SUNDAY 3RD JULY 2022

Komolafe: Nigeria Lost $1bn Revenue to Crude Oil Theft in Q1 World’s richest billionaires lose $1.4tn in worst half-year ever Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria lost $1 billion in revenue during the first quarter of this year due to crude oil theft, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum

Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr Gbenga Komolafe, said at the weekend, warning that the development was a threat to the country’s economy.

This is coming as the world’s 500 richest people lost $1.4 trillion

in the first half of this year, a dizzying decline that marks the steepest six-month drop the worst ever for the global billionaire class.

Nigeria loses millions of barrels of crude oil a year because of theft and vandalism, including

the tapping of crude from a maze of pipelines owned by oil majors.

Komolafe, according to Reuters, said that of the 141 million barrels of oil produced in the first quarter of 2022, only about 132 million barrels of oil were received at

export terminals.

"This indicates that over nine million barrels of oil were lost to crude oil theft ... this amounts to a loss in government revenue of about $1 billion ... in just one quarter," Komolafe said in a

statement.

"This trend poses an existential threat to the oil and gas sector and by extension, the Nigerian economy if not curbed," he added.

Continued on page 5

FIRS Can Collect VAT from Lagos Hotel Owners, Appeal Court Rules…

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Defend Yourselves against Attackers, Adeboye Tells Followers Festus Akanbi in Lagos and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

L-R: Former First Lady of Oyo State, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi; Representative of the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Chief Godwin Egbagba; Celebrant and Author, Chief Jonathan Boytie Ogufere; the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe; and Chairman of the occasion, President General, Urhobo Progressive Union Worldwide, Olorogun KUNLE OGUNFUYI Moses Taiga, during Chief Ogufere's 90th birthday and book launch reception at the Muson Centre, Lagos ...yesterday

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has spoken against the high rate of insecurity in the country and told the members of his Church to defend themselves against attackers.

Continued on page 8

2023 Elections: INEC Receives 216 Requests for Particulars of Candidates Electoral umpire recognises Akpabio-backed APC faction in Akwa Ibom Vote-buying may mar Osun governorship poll, say INEC, NSA Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja As presidential candidates and other politicians seeking elective offices in the 2023 general election continue to claim that their certificates are missing,

the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 216 requests have so far been received demanding the particulars of some of the candidates.

Continued on page 6

Police Rescue 77 Hypnotised People from Church Basement in Ondo...Page 8

ACHIEVING A MILESTONE… L-R: Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko; Chairman of Board of Directors, Lekki Port, Mr. Abiodun Dabiri; and Managing Director of Lekki Port, Mr. Du Ruogang, during the reception of vessel conveying STS Cranes and RTGs at Lekki Deep Seaport…weekend

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FIRS Can Collect VAT from Lagos Hotel Owners, Appeal Court Rules Wale Igbitade The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has upheld the appeal filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), against the Lagos Hotel Owners Association of Nigeria.

The court set aside the Federal High Court judgment in favour of the Lagos Hotel Owners Association of Nigeria.

Justice Rilwanu Aikawa of the Federal High Court on October 3, 2019, declared that the FIRS lacked the powers to collect VAT from the association’s members.

In 2009, the Lagos State Government enacted the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law of Lagos State (Consumption Tax Law).

The Consumption Tax Law imposes a Consumption Tax of five per cent on the value of goods and services consumed in hotels, restaurants and event centres within Lagos State.

Thus, consumers of goods and services in hotels, restaurants and event centres suffer both Consumption Tax and VAT on the same tax base, amounting to double taxation.

Following this development, the Registered Trustees of Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos (HOMA) sued the AG in Lagos State and FIRS in suit No. FHC/L/ CS/360/2018.

The association sought a declaration that the Consumption Tax Law of Lagos State was inoperable and of no effect, because the VAT Act has fully covered the field on the subject of Consumption Tax. The lower court presided over by Justice Rilwanu Aikawa ruled in favour of the Lagos State Government

upholding the powers of the state government to charge and collect Consumption Tax. In reaching this decision, the court relied on the 1999 Constitution and held that Consumption Tax on goods and services consumed in hotels, restaurants and event centres is a residual matter, which is within the exclusive legislative competence of a state government.

The lower court upheld the powers of the Lagos State Government to charge and collect

Consumption Tax from hotels, restaurants and event centres within the state.

It also restrained the federal government from collecting VAT on goods consumed in hotels, restaurants and event centres.

According to the court, Consumption Tax on hotels, restaurants and event centres is in the purview of the state government based on the 1999 Constitution and the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act (Taxes and Levies Act).

It said the provisions of the VAT Act in respect of the consumption of goods and services in hotels, restaurants and event centres are inconsistent with the Constitution and the Taxes and Levies Act and are therefore void.

The court further held that under the Taxes and Levies Act, Consumption Tax arising from transactions involving the sale of goods and services in hotels, restaurants or event centres is to be collected by the state government.

The court also stated that

since the Taxes and Levies Act (as amended in 2015) was enacted after the VAT Act of 1993, its provisions have tacitly repealed any provisions of the VAT Act concerning hotels, restaurants and event centres and should thus prevail.

It, therefore, restrained the FIRS from collecting VAT on transactions relating to the consumption of goods and services in hotels, restaurants and event places in Lagos.

Displeased with the verdict, FIRS proceeded to the Court of

Appeal and subsequently secured a stay of execution pending the outcome of the appeal filed.

But in a judgment on Friday, the appellate court set aside the Federal High Court’s judgment.

It also struck out a counterclaim filed by the Lagos State Government against the FIRS. However, there is also an ongoing legal tussle between FIRS and some state governments on the issue of VAT collection.

But no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case at the Supreme Court.

MAN OF THE PEOPLE… Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, riding a commercial tricycle across parts of Abeokuta, Ogun State…yesterday

2023: NLC Mobilises Support for Labour Party Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked all its state chapters to activate their political committees at local government levels to sensitise workers and the public on the need to vote for the Labour Party (LP) candidates in all elective positions in the 2023 general election.

The two labour centres, NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had earlier declared their support for the Labour Party and its presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi. NLC also said that it would organise a mega rally in Kebbi State in support of its Deputy President, Dr Nasir Idris, who has emerged as a governorship candidate in Kebbi State as well as support its chairperson in Niger State to ensure victory at the polls.

It urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that all eligible voters willing to vote in the 2023 general election are registered.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting (NEC) held in Abuja, the labour body said it had taken note of "the increasing adoption of the Labour Party and its candidates as the party of choice and candidates to beat by many Nigerians, especially workers, youths and women".

Regarding the current excitement by Nigerians from all walks of life to participate in the 2023 general election as expressed by the commitment to register and collects Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), it urged INEC to expand its capacity to register new voters.

In the communiqué jointly signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Mr Emma Ugboaja, the union said: "In line with earlier organ’s decisions, the NEC called on the state structures of the NLC to activate their local government political

committees to sensitise workers and the general populace on the need to vote in Labour Party candidates across all elective positions in the 2023 general election".

NLC observed the difficulties being experienced by eligible voters in registering and collecting

their PVCs at registration centres across the country should be addressed by INEC. While commending the commitment of millions of Nigerians to participate in the 2023 polls, NLC urged the INEC to ensure that all eligible voters willing to vote in the 2023 general

election are registered.

It said: "Pursuant to the foregoing, the NEC called on INEC to expand its reform initiatives by improving its logistics capabilities, especially with regards to the provision of adequate voter registration centres.

KOMOLAFE: NIGERIA LOST $1BN REVENUE TO CRUDE OIL THEFT IN Q1 Crude oil theft has increased to a daily average of 108,000 barrels in the first quarter of 2022 from 103,000 barrels in 2021, the NUPRC boss noted.

The theft has resulted in the declaration of force majeure at Bonny Oil & Gas Terminal, a pipeline transporting crude from the oil-rich Niger Delta to export vessels, among others, creating a hostile environment and disincentive to investors.

President Muhammadu Buhari had pledged to ensure that oil theft is stopped and had set up dedicated courts to combat the problem, but it persisted.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, said last week he expected to see some improvement in security in the sector, enabling Nigeria to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota by the end of August.

Meanwhile, a three-millionbarrel cut to daily supplies would push benchmark crude

prices to $190, while the worstcase scenario of five million could mean “stratospheric” $380 crude, JPMorgan Chase analysts have said.

This, the group said would likely happen if US and European penalties prompt Russia to inflict retaliatory crude-output cuts.

World’s Richest Billionaires Lose $1.4tn in Worst Half Year Ever

In another development, the world’s 500 richest people lost $1.4 trillion in the first half of this year, a dizzying decline that marks the steepest six-month drop ever for the global billionaire class.

Elon Musk’s fortune plunged by almost $62 billion, Jeff Bezos saw his wealth tumble by about $63 billion while Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth was slashed by more than half in Q1, 2022, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has indicated.

It’s a sharp departure from the previous two years, when the fortunes of the ultra-rich swelled

as governments and central banks unleashed unprecedented stimulus measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, juicing the value of everything from tech companies to cryptocurrencies.

With policymakers now raising interest rates to combat elevated inflation, some of the highest-flying shares - and the billionaires who own them - are losing altitude fast.

Tesla Inc. had its worst quarter ever in the three months through June, while Amazon.com Inc. plummeted by the most since the dot-com bubble burst, a Bloomberg report said.

Though the losses are piling up for the world’s richest people, it only represents a modest move toward narrowing wealth inequality.

Tesla’s co-founder, Musk, still has the biggest fortune on the planet, at $208.5 billion, while Amazon’s Bezos is second with a $129.6 billion net worth, according to the index.

France’s richest person, Bernard

Arnault, ranks third with a $128.7 billion fortune, followed by Bill Gates with $114.8 billion.

They are the only four that are worth more than $100 billion, at the start of the year, 10 people worldwide exceeded that amount, including Zuckerberg, who is now 17th on the wealth list with $60 billion.

Changpeng Zhao, the crypto pioneer who debuted on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in January with an estimated fortune of $96 billion, has seen his wealth tumble by almost $80 billion this year amid the turmoil in digital assets.

Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s wealthiest man with a $35.2 billion fortune, acquired Societe Generale SA’s entire position in Rosbank PJSC earlier this year amid the fallout from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

He also bought out sanctioned Russian mogul Oleg Tinkov’s stake in a digital bank for a fraction of what it was once worth.

Sam Bankman-Fried, Chief

Executive Officer of crypto exchange FTX, bought a 7.6 per cent stake in Robinhood Markets Inc. in early May after the app-based brokerage’s share price tumbled 77 per cent from its hotly anticipated initial public offering last July.

The 30-year-old billionaire has also been acting as a lender of last resort for some troubled crypto companies.

The most high-profile buyout of all belonged to Musk, who reached a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter Inc. He offered to pay $54.20 a share; the social-media company’s stock traded at $37.44 at 10:25 a.m. in New York.

The world’s richest man said in an interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait last month that there are “a few unresolved matters” before the transaction can be completed.

“There’s a limit to what I can say publicly,” he said. “It is somewhat of a sensitive matter,” he added.

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VALEDICTORY CEREMONY… L-R: Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Mr. Teshome Nkrumah; Atlantic Hall Educational Trust Council Chairman, Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi; and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. SUNDAY ADIGUN Udom Emmanuel, at the 30th Atlantic Hall School Valedictory Service and Graduation Ceremony of the Atlantic Hall School, Epe in Lagos… yesterday

FG Backs Global Efforts against Marine Plastic Pollution Lauds successful berthing of first ship at Lekki Port Says new seaport and three others will grow Nigeria's economy Buhari returns from Portugal Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged Nigeria's commitment to an international legally binding instrument to reduce the menace of marine plastic pollution from land-based sources and activities.

Buhari also congratulated the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and all stakeholders in the maritime industry for the successful berthing of the first ship at Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos, describing it as a great feat.

The president gave the assurance weekend in a speech at the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

Highlighting Nigeria’s effort at ensuring the health and sustainability of oceans, seas, and marine resources, the president represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, said a national policy on plastic pollution and the road map on tackling solid and plastic waste management has been formulated and established.

The president, who lauded the United Nations for leading the process of effective ocean governance, said Nigeria had mainstreamed ocean management into the economy, constituting a Presidential Committee on Sustainable Blue Economy.

He also announced that Nigeria has embarked on the creation of two marine protected areas.

President Buhari reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to participating constructively in the ongoing negotiations for various multilateral agreements, including on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

According to him: ‘‘The entire Southern border of Nigeria is the Atlantic Ocean with a coastline of about 853 kilometers being the longest in the West African region. ‘‘It is endowed with enormous biodiversity resources such as the freshwater and mangrove forest ecosystems with diverse species of fauna and flora.

‘‘We acknowledge the fact that a healthy ocean and coastal environment is key to sustainable development. We must therefore conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources. ‘‘The ocean is key to the global economy, with an estimated 40 million people projected to be employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. ‘‘Our oceans and seas are repositories of tremendous wealth, in terms of natural capital, ecosystem services, living and non-living resources. We are conscious of the fact that our maritime and aquatic resources are critical for the livelihoods of our people; hence, our commitment to the Africa Union 2063 Agenda and the attainment of United Nations SDG 14."

The president also stressed the need for more scientific partnerships and knowledge sharing to protect humanity’s common ocean heritage.

His words: ‘‘The science tells us that to stop the downward spiral we are witnessing in the ocean, we must fully and highly protect at least 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030, and dramatically strengthen the management of human activities

in the other 70 per cent. ‘‘This must be reflected in the text we negotiate here as well as in upcoming negotiations planned in December 2022 at the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of the Conference of Parties (COP). ‘‘Nigeria is a member of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Blue Leaders Campaign. ‘‘The global community needs to agree to the effective protection of 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030 at the CBD COP in December, and a robust high seas treaty that doesn't simply endorse the status quo, but the one that ensures all nations manage their activities in the high seas to prevent significant effects on the ocean. ‘‘These two steps will go a long way in restoring the health and resilience of our oceans.’’

Meanwhile, Buhari has congratulated the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the NPA, and all stakeholders in the maritime industry for the successful berthing of the first ship at Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

The vessel, ZHEN HUA 28, delivered three Ship to Shores

(STS) and 10 Rubber Tyre Gantries (RTG) cranes that will help in the evacuation of cargoes from vessels to the shore.

The president, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, commended the staff and management in the nation’s maritime sector who are working round the clock to make the operationalisation of Lekki Deep sea port before the end of the year a reality, reassuring them of his commitment to sustain investments in these new assets.

He recalled that his approval of four new seaports in the country, including the Lekki Deep Seaport, was hinged on growing the economy, creating massive job opportunities, foreign investment inflows, and trade facilitation.

President Buhari recognised that the nation’s maritime and aquatic resources are critical to the livelihoods of Nigerians and the Government will spare no effort in successfully harnessing the potential of the sector

Buhari Back in Abuja after Five-day State Visit to Portugal

Meanwhile, President Buhari last night returned toAbuja after a five-day state visit to Lisbon,

capital of Portugal.

The president, whose official aircraft, NAF1 touched down at the presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 5pm, also participated in the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference, which held in Lisbon during his stay in the country.

President Buhari was on arrival by his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello; Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; among other top government officials.

While in Lisbon, President Buhari led the Nigerian entourage to the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU).

The MoUs signed include Political Consultations; Diplomatic Training, Research and the Exchange of Information and Documentation; Cooperation in the Field of Culture; and Cooperation in the Field of Women and Girls Development, Empowerment and Gender Affairs; Youth; and Sports.

At a business forum organised during the visit, at which some of

the MoUs were finalised between the two countries' investment promotion agencies and chambers of commerce, President Buhari had described the progress in signing the agreements ‘‘as excellent foundations for increased bilateral trade.’’

The president also met with some representatives of Nigerian residents of Portugal, assuring them that the 2023 elections would be credible and peace, even as he admonishing them against inciting political crisis back home, through the use of the social media.

President Buhari was accompanied to Portugal by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare.

Others are National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd); Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

2023 ELECTIONS: INEC RECEIVES 216 REQUESTS FOR PARTICULARS OF CANDIDATES The electoral umpire and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) have also raised the alarm on the potential dangers of vote-buying in the forthcoming July 16 Osun State governorship election.

Also barring any last-minute changes, the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio will be on the ballot as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Akwa Ibom North-West in next year’s general election.

This is a sequel to the recognition of the Akpabiobacked Stephen Ntukepko-led leadership of the APC in Akwa Ibom State by INEC. At a meeting of the

Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held yesterday in Abuja to review security arrangements for the Osun State governorship election, the Chairman of INEC, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the number of requests by Nigerians seeking a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the particulars of the candidates has risen to 216.

"Before I conclude, let me seize this opportunity to once again reassure all Nigerians who applied for Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents arising from the recent party congresses, primaries and nomination of candidates that all requests are being attended to expeditiously despite the huge quantities of documents

involved.

"Nigerian election, especially the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates by political parties, is one of the most litigated in the world. As of yesterday evening (Friday, July 1, 2022), 216 requests have so far been processed involving the certification of over 1,650,000) pages of documents.

"Indeed, there are now far more cases challenging the breach of internal democracy within political parties than those involving the conduct of the main elections by INEC. We will continue to work round the clock, including the weekends, to ensure that we attend to all applications received at the headquarters of the commission promptly,”

Yakubu explained.

According to the documents submitted to INEC, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in an affidavit submitted to INEC, claimed that he changed his name from Siddiq Abubakar as it appears on his West African School Certificate (WASC), to Atiku Abubakar.

While Atiku was silent on the primary school he attended, he disclosed his General Certificate Education (GCE) results obtained in 1965 and a Higher Certificate (Master’s degree) obtained in 2021.

Also, the presidential flagbearer of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sani Yabagi, in an affidavit he submitted to INEC, said

that the name on his degree and WASC is different from what he currently bears.

In the same manner, the Delta State governor and vice presidential candidate of the PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa in an affidavit attached to his particulars, informed INEC that his WASC obtained in 1974 was missing.

Okowa, however, attached a Higher School Certificate obtained in 1976.

The presidential candidate of the Young People’s Party (YPP), Prince Abdul Malik Ado Ibrahim, in the affidavit sworn to at the Federal High Court of Justice, Maitama, Abuja, on June 3, 2022, claimed that his original BSc degree issued Continued on page 10

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SEEKING FRESH MANDATE… Osun State Governor, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, during his second term campaign tour to Ede North and South Federal Constituency in the state…yesterday

Police Rescue 77 Hypnotised People from Church Basement in Ondo Fidelis David in Akure

No fewer than 77 persons have been rescued from an underground church at Valentino area of Ondo town, in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State, by the men of state police command.

The victims, comprising 54 adults and 23 children, were allegedly hypnotised, abducted and kept in the underground cell in of the church known as Whole Bible Believer Church by the pastor of the church alongside his assistant.

THISDAY gathered that the assistant pastor, Josiah Peter, claimed rapture was going to take place by September, hence he encouraged the church members to stay behind in the church.

Parading the suspects at command headquarters in Akure yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, said the victims were camped in the church with the instruction that none of them must go out and that

they should expect the second coming of Jesus Christ at any moment.

She said: "We had a case of suspected abduction. A parent walked up to a police station on Friday evening and she said some of her children left home since last week but knows where they were. Policemen followed her to the place and they found out that it was a church and attempt to talk to the pastor and invite him over proved abortive and members who were around turned violent by attacking policemen who were there.

"However, at the end of the day, we realised that the church has been keeping the members in an underground room. Basically, what we heard was that the assistant pastor, Josiah, claimed rapture was going to take place

by April but later said it has been changed till September. So, he encouraged most of them to stay behind.

"He also brainwashed the children to obey only their parent in the Lord. Aside from

Buhari Commiserates with NEF Chairman, Ango Abdullahi, over Son's Death Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi, on the death of his first son, Isa Abdullahi.

Reacting to the news of the death yesterday, the president, in a release issued by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: "I am deeply saddened by the sudden death of your eldest son, Isa Abdullahi, a Director with the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)."

President Buhari noted that “the demise of such a dynamic

young man is particularly touching, because, as a father, I know the emotional impact of losing a loved one.

"We are proud of his services to the country. May his soul rest in peace. May Allah comfort you and give you the strength to overcome this great and irreparable loss,” the President added.

In another condolence message, President Buhari, described the death of Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen, a federal legislator from Edo State as a sad loss to the nation.

He expressed heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased, the government and people of Edo State, the leaders, and membership of the National Assembly.

that, we also realised that some of these children left home to be in the church since January.

Some even left school for that purpose," the PPRO noted.

She added that the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

While reacting, the 45-year-old

Assistant Pastor of the Church, Josiah Peter, said he never hypnotised, brainwashed the church members or disconnected any children from their biological parents.

He said: "I preach to them, what the Bible teaches. We have been in the church on the basis

of God’s instruction through our pastor, Anifowose David. He instructed us to camp for seven days. I am not aware of kids who have failed to write examinations or adults who choose not to work again because of rapture."

One of the victims simply identified as Priscilla, who

has refused to continue her education, said she decided to seek God before education.

Priscilla who was in 400-level at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, added that she decided to leave her parents because their preaching was wrong.

DEFEND YOURSELVES AGAINST ATTACKERS, ADEBOYE TELLS FOLLOWERS Adeboye stressed that there is nowhere in the Bible that God said His children should not defend themselves.

This is coming as the Chairman of the Katsina State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, has raised the alarm over what he described as the multifaceted worsening security challenges facing the residents of the state Speaking during the church’s July 2022 Holy Ghost Service in a viral video, Adeboye said enough is enough, adding that henceforth, “it’s fire for fire.”

“I don’t want to say much because I know whatever I say, some people may want to twist it. I have searched the Bible from cover to cover and there is nowhere where God said a child of God cannot defend himself. If you find the place, let me know.

He said that if they slap you on the right cheek turn left; He said that one. If they now slap the left what did he say? When God is silent, do you know the meaning of that, it simply means over to you.

“I am only talking to my children. Only my children come to the Holy Ghost Service,” Adeboye explained.

In his sermon, the preacher said the church would hold its 2022 convention in the second week of August.

He said that would be the 40th at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Adeboye said people all over the world would attend the event and encouraged “lazy members” to be part of it, urging them not to sit back to watch from the comfort of their homes.

“This programme is going to

be different from the one you have known. Some people out of laziness have decided ‘Oh! I can watch everything on television.’ It’s good to watch on television; the programme will be televised throughout the world. But, as I told you if you are watching television and fire is burning, do you feel the heat. If you are watching television and the rain is falling, does your dress get wet?

“There are certain things television cannot transmit. Not at all. Glory be to God for television that can transmit across the world.

Glory be to God. But when the Almighty God knows that it is out of laziness that you sat back at home, you will be hearing the testimonies of those who were present. There’s something called corporate anointing. The Bible says fire begets fire. There are certain things you get because you are there… Oh! Some jokers said churches should not open for three months. Who is your commander? God of Boko Haram? Let the devil try any nonsense, from now on, it is going to be fire for fire!

“I understand that one funny fellow said some people were calling on Ogun because Jesus didn’t answer them. Well, for the one who said that, there’s a saying that the mouth that the snail used to blaspheme God, that mouth will kiss the ground.

From now on, anybody who dares blaspheme Jesus Christ will taste the fire of the Almighty God. Every enemy of the church, as far as Jesus is a consuming fire, if they don’t repent, the fire of God will consume them.

In 2020, Adeboye led his church members on a protest over insecurity and killings in

Nigeria.

Adeboye, who instructed his church members all over Nigeria to observe the walk, commenced the walk from Ebute Meta to Atan Cemetery in Yaba metropolis in Lagos State.

Katsina Emir Laments Worsening Insecurity Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Katsina State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, has raised the alarm over what he described as the multifaceted worsening security in the state.

The traditional ruler said the spate of insecurity in the state is at the moment deteriorating and degenerating the state of affairs, particularly in farming communities across the state.

This is even as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the state berated President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly for their failure to tackle and investigate prevailing security challenges in the North-west despite the huge resources spent to curb the scourge in the region.

Usman, who spoke in Hausa in two minutes viral video, said some traditional rulers in the state have forfeited their salaries to enable the state government to ward off banditry in the state to no avail.

He added that the state has been overrun by terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, rapists, and other sundry armed criminal gangs who terrorise, kill, abduct and rape innocent citizens indiscriminately in the state.

He said: "You will see two or four persons (terrorists) on a bike

with live ammunition out to kill anyone they could lay hands on; we all have to stand on our feet.

It's not as if we don't have the money.

"We have the money and weapons to fight these people (terrorists). We have even forfeited our salaries so that they can fight insurgency but they don't. Many emirs have been abducted.

"It has gotten to the extent that everywhere you go, you will be in constant fear of not knowing what may happen. It was just yesterday that I came back from Kaduna, l had to be escorted front and back," he said.

He added: "Imagine we and our country living in such fear because of those irresponsible drug addicts. We can tackle them; we have the money and weapons to fight them. Are we afraid of them?

"We can't fold our hands and be killed and have our wives abducted and raped in our presence; it is not fair, so this is my answer."

Corroborating the emir's frustration, the Chairman of the CSOs in the state, AbdulRahman Abdullahi, said with the escalating security challenges in the Northwest, the monarch had spoken the minds of his subjects.

He said the federal and state governments should devise more proactive and revolving security measures to tackle banditry and other heinous crimes orchestrated by the hoodlums than the current reactive actions.

"It is unfortunate that despite huge spending on security operations in the North-west, the rate of crime is increasing by the day and neither the president nor the legislature cares to probe it," he added.

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PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS… L-R: Coordinator of Ojude Oba Festival 2022 Planning Committee, Chief Fassy Adetokunbo Yusuff; Regional Manager, Ogun State, Globacom, Mr. Ikenna Aguwuom; and Vice Chairman of the committee, Chief Olu Okuboyejo, at the press conference to announce the festival in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State…weekend

Drama as Joe Igbokwe Pulls down Post on ‘Wike Visiting Tinubu in France’ Segun James Barely a few hours after the Tinubu Media Office debunked reports that the presidential standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, met with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in Paris last Thursday, a frontline APC member in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe has pulled down a Facebook post on ‘Wike Visiting Tinubu in France’

Igbokwe had posted that Wike, who lost the presidential ticket of the opposition party to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar met with the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Tinubu, in France.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Igbokwe claimed that Wike visited Tinubu in France.

“While they are on social media abusing everybody, Governor Wike goes to France to meet Asiwaju. Abuse, calling names, hate, and bigotry

are no strategy. They hated and abused PMB (President Muhammadu Buhari) since 2015 and now they have transferred the aggression to Asiwaju. We wait and see,” Igbokwe wrote.

Some Social Media users had dismissed Igbokwe’s claim and demanded pictorial evidence.

But the Head of Tinubu’s Media Office, Mr. Tunde Rahman, in a swift reaction, denied Igbokwe’s claim.

The declaration reads: “We

have seen a viral social media post made by one of the chieftains of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and media reports emanating from same about a supposed meeting in France between APC Presidential Standardbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

“It has become imperative to set the record straight.

Although Asiwaju Tinubu

is presently in France, he didn’t have any meeting with Governor Wike whether in that country or anywhere whatsoever.

“This, however, does not detract from the fact that the APC presidential candidate holds Governor Wike in high esteem. And given the national and across-party lines appeal of Asiwaju Tinubu’s candidature, he will not hesitate to meet any important national leader when desirable,” Rahman explained.

However, moments after Igbokwe’s post went viral, it was no longer found on his page.

Tinubu departed for France after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, last Monday morning.

Some hours after Tinubu left the country, Wike released pictures where he was seen vacationing with his Abia counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu, in Turkey.

2023 ELECTIONS: INEC RECEIVES 216 REQUESTS FOR PARTICULARS OF CANDIDATES

by American College of Los Angeles, dated 1988; High School Diploma issued to him

by Langley High, Norwich, UK dated 1979 and official degree transcript was missing.

THISDAY had earlier reported that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu was silent on the primary and secondary schools he attended.

Meanwhile, with less than two weeks to the governorship election in Osun State on July 16, Yakubu also raised concern over the dangers of vote-buying in the governorship election "Again, arising from the experience in recent elections, vote-buying remains a major area of concern.

“We appreciate the role played by the anti-corruption and security agencies in apprehending some of the perpetrators of this brazen assault on our democracy.

"In particular, we are working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure the prosecution of persons arrested in the recent Ekiti governorship election.

Action will commence as soon as the EFCC completes its investigation. I appeal to all security agencies to continue to join hands with the Commission to tackle this

menace."

The INEC chairman commended the relationship between INEC and security agencies in the Ekiti State governorship election.

He announced the readiness of INEC for the Osun State election, saying, "on our part, all the major activities that are supposed to be carried out at this stage have been successfully undertaken.”

Yakubu added that the commission would keep a close watch on the security situation in Osun State.

Also, the NSA, Monguno has raised the alarm that the July 16 Osun State governorship election may be hijacked or sabotaged by politicians through buying of voters.

Monguno who was represented by Sanusi Galadima from his office said: "The NSA also urged ICCES members to build on the successes recorded from the Ekiti election as some disgruntled politicians may attempt to sabotage the process for their selfish gains, through vote-buying and other forms of voter inducement as well as political thuggery."

He also commended the INEC for the extension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The NSA said that records from the conduct of the last

Ekiti State governorship election indicated an impressive performance by the INEC as well as the security agencies as there were no major incidents of security concern recorded during and after the election.

Electoral Umpire Recognises Akpabiobacked APC Faction in Akwa Ibom Meanwhile, barring any last-minute changes, the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio will be ballot as the senatorial candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North-West election next year.

This is the sequel to the recognition of the Ntukepko-led leadership of the party in Akwa Ibom State.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini, had stated that the APC cannot field any candidate in next year's general election following its alleged inability to conduct a valid primary election for the selection of its candidates in the state and national elections.

Akpabio had participated in the APC's presidential primary and did not feature in any senatorial primary of the APC. His name was however

forwarded by the APC to INEC as its senatorial candidate in the February 2023 senatorial election, after he was said to have participated in a senatorial primary conducted by the Ntukepko-led faction, which the electoral body did not recognise.

But in a letter dated June 21, 2022, and signed by the Secretary to INEC, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the electoral umpire informed its REC in Akwa Ibom State that it would abide by a court judgment which declared Ntukepko as the authentic Chairman of the state chapter of the APC. The letter marked: Ref: INEC/L&P/FHC/22/339/84, a copy of which was sighted

by THISDAY reads, "This is to formally draw your attention to the subsisting Judgment/ Order of the Federal High Court, Abuja (Suit No: FCH/ ABJ/CS/1635/2021) which recognised Hon, Stephen Leo Ntukekpo as the Chairman of the APC in Awka Ibom State; "The commission is to comply with the content of the judgment, please.”

While Igini had claimed that the APC in Akwa Ibom State did not conduct any primary monitored by INEC in the state, the APC had claimed that it re-conducted its primary at a rescheduled date wherein it informed

the commission.

In a letter dated June 15 and cited by THISDAY, the APC accordingly urged the commission to recognise its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the state.

The letter signed by APC's National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore read in part, "Following the judgment delivered in the abovementioned suit which declared the Stephen Leo Ntukekpo-led state executive as the duly and democratically-elected members of the Akwa - Ibom State Executive Committee, our party which has always been law-abiding, elected to obey the court’s judgment and swear - in Stephen Leo Ntukekpo as the State Chairman of the party in Akwa Ibom State.

"Our party recently conducted its primary election to nominate the governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, wherein Mr. Akan Udofia emerged victorious as the candidate of the party.

"However, the news making the rounds both in print and electronic media is that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini has been quoted as saying that our Party does not have a Governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom as no primary election took place

to nominate our candidate.

"We respectfully request that Mr Mike Igini should be called to order and refrain from making statements that are likely to cause political turmoil in Akwa Ibom State and put our party and your commission in a bad light.

"Mr Chairman you are aware that political parties have exclusive rights to nominating candidates. We would therefore insist on exercising those rights.

"We equally request that all rights and privileges should be accorded to the Stephen Leo Ntukekpo-led State Executive Committee in Akwa Ibom State as we do not recognise any other group or faction particularly as there is a court judgment validating the State Executives led by Stephen Leo Ntukekpo.

"We are confident that you will give the concerns we have raised the much-needed attention they deserve in order not to bring your commission into disrepute and unnecessary embarrassment".

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had in a judgment delivered on March 17, declared Ntukepko as the authentic Chairman of the APC in Akwa Ibom State.

An appeal filed against the judgment at the court of Appeal was also dismissed following its withdrawal by the APC.

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

No Disunity in PDP Nationwide, Says Party Chieftain Sylvester Idowu inWarri An aide to Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has affirmed that the unity of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is intact all over the country.

Onuesoke, who is also former governorship aspirant and chieftain of the party in Delta State, allayed fear of disunity in the party while responding to questions from newsmen in Warri shortly after returning from a visit to PDP Headquarters, Wadata, Abuja. According to

him, the PDP family is more united than as it was, hence it is working in one accord.

Affirming that the party leadership was intact, he said he was amazed to read media reports alleging a split in the ranks of political leaders when the party had become more united than it was.

“There is nothing like that.

At best, it is in the imagination of the writers, particularly the opposition party who have not developed the capacity for a harmonious and an all-embracing election process for the good

of their members that they are spreading baseless information,” he stated.

The PDP Chieftain disclosed that those trying to insinuate disaffection amongst their leaders through false propaganda would be disappointed, noting the party would come out from the

rumour stronger and better prepared for victory in the 2023 general election.

He explained that what is presently happening in PDP is a sign of true democracy where members are given the opportunity to compete and express their minds without hindrances adding that at the final conclusion,

the issue would be resolved as one family.

“I did not see any cracks in PDP. The structure of the party, from my own observation, is that the wards, states, region, zonal and national levels are very intact.

I suspected that the rumour of division in PDP must have been engineered by the oppositions

to derogate the party and gain cheap political points,” he noted.

While urging Nigerians to continue to retain the confidence they have in the party, Onuesoke expressed optimism that the forces fueling false PDP crisis and disunity would be surprised when the party came out victorious.

. . . We Can’t Go to General Elections with Divided House, Jang Warns Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Following the crisis that is rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the aftermath of the party’s primaries and the choice of presidential candidate’s running mate, former Governor of Plateau State and a founding father of the party, Senator Jonah Jang, has warned the party must take the path of peace, dialogue and reconciliation, as it can’t afford to go to the general election with a divided house.

In a statement signed by him, Jang said: “The governorship elections in Ekiti state have shown us that we cannot go to the general elections with a divided house. It is instructive that we must return to the drawing board, make right the wrong decisions we have taken and begin to ensure that we are prepared to go to the field without any baggage from the decisions we have made.

“It has become apparent that we must urgently put our house in order if we are to make an impact in the elections.

“As one of the founding fathers alive today, one who participated in the processes that set the background for our primaries, I am compelled to add my voice to that of prominent members of our great party who have shown dismay with recent happenings, particularly with the emergence of the vice-presidential candidate.

“While it is no longer news that the presidential primaries have come and gone and a candidate emerged, it is disheartening that the manner in which the vice-presidential candidate emerged is nothing but sheer disregard for processes. We all are aware of the fact that the party, in consultation with the presidential candidate, set up a committee to select a running mate.

“To turn around and throw away the outcome of the exercise is a clear proof that the work of the committee was either not appreciated or was not going to be in consideration ab initio.”

Glo Sponsors Ojude Oba Again Telecommunications giant, Globacom, has announced the sponsorship of the 2022 edition of Ojude Oba Festival, one of Nigeria’s biggest cultural events.

Globacom also unveiled a special consumer promo tagged Ojude Oba Special in celebration of the festival. According to the company, the promotion will avail its subscribers the opportunity to win 5 tricycles, 10 television sets and 10 grinding machines.

“To win any of these prizes, a new Glo subscriber is required to activate a Glo Sim and recharge with a minimum of N1,500, while existing customers will

need to recharge a minimum of N1,000 before the 8th of July, 2022, to qualify for the draws”.

The digital solutions provider added that customers who miss the pre-event raffle window could simply spend N5,000 or more at the festival ground on the Glo network to stand a chance of winning any of the prizes.

Globacom disclosed in a speech read by its Regional Activations Manager, Ogun State, Mr. Ikenna Aguwuom, at a pre-event press conference held on Friday in Ijebu Ode that its collaboration with the Ojude Oba Planning Committee is to honour the traditions and cultures of Ijebuland as well as

A CALL TO SERVE… L-R: Past Assistant Governor, Mr. Elvis Obaseki; Immediate Past President, Ms. Victoria Unauromi; the new President of the Rotary Club of Maitama, Abuja, Mr. Yusuf Alli, a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima; and Senator Smart Adeyemi, during the Investiture of Alli as the 11th President of the club in Abuja…yesterday.

Obasanjo Rides Tricycle, Urges Youths to Embrace Opportunities James Sowole in Abeokuta The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday rode a tricycle in demonstration of safety of the means of transportation, just as he enjoined youths to embrace every opportunity with hard work and dedication.

Obasanjo, who personally rode the tricycle, popularly called

Keke from the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), through Kuto under bridge, amidst greetings and jubilation by onlookers along the road.

The onlookers expressed surprise at the former president riding the Keke, a reaction Obasanjo said was fuelled by wrongful societal classification

of all Keke riders as miscreants and the tendency of young people avoiding the virtue of starting small.

The president, along the route, stopped and picked a male passenger to demonstrate that riding in the tricycle is safe, if used properly and for people to learn how to start small and grow their craft.

Speaking after returning to the OOPL premises, Obasanjo said he embarked on riding the Keke to demonstrate to the people that there was not nothing bad in riding the Keke and using the same for commercial purposes.

He said with tricycles and other small-scale businesses, youths can be self-employed and ultimately, become economically independent.

Group Petitions EFCC, Demands Cancellation of N482m Training Contract Michael Olugbode in Abuja A group, Concerned Indigenes of Oil Mineral Producing States Forum, has requested the cancellation of N482 million contract awarded by the Presidential Amnesty Programme to Express Concern International for training of 90 Niger Delta ex-militants.

In a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which was also copied the Attorney-General of the Federa-

tion and the PAP, the petitioners equally called for the prosecution of the contractors, Chief Daniel Okeke, Dr. Emmanuel Onwe and Mrs. Uchenna Ilomechizine, said to be a consultant to PAP. The contract was awarded under the Niger-Delta Youths Empowerment Project on Rice, Fish and Poultry Farming for a duration of six months, but the group in its petition dated June 10, 2022 and filed by their lawyer, Kanu Ogbonna, alleged

that Okeke and Onwe diverted part of the contract sum to fund their political aspirations “after deceiving the PAP.” Okeke was said to have won the All Progressives Grand Alliance primary for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency while Onwe won the All Progressives Congress ticket for Ebonyi Central senatorial district.

A whistleblower was said to have provided details of how

N148.6 million was withdrawn between June 3 and 8, 2022 from FCMB project account number: 8705907010 without evidence of executing the contract.

The whistleblower reportedly revealed that the said contract was awarded after Onwe, and Okeke convinced the Presidential Amnesty Programme that they had fishery, poultry and rice farms for the training of the 90 prospective beneficiaries of the programme.

NGSA, NMCO, Emerged Truth-Afrique 2022 Mining Sector Impactful Entities Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (NMCO), and eight others has emerged as Truth-Afrique 2022 impactful companies contributing to the growth of Nigeria mining sector.

The list of 10 entities also had the KAM Industries Limited, Thor Explorations Limited, Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Develop-

ment Initiative (PAGMI), Women In Mining Nigeria (WIMIN), Dangote Group and two joint individuals – Geologist Saidu Uba Malami, Chairman of the Board of the Solid Minerals Development Fund(SMDF)andDr.SanusiMohammed, Executive Secretary-General of theAfrican Iron and SteelAssociation (AISA).

The organisation however said that no state government met the criteria for inclusion in the list.

Chairman, Truth Afrique Communications, Mr. Francis Kadiri, while speaking on the sidelines of the event inAbuja, hinted that the Special Projects Committee of THE TRUTH headedbyEngr.BenNwude,aformer President of the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers reviewed efforts made by the governments of 36 States of the federation and resolved that none was satisfactory.

He said state governments were not doing enough in

the quest to jointly pursue the realisation of the Roadmap for Growth and Development of the Nigerian mining sector.

According to him, “None of the 36 State governments satisfied the criteria for organisation ten most impactful mining sector entities of 2022. The absence of states in the list is a sad commentary that undermines the realisation of set goals for the sector, especially the economic diversification agenda.”

In Bauchi, 70-year-old Man, Two Others to Die by Stoning over Homosexuality Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi A Shari’a court sitting in Ningi local government area of Bauchi State has sentenced three men to death by stoning over homosexuality offense.

The three men were convicted for being involved in homosexuality, which is unacceptable in Islam.

The convicted persons are:

Abdullahi Abubakar Beti, 30 years old; Kamilu Ya’u, 20 years old; and 70 years old Malam Haruna, based on the provisions of Section 134 of Bauchi State Penal Law of 2001 as well as the provisions of Fiquhussunah Jizu’i number 2 at page 362.

The case against the condemned persons started on 14th June, 2022, when members of the Hisbah

Vanguard operating in Ningi LGA through Adamu Dan Kafi, prosecuted the three offenders, Abdullahi Abubakar Beti, Kamilu Ya’u da Mal Haruna before the Sharia court.

The Hisbah Vanguard told the court that the trio were arrested committing the offence of homosexuality at Gwada village in Ningi LGA. After listening to the prosecu-

tion and offence against them, the trial Sharia judge, Munka’ilu Sabo Ningi, adjourned the case to last Wednesday for Judgement.

While delivering the judgment of the court after hearing statements by witnesses as well as admittance of guilt by the three accused persons, the trial judge, Munka’ilu Sabo Ningi, sentenced them to death by stoning.

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EDITORIAL

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

ON MATAWALLE’S CALL TO ARMS Resort to self-help being advocated will only compound the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria

I

GD\V 7KH HPLU ZKR LV DOVR )XODQL VDLG LI WKH KHUGVPHQ n a note of desperation that highlights the serious ZKRP KH LGHQWLÀHG DV QDWLRQDOV RI VRPH QHLJKERXULQJ nature of the security challenge that currently countries, refused to heed his warning, they would be plague the country, Governor Mohammed NLOOHG ´7KHUH LV QR ZD\ ZH ZLOO NHHS KDYLQJ VOHHSOHVV Matawalle last Sunday directed residents of QLJKWV LQ RXU RZQ KRPHV 7KH SRYHUW\ ZH DUH FRQWHQGLQJ Zamfara State, particularly farmers, to acquire with is enough for us to deal with,” the emir threatened. guns to defend themselves against terrorists, However, we do not believe that encouraging civilians bandits and other criminal gangs. Given the absence of to bear arms as Matawalle canvasses will resolve the ÀUP OHDGHUVKLS IURP $EXMD RQ WKH VHFXULW\ VLWXDWLRQ ZH SUREOHP 7KH SUROLIHUDWLRQ RI ZHDSRQV WKDW LV ERXQG understand Matawalle’s desperation. But we fail to see to happen should his directive be carried out will from where the governor derives the power to order the fuel and aggravate insecurity in the state and bring in Commissioner of Police in Zamfara state to issue licences more distress to the people. Besides, advocating that WR UHVLGHQWV ZLOOLQJ DQG ÀW WR EHDU DUPV :H DOVR EHOLHYH Zamfara residents should defend themselves against that this approach would criminals is an admission of compound rather than failure without accepting resolve the problem at The proliferation of weapons that is bound to happen should Matawalle’s UHVSRQVLELOLW\ :LWK 1LJHULD hand. already descending to the Despite the strong directive be carried out will fuel and aggravate insecurity in the state and Hobbesian state of nature opposition to the idea by where life is “solitary, poor, bring in more distress to the people. Besides, advocating that Zamfara WKH &KLHI RI 'HIHQFH 6WDͿ nasty, brutish and short”, this Lt General Lucky Irabor residents should defend themselves against criminals is an admission of is another open invitation who has highlighted the to anarchy that we cannot danger of the proposition, failure without accepting responsibility DͿRUG Matawalle has doubled :H XQGHUVWDQG WKH down on his call without GHVSHUDWLRQ RI 0DWDZDOOH $FFRUGLQJ WR UHSRUWV PDQ\ being called to order by the relevant authorities. “I do not T H I S D AY LQGLYLGXDOV DQG FRPPXQLWLHV LQ WKH 1RUWKZHVW WR ZKLFK intend to say much about it, but I believe that the federal EDITOR DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN Zamfara belongs are already contributing money to JRYHUQPHQW XVLQJ WKH $WWRUQH\ *HQHUDO ZLOO ORRN DW WKH DEPUTY EDITORS FESTUS AKANBI, EJIOFOR ALIKE acquire weapons to self-arm in response to the security details of that press release and give further instruction,” FKDOOHQJH 7KH VDPH LV KDSSHQLQJ LQ WKH 1RUWKFHQWUDO MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO said Irabor who described the approach as wrong. But DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU Yet, these are weapons that may lead individuals and the federal government has kept mute on a controversial CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI communities to rise against one another and worsen directive that clearly erodes its authority.

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN the security crisis. Only recently, former Head of State, More worrisome is that the recourse to self-help is MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI *HQHUDO $EGXOVDODPL $EXEDNDU VDLG WKHUH DUH HVWLPDWHG EHFRPLQJ WKH RUGHU RI WKH GD\ /DVW \HDU *RYHUQRU $PLQX THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE six million weapons in the hands of non-state actors in Bello Masari asked residents of Katsina, the home state of WKH FRXQWU\ 7KLV DFFRUGLQJ WR KLP KDV ´H[DFHUEDWHG WKH President Muhammadu Buhari, to stand up and defend LQVHFXULW\ WKDW OHG WR RYHU GHDWKV DQG FORVH WR WKUHH WKHPVHOYHV DJDLQVW EDQGLWU\ DQG WHUURULVP $W DERXW WKH T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D million internally displaced persons.” same time, Defence Minister, Bashi Magashi proclaimed EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA :LWKRXW DQ\ GRXEW WKH PRVW SUHVVLQJ FKDOOHQJH IDFLQJ that citizens should defend themselves against criminal GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, WKH QDWLRQ WRGD\ LV WKDW RI LQVHFXULW\ 7KH VROXWLRQ WR WKH JDQJV EHDULQJ DUPV $QG D IRUPHU JRYHUQRU LQ WKH ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI crisis cannot be in everybody carrying arms to defend Southwest was once reported to have imported arms and DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, WKHPVHOYHV DV 0DWDZDOOH LV DGYRFDWLQJ :H PXVW ANTHONY OGEDENGBE ammunition into the country on the pretext of security. embrace a multi-level policing system. But for it to make DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI Indeed, from political leaders to traditional authority, SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH any meaning, it has to be under a holistic restructuring of there seems to be a conclusion that the federal government ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI the current system to ensure a devolution of more powers cannot protect the people any longer hence the call for CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DQG UHVRXUFHV IURP WKH IHGHUDO WR WKH VWDWHV $QG WKHUH VHOI KHOS ,Q D UHFHQW YLUDO YLGHR WKH (PLU RI 0XUL $OKDML DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO must also be responsible governance in Zamfara and $EEDV 1MLGGD 7DÀGD LVVXHG DQ XOWLPDWXP WR FULPLQDO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com other states.

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Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 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 (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS INEC’S UNNERVING ACT OF INDECISION Virile democracies are not founded on the ribs of strong men but RQ WKH URFNV RI VWURQJ LQVWLWXWLRQV 7KH WLPHV PXVW LQGHHG EH XQHDV\ IRU WKH ,QGHSHQGHQW 1DWLRQDO (OHFWRUDO &RPPLVVLRQ WKH ERG\ FKDUJHG E\ ODZ WR FRQGXFW HOHFWLRQV LQ 1LJHULD $V WKH JDWHNHHSHU under whose watch scoundrels and squirrels continue to scurry LQWR 1LJHULDCV KDOOV RI SRZHU WXUQLQJ DQ RWKHUZLVH VDQLWDU\ VSDFH into a mound of mess, there is hardly any love lost between the &RPPLVVLRQ DQG 1LJHULDQV :KHQ 1LJHULD ZDQGHUHG EDFN RQWR WKH SDWK RI GHPRFUDF\ LQ 0U 0DXULFH ,ZX ZDV GUDIWHG LQ WR FKDLU WKH &RPPLVVLRQ 7KH brutal quest for power from many quarters in a teething democracy proved too much for the Commission and its chairman which soon found themselves knee-deep in allegations and accusations of complicity and conspiracy with electoral thieves and brigands.

7KLQJV KDYH VLQFH LPSURYHG IRU DQG ZLWK WKH &RPPLVVLRQ 7HFKQRORJ\ DQG DQ LQFUHDVHG DZDUHQHVV RI 1LJHULDQV WR EH LQYROYHG KDYH KHOSHG WR FKHFN VRPH RI WKH SUREOHPV ZLWK HOHFWLRQV LQ 1LJHria but challenges remain. $KHDG RI WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQV WKH FRXQWU\ KDV DJDLQ EHHQ sucked into a power surge and wherever one turns, the word on the

OLSV RI PDQ\ LV DERXW WKH HOHFWLRQV $OUHDG\ WKH GHOHJDWHV DUH KDYLQJ D ÀHOG GD\ UDNLQJ LQ MXLF\ SROLWLFDO KDUYHVWV DV WKH SULPDULHV go down. On their own part, many of those who form the electorate eagerly await the day when their voter cards could be exchanged for some money. ,1(& LV FDXJKW LQ WKH PLGGOH RI WKH JDWKHULQJ VWRUP 7KH &RPPLVVLRQ ZKLFK FDQ H[SHFW LWVHOI WR EH LQ WKH FURVVKDLUV RI 1LJHULDQV WKH H[HFXWLYH WKH MXGLFLDU\ WKH OHJLVODWXUH DQG WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO community as events unfold is still expected to be impartial and independent. $OUHDG\ WKH EDWWOHJURXQGV RI WKH H[HFXWLYH WKH OHJLVODWXUH DQG WKH MXGLFLDU\ KDYH EHHQ DJRJ ZLWK ZDU FULHV :KLOH WKH OHJLVODWRUV continue to tweak the electoral law, a reluctant executive drags its feet over the tweaks before ultimately seeking the intervention of the courts over key clauses. However, it is events elsewhere that FRQWLQXH WR SLOH XQEHDUDEOH SUHVVXUH RQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ 1RZ WKH Commission is tweaking dates, changing horses in midstream.

7KH &RPPLVVLRQ KDG HDUOLHU VHW WKH RQOLQH YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ GHDGOLQH DW 0D\ DQG WKH SK\VLFDO UHJLVWUDWLRQ DW -XQH ZKLOH SXWWLQJ -XQH DV WKH GHDGOLQH IRU WKH FRQGXFW RI SULPDULHV E\ SR-

litical parties.

Many are yet to do the online registration and with the deadline GD\V DZD\ IURP H[SLUDWLRQ ,1(& KDV QRW GHHPHG LW ÀW WR H[WHQG it. Instead, what it has done is to postpone the deadline for the primaries of political parties hours away from the beginning of the exercise by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. $W D WLPH ZKHQ RSWLFV DUH HYHU\WKLQJ IRU WKH &RPPLVVLRQ LW LV in the interest of its own credibility as an electoral umpire that it should not be seen as leaning towards any political party as many 1LJHULDQV VXVSHFW LW LV 3DUW RI WKH UHDVRQV 1LJHULD KDV QRZ EHHQ KDVWHQHG WR WKH EULQN RI FROODSVH E\ EDG OHDGHUVKLS LV EHFDXVH ,1(& KDV QRW H[DFWO\ FRYHUHG LWVHOI LQ JORU\ LQ WKH FRQGXFW RI LWV DͿDLUV /RQJ VXVSHFWHG E\ 1LJHULDQV WR FROOXGH ZLWK WKH HQHPLHV RI WKH FRXQWU\ WR FRUURGH WKH FKRLFHV RI WKH HOHFWRUDWH ,1(& LV VHHNLQJ UHGHPSWLRQ LQ WKH H\HV RI 1LJHULDQV 3DVW LQGLVFUHWLRQV PDNH LWV MRXUQH\ WR UHGHPSWLRQ D IRUELGGLQJO\ GL΀FXOW RQH DQG WKH &RPPLVVLRQ PXVW QRZ FOHDQ XS DIWHU LWVHOI 7KH GD\V ZKHQ WKH SD\HUV RI WKH piper dictated the tunes must be over for the Commission.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.coma

16

SUNDAY JULY 3, 2022 • T H I S D AY

17

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

BUSINESS

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

Anxiety as Revenue Shortfall Raises Spectre of Harsh Tax Policy As the shortfall in revenue to the federal government occasioned by the twin problem of the unsustainable policy of fuel subsidy and rampant oil theft pushes the federal government to the brink, and with the emergence of the Federal Inland Revenue Service as the latest cash cow, there are fears that the federal government in its desperation, may raise more taxes to cover the gaps on the eve of the 2023 general election, with the attendant burden on businesses and individuals, reports Festus Akanbi

F

or obvious reasons, the management of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is basking in WKH HXSKRULD RI WKH ULVLQJ SURÀOH of the organisation as the major revenue-generating agency in the country today.

FIRS, New Cash Cow 7KH IHDW LV FRPLQJ ZLWK KXJH EHQHÀWV WR WKH revenue agency. First, the higher the revenue generated by the FIRS in a given year, the more its share of the revenue which comes in form of the 0.4 per cent commission statutorily allowed as an incentive for better performance. This is shared DPRQJ WKH VWDͿ DQG PDQDJHPHQW SHULRGLFDOO\ DV bonuses and for the payment of the 13th-month salary. %XW DV VWDͿ DQG PDQDJHPHQW RI ),56 DUH EXV\ celebrating their newfound status in their 15 Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja headquarters, Nigerians are coming to terms with the reality of the critical state of the economy and their proneness to a more stringent tax regime.

According to a THISDAY report, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) now relies heavily on the revenue from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for its monthly allocation to the three tiers of government.

7KH ÀQDQFLDO UHFRUGV RI WKH ),56· FRQWULEXtions to FAAC showed that in the year under UHYLHZ WKH IHGHUDO UHYHQXH FROOHFWLQJ DJHQF\·V contribution was a total of 59.45 per cent because out of the total of N8.912 trillion to the three tiers of government last year, N5.298 trillion was contributed by the federal revenue collecting DJHQF\ 7KH WUHQG KDV FRQWLQXHG LQ WKH ÀUVW ÀYH PRQWKV RI DV WKH 113&·V FRQWULEXWLRQ LV still weighed down by the fuel subsidy burden.

Crude Oil Sale and Harvest of Losses According to the report, Nigeria lost a whopping $650.7 million worth of crude oil resulting from the declaration of force majeure, equipment failures, DQG KRVW FRPPXQLWLHV· GLVWXUEDQFHV EHWZHHQ the April and May production cycle.

The amount of oil lost during the period extracted from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) presentation to the FederationAccountAllocation Committee (FAAC) excluded the massive volume stolen in the Niger Delta region.

7KH GRFXPHQW GHWDLOLQJ WKH QDWLRQDO RLO ÀUP·V activities for May showed that over 5.707 million barrels of oil were lost to the breakdown of production equipment, protests from the community workforce arising to shutdowns as ZHOO DV D ÀUH RXWEUHDN DW RQH RI WKH WHUPLQDOV Still struggling with meeting its oil production quota, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) recently revealed that Nigeria reported a paltry 1.024 million barrels per day production in May, a multi-year low. :LWK WKH ODWHVW ÀJXUH UHOHDVHG E\ WKH 23(& LW PHDQW WKDW 1LJHULD·V XQGHUSHUIRUPDQFH ZDV DV high as 700,000 barrels per day for the month, DOWKRXJK WKH FDUWHO·V WRWDO DOORFDWLRQ WR 1LJHULD exceeded 1.75 million bpd for the month.

The 1.024 million bpd production (through primary communication) was about 195,000 bpd OHVV SURGXFWLRQ ZKHQ FRPSDUHG ZLWK $SULO·V total of 1.219 million bpd, OPEC said.

Fuel Subsidy as Draining Pipe In May, the NNPC was unable to carry out its statutory obligations to the federation, UHFRUGLQJ D 1 ELOOLRQ GHÀFLW IRU WKH \HDU thus far. In its monthly presentation to FAAC

Federal Inland Revenue Service Headquarters, Abuja

for May, the corporation disclosed that it deducted another N327.07 billion as a shortfall in the month under review. With a projected N1.473 trillion payments to the federation for the entire year and a monthly remittance of N122.767 billion, the implication was that the federal, state and local governments may continue to have cash shortages for a while since the payments constitute a major revenue source.

In January, February and March 2022, petrol subsidy gulped N210.38 billion, N219.78 billion, and N245.77 billion, respectively while in April, the country spent N271 billion. These deductions were expected to continue throughout the year.

The World Bank had estimated that fuel subsidy payments in the country may rise to N5 trillion this year. According to reports, the amount spent as subsidy by the federal government on every litre of petrol, popularly called petrol, consumed in Nigeria is currently above N600.

Also, the latest petrol evacuation data obtained from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited showed that the year-to-date daily consumption of petrol in Nigeria was 66.8 million litres.

NNPC has been the sole importer of petrol LQWR 1LJHULD IRU VHYHUDO \HDUV 7KH RLO ÀUP has continued to shoulder the burden of subsidy over these years, a development that has prevented the corporation from making monthly remittances to FAAC. The National President, Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association, Bennett Korie, was quoted as saying that the current cost of petrol could make one run away if told. ´<RX FDQ·W EX\ SHWURO DW D KLJK SULFH DQG sell this low. Crude oil is about $130/barrel, the cost of fuel, if you hear it, you will run away; but you are selling at N165/litre. So GHÀQLWHO\ \RX GRQ·W H[SHFW PRQH\ WR UHPDLQ for government to run other activities when it spends heavily on subsidy,” he stated.

Despite Overwhelming Opposition, FG Begins Implementation of Sugar Tax Observers said the pathetic revenue position of the federal government may have been responsible for its decision to exhume the taxation on Sugarsweetened Beverages (SSBs) which was suspended in January 2009. Despite the opposition of the bodies like the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the federal government on June 1, 2022, began the implementation of the controversial excise duty of N10/litre on all non-alcoholic carbonated and sweetened beverages.

According to Chief Superintendent of Customs, Department of Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives, Dennis Ituma, the Customs has started the implementation of taxing all companies producing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) by sensitising the companies on the need for taxation.

“The N10 per litre of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been implemented on June 1, by July 21, all excise duties must have been collected and paid into the federation account,” he said.

“It should interest you that taxation on SSBs was a policy of the federal government in 1984 but was stopped in January 2009.

“Previously both SSBs, alcoholic drinks, and tobacco were all taxed until 2009 when SSBs were removed from taxable beverages,” he said.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning had announced the new tax imposed on sugar-sweetened beverages in January 2022.

Ahmed had said that the new sugar tax was introduced to raise excise duties and revenues for health-related and other critical expenditures in line with the 2022 budget priorities.

The fear in the business circle is the tendency of the three tiers of government to introduce more taxes to bridge the gap being created by the dwindling revenue due to the crisis in the oil sector. However, tax experts insisted that Nigerians can derive more revenue without introducing more taxes.

Speaking with our correspondent on the fear

that government may roll out more taxes, the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele said rather than increasing the tax burden on the citizens, the government can generate more revenue from taxation by improving DGPLQLVWUDWLYH H΀FLHQF\ DQG XVLQJ GDWD IRU tax intelligence to tackle tax evasion.

According to him, “The FIRS and indeed WKH YDULRXV VWDWHV· LQWHUQDO UHYHQXH VHUYLFHV can generate much higher revenue without imposing heavier tax burden on businesses and individuals. One way of doing this is to improve DGPLQLVWUDWLYH H΀FLHQF\ DQG XVH GDWD IRU WD[ intelligence to tackle widespread evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Also, many of the informal taxes being paid to non-state actors can be harmonised and converted to formal WD[HV DQG XWLOLVHG IRU WKH EHQHÀW RI WKH SHRSOH µ Oyedele, who is also the Research Director for the Fiscal Policy Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, expressed worry over the indiscriminate imposition of taxes, saying, “I am however concerned about the constant imposition of new taxes by the federal government notably the new Police Trust Fund levy, NASENI levy, and more recently the NYSC tax. The proliferation of these earmark taxes portends a great danger WR WKH FRXQWU\·V EXVLQHVV FRPSHWLWLYHQHVV DQG TXHVW IRU JURZWK $ GLͿHUHQW DSSURDFK ZRXOG be for the government to focus on harmonising the number of taxes and revenue agencies such that people pay fewer taxes, and spend less on compliance while the government collects PRUH GXH WR H΀FLHQF\ JDLQV D ODUJHU WD[ EDVH and a wider tax net.”

There is no doubt that government is desperate to bridge the gap created by the pervasive shortfall in revenue distributable to all tiers, the reality is any attempt to increase the tax burden of the people will be counterproductive. The citizens cannot be punished by the government for lacking the balls to end the policy of fuel subsidy which KDV EHHQ D GUDLQ SLSH WR WKH QDWLRQ·V UHVRXUFHV

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

18

INDUSTRY

Claims Settlement: As NAICOM Begins Crackdown on Erring Insurance Firms /DVW ZHHN·V UHYRFDWLRQ RI WKH OLFHQFHV RI 6WDQGDUG $OOLDQFH ,QVXUDQFH 3OF DQG 1LJHU ,QVXUDQFH 3OF FDVW D SDOO RQ WKH 1LJHULDQ LQVXUDQFH LQGXVWU\ ZKLFK LV VWLOO VWUXJJOLQJ WR VKUXJ RͿ LWV XQLQVSLULQJ ORZ OHYHO RI SHQHWUDWLRQ LQ 1LJHULD·V HFRQRP\ SXW DW SHU FHQW RI WKH *URVV Domestic Product. As the two receivers/liquidators appointed to manage the ‘carcasses’ of WKH WZR ÀUPV VHWWOH GRZQ IRU WKH WDVNV WKH TXHVWLRQ LV ZKLFK RI WKH UHPDLQLQJ LQVXUDQFH ÀUPV LV QH[W WR EH SXQLVKHG IRU IDLOXUH WR VHWWOH FODLPV" $VNV Festus Akanbi

F

or an industry already at the mercy of the current economic challenges, last week’s revocation of the licences of two key players in the insurance industry is certainly going to be a serious setback in the quest to deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria.

7KH WZR DͿHFWHG FRPSDQLHV ZHUH 6WDQGDUG Alliance Insurance Plc and Niger Insurance Plc and the revocation of their licences took HͿHFW IURP -XQH The action will no doubt keep other operators on their toes, but analysts also feared the sanction may signal a season of distress among operators and the attendant erosion RI FRQÀGHQFH LQ WKH LQVXUDQFH LQGXVWU\ The insurance regulator, in a statement issued by its Head, Corporate Communications and Market Development, Mr. Rasaaq 6DODPL VDLG ´&RQVHTXHQWO\ WKH FRPPLVVLRQ KDV DSSRLQWHG 6DQ\D 2JXQNXDGH (VT RI 3ORW 8SSHU *UDFH 3OD]D UG )ORRU OHIW ZLQJ 6KHWLPD 0XQJXQR &UHVFHQW %HKLQG -XOLXV %HUJHU (TXLSPHQW <DUG 8WDNR $EXMD DV WKH Receiver/Liquidator for Niger Insurance Plc DQG .HKLQGH $LQD (VT RI $LQD %ODQNVRQ /3 $GHPROD 6WUHHW 6: ,NR\L /DJRV DV WKH UHFHLYHU OLTXLGDWRU IRU 6WDQGDUG $OOLDQFH ,QVXUDQFH 3OFµ WR HͿHFWLYHO\ FRPPHQFH WKH process of winding down both entities.

1$,&20 DOVR DGYLVHG DOO VWDNHKROGHUV to forward their inquiries to the respective Receiver/Liquidator for each company for their necessary action. The Commission, nevertheless, assured all stakeholders of the safety and protection of their interests.

Default in Claims Settlement $OWKRXJK QR R΀FLDO UHDVRQ ZDV LPPHGLDWHO\ given for the sanction, industry sources said WKH WZR LQVXUDQFH ÀUPV ZHUH VKXW GRZQ RYHU their inability to settle outstanding claims for over three consecutive years.

It was gathered that both companies have RYHU 1 ELOOLRQ LQ LQVXUDQFH FRQWUDFW OLDELOLWLHV 7KH 1$,&20·V KDPPHU ZDV FRPLQJ RQH \HDU after both companies were suspended by the 1LJHULD ,QVXUHUV $VVRFLDWLRQ 1,$ 7KH ÀQDQFLDO UHSRUWV RI ERWK FRPSDQLHV reportedly show that Niger Insurance Plc has LQVXUDQFH FRQWUDFW OLDELOLWLHV RI 1 ELOOLRQ ZKLOH 6WDQGDUG $OOLDQFH KDV LQVXUDQFH FRQWUDFW OLDELOLWLHV RI 1 ELOOLRQ It was gathered that having detected signs of GLVWUHVV LQ WKH WZR LQVXUDQFH ÀUPV 1$,&20 KDG ZULWWHQ WR 1LJHU ,QVXUDQFH RQ 0DUFK DOORZLQJ WKH FRPSDQ\ D GD\ SHULRG to convince the Commission and the Ministry of Finance that it could resolve its operational challenges.

The letter was said to have been made necessary when it dawned on the regulators that the management of Niger Insurance had failed to salvage the company’s fortunes which IXUWKHU QRVHGLYHG LQ DIWHU SUHYLRXVO\ UHFRUGLQJ DQ 1 ELOOLRQ ORVV LQ ZKHQ WKH &29,' SDQGHPLF UDYDJHG WKH LQGXVWU\ 7KH FRPSDQ\·V ÀQDQFLDO SHUIRUPDQFH DOVR ZRUVHQHG LQ ZLWK D GHÀFLW RI 1 ELOOLRQ In addition, its gross premium recorded in DOVR GZLQGOHG E\ KDOI WR 1 PLOOLRQ ZKLFK ZDV VLJQLÀFDQWO\ EHORZ WKH 1 ELOOLRQ reported during the corresponding period of

,WV ZHDN ÀQDQFLDOV UHSRUWHGO\ SUHYHQWHG

JURZ IDVWHU WKDQ *3: WKH LQGXVWU\·V PDMRU LQFRPH OLQH LQ + ·

Commissioner for Insurance, Sunday Thomas

it from paying insurance claims which were due to clients.

7KH 1,$ KDG H[SODLQHG WKDW WKH H[SXOVLRQ RI 6WDQGDUG $OOLDQFH DQG 1LJHU ,QVXUDQFH KDG become necessary on the back of their defaults on obligations to policyholders, especially on claims payment amongst others.

6SHDNLQJ RQ WKH DFWLRQ WDNHQ LQ -XQH ZKHUH WKH WZR ÀUPV ZHUH D[HG WKH &KDLUPDQ RI 1,$ 0U *DQL\X 0XVD QRWHG WKDW WKH $Vsociation would continue to take measures against erring members to reinforce the stand of the organisation and the insurance industry in general. +H VDLG ´:H KDYH WR EH YHU\ KDUVK DV LW ZHUH QRZ :H KDYH DQ DFWLYH FRPPLWWHH RQ GLVFLSOLQH DQG FRQÁLFW UHVROXWLRQ 7KH FRPPLWWHH KDV EHHQ VWUHQJWKHQHG DQG HPSRZHUHG :H QRZ go beyond the usual refrain or chastisement to taking active steps to discipline erring members.

Media reports have it that many policyholders with matured policies have been waiting for more than two years to collect their claims.

Analysts, who praised the insurance regulators for last week’s intervention, however, GHVFULEHG WKH GHYHORSPHQW DV D FRQÀUPDWLRQ of the fear that many operators are merely living on borrowed time.

Insurance penetration in Nigeria stood at SHU FHQW RI *URVV 'RPHVWLF 3URGXFW *'3 EHORZ WKH JOREDO DQG VXE 6DKDUDQ $IULFDQ DYHUDJH RI SHU FHQW DQG WZR SHU FHQW respectively. $QDO\VWV EHOLHYH WKDW D PDMRU IDFWRU UHsponsible for low insurance penetration in the country is a culture of non-settlement of claims by insurance companies.

New Capital Requirement 1$,&20 LQWURGXFHG QHZ DQG VHJPHQWHG minimum paid-up share capital requirements

IRU LQVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV LQ 1LJHULD LQ -XQH +RZHYHU WKH VHFRQG DQG ÀQDO SKDVHV of the Nigerian insurance industry’s recapiWDOLVDWLRQ H[HUFLVH ZKLFK VKRXOG KDYH HQGHG LQ 6HSWHPEHU ZHUH KDOWHG E\ OLWLJDWLRQ from aggrieved stakeholders. $ 1$,&20 FLUFXODU WR DOO LQVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV RQ -XQH WLWOHG ¶6HJPHQWDWLRQ RI minimum paid-up share capital requirements for insurance companies in Nigeria’, mandated XQGHUZULWHUV WR PHHW WKH GHDGOLQH IRU WKH ÀUVW SKDVH RI WKH UHFDSLWDOLVDWLRQ H[HUFLVH ZKLFK ZDV VODWHG IRU 'HFHPEHU 7KH ÀQDO GHDGOLQH ZDV 6HSWHPEHU Life insurance companies were ordered to UDLVH WKHLU FDSLWDO IURP 1 EQ WR 1 EQ DW WKH HQG RI WKH ÀUVW SKDVH DQG 1 EQ DW WKH HQG RI the second phase. $V RI 6HSWHPEHU WKH LQVXUDQFH VHFWRU·V WRWDO DVVHW ZDV 1 WULOOLRQ IURP 1 WULOOLRQ LQ -XQH ULVLQJ E\ 1 ELOOLRQ 7KH 1$,&20 KDG LGHQWLÀHG RQH RI WKH reasons for introducing the recapitalisation H[HUFLVH LQ WKH LQGXVWU\ DV DQ HͿRUW WR VWUHQJWKHQ WKH SHUIRUPLQJ ÀUPV DQG VLHYH RXW WKH QRQ performing ones. ,W VWDWHG WKDW VRPH XQGHUZULWLQJ ÀUPV DOUHDG\ had liquidity problems and were not meeting their claims obligations.

Rising Claims Analysts said the insurance industry seems to have come under pressure of massive growth LQ FODLPV IDU DKHDG RI *URVV 3UHPLXP :ULWWHQ *3: D GHYHORSPHQW ZKLFK KDV EURXJKW GRZQ DJJUHJDWH LQGXVWU\ SURÀW E\ SHU FHQW WR 1 ELOOLRQ LQ WKH ÀUVW KDOI RI + · DJDLQVW 1 ELOOLRQ UHFRUGHG LQ WKH FRUUHVSRQGLQJ SHULRG RI $FFRUGLQJ WR WKHP LQGXVWU\ SURÀWDELOLW\ has remained threatened as claims payments

Turnaround 6WXGLHV UHYHDO D SRVLWLYH FRUUHODWLRQ EHWZHHQ D high insurance penetration and higher economic development thus the supporting role insurance SOD\V LQ VWLPXODWLQJ HFRQRPLF JURZWK %HDULQJ WKLV LQ PLQG RQH FDQ RQO\ LPDJLQH ZKDW HͿHFW an increase in insurance penetration even by the slightest margin will have on the overall Nigerian economy. However, a combination of factors which include inappropriate pricing DQG ULVN SURÀOLQJ SRRU SURGXFW PDUNHW ÀW inadequate distribution channels, and low SXEOLF FRQÀGHQFH FXUUHQWO\ SODJXH WKH 1LJHULDQ insurance industry.

2EVHUYHUV PDLQWDLQHG WKDW XQOHVV WKH UHJXODtors and key industry operators can demonstrate enough strength, sincerity, and professionalism capable of sustaining the interest of a few Nigerians already captured in the insurance QHW DOO WKH HͿRUWV FXUUHQWO\ EHLQJ SXW LQ SODFH to aid insurance penetration will be futile.

2QH RI WKRVH FDOOLQJ IRU D WXUQDURXQG LQ WKH VHFWRU LV WKH 0DQDJLQJ 'LUHFWRU 6%* ,QVXUDQFH %URNHUV /LPLWHG 0U 6DPP\ 'DOPHLGD who has lamented that insurance penetration in Nigeria is among the worst in Africa. He, therefore, called on insurers to stir Nigerians’ interest in embracing the sector.

Dalmeida also urged insurance brokers to H[SORUH ´EOXH RFHDQ VWUDWHJLHVµ DQG GLJLWDO technology to enhance their continued relevance and strategic positioning in the nation’s insurance market. +H VDLG ´7KH JURZWK RI WKH PDUNHW IRU LQVXUDQFH LQ 1LJHULD KDV EHHQ UHODWLYHO\ OLPLWHG 2XU LQVXUDQFH SHQHWUDWLRQ UDWLR RI FRPSXWHG DV *3, DV D SHUFHQWDJH RI *'3 UDQNV DPRQJVW the lowest in Africa. However, the low insurance penetration rate shows that there are abounding opportunities for the growth of the market. ´%XW WR DFKLHYH D SRVLWLYH WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ RI Nigeria’s insurance market, operators would need to stimulate the appetite of Nigerians for insurance with the introduction of innovative products and digital disruption of traditional processes and practices.” $QDO\VWV WKHUHIRUH H[SUHVVHG WKH QHHG IRU LQVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV WR KDYH HͿHFWLYH DQG H΀FLHQW FODLPV GHSDUWPHQWV HTXLSSHG ZLWK PRGHUQ WHFKQRORJ\ DQG TXDOLÀHG FODLPV PDQDJHU V WR RYHUVHH WKH PDQDJHPHQW DQG settlement of valid claims of their policyholders to increase insurance penetration in Nigeria; Nigerian insurance industry regulators should enhance its supervisory frameworks to ensure that genuine claims are promptly settled by insurance companies and defaulter adequately punished. This will have a positive impact on insurance density because more Nigerians will be encouraged to buy insurance policies. In line with the theoretical framework adopted for this study, and in addition to the settlement of valid claims, insurance companies should periodically carry out marketing research to discover the insurance needs of their customers as well as prospective customers through product revitalisation and new product development to LQFUHDVH FXVWRPHUV H[SHFWHG XWLOLW\ IRU EX\LQJ insurance. This will encourage Nigerians to purchase more insurance, and in turn, enhance the development of the Nigerian Insurance industry.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

19

MARITIME 2VLQEDMR WR HQWKURQH H΀FLHQF\ LQ WKH SRUWV DV is the case in other climes. The NPPM which is made up of personnel drawn from agencies of government at the ports and other stakeholders was later set up as a Task Team under the leadership of the NSC. The main function of the Task Team is to identify corrupt practices at the ports and address them.

Although the team is not without good results, it KDV QRW EHHQ HDV\ ÀJKWLQJ FRUUXSWLRQ DW WKH SRUWV

A container port

Harnessing the Potential of Nigeria’s Ports The lamentations of the federal government’s Task Team set up to address sleaze and other irregularities at the seaports over threat to the lives of members speak volumes of the drawbacks in the sector and the implication to the national economy, writes Francis Ugwoke

T

he nation’s maritime industry remains an important sector that contributes trillions of naira revenue to the national economy annually. It employs thousandsofNigeriansformally and informally. The maritime industry is adjudged as next to oil in terms of revenue generation for the economy. Its annual revenue as of last year totaled N4trillion with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) leading the way with N2.3trillion.

Maritime experts believe that if the potential of the sector is harnessed, the industry could generate as much as N7trillion for the national economy annually. However, the biggest issue in the sector is corruption which has remained XQDEDWHG GHVSLWH DOO HͿRUWV LQ WKH SDVW GHFDGHV to address it.

Oftentimes, many have accused the political class and others of corruption which has impacted negatively on the national economy. But the truth is that corruption appears to be everywhere permeating deep into strategic sectors of the economy. This is the case in the port industry.

The scenario for one who is resident in the ports is that the sleaze has remained a tradition and therefore a herculean task for any regulator.

Scenario of Corruption Issues of corruption in the maritime industry are enormous and complex. It involves all, both consumers and providers of shipping services.

6SHFLÀFDOO\ LW LQYROYHV LPSRUWHUV H[SRUWHUV DQG freight forwarders, with collaboration from providers of shipping services, some unscruSXORXV R΀FHUV RI WKH JRYHUQPHQW DQG VKLSSLQJ companies and their agents. An importer order goods but decides to falsify the value downwards to pay lower duty. He does this with the advice RI VRPH FXVWRPV DJHQWV ZKR DUH EHQHÀFLDULHV of the trade crime.

2Q DUULYLQJ DW WKH SRUWV R΀FLDOV RI WKH &XVWRPV Service discover the infraction and therefore this becomes an opportunity to position themselves for rounds of settlement for the goods to be released.

They negotiate what they would receive and what the importer would pay to the government as a duty.

This arrangement is indeed favourable to the

importers and the policemen of the system, who are supposed to check such fraudulent practices.

It could also be in form of under-declaration and concealment which are all aimed at paying ORZHU GXWLHV $V PXFK DV WKH LPSRUWHUV EHQHÀW IURP WKLV WKH PDLQ EHQHÀFLDULHV RI WKH IUDXG UHPDLQ VRPH XQVFUXSXORXV FXVWRPV R΀FHUV who for their inaction are encouraging the importers to be fraudulent.

The bad story for some importers is that after the goods are cleared at the ports, the unlucky ones have their goods intercepted E\ RWKHU FXVWRPV R΀FHUV XQGHU FKHFNV DQG balances in the Service.

The Comptroller-General’s Task Force is responsible for overseeing what happens at the ports or the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) whose responsibility is to ensure that the right thing has been done at the ports and can intercept such goods.

When goods are intercepted by these units, the result is another round of surcharge and settlement all over again for the goods to be left RͿ WKH KRRN 7KLV H[SODLQV WKH PDQ\ VHL]XUHV worth several billions of naira made by these units on a daily and monthly basis. In what would appear as a measure to check underpayment, the customs service had late last year introduced a duty benchmark for containers.

Under this, some containers of trade goods are to attract a certain amount of duties irrespective of the value quoted by the importers. Importers had protested against this policy but the Service insisted that this was the only way to deal with the problem of under-declaration, concealment, and other forms of under-valuation of goods by importers. $W D UHFHQW HYHQW D VHQLRU FXVWRPV R΀FHU Deputy Comptroller GarkoAli, was reacting to a question on what happens to some customs R΀FHUV ZKR IDLOHG WR GR WKHLU MREV ZHOO DW WKH ports only for such goods to be intercepted on the road by operatives of the FOU said such R΀FHUV KDYH DOZD\V EHHQ SXQLVKHG All who spoke at a training program for journalists in Lagos said resident customs R΀FHUV ZKR IDLO WR GR D WKRURXJK MRE GXULQJ cargo examination and evaluation for duties at the ports or border stations do so at great risk.

He said releasing goods that are either contraband or those badly under-valued in which the government loses revenue was a big risk for DQ\ R΀FHU ZKHQ VXFK LVVXHV DUH GLVFRYHUHG He explained that as good as many resident FXVWRPV R΀FHUV PD\ EH RQH FDQQRW UXOH RXW WKH possibility of bad eggs among them, adding that it was such people that were creating problems for the good ones. %XW KH VDLG WKDW QR R΀FHU FDXJKW LQ VXFK DFW of poor handling of goods at the ports is left unpunished by the headquarters of the Service.

Ali said that such issues were among the UHDVRQV ZK\ VRPH R΀FHUV ZHUH HLWKHU GLVPLVVHG from Service or de-ranked by the Customs Service management.

Shipping companies are also not left out as far as fraudulent practices are concerned in the ports. They are accused of under-declaration of the gross registered tonnage (GRT) of the vessels bringing goods into the country. With such under-declaration, they cheat the government on actual dues they ought to have paid to its agencies.

For other security agencies at the ports, including the police, the corruption involving importers DQG VRPH FXVWRPV R΀FHUV LV DQ RSSRUWXQLW\ WR also extort the importers. This was the case until the police were warned to desist from stopping containers on the road where they demand to carry out the duties of the customs. Perhaps, what could be a bad image to the nation is the extortion of crew members of ships bringing goods to the ports, berthing and awaiting for goods to be discharged before leaving. Some Nigerian security agents would board these vessels to carry out their statutory duties and in the process turn into extortionists.

At one incident about two years ago, the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) team had recovered thousands of dollars that had been extorted from crew members. The NPPM is headed by the NSC as the port’s economic regulator. The team which is made up of agencies authorised to stay in the ports had threatened to expose the suspects if the trend continued.

The NPPM followed the policy of achieving the ease of doing business at the ports which was introduced by the Vice President, Prof Yemi

Lamentations by NSC As the ports economic regulator desirous of HQWKURQLQJ DQ H΀FLHQW SRUW V\VWHP DV REWDLQV LQ other global ports, including neighbouring ports of West African sub-regional ports, the NSC is not happy about the malpractices at the nation’s ports. The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr. Emmanuel Jime, is sad about the trend in the ports. It would be recalled that his predecessor, Mr. Hassan Bello, had also felt the same way a IHZ PRQWKV EHIRUH KH OHIW R΀FH Jim recently said the life of members of the 7DVN 7HDP ZDV LQ GDQJHU RYHU WKHLU HͿRUWV WR address fraudulent practices at the ports. He recently expressed concerns over attacks on the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) waging war against corruption at the nation’s ports.

The Task Team led by the Council is a federal government committee set up to check corruption at the nation’s ports.

-LPH GLVFORVHG WKDW R΀FHUV RI WKH 7DVN 7HDP who have challenged corrupt practices at the ports have been under attack. The Task Team has been championing joint vessel boarding by mandated government agencies, a development WKDW PD\ KDYH DQJHUHG PDQ\ RI WKH DͿHFWHG operatives for obvious reasons. Joint boarding gives no room for easy extortion as would indiYLGXDO ERDUGLQJ RI YHVVHOV E\ GLͿHUHQW XQLWV RI agents. But this helps in saving the time of the vessels, making it possible for them not to be delayed in Nigerian ports where their cargoes have been discharged.

Besides, Jime disclosed that with the joint boarding, the PSST team saved the Nigerian economy average vessel demurrage of $20, 000 per day between the years 2020 and 2021, which ultimately translates to the sum of $6.5m 1 ELOOLRQ ,Q WKH ÀJKW DJDLQVW FRUUXSWLRQ DW the ports, the NSC CEO said what was surprising is that most of those (security personnel) at the SRUWV HQYLURQPHQW IRU GLͿHUHQW UROHV ZHUH QRW alone on the issue of corruption as they make UHWXUQV WR VXSHULRU R΀FHUV ZKR HQKDQFHG WKHLU posting to the ports. However, he insists that this will not stop the Task Team in their determination to check the sleaze that makes the nation’s ports unfriendly.

Jime recounts the ordeal of the Task Team, ´:H DUH HQJDJHG LQ D ÀJKW WKDW QR DJHQF\ RI government has ever been engaged in. We are ÀJKWLQJ LQ D WHUULWRU\ ZKHUH WKH FKDOOHQJH LV PRUH than what anyone can ever imagine. The National Coordinator, Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) of our agency, Moses Fadipe, is seated here but , FDQ WHOO \RX WKDW WKHUH DUH ORWV RI EXWWHUÁLHV LQ his stomach because this guy’s life is in danger.

“The lives of Moses Fadipe and his team are LQ GDQJHU EHFDXVH WKH\ DUH ÀJKWLQJ DJDLQVW D corrupt system that has been here for a very long time.

“Kindly help us shine a light on happenings along the port corridor. We have to rid the port of the endemic corruption that has gone up to a level anybody can ever imagine.

“When I tried intervening, I found out to my chagrin that the more I get involved, the more I try not to get compromised. I was surprised that at the level of my intervention, I was almost getting to a compromised level. It’s like I was reporting someone to his benefactor. What I have decided LV WKDW ZH PXVW ÀJKW WKLV FRUUXSWLRQ DW WKH SRUWV What we found out is that most of these other UDQNV VHFXULW\ R΀FLDOV GRQ·W MXVW ZDNH XS LQ the morning to go and mount checkpoints. They KDYH VXSHULRU R΀FHUV WKDW WKH\ PDNH UHWXUQV to. That is why all the previous interventions done by previous administrations failed.

“This is the magnitude of the problem concerning corruption at the ports. We will ÀJKW LW WKH EHVW ZD\ ZH FDQ :H ZLOO HQVXUH people are held accountable for their actions and the work of the PSST will continue.”

Incidentally, Jime was economical in making public perhaps for the sake of diplomacy the identities of those threatening the lives of members of the Task Team. When asked to give this vital information, he said, “I wish I can mention their names, but it’s entirety corruption ÀJKWLQJ EDFN “This is the magnitude of the problem conFHUQLQJ FRUUXSWLRQ DW WKH SRUWV :H ZLOO ÀJKW LW the best way we can. We will ensure people are held accountable for their actions and the work of the PSST will continue.”

20

JULY 3, 2022 • T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

CONVERSATION WITH MY BILLIONAIRE FRIEND ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com 08086447494 (SMS only) PERSONAL FINANCE SAVINGS BUDGETING COMMODITIES

AYO AROWOLO

GOLD

INVESTING

WEALTH CAPSULE 22

National Security and Wealth Building

S

hortly after our conversation last week, my Billionaire Friend hinted he would like to share his thoughts on national security and its impact on wealth-building endeavours. He believes very strongly that wealth-building practices can only thrive in an atmosphere of safety and good security.

Kindly enjoy the rest of his insightful perspective: WEALTH AND NATIONAL SECURITY “National security is essential to wealth building and sustenance because wealth creation only thrives in peaceful environments and nations. It relates to direct threats to the physical well-being of the population and jeopardises the stability of a country, its economy and institutions. National security threats could show up in incidents of hostile government takeover —terrorism, the proliferation of weaponry and stockpiling of chemical weapons — which can destroy any nation’s security. It also includes cybercrime and the infiltration by hostile governments and Artist Impression of my Billionaire Friend terrorist groups. Cybercriminals have hacked economic institutions, government websites, private bank accounts and national power infrastructures. National security could also National security is basic in be adversely affected by natural disasters such importance to wealth building as hurricanes, earthquakes and the likes of Covid-19 pandemic recent occurrence. National and sustenance because wealth security is therefore crucial for providing a creation only thrives in peaceful conducive environment for the funding or hindrance of wealth creation, building and environments and nations. In itself, national security relates sustenance”.

“In the 1960s and the 1970s, some years to anything that threatens before and after the Nigerian Civil War, national security was well managed and the country was the physical well-being of the peaceful. There was no banditry, no terrorism of population and jeopardises the the herdsmen and Boko Haram, and the rate of crime was low. But today insecurity is pervasive stability of the economy of any and has endangered the investment climate of nation or its institutions Nigeria. This bad national security situation hinders economic growth and development and decreases the attraction, retention and the world. In India, for instance, a group sustenance of foreign and local investments”. of human rights activists were targeted by “The progressive atrophy of foreign investments terrorists, who infected their computers with and businesses of various forms in Nigeria malware. Suspected North Korean hackers is due to the prevalence of unpredictable also compromised two prominent European security situations over the years. As it is now, defence firms, thus sending them fake job the general perception is that wealth owners offers as a way to infiltrate their systems and builders are increasingly afraid to move and retrieve classified information. These are from one place to the other in Nigeria. This just two examples of criminals using hacking perception of fear has become a problem for and other digital skills to cause destruction wealth-building endeavours which inherently and chaos”. thrive on peace and free mobility. Generally, “It is therefore important for governments to wealth creation and building are fragile human put national security and emergency responses activities. Wealth building does not survive well in place, to allow them to identify and thwart in environments of war and where banditry, human-made destructions to national peace kidnapping and terrorism prevail. There is, and stability, which would go a long way therefore, the need to re-evaluate and arrest our in promoting business and wealth-building different national security threats to improve, activities. Nigeria is currently witnessing significantly, the generally poor perception of several violent attacks, kidnapping, banditry, Nigeria as a wealth-building destination”. farmland invasion by herdsmen, and inter“We may want to look at cyber or financial communal tensions, leading to outbreaks of crimes, for instance, and the seeming violence and disruption of economic activities ineffectiveness of the arrest and prosecution and wealth building. The outcome of all this of the perpetrators of such. Wealth builders may is the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria thus encounter such problems in the processing and its attendant effect on social tensions of bank transfers. A large number of incidents and strive. Domestic capital formation is also of hacking into the private accounts of wealth hindered, and foreign direct investments are builders/owners have occurred and awaiting affected. Meanwhile, government spending prosecution. These breaches do happen in other on education and security is low, which has climes, but the problem here is the extent of negatively affected the level of security and ensuring that the perpetrators of these crimes retard national economic growth”. are detected, sanctioned and prosecuted”.

“Despite government efforts and expenditure, “The problem is thus not in the prevalence the prevalence of state insecurity appears to but in the extent to which we react and how fast continue, remains largely un-curtailed and and well we ensure that those who perpetrate is fast evolving into a state existential crisis, these crimes against national security are dealt which is shaking the very foundation of Nigeria with appropriately, to ensure that national and its economic growth”. economic growth and development are not “Available data from 2009 to 2019, unduly hindered”. indicates growing unemployment rates, “National security is not only limited to the declining domestic capital formation, the threats of terrorism, flight of foreign direct investments, increasing banditry and financial crimes. Cyber terrorism government security expenses and the likes, also creates national security problems against which are conversely affecting the provision of the economic growth of many countries of welfare and health services, equitable income

distribution and the productive use of public borrowing.

Compounding all these problems is the issue of the federal government’s inability to protect the national, state and local economies against corruption which is greatly dampening national economic growth in the short run”.

“Thus, Nigerian government’s inability to provide a safe and secure environment for human capital development largely adversely affects wealth-builders and access to social and economic services as necessary ingredients for wealth building and sustenance. There is also a huge inability to create jobs, eradicate poverty, and improve government revenue for engendering long-term inclusive economic growth. Some folks may argue that this whole scenario of national security in Nigeria is all about perception as away from facts and reality on the ground. And that there is a need to balance perception with concrete facts. They would argue that this negative perception of Nigeria’s insecurity does not necessarily reflect the facts on the ground”.

“However, facts are sacred. We must be conscious that balancing the investment climate with wealth building is very fragile.

Nigeria is globally not currently rated as a safe investment destination, given all that has been earlier mentioned here”.

CONSIDER THESE “Joint security patrols of the geographical locations of wealth builders’ businesses need to be organised for the communal protection of wealth owners’ assets, within their areas of operation. Such joint security patrols should necessarily incorporate the assistance of the Nigerian Police. These patrols should have links with the command systems of the Nigerian Police to ensure business concerns of wealth owners are not adversely affected by the pervasive insecurity of the Nigerian environment”.

It is not for anything that one is very much concerned about the importance of national security for wealth builders, because security, energy and human capital form the crux of business development which is the prime focus of wealth owners. Wealth owners hoping to do business in unsafe environments need to consider all these. Wealth cannot be built optimally in largely unsafe environments because of the survival, productivity and profitability impacts on the business, production and investment of wealth owners”.

OPTIONS FOR WEALTH BUILDERS “One way is for wealth builders to always be pre-emptive, to insulate themselves strategically from the impacts earlier mentioned, by employing insurance policies to reduce the probable losses that may occur, as a result of some of the issues of insecurity already mentioned here. An example is taking cash movement, special peril, fire, and fidelity insurance by such wealth builders. Another example is employing the services of private security agencies, using hidden cameras to record goings and comings, with support command stations for their businesses in different locations, to monitor and take appropriate pre-emptive actions against possible adversities. Another proactive strategy is to always obtain expert advice on law and security, to mitigate the outcomes of such

national and local insecurities. Wealth builders must also ensure that they conduct proper investigations of their intended employees, by using expert personnel recruitment, security agencies and experts to shortlist intending personnel for employment in their wealthbuilding operations. In addition to this, they must keep proper records of thumbprints, and passport photos and where possible, they must register the same with the police commands around their various localities. This is necessary.

Personnel should also be notified and made aware that such police notification measures have been put in place against possible abuse by personnel. A way out again is for wealth owners to make it a duty to be aware at all times of the developments and movements around their businesses by regularly monitoring news around their localities to be fully aware of happenings and likely security breaches around their businesses”.

THRIVING IN DARK TIMES “Thus, in general, the sustainability of wealth building by business owners is significantly influenced by the ability of their environment to provide conducive security, effective use of resources and delivery of innovative planning and development strategies for security management. The influence of security conditions arising from the challenges of national and local crises negatively affects business performance”.

“Countries that seriously value the importance of wealth growing, plan and expand to curb the negative effect of avoidable national security crises that may likely occur.

Security challenges can usually be prevented with the use of science and technology to prevent or limit the losses from conflicts, crises and impacts on individuals and businesses by adequately avoiding or minimising such risks.

Obviously, the production of wealth can only best take place in conducive environments and are usually significantly affected by national security problems. It is therefore the responsibility of governments to ensure that measures are put in place to minimise the adverse effects of national security on national and individual wealth building”.

“It must be admitted that the problems of national security are universal but the difference between one country and the other, in terms of wealth development, incomes, earning capacity, size/quality of GDP and employment generation capacity, has to do with how effectively and optimally that national security is handled for providing conducive environments. Also of importance is the need for the empowerment of the country’s judiciary, for fast, adequate and unbiased judgments against infractions, and clear and transparent penalties against the perpetrators of security lapses. This is very important because every properly-managed nation is fully aware that lapses in national security can and do occur, which negatively affect growth and development but wellmanaged nations generally appoint their judges on merit, empower and fund their judiciaries and honour the sanctity of the rule of law. These are necessary ingredients for the growth and development of wealth in well-managed societies and nations”.

Thus far…

Can’t wait to catch up with you next week.

As it is now, the general perception is that wealth owners and builders are increasingly afraid to move from one place to the other in Nigeria. This perception of fear has become a problem for wealth-building endeavours which inherently thrive on peace and free mobility

21

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

AVIATION

Boat built by the company

Maintenance facility

Caverton Repositions, Diversifies to Boost Performance 8QGDXQWHG E\ UHFHQW FKDOOHQJHV WR LWV RSHUDWLRQV &DYHUWRQ 2ͿVKRUH 6XSSRUW *URXS KDV XQYHLOHG a cocktail of measures to remain relevant in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, Ugo Aliogo writes

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lobal and local companies operating in the oil and gas sector were hit by a double whammy in 2020. The global movement away from fossil fuels coincided with the global shutdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. This created a powerful headwind that negatively LPSDFWHG WKH ÀQDQFLDO IRUWXQHV RI RLO DQG JDV companies. Even with the steady and record rise in oil prices this year, most of these companies are yet to fully recover. As it is for the oil and gas companies, so it is for the companies that service them. The fortunes of a business can hardly be divorced from the outlook of its environment. &DYHUWRQ 2ͿVKRUH 6XSSRUW *URXS &26* a Nigerian company and leading provider of marine and aviation support to the oil and gas sector, has had to struggle with the recent volatility of its operating environment on one hand and the larger national and global economic challenges on the other. But the company has demonstrated its resilience not only in weathering its share of the recent storms but also by making quick adjustments, by being forward-looking, and by branching into new and better-insulated terrains of aviation training and maintenance and lately boat-building VHUYLFHV :LWK LWV GLYHUVLÀHG SRUWIROLR &DYHUWRQ now has a more weatherproof operation and outlook.

As part of the measures to maintain its OHDGHUVKLS SRVLWLRQ LQ DYLDWLRQ LWV ÁDJVKLS business line, the company appointed Captain Ibrahim Chafe Bello, as the Managing 'LUHFWRU RI &DYHUWRQ +HOLFRSWHUV ZLWK HͿHFW from 1st July 2022. The helicopter subsidiary KDG D EXPS\ ULGH LQ WKH ÀUVW KDOI RI 7KH appointment of Captain Bello, an experienced pilot and administrator, to lead the helicopter VHUYLFH IURP WKH ÀUVW GD\ RI WKH VHFRQG KDOI RI the year, signposts a strong desire by the group to gain a higher altitude.

According to a press statement signed by WKH &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU RI &26* 0U Olabode Makanjuola, the new helmsman has over 34 years of continuous experience in both military and civil aviation. Captain Bello joined the Nigerian Air Force in 1987, served in the Nigerian Presidential Fleet, and UHWLUHG PHULWRULRXVO\ DV D 6TXDGURQ /HDGHU LQ DIWHU ZKLFK KH JRW KLV À[HG ZLQJ DYLDWLRQ FHUWLÀFDWLRQ IURP 'HOWD &RQQHFWLRQ $FDGHP\ LQ )ORULGD 86$ “Captain Bello holds the NCAA Aircraft 0DLQWHQDQFH ZLWK YDULRXV UDWLQJV DQG WKH $73/ Multi-Engine license from FAA and NCAA,” the statement said. “He holds a Bachelor of

6FLHQFH GHJUHH IURP WKH 1LJHULDQ 'HIHQFH Academy. He has earned various medals for his military-civilian careers.”

The statement also revealed that Captain Bello MRLQHG &DYHUWRQ +HOLFRSWHUV LQ 6HSWHPEHU and has held various management positions in the company, including serving as the Base 0DQDJLQJ 3LORW WKH 6KHOO &RQWDFW 0DQDJHU and the Director of Operations of the helicopter VXEVLGLDU\ RI &26* $V SDUW RI WKH UHSRVLWLRQLQJ &26* PDGH WZR other senior appointments: Mr Rotimi MakanMXROD DV WKH *URXS &KLHI 2SHUDWLQJ 2΀FHU &22 DQG 0UV /RODGH $ELROD DV ([HFXWLYH 'LUHFWRU RI Training of Caverton Helicopters. According to the statement, Mr Makanjuola as COO will oversee the planning and the implementation of business strategies for the growth of the group. +H KROGV D %6F LQ (FRQRPLFV IURP WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ of Bradford in the UK and a master’s inAuditing DQG 0DQDJHPHQW IURP &LW\ %XVLQHVV 6FKRRO /RQGRQ 8. 2Q KHU SDUW 0UV $ELROD KROGV D %6F LQ &RPSXWHU 6FLHQFH IURP .LQJV &ROOHJH /RQGRQ 8. DQG DQ 06F LQ $LU 7UDQVSRUW 0DQDJHPHQW IURP &UDQÀHOG 8QLYHUVLW\·V 6FKRRO of Aeronautical Engineering. Apart from her previous experience in Caverton, she recently VHUYHG DV D 7HFKQLFDO $GYLVRU LQ WKH 2΀FH RI the Vice President of Nigeria.

These senior appointments are likely to reassure stakeholders that might be skittish about recent negative news about the company.

Remarkably, the repositioning is coming after Caverton Helicopters restarted its previously VXVSHQGHG RSHUDWLRQV ZLWK 6KHOO $FFRUGLQJ WR VRXUFHV IDPLOLDU ZLWK WKH LVVXH 6KHOO JDYH

An engineer at work

Caverton Helicopters the green light to recommence operations after a rigorous audit that [ UD\HG WKH FRPSDQ\·V OHDGHUVKLS ÀQDQFLDO safety and technical dimensions as well as its ÁLJKW RSHUDWLRQ &DYHUWRQ +HOLFRSWHUV UHVWDUWHG WKH 6KHOO RSHUDtions early this June. In a related vein, the dispute between Caverton Helicopters and Chevron over the summary cancellation of its contracts is being resolved by the lawyers, revealing a source who craved anonymity because of not being authorised to speak on the matter. If the RQJRLQJ HͿRUWV IDOO WKURXJK DUELWUDWLRQ DQG litigation are both options, the source said.

However, Caverton’s strategic edge seems to EH LWV SHQFKDQW IRU GLYHUVLÀFDWLRQ LQWR QHZ DUHDV to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Its latest drive in this direction is commercial boat construction. The prototype of the Caverton Waterbus, a 12-meter, 40-passenger boat, will be unveiled at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference starting in Abuja tomorrow. The boat, which is powered by two 300-horsepower engines, was originally conceived to support ZDWHU WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ LQ /DJRV 6WDWH 2UGHUV KDYH started pouring in not just from ferry operators DQG WKH /DJRV 6WDWH *RYHUQPHQW EXW DOVR VWDWHV in the Niger Delta and oil and gas companies.

7KH ERDWV DUH ZKROO\ EXLOW IURP D /DJRV IDFtory, and almost all the materials are sourced locally. Apart from the master builder who is a /HEDQHVH WKH RWKHU EXLOGHUV DUH DOO 1LJHULDQV Beyond the possibility of making the group PRUH SURÀWDEOH DQG EHWWHU LQVXODWHG WKLV YHQWXUH will also create new jobs and increase economic activity in the country. The boat business is a

VSLQRͿ RI &DYHUWRQ 0DULQH WKH ÀUVW VXEVLGLDU\ RI &26* ZKLFK ZDV LQFRUSRUDWHG LQ -XO\ Caverton Marine provides marine logistics services mainly to oil and gas companies. The passage of the Cabotage Act in 2004 gave the company the added impetus to become one of the major players in the marine space and to FRQWLQXH WR UDLVH WKH ÁDJ IRU 1LJHULDQ FRPSDQLHV in this sector. %XW E\ IDU &DYHUWRQ·V ELJJHVW GLYHUVLÀFDWLRQ bet is its venture into the training of pilots and WKH PDLQWHQDQFH RI DLUFUDIW LQ LWV /DJRV IDFLOLW\ Caverton has a 40, 000 square meter, state-ofthe-art maintenance, repair and overhaul centre ZLWK D IUHH WUDGH ]RQH VWDWXV LQ /DJRV ,W LV D one-stop-shop for aircraft maintenance and WKH ÀUVW RI LWV NLQG RQ WKH FRQWLQHQW ,W KROGV D $5m worth of stock of spare parts from original equipment manufacturers to ensure quick turnaround, which is further helped by its FTZ status.

“We handle maintenance here faster and at least 30% to 40% cheaper than abroad,” said 0DNDQMXROD WKH &(2 RI &26* UHFHQWO\ 7KLV facility not only handles the maintenance of &DYHUWRQ +HOLFRSWHUV· ÁHHW RI DLUFUDIW UHVXOWLQJ in substantial savings. It also handles third-party operations, including for the Nigerian Navy DQG WKH 3UHVLGHQWLDO ÁHHW RI WKH %HQLQ 5HSXEOLF Airline operators incur a lot of costs in the training of pilots. Caverton alone used to spend $ 3 million annually on the training of its pilots.

Now the training is done in-house, resulting in savings not just in scarce foreign exchange but in time. Caverton has a full-service training facility LQ /DJRV FRPSOHWH ZLWK D VLPXODWRU WKDW FDQ EH FRQÀJXUHG IRU GLͿHUHQW DLUFUDIW DQG ZHDWKHU conditions. Caverton has trained pilots for the Amnesty Programme and is receiving interest from within and outside the continent.

The Caverton Group had many humble beginQLQJV &DYHUWRQ +HOLFRSWHUV WKH ÁDJVKLS RI WKH group, started as an airport shuttle business in the early 2000s. The marine business started much earlier, but also as a marginal player. The FRPSDQ\ KDG LWV ÀUVW EUHDNWKURXJK LQ ZKHQ its helicopter arm won a major contract with 6KHOO GLVSODFLQJ ZKDW KDG EHHQ D GXRSRO\ RI two foreign companies in the sector.

6WDUWHG DV D IDPLO\ EXVLQHVV E\ LWV FKDLUPDQ Mr Aderemi Makanjuola, the company later ZHQW SXEOLF &26* ZDV OLVWHG RQ WKH VWRFN exchange on 6th February 2014. Buoyed by the foresight and ingenuity of its founder, board members and management team, supported by enabling laws like the cabotage and the local content laws, Caverton has been able to navigate the vicissitude of the challenging operating environment. It has stood out as a posterchild for Nigerian companies and resilience, the archetypal Nigerian spirit.

22

SUNDAY JULY 3, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

INTERVIEW

Eben Joels: FG’s Continued Gas Importation Spells Doom for Naira 3DUWQHU 6WUDQVDFW 560 1LJHULDQ &RUUHVSRQGHQW ÀUP IRU 560 (EHQ -RHOV VSRNH ZLWK VHOHFW MRXUQDOLVWV WR GLVFXVV WKH XQLTXH HVVHQFH RI 1LJHULD·V HFRQRP\ 60(V WKH UROH RI WHFKQRORJ\ LQ WD[ DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ DXGLW GXH GLOLJHQFH KRZ WR VDYH WKH QDLUD IURP IUHH IDOO Adedayo Adejobi SUHVHQWV WKH H[FHUSWV

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nalysts say the economy is on the brink of collapse, what’s your structural assessment of the economy?

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R JULY 3, 2022

24

INTERNATIONAL NSIL and NAIA Zoom Meetings on African Security: The Issue of Russo-Ukrainian War and Afro

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Issues in Russo-Ukrainian War and Afro The first issue raised by the NAIA’s quest for an Afro currency is the renewal of the controversy over the need for revisiting Professor Bolaji Akinyemi’s call for a Concert of Medium Power (CMP) in 1987. Professor Bola Akinterinwa and Ambassador Godknows Ighali shared the same views on what the CMP would have achieved in promoting Nigeria’s foreign policy interests had it not been myopically nipped in the bud.

The objective of the rejected CMP was greatness for Nigeria and this is precisely what has been reactivated by the new politics of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), which aimed at seeking greatness and international recognition for themselves.The quest for greatness and recognition is necessarily an expression of protest and an attempt to re-affirm oneself in the conduct and management of international questions. In other words, it is a message to the world that the BRICS must be relevant in the management of affairs that concern them and where the relevance is not so recognized, then it cannot but be self-reliancism as alternative.

When the idea of a CMP was first mooted, it was never meant to challengetheWestbuttoenhancethecapacityofmemberparticipants to enhance self-protective measures vis-à-vis perceived Western exploitative dominance. Put differently, the cardinal objective of the CMP was to provide an alternative platform to the political mainmise of Western institutions in the governance of global affairs.

The CMP was conceived to be an informal and flexible consultative organ of 16-member regional powers or countries that had important modicum of influence in their regions.The 16 members were carefully chosen from the four regions of the world: Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Dr. Femi Aribisala has explained the purpose of the CMP

“

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Onyeama better by submitting that the members were not only expected to act together in mediating capacity in pressing global conflictsituations and building a bridge between competing interests in the international system, but also enabling‘its membership to exert greater collective influence in world affairs. By so doing, it would ensure that questions of international peace and security would no longer be the exclusive preserve of the superpower and their respective alliance systems’(vide his“Bolaji Akinyemi’s Concert of Medium Powers,’in Financial Nigeria, 02 January 2013.

For more information, see also Bola A. Akinterinwa,“The Lagos Forum and the Medium Powers Debate,”International Problems, Society and Politics (Jerusalem, Israel), Vol. XXVIII, 52(1-2), 1989, pp. 57-68).

And perhaps most importantly, Dr. Aribisala drew attention to two points relevant to our discussion here. First is that whatever is generally initiated in Nigeria is hardly appreciated at home.

Nigeriansactasiftheyareonlyconsumerintellectualswhichought not to be. Explained differently, if the initiation of a CMP had come from outside of Nigeria, and particularly from Europe or America, would every Nigerian not have given greater appreciation to it?

Secondly, Dr. Aribisala noted that‘under Akinyemi’s leadership, Nigeria became the first black African country to project itself so vividly at the centre-stage of international politics. The very fact that the sixteen countries which attended the exploratory senior officials meeting in Lagos in March 1987 decided to christen the initiative as the Lagos Forum, out of respect and appreciation for Nigeria as the initiator of the venture, meant that Nigeria’s leadership was recognized and accepted.’

Dr. Aribisala could not have been more correct. In fact, the new initiative of a Nigerian Academy of International Affairs with an objective to promote international respect for Nigeria and Africa is not only commendable but particularly more so with its agenda on how to assisting African leaders in achieving an

In terms of security implications, they are quite mixed. On the one hand, the Russo-Ukrainian war creates opportunities for Nigeria to possibly take advantage of. For instance, while the EU countries are waiting until December 2022 to finally stop their importation of oil from Russia, President Putin has simply fast-tracked the waiting by taking the battle further from Ukraine to the doorsteps of all the EU members. Russia has decided to stop the export of its oil to the EU with immediate effect. In this regard, Israel has accepted to replace Russia as oil supplier to the EU and has also signed a deal with Egypt as a transit country. The implication for Nigeria is the need to see to the urgent conclusion of the Trans-Sahara road projects, as well as construction of pipelines to enable the export of Nigerian gas and oil to Europe. This first task requires negotiating a deal with the EU. On the other hand, the Russo-Ukrainian war has the potential to also heighten the implementation of the controversial Fulanisation agenda in Nigeria, because nomadic herding is no longer in vogue and the Fulani want to make Nigeria a homeland for all Fulani in West and Central Africa. This has prompted efforts at forceful acquisition of titled land in southern Nigeria, which are vehemently opposed to, but which PMB is trying to impose by manu militari. And true, Russia and Ukraine cannot but take sides, simply because those resisting Fulanisation are likely to seek assistance internationally from Russia and Ukraine

“

SIL is Nigerian Society of International Law, established in 1968 by Justice Taslim Olawale Elias, a former Judge of the International Court of Justice, to foster the study and advancement of Public and Private International Law, Comparative Law, International Institutions and International Relations.The NSIL also has as objective the promotion of research and cooperation with societies, associations and other organisations with similar aims.

NAIA is Nigerian Academy of International Affairs, recently initiated as a special think tank by Professor Bolaji Akinwande Akinyemi, CFR, and former Minister of External Affairs of Nigeria. It has as objectives the promotion of the understanding of International Relations in all its ramifications, provision of a platform for theorists of International Relations and Practitioners of Diplomacy to exchange ideas on how best to advance Nigeria’s foreign policy interests in international politics, by particularly using the understanding of International Affairs, Rule of Law, Democracy and Protection of Human Rights to promote the maintenance of global peace and security. More important it wants to promote international respect for Africa, and particularly Nigeria, in the conduct and management of International Affairs.

Afro is the name of the single currency being contemplated for establishment and use within the framework of the African Monetary Union. There are some regional currencies, such as the West African and Central African CFA franc. Even though the Libyan dinar (LYD) was the strongest currency as of March 2019 in Africa, efforts to have an Afro currency since thirty years ago, have been to no avail. In this regard, consistent with their aims and objectives, the NSIL held a Zoom meeting on Monday, 27th June, 2022 while the NAIA held its own on Wednesday, 29th June.

The NSIL investigated the implications of the Russo-Ukrainian war on energy and security in Africa. The meeting, moderated by Professor (Mrs.) Yinka Omorogbe, a Research Professor with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, President of the NSIL, and former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Edo State, took much interest in the implications for state security, food security, and opportunities open to Nigeria to take advantage of. For the NAIA, it focused on economic security, the need for the establishment of an Afro currency, in the strong belief that a common African currency is a major instrument for economic development which is also a desideratum for politico-economic security.

What is noteworthy about the Russo-Ukrainian war and the quest for an Afro currency is that the world is currently challenged by recidivist national insecurity and emergence of inter-state insecurity.

This development has also thrown up the challenge of the Afro and reduction of Western influence in international monetary relations.

This especially raises the significance of the NSIL and NAIA zoom meetings.

African common currency. Most unfortunately, however, theWestern world was vehemently agitated with the proposal of a CMP and has simply ensured maximum pressure to kill it, but without putting an end to its politico-economic domination of the South. This cannot but be a fresh challenge for the NAIA to begin to address.

A second issue is that of the BRICS, which in collaboration with Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, has decided to establish an alternative international monetary fund by putting together the sum of $2.2 billion each to lend to countries in need and at a very competitive interest rates. This means that the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) will no longer enjoy its current monopoly and, and by so doing, the Western economic hegemony that has continued to characterize the management of international economic relations, will also be no more.

Undoubtedly, as once theorized by Professor Jean-Baptiste Durroselle of the University of Paris-Sorbonne that ‘tout empire périra’ ((every empire shall perish), the American empire appears to be on tthe path of a very challenging decline. When the making of another iinternational monetary system is examined against the background of the rejection of the CMP by Nigeria’s policy makers, one cannot o but ask what Nigeria and even Africa now want to do. In the first case, b Nigeria is increasingly not in any way reckoned with internationally.

N N Nigeria’s President can be rightly said to be frolicking around the world ccapitals in the erroneous belief that active presence in international meetings necessarily constitutes acknowledgment of respect for m Nigeria. Most unfortunately, it is far from it. This is a white lie or white N belief. Nigeria, which ought to be part of the BRICs, to possibly make b tthe name become BRINCS (Brazil, Russia, India, Nigeria, China and SSouth Africa), has not been invited to join. What we only see Nigeria’s P President doing abroad is always shaking hands with other presidents aand reportedly signing deals that are dependentist in character and tthe implications of which are never explained to Nigerians. It is quite difficult to know in which way the recent deal done by the United d Kingdom and Nigeria on deportation of illegal immigrants to Nigeria K iis different from those already done in the past.

OnThursday,30thJune2022,BritainandNigeriasignedanagreement meant toincrease the deportation of dangerous criminals within the m fframework of the British new immigration plan. In the words of the British Home Secretary, Priti Patel,‘our new landmark agreement with B Nigeria will increase the deportation of dangerous foreign criminals N tto make our streets and country safer.’More important,‘the deal will mean that operational teams in both countries will share their expertise m tto take the fight to criminal people smugglers who are responsible for a wider range of criminality and put profit before people while undermining the security of our two countries,’the Home Secretary said.

What is noteworthy in this statement is the insinuation that Nigerians are part of the‘dangerous foreign criminals’who made the streets and the United Kingdom unsafe. There is nothing to suggest that there are no British citizens who are dangerous criminals in Nigeria and who may have to be deported from Nigeria to the United Kingdom in reciprocal implementation of the bilateral deal. And more interestingly, the deal as reported by the Home Secretary, is simply saying that the dangerous criminals, who are Nigerians, should be sent back home to Nigeria, the home of dangerous criminals.

In this regard, is it that the experts referred to in both countries have not been sharing their expertise in the fight against dangerous criminals in Nigeria? Are the armed bandits, the purported foreign Fulani herdsmen and the Boko Haramists doing battle against Nigeria’s unity and political sovereignty not dangerous criminals? Do they not qualify to be considered as dangerous local criminals?To what extent has the UK been able to help checkmate the problems of national insecurity? In fact, the United Kingdom policy is that all those illegally entering the United Kingdom now and those who had entered the United Kingdom since January 1, 2022 will be deported to Rwanda.

Are those being deported to Rwanda not inclusive of criminals, dangerous or otherwise?

It is on record that the British government has been negotiating with Nigeria to have Nigerians serving jail terms in the United Kingdom transferred to Nigeria. The Nigerian prisoners have generally kicked against that attempt on grounds of human rights and possible mistreatment in Nigerian prisons. However, it is disastrous for the British Home Secretary not only to differentiate between ordinary criminals and dangerous criminals, but more disturbingly for the Nigerian president to believe that Nigerians are dangerous criminals and therefore to quickly jump into signing a deal with the UK. Implications and Quo Vadis With the efforts of the BRICS to establish an alternative to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund in order to assist poor countries in need of loans at affordable interest rates, there is no disputing the fact that a NewWorld Order is already in the making, especially in international economic relations. Western domination may quickly come to an end. Economico-monetary services will also be competitive and new opportunities are likely to be created for enhancing the establishment of an Afro currency. And true enough here, one main challenge to the development of intra-African trade is the inability to settle commercial transactions in a local currency.

The need to go through corresponding banks to get the dollar or the euro equivalent for settlement of bills has not always been easy.

Settlement of debts in dollars necessarily subjects the payer to the whims and caprices of US policies and this is clearly reflected in the US policy sanctions on Russia.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

3.7.2022

EVELYN MAXWELL A Defender of the Vulnerable Described as a defender of the womenfolk, Evelyn Maxwell, the Executive Director, Centre for Advocacy Against Rape, Molestation, Gender Violence, Child and Drug Abuse (CARA), a non-for-profit organisation, has been on the frontlines fighting the battle for liberation. Violence against women, a global public health concern is a matter of personal interest to Maxwell, a journalist-turned women advocate.

In this encounter, she tells Funke Olaode how she leverages her platform to erase the fears of survivors who desire to speak out.

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iolence against women has been a front-burner topic and women are the more vulnerable of the traditional gender divide.

Worried by the spate at which women are being constantly abused, Evelyn Maxwell steps in; fulfilling her childhood dreams of being a ‘deliverer’ through advocacy.

Mrs. Maxwell, the Executive Director, Center for Advocacy Against Rape, Molestation, Gender Violence, Child and Drug Abuse (CARA), a non-for–profit organisation is an unapologetic women advocate. The Abia State indigene is just determined to make a mark.

Recounting her early years that spurred that sense of responsibility, she said in a recent encounter: “The struggle didn’t start today. As the eldest of six children, my parents bestowed upon me the solemn duty to look after and take care of my siblings which I considered quite unfair but had no choice about. As for my education, I began my schooling in a private school called High Grade Nursery and Primary School located in the Dopemu area of Lagos Mainland then and proceeded to Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Sagamu, Ogun State where I started and finished my secondary education.

I was at Madonna University in Okija, Anambra State where I studied Mass Communication.”

After completing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Taraba State, she practised as a journalist, writer, presenter and PR Consultant, and today she is an advocate.

Mrs. Maxwell’s CARA has been fighting the battle for liberation for women and girls. Violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. According to WHO, estimates indicate that globally about one in three (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

Most of these abuses are caused by an intimate partner. Globally, almost one-third (27%) of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship report that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.

These statistics are worrisome realities for the women folk. Women have always been perceived to be victims of violence and they make up 90 per cent, but men also suffer from domestic violence though many do not file a report because of stereotypes and misplaced beliefs.

“Well, CARA as an organisation is actually not focused only on women.

It’s also focused on children, youths and even men to some extent. The issues of child abuse, drug abuse and gender violence which is a general term for rape, molestation, domestic violence and human trafficking are perpetrated by both women and men and both sexes also suffer from them and fall victims, one way or the other.”

CARA, according to the founder, is not one of those NGOs that often spring without a purpose. It is on a mission to draw government and stakeholders’ attention to this

ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/victoria.olaode@thisdaylive.com.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JULY 3, 2022

COVER

WHY I AM PASSIONATE ABOUTVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN pandemic that has eaten deep into the fabric of society. Having experienced a form of attempted sexual assault as a child, she believes the time to speak out is now.

“I was once a victim of attempted sexual assault when I was about 11 years old. Luckily for me, the perpetrator who was a much older uncle didn’t succeed in his intentions and I learnt a very valuable lesson from that ugly incident which helped me become more conscious of the level of evil in the hearts of many so-called family members and family friends while growing up.”

Speaking further on her experience as a 20-year-old then, she recalled how she faced domestic violence in her first romantic relationship.

“I was in love and felt I had to tolerate his emotional abuse when it first started and like everything you permit, it grew into physical abuse.

I knew I had to end it and get out of such a toxic relationship if I didn’t want to get killed or kill someone in self-defence. Thank God I did and learnt a very valuable lesson never to permit or tolerate anyone with such tendencies into my space.”

Having grown out of her childhood ordeal she is set out to be a healing balm for victims of violence who need help. Mrs. Maxwell said CARA is a place of hope for the dejected and violated.

Reeling out the organisation’s objectives, she noted that apart from providing succour through strategic interventions and programmes, the NGO is also set out to rehabilitate and empower victims of rape, molestation, gender violence, child abuse and drug abuse.

To take up cases, provide legal support and help victims of gender violence rape, gender domestic violence, rape, molestation, human trafficking and child abuse are part of her goals.

While collaboration with lawmakers and policymakers at all levels is in the pipeline to protect the vulnerable and ensure that perpetrators are punished, Mrs. Maxwell said she will also intensify the awareness campaigns.

Mrs. Maxwell is gradually fulfilling her dreams as she navigates through a life of advocacy.

“I am fulfilling my childhood dreams. As a child, I aspired to become the first female president of Nigeria and to somehow be in a position where I would provide housing for all the homeless people in the world because I couldn’t understand why anybody would be homeless in my baby’s mind.”

It is not a misstep that CARA has carried it upon itself to help build shelters that will temporally accommodate survivors and potential victims of all forms of gender violence especially domestic violence, rape and sexual assault.

“This particular objective is very dear to my heart because it is something the entire continent of Africa lacks. Many women who have lost their lives to domestic violence would have lived if they knew there is a place or city nearby where they could leave their unsafe space and cool off to plan their lives for a few days without inconveniencing anyone or worrying about where to get money to cover for accommodation.”

Creation of scholarships, job opportunities and empowerment of women through small-scale business opportunities to enable them to keep their children in school is one of the objectives of CARA. Violence against women has been an ongoing debate. But the issue of rape remains a stigma as victims don’t often come out openly.

While the organisation respects the

Having grown out of her childhood ordeal, she is set out to be a healing balm for victims of violence, who need help. Mrs. Maxwell said CARA is a place of hope for the dejected and violated.

Maxwell

individuals’ right to privacy, the idea of staying silent can embolden perpetrators to continue with the crime.

“In the first place, there shouldn’t be any debate about Violence against Women (VAW) or Violence Against Children (VAC) or in fact, violence against anybody for that matter in a sane civil society. The very fact that there is even a debate about this clearly depicts the high level of socialcultural deficiency in the society and the humongous work on awareness and enlightenment that must be done.

“That again is a big indictment on our collective humanity as a society. It goes to show that the majority of our people, including many educated ones, are neckdeep in abysmal ignorance and it is one of our major objectives as an organisation to rid our people of such ignorance.

“A rape victim should never have to worry about stigmatisation; a crime was committed against her and the criminal who committed the crime should be the one worrying about stigmatisation not the victim of the crime. A rape victim is dutybound to speak out for proper healing to take place and to prevent the perpetrators from making more victims. If people around a rape victim are foolish to the extent of stigmatising her, that should not be the victim’s problem.”

On the issue of drug abuse among youths, she said that the vice is at a

pandemic level.

“Simply put, Nigeria is currently sitting on a nuclear time bomb on this issue of drug abuse. Children as little as primary school children are being exposed to different types of hard drugs as we speak and if that does not spell doom for the collective future of the country what else would?

“CARA as an organisation has created many innovative projects to tackle the issue of drug abuse in Nigeria effectively and save our collective future, but all of these wonderful projects need a lot of funds for them to function at all let alone function properly. The truth is without proper funding to combat and tackle the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria today, the situation will only get worse.

Moreso, the kind of funding needed has to be a collective and deliberate one from all stakeholders from government at all levels to all corporate entities and well-to-do individuals in society.”

Her organisation recently launched a multi-pronged project titled War Against Gender Violence Child Abuse and Drug Abuse in Africa (WAGCDA) to tackle drug abuse among other issues.

“With the hope of getting

support and funding, we need from all relevant entities especially from corporate bodies, companies and international institutions to make the project a success,” she said.

The idea behind WAGCDA is to wage a strategic war against these issues from all angles starting with a very strong massive awareness campaign to therapy, rescue and empowerment programmes.

She might have stepped out of her comfort zone quite late but her commitment is paying off as many people believe in her vision and mission. On October 27, 2022, prominent Nigerians from all walks of life will converge on Lagos Continental Hotel, Lagos for a conference being organised

by CARA. Themed: ‘How corporate bodies can curb the surge of gender violence, child abuse and drug abuse in Africa,’ the conference will bring together corporate, business, political and diplomatic leaders in Nigeria and across Africa under one roof to discuss and share ideas on the roles corporate bodies in Africa play in the collective good of a people and save the future of the youths and the vulnerable.

“This conference can be described as the single most important conference in Nigeria and indeed Africa in 2022 due to its continental importance to the collective good of the people of Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

She continued: “The conference will enable our great corporate and business leaders to understand the issues of gender violence, child abuse and drug abuse better and see how much power and control they truly have to turn the tides and save Nigeria and Africa in general from the impending doom that is lurking by the corner if these issues are not tackled now.

“This conference is in fact part of our bigger strategic ‘Project War Against Gender Violence, Child Abuse and Drug Abuse in Africa’ mentioned earlier. We arrived at the need for a conference of this magnitude when all our studies showed that without an event in Africa the issues of gender violence and drug abuse especially cannot be solved. We have played lip service to these issues as a country and continent for far too long and see where it has gotten us. The time, therefore, has come for action: it is time to stand up or shut up as a corporate, business, diplomatic or political leader in Africa.

“It is time to let the youths, women and children see and hear who truly cares about them. It’s time to know which company, organisation and diplomatic mission truly care about the future of Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

It will show the world how ready and committed our corporate leaders in the private and public sectors, in business and politics are to solving the issues that threaten our collective wellbeing and future. It is going to be a historic event that will have a far-reaching impact across Africa for many years and generations to come.”

For Mrs. Maxwell, that time is now for the government and stakeholders to wake up to their responsibility.

“Continuous engagement will take us to the promised land. Government at all levels and all stakeholders which includes every single local and international organisation, companies, foreign missions and embassies operating in Nigeria must be engaged constantly to wake them up to their responsibilities with regards to the issues.”

For a course that is dear to her heart, Mrs. Maxwell is ready to pull all stops to achieve her dreams. But the impediment is funding. “The only major challenge I see running the organisation is funding.

Funding for our various initiatives, programmes and general running cost is my biggest challenge. So far, our funding has come from my personal purse, that of my husband and very few patrons. As a matter of fact, right now we need a lot of help and support from all stakeholders because we need billions of Naira and millions of dollars to properly carry out our programmes.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

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GLITZ FOCUS

R. Kelly: Downfall of a Legend and Lessons for Nigerian Artistes For long, the US R&B singer’s fame shielded him from the long arm of the law. But it all came tumbling down last week when a judge found him guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, Vanessa Obioha writes how R. Kelly’s downfall shows that not even fame can save a celebrity from the law

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elebrities are often viewed as untouchable, particularly those that have gained worldwide popularity and recorded outstanding successes in their field of career. The ‘almighty’ persona attached to their character, shields them from thorough public scrutiny and even on occasions when such inspection is required, it is drowned by fans who idolise them. Thus, they can do no wrong in their eyes given their perfect public imagery.

But celebrities, be it pastors, actors, filmmakers, musicians, producers, or politicians are nothing but mere mortals. While they project a perfect persona in public, they also have their demons to contain. Some are lucky to tame them, while others are controlled by them. These demons are perfectly kept away from the public, only glimpsed when the lights are turned off. Aggressively, they unleashed their depravities on their victims who, knowing their weaknesses, either succumb to their wishes or live forever in silence and shame.

However, since the #MeToo movement started in 2017 with the epic downfall of the American Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, more untouchable powerful figures have begun to feel the gavel. Powerful figures in Hollywood like Bill Cosby, the Black actor and stand-up comedian who lit up many homes with his TV shows, the American actor Kevin Spacey and the late American financier Jeffery Epstein have not been immune to the movement which seeks to bring powerful sexual predators to book.

Before #MeToo, attempts to convict celebrities of their crimes against women recorded few successes, usually due to a lack of evidence or witnesses. But nowadays, victims are no longer afraid to tell their stories.

Such was the case of R. Kelly,

the American R&B singer who thrilled the world with many hit singles and even proclaimed himself as the World’s Greatest, a title his millions of fans did not object to.

On June 29, the singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Judge Ann Donnelly who found him guilty of racketeering and sexual trafficking.

News of Kelly’s sexual tendencies has been whispered in the past, starting with his marriage to the late singer Aaliyah when she was 15 years old, and he 27.

Attempts to bring him to book have not been as impactful as the latest.

It all started in 1994 when a US magazine, Vibe published a report on his illegal marriage to Aaliyah. By 2000, another publication Chicago Sun-Times reported an investigation that the singer was keeping sexual relations with underage girls. In 2002, he was accused of child pornography and again was found not guilty. Yet the singer’s fame was not tarnished. Even a 2008 criminal trial that suggested he was having sex with an underage girl in a 27-minute clip did not bring him down. So his ego grew such that hours after his trial, he sang with children at a church in Chicago.

Kelly was believed to have perfected his craft at projecting innocence and harmlessness that it was hard to believe his victims. But things began to take a different path with the rise of #MeToo. First came the protest campaign #MuteRKelly against his music, followed by the Lifetime documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ in 2019 which detailed the sexual abuse allegations against the singer. A sequel ‘Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning’ premiered in 2020. New allegations from accusers began to spring up, making it inevitable for the singer to evade the law. According to the New York Times, the government constructed a sweeping case against Kelly, with evidence that extended from recent years back to the early 1990s.

On September 27, 2021, after a series of testimonies from 11 accusers and more than 40 witnesses, Kelly was found guilty by a jury in New York which deliberated

R. Kelly

for nine hours and found him guilty of nine counts in the federal case, including racketeering and eight violations of an anti-sex trafficking law known as the Mann Act. The trial lasted for six weeks.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes in wrapping up the case noted that Kelly “used lies, manipulation, threats, and physical abuse to dominate his victims,” and accused Kelly of “grooming girls and boys for sexual activity despite the fact that they were too young to consent.”

The same line of thoughts were echoed by Judge Donnelly who read out Kelly’s sentence.

She said: “This case is not about sex. It’s about violence and cruelty and control. You had a system in place that lured young people into your orbit — and then you took over their lives.” She added that Kelly taught his victims that love is enslavement and violence.

One of the women who testified in court before Kelly’s sentencing said she had sex with the entertainer in 1999 when she was 17, and still often finds herself “sobbing uncontrollably at random times of the day.”

Another woman who spoke in court under a pseudonym

said: “We reclaim our names from beneath the shadow of your inflicted trauma. We are no longer the preyedupon individuals we once were. We will be able to live again.”

Kelly still faces an August 15 trial in Chicago on federal charges for producing child pornography and luring minors into sex acts. The downfall of the musician who became a global sensation with hits like ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ is a strong indication that fame cannot prevent one from the long arm of the law.

In a country like Nigeria, where the #MeToo movement has not really gained significant ground, celebrities who have been accused of one sexual crime or the other are still roaming the streets. Like Kelly, a day of reckoning beckons but first, Nigeria needs to have strong institutions. If celebrities can have the police, lawyers and justices on their payroll, what hope can victims cling to?

Constantly, Nigerians are inundated with news of superstars and the rich and famous maltreating or molesting women, fighting at nightclubs, ordering their bodyguards to beat up people or driving against traffic. Sometimes, under the influence of alcohol, they recklessly run the vehicles into people, with security agencies allowing them to get away as long as they can “settle” them.

For these set of people who are in the habit of committing these infractions, a day of reckonging may not be too far away.

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GLITZ FEATURE

Rising Spate of Paternity Disputes in Nigeria Four out of every 10 boys tested are not the biological children of their alleged fathers With the moral crime of paternity fraud and the upsurge in paternity testing and divorce, our personal life histories are daily being rewritten. Drawing upon the staggering data from Nigeria and the experiences of victims and key stakeholders, Adedayo Adejobi writes on the rising spate of paternity fraud and its lasting effect on marital union

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hirty-four-year-old Kenechukwu Eze is a father who knows how fulfilling it is to have a child. However, he has doubts in the back of his mind: is this child biologically mine? How come he doesn’t look like me? The more he ponders, the more red flags he sees. Likewise, 47-year-old Kunle Aruwajoye harbours similar paternity doubts.

For Emoche Agaba, her husband’s growing doubts about their child’s paternity threatened their union. ‘‘When my second daughter was born, she was so different in personality from my husband that he often made comments that she wasn’t his. I was very hurt by these comments. I wished he would do the test himself if he had suspicions instead of ever making those comments. It was the beginning of the end of our marriage,” she recounted.

This is where paternity DNA testing gets into the picture. Many Nigerians have discovered DNA testing has a potential to wreak havoc on the family structure, as it tests marital fidelity and personal integrity.

A Victim of Infidelity

Narrating a rather painful ordeal in the discovery of the paternity of his child, a victim speaking on account of anonymity said: “A few years ago, part of my job required me to travel a lot within the West Africa regions. I spent between two and three months at home and abroad alternatively for about three years. I had a two-year-old son and a side business I co-owned with a couple of friends. Because I was not always around, my wife took my responsibility for the side business. This means she spent a lot of time working at the business along with my friends. One day, I was in Ghana and got a phone call from my wife saying she was pregnant again. It was totally unexpected, but soon the happy feeling overcame the vague doubt that I had.’’

Later, I no longer had to travel for work. I never had any suspicion about the paternity of my second son until one day I found out about a conversation between my wife and one of my friends, Ben. My wife denied it when I confronted her. As my younger boy was growing up, he started looking like Ben. I told myself I needed to settle this once and for all. I took DNA tests, twice. And as you can guess the two results confirmed that I was not the biological father.

“I was lost. My world collapsed. I walked away broken. It was very painful.’’

Men between the ages of 31 - 40 years request more tests compared to any other age group.

Peace Of Mind Test DNA paternity test determines if a man is the biological father of a child. As the name implies, this type of test is used by an alleged father to confirm if he is or not the father of a child. This type of test is just for informational purposes only. It cannot be used for legal purposes as it does not go through a strict chain of custody requirement.

Going by an analysis of the test breakdown released by Smart DNA Nigeria, the Peace of Mind Test accounted for (86%) of all the tests done at the centre, making it the most popular type of test carried out by Nigerians of all ages.

Immigration DNA tests which are required by the embassy for different reasons- to prove family ties using DNA from parents, siblings, paternal aunts, uncles and grandparents scores (8.4%) and sibling test (1.6%) make up the rest of the top 3.

The least popular test is the Prenatal test followed by the legal test and relative (uncle and aunt) tests respectively. Since prenatal DNA testing is the most expensive of all the test types, it is not surprising that it is the least popular.

Psychological Effects of Paternity Fraud

Addressing key issues as they affect victims of paternity fraud, clinical psychologist, Nnorom Ebele, said: ‘‘It is very instructive to note that the innocent child who has grown emotionally attached to a particular man will, without doubt, be traumatised psychologically and socially by the news of paternity fraud and having to accept that he/she belongs to a totally different father. It is more traumatic to a putative father who invested emotionally and materially into the life of a child only to be told he is not the father.

Think Before You Test…

Paternity DNA Testing

Paternity DNA testing is a highly accurate method of identifying whether a man is a child’s biological father. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material transferred from both mother and father to their child. Paternity refers to fatherhood. Hence, a DNA paternity test uses DNA samples from a man and his offspring, to determine whether the man is the child’s biological father.

DNA paternity testing works by comparing a child’s DNA profile with that of the alleged father(s). The test looks at DNA markers to identify which half of the child’s DNA is inherited from the alleged father. The test involves collecting samples (a simple mouth swab or toothbrush where discretion is needed) from the alleged father and the child.

However, it is very important to point out that paternity “fraud” is not always intentional.

Paternity fraud, also known as misattributed paternity or paternal discrepancy, occurs when a man is incorrectly identified as the biological father of a child. The underlying assumption of “paternity fraud” is that the mother deliberately misidentified the biological father, while “misattributed paternity” may be accidental.

The main reasons Nigerians undertake paternity tests are to establish relationships - parentage, siblingship or avuncular. Looking at the 12 months’ data released by Nigeria’s leading Paternity Data Centre, Smart DNA Nigeria, some rather staggering findings stare one in the face.

Being an ethnically diverse country with over 370 ethnic groups and over 500 languages, the most common ethnic group for testers is Yoruba (70%) followed by Igbos (20%). Delta State accounts for 5.3%, Edo 2.4% and Akwa Ibom 1.2%. Of course, this is not surprising considering the fact that Smart DNA is based in Lagos but with branches across the major cities in the country.

Of the total tests carried out at Smart DNA, there were more positive results (65%) than negative ones (34%). In other words, 13 out of every 20 tests is a positive result. Positive means that the putative father is the biological father, while negative means the supposed father is not the true father, hence paternity fraud.

The test with the most negative result is the sibling test. One in three sibling tests turns out negative.

Comparing genders, tests on boys have resulted in more negative results than on girls. Four out of every 10 boys tested are not the biological children of their alleged fathers. And then, more male (62%) children were brought for testing than females (32%) and they are mostly between the age of two and five years.

Location

Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming percentage of test-takers are from Lagos, with Edo coming a distant second. Even within Lagos, DNA testing patronage differs. For example, a disproportionate number of test-takers are from the LekkiAjah axis. In fact, more than 40 per cent of all paternity DNA test-takers were from the area.

It is noteworthy that one test was recorded from outside Nigeria (Ghana).

First Contact

About eight out of every 10 test requests received were from men. This is in correlation with the Peace Of Mind (PoM) paternity test being the most popular type of test.

On the side of caution, Relationship Counsellor, Ibiwunmi Ogunfiditimi advised, “Unless you are absolutely certain she cheated on you, you should not rush into requesting a paternity test. Requesting one would basically be saying to her, ‘I don’t trust you, I think you’re cheating on me.’ If the paternity test then comes back positive for the child being yours, then you would have completely destroyed the trust between you and your wife.’’ For those faced with a brick wall after the discovering the unexpected, Ibiwunmi’s words opined, ‘’However, if she has a history of cheating, or you have evidence that says she’s cheating or something that tells you without a doubt that the child may not be yours, you can opt for a paternity test. Though, I will still advise you to opt for a discreet test. In that case, if it turns out positive, you would have peace of mind without her being offended. Yes, you should get a secret test. Do what you need to do to get your answers but don’t offend your wife with unfounded suspicions.’’

In the same vein, Femi Popoola, Founder and Managing Director of Smart DNA, said: “It is important to understand that the people approaching Smart DNA for answers generally have good reasons for raising the question of paternity. Thus, there are obvious sample bias samples drawn from our paternity tests are not necessarily representative of the general population, and are many times more likely to contain instances of paternity fraud than a random sample from the populations from which they are drawn. The statistics are within the realms of what I would expect. Of course, I would imagine that they would appear shocking to the general public.

“Before you opt for a paternity DNA test, it is important to assess the effect of both positive and negative results on your life and the life of your relatives (your partner, children, extended family, and friends). Envisaging both positive and negative outcomes of the test allows you to prepare your mind for what the result may be and take a legal and well-thoughtout decision to avoid emotional, physical, or financial damage to all the parties involved.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

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GLITZ ENTERTAINMENT

Tony Elumelu Storytellers Fund Targets African Journalists, Filmmakers, Others Stories by Vanessa Obioha Journalists, filmmakers, content producers, visual and performing artists stand a chance to get up to $2000 grant through a collaborative initiative of Africa No Filter.

Committed to transforming the stereotypical narratives of Africa, it launched the Tony Elumelu Storytellers Fund, named after African business leader and philanthropist Tony Elumelu. It is a standalone initiative and an extension of Elumelu’s commitment to catalysing a redefined African success story, powered by Africa’s youth and their creative ideas.

“This initiative aligns with our belief and extends the work that we do at the Tony Elumelu Foundation,” said Elumelu.

“Empowering young creative entrepreneurs and the creative sector provides a channel for us

to project Africa’s positives globally. We need their voices to tell our often less-told stories of triumph, resilience, hard work and innovation.”

The Fund will award grants to emerging artists and storytellers, whose work shines a light on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa.

Only applicants between the ages of 18 and 35, living on the continent or in the Diaspora are eligible.

Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life Assurance, the insurance subsidiaries of the pan-African investment group, Heirs Holdings have committed $30,000 for the initiative.

“As frontrunners of digital innovation in the insurance space, Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life both recognise the important role the creative sector plays in transforming Africa’s narrative,” said Ifesinachi Okpagu, Chief Marketing Officer, Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life.

The application will close on July 29, 2022.

Seun Kuti Resumes Europe Tour at Marazzano Music Festival

Kuti

Afrobeat star and leader of the Egypt 80 Band, Seun Kuti will resume performance at the Marazzano Music Festival in Italy today, July 3. The singer had paused his Europe tour which kicked off on May 31 to mourn the recent death of migrants crossing the Melilla border into Spain.

Kuti had scheduled to perform at Jazzablanca Festival, Morocco, yesterday, July 2, but cancelled it following the sad news.

About 2000 people reportedly stormed Melilla, trying to gain entry into the border.

Civil Society Organisations have called for an investigation into the cause of death and also condemned any attempt to cover up the unfortunate event.

Kuti and his band will kick off the US tour in July.

A Week of Mixed Feelings for Funke Akindele Barely 48 hours after the exciting news broke that the actress and producer Funke Akindele has been invited by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to join the Academy, her now ex-husband Abdulrasheed Bello better known as JJC Skillz took to his official Instagram account to announce their separation.

According to him, there has been trouble in the marriage in the last two years and he had to move out of their shared home three months ago on Akindele’s insistence. The couple however maintained a peaceful appearance in public. On Father’s Day celebration two weeks ago, Akindele posted a video of her husband on her official Instagram account with a caption that reads partly “Happy Father’s Day darling.”

At the AMVCA held last May, the couple sat together in the main hall but most pictures shared on their individual Instagram accounts showed them with other people.

In his post, he claimed that apart from the AMVCA, he has not been able to “get Funke to sit down in an amicable manner to discuss the future of our relationship.”

News of their marriage crisis has been rumoured in the past. The couple married six years ago and welcomed a set of twins in 2018. Benito, one of the children of JJC Skillz from his ex-wife Mello had also disclosed to the public that their marriage was headed to the rocks. In an Instagram Live video shared via his page on Friday, May 20, 2022, he disclosed that the couple cheats on each other and is no longer living together.

As of the time of filing this report, the actress is yet to make an official statement regarding the separation.

Akindele with estranged husband, JJC Skillz

Elumelu

YouTube Announces Applications for Black Voices Fund Class of 2023 YouTube has announced that applications for its Black Voices Fund, Class of 2023, are now available. The fund created in 2020 recognizes and equips Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers with the resources and support to enable them to thrive on YouTube.

Since its inception in 2020, the program has welcomed over 300 grantees from Australia, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States, and includes musicians, beauty entrepreneurs, comedians, activists, poets, personal trainers, parents, photographers, gamers, and more.

“The African creator community is filled with so many talented, brilliant, passionate, and driven creatives, and we’re honoured to equip these talented creators and artists with additional resources to match their drive. At YouTube, we’ve always tried to facilitate the rise of diverse voices, all-inclusive of gender and race. Through the Black Voices Fund, in the past two years we’ve been able to amplify the perspectives and experiences of these diverse creators,” says Solafunmi Sosanya, YouTube Lead for Nigeria.

Creators selected for the program will receive funding that will be invested in the development of their channels.

They will also receive dedicated partner support and get the opportunity to participate in bespoke training, workshops and networking programs.

Apart from having committed $100 million for the YouTube Black Voices Fund, YouTube has also partnered with community-based groups to build the Future Insiders program, specifically targeting over 180 at-risk and underprivileged students who are interested in a future in music and creative professions. Participants in the program take part in quarterly sessions that cover YouTube success, career routes, accessing the talent and thought leaders, and well-being.

The 2021 BVF cohort included 133 grantees hailing from the United States, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, and Nigeria with 26 creators and artists from Africa.

Alumni from the continent include reality star entertainer Lasizwe Dambuza, personal trainer and health and wellness advocate Mitchelle Adagala, musician Sho Madjozi and TV presenter, entrepreneur and actress Tomike Adeoye.

“Africa is overflowing with incredible talent. We are excited to discover the amazing creators the next round of applications will bring with it as we continue to invest in the amplification of Black creators,” concludes Sosanya.

Nigerian Animators Selected for Durban FilmMart 2022

Four Nigerian animators are among the animators selected to showcase their works at the Durban FilmMart (DFM) Animation programme. They are Brian O Wilson (Aminah’s Journey), Ajibola Adewole-Oyebokun (Grit), Esther Kemi Gbadamosi (PTD: Prepared To Die) and collaborative work between Joseph Eseme and Wilson (OKIKI - The Legend of The Half God).

The animation programme includes a partnership with Tshimologong through which 10 animation creatives will be given the opportunity to participate at the DFM Pitch and Finance Forum.

Prior to the Pitch Forum, the 2022 DFM

projects will receive mentorship assistance from producers and professionals. In collaboration with African Animation Network, the Animation industry sessions at this year’s DFM will feature both the virtual and physical events; the virtual stream will focus on distribution, production, funding and gaming, while the physical stream will look at the distribution, and industry development in the film industry within South Africa.

The animation discussions will highlight not just the nuanced differences between animation and live-action terrains but engage in the challenges and opportunities that exist for film professionals through animation storytelling mediums.

Animators -Gbadamosi, AdewoleOyebokun and Wison

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

54

HighLife

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

Herbert Wigwe Throws 60th Wedding Anniversary for Parents in Lagos

Power Son: Seyi Tinubu Now TheGo-to-Guy in Lagos Power has always been something that human beings understand little about. It seems that whenever an average individual becomes powerful, that individual loses something in themselves. It often takes the loss of that power before recovery of self. By this description, the son of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Seyi, is not an average individual. Due to a series of incidents, he has become a very powerful individual in Lagos. Yet as we say in Nigeria, that power has not climbed his head.

There is no question about Seyi’s brilliance. Anybody that knows anything about him knows that he inherited that visionary faculty that made his father stand out. Even so, Seyi’s mildmannered disposition makes him even more of a magnet than Asiwaju so that people do not even pretend to blush when they ask for favours from Seyi.

As to why anybody would ask favours from a humble, laid-back family man, it is simple: Seyi has inherited some degree of influence in Lagos. There are several reasons for this influence. The most apparent one is the fact that Seyi’s father, Asiwaju, is a top contender for the presidential position in the entire country. As the son of a potential president, this is a time that Seyi can call for winds and storms, especially in Lagos, the city he grew up in and loves.

But that is not all. Apart from his father’s influence, Seyi seems to have done well for himself.

As the CEO of the prominent advertising company, Loatsad Promomedia Ltd, Seyi’s influence in the marketing industry in Nigeria is not small. Moreover, as a frontline member of the STL Polo Team, his social skills suggest excellence.

Seyi can be described as an allaround influential person. Some would say that he has become something of a power broker.

Even though his personality runs perpendicular to such things, there is nothing he can do about it as people are hell-bent on asking for his help with many political things.

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

Wigwe

Parenting is no small job. It takes much more than devotion to nurturing a child to adulthood. It takes even more for the child to reciprocate and demonstrate unconditional love for his parents. This is the case of Herbert Wigwe, the CEO and Group MD of Access Bank. His parents recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and Wigwe ensured that they had a memorable ceremony.

His parents, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe and his wife had a lot to be thankful for.

This was even glaring to observers that the couple had spent all these years in delight and comfort in each other. But most of all, they were able to create a banking legend.

Indeed, Wigwe’s prestige ensured that such an anniversary did not just go with the wind. Instead, he threw a party to

honour his parents which was attended by movers and shakers of society. After all, Wigwe can call for winds and storms considering how far he has walked in the corporate industry. Yet, it is evident that he owes a significant lot of what he is today to his parents.

Wigwe has been dominating the banking scene for the past four years. He has led Access Bank to deter the world, acquiring banking institutions all over Africa. By doing so, Wigwe grew Access Bank from a small business into a striving conglomerate.

Despite how far he has climbed on the social and economic ladder, Wigwe remains a filial son. Even today, he is still known as the son of the Ikwerre pastor from Onueke Isiokpo.

Runsewe Vindicated as Knocks Trail Clerics Praying at Bobrisky’s Housewarming As a prominent president of an African nation once explained to then US President Barack Obama, there are lines that Africans should never cross regardless of what the international community thinks. One of such lines is sexuality. While the rest of the world considers the pairing of a man and a woman to be conventional and can be flipped in the name of homosexuality, most of us are not having it. Even so, not everybody has been brave enough, like that African President, to speak out against the rising tide of this behaviour. But the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Segun Runsewe, is leading the conversation.

Not long ago, there was a viral video that almost turned social media on its head: the video of Bobrisky (real name Idris Okeneye) in his female façade during his alleged housewarming ceremony. In the beginning, Bobrisky received knocks because he claimed that he bought the house for N400 million.

During the ceremony, however, Bobrisky There are many things that Nigerians are known for. A dogged attitude toward what we believe in and a determination to celebrate other people without reservation are some of these things. But among the heavyweights of Nigeria’s elitist social circle, it is the latter characteristic that is far more prominent. To demonstrate this fact, pillars of Nigeria’s high society are already gearing up to paint the country red as they celebrate the 80th birthday of super fashion matron, Abah Folawiyo.

On July 22, Folawiyo will clock 80. And while her agemates have already retired from the social scene and become matriarchs of households, Folawiyo continues to don and dazzle the limelight with her peculiar charm. Thus, at 80, Folawiyo remains a sight for sore eyes, a brilliant spark for those intending to go in the way of fashion.

According to reports on the street, the preparations being made by top industrialists and moneybags to honour Folawiyo are not

was not the main attraction, rather the Islamic clerics who attended the housewarming ceremony took the spotlight.

The clerics were not at Bobrisky’s party to renounce his cross-dressing lifestyle. They were there to pray for him, which is the norm on this side of the world whenever one accomplishes something worthwhile. Even though Bobrisky was dressed, spoke, and acted as a female, the clerics had nothing to say except to smile and bob their heads in the face of his aberrant behaviour.

What Runsewe predicted not long ago is gradually taking root. According to him, if the Nigerian government does not take a firm stand on the matter of homosexuality and its associated lifestyles (including cross-dressing), it is only a matter of time before it becomes accepted. And if clerics can ignore it, who will have the courage to fight against it?

And so Runsewe is vindicated. His vision, needless to say, is on point, as is his counsel on the matter.

Pillars of High Society, Celebutantes, Corporate Players, and Others Set to Honour Abah Folawiyo’s Four Scores Celebration

Folawiyo

Bobrisky

small. Even though some of these individuals are relatives and close friends of the celebrator, the majority of them are people she has brushed shoulders with over the years. Due to her peerless charm and remarkable presence, Folawiyo makes a mark on everyone she meets.

Folawiyo is known as the matron of honour of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria.

She was born and raised in Ghana but relocated to Nigeria. She had a son but lost her partner, Segun Awolowo, the son of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to an accident in 1963. Nevertheless, light dawned again in her life when she married late billionaire Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo. Her son is the prominent Segun Awolowo Jnr., grandson to Awolowo.

Despite this seeming up-and-down life, Folawiyo has continued to show great resilience.

It is not surprising, therefore, that others are honoured to have made her acquaintance in times past and are willing to turn the country on its head as they celebrate her 80th birthday.

Abiola Dosunmu: A New King’s Mother in the Making

Tinubu

The life of royalty is not something that common people can make casual comments about. Nevertheless, there are those times when reports from the royal palace excite denizens endlessly. As the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has announced the ascension of a new Yeye Oba Oodua, this is one of those times.

Social media is currently agog with news of the royal ascension of Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, one of the most prominent matriarchs of high society in the present.

According to reports, Dosunmu is set to be decorated with the title of Yeye Oba Oodua, making her the Queen Mother of the House of Oduduwa.

Of course, to go from being the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos to the Queen Mother of the royal house is no small business. This is one of the pinnacle moments in the life of Dosunmu.

Nevertheless, preparations are being made

to assist her to continue where the last Queen Mother and wife of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Chief Hannah Dideolu Awolowo, stopped. Moreover, the crowning ceremony will be held at Ife, Osun State, in the second week of July.

Even though some people might not be able to attend the main event, provisions are already being made to ensure that they still get to glimpse Dosunmu after her royal ascension.

This will be during the welcoming party which will be held in Lagos. Indeed, that party is expected to be attended by the echelons of social circles in Nigeria. Undoubtedly, Dosunmu has earned this reputation as an influential socialite and matriarch of high society. At 74, she remains vibrant, full of life and bliss, charming and thoughtful. Even now, as she is set to become Yeye Oodua, she remains unchanged by the prospect of royal power.

Dosunmu

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

HIGHLIFE

Babajide Sanwo-Olu: Promise Keeper In many ways, we can compare individuals holding a similar position, as we often do with Nigerian governors. Some earn the praise of the people for renovating roads and building clinics. Others, like Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, win the hearts of their people by keeping promises. This time, it is the real estate industry that bears witness to the man’s excellence.

Sanwo-Olu recently opened up a new set of apartments called the Greater Lagos LBIC Apartments in the Agege area of Lagos State. During the opening ceremony, the governor handed over ownership rights of the apartments at no cost to those

who were displaced by the building of the Pen Cinema Bridge about five years ago.

As some would recall, Sanwo-Olu made it a point to emphasise such conditions during his campaign, promising to overturn them.

Thus, with LBIC Apartments, Sanwo-Olu has fulfilled his promise.

Since coming on board the Lagos ship in 2019, the governor seems to be consistent with his plans for the state. So far, Lagos is one of the top three when it comes to the development of the education sector and transportation. Should he continue at this pace, other governors may borrow a leaf from his book.

Leo Stan Ekeh: Making the World a Better Place

Sanwo-Olu

AsBestBirthdayGift,JohnObayuwanaBagsAward

Obayuwana

It is common knowledge that standing out among one’s peers requires one to do

one of two things: achieve ordinary things using extraordinary means, or achieve extraordinary things using ordinary means.

When one looks at the life of John Obayuwana, it seems as if the style icon and purveyor of luxury goods has managed to strike a balance between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

As a result, grand accomplishments are as common as sand with him. Even so, the recent Swiss recognition he got was something out of the blue.

As the Chairman of Polo Luxury Group, Obayuwana is a symbol of the high life in more ways than one. Time and again, Obayuwana has shown that past achievements are meant to be improved upon. Thus, when he was recently honoured with a Swiss award, it appeared to observers that Obayuwana is true to his calling: using style to break style.

The said award was the Swiss Excellence Award, and Obayuwana just happens to

be the first recipient of it. Delivering this award to Obayuwana, the Consul General of Switzerland to Nigeria, Thomas Schneider, noted that Obayuwana almost single-handedly popularized high-end Swiss watches, and so opened up the West African market so that this brand can dominate. The Swiss Excellence Award was only the Swiss’s little way of showing gratitude to Obayuwana for his work of 35 years.

Receiving the award at the event themed ‘A Taste of Swiss Luxury,’ Obayuwana noted that he was even more grateful. He also noted that he felt responsible for ensuring that Nigerians have access to the kind of luxury that is prominent in the rest of the world.

The award was timely as Obayuwana marked his birthday a few days before the recognition.

Not a Good Time as Politics Tears Bukola and Ope Saraki Apart From the very beginning, power has always been something of a divider of human beings. It seems as if the prospect of power is just as effective in creating this dividing wall between acquaintances, friends, and even close relatives. And so it appears for former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his cousin, Ope Saraki. Thanks to politics, a gulf has been created between the duo, a gulf that appears to be bottomless, if history has anything to say about the tiffs in the Saraki family.

According to reports, Ope has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Ope is only the most recent of politicians deserting the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for other parties, especially NNPP. However, Ope’s exodus has likely left behind a scarred relationship with his cousin, Saraki.

Ope is a former aide to Kwara State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the NNPP-organised

ceremony that welcomed Ope and a few others, he explained the reason for his defection, stating that “I am a Nigerian and I have freedom of interaction and can decide to join and interact with any political party for the progress of the people. In our presidential candidate, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, we see a new Nigeria.” In seeing this new Nigeria, Ope is apparently not keen on seeing anything from the perspective of his cousin.

For those who are unaware, any tiff involving Saraki usually takes a long time to settle. Such was the case when it involved his sister, Senator Gbemisola Saraki-Forowa who is currently the Minister of State for Transportation. Not to mention that he and Ope are only cousins, it is likely that politics has once again created a deep gash in the familial relations of the Sarakis.

Then again, both Ope and Saraki may not take the political gulf to heart. After all, each person is entitled to their own decisions.

With His Not Business as Usual Policy, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is Making a Difference in Kwara Anybody that knows anything about genuinely stellar achievements, especially in leadership and management, would understand that it is all about commitment. Even the most obtuse person, as long as they are committed to their people and land, will rake up great merits in achievements. But the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is not obtuse. Thus, his achievements in the last three years as Kwara governor have been nothing less than spectacular.

Some people were indeed born to be great and others had to take classes. But Governor AbdulRazaq has opened up a different path: that one does not need to make grand speeches to be considered great. One only needs to be dedicated to their role and office, and the people will tell stories of that individual’s greatness. And

AbdulRazaq

so it is that in Kwara, the people speak incessantly of the greatness

Saraki

of Governor AbdulRazaq, recognising that all he does, he does for them.

Not long ago, Senate President Ahmed Lawan compared AbdulRazaq to his predecessors, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed. Lawan stated that AbdulRazaq had significantly surpassed both Saraki and Ahmed with his achievements, leading others to claim that AbdulRazaq is the best governor to come out of Kwara.

Without a doubt, these praises are not without merit.

AbdulRazaq has taken Kwara as his favourite thing, cleaning and polishing every aspect of it so that it can hold its own when compared to places like Abuja and Lagos. So far, infrastructural development is at its peak and citizenry welfare remains at the top of the priority scale for policy formulation and implementation.

Ekeh

In many ways, the job of an industrialist is to lead the sector within which they work to glory. It is about improving the efficiency of resource utilization and bringing that sector up to par with others in the nation and outside.

Founder and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leonard Stanley Ekeh (Leo Stan Ekeh for short), has done all these in the Nigerian tech sector. But being the person he is, he is doing even more with his foundation, the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF).

LSEF is a prominent nongovernmental organization (NGO) that the businessman established to make the lives of people better.

Specifically, Ekeh founded the NGO with the ultimate aim of promoting knowledge among people, knowing that relevant and practical knowledge is the foundation of a good life. Thus, Ekeh’s Foundation makes sure to regularly provide quality education and valuable entrepreneurship seminars and projects to interested Nigerians.

Currently, Ekeh’s foundation is set to surpass its past achievements with a new project, the Imo Wealth Project. According to reports, this particular project will create 10,000 job opportunities for the people of Imo State.

Also, it is reported that Ekeh’s forthcoming project will help entrepreneurs in the state better manage their resources and grow their resources through the acquisition of practical knowledge and access to interest-free loans.

With the Imo Wealth Project, Ekeh is set to reduce the number of unemployed graduates in the state, helping the government to better use the passions of these young people, and improving the prospects of the state. By this, Ekeh is creating a foundation for the development of Imo, a foundation that could birth a state in the South-East that will surpass every other in the years to come.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Tinubu: Let Me Get Fearless with You =You see, I have had a lot of approaches from people who say, “Edgar, slow down on this Tinubu matter.” But the more I think of it, the arrogance of it all riles me. This thing is very simple and the question is also very simple: did you go to a primary school? And if you did, which? Did you go to a secondary school? And if you did, which?

This cannot be rocket science. These two questions cannot be the main issue in a country of over 200 million people where we have serious challenges including insecurity. It is quite unfortunate that these two questions are now taking so much of our attention over and above the major issues that we face as a nation.

Look, ‘Baba mi’ my real anger is not even with you, it is with the learned ‘fools’ who will thrash a CV that looks like yours in a job interview for a position of clerk in their offices and yet are here saying the constitution says minimum qualification is secondary school and since you have Chicago, you are good.

I went into a heated argument with someone who had asked me during an interview 20 years ago why I didn’t graduate with a second class upper and that

Tinubu

I had a ‘P’ in Mathematics in WASC and as such cannot work in a bank and today, he is telling me to turn a blind eye to your inability to point to any secondary school you attended in the whole of this country as we consider you for presidency.

I told him, if not for his age and that we

EVEN YOU TOO, KABIRU MASARI? Why am I not surprised sef? Even looking at this one, you will not be surprised that he has ‘lost’ all of his certificates. These people just take us for complete fools. As dem give am placeholder in a warped and jaundiced process, he too react appropriately. “I have lost my certificates,” he screamed.

How he was cleared during screening just shows that we have totally destroyed the main fabrics of the system. The system has been so weakened that no institution is spared. Everything is totally destroyed on the table of avarice and selfish and inordinate ambition.

See judiciary, when 14 Supreme Court justices can force out a whole Chief Justice of the Federation on so many shameful grounds. That one is unfolding and the mess is beginning to stench to high heavens.

Let me tell these shameful politicians, that I am Joseph Edgar of Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and by the grace of God, inhabitant of Shomolu for the past 53 years. I have lost

all of my certificates. Rats have chopped some and when they gave me quit notice and I was packing, I lost the rest. But guess what, I am not perturbed.

When I am ready for my senatorial push in 2027, I will not go and swear any stupid affidavit – where they give some hungry person in the court N5,000 to lie on oath- but I will go to Command Children’s School Military Cantonment Ikeja and say, give me my certificate immediately.

From there, I will go to Command Secondary School, Ipaja- arrgh, sorry those ones will not answer me o. I failed three times, they kicked me out. But I will rush to Angus Memorial High School, Yaba and say give me my certificate. Then I will take Okada to WAEC at Fadeyi and say- give me my certificate.

Then, I will go to University of Ibadan and say, give me my certificate and then I will end up in UNILAG and say “please, let me go and check up Moremi Hall and see what they are offering these days, while you give me my certificate.”

Simple.

The social fabric of the society is

Masari

Omoirhobo

were chatting, I would have driven to wherever he is to slap him. So, I couldn’t get employed in his ‘yeye’ bank because I had a ‘P’ in Mathematics in WASC but yet he is now wanting me to vote for you without secondary school certification for the highest post in the land.

Two things are very annoying in this matter. The first being the hypocrisy and the arrogance of it all. Your people are saying, the constitution says a minimum of secondary school and since you have been able to show tertiary, we are ok. Big lawyers ooo, big intellectual people o.

What kind of nation is this? Lies, perjury, perfidy now being the order of the day.

The moral fabric is totally destroyed by an elitist enclave who cares for nothing but their own selfish gains. What kind of country are we leaving for our children?

No wonder the youths want nothing to do with us; no wonder they look at all of us as bastards. Yes, that is the word for us to fashion a country along these lines, we must be bastards.The second thing is the effrontery in trying to ‘rough’ this thing. That means you and your team have no real respect for us. You have ‘seen us finish’, after all, are we not

being permanently destroyed by these illiterates in and around power.

You do not even have to go to school sef. Just change the constitution and say once you were born in the geographical expression called Nigeria and you are circumcised both male and female and you can prove that you can ejaculate 21 times consecutively for one month then you qualify – that one, people like us will be President for Life o.

This will save us from all of this drama, abeg. I don tire. Kai. MALCOLM OMOIRHOBO: ‘JUJU MAN’ IN COURT I sha like this man. The only problem I have with his attire is that there is some confusion in the dressing.

We are not sure if he is a Yoruba traditional worshipper or an Igbo one. This has always been my grouse with our traditionalists – no standardisation.

But the fact on the ground is that, Chief in a very hilarious and sarcastic manner has just shown the ‘stupidity’ in that judgment without raising a finger. I am sure the people who passed that judgment must have covered their faces in shame

Ekweremadu

hungry? Because if there is respect, you will not dare try this thing you are doing. The information you gave in 1999- filed and documented- is totally different from what you are saying here. Mbok, if this is not ‘see finish’ me I don’t know what else to call it.

Baba mi, with great respect, let me conclude by adding that you will emerge from this mess with a legal technicality – na your way – but you will lose all moral capital and be weakened by it all.

This further strengthens my position from the very first whispers of your ambition that, ‘you will win this presidency but you will be severely weakened by the moral baggage you carry and may spend the first few years of your presidency struggling to shore up a battered image. Your presidency will not be iconic, it will just be one fighting different fires emanating from the mystery surrounding your pedigree and other wahala you will attract as a result of this shadowy thingy.

For me, I withhold my support, which really does not matter to you and your huge followers until something is categorically said about the certificates.

Count me out of that campaign. I’m sorry.

Simple.

when they saw him walk into court dressed like that.

This is what you have when a system is facing institutional weakness. The system is already weak and you carry religion of all things into the mix. Instead of the Supreme Court to run away as the case is coming, they jumped into the whole thing and with all respect began to look like circus clowns with that judgment and the chief did not let them rest as he continued to parody that judgment and ridicule it in front of the whole world.

His own is small, my own na Nudism. For our church, we worship the nude form and when we are ready, na to dey go work completely naked.

I just tire for this country. Shebi na Achebe or Charly Boy- I am not sure again, but I sha know that it was one Igbo man that said it – there was a country. Tired.

FOR IKE EKWEREMADU, IT’S A SAD STORY I have strong pity for this couple.

Ortom

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS Who will not have? A child’s life is at risk and like every responsible parent, they have tried to move mountains to save their baby’s life and have entered a major storm in the process.

When the news first filtered in, Nigerians rose with stones and rotten tomatoes. But do you blame them? We have been harassed by the ruling class so we rise in anger and scorn when one of them falls down like this one.

Comments flew right and left. If he had contributed significantly to the health sector which is in shambles, he would not need to go to the UK and end up in jail like a common criminal facing charges against humanity.

But as more information rolled out, pulling angst started ebbing and that Ohanaeze – some said it’s a rogue faction — that issued a funny statement, started looking like imitation masquerades.

This case if not carefully handled will drag down a series of government institutions like immigration, to mention a few.

The kernel of this case is the age of the ‘donor’ the British say 15, documents we are seeing are saying 21. Our immigration has come out with a statement that the boy was definitely at the age of consent but that remains to be proven in concrete terms and not by press statement.

For me, it is the human angle. The poor child facing a life-threatening ailment now with both parents, not even one but both in custody further jeopardising her situation and also the boy himself – 15 or 21 who is definitely an economic refugee and who had seen this as a unique opportunity to ‘help himself’ This is the story of two Nigerian youths from contrasting positions in the society who have been put in a pot of confusion that would scare both of them for life as a result of the failure of a system that continues to be raped by perfidious and very wicked leaders. Sad. SAMUEL ORTOM, IT MAY NOT COME His Excellency has said he has gone into prayers for direction from the Most High. His prayers are very simple according to him. He wants God to give him direction as to his support or otherwise of his presidential candidate.

Let me say something at this point.

I don’t know which God he is praying to but if it is the same Christian God that brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, then let me say categorically that He will not answer your prayer Sir. Bringing the Almighty into the altar of Baal will lead to dire consequences, I tell you. Please my brother, leave him out of this one and use common sense and answer this thing.

No matter how painful the decision is, it has been taken and someone has to win and someone has to lose. So stop being a sore loser and be a good party man and support the ‘collective decision’.

Yes, it can be painful as it looks like it has gone against popular position, the truth is that it has been taken and ratified by the party and as an elder, better stop causing confusion and be statemanly about it and let’s move on.

Abi, is it every decision that you take in that your Makurdi that sits well with everybody? Those that don’t agree with you, will have to obey or you enforce it abi. So don’t let us enforce this one on you o. Better join the line and realise that this your PDP is facing a huge fight with those ‘certificateless’ people but who are incumbent and

understand the game. Let’s stop crying daddy and do the needful.

Thank you.

NONNY UGBOMA: A BEAUTIFUL RECOURSE TO CORRUPTION Nonny is a beautiful intellectual.

She is currently running a doctorate in something in the UK and I hope after it all, she will not lose the certificate o. That is my prayer for her.

She recently contributed an article to thealvinreport.com in which she took a cursory look at corruption.

She traced it first from the interactions between our chiefs and the slave dealers. Our traditional systems were corrupted when our chiefs were bribed with things like mirror and gin to sell their brothers into slavery.

She went ahead to link it to the much-vaunted indirect rule which threw up artificial leadership in areas where there were no real structures like in Igbo land and ‘bastardised’ and wreaked the

structures in places like the north and south-west for their immediate purposes.

So according to Nonny, corruption did not just drop on our laps in this generation. It had been fostered on us by the colonialist from time ‘Imo river’. Ingraining it in our ethos to the point that it is now our very essence as a people.

So, what we are manifesting today is a generational curse that has been with us since the time of dem Jaja of Opobo. In short, we are all grandchildren of very corrupt people who for a pinch of salt would sell a whole village to the white man.

She concluded this very brilliant essay by saying that we must make very deliberate efforts to break this yoke otherwise we will continue to lurk in the throes of underdevelopment wallowing in the morass of poverty and illiteracy.

The essay was so brilliantly put together that when the equally brilliant Magnus Onyibe read it,

JOSEPH EDGAR: IT’S MY BIRTHDAY I am a very handsome 53. Yes na, if nobody will praise me, let me praise myself mbok. I am tall, dark and slim. No real potbelly, good flow of hair and I wear a beautiful earring on my left ear. I have eight tattoos all over my body and I am brilliant. Yes, I am 53 years old tomorrow - 4th of July and I really want to thank the Almighty God for sparing my life.

Last year, after burying my mother, I had a bad dream. Someone woke me up in the dream and told me that I will not see my mother’s one year anniversary. I jumped up from the dream and read Psalm 91 the first and only time I had read a Bible in a long time. I said, “no be me, witch.”

Today, two years later, I am alive to be writing this column, to be eating Afang all over the place and generally enjoying my life in good

health and in the only way I know how. I thank God o.

It has been an exciting life and it will continue to be exciting. We will live to see our great grandchildren and survive to see Nigeria fulfil its destiny and purposes for all its citizens. Please wherever you are, say a kind prayer for me. Bless me and wish me a long life and good health.

Much more importantly, please pray for my sexual health. It is very important, because they have said once you cross 50, it will start dimming. Please my brothers and sisters, if that is the only prayer you can pray for me, mbok pray it now.

The MFM type – oya ohhhhh Lord, preserve Duke’s ... may it now be weak... May it always remain firm and…

Thank you.

Ortom

Edgar

he could not help himself but to quickly write a review on it. You know when Magnus writes, you will need to be a Nobel winner to understand him.

ITA-GIWA: A DIFFERENT KIND OF MOTHER The very influential political amazon has done something quite noble. She has offered to host me and 30 of my friends to a sumptuous Afang feast on the back of my birthday. This is quite remarkable and must be commended.

You know for those of you that have not tasted the Afang in her Echoes of Calabar, you really do not know what you are missing.

I once took my brother Demola Oshodi for dinner there. As we tucked in, he got a call from Bourdillon, you know he is very critical to that campaign and he said, ‘bro make I chop finish before I take the call’. That is what the Afang does to you, I swear.

Mummy Giwa’s Afang is specially made. It melts into your throat and leaves a very supple aftertaste.

The snail and the crayfish used to garnish it gives it a certain quality that you begin to feel like flying. I tell you.

Then if you now eat it with freshly pounded yam, not poundo ooo. The one that looks and feels as smooth as Toke’s bum. The smoothness of the pounded yam allows for the ease in swallowing while not taking away the sweet aroma of the fresh leaves that makes up this sumptuous meal.

Mummy can be mischievous at times o, as she will now spice up the goat meat with local spices titillating the nostrils with velvety aroma, making you bite into the goat like your life depends on it.

This is the Afang that 30 delegates are going to eat with me free of charge. Let me confess to corruption. In reaching this 30, I have been compromised, collected bribes and turned a blind eye to my very good friends who could not find their certificates. The list keeps changing that a black market has started operating with people like my sister, Mayen Etim becoming a major broker and influencer.

All I can say for now, is that I am the only one that is sure to make the list for now. We will soon release the final list. Thank you so much Ma. When you want to go for Presidency, let me know because you are super qualified with this Afang thing. Kai. FOR KOLA ABIOLA, IT’S A QUIET STORM AT 60 Just as I was about to submit this page, news filtered in that my egbon will be celebrating his 60th at about the same time as I am doing my 53rd.

Boys are getting old o. See egbon who during the June 12 debacle was everywhere in nice duds and struggling to hold down the forces and keeping things intact as his family and indeed the whole nation was going through unprecedented turbulence.

I had a zoom session with him recently, just before he emerged the presidential candidate for the PRP. We had over 100 people a lot from his Trybe Naija immediate constituency. Mr. Abiola’s message is sound. Calming and encouraging.

He begs for sustainable change and a mind reset especially among the youths whom he says own the country.

I wish the gentleman a happy 60th and offer him my support in this journey. The beautiful ones have been born to lead and Kola is a beautiful one. Thanks.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Ayo Karim Remains Unruffled

Karim

Over the years, Ayo Karim has shown that he is not a run-of-the-mill businessman. From construction to the oil and gas business, he has made a name for himself in Nigeria and beyond. But he is not limited to the business world. In 2014, he declared his interest in the number one job in Oyo State. This surprised many who limited his expertise in the boardroom.

Also, given his gentle manner, it was hard to picture him in the political landscape.

Quite predictably, it was like a misadventure of sorts for him, as he could not clinch the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

Unperturbed, the billionaire showcased his sense of good sportsmanship and supported the preferred party’s candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, who eventually lost to Seyi Makinde of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Despite this, the astute corporate giant immediately picked the pieces of his life and went back to his original boardroom job, which had suffered a big setback during his political foray.

But the businessman again attempted to represent his people in the Oyo South Senatorial District. Yet it was another unfulfilled mission, as he could not go past the party primaries.

Despite the humiliation, Karim has remained unperturbed, showcasing the gentlemanly traits that have endeared him to many.

Ex-Ogun Commissioner, Bukola Olopade’s Date with History When someone wears garlands and adorns prestigious chieftaincy titles, especially in his or her native land, it’s a clear testimony that he/she is indeed an illustrious son/ daughter of that town. This is often said about the successful sports administrator, politician cum social advocate, Hon. Bukola Olopade, popularly known as Ozogula.

Last Friday, he was installed with the prestigious chieftaincy title of Osi Asoju Oba of Egbaland, while his lovely wife, Yetunde was honoured with the title of Erelu Osi Asoju Oba of Egbaland by Oba Aremu Oladotun Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland, amidst pomp and ceremony.

The event, which was held at the expansive palace of the Alake, had in attendance the high and mighty in the society.

The former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state played host to his friends, well-wishers and associates at a colourful and classic reception at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) event centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The gaily guests were feted to the best of local and intercontinental dishes, expensive wines and premium cognac, with entertainment by Tolu, son of Egba-born music legend, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey.

Until he ventured into sports administration and marketing, Olopade, who is well known for throwing top-notch parties and events, was the brains behind the top-rated Access Bank-sponsored Lagos City Marathon, Abeokuta Marathon 10km race, and the Remo ultra-race.

Buba Marwa’s Many Firsts as NDLEA Boss When in January 2021 Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), was appointed Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), it was received with applause as many who know him as a strict disciplinarian knew quite well that the country was entering a new phase of the illicit drug crisis. Nationwide, the increase in drug abuse drove an uptick in various crimes, especially in the many urban cities.

Marwa immediately rolled up his sleeves and moved like a hurricane. A man known for many firsts, he will be on record as the first Drug Czar to embrace a multi-dimensional and holistic approach that aims to mitigate the harm done by drug use instead of the traditional just-say-no-ism of past Chief Executives. In 17 months, he led the agency to arrest nearly 18,000 drug offenders including 10 notorious barons across the country. Within the same period, over 2,369 persons were convicted and jailed while more than 11,000 drug users were counselled and treated. For this, the NDLEA boss has received a lot of commendations for his work at NDLEA. Of course, one of the approaches adopted by Marwa is the collaboration with the Nigerian

movie industry in the drug war.

To Marwa, millions of young people watching Nigerian movies, even as they admire star actors, will be easily sensitised on the dangers of drug abuse through didactic stories. To achieve this, NDLEA opted for the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking to release engaging flicks that will aid their work. For the second year in a row, NDLEA has celebrated the UN Special Day with new movies. However, the agency took the collaboration a notch higher this year with the premiere of two great movies: ‘Trap’ produced by stylish Nollywood actress, Jumoke Odetola and ‘High Is The New Death’, produced by Sule Momodu, a staff of the agency.

At the glamorous premiere held at Silverbird Cinema Abuja on Friday, June 24 where Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari led a long list of dignitaries to the special screening, Marwa said there were important lessons to be learnt from both movies. The NDLEA boss urged parents to watch out for changes in their children while expressing hope that the films which showcased the negative impact of the use of banned substances will

Marwa

see young people not picking up the drug use habit in the first place.

Ajimobi’s Memory Lingers on

Late Ajimobi

Again, the beautiful memories of the late former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, came alive on Saturday, June 25, 2022.

It was just like yesterday that his family was thrown into prolonged mourning after he died of COVID-19 complications at 70 two years ago.

In celebration of his life and times, his family held a prayer for him at his Oluyole Estate residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

His wife, Florence, also took to social media to pen some beautiful words about him.

She wrote: “Biola mi, just like yesterday, you left, leaving in my heart a huge void none can fill. You

were a husband like no other; totally loving, relentlessly caring and a huge support system. Life without you has been tough, but seeing your legacies radiating in gold gives me the strength to forge on.

“In life, you were a great man; and in death, you are a legend that lives on. Our children miss your company, words of encouragement and support.

They take solace in the golden legacies.

Our grandchildren miss their doting grandpa. The beautiful moments spent with you are now their cherished treasures.

“Abiola mii, you lived well, you have taken a bow, continue to rest on.

Loving and missing you always, Your masterpiece of nature.”

Skincare Expert, Foluso Oguntola, Rules Her World Skincare expert and cosmetologist, Foluso Oguntola, is a woman blessed with pragmatic ideas and beautiful dreams. From the outset, Oguntola, who is the CEO of Cyndi’s Empire, had desired to rule her world. By Providence, the businesswoman can be said to be living her dream today, as she has spread her tentacles beyond the shores of the country.

With a track record of experience, professionalism, safety, perfection and above all customer satisfaction, Cyndi’s Empire, an aesthetics, skincare and dermatology clinic, has blazed a trail in the past 10 years.

However, as gathered by Society Watch, just like every other entrepreneur, the beauty expert has faced her own challenges while nurturing the firm, but with zeal and perseverance, has been able to stay above her competitors.

Oguntola, once a famous face on television,

trained as a cosmetologist at the United Arab Emirates’ Laserderm Aesthetics Academy, Lagos. She revealed that her emergence in the beauty industry is borne out of her love for looking good and her passion for the skin care business. She dumped her first love, entertainment, because of her passion for skin care. Her beauty and skin care outfit is formed to equip Nigerians with global best aesthetic practices and access to innovations that help to personalize individualistic treatments.

As the competition in the beauty industry is getting intense by the day and as more investors are looking to cash in, Cyndi’s Empire has remained afloat by evolving new ways in the production of her products and service delivery, nationwide and beyond.

Oguntola disclosed that the procedures are safe, tested, and proven to defy

Oguntola

environmental factors that cause and rapidly increase ageing and skin damage among the youth and the aged.

Billionaire Pharmacist, Obiora Chukwuka’s Wilderness Journey

Obiora

In a couple of months, billionaire businessman and renowned pharmacist, Dr. Obiora Chukwuka, will be joining the club of the sexagenarians. Among other things, he plans to share the inspiring stories of life with his fans across the globe through an autobiography titled: “My Wilderness Journey”. The book chronicles his childhood, challenges and triumphs.

Society Watch gathered that the countdown to his 60th birthday shindig and retirement party is in top gear, as family, friends, top business associates, staff members and catholic priests are in high spirits to celebrate with him. The Anambra State-born businessman is leaving no stone unturned to make the birthday celebrations most memorable.

When the story of the Nigerian pharmaceutical business is told, one name that will enjoy prominent mention is Dr. Chukwuka. He belongs to the school of thought that believes so much in integrity, hard work and perseverance. To him, that is the key to success and no shortcut to becoming successful; he never fails to preach this wherever he goes.

Chukwuka, also a philanthropist, has been helping the needy through his Eziafakaego Foundation. In 2018, he and his beautiful wife, Obiageli, donated a Chapel of Perpetual Adoration to the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Oke-Afa Isolo, Lagos State, among many churches.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

3. 7.2022

Musings at the Threshold of the Next Dimension With familiar imageries, Germany-based Jimmy Uche Nwanne’s solo exhibition in Lagos probes into the unheeded realms of thoughts. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

T

his may be a reason why the solo exhibition, Residents, has such a revitalising HͿHFW RQ WKH VHQVLELOLW\ RI the viewer. Its theme, which VWRSV VKRUW RI DFNQRZOHGJing the realities beyond the SK\VLFDO FRQIURQWV KLP DW WKH VDPH WLPH ZLWK WKH OLPLWDWLRQV RI KLV HDUWKO\ VHQVHV ZKLFK are neither equipped to grasp the meaning RI HWHUQLW\ QRU RI LQÀQLW\ %XW WKHQ LW LV RQO\ through these bodily senses that he can experience the material environment in which he ODERXUV XQGHU WKH ZHLJKW RI KLV GHQVH SK\VLFDO ERG\ WR GHYHORS KLV ZLOO WR LWV IXOOHVW VWUHQJWK &RQFHUQLQJ WKH H[KLELWLRQ ZKLFK IHDWXUHV the paintings and drawings by Germanybased Jimmy Nwanne at Sachs Gallery in /HNNL /DJRV LWV R΀FLDO RSHQLQJ UHFHSWLRQ RQ Saturday, June 18 was no less well attended WKDQ WKRVH RI RWKHU UHFHQW H[KLELWLRQV %HVLGHV LW LV QRW VR RIWHQ WKDW DQ DÀFLRQDGR LV UHJDOHG E\ VXFK YLVXDO IDUHV WKDW FOHDUO\ SURFODLP YLVLEOH DFWLRQV DV WKH RXWZDUG H[SUHVVLRQV RI DQ inward process. $QG WKH UHÁHFWLRQV RQ WKLV LQZDUG SURFHVV LQVWDQWO\ UHPLQG WKH YLHZHU RI WKH LQFUHDVLQJO\ WHQXRXV OLQN EHWZHHQ PDQ·V LQQHU HVVHQFH DQG his original home. With these thoughts, the average artist's diminished ability to access higher inspiration also comes to mind. $V IRU 1ZDQQH ZKRP WKH H[KLELWLRQ·V FXUDWRU *RGVRQ 8NDHJEX VD\V LV ´DV WKRXJKWIXO DV WKH\ FRPH µ KLV LQQHU UHÁHFWLRQV³UHÀQHG E\ D QHYHU HQGLQJ IXVLRQ RI RWKHU VLPLODU WKRXJKWV³HYHQWXDOO\ H[SUHVV WKHPVHOYHV LQ these cryptic, and yet engaging, drawings and SDLQWLQJV LQ WKH H[KLELWLRQ 7DNH WKH FP [ FP FKDUFRDO FDUGERDUG IRDP UXEEHU DQG glue on cardboard paper drawing, which he WLWOHG ´)RUPµ IRU LQVWDQFH 6RPHWKLQJ DERXW WKH FRXQWHQDQFH RI WKH WRSOHVV LQQRFHQW ORRNLQJ ER\ ZKR FXULRXVO\ VFUXWLQLVHV WKH KHDS RI D SRZGHU\ VXEVWDQFH LQ KLV KDQG ÀUVW DUUHVWV WKH YLHZHU·V DWWHQWLRQ %XW WKHQ he wonders about the dove that seems to HPHUJH IURP D FRRS HPEHGGHG VRPHZKHUH LQ WKH ER\·V WRUVR Similarly, another drawing, done in charcoal, cardboard, sponge rubber, and glue on FDUGERDUG GHSLFWLQJ WZR ER\V ORFNHG LQ DQ HPEUDFH ZKLFK LV WLWOHG 1R %RXQGDU\ DOVR VKRZV D FRRS KRXVLQJ VL[ GRYHV RQ WKH EDFN RI RQH RI WKH ER\V DQG LQWHUHVWLQJO\ DGGV two other apparently stray doves outside this inner enclosure.

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To the Test, oil on canvas, 160cm x 120cm, 2022

Destination, oil, cardboard, glue on canvas, 120cm x 150cm, 2020,2021 RI IRUPV 7KLV LV RI FRXUVH ZKDW WKH FXUDWRU PHDQV ZKHQ KH DVVHUWV WKDW WKH DUWLVW ´VKLQHV D EURDG OLJKW RQ WKH LQQHU DUFKLWHFWXUH RI WKH KXPDQ thought structure.”

1ZDQQH·V IDVFLQDWLRQ ZLWK WKH LQQHU ZRUOG as this solo exhibition corroborates, expresses LWVHOI WKURXJK D EOHQG RI WKH ÀJXUDWLYH DQG DEVWUDFW 7KHUH LV KRZHYHU D VSHFWUH RI XQFHUWDLQW\ OXUNLQJ EHKLQG WKHVH H[SUHVsions, which attempt to render the physically LQWDQJLEOH ZRUOG LQ IRUPV XQGHUVWDQGDEOH to the earthly senses. And this uncertainty LV HYLGHQW LQ WKH DUWLVW·V PXVLQJV ERUGHULQJ RQ WKH RULJLQ DQG SXUSRVH RI WKLV HDUWKO\ existence, which to most people represents ´WKH UHDO OLIH µ So, it is based on this premise that the 1QDPGL $]LNLZH 8QLYHUVLW\ $ZND JUDGXDWH RI SDLQWLQJ GHVFULEHV OLIH ´DV D FKDUDFWHULVWLF that distinguishes physical entities [endowed ZLWK@ ELRORJLFDO SURFHVVHV³VXFK DV VLJQDOOLQJ UHSURGXFWLRQ DQG VHOI VXVWDLQLQJ SURFHVVHV³IURP WKRVH WKDW GR QRW HLWKHU EHFDXVH they are dead or inanimate.” Thus, he not VXUSULVLQJO\ HOHYDWHV WKH DIWHU HͿHFWV RI WKH much-pondered-over impelled motion, whose RULJLQ ZLOO IRUHYHU UHPDLQ D P\VWHU\ WR KXPDQ comprehension, to a pedestal where they do

not belong. Understandably, conjectures about WKH UHDO SXUSRVH RI PDQ·V HDUWKO\ H[LVWHQFH ZRXOG IDOWHU RQ VXFK VKDN\ JURXQGV $OVR WKH DUWLVW·V SRVLWLRQ RQ WKH H[LVWHQFH RI OLIH EH\RQG WKH SHUFHSWLYH FDSDFLW\ RI WKH physical eyes would at best be speculative VLQFH KH SURFHHGV IURP ZKDW LV NQRZQ WR KLV HDUWKO\ VHQVHV WR WKH XQNQRZQ ,QGHHG KLV YLHZV DERXW ´WKH QRQ SK\VLFDO H[SHULHQFH RI OLIHµ VHHP WR EH EDVHG RQ WKH SK\VLFDO DFWLYLW\ RI PDQ ZKLFK HYHQWXDOO\ WUDQVPXWHV LQWR WKRXJKWV ´:H H[SHULHQFH WKH ZRUOG WKURXJK our senses,” he postulates in the exhibition FDWDORJXH ´7KURXJK RXU VHQVHV PHPRU\ LV EXLOW DQG PHPRU\ DLGV WKH IRUPDWLRQ RI WKRXJKWV 7KRXJKW LV WKH ODQJXDJH RI WKH PLQG Thoughts are vibrations that we broadcast LQWR WKH HQHUJ\ ÀHOG 7KHVH WKRXJKWV UHVRQDWH with elements that are in harmony with it.” %\ DVVLJQLQJ WRR PXFK UROH WR WKH PLQXWHVW SDUW RI UHDO H[LVWHQFH WKH DUWLVW OLPLWV KLV SRVVLELOLW\ RI XQGHUVWDQGLQJ PDQ·V UHDO HVVHQFH DQG KRZ IDU UHDFKLQJ KLV DFWLYLWLHV LQ the material sphere are. Thoughts, which are HPDQDWLRQV IURP WKH HDUWKO\ EUDLQ SURYLGH the channels or pathways upon which the PRUH SRZHUIXO IRUPV RI PDQ·V UHDO LQQHU GLVSRVLWLRQ FDQ GULIW WR VSHFLÀF JRDOV 2I FRXUVH VKLHOGLQJ WKH IRXQWDLQKHDG RI

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6WDQGLQJ JXDUG DW WKH WKUHVKROG RI WKLV non-physical reality, the artist, who has held exhibitions in Germany, Nigeria, Italy, and the USA, visually and literally waxes poetic in the solo exhibition, which ends on Tuesday, July 12.

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

60

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3, 2022

ARTS & REVIEW\\POTPOURRI

Soul-stirring Reading with Fragile Yinka Olatunbosun

N

adine Siegert, the director, Goethe Institute Nigeria kept the introductory remarks short but not without seeking for a one minute of silence for Juan Pablo Echeverri- an artist and one of the team that brought Fragile exhibition to Nigeria with the German photographer, Wolfgang Tillmans. A pointer to the fragility of human life, the opening to “Reading with Fragile” set the mood for the night at the Art Twenty-One space inside Eko Hotel and Suites where the book reading was set side-by-side with light refreshments.

With Jahman Anikulapo, the culture activist as the night's compere, the two authors shared their stories with the audience simultaneously as they UHDG DQG ÀHOGHG TXHVWLRQV IURP WKH UHDGHUV %RRP %RRP D FKLOGUHQ V OLWHUDWXUH ZDV WKH ÀUVW to be interrogated by the audience. Built around the character of an eight-year-old, Osaik and how he confronted the scourge of sickle cell anemia that killed his mother. A deep connection was established with the character in the mind of Faith Uche Stevens also known as DJ Elektra, a member of the audience who couldn't read the book due to her medical condition. The only VXUYLYLQJ FKLOG RI KHU SDUHQWV ÀYH FKLOGUHQ VKH also lives with photo-sensitive epilepsy. DJ Elektra asked the writer, Jude Idada, what motivated the story in 'Boom Boom.'

“I was inspired from my youth,” Idada who won the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2019 explained, having comforted the DJ for her loss.

“When I was studying for UME, I had a friend of mine called Tunde. We never knew he had sickle cell anemia. We had to read for the exams.

I wonder if it is the same way now, no matter how much you read for exams, you'd still look for 'expo' and hope that the papers had leaked. ´, KDG ÀQLVKHG UHDGLQJ DQG LW ZDV D )ULGD\ QLJKW and I was driving around the area looking for leaked papers. Someone told us it was in FESTAC. We got the papers at 1am but they ended up EHLQJ IDNH :H GURSSHG RͿ 7XQGH DW KLV KRXVH around 2am. The next day, we went for the paper and we didn’t see Tunde after the exams so we went to look for him. When we got to his house, there was a large crowd gathered there. We went XSVWDLUV WR VHH KLV PXP DQG WKH ÀUVW WKLQJ VKH

Idada

Ibrahim

BOOK READING said was 'See what your friend had done to me.'

They said he died 45mins after we dropped him RͿ +H ZHQW LQWR D FULVLV DQG GLGQ·W PDNH LW 7KDW ZDV P\ ÀUVW SRLJQDQW H[SHULHQFH 2I FRXUVH , knew that Tunde wanted to go to the university as much as I wanted to.”

Another instance cited was that of his friend who was a sickle cell carrier, with the genotype AS. He proceeded to marry a woman who was also a carrier and ended up with two daughters-living with sickle cell anemia.

Thus, Boom Boom creates awareness on the severity of the condition and why deciding not to marry may be the wisest move for intending couples who are carriers of the sickle cell genes.

“I am a satirist,” Idada continued. “I hope that ZKHQ , KROG XS WKH PLUURU WR UHÁHFW WKH VRFLHW\ they can see and hopefully, make a change.”

Beyond being a playwright, screenwriter, cultural activist who lives in Canada and Nigeria, Idada keeps the reading audience captivated with his IUHTXHQW )DFHERRN SRVWV D PLFUREORJJLQJ VHULHV that satirises the social realities in Nigeria.

On his part, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim who advanced from being a journalist to an awardwinning writer read from his book, A Season

of Crimson Blossoms, which fetched him the coveted $100,000 dollars at the 2016 Nigeria prize for literature. Amongst other honours, he had received the Michael ElliottAward for Excellence in African Storytelling at the International Centre for Journalists in New York.

He chose to read from his award-winning piece, A Season of Crimson Blossoms because of its resonance with the theme of the photography exhibition by Wolfgang Tillmans which had been incorporated in the event.

"The story I am to pick from is about the fragility of the people," he continued after throwing banters at Idada for winning the prize money at the time Naira devalued against the US dollar.

7KH IDFW WKDW ZH DUH LQ D IUDJLOH QDWLRQ ÀOOHG with fragile people. In a way, we are all broken.

But somehow we patched up together and kept pushing even though we are fragile, fractured and broken."

5HÁHFWLQJ RQ WKH FHQWUDO FKDUDFWHU %LQWD =XEDLUX who got entangled with her rapist, Ibrahim told the audience that the relationship was not a case of love.

"For Binta, all her life she had wanted to blossom but was caged by her upbringing and the expectations that the society placed on her. Up till that point, she had done everything that was UHTXLUHG RI KHU KH H[SODLQHG

Most of those gathered at the reading session had not read the book which led to conversations about the reading culture in Nigeria which Ibrahim couldn't help but condemn.

"We have a fundamental problem with reading.

We have made reading so uncool that people don’t read or don't want to be seen reading. Now, people just want to be on 'tik tok.' That's good for entertainment, yes but maybe not intellectually," he said.

The need to have an enabling infrastructure to promote the reading culture was broached.

The nation is in darkness. Most homes run power generators. Public libraries are almost non-existent. With the 2023 general elections in view, Ibrahim tasked Nigerians with holding the government accountable for investing in the knowledge economy.

"This is an opportunity to hold these people and say 'What plans do you have to build libraries?"

In her earlier remarks, Siegert expressed the commitment of Goethe Institut Nigeria to promote literature and the reading culture.

"In the future, we look forward to events on literature and with writers. We have a library that was burnt down but we are currently building up the library again and we will have more books in the future. Our library is open to writers and readers," she assured.

The General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG Andy Odeh shared the sentiment of the German cultural institution.

"It is a great opportunity for us at NLNG to see how words for our writers are meeting pictures," he said, referring to the photography exhibition )UDJLOH $IULFDQ $UW LV ÁXLG )RU XV DW 1/1* we have a tagline that says, ‘We’re helping to build a better Nigeria.' And that phrase we take seriously because what we do in terms of our business to a large extent grew from not having JDV ÁDUHV LQ 1LJHULD :H DUH PRQHWL]LQJ JDV WKDW ZRXOG RUGLQDULO\ EH ÁDUHG FRQYHUW WR HQHUJ\ DQG earn foreign exchange for Nigeria. In the midst of all of that, an area where we focus seriously is how we promote art literature and science.

"We see this as an opportunity to further enhance and entrench the values of art literature, singing, dancing and drumming. We are happy to partner with interested parties to promote Nigeria arts and science."

A PAWA Award for Bukar Usman

R L to R), Camillus Ukah, President of The Association of Nigeria Authors, Tunde Odunlade, Proprietor of The Tunde Odunlade Arts Gallery Ibadan, presenting the Pan African Writers’Association (PAWA) Award, Noble Patron of The Arts Award, to Dr. Bukar Usman; Mrs. Raliat Dupe Usman and Hon Dr. Wale Okediran, Secretary General of PAWA.(At Premier Hotel, Ibadan. June 25, 2022 )

enowned Nigerian writer and publisher Dr Bukar Usman has been given an award by the Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA). The special award, which is tagged “Award for the Noble Patron of the Arts”, was given to the author on the closing day of its International Writers Conference was held at the Conference Centre, University of Ibadan from June 23 to 25.

The ceremonies took place at the dinner for the delegates held at the Premier Hotel Ibadan on June 25, was presented to me on

AWARD behalf of PAWA by Tunde Odunlade, the proprietor of the Tunde Odunlade Arts Gallery, Ibadan.

The association had in its letter of invitation to Dr Usman for the awards, signed by its secretary general Dr Wale Okediran, informed him of the decision of PAWA’s council to honour him with this award, which he attributed to his “long commitment to the Arts and Literature in Nigeria and in the diaspora.”

2022 James Currey Prize for African A Celebrations of Icons at the Coal City Book Convention Literature Shortlist Announced FESTIVAL

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he shortlist for this year’s edition of the annual James Currey Prize for African Literature, have been announced by the jury.

The annual literary prize for the EHVW XQSXEOLVKHG ZRUN RI ÀFtion written in English by any writer, set in Africa or on Africans in Africa or in Diaspora was established by the Nigerian-born writer, ÀOPPDNHU SXEOLVKHU DQG 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 2[IRUG scholar, Onyeka Nwelue, and was named after the eminent British publisher of African literature and studies, James Currey.

Announcing the shortlist for the prize, which is worth £1,000 and is currently in its second

E

QXJX V DQQXDO ERRN ÀHVWD WKH 'Coal City Book Convention', staged its 13th outing earlier this week with a memorable celebration that attracted a pot-pourri of stakeholders in the academia, arts and politics. The large attendance was riveted year, the jury chair, Ever Obi, declared: by an elaborate 18-man drama performance on the political crisis in Nigeria - 'Our Papa's “The major work is done.”

7KH ÀYH VKRUWOLVWHG HQWULHV DUH &KLOG RI WKH Land', together with a one-man vaudeville by Corn by Rose Okeke (Nigeria), Paperless known Poet Siza Amah titled 'Julius Caesar

by Buntu Siwisa (South Africa), Madness Monologue'.

by Esomnofu Ebelenna Tobenna (Nigeria), Highlights of the ceremonies included the Lord Kitchener by Abenea Ndago (Kenya) unveiling of this year's edition of company's and Mandiga’s Well by Mohammed Ham- broadsheet 'The Writer', followed by the conferPHQW RI 7KH 2ODXGDK (TXLDQR /LIH $ZDUG RQ mie (Tanzania).

The winner will be announced at a cer- three respected Igbo dignitaries: Paediatrician emony at the University of Oxford on Professor Bede Chidozie Ibe, University lecWXUHU 3URIHVVRU -RVHSKLQH (]HNZHVLOL 2ÀOL DQG September 3.

PRIZE

award-winning novelist Ukwu Rocks Emma.

Dillibe Onyeama, CEO of Delta Publications (Nigeria) Limited who stage the convention through their subsidiary group 'The Delta Book &OXE H[SODLQHG WKDW WKH PRWLYDWLRQ RI WKH ÀHVWD was anchored on the truism that every human mortal has a story to tell, hence personifying the reality of the book in every man.

He elaborated further: "When you read any creative work, one way or the other you will surely identify yourself in the story. To look at a book is like looking in the mirror. So, what is the story behind that face in the mirror? What is your story? A person who does not read is as bad as a person who cannot read."

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

Time to Address the Menace of Vote Buying Politicians whomostlypicked their partytickets bybuying the delegates without any consequence now plot vote-buying, which will further compromise the credibility, legitimacy and integrity of the 2023 elections, writes Louis Achi

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he electoral malfeasance of buying votes has become a disturbing feature of elections in Nigeria. Clearly, it bodes ill for the nation’s fledgling democracy. This dark phenomenon was starkly observed in the recent off-season Ekiti State governorship election. Worse, given its geometric progression, it could severely threaten the 2023 general election According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 749,065 Personal Voter Cards (PVCs) were issued for the Ekiti State election, out of which 360,753 were used by voters. Cash projection and provision to buy the majority of these registered voters, at either N5000 or N10,000 per vote, would translate to billions of naira. This is not democracy by any metrics.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) reportedly made a handful of arrests during the Ekiti State election. But this hardly deters this infamy while it has led to the apt description of Nigeria’s electoral politics as “cash-and-carry democracy”.

From INEC records, 16 political parties participated in the Ekiti election. Reports from election observers and the media alleged that some voters received between N5,000 and N10,000 each, under a “See-and-Pay” ruse, where a thumb-printed ballot was displayed to a party agent who stood around a polling booth.

In the vote buying scenario, a person has to show evidence that he or she has voted for the party in order to receive payment for the vote.

Not unlike a typical market place, the politicians, political parties, and party agents are the vote buyers while prospective voters are the sellers.

The vote to be cast is of course the commodity on sale while the medium of exchange could be monetary and non-monetary items. The market force that determines the value or price of a vote is the level of desperation of politicians to win in a particular locality. Though money and other valuables can be used to consummate vote buying, politicians have evolved two main approaches to buying votes for Election Day.

Yukubu The first is the cash-for-vote approach, which involves giving or promising the prospective voter some agreed amount of money well before the individual votes at the polling station. The payment is done before the actual voting, and could be within the vicinity of the polling station or farther away.

The “settlement” is made secretly or in the open. Most times the vote buyers demand evidence of ownership of a voter’s card and assurance that the voter will vote for their party before offering the money. In this approach, trust is key to the contract. It is also known as the pre-paid method of vote buying. Much of these played out in Ekiti.

While the bigger parties allegedly paid out

these humungous sums, a handful of smaller parties reportedly offered between N1,000 and N2,000 per vote. Confirming these dodgy capers, the Centre for Democracy and Development, a non-profit body, revealed that its field observers documented 41 bribery cases in six local government areas of the State. The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Mr. Segun Oni, who feels undone by the vote-buying spree, has vowed to challenge the outcome of the poll.

The Socio-Economic and Peoples Right (SERAP), in its push for action, gave INEC a seven-day ultimatum to identify and prosecute the perpetrators. On its part, the British High Commission in Nigeria validly stressed that,

“buying and selling of votes has no place in a democracy.”

Worse, the Ekiti vote buying horror suggested the electoral process was compromised surprisingly by some officials of INEC and security personnel. But this is unproven. Particularly worrisome is the blatant nature vote buying has assumed in recent times and the grave danger it poses to democracy.

The most worrying aspect of vote buying is how it will shape the 2023 general election. It is very clear that Nigerians are at the end of their tethers and any undue disruptions may provoke unforeseeable reactions. At a point in the national journey when unprecedented division pervades the nation any perception of being short-changed might represent the final push.

The emerging consensus is that INEC and the EFCC should develop a strategic collaborative framework for effective monitoring of political parties’ campaign funds in order to effectively curb electoral fraud, including vote buying.

More, to enhance the secrecy of the ballot, the INEC need to construct a collapsible voting cubicle that will make it difficult for party agents to see a voter thumbprint on the ballot paper.

Also actions that reveal the vote cast by voters should be criminalised. Here the Civil Society groups must enter the fray and advocate that police and other law enforcement agencies must arrest, investigate and diligently prosecute those involved in the act of vote trading.

The place of technology in modern processes cannot be overemphasized. Many now rightly believe that INEC if had installed surveillance cameras at the polling units, they would have recorded all the crookery that transpired during the exercise. It would also increase public awareness of the danger in breaching the law.

The media and civil society organisations would need to ramp up voter education and enlightenment campaigns on the negative implications of vote trading - especially on how it increases the costs of elections, promotes political corruption and undermines good governance. This will significantly complement INEC’s efforts.

In all, electoral credibility, legitimacy and integrity are core elements that could vitiate or validate a democracy.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Will Obasanjo Ever Forgive Atiku?

Obasanjo and Atiku?

DespitethereportedclaimthathehadforgivenformerVice PresidentAtikuAbubakar,aheadofthe2019presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo last week attacked his former deputy, describing him as one of his genuine mistakes he made on assuming office in 1999.

ObasanjohadtoldAtikuandtheleadersofthePeoples Democratic Party (PDP), who visited him at his Abeokuta homeaheadof2019presidentialelection,thathebelieved thathisformerdeputyhad“re-discoveredandre-positioned himself” and was good enough to enjoy his support in the 2019 general election.

Before the October 2018 visit to Obasanjo by Atiku and the PDP leaders, the former president had in August 3, 2018 vowed that the former vice president should not countonhimforsupportinhisbidtoactualisehislife-long ambition of being elected President of Nigeria.

“HowcanIbeonthesamesidewithAtiku?Todowhat?”

Obasanjo asked PremiumTimes.

“IfIsupportAtikuforanything,Godwillnotforgiveme.If Idonotknow,yes.ButonceIknow,Atikucanneverenjoymy support,”headded. ButwhenAtikuandthePDPleaderslater visited Obasanjo in October 2019, the former president said,“LetmestartbycongratulatingPresident-to-be,Atiku Abubakar, for his success at the recent PDP Primary and I tooknoteofhisgraciousremarksinhisacceptancespeech that it all started here.”

Obasanjoaddedthattheyhadreviewedwhatwentwrong onthesideofAtiku,stressingthathisformervicepresident had re-discovered and re-positioned himself.

“From what transpired in the last couple of hours or so, you have shown remorse; you have asked for forgiveness and you have indicated that you have learnt some good

lessons and you will mend fences and make amends as necessary and as desirable. “Whenever or wherever you mighthaveoffendedme,asaChristianwhoasksforGod’s forgiveness of my sins and inadequacies on daily basis, I forgive and I sincerely advise you to learn from the past and do what is right and it will be well with you.” With these statements,manyhadthoughtthatObasanjohadputthe past behind him.

Butaddressingstudentsfromselectedsecondaryschools whoparticipatedinthefinaloftheNationalExhibitionand Awards, organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE), in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, last week, Obasanjo declared that: “One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me.”

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

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BRIEFINGNOTES Tanko Muhammad’s Inglorious Outing as CJN After his controversial appointment, his embarrassing demonstration of incompetence during his confirmation by the Senate and his inglorious outing as Chief Justice of Nigeria, which witnessed an unprecedented allegation of impropriety by his fellow judges, Justice Tanko Muhammad was on Monday forced out of office, in an equally controversial and inglorious manner, Ejiofor Alike reports

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he Nigerian judiciary witnessed a bizarre development on January 23, 2019 when the Code of ConductTribunal (CCT) in a coup-style ordered the federal government to remove the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.The removal of Onnoghen had facilitated the appointment of JusticeTanko Muhammad, who was described as the most incompetent CJN in the history of Nigeria’s judiciary.

A copy of the CCT’s order showed that the Chairman of the tribunal, Mr. Danladi Umar, and another memberofthetribunal,Mrs.JulieAnabor,madethe order.Amemberofthetribunal,whowasnextinrank to Umar, Mr.William Atedze, did not sign the order.

The CCT’s order, which was one of the greatest assaultsontheNigerianjudiciary,directedOnnoghen, who was facing a six-count charge of false assets declaration before the tribunal to step aside. It also orderedPresidentMuhammaduBuharitoswearin the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, JusticeTanko Muhammad in acting capacity.

Withhisbrazenorder,Umarwasbelievedtohave usurpedthepowersoftheNationalJudicialCouncil (NJC), which is vested with the power to discipline and remove judges.

Before the CCTissued the order for the removal ofOnnoghen,theagentsofthePresidentBuhari-led administration had established a reputation for raiding the residences of judges and breaking into theirhomesatnights,undertheguiseofsearchingfor incriminatingevidencetonailthemwithcorruption charges.Thejudiciary,whichcouldhaverescueditself from this brazen assault, became partly complicit and partly helpless.

AstheCCTwastryingOnnoghen,theagentsofthe federalgovernmentwhohadbecomenotoriousfor using corruption allegations to destroy perceived enemiesandsackunwantedofficials,alsoengaged inmediatrialofOnnoghen.Forinstance,theMinister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a press conferenceonJanuary28,2019to“settherecords straightandredirectthediscourse,”endeduptwisting the records in what many analysts described as the minister’s characteristic style. According to the minister,therealissueatplay“isaboutthesuspicious transactions running into millions of dollars to the suspendedCJN’spersonalaccounts,allundeclaredor improperlydeclaredasrequiredbylaw,”Mohammed reportedly said.

However,theMinisterofInformationoranyother agentofthefederalgovernmenthasnottoldNigerians what happened to the millions of dollars traced to the accounts of the former CJN. Expectedly,theCCTconvictedOnnoghenofbreach ofCodeofConductforPublicOfficersinApril2019.

In June 2019, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, toldNigeriansthatthepresidenthadwelcomedthe

Justice Muhammad voluntary retirement of Onnoghen from service.

“President Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement from service of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, effective from May 28, 2019.

“ThepresidentthankedJusticeOnnoghenforhis servicetotheFederalRepublicofNigeriaandwished himthebestofretirementlife,”thestatementadded.

WithOnnoghenoutoftheway,alltheallegations ofengagingin“suspicioustransactionsrunninginto millionsofdollars”bytheinformationministerfizzled awayandBuhariwishedhim“thebestretirementlife.”

Meanwhile,theMuhammadshowedclearlyand veryearlyinJuly2019thathewasincompetentto assumetheroleoftheCJNwhenheappearedbefore

theSenateforscreeningandconfirmation.Thelevelof ignorancehedisplayedbeforethefederallawmakers whilerespondingtoquestionswasunbecomingof evenafreshgraduatefromtheNigerianLawSchool.

HeembarrassedtheapexcourtandtheNigerian judiciary when the then Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, asked him to explain if theSupremeCourtunderhiswatchwouldbemore concernedwithdeliveringjudgmentsbasedonthe merit of cases or technicalities.

Abaribehadasked,“Inthe2018caseofAkeredolu vs Abraham, the Supreme Court said, ‘technicality intheadministrationofjusticeshutsoutjustice’and went further to say, ‘it is therefore better to have a case heard and determined on its merit than to

leave the court with the shield of victory obtained on mere technicality’.

“ThisistheSupremeCourt,soweareveryhappy with that. But My Lord, just a few weeks ago, the Supreme Court also said, ‘The correct order is to declare the judgment of the trial tribunal a nullity as a result of one of the panelists not sitting on the day proceedings were held’”.

AbaribetoldtheformerCJNthatNigerianswere worriedbythelatestdecisionoftheapexcourtunder him.

“Where would the Supreme Court stand under you?” Abaribe asked.

Inhisresponse,Muhammaddemonstratedignorance of the meaning of technicality in law when he said: “Now, if something which is technical comes before the court, what we do in trial courts is to ask peoplewhoareexpertsinthatfieldtocomeandtestify.

Werelyontheirtestimonybecausetheyareexperts in that field. Ask me anything about an aeroplane, I don’t know; ask me to drive an aeroplane (sic), I am sureifyouareapassengerandtheytoldyouthatthe flightisgoingtobedriven(sic)byHonourableJustice IbrahimTanko,Iamsureyouwillgetoutoftheplane, becauseitissomethingthatrequirestechnicalityand ifIhaveanytechnicality,mytechnicalitywillonlybe limitedtolaw.Therefore,itissomethingthathasto dowiththeperceptionorthewayyouwillbeableto achieve the goals you want to achieve.”

ThroughouthisoutingasCJN,Muhammaddidnot deliver any landmark judgment, which the judiciary could be proud of.

It is on records that he led the seven-man panel thatdeterminedtheOsunStategovernorshiptussle betweenSenatorAdemolaAdelekeofthePeoples DemocraticParty(PDP)andGboyegaOyetolaofthe All Progressives Congress (APC) on July 5, 2019.

Readingtheverdictoftheapexcourt,itwasclear the majority led by the acting CJN, which gave judgmenttoOyetola,basedtheirdecisionsontechnical breachofprocedureratherthanonthesubstanceand meritofthecaseagainsttheIndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC).

It was evident that Adeleke lost the case at the apexcourtnotonthebasisorevidenceontheactual matterathand,butsimplyonatechnicalitythatone ofthetribunaljudgeswasabsentduringthepetition, therebyrenderingthetribunaljudgmentinhisfavour null and void.

MuhammadalsowentdowninhistoryastheCJN, wholedapaneloftheSupremeCourtthatawarded the governorship of Imo State to a candidate that camefourthinthegovernorshipelection.Thepanel basedtheirjudgmentontotalnumberofvotesthat reportedlyexceededthenumberofaccreditedvoters in the election.

Amemberofthepanel,JusticeCentusNweze,in his minority judgment, had noted that the majority judgment would hunt the Nigerian judiciary for a long time.

NOTES FOR FILE

Fayose Should Be Advised to Keep Quiet

F Fayose

Nigeria is the only country where politicians are totally shameless. Observers wonder the kind of persons they are and how they reason each time they make public comments.

It beats the imagination of many when former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, speaks these days.

As an outgoing governor in 2018, Fayose refused to conduct a free and fair primary and imposed a candidate on the members and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. The result, of course, was a woeful performance in the governorship election by the party as Governor Kayode Fayemi swept 15 local government areas (LGAs) out the 16.

Instead of learning a lesson from his failure,

he also exhibited his autocratic tendency in 2022 by scheming out formidable candidates like a former governor of the state, Mr. Segun Oni and Senator Biodun Olujimi to anoint a weak candidate, Mr. Olabisi Kolawole. The result again was a woeful performance by the PDP, which came a distant third, after the ruling APC and Oni’s Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Today, the same Fayose is threatening that the PDP would lose the 2023 presidential election if the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar does not recognise his importance and that of Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike to the party.

In another breath, the same Fayose is

demanding power shift to the South, saying it would be unfair for a northerner in the person of Atiku to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

Many wonder why the former governor did not raise this issue when he bought form to contest the PDP presidential primary election. Why did he congratulate Atiku after his victory at the primary and now turn around to say another thing? Why did he not reject his emergence?

Fayose and many PDP leaders should cover their heads in shame.

It would do him a whole lot of good if he learns to keep quite and ignore somethings.

Also, those who known should admonish him to keep quiet some times.

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Tasks Before New CJN Alex Enumah writes that the time is now for the books of the judiciary to be opened for scrutiny if the new Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, must succeed in redeeming the tattered image of the judiciary and its ministers in the temple of justice

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ustice Olukayode Ariwoola was last Monday sworn in as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). His sudden and unexpected assumption was sequel to the forced resignation of the then incumbent, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad.

His assumption of office in acting capacity, is subject to the confirmation by Senate.

Although, Muhammad had predicated his resignation on health grounds, but not many, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), had linked the resignation to the alleged huge corruption scandal at the apex court.

It was alleged that he was forced to throw in the towel after security and anti-corruption agencies confronted him with documentary evidences of corruption involving two of his sons who had won National Assembly tickets for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The NBA did not mince words when it stated that Muhammad’s resignation cannot be divorced from the recent protest by his colleagues on the bench of the apex court over alleged corruption.

NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, had while acknowledging the cordial working relationship between the Bar and the Bench during Muhammad’s tenure stated that, “It is however impossible, to consider His Lordship’s retirement in isolation of the recent unprecedented developments at the Supreme Court where 14 justices of the court censured the outgone Chief Justice of Nigeria over His Lordship’s handling of their welfare and related issues.”

Akpata added that “beyond this, there is near-universal agreement that public confidence in the judiciary and indeed the legal profession is at an all-time low”. According to him, there is now more than ever the need for urgent reforms in the judiciary in order to rebuild the almost dissipated confidence that Nigerians have in the judiciary and the wider legal profession in Nigeria.

He submitted that these should form the immediate first tasks for Ariwoola, as he takes over the helms of affairs at the apex court.

“The NBA welcomes the appointment of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola and pledges its readiness to work together with His Lordship and the judiciary in cleansing the Augean Stable and addressing the ills that have continued to plague not just the judiciary but the entire legal profession,” Akpata stated.

The issue of corruption allegations in the judiciary is not new. The administration of Buhari, did not only accused the third arm of corruption but moved against the judiciary in 2016, when its security apparatus carried out the infamous sting operation on the residents of judges.

A Supreme Court justice was arraigned in court after the raids but discharged and acquitted.

A former CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was arraigned and removed from office under controversial circumstances for allegedly giving false information about his assets in his Assets Declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

While corruption allegations by the executive and members of the public, particularly those who felt robbed of justice by the courts may not be taken seriously or may be seen as being politically-motivated, the issue becomes serious and very worrisome when such corruption allegations are coming from within the judiciary itself.

Before the protest letter by the 14 justices of the apex court, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Ejembi Eko, had brought to the fore the rot and decay in the judiciary, at a valedictory session held for him during his retirement from the bench of the apex court.

Justice Ariwoola Eko, particularly berated the National Judicial Council (NJC) for still keeping judges whose conduct he said “were clearly designed to undermine the rule of law and to deliberately cause confusion and unleash anarchy” because their action was coming at a time the country is preparing for a crucial general election. He was referring to how the council handled the issue of the three judges indicted for giving conflicting judgments.

“With all deference to the NJC; the punishments fell short of the expectations of the public that these bad eggs should have been broken or smashed and or/ exterminated to serve as deterrence”.

According to Eko, when the punishment for an “outstandingly bad and outrageous conduct” is far too lenient, it encourages impunity and is likely to be repeated by

others.

Still, on the issue of corruption in the judiciary, the former justice described as baffling to note that the welfare of judges remains in an abject state in spite of the increase of the budgetary allocation to the judiciary under this regime.

However, the icing on the cake was the protest letter by the 14 justices of the apex court, which should not have been made in the first place but also went viral.

Muhammad while observing that, “Judges in all climes are to be seen and not heard”, stated that the protest letter which had gone public could only be “akin to dancing naked at the market square by us”.

Recalled that the justices in the said protest letter had complained about the non-availability of basic amenities both in their chambers and homes, which

according to them was capable of shutting down activities at the final court.

Specifically, they had complained about the non-replacement of poor vehicles; accommodation problems; lack of drugs at the Supreme Court clinic; epileptic electricity supply to the Supreme Court; increase in electricity tariff; no increase in the allowances for diesel; lack of internet services to residences and chambers.

Others are internal problems including non-signing of amended Rules of Court for almost three years; sudden stoppage of two to three foreign workshops and training per annum for justices; no provision of qualified legal assistants. The deplorable situation was such that the Chief Registrar was said to have served Justices with an internal memo, that electricity would be supplied to the Court between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm daily, for lack of diesel.

“The implication of this memo is that the Justices must finish their work and close before 4 pm. With all due respect, this is the peak of the degeneration of the court; it is the height of decadence and clear evidence of the absence of probity and moral rectitude.

“This act alone portends imminent danger to the survival of this court and the Judiciary as an institution, which is gradually drifting to extinction”, a source had said.

Although, the outgone CJN had tried to explain situations to his brother justices, however, what appears to be the missing link in the whole scenario is the absence of transparency in the affairs of the judiciary.

This is one area, the new CJN must focus on if he doesn’t want to go the way of his last two predecessors.

He must heed the call of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, and retired Justice Eko, for the inspection of the books of the judiciary. Eko, had advised that scrutinising the books of the judiciary by relevant bodies like Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), should not be seen as compromising the independence of the judiciary.

He said: “Nothing stops the office of the Auditor–General of the Federation, ICPC from “opening the books of the Judiciary to expose the corruption in the management of their budgetary resources”, adding that in some jurisdictions Chief Registrars “regard themselves as direct subordinates of even the spouses of Heads of Courts and allow themselves to be directed willy-nilly in the vandalism of the judiciary budget”.

Outside the issue of corruption, another major challenge facing the Supreme Court which Justice Ariwoola must urgently find an answer to is the delay of cases at the apex court. Apart from political cases which are time-bound and as such given priority and accelerated hearing, some cases have been at the Supreme Court for years without being mentioned.

To address this, probably the new leadership could consider the establishment of Regional Supreme Courts as was proposed recently by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ogwu Onoja, or introduced laws that qualify cases that should get to the apex court as canvassed recently by former CJN, Onnoghen.

Finally, Justice Ariwoola needs to bring sanity to judiciary by constantly breathing down on judges who are in the habit of granting unnecessary ex-parte orders especially when they are emanating from coordinate.

This has always brought the third arm of government to disrepute.

With position of CJN tossed on him by Providence, Justice Ariwoola has an opportunity to write his name in gold by ensuring that he provides the needed leadership that is required to take the judiciary to next level.

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CICERO/REPORT

Matawalle’s Call for Self-defence With the inability of the Nigerian security agencies to guarantee safety of lives and property across the country, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State last week joined some of his colleagues, who have been encouraging their subjects to leverage Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution to defend themselves against violent non-state actors, Gboyega Akinsanmi writes

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he state of security is deteriorating nationwide by the day. Its deterioration is evident in the escalation of violent attacks and their collateral costs on human lives at large. As a result, governors are now embracing diverse controversial, but constitutional measures to bring violent non-state actors under effective control.

Zamfara State Governor, Mr. Bello Matawalle reeled out the latest of such measures after the state’s Security Council meeting last week.

After reviewing the economic and human costs of insecurity in the state, the council resolved to leverage Section 33(2)(a-b) of the 1999 Constitution to tame the activities of violent non-state actors within its jurisdiction.

Consistent with this provision, the state government directed the residents to take arms up against bandits and terrorists as a strategy to secure their own lives. Also, it directed the Commissioner for Police to issue licence to all residents qualified and willing to obtain guns for the purpose of self-defence. It finally ordered security operatives to shoot any individual found riding motorcycles within the state.

Zamfara is not the first state that has called for self-defence amid deteriorating insecurity across the federation. Recently, Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, had observed that the governors “can no longer fold their arms or rely exclusively on the distant federal police to adequately protect the lives and property of residents.”

After the recent attacks that killed 41 worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Akeredolu specifically told the federal government “to brace up for a situation whereby citizens will take destiny in their hands and obtain guns to defend themselves against the bandits.”

In April, Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom had challenged the residents “to rise up in self-defence against the Fulani herdsmen in possession of AK-47 rifles.”

In Oyo, Governor Seyi Makinde had approved the recruitment of 500 Amotekun corps to protect residents and their property. Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari had also once called on his people to defend themselves before they are wiped out by terrorists in the state.

In nearly all states of the federation, governors are adopting diverse measures aimed at creating safe environments that can help them discharge the primary responsibilities stipulated in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution. But as indicated in their separate statements, they can no longer trust the police with the security of lives and property within their territories.

Convincingly, the governors have justified their claims first on the rising cases of unprovoked attacks on the soft targets nationwide and also on the failure of the security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police, to effectively contain the activities of violent non-state actors undermining the internal cohesion and economic prosperity of their states.

Consequently, the governors, whose states are worst hit, have embraced self-defence, now challenging the residents to take up arms and defend their communities. And their resolve has ignited protracted national debate across the federation. First, the debate focuses on whether it is constitutional for a state to encourage its residents to defend themselves against bandits and terrorists Second, there has been an argument on whether it is within the power of a state governor to invoke Section 33(2)(a-b) of the 1999 Constitution to secure lives and property. However, for some experts, the fear of the governors is understandable. As a result, they argued, the governors cannot fold their arms and watch their people die needlessly daily.

For others, their fear is founded in the unwanted loss of human lives and the shadow markets of abduction growing across the federation. In the first half of 2022, for instance, no fewer than

Matawalle

4,486 lost their lives due to the activities of violent non-state actors as shown in the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a project of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

In January, according to the NST, 996 cases of violent killing were tracked nationwide.

Subsequently, 765 cases were recorded in February; 1,214 in March; 917 in April and 594 in May. As shown in its violence mapping, no geo-political zone had not been caught in the rage of violent non-state actors, though their activities are now more prevalent in the North-central, North-west and South-east.

In Zamfara’s case, as revealed in the Mass Atrocities Casualties Tracking Report, at least 210 residents were killed in January; 91 in February; 83 in March; 49 in April and 87 in May, In this year alone, over 542 have lost their lives in Zamfara State. Similarly, abduction cases are as high as human loss.

With this trend, for some senior lawyers, the governors no longer need further justifications to embrace self-defence than the growing of victims, whose lives have been exterminated.

Besides, they argued, as enshrined in section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the primary purpose of every government shall be the security and welfare of the people.

But the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has rejected argument for self-defence.

He believes governors lack powers to direct residents within their territories to take up arms against the violent non-state actors, who have been killing people needlessly and abducting soft targets in exchange for ransoms.

In specific terms, Irabor argued that the Constitution only empowered the Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces “to give directives to the Armed Forces as an instrument of policy implementation.”

Rather than clarifying whether Matawalle could direct the residents of Zamfara to defend themselves, Irabor asked the Attorney-General of

Usman

the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami to explain this issue to Nigerians.

He insisted that the power to authorise arms possession lies solely in the president. But the former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Joseph Daudu (SAN) argued that the right to self-defence “is God-given and citizens do not need the president to grant it.”

But the right to self-defence is not the reason the governors can no longer depend on the Nigeria Police to secure their people.

The real issue centres first and foremost on the country’s security architecture, which the governors argued, is so centralised that the Nigeria Police can no longer discharge their core responsibilities effectively under section 214 of the 1999 Constitution.

Since this provision entirely cedes the policing power to the federal government, the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) had at different times proposed a review of the security architecture to allow the creation of a state police. At its multi-stakeholders summit in March, the NGF justified the state police on the ground that states fund police more than the federal government.

But this argument lacks merit as far as President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned.

As a result, the president rejected the proposal, citing the abuse and suppression of the local governments by state governors. Amid this debate, the governors leveraged Section 4 (7) to ensure law and order within their territories. The Section stipulates that the House of Assembly of a State “shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State…”

By virtue of this section, the governors created the Amotekun Corps in the South-west. Under its Anti-open Grazing, Ranching and Prohibition Law, Benue created community volunteer guards.

In the North, most state created vigilante groups to contain the activities of violent non-state actors within their territories

All these responses have been helpful to some extent, especially in gathering intelligence. But the economic and human costs of insecurity are increasing daily as revealed in the Nigeria Security Tracker. Like the police, security agencies are obviously overwhelmed, hence their failure to guarantee public order.

The search for effective police system did not start under the current administration. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted it in 2006 with the constitution of a presidential committee to reform the Nigeria Police.

Likewise, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua followed the same path in 2008. Each of these committees revealed the depth of challenges in the police. But the reports only ended up in the national archives.

With the eruption of EndSARS protests in 2020, the National Assembly expedited the enactment of the Nigeria Police Act, 2021.

Among others, the legislation recommended new welfare packages for the police; creation of public complaint offices to make every police personnel accountable and promotion of police personnel as and when due. But the execution of this Act has not commenced.

Even though the execution of the Act has taken full effect, analysts argued that the regime “can no longer substantially address the country’s current security realities” for different reasons.

First, as Country Representative, Transparency International, Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani observed, operating a centralised police structure can no longer guarantee public order in a multi-ethnic federal state like Nigeria.

Second, for Daudu, every security challenge is local and can best be addressed locally. On this ground, he argued that a centralised approach can no longer address security challenges that plague most states of the federation. The governors, he argued, would not have advocated self-defence if federating units had been authorised to establish its own state police.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3 , 2022

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CICERO/REPORT

Adamu

Tinubu

Will APC Settle for Muslim-Muslim Ticket?

If the current political calculation in the ruling All Progressives Congress is anything to go by, the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, may likely ignore the public mood and settle for a Muslim running mate, writes Adedayo Akinwale

T

he presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, last week hinted that he was still searching for a substantive running mate ahead of the 2023 elections.

Ever since the emergence of the former Governor of Lagos State as the presidential candidate of the ruling party, there have been widespreadoppositionandresistancetotheMuslim-Muslim ticket being mulled by the party in order.

As it stands, political parties have until July 15 to substitute their running mates where necessary for the 2023 elections. The implication is that the ruling party and its presidential candidate must name a substantive running mate, who will replace the current placeholder, Mr. Kabir Masari, by July 15.

However, since the two major political parties – APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - have Muslim presidential candidates, many Nigerians have demanded that their running mates should be Christians. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) specifically warned APC not to undermine the Christian community with the Muslim-Muslim ticket, insisting that such would not fly.

Lending its voice, the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church -Nigeria (CRC-N) also warned that choosing a Muslim -Muslim ticket would come with consequences, adding that the proposal by the APC was a calculated arrangement aimed at pushing Christians out of the political leadership of the country.

In addition, the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi said Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket would be a difficult and slippery area. Also, the Northern Nigeria’s Front for Equity and Good Governance had also argued that there were a number of Christian northerners that the APC could choose from, for the sake of equity and justice.

Also sharing their views, a strong supporter of Tinubu and former Secretary the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal had also kicked against the idea, saying ethno-religious factors were still very much relevant in Nigerian politics.

Similarly, a group within the party, APC Atakeholders had also urged the party to narrow its search for the vice presidential candidate of the party to a northern Christian to ensure national inclusion, and help manage the country’s differences and promote

national unity.

But in a contrary view, Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, while speaking during an interview on a live television programme, said the business of governance had nothing to do with religion. The Kaduna State governor, who is said to be interested in the vice presidential position, added that religion would not solve the problems of Nigeria, insisting that it was the competency of the elected leaders that would solve the problems.

Also, the Zonal Secretary of APC, South-south, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere said Tinubu should be given the freedom to choose whoever he prefered as a running mate, pointing out that a situation where leaders of some political groups and religious organisations were mounting pressure to influence the choice of one of their own would not augur well for the nation’s democracy. He noted that the solution to the challenges confronting Nigeria did not rest on whether the running mate to Tinubu is Christian or Muslim.

To the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Yekini Nabena, those against MuslimMuslim ticket should stop sitting on the fence and participate fully in politics, rather than telling political parties what to and the choice to make.

While some stakeholders of the party believed that winning an election should not be premised on sentiment as democracy is a game of number, others were of the views that the country’s fault lines should not be widened with the purported Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Be that as it may, feelers within the ruling party showed that the current stiff opposition may not deter the party from presenting a Muslim-Muslim ticket in any way due to what they described as the political realities.

However, consultation is still ongoing on the issue of acceptable running mate with much needed clout to help APC retain power beyond 2023. Some of the northern Christians who are believed to be interested in the position include: Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

But a former Chairman of APC in Lagos State, Mr. Henry Ajomale had stated that the party would field a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election despite growing opposition to the proposal.

Ajomale, who was not in a position to speak for the ruling party, however insisted that the APC could not afford to gamble at such a critical moment when opposition candidates were desperately seeking an inroad to claim massive votes in the North.

Ajomale said, “Although we are still consulting, it is certain that the APC will be flying a MuslimMuslim ticket. Masari, our placeholder, may likely be substituted before July 15. However, the destination is still between Borno State in the North-east and Kano/Kaduna states in the North-west. Either way, it will be a Muslim running mate.”

“The truth is that Asiwaju has no choice. The majority of the northerners are Muslims and fielding a Christian northerner is a risk that can split his vote to give Atiku an edge. But if he settles for the former (a Muslim), they will troop out in large numbers to vote for him.”

The North-west and North-east geopolitical zones, which are predominantly Muslims, have the bloc votes. It is believed that if the party could not find a stronger Christian from the two sub-regions, it might settle for a Muslim running mate.

The ruling party had already narrowed its search for a running mate to the two regions. However, there were indications that the northern governors from the North-west and North-east were divided over the choice of a suitable running mate.

Initially, the plan of the APC governors was that one of them should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, but the political dynamics changed at the long run, which forced them to settle for the position of the running mate.

Those being considered include: former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima and the incumbent governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum; his Kebbi State counterpart, Atiku Bagudu and Kaduna State governor, el-Rufai. Zulum had repeatedly said he had no interest in being a running mate.

A chieftain of the APC told THISDAY that while Zulum wanted his predecessor to be considered, el-Rufai has his eye on the seat. Interestingly, the Kaduna State governor had said in the past that he did not like Tinubu’s style. Many are therefore wondering why his name is still being constantly mentioned.

For instance, speaking at a webinar in commemoration of the 63rd birthday of the Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun State, Mr.

Rauf Aregbesola, in May 2020, el-Rufai, had noted that Aregbesola remained his man any day but that Tinubu was not his man. This, he said, was due to the differences between him and the former Lagos State governor.

“I want to congratulate my brother, Ogbeni (Aregbesola), on his birthday. You know I’m your man any day. I’m not Asiwaju’s man and you are Asiwaju’s man, but I am your man any day. Asiwaju and I have differences but you and I have no differences,” el-Rufai reportedly said.

Also at an event organised by the Bridge Club tagged, “An evening with His Excellency Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, in May 2016, the Kaduna State governor was believed to be referring to Tinubu when he explained how to end godfatherism in Lagos. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Muiz Banire, had asked el-Rufai how godfathership could be dealt with given how it had served as one of the drawbacks for professionals and businessmen who might want to go into politics.

With the emergence of Mr. Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of Labour Party; Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP and Tinubu as APC candidate, the 2023 elections would be more of a regional votes.

For instance, the North-east where Atiku hails from has six states with three being controlled by APC governors. They are Yobe, Gombe and Borno states. The states risk being penetrated through Adamawa, which is Atiku’s stronghold. The PDP as a party has its grip on the South-south too.

In the North-west, Kwankwaso has taken over like wildfire. Kano can’t fetch APC the usual votes in 2023 like it got in the past due to Kwankwaso’s influence. Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna are within his reach. It is expected that Obi will sweep the South-east votes, while Tinubu will maintain his form grip on South-west Political analysts are of the opinion that the ruling party is really in a fix and may field a Muslim from the North-east as a running mate to Tinubu. They pointed out that zoning the position to the North-east would reduce Atiku’s influence in the zone, while all the political parties shift their battle ground to the North-central.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3, 2022

66

GAVEL

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

Federal Lawmakers Rise in Solidarity with Ekweremadu Udora Orizu writes that members of the Senate and House of Representatives at the plenary last week resolved to help their embattled colleague, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently being detained in United Kingdom over allegations of organ harvesting

I

nashowofsolidaritywiththeirembattled colleague,SenatorIkeEkweremadu,the members of the Senate and House of Representativesattheplenarylastweek resolved to apply diplomatic pressure to ensure that the he gets justice in the United Kingdom.

The former Deputy President of the Senate and his wife, Beatrice were penultimate week arrested and remanded in the UK police custody, after they were arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrates Courtforallegedconspiracytofacilitatethetravelof ayoungman,UkpoNwaminiDavid,whowasalleged to be a minor, for organ harvesting.

Their ailing daughter, Sonia, was said to have a kidney problem and has been on dialysis for some years now. Ukpo who was to donate his kidney to Sonia is now under the protective custody of the UK police.

Ekweremadu and his wife who were nabbed on their trip to UK are being charged under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.

As the embattled Senator and his wife await the next sitting of the court, his colleagues in the ninth NationalAssemblyhadexpressedtheirsupportand begun moves to help him during this critical time.

TheHouseofRepresentativesattheplenarylast Tuesdayvowedtoapplydiplomaticpressuretoensure thatthecouplegetsjustice.TheSpeaker,Hon.Femi Gbajabiamilawhopresidedoverthesessionsaidhe would“try”tomeethisUKcounterparttoensurethe Ekweremadus are given fair treatment.

Gbajabiamila, who made the remarks following theadoptionofamotionofurgentpublicimportance sponsored by Hon. Abdullahi Abdulkadir, said the lower legislative chamber would use “diplomatic pressure”toensurethat“dueprocess”wasfollowed in the issue.

He said he had spoken with the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Sharafa Ishola, to avail Ekweremadu with all the necessary assistance that he would need to prove his case.

Gbajabiamilasaid,“IhavespokenwiththeNigerian HighCommissioner(totheUK,SharafaIshola)who has been extremely proactive in this matter and I expressedtheneedforhimtocontinuetoavailSenator Ekweremadu with all the necessary assistance thathewillneed to provehiscase.Ithinkthisshould be heightened as well to the UK parliament. I would tryandgetintouchwiththespeakeroftheparliament (UK) whom I was opportune to meet with and had fruitfuldiscussionswithjustacoupleofmonthsago.

I believe Hon. Buba Yusuf (Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs) should also get in touchwithhisForeignAffairscounterpartintheUK parliament,” Gbajabiamila explained.

TheHousesubsequentlymandatedtheMinistryof ForeignAffairsandtheHighCommissionofNigeria to the UK to wade into the matter. It also asked the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and banks to “swiftly respond to legitimate requests for information to facilitate the prompt resolution of the charges.”

At the upper legislative chamber, President of theSenate,SenatorAhmadLawan,disclosedthata delegationfromtheSenateCommitteeonForeign Affairs would depart Nigeria for London on July 1, 2022, to pay a visit to Ekweremadu and his wife.

Lawan who made this known while giving details intotheoutcomeofaclosedsessionheldbytheUpper Chamber before the start of plenary proceedings, urgedallfederalgovernmentinstitutionsthatcould do anything to ensure that justice prevailed in this case, to do all they could.

HefurtherdisclosedthattheSenatewouldengage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian High CommissioninLondononthearrestofEkweremadu.

He said: “I had a personal engagement with our Nigerian High Commissioner to Britain, Alhaji Isola Sarafa,whohasdonesowelltoestablishcontactwith our colleague, who has been able to get his team to

Lawmkers in plenary beinthecourtatUxbridgewhereEkweremaduwas taken to.The High Commission has also been able to provide some consular services that include the engagement of some lawyers who will defend our colleague.We commend them for giving attention to the issue at stake. Equally, the Nigeria Foreign AffairsMinisterhasbeenengagedhere,sothatthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes steps to provide diplomatic support for our colleague.

“Because this issue is already in court, we have limitedopportunitytodiscussbeyondwhatwehave done so far. But I want to ensure the family of our colleague,SenatorEkweremaduandNigerians,that theSenatewillcontinuetoengagewithourministry of foreign affairs as well as our high commission in London,” Lawan explained.

Court Orders Immigration, Others to Release Ukpo’s Biodata to Ekweremadu, Wife Meanwhile,asthelawmakersareexploringways to assist the embattled senator, the case took a new dimension here at home when Justice Inyang EkwooftheFederalHighCourtinAbujaorderedthe NigerianImmigrationService(NIS),NationalIdentify Management Commission (NIMC), Stanbic-IBTC Bank;andUnitedBankofAfrica(UBA)toreleasethe certified true copies (CTC) of David Ukpo’s biodata information in their care to him.

Ekweremadu and his wife had in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022urgedthecourttoamong others, order the defendants to supply them with Ukpo’sbiodatatoaidtheir(plaintiffs)defenceintheir trial before a United Kingdom Magistrates’ Court.

Their counsel, Mr. Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), inthedocumentshefiledbeforethecourt,revealed thatthesenatorandhiswifehaveadaughternamed Sonia Ekweremadu, who is suffering from kidney failureandwhichtheyhavebeenmanagingforabout fiveyears.Headdedthatthesaiddaughterurgently needed kidney transplant to save her life, and that Ukpo offered to donate one of his kidneys for the daughteroftheapplicantsifhiskidneyiscompatible.

The senior lawyer noted that Ukpo informed the

applicantsthathewas21yearsold,havingbeingborn intheyear2000.Headdedthatinordertofacilitate thetriptoUK,the1stapplicant(Ekweremadu)supported the visa application of Ukpo with a letter to the British High Commission in Nigeria, explaining thepurposeofthevisit,thatis,toenablehimundergo medicalexaminationintheUKsothatthedonorand SoniaEkweremadugetthebestofmedicalattention.

Intheletter,datedDecember28,2021,addressed totheVisaSection,BritishHighCommission,Abuja, Ekweremadu stated clearly the reason for the visa application on behalf of Ukpo.

Awomoloexplainedthatafterconductingvarious medical tests, the Royal Free Hospital in London decidedthatthesaidUkpowasnotasuitabledonor because his kidney is not compatible with that of Sonia.

According to him, Ukpo was then asked to return to Nigeria but rather than do so, he approached the authorities in the UK for protection from being returned to Nigeria.

He said instead of Ukpo agreeing to return to Nigeria, he ran to the UK police that he is 15 years of age contrary to the information supplied to the applicants, which led to their arrest, arraignment and detention for the allegation that they brought a 15-year-old child (a minor) to the UK to harvest his organs.

In an originating summon filed on June 27 by Awomolo, the Ekweremadus prayed the court for anorderdirectingtheNIMCtosupplythemwiththe CertifiedTrueCopy(CTC)ofthebiodatainformation of Ukpo.

The applicants said Ukpo’s National Identification Number (NIN): 19438077110, which is in the possession of the agency, should be produced for thepurposeoffacilitatingthecriminalinvestigation andtenderingsametoestablishtheirinnocencewith respecttoUkpo’sageinthecriminalchargesagainst them before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court.

They also sought an order directing the Comptroller General of NIS to supply the applicants with the documents and application form of Ukpo in the

possessionofthe2ndrespondentpresentedforthe issuanceofInternationalpassportNo.BO0569974 forthepurposeofassistingcriminalinvestigationand tendering same before the Uxbridge Magistrates Court, UK until July 7 in the alleged criminal charge brought against the applicants.

They also sought an order of court directing the Stanbic-IBTCBanktosupplytheapplicantswiththe CTCofmandatecardandaccountopeningpackage of account No. 0032551834 maintained by its customer, Ukpo, with Bank Verification Number (BVN) 22509616391 in the custody of the bank, for the purpose of tendering same to establish the innocence of the applicants with respect to his age in the criminal charges filed against the applicants.

They sought an order of court directing UBA to supply the applicants with the CTC of mandate card and account opening package of account No. 2195739574 maintained by Ukpo with Bank VerificationNumber22509616391inthecustody of the bank, for the purpose of tendering same to establish the innocence of the applicants.

Awomolo said that the application was brought pursuant to Order 3, Rule 1 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019, Sections 6 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999(asamended)andundertheinherent jurisdiction of the court.

The senior lawyer, who gave 20 grounds why the prayers should be granted, said the 1st applicant (Ike Ekweremadu) is a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing EnuguWest Senatorial District.

Also, Bright Ekweremadu, the elder brother of the lawmaker, in the affidavit deposed to, said Ukpoinformedthecouplethathewas21yearsold, having being born in the year 2000 and was ready to help Sonia.

After listening to the prayers, Justice Ekwo, in his ruling, said by the averments in the application

by Ekweremadu and his wife, he was satisfied that their prayers were out to be granted.

He said: “I make an order granting the prayers.”

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JUNLY 3, 2022

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

ENGAGEMENTS

Did Buhari Really See Rwanda’s Genocide Memorials?

T

o one sees Kigali and remains the same. In many ways, Rwanda embodies Africa’s real triple heritage: the curse of colonial injustice, the tragedy of African misrule and the possibility of redemption and real African renaissance. The capital, Kigali, is at once a place of past regrets, a theatre of recent blood- letting and indeed a symbol of Africa’s hope in the prospect of healing, hope and change born of progressive leadership.

You arrive Kigali with mixed expectations. The allure is irresistible in its ambiguity. You want to see Africa’s much talked about New Jerusalem, rising stubbornly from the red earth of recent historic tragedy. You want to see on the faces of the people signs of recent scars of hurt and collective pain. You want to see the skyline of present day Kigali, the defiance of new skyscrapers reaching to the skies beyond the limitations of the gravity of past ugliness.

You actually hear the hum of new development, the restless bulldozers and towering cranes at countless construction sites, massive presences of international assistance and local initiative in fresh infrastructure. You feel the optimism of a people literally inhabiting a new nation, an African phoenix rising from the ashes of perdition and pain. You are bound to be impressed by the sparkling streets, the intrinsic discipline of a people visibly in a hurry to flee the haunting specter of something dreadful and invisible.

When you unpack and head out later to see what Kigali has to offer, your tour guide nicely reminds you that no trip to Rwanda is ever complete without seeing the ‘other’ side.

Knowing what you already know from a distance, you accept a tour of the genocide memorials.

You are greeted by graphic photographs of the days of blood and madness. No need for a tour guide’s usual rehash of familiar history. You are face to face with the chilling site of countless skulls and bones of the living dead, the hundreds of thousands of innocent Rwandans, mostly Tutsi, who were massacred in what has become one of the world’s most memorable instances of modern day genocide.

The echoes and parallels come tumbling in from diverse places and times. Auschwitz, Kosovo, Biafra, Mai Lai, Chabra and Chatilla…, past places of blood where the bestiality of humanity has exhibited itself in hundreds and thousands of wasted lives and terminated laughter. It is a trip to hell and back. Some of the hundreds of skulls still wear the final expressions of the departed, the open jaws speak of the anguish of those hacked down when they were most unready to die. Some gaping jaws speak of unheard shouts of protest or defiance, some unspoken wishes in the moment of death and the hour of destiny that will never be heard. Rwanda’s genocide memorial is a gruesome testimony to the fundamental bestiality of humanity when the reins of law, order and common sense are loosened and society comes apart, gripped by tragic misrule. Authority descends into the abyss of apocalyptic anarchy.

When you return to the tranquility of your hotel, you realize that you are visiting two countries in one. The spontaneous hospitality of the people and their new found sense of friendship is perhaps an attempt to hide something terrible and nasty in the history that made skulls and skeletons into objects of irresistible tourist curiosity. In today’s Rwanda, the ugly depressing past of tragedy and hate is an ever present part of ongoing national reconciliation and some tortured love of nation and compatriots.

The story of Rwanda is now a household tale in the world. Deeply entrenched divisive ethnocentric leadership had split a nation down the line. In pre-Kagame Rwanda, you were either Hutu or Tutsi. No middle ground. Two parallel nations under one sovereign. One, the place of hegemonic privileged overlords and the other the abode of those who must obey and live in fear. The road from old Rwanda to the new began in tragedy. Sometimes, the foundations of national greatness are laid in the wombs of tragic accident.

On April 6th, 1994, Juvenal Habyarimana, the Hutu president of Rwanda was assassinated. His presidential jet was making its final approach

Buhari to land at Kigali airport when it came under a barrage of rocket fire. The president and his entourage were killed.

The assassination sparked off what has become one of the world’s most horrendous genocides. The rest has become an iconic blood on the canvas of world history.

The tragic assassination of the president immediately sparked off a gale of mayhem and reprisal killings mostly of the Tutsi minority in a genocidal orgy that consumed an entire nation. Government media, the army and all key institutions of state, being de facto Hutu dominated, became shameless promoters of hate and genocide.

The international community was overwhelmed. Death and destruction swept through the entire country in dizzying rapidity, leaving over 800,000 dead. This is the effective backdrop to the emergence of Paul Kagame, a soldier for good, an exemplary statesman and nation builder of historic proportions.

The recent Commonwealth summit in Kigali was an opportunity for world leaders to reaffirm Rwanda’s triumph over evil and hate. Invariably, the visiting leaders had an opportunity to see the genocide memorials. It was a cruel reminder not only of what an indifferent world community failed to do but also of what the deliberate cultivation of hate and divisiveness as a directive principle of state policy in a multi ethnic nation can lead to.

The images of Nigeria’s president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, as he visited the Kigali genocide memorials evoked both pity and some belated hope that he could perhaps learn something about the consequences of bad leadership. The irresistible temptation is to ask what lessons Buhari took away from that guided tour beyond the diplomatic

platitudes and courtesies of his hosts and co leaders. Beyond his physical presence at the memorials, did Mr. Buhari really feel the tragic enormity of that piece of our earth and the memories preserved there? Indeed, did he ask why it was necessary for the Rwandans to keep that memory or a past tragedy forever alive?

For President Paul Kagame, himself a former army officer like Buhari, the Kigali genocide memorial is an unmistakable NEVER AGAIN statement, a permanent reminder to both Rwandans and the world at large that the wrongful deployment of power breeds consequences that reach come to haunt national history and afflict our collective humanity.

The genocide memorial has also become for Rwanda a powerful permanent diplomatic public relations poster. Without many words, Paul Kagame has become Africa’s poster kid of national reconciliation and nation building statesmanship.

In a tragic recollection during the visit, Mr. Buhari recalled that Nigeria went through a bloody civil war whose essential prelude was a genocidal outburst no less grave and far- reaching than the Rwandan episode. The president graciously admitted that no less than 2 million Nigerians died in the Nigerian civil war and the crises that led to it. He of course failed to admit that over fifty years after, Nigeria has failed to memorialize our tragic experience.

Millions died. Homesteads and property were eviscerated. Fortunes and fates were irreversibly altered for the worst. When the war ended, Nigeria moved on. No conscious effort was made to keep the memories of tragedy forever in our hearts as a deterrence against future misdeeds. Of course some miserable War Museum, a collection of odds and ends from the scrap heaps of war was established in Umuahia.

In terms of present day relevance, Buhari’s Kigali genocide memorial visit is in fact a searing indictment of his own record of power and leadership in the last seven years. Here we have a leader who has consciously divided his nation

along all perceivable lines. In seven years under Buhari, the combined death toll of Nigerians that have died from a spate of insecurity is far higher than what is recorded in many declared wars.

The figures so far range from 28,000 to 50,000 dead and still counting.

The indicators of Nigeria’s avoidable division under Buhari are everywhere in evidence.

Nigerians are now Moslems and Christians, Northerners and Southerners, Arewa, Oduduwa, Biafrans and a thousand other hideous nomenclatures hitherto unheard of. For seven years plus, the dominant language of our national discourse from the high media to the street corners has been hate and division disguised as political debate and identity politics.

The president has himself unfortunately been a merchant of open hate and division. On national television, this president once described one of our major ethnic nationalities as a nation of “dots” surrounded by “a circle” of hostility. He saw no reason why the Igbos should be seeking a fairer Nigerian order and better opportunities in a nation they call theirs since they already own property and businesses all over the country!

At the height of the IPOB separatist agitations and protests, the president threatened the people of the South East region with a repeat of the genocidal violence of the civil war years. In his own words, he promised to speak to them “in a language they understand”. This hardly veiled threat was viewed by Twitter as hate speech leading to the Twitter post by the Nigerian presidency being taken down. The instant reprisal was the authoritarian shut down of Twitter in Nigeria for over a year.

In the security crackdown on the South East ostensibly against the IPOB separatists, Mr. Buhari ordered a combined police and military garrisoning of the entire South East region.

Hundreds of youth have been arrested, detained without trial and, in some cases, remain unaccounted for in the name of internal security. The Nigerian security establishment is yet to give a convincing account of the whereabouts of many innocent citizens in the region.

His visit to the Kigali genocide memorial ought to have jolted Mr. Buhari to the dire consequences of the kind of divisive politics and policies that he has presided over in Nigeria over the last seven years.

The present frightening gale of insecurity and virtual meltdown of the Nigerian state can only be a crime against the Nigerian state and people.

The most elementary guarantee of the security of life and limbs has drifted away in most parts.

An array of casual criminal gangs have virtually overrun the entire country thereby abridging the freedom of citizens to move freely in a nation they call home. All over the country, it is an unbroken tale of kidnappings, assassinations, senseless killings, armed robbery and rape. On nearly every lip, insecurity has become a unifying idiom that cuts across our multiple divides, afflicting the lowly and the mighty alike.

As citizens scamper for whatever protection they can find, regional security formations have sprouted in rapid succession. From the primordial dark forests of ancestry, politicians are invoking mostly animals of prey for names of their regional security outfits. The choice of predators to convey the hunger to protect one’s region is also a metaphor of what Nigeria under Major General Buhari has become. This place is degenerating into a Hobbesian jungle in which life is short and brutish while clashing factions prime to consume each other in a frenzy of rapacious hate dripping with blood. The current national landscape is no longer recognizable as the Nigeria we once knew and loved.

There is nothing wrong with President Buhari tagging along to visit the places that other world leaders go to edify their nations and status.

But the challenge is for him to take away the lessons of those excursions to reassess his own performance record at home.

As Buhari strolls carelessly towards the exit gate of power, it is doubtful that he can absolve himself of the seven years during which he has led a once united nation to the precipice of the kind of apocalypse that produced the Rwandan genocide. It was not for want of trying. It was just that some intangible bond holding Nigerians together has refused to tip the balance in favour of the bloody conflagration that Mr. Buhari has worked so hard to inaugurate.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 3, 2022

NEWSXTRA

Gubernatorial: Amaechi Vows to Ensure APC Victory in Rivers Blessing Ibunge in PortHarcourt The immediate past Minister of Transport, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, has vowed to ensure the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins the governorship seat in Rivers State come 2023.

Amaechi stated although the party had chosen its candidate for the presidential election, he would fully support the APC victory at the national level.

The former governor of the state, spoke yesterday, when thousands of APC supporters stormed the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, to give him a grand reception after the Presidential primary

election.

Addressing his supporters in Rivers State, Amaechi urged them to set aside their anger and work for the victory of APC in 2023. He appealed to his supporters to return to their various units and work for the party in 2023.

“Please, in the contest for the presidency, we should know that we must go and vote for our party, no matter how angry you are, they have chosen, let’s go and vote for our party.

“For the stories you hear about the people who are gossiping about how they are having meetings in France, let this be your own France. Vote

for your party, don’t be afraid, just go home and do your work.

“Don’t be afraid, go home and work, that’s why I came, I came to thank you, I came to urge you to go home and work, let all of us be unit leaders, no more local government leaders, ward leaders.

“If you check in INEC, they are no longer announcing ward results, they are announcing unit results. So let go home and win our units and bring our units home.

“Those days of meeting, writing results have all gone, we must praise INEC, praise

the National Assembly for reducing the level of rigging, where people write results and INEC will just announce, now it is almost gone.”

In his remarks, the state APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, assured supporters that the APC would be on the ballot

in 2023.

He said: “My mission here is three-fold, one to reassure you that we will be on the ballot, number two, that there is no court case that we will lose because God is on our side, number three, we have won already.”

Be Pragmatic with Governance, Olanipekun, Falana Tell Ekiti Gov-elect Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

of the state.

According to a statement by Two prominent indigenes of his Media Assistant, Mr. Raheem Ekiti State, Chief Wole Olanipe- Akingbolu, the governor-elect, kun (SAN) and Mr. Femi Falana also visited the former National (SAN) have charged the state’s Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Association, Mr. Dele Oyebanji, to take proactive Adesina (SAN).

Falana, a human rights and pragmatic steps that who warmly L-R: Former Head, Human Resource Management, Ekulo Group of Companies, Chief Tony Okoye; Secretary to the Chairman/CEO, Mrs. Christy would change the economy lawyer, of the state when sworn in. received Oyebanji, urged Evughe; and Human Resources Manager, Mrs. Laurita Amajuoyi, at the 50th birthday celebration of Christy in Lagos…recently The senior lawyers said him “to carve a special this in Lagos while play- niche through effective and ing host to Oyebanji at the pragmatic governance that weekend in furtherance of the would bring about value restoragovernor-elect’s consultation tion and economic prosperity for with prominent the indigenes Ekiti people”.

A former Governor of Borno paper, Mr. Yusuf Alli as the 11th around the principle of giving dilemma, the most glaring Senator Kashim Shettima, President of the Rotary Club back to the society. shortcoming is always underNigeria, Others Review Political Situation in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso State, yesterday said Nigeria lacked of Abuja Maitama, in Abuja.

“It’s not just to compensate supply of selfless and charitable selfless and charitable leaders He commended the Rotary for the negative externalities leaders, whether in politics or Osinbajo, who is standing dedicated to meeting the needs International for their selfless accumulated in the pursuits of business, socio-cultural groups, Deji Elumoye in Abuja in for President Muhammadu of the less provoked in society. service to humanity, saying they our capitalist and self-serving or local communities.

Nigeria will this weekend join Buhari at the meeting, according Shettima made this remarks have become the conscience of interests, but to fill the vacuum “As a time-tested group, Rotarother West African countries to to a statement by his media in his speech as Chairman of the society. around us. ians have figured out the danger review the political situation aide, Mr Laolu Akande, will join the investiture ceremony of Shettima said: “There’s a “When you look around of playing down the conditions in Mali, Guinea and Burkina other leaders to deliberate and the Managing Editor Northern reason both religious groups and this country to trace the of the needy, especially those in Faso, where the military seized take decisions on the political, Operation of The Nation News- corporate organizations revolve origin of our national our immediate surroundings.” security and humanitarian ispower.

To this end, Vice President sues among others regarding Yemi Osinbajo yesterday the sub-region at the regular departed Lagos for Accra, ECOWAS summit.

The meeting will also review Ghana to represent Nigeria at an award presented to him by state governor where he formed party was set to win the 2023 the 61st Ordinary Session of the situations in Mali, Guinea Ibrahim Shuaibu inKano the National Coalition of Tinubu a formidable team made up of election. the Authority of the ECOWAS and Burkina Faso, particularly The governor also thanked Heads of State and Government towards restoring democratic Kano State governor, Dr. Abdul- Support Groups Worldwide, the people from different parts of lahi Umar Ganduje, has said the national directorate, comprising the country that transformed President Muhammadu Buhari rule. holding today.

All Progressives Congress (APC) of Nigeria, USA, UK, Canada, the state to the strongest for creating the enabling presidential flag bearer is not an Ireland, Germany, South Africa, economy in the sub-region, environment for the conduct experimental president given Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Oman, Asiwaju’s presidency could of the primary, the APC and his dexterity and strong rooting UAE chapters, for his leading best manage our diversity. its governors as well as other He pointed out that aspirants, who have expressed in politics and administration role in Tinubu’s victory at the built bank edifice, the Managing in the Nigeria project.

Nume Ekeghe party’s primary election.

Asiwaju’s emergence at the readiness to work with Asiwaju Director and Chief Executive OfGanduje said given his out- primary election gave hope for the victory of the party.

The governor made the asserPremiumTrust Bank has opened ficer of the bank, Mr. Emmanuel tion yesterday when he received standing performance as Lagos and encouragement that the a new branch in Effurun, Uvwie Efe Emefienim, noted that though the Local Government Area of Delta bank was new, it parades seasoned bankers with more than 150 years of State.

The bank, which commenced experience in the banking industry.

“PremiumTrust Bank is a new Francis Sardauna inKatsina full commercial banking operaHon. Ali Maikano, said they of undemocratic principles of members from Matazu and tions in April 2022, commissioned bank licensed by the CBN some decided to join the main op- its leaders.

Musawa Local Governments its fifth branch in the commercial months back, but it is not entirely Mass defection rocked the position party due to what he Receiving the defectors led by Ali Maikano and Isa new because the management Katsina State chapter of the All described as injustice meted on in Matazu, the State PDP Abba into our great party hub of Delta last Thursday.

Welcoming guests at the tape- team behind the bank has vast Progressives Congress (APC) them by the APC leadership Chairman, Hon. Salisu Yusuf the PDP. cutting event held at the newly experience in the industry”.

“As new members, I assure yesterday as 5,000 members during its primaries in the state. Majigiri, assured them of Maikano, who was among fairness and equity in their you of all rights accrued to the of the ruling party in Matazu and Musawa Local Government the aspirants that vied for APC new party, adding that PDP rest of our members. We will Areas of the state defected to ticket to represent Matazu/ remained an indivisible and ensure that you benefit from every opportunity regarding the the Peoples Democratic Party Musawa Federal Constituency united party in the state. at the House of Representatives, He said: “Today (Saturday), welfare of members without (PDP).

The leader of the defectors, said they left the party because we received over 5,000 APC sentiments”.

HALE AND HEARTY AT 50…

Nigeria Lacks Selfless, Charitable Leaders, Says Shettima Yusuf Alli assumes leadership of Rotary Club

Ganduje: Tinubu isn’t an Experimental President

Premium Trust Bank Now in Effurun

5,000 APC Members Defect to PDP in Katsina

Tech4Dev Co-founder Shortlisted for Global Awards

NPA Seeks Out-of-Court Settlement with Contractor

Executive Director and Cofounder at Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), Oladiuwra Oladepo, has been shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the prestigious 2022 Waislitz Global Citizen Awards.

Oladepo who earlier this year, was the only Nigerian in the Top 5 of the 2022 Cisco Global Citizen Youth Leadership Award is the only Nigerian in

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is seeking an out-of-court settlement with the contractor dredging the Calabar channel.

The NPA Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed BelloKoko, made the disclosure when he paid a visit to the Calabar Port Complex.

According to him, dredging the channel is a priority of the authority.

the semi-finals of the Waislitz Global Citizen Choice Awards.

The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards recognises the excellence of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty.

“After evaluating hundreds of applications from around the world, we have narrowed it down to 10 incredible changemakers!” a statement from the Waislitz Global Citizen Awards stated.

“The contract for the dredging of the Calabar channel was awarded many years ago but there is litigation between the Nigerian Ports Authority and the c ont r a c t or. “ This has inhibited our ability to dredge the channel. What we have done in recent times is to start looking for an out-of-court settlement.”

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 3, 2022

SUNDAYSPORTS

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Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

TRANSFER NEWS

No Dream Watford Debut for Okoye Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye’s debut for Watford ended in a 1-3 loss to Cambridge United in their first pre-season game yesterday.

Okoye switched from Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam to relegated Watford. He was selected in the starting lineup in this his first game which ended in defeat.

Also in action for Watford was Tomiwa Dele-Bashiru, while other Nigerian stars like William Troost-Ekong, Samuel Kalu and Emmanuel Dennis did not feature for the Hornets.

Okoye was beaten 15 minutes into the game as Harvey Knibbs gave Cambridge United the lead.

At half-time Okoye was replaced by Daniel Bachmann who went on to concede two goals.

Watford’s next friendly game is against Bolton Wanderers which comes up on Tuesday, July 12.

Meanwhile, other pre-season friendly games lined up for the Hornets are Wycombe Wanderers, Millwall and Southampton.

Cristiano Ronaldo...not interested in playing Europa League

Why Ronaldo is Leaving United this Summer Window Duro Ikhazuagbe

I

nability of Manchester United to qualify for Europe’s top club competition, the Champions League, may have been responsible for why Cristiano Ronaldo has asked for transfer away from OldTrafford yesterday.

The 37-year-old Portuguese insisted yesterday he wants out if a satisfactory offer is lodged despite still having one year left on his contract with United.

The decision of Ronaldo to leave OldTrafford may have come to new United Manager, Erik ten Hag, as a big blow because he has publicly maintained that he’s ready to work with him for the club to regain its sagging fortunes.

Ronaldo appears not willing to play in the second tier Europa League which is where United will com-

pete in Europe this term having finished sixth on the log last season. As top scorer at Old Trafford, Ronaldo finished third overall as leading scorer on 18 goals. He scored 24 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions last season The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is desperately interested in playing in the Champions League during the twilight years of his career - and feels the Europa League is beneath him.

There was no immediate reaction from Manchester United yesterday on Ronaldo’s request to leave. United were however adamant last week that the Portuguese superstar would not be allowed to leave the club after reports emerged that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had met with new Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly, about a potential move to Stamford Bridge.

There have also been suggestions that Jose

Mourinho’s Roma and Ronaldo’s first club Sporting Lisbon are interested in signing him.

Reports in Germany last night suggest that Bayern Munich may have also shown interest in Ronaldo as potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski who is likely to engineer his dream move to Barcelona.

While it would be a blow to United’s prestige if they were to lose one of the greatest players who is the highest paid player at Old Trafford, his exit may solve a few issues for ten Hag. Last season, Ronaldo clashed with Harry Maguire over United’s captaincy while interim boss Ralf Rangnick’s desire to implement a pressing game wasthwartedbyhisrefusaltofitinwithsuchasystem.

AlthoughTenHaghassaidhowmuchheislooking forward to linking up with Ronaldo, it is not clear how the forward’s playing style would fit in with the Dutchman.

FIBA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Nigeria’s D’Tigers Qualify for Second Round, to Play Uganda Today Withthreewinsfromfivegames,D’Tigersyesterday booked their place in the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda.

Havingrecordeda20-0pointswinoverMaliwho failed to show up for their game, Nigeria crossed the threshold with eight points to join group leader, Cape Verde, and third-placed Uganda in the next round.

According to the pre-qualification guideline, the top three teams in Group A will be merged with the top three teams in Group C consisting of Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Guinea, and the Central African Republic.

Addressing the players yesterday, President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, Ahmadu Musa Kida, thanked them for their dedication and swift response to the call of duty.

Kida who was in company with Vice President of the federation, Babs Ogunade, conveyed the gratitudeofNigerianstotheplayersforrepresenting to the best of their abilities whenever they were called upon.

“Congratulationsagainforbookingyourdeserved place in the second round. I bring you greetings from your compatriots back home who are solidly behind you.The job is far from over.We must start preparing for the second round immediately with

Nigeria’s D’Tigers have booked ticket to the second round of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda the game against Uganda tomorrow (Sunday)”.

“We must finish high and end this phase with a bang. The boys have been separated from the men and the race for the ticket just got hotter. We count on you to deliver on this task. We will do everything

within our power as a federation to make things easy for you on and off the court”, Kida concluded.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will face off with Uganda at 2pmtoday after both teams lost to the eventual group winner, Cape Verde.

Diri Hails Bayelsa Basketball Teams Over Victories in Milo Basketball Championships Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has congratulated the state’s teams that emerged champions of the male and female categories at the just-concluded Nestle Milo National Secondary Schools Basketball Championship in Lagos.

The St. Jude’s Girls Model School, Amarata-Yenagoa won in the female category for a record seventh time while in the male category, Bishop Dimieari Grammar School, OvomYenagoa, became champions for the first time.

Governor Diri, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, described the lads as worthy sports ambassadors of the state.

The Bayelsa helmsman said their victory was very heartwarming and encouraging as it was in line with his administration’s renewed policy of promoting sporting excellence and building the capacity of youths of the state.

He said his administration was encouraged by the outstanding performance of youths of the state in national sporting competitions in the last two years, citing the similar feat achieved by the state-sponsored football teams.

The Governor recalled that Bayelsa United and Bayelsa Queens both won the 2021 AITEO/FA Cup and that Bayelsa Queens also recently became the National Women Football League champions and would represent Nigeria in the CAF women champions league like its male counterpart did in the CAF Confederation Cup last year.

While assuring that the government will continue to reward those making the state proud, Governor Diri urged the youths to take advantage of the various empowerment schemes and the enabling environment created by his administration to develop and showcase their potential.

He said: “The victory of the St. Jude’s girls and the BDGS boys in the Milo basketball championship is very heartwarming, commendable and encouraging. I salute the courage and indomitable spirit of these lads.”

JULY 3, 2022 • T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

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B AC K PAG E C O N T I N UAT I O N TINUBU’S LINGERING CERTIFICATE CONUNDRUM historical corruption allegations against Tinubu and Atiku. It made references to the bullion vans that showed up at Tinubu’s home on the eve of the 2019 elections, Alpha Beta’s controversial revenue systems management contract with the Lagos government, a reported investigation of the former governor by an anti-graft agency and a 1993 civil forfeiture case in the US. Although these allegations have been in the media for two decades, there are no convictions yet. Tinubu has been charged only once — before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in 2011 — and he was discharged and acquitted.

On Atiku, Bloomberg dug up a US Congress report that said he brought “tens of millions” to the US when he was vice-president. It also referred to the case of William Jefferson, a US congressman from Louisiana who was caught in an FBI sting operation in which he demanded a $500,000 bribe from two US telecom firms. Prosecutors said it was a bribe to facilitate the award of contracts by the Nigerian government. Atiku denied allegations that the cash was meant to be passed to him.

He never went on trial but he was denied US visa from 2007 to 2019. Jefferson was jailed for seven years and released after five years.

The court dismissed a charge that the cash was meant for Atiku.

Tinubu and Atiku are not the only ones under media scrutiny. Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), was also accused of hiding his assets abroad and failing to declare them in his Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) filings —

potentially a criminal offence. According to Premium Times, Obi, as governor of Anambra state in 2010, set up a secret company in the British Virgin Island and named it Gabriella Investments Limited, after his daughter. Obi defended himself, saying it was to avoid “excessive taxes” and that he did not know he needed to disclose it to the CCB. The N250 million found in official vehicles at Obi’s private office in 2009 is also back in the news.

Alhaji Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP), must thank his stars that no damning questions are being raised about his qualifications and public service so far — at least not in the traditional or social media. He was governor of Kano state between 1999 and 2003. His successor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, set up an administrative panel to probe his tenure as governor in what many described as a political move ahead of the 2007 elections. The panel indicted Kwankwaso on the Tamburawa water treatment project but it was never accepted by a court. Kwankwaso returned as governor after Shekarau had served two terms.

Since Tinubu is the one currently under the searchlight, what next? There are two basic options: the legal and the political.

The legal route requires getting a criminal conviction for alleged forgery and perjury. If convicted, Tinubu may no longer be the APC candidate, unless he gets a presidential pardon (as President Olusegun Obasanjo did in the case of Salisu Buhari, the former speaker who

resigned over a certificate scandal). If Tinubu is disqualified based on a conviction for the alleged perjury in his 1999 filing, APC may not be able to field a presidential candidate as substitution is allowed only for withdrawals and deaths, not fresh criminal convictions after the primaries.

Proving that Tinubu forged certificates will be a hard job since he did not submit any that can be used as evidence, but a court of law will have to determine that. Focus can be on alleged perjury: whether or not he lied under oath in 1999. But there could be issues of locus standi. I think only the police and INEC can initiate a trial and I do not think either would be willing to get involved in what will now take on the colour of politics, even regional politics. More so, litigation could go on for years, followed by appeals and other legal hurdles. Theoretically, though, Tinubu’s accusers could use the legal route to get him disqualified if they can prove either forgery or perjury before a court.

Alternatively, an aspirant who lost in the APC presidential primaries can head to court to argue that Tinubu does not meet the constitutional requirements. If successful, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, who placed second, will replace him — going by the 2022 Electoral Act. But proving Tinubu does not meet the requirements will be an issue here. The constitution says the candidate must be educated “up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent” and he has a verified BSc. Being a former governor is itself considered an “equivalent” by the constitution. Meanwhile, the litigant cannot

rely on the 1999 filing: the 2022 Electoral Act limits the grounds to fresh filings with INEC after the primaries.

The other option is political: embarrassing and demarketing Tinubu during electioneering and hoping that it will stick. This will be a moral, rather than a legal, route but it has the capacity of doing some damage.

Tinubu’s opponents can roll out a massive campaign questioning his credentials and asking Nigerians not to vote for him.

Demarketing him will not carry the force of a legal conviction, which could be final and fatal to his candidacy, but it may resonate with those who have not made up their minds on who to vote for and those who care much about the issues around his credentials that are being raised. Some will argue though that both the legal and political routes should be explored.

In all, Tinubu must be prepared to answer questions around the omissions as I expect that to be a campaign issue. We should actually consider it a big plus for our democracy that we are asking questions about the pedigrees of those who want to superintend over the affairs of the nation. In fact, anybody who wants to hold public office should be fully prepared to face uneasy questions. The thriving democracies did not get to where they are today by mistake. Accountability and transparency are central to democracy and the moment you offer yourself for public service, you should be ready for the searing spotlight. Indeed, all the candidates must prepare for public scrutiny.

And Four Other Things…

SHIRORO SORROW When terrorists attacked a church in Owo, Ondo state, and massacred scores of worshippers, I was so devastated and jittery.

The south-west has been enjoying peace and stability for a while and this has helped it economy. But while I was mourning and moaning, it suddenly crossed my mind that massacres happen in the north almost every week. The Owo thing only brought it home: so, this is what has become normal in northern Nigeria? On Wednesday, terrorists attacked a mining site in Ajata-Abok, Shiroro LGA, Niger state, and massacred 20 soldiers and seven policemen who were responding to a distress call. God, whatever the solution is, we must find it. Overwhelming.

ZAMFARA WARFARE Against every known law in Nigeria, the government of Zamfara state has asked its residents to take up arms against bandits who have been terrorising them for over 10 years with no respite in sight. A government official was quoted as asking residents to lynch anyone identified as a bandit in what is essentially a licence to kill whoever you don’t like by treating suspicion as conviction. But can you blame the state government? Since the Nigerian state has not been able to secure its territory and protect its citizens from these mindless killings, frustration will push people to reply anarchy with anarchy. However, it seems Zamfara’s motive is to indirectly indict the federal government. Snide.

PUMMELLING POJU My sympathies to Pastor Poju Oyemade, the founder of The Covenant Nation and host of The Platform, who came under Twitter attack from the Peter Obi mobsters on Thursday. His offence? He tweeted about the link between faith and works and the place for planning and preparation. He had to hurriedly delete the tweets. Ironically, it was at The Platform years ago that Obi told the “I have only one wristwatch” story that endeared him to many Nigerians. It now seems the core strategy of Obi’s latter-day fanatics is to insult as many people as possible and acquire as many as enemies as they can, including the Christian leaders they are banking on for votes in the presidential poll. Suicidal.

FREUDIAN SLIP? The resignation of Justice Tanko Muhammad as CJN appears to have pushed a worrisome development to the background: a letter written by Wole Olanipekun Chambers to SAIPEM soliciting to take over a brief being handled by Odein Ajumogobia’s law firm. The Olanipekun advantage, according to the viral letter, is ability to influence judges because Chief Wole Olanipekun is, among other things, the chairman of the Body of Benchers.

The senior lawyer quickly dissociated the firm from the letter. The partner who signed the letter has claimed responsibility, claiming she was acting alone based on “exuberance” and that it did not pass through the usual in-house vetting. Stories.

fiddle. Opposition life is an undeveloped part of its DNA. PDP has really struggled to provide effective opposition. It has also laboured to keep control of its states even with free movements between the two leading parties, and some own-goals by the ruling party. PDP has been largely rudderless, robbed of magisterial presence of a sitting

president or even the avuncular guidance of former presidents. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo made a show of tearing his PDP membership card before the 2015 elections and has not returned to the party, despite entreaties. Former President Goodluck Jonathan is busy with his international engagements and was even rumoured to be flirting with the ruling party.

Nature abhors vacuum. Others stepped in, but more as leaders of disparate factions and tendencies within the party. Sure, it goes with the terrain for political parties to have factions and tendencies. But what the absence of a clear leader does is to magnify the differences and reinforce the significance of the various tendencies and create room for unending one-upmanship in the quest to take control of the party. Even after the primaries, that battle for control is still on and it explains much of what we are witnessing now.

Ordinarily, the emergence of a substantive chairman and a presidential candidate should have erased the vacuum. They should have stepped into the void to serve as the unifying force. But as stated earlier, they are both implicated in the ongoing dissension within the party and have not been on the saddle long enough heal the wounds and pull the different strands into one formidable whole.

Atiku has made a soundbite out of the need to unite the country. Irrespective of whether that is the major priority for most of the voters in the coming election, he cannot unite the country from a party that looks like a house that is about to fall. His charity should start from home. For those who believe that existing political structure is the most salient predictor of electoral outcomes in Nigeria, PDP is the party best positioned to give APC a good run for its money in next year’s presidential poll. But to stand a fighting chance, it needs to get its act together. Luckily, it has time on its side.

PDP’S SUMMER OF DISCONTENT northerner, and the general sentiment that power should shift to the south, PDP would naturally have been expected to champion the cause of power shift to the south. This is so because PDP literally patented zoning, had got burnt previously for thumping its nose at its own invention, and had earlier zoned its chairmanship to the north, a position filled through consensus.

Even when an argument can be made that the last president produced by PDP came from the south, this is not compelling enough an argument for the party to shred its commitment to zoning. This is especially so because the same aspirants that loudly campaigned for zoning in the party in 2011 and 2015 stood to benefit from a decision to upturn or freeze the zoning principle.

In fact, there were speculations that the decision to throw the position open was solely to pave the way for the eventual winner of the primaries. This perception of a predetermined outcome took an even more problematic sectional tone given what eventually played out at the convention ground and the strings pulled behind the scenes by sectional puppeteers.

To be sure, the emergence of Abubakar will put PDP in strong play in the north especially with incumbent Buhari being term-barred.

But that decision which basically translates to denying the south a shot within the party opens up a feeling of alienation in certain quarters of the south, which interestingly is PDP’s stronghold at the moment. Of the 13 states controlled by PDP, only five are in the north (Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Sokoto and Taraba), while the remaining eight are in the south (Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Oyo and Rivers).

The post-primaries hugs and kisses and photo-ops only layered some sheen on deep cracks within. But clearly not fully addressing the feeling of alienation in 62% of the states controlled by the party will always task its ability to pull off a united front. Until

Atiku exorcised or pacified, that spectre is bound to haunt the party for some time.

The second root of what ails PDP now, and the party’s major challenge actually, is that it has been without a rallying point since it lost power at the centre in 2015.

Having been in office for 16 continuous years, PDP is not used to life as a second

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“It is unfortunate that the very man who admittedly, has been a pillar of the party at a time the repressive tendencies of the governing APC was to send the PDP into oblivion will be treated in the manner the party has. Until we correct the mistakes, which we deliberately made, the future is bleak” – Former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, warning that the PDP must take the path of peace, dialogue and reconciliation it wants to win the general election.

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SIMONKOLAWOLE Tinubu’s Lingering Certificate Conundrum SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

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he social media, where most political debates take place these days and where brickbats are exchanged between protagonists and antagonists per nanosecond, has caught fire again with reports that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that he did not attend a primary or secondary school. I found it curious that Tinubu would make such a claim. The law stipulates that a candidate must be educated “up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent”, so how can Tinubu claim he did not go to school? Would he not be setting himself up for a political battering?

Upon closer attention, I realised that what Tinubu actually did was to leave the spaces for primary and secondary schools attended blank — not that he said he didn’t attend at all. For his education, he listed only the Chicago State University where he earned a BSc in Business Administration (Accounting) in 1979. If you are familiar with Tinubu’s history, you would find the omissions curious.

He had run into a devastating storm in 1999 over claims in his INEC filing that he attended St Paul’s primary school and Government College Ibadan, as well as Richard Daley

Tinubu College and University of Chicago, both in the US. Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, as I recall, claimed responsibility for the forms.

The controversy had landed in the Lagos house of assembly, which accepted his defence that the form was filled by a third party, exonerated him of forgery since he did not present any certificates for these schools, and

cleared him of any wrongdoing as he had a confirmed BSc from Chicago State University.

The Supreme Court, in a lawsuit instituted by the legendary lawyer and activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, made the landmark pronouncement that Tinubu could be investigated by the police for alleged perjury but could not be prosecuted because he had constitutional immunity as a sitting governor. An uneasy calm ensued thereafter but he managed to survive the blitzkrieg.

Tried as Tinubu did, the allegations kept resurfacing. And contrary to a trending accusation, the media did not sweep it under the carpet. For instance, in 2002, when I was editor of TheWeek, a weekly newsmagazine, we produced an edition revisiting the allegations, insisting that many questions remained unanswered. But on the instructions of my employers, the magazine was not circulated — even though it had been printed. By the way, TheWeek was owned by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, then vice-president.

He and Tinubu were tight friends and political associates, despite being in different parties.

It was not like I didn’t know this fact but I felt I was doing God’s work.

After the experience, I knew my staying on as editor was no longer tenable, especially as I had granted a newspaper interview criticising my employers. On reading the

interview, my mentor felt I had crossed the line and suggested it was time to quit. I, painfully, fell on my sword. I was not bitter, just disappointed. I was an idealistic young man who had read of how American politicians resign over moral and legal issues. I desired that political culture for Nigeria. The irony of it all, I should say, was that I had nothing against Tinubu as a person — in fact, I liked the way he had started transforming Lagos with public works and reforms in traffic management and waste collection.

Now, with his 2023 presidential run, there is a resurgence of these allegations. I am not surprised. In truth, these allegations never really went away — they were just kept in the cooler. Activists have asked the inspector general of police to arrest and prosecute him for allegedly falsifying his academic qualifications in 1999. They accused him of giving false information under oath — also known as “perjury”. Mr Bayo Onanuga, media director of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation, replied instantly, declaring the allegation as false, insisting that Tinubu never submitted bogus certificates in 1999 and that the state lawmakers had probed and exonerated him.

Scrutinising presidential candidates is not strange. Bloomberg recently revisited the Continued on page 70

WAZIRIADIO POSTSCRIPT

PDP’s Summer of Discontent

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he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was expected to fall apart after its bitterly fought primaries and the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was expected to be the chief beneficiary of APC’s projected unravelling.

That was the script. But it is the script that fell apart, as events didn’t pan out that way.

APC’s primaries produced a clear winner who scored more votes than all the other aspirants and voided votes combined, and the party has not gone to pieces, at least not yet.

Ironically, it is PDP that is going through it at the moment. But the signs were there all along. There were ample intimations in the events that predated the primaries and in the outcome of the special convention.

But it seems most people missed the omens because they were too fixated on the ruling party or they got blind-sighted by the brilliant show that the leading opposition party put up during the election of its presidential candidate and in the swift and the smooth way it embraced reconciliation after its primaries.

Shortly after Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged as the candidate of PDP, it seemed that APC

had been put on the backfoot, forced to play catch-up. PDP looked battle ready, and cut the image of a united front. Not anymore, at least not in its present state.

PDP is now looking more like a house divided against itself. There had been some whisperings of cracks beneath the surface.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State put this beyond doubt when, in an interview with AriseTV, he called out the party’s candidate on his handling of the selection of his running mate. Others piled in. Atiku responded to the growing discontent with a series of tweets, maintaining that the unity of his party remains a priority to him and that appropriate actions are being taken.

Along the line, there were also speculations about the suspension of PDP’s Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and some rumblings about whether the position is still tenable. Both Atiku and Ayu are out of the country while their party is roiling.

Atiku did not go to Ekiti to campaign for his party in the recent gubernatorial election in which PDP that ruled the state just four years ago eventually came a distant third. This may not be unconnected with the fact that there was no love lost between Atiku and former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

It wasn’t a good look nevertheless. Other signs that all may not be well within the party include the scant number of governors that attended the unveiling of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as Atiku’s running mate and the inauguration of the party’s campaign council for the July 16 gubernatorial election in Osun State. The election is another major dress rehearsal for the two leading parties.

Contrary to what some people believe, I don’t think all these upheavals are as a result of Atiku choosing Okowa as his running mate.

Selection of running mates is a zero-sum, as only one person can be chosen, and naturally everyone won’t be happy. So, this can’t be the reason why PDP is combusting. I actually think that Okowa is a good candidate. He has legislative and executive experience; he is calm and non-threatening; and he hails from a major PDP state and is someone with Igbo blood from oil-rich Delta State, which gives PDP an opportunity to be in play in its two strongholds in the south: South East and South South.

I also think it is beyond the way Atiku made his choice, though he could have anticipated the reactions and handled the fallouts more proactively and more hygienically. It is also

my considered view that the growing and open dissension within PDP is beyond the fact that both the chairman and the candidate of the party are from the north. They have some time to sort that out.

I believe that the now evident disunity in PDP is rooted in two things. The first is its mismanagement of the party’s flagship innovation in Nigerian politics: zoning or the alternation of power between the north and the south. PDP wrote this commitment into its constitution, the first party to do so. The first real test of the party’s commitment to this principle came in 2011, and the second was in 2015. It survived the first because it would have been unreasonable not to expect a sitting president to run for office. 2015 was a different proposition, and zoning was one of the reasons that PDP lost power.

PDP fielded a northern candidate to contest against an incumbent northerner in 2019. It was a reasonable decision, given that the party had to put in a competitive bid. And it sure did with Atiku as its flagbearer. He ate into the incumbent’s hold on the north and made a strong showing in the south. But after two terms of President Muhammadu Buhari, a Continued on page 70

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