SUNDAY 2ND JANUARY 2022

NLC Alleges International Conspiracy against Nigeria’s Downstream Petroleum Sector Claims $9.5bn spent on refineries’ TAM since 2012 Insists on mass protests on January 27 Orders strike in seven states over non-payment of minimum wage Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has raised the alarm over what it described as an

international conspiracy, working with local collaborators to keep the Nigerian economy and people perpetually on their knees through the under-development

of the country’s downstream petroleum sector.

The labour union has also claimed that about $9.5 billion had been spent on the Turn

Around Maintenance (TAM), and Greenfield refineryprojects since 2012 without government being able to resolve the crisis of mass importation of refined

petroleum products into Nigeria.

It also said that in line with the directives of its National Executive Council (NEC), the councils in seven states

- Zamfara, Abia, Imo, Cross River, Kogi, Benue and Taraba have been asked to commence Continued on page 6

With 200 Deals, Nigeria Tops List of Beneficiaries of $5bn Investments... Page 5 Sunday 2 January, 2022 Vol 27. No 9763

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PDP Govs in Fresh Move to Zone Presidential Ticket to South May prevail on Atiku to accept BoT chairmanship APC agreed after merger to rotate presidency, says Ngige

Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Some governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have

embarked on fresh move to zone the presidential ticket of the party in the 2023 general election to the South, in line with the position of the 17 southern governors that power should shift

to the South in 2023, THISDAY has learnt.

Also, in a first major endorsement for power shift by a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the Minister of

Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has expressed support for the emergence of a president from the southern part of the country, insisting that the All Progressives Congress

(APC) agreed after merger to rotate presidency between North and the South.

This development is coming as the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia

Ayu has enjoined Nigerians not to be hopeful of any meaningful change from the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Continued on page 5

Fayemi, El-Rufai Defend Buhari’s Rejection of Direct Primary Say internal rivalries in APC normal Optimistic president will tackle insecurity El-Rufai denies alleged pact to contest with Fayemi Gboyega Akinsanmi Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his Kaduna State counterpart, Mallam Nasir elRufai have defended the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to reject the direct primary clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2021.

Also, the governors have rejected the public perception that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fractured amid internal rivalries among the different power blocs ahead of its national convention in February 2022 and 2023 general elections.

They made these clarifications yesterday in separate interviews on ARISE NEWS Channel.

The two APC governors backed Buhari’s rejection of the bill against the position of the National Assembly.

Before Buhari declined assent to the bill, the federal lawmakers

and the governors had lobbied the presidency over the bill.

While the lawmakers were in support of the direct primary, the governors were opposed to the clause in the bill.

Fayemi and el-Rufai argued that Buhari was an advocate of direct primary, through which he emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC in 2018.

Specifically, el-Rufai explained that the president “has always been an advocate of direct primary from our days in the Congress for Progressives Change through to our last primary in 2018 when he ran for the second term.

“Ideologically and personally, Buhari prefers direct primary to indirect primary because he believes direct primary is the one that gives party members greater participation in deciding who Continued on page 8

Autopsy Reveals Chemical Intoxication PRESIDENTIAL RECEPTION… L-R: Wife of Olu of Warri, Olori Ivie Emiko; Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; and President of Ghana, Prof. Nana Akufo-Addo, as Cause of Oromoni’s Death... Page 10 when the monarch and his wife were hosted to a private reception by Ghanaian president in Ghana... recently

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FAMILY AFFAIR… L-R: Deceased children, Mr. Abiona Babarinde; Mrs Tolulola Babarinde; Mr. Ibukun Babarinde; Mrs. Itunu Babarinde; Prof. Olufemi Babarinde; Mrs. Adenike Babarinde; Mr. Omololu Babarinde; Mrs. Omolara Tunde; and Mr. Oluwole Tunde, at the outing thanksgiving service held in honour of Mrs. Florence Tejumola Babarinde at Methodist Church Nigeria, Cathedral of Blessing, Palm Avenue, Lagos... recently

With 200 Deals, Nigeria Tops List of Beneficiaries of $5bn Investments

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report

Nigeria tops the list of African countries that benefitted from the $5 billion raised by Africa’s technology start-ups in 2021 as investors from the United States and China piled into companies that are helping the continent’s tech-savvy and young population conduct financial transactions, a new report has revealed.

The report further revealed that nearly two-thirds of the top 20 largest disclosed deals involved investors from the US companies including Endeavor Catalyst and Ribbit Capital took part in at least three deals each.

According to the report, most of the funding was concentrated in the three traditional start-up hubs on the continent - Nigeria, which led with over 200 deals, as well as South Africa and Kenya, while Egypt came in fourth.

In addition, Bezos Expeditions made its maiden investment in the continent, according to the report by Briter Bridges Intelligence, which tracks investments into African start-ups.

Bloomberg quoted the report as indicating that there were more than 500 early-stage deals, most of them valued at less than $5 million each, setting the stage for a rush of additional capital into Africa.

Investors and betting companies such as Chipper Cash, TeamApt Limited and Flutterwave Inc. will benefit from a surge in demand for banking services in a continent that requires strong financial infrastructure.

“The interest in harnessing the business potential in Africa shows no slowing down. It was a year of awakening, where home-grown success stories and the increase in international investors shifting mandates to include Africa have taken a promising leap,” said a Director at Briter Bridges Intelligence, Dario Giuliani.

About 40 start-ups raised more than $50 million and some may achieve unicorn status, that is companies valued at more than $1 billion, in the next 12

to 24 months, Giuliani said.

Deals in 2021 were a recordbreaking close to $5 billion in disclosed investments, picking up from a pandemic-induced slowdown in 2020.

The year also saw the launch of multiple Africa-focused funds, including Nigeria’s Ventures Platform that raised $40 million.

Most of the funding was concentrated in the three

traditional start-up hubs on the continent, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, while Egypt came in fourth, attracting about $438 million of investment in 2021, a six-fold increase from 2018.

Fintechs attracted the majority of the funding, 62 per cent of investment in 2021 while health and logistics companies were the other sectors to draw investment, according to data

from Briter.

The funding for 2021 was a higher amount than the figure raised in the previous three years combined, according to the report.

The increased inflows, partly due to investor interest in financial-technology businesses in Africa, helped deliver at least four so-called unicorns, companies worth more than $1

billion, in Africa this year. They include Andela, Flutterwave and OPay. Earlier data, which put the figure at $4 billion, stated that Nigeria earned the largest, chunk of $1.37 billion.

It listed Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya as accounting for 80 per cent of the total amount raised on the continent up until the end of

November, with 35 per cent of capital raised in Nigeria alone.

While Nigerian start-ups raised $1.37 billion in 2021, South Africa raised $838 million; and Kenya, $375 million, with Nigeria boasting over 200 deals for the year.

Other mentions were Senegal, where start-ups raised $222 million in 2021 and Tanzania at $96 million.

PDP GOVS IN FRESH MOVE TO ZONE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET TO SOUTH administration in 2022, saying the ruling party is bent on bringing more hardship to Nigerians.

THISDAY gathered that as part of the strategic consultations to realise this aspiration, some PDP governors had met with one of their colleagues in the Northeast to help mount pressure on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to accept the position of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.

A source close to the governors and who is also privy to the new permutations in the main opposition party told THISDAY off-record that the incumbent chairman of the PDP BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin would be rounding off his tenure before the 2023 general election.

The PDP had zoned its national chairmanship ticket to the North, raising hopes that the presidential candidate would emerge from thesouthern part of the country.

But the body language of Atiku and some other chieftains of the party from the North has revealed that they are nursing the ambition to contest the position.

However, the source told THISDAY that the PDP governors were working to prevail on Atiku to drop his ambition and allow power to shift to the South for the sake of justice and fairness.

While acknowledging that Atiku is eminently qualified to contest the 2023 presidential election, the source added that the clamour for power shift and the issue of age could work against the former vice president.

“Atiku will be almost 77 years by 2023 as he is currently 75 years and that Nigerians may not accept such an old presidential candidate in view of the present circumstances of President

Muhammadu Buhari.

“PDP gave Atiku the ticket in 2019 and may not be in a position to take the same gamble again.

“The governors are thinking of allowing the former vice president to settle for the office of the chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT),” he explained.

With the popular agitation for power shift, the source further explained that the two leading political parties - PDP and APC may ensure the repeat of what happened in 1999 where the PDP and the then All Peoples Party (APP) produced two presidential candidates -Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae from the South, to pacify the South-west over the annulment of the 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.

According to the source, a repeat of the 1999 configuration would promote equity and fairness as well as address the agitation against marginalisation.

He noted that if power shifts to the South, the odds would favour the South-east geopolitical zone.

He explained that the PDP stakeholders were buying into the sentiments of ensuring equity and fairness to push for the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate from the South.

According to him, it is feared that if the PDP goes ahead to produce a presidential candidate outside of the southern states and the APC eventually ensures that it picks its presidential candidate from the south, the main opposition party will lose sympathy as many Nigerians will support APC to ensure the emergence of a president of southern extraction by 2023.

"In whatever that we are

doing, the continued unity of Nigeria should be taken into consideration. We are all aware of what happened in 1999 when the issue of June 12 threatened the nation.

"What is happening now is more than the June 12 agitation because of the nepotism of the present administration. There must be a Nigeria before we talk of the 2023 general election. There must be unity before everything and everybody must reason on how best to assuage the heightened tension in the country.

It will not be business as usual.

We must make compromises,” the source further explained.

APC Agreed after Merger to Rotate Presidency, Says Ngige Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ngige, has expressed support for the emergence of a president from the southern part of the country in 2023.

Ngige who is a chieftain of the ruling APC, disclosed that the APC agreed after merger to rotate the presidency, stressing that that zoning and rotation of power create stability, unity, equity and progress of the country.

According to him, rotation engenders confidence and patriotism and ensures that no one ethnic group or section of the country dominates the other.

The former Anambra State governor faulted those saying that no such convention exists.

He particularly berated the opposition PDP for waiting for APC to choose a southern presidential candidate, so that it can pick its candidate from the North in clear breach of the

rotation convention and even against the rotation principle enshrined in the PDP constitution.

“Their top apparatchik thinks they are smart. They want to play a fast one. They are waiting for APC to go to South. Their calculation is that when that happens, they will go to the North. Number one, that will be an act in bad faith because it will mean that they have taken the people in the South-south and South-east that have all along supported PDP 90 per cent in all the elections, for a ride.

“The PDP will be shocked the way the South-east, the Southsouth and other minorities, and in fact, Nigerians as a whole will revolt. I was a founding member of the PDP. I was in its National Executive Committee as the Assistant National Secretary, South-east and served in many strategic standing committees.

I was elected governor on the platform of the PDP. I know that the constitution of the PDP is clear on rotation of power and zoning of offices between the North and South.

“So, if they are waiting for our great party the APC to choose a southern candidate so they can quickly turn and present a northern candidate at a point the dominant mood in the country is for power to shift to the South, then, they are deceiving themselves. Nigerians will shock them.”

A statement by the minister's media office in Abuja quoted Ngige as having made the assertions while answering questions from journalists at his country home in Alor, Idemili South LGA of Anambra State.

Ngige insisted that an unwritten agreement exists among politicians and political

parties that rotation of offices should take place, adding that it was written down as a constitutional provision in the case of PDP. Ngige noted that the issue of the rotation of the prime offices in the land is not expressly written in the constitution of APC, but insisted that the ruling party had agreed to rotate presidency after its merger.

“I was the secretary at our first convention and I took all the minutes. We had an agreement that our flag-bearer would come from the North and after North, it would go down to the South. So, those who are talking today were not there when this agreement was made. But was it written down and signed by politicians from both sides? No. But we had minutes of the meeting. They are there. It was agreed that there would be a movement between North and South.

“As we were doing the convention and filling in offices, we narrowed down our candidates to about two or three. But, among the candidates, General Buhari was topping. All of us from the ACN caucus had agreed that he was our candidate.

CPC had agreed that he would be their candidate. ANPP was split into two. So, when we went to the presidential convention, he emerged with a wide margin.

That is the truth of the matter,” Ngige explained.

He also argued that power rotation is contained in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

He said: "First, Section 14 (3) of the constitution is clear on the composition of government at the national, states and even local Continued on page 10

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WELCOME TO COMMERCE CENTRE… L-R: President of Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shakarau; and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, on their arrival at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, for a wedding and condolence visit...yesterday

Irabor Salutes Troops, Says Sacrifices Won't Be Forgotten Niger police seek FG's support to tackle banditry Kaduna, Zamfara police kill one bandit, rescue 21 pupils, nine others

Ejiofor Alike in Lagos, Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja, John Shiklam in Kaduna, and Laleye Dipo in Minna The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, yesterday hailed personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) for their outstanding performance in ensuring a safe and secure country throughout 2021, stressing that the sacrifices they made would not be forgotten.

However, the spate of attacks and abductions by bandits across the country before and after the celebration of Christmas on December 25, 2021 has dampened the hope of improved security in 2022, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

This is coming as Kaduna and Zamfara states’ police commands have killed one bandit and rescued 30 victims, including 21 Islamiyya pupils abducted by bandits along the Gusau-Tsafe-Funtuwa Road on December 31, 2021.

Meanwhile, Irabor, in his New Year message, said troops displayed uncommon resilience

and courage in the face of danger while surmounting the myriad of security threats.

"In retrospect, the end of 2021 affords the AFN unique opportunity to remember the sacrifices of its men and women, who work in extreme conditions in trenches, in fields and in far-flung places away from the comfort of their loved ones to keep Nigerians safe and secure," he said.

The defence chief maintained that the AFN has continued to discharge its constitutional mandate of maintaining the territorial integrity of the nation, suppressing insurrection and acting in aid of civil authority to restore order when called upon to do so.

This, he said, was in the light of violent, irregular, complex, and manifestations of contemporary as well as evolving national security challenges.

Irabor expressed the commitment of the federal government towards providing the essential requirements of the AFN. He urged military personnel to continue to cherish esprit

de corps in the conduct of their duties at all times while pledging loyalty of the AFN to the constitution and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The CDS paid glowing tribute to the nation’s fallen heroes including the late former Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru.

According to him, the AFN would never forget their sacrifices in line with the spirit and letters of the National Anthem which is “the labours of our heroes past shall not be in vain”.

However, there are no strong indications that security will improve in 2022 in view of the high rate of incidents that occurred after the Christmas celebration unless more effective measures are put in place to address the challenge this year.

Zamfara Police Rescue 21 Abducted Islamiyya Pupils Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Command yesterday said it had rescued 21 Islamiyya pupils abducted by bandits along the Gusau-Tsafe-Funtuwa

Road on December 31, 2021.

Briefing newsmen in Gusau, the spokesperson for the command, Mohammed Shehu, said the children include 19 boys and two girls.

He, however, said their teacher, Lawali Ibrahim, who was also kidnapped was yet to be not rescued.

According to the PPRO, the teacher of the children Ibrahim and the driver of their Hummer Bus vehicle were among the victims who werestill in captivity.

He stated that the Commissioner of Police, Ayuba Elkana, had already sent a reinforcement of police operatives to complement the effort of the joint security operatives currently working to rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

Kaduna Police Kill One Bandit, Rescue Nine Victims In another development, the Kaduna State Police Command has rescued nine people abducted by bandits.

One of the suspected bandits was killed while two others were arrested by security operatives.

Spokesman of the police command, Mohammad Jalige

disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna.

Jalige said the victims were rescued when security operatives, in collaboration with local vigilantes stormed a notorious bandits' camp belonging to one Isiya, located in a forest in Sabon Birni Village, Igabi Local Government Area of the state.

He added that two suspects - Rabe Baushe and Badamasi Usman were arrested and taken into custody for further investigation.

Jalige said one Bashir Hussain who sustained bullet injuries during the operations was rushed to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital Kaduna for treatment.

The statement also said the state police commissioner, Mudassiru Abdullahi applauded the commitment and doggedness of the officers and tasked them to sustain the tempo so as to usher in 2022 on high note.

Niger Police Seek FG's Support to Tackle Banditry Also, the Niger State Commissioner of Police,

Mr Monday Bala Kuyars, yesterday asked for more federal government intervention to curtail banditry, kidnapping and all forms of terrorism.

In a chat with journalists in his office, Kuyars observed that insecurity in the state has had serious negative effects on the social and economic lives of the people.

The police boss noted that the large expanse of land that makes up the state and its "very difficult terrain" is making the battle against insurgents very difficult.

“We need federal government attention to do away with these criminals," he added.

The police commissioner also pleaded with the media to always cross-check their reports before going to the press, saying most reports create tension and fear in the people.

He added that "when people panic it makes criminals always have the upper hand."

"If I were not a policeman I would have been a journalist," Kuyars added.

NLC ALLEGES INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY AGAINST NIGERIA’S DOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM SECTOR industrial actions against their state governments for failure to implement the new national minimum wage and pension.

In a message issued by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, to mark the New Year, the union said that it suspected foul play and sabotage in the inability and unwillingness of successive governments in the country to resolve the crisis of the under-development of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

It regretted that successive governments in Nigeria had failed to take strategic advantage of the country’s natural endowment in oil and gas especially her prime position as the highest producer of crude oil in Africa to expand the economy, induce economic growth and engender sustainable national development.

The union regretted that as a major oil-producing country in the world and after nearly 70 years of oil exploration in Nigeria, the country cannot deliver on efficient and effective public petroleum refineries.

"Today, instead of referring to crude oil as the blessing that it is, we now commonly describe this gift of God to Nigeria as “Resource Curse,” the union said.

Pointing at the efforts being made by the country's foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, in building a refinery, NLC said the inability of the federal government to invest in the rehabilitation of the four public refineries and building of new refineries amounted to short-sightedness.

Reacting to the federal government’s alleged plan to increase the price of petrol, NLC

said that it would go ahead with the nationwide protest scheduled for January 27.

"Given the direct relationship between the outrageous amount said to have been invested in the payment of the so-called petroleum subsidy and the pressure to get foreign loans from Bretton Wood Institutions to meet perennial shortfall in revenue, we believe that the crisis of the under-development of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, the comatose of our four public refineries and the inability of successive government to right this economic sabotage smacks of an international conspiracy at the behest of local collaborators to keep the Nigerian economy and people perpetually on their knees," it said.

NLC said the January 27 protest in the states would

culminate in the submission of protest letters to the 36 state governors and subsequently, on February 1, 2022, there would be a national protest to be held in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

"We urge Nigerian workers and people to dust their sneakers and fully participate in the peaceful protests and rallies aimed at salvaging our economic future," it said.

The union argued that the suggestion by the government that the remedy to the downstream petroleum sector is to stop further payment of the so-called petrol subsidy is akin to cutting one’s nose in order to spite one’s face It described the idea of paying transport allowances "as robbing ourselves to pay ourselves as the amount being bandied for

such transport subsidy clearly outstrips the amount that is currently expended on the so-called petrol subsidy".

"What the government is proposing is to abandon the Nigerian workers and people to very cruel market forces whose sole drive is profit maximisation. This is why we believe that private investment in building petroleum refineries is not enough. Government must ensure that public refineries also work.

"This way, there would be true competition and Nigerians would be able to derive the most benefit from a resource that God freely and amply made available to the Nigerian nation," it said.

NLC further expressed concern that the crisis in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector was being aggravated by the

persisting crisis in the upstream sub-sector.

According to the labour body, it was recently reported that almost 200 million barrels of crude oil were lost in 2021, as a result of crude oil theft, ageing infrastructure, poor long term investment outlay, poor security of inland waterways, and challenges arising from conflicts with oil bearing communities and host communities of oil facilities.

Also reacting to the new Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) recently signed into law

by President Muhammadu Buhari, NLC said the law still did not sufficiently address the deficits of governance, oversight, investment, environmental integrity, local beneficiation and Continued on page 10

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With 50% Increase, Oil Price Records Biggest Annual Gain Since 2009 OPEC may leave output level unchanged in January 4 meeting Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Oil prices fell at the weekend but still posted the biggest annual gains since 2009, spurred by the global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and producers' restraint.

Brent, Nigeria’s oil benchmark, ended the year up 50.5 per cent, its biggest gain in years, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) posted a 55.5 per cent gain, the strongest performance for the benchmark contract since 2009, when prices soared more than 70 per cent.

Both contracts touched their 2021 peak in October, with Brent at $86.70 a barrel, the highest since 2018, and WTI at $85.41 a barrel, the highest since 2014.

But during the weekend, Brent crude futures settled down $1.75, or 2.2 per cent, at $77.78 a barrel as WTI crude futures dropped $1.78, or 2.31 per cent, to $75.21 a barrel.

The oil market continues to be highly reactive to developments on the pandemic front, indicating that the industry is not out of the woods yet, but now close to pre-pandemic demand levels.

A Reuters survey of 35 economists and analysts forecast Brent crude would average $73.57 a barrel in 2022, about two per cent lower than the $75.33 consensus in November.

Easing production outages in Nigeria and Ecuador also weighed on prices earlier in the week as Nigeria struggled to ramp up production after a disruptive force majeure

declared by Shell, amid ageing upstream infrastructure and sabotage.

Nigeria, going by the quota allocated by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is expected to produce 1.683 million bpd in January 2022, but meeting that target would be an uphill task as it has maintained an average of 1.25 million barrels in the last few months.

However, the country appeared to have done a bit better going by the latest data for November, adding over 47,000 barrels per day in that month.

The unimpressive production figures have also negatively impacted the NNPC's remittances to the federation account and by extension the monies shared by the federal, state and local governments this year.

For example, with a paltry N10.54 billion in November, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) was only able to remit 8.5 per cent of its projected N122.7 billion to the federation account, a joint pool of funds shared by the country’s three tiers of government.

The national oil company has blamed the inability to restart the oil wells shut down in 2020 when OPEC compelled member countries to cut production for the declining production.

But with oil hovering near $80, OPEC, Russia and allies, together called OPEC+, will probably stick to their plan to add 400,000 barrels per day of supply in February when they

meet on January 4, four sources told Reuters.

The sources added that this is set to happen as demand concerns raised by the Omicron coronavirus variant eased and oil prices recover.

The alliance at its last meeting

on December 2 stuck to the plan for a 400,000 barrels per day rise in January despite fears that a US release from crude reserves and Omicron would lead to an oil-price rout.

OPEC ministers are also set to discuss who will become the

group’s new secretary-general to replace Nigeria’s Mohammad Barkindo, who is scheduled to leave at the end of July.

Kuwait’s candidate, Mr Haitham al-Ghais, tipped to take over has widespread support, sources have said.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last Wednesday OPEC+ has resisted calls from Washington to boost output further because it wants to provide the market with clear guidance and not deviate from policy.

DIPLOMATIC CAMARADERIE… Nigerian Ambassador to Thailand, Ambassador Oma Djebah (left), and Ambassador of Germany to Thailand, Ambassador Georg Schmidt at the end of a meeting at the latter's residence in Bangkok, Thailand…recently

FAYEMI, EL-RUFAI DEFEND BUHARI’S RE JECTION OF DIRECT PRIMARY is their candidate rather than a few elected delegates that can be susceptible to corruption,” the Kaduna State governor explained.

He listed four conditions that could make a direct primary model effective across all states of the federation, pointing out that no state had been able to meet all the conditions for the seamless conduct of primaries.

The Kaduna State governor first cited the need for all political parties to have a credible membership register, which according to him, every stakeholder of a political party agreed that it “is the real membership register of the party.”

He also explained the need for every party member “to have a biometric card with a barcode so that it can be easily identified before he can vote in the primary. We need to produce cards similar to the permanent voters’ cards of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

He equally highlighted a mechanism for counting votes in the direct primary as part of the four conditions for adopting the model, noting that every party member and stakeholder “must have confidence in such a system of vote-counting.”

The governor listed the imperatives of security in the conduct of direct primaries across the federation, placing emphasis on the need to prevent non-party members from coming into the venue to vote or prevent thugs from being imported to disrupt the voting process.

He said: “If we do not have these conditions, direct primary will be a disaster. We can adopt a direct primary mode if we have the infrastructure in place. But

how many states in Nigeria have the infrastructure? Kaduna is the state in the federation that has the infrastructure to conduct direct primaries.”

He noted that the level of preparedness of the political parties for the direct primary “is probably questionable. As I said earlier, Kaduna is perhaps the only state that had one element of the four conditions that I pointed out.”

“The reason some politicians are calling for a direct primary is that they think they can do what happened in Lagos, Anambra or so and write the result. It is not because they think the direct primary is quite possible,” he said He urged Nigerians “to be very discerning, careful and understand the process of direct primary and the conditioned precedents as against the indirect primary and not make our moral judgment without understanding the dynamics of it.

“Here, in Kaduna State, we are neutral. We do direct primary.

We can do indirect primary. We don’t have problems in our party.

We have a united party. We also have some elements that enable us to do direct primary. I am not sure others have it.

“This is the part of the reasons President Buhari held on the side of caution that we should allow the parties to choose. But I know in his heart that President Buhari will prefer a direct primary. But he is not going to be contesting.

He has no interest in the next election.

“He is in the position to be objective about this legislation.

That is what he did. I think Nigerians should commend him for going against what he prefers in the interest of the

country,” el-Rufai added.

Speaking further on the APC crisis, the Kaduna State governor pointed out that the ruling party, like any political party, “is an amalgam of the good, the bad and the ugly.”

He, also, pointed out that there “are people, who do not share the vision and outlook of President Buhari. There are some that are in this for what they can get. There are some that are in this for public service.

“It is the duty of every political party to manage these tendencies, suppress the base instincts and elevate the better instincts. We are going to that. The president was unhappy because we lost seven states we could have won under Adams Oshiomhole.

“This is because of all kinds of problems in the management of the party. “The Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee is trying to sort these problems and unite the party. They have made some progress. They have brought some governors back to our party.

“They have also engaged in intensive reconciliation. The Abdullahi Adamu Committee is working on reconciliation after the congresses. We have 36 states.

After the congresses, we have intra-party crises in five states.

“That is not significant. There are problems in Kano. There are problems in Kebbi. There are problems in Yobe? I have not heard of problems in Yobe. But there are problems in Zamfara.

Really, I think we will sort out problems.”

Debunking the allegation that he would seek a joint presidential ticket with Fayemi, el-Rufai said he would not contest the 2023 presidential election on

the ground that there was an understanding among the stakeholders that the presidency should be open to the south.

He said: “I am not ruling myself out because of that. I am saying that it is an understanding.

I am a member of APC. Unless circumstances compel the APC of the South to come to us in the North and say we do not want it, then I can say it is now open for northerners.

“Until then, I think there is a moral problem in trying to ignore what is clearly an understanding.

This kind of agreement is the currency of politics. So, it is not about ruling myself out or whatever. I have never offered myself for that office. But I have been suspected of it since 2007.”

He denied any plan to seek a joint ticket with Fayemi, noting that there “is nothing like that.

It is mere speculation. There are many speculations like that in the public. I want to assure you that it is nothing.

“For me, Nigeria is at a critical juncture and we have many problems. I think Nigerians should look very closely and choose leaders that will address those problems no matter where they come from,” el-Rufai explained.

On his part, Fayemi also argued that the president was an advocate of direct primary, pointing out that he had been a product of direct and indirect primary modes.

He explained: “I have the honour of being the Chairman of the National Convention that produced Buhari as the candidate of our party in December 2014.

Then, it was an indirect primary.

It was a delegate primary. But in 2018 when he was seeking

re-election, he emerged via a direct primary.”

On this ground, he contended that Buhari “is not an opponent of direct primary, neither is he the promoter of indirect primary.

He outlined what he thought should be the approach, which as currently exists, resides with the political parties whether it is direct, indirect or consensus.”

Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), warned against an assumption that direct primary “is a cure or solution to whatever maleficence we feel exists about our democratisation process.

Direct primary is obviously more inclusive. It is theoretically more inclusive.

“What we have also seen in Nigeria in the last two years of what we call direct primary does not suggest a cure. Look at the figures. We just had an election in Anambra State. We saw what happened there at my own party.

We could not even muster the number our candidate had in the direct primary during the governorship election. We could not muster a quarter of it in the real election.

“The direct primary so-called was the direct primary of its own members and not entire voters in the state. In the real election, however, we ended with a little above 40,000. Clearly, there is a mismatch that we need to address,” he said.

Fayemi assured Nigerians that the president would sign the electoral bill if the National Assembly addressed the area of concern and transmitted it to the presidency before it was too late while faulting claims that Buhari and governors were not comfortable with the electronic

transmission of election result clause.

He said: “If you read his letter to the National Assembly, President Muhammadu only spoke about direct primary clause, meaning that if the clause is removed, I would not see any problem with the president signing a revised bill if transmitted on time.

“The president has the mind of his own. Governors may have their views just as the members of the National Assembly have their views. I think what is important is president Buhari’s commitment to the democratisation process.

“If the National Assembly does the right thing by addressing the issue the president has raised in his response, I believe he will sign it. But they should do it quickly so that there is no time lag,” he explained.

Speaking on internal rivalries in the APC, Fayemi said any thriving living organisation would ordinarily undergo contention, claiming that there “is nothing wrong in people having contention.

“If you see a political party without tendencies, it is a dead organisation. I do not see any problem with people holding views that are contrary to the mainstream view in the party or that represent a body of opinion about how they feel,” he said.

According to him, there are a lot of such views in the APC. “We applaud that. We cherish that. There should not be a problem with that as long as the big picture is not affected”.

Both governor expressed optimism that the insecurity plaguing the country would Continued on page 10

SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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

NEWS

BABY OF THE YEAR… L-R: Chairman of Ekiti East Local Government Area, Hon. Ojo Oluwasegun; Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi; with Baby of the Year, Baby Adetunji; and the mother, Mrs. Titilayo Adetunji, during the presentation of cash and gift items to the first baby of the year at the Basic Health Centre, Iludofin, Omuo-Ekiti… yesterday

Autopsy Reveals Chemical Intoxication as Cause of Oromoni’s Death

Raphael Ehigiator with agency report

An autopsy carried out by the Consultant Pathologist at the Central Hospital Warri, Clement Vhriterhire, has established that Sylvester Oromoni died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication in a background of blunt force trauma.”

This is just as Oromoni’s family kicked against the decision of the Lagos State Police Command to release the housemaster and other staff of Dowen College, Lekki.

Oromoni, who was a student at the Lagos-based school, died on November 30 last year after efforts to save his life failed.

The 12-year-old boy was alleged to have been attacked for refusing to join a cult group.

Oromoni’s father had alleged that his child was beaten and fed a liquid chemical.

But Dowen College had dismissed the claim, saying the boy sustained injuries while playing football with his colleagues.

Lagos State Commissioner of

Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, had ordered a probe while Dowen College was sealed off.

Odumosu, in a press briefing on Friday, said the school housemasters involved in the case had been released since the court order to remand them had expired.

He also said that the police had concluded its investigations,

forwarded its report to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and had received a response.

“The corpse was brought from Delta to Lagos. The post-mortem was carried out in Lagos. The result is out. As of now, it has not brought out the issue of murder on anybody,” he was quoted as saying.

“Toxicology is still to be carried out which is the final one. The interim one has not.

“Based on that, the court order we got has elapsed and we have released the housemaster and others on bail as of yesterday because they have not been indicted of murder. It is only murder cases that are not subject to bail.

“Since the medical report has not indicted them so far, I think there is a need for them to have their freedom because bail is not the end of the case.”

The development comes after the court had granted bail to five students charged with the alleged murder of Oromoni.

In his reaction, Perry Oromoni, a member of the bereaved family,

FAYEMI, EL-RUFAI DEFEND BUHARI’S RE JECTION OF DIRECT PRIMARY soon be tackled.

For instance, expressing concern about issue, el-Rufai said it was becoming increasingly political, citing statements and utterances of some political leaders.

According to him, “one of the candidates for the 2019 elections said if Buhari was re-elected, banditry would get worse. Is that a prophecy? How did the candidate know what he was talking about? Is this rise in banditry fuelled by political consideration?”

He, therefore, said banditry “is a tipping point and it has to be crushed. We are going

to see the end of it this year because we are not going into election with this level of insecurity.”

He said: “As a former general and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, we all know Buhari, his antecedents and how he invaded Chad when germdemes entered Borno State.

“Are some politicians fuelling this to discredit the president? Is this about 2023?

Is it to say that APC failed to provide security so that it can be a campaign issue in 2023?

“I do not know. But there are many of us that analyse

the utterances and statements of some political leaders around that time that we did not take quite seriously.

For Fayemi, the security challenges confronting Nigeria can be fixed within 17 months.

According to the second-term governor, insecurity is affecting the rating of the regime of the president.

Fayemi also noted that security chiefs in the country know what to do to end banditry and other security challenges in the country.

He explained that not ending the security challenges within 17 months may mean that some people are benefitting from the

“war economy.”

He said: “If we can destroy that monster of insecurity, the opinion in the country will change dramatically. If we decide to go after these people without too much attachment to human rights and issues that may come up from the international communities. these people are not ghosts,” he said.

“We know where the bandits are, so we can neutralise them and then begin to have the opportunity. It may not be completely finished under this government, but you can do that part of it under this administration.”

NLC ALLEGES INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY AGAINST NIGERIA’S DOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM SECTOR the use of petroleum resources to advance the cause of the ordinary Nigerian worker and citizen.

It urged the two chambers of the National Assembly to immediately commence the process of reviewing the Petroleum Industry Act to reflect the aspirations of Nigerian workers and people.

In addition, NLC lamented that since the national minimum wage was signed into law by President Buhari in April 2019, the implementation has been a tale of mixed fortunes across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. According to NLC, while some states are in compliance, others are not. "While most of the states in the North-west geopolitical zone have started implementing the new national minimum wage, there is an exception in the case of Zamfara State, which has refused to pay the national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment to workers in the state.

"In the North-east, the exception is Taraba State, which

is yet to fully implement the new national minimum wage. In the North-central, there are still challenges of full implementation in Benue and Kogistates.

"In the South-west, most of the states are already in compliance.

In the South-south, the weak link is Cross River State, which has spurned all agreements and entreaties to pay workers in the state the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment.

“In the South-east, NLC said that Imo and Abia state governments have remained the thorns in the flesh of workers.

“Apart from refusing to fully implement the national minimum wage and consequential salary increase, the state governments have also been promoting clandestine and rogue labour leaders unknown to the labour movement,” the union alleged.

In line with the directives of the NEC meeting, NLC said that it has asked the affected state councils to commence industrial actions against their state governments.

The union also described as very disturbing, the penchant by some state governors to owe pensioners arrears of pension and gratuities.

"We commend the Federal Government for clearing most of the accrued benefits of our pensioners. Kudos should also go to some state governors who have shown serious commitment to the payment of pensions, gratuity and other accrued benefits to their retirees.

"In the North-west, the Kebbi and Jigawa states’ governments have been very responsive to the welfare of pensioners. While the Jigawa State government has institutionalised a responsive pension administrative system, the Kebbi State government recently released funds to defray pensions and gratuity arrears in the state. “In the North-east, the Governor of Borno State recently cleared about N12 billion arrears of pension and gratuity indebtedness. In the North-central, the governors of Kwara, Niger and Plateau states have been very proactive in

settling accrued pension benefits in their states.

"In the South-west, the Lagos State government has continued to blaze the trail in paying its pension and retirement obligations. The Oyo State government has also been consistent in redeeming its pension liabilities. In the South-east, the Anambra State government has paid its pension obligations up to November 2021. In the Southsouth, the Cross Rivers State government is defaulting in paying gratuities," the union explained. While assessing the preceding year, NLC said that one of the worst vicissitudes of 2021 was the escalation of insecurity across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

It said that Nigerians were harassed like no other year in 2021. NLC made reference to the recent alarm raised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the increasing siege of insecurity all over the country, and the fact that it poses a serious threat to

the conduct of the 2023 general election.

“There are already palpable fears of intense hunger in 2022, owing to the inability of many farmers to go to the farm. Even those who managed to go to the farm in many northern states were stopped from harvesting their crops unless they pay special fees to criminals and rogue elements who are carving out autonomous governing spaces for themselves across the length and breadth of our country," it said.

Ahead of the 2023 general election, NLC said it would lead the Nigerian electorate to ask pertinent questions of development.

It said that going forward, organised labour would be demanding from politicians and the political class the dividends and returns of the investments.

In addition, it expressed the resolve at recovering the Labour Party and repositioning it as a vehicle for actualising the desire for a peaceful, united and prosperous nation.

who spoke to TheCable Lifestyle, kicked against the outcome of the police probe.

He also accused the Lagos police and the government of hoarding the second autopsy result of the corpse.

“The Lagos State Government has decided to go in favour of Dowen College Lagos and murderers involved,” he said.

PDP GOVS IN FRESH MOVE TO ZONE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET TO SOUTH government level, in such a way that there should be no actual or perceptions of domination by any single tribe or group of persons from one ethnic nationality so as to engender confidence and patriotism,” he added.

APC Maladministration will Bring Sufferings to Nigerians, says Ayu Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the PDP, Ayu has alleged that the ruling APC is bent on making lives nasty, brutish and short for Nigerians in 2022.

Ayu, who stated this in a New Year message to Nigerians, however, promised that the reign of the APC was about to give way to a creditable government that would work in the interest of all.

He said: “Do not expect anything better from the APC in 2022? They will still make your life nasty, brutish and short.

“The good news is that all bad things come to an end. The hell that is APC will surely come to an end,” he said.

Ayu stressed that to oust the ruling party, Nigerians of eligible age should register and vote in the 2023 general election to herald a new dawn.

“Go out and register. Get your voters’ cards, mobilise and get this evil out of your lives. This is why 2022 is such an important year of hope for all Nigerians.

“On behalf of the PDP, I wish you a hopeful New Year, a year that we all begin the journey for the liberation and rebuilding of Nigeria. So, help us God,” he added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

AGAIN, IT’S TIME TO RENEW HOPE

The President will do well by signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law

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espite worsening insecurity amid a stalled economy and crumbling public services, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed on Thursday reeled out a long list of what he described as the “achievements” of the current administration. As expected, the main opposition party was quick to dismiss the performance claims as a litany of lies that are at variance with the reality of the Nigerian condition. “Is it not unpardonable that instead of facing its failure to secure our nation the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government is celebrating the mass killings currently going on in our country by engaging in self-praise?” asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As we therefore wish our readers happy new year, it is becoming increasingly clear that Nigerians are being ushered into 2022 with some trepidations. The prevalent public disillusionment occasioned by severe economic hardship is being capped by the fact that the authorities are fast losing the dominance of the machinery of violence to non-state actors. To compound the problems, across the country We hope that today, Nigerians will many basic services embrace a new such as education, health and spirit that places infrastructure are decrepit or emphasis on unity in short supply, of purpose as we while a democrisis is seek to advance our graphic looming large on the horizon. The country for peace unemployment and prosperity rate is not only frightening but breeds the risk of social, economic and security turbulence.

With a large segment of the population roaming the streets without any means of livelihood and hope for the next meal, it should be little wonder why the social tension in the country has reached a boiling point, taking several forms, including violent agitations.

The End of Year Poll recently released by NolPolls revealed that most Nigerians were thoroughly dissatisfied with the past year mainly because of insecurity and economic hardship. But Nigerians needed no poll to gauge the level of

Letters to the Editor

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insecurity across the country. Only recently, President Muhammadu Buhari summoned his security chiefs for the umpteenth time after some terrorists hurled rockets in the direction of the airport minutes before his arrival in Maiduguri, the Borno capital.

Meanwhile, the security situation is affecting every sphere of life. There is severe economic hardship across the country. The reasons are clear. The perception of Nigeria as an investment destination continues to diminish in the face of pervasive insecurity. Many farmers across the nation cannot go to their farms because of the fear of being kidnapped, and with dire consequences for agricultural production, and the prices of goods.

Food is expensive. With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Nigeria has become a rough guide to hell. By official statistics, 33 percent of Nigerians are jobless. Corruption is rife. Many basic services are mostly non-functional. The rail lines are helpful, but in short supply as the billions poured in are not commensurate with the numbers. Sadly, in addition, the government will continue to spend most of its revenues, like in the past few years, in servicing debts.

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN DEPUTY EDITORS FESTUS AKANBI, EJIOFOR ALIKE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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 SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

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nfortunately, the prevalent public disillusionment occasioned by severe economic hardship could be worsened by politicians and other stakeholders because of intense electioneering activities ahead of the 2023 general election. This will certainly cause some serious disruptions for political office holders. But many expect the President to make good use of his last full year in office by signing the rejected Electoral Act Amendment Bill when it is returned by parliament this January to make room for credible and transparent election in 2023. In addition, the government should summon the courage to decentralise the police. There are too many ungoverned spaces across the country hence an urgent need to restore some sense of security in a starkly divided country.

As we, therefore, begin 2022, we hope President Buhari will spend his last full year in office tackling the security challenge that has dogged his administration in the past five years. We also hope that Nigerians will embrace a new spirit that places emphasis on unity of purpose as we seek to advance our country for peace and prosperity.

Once again, we wish all our readers happy new year!

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

TUTU AND A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS

espite the challenges facing the nation, this is one of the good times to be a proud Nigerian!

President Buhari-led government has made me proud.

The recent reciprocal reduction of Emirates flights to Nigeria from 21 per week to just once, in retaliation to UAE's limitation of Air Peace's flights to Dubai via Sharjar Airport, to one flight per week, has sent an assuring message that the federal government will go full length to protect the interests of indigenous airlines and Nigerian air travellers.

Gone After 90 years many of which were spent in service of others, South African anti-apartheid hero and world-renowned human rights icon Mr. Desmond Tutu breathed his last.

The ghosts of the inconceivable wickedness of the apartheid

regime in South Africa, China`s highhandedness in Tibet, Israel`s heinous expedition in Palestine and in fact injustice everywhere must have breathed huge sighs of relief as the chest bearing one of Africa`s biggest hearts of all time rose and fell for the last time.

The grief in the encomiums and tributes paid to the humble priest of God from all over the world was unmistakable, for in a man of small stature but towering courage one of the most heinous systems of inequality ever known to men more than met its match.

Along with the immortal Nelson Mandela and a host of others who spent long years in South African prisons, Desmond Tutu fought apartheid to a standstill and in the process brought to birth the rainbow nation.

A man of the margins and a voice of the voiceless, he knew the fine margins of marginalization from his

native South Africa and then the world over becoming in the process a megaphone which cried for accountability and justice against the world`s most discriminatory systems.

In the journey of peoples and countries, history has shown that men are capable of impossibly wicked inventions. When they feel like and when the unfathomable hypocrisy of the incredibly permissible international order allows, oppressive systems are foisted on minorities by powerful countries.

The world has borne horrible witness to many genocides. There have also been grave crimes against humanity in many parts of the world. Till this day, there is in place in some countries systems which crush minorities. The lessons of the Nazi regime and the Second World War did not sink into a lot of people.

It was against one of such systems embedded in the inher-

ently evil apartheid regime in South Africa that Desmond Tutu came up and fought until it fell. Today, inequality however remains ingrained in the South African society.

Desmond Tutu also took umbrage at the predicament of Tibetans and Palestinians at the hands of China and Israel respectively.

A man of the minorities, he knew what life was like under ruthless regimes that thrived on systemic inequality.

Today, the world continues to lurch about in inequality. In Africa, where providence deposited Desmond Tutu, corruption and abysmally poor leadership have continued to fuel inequality, plunging families and their children deeper into poverty.

The only thing many African leaders know how to do is how to ferret out funds belonging to their countries to offshore accounts. This malaise does not just afflict ageing African despots, some young African leaders are bringing their youth to bear on the kinetics of kleptocracy. More than ever, the future looks bleak for African children.

Desmond Tutu fought for an equal world free of discrimination and full of equal opportunities for all. In many ways, he left a world gravely sickened by its grotesque inequality a bit more equal than he met it.

But the task to end inequality and discrimination against minorities remain more urgent than ever. In many parts of the world, people that are in the minority either because of their religion, race or ethnicity remain too many for comfort. The plight of the Rohingya people of Myanmar readily comes to mind. As it is in Myanmar so it is with the Uighurs in China and the people of Tibet.

While he lived, Desmond Tutu showed the world that the vigil against oppression and inequality must be unerring and unending. The world must keep this vigil.

Good night Mpilo.

– Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@ gmail.com

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

NEWS

News Editor: Gboyega Akinsanmi E-mail: gboyega.akinsanmi@thisdaylive.com,08152359253

In New Year Messages, Govs Seek Collective Approach to Tackle Insecurity Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri, Amby Uneze in Owerri, Laleye Dipo in Minna and Fidelis David in Akure Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum; Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma have canvassed collective approach to end security challenges confronting the federation.

In separate New Year messages yesterday, the governor urged Nigerians to support governments and security forces to put an end to insecurity across all states of the federation.

While rejoicing with the people of the state, Akeredolu

said despite the hurdles and the challenges experienced in the outgone year, God’s grace sustained the state, her people and the country at large.

He charged the people to rekindle hope and gear up for the struggle ahead, saying the challenges of Covid-19, insecurity and economic downturn witnessed in the country would be confronted with vigour.

“Let us pray for Nigeria in the new year. We will surely surmount these challenges.

We shall rise and emerge even stronger than before. I urge us all to continue to support the government at all levels.”

In his own statement, Zulum promised more support to security forces and vigilance groups in bringing to an end

over 12 years Boko Haram insurgency in the state.

He said: “I am committed to ensuring more support for our security forces and the indefatigable local vigilantes that are helping us.”

“Part of our strategy for strengthening resilience is the bold step that we took in closing down the internally displaced persons’ camps in Borno State as a whole. Although we have explained in details the reasons behind the action, for the sake of clarity, I will summarise as follows:

“We closed the IDP camps to clean up the places and give our people dignity as well as purpose. Living in IDP camp is not what we are used to, or what we like as a people. Therefore, we believe that a safe life of dignity is a right for all the citizens of Borno, and indeed Nigeria.

“The IDP camps were becoming a slum where all kinds of vices were happening including prostitution, drugs and thuggery in some cases. No responsible leadership will allow people to live an undignified

life under its watch.

“The idea of IDP camp was, and remains an interim measure to provide safety especially during the peak of the insurgency. Consequently, the camps were not meant to continue forever.

“The question of closure of the camp was not a matter of if but when. Efficient managers would agree that there is no better time than now to get things done. As part of the closure, we continue to learn lessons, adapt our strategy and make necessary changes as we

go along.”

In a message by the Chief Press Secretary, Mrs Mary Noel, Bello pledged to build on the gains recorded by his administration in previous years this 2022.

Bello also promised to sustain the fight against all forms of criminalities for the socio economic growth of the state.

He called on the people to “have hope and trust” in the ability of his administration to deliver on its promises and consequently ensure the growth of the state.

Military Raids Zamfara Forest, Kills Bandit Leaders Wanted bandit leaders, Alhaji Auta, and Kachalla Ruga, have been killed in a forest in Zamfara State, PRNigeria said.

The notorious bandit commanders met their waterloo after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft, under Operation Hadarin Daji, acted on credible intelligence, and bombarded their enclaves, at Gusami Forest and TsamreVillage in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of the State, last night.

According to the online platform, multiple airstrikes by the NAF jet, which were carried out in the early hours of yesterday, also eliminated Auta, and Ruga’s cohorts.

Sources confirmed that dozens of bandits who had converged at late Auta’s residence, for his burial were also struck by missiles of the military jet, with an unconfirmed number killed in the process.

A military intelligence officer said that follow-up airstrikes conducted by the NAF fighter aircraft on fleeing bandits and those who took cover under trees within the area, resulted

in heavy casualties on the side of the criminals.

“For now, the whereabouts of other notorious bandits like Alhaji Nashama, Shingi and Halilu who may either be incapacitated or on the run remain unknown,” the officer added.

It was further gathered from the military source, that aggressive bombardments by NAF aircrafts, have in recent times been very precise and effective in hitting bandits’ enclaves, eliminating their leaderships and followers, in the process.

“These operations have reassured citizens of the commitment and dedication of the military and other security agencies, towards bringing the threats posed by banditry under check, in no distant time.

“The citizens, especially around the affected communities, are enjoined to continually provide security agencies with credible information that will go a long way towards tackling the threats to their lives and livelihood,” he said.

Wike: Bauchi Gov Qualified to Contest 2023 Presidential Election Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said his Bauchi State counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed is qualified to contest presidential election in 2023.

Fielding question at Ramat House, Bauchi yesterday, Wike said Mohammed “is overqualified for presidency in 2023. Let me use that word if there is any word like that at all.

“He is qualified in every ramification. His relationship with people is second to none so people calling on him to run for president have seen the qualities in him,” the Rivers governor said.

He said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would gladly welcome qualified politicians like Mohammed to replace the failed leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

He said: “God will never forgive PDP if PDP fails to take advantage of the woeful failure of APC to take over power in Nigeria in 2023 to salvage the country.

On Mohammed’s presidential

bid, he said “Apart from that the fact Bala has had all the experiences, from the civil service down to political office from a Director in the ministry, he became a senator, a minister and now a governor, that alone is enough to qualify him.

“Then also look at what he is doing in Bauchi. Look at his pedigree, what he is doing as a first term governor. I have been here to flag off projects. Many of my colleagues have been here to flag off projects. How many first time governors do you see doing that?” he asked.

Wike added that the call on Mohammed to run for President in 2023 was not misplaced as the Bauchi governor “is very qualified to run for president in this country.”

Wike explained reason he visited his Bauchi colleague on the first day of 2022, saying he left Port Harcourt to be in Bauchi in an effort to make the PDP a united party and secondly because Mohammed was a special friend he holds in high esteem

WE’RE PROUD OF YOU …

L-R: Chairman, Southern Senators’ Forum, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; and President Muhammadu Buhari, at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos … recently

Army 38: Appeal Court Affirms Judgment Ordering Reinstatement of Colonel Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed a court judgment reinstating a colonel, who was compulsorily retired along with 37 army officers in 2016.

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal filed against the lower court’s judgment by the army authorities.

The National Industrial Court (NIC) in Abuja had in its judgment delivered on January 9, 2019 ordered the reinstatement of Colonel Danladi Hassan, who was

wrongfully retired compulsorily in 2016.

The trial judge, Justice Sanusi Kado of the National Industrial Court, had held that the Nigerian Army failed to convince the court about the disciplinary grounds for the compulsory retirement of the claimant.

He declared the letter of compulsory retirement null and void and of no effect.

Rather than comply with the industrial court’s verdict, the army authorities comprising, Nigerian Army itself, the Nigerian Army

Council, the Chief of Army Staff, the Armed Forces Council, and others, opted to appeal against the decision.

However, dismissing the appeal and affirming the industrial court’s decision on Friday, Justice Stephen Adah, who read the lead judgment of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, held that the appellants’ case lacked merit.

PRNigeria reported that the Court of Appeal held that the appellants failed to justify their claim that the lower court’s verdict was perverse.

The findings of the Court of Appeal showed that the lower court’s decision was based on the evidence presented before it by parties, Justice Adah said.

The court also dismissed the technical argument of the appellants that Hassan’s case before the lower court was incompetent.

It held that contrary to the appellants’ claim, Hassan complied with the condition precedent as required under Section 178 of the Armed Forces Act, before approaching the court.

NNPC Calls for Calm as Fire Breaks out at Port Harcourt Refinery Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has asked residents of Rivers State who live within the areas around the refinery in Port Harcourt not to panic, following a fire outbreak yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, residents of the Eleme and Okrika LGAs had lamented over the inferno at the

refinery, which they said lasted for over one hour with no fire trucks in sight.

Speaking on the incident in a statement, NNPC spokesperson, Garba Deen Muhammad, described the outbreak as a “minor incident”.

He added that the fire was caused by a spark which was ignited when a truck was discharging petroleum product, adding that it has been brought under control.

“This morning, 01/01/2022, a minor fire incident occurred at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC),” the statement reads.

“The incident, which was contained in less than two hours, was caused by a spark while a 33,000 litre truck was discharging naphtha into a tank at the PHRC. “The management of the refinery led by the Managing Director, who was at the scene supervising the operation, im-

mediately mobilised the safety structure at the PHRC and with support from the Federal Fire Service, successfully brought the fire under control.

“The management of the PHRC wishes to reassure Nigerians resident in the neighbourhood of the facility that they have no cause to worry about the incident; and to also affirm that the safety of life and of property is at the top of its priority list.

Ogun Records 131% Improvement in Internally Generated Revenue James Sowole in Abeokuta Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun yesterday disclosed that the sate recorded 131.5 percent improvement in internally generated revenue (IGR) in the 2021 fiscal year, making it the state with the most improved IGR nationwide.

Despite unprecedented records in IGR, Abiodun acknowledged that the last two years had been most challenging for humanity due to COVID-19, expressing optimism

that Ogun would witness a new dawn in 2022.

He made this disclosure in a state broadcast yesterday to mark the New Year, restating his commitment to delivering more infrastructure projects in 2022.

He noted that his administration’s methodical approach “to governance and the solid foundation laid for the implementation of our programmes and projects before the advent of the pandemic, are largely responsible for the success recorded

in socio-economic development.

“These have boosted our steady economic recovery, leading to an unprecedented achievement in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State. As at November last year we had generated about 84 billion Naira representing about 80 percent of our proportionate budget of our 2021 IGR. “This placed us as the state with the most improved IGR of 131.5 percent in the federation by half year 2021. We achieved this without

overburdening the people of Ogun State with unnecessary taxes and levies and despite COVID-19.”

In the 2022 fiscal year, Abiodun noted that the state would witness completion of projects embarked upon by his administration as well as those left uncompleted by the immediate past administration, particularly, which have direct economic impacts on the people expressing optimism that Ogun would witness a new dawn in 2022.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

OPINION

FAREW ELL,DESMOND T U T U

Tony Ademiluyi pays tribute to Tutu, an archbishop and anti-apartheid hero

W

hen the battle against the sinister force of apartheid in South Africa which was dismantled with the emergence of black majority rule led by Madiba Nelson Mandela in 1994 is told, one name will forever remain prominent. That name is Desmond Mpilo Tutu.

Tutu initially wanted to be a medical doctor but his parents’ abject poverty threw the spanner in the works of that noble dream to save lives. He then turned his attention to the teaching profession and qualified as a teacher in 1951. He spent four years there and encountered his first brush with apartheid when in 1953 the white minority National Party introduced the Bantu Education Act which further entrenched apartheid in the teaching profession later to be known Rainbow Nation. Disillusioned with this, the then young Tutu and his newly married wife, Leah decided to quit the profession.

Tutu decided to become a clergyman as he saw the priesthood as a way of greatly influencing minds for good especially in the face of mounting tension in the country as a result of the evil apartheid regime which was getting more brutal by the day.

He was ordained an Anglican Priest in 1960 and in a twist of fate returned to the teaching profession after a move to East Jerusalem in 1966 where he studied Arabic and Greek before his return to the country. He was able to combine both professions effortlessly well.

He used the pulpit to air his views against apartheid and threw his weight behind the international calls for an economic boycott of South Africa as a way to dismantle the oppressive regime.

Tutu was a highly controversial figure in his lifetime who was viewed with suspicion by everybody both for and against the struggle. The militant wing of the then banned African National Congress hated him with a fiery passion since he didn’t endorse the armed struggle which they stood for.

Marxists didn’t like him because of his anti Marxist position which was at variance with what they stood for. Caucasian conservatives who were pro apartheid found a common foe in him while white liberals found him too radical.

His popular interview in 1979 when he hosted some Dutch journalists where he called for an economic boycott of South Africa led to his passport being confiscated by the

regime. This greatly raised his profile as a freedom fighter.

When his passport was returned to him in 1981, he embarked on a tour of Europe and North America where he met some world leaders including the then United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Kurt Waldheim, Pope John Paul II, where he called for an end to apartheid and gave a sermon in Westminster Abbey.

When he returned to South Africa, the then President Botha ordered that his passport be seized for a period of 17 months which prevented him from receiving some honorary degrees from some universities. In September 1982, he addressed the Triennial Convention of the Episcopal Church in New Orleans which received a large acclaim by both the listeners and the press.

He built a cult like followership in the United States and was often compared to the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr though some of his critics in Uncle Sam dismissed him as a communist sympathizer.

He was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1981, 1982 and 1983 before he finally won it in 1984. Some analysts posited that the selection committee was looking for a less controversial figure than Mandela to give the prize to. By the 1980’s his stature as a liberation figure was second only to Mandela. The white controlled white media back in South Africa heavily criticized his choice and greatly downplayed it by dismissing him as a lightweight. The award was a gargantuan plus to the struggle as it showed that there was an international endorsement for it.

The heady days of the 1980’s saw frequent violent clashes between angry and embittered black youths and the security forces. Tutu was often invited to speak at funerals and rallies where he still maintained his anti-violent stance. He used his highly influential position as the Bishop of Johannesburg which

Desmond Tutu fought for an equal world free of discrimination and full of equal opportunities for all. In many ways, he left a world gravely sickened by its grotesque inequality a bit more equal than he met it

was the country’s largest diocese to lend his voice against the brutal regime of Botha. The ANC called on all black South Africans to make the country ungovernable which Botha responded with a state of emergency leading to many foreign multinationals divesting which led to a surge in the unemployment rate among the youths. He called for a strike against the apartheid regime which angered the trade unions as the latter weren’t first consulted before his pronouncement.

In 1986 he received the Martin Luther King Jr Non Violent Peace Prize and held the record of being the first Black South African to be made Bishop of both Johannesburg and Cape Town.

After apartheid was dismantled and Mandela became the first Black South African President, he was made the Head of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee between 1996 and 1998 to heal the wounds and unite the country. He ensured that there were no reprisal attacks on the Caucasians who the blacks still bore lots of hatred for.

Despite Tutu’s efforts in the anti-apartheid struggle, he was still hated by some youth members of the ANC who saw him as a saboteur for not backing the armed struggle. They ensured that he wasn’t invited for Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013 and he had to smuggle himself in to give a speech.

He retired as the Bishop of Cape Town in 1996 but was still vocal on human rights issues from a global perspective. He lent his voice to the sturdy backing of gay rights and had a famous quote where he said: “I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this”.

He added: “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven.

No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place”.

His efforts led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Rainbow Country in 2006 making it the first African nation to do so. One of his daughters, Mpho Andrea Tutu, a lesbian married her Dutch partner with his blessings and physical attendance. He also publicly backed euthanasia – the right to assisted dying which is still illegal in South Africa and campaigned vigorously in support of it.

His two human rights causes - gay rights and euthanasiapitched him against the conservative evangelicals who blasted him for pushing radically liberal causes that were at odds with human values.

Ademiluyi is the Co Founder of The Vent Republic and can be reached on anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com

FIGHT AGAINST INSECURITY AND THE CHANCES MISSED

C

The Ninth Assembly should lead the discussion on how to end the security crisis, writes Yusuph Olaniyonu

oncern about the spate of insecurity in our country will be one of the major issues that will dominate discussions in 2022. This is expected following the rate at which insurgency has spread from being a problem limited only to a few states in the North East in 2015 to a common feature in many states in the three northern zones. Also, the rise of banditry in many states in the North and how kidnapping has become a nationwide threat has made the country largely unsafe.

The country is also battling with ritual killing, cultism, and armed robbery. All these problems have overwhelmed the Police which is the security agency primarily charged with the duty of maintaining internal security. The armed forces have now been stretched thin as they deployed the officers and men to the various theatre of internal crises.

The security crisis has created more multi-dimensional problems for the country. It has affected the economy as foreign direct investment has slowed down considerably. Many companies owned by Nigerians have closed shops or been rendered inoperable by the security crisis. Many Nigerians living abroad who planned to set up one business or the other have had a rethink.

The worst-hit area of the economy is the agriculture and food production business. Many Nigerians who invested in large-scale farming in the rural areas have had to abandon their investments after experiencing kidnapping and having to pay a huge sum as ransom or hearing about the experience of other victims.

Today, in many parts of the North and even the Southwest, farmers are afraid to go to their farms for fear of attack. This has led to an unusual rise in the cost of food items. It is for this reason that I believe that security will still dominate national discourse not only in the new year but perhaps the year after.

However, I believe one of the reasons that the security problem has taken a worse turn is because since 2015 there has not been a synergy of complementary efforts among the three arms of government to tackle this menace. Like every issue, the leaders of the country have not created a platform for all to discuss and agree on a plan that will become a national agenda for all to pursue in eliminating or reducing the various threats to national security.

For example, when the previous National Assembly, otherwise called the Eighth Assembly was making all efforts to review the laws, engage with heads of the security agencies and come up with suggestions on how to improve efficiency, funding, and strategy

on the fight against insecurity, the executive only treated the efforts with the same attitude of partisan rivalry. The legislative got no serious support from the executive and since nobody can clap with one hand, the initiatives came to naught. Also, there was no attempt to co-opt the judiciary into the fight against terrorism.

If leaders of the three arms of government had created avenues for exchange of ideas, even if it is on this singular issue, perhaps they would have come out with a common position or brilliant ideas on how to thoroughly reset the security architecture, provide necessary funds, amend the relevant laws and get the judiciary to treat all cases that border on national security with despatch and more seriousness. In that case, all arms of government would have a common agenda with which they work to achieve a set goal of eliminating the threats that have reversed the nation’s fortune.

For instance, I know that one of the aims and objectives of the Eightth Senate led by Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki set for itself in its Legislative Agenda was to “embark on legislative endeavours aimed at providing institutional, regulatory and review of laws that have a direct bearing on the security of lives and properties of Nigerians”. To achieve this, the Senate ensured that the first delegations it sent out of Abuja after its inauguration were the ones to Maiduguri and Yola to have an on-the-spot assessment of the security situation in the areas and the humanitarian needs in the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps.

The delegation to Maiduguri was led by then-Senate President, Saraki, and conducted around by then-Governor Kashim Shettima. It visited the IDP camps located inside the Usman Shehu College of Education and Government College, Maiduguri. It was that visit that led to the enactment of the North East Development Commission Act. The commission was charged with the responsibility to lead the efforts towards the recovery, restoration, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of the region that has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. The board of the commission led by Major Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd.) was eventually inaugurated at the twilight period of the Eighth Senate on May 8, 2019.

The Eighth Senate also held several interface sessions with the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno and other top security chiefs to understand what was required

to put the security agencies in a position that they can quickly defeat terrorism and other security problems plaguing the country. These briefing and consultative sessions led to “appreciable improvement in budgetary provisions and acquisition of modern equipment for our security forces, thus enhancing efficiency and performance”.

After passing several resolutions in response to various security breaches which led to the loss of lives and properties, the Eighth Senate on November 30, 2017, inaugurated an ad-hoc Committee on Review of Security Infrastructure led by incumbent Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan who was then the Senate Leader. The ad-hoc committee was saddled with the broad mandate to study the problem of farmersherders crisis and prepare a report outlining approaches for dealing with the issue.

On January 13, 2018, the committee members had to cut short their end-of-year holiday to visit Benue State where 73 persons were killed in one of the frequent clashes that have continued to claim lives across the country. The Lawan- adhoc Committee submitted a report on January 16, 2018.

One of the fall-outs of the report was the two-day National Security Summit organised inside the Airforce Officers Mess and Suites in Kado, Abuja on February 8 and 11, 2018.

The summit allowed the heralds of security agencies to freely exchange ideas with the legislators, and some experts, map out strategies on how to combat security and what type of support or intervention the security agencies need to function at maximum efficiency. The summit was declared open by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

From the summit came a 20-point recommendation which was passed on to the Presidency after it was debated and adopted by the Senate at a plenary. Part of the recommendations includes: addressing the gaps in coordination, collaboration, and synergy among security agencies; adoption and incorporation of technology into the core of Nigeria’s security architecture and management; and reduction of dependence on imports for basic security equipment.

– Olaniyonu wrote from Abuja

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

15

LETTERS

AN OPEN LETTER TO APC AND PDP

I

have chosen today to write an open letter to the two major political parties in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Starting from 1914 when the British Colonial Government, under the watch of Lord Frederick Lugard, coerced the various nations that now constitute the Nigerian state into one, Nigeria has always been known for its tripartite assemblage.

Three major tribes have always stood out. They are, alphabetically, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. There are many other tribes and they are all important in every quantification. The truth, however, remains that the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba have been and remain the most populous and homogeneous in Nigeria.

The struggle for the political independence of Nigeria from the British was mainly championed by the Yoruba and the Igbo. The Igbo, of all tribes in Nigeria, are the most ubiquitous and adventurous. Their ingenuity and enterprise are next to none in Nigeria. Their natural disposition towards social and economic development of the Nigerian State, no matter where they find themselves, stands them out not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa, if not the World.

In any part of Nigeria one gets to, immediately after the indigenous population, the next tribe in terms of population would be the Igbo. In any place the Igbo are seen, they are either traders or artisans. By every or any positive engagement, the Igbo contribute immensely to the growth of the economy of their society, both at home and in the diaspora.

Their entrepreneurial

nature, at times, creates an image challenge for them. Many other people misconstrue them to be boisterous and domineering. Some perceive them to be uncontrollably arrogant.

This public perception has become almost an albatross to the Igbo. It certainly has created a lot of envy against the Igbo.

The Igbo have severally suffered enormous losses on account of this public perception. In 1945, for instance, hundreds of Igbo traders, artisans, transporters and their families were brutally slaughtered in Jos and environs, for no other reason than envy arising from their success in wealth accumulation.

Only eight years after the genocide in Jos, another disastrous misfortune became the fate of the Igbo in Kano, in 1953. They were killed in their tens of hundreds. The only reason for that utmost Brutality was the fact that the Igbo were considered dominant in businesses in Kano.

The last straw that broke the Camel's back was the misguided botched January 15, 1966 Coup that led to unjustifiable assassination of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello; Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Samuel Akintola; First Republican Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okoti-Ebo and some others. Though the coup was a purely military initiative, majority of the coupists were Igbo.

Even though there was a successful counter coup on July 28, 1966, during which the first Military Head of State, General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi and hundreds of Nigerian Military and Police Officers of Igbo extraction were killed, the revenge extended to massacre of Igbo civil population in the Northern

and Western Regions.

The failure to bring the ethnic cleansing of the Igbo in Nigeria to an end consequently forced the Military Governor of Eastern Region, Lt-Col Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, after due consultation with Leaders of Thought in Eastern Region, to declare Eastern Region as Republic of Biafra on 30th May, 1967.

A three-year war broke out between Nigeria and Biafra! It is estimated that the Peoples of Eastern Region lost more than one million persons during that war of self-defence.

Though the physical war ended on January 15, 1970 echoes of the war have continuously been prevalent in the collective psyche of the Igbo. Their roads are always under the suppressive coercion of Nigerian security personnel whose only motive is to harass and extort money from road users. Immigration offices in the South-East, particularly the one in Umuahia, are clear places of extortion against the Igbo young applicants for International passports who

pay outrageously before they are issued passport.

Police and military brutality in the South-East of Nigeria could be described to be worse than in a normal war situation.

Despite their predicaments, the Igbo have managed to carry their Cross with Equanimity. But their Patience and Tolerance got to their climax under the Buhari/APC Administration that made the most unpatriotic and undiplomatic declaration of his hatred against the Igbo.

Under the Buhari/ APC government, no Igbo indigene is considered fit and proper to be a member of the Security Council. No wonder some Igbo Youths, fed up with all round' discrimination decided to agitate for a Biafran State.

They, no doubt, want to escape from this Orchestrated Policy of Discrimination and Marginalization.

The Buhari/APC Government recommenced the Nigerian/Biafran War, hiding under the cover of Unknown Gun Men. Thousands of Igbo Youths have been sent to their untimely

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 15TH JANUARY 1966?

I

n order to move forward we need to settle the past, but do we ever get a chance to settle the past? I ask specifically because most of the problems faced in Nigeria today are linked to the killing and coup on the night of the 15th January 1966. If you ask different people, they will give different accounts. One of those accounts is that of Major General Paul Tarfa (rtd).

In his book “A Profile in Courage”, he stated that, the 15th January was specifically chosen so that Tafawa Balewa would have returned from Mecca and it was largely a coup against the North and the West.

He further stated that after the Prime Minister was nowhere to be found, they had called on Orizu Nwafor, who

was then the acting president to swear in a new prime minister. He said the cabinet members favoured Bukka Dipcharima, but Dr Nwafor was reluctant and after several meetings the NCNC put up Ozumba Mbadiwe.

Obviously the NPC refused and stated categorically that they were the senior partners in the coalition government. Paul Tarfa said it was as a result of this breakdown in communication among politicians that led to Aguiyi-Ironsi taking over power. In his writings, he narrated how the north felt cheated and the mutiny started from this inference. This was the beginning of the civil war because what followed was carnage.

Reading other accounts,

there is a difference. In fact Achebe’s account in his book, “There was a Country,” talked about the heroics of Aguiyi ironsi and how he stopped the coup. Paul Tarfa’s account painted a picture that Aguiyi Ironsi was aware of the coup.

As more books come up, we will always have different accounts of what happened on the 15th January. For the sake of documentation I will like to hear Major General Yakubu Gowon’s account. Apart from interviews and his speech “The Dawn of lasting Peace” in 1968, he hasn’t expressed his own side of the story in a book.

The most important question about all these different accounts on the 1966 incident, is when is Nigeria going

to heal and is it ever going to heal? The conversations about healing are rife, as all we now talk about are drumbeats of Araba which is not good for our country. We must understand that there are times in every nation that challenges look insurmountable but cool heads must prevail as justice must be done. Justice is the firm pedestal that peace can seat on.

As a result of the 1966 event, we have fought a civil war and experienced about 10 coups and with return to civilian rule, we still work in the shadows of 1966. At some point we must heal or begin the process of healing for the generation yet unborn. Let 2022 start that process of healing.

– Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

death. The government of General Muhammadu Buhari has forced a war that started in 1966/67 to have been prolonged up to December 2021, making it the longest war fought on the Continent of Africa.

Take it or leave it, the Igbo influence on Nigeria cannot just be wished away. These are people who have painstakingly emerged as multibillionaires, despite being heartlessly forced to start their economic life with a paltry £20, immediately after the Nigeria/Biafran War in 1970. Other tribes, especially the Fulani, have the wealthiest men in Nigeria but the difference lies in the fact that while the Fulanis amassed wealth through federal government's deliberately created policy loopholes, the Igbo acquired their wealth through entrepreneurial sagacity.

I strongly think that there is need to end this war. Late President Shehu Shagari had commenced the expected process of ending the war when he successfully chose a renowned erudite Igbo Professional, late Architect Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, as his Presidential-running mate in 1979. It was most likely Dr Ekwueme would have ended up as President Shagari's successor in 1987.

It is believed among the Igbo that General Buhari also had this feeling hence he rocked that boat through the illegitimacy of a military coup d'etat on 31st December, 1983.

The truth of Nigeria's reality is that he who holds one down, also holds oneself down.

The Nigerian State is determined in every

material particular to hold the Igbo nation down. By consequence, it has been busy keeping itself down.

The Nigerian State is like a football team. Like it or not, the Igbo unarguably are manning a strategic wing in the Nigerian state's team.

If the Igbo are made the weakest and most porous link in the team's chain, it would follow that Nigeria's avoidable defects and woes could continuously erupt from the Igbo.

Nigeria needs a rethink.

It can only be incivility and primitivity that could keep Nigeria constantly at war with itself. Why can we not learn a simple lesson from Rwanda that it's national leadership, under President Paul Kagame, had most effectively reconciled the two major tribes, Hutus and Tutsis, that had fought a very devastating war that nobody would have imagined could allow the country forge a united progressive entity?

It takes genuine and patriotic leadership to reconcile differences in national politics. I have a strong feeling that justice, equity and fairness are the elixir to Nigeria's problems.

In the chequered history of the Nigerian State, the Hausa/Fulani have produced four democratically-elected heads of the federal government: Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Mallam Musa Yar'Adua and General Muhammadu Buhari. The North has also produced numerous military heads of the federal government. The Yoruba have produced one democratically-elected President in the person of President Olusegun Obasanjo. The People of South-South have had their turn in the person of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

The Igbo have not had the opportunity of being elected as President of Nigeria. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was merely a ceremonial president. The constitutional powers of the First Republican Era were vested in the Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

I want Nigeria to grow and prosper. But it cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of open discrimination and segregation. There has to be justice, equity and fairness in the running of affairs of Nigeria.

Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State

A TEST FOR HUMANITY There are a lot of sick people in the world, and I am not just referring to those with COVID but rather those that have obtained test kits and are now selling them for extravagant prices.

There are also those that are probably selling fake tests too.

This is a time when we want to see the best of people and it is so apparent

in our medical workers, but we all need to be our best by get t i ng t hose vacci nat ion s, stay i ng safe by wearing masks and isolating if we have too.

Let's make 2022 a great year.

– Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

16

SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

17

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

BUSINESS

Editor: Festus Akanbi 08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Marina Lagos Lagos, home of banks’ headquarters

2022: Economy and the UnÀnished Business As the euphoria of the new year gives way to the reality of the emerging economic dispensation which will become manifest when business and economic activities Àre back to life nationwide on Tuesday, -anuary , 2022, economic aͿairs commentators said many things would change. :hether in the government-led public sector, which will rely heavily on the ingenuity, sincerity, and sentiments of public o΀cers as the drivers of the various policies enunciated in the Budget 2022, or businesses, largely driven by private sector participation with eyes on higher proÀt margins, whatever level of successes that would be recorded at the end of the year will be determined by the synergy between the government and the organised private sector. In this sector-wide report, Festus Akanbi, Emmanuel Addeh, Chinedu Eze, Emma Okonji, Raheem Akingbolu and Kayode Tokede lay bare, issues that will shape business and economy in the new year

A Finance Sector

nalysts believed the degree of success or otherwise, that will be recorded in the economy in 2022 will largely depend on the quality of leadership and direction to be provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria as it continues to lead the way in the management of the Ànance sector in particular, and the overall economy, in general.

They believed that the full implementation of the CBN’s recent policies designed to boost diͿerent sectors of the economy will help to keep the inÁation rate at bay.

However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the Nigerian economy is projected to grow by 2.9% in 2022, based on an expected recovery in crude oil prices and production.

Stimulus measures outlined in the Economic Stimulus Plan and the Finance Act of 2020 could boost non-oil revenues. It stated that the growth would be driven by a recovery in non-oil sectors and higher oil prices.

Banking: Mergers among Tier-2 Banks as First Bank, Union Bank reposition The Nigerian banking sector is tipped to grow by 15 per cent next year. However, bookmakers have predicted mergers and acquisitions in the Nigerian banking industry to build more robust banks in the moulds of the Àve Tier-2ne banks of =enith Bank, GTBank, First Bank, Access Bank, and United Bank for Africa. These Àve banks currently control approximately 0 per cent of banking activities in Nigeria. Again, some of these big banks are expected to continue their African expansion.

Amid speculation that the falling value of the naira may compel the Central Bank of Nigeria to raise the minimum share capital of commercial banks in 2022, Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane said rather than raise banks’ share capital, the apex bank may decide to tinker with the bank’s capital adequacy ratio. Currenly, a minimum Pillar 1 regulatory Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 15% is applicable to all banks and banking groups with international authorisation and those that have been categorised by the CBN

as being Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs). A minimum CAR of 10% is be applicable to all other banks. Capital adequacy ratio (CAR) is a measurement of a bank’s available capital expressed as a percentage of a bank’s risk-weighted credit exposures. The capital adequacy ratio, also known as capital-to-risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR), is used to protect depositors and promote the stability and e΀ciency of Ànancial systems around the world. According to Rewane, what the banks need most at this period is the capacity to take risks.

According to the current thresholds, the minimum paid-up share capital of the National level banking license is N25 billion, or any such amount that may be prescribed by the CBN, while for Regional Banking Licence is N10 billion and International Commercial Banking Licence is N50 billion.

However, all eyes will be on the two oldest banks, the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and First Bank Holding Plc. Union Bank is being taken over by Titan Trust Bank Limited (TYB), following an agreement by Union Global Partners Limited, Atlas Mara Limited, and other majority shareholders to sell oͿ their . 9

18

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

SPECIAL REPORT

2022: Economy and the Unfinished Business per cent shareholding in Union Bank to TTB. In the case of First Bank, analysts said the year 2022 will pose a serious challenge to the bank, which has been at the centre of the storm for a while. Already, the bank has been going through some challenges. The Àrst challenge was the resignation of Remi Babalola, former chairman of FBN Holdings Plc. Babalola claimed in his resignation letter that he resigned “amid frustrating attempts to reinstate conÀdence in the brand and improve corporate governance within the system.” Unfortunately, his successor and former chief executive o΀cer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr, Nnamdi Okonkwo is too busy clearing his name with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for him to settle down in the holding company.

Another issue is the acquisition of more shares by the Nigerian investor, Femi Otedola, and the response in like manner by another boardroom player, Tunde Hassan-Odukale.

Otedola’s total stake in FBNH is now 7.57 per cent. Hassan-Odukale had laid claim to 5.36 per cent shareholding in the Holdco in what he called “cumulative equity stake” drawn from a combination of his direct, indirect, and related party shareholding in the group, a claim that has been shattered by PENCON’s position that stripped him of the interest of Leadway Pensure Ltd. Although Otedola was quoted as saying his shares mop-up was not a precursor to his membership of the bank’s board, analysts said his inÁuence is bound to determine who calls the shot at the holding company when the dust begins to settle.

Oil and *as: The 'angote ReÀnery The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote crude oil reÀnery, located in the Lekki Free =one, near Lagos, is expected to begin operations in the Àrst half of 2022.

Put at roughly $18 billion to $19 billion, the reÀnery will produce Euro-9 (fewer sulphur fuels) quality petrol and diesel, as well as jet fuel and polypropylene, generating over 4,000 direct jobs and 145,000 indirect jobs.

Covering an area of 2,635 hectares, the icing on the cake for the much-awaited project is that it will save Nigeria billions of dollars in foreign exchange as well as ensure energy security for the country, other things being equal. :ith Nigeria currently reÀning ]ero products, the Dangote reÀnery which will have an annual reÀning capacity of 10.4 million tonnes (Mt) of petrol, in addition to about 4.6mt of diesel and 4mt of jet fuel, among others, is expected to signiÀcantly alter the fuel supply dynamics as well as boost the economy.

expected to increase the capacity of the grid from the current average of less than 5,000MW to 7000MW by the end of 2021. That timeline has now been missed.

The initial projection is further expected to increase the grid capacity to 11,000MW by 2023 and achieve total operational generation and national grid capacity to 25,000MW by 2025.

Buhari has already approved the payment of €15.21 million and N1.708 billion as counterpart funding for the project, although the parties were said to have disagreed on the local content component of the deal.

With about 17 months before his exit and a new minister who is still grappling with the nuances of the sector, it is unclear how soon this very critical project will come on stream.

Telecoms: Deployment of * 1etZork, Data Centre, Subsea Cable Operations the Issue Industry watchers said the recent emergence of MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications Ltd, as winners of the keenly contested 3.5 GH] spectrum auction for 5G deployment in the country, coupled with the $574.2 million that the federal government realised from the auction, Nigeria, will be a strong boost to the nation’s digital transformation in 2022.

Another issue that will shape the new year is the launch of a 10-megawatt data centre facility in Nigeria by the Africa Data Centres (ADC), which held in Lagos in December 2021. This, they said, would further diversify Nigeria’s economy and enhance her digital transformation agenda in 2022.

According to the Chief Executive O΀cer of Tetconsult UK and the immediate past SecretaryGeneral of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (WTO), Shola Taylor, the ultimate beneÀciary of the successful launch of 3.5GH] spectrum, would be the Nigerian telecoms consumer, whom he said, would enjoy the enormous and real-time beneÀts of 5G technology, considering its high-speed downloads, high internet connectivity capacities, and with very low latency that would drive a faster digital transformation across Nigeria.

Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the 3.5GH] spectrum auction would open a vista of opportunities for 5G rollout and also enhance digital transformation across the country in several ways in 2022.

According to him, “The 3.5GH] spectrum will pave the way for speedy deployment of 5G network/in 2022, and once we have systems and applications running on the spectrum at high-speed data, there will be faster integration of systems and there will be increased access with a machine-to-machine connection that will also drive Ànancial inclusion.

Industry stakeholders also believed that the launch of additional data centres and the berthing of additional subsea cables in Nigeria, would not only diversify the Nigerian economy in 2022 but would also create opportunities for economic growth and digital transformation in 2022.

Trading floor of the Stock Exchange

An attendant dispensing fuel

COVID-19 In 2020, oil prices hit the negative territory, arguably for the Àrst time in history, with some sellers oͿering buyers dollars to pick the products from them. Nigeria’s benchmark, Brent, fell below $10, literally throwing the Nigerian economy, largely dependent on revenues from oil, into chaos.

Although economies are opening up and economic activities have since revved up globally, the coronavirus remains a major threat to the oil and gas industry.

With the new variant, omicron compelling countries to enforce restrictions on movement, the virulence or otherwise of the virus will remain a major determinant of oil prices this year.

3IA and Deregulation It’s been hanging in the air for months, but the argument for full deregulation of the oil and gas industry has never been this strong. If the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is activated as prescribed by the law, the removal of subsidy on petrol prices will likely follow.

This will have ripple eͿects on almost every facet of the Nigerian economy, coupled with organised labour’s threat to embark on a massive strike action which could markedly disrupt Nigeria’s already ailing economy. /abour Although the federal government is yet to be categorical about the timeline for the planned removal of fuel subsidy, the Nigeria Labour Congress said it would call out its members on a nationwide protest should the policy come into eͿect.

The congress said the planned rallies would commence without warning should the federal government announce new fuel prices.

According to NLC, the protest is slated for January 27, 2022, and would culminate in the

A demonstration of MTN’s 5G network in Abuja...recently

submission of protest letters to all the 36 state governors.

The government had said it would remove the fuel subsidy next year following advice by the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

In its place, the Minister of Finance, Mrs =ainab Ahmed, said about 40 million poor Nigerians would be paid a N5,000 monthly stipend for transportation.

President Muhammadu Buhari remains the de facto Minister of Petroleum Resources, but the newly rechristened Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, by its critical importance, is expected to drive the execution of government’s policies in the oil and gas industry.

The head of the company is Mallam Mele Kyari, who will oversee the operations and transition of the national oil company under the new Act. The e΀ciency with which the top oilman handles the task will either make or mar the process.

3oZer: The Siemens 3roject In July 2019, the federal government signed a deal with Siemens AG of Germany to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation to 25,000 megawatts (MW) in six years.

Although there have been many delays in the actual take-oͿ of the project, it is expected to be a major game-changer for the electricity supply industry in the country.

To be executed in three phases, it was

Capital Market: Regulation, ActiYities in Banking, Cement, Telecoms Sector, the *ame Changer The Nigerian capital market in 2021 witnessed mixed trading, dropping by 3.04 per cent in the Àrst three months and dropping further by 5.87 per cent in the Àrst half-year.

The NGX All-Share Index, which tracks the general market movement of all listed stocks shed 0.12 per cent to close nine months at 40,221.17 basis points from 40,270.72 basis points at which it opened trading for 2021.

In 2022, all eyes will be on policy reforms

by Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Lamido Yuguda; Group Chief Executive O΀cer of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Oscar Onyema, and other capital market stakeholders to witness more listing, drive liquidity, and attract foreign/ local investors to the market.

Activities such as the mop-up of the shares of FBN Holding, Flour Mills buying a stake in Honeywell, MTN public oͿer, and federal government bonds taking over listings on the bourse were key notable events on the NGX in 2021 and the trend is expected to drive activities in 2022.

Analysts also projected that the stock market is going to depreciate in the post-election year, attributable to foreign investors exiting the market over uncertainty.

Despite the uncertainty, analysts said that activities in the shares of =enith Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Holdings Plc, FBN Holdings,

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

SPECIAL REPORT

2022: Economy and the Unfinished Business

An electricity transformer

Some locally-manufactured textile materials

and the acquisition of Union Bank of Nigeria by Titan Trust Bank Limited (TTB), among others are the top lenders to reshape the market in 2022.

Also, the likes of cement manufacturing, oil and gas, and telecommunication companies are what investors should be looking out for in a post-election year.

Analysts also feared that insecurity will also be a factor in the market, saying that the market would witness Ànancial assets shifting to Àxed income market because the federal government will besiege the market to raise a lot of debts.

However, some foreign investors may likely exit the market in the fourth quarter of 2022 due to the coming election of 2023.

Aviation: National Carrier: A Gamble Between Nostalgia and Reality It will be counted as a golden achievement if, by the second quarter of 2022, Nigeria unveils a national carrier, as assured by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.

There are too many doubts that such a dream will be actualised because there are many factors against its realisation. The major factor is the factor of reality.

Can a national carrier be established in the next six months when there is no physical structure for it in December 2021? Will the period designated be enough for the new airline to obtain Air Operator CertiÀcate (AOC), recruit and train personnel, acquire the aircraft for operation, complete the shareholding arrangement and start scheduled Áight service?

In addition to establishing a national carrier in 2022, the federal government is also expected to complete the concession of four major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt; it is also expected to complete the process of establishing a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility to enable Nigerian airlines to carry out heavy aircraft checks in the country and also put the leasing company on stream. A leasing company will ease Nigerian carriers with the torturous process of leasing aircraft overseas, which goes with high insurance premiums and stringent conditions.

Sirika is said to have also been talking with the core investor for the establishment of the MRO facility in Nigeria and this has reached an advanced stage so 2022 will witness a modern and big MRO in the country.

Manufacturing: Banking on Capital Budget Implementation Based on the 2022 budget, manufacturers said there will be very few highs and several lows for them this year.

The highs, according to the Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, include the proposed capital expenditure of N5.35 trillion, which resonated well with the MAN’s cry for the need to prioritise infrastructure development that would lay the foundation for Nigeria’s sustainable economic development.

He said: “In summary, the highs principally centre around the proposed aggregate capital expenditure of N5.35 trillion is 32.64 per cent of the total expenditure as against the N4.37 trillion and 32.2 per cent respectively of 2021 budget.

“This means that the sum allotted to capital

expenditure will increase appreciably in 2022, particularly for the building materials and construction segment that has higher multiplier eͿects on the manufacturing sector.

However, industry observers identiÀed the top three low points of the proposed 2022 budget as the proposed excise duty on carbonated drinks; the likelihood of increased drive for collection of taxes and levies, which might entrench multiple taxations and untoward means of collection all in the bid to increase non-oil revenue generation that would cover the deÀcit side of the proposed budget, and thirdly, the suspicion that the highly ambitious assumption of 13 per cent inÁation rate in the budget might not hold water, especially when the prevailing inÁation rate as at August 2021 stood at 17.01 per cent.

Lagos seaport

Telecoms mast

Ajayi-Kadir said: “The proposed excise duty on carbonated drinks means further strangulation of the manufacturing sector that is already burdened with a multiplicity of taxes/levies and fees.

The sourcing of the much-needed foreign exchange will also be a major that will determine the survival of the industrial sector in 2022.

Manufacturers will also intensify their demand for the easing of cargo clearing processes at ports. This is a major component of ease of doing business to which the government has expressed commitment. So, the campaign will continue to make government reduce the number of agencies involved in cargo clearing at our ports and for the deployment of technology to aid the customs clearing process.

Advertising: Bickering over Code of Conduct, Highway Concession For the players in the nation’s Marketing Communications industry, the last quarter of 2021 was characterised by division over the introduction of a code of conduct titled, Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP), by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). Though meant to sanitise the industry, the new development was received by stakeholders with mixed feelings.

While the promoters of the new standard of practice saw it as a vista to enhance a global best practice for the industry, members of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) kicked and condemned it as a retrogressive move meant to promote a price-Àxing Behaviour in the Nigerian Advertising Market.

Of course, the leadership of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria and the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) also in their corners celebrated the new order as the best for the industry.

As various sectoral bodies look into the new year for the o΀cial adoption of AISOP, the relationship among stakeholders can be likened to that of cat and mouse as each body is busy plotting graphs to either make or mar the adoption. APCON has come out fully that it would wield the big stick and sanction whoever stands in its way. On the other hand, ADVAN has begun making clandestine moves by recruiting economic and legal experts to point out the shortcomings of the proposed standard of practice. The question is; who will have the last laugh?

Unanswered Questions over Highway Road Concession...

The outdoor sub-sector of the Advertising Industry under the auspices of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria early in 2021 made a subtle appeal to Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola to reconsider the proposed concession of some high ways in Nigeria.

With the proposed concession, the attention of outdoor practitioners shifted from the challenges posed by some states regulating others to the national level. Till now, the fear is; what becomes of practitioners after 12 major roads in the country must have been concessioned.

The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMW&H) had announced early in 2021 that it would concession 12 major roads in the country, under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI).

According to the guide, the aͿected roads are; Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Kano-Katsina, Onitsha-Owerri, Shagamu-Benin and AbujaKe΀-Akwanga. Others are, Kano- Shuari, Potiskum- Damaturu, Lokoja Benin and EnuguPort Harcourt.

Analysts believed practitioners will push for a clearer picture especially as it has to do with whether the existing agencies will be on the priority list to protect businesses and prevent multiple job losses.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

AGRICULTURE

Omo Forest, a home for elephants, in Ijebu East and North Local Government Areas, Ogun State

Expanding the Potential of Nigeria’s Forest Reserves For over 50 years, oil has been the dominant economic sustainer, despite what seems to be repeated rhetorics to diversify the economy by successive administrations. Ndubuisi Francis proÀles Nigeria’s vast untapped forest resources as alternative revenue source, if well harnessed

F

aced with the stark reality that the nation’s hydrocarbon assets are exhaustive and may sooner than later dry up, government after government have mouthed the desire to drastically reduce the over-dependence on oil as the nation’s main revenue earner. But actions and in-actions on the part of each successive government have seriously called to question the sincerity towards the successful realisation of this economic goal.

However, the current economic meltdown being faced by the country has again brought to the front burner, the issue of economic diversiÀcation.

Paradigm Shift This has been a challenging factor and yet imperative for Nigeria and other African nations to make a paradigm shift from mono-product economies to more diversiÀed and sustainable ones by looking into a sector that has long been neglected and under-utilised. That is the forest economy.

This is even more compelling and urgent in view of the global economic challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the slump in international oil prices both of which greatly precipitated a serious dip in the revenue proÀle of Africa’s largest economy and several others.

The argument is not that the country is lacking in more revenue-yielding and economically-viable alternatives, neither is there a move to push for further exploitation of the forest reserves. No Rather, the campaign is for the incumbent federal government to strategically pursue an achievable policy for Nigeria’s forest reserves, which are barely exploited proÀtably despite many policy papers meant to drive actions in the sector.

For example, the Nigerian Institute of Forestry Research is as old as the country, yet the sector has remained largely in disarray.

Wood Expo In 2019, a young Nigerian architect, Bosede Omoloya Idegbesor, propelled by the discovery of the gap and lack of policy implementation synergy among stakeholders in the forestry sector, initiated a platform, Wood Expo Nigeria (WEN). It is a convergence forum for environmentalists, forestry agencies, the academia, wood manufacturers, industrialists, investors and government agencies to discuss and identify the impending challenges and vast opportunities in the forest reserves of the country.

The aim is to develop sustainable headway to preserve the forest ecosystem as well as explore the many potential in the sector.

Over the years, successive governments have come with commendable policies, one of which is the country’s National Tree Planting project/campaign which estimates the creation of three million productive economic plantations.

This is quite in line with the Federal Government’s agenda on National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP2017-2020) to diversify the economy, resulting in the development of various sectors, including the wood sector.

But Nigeria with its famed and massive forest wealth has barely scratched the surface on the potential of this resource as an alternative revenue honeypot to oil.

This can change once the country

joins the league of sustainable forest nations with certiÀcation as a timber exporting nation.

Keying into the Wood Story The question is how can it be achieved? Simple: The Nigerian government must key into the whole wood story starting from seed collection, through planting and forest propagation, felling and milling of timber to the end products, like furniture, structural elements, and the entire building sector.

There are a thousand and one businesses with vast export potential untapped and poorly managed.

The quantum of opportunities in the utilisation of wood for positive impact in the (built) environment in Nigeria and indeed the sub-Saharan Africa demand concerted eͿorts by the stakeholders spearheaded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) with complimentary eͿorts like Wood Expo Nigeria (WEN).

The Potential From the experiences observed at the maiden edition of Wood Expo Nigeria (WEN) in 2019, participants and experts noted with keen interest that: Nigeria has over 600 potential timber species out of which less than 30 are currently being commercially exploited for international trade, but the industry could contribute signiÀcantly to local and international trade if the informal enterprises of small wood-based industries operate with formal incorporation into the national economy. These enterprises include those engaged in the production of Àrewood, charcoal, chewing sticks,

sculptured wood items and in some cases artisans, cabinet makers and timber converters.

The total installed capacity of the sawmill industry in Nigeria is 11.7 million m3 of wood (RMRDC 2003), but the current production is about 2.31 million m3 of wood (CBN 2007).

However, this represents a national capacity utilisation of 19.74 per cent growth per cent, and that since there is a ban on the export of logs, milling of the tropical hardwood becomes necessary.

The plymill has a production capacity of 16008m3 for plywood and 57812.92m3 for veneer.

The wood industry in Nigeria is dominated by waste generating activities like sawmilling, veneer, and plywood production. The wastes generated from sawmilling have correspondingly increased from 92,000m3 in 1960 to 3.87 million m3 in 1993.This high rate of waste generation makes wood processing an ine΀cient way of natural resource utilisation and as such capable of threatening the ability of the resource base to sustain the wood industry.

There is need to expand the frontier of investment in forestry by providing appropriate institutional and legal framework for eͿective operation. Unlike what it used to be, there is an upsurge of private involvement plantation forestry in Nigeria. Therefore, government should support industrial plantation development which is being powered mostly by private individuals.

The three tiers of government should introduce integrated forestry policy system where land restoration is done in a manner that allows various stakeholders to operate in the forest mainly community forest within the ambits of the laws governing the use of forest estate. This is a win-win system that has potential to reduce intra and intercommunal conÁicts by self-regulations using a combination of indigenous and traditional forest management systems as well as modern scientiÀc approach.

This year’s Wood Expo Nigeria (WEN) will yet again draw wood specialists/ technologists, academicians/researchers, furniture manufacturers, forestry o΀cials, facility managers, sawmill operators, government o΀cials, architects, engineers, purchasing/ procurement o΀cers, and the general public between October 25 and 29, 2021 at Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, Nigeria, for another exposition and highlevel networking, harmonising positions of all stakeholders in the wood value chain.

This is with a view to creating economy, proͿer solutions to all impediments in the wood industry, while providing a scenic brainstorming environment on the development of Nigeria’s forest reserve.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

INTERVIEW ABIMBOLA ADESEYOJU:

How We Deliver Credit Rating Imperatives for Issuers and Investors Abimbola Adeseyoju is Chief Executive Officer, DataPro Group, one of the indigenous credit rating agencies in the country. In this interview with Adedayo Adejobi, the financial expert who has garnered almost three decades in the industry speaks on the nation’s dwindling reserves, unimpressive GDP growth rate, prospects and challenges of credit ratings, among other sundry issues that plague the economy. Excerpts:

G

DP growth of 5.01% in the second quarter of the year was the highest output growth since 2014. How sustainable is this feat, which beats the projected 2.5% GDP growth target of the government. What do you make of this and what to expect going forward?

First, I like to say the Nigerian economy is relatively resilient. But it is pertinent to put the 5% growth in context. Notably, the growth partly reÁects the low base eͿect of the 2020 42 GDP numbers when the economy shrunk 6.1%. As you may observe, the nominal size of economic output in the second quarter of this year stood at N39.6trillion and that is still below the size of the economy in the Àrst quarter when nominal GDP stood at N40.5trillion, and worse still it is far below the size of the economy in the second quarter of 2019, when Nigeria’s output was measured at N17.1trillion. So, it’s good to be excited at this growth feat which marks the 3rd consecutive positive quarterly growth, hence reinforcing the recovery from recession, albeit it’s not eureka yet. Oil production is down to 1.2 million barrels per day from about 1.6millio barrels per day production we had in the second quarter, even as concerns are rising that prices may take a breather at current levels. Whilst oil sector represents less than 8% of the GDP, it may be a drag.

Trade and manufacturing took positive turns in the second quarter but increasing foreign currency volatility, precisely at the parallel market may undermine the sustainability of that growth, given impact of relative scarcity of foreign currency for import. With the CBN and the Àscal authority providing support to agriculture, hopefully the sector remains resilient. Likewise, ICT should remain strong, as the telecommunications gear up for new investments in 5G technology, in expectation of NCC receipt of the spectrum and subsequent auction of 5G licenses.

While I am constructive in my expectation of sustaining the positive growth trajectory, I am conservative on the ability of the economy to sustain the strong 5% growth posted in the second quarter, given constraints on aggregate demand at all levels, as all the three economic agents are going through patches of income pressure – household income is not growing, thus undermine corporate earnings prospect and of course government revenue trails budget, hence undermining spending capacity, especially with the debt service burden, which represents 42% of 2021 budget but over three-quarter of actual revenue.

This is why we need revolutionary reforms across all major sectors, from oil & gas to agriculture, manufacturing to Ànance and indeed infrastructure. We need big push reforms and strong political will to catalyse deserving growth momentum that can change the narratives. While some aspects of the Petroleum Industry Act remain controversial, it is important to leverage this long-awaited legislation in opening up and revolutionising the sector, with the objective of ensuring increased domestic private sector participation and enhanced beneÀts to the country.

As the economy recovers, what impact

Adeseyoju deseyoju

will the positive trend in output have on the credit ratings of Nigerian corporates and the broader risk environment?

Recovery of the economy is generally rating positive but we would also continue to monitor the uneven recovery across sectors and sub-sectors to eͿectively integrate the impact of recovery or otherwise of each industry on the prospect of the corporates within the sector and implications for their credit ratings and broader credibility. Beyond the general expectation, the impact on companies are often uneven, as diͿerent companies have varying vulnerabilities and response rate to changing macros. Whilst some corporates have built relative resistance to macro volatilities, putting in place proactive measures to manage shocks and eͿectively exploit new opportunities, others are rather reactive. Hence, we do not use a single brush on all corporates, rather we drill down to the real fundamentals of each company, taking cognizance of the pros and cons of the macro events.

Considering possible lagged impact of the pandemic on corporate cashÁows and credibility, what should be the focus of institutional investors holding or seeking to invest in debt instruments at this time?

Institutional investors need to focus on key fundamentals deÀning the sustainability of businesses. Major shifts in cashÁows patterns are often times lagged eͿects of a few leading indicators, such as the strength of demand for the oͿerings of a corporate and

its competitiveness, major changes in supply chains, cost proÀle, production margins and proÀtability. In addition, the quality of management, Corporate Governance, Regulatory Compliance, innovation and softer issues like ESG are increasingly important as early signals of business sustainability. All of these and many salient fundamentals of the operating environment are what credit ratings try to summarise. While a credit rating is neither an assurance nor investment report, it thus provides a foundation for counterparty assessment and investment analysis, being the output of a thorough independent assessment of the credibility of the entity or issuer of a debt instrument.

So, investors and other users of credit rating reports should pay attention to the trend and details of credit ratings, which provides context to the rating.

What is the significance of credit ratings, especially as it seems to be a mandatory requirement for corporates seeking to raise funds, through commercial papers in the money market or bonds in the capital market?

Credit Rating is an opinion on the Creditworthiness of an obligor (entity (corporate) or issuer of a debt instrument). In other words, credit rating agencies worldwide assess the relative Credit Risk of Specific Debt Instruments or Structured Finance Instruments and Borrowing Entities. We serve as Information Intermediaries by

reducing information cost, increasing the pool of potential borrowers and promoting liquidity in the capital market. Our function also increases the supply of availability of risk capital (venture capital) and ultimately promote economic growth. We therefore provide investors a base for making further analysis in taking decisions about investing in a security or taking risk on a counterparty, including lending to such counter-party.

Credit rating helps to compare and benchmark different institutions and securities, despite varying fundamentals, as it provides a simple, objective basis for comparison, hence the reason why credit ratings are perhaps one of the most useful tools for pricing debt instruments.

As you rightly noted, it is a requirement for corporates seeking to borrow money from the public in the form of commercial papers through the money market or bonds through the capital market, as it provides a foundation for assessing the quality of the credit.

For instance, the Securities and Exchange Commission, our regulator prescribes a minimum rating construct for borrowers, hence borrowers whose credit rating falls below such rating are not allowed to borrow money form unsuspecting public, whose ability to effectively analysis the risk is limited.

This is an important regulation aimed at protecting the public from the tendency of unscrupulous entities to defraud the public. Similarly, pension fund managers only invest in instruments that are rated and can only place funds with institutions that have Investment Grade Rating(Min of BBB). This is essential to ensure the safety of pension funds, in the interest of pension contributors and in line with the regulation of the Pension Commission.

The Nigerian government had to get Fitch and S&P to assign Ratings on its Eurobonds to ensure the international investors buy into the securities both at primary market offering and also in the secondary market. However, FGN raises Bonds in the local market every month, without the instruments being rated. Why aren’t the FGN Bonds rated?

Yes, for Naira-denominated instruments issued by the Nigerian Government, they implicitly carry the highest credit rating possible, being “AAA”, as the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria indicates the presumably “risk-free” premium on those instruments, as the Federal Government of Nigeria has full authority to print Naira as a way of repayment of the debt, in the extreme situation that it is not able to generate revenue to redeem the bonds. Whilst this should not be the case, as there are consequences for printing money, the fact that the Government is the issuer of Naira provides comfort on its ability to redeem all Naira obligations.

However, it is different for foreign currency denominated debts, as investors would need the Credit Rating as a basis of evaluating the capacity of the Federal Government of Nigeria to generate foreign currency revenues to redeem its obligations under such debt programme.

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SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 2, 2022

IMAGES

C

hief Peter Arigbe popularly called Uncle P clocked 75 early last month and he celebrated it with a Thanksgiving church service at Saint Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos. Thereafter, friends, associates, and well wishers were hosted to a sumptuous luncheon at Koi Restaurant, Babatunde Jose Street, Victoria Island. Here PHOTOS: KOLA ALLI are some of the personalities that graced the occasion.

L-R: Rev. Fr Anthony Fadairo of St. Agnes Catholic Church; celebrant, Chief Peter Arigbe; and his wife, Pamela

Chief Peter Arigbe; his wife, Pamela and children

L-R: Mrs. Rita Sam Amuka-Pemu; celebrant, Chief Peter Arigbe; Chairman, Vanguard Newspapers, Unlce Sam Amuka-Pemu

L-R: Pastor Ray Efe Yugbovwre; Mr. Aji RoneOrugboh and Mr. Eddy Agbalor

L-R: Ambassador Dennis Ifidon-Ojeonu; celebrant, Chief Peter Arigbe; Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN; and Cape Sonny Odidison

L-R: Mr. Godfrey Etikerentse and Mrs. Ibi Tom Fabyan

L-R: Ayo Iroche and Ms. Clara Okoro

L-R: Mrs. Adefemi Taire; celebrant, Chief Chief Peter Arigbe and Mr. Edemo Ogbuagu

L-R: Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN; Yomi TokosiI; Chief Dennis Ifidon-Ojeonu; and Mr. Wale Akoni, SAN

L-R: Chief Sonny Okpurhe and Andrew Oru

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

2.1.2022

Mo Abudu

Davido

Kuti

Aboyeji

Burna-Boy

Ude

Olorunnimbe

Idahosa

Flagbearers in Creative Industry to Shape 2022 The resilience of the creative industry was evident in 2021 as practitioners dived into the depths of their creativity to survive the biting coronavirus pandemic. Their efforts made Nigeria a viable creative capital, attracting international collaborations and recognition while reinforcing the potential of the industry — which spans fashion, music, film, technology, comedy, media — in becoming Nigeria’s biggest export. As the new year rings in, Funke Olaode and Vanessa Obioha look at the big players who will shape the industry ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/victoria.olaode@thisdaylive.com.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

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COVER

Flagbearers in Creative Industry to Shape 2022

Deola and Darey Art Alade

Fireboy DML

Mo Abudu

A

big player in the media and entertainment space, Mo Abudu is one of the people to watch out for in the new year.

The introduction of EbonyLife Place as a cultural hub in Lagos is only an addition to her string of achievements which include having her TV channel, EbonyLife TV as a case study in Harvard Business School, listed in Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and invited to join the Academy Awards Membership, the media mogul looks poised to attain more feats in the new year.

Linus Idahosa

A smooth operator, Linus Idahosa belongs to the class of people who are passionate about creating inspiring and successful stories in Africa.

Through his company Del York International Group, he has pooled international investors into different sectors of the economy. One of the key sectors where his influence is felt is in the creative sector. Idahosa is the founder of the Del York Creative Academy, a renowned filmmaking institute on the continent. Just before 2021 bowed out, Idahosa alongside his partners and Lagos State Government sealed a deal with a US-based design and production studio Storyland to develop a film city in Lagos. The project which will serve as a leisure, entertainment and learning hub will be domiciled in Ejirin City. The project is a laudable one for the Nollywood industry as it will attract international filmmakers and studios. Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022.

Tajudeen Adepetu

Think of the top innovators in the lifestyle and media space and Tajudeen Adepetu’s name will crop up. He is the brain behind the XChange 100, a consortium of event promoters that curate lifestyle and entertainment events for the yuletide season. It was birthed in 2018 and ruled the entertainment scene until the Covid-19 pandemic reared its ugly head and derailed other lofty plans.

Nonetheless, Adepetu, often referred

to as the godfather of TV and showbiz is eyeing the tech space. He recently rebranded his Consolidated Media Associates into Group8, a lifestyle media and technology company that will provide tech-driven entertainment to its teeming audience across the continent. With the addition of Viral Pro — a platform for hit viral content — to his expensive portfolio, Adepetu’s drive for innovation will continue to peak in 2022.

Adepetu

Arguably, since 2018, Burna Boy has been on a roll of successes- from clinching local awards to gaining international recognition which was topped last year with his Grammy win. He took the award for Best Global Music Album for his fifth studio album, ‘Twice as Tall’. Again, he is nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category for the 64th Grammy Awards for his collaboration with Angelique Kidjo. Will the ‘Wonderful’ crooner continue his winning streak in the new year?

Kuti, professionally known as Made is not an exception. The Nigerian Afrobeat singer, songwriter and instrumentalist is the grandson of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the first son of Femi Kuti. Made embraced music early having grown up in The New Afrika Shrine. He studied music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Though he had collaborated with his father a few times, the 25 years old didn’t operate under his father’s shadow for too long.

He released his debut album titled ‘Forward’ in 2021.

All eyes will be on Made and his father in 2022 as both fetch nominations in the Global Music Album and Global Music Performance categories. Made shares the spotlight with his father as their collaborative album ‘Legacy +’ receives a nod in the Best Global Music Album album. Femi is no stranger to Grammy nominations. Perhaps, this may just be his lucky year.

Davido:

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Burna Boy

2021 made it a decade since Davido stormed the music industry. Once a brighteyed kid, he grew and became one of the biggest music stars in Africa today.

Beyond his music, the artist is recognised for his social advocacy noticed during the EndSARS protests of 2020 as well as his philanthropic gestures which were glimpsed last year when he raised N200 million via a social media challenge.

Adjudged by many as the entertainer of the year, it will be interesting to see the new horizons he will sail in 2022.

Wizkid

This mega music star’s wattage is not diminishing any time soon. In the past year, Wizkid was the first Nigeria to have his song in top ten on Billboard Hot 100.

If anything, it will continue to amplify as he continues to show relevance and dominance in the music landscape. Now gradually assuming the role of a talent scout with the success of Tems, many will be curious to see how he will leverage this gift in future collaborations. But more importantly, 2022 may be the year Wizkid will bring home another Grammy for himself. Last year, he shared the Grammy spotlight with American singer Beyoncé for their collaboration hit ‘Brown Skin Girl’.

Made Kuti

Coming from a prominent lineage with a string of successes can create a burden of expectation and Omorinmade Anikulapo-

He is one of Nigeria’s young Turks to watch as the year rolls by.

Born in 1991, Aboyeji is a Nigerian entrepreneur and co-founder of Andela. Prior to that, he had served as Managing Director of Flutterwave, a software that can instantly create and manage virtual cards through mobile wallets. Trained at Loyola Jesuit College, the University of Waterloo and Columbia International College, one may conclude that his solid educational background must have prepared him.

Visionary, focused, intelligent, Aboyeji’s remarkable exploits haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2019, he was cited as one of the topmost influential Africans by New African Magazine. For Aboyeji, this is just the beginning as 2022 will play a significant role in his career trajectory.

Idris Olorunnimbe

Since the launch of his Ogidi Studios, the media mogul has been keen on skill acquisitions, collaborations and productions that celebrate African heritage. One of the landmark events he has planned for 2022 is the Lagos Independence Festival of Excellence (LIFE) which is a user-driven festival of heritage, culture, diversity and entertainment.

In collaboration with Balmoral Group, the festival will debut on October 1, 2022.

Chioma Ude

Following the successful outing of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) last year, it is apparent that Ude is bringing the international spotlight to Nollywood. The 10th anniversary of the festival featured the Smithsonian National Museum for African History and Culture and led conversations on co-production within and outside Africa. As the festival gears up for another edition this year, expectations are high on what form the festival will take.

Darey and Deola Art-Alade

The power couple musician Darey Art-Alade and his wife birthed the Livespot X Festival, a platform for topnotch events for the Detty December period. Although, COVID-19 restrictions prevented the festival from being held in 2020, the couple brought back the festival last year with headline concerts and other events. The 10-day festival paraded music concerts headlined by top musicians like Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, and the newly reconciled twin sensation P-Square.

A major highlight of their career last year was the unveiling of the Livespot Entertainment Centre, a multi-sensory venue for experiential events.

P-Square

Peter and Paul Okoye’s reconciliation was one of the highlights of last year. After almost five years of discord and pursuing a solo career, the twins finally settled their differences and had a reunion concert where they publicly apologised to their fans.

However, many will be interested in how they bounce back to the music scene which has more players now. Will they release a new album? Will they stick to their old sounds or introduce a fresh sound? How lasting will the union be?

Fireboy DML

2021 was a good year for Fireboy DML. His music topped charts and fetched him more popularity. To close the year, the ‘Vibrations’ singer teamed up with the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for the remix of his hit single ‘Peru’. At the time of this report, the song has reached top six on UK Apple chart surpassing the legendary Christmas anthem, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas.’ He is one of the young artists whose sounds will be defining the new year.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

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GLITZ FOCUS

Glitz, Glamour and Pageantry at 2021 Gahawards Gorgeously dressed guests, jaw-dropping designs, alongside runway fashion show and more were on display at the recently held 9th Gahawards at Monarch Event Centre Lekki, Lagos organised by the Managing Director/CEO GMYT Academy, Princess Kelechi Oghene to celebrate the biggest social impact in Africa and the world. Funke Olaode reports

L R: Organiser of the event and Managing Director/CEO, GMYT Academy, Princess Oghene, Pretty Mike with the awardees Mai Atafo and Kola Kuddus at the event

Jaw dropping design by GMYT Fashion Academy Students

Chairman of the occasion, Prof Olu Aina (left) receiving a Lifetime Achievement Awards

D

ignitaries from all walks of life waltzed into Monarch event centre, Lagos to celebrate with one of their own and Managing Director/CEO GMYT Academy, Princess Kelechi Oghene.

A philanthropist and entrepreneur par excellence, Princess Oghene over the years has been consistent with her philanthropic gesture which has impacted many lives particularly those of Nigerian youths; placing them on the pedestal of success.

She was a model and one of the popular faces of Delta Soap. But beyond modelling, this beautiful mother of two has since conquered her world acquiring academic degrees both locally and internationally. A successful fashion entrepreneur, her taste and passion for fashion has seen her presiding over one of the leading fashion institutes in Nigeria, GMYT academy, which has continued to churn out fashion designers with breathtaking designs.

The 9th Gahawards edition saw notable Nigerians being honoured in an enchanting black carpet event that featured an exclusive fashion show from her institute. Over the years, Gahawards has hosted and awarded more than 2,500 dignitaries from different sectors of the economy including former governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former Commissioner of Women Affairs Lagos State, Hon Lola Akande, and philanthropist and African real estate Mogul, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo and others.

This year’s Gahawards and its sister arms celebrated the 9th edition of its biggest works, themed: “Surmounting

Challenges of Unemployment.”

It was an evening where various awards were lined up to celebrate deserving Nigerians, an occasion where lives were changed and destinies restored. It is worthy to note that a 250 scholarship slot was opened by Princess Oghene through the GMYT foundation in partnership with Gahawards. This is in line with her spirit of determination to empower women and surmount the challenges of unemployment in Nigeria.

GMYT African Humanitarian Awards presented to honour individuals and organizations in various fields whose exemplary efforts have significantly improved the lives of others and consistently contributed in promoting a culture of Peace and humanitarian services.

This Prestigious award also sought to honour those who have demonstrated great courage and creativity in their work with the power to inspire others, the ability to lead and also take responsibility while making decisions in difficult circumstances.

The Gahawards ceremony also featured her designers with a spotlight on their journey, excellence and efforts so far in the GMYT Fashion Academy. The event was about rewarding the most outstanding, dedicated, enterprising of the emerging designers which Oghene believed would serve as a great inspiration for them and their journey ahead. Their collaboration celebrated a climax of 365 days of honest hard work, struggles, achievements, successes of the aspiring designer turned genius designer that passed through GMYT Fashion Academy and GMYT Foundation Programme.

At the end of the glittering evening, 50 awards of excellence were presented to individuals and organizations that have created positive societal change and not only that, whose their exemplary efforts have significantly improved the lives of others, through their humanitarian activities, trade and profession, Among them were Mai Atafo who won Gahawards Iconic Male Designer of the Year and Kola

Kuddus who also honoured with Afro-Minimalist Fashion Designer 2021 respectively. Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo won 2021 Gahawards Remarkable Impact in the Education Sector. The Gahawards Remarkable Photographer of the year went to Kelechi Amadiobi. Medlinboss won Gahawards Iconic Celebrity Fashion Stylist of the year which was presented by ex-Miss Tanzania, Ladivamillen. Chairman of the day, Prof. Olu Aina bagged Lifetime Achievements Awards. The memorable evening was supported by consortium limited, Spar Nigeria, itel , Simpli Mi Homes, declan, Revolutionplus, Wema Bank, Keystone Bank, Pascal, casillero del diablo and GMYT Fashion Academy.

Throwing light on the theme of this year’s awards, ‘Surmounting Challenges of Unemployment’, Princess Oghene said within a decade, Nigeria’s fashion industry has grown in size and sophistication, attracting global attention.

And going by GDP data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the ‘textile, apparel, and footwear’ sector has averaged growth of 17% since 2010. This rise has been fueled by an increase in demand but also partly by unprecedented initiatives that continue to edge Nigeria into the global fashion consciousness.

“Fashion has since transitioned from the creation of clothes or trending styles to become an industry of a well-oiled working system where everyone works together to achieve a common goal. Fashion is not just a word, it is an industry and a platform for creativity,” she explained.

On how skill acquisition can keep unemployment at bay, Princess Oghene said skill acquisition in the fashion space is one of the most Lucrative ways to empower youths and that is the important work they do at GMYT Fashion Academy where as an institution, it has trained aspiring fashion designers to Genius Fashion designers. “We play our part in alleviating poverty and unemployment challenges by producing the most refined Designers, who in turn provide the best service for their clients. We play an important part in surmounting the challenges of unemployment as we are constantly unveiling the best designers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole that we will always be proud of. Our culture of grooming, the conducive work environment, our constant Stimulating projects, a well-disciplined environment, and professional fashion instructors do not fail to churn out refined designers who go forward to provide the best service for their clients. We believe in the ripple effect theory.”

Princess Oghene’s three platforms under her wings, GMYT Foundation, Gahawards and GMYT Academy have become a trio of formidable social impact in the lives of Nigerian youths.

For instance, GMYT Foundation has been a platform used to conduct free entrepreneurial sessions, webinars, workshops, and scholarships worth over 300 million naira, thus creating employment opportunities and empowerment for over a thousand alumni community through her proclaimed initiative is synergizing to promote, support and encourage an entire year of excellent joint efforts.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

GLITZ ENTERTAINMENT

P-Square ‘Reactivated’ Concert: A Comeback Show Like No Other Stories by Vanessa Obioha In the days leading to the widely publicised P-Square ‘Reactivated’ concert, there were snide remarks and doubts about the success of the show. Not a few questioned what the twins, Peter and Paul Okoye have to offer after losing their steam almost five years ago. For the younger demographic, there was nothing exceptional about their concert. They had no new songs. Their career as solo artists didn’t draw much attention. So what exactly were they offering to the public with their reunion concert.

Of course, the twins knew this but what their critics didn’t know was the electrifying power of their showmanship. Anyone who has ever attended a P-Square concert will easily attest to their spectacular and riveting performances on stage, and with Livespot360, an agency known for remarkable and outstanding stage productions, only the best could be expected.

Indeed, the P-Square concert was all of these and more. Although the Konga’s Place, now the Livespot Entertainment Centre at Ikate, Lekki, where the event was held was not overflowing, the energy in the hall could power an entire country. Fans screamed and let out whoops of joy each time the twins creatively urged them on with their songs, dance moves or throw their jackets at them which they scrambled for.

Emerging from one of the entrance points on the hexagonal stage, the twins dressed in matching white outfits and gold-plated microphones, threw the crowd into a frenzy with their opening song ‘Get Squared’

P-Square on stage with Kaffy, the dancer

Glo Takes Battle of the Year to Another Level, Announces N84 Million Winning Prizes

A dance crew at Glo BOTY TV show unveiling

Multinational telecommunications brand, Glo is starting the new year with good news. From February, the brand will be premiering a new reality TV show centred on the dance competition ‘Battle of the Year’.

The 13-episode series will capture the thrills and backstories of the dancers as well as the semi-final and finale where the winner will proceed to represent

Omah Lay Shuts Down Port Harcourt with Homecoming Concert

Afrobeats star, Stanley Didia popularly known as Omah Lay can’t wish for a better way to cap his tremendous year after filling up the famous Port Harcourt Polo Club ground. It was a homecoming concert for the Port Harcourt born superstar since he broke into the music scene in 2020.

A mammoth crowd, numbering in thousands thronged the massive grounds of the Port Harcourt Polo Club.

Omah Lay broke into the scene in May 2020 with the release

Nigeria at the global stage of the competition.

The brand recently concluded its regional auditions which were held in Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Benin and Lagos. The next step of the competition will involve a dance mentorship programme for all regional winners. For this season, the mentors include renowned dancer and choreographer Kafayat Shafau, Gbenga Yusuf and Bimbo Obafunwa. They are to teach the selected winners the business of dance.

For the brand, the new reality TV show is a testament to Glo’s commitment to promoting local talents. According to the Senior Manager, Events and Sponsorship at Glo Nigeria, Shola Mogaji “It’s a first for Glo. We are reenergizing Nigeria in this COVID world because we know the typical Nigerian zest when it comes to initiatives of this nature. It’s a homegrown reality show that’s indeed promoting homegrown talents. We are creating platforms for the consumer to better their stock in life and therefore unlocking their internal glow for a better tomorrow.”

A rich line-up of local and international dance professionals and celebrities will be part of the judging team. They include Gidnasty (USA), Menno (Netherlands), Manuela (Germany), Nigeria’s Poco Lee, Pinky Debbie, Izzy Odigie, Big Flo, Maxbuck, Dunamis, Franc Okwara, JC Jedor, and Poxy (Cameroon).

On-Air personality Dotun will be bringing his energy to the competition as Presenter. For the competition, a theme song was produced by Legendary Beatz and featuring Simi, who is a Glo ambassador.

Also, Glo has set aside N84 million winning prizes for winners in different categories. For the competition, the contestants will be battling it out in Crew Battle, Bboy, Bgirl, Locking, Popping, Krump and Afro Dance. of his critically acclaimed debut EP ‘Get Layd’ and hasn’t quite slowed down. Though his fans might deem 2021 a slow year given he only released two singles: ‘Understand’ and ‘Free My Mind’, he filled up 2021 with tour dates including his hugely successful Purple Tour in the United States.

Propelled by sounds from his official Disc Jockey, DJ Joenel, the son-of-the-soil serenaded the energetic audience with his popular tunes such as ‘Do Not Disturb’, ‘Hello Brother’, ‘You’, ‘Lolo’, ‘YeYeYe’, ‘Damn’, ‘Bad Influence’, among others.

The massive event was spiced up with other performances from Omah Lay’s friends as he likes to call them such as Bella Shmurda, Buju, Ajebo Hustlers, AV, 1da Banton and DJ Spinall.

Speaking about the concert, the singer disclosed, “It’s a dream come true for me to headline my own show for the first time before my own people. I grew up in this community among these people and it just feels surreal for me to stand before a massive crowd of Port Harcourt. Nothing compares to this feeling. Today will continue to occupy a special place in my heart.”

from their 2005 album of the same name. For their first set, they entertained the crowd with a medley of songs ranging from RnB to pulsating beats. For instance, when they sang ‘Bizzy Body’ (both original and remix), the hall erupted in deafening shouts, with many trying to imitate the signature dance that accompanied the song. Kaffy the dancer, a longtime friend of the twins was also on stage to show her killer moves.

Heavily built on nostalgia, the concert recorded seamless performances. While the twins took their fans and guests down memory lane, they showed their creativity with each song performed. They did a mash up of some of their songs with popular international hits.

A good example was when they performed ‘Say Your Love’ from their ‘Get Squared’ album and mashed it up with British act Craig David’s ‘7 Days’ hit. In another instance, they performed English singer Adele’s ‘Hello’ and smoothly segued into one of their popular love songs of all time ‘No One Like You’ from their 2007 album ‘Game Over’.

Famous for their dancing skills, they delivered jaw-dropping stunts on stage with their army of dancers. They stomped, performed headspins and other electrifying steps. Peter, the better dancer of the two wowed with his moves particularly during their performance of ‘Personally’ and ‘Ejeajo’. Such was the beauty of his performance that his twin applauded and encouraged fans to do likewise.

A remarkable observation from the concert was the synergy between the twins. From their harmonies to the interaction on stage, it was almost as if they never went their separate ways. Yet they knew that they hurt so many people when they officially disbanded in 2017.

Concerned parties and top echelons in the corporate world — including Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu who was present at the concert — tried to reconcile the duo to no avail. The gravity of their stubbornness must have weighed heavily on their chest on the concert ground, and partly because of the overwhelming love they received from the crowd, the twins went on their knees on stage and for the first time, asked their fans for forgiveness. The still and motion picture of that moment would later go viral, evoking more appreciation for the twins.

To reassure themselves, Peter kept appreciating the fans, calling them their real fans and not Instagram fans.

However, it turned out that the reunion concert would live up to its billing as P-Square reconciled singer J.Martins and Timaya on stage. But beyond the reconciliation, P-Square understood the incredible superstars who made the industry what it is today. Therefore, taking a moment from their over three-hour concert, the duo paid respect to both young and old, living and dead artists who have helped the industry soar. They include names like the defunct Plantashun Boiz and The Remedies, Azadus, Davido, Wizkid, and even the late Sound Sultan who died in 2021.

The concert also witnessed performances from Timaya who in his usual manner, turned his set to worship, while parading himself as a hitmaker. Flavour, Bracket, Mr May D were some of the artists that joined the duo on stage while Reekado Banks, Ric Hassani performed separately.

No doubt, P-Square shut down their critics with their concert. Clearly, they never lost their groove and still have that star wattage. In retrospect, it was a good thing that the concert was postponed to Christmas Day as it turned out to be a perfect way to end the day and begin Boxing Day. Unarguably, it was one of the best concerts of the Livespot X Festival. Perhaps, in the new year, the twins will deliver more memorable sounds and showstopping performances.

Omah Lay

SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

HighLife

with KAYODE ALFRED 08116759807, E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com

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

Igho Sanomi: Africa’s Giant to Watch Out for in 2022

Adeyemi

The year 2022 is upon us. From the most developed regions of the world to the least developing areas, expectations are at an alltime high. Even so, there is a widespread acknowledgement that the future will not be borne by the wind, but by people. Thus, on this list of folks to watch out for as the new year is unfolding one day after another, Igho Sanomi has been placed among the very top.

The name, Sanomi, is not a newcomer to such lists. In 2007, the prestigious business magazine, Forbes, recognised that Sanomi will be among the new wave of young professionals in Nigeria who will reinvigorate the country’s private sector, bringing life and excitement to the formerly humdrum business environment. In the years that immediately followed Forbes’ prediction, Sanomi’s brilliance flipped the Nigerian corporate firmament.

It was after that prophecy that Sanomi reinforced his multinational company, Taleveras, and stabilised its bearing in the energy and infrastructure, oil and gas exploration, production,

trading and supply, power, and construction sectors. It was also after that forecast that Sanomi, in 2011, joined his siblings to set up the beacon of light and hope that is the Dickens Sanomi Foundation (DSF).

There is no question that Sanomi has made great progress since that time. In business, the Institut Choiseul for International Politics and Geoeconomics recognised Sanomi’s business genius time and time again. In philanthropy, Sanomi has gained global acclaim for his humanitarian gestures, especially the Martin Luther King Legacy Award for philanthropy.

Sanomi’s momentum is not something that ordinary analysts can speculate. In Nigeria, he can be said to have consolidated his business might and now reign over a significant fraction of the country’s energy sector. Outside Nigeria, Sanomi’s accumulation over the years has yielded fruit. He continues to wear the regalia of one upon whose shoulders many African young men and women have hung their hope, aspirations, and ambitions.

Still Earth Boss, Oyinda Adeyemi Woman at the Top: Ronke Sokefun Bags Another Award Becomes Non-Executive Director of Oando A genius cannot be kept hidden for too long. Like talent and skill, a genius overrules the trivial customs of time and chance and gradually reveals itself. Such is the narrative of Oyindamola Lami Adeyemi, the Group Managing Director at Still Earth Holdings. Having combined her talents with diligence, the fascinatingly brilliant boss lady has shown herself to be at the peak of the industry in Nigeria. What better evidence of this fact than her having won Business Day Newspaper’s Nigeria Business Leadership Awards 2021?

Adeyemi, being one of the handfuls of bold industry leaders, has climbed the steps of business management and leadership in Nigeria to reach the top. Thus, it is not altogether surprising that these credit-granting establishments are climbing over themselves to hand her envy-inducing plaques. Adeyemi was noted for her peerless abilities to steer Still Earth Construction & Realty Limited from the shallow regions of enterprise in Nigeria to the depths.

This is not Adeyemi’s first award. Not long ago, Adeyemi was the subject of many eyes and ears, thanks to the 2021 Global Excellence Awards. That award, like this award by Business Day Newspaper, showed Adeyemi to be the diligent and progressive person she is, the kind of industry leader that is valued for their wealth of experience, not to mention an immeasurably deep dedication to personal and corporate goals.

Few women in Nigeria’s business circle can compare with Adeyemi. Since founding the Still Earth Group, she has built momentum and prestige that is no less than Forbes recognises in the most advanced climes.

Nevertheless, Adeyemi’s continued presence in the Nigerian corporate world shows her resolve to start small and drive her wagon until she is among a sea of stars.

One can argue that Adeyemi is closer to this sea now than when she first began. Thus, it is only a matter of time before she is too big for conventional measurements of excellence and greatness.

Sokefun

Time is an interesting concept. On the one hand, it logs the movements of our lives. On the other hand, it corroborates the fact that we are alive, ageing, and still pushing against the manacles of stagnation. Otunba Bimbo Ashiru is one of the best examples of us — we measure his progress with time and celebrate the fact that his advancement covers more than one aspect.

Ashiru’s face is usually on the front pages of newspapers this time of the year. As one of the most prominent individuals in Nigeria’s high society, the man’s reputation and personal prestige precede him. Nevertheless, the driving factor behind these characteristics of his is the web of relationships that he has built over the years with his conscience, his wife, his friends, and associates, and everybody else around.

A few days ago, very prominent personalities gathered together to celebrate Ashiru. As expected, the focus was on the web of relationships. Thus, alongside his birthday, these individuals raised their glasses to Ashiru in unconcealed commemoration of his 30th

In her poem, The Winds of Fate, Ella Wheeler Wilcox observed that the winds of fate are like the winds of the sea. Similar to how it is the set of the sails (and not the gales) that decide the way the ship must go, Wilcox said that it is the set of the human soul that decides its destination, not an easy or difficult life. We see the truth of this opinion in how Ronke Sokefun seems to be going higher and higher, neither intimidated by the illimitable toil of her peers nor the similarly interminable ambition of her superiors.

A few days ago, the management of a multinational energy company and one of Africa’s largest integrated energy solutions providers, Oando PLC, revealed two new trump cards going forward: Sokefun and Nana Fatima Mede. The company announced that both Sokefun and Mede have joined the Oando heritage as independent non-executive directors.

By every indication, Oando does not intend to

Abiodun, AbdulRazaq, Gbenga Daniel, Others Honour Otunba Bimbo Ashiru on Birthday, 30th Wedding Anniversary

Otunba Bimbo and wife, Kemi Ashiru

Sanomi

lag behind its global peers as we continue to advance in the second decade of the 21st century.

Knowing Sokefun’s brilliance and administrative might, it is not difficult to deduce what the management of Oando PLC intends to achieve. In one word, the company wants dominance. Using Sokefun’s career profile and past achievements as a measuring line, it is evident that the multinational company can realise this goal.

In the last 30 years, Sokefun has used her business smarts and accomplishments to show the Nigerian corporate corridor what she is made of. From working with Ighodalo & Associates, as well as Aluko & Oyebode, in the early ‘90s, to providing peerless legal services at Oando since 2002, Sokefun has risen in prominence and brilliance. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call her one of the best-hidden pillars of corporate advisory leaders in the country.

Before this new Oando appointment, Sokefun was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). wedding anniversary.

Hosting the top society characters, Ashiru and his wife of 30 years, Olukemi, went out of their way to make them feel welcome.

Among these individuals that were at the Ashiru’s Ikoyi home in Lagos were Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Abiodun’s predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; top media personalities, Bisi Olatilo, Bashorun Dele Momodu; and many others.

It has become a tradition for Ashiru and his wife to open their home to distinguished friends every December 26. These friends, in return, honour their hosts with their goodwill and prayers for the pending new year. Considering that Ashiru always makes significant advancements in his administrative career and businesses, one can argue that Governor Abiodun and his band of well-wishers do not eat and drink the Ashirus’ food and wine for nothing. 2021 was no different, so 2022 will not be.

Tunde Lemo: A Giant Banker Seen in a New Light Nigeria is a place of many talents. This has been proven in recent times as indigenous establishments, boards of directors and individuals raise the bar in their endeavours. Tunde Lemo is the latest of these individuals to raise the value of the Nigerian industrious spirit as the bank over which he is Chairman, Titan Trust Bank (TTB), has acquired themajority stakeinUnionBank.

2021 ended on an amazing note for many individuals and corporate entities. Lemo and his TTB top this list owing to their acquiring over 80 per cent of Union Bank’s share capital. The news of their takeover is still moving like a whirlwind across the corners of Nigeria’s corporate corridor, as the takeover is being hailed as one of the smartest moves for the year 2021.

Whereas Lemo is excited about TTB becoming Union Bank’s core investor, most observers are more focused on how Lemo and his team seemingly took up almost 90 per cent of Union

Bank’s investment power without public knowledge. More than that, the management of Union Bank is pleased with itself even though it is clearly an ‘outsider’ that has inherited the bulk of their stock. So, many are hailing Lemo for managing the seeming annexation like a jolly solicitor.

For those who don’t know Lemo very well, the man is a progressive banker with colour.

With top-grade certifications from Chartered Institutes (of Accountants and Bankers), Lemo’s educational portfolio is superlatively brilliant.

Even more brilliant, however, is his career.

Lemo is most notable for being former Deputy Governor of Operations and Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Besides his old CBN mantle, Lemo’s shadow is also visibly imprinted on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), an agency over which he is Chairman. These positions are just the tip of the iceberg as they do not include his ongoing

Lemo

chairmanship of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) or the many others.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JANUARY 2, 2022

HIGHLIFE Esteban Montejo, the Cuban African slave said that it is best not to die, because a few days later no one remembers you, not even your closest friends. In many ways and for many people, Montejo was right. However, this is not the case for the wife of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Maryam Babangida, the woman who cast a large shadow upon Nigeria between 1985 and 1993; a shadow that appears to coalesce as the days go by.

A few days ago, on December 27 precisely, the entire Babangida family remembered this person who put the ‘First’ in ‘Lady’ and were joined by many others to honour her memory.

Memory is like a sieve that can only contain the largest bits of human life and history. Maryam is the largest of these bits for the Babangida family, and one of the tallest pillars of virtue to ever take root in the history of Nigeria’s administration.

She is remembered for defining the position of the First Lady, polishing the overly masculine presidential presence with a feminine flair, and taking drastic steps to improve the lives of women and

Maryam Babangida: Family Remembers First Lady of First Ladies

‘Late Maryam Babangida’

children everywhere.

Maryam is remembered for her remarkable contributions to the social and economic growth and development of the

African family, with a special focus on the woman and child. Until her death in 2009, Maryam was a champion for this cause. This led to her initiating the Better Life Programme for Rural Women (BLPRW) in 1987. Today, that programme which is managed

by Maryam’s daughter continues to assuage the plight of African rural women, giving them access to health and education, as well as economic opportunities to sustain themselves.

Maryam set up an entire legacy for Nigerian Fi r s t L a d i e s . E v e r s i n c e , it has become a custom for her successors to push for the social and economic freedom o f women, rural or semi-urban, lowclass or illiterate. Indeed, her imprints cannot be easily erased by the hands of time.

Love in the Air: Billionaire Businessman, Julius Rone Celebrates Wife, Utibe on Her Birthday Even though we are already in 2022, the echoes of the old year are still fresh. Many Nigerians benefitted from the fortunes of 2021, and many others drank from its bitter spring. Thankfully, with beautiful people like Julius Rone and his wife, Utibe around, many will always have beautiful things to look forward to. And if you are in the loop, then you know that the Rones have made a habit of annually revealing their love and harmonious family, especially at the end of the year when Rone serenades his wife.

Last year’s celebration was no less radiant than the years before. Rone took out time to invite his friends and associates to honour the jewel that is his wife. Because it was her birthday, Utibe was the centre of attention and her husband (who is as much a celebrity among socialites as he is among business people) was more than happy to lend her the limelight.

Utibe is more than the wife of the great Rone. She is one of the most talented designers in modern times, and she has proved time and time again that the untamed pride she exudes in the workplace follows from the comfort she absorbs from her home.

On account of his commitment to the region, Rone is called the jewel of the Niger Delta.

However, on account of his love for his wife, Utibe is arguably a jewel of jewels. To this point, Rone has never missed out on any opportunity to toss Utibe into the air, as unapologetically proud of his position as her husband as he is uncompromisingly devoted to her continued happiness.

It is obvious that for the Rones, every year is a big opportunity to love and love and love again. Truly, they are a subject of envy for many people. Both of them continue to advance in their respective fields, leaving others in the wake of their mutual affection and progress.

Julius and wife,Utibe Rone

For Rochas Okorocha, Is the Storm Not Over?

Okorocha

For former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, the street dictum that ‘wahala no dey finish’ is fitting. There was a time when

Okorocha could call thunder and lightning on anybody in the South-east, especially in his native Imo. Alas, these days, it appears as though the man has become a dummy target for whoever wants to float into the limelight.

A few days ago, the face of Okorocha once again emerged on the front pages of many newspapers. This was because of a video clip making the rounds within which Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, was seen arrested by the Nigerian Police.

The public eye shifted from Nwosu to Okorocha because they suspected that Nwosu’s arrest was almost certainly related to Okorocha.

Unsurprisingly, Okorocha himself has come out to say that there are folks who are still rubbing their palms insidiously as they plot against him. He named names, naturally, and featured the incumbent governor (and his long-time ‘running mate’), Hope Uzodinma, as the leader of these malicious schemers.

For those in the know, the arrested

A Decade of Love as Leke, Titi Adeboye Celebrate Wedding Anniversary Love is a beautiful thing and marriage is often the crown of this beauty. This is the sentiment that comes to mind upon realizing that some folks have managed to maintain their devotion to their partners. The son of Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Leke Adeboye, is one of such lucky people.

His union, now 10 years, is as beautiful as it is fulfilling.

Pastor Leke and his wife, Titilope, are really a match made in the halls of heaven. A few days ago, both of them celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, grateful to God for His staying love in their relationship. As expected of their progressiveness, both Leke and Titilope demonstrated their mutual commitment to the 10-year-old union on social media.

Leke wrote that he had “found our wedding reception bag from 10 years ago.

It last[ed] as long as we have. Where is your own reception bag or wedding IV?”

Titi and leke Adeboye

Nwosu does not have enough momentum to offend Uzodinma, assuming that Okorocha’s accusation is true. Even though Nwosu was a governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), it is on account of his being a son-in-law to Okorocha that the calamity befell him. At least, this is what many are saying.

Naturally, Okorocha, as the supposed target of the plot, is not a newcomer to such things. One might even say that since he handed over the Imo governorship seat to Uzodinma, there has been one episode of trouble after another. Even though Okorocha still has a seat in the Imo’s corridor of power (as the Senator representing Imo West), his fortunes have not exactly taken a turn for the better, thanks to his constantly being under duress.

It has been said that ‘wahala no go finish for Okorocha head.’ This is proving to be true.

Will the blessings of the New Year protect Okorocha or will it be a case of jumping into the fire from the frying pan? Time will tell.

Titilope, on the other hand, wrote that “What shall we say unto the Lord, all we have to say is thank you, Lord!

Thank you Abba father for 10 years of unmerited love, grace, favour! You have been so good to us.”

From their words, one can sense that steadfastness that is missing in many new marriages.

Leke and Titilope tied the nuptial knot in 2011. Since then, God has graciously added three other individuals to the pair, all three of whom the elderly Adeboye treats as more than his grandchildren, but his pride and joy. Then again, Daddy GO (as he is called) is supposed to be unbiased, so it may be argued that he loves all his grandchildren equally.

Even so, Leke and Titilope’s anniversary is bound to have delighted Pastor Adeboye who has been married to Leke’s Mother since 1967. Evidently, Leke is following in his father’s footsteps.

In today’s world of unreasonable trends, the anniversary of Leke and Titilope is an indication that all things good are not dead.

Tinubu

Alleged Plot against Oyetola Thickens It is impossible not to have troubles in this world. To every individual, there is a measure of distress that fortifies selfidentity and self-assurance.

Too little is too little, too much is too much. For Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, the current narrative is that the troubles around him are too much and are likely heavier than ten men can bear. And this is because the ‘donors’ of these troubles might be folks that Oyetola can see.

Being a state governor is no easy task. The requirements and responsibilities of the office are far more difficult to shoulder than is evident to the public.

Oyetola, in the last three years, has managed to shoulder these responsibilities. At the same time, he has had to deal with rumours of plots that are being cultivated against him.

In the last few days, the numbers of these rumours have increased drastically. Many claim that Oyetola is on his way out of the Osun Government House.

This is not only because — as these folks have observed — Oyetola has delivered significantly less than he has promised, but also because his opponents are closer to their goals now than at the beginning of 2021.

While folks ordinarily knew about Oyetola’s supposed administrative deficiencies before now, there is a seeming increased emphasis on these failings.

Analysts have speculated that the renewed focus on Oyetola’s shortcomings is a deliberate attempt to undermine any support he might amass before July 16, 2022.

There is another group of analysts who are convinced that Oyetola’s chief adversary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is far less likely to campaign against him compared to members of his cabinet. These folks are the ones advising Oyetola to look ‘inwards’ and he might be surprised to find that the parasites in his cabinet are doing far more than passively increasing his burdens.

Indeed, the plot thickens ahead of the next governorship election in Osun. Whether Oyetola will emerge victoriously or be sidelined completely is something that is best left to the voters.

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LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Femi Fani Kayode: Lion of Apapa Roars Guys, I have just heard one powerful gist. My egbon and major issue in Nigeria today, Chief Femi Fani Kayode has bounced back o. Remember his estranged wife, Precious or something, cannot really remember her real name had accused oga of being a dud in the other room. What better way to refute that by throwing into the equation a much more beautiful number? Come and see

what I am seeing and hearing o. They say her name is Nerita and that she is a 29-year-old model and beauty queen.

They say she won the 2020 edition of the Queen of Aso International beauty Pageant. I hear she speaks English, French, Igbo and Hausa fluently.

Oh boy, the woman is fine. She looks like an Arabian Queen, the kind of lady that you will just be ‘prouding’ to tell people

that you are the one ‘doing’ it.

Guess the story of not being able to ‘do’ was just a ruse to distract us.

Let me use this opportunity to beg the high chief to kindly either write a book on these matters or organise a masterclass so we can all learn the ancient art of ‘catching beauties.’ This Nerita is just madly exotic. Kai, I am shaking as I stare at her picture.

SENATOR UDOMA UDO UDOMA: A STRONG PEDIGREE By now those of you who have been reading this column would have known that I was in Uyo to drop one of my most influential productions ever. ‘Ufok Ibaan’ depicted very graphically the Ikot Abasi women’s uprising most of us have always called the Aba Women’s riots.

The uprising was led by Madam Abia who happened to be Senator Udo Udoma’s grandmother. The story was riveting and the production was well received. It witnessed a capacity showing and all of Akwa Ibom was giddy with excitement as the production led to further engagement on the story, throwing to the front burner once again the role women have played and keep playing in the nation.

A visit to Ikot Abasi where it happened was quite emotional. You are first welcomed by a big statue of Senator Udoma’s father who was and is still one of the most eminent jurists to come out of Southeastern Nigeria.

The guide takes you through the dilapidated Amalgamation House, down to Lord Lugard’s House which is still standing and then to the spot where Madam Abia was shot with her colleagues jumping to certain death in the expansive Imo River.

This journey was an emotional one as it perfectly situated for me and the rest who made the trip the richness of our history and the pride that comes with it.

I want to thank Senator Udoma very sincerely for allowing us to tell this story.

He opened up his family history, gave his full support and had his close siblings fly in from all over the world to see the production.

If you really want to have a sense of what this country is all about and the ethos with which our founding fathers built our nation on, then pay a visit to Ikot Abasi and see where selflessness, courage and love for greater good was berthed.

another matter. I think Osinbajo should man up and face the bull and come out so that we can have an exciting fight within the APC primaries.

IBB has pushed you now, don’t be doing like your brothers in Oshodi that will be running around in a fight and instead of throwing a punch will be shouting – emi… emi... Emi... ma kpae… but will not do anything.

Osinbajo, be a man and step out.

IBB: OSINBAJO, I DARE YOU Osa says it was just talk as a result of a visit. That even if he leaves his about to be demolished mansion in Magodo to visit the General in Minna, he too will say the same thing about him.

I almost laughed and fell off my chair.

Since when do we equate the very powerful and influential former military democrat with Village Headmaster’s Amebo who will just be talking anyhow.

Me, I beg to disagree o. IBB does not talk anyhow o. The man is known for his clear understanding of the Nigerian construct and how to manipulate it hence his eight years of – I don’t know what to call his government.

For him to come out and mention Osinbajo’s name in whatever guise or under any condition you will be doing yourself a great disservice to discount it.

Lightning has struck and until the man says another thing or calls another name, I think Osinbajo has just been thrown very seriously into the ring.

So, if that one will continue to fear his ‘jagaban’ and be doing anyhow is

GARBA SHEHU: THE COVID OF THINGS Let me first start by congratulating bros for his boldness and courage. We had heard that Covid had swept the whole place but I think it was only him that came out to say “Yes, I can’t feel my erection, but don’t worry I will be ok” and true to his words, as I write I have seen that he has made full recovery. Well-done bros, well-done.

You see, I have always said that there is no need for the mass hysteria that this thing has caused. Yes, it is a very serious matter but much more serious in other climes for whatever reason.

Here, our figures despite the very low incidence of testing remains far below other such diseases like malaria and the rest which keeps taking us down in the millions.

The government for whatever reasons has refused to look very seriously at the very low incidence here but instead will be spending billions of much needed resources on importing vaccines and booster, things that will not even stop the thing.

It’s funny how you will use N50,000 to test and then when positive spend less

than N10,000 to treat yourself assuming you don’t have any underlying.

This is the simple reason Nigerians have ignored all the noise and have gone ahead with their lives, exchanging saliva and other bodily fluids in churches, bus tops, hotels, concerts and the rest. When they feel the slightest symptoms, they will just go take ‘agbo’ and move on.

Until we are ready to tell each other the truth at all levels of society, na malaria dey do us all. Everybody is treating malaria ooooo. Kai.

Udoma’

Osinbajo

Shehu

Fani-Kayode

MAGODO LAND GRAB: ECHOES OF A FAILED STATE I have a house in Magodo so I am involved. That is how one night, I saw a video on the Estate WhatsApp group posted by a lady asking us to all come out to the main gate that over 100 policemen with bulldozers and plenty area boys were about to invade the estate.

If you know me very well, you will know that that kind of message is not meant for people like me. Me, I used to go the opposite direction when I hear that kind of clarion call. So, I drove past the estate and went straight to Mowe to turn and drive through Isheri enter Ogba and pass through Fela Shrine to hit Ikorodu road and end in Shomolu from where I monitor things.

I call all my people inside Magodo and beg them not to answer the woman, that it is a devil cry. That #EndSARS panel

Yahaya

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LOUD WHISPERS report has been binned so why would we now come and go and be trying ourselves with policemen who are under orders and would most likely be drunk.

My people, by morning the story was unraveled. Some landowners had won a Supreme Court judgement to take over the estate after 39 years. So, they had come to execute the judgment.

You see where arbitrariness has taken us into this country. Government will just wake up one day and collect land from people just like that without compensation and nothing and go ahead and be selling the same land to their friends and cronies who in turn will now sell to some hard working and honest Nigerians who now make up the majority of ‘settlers’ in the estate.

This same government, seeing that there is a court case that they have lost at the lower court levels and is looking like they will lose at the Supreme Court level will now continue to sell the same land and issue authentication documents like Governors Consent and CofO on a disputed land? Na wa.

Mbok, if na individual do this one now, is that not 419?

Today we have two sets of displaced and very angry Nigerians: the original landowners and those of us inside the estate who did nothing wrong but do business with a government we thought had sense.

How Lagos State Government will now solve this one is what we are waiting to see. Arbitrariness happens when institutions of state have been weakened and personified leading us to one small road called anarchy.

Can we put serious people in Government please? Can we just try this once in 2023 to put credibility in government by the choices we make? If this can happen in Magodo then nobody is safe. I tire.

GEN FARUK YAHAYA: A SOLDIER IN LOVE Did you guys see the very romantic video of the youth corps member proposing to the soldier? It was so, so lovely and sweet. The young soldier, blushing and not believing her luck, quickly agreed and ended up in detention.

Kai, her mistake, she should have immediately rushed home to change and come back or better still resign before agreeing and kissing the boy.

But in a crowded market with so many very beautiful youth corps girls lurking around, she didn’t want to take her chances. Mbok, to hell with the Nigerian Army, she would have said in her mind as she jumped with khaki and kissed the boy.

Public reaction to her detention was immediate. Even me, I shout for here o. Why arrest and detain someone for doing only what is natural because she is in uniform. When you were putting young people in different uniforms in one camp and say “you, you are corper and you, you are soldier” and did not expect for a rat to find the cheese, na you get problem.

Let me surprise you General, things have been happening in camp toilets and bushes behind the Mammy market before you see that public declaration of love. That is not how these young people do it o. They would have been doing nookie long time and the young soldier would have said, “look if you don’t do the right thing, no more.”

Seriously, I think our Armed Forces should leverage on things like this to achieve a softer image for the forces especially now that we are fighting a serious guerilla war. A softer image will also inspire more youths to join the forces, boost the morale of those already inside and generally make the Army a favourable destination for the young.

OONI OF IFE: A CONFUSED STATE I was in the thick forest of Akwa Ibom when like millions of Nigerians I saw the post saying that the most recent wife of the highly respected Ooni was leaving him after just three years of marriage and a son.

The first thing that came to my mind was the fact that his robes are just too much. I have been saying it, that the way he wraps himself in all these shrouds of cloth, how will he be removing them if he needs a quick one. By the time he spends all that time removing all of those, the thing go don tire Olori sef.

But thankfully, it’s looking like Ooni don beg. I have also just seen a BBC quick documentary with the influential traditional ruler saying everything is calm and that there is nothing like that.

The Queen was also seen in the video on her knees thanking the Ooni for giving her the opportunity to be his

queen.

Whatever the matter is, let me just say that there is no smoke without fire. Something has happened as it happens in every relationship and I am very hopeful that it has been subdued because me, I really like this Ooni.

My own is that the wrapper is always too plenty. Let’s wear fewer and let’s try to up the game in the other room because we never can tell where fire dey take enter person house.

I will be sending to His Majesty my book – Anonymous Nipples – as my own way of contributing to the stability of his marriage.

The Book contains a lot of salient points on relationships, communication and sex. Knowledge is a continuous process abeg. Please sir, let me know how to send to you so that I will do so immediately.

Kabiyesiiiiiii!

Ooni-Adeyeye-Ogunwusi-and-Oloori-Naomi

All these could be done without compromising the strict code of conduct that is needed to maintain regimental discipline and the rest.

I really express my gratitude to the Army Chief for authorising her release. It is the right thing to do.

One question though, Sir, there is one soldier near my house here, I live near Marda Barracks, it’s looking like I am liking her. Should I wait for your reforms before I approach or should I just let her carry her wahala go?

UCHE NWOSU: TRAGEDY OF A CONDEMNED STATE I couldn’t get a harsher title for this post.

If you saw the video and the narration behind the arrest of this man you will cry for this country.

Even Hitlers Gestapo will cringe with shame at this occurrence. Someone was in church at his mother’s outing service and you rushed into the church, firing from all angles as reported, grabbed him and rushed him into a car and drove off.

You didn’t stop at that; you now send us pictures of him in his underwear and in handcuffs and later in the evening you release him.

If this is not madness I don’t know.

Under which law was this effected. Even if this was a treasonable case or if he was

a mass murderer, couldn’t you be at least professional in handling this.

This is what scares the rest of us about this nation. Firing live ammunition inside a church, grabbing and assaulting innocent people including wives and other dignitaries only to release the man that same day.

Confusion is just killing me here. That state has gone to the dogs and it’s looking like it is a place where anything goes.

I thank God I have no business there and will never find myself in that place for any reason. Me, I don’t have the patience for this kind thing because I will just vex and slap somebody. What rubbish.

Hobbesian.

GOVERNOR ZULUM, LEAVE US ALONE. Please leave us alone o. It is our right to compare and if we are comparing how does it concern you?

Look at the stats - 956,453 houses, 665 municipal buildings, 5,335 classrooms, 201 health centres and 726 power stations.

Now despite that your state has been in a state of war for the past 12 years, see what you are doing under the circumstances.

And you say we should not compare to other states who in a relatively peaceful environment have nothing to show for it.

Mbok, we will compare o. It is our right and you stand clear. Stand clear before I

vex and come and give you small knock.

Let us cry with the pestilence that we are facing in other states where the people are suffering like slaves.

Please my brother kindly concentrate on what you are doing, you remain a true example of cascading leadership – selfless, innovative and God fearing.

For your colleagues, history never fails to judge. History will surely vindicate Nigerians who have really done nothing wrong but to vote and allow ‘bushmen from the Kalahari Desert’ emerge as governors in some states. Shameful.

CAROLINE SOSU: THE MATRIARCH I LOVE Madam Caroline is a great grandmother with a long line of good deeds around her. It was her birthday during the week and she said, “Edgar, come and eat rice.”

I was just coming in from Uyo and was a little tired but I rushed into a wine shop and got a very expensive bubbly.

I do not joke with this lady, because of her philanthropic approach to life. This mother-in-law to a former governor remains a shining light in this country with the way she engages the less privileged especially widows.

She would say, “Edgar, I be widow o,” and I would reply, “No be your kind widow we dey talk about.”

I have raised quite a considerable sum for widows in the last four years. We have done over N50 million in small, small contributions from my friends and associates and Mrs Sosu is standing there o.

She is always the first to say, “Edgar, send account number, God will bless you.”

She never ceases to amaze me. She is always giving and not to only me, she will be giving and she would say, “Oya Edgar let’s give to this and I would say, “Mummy calm down. We no dey the same income bracket o. Me, I still get school fees.” She would laugh.

Let me wish her a very happy birthday and God’s continued blessing and good health. May your beauty never wane, it is your good heart that keeps you looking more beautiful at your age than Instagram slay queens who are looking more and more like plastic mannequins.

God bless you Ma. SAMMY AND INYANG EDGAR: SYMPHONY OF AN ORPHAN Last January, I was orphaned. My mum, Mrs Inyang Ibok Edgar passed away.

She was 76 years old. I was too afraid to go hug her as she struggled with her last breath. I just stood there like a fool and watched her go.

I was numb with fear because this was exactly six months after my wife Mena passed. I was just asking myself, what was going on. What will happen now, who is next? Will I be next?

Questions that I was afraid to seek answers to. My father on his own had gone almost 10 years ago. Both of them going the same way – Diabetes and BP. Till he passed, they still loved themselves with a mad passion we did not understand. I even suspected they were still doing sef, because they bathed together till the very end.

I still remember how they used to sit at the back of our Fola Agoro Shomolu home to devour large bowls of Afang and drown it with baba sala Coke.

Today, they are no more but not before siring 17 descendants made up of children, daughter and son in-laws and grandchildren.

We are celebrating them with a powerful and exciting choral and classical concert to be rendered by a very powerful 50-man choir who will sing all of their favourite hymns and classicals. It will be mad and I will once again stand aside and cry my heart out.

And you will not believe that I was the most stubborn o. Kai.

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Leo Stan Ekeh Breaks New Ground

Suraju

Accolades for Olanrewaju Suraju When talking about a formidable civil rights activist with domestic and international veneration, Comrade Olanrewaju Suraju perfectly fits the bill.

The enigmatic and resourceful Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resources Centre, has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of social justice and activism, thereby evoking admiration and respect in the industry.

A few days ago, the anti-corruption czar was fittingly named among the 100 Most Influential Civil Society Leaders in Nigeria, a feat that has drawn accolades from those who have been following his outstanding narrative of activism for over two decades.

The list, which was compiled by the umbrella body of NGOs in the country, the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), comprised well-known civil society actors who have been at the forefront of social justice activism in the country for many years.

Notable names in the list include renowned activist and Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi; Founder, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), Hafsat Abiola-Castello; First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi and two former presidents of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and Mrs Ayo Obe.

Glorious Moment for Lagos Police Chief, Hakeem Odumosu Unarguably, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, is living up to the expectations of a super cop. When he took over from the former CP in 2019, he promised to put in his best to ensure peace and security of lives and property in the Centre of Excellence.

Since he took over the reins of policing the state, he has been a thorn in the flesh of the undisciplined elements in the state, while also ensuring peace and security of lives and property in the state. Little wonder, he has continued to be showered with encomiums from far and wide.

Interestingly, the Ogun State-born super cop has been rewarded for his gallantry in policing, as he was recently elevated to the position of Assistant General of Police (AIG) alongside others. Although the brilliant police officer is nearing his retirement age, he was excited over his promotion and he gave glory to God for it.

For those who don’t know, the devout Muslim recognises that only Allah is the unseen hand behind his success story; and he submits absolutely to His will. Of course, he also recognises that hard work pays as he loathes laziness. Despite his engaging daily schedule, he does not joke with his reverence for Allah. According to sources, His armour against failure is ceaseless prayers.

Odumosu is one of the quintessential law enforcement officers in the country, having proven the stuff he is made of, with the handling of high-pofile assignments across the country. Besides, the graduate of English Language from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has been at the forefront of philanthropy, but loathes making noise about it, believing that “If you want to help the needy, leave your camera at home.”

The name Leo Stan Ekeh means so many things to so many people. Today, the Chairman of Zinox Group is widely recognised for his pioneering efforts in Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria. As an entrepreneur, he sees opportunities where others are bogged down by morbid fear of failure.

Clearly, he is a man born under a lucky star and endowed with the proverbial Midas touch..

No wonder, he has always made a success of all that he has ventured into.

The Imo State-born businessman has successfully engraved his name in the hearts of the generality of his compatriots. He has continually remained a shining light in the nation’s business firmament.

His inspiring story of transmuting his business from a local champion into a successful world-class is worthy of a biopic.

When he bought over the moribund Konga two years ago, his competitors were jittery. The reason was not far-fetched: Ekeh knows when to invest and when not to.

Blessed with the proverbial magic wand, he successfully re-jigged the company from its declining state to a flourishing brand that is hard to beat in the highly competitive e-commerce sector.

The sexagenarian has not lost his muse and is not resting on his oars yet. His appetite for more business ideas has never waned; he is still angling to break new grounds.

Society Watch gathered that the billionaire magnate has invested heavily in the media, television to be precise. The preparation for the launch, it was gathered, is in top gear, as he just finished installing world-class equipment worth several millions of Naira.

The television with the name Konga TV would specialize in business, news and general interest, while it is also expected to score many firsts among its competitors.

Despite his great accomplishments, one can say that he is still a story waiting to be told. Since he started as a businessman, he has continued to ply his trade with impressive professionalism.

Ekeh

Considering his chain of businesses, which includes e-commerce, ICT with offices in major cities like Lagos, Paris, London and New York City, it is evident that he enjoys uncommon grace, especially when you consider the inclement business climate in the country. For this and more, the consummate businessman has never hidden the fact that he enjoys the amazing grace of God in his life.

Abuja Businesswoman, Habiba Abubakar’s Beautiful Idea

Abubakar

Popular Abuja-based businesswoman, Hajia Habiba Abubakar, is not your kind of entrepreneur who loves to court the media over her achievements. She is not a blowhard like some rich millionaires. Yet the successful business mogul is, indeed, someone who must be taken as a role model by anyone coming into the industry, as she is acknowledged to know the rudiment of entrepreneurship.

At the moment, the Kano State-born business magnate is said to be having everything falling in the right places for her.

As a businesswoman, she has worked so hard to make a name in the industry; and many attest to the fact that she holds the magic wand that can turn the fortunes of any moribund business around.

Her exciting journey and success in the business sector started a long time ago when she was still very young. In fact, when

many of her mates were still doubtful of their future, the beautiful woman already had her future in her hands. For her, opportunities abide everywhere, except for those who have set some limitations for themselves.

Though the renowned philanthropist disappeared from public consciousness, thereby setting many tongues wagging about her whereabouts, an impeccable source revealed that the brainy woman who has succeeded in a male-dominated milieu is investing heavily in the hospitality business in her hometown, Kano.

The source revealed further that her incursion in the sector is beginning to send jitters down the spines of many who are aware of her Midas touch.

The reason, according to the source, is that “Hajia does not do her things in half-measure; so, her guest house is set to set a standard in the sector across the state when completed.”

‘Mr Projects’ Nyesom Wike’s Barrage of Honours The year 2021 may have been just another one for many governors in the country. But not so for Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike. The year was a spectacular one for the man fondly called Mr Projects.

Perhaps this explains why he has already been tipped as the ‘Most Decorated Governor of the Year.”

Apart from the honours from some national newspapers, he has in his kitty awards and nominations, including Human Rights Award by National Human Rights Commission; 3G Ambassadors Award; Bayelsa Media Network Award and the ‘Best Governor’

by Nigerian Social Media Awards in a result electronically collated by Fundelex Infosystems and vetted by a Council of Jury headed by Ngozi Emedolibe.

Interestingly, Wike’s supporters, including Soty Fulton, are excited that he clinched the ‘Best Governor’ via a transparent and democratic process conducted online, where people were free

to vote according to their conscience without bias from the confines of their homes.

The Nigerian Social Media Awards, the brainchild of Francis Amirize, was created to recognize personalities, brands and services having the most impact on the social media space in Nigeria.

Apart from Wike, other winners include: Jumia (Best Online Shopping Mall and Most IT-Driven Company); GT Bank (Most Customer-Friendly Bank); Shoprite (Best Grocery/Retail Shop); Nigeria LNG Ltd (Best in Corporate Governance); Lagos State (Most Active State on Social Media); RCCG (Fastest Growing Religious Organisation on Social Media; Dino Melaye (Most Visible Public/Political Figure on Social Media) and Indomie Noodles ( Best Selling Product and Most Visible Food/ Beverage Company); Others are Airtel (Most Creative); MTN (Best Network/Connectivity

Real Estate Top Shot, Yemi Lawal’s Memorable Evening

Lawal

Again, it was a beautiful and memorable evening when Otunba Yemi Lawal, the Chairman, Seagle Group of Companies, celebrated his birthday amidst pomp.

The grand event, which was held penultimate weekend at the posh exclusive BuzzBar in Victoria Island, Lagos, attested to the magnanimity and extra-ordinariness of Otunba Lawal, who was so excited over the royal setting of his birthday

Wike

Award); The Punch (Best Mainstream Media, Print); ARISE NEWS Channel (Best Mainstream Media, Television); Wazobia FM (Best Mainstream Media, Radio); Phebe (Best Trending Short Video, Spoken Words), Broda Shaggy (Best Trending Video, Comedy).

anniversary.

In his remarks, Lawal, who is the Osi-Bobaguwa Alake of Egbaland, thanked the Almighty God, his family, friends and associates, who all came in their quantum to make the day most memorable for him.

His darling wife, Ayotunde, and his lovely children (Wole, Wale, Olayemi and Oladapo) were at their best to add colour and panache to the beautiful evening, making sure that every guest in attendance was treated to good food and vintage drinks.

Amongst those in attendance were Dr Bisi Onasanya, Mr Akorede Adebayo and other top-shots in the real estate and financial sectors.

The event rounded off with a celebration dance by the birthday boy, who was joined by his wife, children and guests.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

2.1.2022

See-you-later-Alligator-1 by Lasisi Babatunde

2022: A PREVIEW OF PROSPECTS FOR ARTISTS Great expectations glows in the horizon for the Nigerian arts scene this year, says Yinka Olatunbosun

N

ollywood, Nigeria’s 3-billion-dollar Àlm industry, known for its savvy stars, directors and producers has been a subject of global interest and curiosity for years. To make history, Nigerian-American artist Ikp Udp has documented celebrities in Nollywood through photography and the pieces will be exhibited in a show that kicks oͿ on February 5 at the Smithsonian s National Museum of African Arts in Washington DC. In this exhibition, Udp’s portraits make a glamorous, bold statement about African identity as an artistic response to the vestiges of colonialism and widespread racism that still threaten black lives on a daily basis. Each portrait embodies radical beauty by reclaiming, reconstructing, and redeÀning notions of African identity. ¶Stories of A Generation’ a NetÁix documentary series which hit the streaming platform on December 25 features-amongst others- Nigeria s leading female gallerist and artist known for textile art, Nike Davies-Okundaye.

The co-founder of the Nike Arts Gallery has a career spanning over Àve decades with over 100 international exhibitions.

With a record of mentoring over 3000 persons in arts and crafts, Mama Nike is a powerhouse of cultural heritage.

This docu-series highlights her story of

Nike Davies-Okundaye

struggles, success and her role in promoting African arts. The docu-series which has featured Pope Francis is packed with inspiring women and men over 70 share poignant life lessons and pivotal choices from their remarkable journeys.

Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions -another key player in the arts sector- is set to produce a biopic on the legendary Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti having secured the rights to do so from the estate of the late matriach.

Directed by Austen-Peters, the movie has cameo appearances by Funmilayo’s grandchildren representing their parents.

With a working title ¶Funmilayo; The Lioness of Lisabi,’ the movie is scheduled to hit the big screen this year.

Austen-Peters who produced ‘Fela

and the Kalakuta 4ueens’ and other box-o΀ce hits like ‘Saro,’ ‘Wakaa’ as well as the currently running musical, OMG is deeply interested in telling stories of the emancipation of African women.

Lagos State is planning a mega art exhibition this year to revive the economy and boost youth employment.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf had revealed that this Community Based Tourism, CBT, is an aspect of the State’s revised Tourism Masterplan which has trained 150 youths to serve as tour guides.

In the same spirit of promoting African arts, Kwara State is gearing up to be the next culture capital of Northern Nigeria.

The state is constructing the Institute of Contemporary African Art, a purposebuilt museum for visual and cinematic arts which is equipped with post-production studios, Àlm screening room, lecture hall and co-working spaces. The museum will house art galleries, cafe, sculpture garden, bookshop and more.

Come July, Nigeria will receive some of its looted artifacts from Germany.

Thousands of pieces of Nigeria s sculptures dubbed Benin Bronzes dated 16th to 18th century were stolen from the palace of the ancient Benin Kingdom. They are currently held in museums across the US, UK and Europe.

The maiden edition of World Yoruba Carnival of Arts and Culture, is sched-

uled for February in Ile- Ife, Osun State.

The carnival is a celebration of the rich and ancient history of the arts, crafts, and culture of the Yoruba people, with a huge tourism potential and an avenue for job creation.

The previous year oͿered a glimpse into the widening view of entertainers and indeed creatives that have emerged in Nigeria’s burgeoning cultural scene.

2021 saw an avalanche of comedy skitmakers, towing the path created by the likes of Mark Angel Comedy, Debo Adedayo popularly known as Mr Macaroni, Nosa Afolabi aka Lasisi Elenu, and Maryam Apaokagi known as Taooma and many more.

2022 is the year for more discoveries aided by the digital platform. There s no doubt that the restrictions on movement during the pandemic is one of the catalysts to the proliferation of skit making. It s a low-budget entertainment format for the audience and an online portfolio for the artist. Many skit makers have landed roles in mainstream movie productions. More artists are expected to leverage on the available of apps to showcase their talents and interests.

Later this year, Nigeria will host the 2022 Global Information Literacy Week of the United Nations Educational, ScientiÀc and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The Àve-day event will attract international visitors and strengthen Nigeria s tourism potentials.

London’s Tiwani Contemporary, which has established itself as one of the most inÁuential enterprises showcasing the work of African and African diaspora artists, will open a new location in Lagos, Nigeria, in February 2022. Tiwani’s Lagos expansion is a custom-built 2,000-squarefoot space on Victoria Island.

Nigerian music marketplace will see more investors given the global popularity of Afrobeats and its wavemakers.

More international record labels, tech companies and touring organisations would take advantage of the fertile ground for music business in Nigeria.

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

ARTS & REVIEW\\TRIBUTE

FOR ABAYOMI BARBER, THERE WAS SO MUCH FULFILMENT IN RETICENCE… Okechukwu Uwaezuoke

Q

uietly, Oladimeji Abayomi Adebayo Alade Barber must have departed this life on Sunday, December 26… Quietly, because not much has been heard about this grand old man of the Nigerian visual art scene since he was feted by the National Gallery of Art at the National Museum’s premises, Onikan, Lagos on Tuesday, May 18 last year.

That event was a belated celebration of his 92nd birthday, which was actually on October 23 of the previous year. Many would easily recall that that was a period when cultural activities – like everything else – had ground to a halt on account of the nationwide antipolice brutality protests, tagged #EndSARS. Besides, the COVID-19 protocols, which frowned at large gatherings, were still in force.

With a hint of prescience, the NGA – as the National Gallery of Art is abbreviated – thought the icon deserved an elaborate ceremony. After all, this was a man who was credited with tacitly establishing an art movement, which is known in the art circles as the Abayomi Barber Art School.

This fact was further corroborated by the large turnout to the event, which was graced by the art community’s crème de la crème.

At the event’s opening ceremony, which was held at the decrepit National Museum’s quadrangle, the NGA’s director-general Ebeten W. Ivara was in the good company of the representatives of the information, culture and tourism minister and kindred parastatals, among other industry’s big wigs.

Barber, who was known to have persistently shunned the Western-coloured perceptions of

The late Barber African art, asserted his artistic independence through his naturalistic expressions. Known for his proÀciency in the visual arts from as far back as when he drew portraits of his maternal uncle – the then Ooni of Ife Oba Adesoji Aderemi – as a child, he later developed an early interest in sculpting after his primary school years’ excursions to the local shrines.

Art would open further doors for him, one of which granted access to then-premier of the Western Region Chief Obafemi Awolowo. It was through the latter, whose portrait he did alongside that of the then Western Region’s education minister Stephen Awokoya, that he

was able to get a scholarship to study at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, the UK from 1960 to 1962.

In his early years in London, he studied the preservation and restoration of antiquities and moulded a statue of Chief Awolowo. But his scholarship abruptly came to an end after a crisis in the Western Region saw his benefactor relinquish power. He would subsequently move on to studying casting and moulding at Mancini and Tozer Studios, worked as an art assistant at a studio owned by the Irish sculptor Edward Delaney and collaborated later with the Croatian sculptor Oscar Nemon.

Eleven years later, in 1971, Barber returned to Nigeria, where he became an arts fellow of the University of Lagos’s School of African and Asian studies, which is now known as the Centre for Cultural Studies. It was the following year that he was commissioned to produce a portrait of the visiting Ethiopian head of state, Emperor Haile Selassie.

Though best remembered for his exploits in the visual arts – with his famous Yemoja and surrealistic landscape paintings as well as Ali Maigoro sculptures engraved in the industry’s consciousness – Barber also had a strong passion for music and was known to have had a preference for tenor saxophone.

In his pre-London eyes, he had even joined a band owned by one Dele Bamgbose with his friend, Kunle Sijuade.

“One of the interesting aspects of his life was his penchant for self-improvement and a large appetite to hone his innate skill as an artist,” NGA’s Ivara said about Barber in his tribute.

“He was never satisÀed. He always yearned for more and by so doing blazed a trail in visual arts. He was an avatar, a patriarch and path founder who will remain indelible in our minds.”

In his tribute, the Nigerian-American emeritus professor Dele Jegede – who stylises his name in lower case as “dele jegede” – described Barber in his tribute as “a man who elevated reticence, humility, and niggardliness to an art”. Barber’s “dry but penetrating sense of humour”, he added, “is perhaps not as well-known as his incredible capacity for creative intuition, for Abayomi Barber continually ruptured the artiÀcial boundaries and epistemological compartments installed between art and craft; art and music; and Ànally, music and theatre³areas in which his prodigiousness is yet to be fully outed.”

EXHIBITION

NKADIOKA, EYISI-EBULUO FOUNDATION,AND ICHI RENAISSANCE Chikaogwu Kanu

“R

eÁections on our heritage” is the theme of the inaugural art exhibition of the 2021 Nkadioka festival that is inspired by the Igbo ichi marks.

The exhibition features the following artists from the Nsukka School: Chijioke Onuora who also doubles as the curator, Ozioma Onuzulike, Stanley Ugonabo, Jude Onah, Sunday Odoh, and Peter Igbeaku. Nkadioka is an annual cultural festival sponsored by the Eyisi-Ebuluo foundation in conjunction with others.

Nkadioka, formerly known as Mma-nka festival, is an annual cultural Àesta of the Igbo people of Neni in Anambra State that features masquerade displays, dances, songs, and more. The high point of this cultural celebration is the symbolic re-enactment of the moribund tradition of Igbu ichi. Ichi is a facial scariÀcation that was common among the Igbo men of the present Anambra State. It was also a marker of rite of passage that qualiÀes one to take an Ozo title as an adult. This cultural rebirth dates back to 1982, when the traditional festival hitherto suppressed by European colonialism and Christianity, was revived by the Eyisi Ebuluo Foundation (EEF). According to the foundation’s website: EEF started uno΀cially in the 1970s, with the founder Eyisi Ebuluo supporting local culture and his community at Neni, Anambra state. In 1982, as the executive president of Umudioka Community in Neni, along with other members of the executive, he revived a neglected festival, the Nkadioka Festival, a traditional festival that had been forgotten after the Nigerian Civil War. Since then, the organisation has been part of several eͿorts to increase awareness of local culture in Neni and beyond.

In 2008, the organisation was o΀cially registered with the Corporate AͿairs Commission (CAC).

Since then, EEF has been focused on spreading the love of culture. We do this through support for festivals, art exhibitions and more. Everything that we do has a root in a local tradition.

The 2021 inaugural art exhibition runs from December 27 through the Nka-Di-oka festival (December 31), and ends on January 31, 2022. The exhibition which is curated by Chijioke Onuora of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka explores contemporary engagement of ichi linear marks by the artists of the Nsukka school through the adaptation of ichi on other mediums of expression to produce works that speak to socio-political issues. So, ichi which classically deploys the human face as the traditional ground now Ànds expression in other mediums of Art such as drawing, sculpture, ceramics, and painting.

Eyisi Ebuluo I - Looking Back, 2021, the supposed theme work of this exhibition is created by Chijioke Onuora, the curator. I describe it as the theme work because the sculptural piece graphically captures the idea and essence of the exhibition which centers around ichi marks and its contemporary artistic interrogation. The pyrographed wood panel work with cyclical burnt ichi-like background has an emphasized Àgurative portrait proÀle of the man (Eyisi Ebuluo) wearing ichi on his face, and placed on the left side of the work. The emphasis is achieved through the application of the negative and positive space technique of uli – a plain surface of the portrait image placed against a burnt background covered with linear inscriptions. An asymmetrical balance is accomplished by the punctuation of the background cyclical lines with a small plain space in front of the portrait that bears the mma nka the major tool of the sculptor/ surgeon known as the Di oka. The portrait looks meditatively at the knife, perhaps ruminating on the painful processes one passes through in receiving the ichi marks. Nevertheless, the gaze at

A work by Chijioke Onuora the knife can also be described as ambivalent, as the man’s facial expression simultaneously reveals a sense of pride and pain. In spite of all this, there is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment as the ichi recipient now attains full manhood status that comes with some exclusive privileges such as the taking of the prestigious Ozo title. This overwhelming sense of accomplishment is symbolically represented by the preponderant burnt cyclic background that suggests an air of excitement.

On the whole this theme work can be adjudged successful by its harmonious combination of elements guided by a profound understanding of the principles of design.

The artists also experimented with the altering of the colonial photographic representation from an object of gaze to an object of admiration, an adaptation which arguably speaks to the colonial gaze of the Igbo/Africa by the West. Consequently, Eyisi Ebuluo black and white unclad portrait was turned from an object of colonial gaze to a contemporary (re)presentation that is dignifying and celebratory - an object of beauty, admiration, and ediÀcation. This is exempliÀed by the Oil Painting of Eyisi Ebuluo, 2021 of Jude Onah. In this very interesting painting, Onah turns a black and white unclad portrait of Eyisi Ebuluo into a

contemporary titled Igbo man in his full regalia – feathered red cap, Áowing white robe, and beaded necklace round his neck.

Ozioma Onuzulike on his own part explores clay medium in his interrogation of ichi. In his work Tea kettle and Serving bowl, Onuzulike’s aesthetic carved lines call to mind the ichi marks.

The inscribed lines suggest the way Africa is partitioned and/or continues to be partitioned by the West in search of her natural resources since the Berlin conference of 1884-5. In this context, the tea kettle and the serving bowl represent Africa while the carved lines represent the dividing of Africa into several units for the sake of her natural resources’ exploitation. Similarly, in the ongoing [Re]Entanglements exhibition of N. W. Thomas collections at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, United Kingdom that also features Onuzulike’s work inspired by the same ichi marks, the artist refers to the ichi as an act of fragmentation that speaks to “a continuing history of damage” perpetrated by the West, and for emphasis sake, he reiterated that “they are still fragmenting us.”

Finally, in critically engaging socio-political issues, this exhibition can be adjudged to have succeeded in addressing its objective of revisiting the moribund ichi tradition through the lens of contemporaneity. This exhibition which can be described as a milestone in the cultural revivalist mission of the Eyisi Ebuluo Foundation (EEF) through the Nkadioka festival deserves a great commendation. It is quite commendable in view of the colossal damage colonialism has done to Igbo/African culture. On this note I say a big thank you to the Eyisi Ebuluo Foundation for a job well done, and also encourage them never to rest on their oars.

Kanu, currently a doctoral student of art history in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, writes from Lagos.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

CICERO Those Who Will Shape Politics in 2022

Editor: Ejiofor Alike

SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

As Nigeria approaches 2023 general election, the decisions of certain key personalities, organs of governments and agencies in 2022 will shape the country’s political dynamics, write Ejiofor Alike, Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Segun James, and Adedayo Akinwale, Alex Enumah and Udora Orizu Will Osinbajo Emerge from the Shadow of Doubt?

Will Buhari Anoint a Successor?

Barely 14 months to the 2023 general election, the body language of President Muhammadu Buhari offers no clue as to the choice of his successor.

Many political analysts believe that President Buhari, just like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will not resist the temptation of anointing a successor who is expected to protect his legacies.

Obasanjo had anointed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and had also groomed former President Goodluck Jonathan to take over from the late president.

Though President Buhari has remained silent on the issue, members of his kitchen cabinet and his strong allies in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were said to have mounted pressure on him to support a presidential candidate that would protect his interest after his tenure.

With the 2023 general election coming up on Saturday, February 18, 2023, it is expected that the president will make his choice in 2022 and this will change the tempo of politics this year.

2022 as APC’s Year of Decision This year is a decision-making year for the ruling APC over its National Convention and the zoning of the 2023 presidency.

The decision on these two issues will have far-reaching consequences on the survival of the ruling party, which is riddled with crises in many states.

Since the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully conducted its National Convention in October 2021, pressure has been on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni to do the same.

After immense pressure from stakeholders, the Buni committee as well as the APC some governors recently met with Buhari and approved the February 2022 target for the party’s convention, after more than a year of dilly-dally by the Buni committee. Not long after the February target was set, even though no specific date has been chosen, a former Governor of Abia State and the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent letter to Buni called for the postponement of the party’s convention in order to reconcile aggrieved members in some state chapters of the party torn by crisis.

But the Buni committee has however resolved to set up sub-

Though Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has refused to formally declare his interest to contest the 2023 presidential election, there are strong indications that he is nursing presidential ambition.

The Progressives Consolidation Group (PCG), which has since metamorphosed to The Progressive Project (TPP) has taken it upon itself to ensure that Osinbajo’s presidency becomes a reality. Recently, theTPP made public and formal their principal’s intention to succeed Buhari in 2023 with the launch of a campaign office in Abuja.

The campaign office, located at No. 15b, Buchanan Crescent, off Aminu Kano, by Emab Plaza, Wuse 11, Abuja was decorated with Osinbajo’s banner, with the inscription “Face of Hope.”

With the inauguration of the campaign office, a political slugfest appears to be in the offing between Osinbajo and the former governor of Lagos State, Senator BolaTinubu, whose undeclared ambition to succeed President Buhari is no longer in doubt. After months of equivocation and outright repudiation, Osinbajo appears finally ready to emerge from the shadows of doubt and throw his hat in the ring for the country’s top job.

But some of the vice president’s supporters have denied that the office launched was Osinbajo’s campaign office.They claimed it was merely the office of a coalition aiming at drafting him into the 2023 presidential race.

In August 2021, PCG held strategic meetings with APC members from all the 34 local government areas in Katsina State, on how to achieve success with the project.

Osinbajo’s ambition is no longer a hidden agenda as former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd),

recently threw his weight behind him.

Babangida made this known when the Osinbajo Grassroots Organisation (OGO) led by Mr. Ojo Folusho visited him.

He described Osinbajo as a man who has conviction about this country, a man who believes in this country and a man who can communicate with the country; inspire people to achieve a greater goal for the country.

The former president believed that, “such a person is a worthy person that we should all support.”

It is expected that Osinbajo will not keep Nigerians waiting longer than 2022 and his decision will contribute to shaping politics this year.

Despite narrowly losing out in the race for Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 general election,Tinubu has remained a strong pillar of the APC. The future of the APC seems to hang on the shoulders of President Buhari and the former Lagos State governor.

Buhari may have interest in who takes over from him, butTinubu is determined to take over from him, despite the mounting opposition by political enemies.

The undeclared ambition ofTinubu is already ruffling feathers within the APC. So, when his ambition is eventually declared in 2022, it will heat up the entire polity.

Tinubu and the Race for 2023 Even without declaring his ambition, the National Leader of APC, Senator BolaTinubu has remained the most active presidential aspirant in the ruling party.

Many political groups are already drumming up support for his undeclared ambition across the six geopolitical zones.

He is the “Glamour Knight” of the party - very rich, charming, glamorous, and hospitable.

If money will play a significant role in determining the presidential candidate of the APC as in the previous primary elections in the country where money played a significant role in determining presidential candidates, then the former Lagos State governor will have an edge over other aspirants. committees on budgeting and other relevant structures for the National Convention of the party.

Though, it is not written in the constitution of the party that power will rotate between the North and South, party stakeholders and leaders had at several times claimed that there was an unwritten agreement that power would rotate to the South in 2023.

It is important to note that the Caretaker Committee of the party was only mandated to conduct the party’s convention; it does not have power to zone the party’s presidential ticket. It is however expected that the new National Working Committee (NEC) that will emerge after the convention of the party will be saddled with that task.

The ruling party will therefore face a make or mar decision in 2022 on the issue of its national convention and the 2023 presidency.

Will Fayemi’s Rumoured Ambition Come to Fruition?

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi has also not indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2023.

But his presidential campaign posters, which emerged in some Nigerian cities in August 2020 had sparked public debate on various social media platforms regarding the possibility of his candidacy.

Also in March 2021, members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly also endorsed the undeclared presidential ambition of Fayemi.

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CICERO The lawmakers had further pledged their full support to work with well-meaning Nigerians and groups for the realisation of having an Ekiti son as the next president.

Fayemi has been quietly leveraging on his position as the Chairman of NGF to galvanise support for his rumoured ambition.

His presidential ambition has already split the Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress into two.

While a faction of the party in the state is loyal to Fayemi, the other is loyal toTinubu.

The faction loyal to Tinubu in Ekiti is led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye who is the Coordinator of South West Agenda (SWAGA), a political movement galvanising support for the presidential ambition of the former Lagos State governor.

While featuring on ARISE NEWS Channel recently, Fayemi had refused to deny or confirm his presidential ambition.

Though many political analysts believe that his influence would wane after the expiration of his tenure in 2022, others also believe that his acceptability among his colleagues and the goodwill he enjoys across the six geopolitical zones are enough to help him realise his ambition.

Atiku’s Sustained Ambition

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s sustained presidential ambition is also expected to make a huge influence in the 2022 politics.

He has a wide range of experience having started his presidential quest in 1993 alongside the likes of the late Chief MKO Abiola.

Atiku remains a scion of the Shehu Yar’Adua political dynasty that played influential role in the formation of the PDP. Since 1993, Atiku has remained a consistent feature in every presidential election and his doggedness has earned him a lot of reputation as a credible and strong-willed politician.

With the clamour for power shift to the South, his ambition will suffer setback.

Age is also not on his side, considering the agitation for a younger president in 2023.

But with his track records, the former vice president will not be daunted by these challenges and will surely declare his ambition this year. This declaration will shape this year’s politics.

INEC’s Push for Credible Elections

The determination of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in 2023 will also help to shape politics in 2022.

If the amended electoral law that is yet to be signed by Buhari becomes a reality in 2022, it will certainly help to define the subsequent elections in 2022 and 2023.

The law will help to eliminate malpractices and compel politicians to sit up ahead of the 2023 general elections because it won’t be business as usual.

Also the three out-of-season elections in the FCTand the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections scheduled for this year will also benefit from this improved electoral law.

Will PDP Flop in Zoning of 2023 Presidency?

The zoning of the 2023 presidency by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022 can make or mar the party.

The zoning, which will largely be determined by the governors elected on the platform of the party, will be decided this year.The main opposition party had successfully conducted its National Convention where it elected a former President of the Senate, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as its national chairman.

With the zoning of the national chairman to the North, it is expected that the party will zone the presidency to the South, especially given the public mood that favours power shift to the South.

The governors of the party had held strategic meetings in the UK and Spain, on how to determine who will fly the ticket of the party.

Though PDP has claimed to be the party to beat in 2023, this will be determined by the zoning and this crucial decision will be taken this year. Another potential danger ahead is how the party will manage the case of its former National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, which is currently at the Supreme Court.

Secondus is challenging his removal and if the apex court grants his petition, it will change the political equation in the PDP. Secondus is not alone as there are party chieftains that are quietly watching to see what will happen.

There are also two governorship elections in Ekiti and Ondo states. If the PDP wins the two elections or one, it means that it will make strong inroad into the South-west.

The Anyim Factor

The public declaration for the presidency by a former President of the Senate, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim in 2021 will also shape politics of 2022.

With the South-east’s agitation for power in 2023, Anyim’s ambition has become a factor to reckon with by other aspirants from other zones.

With his impressive political leadership experience as former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim is a grounded politician, who can’t be ignored.

Also, with his disarming humility and simple lifestyle, Anyim is acknowledged by his many political associates and enemies alike as an exceptional consensus builder, and a team player who can be trusted with power.

He is therefore a man to watch as the tempo of political activities rises in 2022.

Bill to Buhari for assent.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives, in the harmonised version adopted the electronic transmission of election results in line with the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The lawmakers also resolved that political parties should adopt direct primary as mode of electing their candidates for elective offices.

While many Nigerians applauded the move by the lawmakers to rescind its earlier decision and allow INEC adopt electronic transmission of election results, the move by the lawmakers to change the primary mode of electing political candidates from indirect to direct has, however, generated controversies among stakeholders particularly state governors who see it as an infringement on the independence and internal democratic workings of individual political parties.

Buhari, last week, declined assent to the Electoral Bill, 30 days after it was transmitted to him by the legislature on November 19, 2021. The president, due to the controversial direct primaries clause therein, believed to have been influenced by state governors, turned down the bill.

He also cited insecurity, the cost of conducting direct primaries and infringement on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance as his reasons for declining assent to the bill.

However this is not the first time the President is declining assent to this Bill. On March 13, 2018, Buhari, citing a number of concerns, vetoed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.

As 2023 draws closer, Nigerians are kept in suspense on what the lawmakers will likely do when they resume their legislative activities this month.

Will Judiciary Remain Last Hope?

The place of the judiciary in any constitutional democracy needs not be overemphasised. This is why Nigeria, it continues to play a crucial role in the sustenance of the nation’s democracy as well as the survival of the country as a whole.

In order to constantly remind the judges of their roles, the current leadership of the judiciary under the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has not only been talking tough but has also been making serious efforts at repositioning the judiciary and making it the hope and pride of the ordinary Nigerians.

One of the bane in the judiciary is the indiscriminate issuance of injunctive orders by judges particularly in political cases, be it leadership tussle among members of a political party or rightful flagbearers of political parties in an election.

But for the timely intervention of the CJN, the political terrain would have been in disarray as activities gears up for the 2023 general election.

Some judges, acting outside their jurisdiction, had issued several restraining orders against the INEC, political parties, aspirants as well as candidates in the build-up of the last Anambra State governorship election.

The same scenario also played out in the PDP national convention as well as the state and ward congresses of the ruling APC. The CJN, apart from issuing stern warnings to judges, also commenced disciplinary actions against judges, who encourage “forum shopping” by do-or-die politicians.

These will also help to shape politics in 2022.

Wike, a New Power House in PDP

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is increasingly becoming the most powerful chieftain of the main opposition party.

Whether he declares for the presidency or not, Wike will play influential role in the determination of the next presidential candidate of the PDP. PDP has many colourful politicians but none of them has matched the sense of political showmanship and audacity of Wike, the party’s new leader.

In the last seven years as governor of Rivers State, he has stamped his authority as the de facto leader of the PDP. At last, the PDP may have gotten its grove back and is on its way back from the edge of extinction. From all indications, it is going to give the APC a run for its money.

But this will be largely influenced by the decision of the Rivers State governor, who is believed to be a strong financier of the party.

The Wike factor is going to play a significant role in the emergence of the next presidential candidate of the PDP in 2022.

He came into national fame and recognition in the party when as a governor he was able to take over the leadership of the party to the chagrin of supposed political heavyweights in the party.

He installed Secondus as the national chairman in 2018 and also ensured his removal in 2021 when both of them became estranged.

National Assembly

With some early political moves ahead of the 2023 general election, 2022 will be a year of political streamlining with various stakeholders playing its part to shape the nation’s politics.

As the race for who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 gathers momentum, Nigerians are clamouring for free and fair elections. Since the return to multi-party democracy at the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the National Assembly has gradually evolved into an important player in the governance process.

As part of efforts in transforming future elections to ensure transparency, the legislators, last month finally passed and transmitted the Electoral Act Amendment

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

CICERO/ISSUE

Situating Buhari’s Exit Development Plan President Muhammadu Buhari recently presented National Development Plan 2021-2025, ditching the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2020). Louis Achi writes that this should not be the usual economic rhetoric but a potent transformative footing

I

n conceptualising a sustainable National Development Plan (NDP), hope is certainly not a plan.

Historically, national development planning remains a ‘weapon-grade’ tool deployed by progressive nations to confront regression and lift society through transformative governance.

Incidentally, some 10 months after China’s National People’s Congress, (NPC), approved the outline of the country’s 14th Five-Year Development Plan, covering the period 20212025, President Muhammadu Buhari, on December 22, 2021 presented the NDP document to the public. This was shortly before the commencement of the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The 2011-2025 NDP, which supplants the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) has an investment size of N348.7 trillion to be contributed by the federal and state governments as well as the private sector.

The president stated that the Nigerian government required an investment size of N348.1 trillion to achieve the ambitious targets set out in the NDP 2021-2025. The overall target of the Plan is to achieve a broad-based real GDP growth rate of five per cent on average during the plan period; generate 21 million full-time jobs; and through an inclusive growth, lift at least 35 million people out of poverty in five years.

An enthusiastic Buhari further declared that the new NDP would set the stage for achieving the government’s target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).

It could be recalled that FEC had on November 10, 2021, approved the Draft National Development Plan, 2021-2025, which is the first of the envisaged Medium Term development Plans to implement the Nigeria Agenda 2050.

According to Buhari: “The Plan, as a matter of deliberate efforts, is comprehensive and has the capacity not only to accelerate and sustain national development but also the attainment of various Regional and Global Agendas, including the AU Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Agenda 2050 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2030.

“I have no doubt in my mind that with effective and sustained implementation, Nigeria will achieve quantum leap in unlocking its potentials in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable and inclusive national development.”

The broad objectives of the plan, according to Buhari, includes establishing a strong foundation for a concentric diversified economy with robust MSME growth and a more resilient business environment as well as investing in critical, physical, financial digital and innovation infrastructure.

Within the context of national development planning, it is a given that China’s five-year plan is the centerpiece of her system of industrial planning and policy. Reflecting

Buhari

the transformation of the country over the past 70 years, the content and purpose of the five-year plan has changed substantially since the first plan was issued in Mao Zedong’s China in 1953.

Not surprisingly, technology lies at the heart of China’s vision for its future, and accordingly, the 14th Five-Year Plan dedicates the first topical chapter (Chapter 2) to the topic of innovation. The compelling result of China’s relentless development planning over 70 years is clearly showing today.

A new report released last month, conducted by the research arm of globally renowned management consulting firm, McKinsey & Co, has shown that global wealth tripled in the last two decades - from $156 trillion in 2000 to $514 trillion in 2020, with China outpacing the United States of America for the number one spot.

McKinsey & Co examined the national balance sheets of 10 countries representing over 60 per cent of world income. They include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.

The study, which revealed that the world is now wealthier than ever, stated that net worth worldwide rose to $514 trillion in 2020, from $156 trillion in 2000. China, the report said, accounted for almost one-third of the increase.

China’s wealth skyrocketed to $120 trillion from just $7 trillion in 2000, the year before it joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Regrettably, after almost six decades of national planning,

Nigeria is at a crossroads in terms of national development. Despite several billions of petro-dollars in export revenues since the discovery of oil in the late 1950s, more than half of Nigerians still live in abject poverty without access to adequate healthcare, clean water and swamped by shocking illiteracy levels.

On comparative basis, the foregoing dilemma is more irritating when Nigeria is compared with other countries like Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia that were not as endowed in natural resources and were in the same situation as Nigeria in the 1960s.

These countries have experienced marked industrialization with improved quality of life for the vast majority of their populations since the 1990s while Nigeria cannot confidently say it is on the path to industrial growth.

It certainly cannot be denied that Nigeria has had a relatively long experience in development planning - beginning with the Colonial Development Plan (1958-68).

Medium-term development plans and national rolling plans were also developed and implemented with mixed results.

Other major strategic initiatives - such as the Structural Adjustment Programme; the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy; the Strategy for Attaining the Millennium Development Goals; and the 7-Point Agenda - were not seen to have been effectively implemented. Then, there was the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 which expressed the aspiration for Nigeria to

become one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2020. All these have largely come to naught. Why? Often, the absence of properlydefined objectives relevant to the country’s needs and inadequate administrative machinery to provide a high level capacity for plan implementation becomes a hurdle. Frequently observable is that most of the plans were over-ambitions and unattainable, considering the resources (human and natural) resident in the country.

The power of technology as a potential game-changer has always been relegated to the background and ranked unimportant in the planning process so that it becomes very difficult when operational bottlenecks begin to creep in as work progresses.

In the 21st Century, any development plan that fails to appreciate and accommodate technology as a key development facilitator as the Chinese have done cannot succeed. A weak database is also a major burden too. Considerable paucity of data, a critical planning tool, is prevalent in Nigeria. Debatably, an entity that has never been able to conduct a scientifically-proven and generally-accepted population census can never be a good planner for the future.

The extant level of technological development naturally hinders data gathering, processing and storage.

Not to be overlooked are the orientation, behaviour, general attitude, religious and cultural disposition of Nigerians which imperil gathering of accurate data.

Coming at the sunset of his administration, is this move a whimsical valediction from a challenged Buhari presidency or a nimble, visionary governance move? Time will tell!

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CICERO/REPORT

Killings: Where are the Attorneys-General?

Vanessa Obioha writes that the sheer incompetence and docility of the Attorney-General of the

Federation and those in the states to vigorously prosecute suspected perpetrators of heinous crimes is helping to aid the insecurity, and general lawlessness in the country

I

t is not in doubt that of all the cabinet portfolios in the country, whether at the federal or state level, the position of attorney-general is the most powerful.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, as well as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice at the state level, are the only ones recognised by the 1999 Constitution.

For instance, while Section 151 (1) of the 1999 Constitution specifically states: “There shall be an AGF who shall be the chief law officer of the federation and a minister of the government of the federation, subsection 2 of the statute book specifically defines the qualifications or criteria for the occupant of the office.

Section 174(1) goes ahead to state that the AGF shall have powers to “(a) to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any Act of the National Assembly; (b) to take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; (c) to discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person.”

Subsection 2 states that “the power conferred upon the AGF under subsection 1 of this section may be exercised by him in person or through officers of his department.

Subsection 3 states that: “In exercising his powers under this section, the AGF shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.”

While the powers of the AGF cover the entire federation, those of the state attorneys-general are limited to their respective states. For instance, Section 195 (1 and 2) of the Constitution equally states thus: “There shall be an attorney-general of a state who shall be the chief law officer of the state and a commissioner for justice of the government of that state.”

Also, Section 211(1) states that the attorney-general of a state shall have powers “(a) to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any law of the House of Assembly; (b) to take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; (c) to discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person.”

Subsection 2 states that “the power conferred upon the attorney-general of a state under subsection 1 of this section may be exercised by him in person or through officers of his department.

While subsection 3 states that: “In exercising his powers under this section, the attorney-general of a state shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.”

It is believed that in spite of these recognitions and the powers conferred on the occupants of these offices, they do not know what it takes to occupy such offices.

Many observers believe that one of the reasons why there are so much heinous crimes such as killings, kidnappings and other forms of lawlessness in the country today is because the AGF and state AGs are incompetent.

Almost on a daily basis, people are being killed, kidnapped, maimed and properties worth billions of naira destroyed with the AGF or state AGs not knowing that pros-

Malami ecuting the suspects could help bring the situation under control. Nigeria has literally been turned into a jungle where people can be hacked to death without any consequences to the perpetrators of such heinous crimes.

While many analysts have acknowledged that the security agencies have failed to demonstrate adequate capacity to quell the high rate of criminality in the country, they are even more confused why the AGs who are supposed to complement them should equally fail.

Currently, while the country has federal laws against terrorism, almost all the states have laws against murders, killings and kidnappings yet these crimes thrive like stocks due to the incompetence of the AGs. Apart from a few AGFs and Lagos State in particular where successive attorneys-general since 1999 have vigorously pursued and initiated reforms aimed at sanitising the state justice system, others have practically been docile.

Many have observed that gone are the days when AGs at the federal or state levels are seen fully roped and ready to prosecute important cases in courts. What Nigerians see these days are AGs who are merely interested in the pecks and glamour of their offices.

A majority of them have simply turned themselves to errands boys who run dirty deals for themselves, presidents, governors and government officials.

In Nigeria, prosecution of suspects for offences such as murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, theft and other basic crimes such as traffic offences to create sanity in the country are within the purview of the state AGs to vigorously prosecute and pursued.

But most times, these officers have abdicated their responsibilities due to incompetence.

Though many state AGs have argued that they do not always have the cooperation of the police, a federal agency, to investigate and prosecute criminal cases in their states, that argument had long been faulted by Justice Christopher Balogun of the Lagos High Court who in a recent ruling in the case between the People of Lagos State vs Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, held that the attorneys-general of the state do not need police investigation to prosecute criminal cases.

In the ruling, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal, the judge submitted that since the power of the police is discretionary, the state AG can file criminal charges against anybody in a state court of law.

Even though many observer believe that the incumbent Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) himself has displayed docility in prosecuting federal crimes, in 2016 he gave fiat to each state AttorneysGeneral to prosecute all criminal suspects who commit federal offences in all the states of the federation. This, unfortunately, has not recorded any positive impact.

It is perhaps consequent upon this verdict that a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), in a statement issued last Sunday said it is the failure of both federal and state governments to prosecute suspected insurgents, bandits, killer-herdsmen and murder suspects that have emboldened them to carry out more attacks.

Falana, who is also the interim Chairman of Alliance for Surviving

COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), argued that it is the constitutional responsibility of the federal and state governments to protect the lives and property of the people. He argued that the failure to do so has compelled a number of parents to negotiate with terrorists and pay ransom running into hundreds of millions of Naira to secure the release of their abducted children.

He said for the federal and state governments to successfully fight insecurity, it much charge all suspects indicted for terrorism, culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes before appropriate courts.

“Since the Boko Haram war began 12 years ago, terrorists have attacked the United Nations Headquarters Office in Abuja; Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja as well as police stations and Correctional Centres in some states.

“Apart from the destruction of public property, the terrorists killed scores of people and injured many others during the violent attacks. But as the criminal gangs who carried out the dastardly acts were not apprehended and prosecuted they have become emboldened to the extent of attacking military institutions.

“However, ASCAB is sad to note that the federal government has refused to prosecute the sponsors of terrorists who were recently arrested and interrogated by the State Security Service,” it said.

“In particular, the office of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation announced in April this year that arrangements had been concluded for the arraignment of 400 sponsors of terrorists and 800 terror suspects at the Federal High Court. But for reasons best known to the federal government the arrested sponsors of terrorism and terror suspects have not been charged with terrorism and allied offences before any court. Other sponsors of terrorism including a few traditional rulers indicted by some state governments have not been brought to book for their alleged involvement in the nefarious enterprise.

“In the same vein, the majority of criminal elements arrested for taking part in the kidnapping, armed robbery and extrajudicial killing of unarmed citizens in all the states of the federation have not been prosecuted by the attorneys-general of the respective states.

“It is such official impunity that has accentuated the violent attacks on innocent people by the so-called bandits and unknown gunmen. In many instances, the suspects were arrested and paraded by the police and other law enforcement agencies but released to continue their criminal activities.

“For instance, the police and the army have arrested members of the criminal gang that recently killed 22 travellers in Jos, Plateau State. But up till now, the suspects have not been charged with conspiracy and culpable homicide before the High Cour t of Plateau State.

“ASCAB recalls that sometime in 2016, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), gave fiat to each State Attorney-General to prosecute all criminal suspects who commit federal offences in all the States of the Federation.

“It is on record that the state Attorneys-General have not deemed it fit to prosecute the several criminal suspects arrested, detained and paraded by the police for terrorism and illegal possession of firearms including AK-47 rifles.”

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Oye: No Nation Makes Progress Without Credible Elections In his first major interview since the victory of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the November 6, 2021 governorshipelectioninAnambraState,theNationalChairmanoftheparty,ChiefVictorOyetellsOnyebuchi Ezigbo that vigilance and trust in God were what helped the party to achieve the third consecutive electoral victory in the governorship election, noting that those who thought that violence would mar the poll were disappointed and put to shame. He also advised the National Assembly to listen to President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians to resolve the issue of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Excerpts:

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efore the Anambra State governorship election, many political analysts thought that APGA would lose the state and die a natural death because of the crisis that hit the party. But it emerged victorious. What was the secret?

There is no secret the only thing is that God showed he is God. In whatever you are doingalwaysfactorinGodbecauseheistheultimate deciderofourfaith.So,forusinAPGA,wehavealways placedourhopesandtrustinGod-doingourbestas humanbeingsandlivingtheresttoGodtoaccomplish.

Also, I have always said it that there was no crisis in APGA. We were dealing with imposters – people, who never existed, who had very strong financial backingsworkingmaliciouslytodestroytheparty.

If it were in other times no one would have tried it.

Someone waking up from slumber and telling you your wife is no longer your wife, taking you to court to prove it. Can you believe that absurdity? But it all happened in Nigeria and we went to court and we have to give kudos to the Judiciary that lived up to the expectations and today we are happy that everything has come back to normal but we are not living it to chance. We are vigilant, praying and working very hard to build the party and make it friendlierformembersofthepartyandotherswho arewatchingtoseewhathappens,andwhetherto joinornottojoin.WhathappenedinAnambraState is what we call a miracle because it shows people that we shouldn’t trust man but trust God. God is theultimatedeciderofourfaith;nomancandecide ourfaith.So,GodwaswithusinAnambraState.He shut the mouth of the lion, they couldn’t devour us and He made everywhere quiet so that His will for thepeopleofAnambraStatewillmanifestandthat waswhathappened.Itwasthemosthypedelection inthehistoryofthiscountry.Somepeoplethought theheavenswillfall;theysaidpeoplewoulddie;they said that people would be killed and that all kinds of absurdities would take place but on the day of election it was like cold water was poured on the state.Therewastranquility;therewasorderliness andthatelectionwasthefreest,mostcredible,the fairestelectioninthehistoryofNigeriaandeveryone washappy.Eventheinternationalcommunitythat was apprehensive had to applaud INEC and INEC didwhatmanypeopledidn’texpect.Theywerenot sympathetictoanypoliticalparty,INECjustdidtheir job and even Mr. President extolled them and the people of Anambra for conducting themselves very well. In fact, people thought Buhari wasn’t a statesman but he showed his statesmanship.

I was telling people that I have confidence in the president-forgetthefewmistakeshereandthere.I haveconfidenceinhimthathecanalwaysdothebest for Nigeria. I want him to replicate what happened in Anambra in other elections in Nigeria because it willgotohiscreditandevenfuturegenerationswill remember it. No nation makes progress without credibleelection.Theprocessofelectingyourleaders is a phenomenal factor in ensuring sustainable democracy; in ensuring economic growth; and in ensuring free and secured society.

Youjustsaidthepartywouldwelcomemembers that left. What value do you think those that triedtoremovetheleadershipofthepartywould bring if you welcome them back?

We are not welcoming them back because they wouldaddvalue.Afterall,wewontheelectionwithout them.Thatmeansthatthepartycansurvivewithout thembecausetheoriginalintentionwasthatsince theyleftthepartythatitwon’twinelection.Thatwas the thinking but it was erroneous. When the chips were down the true picture emerged that these peoplewerelightweight;theyhadnothingtoreally offerbutwhyIamgivingthemthesecondchanceis thatourpartyisrepublicananddemocraticenough toaccommodate.Thatiswhyitisapoliticalparty;it isacollectionofthegood,thebadandtheugly.There is no perfect political party anywhere in the world and there is nothing to find a man’s construction in his face; you don’t know what or who is going to performtomorrowandIamaliberalmindedperson.

Some people are very rigid in their belief but I am a freethinker.Someofthemdisappointedusthough buttome,Ihavealwaysbelievedthatwhateveryou sow you will reap. If someone has done well to you

it as flexible as it is but if they try to force it down the throatofthepoliticalpartiesitwon’twork.Democracy is all about choice. Give the people the choice.

On the issue of opening more room for women participation with particular reference to APGA what has been the experience in APGA in accommodating and giving women more voices?

When we came we saw the disparity - the gap betweenbothgenders.So,whatwedidwastobridge it.WhenIcamewehadonlytwomembersoftheNWC beingwomenbuttodaywehavefive,morethan100 per cent increase and we will continue to add more women. The same thing is applicable to the office here.Wehavefourwomenworkingforuscompared tosixmen.So,weareworkingtobridgeorreducethe gap between the male and female gender.

Whatisyourpositionontheproposaltosetaside one additional senatorial seat in all 36 states to be contested solely by women?

That isn’t democracy because what a man can do, a woman can do better. Is that the slogan? So, let’s keep it open but what I can suggest is that in appointiveofficesyoucanbringinmorewomenbut in elective let it remain as it is. In America you don’t reserve any seat for anybody to contest and that is whatweshouldbedoinghere.Ifyouallocatespecific offices for women to contest for or assign to them somepositions,that’snomoredemocracyandyouare belittling our women, underrating and undermining theirinterest.Theyshouldliveitopen.Anybodythat wantstocontestcanrunforanyofficeinNigeria.The constitution is clear on that. Once you have reached the constitutional requirements of age, citizenship and academic qualification that’s it.

Oye and you choose to pay him back with evil it is left for you and your God.That’s my take on it.

Now that the insecurity that came with the election appears to have vanished.What messagedoyouhaveforAnambrapeopleespecially those who came for Christmas?

AnambraState,aswespeak,remainsthesafest stateinNigeria.Whathappenedwiththerun-offto the election was just made up by some elements in the society to create a state of insecurity, thinking it would favour them in the elections but they didn’tthinkaboutwhatGodwasgoingtodo.Ifthey had factored in God in what they were doing they wouldn’thavemetadisastrousendthatfacedthem onNovember6.So,forme,Anambraisverysafeeven beforetheelectionitwassafe.Whatwewitnessed waspocketsofkillingstodisorganisethestateand givethemtheundueadvantageintheelectionbut you saw what happened. God took control. So, Anambraisverysafeandourinternationalairport is there and it reduces the stress of running all the wayfromEnugutoAnambra,spendingfourtofive hours, coming from Owerri or Asaba. So, anybody whocametocelebrate isassuredofsecurity,good neighbourhood, peace and tranquility.

What is your view on the refusal of the presidenttoassenttotheElectoralActAmendment Bill and the reasons adduced?

Theareaofconcern,accordingtothepresident, is the cost of funding the direct primaries. As we speak, almost all the political parties have two processes of nomination of candidate, which is either by direct primary or indirect primary. For us in APGA, the constitution is clear on that. The 2019 constitution of the party and even in the 2014 constitution as amended, the issue is clear therethatyoucanusedirectorindirectprimaryto select a candidate. For us in APGA, we would have preferredthatthethingisleftthewayitwas. There is no need amending it because direct primary is veryexpensiveandpoliticalpartiesinNigeriadon’t have the resources to run their affairs, let alone handle direct primaries. Even the cost on INEC is enormous.Whatitmeansisthatforinstance,ifwe weretoconductagovernorshipelection,itmeans that the 326 wards will conduct direct primaries simultaneouslyanditalsomeansthatINECwould have to send monitors to every ward in Anambra Stateandiftheprocesswastogosimultaneously in36statesandtheFederalCapitalTerritory(FCT), you know what it means. INEC doesn’t have the manpower to cover the process and the political

parties don’t have the resources to handle it.Why notallowsleepingdogslie?Whycreateunnecessary burden on the political parties? The government doesn’tgiveadamaboutthepoliticalparties.Most politicalpartiescan’tevenmeettheirbasicobligations, let alone embark on this multi-million naira project which at the end is useless. The political partieshavedonewelltomanagetheiraffairs.First, it is supposed to be an internal party matter and shouldn’tbeadjudicateduponbyanygrouponbehalf of the political party.The political parties have the capacity to run their affairs. So, there should be no meddlesomeness on the part of government or the National Assembly for that matter. That’s where we stand.

Butwhatdoyou say abouttheconcernsthat even the politicians and the other stakeholders have about the indirect primary not being representative or transparent enough?

The proponents of this new law are not being realistic.Whatdoyoumeanbytransparency?The direct primary does it guaranty transparency? It doesn’t. Itcanstillbemanipulated.Didn’tithappen inAnambraState?APCapplieddirectprimaryfor the selection of governorship candidate for the Anambra election. What happened at the end?

The thing went sideways and up till today it has continued to hunt the party because there is no wayAPCinAnambracouldhavehandledit;thecost wouldhavebeenenormous.Eventhecommonone thattheydidINECcouldn’tmonitoritbecauseasat 5:30pmthepartywasn’treadyforanyprimary.So, for me there is nothing like transparency in it.The parties have always done it in the past. Let them leave it the way it is and let’s continue to handle it.

Now that the bill would be sent back to the National Assembly what is your advice to the lawmakers in handling this matter?

My advice to them is to reach a middle-of- theroad agreement with the president. There is no need to veto it because if you do that you are just postponing the dooms day; it will still come back.

So, the best thing for the National Assembly to do istolistentothepresidentandlistentothepolitical partiesandlistentoNigerians.Whatdotheywant?

Letthemdowhatthepartieswantbecauseweare thepeoplethatweartheshoesandweknowwhere it pinches. So, they can’t think for us.The position of the political parties in Nigeria is that we should allowthestatusquotoremain.Thatisourposition.

Let every party decide whether they want direct orindirectprimaryifitcanaffordit.Letthemleave

Whatplansdoes APGAhastomakeitspresence felt in the upcoming elections especially in FCT, Osun and Ekiti by this year?

Youknowthathasbeenourprojectsincewecame intoofficein2015.APGAisnolongeraregionalparty as people use to say. Now it is a truly national party because we have won elections in unusual places.

We won three House of Representatives’ seats in Benue State; we won two House of Assembly seats in Bayelsa; we won two councillorship seats in Kaduna State - we even won two chairmanship seats but they refused to give it to APGA; we won the chairmanship at Gwagwalada Area Council in FCT with eight councilors out of 10. We also won four councillorship seats in Niger State; we won 13 seats in Abia State House of Assembly out of 24 in 2015; we won 28 seats out of 30 in Anambra in 2015butnowwewon24outof30inthestateHouse of Assembly. InTaraba S,tate we have one House of Representatives’ seat and also won one House of Assemblyseat.SoAPGAisatrulynationalparty;we are no longer the regional party people use to know.

Asweapproachoff-seasonelectionnextyear,weare fightingtowinmorechairmanshipandcouncillorship seats here in the FCT. For Osun and Ekiti states we areputtingeverythingwehavetoshowaverystrong presenceinthosegovernorshipelections.SoAPGA has come to stay and what happened in Anambra would be replicated all over Nigeria. We have been receivingcallsfrompeoplewhohaveshowninterest.

Yesterday,IhadameetingwithateamfromCrossRiver State comprising members from different political partiesandwearereadytoworkwiththem.APGAis themoststablepoliticalpartyinNigeriatodayandwe are not taking it for granted. We are have extended our hands of friendship to all politicians across the countrywhodesireaverystrongplatformtoexpress theirpoliticalinterestandthatiswherewearetoday.

Let me talk about those that mischievously left the party, Well, they are welcome back and when they come back they have to queue. We are not going to give anybody any special treatment; that is the stand of the party. The door is opened for anybody who wants to join our party and contribute to the socio-economicdevelopmentofourcountry.APGA is the only stable party in Nigeria today. Remember Ipredictedin2015whyPDPwasdeclining;APCwill follow suit and very soon and both parties will fall in irreversible coma and ultimate death and APGA will become ultimate undertaker and that is already happening.The two political parties are in coma and very soon they would go into irreversible coma and from there sudden death and APGA will undertake their burial.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

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GAVEL

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

Senate Moves to Tackle Unending Building Collapse Udora Orizu writes that weeks after series of building collapse in Lagos, the Senate has passed a bill to regulate real estate business

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he Senate has passed a Bill to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Council of Nigeria. The passage of the Bill came three weeks after a 21-storey building at Ikoyi, Lagos State collapsed on November 1, 2021 claiming over 40 lives, with several others injured.

There has been a spike in the number of building collapses in the country with many cases recorded over the last 10 years. Although every society has its own problems and Nigeria is not an exception yet the very recent frequent of buildings collapsing in various locations have been giving the various arms of government and the people of Nigeria sleepless nights in view of the enormous loss of huge investments in housing, properties and most importantly human life.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 warned that persons who compromised building regulations and quality standards in country would be punished. He said the increase in cases of building collapse was an indication of impunity by those responsible.

Buhari who gave the warning when the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors visited him at the Presidential Villa, said: “The recent tragic incidents in Lagos and many others across the country, remind us of the need to strictly adhere to quality standards when it comes to construction projects. Young, innocent lives must never be lost due to incompetence and greed. Simply put, no corners must be cut. l want to assure you that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law.”

However, despite the warning, repeated calls by victims, experts and many other Nigerians, there seem to be no end to the collapses. Of more concern is the lack of punishment for those responsible for the collapses.

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016, Lagos was in the news for the wrong reason once more. Another building had collapsed, tragedy had struck again. Around 3am, shortly after a windstorm, a Àve-storey building under construction at Lekki Gardens Horizon 1, in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos collapsed, killing no fewer than 34 persons and injuring several others.

A four-storey uncompleted building at No. 2 Ikoli Street, OͿ, Gimbiya Street in Garki, Federal Capital Territory collapsed in August, 2010. When the building collapsed, over 30 people were inside. 21 of them died and 9 were injured. Some reports put the death toll at 23. While at least two more uncompleted buildings have collapsed in Abuja since then, none has matched the 2010 collapse in terms of casualties.

On a Sunday evening in September 2013, Abu Naima Primary and Secondary School in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area collapsed. Ten of about 30 pupils, who were said to be mostly below 10 years old, were killed when the two-storey school building collapsed. The National Emergency Management Agency attributed the collapse to structural defects, saying the building was originally a bungalow before it was converted to a two-storey building. It’s foundation could not support the weight in the end.

The most recent one making the news, is the collapse of a 21-storey building at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, killing over 40 persons including the owner, Femi Osibona, and injured many who were trapped inside debris of the structure.

This unfortunate incident has yet again sparked reactions from diͿerent quarters, with experts examining the lapses that led to the disaster, and possible remedy to avert future cases of such.

Possible Causes Any attempt to address the problem of building collapse in Nigeria should look at all factors in the building process. While some blame it

Scene of Ikoyi building collapse on quality of materials used, use of uncertiÀed professionals to handle projects, others attribute it to poor regulatory or supervisory role on the part of government authority in charge of structures to ensure that appropriate engineering standards are maintained.

Building experts has blamed building collapses on the use of low quality building materials coupled with employment of incompetent artisans and weak supervision of workmen on site. Also building collapse were attributed to non-compliance with speciÀcations, standards, use of substandard building materials and equipments and the employment of incompetent contractors. Another remote cause of building collapse, is also mainly the non-enforcement of existing laws and endemic poor work ethics of Nigerians at large.

Senate Wades in As the frequent cases of building collapse in diͿerent parts of Nigeria keep attracting wide concern. the Senate at the plenary last week passed a Bill to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Council of Nigeria.

According to the Senate, the Council when established would among others, curb fraudulent practices and ensure that the real estate business aligns with the National Building Code in Nigeria.

The bill which scaled third reading during plenary is tagged: ‘The Real Estate Regulatory Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2021.’

Sponsored by Senator Aliyu Wamakko and read for the Àrst time on April 28, 2021, while it scaled second reading on June 22, 2021. The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of a report on the Bill by

the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service.

The report was laid during plenary by the Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, who presented the report on behalf of the Committee Chairman, Ibrahim Shekarau, said the establishment of the Real Estate Council of Nigeria would provide e΀cient, eͿective and transparent administration of the business of real estate development in the country.

According to him, the Council would be responsible for prescribing minimum standards for the conduct of the businesses of real estate development across the country.

He recalled that the bill seeking to establish the Real Estate Council of Nigeria was passed by both chambers of the eighth National Assembly, but was not assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmaker said the president’s refusal to withhold assent to the bill was not unconnected with certain observations raised by stakeholders at the time.

According to him: “Those observations have been taken care of in this report by the Committee following the engagement with stakeholders to ensure that real estate business in Nigeria conÀrms with the Money Laundering Act 2011 (as amended) and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit Act 2018 in terms of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing due diligence compliance”.

He stressed that when established, the Council would standardize the business of real estate by regulating the conduct of transactions; and provide enabling environment

and transparency in the business of real estate development in Nigeria.

The legislator stated that the Council would also curb fraudulent practices to ensure that the real estate business conÀrms with the National Building Code in Nigeria; as well as create an innovative and sustainable environment to promote Nigeria as a real estate investment destination in Africa and the world.

Will the Council be Able to Tackle Unending Building Collapse in Nigeria?

Over the years, with every devastating building collapse in Nigeria, commissions of inquiries or probe panels were set up to investigate the cause with a view to Ànding lasting solutions to the menace. Sadly, none seems to have reached a logical conclusion; and consequently, no culprit has been brought to book.

Years back, Chief Inspector, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Mr Sam Adeleke, lamenting how governments treat alleged culprit of building collapse with kids’ gloves especially in Lagos, said: “Each time there is a building collapse the government of the state involved will issue a warning on zero tolerance of substandard buildings but nothing tangible comes out of it until the next building collapse tragedy occurs.”

If this Real Estate Regulatory Council of Nigeria Bill is Ànally assented to by Mr. President, it is expected of the parliament to ensure that the provisions in the Bill are strictly adhered to by real estate developers to ensure optimal performance in construction management and control for improved service delivery.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

INTERNATIONAL Unending Mistreatment of Nigerians Abroad: Human Rights Violation or Containment of Indiscipline?

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any Nigerians have been indecently brutalised in different countries of the world for various untenable reasons. Most of the reasons bother on the attitude of the brutalised Nigerians. The most recent case was the maltreatment of some Nigerians travelling with Ethiopian Airline coming from the United States and transiting through a Togolese airport on Saturday, 18th December 2021. The brutalisation was the handiwork of Togolese security officials and Togolese Airline, ASkyline who said the brutalised Nigerian had entered the prohibited area of the airport but ignoring that the Nigerian victims had been stranded at the airport because of mishandlings by the ASky Airline, which was to coordinate the transit of the Nigerians from Togo to Nigeria.

Although the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, said the ASky Airline had already written to the Nigerian authorities to apologise, the damage had already occurred. The House of Representatives mandated the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on National Security, and Intelligence to link up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the circumstances of the mistreatment. The directive was in response to the motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Ndudi Elumelu a Minority Leader (PDP, Delta) in the House.

Several questions can be raised at this juncture: why is it that the maltreatment of Nigerians abroad has become recidivist?

Is it because of the attitudinal disposition of the Nigerians? Is it that they are undisciplined? At the level of the government, why is it difficult for security agents to arrest people who are not law-abiding without brutality of action? Why are governments always violating human rights in an attempt to contain indiscipline or an infraction? Why is it that the Government of Nigeria is unable to control the attitude of Nigerians travelling abroad or returning to Nigeria? Why is Nigeria’s foreign policy always reactive and not pro-active? Many observers have opined that Nigerians are always brutalised back home and therefore no one should expect better treatment abroad. Why should this be so?

One of the main objectives of the #EndSARS protests in October 2020 was to nip police brutalities in the bud, but this has been to no avail so far. Should this situation be a pretext for manhandling Nigerians outside of Nigeria, and particularly in the ECOWAS region? The maltreatment of Nigerians at the Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport is one case too many. It is another expression of George Floyd’s most unfortunate brutalisation.

Manifestations of Mistreatment Galore Cases of mistreatment of Nigerians abroad are intriguing and frequent. Nigerians are frequently made objects of ridicule in many parts of the world. The mistreatments are particularly noteworthy under the President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) administration. In fact, there have been three major cases of mistreatment of Nigerians in 2021 alone, not to mention the xenophobic brutalities against Nigerians in South Africa. Let us revisit the cases of Ghana, Indonesia, and Togo.

The mistreatment of Nigerians in Ghana began in 2007. It is xenophobic in objective and manifestation, and contrary to the spirit of community citizenship espoused by several ECOWAS protocols. For example, Protocol A/P.1/5/79 Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, done in Dakar, Senegal on 29th May 1979, has it in its Article 2 that ‘the Community Citizens have the right to enter, reside and establish in the territory of Member States.’ A Community Citizen is any national of a Member State of the ECOWAS. The right of free movement of persons and residence and establishment is still further regulated by Article 4 which stipulates that ‘notwithstanding the Provisions of Article 3 above, Member States shall reserve the right to refuse admission into their territory and Community citizen who comes within the category of inadmissible immigrants under its laws.’ Explained differently, the enjoyment of any right of free movement, residence and establishment is, at best, left to the whims and caprices of the Member States. This is precisely what obtains in the case of legally resident and established Nigerians in Ghana.

In 2020, Ghanaian authorities clamped down on Nigerian traders in their country. They closed hundreds of Nigerian shops mainly because Ghanaians explicitly made it clear that they do not want Nigerians. They do not want the Nigerian

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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama traders because they offer cheapest goods and Ghanaians have difficulty in competing with them. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives went to Ghana to sort out the misunderstanding at the level of Ghanaian lawmakers.

The peace efforts were to no avail.

It is important to recall here that, earlier in June 2021, the people and Government of Ghana forcefully entered Nigeria’s High Commission and went to the extent of demolishing diplomatic structures contrary to the 1961 Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which in its Article 22 provides that ‘the premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the Head of the Mission.’

In fact, Article 30 of the same Convention has it that ‘the private residence of a diplomatic agent shall enjoy the same inviolability and protection as the premises of the mission. His papers, correspondence and except as provided in paragraph 3 of Article 31, his property, shall likewise enjoy inviolability.’

Paragraph 3 of Article 31 referred to, prohibits the taking of measures against a diplomatic agent except in the case of privatelyowned immovable property, in situations of succession in which the diplomatic agent is involved as executor, administrator, heir or legatee as a private person, and any engagement in professional or commercial activity by the diplomatic agent in the receiving State in his or her private capacity.

Ghana, which acceded to national sovereignty on March 6, 1957, that is, more than three years before Nigeria on October 1st, 1960, is a signatory to the 1961 Vienna Convention. How to explain the flagrant disregard for the treaty obligations remains a mute question. The animosity vis-à-vis Nigeria and Nigerians in Ghana is silent in character but always openly manifested in action. The requirement of payment of US$1million for registration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) is a bold manifestation of the animosity.

Besides, there was also the case of a Nigerian who took the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PRC) and tested negative in Dubai

Put interrogatively, why is there no deliberate foreign policy of protection and sanction for Nigerians that are mistreated with impunity? What really is the so-called overall national interest that does not include the protection of mistreated Nigerians abroad?

Why is the protection of national interests selective and not holistic? Whatever is the protection of the national interest that ignores the safety and survival of the Nigerian as a human being and as the first beneficiary of any protection efforts put together is, at best, good for nothing. Therefore, Nigeria’s foreign policy must shift from being reactive to becoming more proactive and anticipatory.

Nigeria’s foreign policy must be defined by rules of reciprocity in both its sense as a retorsion and as a reprisal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be more accountable to the people of Nigeria by always informing and educating the Nigerian public about the outcomes of every inquiry into mistreatments of Nigerians abroad. In the same vein, when mistreatment is because of undisciplined behaviour of the Nigerian, there must be sanctionary measures and public records on them must also be sustainably kept. There is no goodness in having a big population in which most people are undisciplined. A small population of very disciplined society is quite better than an unruly big society. Nigeria should be a giant in what is good and not a glorified giant in acts of indiscipline.

but arrived in Ghana to be found positive. Another Nigerian tested negative in Nigeria but arrived in Ghana to test positive.

How do we explain testing negativity in Dubai and Nigeria only to test positive in Ghana? Additionally, Nigerians have equally been complaining about being compelled to pay N500,000 (five hundred thousand naira) only for one week quarantine while Ghanaians who tested positive were taken to a free facility. Should Community citizens be differently treated in any Member State of the ECOWAS? The Ghanaian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Rashid Bawa, defended the position of his government in a logical manner: ‘Ghana will not maliciously produce COVID-19 positive test results for visitors, especially Nigerians visiting Ghana.’Who should we believe in this case: Nigerian complainants or the Ghanaian High Commissioner?

One truth here is that the Ghanaian government asked the Nigerian traders not only to pay one million US dollars cash or equity, but also gave 14 days within which the Nigerian traders must regularise. Besides, the Nigerian traders must employ at least 25 skilled Ghanaian workers and must not trade in goods that the Ghanaian traders deal in. The Ghanaian authorities claimed it had already given one year notice to the Nigerian traders following the closure of the Nigerian shops but the Nigerian traders, who are interested in retail business, argued that they do not have the required one-million-dollar equity operational deposit. Without any whiff of doubt, the Ghanaian policy requiring an equity participation is a neat technique of neutralising and sending the Nigerian traders out of Ghana to find alternatives outside of Ghana. It is another way of declaring them as personae non grata so to say.

What is more thought-provoking is the statement by the EZE Ndigbo Ghana, HRM Ihenetu, who, in his evaluation of the detention of many Nigerians at the Aflao border, following the signing of a presidential executive order closing Ghanaian borders. He said ‘most Nigerians living here in Ghana are seriously violating the laws of the land. Most of us are seriously working on what the government doesn’t want us to do… Thank God that the country as a nation also welcome Nigerians… There are over two million Nigerians in Ghana and the country accommodated us. It is activities of some Judas among the 12 that are causing problem here and making the people to move against some Nigerians here.’Thus, in the eyes of the Eze Ndigbo, the Ghanaian authority should not be held responsible for the mistreatment of Nigerians. And perhaps most importantly, he said ‘we must also tell ourselves the truth. The problem facing Nigeria today is because we have bad government. Every son and daughter in that country, Nigeria, wants to get out looking for greener pasture somewhere round the world and if we are rejected in our own country, how much more in alien countries, you think they won’t reject us? They would. It is like that name Nigeria has now become (a) time bomb and anything can trigger it to explode.’

This perspective cannot but be a major reason for imposing the payment of US $1 million working capital on Nigerian traders before they can operate in Ghana. This can also explain in part why the Nigerian traders asked the Government of Nigeria to evacuate them back to Nigeria. But is returning to Nigeria a long-term solution? In which way is the Ghanaian policy consistent with the spirit of ECOWAS objective of regional integration and Community citizenship? Can there be a subregional, regional, and continental integration in Africa?

The Indonesian case involved a consular official, Mr. Abdulrahman Ibrahim, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, 7th August 2021. He was held down in a moving vehicle by immigration officials who forcefully pushed his head against the backseat so hard to the extent that he faintly cried out ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe… my neck, my neck.’ In the eyes of Nigeria, it was ‘an egregious act of international delinquency by the Indonesian State.’ Is this international delinquency a violation of human rights? Is it a resultant of attitudinal indiscipline of the Nigerian consul? We observe here that it is more about human rights violation than of attitudinal indiscipline of the Nigerian consul.

Rights Violation or Attitudinal Indiscipline?

Mr. Ibnu Chuldun, the Head of the Jakarta branch of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, which handles the issues of immigration, the Nigerian consul refused to present his documents for identification purposes when he was confronted in the lobby of an apartment building. This explanation is very ridiculous. It raises Indonesia’s international responsibility.

In an interview with Adelani Adepegba of The Punch, former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Mr. Amedu-Ode, pointed out some loopholes in the defence arguments of the Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria. First, there is nothing to gain from any refusal to identify oneself, especially as a consular or diplomatic agent. Indonesia has simply ‘goofed big time.’ Secondly, on alleged attack by Mr. Ibrahim, Ambassador Amedu-Ode has it that ‘the Indonesians videoed the humiliation of our diplomat and put it in the public space via social media. The question then is: did they not film our officer’s violence against one of them?

And will any sane man initiate physical fight seeing that he is outnumbered?

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JANUARY 2, 2022

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with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

ENGAGEMENTS

Unhappy New Year

‘H

appy New Year!’ is a reflexive outburst of thoughtless and unconditionaloptimism.Atthe back of it all lies humanity’s compulsivesuperstitiouswish thatthethingsthatdetermine goodtidingswillobeyourgood wishes.Justwishitanditcouldhappen.Theexpectation is that the unseen hands of divine providence will make our wishes come true. We have a way of assuring ourselves that in the torrent of exchanges ofgoodwishesamongusasfriendsandneighbours afloodofgoodfortunewillsweepthroughtheworld andmakeeverythingnewandhappyintheNewYear.

In the euphoria of heralding the New Year, there is an implicit condemnation of the Old Year. The ingratitude is palpable especially for miscreants andoutrightcriminalswhoselifedefiningheistwas executed in the Old Year.

The superstition can be even worse. There is a preposterous assumption that things will turn out well simply because everybody wishes everybody well. But it never does. It is more a social convention, a manner of speaking and a ritual of daily living. Behind it all is a naïve belief and an infantile expectationthataflipofthecalendarfromoneday to the next will suddenly chase away the bandits of Zamfara and Kaduna or make politicians in Abuja slightly more honest and sensible. Not quite likely and not so quickly.

Inallreligionsandcultures,acertainsuperstitious wishforgoodthingsintheNewYearuniteshumanity.

Old things have passed away! Everything is made new! The mascot of the New Year is the energetic young warrior prince on a white horse. Some throw awayoldutensils,thrasholdapparelsordumptheir refuse at the road junction at midnight on the last day of the old year. Leftover food is not left out.

Some pour ashes on their own heads in an act of expiation for sins committed in the old year. But alas, that wish for a better New Year does not stop yourdogfromdyingtomorroworyourenemyfrom hittingitrichinspiteofhistreacheryandwickedness.

But it is in our nature that we speak good tidings to each other at the turn of the New Year, expecting the best and fearing the worst. At the back of our minds,weknowandlivewiththefrightfulforeboding that ugly things will happen to good people in the New Year in spite of our best wishes.

Butmoreoftenthannot,thethingsthatdetermine whatwewishforarefarbeyondourindividualcontrol.

Wewisheachotherhappiness.Butourhappinessis oftenmoreafunctionofwhetherthebankbalanceis showing black or red.The decisions that determine those bank balances are made not by the gods or the God we pray to on Fridays or Sundays but by a special breed of creatures called politicians.

They decide who will become poor or rich, who will become broke in the year or take a vacation to the VirginIslands.Politiciansdecidewhosewifewillrun away because of a sudden onset of an infection of adversity. In a way, the politicians in Abuja hold the power to decide whether you as the head of your householdwillretainyourpositionindignityorwear your title and badge of honour in blind obedience to tradition and a manner of speaking.

In the New Year, Nigerians may be shocked how early in the new year their superstitious wishes for prosperity and happiness will turn into ashes or simply evaporate into thin air. In this place, even the best intentions of divine beneficence are soon thwartedbythemachinationsofbadorincompetent people. Early in the New Year, President Buhari is likely to sign into law a senseless volume of silly figures and statistics called a budget.The volume, compiledbylazybureaucrats,paddedupbygreedy legislators and delivered to a bemused nation by semiliteratepoliticiansisalltheempowermentthe executive branch needs to proceed on a spending binge. That is the national budget which sensible citizenshardlyspareamomenttoread.Theother36 state governors and the Minister of the FCTfollow suit in this futile annual ritual of public fraud. The public does not bother to take a look at the figures since they know the politicians will follow neither their own words or implement the content of the silly documents. The budget process in Nigeria is part of an elaborate ritual of collective deceit and masshypnosisthatgoesinthenameofgovernance in these parts.

Nonetheless, the politicians in Abuja are waiting to herald the New Year by resuming their patriotic servicestothenation.Theyarewaitingtoendorsea longconceivedpresidentialdecisiontoremovethe ‘subsidy’onpetrol.Themythisthatthepumpprices of petroleum products are subsidised by governmentbecausethecostatwhichtheseproductsare

Buhari imported are too high for the ordinary consumer to pay at the pump. Government subsidises the landed cost instead of fixing the refineries that wouldhavemadetheproductscheaperandmore affordable in the first place. But every year for over thirty years now, government pays to fix or turn around the refineries which never refine even a gallon of petrol year on year.The ways of government are mysterious!

The importers of petroleum products are licensed agents of the same politicians and bureaucrats.So,thesubsidypaymentscalculated by government, the profit on the importation of refined products and the cost of the dubious refinery maintenance rituals all go to the same commission agents of government. Now government wants the people to pay directly for the fraud because the cost has become scandalous. Government itself is getting broke under the weight of its own profligacy and relentless borrowing binge.

ThefirstreversalofourNewYearwishesisthat the gas station will soon cease to be a centre of economicandpoliticalpowerinNigeria. Oncethe new petrol prices come into effect, only very few will find the courage to go near there. In return, urban Nigerians will rediscover the power and limitations of their legs since bus fares will no longer be for the poor! Others who still dare to takepublictransportwillhavetodecidewhether the cost of going to work is worth the starvation wage they earn. Some may no longer find a place of work to go to as every other honest Nigerian will probably be out of work when petrol prices hit the sky soon.

Those who dare question this ‘patriotic’ and ‘courageous’ decision through protests are enemies of the nation. They may have to return home in police Black Maria or worse with broken heads and fractured ribs. Labour leaders, youth enthusiastsandstudentactivistswhodarespeak out or lead protests against the new prices of gasolinemaybeprosecutedforunlawfulassembly and criminal incitement of mobs. Social media platformsthatdisseminatemessagesaboutfuel price protests may get the Twitter treatment!

While the impending petrol price clampdown lasts, the long awaited upward adjustment in electricity tariffs will roll into place. After all,

the luxury of electricity on demand is not for all Tom, Dick and Harry. International energy prices demand that Nigerians pay the equivalent of what other civilised countries are paying for a unit of electricity. A delegation of electricity distributors and power company executives will likely visit the state house to press home the need for appropriate pricing of power and its products. No nation develops by handing out free electricity 24/7 to citizens who in any case will use the power to commit internet fraud or watch pornography!

Happy New Year and welcome to the year of many new taxes. This is the year of the tax man as king. There is already a foretaste. The cooking gas tax is already here! Common folk are paying through their noses for cooking gas.

The international prices of energy and gas have gone up and Nigerian importers of cooking gas (LPG) are importing at the same international pricesinadditiontopayingdutiestogovernment.

Governmentneedsthemoneybadlytopay$200 million for the importation of mosquito nets so that more people do not die of malaria. Since people can no longer afford cooking gas, they arerevertingtofirewood.Soon,anewrural-urban trade in firewood is likely to blossom. Forget all the international protocols on climate change and environmental protection.

Ordinarily,happyNewYearshouldhavemeant some relief from the existing gamut of explicit taxesonNigerians.Theimplicittaxesareassumed.

We provide our own security at home, in offices andevenwhenweventureoutoftowntovisitthe places of our ancestry. Private fees for private security guards, rented police escorts, rented military escorts and private military companies are things that Nigerians pay for even though they have already been taxed by government for the same services. Add all that to your private watersupply,generatorsandfirstaidandprimary healthcare.

AtNewYear, we wisheachothersafetyandprotection.Inaplacewhereeveryurchinpositionedat everyhundredmetersonthehighwayiswielding anAK47readytodoyouharmorworse,thewish that our protection and security are in the hands of the divine is a bit unfair to God. God oversees the safety of all in a rather invisible unscientific

way but government makes us pay it to keep us safe. It arms and clothes the police, those rich and fat army generals and all the other officially armed guardstokeepussafe.Nooneknowswhoarmsthe bandits, ‘unknown gunmen’, the rogue policemen, insurgents,terroristsandseparatistthugstovitiate the work of God and render divine protection of the people a bit more problematic.

There is an even more curious and unkind aspect to our ritual of New Year greetings and wishes.

We the elite mock the less privileged by wishing each other ‘prosperity’ in the New Year. I am part of this conspiracy of the privileged. To wish a man who is already a multi billionaire in every currency ‘prosperity’ is an atrocious infamy and the height of capitalist insensitivity. It is the height of bourgeois class arrogance and a travesty of natural justice to insist that the affluent and super rich deserve even more ‘prosperity’ in a place like this. Not even the slightest modicum of natural justice or decent sense of proportion can justify this infamy and yet we keep flaunting it year after year. So far, I have never seen any of my rich friends throw back the wish at me by insisting that I should wish myself what I keep wishing them rather unfairly year after year. I am srill waiting for any of my rich friends to send me a wish that they pray for me to join their ranks in this New Year!

Ableakeconomicoutlookshouldnotordinarilybe theentitlementofawillingandhardworkingcitizenry.

It can be relieved by the promise of democratic renewal as elections approach. A free people can endure adversity in the hope that the acts of a few goodmenandwomentobeplacedinpoliticalpower can reverse adversity through better governance and wiser leadership. An obedient and law abiding peopledeserveanexpectationofgoodthingseach NewYear. A wish for a happy NewYear is therefore nottoomuchtoexpectinademocracy.Theessence ofdemocraticaccountabilityistheexpectationthat elected leaders will be more sensitive to the yearningsofthepeopleandbringthemsomesmileseach New Year. In fairness, Nigerians have placed their confidence in democracy to bring about the good things that they wish each other every New Year.

These days, the popularity of democracy can be measured by the percentage of Nigerians who are waiting for the next election to bring about some positive changes in their lives. Yet somehow and repeatedly, our lives never get batter. More and more of our children cannot find work for their able hands. Our urban alleys get more dangerous while our highways have become the abode of robbers, kidnappers and an assortment of casual criminals.

Thosewhodreamareafraidtowakeupbecausethe reality of waking experience is more nightmarish than our worst nightmares. Those who have been around for long enough testify that our lives have descendedintogreaterbitternessandbrutishness astheNewYearshaverolledin.Theoldergeneration find happiness only in nostalgic reminiscences of times past while the present frightens even the most courageous with its bloody fearsomeness.

Democracy does have inbuilt reassurances of some sweetness. A free society, free and fair elections, transparent political processes and systems and accountable leaders can hold a hope that the New Year will be a better place for all. But as 2022 gathered steam to roll in, Nigeria’s democracy had one hopeful expectation. A bill to amend our electoral system and allow for open direct primaries was gathering dust on the president’s desk. The consensus was that the president would break the backbone of a fledgling political oligarchy and autocracy by signing the bill into law. Open direct primarieswouldleveltheplayingfieldbygivingparty membersuniversalequalsayinwhogetsputforward for elective office.This would end the cultic control ofleadershipselectionbypartyoligarchswhothwart the will of the people by unilaterally handpicking party candidates. But just on the eve of New Year, the president, consistent with his conservative creed and instinctive anti democratic inclinations, withheld accent to the law.The only door open for a happy NewYear seems to have been shut by a man who is easily the greatest beneficiary of Nigerian democracy, magnanimity and optimism.

IntheyoungNewYear,thereisabundantgroundfor morepessimisminNigeriathaneverbefore.Aclear and present economic doom looms in the horizon.

And now, a virtual political autocracy presided over by party oligarchs has been slammed into place by presidential fiat.Those who wished each other Happy NewYear a few days ago may be at a loss. As usual, all that may be left of our New Year wishes is the hope that God and Allah will intervene to bring us some sweetness after all.

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NEWSXTRA 2023: Tinubu Best Candidate for Presidency, Says Jibrin Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin yesterday said the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu would contest for the office of the presidency in 2023.

Speaking with journalists in Kano yesterday, Jibrin, the Director-General, Bola Tinubu Support Group Council, said arrangements for the former governor to declare his presi-

dential bid are underway.

The former lawmaker said Tinubu is competent to be president of the country.

“I can confirm to you that Tinubu will contest the 2023 elections. The aspect of the decision is done; it’s a done deal,” he said.

“Arrangements to publicly declare will soon be known.

I’m talking to you officially that he (Tinubu) will contest the presidential seat.

“We need somebody who can carry along everybody and I

believe that Tinubu is the best option for Nigeria. He is not a religious fanatic and has massive networks across all the boundaries in the country.

“Asiwaju has worked extensively for the APC and never shifted ground.

He is competent to be the president of this country.

“Nigerians always go for quality and I believe that issue is purely on the quality of the person “I do not see a dark horse

coming in 2023. It will take s super miracle in APC and God willing, Mr Tinubu will emerge as president.

“Asiwaju has an edge ahead of others. He will not lose the ticket and will be the president of this great country under the APC.” According to him, Today’s visit has really exhilarated a feeling in me that I have more than a brother in Rivers. I have always looked up to Wike and I have always told him he is a leader not because he is a governor or

Lekki Residents Lament Erection of Buildings on Coastal Road Segun James Residents of the Lekki area of the Lagos metropolis have called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to urgently bring about an end to the ongoing demarcation of coastal road, parts of which they said has been leased to developers by the Lagos State Government.

The residents, under the aegis of Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA), made the call in a statement signed by Olorogun James Emadoye, LERSA President, saying the development is threat to life and property in the area

“We are compelled to run to you and the State House of Assembly at this auspicious time of the year, as we have noticed heavy construction on the Coastal Road around Goshen Estate, Lekki.

“Our initial investigation revealed that some government officials are the ones that have allocated the Coastal Road to developers for various untenable reasons,” the statement said.

LERSA noted that the development, which it described as an existential threat, arose because of the activities of strange people.

“One of the builders, known as CLAM Church, has already constructed permanent structures

on the Coastal Road and others are waiting to follow.

“LERSA is therefore compelled to bring this development to the attention of the Lagos State House of Assembly and appeal to the Honourable Members to use their good offices to ensure an urgent resolution that puts an end to a threat that is capable of dislocating the peace and tranquility that currently exist in our state,” the association stated.

LERSA noted that when it hosted Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a candidate before the 2019 election, he promised that if elected, his administration would build the Coastal Road.

The association said it is surprised that it is the officials of the Sanwo-Olu administration that are allocating the land meant for the road to private developers.

“We are shocked to be told that the same government officials are the ones allocating the same road to private developers. The long-expected and much-needed Lekki Coastal Road planned by Lagos State Government to alleviate the severe traffic congestion in this axis is currently under threat following infringement by illegal developments beside Goshen Beach Estate and Regal Seaview Estates.

he has m money but the stuff he is made up. Very tough stuff and he is the face of PDP today and coming to Bauchi today my day has been made” On the agitation by some groups for him to contest, Mohammed said he has exceeded his personal expectation

of himself having once to be a director, a senator, minister of FCT and a governor “What we are after (Wike and I ) is the unity of this country, the progress and development and Nigeria, although I cannot claim to be near him in projects because he is the face of Project”

NANS Decries Rising Underage Commercial Sex Workers Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The students body in Ekiti State under the aegis of National Association of Nigeria/ Joint Campus Committee (NANS/JCC, Ekiti axis, has lamented the surging cases of underage commercial sex workers in the state.

The association said it was pathetic that many underage students are now engaging in prostitution, describing this as dangerous to the future of the state.

This was contained in NANS/JCC New Year message issued in Ado Ekiti yesterday and signed by its Secretary, Sikiru Aderibigbe.

He advised the federal and state governments to devote more funding to education in 2022, saying

this remains the best way to secure the country’s future.

Aderibigbe said the new year would bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to students population when the government focus attention in the education sector through improved budgetary estimates and provision of adequate security on campuses..

He said: “On this occasion of the new year, I do wish to state my displeasure on the increasing rate of underage commercial sex workers in our dear state.

“I therefore appeal to the state government to address this ugly act within our society as soon as possible before it becomes an uncontrollable wild fire.”

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NEWSXTRA Wike Declares War against Operators of Illegal Refineries Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike has declared war against artisanal crude oil refiners in the state.

According to the governor, the action was to tackle the environmental menace occasioned by black soot in parts of the State.

He directed the Chairmen of councils, particularly Port Harcourt Local Government Area to go after all the illegal crude oil refining sites and shut them down with

immediate effect.

Wike also directed all council Chairmen and community leaders to locate, identify and report to his office all those behind all illegal bunkering and crude oil refining sites in their localities for prosecution.

The governor who made this declaration in his 2022 New Year message, said the directive stems from failure of the Federal government and its security agencies to rein in those behind illegal oil bunkering and artisanal crude oil refiners in the State.

“As a State Government, we have drawn the attention of the Federal Government to this problem and requested for its intervention to stop the activities of illegal bunkering and artisanal crude oil refiners, which have been identified as the main sources of the soot pandemic.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Government has remained inexplicably silent over our request and even complicit to a large extent with the security agencies actively aiding, encouraging and protecting the artisanal refiners

to continue with their harmful activities unabated.”

The governor said the State government has equally appealed without success to persons engaging in this illegal business to consider its negative effects on the economy, environment, public safety and public health and disengage from it.

Wike, assured that his administration will continue to do its best to meet the aspirations of citizens for a more peaceful, safe and secure society throughout the Year 2022.

“We will continue to pursue our objectives for a stronger and more sustainable economy centred on fiscal discipline, revenue growth, job creation, and improved standard of living for all residents.

“We will continue to accelerate our development with the sustainable delivery of quality roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other socio-economic infrastructure and complete all ongoing development projects across the State.”

The governor reminded all

government recognized traditional rulers that they are, at all times, subject to the authority and directives of the State Government and not to other allegiances, culture or otherwise.

“Therefore, the consistent absence of some first class traditional rulers, especially the Amayanabo of Okrika, the Amayanabo of Ogu, the Amayanabo of Kalabari and the Gbenemene Nyo-Khana from participating in State functions is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated.

Sanwo-Olu Welcomes First Babies of the Year Segun James Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke SanwoOlu yesterday welcomed and presented gift items to the first babies of the year in Harvey Road Health Centre, Onikan Health Centre and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital.

Baby Abdulganiu, a male child who weighed 3.2kg delivered at exactly 12:00:15am by Mrs. Shukurat Abdulganiu is the first baby of the year at Harvey Road Hospital.

Another baby, also male child who weighed 2.5 kg and delivered at 12:00am by Mrs Adesola Ajila is the first baby of the year at Onikan Health Centre, while the first baby of year at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital is baby Layembi.

The baby; a male who weighed 3.1kg was delivered at 12:10am

by Mrs Simbiat Layembi.

Welcoming the first babies at the hospitals, Sanwo-Olu said the birth of a newborn is a symbolic and significant event that brings forth the assurance that human heritage is carried on to the next generation.

“The gift of a new baby is a priceless one from God. It, therefore, gladdens me to be in the midst of the Lagos Health Family to

receive and celebrate the First Baby of the year 2022” She noted.

Sanwo-Olu commended the Commissioner for Health, Prof.

Akin Abayomi and the Lagos health family for the laudable work done in tackling the COVID19 pandemic and the improvement recorded in the health sector.

She said the state government“has continued to deliver on its mandate to all residents in the State. Over the years, the state government has strengthened its maternal and child health policies and programs, upgrading and constructing new maternal and child health facilities towards the provision of efficient, accessible, and affordable mother and child services.

“These efforts have paid off, resulting in a significant reduction in the high morbidity and mortality among women and under-five children in the state.

He, therefore, urged the health family to do more in terms of infrastructure upgrade, provision of relevant equipment, positive attitudinal change in our workers, and human capacity development, in order to sustain and improve on the level of efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery so far achieved.

PIND Tasks Oil Firms on Implementation of PIA Sylvester Idowu inWarri The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) in collaboration with the New Nigeria Foundation (NNF) has tasked national and international oil companies on the implementation of aspects of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on host communities.

In a workshop tagged, “Transitioning to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA): A stepwise approach to prepare oil and gas companies for the establishment and implementation of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT),” the collaborating organisations said there was a need to discuss and elicit practical insights on how oil companies could deliver the PIA mandate effectively and efficiently.

In his opening remarks, Executive Director of PIND, Mr Tunji Idowu, noted that PIA’s mandate to create HCDTs for the benefit of host communities was a major game-changer for many oil and gas industry players as it

portended a radical departure from the current industry status quo.

According to the PIA, the oil operators, described as “settlers”, are obliged to make an annual contribution based on three per cent of their yearly operating expenditure to the Trust.

“Although the PIA mandate is targeted towards players in the oil industry, solving the complexities around the effective and efficient transition to the PIA requires the combined efforts, resources, and capabilities of broader stakeholders,” Idowu said.

He acknowledged the settlors’ prior experience and established governance systems from running various models of corporate social investment before the enactment of the PIA. The Managing Director of NNF, Prof Obafemi Ajibola, in his comments, emphasised the need for oil industry stakeholders to understand the PIA ahead of its implementation, adding that “there’s going to be a lot of definitions that would have to be done.”

IN THE SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP …

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Rhoda Micheals Institute, Rhoda Micheals; a fashion designer, Saheed Omoshalewa; and Tomike Adeoye at the graduation ceremony of Rhoda Micheals Fashion Institute in Lagos … recently

NIS: Scarcity of Passport Booklets Will End by March Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Isa Idris, has said the delay in passport processing as a result of booklet scarcity will be over

by March.

Speaking yesterday during a media interaction, he blamed the challenge of delayed passport production on the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying global lockdown, and also the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange in the country.

According to him, part of efforts put in place to address the delay is the launch of the enhanced e-passport, which he noted has improved features.

“Just Friday, we received a total of 45,000 booklets towards clearing the backlog and in December alone, we received more than 100,000 booklets which we have continued to distribute across the passport centres nationwide. This is not just for Nigerians in Nigeria alone

but for those in the Diaspora as well,” Idris said.

“But with the introduction of the enhanced e-passport, we are good to go in our efforts towards addressing the scarcity. This enhanced e-passport is a great improvement on the biometric passport technology which we adopted as a country in 2007.

“It is a strategic step towards curbing forgery, impersonation and other forms of fraud associated with obtaining travel docu-

ments under the old machine readable passport regime.

“And because we know that technology helps to address some of our challenges, including corruption, we have continued to try to stop personal contacts with our officials. My predecessor started to break the jinx and we are continuing on that. We plead with applicants to apply only online and stop physical contacts with our officers to avert corrupt practices.”

Otti Slams N50bn Libel Suit on Abia Information Commissioner Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia A renowned economist and banker, Mr. Alex Otti, has sued the Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Eze Chikamnayo over alleged libellous publication, following a barrage of “malicious” verbal attacks by the government spokesman.

Otti and other opposition politicians have been targets of

relentless verbal attacks for daring to criticise the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

He dragged Chikamnayo before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), seeking redress over the alleged libellous publication in an online news platform, Abia Pulse.

In the suit filed by his counsel, Season Law Firm, Abuja, Otti said that the contents of

a statement titled ‘Enough of Otti’s Nonsense’ credited to Chikamnayo and published by Abia Pulse News Online were not only “false and mallcious” but also “defamatory and libellous” against his person.

The publisher of Abia Pulse, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwankwo was not spared by Otti as he was joined with Chikamnayo as co-defendants in the suit expected to generate legal fireworks away from Abia.

Otti, who is a renowned economist, banker and frontline Abia opposition politician is claiming N50 billion as damages from the Abia information commissioner and his co-defendant.

Otti contended that the alleged libellous publication “is not only false in its entirety, but also malicious as it intended to malign, ridicule and reduce (his) estimation in the minds of right thinking members of the public”

Delta’s Tricycle Plant Commences Operation Soon, Says Stallion MD Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba The Managing Director of Stallion Group, Mr Manish Rohtagi yesterday said the Delta State Tricycle Manufacturing Plant located in Asaba would commence operations in about two months’ time.

Rohtagi made this disclosure yesterday at the formal signing

of the documents sealing the partnership with the Delta State Government in respect of the project.

The Delta State Investments Development Agency (DIDA), office of the State Attorney-General and Lagos-based Stallion Group’s Stallion Auto Keke Limited and the landed property leaser, signed the tripartite agreement in the of-

fice of the Secretary to Delta State Government, Asaba.

While noting that his company was delighted to do business with the Delta State Government because the location of the tricycle manufacturing plant in Asaba would open doors of opportunities for the company to do business particularly with people across the River Niger,

Rohtagi said everything was being done towards rolling out tricycles from the Asaba plant early in 2022.

“Once again, I thank you, Mr Chairman (DIDA) for bring us here.

I want to reassure you, as I promised you earlier, that the tricycle plant will be up and running in eight weeks from now”, the managing director said.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 2, 2022

SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

AHEAD AFCON 2021

Moses Simon’s Arrival Swells Eagles Camp to 11 Players Duro Ikhazuagbe

T

he arrival last night of France-based Nantes forward, Moses Simon, swelled players in Super Eagles camp in Abuja to 11 players.

Media Officer of the team, Babafemi Raji, confirmed that Simon hit the Bolton White Apartment camp in Abuja at about 9pm to set the stage for a comprehensive training programme ahead of Eagles departure to Cameroon to open AFCON 2021 campaign against seven-time champions Egypt on January 11.

Earlier yesterday, the trio of Peter Olayinka, Francis Uzoho andHenryOnyekuruwerethelatestaddition to the Super Eagles camp.

More players were still being expected as at press time last night.

WhileOnyekuruandUzohowouldbemakingtheir second AFCON appearance, this will be Olayinka’s debut.

Speaking yesterday on expectations, Alanyaspor ofTurkeydefender,ChidozieAwaziembelievesSuper Eagles will perform better at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

“It has been a wonderful atmosphere in camp.

Everyone is preparing with the few players in camp.

Training sessions has been good,”Awaziem told the Super Eagles media.

“Everyone is giving their best, the coach is doing a good job. We are hoping to get more players in camp , so that we can begin preparation for the AFCON properly.

“It’s the new year and everyone is positive, we believe we can achieve something great this year,” he concluded.

TheEagleswillbehopingtosecureafourthAFCON title after last winning it in 2013 in South Africa with late Stephen Keshi in charge.

At the last edition in Egypt they beatTunisia in the third-placed match to claim the bronze.

Super Eagles players in camp include; Moses Simon (Nantes, France), Francis Uzoho(AC Omonia, Cyprus),HenryOnyekuru(Olympiacos,Greece),Peter Olayinka (Slavia Praha, Czech Republic), Chidozie Awaziem(Alayanspor,Turkey), Chidera Ejuke(CSKA Moscow, Russia), Daniel Akpeyi(Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Sadiq Umar(UD Almeria, Spain), Olisa Ndah(Orlando Pirates, South Africa), John Noble(Enyimba FC), Taiwo Awoniyi(Union Berlin, Germany).

Moses Si M Simon (l (left) ft) arrived i d Super S E Eagles l camp iin Ab Abuja j llastt night i ht tto raise i the th number b off players l on ground d tto 11 11.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Ighalo NetsWinner as Al ShababWin City Move 11 Points Clear after Seven-goalThriller on NewYear Day Incident-packed Clash with Arsenal Odion Jude Ighalo scored the winning goal as Al Shabab beat Al Ahli 4-3 in a thrilling Saudi Arabia Professional League encounter on New Year day.

Ighalo scored the winning goal for the visitors in the 73rd minute.

The Nigeria international was in action for the entire duration of the encounter played at the Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium , (Jeddah) The 32-year-old has scored 11 goals in 15 league appearances for Al Shabab this season.

The forward is also now the top scorer in the league ahead of Al Nassr’s striker Talisca, who has 10 goals to his name.

Al Shabab are second on the table with 31 points from 15 games.

Ighalo

Rodri scored a stoppage-time winner as Manchester City beat 10-man Arsenal 2-1 in an incident-packed encounter to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

That advantage will be cut to some extent today when second-placed Chelsea host thirdplaced Liverpool, although no team has failed to win the Premier League title when beginning the new year with a lead as big as City’s.

Arsenal looked to have held out for a draw, but Rodri steered in a loose ball in the 93rd minute to help City claim an 11th successive league win in a game that also had two major VAR incidents and an avoidable red card for Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

The hosts were the better side early on at Emirates Stadium, and Bukayo Saka swept in a deserved opener to finish off a slick move before the Gunners self-destructed after the break.

Riyad Mahrez levelled from the penalty spot after Bernardo Silva was brought down by Granit Xhaka, referee Stuart Attwell overturning his initial decision after viewing the pitchside monitor.

Arsenal felt aggrieved at that call after their own shouts for a penalty in the first half were denied following a long VAR check for Ederson’s tackle on Martin Odegaard.

But one minute after conceding from a penalty Gabriel was sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession, the first for trying to scuff up the spot and the second for a foul on Gabriel Jesus.

Arsenal, whose manager Mikel Arteta was forced to watch from home following a positive

Arsenal ‘s Granit Xhaka (second right) infringing on Bernardo Silva for Manchester City’s equalizing goal.

City ran away with maximum points to stay 11points clear on top of the English Premier League on New Year day PHOTO: AP

Covid-19 test, remain fourth in the table.

Elsewhere, Davinson Sanchez scored a 96thminute winner as Tottenham continued their push for a Premier League top-four place with a last-gasp 1-0 victory over struggling Watford at Vicarage Road.

Defender Sanchez headed in from Son Heungmin’s cross as Antonio Conte continued his unbeaten league start with Spurs, who climbed

to fifth in the table.

Similarly, West Ham United survived a late fightback by Crystal Palace to start the new year with a narrow 3-2 Premier League victory at Selhurst Park.

The three points move David Moyes’side back up to fifth in the table above Tottenham Hotspur, who had claimed an added-time winner at Watford earlier on Saturday.

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“The truth is that the perennial increase by government of the pump price of petrol is actually a transfer of government failure and inability to effectively govern to the poor masses of our country” – The Nigeria Labour Congress warning the federal government against plans to hike petrol price.

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Restarting the Fuel Subsidy War

M

rs Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, dropped a familiar bombshell at the launch of World Bank Nigeria Development Update some weeks ago. Petrol subsidy was going to end, she said, and as a sweetener, a monthly transportation grant of N5,000 would be paid to the poorest 30 million to 40 million Nigerians. She didn’t tell us how the government arrived at this policy. Nigerians quickly whipped out their calculators and started having fun: N5,000 monthly to 40 milling people is N2.4trn per year. Meanwhile, the subsidy expenditure that we want to wipe out is about N1.8trn per year. The economics is atrocious. That was how the subsidy war started again…

Anyone familiar with the history of fuel subsidy wars in Nigeria would be having a feeling of déjà vu. It usually starts with government having revenue challenges. After taking a glance at its accounts, government suddenly discovers that it is bleeding heavily in the petrol business — as the pump price is almost always lower than the cost. “Fellow Nigerians, in order to stop smuggling, we want to increase fuel price …” “Fellow Nigerians, by the time we spend the benefits, your lives will not remain the same…” Etcetera etcetera. In the real sense of it, government is broke. Expenses are high and revenue is low. Subsidy is one of the biggest items on the expenditure side. Simple English.

But how can you tell Nigerians their government is broke when they can see that their resources are still being burnt on chartered fights for political meetings, home and abroad? The legislature is still ballooning the budget. There is nothing in the behaviour of our leaders to show that we are broke.

So why preach sacrifice to the people? Why should sacrifice be always one-sided? Why keep promising the poor “safety nets” when it always ends in tears?

This cynicism, in my view, is a major reason for the resistance to the removal of subsidy. There is a ring of heckling anytime the issue is pushed to the front burner. In any case, many Nigerians believe fuel subsidy is their only benefit.

Some Nigerians even think the country is very rich and can afford to not only subsidise petrol consumption but also pay every citizen a monthly allowance of N1m. But anyone familiar with the reality knows that our public finances are in a bad place. There was a quarter in 2021 that we spent about 98 percent of our revenue on debt service alone. Something will have to give. At this rate, government may have to choose between paying salaries and subsidising petrol. We may even have to borrow to pay for subsidy. This is not to downplay the corruption in the system, but that is not the whole story. In fact, the petrol subsidy regime is integral to the culture of corruption and waste.

There was something uneasy about the context of the announcement of the impending subsidy removal by the finance minister: it was at an event organised by the World Bank. If there is something activists and millions of Nigerians loathe, it is the involvement of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in our affairs. They are seen as agents of imperialism. Activists hold them responsible for our economic woes. The World Bank and IMF are always advocating retrenchment, removal of subsidies and cutting expenditure on social services.

I would never recommend announcing subsidy removal at any event organised by the World Bank/IMF. A major challenge is the way government keeps framing all the issues around “subsidy”. It is a boring auto replay. I am not saying subsidy doesn’t exist — the stats are plain and frightening and undeniable. As long as the cost price is above the pump price, we do not need to go into unnecessary arguments. I am also not suggesting that subsidy does not encourage smuggling to neighbouring countries — arbitrage is a rational economic behaviour.

Ahmed My point of departure is the unending regurgitation of the old arguments that only succeed in dancing around the real issue at hand: deregulation. Telling us “you must pay more to stop smuggling” muddles up the issues.

When are we going to stop reducing the core policy of deregulation to a perennial debate on subsidy? You can say deregulation comes with subsidy removal. That is true. But deregulation can also come with price reduction. It is not a one-way thing. Government keeps painting the picture that petrol price will always go up and will always have to be subsidised. That is why we keep talking about N250bn monthly subsidy as if oil will always sell above $80/barrel. The messaging is problematic. It so happens that anytime government officials talk about subsidy, petrol price is about to go up. The bigger picture of deregulation, which is more important, is often relegated.

It is not as if Nigerians are new to deregulation.

We deregulated the telecoms sector. We deregulated the pricing of diesel and aviation fuel. When I want to buy diesel, I often don’t know the price.

I have bought diesel for between N220 and N340 within the same year. The price goes up and down in line with the dictates of crude prices. That is deregulation. Luxury buses in the fleet of Ekene Dili Chukwu, Ekwos, Ifesinachi and the rest run on diesel. They pay the full price and pass most to their passengers. The bus rapid transit (BRT) in Lagos state carries the most public passengers. The buses run on diesel. Nothing new there. We are not dealing with a policy unknown to humankind.

Of course, I know that petrol is politically sensitive in Nigeria and cannot be treated in the same brackets with diesel and telecoms. After all, we have turned petrol to a political hydrocarbon since the 1970s. As Bob Marley would have said, 45 years of history cannot be wiped away so easily.

We have always made it look like we are protecting the poor with low petrol prices — while actually short-changing them. So, subsidy will always be politically sensitive. You cannot withdraw an age-old privilege and expect the people to fold their arms and not throw punches. That is why the labour unions have threatened to start the new year with nationwide protests against subsidy removal.

As the unions prepare to hit the streets, you cannot say they are unreasonable. They have a point. For one, they have the duty to fight for the wellbeing of their members. Moreover, the impression is that subsidy removal is designed to add to the sufferings of poor Nigerians who are already in severe pains. I was buying petrol recently and I randomly asked the attendant:

“Do you know a litre is about N600 in Ghana (tax inclusive) and N162 in Nigeria — even though we are buying petrol in the same global market?” He fired back: “But their government does something for them, unlike Nigeria where government does nothing for us. The only benefit for poor Nigerians is fuel subsidy.”

Should we tell him? Ghanaians don’t get more from their government than Nigerians do from theirs, just that our neighbours do not have a culture of fuel subsidy and do not feel entitled to it. In Ghana, as in most countries, fuel prices go up and down in line with crude prices. In Nigeria, the subsidy culture is at the core of the resistance to deregulation. You cannot change a culture overnight, not when the people don’t trust their government to come good with “safety nets” promises. Moreover, you cannot deny that Nigerians will suffer in the aftermath of price hike. They can feel the pains immediately and will unfortunately be forced to wait in vain for the palliatives. We have a history.

In my view, Nigerians would endure the pains of deregulation if they trust their government to make good use of the benefits. When the Buhari administration increased petrol price in 2016, there was no single protest. Some said it was because those organising protests in the past were now supporters of this government. Well, who says a new generation of protest organisers should not fill the vacuum? My guess is that ordinary Nigerians trusted Buhari to manage the gains better than previous presidents. After all, Buhari used to kick against subsidy removal. If he now supported it and even went ahead to implement it, he must have known something he didn’t know before.

Interestingly, Buhari almost pushed deregulation across the last hurdle last year until COVID-19 happened. The economic hardship, followed by the End SARS uprising, probably derailed the policy. The government was not ready to risk another rampage. What’s more, public trust had ebbed with the discovery of COVID-19 palliatives in warehouses while government was busy saying it had spent billions to give succour to the poorest Nigerians during the lockdown. These are things that erode trust. Nigerians would easily laugh at the promised N5,000 grant. I was not surprised when people started doing the math. It looks like a typical government promise not meant to be fulfilled.

What is the way forward? I wish I knew. One thing is sure: paying Nigerians to consume petrol is hurting government finances and the economy.

We paid over $4bn to Nigerians to help them put petrol in their vehicles in 2021. That is basically what we did. Could the $4bn have gone into something else more beneficial to the people — like education, health and roads? The reasonable answer is yes. But would the $4bn have really gone into education, health and roads? That is where the problem lies. From experience, most of the $4bn would have gone into financing waste and greed in government. That is the crux of the matter. This is why it is easy to stir up resistance.

Still, I would like to make these points: (1) transport costs will always go up whether or not petrol prices remain the same (2) Nigerians have shown over time that they are not really averse to deregulation as long as they will enjoy the benefits (3) government needs to initiate a decent conversation with the key stakeholders before implementing deregulation or announcing palliative measures (4) unions should be encouraged to propose how the fundamental problems with fuel pricing can be addressed forever so that we do not return to strikes and protests perennially. Regrettably, government has already bungled the whole thing, but it can still go back to the drawing board to save the country from the upheavals and the economic costs that come with strikes.

And Four Other Things…

ONE MAN, ONE MATCHET I understand the frustration of Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina state with the security situation in the north-west. But what problem does he think he is going to solve by “helping” residents acquire weapons to defend themselves against bandits? Let us even forget the fact that the bandits are battle-tested and understand the use of weapons better and may become more vicious. My worry is what residents can do with the weapons. Masari will unwittingly increase the population of bandits who may take over more states and advance to other parts of Nigeria. I don’t know how much thinking went into Masari’s policy but he may end up creating more problems for the country. Risky.

COVID CAUTION We know that plagues come and go from time immemorial and we expect COVID-19 to follow the same pattern — either by disappearing completely or becoming not more than a regular flu. Many think that the emergence of the Omicron variant would be the final stage of the pandemic because it is “milder” and has spread across the world with speed to become dominant. I hope so.

But the experts still have to find out if the “mild” symptoms are not because of vaccine protection rather than a weakened variant.

I believe we should continue to be guided by science and adopt all possible safety measures while we await more findings. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. Caution.

AMAECHI VS JONATHAN Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transportation, clearly needs to be more mature and civil. Having helped the APC oust President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 and headed a strategic federal ministry for six years, Amaechi is still unable to enjoy his victory without gloating and throwing stones at a man who graciously accepted defeat.

He keeps launching unprovoked attacks on Jonathan, who has carried himself with respect so far. Even President Buhari does not savage Jonathan. He only attacks the “16 years of PDP”. Amaechi needs to know that after 2023, Nigerians will judge this administration by its achievements rather than Jonathan’s failings. Obsession.

AND FINALLY… There is a widespread misconception about “foreign reserve” that needs correcting. It is understood by many Nigerians to mean “foreign savings”. It is not unusual to hear boasts of how much “we left” in foreign reserve.

Actually, foreign reserve is where Nigeria keeps its FX income, mostly from petroleum taxes and sale of crude oil. The central bank then provides the naira equivalent to be shared by the three tiers of government at FAAC. In other words, the foreign reserve has already been spent in naira! It is meant to settle our dollar obligations abroad and is a measure of our economic health in foreign trade. You gerrit? If you don’t gerrit, forgerrit.

Happy new year. Cheers!

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