the Excess Crude Account with the consent of state governors used for military procurements, I want to assure you that nothing of that money is missing. The reference to it in the interview of the BBC Hausa Service by the National Security Adviser has been misconstrued and mistranslated.

“NSA made two critical points –one is that we don’t have enough weapons, which is a statement of fact; and two, procurements made have not been fully delivered.

At no point did the NSA say that money has been misappropriated and that no arms are seen. They have not been delivered, that is correct; these are things you don’t get off the shelves.

“People are just been political, they want to draw moral equivalent between the PDP and the APC administrations – we are not the same, things like this cannot happen under a Buhari administrations.”

monitoring the situation across retail outlets nationwide,” the agency stated.

Sequel to the statement, it has also pulled down the template for petrol pricing from its website after the uproar and confusion caused by the development.

An analysis of the information further showed that the price of petrol may hit N212.61 per litre any time from now, if the authorities approved the latest price guide set by the agency.

Although the agency said last year that it would no longer be involved in fixing the price of the product since the market had been “deregulated”, it however released a lower band of N209.61 and higher band N212.61 per litre for the month in the latest template.

The pricing template showed the average price per ton of the commodity was about $561.96, or N169.22 per litre, while the average freight rate cost (North-West Europe to West Africa) was about $21.63 per litre or N6.51 per litre.

Also, the agency in the figures released earlier, said

the ex-coastal price was N175.73 per litre, average lightering expenses was fixed at N4.81 per litre while the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) charge was put at N2.49 per litre; In addition, the template revealed that the NIMASA charge is now N0.23 per litre; jetty thruput N1.61 per litre while storage charge is N2.58 per litre and average finance cost of N2.17 per litre, giving an Expected Landing Cost (ELC) of N189.61.

Further analysis put the wholesale margin at N4.03 per litre; administration charge at N1.23 per litre; transporters’ allowance (NTA) was fixed at N3.89 per litre; bridging fund cost was N7.51 per litre and Marine Transport Average (MTA) remained at N0.15 per litre.

With this, the expected ex-depot price for wholesale products marketers would be N206.42 per litre.

Earlier in the month, the NNPC assured Nigerians that there would be no price increase for the product in March until all negotiations with labour were concluded.

Presidency: Funds Can’t Get Missing in Buhari government

SYLVA: NO PETROL PRICE INCREASE UNTIL FG MEETS WITH LABOUR of petroleum resources, nor my humble self who deputises for him as minister of state, has approved that the pump price of petrol should be increased by one naira. I would therefore urge you to disregard this misleading information,” Sylva stated.

According to him, in the past few months, the government has been in consultation with the organised labour to find the least painful option to respond to the global rise in the price of crude, which in turn has inevitably led to increase in the price of petrol.

The minister maintained that it was unthinkable that government would unilaterally abandon the ongoing discussions and act in the manner suggested by the information under reference.

He added: “Cynicism and deceit have never been the trademark of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. I would like to equally assure you that the engagement with organised labour and other stakeholders will continue even as the calculations to arrive at a reasonable price regime are

being done; all in good faith, and you will be availed of the final outcome at the appropriate time.”

The federal government warned marketers against taking advantage of the current confusion to inflict hardship on Nigerians, stressing that it would sanction anyone making such attempt.

“Until then, all marketers are strongly advised to maintain the current pump price of PMS before the emergence of this unfortunate information.

Those who may want to take advantage of this unfortunate misinformation to extort Nigerians should not give in to such temptation as there are regulatory mechanisms that government can enforce to protect its citizens.

“In conclusion, I want to sincerely apologise to all Nigerians for any distress and inconvenience the unfortunate information might have caused,” Sylva noted.

In the same vein, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it was sticking with its statement earlier in the month that there

would be no fuel price increase in March, insisting on its official Twitter handle that “There shall be no increase in ex-depot price of PMS in March.”

Also in an attempt to douse public tension caused by the information it released on its website midnight yesterday, the PPPRA, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Abdulkadir Saidu, said the document did not indicate that petrol price had been increased.

The PPPRA said the “guiding prices” posted on its website were only indicative of current market trends and did not translate to any increase in the pump price of petrol.

It reminded the general public of the introduction of the market-based pricing regime for petrol regulation 2020 as gazetted by the federal government, declaring that based on the regulation, prices are expected to be determined by market realities in line with the dictates of market forces.

Saidu argued that one of the conditions for the implementation of the market-based pricing regime

is the monthly release of the guiding price to reflect current market fundamentals.

He said the data was made public in line with the PPPRA’s mandate to maintain constant surveillance over all key indices relevant to pricing policy and to monitor market trends on a daily basis to determine guiding prices.

“The agency is not unaware of the challenges with the supply of PMS due to some concerns leading NNPC to be the sole importer of PMS. PPPRA is also mindful of the current discussion going on between the government and the organised labour on the deregulation policy.

“While consultation with relevant stakeholders is ongoing, PPPRA does not fix or announce prices and therefore there is no price increase. The current PMS price is being maintained while consultations are being concluded.

“Even though market fundamentals for PMS in the past few months indicated upward price trends, the pump price has remained the same and we are currently

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Supreme Court Upholds Dariye’s 10-Year Sentence Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the conviction of former Plateau State governor, Senator Joshua Dariye on criminal breach of trust and his subsequent sentencing to 14 years imprisonment, although the jail term was reduced from 14 to 10 years by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.

However, the apex court in the same judgment quashed the criminal misappropriation of funds charge in which Dariye was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

The apex court five-man panel while delivering judgment in the appeal filed by the former governor against his conviction and sentencing by both a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Court of Appeal, Abuja, the Supreme Court held that both the lower and trial courts were right in their findings on the criminal breach of trust filed against the ex-governor under Section 3115 of the Penal Code.

In the unanimous judgment which lead decision was delivered by Justice Helen Ogunwumiju however disagreed with the two lower courts on the misappropriation of funds and subsequently quashed or dismissed the charge.

The misappropriation of funds brought against Dariye under Section 309 of the Penal Code carries a maximum of two years imprisonment.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko had in 2018 sentenced the senator to 14 years in the criminal breach of trust, but was reduced to 10 years by the appellate court The appellate court further reduced the two years imprisonment imposed on the former governor in the charges of misappropriation of funds to

one year.

A five-man panel of the Supreme Court, presided over

by Justice Mary Peter Odili, had, after hearing Dariye’s appeal on December 17, 2020, fixed judgment for March 12, 2021.

Dariye had in his appeal, prayed the apex court to upturn the November 16, 2018 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years for diverting public funds estimated at N1.162 billion while he was Governor of Plateau State.

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Stephen Adah, in its decision, upheld an earlier judgment by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), delivered on June 12, 2018 The trial court convicted Dariye on 15 counts relating to the offences of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, contained in the 23-count charge on which he was tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In upholding Dariye’s conviction, the Court of Appeal noted that the prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) effectively proved its allegation of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation against the ex-governor.

The Appeal Court however faulted the trial court for convicting Dariye on counts 12 and 23, which it said the prosecution did not prove.

It also faulted the trial court for imposing the maximum sentences on both offences of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation.

The Appeal Court proceeded to reduce the 14 years sentence for the offence of criminal breach

COVID-19: Enugu Frontline Health Workers Vaccinated The Enugu State Government, yesterday, commenced COVID-19 vaccination in the state, starting with frontline health workers at the ESUT Teaching Hospital Isolation Centre, Parklane, Enugu.

Speaking during the exercise, the Executive Secretary, Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. George Ugwu, stated that the decision to start with frontline health workers was in line with the protocol of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to give priority to those heath personnel working in the isolation centres.

Dr. Ugwu confirmed that the state government received 65,410 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

The Executive Secretary disclosed that his agency was ready for the vaccination and had trained the health personnel that would administer the vaccines, among other preparations. He revealed that over 102 members of the team would handle the exercise in this first phase.

Dr. Ugwu pointed out that the next stage of the vaccination, after the frontline health workers, would be for key stakeholders of political, religious and traditional institutions.

He explained that the first phase of the vaccination was also going to be focusing most on other health workers beyond the frontline health workers because of their vulnerability to diseases in the health establishments where they work.

COVID-19: 399 New Cases Recorded

Nigeria recorded 399 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 160,332 with 144,059 discharged and 2009 deaths.

of trust to 10 years, and reduced the two years sentence for criminal misappropriation to one year.

While arguing the appeal before the Supreme Court

on December 17 last year, Dariye’s lawyer, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN), a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), asked the court to either reverse his

client’s conviction or reduce the 10-year jail term handed him by the Court of Appeal.

Agabi, had after adopting his written argument, prayed the court to allow his client’s

appeal and set aside Dariye’s conviction and sentence.

He argued that Dariye’s conviction was speculative and urged the court to show mercy on him.

TAKING A JAB… : Lagos State Governor and the Incident commander, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu receives COVID-19 Vaccination while the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi (left), watches, at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba... yesterday

Army Chief Admits Nigeria Facing Security Crisis Adedayo Akinwale ÓØ ÌßÔË

With the insecurity woes in the country showing no sign of abating, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has admitted that the country was in crisis.

Attahiru who was represented by the Commandant of Army War College, Major-Gen. Charles Ofoche, stated this yesterday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating procurement of arms and ammunition used in prosecuting the war against insurgents and other security challenges in the last 10 years.

The Ad hoc Committee was constituted following a motion on the floor of the House on the need to review the purchase, use and control of arms, ammunition and

related hardware by military, paramilitary and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

Ofoche stated: “The country is embroiled in a lot of crisis…

We are at your service, we are here to serve you as a people, to serve all Nigerians and we cannot pretend that we do not know there is crisis all over the country.

“The Chief of Army Staff cannot afford to be at every location at the same time. He is on the way trying to get to know his men, he took over barely a week ago, he is going around trying to get first-hand information as to the capability of the fighting force he is leading.”

Earlier, the members of the committee were furious that the COAS did not honour the committee’s invitation but only

sent representatives.

Speaking, a member of the committee, Hon. Kabiru Idris, said it was important for both sides that the committee was set up.

According to him, “from our side as legislators, it is for us to investigate basically what we are here for today and based on the Public Procurement Act, when we are talking process or Procurement Act, we are talking about the accounting officer.

“If you look at Section 21 of the Act as amended, it is clearly spelt out that the person in question or the person who was invited to appear before us is the COAS who is the accounting officer of that organisation and we expect a written a document like you just mentioned because the chairman sent a letter signed,” Idris said.

He added that for any reason that the COAS may not be able to appear before the committee, Section 21 of Public Procurement Act stipulates that a written communication should be made to the chairman, and in which there was none.

On his part, on. Ibrahim AlMustapha, said the accounting officer of the Army should have appeared before the committee to give his account as far as the communications made to him was concerned.

He noted: “For the chairman and Secretariat, there is no communication before us that the COAS is having another schedule that may not allow him to be physically present here. That is a contravention to Section 88, Section 89 subsection 1, and of course section one of the Armed Forces Act 1994.

Jarigbe Accuses N’Assembly Staff of Stalling his Swearing in Udora Orizu ÓØ ÌßÔË A member of the House of Representatives representing Ogoja/Yala federal constituency and senator-elect for Cross River north senatorial zone, Hon. Agom Jarigbe has alleged that some National Assembly staff hid his file from getting to Senate President Ahmed Lawan thereby delaying his swearing in for over two weeks.

Recall that the Supreme Court had on February 25,

2021 sacked Senator Stephen Odey and declared Jarigbe as the authentic senator-elect for Cross River north.

Despite being sacked by the apex court, Odey has been attending plenary and sponsoring motions on the floor of the senate.

But speaking to journalists in Abuja, Jarigbe lamented that some unscrupulous administrative staff in the parliament decided to sit on his case file to forestall his being sworn in.

He said the file only got to the table of the Senate President on Wednesday after the intervention of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Arc. Amos Ojo. Jarigbe described the action of his opponent, Odey attending plenary as illegal despite being sacked by the court.

The lawmaker explained that he has a certificate of return, which has been issued to him a long time ago based on the Appeal Court, which actually

invalidates his certificate of return and that has been transmitted to the National Assembly.

Jarigbe while expressing optimism that he will be sworn in by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, however said if he’s not sworn in immediately because of certain bureaucratic protocols that have to be followed, the man who is attending plenary illegally, Stephen Odey should be stopped from desecrating the parliament.

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NEWS COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu Receives First Vaccine in Lagos Segun James Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi were among the first persons to take the Coronavirus vaccine at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) Yaba, Lagos yesterday.

They were vaccinated with AstraZeneca vaccine thereby kicking off the rollout programme.

The state was supplied the vaccines serum by the federal government on Tuesday.

Speaking after the injection, Governor Sanwo-Olu corroborated the World Health Organisation (WHO), testifying to the safety of the vaccine. He said L-R: Executive Director, Standup for Women Society, Mr. Oladimeji Olatunbosun, Guest Speaker, Mr. Zubairu Atta-Jide,National President SWS, Mr. there was no reason for anyone to Deborah Ijadele- Adetona, and National Patron, SWS, Alh. Umar Sani, during the National Inauguration for Standup for Women Society, Theme: Achieving a better future for Nigerian women in Abuja ....Recenty photoo

panic over the desirability of the inoculant, while urging frontline workers enrolled in priority list to take shots of the vaccine within stipulated period.

He said: “I have just received Bennett Oghifo there have been over 268 million happen, or whether the vaccine could have been caused by a shot of AstraZeneca vaccine doses of vaccine delivered since is responsible,” adding that “a the vaccine. and I don’t feel awkward. This The World Health Organisation the start of the pandemic. causal relationship has not been Denmark was first to suspend falls in line with what the WHO (WHO) yesterday advised coun“Based on data reported – shown.” administering the AstraZeneca has been saying about the safety tries to continue administering that’s data reported to WHO She said the risk assessment vaccine, for two weeks, after a of the vaccine. I commend all the AstraZeneca vaccine, stating by national governments – no committee of the European Union 60-year-old woman who had our numerous health workers that it was safe and effective. causes of death have been found medical agencies’, Pharma- been inoculated had blood clot for their sacrifice. The IDH The global health organisa- or been caused by COVID-19 covigilance, had vouched for and died. is still the epicentre of our tion’s advice is in response to vaccines to date.” the efficacy of the AstraZeneca The suspension, the Danish COVID-19 response; that the suspension of the vaccine’s She said the claim about the vaccine, saying that its “benefits government said, “follows reports is why I came here for the use by 10 European countries, AstraZeneca vaccine was being outweigh the risks.” of serious cases of blood clots vaccination. following claims of blood clot investigated by the organisation’s “We have also started adminMeanwhile, some European among people vaccinated with associated with its use. independent expert global countries, including Denmark, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vac- istering the vaccine to our health However, the spokesperson advisory board, SAGE, and Norway, Iceland, Austria, cine,” adding “it has not been workers, who are part of the of WHO, Dr. Margaret Harris, that its report would be made Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, determined, at the time being, frontline workers we identified said in a virtual press conference public, but that countries should Luxembourg, Italy and that there is a link between the in the rollout programme. All yesterday that they were aware not stop its inoculation.

Thailand have suspended the vaccine and the blood clots.” of “blood clot concerns linked to She said blood clotting epi- use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, The World Health Organisation a specific batch of AstraZeneca/ sodes were “common occurrence while investigating suspicion that approved the AstraZeneca/ Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.” in people, so, it’s not clear if this incidences of blood clot in some Oxford vaccine, on February Harris said, “As of 9 March, is something that is going to patients that were inoculated 15, this year.

ALL FOR WOMEN…

AstraZenecaVaccine Okay, Says World Health Organisation

other frontline workers in other hospitals are also receiving the vaccine and they should continue with the process, as we roll out our strategy on how people need to be vaccinated.”

Sanwo-Olu urged the public to refrain from churning out unsubstantiated information about the vaccine, asking residents to allow the science lead the nation out of the pandemic.

The governor said he was optimistic that the nation would be out of this pandemic if the vaccine rollout programme went as planned.

The vaccination programme started across three centres – IDH, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta.

In the coming days, the rollout programme will also take place simultaneously at other 85 designated locations within Lagos for frontline workers captured in the first phase, who include medical workers, policemen, military officers, laboratory scientists, port health workers, judicial officers and rapid response teams.

Earlier in a briefing, Prof.

Abayomi said the Federal and the State Governments had inspected data associated with vaccinations around the world, including the clinical trials of all COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that they were safe for use in the country after approval by WHO. He stressed that the risk of not receiving the vaccine was higher than the chance of taking ill from COVID-19.

Telcos May Withdraw Banks’ USSD Service over N42bn Debt

EFCC Arrests 57 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Ogun Kingsley Nwezeh ÓØ ÌßÔË The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan Zonal Office yesterday arrested 57 suspected internet fraudsters at their hotel hideouts and recovered two pump action rifles.

An EFCC statement said the suspects were arrested in Yewa Frontier Hotel & Resort, Ellysam Hotel & Suits, April Suits and IBD International Hotels, all in Ilaro, Ogun State. It said the operation followed actionable

intelligence linking them to alleged fraudulent activities, ranging from love scam on numerous dating sites, obtaining money by false pretenses and other cybercrimes.

Four exotic cars, mobile phones, laptops, two rifles and several incriminating documents were recovered from the suspects.

The suspects include Olatunji Opeyemi, Akintunde Michael Oluwashola, Babatunde Gbolahan, Emmanuel Oluwadamliare, Ogundare Adewunmi, Popoola

Politicians Working to Turn Nigeria to Failed State, Says PFN President Kemi Olaitan ÓØ ÌËÎËØ The President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has raised the alarm that politicians in the country were working to turn Nigeria to a failed state, through their actions, noting that political offices should be avenues to serve the people.

Oke who was recently elected PFN President gave the warning while addressing a press conference held at the permanent site of the Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan.

He appealed to politicians across all the political parties to use their positions to move the country forward and see the forthcoming 2023 general

elections as a call to duty, noting that jostling for elective positions was nothing but a call to duty to rescue Nigeria from downfall.

The cleric stated further that the political leaders had failed Nigerians with the myriad of challenges such as banditry, kidnapping, unemployment and insecurity that the country was battling with, maintaining that if not for God’s intervention, Nigeria would have been a failed state before the 2015 elections.

Oke, however, advised that politicians should strive to ensure that the 2015 prediction of the United States of America (USA) that the country will break did not come to pass, stating that history will not be kind to them if this should happen.

Salmon, Adebayo Toheed Olamilekan, Bakare Kudus, Michael Moyosoro and Olatunji Tosin.

Others are Ishola Wasiu, Ugwu Ekenedelichukwu David, Salaudeen Roqueb, Obafunmilayo David, Jimoh Fatai Abiodun, Idowu Adeola, Oladipupo Nurudeen, Olasoju Mohammed, Onipede Toheed, Bello Abdullahi and Olatunji Abiola.

The commission listed others to include Ogunbayo Peter, Adeyemi Abraham

Ismail, Toheed Oluwaseun, Abiola Mutiu, Shoneye Idowu, Badmus Farouk Kayode, Ilyas Abubakri Olanrewaju, Oladeji Basit Babatunde and Ijiola Soliu Adewole.

Others are Odewunmi Samuel Pelumi, Oyeniyi Telslim Olashile, Shogbamu Olatunbosun Lukeman, Adebanji Timilehin Michael, Bangbose Jonathan Olakunle, Ashore Damilare Godwin, Bello Tobiloba Abdullahi, Ogundeji Babaji Ibrahim, Bashir Ayodeji Toheed.

Labour Threatens to Frustrate Establishment of Planned NG Eagle Chinedu Eze

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has threatened to frustrate the establishment of a new airline, NG Eagle by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) because the airline is billed to rise on the ashes of Arik Air. In a letter signed by the General Secretary of NUATE, Ocheme Aba, the union said that it would not allow the airline to be established unless AMCON resolved Arik Air workers plight.

There has been protracted clamour by labour for the payment of Arik Air workers who have been laid off by the airline’s management

and others still working in the company whose emoluments have not been paid.

The union said presently AMCON has already moved some personnel of Arik Air to NG Eagle while being loudly silent on the service records of such personnel in Arik Air and wondered what would happen to the previous years of service, “or how assured is the security of such service in their new assignments? Or, shall such service be in vain?”

NUATE alleged that AMCON wanted to surreptitiously disown its liabilities in Arik Air, especially the airline’s obligations to its workforce, to start a fresh airline where it hoped to recoup its investment and debts.

Emma Okonji Telecoms operators (Telcos) under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of Network Operators, Infrastructure Companies and Value Added Services (VAS) providers, have threatened to withdraw the Unstructured Supplementary Service (USSD) it offers banks and other Financial Service Providers (FSP) over accumulated debt that is over N42 billion.

In a statement issued yesterday

by ALTON and signed by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo and its Head of Operations, Gbolahan Awonuga, the association said it would withdraw the USSD service from Monday March 15, 2021, and advised bank customers to use alternative channels for their financial transactions as from Monday.

The USSD is a software code developed by telecoms operators, which allows bank customers to carry out financial transactions like money transfer, without internet data and internet connectivity.

According to the statement, “In order to accelerate the adoption of financial services on USSD, the Financial Service Providers (FSPs) partnered with Telcos to zero-rate the USSD access to end-users, while they bore the cost for the provision of service. Based on the arrangement, the banks took on the responsibility of billing customers and paid our members for use of the USSD infrastructure from the service fees deducted from the customer’s bank account.

“Following the issuance of the USSD pricing determination by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which resulted in a price review of USSD service by our members, the banks decided that they would no longer pay for USSD service delivered to their customers and requested our members to charge customers directly for use of the USSD channel.

“This billing methodology where the Financial Service Providers customer is directly charged USSD access fees by our members irrespective of the service charges that the bank may subsequently apply to the customers’ bank account is called “End-User Billing” which the banks specifically demanded that all our members implement.

The banks, however, provided no assurances to our members that such service fees charged to customers’ bank accounts for access to bank services through the USSD channel would be discontinued post implementation of end-user billing by our members.

“The removal of these service fees by the Financial Service Providers (FSPs) would have meant that if bank customers were charged only the USSD costs communicated by our members per USSD session, bank customers will be paying far less than what they are currently being charged by the Financial Service Providers (FSPs) which in some instances are as high as N50. Additionally the banks and Telcos will be applauded for collaborating towards the financial inclusion objectives of the Federal Government.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

08054699539

Memo to New Service Chiefs on Boko Haram

I

was on the frontline of the campaign for the removal of the languid service chiefs that worked for President Muhammadu Buhari for almost six years. Olonishakin, Buratai et al failed woefully to get the desired result against Boko Haram. It’s a shame that the terrorists became emboldened under their watch and seized numerous Nigerian territories in Borno State. Besides, while their reign lasted, soldiers on the war front were poorly motivated and ill equipped. Also, the Commander-in-Chief did not help matters with his slipshod approach to the battle. Many expect a change with the arrival of General Lucky Irabor as the new Chief of Defence Staff; Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru as Chief of Army Staff and Air Chief Marshal Isiaka Amao as Chief of Air Staff. In fact, nine days ago, Irabor confidently told Nigerians that this country would experience peace again. I have reservations about two of these new guys, particularly in terms of competence. I clearly stated this back in January. Notwithstanding, I am hoping for the best for this country.

Nigeria desperately needs peace.

Today, I will narrow down to the war with Boko Haram. My dear service chiefs, I am not sorry to say that the peace promised might not be actualised in the North-east without a radical change in tactics and manpower of this battle against Boko Haram. I have not seen anything different in the approach to this war since you all resumed as service chiefs 45 days ago. You can’t be doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result. Well, our gallant soldiers are doing their best but lack the capabilities to end the war.

We must hire the best brains from anywhere in the world to assist our military to end this war. The ultimate aim is to decapitate Boko Haram.

The strategy for getting result against Boko Haram is largely through aerial power.

Modern technology for intelligence gathering and attacks, quality equipment and quality manpower will be needed. It also requires quality fighter jets and quality armoured attack helicopters. Our gallant military lacks the competence and equipment for these things. So, our service chiefs must pressure the President to approve the engagement of Israeli or Russian military contractors to assist Nigeria finish this war. This is the only way forward if our new service chiefs are truly interested in peace in the North-east. Of course, you all remember that the Americans shot down the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, from afar. They did not fly to Libya to do this. This is what is called modern warfare with precise drone attacks. We are in an era of fighting with drones. This is the edge foreign military contractors will give our gallant soldiers in the war against

Irabor

Boko Haram. The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, who is now leading the deceit that the Nigerian military has the firepower and expertise to defeat Boko Haram without the services of mercenaries, should please shut up. Nigerians are weary of this deceit after almost 11 years.

As service chiefs, you all must committedly address the problem of low morale in the military. Our gallant soldiers are struggling to be at their best. Videos of our soldiers lamenting about lack of basic things on the war front abound. Many have overstayed on the war front. This is one of the reasons they are losing grounds to Boko Haram. Many have been needlessly killed by the terrorists.

This list of needless deaths is very long. I will never forget how our gallant soldiers were ambushed by Boko Haram in Gorgi, Borno State, March 2020, and scores killed.

Unofficial sources said the figure could be above 70. The terrorists targeted a truck loaded with soldiers, unleashed RPGs and incinerated the vehicle, killing all on board.

Commanders who complain about the poor working condition of our troops are usually dealt a solid blow by Buratai and the other service chiefs. That was what happened to the former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. General Olusegun Adeniyi. A video, in which Adeniyi was seen complaining about a lack of military equipment to combat Boko Haram went viral. He also complained that insurgents were outgunning troops, noting that intelligence failure was responsible for an attack by insurgents that claimed dozens of soldiers. You all have to committedly address these problems. The good thing is that Irabor and Attahiru have

been at the war zone too. Service chiefs must genuinely tackle the challenges of our gallant soldiers and truly lead from the front.

The biggest drawback to the war against Boko Haram is the persistent lies that the terrorists have been defeated. While previous service chiefs continued with this unending lies, Boko Haram became the deadliest terror group in the world, with thousands of Nigerians killed in the last five and half years. Guzamala Local Government Area in Borno State remains one of the strongholds of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

As I pen this piece, the terrorists roam freely in this LG, while virtually all the natives have deserted the place. In all the 10 local government areas that form the Northern Borno Senatorial District, none is completely free of Boko Haram. This is why over two million IDPs can’t return home. Instead of facing this fact and mapping out strategies to end the dominance of Boko Haram in many parts of Borno State, those who should do the needful went about telling lies that no Nigerian territory was under the control of Boko Haram. It was so disgraceful. I sincerely hope that the new service chiefs will end the lies about territories not controlled by Boko Haram, face the realities in the North-east and fashion out pragmatic strategies to end control of territories by the terrorists.

There is also the issue of “Operation Safe Corridor” launched in 2016 by Buratai et al, to de-radicalise, rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-Boko Haram fighters into the society. This is one policy that has emboldened these outlaws. They know that if captured, rather than pay the price for terrorism, they will be rehabilitated and given money. This nonsense must be stopped by the new service chiefs.

Captured Boko Haram fighters must face the full weight of the law for their atrocities.

Hundreds of captured Boko Haram fighters have completed the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme, yet, terrorism across the North-east persists.

Many of the so-called repentant fighters have rejoined Boko Haram.

That was why Ali Ndume, the senator representing Borno South, said the exinsurgents would never repent. He added: “This government’s programme is unacceptable to our people. The right thing is to stop it, forthwith. They are like Kharajites - a notorious killer group in ancient Arabia. Many among those released have since ran away.

They will never repent. The government should know what to do about them, but not re-introducing someone to you, who has killed your parent, or your relations.”

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State also recently raised the alarm that some of the so-called repentant terrorists who passed through the Operation Safe Corridor programme had rejoined Boko Haram

Minimum Wage Has No Business on Exclusive List

Wabba

Surely, the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress does not want this country to make progress, with its ill-advised protest against moves by the National Assembly to remove Minimum Wage from Exclusive to the Concurrent legislative list. The nationwide protest last Wednesday against the proposed amendment of the Constitution was selfish, preposterous, unfeeling and shows lack of understanding of the challenges of this country. In countries where true federalism is practiced, there is always a federal and a state minimum wage.

For example, in the United States, there is a federal minimum wage that has been $7.25 per hour since July 2009. In the component states, California and Massachusetts have $14 per hour and $13.50 per hour minimum wage, respectively. As of January 2020, there were 29 states and D.C with a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage. What this means is that in a truly federal system, the minimum wage should be set by a range of federal, state and local laws. This is what is in practice in the US, where federal government and component units have separate minimum wage. They

all pay according to their ability.

Generally, employers in the US pay workers the minimum wage prescribed by a range of federal, state or local laws.

The NLC must get this right. This is what is called a federal system. Nigeria cannot be an exception. Minimum Wage must be rightfully removed from the Exclusive list in the Nigerian Constitution for this country to make progress on the labour field.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, and his selfish members should stop dragging this country behind. All these threats of strike if the National Assembly does the needful on this issue must stop. Removing the Minimum Wage from the Exclusive legislative list is clearly not an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s working class as claimed by the NLC. As things stand in this country, so many states don’t even pay the so-called National Minimum Wage. I can’t understand how the NLC expects a state like Lagos to pay the same minimum wage with Kwara. The National Assembly must not be deterred in its noble quest to amend the Constitution and shift Minimum wage to the Concurrent legislative list.

after carefully studying the various security arrangements in their host communities during the reintegration process. He also faulted the delay in the prosecution of captured terrorists.

The new service chiefs must ensure that captured Boko Haram fighters and their sponsors are severely punished to serve as deterrent to others. Those captured on the field must be immediately neutralised. This is the only way to send a strong message to the terrorists that the Nigerian military is determined to end their madness.

CBN and Access to Export Proceeds

Emefiele

I am still struggling to understand the socalled gains that will accrue to Nigeria with the N5 for $1 promotion introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for money received

by Nigerians through international money transfers. During the two-month promotion, the CBN shall through commercial banks, pay to remittance recipients the incentive of N5 for every $1 remitted by a sender and collected by the designated beneficiary. The CBN said this step would encourage forex inflow into the economy and ease the current liquidity challenges in the country’s forex market.

Yes, it may improve forex inflow, but it will only ease liquidity in the parallel market. The recipients will obviously sell their Dollars to Bureau de Change operators because of the huge gap between the official and parallel market rates.

The forex inflow will also not impact on our critical external reserves because the Dollars will go straight to the recipients and they will sell in the parallel market. The banks will only keep their little commissions.

For me, one area the CBN needs to quickly address, if it is genuinely interested in improved forex inflow, is to allow exporters unencumbered access to their export proceeds.

The useless practice of imposing NAFEX rate on export proceeds should be discontinued in the spirit of the current move to provide an inducement for forex inflow. A lot of forex diversions take place because of this restriction.

Of course, this is because of the huge gap between official and parallel market rates. I believe FDIs and FPIs should also be allowed greater flexibility in the conversion rates of their inflows. A mixture of these supply-side tactics would have a significant effect on forex reserves and forex liquidity. Naira exchange rate will also benefit significantly.

Of course, those running the show at the CBN will argue that most exporters must comply with restrictions on their forex inflow because they also enjoy official rate for their imported components; that FDI and FPI also get official rate for their outflows. Then, the next decent thing to do should be to cremate Nigeria’s multiple forex rates. Let’s end the folly. The CBN and banks should start selling forex at prevailing market rates.

It’s also a way to end all the abuses associated with Nigeria’s forex business. This is the way forward for this country.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

NEWS Osinbajo Calls on Political, Ethnic FCE CCTV System was for Security Reasons, Says Provost Leaders to Unify Nigerians Deji Elumoye in Abuja Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on Nigeria’s political and ethno-religious leaders to do educate the public about the need to live together to ensure unity in the communities.

Osinbajo who made the call yesterday while delivering the convocation lecture of the Sokoto State University, said work must be done in the continuous pursuit of Nigeria’s unity to ensure justice, equity and fairness for all segments of society.

According to him, citizens

Funmi Ogundare

must not overlook any fears or allegations of marginalisation or discrimination on account of religion or ethnicity.

He appealed to citizens to consider the importance of national unity, stressing that the country was more than a sum of its many parts and its diversity is a value-add for the nation.

The VP said the country’s diversity if properly harnessed could ensure lasting prosperity for all.

His words: ‘’Unity is not just a slogan or even merely a good

idea. It has manifest expression in our communities where Nigerians from diverse backgrounds are commingling, trading, partnering, inter-marrying and blending in various ways. ‘’We live in a complex web of multi-layered social, cultural, economic and political synergies playing out in every sector of our individual and national lives.

This is why we must understand that even though managing diversity can be politically and administratively onerous, diversity itself is an economic strength and harnessing it

properly is hugely rewarding.’’

On the way forward, Osinbajo noted that it is essential for to establish a culture of tolerance, open-mindedness and acceptance of people of all cultures and creeds. ‘’There is a Nigerianness that binds us all, there is a shared commitment – no matter how suppressed – to build a better Nigeria for ourselves and future generations. It is who we are, it is in our very beings, that love of country, that aspiration to do better,’’ the VP said.

The management of Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, has said the installation of CCTV system in the college was done purely for security reasons.

The Provost, Dr. Wahab Ademola Azeez who briefed journalists yesterday, while reacting to a story published by this paper on March 6, titled, ‘Female Students Protest Installation of CCTV Cameras in Hostels’, said installation of CCTV system, was however yet to be completed, not active and no student privacy could have been breached by the system.

According to the report, a protest had broken out in the early hours of March 5, after the School’s Dean of Students, Wahab Azeez, was alleged to have entered the hostel at midnight, to chase students out, over some behaviour he couldn’t condone which he saw via the cameras.

It states that CCTV camera was alleged to have been installed almost everywhere in the female hostel thereby denying them of personal

privacy.

The provost expressed concern about the damaging report saying that it was true that some students demonstrated on the morning of March 5, 2021 basically to protest the ejection of some illegal female student occupants from the Independence Hall and not because of what was reported.

“This reportage was not true at all. The purported installation of cameras is still ongoing in the public spaces in the college and not only in the female hostel in other to deny our cherished female students their personal privacy,” Azeez said.

He asked how on earth would the management and lecturers saddled with the responsibility of overseeing young men and women turn around and be watching their nakedness saying, “ we are teachers of teachers and provide teaching and learning and mould characters ; and we would not allow any criminal and indecent behaviour among the management o΀cers, academic and non-reacting staͿ and students,” the provost stressed.

Court Orders Wabba, NEC, NWC to Comply with Restraining Order Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

WE CELEBRATE YOU… L-R: Founder of Doyin Group, Mr. Samuel Adedoyin; former High Commissioner of Nigeria in the United Kingdom (UK), Hon. Justice Adesola Oguntade; the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos, Aglican Communion, Rt. Revd Dr. Humphey Bamisebi Olumakaiye; and Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Gibralter Constructions Nigeria, Chief Olu Okeowo, during the Holy Communion Thanksgiving Service to celebrate the 81st Birthday of Justice Oguntade and his successful completion as High Commissioner of Nigeria in United Kingdom in Lagos on Wednesday Abiodun Ajala

Tambuwal: Governors Support Financial Poverty, Leadership Failure Fuelling Autonomy for State Legislature, Judiciary Insecurity in Nigeria, Says Obi Deji Elumoye in Abuja instruction of Mr. President and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has disclosed that the governors of the 36 states in the country were in total support of Ànancial autonomy for the legislative and judicial arms at the state level.

Tambuwal, who spoke with newsmen at the State House in Abuja yesterday, at the end of a closed-door meeting with the Chief of StaͿ to the President, Prof.

Ibrahim Gambari, also hinted that modalities for the implementation of the Ànancial autonomy would be sorted out next Thursday by the state governors.

The Sokoto State governor, who was in the company of his Plateau State counterpart, Simon Lalong and Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle explained that their meeting with the CoS was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.

His words: “We are here to meet the Chief of StaͿ on the

you can see that the leadership of the Speakers Conference of the States of the Federation is here ably led by the Chairman.

“It’s all about Order 10 which has to do with the independence, Ànancial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary at the state level.

“So it’s a continuous meeting and we are going to meet next week Thursday when we hope to Ànalise on the framework and modalities of implementing the autonomy of the state legislature and the judiciary.”

The governors had before now been accused of frustrating eͿorts to grant Ànancial autonomy to state legislators and state judiciary, but Governor Tambuwal explained that the governors were in support of Ànancial autonomy for the state lawmakers and that there was no impediment towards the implementation of the President’s Executive Order.

Charles Ajunwa

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that the high level of poverty in Nigeria coupled with failure of leadership, had continued to encourage insecurity in different parts of the country.

Obi, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, expressed hope that if the government could sincerely put measures in place to lift Nigerians out of poverty, by supporting small scale businesses and creating jobs for the youth, security challenges in the country would reduce automatically.

He said people, especially youths, would easily take to crime when they were living in poverty, unemployed and did not know where their next meal was coming from.

“But the situation can be turned around with good economic policies that will strengthen the private sector,

support business growth and generate employment,” he said.

Obi also lamented what he described as government’s insincere approach in the fight against terrorism. He alleged that the government indirectly encouraged banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other serious security concerns in the country, by having roundtable meetings with the criminals.

“When the government begins to call bandits and kidnappers to a meeting, then the end to insecurity is probably not in sight.

When people are financially rewarded by the government, and handsomely too, for criminal activities, what makes you think others will not join the business,” Obi noted.

The former governor of Anambra State advocated for establishment of security architecture in all levels of government, down to the community level.

O.B Lulu-Briggs Documentary to be Unveiled Today In continuation of the Ànal obsequies of the Late High Chief (Dr.) O.B Lulu-Briggs, Daris Tele Limited, an Abuja based Public Relations Firm in association with Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs (Head of the Young Briggs house of

Abonnema, Rivers State) will be launching ‘An Outstanding Legacy’ documentary today during the Ànal burial ceremony of the Late High Chief in his hometown Abonnema, AkokuToru Local Government Area,

Rivers State.

This documentary unlike numerous materials that speak of the man is poised to hear of his greatness from the mirror which various individuals saw him.

This highly anticipated docu-

mentary housed in an innovative digital video brochure captures the life, entrepreneurship, politics, philanthropy, impact and legacy of Late Chief Olu Benson LuluBriggs and features tributes from all over the world.

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba and the National Executive Council (NEC) have been ordered by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria(NICN), Owerri to comply with the order restraining them from removing the state chairman of Abia NLC. The presiding judge, Justice I.S. Galadima gave the order in a motion ex-parte brought by Comrade Obigwe seeking an interim injunction against his removal from o΀ce.

Counsel to the claimant, Ukpai Ukairo in moving the motion ex-parte sought an order of interim injunction pending the determination of the motion on notice suspending the implementation of the February 18, 2021 letter appointing Eze

Idima to replace Obigwe.

The presiding judge held that the application “is meritorious” and granted it with an order that “the interim order shall be duly complied with until same is varied or vacated by any subsequent orders of this same court”.

The interim order also applies to as well as the Central Working Committee (CWC) of NLC and the members of the National Administrative Council (NAC) of NLC as well.as the NLC general.secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja.

The case was adjourned to April 21, 2021 for hearing of the pending motion on notice.

Abia State Council of NLC was plunged into leadership crisis following the move by the national leadership to remove the state chairman on the grounds that he “deceived” delegates to renew his mandate.

Malami Seeks Greater Support in Return of Nigeria’s Stolen Assets Alex Enumah in Abuja Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) is calling for greater support in facilitating the recovery of Nigeria’s stolen assets abroad just as he disclosed that the government was working assiduously to narrow the gap between conÀscated assets abroad and the actual assets returned to the country.

Malami particularly urged for international cooperation in facilitating Mutual Legal Assistance for tracing, freezing, seizing, conÀscating and return to Nigeria proceeds of corruption stashed abroad.

Malami made the call while virtually delivering Nigeria’s country statement at the 14th United Nations Crime Congress held in Kyoto from 7 to 12 March 2021.

The minister according to a statement by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, said there was the need for the international community to demonstrate political will in removing all barriers and obstacles to the full implementation of the provisions of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) particularly Article 51 on Asset Recovery and Return, including cases that make use of settlements or other non-trial resolutions.

SATURDAY MARCH 13, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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MARCH 13, 2020 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

POLITICISATION OF COVID-19 VACCINES Gbajabiamila’s timely warning on the vaccines is in order, writes Bade Omolade

F

or fifth columnists, nothing is too sacred to be trivialized on the altar of politics and other selfish interests. The greatest asset of man, Life, is not spared by agents of disinformation and destabilization.

The Coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the entire mankind for the better parts of 2020 and still wreaking havoc opened the floodgates of conspiracy theories that are largely mischievous or borne out of sincere ignorance.

Religious pundits spin viral theory of powerful individuals in the world wanting to control the human race through emplacement of chips, humans to control them and manipulate them at will. They tagged it, ‘digital identity’. A popular televangelist with a staggering global followerships postulated that the experimentation and deployment of 5G network technology triggered the plague. He created a classical case of contradictory paradox. The cleric that launched the assault on technology essentially depends on the internet and broadcast technology for mass reach.

On the political turf, Governor of Kogi State, Yahya Bello and Ben Ayade of Cross River State were also vocally downplaying the scourge and living in self-denial. The former even got hysterical when he chased out officials of the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) insisting against all scientific facts that there was no single case of COVID-19 in Kogi that is bordered by many states.

So, the patriotic call by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila warning against attempts to infuse dirty politics into the rollout of vaccines for Nigerians was apt and highly commendable. Those who sneered and doubted the existence of COVID-19 despite hundreds of painful deaths globally are also on overdrive to dissuade and misinform Nigerians on vaccines.

Yahya Bello is a lead culprit in this case. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should act fast before the Kogi governor drowns the ship of the federal government. Last June, he was reported to have said, “Nothing kills faster than fear. COVID-19 is only out to create fear, panic, pandemic. It is a disease created to shorten the lifespan of the people. It is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept.

In Kogi, we say we have no COVID-19, and actually we have no COVID-19”. Then last week on Channels Television interview, he punctured the mobilization drive of the Nigeria government for vaccination. He said, “COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State.

We have more pertinent issues and more pertinent matters that we are attending to in Kogi State. Insecurity we met, we’ve tackled it and several others. We met disunity on ground and we have united Kogi State today not COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating or handling in Kogi State; there have been outbreaks of Lassa fever and Yellow fever and those were handled without making noise about it.

“The last Yellow fever (outbreak), we vaccinated our people against it, we encouraged them, we educated them and they felt the impact…

If the federal government is gracious enough and give us COVID-19 vaccines, we will equally sensitise our people, people who wish to

THOSE WHO SNEERED AND DOUBTED THE EXISTENCE OF COVID-19 DESPITE HUNDREDS OF PAINFUL DEATHS GLOBALLY ARE ALSO ON OVERDRIVE TO DISSUADE AND MISINFORM NIGERIANS ON VACCINES

come and take can come and take but I am not going to subject the people of Kogi State to vaccines or vaccination and I will not make them the guinea pigs.

“Mr President is the leader of this country. I respect him so high; all of us respect him. We love him and he is leading by example. If he needs to take the vaccine and he takes it, it is a welcome development.

“As far as I am concerned, I don’t need to take the vaccine. There is nothing wrong with me, I am hale and hearty. I am 100 percent healthy…I won’t take any vaccine.”

It is disturbing that a man appointed as Chairman, APC Youths, Women and PLWDS Mobilisation Committee for the membership drive campaign could be openly undermining the government his party produced without sanctions. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum too appears impotent in wielding the big stick.

I Hope the deep moral suasion of Gbajabiamila will rein in doubting Thomases in Yahya Bello’s mold. In his heartfelt appeal, the Speaker said, “This is the time for us to rally behind the government. Like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has said, the virus knows no creed, knows no religion, knows no ethnicity, knows no sex and knows no age.

“So, it is important for all of us to come together as a country to fight the pandemic. As I have often said, we are actually in a war, but in a war with an unseen enemy. Therefore, when a country goes to war, you go as one. I want to implore the journalists and implore all Nigerians, therefore, not to give in to conspiracy theories because we will hear them.

“We must not play politics with vaccines; we must not play politics with the health of our neighbour; we must be on the same page whilst we also correct and do what you need to do in terms of your role in checking the government and holding their feet to the fire.”

The galvanization of Nigerian public by Gbajabiamila for the vaccines is the latest in the series of his interventions, advocacy and support since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The speaker stood firm and ensured that frontline health workers who are combating the plague got their entitlements. He put the Health Minister on the spot for the sake of Nigerian doctors and other health workers.

To ensure full compliance with the sit-at-home order during the lockdown, Gbajabiamila pushed for two-months free electricity for Nigerians as a form of relief to the poor masses. He argued that succour must be provided at all costs for millions grappling with socio-economic needs which were further worsened by the pandemic.

Gbajabiamila was not paying lip service to health workers’ welfare and improved health infrastructure; he started the charity at home in his Surulere Constituency. He visited health facilities in the area and provided medical supplies and supported health workers.

Nigeria needs more of Gbajabiamila and less of Yahya Bello as leaders.

Omolade wrote from Abeokuta

SAVING NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES

Hauwa Mohammed Sani writes that Nigerian languages deserve to be given equal opportunity with English

T

here is a growing trend in Nigeria whereby people shift from using their native language to using English, widely perceived as the language of power, global access and unlimited opportunities. The consequence of this relegation of African mother tongues under the guise of globalisation is that several indigenous thoughts and practices that could be beneficial to both the local and global communities and humanities are looked down upon and jettisoned unwittingly in favour of foreign ways.

Scholars such as Professor Adegbite attuned to this fact.

Many Western educated Nigerians are not favourably disposed to their mother tongue (henceforth MT) to the extent that they are not literate in it, nor do they use it with their children at home. In addition, the recognition given to English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba in the Nigerian Constitution creates the impression that other languages have little or no significant role to play in nation-building. Notwithstanding this selective recognition given to the three Nigerian indigenous languages (henceforth NIL), their use for formal functions even in their domains has been on the decline for decades. Indeed, all the three so-called major NIL can be more accurately described as minority languages because they have been effectively eclipsed

by English under the guise of globalisation, which Professor Munzali Jibril describes as: the domination of the world system by the West, led by the United States of America, in a unipolar world where there is no other rival power to challenge its hegemony. One of the strongest manifestations of globalisation is the Internet, which is mainly English-mediated and English dominated. Part of the explanation for the gradual shift towards English in Africa and elsewhere is to be found in its prestige as the globalising language.

The founding fathers of the Nigerian nation found it expedient to make English the nation’s official language on its attainment of independence in 1960. It was equally expedient to adopt English as the language of education from the second half of primary education up to tertiary level in view of the wealth of materials and experts in the language.

Not only has English consolidated its position as Nigeria’s language of governance at the federal and state levels, it has hitherto taken over the traditional roles assigned to the Nigerian indigenous languages in early primary education, local government administration and many homes. The official endorsement of terms such as ‘major’ and ‘minor’ languages by the Nigerian authorities too often creates the unwholesome impression that some indigenous languages are superior to others. This explains why many Nigerians, especially the educated elite, go the extra mile to expose their children to English, which is seen as the language of class and opportunity, as their home language instead of their mother tongue.

The English tsunami has resulted in a growing tendency by the Nigerian elite class to nurture their children as subordinate or incipient bilinguals (with greater ‘mastery’ of English and poor mastery of their MT) instead of bringing them up as coordinate bilinguals (with good mastery of both their MT and English). Consequently, the English language is fast assuming the status of MT or First Language (L1) for many Nigerians, albeit a tiny minority, who are eminently positioned for global visibility and national leadership. English is effectively taking over the traditional roles of Nigerian MTs as the language of early education, the home, social events, and informal leisure and recreational activities. The language has already encroached into these domains and it is steadily entrenching itself in areas where indigenous languages used to hold sway. The following are some observed practices in contemporary Nigeria: The use of English for formal, semiformal and informal occasions by officials at the three tiers of government in Nigeria (local, state and federal).

Non-development of effective reading and writing skills in NIL by most educated citizens.

The displacement of the MT or NIL by English as the medium of instruction in pre-school and the first three years of primary education in Nigerian nursery and primary schools, which is a complete departure from global best practices.

The institutionalisation of English as the language of opportunity and access to white/blue collar jobs.

The relegation of NIL (including Nigerian Pidgin) as the language of artisans, unskilled labour and other categories of have-nots in the society.

The overwhelming use of English by the Nigerian mass media (however, this trend is gradually being reversed with the increased use of NIL (including Nigerian Pidgin) by radio stations across the country).

The rise in the use of English instead of NIL during formal occasions by perceived custodians of culture exemplified by local council chairpersons and secretaries, chiefs, emirs, obis and obas.

The near exclusive use of English for Internet surfing, social networking, leisure reading and writing and other socio-cultural activities engaged in by the new generation of Nigerians.

The practice of looking down on one’s mother tongue is contrary to what obtains in developed countries where influential world languages exemplified by English, Spanish and French are treated like capital; hence they are treasured, preserved, developed, disseminated abroad and guarded jealously. The observed trend is that the English language is effectively eclipsing and minoritising indigenous Nigerian languages in their own domains. Humanity scholars like Adegbite, Ogunsiji and Taiwo observed that apart from developing their native languages for personal, local and national uses and harnessing their originality and inherent creative potentials, developed countries have utilised enormous resources to promote their languages across the world for dominant purposes. In contrast, the people of the less developed nations have jettisoned their native languages in favour of foreign ones for personal, social and national communication and are negotiating the world through the borrowed lenses of the borrowed languages. As they fail to cultivate and use their languages purposefully, the languages suffer from attrition and die with all the original values, beliefs and creative resources that

should have benefitted the owners and the world.

The above observations resonate with the challenge to decolonise and de-Europeanise the minds of Nigerians. For the past four or more decades, many Nigerian linguists and educators have argued on the benefits of using indigenous languages for education and governance.

Nigeria needs a systematic language policy to effectively arrest the underuse of NIL in education and governance. The legislative houses at the three levels of government in the country should be mandated to institute laws compelling the use of indigenous languages in specified areas of public life. Instituting and enforcing a vibrant all-inclusive national language policy will not only save Nigerian indigenous languages from endangerment and extinction, but it will rescue them from the mortuary of irrelevance and the mass grave of globalisation.

An educational system that is not Nigeria-centred is not helpful to Nigeria as a developing nation.

While it is desirable that Nigerian education be globally relevant, it should not be anchored on a language that alienates its citizens from their linguistic and cultural heritage. This is because the ultimate products of a foreign language education are better equipped more for global than national relevance. English language education makes it easy for the very best of Nigerian scientists, doctors and engineers to disappear in droves to English speaking countries exemplified by Australia, Canada, UK and USA in spite of their home country’s dire need for their intellectual input for its national development.

The story of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and several other Asian Commonwealth countries is different because their citizens receive basic education in their native language. Consequently, they are able to retain most of their best brains in their countries to settle down to proffer solutions to the challenges confronting their countries.

Dr Sani is of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

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MARCH 13, 2020 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

Yet another abduction...

In Praise of Rochas Okorocha

F

or every public office holder or politician especially one who has occupied a high office as governor or president, there comes a time when his record of achievements or lack of it will be chronicled for posterity. In the case of the former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, time has come to reflect on his numerous achievements while in office for eight years.

As someone with a burning desire to contribute to the development of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha on assumption of office intervened in the plight of Imo state pensioners who were being owed their retirement benefits and pensions for several years. This intervention led to the payment of all outstanding pensions, and this gesture was a big relief to many families who hitherto were living from hand to mouth.

Under Okorocha’s leadership Imo state witnessed the provision of numerous developmental projects, and these are visible and verifiable across the length and breadth of the state. For example, not many people know that his administration built 1000 kilometres of rural roads and 600 kilometres of urban roads in Imo State. In the area of urban renewal the administration also created 29 new layouts in the Owerri capital, and constructed all the roads in the new Owerri. Also to facilitate integrated development of the state, his administration connected the capital city of Owerri to other parts of the state like Naze, Nwaoriubi, among others.

What about the 27 hospitals that were constructed in each of the 27 local governments areas of Imo State or the over 10 higher institutions he established, among which are the Marine University at Ossemotor in Oguta local government area, University of Agriculture and Environmental Services, Ohaji Egbema College of Education, School of Nursing Umuawo, Police College Ogboko, College of Education Ihette Uboma, Imo State Polytechnic Ehime Mbano, Young Scientists College Egbu and other educational institutions?

While on the saddle as governor of Imo State, Okorocha ensured that peace prevailed in the state, and this was made possible based on the fairness, equity and justice policy which he adopted in the art of governance. His humanness and humility were also very visible in the administration and this helped in fostering peace and progress of Imo State.

It is pertinent to note that I have listed just a fraction of his numerous achievements as governor. Lest we forget, it was under his administration that free education up to university level was declared in Imo State and this policy enabled many indigent students to have access to the Golden Fleece.

For the avoidance of doubt, the primary objective of pouring encomiums on the former governor of Imo State or indeed any deserving public official or politician is to raise the bar in service and leadership of people. This will also encourage would-be leaders to realise that leadership should centre on service to the people, and not for selfaggrandizement or enrichment.

There is no doubt that under his watch Imo State was transformed and witnessed accelerated infrastructural

development, human capital development and economic revival, hence the high in-flow of investments in the state.

Apart from his achievements as a governor, Rochas has been involved in several humanitarian and philanthropic activities across the country, and most notable are the educational institutions he built in Kano, Jos, Ibadan, Owerri, Sokoto, Zaria and all the students (past and present) have been enjoying free education under his charity organisation, Rochas Foundation. It is remarkable that his good gestures are usually extended to Christians and Muslims, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and indeed all the ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Rochas Foundation has been involved in these philanthropic activities over the last 20 five years, and these altruistic disposition is the hallmark of true leadership and service to the people.

Over the years Nigerians have been desiring for selfless and patriotic leaders who will preside over their affairs with fear of God, and Rochas has demonstrated in clear terms that his involvement in partisan politics is meant to render selfless service to the people and his years in Imo state as governor have been justified and a pointer to his potential at the national level.

Therefore for present, future or aspiring leaders there is need to put the people first, and imbibe the leadership values that will inspire the people positively, transform society and change people’s lives for the better.

Chukwudi Enekwechi, JP, Abuja

How Abdallah Adamu Transformed NOUN

I

will begin by thanking Almighty God for allowing us to witness the successful five-year tenure by our father, mentor and a professor of two disciplines, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu. Professor Adamu was appointed Vice-Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in February 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari for statutory five-year tenure.

It was really great to have an academic amazon from Daneji Quarters in the ancient city of Kano as vice-chancellor of a University like NOUN with over 5,000 students. Upon his appointment, Prof Adamu realised that the university itself was considered more of a regional than a national institution. His first move was to nationalise it by ensuring that all the six principal officers of the university come from the six geo-political zones of the country. This is the only University with this administrative structure. He relocated the headquarters of the university from Lagos to Abuja. He also built numerous study centres across Nigeria, especially in the Northern part of the country.

Prof. Adamu re-built the university’s FM station in Lagos to broadcast programmes like any T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R other FM EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE station in DEPUTY EDITOR FESTUS AKANBI the country.

MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO Before DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI becomEDITOR 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 DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

ing the VC, all students’ books and materials were produced from outside the university, which cost a large amount of money. Consequently, he set up the University Printing press to cut cost. He has improved the school’s internet system so that students can read and undertake researches on various disciplines with relative ease. During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, NOUN was the only university conducting online Pen-on-Paper examination using artificial Intelligence software that detects cheating. The students did the examinations at home without going to any study center.

Professor Adamu found a mosque at the university’s headquarters in Abuja already built by the contractors building the university. To show his liberal attitude, when the Christian community asked for a place of worship, he allocated lands to the Protestant and Catholics for them to build their churches. Thus, one of his greatest efforts was to unite the staff of the university by working together without any discrimination based on race, religion or ethnicity.

The immediate past VC also collaborated with other major universities in the world to improve the academic system at NOUN. Adamu built a media centre for the university at its Jabi headquarters in Abuja. He encouraged politicians to use their constituency projects to build the centres.

Hassan Auwalu Muhammad, Dept of mass communication, Bayero University, Kano

Same but Different

P

residents Obama, Bush, Carter and Clinton, all urge American citizens to get a COVID vaccination. Ex-President Trump claims that it was all because of him that there is a vaccine but doesn’t make any mention of the need to get the vaccine.

If you have two well respected Presidents from the Democrat side and two from the Republican side united in spreading one message then it is best to ignore the ex-president who seems to be more interested in his own false legacy.

Listen to the wise men.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

NEWS

‘Decentralisation of Minimum Wage Not in Contravention of ILO's Convention’ Adedayo Akinwale ÓØ ÌßÔË The Director General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has said that moving the minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list was not in contravention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention as claimed by leadership of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

The labour movement had on Wednesday during its one-day nationwide protest argued that the National Minimum Wage

as embedded in the constitution was an internationally recognised standard which had the endorsement of the United Nations, through its agency, International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The labour union also said that the planned decentralisation of the minimum wage structure was a declaration of war on the Nigerian workers.

But Lukman in a statement issued yesterday said the earlier the NLC leadership retraced its steps and return to the path of truth and democratic engagement to win the support

of Nigerians, including elected representatives, the better.

He stressed that political bullying was antithetical to democracy and was counterproductive to the struggles for a decent wage.

Lukman stated: "While it is true that ILO Convention No. 30 of 1928 Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Recommendation provides the guiding principles for the determination of minimum wages in all countries, nowhere was it stipulated that the process should be the exclusive preserve of federal authorities. Anyone interested

can confirm the details "If anything, the Convention allows for flexibility for each country to apply the guiding principles to its circumstances through consultative processes that take into consideration all the interests in the country’s labour market."

The director general stressed that nowhere in the Convention was it provided that minimum wage-fixing was the exclusive responsibility of federal authorities. Lukman added: "It is important that all these distortions are corrected.

Our democracy must be

Making Women, Children Victims of Violence Appalling, Says Farida Waziri Bennett Oghifo FormerchairmanoftheEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri, has described as appalling the rate at which criminal elements specifically target women and children as victims of their evil ventures .

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, stated this in a statement released inAbuja to commemorate the International Women’s Day. She stated that women and

children are exceptions in situationsofviolenceincivilisedclimes and wondered why insurgents, banditsandkidnappersinNigeria continue to feast on the most vulnerable and innocent in the society as their soft targets.

According to her, “it is against human feelings and nature to continue to make our women and little children targets of kidnapping, rape and other forms of violence in this age and time.

This shows the bestial nature of thesecriminalelementsandIfind their modus operandi appalling.

All over the world, women and children are often protected by parties in situations of violence; unfortunately, in Nigeria, they are the targets and the worst hit.”

She said Nigerians of old are lovers of women and children, wonderinghowthecountrylostits cherished values to criminalities.

“In years past, these things were strangetoourpeoplebutit’sshocking they are now becoming the new norm and no effort must be sparedtoreversetheuglytrend,” she stated.

“Let me seize theopportunity

Boat Operator Wants Lagos to Build Infrastructure around Waterways Justina Uzo As the traffic situation in Lagos metropolis continues to escalate, the President of Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Mr. Gani Balogun, said what Lagos State Government was doing was good, so far and that the Apapa gridlock was not beyond solution.

Asked 'What do you think about the Lagos traffic situation in general?' He said the question was, “How can boat operators in Lagos reduce the pressure on road?'

Balogunwhoisalsoknownas

Tarzan said all hope was not lost if the Lagos State Government provide basic infrastructure for water transport businesses to thrive.

He said an investment in the waterways would mean people could move from one end of Lagos to another and cut off heavy traffic. It will not only boost revenue to government, it will also bring commuters closer to their destinations, reducing travel time.

He said: "A boat can bring passengers from Lagos Island to Isolo within 40 minutes whereas it can take you three hours to go there by road."

Speaking at Tarzan Beach-

houseatthesereneIbesheResort, Lagos, Balogun told a women's group who visited the resort that cruising was gaining popularity becauseitis"fasterandsaferaswe are operating in full compliance of the COVID-19 guidelines."

According to him, "Lagos was surrounded by water, you can go nearly everywhere in Lagos by waterways. Boat can get to many areas. Boat can go to Ikorodu, Agege, Epe, Badagry everywhere. But you need to do dredging to make the water accessible." The problem boat operators are having, he said, waslackofenablingenvironment especially dearth of fuel station on the waterways.

AAAN Appoints Fabusoro as Director The Association of Advertising AgenciesofNigeria(AAAN)has appointed a new director to take on the affairs of the association.

The new director, Kemi Fabusoro, resumed as the head of the AAAN secretariat on Monday, March 8, 2021.

According to President of the Association, Mr. Steve Babaeko, the appointment of Mrs. Kemi Fabusoro is a milestone for the Association as she is the first female director since the inceptionoftheassociation.Hefurther noted that her appointment is transformational for the associationasitputsintoperspectivethe association’s effort in advancing gender balance in the leadership of AAAN. Kemi is a goal-oriented Senior Management Executive with measurabletrackrecordinBrand Management, Marketing and MediaStrategy,DigitalExcellence

and Team Capability building.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from University of Lagos and a Post Graduate Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Digital MarketingInstitute,UK.Shealso has an Executive Education in Marketing Strategy at Harvard Business School, USA. She’s a CertificateMarketerbyCIMand a registered APCON member.

She started her career at HuntersAdvertising Limited in 2004 whereshewasresponsibleforthe launch and market penetration of a lot of electronics brands such as Akira, Sharp & Novartis etc.

Afterwards, she joined Insight Communications as a Senior Executive and rose to the post full manager, before she joined MediareachastheHeadofMedia Strategy and Planning, working on various FMCG clients.

Kemi has also worked with

Fabusoro Cadbury Nigeria in different capacity from heading Marketing Communications, Media and Agency Relations as well as Brand Management across WestAfrica. She was responsible for driving the brands to success which earned her a number of awards and recognition within Nigeria,Europe,MiddleEastand Africa. Kemi is married with children.

of the International Women’s Day to appeal to the authorities to devote more resources to the ongoing efforts to wean our youths and others from illicit drugs which have been altering their human nature and turning them to elements below animal cadre.“Nigeriamustbemadesafe for our women and children to growandflourish.Opportunities mustbemadeabundantforthem tofulfiltheirdreamswithoutany hindrance.Thisishowoursociety can develop like other great nations of the world”, she added.

insulated from distortions and falsehood. The struggles of Nigerian workers for a just

and better Nigeria should not be oriented based on falsehood and distortions."

Pine Empress Launches Visionary Employee Programme Mary Nnah Born out of an urgent need to bridge the gap between a rapidly evolving world and its human drivers, Pine Empress Limited has launched The Visionary Employee Programme - a bespoke coaching mastermind and training solution for employees.

The programme was curated with consideration for the unique needs of career professionals, government parastatals, MSMEs and SMEs, customer service executives and multinational organisations.

Speaking about the Programme, Trainer and Employee Communication Coach,Adesewa Greg-Ighodaro who is the CEO of Pine Empress Limited noted that The Visionary Employee Programme was signature framework for both employers who were willing to invest in their workforce because they understand that their employees are literally the life-wire of their businesses, and employees who are ready to take personal responsibility for their growth and development so as to be progressive and relevant in the work space.

“As the world is advancing,

employees who are the human capital of any business must also upskill in order for them to remain relevant and efficient at work or else, they will become redundant,” she said. According to her, “the world we now live in is different.

We are no more in those days where employees can afford to delegate the responsibility for their development solely on the employer. The visionary employee is one who takes the bull by the horn and invests resources into becoming the employee every employer wants on their team.

CHANGE OF NAME

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

EVENTS

O

n Friday March 5th, 2021, dignitaries from all walks of life gathered at the Egbe Central Mosque for 8th Days Fidau Prayer for the Chief lmam of Egbe Central Mosque in Egbe Kingdom Muslim Community, Sheikh lmam Daniyal Olusola Adisa who died on February 25th, 2021 at the ripe age of 81. Survived by wives, children and grandchildren, shortly after the prayers, a befiting reception was organised to celebrate the life and time of this great man who served God and humanity till the end. Here are some of dignitaries who graced the occasion.

Elegbe of Egbe Kingdom, Oba Ashimiyu Dada Ota

L-R: Deputy Imam, Egbe Central Mosque, Alhaji Waheed Olayiwola, Chairman, Ibeji Foundation, Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti and Alhaji Zhakaria Mikhail Omotesho

L-R: Incoming Chief Imam, Egbe Central Mosque, Alhaji Lukman Adisa, his deputy, Alhaji Waheed Olayiwola and Elegbe of Egbe Kingdom, Oba Ashimiyu Dada Ota

L-R: Visiting Imam, Sheikh Shuaib Makanjuola, Chairman Ibeji Foundation, Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti and Elegbe of Egbe Kingdom, Oba Ashimiyu Dada Ota

L-R: Sheikh Ali Ajiyobiojo, Sheikh Ibrahim Kalil, Sheikh Shuaib Makanjuola and a Cleric

L-R: Alhaji Lukman Olanrewaju, Osasi Abdulganiy Ashiru, Sheikh Ridwan Hassan and Imam Daud Alomimata

Cross Section of Alasalatu Women Group with Alhaja Risikat Yusuf (inset)

Titled Chiefs of Egbe Kingdom and Alhaji Lateef Lasis (Tayese of Egbe Kingdom, extreme right)

L-R: President, AHOSA, Mr. Rafiu Williams and Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

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SHOWBIZFLAIR

Niniola

Niniola’s in Her 6th Heaven

Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports that Queen of Afro-house music, Niniola Apata (Niniola) in her classic new five track EP ‘6th Heaven’ takes herself back into RnB realm

N

igerian vocalist, singer and performer, Niniola has released a new body of work titled “6th Heaven”. The 5-tracks body of work is an R&B project with cool and melodic tune. With this new EP, the Afrohouse Queen restates her vocal prowess and versatility as she goes back into RnB, waxing out songs like ‘The One’, ‘Baby’, ‘Ryde’ and the title track - a song dripping with sexual innuendos and intense sensuality.

The 6th Heaven, which was released early hours of Friday 5th March 2021, showcases Niniola’s originality and leads with her recent single, ‘Promise’.

The video of ‘Promise’ was warmly received by fans with praiseworthy comments for the Maradona crooner. The EP, which is the singer’s third studio work, follows her 2020 Colors and Sounds album on which she featured South African singer, Busiswa and American Producer, Timbaland.

Unlike Colors and Sounds, 6th Heaven features Niniola alone. On the heels of her last studio project, her editors, while describing her music style, said: “From Afro-house to Afro-

fusion, Amapiano and R&B, Niniola can do it all. The Nigerian singer deftly navigates a spectrum of sounds, her distinctive vocals bending and soaring equally over house samples and Afrobeats.”

A product of Nigerian talent shows, Niniola always excelled due to her high-caliber vocals.

In those days, she sang a lot of Ballads, classic soul records and R&B. Niniola heavily leaning on her vocal strength is the highlight of this EP. All songs were written and performed by Niniola who also executively produces alongside Michael Ndika. Instructively, Niniola’s producers impressively leaned on sounds from recognizable instruments. “Sometimes, it felt like elements of funk were slowed down for this EP,” a critic observed. Producers who worked on the EP include DJ Rombee, Yung Willis, and Kimzbeat, while mixing and mastering credits go to Synx.

The observation followed that “Nonetheless, 6th Heaven is a wringing simulation of ‘90’s R&B from Niniola’s perspective about love, her meticulous description of sex, struggles in love and her knack for testing the limits of her incredibly dense vocal range with vocal exertions. She always says, ‘I love to sing…’ and this

EP proves that… once again.”

Niniola takes herself back into that RnB realm.

While younger R&B lovers can relate to Niniola’s quest to be taken to the ‘6th Heaven’ of ecstatic love-Àlled sex and her assured declarations on ‘The One,’ a lot of older folks will also enjoy the classic R&B sound on 6th Heaven. The best vocal performance (female) awardee at the just concluded 14th Headies Awards, in 2017 had carved a niche for herself in the music industry through massive singles like ‘Maradona’ and ‘Bana’ on her debut standout album, “This Is Me”.

Her lyrics are lewdly coded if you listen to her exploiting the Yoruba language to sing. She subtly admits the Yoruba language makes her song’s delivery beautiful. The singer, who is widely known for singing erotic songs, revealed in a recent chat that her lyrics are often time X-rated because of the liberation she got from her family. “It’s because of the liberation that I have. First of all, I am from a polygamous family and I’m Yoruba and there’s nothing like one person is more superior to the other,” she said. “Everyone is equal. So that freedom to be who you want to be started from my family, my immediate family.”

Niniola

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

17

Ferdinand Ekechukwu 08035011394 Email: ferdi_adthisday@yahoo.com

SHOWBIZFLAIR

La Femme Anjola Gets Release Date With a nationwide release date for March 19, long-awaited psychological thriller, ‘La Femme Anjola’ offers something different, special as it set for opening in theatres and also on digital platforms. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

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ighly anticipated Nollywood movie “La Femme Anjola” was screened to a select members of the press at the Ebony Place last Thursday. An exclusive premiere is scheduled for Sunday March 14 preceding the cinema release date for Friday March 19. The buzzy psychological thriller is the latest oͿering of TheAudrey Silva Company (TASC), a production outÀt jointly owned by Mildred Okwo and superstar actress, Rita Dominic.

The combination of the skills of Okwo and Dominic and the screenplay by Tunde Babalola makestheupcomingneo-noirmovieamustwatch at the cinemas and other streaming platforms.

This production appears several notch higher than her other Àlms and gives Okwo every reason to be excited about it. The movie has the classic elements of Àlm noir but with an African twist.

It tells the story of a young stockbroker named Dejare (Nonso Bassey) whose life is turned upside down when he falls head over heels for an unusual lady named Anjola (Rita Dominic) married to a seemingly wealthy gangster.

ConÀrming previous disclosures about her mental state while on the set for LFA, Dominic said she was momentarily in a “dark place” after having to embody the main character for months during the shoot. “For me, I like a character that scares me and she did that when I read the script. I connected with it on a very deep level. It was like I was lending my body to this Anjola woman to use as a vessel to tell the world her story,” she said. “It was intense. I had to be in that space for the 26 days we shot in Nigeria the remaining parts in South Africa, six months after we Ànished here. You can’t really let go of the character completely and can’t get back to being you.”

Okwo while announcing the March 19 cinema release of the Àlm, explained: “As a Àlmmaker, I am drawn to telling stories that capture the

essence of what I observe and La Femme Anjola is one of such… With this story, I have presented a classic noir tale with a distinctivelyAfrican twist.

LFA speaks for the times we live in where we can no longer tell our heroes from the villains. I hope you get to the cinemas to watch it if only to show our cinema operators that Nigerians love a variety of Àlms. I hope you enjoy this Àlm and that it stirs up that age-old self-righteous banter about what we can and cannot do in this life.”

The feature Àlm packs sterling cast including, Ego Boyo, Chris Iheuwa, Browny Igboegwu, Mumbi Maina (Kenyan star actress) and Femi Jacobs. Jacobs got his Nollywood breakthrough his lead role as Makinde Esho in Okwo’s 2012 “The Meeting”. Nonso Bassey, aside getting his Àrst opportunity at the big screen with this Àlm, is extremely proud of La FemmeAnjola because it oͿers something diͿerent and “everyone involved; cast, crew and even the Ànanciers giving it their all just makes me believe we did something special. I want everybody on earth to see our Àlm. I am very proud of it.”

At the screening, Bassey, who is a musician, recounted his experience transitioning into the acting space. He also detailed the research processes he shouldered, including several trips to the stock exchange. “First, my character is a stockbroker by day and a saxophonist by night.

And I’m none of these things. I’m a singer so I had to learn how to play the sax. We didn’t have a lot of time so I had to learn how to Ànger it,” he explained.

The Àlm will be distributed by, Silverbird Distribution and released digitally for the rest of the world on a paid platform using assets speciÀcally created for this. LFAhas been at least Àve years in the making. The bulk of this time was spent sourcing funds that could deliver a Àlm on the scale that producers Okwo and Dominic envisioned.

With the funding secured in March 2019 from Lagos based GTI Securities as well as other private investors, Okwo rounded oͿ production in time

Lead cast of La Femme Anjola: Chris Iheuwa, Rita Dominic, Nonso Bassey and Femi Jacobs

for a 2020 release only for the rollout to be upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Okwo is optimistic that the investment in making quality

Nigerian Àlms with a strong universal appeal will be worth the eͿort and that this novel release plan will be successful.

KSA Becomes MCSN’s President Festus Akanbi

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he General Council (Board) of the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (MCSN) has appointed Dr. Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, MFR, (King Sunny Ade) as the Honorary President of the Society. The appointment of KSA as the President of MCSN coincides with the rollout of the Society’s GoCreate App for the monitoring and reporting of the use of music on all platforms (digital, online and o΁ine) within the territory of Nigeria.

King Sunny Ade was a past Chairman of the Board of the society during the turbulent period when MCSN was struggling to be approved or licensed as a collecting society (now Collective Management Organisation).

As Chairman, KSA led several delegations of MCSN to meet with ministers and top government functionaries to press for the recognition of MCSN as a collecting society.

KSA also led MCSN through series of serious legal battles for the respect and defence of the rights of musicians. Many of the cases have now come out in favour of MCSN, even up to the Supreme Court. The appointment is therefore described as a sign of recognition and appreciation of the past leadership duties of King Sunny Ade to MCSN. In his new role, the King of World Beat as King Sunny Ade is also known, is expected to act as the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Society, opening more doors of opportuni-

L--R. CEO of MCSN, Mayo Ayilaran, King Sunny Ade, Dada Awosika (SAN) and Chairman of the Board of MCSN, Orits Williki.

ties for the Society by leveraging on his wide experience and contacts around the world for the beneÀt of the Society and its a΀liates.

MCSN is also expected to leverage on the vast experience and network of King Sunny Ade in pushing the cause of the society.

The last occupant of the position of the President of MCSN was the late Ambassador, Chief Segun Olusola, mni, OFR. King Sunny Ade

would formally be inaugurated as MCSN’s President on a date to be soon announced.

MCSN launched the GoCreate App for the monitoring, tracking and reporting of the use of musical works and sound recordings on all platforms sometime in the third quarter of 2020, in the peak of the Àrst wave of Covid-19 pandemic. A statement from the society said the App has successfully undergone

series of test run and is now going live as the Àrst African digital tool to assist Collective Management Organisations in the onerous task of monitoring, tracking, analysing and ensuring accurate reporting of the use of music for equitable distribution of royalties to interested parties, who are members and a΀liates of MCSN. “With the full deployment of the GoCreate App, the days of royalty distribution using human perception would become a thing of the past, while the regularity of the exercise would become frequent, as opposed to once in a year or many years as had happened in the past.”

The statement quoted the Chief Executive O΀cer of MCSN, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran: “The potentials of MCSN is gradually being revealed to the Nigerian music and entertainment industry, particularly the creative sector.

With time, it is certain that the locust years of the Nigerian music industry would be fully restored.

“This amazing APP is now available to all artistes, record labels, producers, writers, composers and publishers who are registered with us at the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN).”

He explained that those who are not yet members are invited to download the “Gocreate Africa” APP now on Google Play Store and APP Store or Web through www.gocreateafrica. app to register and upload their music to enable proper monitoring and collection and distribution of their Royalties.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

18 Tosin Clegg

SHOWBIZFLAIR

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

Uzo Drops Video for New Single

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menka Uzoma popularly known as Uzo, who was the manager of late reggae icon, Majek Fashek, has dropped a video for his new single titled, ‘Celebrate’. Still mourning Majek, Uzo who is the MD/CEO, Miracle Day Music known as ‘Home of Superstars’ has re-branded and has gone back to being an artiste. Talking about his latest effort shot in Capetown, South Africa and directed by Nani Chehore, a Zimbabwean, Uzo said: “The world is changing and perhaps might never become what it used to be. New realities, fears, suspicions and confusion is causing anxieties and worries.

Keeping safe during a pandemic, staying safe amidst news of

banditry and kidnapping, news of insurrection are all countless worries we deal with on a regular basis that sometimes we forget to acknowledge some of our other daily blessings. Renewed hope of a new dawn, joy of a new born, enjoyed friendship, loving families and many more positives vibes are some of the things we take for granted while we focus so much on little challenges.”

With his new song he implores everyone to ‘Celebrate’ their little wins, be thankful for the privilege of life and living, and rekindle the hope for a brighter tomorrow. Recall that Uzo in November last year released two singles with their videos titled, ‘Walk Without You’ (a tribute to Majek Fashek) and ‘God Bless Lagos’ dedicated to the Aquatic City Lagos.

Uzo

Tonia Nweke Speaks AcebergTM Set to Release EP on Sex-for-Script Nollywood actress, Nweke Anwulika Tonia her thoughts on the impacts the show has had and CEO of three thriving businesses - PT on Nigerian youths. “If I have the opportunity, Cosmetics, T Kitchen and Frames by PT, is not I want to participate in the next edition because one of the desperate Nollywood actresses who I like the ideal of the show. Participating in the would slide into the bed of any movie director show will bring more opportunities for my busior producer for movie roles of any sort. The nesses. Yes, it has brought a very good impact sultry serial entrepreneur, who recently had and opportunities; via endorsements and all.” an encounter with a movie producer in Asaba, where she went for a movie shoot, shared the debilitating experience in an exclusive chat: “I’m not ready to sleep with any producer or director for a script. I was recently in Asaba for a movie shoot, but I had to come back to Lagos because the foolish producer was demanding for sex. I felt bad and surprised.”

However, she showered accolades on Nollywood for the landslides the industry has been recording: “I think Nollywood is doing well, they are doing what they really have to do and I respect each and every one of them.”

On why she ventured into the make-believe world, she said: I just want people to see that I can do that as well, in addition to my other endeavours. I acted when I was in secondary school and also in teen’s church, during drama shows.”

Tonia who craves participation in the next edition of Big Brother Naija revealed her knack for the popular reality TV show as she shared Tonia Nweke

Having paid his dues on the Nigerian music scene, Sir Justine World Entertainment artiste, Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, a.k.a AcebergTM is Ànally set to release his debut body of work, an EP titled ‘Far From Home’, in April. Speaking on the inspiration behind the title of the EP, he said: “I think the kind of music I make is quite diͿerent from the type of music that we listen to in this part of the world. ‘Far from home’ is the feeling I get anytime I listen to any of the songs on the EP.” Recalling his foray into the musicmaking craft, AcebergTM said: “At the age of 15, I started writing my own music.

From the time I started writing my own music, I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else. My passion for music was stronger than every other thing. Since my debut single I got to work with a lot of producers and other artistes. It’s been fun and I’ve been improving every step of the way.”

Lamenting the hard knocks of the music craft he has had to grapple with, he noted: “The part where people compare you to other artistes is very challenging. It aͿects my creativity, but it also improves my versatility, so it’s like a win win situation for me.”

Speaking further, he shed light on how

AcebergTM

he got signed to SJW Entertainment and what the experience has been like since he got o΀cially signed in February 2020: “The label reached out to me on Instagram when they saw a freestyle video I made.

I put out some songs before then but that was me trying to understand my sound.

Since then it’s been all about working and understanding the music business, a wonderful experience.”

Beat the Beats to Stardom

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eat D Beatz, an innovative online music competition for up and coming talents in the music industry has been launched by record label owner Nelson Jack in partnership with multiple-award winning music producer, Masterkraft. It promises to be exciting as it supports and help the next generation of the Nigerian music industry by exposing them easily on the ‘Beatdbeatz’ platform.

Supported by four other top Nigerian producers, including Rexxie, Youngjonn, Ozedikus and Benie Macauley, it takes just the budding talent to log on to the website WWW.BEATDBEATZ. COM, download a beat from any of these top 5 music producers, make a music then upload it to the website with a generated given code and use that as a chance to win $50,000 total price money.

The moment the talent hits the platform he/ she automatically tend to become a star almost immediately.According Nelson Jack, “Beatdbeatz is a talent discovery platform for upcoming artistes who don’t have you know the platform

to make it to be the next Davido, Naira Marly, Wizkid or Burna Boy. So we came up with the concept and the idea to help upcoming artiste.

“As a record label owner, I mean I get a lot of messages you know saying we should help them, we should listen to their music, we should do all sorts. And then I spoke to Masterkraft about it and Masterkraft has the same problem.

I spoke to Rexxy about it and Rexxy has the same problem. I mean these guys don’t have an avenue or an opportunity to work with the best producers.

“I spoke to Oezedikos about it and he has the same problem. I spoke to Benny Macauley and he has the same problem; same thing with Youngjohn. So we now came together to say ‘look we are going to use unity to sell Beatdbeatz platform’. So what we did is we got one beat from every producer. We built a website around it which gives a chance of winning $50,000 after the 90 day period of the Àrst part of the competition.

“Then you now move from our top 50 to quarter Ànals to semiÀnals and the grand Ànale.

And then we award whoever wins that competition $50,000. That’s N24, 000.000 (twenty four

million naira in Nigeria money today). . . People have talent we are giving them a platform to bring out their talent and then we now came in conjunction with Platform Capital. Platform Capital now bought into our idea.””

Speaking on his involvement, Masterktaft said: “I think for me personally one of the things that made me hop on this opportunity was the fact that I was hoping for an avenue where we can… like inÁuence the music industry generally.

So at the end of the day like I feel it’s a whole chain for the music industry. Because again the thing is not just about doing talent show because you want to discover talent.

“But because like I said one of the reasons I partnered with Nelson Jack is the fact that the condition actually covers both musicality and performance. So it’s not like somebody somewhere comes for an audition and just sing one thing and goes like that, no. Now I feel like it’s tougher and if we happen to come up with winners from the competition you can be very sure that it’s going to be credible musicians. Not just people wey just dey sing anyhow them like.”

L-R: Music producer, Mastercraft with Nelson Jack, organiser Beat D Beats

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MARCH 13, 2021

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PERSPECTIVE

Challenging the Way We Deliver Tertiary Education in a Changing World Dakuku Peterside

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ur Honouree, Prof Seth Accra- Jaja, our brand new Vice Chancellor, Prof Charles Teddy Adias, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to be invited to be part of a great tradition of the University system globally which this university is now following and particularly to deliver the Honour’s day lecture in honour of my former teacher and my academic mentor, Prof Accra- Jaja.

Let me seize this rare opportunity to congratulate one of Africa’s best known Management thought leaders for sterling accomplishments and laying the critical foundation for this university to flourish. The past five years from what I have read and heard has been remarkable. Congratulations sir.

The lecture Universities are the engine rooms where we mould ideas that shape society. They are places where knowledge is produced, bought, and sold; people’s minds are developed and shaped to influence their environment. Universities are mirrors of societies.

The greater the university, the greater the society. The better the university, the better the society. The inverse is also applicable.

Little wonder the great universities of the world are in the world’s most thriving societies. Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford, and Oxford universities are in the US and UK. These universities are the gold standards and have enormous powers in influencing national and global ideas and have produced knowledge and people that have greatly influenced our world. Therefore, there is nothing wrong in modelling our local universities after these great universities and situating our universities’ souls within the context of our local environment, values and the broader milieu of national and global outreach.

Our universities, unfortunately, are struggling to define their purpose and make the desired impact. In this speech, I will use a tripartite cognitive framework to dissect higher education in Nigeria and try to reimagine higher education in Nigeria through the lenses of its many challenges. This cognitive map involves identifying core features of the array of problems with university education in Nigeria, contextualising these problems vis a vis local and global dichotomy and proffering innovative solutions given the realities of the Nigeria situation.

Nigerian universities, like their counterparts elsewhere globally perform certain vital functions within society. These functions include the training of the professional workforce, production of knowledge and innovations for development, and creating a hotbed for novel transformational ideas in socio-political, economic, and religious spheres.

Most Nigerian universities perform these functions at least to some extent, notwithstanding the avalanche of problems bedevilling them. However, the popular view (though without empirical evidence) is that most of our universities are glorified secondary schools and are far from performing their mandates.

This assertion is backed by the fact that no Nigerian university is ranked among the first 1000 universities globally by the three major world universities ranking bodies. I tend to disagree (albeit not entirely) with those who say Nigerian universities are glorified secondary schools and are not adding value to society.

Despite our universities’ tortuous history and inadequate resources, they have produced some of the best minds worldwide.

With enormous intellectual and academic abilities, some Nigerian students and researchers command the respect of lecturers and students in top global universities and workmates are in awe of our products’ professionalism and expertise in top companies in the world. These feats are not just flukes. They happen because of a rigorous and painstaking academic training that these students received from their ‘alma mata’ at home.

However, I gave the proviso earlier that I do not disagree completely. I argue that most of our graduates are not like these high-flying ones mentioned above. Many of our graduates are either half-baked or completely ill-equipped in both knowledge and skills expected of university graduates. Little wonder, many are considered by the employers of labour as mostly unemployable.

The reasons for these two extreme results are open to further debate. The extent a university fulfils their primary functions indicates the level of its success. Success is a measure of the quality of the products – in this case, graduates, and research output.

The quality of graduates depends on the quality of teaching, mentoring, and academic rigour inherent in the school’s culture and ethos and the level of academic engagement by students themselves. The quality of research depends on the quality of research staff, collaboration with the private sector, and the university research priority.

Although, influenced by both internal and external factors, graduates and research output’s quality is the primary measure of universities’ success. The pertinent questions to ask are: To what extent are Nigerian universities fulfilling creating these quality products? How can we improve the quality of university products despite many problems they face? How can we harness

Peterside

our universities’ great potential to create great centres of ideas, excellence and activism on campus and society?

Before we answer these questions, let us first x-ray the features of the enormous challenges Nigerian universities face. I will not dwell much on this, because everyone in the audience knows these problems even more than I do. Nevertheless, for clarity, I will explore a few. This list is not exhaustive and does not represent a sequencing based on the order of the severity of the problems.

The challenges include inadequate funding and insufficient resources, low-quality standardisation, intractable strike actions by academic and non-academic staff of our universities, poor university-private sector partnership and difficulty attracting and retaining the best minds.

Other challenges include low knowledge production, emphasis on memory-based learning and assessment, poor or inadequate infrastructure and academic resources, low-quality students from secondary schools, theoretical approach than skill-based or practical approach inherited from the Colonial system, poor leadership and governance, and undue political interference. Our public universities have been stuck on the Soviet era ethos in which universities are part of an unproductive state system even in the face of existential threat.

The second aspect of our conceptual framework is the contextualisation of university education, both locally and globally.

I argue that a part of the process to improve university education in Nigeria must involve understanding the dialectics between the global context of university education and the local context.

The ideology of ‘globalisation’ must underpin this understanding.

Nigerian universities should think ‘global but act local’.

They should understudy global trends affecting university education and adapt and adjust them to improve our universities’ local content. Some of these global trends are forcing a rethink of the whole essence of university education. We see globally a move towards reimagining and reshaping of university education using technology.

Virtual learning, online learning and distance learning are becoming a mainstay of university education. This trend is even driven more by some restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is growing democratisation of knowledge digitally (thousands of courses are run online by top universities that anyone anywhere with a smartphone and internet connection can access, mostly for free).

Universities create courses that provide people with skills for present and future jobs and are pushing away from yesteryears’ traditional courses. Top universities are competing as centres for innovative, cutting edge research with lots of patents and budding businesses springing from these innovations to impact the world (for example, Oxford University partnered with AstraZeneca to produce a COVID-19 vaccine).

Finally, the collaboration between the private sector and universities are more significant than ever in history. Universities are incubation centres for large private organisations funding several cutting-edge researches to create new products, improve existing products, or better understand an increasingly competitive market. I must argue that there is a mismatch between these global trends and our local context.

To sum up the local context, Nigerian universities are just returning from an almost one-year industrial strike for non-payment of appropriate remuneration and demand for universities’ proper funding. So, there is a long way to go judging by this. How do we close this gap and get the two seemingly dichotomous global/local trends to be in synch? How do we

tackle these challenges and improve quality education in our universities?

The third aspect of our conceptual map is proffering solutions.

Many of these problems mentioned above, I must argue, are mere symptoms of cancer in our university system. They only manifest because of the chronic, endemic, and cancerous heart of the university ecosystem. This cancer is embedded in the paucity of strong core values, ethos and university culture that focuses on academic excellence, innovation, knowledge production and moral excellence. The lack of these features of a healthy university culture allows the ecosystem to be paralysed.

Therefore, the university’s first solution is to create an organisational culture underpinned by great core values and ethos, innovation, and pursuit of excellence. This new culture will become the driving force to improve the quality and quantity of knowledge produced, and professionals trained to fulfil their core mandate. To cure literal cancer and reduce its symptoms, one must go through painful chemotherapy. Any palliative treatment will only reduce the interim symptom, but the disease is still lethal and deadly. Likewise, it may be difficult to redefine the university culture from one that thrives on mediocrity and excuses to a culture anchored on excellence and high-quality productivity. Unless this painful surgery is done, rapacious cancer destroying our university education will not be cured.

Leadership is crucial. Effective and efficient leadership is the second solution. University is like any other public or private organisation in a sense. It has a vision, mission or mandate, clear goals and expectations. Transformational leadership is required to restructure and redefine existing structures to achieve the leader’s well-articulated vision and goals in line with the organisation’s purpose.

Good leadership should promote incredible transformations in our universities. University leaders must provide clear value propositions, core moral positions and the philosophy of excellence. Like in all sectors, good leadership can achieve a lot, even in daunting challenges because it transforms challenges to opportunities. Universities should be resilient and adopt an achievement-oriented culture.

It is important to note that university leaders must be creative and develop new ways of doing things, creatively search for and solve problems within the limitation of the Nigerian context.

University leaders must think outside the box and be resolute to create improvement within our universities. Good university leadership must create legacies that impact on the quality of education on campus. Even if it cannot solve all the university’s problems at once, the few it focusses on must be comprehensively solved.

Corruption, nepotism, maladministration of all sorts must be eschewed at all cost. Leadership in the university ought to be and should be a model for the larger society. Transformational and visionary leadership are needed in our universities for any meaningful progress to be made. Therefore, I advocate for a leadership training programme designed specifically for university leaders and administrators to empower university leaders with the expertise and knowledge to push through the reforms needed in their universities.

The third solution is using technology to drive the change.

We cannot continue to impart knowledge today as we did 100 years ago. Everything around us has changed. Technology has made possible new ways of knowledge accessibility. Millennials are tech-savvy and must be allowed to assess the knowledge that way. From online exercises; online videos; interactive virtual laboratories; online grading, online interaction, and discussion boards, to online peer learning and reviews, opportunities for fun learning abounds.

Technology encourages active learning; self-pacing (record, rewind, stop, pause lectures); instant feedback; gamification; computer grading, and peer interaction through social media.

Universities should adopt a blended learning model where traditional didactic classroom learning is combined with technology-driven online interactive exercises, activities, and discussions.

Imagine your students watching a video of you explaining some theoretical concept and setting out online activities to do before coming to class later for in-depth analysis and practical application of the concepts covered in the video.

We look forward to a time when we will move from lecture halls to e-spaces; from books to tablets; from bricks and mortar to digital dormitories. The future can be bright.

Technology is the only tool that will allow the scaling of quality and access to university education to make the impact we need in our society. With online classes and distance learning capabilities, our universities can admit more students who may not have the circumstances to live on campus whilst doing their studies. They can join classes online while the lecturer is teaching students directly in class. Imagine the revenue this can afford the institutions.

––This lecture was delivered by Dakuku Peterside, PhD, at the Honour’s Day Lecture of Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State on February 12, 2021.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

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˜ ˾ MARCH 13, 2021

MEDIAGAFFES

EXPRESSION

BY

On, Not Under, Platform

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OU are especially welcome to this edition: “…said the bandits are (were) also demanding for (otiose) the release of their men (coll leagues, preferably) being held by security agencies.”

(THISDAY Front Page, Februu

ary 20) “Security: Ugwuanyi assures new AIG, Zone 13 (another comma) of support” “We’re committed in (to) positioning Lagos to attract investors—Buhari” (PAGE 2 BUSINESS, February 17) “I pray that the joy you have (had) spread in the past years come (comes) back to you in many folds on (sic) this day and always.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY of March 7 goofed: “Between the 60s to 80s….” Either between the 60s and 80s or from the 60s to 80s….

This format cannot be changed. It is one of the copious fixed/stock expressions in Standard English.

“CPC to clampdown on illegal microfinance banks” (Daily Trust, March 3) Phrasal verb: clamp down (two words)—Noun: clampdown “This time around” (THE NATION, March 3) Not my own opinion: this time round (British English, while the extract is American version).

“An acknowledged scholar, a distinguished statesman and a team leader per excellence” (THISDAY, March 2) Get it right: leader par excellence.

“New trends in electioneering campaigns for 2023” (THISDAY, May 3) Politics Today: just electioneering or political campaigns. ‘Electioneerr ing campaign’ is sheer verbosity! ‘Electioneering’ encompasses ‘campaign’ and other related electoral issues.

“INEC asks SSS to crackdown on violent politicians” (Daily Independent, March 5) Noun: crackdown; phrasal verb: crack down (which applies here).

Still on Daily Trust of March 3: “Some countries have taken tobacco manufacturers to

court for the damages their products cause.” The will to die: ‘damage’ is uncountable, except in reparative applications for indemnity.

“With the launching (launch) of the poverty alleviation (a hyphen) programme by the Federal Government, not a few Nigerians desire to see it effectively in place. “ (THE GUARDIAN, March 3) “…what happened was that somebody filed a writ of summon.” (Daily Independent, March 4) This way (singular): a writ of summons; plural: (writs of) summonses.

“It is the Federal Board that is always guilty of that, because it is them who take riff-raffs as welfare officers.” (Nigerian Tribune, March 3) ‘Riff-raff’, just like ‘stuff’, is uncountable.

“Modern technology has reduced the world into (to) a hamlet where the inhabitants are their brothers’ keepers.” This way: brother’s keeper (fixed/stock expression), irrespective of the number of people involved.

“The coincidence in the timing of all those sleazy gossips in soft-sell magazines and the beginning of his fashion parade….” ‘Gossip’, in this context, is uncountable. Unlike this: There are too many gossips (wrongly and widely known as ‘gossipers’) in workplaces.

“More overaged players for youth soccer…. “(Nigerian Tribune, March 2) Get it right: overage players.

“Residents of some of the troubled spots in Northern Nigeria in disarray” (SATURDAY INDEPENDENT, March 6) Witness to lexical mayhem: trouble spots “…rummaging all the bags and ransacking every nook and corner.” (Source: as above) Stock expression: nook and cranny.

Vanguard of March 9 disseminated seven improprieties: “The police requires (require) a redeemer who can uplift the Force from the battering it (they) suffered during the long years of militarization.”

“I inquired from those that appear to know and they said that the president is (was) roaming the world in the name of getting investors.”

“There is (are) no electricity, no security, no water, no roads, and no health facilities in Nigeria.”

“Foreign companies will be falling over themselves (one another) to come and invest here if we get the 2023 elections right.” “...given the lame-duck posture of the opposition parties, the APC simply held sway from the onset (outset) of the current democratic dispensation.”

“Reactions on (to) the Pope’s visit, however successful, were mixed in Egypt, a country inhabited by a predominantly Muslim populaa tion.”

“Prior to the Pope’s visit, Egyptian Catholics have (had) opted out of the….”

“The first part was published last week Friday.”

(THE GUARDIAN, March 3): either last Friday or Friday, last week.

“Vigilante (Vigilance) groups, committed to the enforcement of the by-law, are being set up.”

(Source: as above) “Some of these areas include producing enough food to feed our teaming (teeming) population.”

“Rather, the money, including the N200 million per state released for special purposes, was diverted to other uses.” We certainly do not need the last three words in the extract, having been taken care of by ‘diversion’. Do you subscribe to commonsense?

The next three blunders are from DAILY TRUST of March 3: “Unless the detonating mechanism of extremist religious chauvinism is diffused.” Get it right: defused (not diffused).

“They have decided to sheath their machetes and seek vengeance no more. “ Noun: sheath; verb: sheathe.

THISDAY of March 3 requires reformation of four lines: “The sources of revenue in a city like Lagos is very important.” Still on errors of attraction (more below): sources… are. “…business downturn resulting to (in) drive-wandering.” “…the rapaciousness of project contractors

My Reflections on Nigerian Movie Industry

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ast weekend, we unveiled our latest intervention in the form of an e-book on the largest global community or marketplace, the world wide web (aka internet). Friends and followers showed heartwarming support and encouragement in kind words and assurances of picking copies off the online publisher’s bookshop.

Today, we have elected to formally introduce the force behind the publication in sentiments expressed in its ‘description’, and also extract some portions of the book for a sneak preview. “’Refl eflections on Nigerian Movie Industry: Salute to Pioneering Creativity and Perseverance’ is an offspring of more than three decades of interrogating the Nigerian entertainment industries as a journalist. The initial prod was inspired by what I had heard generally in my reportorial experience; and was further supported by the sentiment which cropped up at the CORA/NEC Mini Series (a colloquium for the 80th birthday of the venerable journalist and entertainment maestro, Pa Benson Idonijie, in 2016). It is summed thus: the younger generations kept lamenting the total absence of reputable data, catalogues, original stories of Nigerian entertainment figures, past and present. The very few available were written by foreigners, with all their predictable prejudices wrapped in good intentions.

As a preliminary foothold, I have therefore selected a few of the magnificent gems (now revised, updated and improved to over 50 persons) whose contributions to the growth, sustenance and projection of Nigerian dramatic space, have led us to where we are today - a globally recognized industry proudly self-styled Nollywood, to the infernal chagrin of puritans. Let’s reflect....

Olusegun Olusola Distinguished as black Africa’s first television producer, Olusola created the apogee of his career, The Village Headmaster over 50 years ago (in 2009), barely four years after he joined broadcasting (radio) in 1955. This incredibly hilarious nationwide situational comedy/drama ran for over 30 years....

In 1959, with the great excitement at the advent of television in Africa, and at just 24 years old, Olusola joined the WNTV as a producer. Dogged almost to the fringe of fanaticism on the quest to project indigenous TV productions, Olusola was once queried for insisting on producing an all-Nigerian programme - thereby ‘wasting’ a princely sum of 75 pound sterling on local thespians!

Throughout the 80’s until his demise, the former ambas-

sador to Ethiopia (1987 to 1992) became the centerfold of Nigeria’s “moving” art, spreading his colossal shoulders for new generations of practitioners to lean on, and drawing elemental directions. What a way to live!

Moses Olaiya Adejumo, MON A very unusual personality. His biographers claimed he was born June, 1937, while a yearbook (Media World, 1994; Wale Alabi and Tosin Ajirire) puts his birthday at Sept. 22, 1936. However, one thing is Incontestable about Moses Olaiya Oluwasanya Adejumo; he is the Baba Sala - Nigeria’s answer to America’s Charley Chaplin. Moses Olaiya, the comic icon developed as a wild seed: germinating with luxuriant gusto into many branches; producing colourful fruits. Still in Obokun High School, llesa – now State of Osun (1954 - 1957), he took to magic. He was so successful that one of his early apprentices was Moshood Abiola Folorunso (yes, that’s late Professor Peller)! ...With consistent hits in all his creative endeavours, Moses Olaiya beat himself roundly when he won a local competition which fetched him a one year contract to feature monthly on the first TV in Africa (WNTV). In January 1966, first drama troupe. Seventeen Baba Sala stepped on TV - the fi years after, with no more hills to conquer, Baba Sala stepped out of TV - a folk hero, a national icon (M.O.N in 1978) and plunged into celluloid. Of course, with a resounding splash.

Orun Mooru (1982), Aare Agbaye (1985), Mosebolotan (1986), Agba Man (1989) and Obe Gbigbona (1990) set off Baba Sala as Nigeria’s most enduring dramatist and the bungling man who taught Nigerians how to laugh at their foibles and inadequacies. [He died October 7, 2018].

Postscript: Early part of 2021 has witnessed robust arguments and disputations that suggest that Baba Sala might indeed be one of the strongest figures to accord the contentious title of the original ‘proponent’ of capturing Nigerian dramatic plots on video (VHS) format. (Details later).

Kenneth Nnebue, MFR This businessman has a soul and a passion - a style and the heart to live his fantasy. What else is creativity? In 1991, when all else were stuck with the gore and grizzle being heaped on us via Asian video “Tigers” and American battlers, Kenneth Nnebue (56) called a group of Yoruba theatre artistes and knocked out a “Video film” from them called Ina Ote (Rage of Conspiracy). Since that pioneering effort, Ken has produced or bankrolled over 20 others - all in Yoruba language!

Though, Nnebue has been variously credited as the foremost pioneer of the Nigerian drama in video format, my

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

increase (increases) the country’s debt burden.”

“Senior civil servants’ union berate junior counterparts” Inside business: union berates.

THE GUARDIAN of March 3 questioned linguistic rules twice: “It’s the poet feared most, knowing fully (full) well that one of the….”

“The agitated crowd, who had been whipped to hysteria, demanded for his head.…” To avoid mayhem, delete ‘for’ from the extract. ”…and which provides a noble and humaniss tic framework for relations between the state and citizens in (on) our continent.”

“But in the welter of these realignment of forces….” Re-thinking development: this realignment of forces.

VANGUARD of March 3 circulated three goofs: “The fear along the room and corridor (corridors) of power of a sovereign national conference.…”

“It is not in doubt that most of the commuters in the luxurious (luxury) buses that ply in the night.…” “…Aba traders constitute a large proportion of the passengers on commercial aircrafts (aircraft) that fly....”

“Major reorganization of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which may lead to mass retirement and sack of its men and officers, now looms.” Get it right: a major reorganization or major reorganizations, as context demands.

“One of the most outrageous abuses occ cured.…” Spelling in the lurch: occur, occurrence, occurred.

“I do not buy the argument that the advent of electronic mails and network computers have rendered postal services absolute.” Not yet time for structural proximity: the advent of electronic mails and network computers has (not have).

“In doing this, however, he must be faithful to the mandate of the ECOWAS Heads of Government under whose platform he operates.”

Agenda: on (not under) whose platform he operates.

COUNTERPOINT

FEMI

AKINTUN AK NDE E-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

candid investigation lays the honour somewhere else (for the first video that can be called Nigerian drama was produced and distributed to a limited bemused audience in 1989 by a younger untrained producer-actor, or some other reputable contender - with the help of hindsight placing it in 1988).

History will no doubt escort Kenneth Nnebue for his pioneering and, incredibly, his popularizing efforts of the video product (especially in the Yoruba lore).

More importantly, Nnebue later delved into his own mother-tongue and uprooted a storm - arguably, the best known Nigerian video (shot in Igbo) and possibly the biggest, Living In Bondage, in 1992! The pioneering work was directed

by Chris Obi Rapu, co-written/produced by Kenneth Nnebue & Okechukwu Ogunjiofor...

Chris Obi Rapu His ticket to fame is not that he was the director of the ground-making home video (Living In Bondage) that many believe was the foundation of today’s Nollywood. Gentleman Chris Obi-Rapu is a consummate television and movie technocrat who mid-wifed some of the best-known television productions of the ‘80s and ‘90s (New Masquerade, for one).

He was the elusive ‘Vic Mordi’ of the Video world while still a senior producer with the national network, NTA. To add meat to this soup, here are further facts as dug out by my friend and poet, Uzor Maxim Uzoatu in a 2018 article (The Week): ‘According to Obi-Rapu, “What made the Nigeria home video industry take off was the input from Okey Ogunjiofor and my direction. Nobody had wanted to do anything in Igbo or Yoruba among television producers around then because they felt it was degrading. There had been some shootings of Yoruba and Igbo videos. Mike Orihedimma recorded Igbo home videos in Onitsha, while NEK (Kenneth Nnebue) was recording and marketing Yoruba videos in Lagos. They were poorly produced and hardly ever directed....””

Now that you have a foretaste of the pudding, feel free to get a copy - and leave me your candid review.

(08033150547 - fajalive1@gmail.com)

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ARCH 13, 2021

POLITY

Drug War: Marwa Gets Off to Winning Start Pembi David-Stephen

J

ust about mid-way through January 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed former military administrator of Lagos State, Brig.

Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) as the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). It was not considered a poor decision, given that the retired military General had scored some firsts during his time as either military governor in Borno state or the MILAD of Lagos, as well as other national assignments he has been assigned to.

Marwa’s first duty in office was to inaugurate a seven-member harmonisation committee to address all forms of distortions hampering the smooth running of the agency – welfare, ethics, logistics, posting, promotions, salary increments, discipline etc. – and tasked with receiving memoranda from aggrieved staff members and analysing them in line with set criteria, taking into account service progression and vacancies.

Weeks after that committee was in place, Marwa also inaugurated a 31-man Special Purpose Committee to support the agency in the fight against drug menace.

No doubt, Marwa’s administration is dedicated to establishing the ground work for the fight against drugs in Nigeria and, as part of this, fresh from his inauguration, he reached out to international partners for strong collaboration in the fight, by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Government on how to strengthen Nigeria’s war against drug abuse even as he assured that the agency would be hard against drug traffickers, exporters and importers operating in the country.

“We will be hard against drug criminals.

We will be serious. We are going to rid this country of illicit drugs trade, trafficking

and consumption. But in carrying out this onerous task, I will take this opportunity to seek for more of your support for the agency to enable us move faster,” he told the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard.

Passionate about his duty to the nation and the administration, Marwa has called on Nigerians to join ranks with the agency to report and campaign against the menace. To this end, he tasked Nigerians to take ownership of the renewed fight against the pandemic of drug abuse in the country, with a view to making Nigeria a safer place for all.

Giving the charge in Abuja recently, during the inauguration of the Special Purpose Committee, Marwa called on civil society groups to get more active and get involved in the fight against drug abuse, peddling and trafficking.

Marwa’s time at the helm of the NDLEA got off to a great start with series of eye popping seizures of illicit drugs and high profile arrests of drug users, traffickers and barons. Some of the most recent include the seizure of cocaine worth over N30billion at the Lagos airport soon after he assumed office. Not long after, another heavy consignment of cocaine worth over N32billion was intercepted at the Tincan seaport in Lagos. This was also followed by the seizure of over 230,000kg of cannabis sativa from four warehouses in a forest in Edo state. This is said to be the biggest seizure of the illicit drug in the history of NDLEA. Soon after, operatives of the agency intercepted two million capsules of Tramadol (precisely 1,994,400 capsules) tucked in 554 cartons in a container at the Apapa Seaport.

The container, falsely declared to contain ceramic tiles, found its way to Nigeria but the eagle eyes of the narcotic agents discovered it during a joint inspection of the ship that brought it into the country.

Marwa

Operatives of the agency further raided some drug spots in Agege, Ikorodu, Lekki, Okokomaiko and other parts of Lagos state and dismantled major drug syndicates, arrested 90 suspects (including an Indian) and seized large quantities of hard drugs.

Illegal drugs seized include ‘Cannabis Sativa’ 577.020 kg; cocaine 0.183kg, heroine 0.003 kg, tramadol 36.202kg (7,697) tablets, rohypnol 0.208kg (646) tablets, diazapam 0.462kg (2066) tablets, Exol-5 0.52kg (316) tablets, making a total of 614.396kg of different types of hard drugs seized.

As the noose continued to tighten, operatives intercepted another trans-border trafficker in Sokoto, as he tried to cross to

Algeria through Niger Republic with 62 wraps of substance suspected to be cocaine weighing 1.550kg, which has an estimated street value of about N1billion.

The suspect, who had neatly concealed the drugs in yoghurt cans and strapped them to a motorcycle, at Illela border, tried to cross to the Niger Republic while his destination was to be Algeria where he resides.

Without mincing words, the NDLEA is rejuvenated under Marwa and, working with Nigerians and his army of dedicated staff, there are strong indications that the agency will break all the glass ceilings that had hitherto hampered its progress.

––David-Stephen, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Abuja.

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Sponsorship Manager, Tolaram Group, Mr. Opeyemi Awojobi; Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen; and Public Relations Manager, Tolaram Group, Omotayo Abiodun, during the National Policy Dialogue in commemoration of the 2021 International Women’s Day held in Abuja…recently

L-R: Managing Director/ CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi; and Chairman African Industries Limited, Raj Gupta, at the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) presentation of Incinerator and Oxygen to the Lagos State Government in Yaba, Lagos...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Prof. Bayowa Chokor, Mrs. Celestina Chokor, newly wedded couple, Engr. Osage and Dr. Oghenearhome

L-R: Son of the Lagos East Baptist Conference President, Eniola-Oluwa Awujoola; President, Dr. Matthew Awujoola; his wife, Mrs. Janet Awujoola, and another son, Anjola-Oluwa, at the induction service held at Shepherdhill Baptist Church Obanikoro, Lagos...recently

Ihianle, and Col. and Mrs. Paul Ihianle, at the wedding ceremony of Engr. Osage and Dr. Ihianle held in Benin City...recently

26

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MARCH 13, 2021

POLITY/TRIBUTE

The Intrigues, Underlining Politics Behind Ogun Airports Femi Ezekiel

T

he Senate Committee on Aviation, as part of its oversight functions, recently embarked on a fact-finding mission to the sites of the two airports being constructed in Ogun State. In its tradition, the Committee’s Chairman, Senator SmartAdeyemi, led four other members, SolomonAdeola, Ahmed Umar, Abba Moro and Mrs Abiodun Olujimi, on a visit to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at his office at Okemosan, Abeokuta.

GovernorAbiodun reinforced the commitment and resolve of his administration towards ensuring that theAgro-CargoAirport situated in Ilishan-Remo is completed. The governor, who said that the project had gotten the consent of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian CivilAviationAuthority (NCAA), stressed that the first phase of the project is expected to be completed by May 2022.

Abiodun said: “This administration is focused and methodical.

The need to have an agro-cargo airport was made by our Joint Inter-Ministerial Committee and we consequently evaluated the initiatives that were started by the previous administrations, because government is a continuum.

“After a thorough evaluation, the choice of theAgro-CargoAirport in Ilishan was unanimous; it complements the agricultural processing factories eco-system in that corridor, with access/egress road network.

Again, government is a continuum. We are completing this project that was conceptualised by a previous conversations; same way, we have completed other projects, like roads, flyovers, hospitals and schools that were started by the previous administration. Our decisions are always based on the economic values and benefits to our people.”

While shedding more light on the expected returns of the project, the Ogun State Commissioner for Finance and Chief EconomicAdviser (CEA), Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, noted that the airport is strategically located within the agricultural belt in the state and at the inter-connection between the East-West (Sagamu-Benin) and the North-South (Lagos-Ibadan) highways.

He said: “Agro-cargo airport is a viable project which would unlock significant values-addition opportunities across agricultural and manufacturing sectors.”Also, a member of the committee, Senator Adeola, who hails from Ogun West district, threw his weight behind theAgro-cargoAirport, instead of a passenger airport.

But in a curious twist, before nightfall, warped minds had gone on the prowl. Perhaps, they forgot to weigh the benefits of having an agro-cargo airport or a passenger airport, irrespective of their locations, or maybe their actions were deliberate to spew convoluted narratives in order to confound the thoughts of the good citizens of the state. What is actually in place at Wasimi is an airstrip, and not a full-fledged airport, despite a huge chunk that the previous administration had ploughed into the project.

In comparison, the undulating landscape of the Wasimi project is not suitable for such a huge investment. Instead of consigning the Wasimi airstrip into a forgotten dustbin, the government has been prudent enough with a redesign of the project for a more complementary purpose to factories, like Lafarge Cement and others, within the same corridor, as trailer/container transit terminal and park.

The controversy trailing the agro-cargo airport in Ogun State stems from sustained sentiments of the almost two years of acrimonious rivalry and open hostility being launched against the current administration in the state. What is actually playing out can be seen from the angle of conspiracy gone awry.

Prior to the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ogun, there were resentments and an air of apathy in the land.Also, there was a reservoir of hands and brains willing and ready to take the state to the next level from the incumbent leadership. Thus, the emergence of PrinceAbiodun as the fifth democratically elected governor of Ogun State was not by mistake, but by divine intervention to save the state from mis-governance, vis-a-vis unfriendly business policies and un-welfarist programmes. However, in polity, retrieving a state from a transactional leader requires a coalition of efforts by men and women of goodwill, regardless of political leanings, to stand firm and say; “enough is enough.”

By and large, let us make no mistake in the allegations and counterallegations that have been trailing the location of the agro-cargo airport at Ilishan-Remo, in Ogun East district, a development that has come under a barrage of criticisms in the last one week. Governance transcends politics and there is nothing wrong in having two airports in a state, Ilishan (Ogun East) and Wasimi (Ogun Central), as it is were, provided there are enough funds to run them.

But a grand design by an opponent, with carefully incubating schemes to undo the preference being placed on the agro-cargo airport project to take care of the agricultural produce of the farmers in the state, is a disservice to the generality of the people whose interest they claim to protect. Resulting from the dwindling fortunes in the price of crude oil globally, Nigeria, being a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is not an exception, as it is affected by the sharp drop in the revenue accruing to its coffers. This development, to a large extent, has resulted in a decline in the monthly allocations to each state from the FederationAccount.

It is common knowledge today that each state government has woken up from its slumber and invested in economic sectors where it has comparative advantages. Thus, the position and interest of the present administration in the state has been in the area of agriculture, not only to bring about economic development, but also to provide job opportunities for its teeming unemployed youths and also shore up its revenue base. Thus, the agro-cargo airport initiative arose out of the utmost need to help the farmers in the movement of their farm produce from the rural areas and to be transported to the final markets.

Essentially, from the aforementioned, the preference of the current administration is build an agro-cargo airport to aid the economic development of the state.

The IlishanAirport project is not new. It dates back to 1979 when the then military junta saw the need to have an alternative airport nearest to the Murtala MohammedAirport at Ikeja, Lagos, hence the choice of locating it in Ilishan to take care of congestion Abiodun whenever it arose.

It was gathered that if the Ilishan-Remo project had come on stream, the Bellview crash atAbule Lisa, in Ifo Local GovernmentArea of the state sometime in 2005, would have been averted. The pilot of the ill-fated plane, it was learnt, could have made an emergency landing at the Ilishan-RemoAirport and save the lives of the passengers on board.

Also, in 2007, the Otunba Gbenga Daniel-led administration conceptualised the agro-cargo airport project in Ilishan-Remo when it appraised its potential for the overall development of the state and the country, at large. But surprisingly, the administration of Senator IbikunleAmosun jettisoned the project in 2018, towards the tail end of his tenure, and came up with a passenger airport, with its location at Wasimi (Ogun Central), where he hails from. Despite all intrigues and underlining politics, the agro-cargo airport project has got the federal government’s approval.

In addition, counterpart funding, and support from both the federal and state governments’ intervention funds are expected to breathe life into the agro-cargo airport project.

Meanwhile, sadly enough, conspirators always have a way of turning against their target in the absence of a common adversary. They have their eyes on the ball; not for the common good, but primarily for what they stand to gain.

However, if politics were to be played the way and manner the traducers of these intrigues have skewed the project to give it an ethnic colouration, then the people of Ogun cannot and will never forget in a hurry the unpleasant fate that has befallen the then proposed Olokola seaport, 1DMATurbine Power Plant, Dangote Refinery and currently the resuscitated IlishanAgro-CargoAirport, among other abandoned laudable projects belonging to the state government.

––Ezekiel wrote from Abeokuta.

Jang: Portrait of a Statesman at 75 Seriki Adinoyi

T

rue statesmen are not so easy to find; they do not litter every street. They are men that have paid their dues, having contributed immensely and in diverse ways to the building of a nation and have stood by the people through thick and thin. That is what Senator Jonah David Jang represents not only in Plateau State but also throughout the country. His love for his people and, by extension, Nigerians is impeccable.

As a young military officer, he fought to keep Nigeria as one entity. It was not for any personal gain but for the good and the unity of the nation.

He said, “Although, the Air Force was relatively young, we went into the war with full force.

We were making bombs there in Kaduna, and using every aircraft available to us. In fact, there was a time the Biafrans came and attacked us in Kaduna. That day, we were also loading our aircrafts to go and bomb them, but they came first. But thank God, none of their bombs fell on our base.

“I was directly put in charge of aviation fuel for the aircrafts going to the warfront. That was where I started my logistic work. We did exceptionally well as Air Force, considering that we were just starting.”

He, however, lamented that the nation they fought, with their blood, to preserve has now been bastardised by a few selfish politicians. As a Military Governor of Benue and the defunct Gongola states, Jang served selflessly and did so creditably well that the states refused to let him go when he was posted out. His track record in military made him the desired choice of officer Nigeria sent to the prestigious Royal Military College of Defense Studies where he graduated in flying colour.

Jang As a civilian governor of his state, Jang has left an indelible mark in Plateau, raising the bar of good governance and infrastructural development that his successor is still struggling to match. As a Senator, he was a vehement voice against frivolous borrowing by state governments that were determined to impoverish their hapless citizens. He said that if the governors were allowed to continue to borrow without caution, generations after now would have to starve to pay for the debts that would be left for them.

All these were some of the rare attributes that stood Jang out at every facet of his public life in these 75 years. He did not become a statesman by wearing the tag of statesmanship. He earned these attributes by way of life; by his essential person that truly set him apart and on the path of greatness that he has walked on these long years. Jang is reputed, not just for the richness of his itinerary while he was in public offices, but also for his rare courage and the constancy in his conviction and political choices, which have remained unchanged even when they contradict the main stream opinion and fashion.

He is a model of rectitude in his personal relationships; and in most of his dealings, he is straightforward, candid, and resolute, perhaps due to his military background. He is also absolutely reliable; he never dissembled, never recant his words. Yet, he is humane, and concerned with other people’s interests, sympathetic and compassionate, discreet and understanding.

He does not give undeserving gratitude; when he thanks you for something, you have no doubt that he really meant it, he will also not thank you when you don’t deserve it.

He gives everything he has to anything he believes and is involved in; his enthusiasm is contagious. If there is a single personal characteristic that has set him apart, it is the desire to probe, insatiable curiosity-wanting to get reasons why justice should not be served equally to all parties. He continually seeks the why and the how; the reasons and the motivations behind everything. These become a way of life; which constitute not only a fountain of knowledge and feeling, but also a pursuit of excellence. Wisdom, they say begins in wonder.

That is Jang.

As a young military officer, he had shared his vision to truly and passionately serve Nigeria and of course, his people. That became his focus and drive that shot him to the height he attained before retirement. In political circle, where pride regularly dwarfs dedication, his career was shaped by the abrasive action between his steely sense of the right, as he saw it, and the politician’s inclination to temporise things. He has stood firm, not forgetting the people; never abandoning his dedication to their needs. He has not lost faith in the dream of a great Nigeria.

These rare characteristics, rather than endearing him to many, have unfortunately pitched people that have failed to cope with such straightforwardness against him. But for

those that understand him, he is a treasure and a mentor. He tends to think ahead of others; so, his suggestions may somewhat not be accepted immediately because many do not see what he has seen ahead of them.

Of particular reference in this regard is the State Police that government at all levels now clamour for. He had suggested this in 2008 when foreign mercenaries were imported to wreak havoc in Jos during one of those periods of crisis. But his idea was simply dismissed.

Thirteen years later, government is back to that same idea of state policing.

When he talked about foreign mercenaries imported from neighbouring countries and called for tightening of borders, it was seen as rhetoric, but today, it’s a common knowledge that foreign herders have invaded the borders and constituted majority of Nigeria’s security challenges; raping, kidnapping and killing innocent Nigerians.

It can only be the grace of God that can make a complexity of attributes such as Jang has, all desolving into a strikingly simple consistency as found in him. He is definitely a rare breed amongst men.

One would think he is only good at public life, but not until a visit to his home, where his children seat with him at the dining table, and his grandchildren clamour around him; pulling him on every side, some asking him to attend to their complaints, and others trying to feed Baba with their biscuits and noodles. They love him, he loves them too.

Baba, the Military General, Executive Governor, and Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic is also a family man; he is a husband, he is a father, and he is a grandfather.

He feels the pulse of his home and cares about everyone’s worry.

You are a worthy statesman; in public and at the home front. Happy Birthday to Baba at 75!

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

13.03.2021

n o e Ey s e l g a E r e p Su

NEWS

ITS 189TH NORTH LONDON DERBY PAGE. 29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Michael Olise Eye on Super Eagles Catch me if you can, Michael Olise seems to be saying to an opponent

Though he is eligible to play for four countries- France, England, Nigeria and Algeria, but it’s the Les Bleus that appear to hold the trump card as he has played for France at the U-18 level. However, the Super Eagles has decided to take a gamble on the 19-year-old as he has been put on stand-by in Gernot Rohr’s 24-man list for the final two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho

S

uper Eagles manager , Gernot Rohr during the week released names of players that would execute the final twoAfrica Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho and they were all familiar names except for Reading exciting youngster-Michael Olise, which seems to be catching the attention of everyone.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) target was recently rated the 10th most promising player of his age group in the world by Neuchâtel-based International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES).

The Reading playmaker is the only Nigerian eligible-player to rank among the top 25 for the 2000, 2001 and 2002 age groups.

CIES used the capital experience approach, weighing the domestic league minutes played by footballers with the sporting level of their teams of employment on a global level.

Olise is having a breakout season at Reading, recording five goals and nine assists in 33 Championship appearances, including 27 starts.

The solid campaign he’s having saw him linked with a plethora of English Premier League clubs in the January transfer window but he remained put at the Royals.

On Tuesday, Olise was named on the standby list for Nigeria’s upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.

The 19-year-old was handed Reading’s number 7 jersey heading into the 2020-2021 campaign, suggesting that he has cemented his place in the first team. His younger brother, Richard Olise, is on the books of Chelsea, where Michael started off his career before joining Reading.

The older Olise is capable of playing multiple positions including right midfield, attacking midfield, left winger, right winger and left midfield.

“My best position? Any position the manager tells me to play. At my age, I think it’s important to spend time on the pitch because it’s the best place to learn and develop your game,” Olise told Daily Mirror.

Olise is eligible to play for France, England, Nigeria and Algeria through his parents. France appear to hold the trump card as he has played for the country at the U-18 level.

He played for France U-18 Squad at the 2019

Toulon tournament. However, it appears he’s also considering representing Nigeria, hence the reason why he is on the standby list for the Super Eagles AFCON qualifiers.

The Three Lions of England are also in the discussion, given he was born in London and currently plays in the country.

Nonetheless, any country that eventually secures his services will be getting a real gem in their squad.

Olise has been one of the standout stars of the Championship season, said manager Jose Gomes, who worked with some extremely gifted players during his time at Porto but the former Reading manager becomes animated at the thought of young Olise.

“We are talking about a player who will bring people to the stadium,” he tells Sky Sports. “It is impossible not to feel happiness when watching his movements and his technical ability.

“He loves to play football and he has the courage to try magical things even in tight areas.

Things that some players cannot even do in training, he will do them in a game.”

Now 19, the boy Gomes rewarded with a professional debut in 2019 is fast becoming a man, attracting the attention of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. Only Emiliano Buendia has provided more Championship assists than Olise, each of them from that sweet left foot.

A career at the top end of the game seems inevitable for the Hammersmith-born France U-18 international but that might yet come sooner rather than later - with Reading.

Whether operating on the right wing and cutting inside or entrusted with a central role, as he was in Reading’s hard-fought win over Rotherham, he is the creator. Michael Morrison scored the winner but he recognises the importance of Olise to the team.

“He is really mobile and he moves the ball really well,” Morrison tells Sky Sports. “This season he has taken his game on to another level. He has added consistency to his game, becoming a key player for what we are trying to do at Reading.”

Gomes is not surprised but there is an awareness too that the teenager’s path has not been a smooth one. He arrived at Reading after spells in the academy at Chelsea and Manchester City.

Some wonder what they must have missed.

Others have questioned his attitude.

Former Reading favourite Stephen Hunt has urged Olise to channel his attitude “in the right way” and, for the most part, that is what he has done.

“Michael did not like to study,” recalls Gomes.

“But when I saw him play I asked the academy director if he could train with us.”

It was the step that he needed to take, not that it was straightforward at such a young age.

“His body was not very strong so he would lose physical challenges all the time. Others were so much stronger than him.”

Fast-tracking Olise into the first team - he was only 17 years and three months old when making his debut against Leeds United - was a huge challenge but it engaged the player. Before long, he was giving regular glimpses of the quality that set him apart from the rest.

“I loved the speed and the technical ability that he showed. Even without space, under pressure, he was able to dribble past two or three players in a verysmallspace.Atthe same time, if you give him space he is able to find the net easily with his left or even his right.”

Gomes spotted the potential but it is under Paunovic that it is being realised. The skill was there but it was not until this season that Olise registered his first senior goal. Three more have followed to go with the nine assists. He is now making a real impact on matches.

“Ihadthatconversationwithhim,”saysMorrison.

“Hehadtogethisnumbersup.Youcouldseehewas a good player but he was not assisting enough and he was not scoring enough. He was not converting it into figures and that is what is so important.”

Morrison believes that Paunovic has been key to his development.

“He is lucky to have a manager who supports him, sometimes plays him inside, sometimes plays him outside, knows when to rest him, doesn’t put too much pressure on him to carry the team every week. When you have young talent like that it can be easy to overuse it.

“The manager has also been on to him to make sure that his mentality is right and he achieves everything he can because I would say that he can be a top player in the Premier League. If he works hard now he could get a move to one of

the top Premier League teams.

“I am sure he is good enough for that and I know there is a lot of interest. We are lucky to have him but he still needs that game time and this is a really good place for him to be at the moment. He is playing in a good team and I think that has really helped him. As long as he keeps his head down and works as hard as he has been doing, he can go to the very top.”

Gomes agrees and regardless of whether or not Reading are able to achieve an unlikely promotion, he does not think Olise will have to wait long to play in the Premier League.

“I would not be surprised if we see Michael playing in a big team in a very short space of time,” he concludes. “He is different.”

Qlise was born in London but to a FrenchAlgerian mother and a Nigerian father, which makes him eligible to represent four nations.

Football runs in the Olise family as Michael’s younger brother is also a footballer and has been capped by England at the schoolboy level.

Michael started his football career with Chelsea’s youth team, which is also where Michael’s brother (Richard) currently plays.

However, Olise moved to Reading in 2015 and played with the club’s youth team. Due to his young age, Olise did not have a professional contract with the Royals until 2019, signing a three-year deal in July.

The enterprising youngster made his firstteam debut for Reading in 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 home loss to Leeds United.

Since making his debut for the Royal’s first team, Olise’s profile has been on the rise. This season, he is playing a vital role in Reading’s promotion chase. The Royals currently sit fifth in the Skybet Championship table with 60 points, six behind Watford in second place.

Olise’s performances have proved important in where Reading sit on the table. The 19-year-old has scored five goals and registered nine assists in 33 games under Veljko Paunovi this season.

In terms of style and his position on his pitch, Olise is versatile. He has played as an attacking midfielder and on the right-wing this season.

When asked about his preferred position, Olise revealed he was ready to play anywhere on the pitch as he is at the age where he needs to learn a lot about his game.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER Premiership Table Man City Man Utd Leicester Chelsea West Ham Everton Tottenham Liverpool Aston Villa Arsenal Leeds Wolves Crystal Palace Southampton Burnley Newcastle Brighton Fulham West Brom Sheff Utd

29 28 28 28 27 27 27 28 27 27 27 28 28 28 28 28 27 28 28 28

40 23 16 19 11 4 18 11 11 7 -3 -9 -17 -14 -16 -17 -8 -11 -36 -29

68 54 53 50 48 46 45 43 41 38 35 35 34 33 30 28 26 26 18 14

Head to Head

No way...Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko blocks Arsenal Captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in this season’s first North London derby at the Tottenham Stadium

Spurs Craves First Double Win against Arsenal in 48 Years After winning the first North London derby of the season in front of a limited crowd, Tottenham Hotspur will look to complete the double over Arsenal for the first time since 1973

A

rsenal and Mikel Arteta welcome Tottenham to the Emirate Stadium on Sunday desperate to avoid setting an unwanted north London derby record having not beaten Spurs in five games and the Gunners have never in their history gone six games without a win against their rivals.

When the sides met at Tottenham’s Stadium in December, goals from Heungmin Son and Harry Kane secured a comfortable win to send Spurs top of the Premier League table and left Arsenal in 15th.

Tottenham’s title challenge have since evaporated and now sit seventh, while the Gunners have moved into the top half of the table, but three wins on the spin will have Spurs confident of a first league win at the Emirates Stadium since 2010.

Meanwhile, Arteta says his Arsenal side will have to stop one of the “most special” forward lines in Europe when they face Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby.

Spurs’ attacking trio of Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Son HeungMin have found their groove recently and their efforts saw Tottenham hit 100 goals for the season last weekend.

In doing so they became the second team from Europe’s five major leagues to hit that landmark this season, after Bayern Munich, and Arteta is well aware of the challenge that faces his Arsenal defence when they host Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.

Asked how much of a challenge is it to keep Spurs’ strikeforce quiet, Arteta replied: “It’s very difficult because the level of quality, precision, understanding and chemistry that they have between them makes them probably one of the most special ones in Europe.

“And they don’t need much. They are able to create their own chances; they are able to link as a team.

“So it is really difficult to do that, but we will prepare the game well to try to stop them obviously.”

Both Arsenal and Tottenham head into Sunday’s game off the back of wins Thursday night in the Europa League.

The Gunners defeated Olympiakos in Athen in the first leg of their last-16 tie, while Spurs were 2-0 winners at home to Dinamo Zagreb.

Arsenal, however, have been struggling in the Premier League this season and they sit 10th in the table - seven points behind Tottenham in seventh ahead of Sunday’s derby.

They have also failed to win any of the past five north London derbies after losing 2-0 to Spurs back in December but they have never gone six derbies without a win.

“Well in the last game we started the game really well, we were very dominant, and the first time that they went through our halfway line they scored a goal. It’s their quality,” said Arteta.

“They are a really organised team, a big threat in every counter-attack situation, good individual skills and great organisation.

“And you can see that the team fights and believes absolutely what the manager ’s ideas are, and they are very much together, so it will be a really tough game.”

Arsenal have been improving under Arteta, but they continue to be held back by their own errors.

Even against Olympiacos on Thusday, they were caught out as Bernd Leno tried to play out from the back but only ended up putting Dani Ceballos in a situation that meant the

midfielder lost possession.

“The amount of chances that we are conceding has been really low,” said Arteta. “But the amount of chances that we have given to the opponent has had a big impact in the goals that we have conceded.

“So it depends on us a big part, which is a really positive thing, but we know that it is a part that we want to eradicate to be more consistent with results.”

Coroborating Arteta’s view on the danger Spurs could pose upfront, for Arsenal Captain Gilberto Silva said on his podcast that Arsenal should be wary of Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale ahead of the match at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.

The Arsenal legend believes that Arteta’s side have to be wary of winger Bale, who returned to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2020.

Silva said about Bale: “Another player for Arsenal to be concerned, of course, because he has got quality and partnership with Harry Kane. He also is another player who understands the dimension of this game. Everyone at Arsenal needs to be aware.”

Bale is back in form now and is playing well at the moment, and there is a very good chance that the Wales international winger will start against Arsenal in the North London derby this week.

The 31-year-old came off the bench against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday and showed his quality.

The winger scored twice for Spurs in their win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.

Bale, Harry Kane and Son Heungmin starting in attack for Spurs could be very damaging for Arsenal.

20/06/12 Tottenham 2 - 0 Arsenal 20/12/07 Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal 19/01/09 Arsenal 2 - 2 Tottenham 19/02/03 Tottenham 1 - 1 Arsenal 18/02/12 Arsenal 4 - 2 Tottenham 18/10/02 Tottenham 1 - 0 Arsenal 17/18/11 Arsenal 2 - 0 Tottenham 17/30/04 Tottenham 2 - 0 Arsenal 16/06/11 Arsenal 1 - 1 Tottenham 16/05/03 Tottenham 2 - 2 Arsenal 15/08/11 Arsenal 1 - 1 Tottenham 15/07/02 Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal 14/27/09 Arsenal 1 - 1 Tottenham 14/16/03 Tottenham 0 - 1 Arsenal 13/01/09 Arsenal 1 - 0 Tottenham 13/03/03 Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal 12/17/11 Arsenal 5 - 2 Tottenham 12/26/02 Arsenal 5 - 2 Tottenham 11/02/10 Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal 11/20/04 Tottenham 3 - 3 Arsenal 10/20/11 Arsenal 2 - 3 Tottenham 10/14/04 Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal PREMIER LEAGUE TODAY

Leeds Utd v Chelse 12: 30 Crystal Palace v West Brom 15:00 Everton v Burnley 17:30 Fulham v Man City 20:00 SUNDAY

Southampton v Brighton 12:00 Leicester v Sheffield Utd 14:00 Arsenal v Tottenham 16:30 Man Utd v West Ham 19:15 MONDAY

Wolvers v Liverpool 20:00

La Liga TODAY

Alavés v Cádiz 13:00 Madrid v Elche 15:15 Osasuna v Valladolid 17:30 Getafe v Atlético 20:00 SUNDAY

Celta Vigo v Bilbao 13:00 Granada v Sociedad 15:15 Eibar v Villarreal 17:30 Sevilla v Real Betis 20:00 MONDAY

Barcelona v Huesca 20:00

ÙÞ ÒÙÞ PLAYERS

Mohamed Salah Bruno Fernandes Harry Kane Calvert-Lewin Son Heung-min Patrick Bamford Jamie Vardy Ilkay Gundogan Callum Wilson Ollie Watkins Wilfried Zaha Harvey Barnes Pierre Aubameyang Raheem Sterling Marcus Rashford Alexandre Lacazette Tomas Soucek Danny Ings James Maddison

CLUB

GOALS

Liverpool 17 Man Utd 16 Tottenham 16 Everton 13 Tottenham 13 Leeds United 13 Leicester 12 Man City 11 Newcastle 10 Aston Villa 10 Crystal Palace 9 Leicester 9 Arsenal 9 Man City 9 Man Utd 9 Arsenal 9 West Ham 8 Southampton 8 Leicester 8

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER

Tai Sodje

New CAF President, Patrice Motsepe

Sodje Reveals Plans to Convince Nephew to Dump England for Nigeria

Patrice Motsepe: From Billiomaire Tycoon to CAF Boss

Former Super Eagles center back Sam Sodje has highlighted the steps he is planning to take in his bid to convince his nephew and godson, Tai Sodje to commit his international future to Nigeria over his country of birth.

With 17 goals in 16 matches for Manchester City U18s, Sodje is the outright leading scorer in this season’s U18 Premier League and it’s only a matter of time before the English Football Association hand him a call-up to one of their youth teams.

In truth, the AngloNigerian wonderkid is leading towards representing England at the moment as he was born and raised in

the country and has friends in the Young Lions setup.

“Tai’s mom is English, his dad is Nigerian, he’s got uncles who played for Nigeria,” Sam Sodje said to allnigeriasoccer.com.

“It’s different for Tai, he has never been to Nigeria while I grew up in Nigeria even though I was born in London, I kind of knew I was going to play for Nigeria.

“When it comes to Tai, all Tai talks about is he has been brought up in England, but he’s got uncles and his dad is Nigerian so he’s got a big part of him that he’s Nigerian.

“He’s my godson, I speak to him every time and I have told him how special it is

for him to play for Nigeria and I ‘m sure he loves to play for Nigeria.

“All I want to do is sometime bring him to Nigeria, visit Nigeria, visit the national team and see how passionate the fans are and I’m sure he’ll buy into it.

“He’s fully Nigerian but mom is English so he has a chance to play for England but my own view Nigeria is going to be his destination, hopefully.”

Sam Sodje’s sibling, Efe was a member of the Super Eagles squad to the 2002 World Cup and started matches against Argentina and England during the tournament in Asia.

Akwa a Utd d Suffferr Road Mish hap En rou ute NPFL L Trip p to Kadu una An unspecified number of players and officials of Akwa United yesterday sustained injuries after an accident on their way to Kaduna for a Nigeria Professional Football League fixture against Jigawa Golden Stars.

The accident happened along Ezionye highway in Enugu yesterday morning ahead of their match at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Sunday.

“We have been involved in an accident along Ezionye Express road in Enugu on our way to Kaduna for our NPFL Match-day 15 game against Jigawa Golden Stars. Players and officials have sustained injuries. One player and two

officials have been taken to the hospital,” a club statement read.

The 2015 and 2017 Federation Cup champions are fifth on the Nigerian top-flight table, however, the League Management Company (LMC) are yet to confirm if the match will proceed as scheduled after the accident.

Earlier on Monday, Akwa United were held to a goalless by Warri Wolves while Jigawa Golden Stars suffered a 2-0 loss at Rivers United a day before.

Yesterday’s accident is the latest unfortunate event to hit the NPFL after gunmen attacked Adamawa United in February and kidnapped their

bus driver, who was eventually released after the Adamawa State Government paid a 1 million ransom.

The incident happened along the Benin-Ore expressway on their way to Lagos for a league match against MFM FC. Also this year, top-flight club Wikki Tourists escaped causalities after their team bus lost two tyres and caught fire at Hawan Kibo - a town in Jos, Plateau State.

Kwara United currently lead the NPFL table with 26 points from 14 matches while Enugu Rangers, Kano Pillars and Enyimba trail in the second, third and fourth positions, respectively, with 24 points each.

Arsenal-Tottenham Clash, Others Live on DStv, GOtv DStv and GOtv customers can look forward to live football action on SuperSport from the 2020-21 Premier League matches.

The pick of matches from this weekend’s Premier League action sees Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur meet for the latest edition of the North London derby at 5:30pm on Sunday on SuperSport Premier League (DStv Channel 203). More than local bragging rights will be at stake in this clash,

with both teams scrambling to secure qualification for European football next season.

This round of Premier League action also features Leeds United playing host to Chelsea on today at 1:30pm on SS Premier League (DStv Channel 203) and SS Football (GOtv channel 31), while later the same day, Fulham’s fight against relegation sees them have the daunting task of hosting leaders, Manchester City at 9pm.

Sunday also features a South Coast derby between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion at 1pm on SS Premier League and SS GOtv Football, and David Moyes takes his high-flying West Ham United to Old Trafford for a clash with Manchester United at 8:15pm on SuperSport Premier League, before the round concludes on Monday, with Liverpool visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers at 9pm on SuperSport Premier League.

Yesterday, Patrice Motsepe became president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) when the South African ran unopposed in elections in Morocco. Known for being one of Africa’s richest men, Mr Motsepe is also the owner of 2016 African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns - but who is the man behind the money

M

any people are familiar with the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses”, but are you familiar with the idiom “Keeping up with the Motsepes”?

You should be - because Patrice Motsepe is the nineth-richest person in Africa, according to Forbes magazine, and one of the country’s first black billionaires.

The founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, he became a billionaire in 2008 - with Forbes calling him the first African to do so.

His rise in prominence and wealth has not been lost on black people in a country where oppressive apartheid laws shut out the majority of the population from a good life, not to mention business opportunities, for many decades.

Today it is not uncommon to hear “I am not Motsepe” from a parent all too tired of being asked for money, or hear people playfully say “I am Motsepe’s son/daughter” when they have some cash to play with after payday.

In short, he has become a representation of wealth and, jesting aside, it means something here for many people that a Patrice Motsepe exists.

It’s a reminder of what is possible, so how did Motsepe make his billions?

Buying cheap but aiming high

Motsepe founded his first mining company in 1994, and started buying low-producing gold mines a few years later at a time when the gold market was experiencing a slump and prices were favourable.

Before long, those mines were turned around and made profitable.

His big break was closely linked to the Black Economic Empowerment policies introduced in South Africa to address the inequality created by decades of white-minority apartheid rule, which ended in 1994.

Mining companies had to have at least 26 per cent black ownership before a mining licence would be granted.

Ever since, Motsepe’s mining empire has grown and now has interests in cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper and coal.

A self-made man

Born on 28 January 1962, Motsepe was named after Patrice Lumumba, the first elected prime minister of what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a youngster, he first learned about entrepreneurship from his father Augustine Motsepe, a member of the Tswana royal family.

The chief owned a spaza shop (a type of convenience store popular in South Africa’s townships) in Hammanskraal, outside the capital, Pretoria.

During school holidays, he worked alongside his father as he started to learn the basics of business. Years later, he would qualify as a lawyer and become the first black partner in one of the country’s leading law firms, Bowman Gilfillan.

The father of three also holds a degree in mining and business law from Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand.

With an estimated net worth of $3bn (£2.15bn), Motsepe is today a mining magnate, investor and owner of Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns, who have won a record 10 titles since South Africa’s Premier Soccer League started in 1996.

Not just good at amassing wealth, it seems Motsepe, who has considerable work to do as he bids to revive an ailing Caf, enjoys giving it away too.

The philanthropist supports various education and health projects through his foundation, with his love for learning perhaps sparked by being raised by parents who were teachers.

In 2013, Motsepe was the first African to sign Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge, committing to give at least half his wealth to charity.

Last year, his Motsepe Foundation pledged to donate 1bn rand ($65.6m) to assist the coronavirus pandemic response in South Africa.

Married to Precious Motsepe, a physician and businesswoman in her own right, the future Fifa vice-president is no stranger to the world of politics.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa is his elder sister’s husband, while Jeff Radebe, the country’s most experienced minister, is married to another of his sisters.

While everything Motsepe touches seems to turn to gold, he has been targeted by some political parties who have suggested that his powerful family ties give him an unfair advantage.

But he has distanced himself from the allegations, adding that he has always “come from money” and that his wealth was not ill-gotten.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Paul Mukairu outpaces an opponent

Paul Mukairu At Crossroads between Roma, Spurs Though Paul Mukairu said he’s feeling good at Anderlecht but would be open to a move to one of his suitors. With Roma,Tottenham Hotspurs, Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax scrambling for the the 21-year Nigerian signature, the Abuja-born FC Hearts Academy seems to be in a fix

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jax Amsterdam have joined the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma in the hot chase for Paul Mukairu.

Mukairu, 21, is on a season-long loan to Anderlecht from Turkish Super Lig club Antalyaspor, and the Belgian club have the option to buy him on a permanent basis.

The winger has made a good impression with four goals and five assists for Anderlecht to spark off interest from some top clubs across Europe.

One of the player’s representatives informed SCORENigeria that Ajax are now the latest club who have indicated interest in Mukairu.

“Ajax are interested in Paul,” he said.

“He is a highly technical player who will fit the Ajax style.

“He is not yet the finished article and Ajax would be a great club for him to continue with his development.

“It will also be a chance for the player to feature in the Champions League season after season.”

Ajax already boast a very proud history with Nigerian wingers – Finidi George, Pius Ikedia and Tijjani Babangida.

Tottenham Hotspur’s interest came as a sort of surprise considering the North London club have a host of wingers at their disposal, but are now being linked with another signing in that area.

Spurs have Son Heung-min as their star winger, whilst Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn offer options there too.

The Sunday Mirror claim that Tottenham believe they’re winning the race to sign the Anderlecht winger who is currently on loan from Antalyaspor.

The Nigerian is being tipped for a

bright future, and Spurs allegedly think they can get him signed up for a fee of just £4 million.

Roma are also considering a move for 21-year-old Nigerian winger. Mukairu is attracting major interest throughout Europe after tallying four goals and four assists in 20 appearances so far this season.

A member of his entourage confirmed that Roma have been offered the chance to acquire him on a permanent deal. The Giallorossi are still contemplating a potential transfer for the left winger, but other clubs are interested too. Roma are also considering a move for 21-yearold Nigerian winger.

Anderlecht could make as much as 2.5 million Euros by triggering the purchase option for Mukairu and then selling him to Serie A club AS Roma.

Anderlecht will have to pay Antalyaspor 2.5 million Euros by the end of the season if they wished to buy him permanently.

According to Calciomercato.it, Roma have tabled a bid of about 5 million Euros to Anderlecht for the exiting winger.

Anderlecht could therefore buy him and then sell him right away to walk away with a handsome profit from this transaction.

Other suitors for the 21-year-old winger are Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga.

Anderlecht could also activate a purchase clause to buy Mukairu for three million Euros.

According to Calciomercato, Bayer Leverkusen are now interested to bring the player on board next season.

Mukairu is currently playing under Vincent Kompany and the former

Manchester City hero think highly about the speedy wide man.

Speaking earlier this season, Kompany suggested that Mukairu could become an absolute star, possessing all the necessary attributes to become ‘special’.

“Paul has everything to become a special player,” said Kompany and having played with some very special players at City and with Belgium, Spurs fans should be encouraged by his verdict.

The Anderlecht head coach was already a strong supporter of Mukairu and the Nigerian has paid back that great confidence by Kompany in a short time.

Yet, we can expect much more from the talented and versatile Mukairu.

On paper, Mukairu had been an Anderlecht player since October 5 last year, but due to lingering administrative problems, and of course also the Coronavirus situation, it took another three weeks before he set foot on Belgian soil.

Mukairu had barely completed two training sessions at Neerpede, but head coach Kompany included his latest offensive acquisition in the match squad.

Kompany had several reasons for this, but he selected Mukairu mainly because of his merits in his first, albeit limited, training time at Anderlecht.

“I saw a player with 200 per cent enthusiasm in training. As if he had come to Anderlecht to let his family survive,” Kompany said at the press conference.

“Someone who works hard like him, who is so eager to help the team, must be rewarded. His goal is his reward.”

After his remarkable first 27 playing

minutes in the shirt of Anderlecht, people mainly talked and wrote about his first goal, but he still has to showcase the greatest qualities of Mukairu. As his playing opportunities increase, his intrinsic talent will therefore emerge more clearly.

Jose Mourinho has reportedly implored Tottenham to act quickly to win the race to sign impressive Anderlecht loanee Mukairu – before they are beaten to the punch.

However, Voetbal Primeur claims Mourinho is also an admirer and has urged Tottenham to snap up the 21-year-old. They state the club are more than willing to match the €5m asking price for the Nigerian, who is seen as one for the future.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR

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SATURDAY MARCH 13, 2021 • T H I S D AY

SATURDAY MARCH 13, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

AUTO WORLD

Bennett Oghifo 07052343083 Email:bennett.oghifo@thisdaylive.com

TIPS OF THE WEEK Checks to Keep Your Engine Fit and Functional

The Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Defender Crowned Women’s World Car of 2021

T

he Land Rover Defender has been named Supreme Winner Women’s World Car of the Year 2021. The triumph is the Àrst time a Land Rover has won the top prize at the awards and is the latest in a series of international honours for the most capable Land Rover ever made.

The automaker said Defender remains true to the pioneering spirit that has been a Land Rover hallmark for over 70 years and redeÀnes adventure for the 21st century. Iconic in name, shape and capability, it is available in a choice of body designs and can be personalised with a choice of four Accessory Packs to help owners make more of their world.

The Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards are the only car awards in the

world with a jury comprised exclusively of woman, with 50 motoring journalists from 38 countries on Àve continents recognising the best new models available. New Defender was named Best Medium SUV 2021 at the awards before being awarded – to coincide with International Women’s Day – the headline WWCOTY prize.

Nick Collins, Executive Director, Vehicle Programmes, Jaguar Land Rover said: “This is a huge honour for the whole team and a reward for the hard work that has gone into creating such a capable vehicle. Defender has won more than 50 international awards already, which tells us that our original vision for a 21st century Defender was the right one. New Defender combines an unmistakable silhouette with state-of-the-art technology in a design that respects its heritage and delivers authentic Land Rover capability. The result is a family of 4x4s

that lives up to the Defender name with an e΀cient plug-in hybrid powertrain and our potent new Defender V8.”

Marta García, Executive President Women’s World Car of the Year said, “The legend has been updated. The Land Rover Defender is no longer just a SUV to cross the Amazon or go into the desert. Its latest reinvention invites you to travel by road in the same comfort as a luxury saloon. For this reason, and for its technology and comfort it has been chosen as the Best Car of the Year by the Women’s World Car of the Year.”

The stripped-back personality of the original Defender has been embraced inside, with the emphasis on simplicity and practicality. Defender 110 oͿers Àve, six or 5 2 seating conÀgurations, while the 90 is capable of accommodating six occupants in a vehicle the length of a compact family hatchback.

Jaguar E-type Combines Flawless Quality, Exceptional Engineering

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he experts at Jaguar Classic in Coventry, UK have restored 12 E-type 60 Collection cars that combine flawless quality and exceptional engineering know-how.

Jaguar Classic has said it unveiled its first matched pair of E-type 60 Collection cars, and revealed full specification details for the 12 expertly restored and sympathetically uprated 3.8-litre E-types built to celebrate 60 years of the iconic sports car.

The E-type made its world debut in Geneva, Switzerland on 15 March 1961. The public reaction to the lone coupé available for test drives was so strong that Jaguar rushed a second E-type, a roadster, from Coventry to Geneva overnight, according to a statement by the automaker.

Six decades later, the E-type 60 Collection pays tribute to these two legendary cars: The Opalescent Gunmetal Grey coupé ‘9600 HP’, driven ‘flat out’

by Bob Berry to make the launch itself, and the British Racing Green roadster ’77 RW’, driven by Norman Dewis who was told to ‘drop everything’ to get to Geneva the next day.

The E-type 60 Collection cars, which are sold as a pair (one E-type 60 Edition coupé, one E-type 60 Edition roadster) are finished in exclusive Flat Out Grey and Drop Everything Green paint colours respectively. These colour formulations are inspired by the original 1961 colours and won’t be used on any other Jaguar.

The cars also feature a range of unique E-type 60 design elements developed in conjunction with Julian Thomson, Jaguar Design Director; subtle enhancements for improved usability and driveability including a five-speed manual gearbox and enhanced cooling; plus the Jaguar Classic Infotainment System with built-in satellite navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.

Classic Jaguar E-type The most distinctive visual highlight for each of the specially produced cars is an engraving by artist and designer King Nerd on the centre console of each car, recalling the drive routes from Coventry to Geneva of those original cars. Each piece of art takes more than 100 hours to create by hand, in consultation with the owner.

Dan Pink, Director, Jaguar Classic, said: “Sixty years after its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961, the talented team at Jaguar Classic are releasing the ultimate birthday present to the E-type: The E-type 60 Collection. The attention to detail demonstrates how this project has been a labour of love for our designers, engineers, craftspeople and partners. Exquisite detailing combined with enhanced

usability ensure these E-types will be coveted and enjoyed for decades to come by their discerning owners, starting with a once-in-a-lifetime Coventry to Geneva pilgrimage for our six customers and their guests in Summer 2022.”

Restored and refined by the experts at Jaguar Classic in Coventry, the E-type 60 Collection cars combine flawless quality and exceptional engineering know-how.

The most significant mechanical upgrade is a specially-developed five-speed manual gearbox which features synchromesh on all ratios, helical cut gears and a reinforced cast aluminium casing for enhanced reliability and greater durability as well as closer gear ratios and smoother changes.

An engine is like the heart of a car. It needs to run smooth in order to keep your car moving. I can’t emphasise more on how important it is to keep the engine fit and functioning efficiently. Here are 10 engine maintenance tips that’ll help your engine run forever: 1. Change engine oil at regular intervals This is the least you can do. The engine oil keeps all moving parts well lubricated so that wear and tear is minimal. Also, it traps all the dust, dirt, and sediments, keeping them out of places they shouldn’t be. Check oil levels every month and top up if the level is low. Oil grade and change intervals are subject to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The oil filter is equally important as it filters all the junk from the oil and stops regulation back into the engine. This will ensure that you engine runs smooth and cool.

2. Keep check on the cooling system Even though we have come a long way in terms of efficiency of a car engine, a lot of energy is lost during combustion in the form of heat. Metals and alloys, which your car engine is made out of, are not very good friends with heat. Always ensure there is ample coolant in the tank as it is very important for heat dissipation. A 1:1 ratio of coolant and distilled water is ideal. Also, it’s a good thing to look at the engine temp gauge on a hot sunny day and shut your car down in case it’s close to overheating.

3. Let it breathe Short of breath? Feeling tired? Your car’s engine needs oxygen as much as you do. A constricted air flow can cause the fuel to not burn completely, in turn increasing emissions and reducing mileage. Check the air filter and get it cleaned/ changed whenever you feel there is too much dirt and debris stuck to it. Your engine needs to breathe properly to function well and keep going.

4. Look for leaks When you pull out of the driveway, stop and look at the parking spot for any fluids on the ground.

If the fuel is leaking, you should visit the nearest mechanic and get it checked. You can also check under the hood to see or smell something leaking.

Engine oil and antifreeze are fluids you should look out for when checking for leaks.

5. Don’t keep going on reserve fuel Petrol contains sediments which settle at the bottom of your tank. Years of running and there will be definitely a layer of crap which shouldn’t reach the engine. Running on low fuel pulls this junk into the fuel pump which could cause a lot of wear. Instead of just praying it doesn’t reach the engine, top up your tank and save yourself repair/ replacement cost of the fuel filter and pump.

6. Check your belts Rubber belts are essential links to keep everything in tune when an engine runs. If you hear a squeal coming from under the hood, it is time to replace them. You should check your belts for cracks and signs of wear even though they last a long time. But if they break while the engine is running, it can cause serious damage to engine components, “expensive engine components”!

7. Don’t ignore the check engine light This light is your car’s subtle scream for help. Never ignore this and immediately get the car inspected by your local mechanic. We did an article earlier on what it could possibly mean – Check Engine Light Popping Up? Here Is What It Means. It’s basically a self-diagnosis which is put in place to protect your engine. It’s not necessarily serious every time but you’ll never know unless you get it checked.

8. Replace your fuel filter It is similar to the oil filter but filters out junk from the fuel, prohibiting entry into the combustion chamber. A new filter means free flow of clean fuel to the fuel pump and engine. This ensures there is less build-up inside the engine and its thirst for fuel is quenched.

9. Replace spark plugs and wires The spark plug acts as a fire starter. It ignites the air-fuel mixture in the cylinders and requires little maintenance owing to its long life span. Regular maintenance will ensure that the engine retains its spark. At times, they don’t even need replacement.

Some cleaning can be of great help as a lot of soot gets accumulated around the electrode over time.

10. Your engine doesn’t like revving just to come to a complete halt Engines are engineered to run at constant speed. This is when they perform the best. Too much variation in the revs tires it out and this takes a toll. City driving, where you constantly move and come to a stop is really hard on the engine. Try not to rev too hard.

Instead, be sure footed and don’t over-accelerate when you know you have to stop again. Try sticking to the highway whenever possible. This will give you better mileage (now you know why driving on the highway results in less fuel consumption) and keep that engine running for longer.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

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AUTO WORLD

New-generation Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Sedan Ready for Enthusiasts

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overs of Mercedes-Benz premium cars can now have the new-generation Mercedes-Maybach S-Class in their collection from the middle of this year.

According to a statement issued by the automaker, the MercedesMaybach brand represents the manifestation of sophisticated luxury in its most advanced form. The new-generation MercedesMaybach S-Class offers an elegant combination of sublime beauty, refinement and tailored craftsmanship, alongside its industry- leading innovations in terms of intelligent drive, connectivity and driving comfort.

This dedication to the highest form of status and style is apparent not only by the supreme quality materials and carefully hand-painted colours, but further emphasised by the luxurious, Maybach-specific features and exceptional design expected from this exclusive and highly compelling model. The all-new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Sedan will be priced from $184,900* and will arrive in U.S. dealerships in mid-2021.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class combines the class-leading technology of the Mercedes-Benz flagship model with the exclusivity and elegant luxury of the Maybach brand. This luxurious new model showcases myriad Maybach-exclusive features, including the distinctive front bumper and grille with vertical chrome louvres and Maybach lettering, standing Mercedes-Benz star on the hood, exclusive wheel portfolio and refined finishing details such as the engine hood trim strip and illuminated Maybach emblem on the C-Pillar.

The new-generation executive sedan is incredibly well-equipped and receives many of the revolutionary technological innovations introduced on the new

Mercedes-Benz S-Class as standard. The modern and progressive interior showcases a new 12.8” OLED multimedia touchscreen display in the center console and five screens in the front and rear in order to conveniently meet the needs of the driver and passengers alike. The new Maybach also debuts the second generation of the sophisticated, learning-capable MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system with advanced Voice Control and 50% more processing power compared to the previous MBUX system. Individual MBUX profiles can be activated by biometric authentication via fingerprint sensor, voice control or facial recognition. New near-ear speakers are integrated into the front seats allowing for further personalization - for example, so that only the driver can hear navigation instructions. The interior also showcases all- new technology such as Active Ambient Lighting that uses advanced LED technology to enhance the in-car experience by visually supporting the driver assistance systems or by flashing to identify the current speaker when interacting with MBUX. Additional new features such as the 3D driver display, which includes a 3D Instrument Cluster and Augmented Reality Head-Up Display, further supplement MBUX and Augmented Video for Navigation. This marks the first time Augmented Video is incorporated directly in the Head-Up Display, projecting images in the driver’s field of vision to enhance the driver assistance systems and navigation information. For instance, the 3D driver display provides a comprehensive view of the vehicle’s surroundings and enhances the ATTENTION ASSIST functionality with a microsleep warning that uses an infrared interior camera to register characteristics and movements in order to detect driver distraction

The all-new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Sedan or drowsiness.

The entire suite of enhanced active and passive driver assistance systems are included as standard on the new Maybach S-Class, as well as a 360-Degree Surround View Camera with a new 3D View Assist feature that allows the driver to easily and conveniently park, unpark and negotiate tight spaces. The vehicle can autonomously maintain its speed and regulate

distance to the traffic in front as well as stay in its lane on multi-lane roads, and reduce the vehicle speed according to the traffic situation. The extensive driver assistance systems, as well as the sophisticated crash sensor systems, enable PRE-SAFE® to recognize a potential impact in even more situations than before, ensuring that the Maybach upholds the highest levels of safety and sophistication.

Toyota to Focus on Hybrid, Safety for Facelifted Camry Toyota will renew its focus on its fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain when it launches the facelifted Camry next month, with a revised lineup featuring four hybrid grades and a single entry-level petrol variant.

The model rationalisation reflects the strong appeal of the Camry Hybrid that accounted for 70 per cent of current model Camry sales in 2020.

Alongside the focus on the improved 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain, the upgraded Camry features bold front end styling, a newly designed dash for better ergonomics, and improved safety with additional Toyota Safety Sense driver assistance features.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said the facelifted Camry lineup epitomised Toyota’s drive towards an electrified vehicle future, by showcasing the customer and environmental benefits of its hybrid powertrain.

“When we launched the first Camry Hybrid 10 years ago, it was only the second hybrid model after Prius,” Mr Hanley said.

“Today, we offer the hybrid powertrain in seven model lines and with over 70 per cent of current Camry buyers opting for the hybrid version, it is our biggest seller.

“Customers have come to appreciate the significant benefits to their bottom line, practicality and their environmental footprint and now with this facelifted model, we are further improving the proposition with a more stylish aesthetic inside and out and more advanced safety and comfort technology,” he said.

The improved hybrid powertrain in the facelifted Camry uses a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine that works in seamless combination with a pair of electric motor generators to deliver a maximum output of 160kW. Combined cycle fuel consumption is as low as 4.2l/100km1 for Ascent and Ascent Sport grades with 4.5l/100km1 for SL and 4.7l/100km1 for SX. The new 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder Dynamic Force Engine offered in the Camry Ascent generates a maximum power of 152kW while returning a combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.8l/100km1.

At the front, the facelifted Camry features a redesigned grille and front bumper to give the car a more imposing road presence while inside, the redesigned dash featuring a larger 9-inch touchscreen display (7-inch for Ascent grade) provides a more user-friendly and premium ambience.

Toyota Camry 2021 interior

The Myth and Lie of Phoning While Driving Do you know that globally, the use of phone while driving which has been my focus for the last two weeks is under-reported by the relevant authorities? Do you also know the same underreporting applies to road traffic crashes caused by the use of phone while driving distraction? Do you know that there are numerous challenges in collecting and reporting reliable crash data?

This challenge is irrespective of the clime although it is more problematic in low and middle income countries such as ours. Do you know that the story is the same in our clime as most motorists including the classy, educated, as well as the very religious will rarely own up to using the phone when arrested or even when involved in a road traffic crash?

I remember a very hilarious incident some years back when I was sector commander in the Federal Capital Territory. As the Sector Commander, the current Corps Marshal Dr Boboye Oyeyemi charged me to creatively address the ugly trend. To checkmate the rising wave of driving and phoning infraction, I embarked on a unique intervention to address the rising scourge.

The campaign was in collaboration with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA 2) under the watch of Wole Coker who insisted live feeds from my Command. The novel campaign/enforcement intervention involved using unmarked vehicles with plain clothes materials backed with video and still camera. Whenever we spotted an offender, we ensure the infraction is recorded using the still and video camera and thereafter, we pull over the defaulters and interview as well educate them on the dangers of using the phone while driving. All

SAFE DRIVING with Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa Assistant Corps Marshal Zonal Commanding Officer Federal Road Safety Corps.

recordings were then submitted to NTA who would then run the feed as news on network. You can call or tag the campaign ‘’Show of shame’’.

After days of the campaign, we received positive reviews on the novelty and creativity behind the idea.

As Sector Commander, I felt tall despite my Julius Agwu look -alike height. However, after series of arrests were made, we ran into a driver who was driving and using his phone. We tailed him from Zone 4 junction in Wuse in Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory up to the Central Business District just after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company. We pulled him aside but noticed as we approached him that he had quickly dropped his phone underneath his car seat. When he stopped and came out, he denied ever using the phone while driving despite witnesses who confirmed that they also saw him.

To stop the discourse from dragging and guard against any kind of assault from onlookers, I moved closer to him and gently asked him, ’Sir, between your God and

your yourself, were you driving and phoning’’. Like a comic actor, he paused, looked up to the heavens and said,’’ between my God and I’? At that point, the tape was cut because it made for a good cut for broadcast which was, as you can guess, aired on NTA network.

Today driving and phoning has become the vogue but do you know there are implications for traffic safety?

I have chosen to share available reports and documents from experts’ which states clearly that driving while using a cell phone reduces brain activity associated with driving (e.g., spatial processing that helps drivers remember and make sense of the objects they observe on the street) by thirty-seven percent. These experts also maintain that drivers text messaging while driving behind the wheel are eight times as likely to be in a crash or near crash as drivers who are not texting. They equally submit that Phone conversations of any type as contained in the National Road Traffic Regulations,2021 cited last week increases reaction times and increase variations in speed, lane deviations, as well as steering wheel control.

When conversing on mobile devices, either hand-held or hands-free, drivers increase their risk of a crash by two to four times. Meanwhile, distractions beyond cell phones are growing at a rapid pace as stated earlier while automotive soft news systems grew from nine million vehicles on the road in 2013 to at least 62 million in 2018.

They are still growing as predicted. The key features of these technologies include “connected navigation, multimedia streaming, social media, and in-car Wi-Fi hotspots.” Therefore, drivers who use cell phones while driving with greater frequency are also more likely to

engage in a variety of additional risky behaviors, such as red light running, speeding, and texting.

If you read my piece on’’ The barber’s shop jaw jaw on phoning behind the wheels’’, then you will find todays focus quite interesting as it hopes to deal with the great myths that is responsible for the increasing worry over the madness called driving behind the wheels. My focus last Saturday tried to paint the daily mannerisms of some road users including the exposed ones who should know better. As I navigate on this focus, with the aid of materials surfed, I hope it will resonate with your driving lexicon and mindset especially against the backdrop of a huge number of road users who often question the rationale for barring them from driving and phoning at the same time. To be candid, the myths are as numerous as they are adherents. It takes a lot of personal discipline not to be a deviant. As I dwell on these myths remember that myths are widely held but false belief or idea.

The first is the myth that says that drivers can multitask and trust me, this category swam of people irrespective of sex, age, education or tribal inclination. Even some learner and novice drivers hold similar views. But the bad news for these category is the reality that the human brain cannot do two things at the same time- like watch television and hold a phone conversation. The same is true when driving and talking on the phone. The brain switches between the two tasks which slows reaction time. I recall a research finding that held that you cannot do two things at the same time when the two things demand the use of the same resources or tools. Daily I am amazed and sometime amused when I notice a vehicle that is struggling to stay on the same lane for even a second.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MARCH 13, 2021

PEOPLE Rolake Rosiji

COVID-19 Exposed Option of Working Remotely Rolake Rosiji has 10 year-experience in strategic and operational management positions in businesses in renewable energy, FMCG and Management Consulting. She started her career as a Management Consultant in London and also worked at Arla Foods in Nigeria and around the world. Rosiji advanced through a series of international level promotions and led multi-disciplinary teams in Nigeria, UK, USA, Denmark and across West Africa. She joined Jobberman this year as CEO after spending 2 years as Country Manager for M-KOPA Solar Nigeria Limited. At the solar energy company, Rosiji created and managed a team providing solar power kits on flexible loans to consumers in Nigeria. To do this, she led a complex digital payments system partnering with the leading fin tech businesses in Nigeria which enabled customers to make small frequent payments. The Jobberman Nigeria CEO tells Tosin Clegg about joining the firm, her work history, the essentials for job seekers, human resource and a lot more Jobberman, a trusted brand obberman has been a trusted brand in Nigeria for over 10 years.

The company has had an impressive journey since being founded by three University of Ife graduates in 2009. We have grown to 70 employees in Nigeria and currently have a database of over 60,000 employers and 2,000,000 job seekers including many large corporates such as Access Bank, Dangote, Mckinsey & Company and Main One. Jobberman partners with state governments such as Enugu State and Lagos State on job creation programmes. We work with multi-laterals such as USAID and UNICEF on large employment programmes and with parastatals like NYSC. Most notably, we have a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to place 3 million Nigerians in jobs by 2025 and to upskill 5 million young Nigerians. We intend to add more large scale partnerships to our portfolio including the recently established Federal Government Public-Private Partnership styled Infrastructure company named Infra-Co. We are bidding to be HR Recruiters to build the Infra-co team in support of the chosen fund managers and legal partners.

I firmly believe that there needs to be more synergy between the world of education and the world of work. Educators and employees need to work together to create young people with the skills required in the fastest growing sectors in Nigeria. I sit on the EXCO of the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria and from feedback from companies, recruiting the right talent is a major issue. Our goal is to plug this gap through accessing talent and training them. The Federal Government, CBN & NSIAhave a very competent organisation in Jobberman, available to support them here in Nigeria, in the creation of Infra-co.

Several companies have made some of their largest gains in this pandemic. In terms of technological advancement, it has drastically changed workplace dynamics and has also opened our eyes to see the possibility of working remotely yet being effective in our roles. Many have started their businesses and have become employers in this time. Sometimes setbacks are opportunities shrouded in challenges.

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SMEs,otherstartupsmustleverageontechnology The world is becoming a global village and technology is fast becoming a major tool for business growth. SMEs and other startups can leverage it across all business processes. They can also use the online platform to manage the jobs they’re recruiting for and to manage their candidates. I encourage SMEs and start-ups that probably don’t have massive funds to use our online platform for recruitment and talent management. Jobberman also provides free soft skills courses on our platform via Coursera and Thinkific. We also ensure candidates or employees take a test after the course. We use over 600 assessment tools to identify the best candidates for employers.

Employerswillfinditeasiertouseouronlineplatform Employers should expect a shift in the quality of service and a faster turnaround. Using technology, employers will find it easier to use our online platform themselves to manage their recruitment needs and to sift through CVs. We will continue to expand our executive recruitment, HR consulting such as Succession Planning and Salary Reviews. Job seekers can also access our free soft skills training from online platforms like Coursera and Thinkific directly on our website after registering.

Wehavethelargesttalentdatabase The most significant gap in Africa’s job market is caused by low access to opportunities with a wide skill and educational gap.

Government and private sector need to empower candidates to take advantage of these opportunities through education, impactful empowerment programs, and adequate funding.

This will create a more inclusive job market that will provide gainful employment for Nigeria’s teeming youth population. In a broad sector like infrastructure, you will notice that while there is abundant talent in Nigeria at junior levels - we lack advanced technical talent in these areas in Nigeria and we often employ foreigners to lead these projects. Jobberman groom Nigerians who can take on multi-million dollar projects. This is what we aim to do as the HR partners for CBN and NSIA’s Infra-co programme. We have the largest talent database and advanced assessment tools to

Rosiji

allow us to select candidates transparently.

Mypreviousexperienceandmynewjob I have worked in FMCG, Fintech, renewable energy, management consulting and development. I have a Master’s degree from London School of Economics, an undergraduate from Durham University UK and a Certification in Business from Stanford School of Business. This will mean Jobberman’s development will be structured, well thought out and bold. We will use technology to secure our leadership in Nigeria and will be used by people who had not considered online recruitment, HR consulting such as salary surveys and succession planning before.

Synergybetweenworldofeducationandworkvital

Youngprofessionalsmusthaveavision I believe it is essential to have a vision as a young professional.

Know what you’re passionate about and focus on becoming the best at it. I love the line from the Mary Oliver poem: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life”.

If you don’t have a job yet, put yourself out there. We are a great platform to start your job search as we provide opportunities to connect you to employers. We will also train you on soft skills so that when you meet employers you have an added advantage.

You also have to self-promote. We live in a very competitive world where you cannot be shy about your accomplishments, learn to promote yourself especially when you meet new people. Invest in personal development, hone your skills, get more certifications.

The corporate world is often harsh to women, so, if you’re a lady, be excellent in your field, give them something more to talk about, other than your gender.

Olori Janet Afolabi Unveils Youth Development Academy Tolulope Ibukunoluwa

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lori Janet Afolabi has unveiled Youth, Development Academy Apomu. The event took place in the Alapomu Palace Hall in Apomu, headquarters of Isokan local government area of Osun state.

TheAcademy is embarking on massive skills aquisition training programme for about 300 youths inApomu community. Olori Janet in her welcome address said the primary objective of the Academy is to keep the young people ofApomu land productively occupied and help them become self reliant.

Adding that theAcademy will provide for the impoverished young people an avenue to sustain themselves and their families .

Yemi Lawal, Osun state Commissioner for Youths and Sports , said the youths should take

advantage of the training because it is part of the major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) which Nigeria is set to achieve in 2030. Lawal was impressed by two female students SuliyatAdeniyi and Iqmot Oladejo fromAdremAcademy who sangApomuAnthem in Yoruba and English and he offered them scholarship throught their secondary school education.

Also speaking Pastor Titilayo Femi Kings ,Co- Founder and Director of Operations LEAD Transformation Initiative and partner in the project encouraged the youth to go into farming in order to create jobs and wealth. He added , that skill acquisition is a recipe for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. He said the possession of these skills will enable the youths contribute maximally to national development.

In his contribution, His Royal Majesty , Oba kayodeAdenekanAfolabi who gave his royal blessing said , there is need for the youths to be empowered so that they can be financially independent and contribute meaningfully to the development of the community.According to him the

L-R: Osun state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Yemi Lawal, Alapomu of Apomu Oba kayode Afolabi and Olori Janet Afolabi

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ARCH 13, 2021

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PEOPLE

Soulcomms Women Challenge on Women’s Day Olaoluwakitan Babatunde

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omen around the world have had to live with various challenges over the decades – challenges that will often inhibit their mental, physical, educational, economic, and in some cases spiritual growth. This explains why some generally lag behind in many indices of human development. In Nigeria, women face many challenges that could constitute setbacks to their overall development; the reason gender inequality has remained a thorny issue for a long time. They face challenges that without a doubt deny them equal opportunity for socio-economic and political advancement alongside their male counterparts.

But it has not all been a sorry tale for the Nigerian women.

For many of them, gender disparity has not been a handicap.

Examples abound across the country of women who have risen above gender challenges to achieve heights that were hitherto considered unrealistic for women. These women are to be found in the professions, the academia, entrepreneurship, etc. One does not need to look further to find Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who just became the first woman and first African to be appointed Director General of the World Trade Organization or even Kamila Harris the now Vice President of the United States of America.

Without doubt, that development is set to have tremendous impact on the Nigerian girl-child who would now believe that she can attain any height or achieve any goal in life. Worthy of mention also is Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the UN. At Soulcomms Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading strategic communications and engagement companies, are five career women in key positions– among the best professionals in the industry – who reflect the efforts made by Nigerian women to overcome gender-based challenges to excel in their different fields. Their contribution to creating awareness for this year’s edition finds expression in the strategic roles they play in driving the success of a company that has proved its mettle in the nation’s marketing communications industry through execution of high profile campaigns that have made many top local and international brands household names in the country.

At the head of the team is Mojisola Saka who, as Chief Operating Officer, wears many caps. She is the team leader, entrepreneur, business driver, mentor, conceiver, thinker, manager, as well as administrator. All these attributes have enabled her to drive, with an enviable level of professionalism, the successes Soulcomms has recorded over the years: “I have often posited that the woman is an embodiment of grace, strength, vision, resilience, courage, determination, focus, entrepreneurship…and I could go on”, says Mojisola.

Without a doubt, Mojisola is a conceiver, thinker, doer, manager and all of that too. I almost forgot she is a mother, teacher, student, team leader, team member, mentor, mentee, wife, nurse, administrator and all. The WorldBank’s data reports women to be 49.584 per cent of the world’s population. Thus, if the family is the smallest unit of the society, then one can infer that the woman is the anchor and single most important piece that make the family which morphs into society.

Ever wondered how she balances these charge? How she is able to compartmentalize and manage all these roles and its responsibilities without dropping or mixing up the balls? The answer may not be too far off. She’s a super human and a wonder woman. And at Soulcomms, we have been privileged to have some of such women in our organization. These women are our wonder women. They have successfully integrated their many roles and responsibilities to supporting the business’ success over the years. And with each passing year even as they grow in age, advance their career and wear many more caps, their resilience has been second to none. For sure, they can never be referred to as regular but are our source of strength and progress”.

For those who know and understand the pressure of a Marcomms Consulting Agency especially in a VUCA period, every day, especially the International Women’s Day, calls for celebrating these Wonder Women. And so, I choose to celebrate the master strategist and super skilled juggler. According to Mojisola, “I choose to celebrate the one who by natural default deals with every odd yet is the single most critical piece for sustainable societal development and life. I choose to celebrate women like me who juggle every kind of ball and still break the glass ceiling. I choose to challenge the ‘quietness’ in celebrating women for all their unending personal sacrifices towards a better family and society”.

On her side, Yemi Oyekanmi- Manager, Strategic Communications and Engagement, attributes gender inequality in Nigeria to the patriarchal nature of the society where male dominance is part of the culture. This, she explains, “is a system of social stratification and differentiation on the basis of sex, which provides material advantages to males while simultaneously placing severe constraints on the roles and activities of females (Stacey 1993; Kramarae 1992; Lerner 1986) purports”.

This system ignores the invaluable contributions women make to national development. “Female contribution to the social and economic development of societies is also more than half as compared to that of men by virtue of their roles in the productive and reproductive spheres”, says Yemi, quoting Makama Godiya Allanana. “Yet, female participation in formal and informal structures and processes wherein decisions regarding the use of societal resources generated by both men and women are made remains insignificant”.

L-R: Uyiosa Aigbe, Executive, Strategic Communications, Soulcomms; Mojisola Saka, Chief Operating Officer; Omonigho Agbator, Deputy Manager, Engagements; (Back) Yemi Oyekanmi Manager, Strategic Communications and Engagements The situation is not helped by the attitude of the international community that has continuously paid lip service to the issue of gender equality, despite several pronouncements and conventions that are designed supposedly to advance the cause of women. An example is the Affirmative Action that came out as a product of the Beijing Women Conference of 1985, which has remained largely on paper in many countries of the world.

One of the challenges the girl child faces in Nigeria is lack of access to education, especially in some areas, specifically, families where education of females is still not considered a worthwhile venture, because of the age-old stereotype of the woman’s place being in the kitchen. Lack of access to education could also be as a result of cultural factors, like what obtains in some sections of the country where child marriage robs female children of the opportunity of acquiring education.

There is glaring gender disparity in almost every facet of the national life, and in many cases, this accounts for the lack of sufficient opportunities for advancement women in face in the country. In educational institutions, especially at the tertiary level, sex-for-marks is a growing phenomenon. At the workplace, a woman must perform almost two times the amount of work a man does to be considered for promotion.

The officer cadre in military and para-military services is almost always the exclusive preserve of men. Despite the growing involvement of women in politics and the fact that they constitute the higher percentage of registered voters in the country, women are not considered for elective political office beyond the position of deputy governor that is usually handed out as a token. And in the legislative houses at the state and federal levels, women do not constitute up to 10 per cent of lawmakers at any given time.

“The continued calls, reforms and struggles are all geared toward sufficiency in the representation of more women in Nigeria’s workforce”, says Yemi Oyekanmi. “Although it is said that women are now increasingly partaking in the workforce such that roles of male breadwinner and female homemaker are disappearing, ‘the patriarchal system such as seen in Nigeria remains a strong culture of male dominance and women continue to be subjugated” (human resource management international digest, vol. 27 No.7, pp.9-11)’. Thus, in Nigeria, the patriarchal system still forms a barrier to achieving a good work-life balance and advancement for women”.

Yemi is optimistic: “This year, 2021, I truly believe that women indeed belong in all places where decisions are being made and as such, I choose to challenge all forms of discrimination against women and I urge you to do same”.

Uyiosa Aigbe, Executive, Strategic Communications, considers the Coronavirus pandemic that swept across the world in 2020 as having increased the challenges women in Nigeria face, as indeed women around the world do.

“The world was going at a wonderful pace with everyone up and doing with their daily lives and businesses”, Uyiosa said.

“However, the breakout of Covid-19 disrupted everyone’s basic/ daily activities. To contain and control the spread of the virus, government around the world issued a total lockdown in their various countries, which in most cases had a psychological, emotional, mental and physical impact on the people”.

Research showed that female workers appear to have been more easily laid off in the various lockdowns around the world than their male counterparts, while those still in employment are faced with mental health, stress and emotional challenges arising from uncertainties about how to manage career and family responsibilities, especially for working mothers.

The study also found that women had increased rate of low mental health status by 3.96 per cent during the lockdown. This was caused by factors such as inflexibility at work; the feeling of having to be available at work at all times or being negatively judged because of the extra burden of carrying domestic responsibilities, which led to permanent fear of job loss, etc There is also the issue of domestic violence, including rape, which increased astronomically all over the country during the lockdown of last year.

Uyiosa quotes a United Nation’s report as saying, “The emotional impact of the pandemic is disproportionately falling on women’s shoulders in most countries. Increases in unpaid care and domestic work, job and income loss, and the effects of the lockdown on gender-based violence are among the factors that may be contributing to higher rates of stress and anxiety among women”.

The Soulcomms “Wonder Women Campaign” is the organization’s initiative to celebrate and support female practitioners in the Marketing and Communications sector as they integrate corporate duties with balancing other personal responsibilities.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 13,2021

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MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fasogbon... 08155131874

FFI Partners Old Mutual to Empower Women Future Females Invest and Old Mutual (a Multinational Life and General Insurance company) have entered an exciting partnership to economically empower women by providing education on how to take control during uncertain times.

Future Females Invest was founded by Aysha Julie and Tori Abiola, who said they were tired of the lack of access to Ànance for African female founders.

In 2019 Future Females Invest merged with Tori’s WOWe (Women of West Africa Entrepreneurs) to become truly Pan-African; Ànancially empowering and enabling African

female founders.

Speaking at the launch of their “Ready to Inspire Campaign” in Lagos recently, the Managing Director of Management Transformation and Faculty Future Females Invest Ready to Lead Programme, Dr Wuraola Abiola stated that women are the economic backbone of homes and the society.

She said African women entrepreneurs are the drivers of the economy, as they build sustainable and proÀtable businesses that have a big impact on society. “They need to be invested in, it is the right and smart thing to do.”

She stated that Future Females Invest was changing systems by providing consultancy, training, access to investment and markets ecosystem support to African women entrepreneurs, investors, NGOs, and gender empowerment advocates in public and private sector organisations.

The Ready to Inspire Campaign is a 12 month programme on teaching women how to create and retain wealth, she said.

The Executive Head, Marketing and Customer Experience Old Mutual Nigeria said that the empowerment of women is an area Old Mutual across the Group is focused on.

Nigerian Dentists Seek End to Oral Health Inequalities The Nigerian Dental Association, NDA, has sought government intervention to the challenge of oral health inequalities, in order to reduce the burden of oral disease in the country.

This was part of the demands of the association as it joined other countries of the world to mark year 2021 World Oral Health Day, WOHD. Speaking during a press conference in Lagos, President of the NDA, Dr. Kolawole Obagbemiro, noted that the unavailability of appropriate oral services for most people in low and middle-income communities was worrisome and threatening.

Obagbemiro suggested for an increased investment in oral health that will bring about social and economic development.

He said, “The oral health is an integral part of general health and enabled an individual to contribute meaningfully to the society. So any investment in oral health will yield dividends of good general health, a healthy work force and ultimately, a wealthier nation.”

Speaking on the theme of WOHD this year, “Be Proud of your Mouth,” the President urged Nigerians to imbibe healthy oral practices that will spare them of social embarrassment and cause them to be proud of their mouths.

Obagbemiro called for collaborative action to fund programmes and campaigns for prevention, early detection and treatment of oral diseases like periodontal disease, cancer and dental caries, amongst others.

According to him, “Exposure to simple, proven and effective measures like twice-daily brushing, using medium-textured toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste, avoid/ reduce sugary foods and drinks, avoid /reduce smoking and alcohol, eating fruits and vegetables and regular visit to the dentist, amongst others is not yet global.

Red Carpet Queen Int’l Rewards Winner of Pageant L-R: Wife of the publisher, Familylifers.com, Mrs. Yomi Adewale; Publisher, Familylifers.com, Bisi Adewale; Managing Director, City Fm, Mrs. Doja Allen; and Publisher, City People Magazine, Seye Kehinde at the unveiling of Familylifers.com at Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos… recently

Colgate Restates Commitment to Oral Health Toothpaste brand, Colgate, has reaffirmed its commitment to ending oral diseases through continuous and regular dental screening across the country.

The company stated this during a free dental screening exercise organised recently at Dosumu, Oke Arin market, Lagos.

The activity saw traders, customers and passersby have their teeth examined by professionals, after which they were offered advice on how to best take care of their teeth.

Colgate officially launched its Dental Checkup programme in 2020 with the objective of bringing free oral health checkup closer to the public and

well handled by professional certified dentist.

The exercise also aimed to drive awareness towards curbing the spread of tooth cavities in the country.

Speaking, Chief Executive Officer of Colgate Palmolive Tolaram, Mr. Girish Sharma, expressed delight at how people turned up to take advantage of the opportunity, taking cognisance of COVID-19 protocols.

“Our target is to reach out to a minimum of 2 million people by end of 2021. As a brand, it is in our efforts to improve the oral health of Nigerians as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to Bright Smiles,” he stated.

He further educated about toothache and tooth holes which, he said, are mostly caused by cavities.

Quoting research, Sharma pointed out that a larger population of Nigerians are contending with toothache and tooth holes, adding that the dental checkup initiative was put together to arrest dental challenges.

Public Relations Manager of Tolaram Group, Mrs. Omotayo Abiodun explained further that the initiative is concentrated at bringing basic oral healthcare orientation, consultation, and solution closer to consumers in the most convenient manner and at no cost.

Microsoft, Tech4Dev to Develop Digital Skills of Nigerian Women Microsoft and non-proÀt social enterprise, Tech4Dev have partnered on the Women Techsters Initiative to train girls and women in Nigeria and across Africa in coding and deep tech skills, aiming to bridge the digital and technology divide and ensure equal access to opportunities across the continent.

The Women Techsters initiative, which is aimed at girls and women between 16 and 40, across 54 countries in Africa, was launched in a virtual roundtable today, hosted

by Microsoft Philanthropies and Tech4Dev. In her opening remark, Ghada Khalifa, Regional Director- Microsoft Philanthropies

MEA, was excited about the initiative being scaled to other countries on the African continent from Nigeria where the program was piloted said that “When we empower girls and women in the ICT industry, through greater access to skills and training, we not only unlock innovation, but also economic opportunities.”

A recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) cautioned that Africa’s inequality could worsen unless concrete action is taken to bridge the continent’s digital divide.

Akin Banuso, Microsoft Country Manager

in Nigeria shared this sentiment, acknowledging that while much has been done on the continent to streamline upskilling in STEM areas, more and continuous eͿorts are required – particularly in industries like these that are ever-changing.

“The overall objective of Women Techsters is to grow and support a community of tech empowered girls and women across the continent, who will have equal access to decent job opportunities as well as build and scale their ideas into tech-enabled businesses and deep tech start-ups, ultimately aiding overall economic growth.”

IWD: Trophy Lager Celebrates Female Nollywood Icons International Brewery, flagship brand, Trophy has honoured female veterans in the Nigerian movie industry as part of activities to commemorate the 2021 International Women’s Day. The honoured movie veterans included: Idowu Philips, popularly called Iya Rainbow and Lanre Hassan Adesina, who is addressed Iya Awero on stage.

In celebrating the two women, the brand took the icons by surprise in their Lagos home by

paying an unannounced visit in a convoy of poets, drummers, dancers, and praise singers, as a way of appreciating their impact in the local movie industry.

Speaking on the gesture, Marketing Manager, Trophy, Bamise Oyegbami, described the thespians as “more than deserving of honour.”

He said; “The Trophy brand is synonymous with honour and the honourable in every sphere of life. The brand believes that anyone who has

excelled in their endeavour is deserving of prestige.

It doesn’t matter if such an individual is a known face like our veterans who are being celebrated today or the average person out there; as long as you are striving to be better, we are out to celebrate you with the waa gbayi experience.”

Responding, Iya Rainbow said, “To say that I am happy would be an understatement. I am indeed humbled by Trophy and International Breweries’ show of love.”

The Red Carpet Queen International Reality TV Pageant has announced winners of the season two edition of the pageant where winners were graciously rewarded for their display of excellence.

The season two edition of the pageant followed the success of the 2020 lockdown edition themed: “Making a statement,” which ever since the Pageant has grown in leaps and bound and strengthening its purpose of raising the next generation of accomplished career models and TV presenters amongst others.

Following 14 days of fierce battle, 20 year- old Oduduwa University graduate and ex-beauty queen, Oluwapelumi Victoria Babajide emerged overall winner in the contest having scored over 69 million votes to beat her top 2 contenders.

Budding Television presenter, Queensly Cyril emerged 1st Runner up with over 32 million votes while Sonia Senlong, a graduate of Bingham University, emerged 2nd Runner up with over 20 million votes.

The three winners emerged from the over 150 selected for the first round of the competition that as held online, out of which 10 finalists made it to the adventure house.

The overall winner walked away with a million Naira cash prize as well as $5000 worth Skincare formulation scholarship sponsored

by COC Beauty School. The 1st and 2nd Runner ups were presented cash consolation prizes and equally got a $5000 worth Skincare formulation scholarship. In addition, the three winners will be sponsored on a trip to Dubai for a one week luxury vacation during summer.

Unilever Unveils Ummute Campaign, Seeks End to Domestic Violence In celebrating this year’s occasion of International Women’s Day, fast-moving consumer goods manufacturer, Unilever has called for an end to rising cases of domestic violence, just as it encouraged victims to speak out .

Speaking while marking the IWD, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Chief Diversity & Inclusion O΀cer of Unilever, Aline Santos stated that the organisation hinged its focus on the menace of Domestic violence in order to raise a voice for victims, while ensuring that the anti-human act loses its ground.

He said, “Ensuring that victims of abuse are seen and heard is the focus of our actions marking this year’s International Women’s Day. We #ChooseToChallenge the silence on domestic violence.”

Meanwhile, it has been estimated that cases of domestic violence increased by 20% around the globe during the lockdown, a Àgure which prompted the United Nations to term the scourge as ‘shadow pandemic’.

Statistics from United Nations has equally shown that prior to COVID-19, 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence, or non-partner sexual violence, with 60% of all cases going unreported and unheard.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ, 2021

SPORTS XTRA

NFF President, Pinnick Elected into FIFA Council Becomes third Nigerian to serve in the decision-making body President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, was on yesterday in

Rabat, Morocco elected into the FIFA Council – the highest decision-making organ in

world football. He attained the exalted seat after defeating his only rival, incumbent Walter

Nyamilandu of Malawi by 43 votes to eight at the Congress held inside the Royal Ballroom

L-R: Nigeria’s delegates Seyi Akinwunmi Mallam Shehu Dikko and Dr Mohammed Sanusi with Nigerians in CAF administration, Dr Christian Emeruwa (Head of Safety and Security) and Mr Samson Adamu (Head of Competitions) .

Tell Me Where You Prefer to play, Ancelotti Asks Iwobi Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has asked Nigeria international Alex Iwobi to name his preferred position.

The former Arsenal star put a post up on Instagram this week following his call up to the national team for the upcoming games against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho, saying he hopes to play in his preferred position.

Ancelotti has used Iwobi in multiple positions this season including right winger, left winger, left wing-back, right wing-back and even at fullback when the team is defending, while Nigeria manager Gernot Rohr has often deployed him in the number 10 role since the retirement of ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel.

The Italian football tactician revealed that

Iwobi has never approached him about his preferred playing position and he’s ready to have a chat with the Nigerian, adding that he had a conversation with Andrea Pirlo about where he wants to play when he was managing AC Milan.

When asked if he knew the preferred position Iwobi was talking about, if he has spoken to him and whether he’ll be able to accommodate his wishes, Ancelotti answered : “I read the post that he did and I want to speak of course, I would like to know him, his preferred position, because usually I want to put a player on the pitch where they are comfortable to play not where they are uncomfortable to play.

“And if he has an idea of where he prefers to play I have to know, I want to know, I am

delighted to know his preferred position, I put him in his preferred position for sure, no doubt.

“I’m going to tell him, ‘tell me I am your manager, tell me where you prefer to play’.

“When I thought to put Pirlo as a holding midfielder I asked him ‘Do you like to play there or not?’ ‘Yes, he said to me.

‘I’d love to play there!’ So I put him there.

“If he wants to play number 10 or number 9 I’ll put him there, no problem.

I can adapt the system.”

Iwobi was replaced ten minutes into the second half as Everton were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea on Monday, and was one of the players at fault for the first goal conceded by the Toffees.

Palace Boss Hails Eze, Charges Anglo-Nigerian to Improve on Scoring Ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League encounter between Crystal Palace and West Brom, the Eagles Manager, Roy Hodgson has revealed in a press conference yesterday that he is impressed with Eberechi Eze but challenged the attacking midfielder to improve his goalscoring input.

In his last season with Queens Park Rangers, the England U21 international of Nigerian parentage scored 14 goals his highest number of goals in a single season - but has managed just three goals in all competitions since his move to Crystal Palace.

One of the exciting young players in the Premier League, the former Arsenal schoolboy was a big summer signing, with Palace poaching him for a fee that could rise to 20 million pounds.

Asked how he has found Eze this season, Hodgson told reporters: “I’m very pleased with him, I think that he’s made the step up into Premiership football in the best possible way.

“We think he’s got a tremendous margin for progression as well because he does have so many qualities and I’m expecting him in the latter part of this season to really bring all his talents to bear.

“We’d like to see him score a few more goals, we’d like to see him get into goalscoring positions more often and to produce chances for us, but that’s all the things that he has in his locker that he constantly works on.

“I am more than satisfied with Eberechi Eze and I’m looking forward to him having a good end to the season and helping us climb up the table”.

Eze’s goal drought could extend to eight games if he fails to find the net in tomorrow’s clash against West Brom at Selhurst Park Stadium.

Azeez’s Late Winner Helps Reading Triumph over Palace Femi Azeez, elder brother of talented Arsenal midfielder Miguel, continued his fine form for Reading U23 team by netting the winning goal as they recorded a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace in a Premier League 2 fixture yesterday.

Last weekend, Femi became the latest academy product to debut for Reading’s first team, playing the

last few minutes against Sheffield Wednesday.

His senior debut wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter as it was hugely merited following his imperious displays for the U23s after returning from injury.

Azeez’s goal today saw him take his tally to four goals in his last six

outings in the Premier League 2.

Against Crystal Palace, Reading retook the lead as Azeez slotted below goalkeeper Hennessey in the 88th minute to make it 2-1.

Jayden Onen’s 15th minute strike was cancelled out by an unfortunate Michael Stickland own-goal just before the hour mark.

of the Sofitel Hotel in Morocco’s administrative capital.

Four of Pinnick’s five rivals, Lamin Kaba Bajo (The Gambia), Wallace Karia (Tanzania), Nick Mwendwa (Kenya) and Andrew Kamanga (Zambia) threw in the towel before the vote and opted to back the Nigerian. General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi casted Nigeria’s vote.

It is a remarkable case of rapid global football boardroom upliftment for a man who, a little over six-and-halfyearsago,had no intention of contesting for even board membership of the Nigeria Football Federation, but has now been in the post for sixand-halfyears(becomingthefirst persontodemocracticallysecure a second term), won election as Member of the CAF Executive Committee, served as CAF’s 1st Vice President, still serving as MemberoftheOrganizingCommitteeforFIFACompetitions,and now a reverred member of the world’shighestdecision-making organ for football.

Pinnick’s entry into the 37-member FIFACouncil came atthe43rdOrdinaryandElective General Assembly of CAF, and was accomplished hours after the man he supported for the CAF Presidency, Dr Patrice Motsepe of South Africa, mounted the ‘throne’ unchallenged. Motsepe’s challengers Augustine Senghor of Senegal, Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Jacques Anouma of Cote

d’Ivoirehadallwithdrawnfrom the race before today’s poll.

The elevation is for a fouryear term, and automatically makes Pinnick a Member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football.

Aman who sets and pursues hisvisiondoggedly,Pinnickthus becomes only the third Nigerian toserveinworldfootball’shighest decision-making body, after the late Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo and Dr Amos Adamu.

The quest by the suave and effervescentfootballadministrator for the seat was solidly backed by the Government of Nigeria, which delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, NebolisaAnako was on ground in Morocco.

A mining billionaire who is also into banking and telecommunications and has businesses in40Africancountries,DrPatrice Thlopane Motsepe is also the owner of top South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns.

In his acceptance speech, Motsepe expressed gratitude to theAfrican football family for his attainment of the position, saying it is a huge honour to serve African football at the highest level. “All of us can and will work together,” he said, underscoring the need for team work, collaboration and sense of togetherness as he praised Senghor, Yahya and Anouma who withdrew from the race.

…Ogba Congratulates Pinnick over Victory The former Delta State Commissioner for Sports, Solomon Ogba has sent out a congratulatory message to the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who on Friday was elected into the FIFA Council – the highest decision-making organ in world football.

Ogba described Pinnick’s victory as a very special one for all Nigerians; especially Deltans who have watched the meteoric rise of the astute sports administrator over the years.

The former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria said he is confident Pinnick will perform creditably well in his new office having done so in the past years in similar capacities.

“This is indeed a great day for Nigerian sports and I am very happy to see our country being projected in shining light in world football circles,” Ogba said yesterday, following the conclusion of the 43rd Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.

“I congratulate my brother, Pinnick and everyone that supported this great course,” he added.

West Brom Beat Stoke to Signing Nigerian Defender English Premier League club West Brom have pulled off a transfer coup by signing promising Nigeria-eligible defender Kevin Joshua.

The 19-year-old has signed his first professional contract with the Baggies following a successful trial that lasted four weeks; he impressed everyone including his teammates and coaching staff before he got offered a deal.

Standing 6ft 6in tall , the left-footed centre back is aggressive, quick, and excellent on the ball.

His contract with West Brom will keep him at The Hawthorns until at least the end of the 2021-2022 campaign.

Joshua was offered a three-year contract by Stoke City in September 2020 after another successful trial but the deal fell through at the last minute due to training compensation owed to Irish clubs.

He attracted interest from several other Premier League clubs but chose to join West Brom as he feels there is a genuine pathway to break into their first team.

Joshua has joined West Brom from non-league club Solihull United, he is also eligible to represent Republic of Ireland at international level.

The deal taking Joshua to West Brom was brokered

by Eyeconic Sports Management’s Arfan Rehman, who also looks after Arsenal’s Nigerian-born midfielder Tim Akinola.

TR

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MISSILE

Lamido on APC Government “In the last five years of APC government, Nigeria has become more divided. There is more hate and disunity between North and South, East and West, Muslims and Christians. From top to bottom, it is all confusion and crisis” – Former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, lamenting “disunity” in Nigeria under the Buhari government.

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PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Help Raise A Toast to the Erica of Africa

F

ellow Elites, today is our day, when we shall seize the God-given liberty and opportunity to celebrate and toast a young lady whose mistake was not forgiven by man but was still elevated and catapulted to fame and success. It is obvious that the ways of God are different from the ways of humans. We all love to pontificate as if we are all holy and perfect, but no one is. Every one of us suffers from one foible, weakness, egocentricity or the other. But if God can forgive our sins what stops us from replicating the same privilege to our fellow human being. Indeed, that is the injunction of most holy books. To err is human, to forgive is divine as Alexander Pope famously said in his poem, An Essay on Criticism!

Anyway. My sermon is quite simple today. And I won’t bore you with too much detail. My subject matter is no other than a beautifully effervescent, ebullient lady, Ms Erica Nlewedim, popularly known as Erica, who made some costly mistakes inside the Big Brother Naija House last year and was booted out ignominiously! It was a cataclysmic fall from the pinnacle of the temple to the rocky bottom of the abyss! Every onlooker expected her to be smashed into smithereens except some of us who truly know how God works mysteriously and miraculously.

Initially, I didn’t really know much about that particular edition of Big Brother Naija. I had been busy with other things, particularly my Instagram Live interview shows, and I had paid no attention to the current Big Brother Naija show. It was the call from my friend Terry Waya that aroused my interest. His son Kiddwaya was in the house and he solicited my media support. I was only too happy to lend my support since I also knew the young man quite well when he was growing up.

I had not seen him when he became an adult. I expected that he would grow into an upstanding young man and the images of him and the character he presented in the Big Brother House justified my high hopes and expectations of him. As I watched the show, I knew Kiddwaya had grown up to become a handsome, intelligent and affable young man. I became hooked on the show and realised that several of my friends were also quite keen on it. Then one thing led to another and we discovered that Kiddwaya seemed to have fallen headlong in love with one ravishingly beautiful, but overly complicated housemate called Erica or Baby G. The feeling was clearly mutual, and

Erica Nlewedim with Dele Momodu the lovebirds could be seen demonstrating their affection for each other whenever they could.

Then tragedy struck and Erica was mercilessly expelled for a transgression which brought out her frail, fragile and highly charged emotional personality! Everybody makes a mistake, especially when under the influence of alcohol and Erica was definitely inebriated that day. The fault was not hers alone though. It seemed that the other Housemates dd not actually look out for her welfare on that day and allowed things to deteriorate to the extent that they did. Ordinarily, that would have been it for me. However, I read all kinds of ugly comments and was deeply troubled about a young soul that may soon be totally destroyed and completely obliterated simply because she was much misunderstood and deeply maligned.

I knew I had to step in urgently because I dislike and detest unfairness and injustice! Sooner than later, her boyfriend Kiddwaya was evicted in what seemed a well coordinated conspiracy in the House which made me redouble my efforts to support Erica and ensure that her participation and unfortunate exit were not in vain.

While contemplating on how to reach her, other well-meaning Nigerians contacted me offering to help her. They were sympathetic whilst appreciating that rules were rules and that Erica had broken a few ground rules that sad day. Of particular interest was the case of a top government official

in Abuja, Mrs FS, who chose to remain eternally anonymous. She laid out elaborate plans for Erica in a bid to ensure that her star which had shone brightly was not dimmed. There were several others who felt the same way and Erica had become a winner, even before the show itself ended. Is God not so wonderful? I somehow discovered that Funke Kuti was Erica’s godmother.

Funke’s Mum is my well-respected neighbour.

So, it was eventually easy for all three of us to connect. That was the beginning of my blistering wholesale support for Erica.

Let me fast forward a bit. I suffered collateral damages on account of my effrontery to liberate a lady I never knew from a mental meltdown. I had no other motive than to save a soul. I knew that she needed to be encouraged rather than be vilified and crucified. In lending my voice and support for Erica’s advancement, I never disparaged any other Housemate. It is not in my character and it is not the Ovation way. We applaud, celebrate and promote. Sadly, and seriously, we live in the age of intolerance, in which someone’s enemy must automatically become yours as well.

Unfortunately, no one can bully me out of my principled position. My family was worried about the ceaseless plethora of attacks on my person by kids I could easily have grandfathered. My wife called from London belching fire. She could not understand why I was not relenting in my

support despite the vociferously fearsome attacks I was being subjected to. That even got me more steadfastly fastidious and totally determined to fight Erica’s corner since I knew my soul was clean towards this girl. In the end, Erica has been vindicated, the enormous respect, admiration and adoration that she commands and engenders have made it all worthwhile. I pray some people will fight for our own children in their days of tribulations.

Today, I’m extremely proud of my stubbornness and undaunting spirit. The reason our country is in this monumental mess is because we always allow evil people to gain the upper hand due to our meekness and squeamishness! We easily cave in under societal pressure and fearmongering. I draw my strength from the gift of clairvoyance and ability to stand on the truth even if everyone would think I’m stupid. And I even expect no appreciation whatsoever from the beneficiary.

Whatever I do, I do for God because HE has touched my heart to do so. I seek no personal gain. I’m sure God will bless me beyond my asking once my motives are pure, which they always are.

I met Erica only once when she visited our home for a live interview session on Instagram, my favourite social media platform. I discovered a daughter figure and accepted her warts and all. I had no doubts that she will travel far and achieve her voluptuously gargantuan dreams, if she can keep her head screwed to her neck and stay focused. I predicted she would unite Africa powerfully. She is a leader and in her own inimitable way and a veritable role model. Her enemies went into a rage and another round of tirades after the interview. It was all for nought.

A star was born. If in doubt, please watch how Africa will celebrate her today. Erica has become an unstoppable phenomenon not because she’s the most beautiful woman, the most brilliant scholar, the most eloquent speaker but just because God likes to help lift up the downtrodden who has been kicked wickedly and unremittingly in the mud like a leather football.

Hate or love her, Erica’s time has come. Please, rise, and join me in giving Erica a standing ovation and toast to her health, longevity and prosperity as she celebrates her 27th birthday today. Remember to keep her in your prayers because she still has many bridges to cross, successfully by the grace of God...

Good Night Chief Mrs Stella Shola Alex-Duduyemi This life. I was tremendously busy in Port Harcourt this week when the news came in, like a thief in the night, in the now familiar fashion. “I have not yet confirmed but someone told me Mrs Duduyemi has passed on to glory!”, my friend thundered. I told him I had not heard or possibly that in the whole bedlam surrounding her passing, no one would have remembered to call me. I prayed it would turn out to be one of those cranky rumours and that there was still a lot of life left in the old Amazon.

I left everything I was doing and started working the phones. I knew the right contact to call who would confirm my worst fears. I dared not call Daddy, the Asiwaju of Ife, Chief Alex Duduyemi lest the story turned out to be true and we would both end up inconsolable. I therefore called her daughter, Mrs Funmi AjoseAdeogun but she either did not pick her call when it rang, or her phone was permanently engaged when it didn’t. I started to believe that indeed, the worst had happened. Then I called Chief Alex-Duduyemi’s eldest daughter Lulu, who told me that the story was true and

asked me to hold on for Daddy, which had been my worst nightmare scenario. However, Chief Duduyemi put on a brave face and was quite reflective and sombre. He made things easier for me and I offered my condolences and prayers to the beautiful family I can confidently call mine.

I have been richly blessed in my life with many wonderful benefactors. The Alex-Duduyemis have been of a rare breed and extremely kind to me. Daddy and Mummy were always there for my wife, Mobolaji and I. They always encouraged our marriage to succeed through their occasional lectures and admonitions, they blessed our business by several miraculous interventions when things seemed dire.

The last time I saw Chief Mrs Stella Shola Alex-Duduyemi was August last year as we prepared for the 85th birthday celebration of Daddy. Ovation International was saddled with the honour and responsibility of managing some technological operations to mark the occasion.

Mummy looked frail but her spirit was high, and her voice was as nice and sonorous as ever.

She was happy to see me and vice versa. Like the selfless and loving person that she was, Mummy practically sacrificed the celebration of her 80th birthday about three weeks later for her darling husband’s 85th.

Ovation International had produced a special edition on Daddy’s 85th birthday in which the famous couple disclosed their love stories and how they met and got married. According to Daddy: “There was a party hosted by Chief Yinka Rhodes and her elder sister who was married to late Chief Yinka Rhodes was there.

He was my friend, and we were both lawyers.

“When she came from England before heading to Law School, Chief Rhodes and his wife held a party for her, and I was invited. That was the time I met her. We danced together, and that was the beginning. I went and met her parents. I used to drive her to and from law school. That was how the whole thing started and it worked out very well...”

Mummy also spoke about the month of mega celebrations in the family: “August is a very significant month in this family, it is a

time for great celebration. My grandchild will be celebrating, my daughter will be celebrating, of course my husband will be marking his 85th and I will be 80 on the 29th. We thank God for every-thing he has done for this family.

“Regarding my husband, Asiwaju Oyekunle Aremu Alex-Duduyemi. This is something difficult for me to do because he has so many good points, and I don’t want him to be even more swollen-headed than he is.”

She continued, “he dresses like a peacock, I used to call him my catalogue boy, but you can’t call an 85-year-old man a boy anymore. So, from now, he is my peacock. Prophetically, she said I pray that God will continue to bless him with good health, you can see that he is very strong, and has many more years.” Her wish was that “may God keep us safe to continue to enjoy ourselves for a long, long time...” This was not to be as the end came a few days ago for Chief Mrs Stella Shola Alex-Duduyemi and the sun set for a beautiful, loving, devoted and doting wife and mother.

May her soul Rest in Perfect Peace...

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