SUNDAY 17TH JULY 2022

With New Status, NNPC GMD’s Nomenclature Now Group CEO Drilling challenge forces Nigeria’s H1 oil production to slump by 28m barrels Compared with 2020, first half 2022 deficit hits 82m barrels

Ejiofor Alike in Lagos and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

As the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) officially transited to

a private entity that would be regulated in line with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), the nomenclature of the Group Managing Director (GMD) of

the national oil company would also change to the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

This is coming as Nigeria

produced less crude oil in the first six months of 2022 compared with the same period in 2020 and 2021, an analysis of the data on the country’s total oil production from the Nigerian Upstream

Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has indicated.

According to findings by THISDAY, companies globally Continued on page 5

Rising Inflation Remains Major Concern as MPC Meets Tomorrow… Page 5

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Buhari: I was Given List of 30 APC Presidential Aspirants to Choose Successor But I Declined Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

L-R: Consultant Radiologist, Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Dr. Babalola Afolabi; Consultant Physician and Medical Director, Dr. Adedoyin Ogunbi; Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr. Oladimeji Agbabiaka; Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Wallace Ogufere; Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Om Lahoti; Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Dr. Ken Adegoke; and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Babajide Lawson, after conducting a successful thigh surgical operation Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday

For the first time, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday Continued on page 6

APC, Tinubu, Oyetola in Osun: Won Lu‘le, PDP’s Adeleke Wins PDP wins 17 LGAs, APC 13 Akande loses LGA, Aregbesola boycotts poll, travels abroad Vote-buying: Codes, coupons used to get voters’ commitment in poll, say CSOs

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has defeated the incumbent, Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election held

yesterday.

Oyetola was backed by the presidential candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu.

The results were announced by the Collation and Electoral Officers of each of the 30 LGAs with the approval of the Returning Officer for the 2022 Governorship Continued on page 10

ADELEKE SAVOURS VICTORY…

Babachir Lawal: Justice, Equity will Decide Tinubu’s Fate on Muslim-Muslim Ticket in 2023...

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SALLAH HOMAGE… L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari: Emir of Katsina, HRH Abdulmumini Kabir Usman; Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu; and House Leader Katsina House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman Abukur, when the president paid Sallah homage to the monarch at his palace in Katsina…yesterday

Rising Inflation Remains Major Concern as MPC Meets Tomorrow James Emejo in Abuja

As the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commences its 286th meeting on Monday, the sustained inflationary pressure remains a major challenge for the apex bank.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services, maintained its upward trajectory to 18.60 per cent yearon-year in June, compared to 17.75 per cent in the corresponding month of 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

This is the highest rate of change in prices recorded since January 2017 month-on-month, the headline inflation rate also strengthened to 1.82 per cent in June and 1.78 per cent in May. The composite food index, on annual basis, rose to 20.60 per cent in June, representing a decline of 1.23 per cent compared to 21.83 per cent in June 2021.

The rising inflation poses a significant challenge to the central bank in particular which had hoped to contain the index within the six per cent to nine per cent band.

The MPC while citing inflationary concerns, during its last meeting in May, had resolved to raise the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 150 basis points to 13 per cent in response to the global inflationary pressures which had continued to hurt economies around the world, after holding the benchmark rate constant at 11.5 per cent for about two and a half years.

The MPR is the rate at which the apex bank lends to commercial banks and often determines the cost of funds in the economy.

But as the MPC resumes its regular meetings on Monday, analysts said inflation was likely to top its agenda following the current commodities supply gaps in the global economy, occasioned primarily by the war between Russia and Ukraine which had sent energy prices to the ceiling.

Speaking on their expectations for the MPC, and the likely direction of their deliberation, analysts in separate interviews

with THISDAY yesterday, analysts predicted that the committee is likely to retain all rates and ratios, to watch the impact of the previous increase on the economy.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dignity Finance and Investment Limited, Dr Chijioke Ekechukwu, said, "It took the Monetary Policy Committee a very long time before they increased the MPR to 13 per cent from 11.5 per cent· "This was not because they didn't need to increase, even as the inflationary trend and threats were putting pressure on them to

increase, but because, increasing the rates would dovetail into high-interest rates by Deposit money banks which would ultimately increase the inflation rate, which CBN was battling to stabilize - Money supply to the system was going to go down.

"The same foregoing objectives of the CBN will influence their decision in the forthcoming MPC meeting.

"I see the MPC retaining all rates and ratios, to watch the impact of the previous increase on the economy."

On his part, Managing Director/Chief Executive, SD&D

Capital Management Limited, Mr Idakolo Gbolade, said the committee will give attention to fighting inflation as it continues to destabilise the economy as well as address foreign exchange shortages.

He said: "I think the most important point on the agenda of the CBN should be how to moderate inflation, reduce scarcity of foreign exchange and implement measures that will boost the economic activities of Nigerian businesses, especially the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

"The major reason for

increasing the MPR rate to 13 per cent has not abated, inflation has not shown signs of slowing down, food inflation is majorly on the increase coupled with the Russia- Ukraine war which could greatly affect wheat prices that will lead to increase in the cost of staples like bread to name a few."

In his forecast, he said, "The committee will likely hold to see how the effect of its increase in interest rates last month would play out.

"My strong advice to the committee would be to revert to the previous interest rate

of 11.5 per cent and ensure the inflationary pressures are curtailed by increasing access to foreign exchange to enable the manufacturing sector to remain afloat and also implement policies that would bridge the gap between official exchange rate and the black market rate of the dollar which has created opportunities for corruption to persist.

"The CBN should intensify and evaluate its various interventions to ensure that are serving the primary purpose they are intended for and bring culprits shortchanging the system to judgment."

WITH NEW STATUS, NNPC GMD’S NOMENCLATURE NOW GROUP CEO take conscious efforts to define how their impact would be measured, ranging from services to relationship management with both the employees and external stakeholders. Under the new status, NNPC Limited would be the holding company.

The Corporate Affairs Commission on September 21, 2021, completed the incorporation of the NNPC Limited following the provisions of the PIA 2021.

The PIA was signed into law

by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 16, 2021, following its passage by the National Assembly in July of the same year.

Specifically, Section 53(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 requires the Minister of Petroleum Resources to cause for the incorporation of the NNPC Limited within six months of the enactment of the PIA in consultation with the Minister of Finance on the nominal shares of the company.

With the registration by the CAC, NNPC Limited was floated with an initial capital of N200 billion making history as the company with the highest share capital in the country.

Since when the PIA was signed into law last year, the management of the NNPC has taken proactive steps to prepare it for the July 1 take-off as a CAMA company.

President Muhammadu Buhari would unveil the new NNPC Limited on July 19.

The shift in nomenclature from GMD to GCEO implies that going forward, the NNPC subsidiaries would be managed by the GCEO. THISDAY learnt that consequently, the GCEO would now be directly responsible for the overall growth of all the subsidiaries and the holding company (NNPC Limited) and the Group CEO being the chief accounting officer is empowered to make decisions in line with established governances by CAMA. However, the title GCEO comes with additional responsibility for measurable performance, upholding the highest level of professionalism and accountability while acting as the company’s representative in all strategic engagements globally.

This is a significant departure from the way NNPC used to operate as a corporation where most of the major decisions would have to pass through Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals, among others.

PIA introduced a landmark reform through the creation of NNPC Limited as a commercially focused CAMA entity that would operate without recourse to direct funding from the federal government.

This was a monumental change expected to reshape the overall industry in Nigeria while serving as a model for other National Oil Companies (NOCs).

In addition, this change would naturally come with higher expectations in terms of delivering value, greater responsibility for regulatory compliance, active engagement with stakeholders and above all, a scaled sense of accountability in the entire organisation.

“We recognise the strategic importance of our talent pool in this journey and winning their commitment to delivering the desired results would continue to encourage us to innovate and reorganize the NNPC in a way that will be motivating and rewarding. We would, therefore, remain innovative in our structure and nomenclatures that fit our aspirations and inspire us to deliver exceptional value,” a top official at the NNPC who pleaded to remain anonymous, told THISDAY. Furthermore, with the new status, greater emphasis must be placed on corporate governance.

PIA 2021 made clear provisions regarding the Board of NNPC Limited. These provisions alongside CAMA mandate NNPC to be structured in a manner that conforms with best practices.

Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Board of NNPC Limited and charged the Board members to ensure that the company remains focused on profitability, continuous value creation beyond legal and regulatory compliance, and operational excellence at par with

industry peers while acting as an enabler to foster development.

NNPC had explained that it was fully committed to effective corporate governance, accountability, appropriate risk management and sustainable value in the face of the energy transition.

To achieve this strategic requirement, four committees were set up by the Board of NNPC Limited comprising, the Board Establishment Committee (BEC), Board Finance, Strategy, and Investment Committee (BFSIC), Board Sustainability Committee (BSG) and Board Audit Committee (BAC).

The responsibilities of the committees are as follows: Board Audit Committee with oversight functions covering internal and external audit, enterprise risk management and internal controls, financial reporting, ethics, and compliance; Board Finance, Strategy and Investment Committee with oversight functions covering strategic planning, financing strategies and capital allocation, investment framework, performance reporting and Information Technology; Board Establishment Committee with oversight functions covering corporate governance, nomination and capacity development, succession planning and remuneration of directors, and Board Sustainability Committee with oversight functions covering long term sustainability, HSE,

energy transition and Corporate Social Responsibility among others.

The Board committees are expected to be carrying out oversight functions of planning and implementation of the company’s strategy and to define a framework for measuring and monitoring the performance of the company.

In terms of staff welfare, “today NNPC is an equal opportunity employer of choice, going into the future, NNPC would be one of the most admired, attractive, and exciting global organisations to work with.

“Our Employee Value Propositions promise to be competitive and working with the company will offer employees the opportunity to actively contribute to creating long-term sustainable value for all stakeholders. This singular sense of fulfilment of professionalism and patriotism for the greater good would be the best form of reward and recognition for our dedicated staff,” the source added.

Group Managing Director of the NNPC Ltd, Mr Mele Kyari, recently explained: “On 1st of July, we crossed over to the NNPC Limited both technically and financially on every aspect.

Not only that, on the 19th of July, I’m inviting all of you to be present. Mr President will unveil the NNPC Limited to all Continued on page 10

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NEWS

WORKING FOR CREDIBLE 2023 POLLS… L-R: Managing Director Africa, European External Action Service, Brussels, Ms Rita Laranjinha; former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; and EU Ambassador to Nigeria and to the ECOWAS, Ambassador Samuela Isopi, when Atiku received a delegation of the European Union led by Ambassador Isopi, at his residence in Abuja…weekend

Babachir Lawal: Justice, Equity will Decide Tinubu’s Fate on Muslim-Muslim Ticket in 2023 Ticket divisive, say North-east elders Adeyeye: Tinubu can't Islamise Nigeria

Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Babachir Lawal, has declared that the God of justice and equity

through the Nigerian voters will decide the victor between the Nigerian Christian and Bola Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket for APC in the 2023 presidential election.

This is coming as some elders from the North-east described the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress

(APC) as divisive and inimical to national unity.

But former Senate spokesperson, who is also the Coordinator of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for President, (SWAGA), Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has however allayed the fears in some quarters that Tinubu would

Islamise Nigeria if elected next year with his Muslim running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

But Lawal said that Tinubu by choosing a Muslim running mate has proved to be daring and uncaring for the Nigerian Christians in the coming general election and beyond.

The former SGF made the

BUHARI: I WAS GIVEN LIST OF 30 APC PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS TO CHOOSE SUCCESSOR BUT I DECLINED opened up on the intrigues preceding the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), revealing that he was given a list of 30 aspirants to choose a successor but he declined.

Buhari, who stated that the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu emerged through a free and fair democratic process, added that if he had anointed a candidate, his decision would have affected Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was also an aspirant.

The National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had 24 hours before the primary election, announced the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, as the party’s consensus presidential candidate, saying that President Buhari was behind the decision.

But following the backlash that greeted the announcement, President Buhari, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, told the Northern Governors’ Forum in his office in Abuja that he had “no preferred candidate” and had “anointed no one”.

Providing more clarification yesterday when he paid Sallah homage to the Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, at his palace in Katsina, the state capital, President Buhari recalled the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate.

According to him, the APC delegates were given a free hand to elect Tinubu to demonstrate the internal democracy in the party.

President Buhari admitted that APC stalwarts gave him a list of 30 presidential aspirants to choose a preferred successor but he declined and allowed the

delegates to elect the candidate of their choice, hence the emergence of the former Lagos State governor.

He said: "We are doing our best and I hope that our efforts will be a blessing. There is nothing more important than peace and because of that those who are instigating insecurity whatever their reasons, we pray God will give us more wisdom to tackle them.

"I was given a list of 30 aspirants to pick from; most of them were my ministers and governors. So, who will I choose or support? One of the governors even came to see me and asked who we should choose.

"But if I do that, it would affect my vice president because he was listening to our conversation. I then told them to choose who they want. So, they elected Tinubu as APC presidential candidate.

"I hope that the way they (APC) conducted their congress where they elected the party's National Chairman, the presidential candidate and how the presidential candidate picked his running mate - I hope the forthcoming (2023) general election will also be peaceful. I hope God will help us to conduct the general election peacefully.

"May God help us to overcome the problem of this country. But if Nigerians know the condition that other African countries are in, they will thank God for the situation in Nigeria. We are doing our best and hope that God will give us more wisdom to continue to help and serve our people".

Buhari admonished Nigerians to continue to be patient with the APC-led government and allow peace to reign during the forthcoming 2023 general election.

He explained that if Nigerians know what other African countries were going through in terms of

insecurity and economic challenges, they would appreciate the Nigerian situation and his government's efforts.

The president added that there is nothing more important than security and peaceful coexistence and that his government would adopt revolving security measures to nip in the bud those instigating insecurity in the country.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, President Buhari, said “when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signalled parties to elect their presidential candidates, we had 30 aspirants, mostly ministers in my cabinet and governors.

“I told each of the aspirants to go and do their best. One particular governor, in his wisdom, came to meet me and asked who they should vote for at the party convention, checking if I had a preferred candidate.

"There was no need for interference, knowing the competence of all the aspirants.

They went and elected Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and he picked his running mate, Senator Kashim Ibrahim, for the 2023 elections.

I am praying that we will have peaceful and successful elections,’’ he said.

The President while thanking Nigerians for their support for the APC in 2015, and 2019, said he had a rich experience in the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 presidential elections, travelling to all the 774 local councils in the country, and in 2019 visiting 36 states.

His words: “They say he who wants to serve should be ready for the responsibility of leadership.

Three times I wanted this position and three times I ended up at the Supreme Court. For that

reason, in terms of experience, I have gathered a lot. I visited 774 local councils in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

“I feel privileged that Nigerians elected me in 2015. Since then, we have been doing our best to tackle the challenges, with God helping us. We are not alone. If only we know what other countries in Africa are passing through, we will be grateful to God, and protect our country. Other African countries are passing through a lot.

According to him, since Nigerians elected him in 2015, his administration had been doing everything to fix the country.

He, therefore, called on all citizens to do their best to protect the country, saying if Nigerians know how difficult it has been for other African countries, they will thank God for their country.

“As leaders, we are doing our best and will keep doing our best to improve the situation. I am praying that the Almighty God will give us more strength and wisdom to protect our people, and fulfil our promises of ensuring wellbeing", he said.

He also urged all Nigerians to be tolerant of the government as it continues to tackle the challenges facing the country, noting that the situation is worse in other African countries.

Earlier, the Emir called on the president to expedite actions for the completion of the Kano-Katsina road dualisation project; the KanoKatsina-Maradi railway and the Rimi Windmill Power generation projects.

The traditional ruler said apart from contributing to the economic and social development of Katsina State, the projects if completed would also generate employment opportunities for unemployed youths in the state.

declaration yesterday in a fresh press statement in reaction to the final submission of a Muslim politician by Tinubu as his running mate in the 2023 presidential poll.

The statement obtained by THISDAY read in part “I did say it: “those the gods want to destroy, they first make mad”.

“Tinubu has thrown down the gauntlet. He has submitted Alhaji Kashim Shetima as his nominee. He has stood by his affirmation that he only requires Muslim votes to be president and for all he cares, Christians can all go to hell with their votes.

“This is his position and he has a right to it. I concede to him.

“We have picked up this gauntlet. The God of justice and equity through the Nigerian voter will decide the victor between the Nigerian Christian, Alhaji Tinubu and his party the APC. “This is our country and we will not let Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu relegate us, our children and our religion to second-class status in our own country.

“For us, this is an existential crisis. Our rights to justice and peaceful co-existence with all practitioners of other religions are under threat.

“A northern Nigerian Christian child deserves to be bequeathed a future in which he can aspire to be President or Vice President of Nigeria.

“The Bible supports our position and the Nigerian Constitution supports and even guarantees it.

“Come on Alhaji Tinubu!

Come on APC! “Again, “to your tents o Israel. ” The Bible records a time like this in history: “1 Chronicles 12: 32: “from the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take,” the statement said.

Lawal who is one of the closest allies of the APC’s presidential candidate and former Lagos State governor,

Tinubu has consistently warned the APC and Tinubu against any attempt to adopt a MuslimMuslim ticket for the coming election.

To demonstrate his vehement opposition, he has so far written four personal letters to Tinubu counselling him on the consequences of going for a Muslim-Muslim ticket at the expense of the Nigerian Christian in the Northern region.

Muslim-Muslim Ticket is Divisive, Say North-east Elders Some elders from North-east have described the MuslimMuslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as divisive and inimical to national unity.

The North-east elders under the aegis of the Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development in a statement made available to THISDAY by its National Coordinator, Mr Zana Goni, yesterday, said it was ill-advised for anybody to put forth a Muslim-Muslim ticket at this point in the country.

The elders wondered why the presidential candidate of the APC would pick a MuslimMuslim candidate in a secular state like Nigeria.

They called on Nigerians to resist the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC which they described as an evil and selfish agenda.

The elders called on Muslims to look beyond what they described as the lies of the APC, saying the hunger in the land and the threat of terrorism are no respecters of religion.

The North-east elders, frowned at the attacks being carried out on the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the South-east, describing it as an evil attempt by sponsored terrorists outside the zone to deplete the South-east voting strength.

They insisted that Nigerians “must vote credible leaders with capacity and programme for our dear country.”

“As the 2023 general election Continued on page 8

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CONGRATULATIONS… L-R: Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Gas Limited, Mr. Ed Ubong; Managing Director, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Simbi Wabote; and Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, Mrs. Elohor Aiboni, after Okunbor received the Dr Alirio Parra Lifetime Achievement Award in Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry for 2022 in Abuja …recently

DHQ Allays Fears of Impending Terror Attacks on Abuja Guards Brigade sets up Board of Inquiry on Kuje incident Security agencies probe alleged presence of terrorists around Karishi Hills Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Following the attack on Kuje Correctional Centre by terrorists, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday allayed fears of alleged impending attacks on Abuja.

This is coming as the Brigade of Guards has also set up a board of inquiry to ascertain the

circumstances surrounding the Kuje incident and the involvement or otherwise of soldiers posted to the correctional facility on the day of the attack.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had issued a security alert on planned terror attacks

Hold Buhari Responsible for Violence in Nigeria, Ortom Tells US Chuks Okocha in Abuja and George Okoh in Makurdi Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has called on the United States and the rest of the international community to hold the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari accountable for the spate of violence in Nigeria.

He made the call yesterday at the State Department, Washington DC while interacting with its officials, according to a statement by his aide, Mr. Peter Ichull.

Governor Ortom also said President Buhari and his government should be held responsible if anything happens to him.

He cited the series of threats he has been receiving and the attempt made on his life in March last year as signals that the presidency and its conspirators are after him.

Ortom pointed out that those who attacked him have not been prosecuted.

He stated that he was at the State Department to present the traumatised Nigerian victims’ side of the story after discovering that wrong narratives were being circulated across the globe by the Buhari-led administration to shield itself from complicity.

The governor said the false narrative of “herder-farmer clashes” was deliberately crafted to delay farmers' doomsday until they were gradually wiped out and their ancestral lands confiscated.

“The truth is that farming population in Nigeria is under siege and is being decimated; agriculture is gradually dying and food security is being threatened,” Ortom said.

Ortom urged the international community not to take the insecurity

in Nigeria as a distant problem, stressing that the outbreak of war in any country will cause migration problems to America and Britain due to their friendly immigration policies.

He said in the last seven years, the Buhari administration has seen children rendered as orphans, farmers being displaced, and schools, hospitals, and social services disrupted, without doing anything to restore normalcy.

The Benue State governor stated that the federal government’s punitive neglect has led to an increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Benue State, which now stands at 1.5 million.

The governor, therefore, called on the United States of America and the rest of the international community to “take the following steps to end the spate of violence in the country, especially in Benue State: Demand accountability from Buhari’s government on the deaths of innocent citizens; appoint a special envoy to Nigeria to deal with the flashpoint of the violence; ensure that international funding of IDPs gets to Benue State, the epicentre of the current violence as well as Plateau, Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara and other states affected by terrorists’ attacks in the country; and encourage the establishment of state police in Nigeria.”

Responding, the US State Department officials headed by the Under Secretary, Africa, and the Middle East, Padgett Douglas, said the US government was aware of random terrorism, weaponisation of religion, and importation of violence in Nigeria.

on churches, schools and public infrastructure in Abuja.

Another anonymous alert, patterned after standard security alerts which had trended on social media indicated that there was an influx of unknown persons around Karshi Hills and Orozo, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

According to the alert, some persons were seen regularly and clandestinely going up the hills around Navy Town Estate thus raising high suspicion that the invaders were building camps within the hills which also connect to other adjoining forests within the FCT and Nasarawa State.

The alert said the terrorists planned to attack educational institutions located in the area.

But speaking in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj. Gen. Jimmy Akpor said security agencies were on

alert and determined to contain any security threats to the seat of power.

He said: "Security agencies are not sleeping. They are doing what needs to be done to keep the place safe. A lot of things are being done.

Measures have been put in place.

Of all the security agencies, none is sleeping".

On the intelligence alert of an impending attack making the rounds, he said expectations were that the citizenry would provide available information to security forces and not circulate such on social media.

Meanwhile, the Brigade of Guards, charged with the security of the president, his family and the seat of power, said it has set up a board of inquiry to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre by Boko Haram and the roles, if any, played by soldiers

assigned to the facility.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations and Public Relations Officer of the Brigade of Guards, Captain Godfrey Abakpa, said: "The board of inquiry was set up to ascertain what happened that day to get to the root cause of the attack.

"A board of inquiry has been set up to ascertain what happened that day to get to the root cause of the attack."

He said contrary to reports that many soldiers were detained in underground cells, no soldiers were in detention.

He, however, affirmed that soldiers deployed to that area were responding to the demands of the investigation.

"Nobody is being detained. The investigation is ongoing. Everybody is telling his side of the story. It is not our job to guard prisons but

we respond in support of civil authority.

"The board was set up because it happened within our area of responsibility," he said.

On the security cordon around the seat of power, he maintained that the measures were taken to ensure that the fleeing inmates, who escaped from Kuje and who may be lurking in the shadows were arrested.

"Checkpoints and patrols were ordered because some of the escapees are believed to be still around like the one arrested in the Area 1 Park," he said.

He gave the assurance that with the measures in place presently, such an attack would be difficult to come by.

"There should be no panic.

There is the tendency that no such further attack will be possible with the arrangements in place," he explained.

BABACHIR LAWAL: JUSTICE, EQUITY WILL DECIDE TINUBU’S FATE ON MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET IN 2023 draws near, we the Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development have noted with concern some actions and statements by some political parties and actors in our democratic process.

“The latest being the impunity orchestrated by the ruling APC in settling for the same faith ticket in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and above all, multi-cultural countries like Nigeria and the party’s defence of the absurd action in the face of widespread opposition to the abnormalities.

“As leaders who have not only monitored but also actively contributed to political developments in Nigeria for decades, we wish to categorically denounce the APC’s action which we view as inimical to the progress and growth of Nigeria.”

Tinubu Returned Lagos Mission Schools, Can't Islamise Nigeria, Says Adeyeye

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of SWAGA, Adeyeye, has allayed the fears in some quarters that

the APC presidential candidate would Islamise Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, Adeyeye dismissed such fears, describing them as unfounded.

He maintained that Tinubu who did not force his wife to become a Muslim would never initiate or support any policy that would make Nigeria, an Islamic State.

Adeyeye also recalled that the former governor of Lagos State, despite stiff resistance from stakeholders, returned all the missionary schools in the state, mostly owned by the Christians, to their original owners for better management.

The SWAGA Coordinator also went down memory lane to justify Tinubu's choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate, claiming that great Nigerian leaders in the past did the same thing.

He said, "Most of the people that have been criticising the Muslim -Muslim ticket of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress are hammering on the issue of religion and not based on the competence, experience and

educational qualifications of Senator Kashim Shettima.

"Some of the friends of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who have been working hard to make him the next President of Nigeria also expressed disappointment that he chose a Muslim as his running mate. Some of them even went overboard in my view to say harsh words against the choice.

"Someone even described Asiwaju Tinubu's decision as satanic. This is not correct because there is nothing satanic about it. I am a Christian and I want Nigerians to look at the matter from a very objective point of view.

"The idea of having people of similar faith in a joint ticket is not new to Nigerian politics.

"I recalled that in 1979, the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a Christian picked Chief Phillip Umeadi, also a Christian from South-east Nigeria as his running mate to contest the presidential election on the platform of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). As of that time, nobody placed any serious emphasis on regionalism, ethnicity or religion.

"I also recollect that the

running mate of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the flagbearer of the NPP then was Professor Ishaya Audu, a Christian from northern Nigeria, who was former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University.

"The two leading nationalists of the era, who fought for Nigeria's independence, did not put too much emphasis on religion. They picked people of similar faith with them as running mates.

"After the Second Republic was truncated with a military coup led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), who is our current president, he didn't place too much emphasis on religion at that time when he appointed a fellow northern Muslim like him, the late General Tunde Idiagbon (rtd.), as his Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.

Idiagbon was the defacto secondin-command to Buhari.

"Before the Buhari-Idiagbon's military rule, there was the General Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), who was head of state for nine years. He was a Christian from the North. His second in command was Vice Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, a Christian from Lagos State.

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CELEBRATING WOMEN… L-R: UNDP Country Representative for Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya; French Ambassador to Nigeria – Emmanuelle Blatmann; former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi; Renowned Author and Writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; German Ambassador to Nigeria – Birgitt Ory; US Ambassador to Nigeria – Mary Beth Leonard; and British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, at the International Women’s Day event held in Lagos…yesterday

APC, TINUBU, OYETOLA IN OSUN: WON LU‘LE, PDP’S ADELEKE WINS Election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof.

Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. Adeleke won in 17 LGAs while Oyetola won in 13 LGAs Adeleke polled 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola, who polled 375, 018 votes.

A breakdown of votes in each of the LGAs shows that PDP got 7,750 votes in Atakumosa West, while APC scored 6,601.

In Ede North, Adeleke scored 23,931 votes to defeat Oyetola who polled 9,603 votes.

Adeleke also won in Obokun LGA with 13,575 votes, while Oyetola scored 9,727 votes.

In Ife North, Adeleke won with 10, 359 votes while Oyetola scored 9, 964 votes.

Adeleke also won in Ejigbo LGA where he scored 18, 065 votes while Oyetola got 14, 355 votes.

The PDP candidate also won in Orolu with 10,282 votes while APC got 9,928 votes.

Adeleke scored 13,230 votes in Egbedore LGA to win Oyetola, who scored 9,228 votes.

In Ilesa West, Adeleke won with 13,769 votes, while Oyetola scored 10,777 votes.

However, the Polling Officer in one of the units in the LGA was attacked and hospitalised.

In Oriade LGA, Adeleke scored 15,947 votes while Oyetola came second with 14,189 votes.

Adeleke polled 5,860 votes in Boluwaduro, while Oyetola scored 5,649 votes To win Olorunda LGA, Adeleke polled 21, 350 votes while Oyetola was able to secure 18,709 votes.

In Ede South, Adeleke who is popularly known as the ‘dancing senator’ picked up 19,438 votes while the incumbent governor had 5,704.

Adeleke polled 10,282 to win Orolu LGA where Oyetola secured 9928 votes.

The PDP candidate also won in Chief Bisi Akande’s Ila LGA with 13,036 votes, while Oyetola scored 11,163 votes.

In Osogbo, the PDP candidate polled 30,401 votes — well ahead of the APC flag bearer who secured 22,952 votes.

Odo-Otin LGA also went the way of the PDP as Adeleke got 14,003 votes while Oyetola picked up 13,482. Some hoodlums invaded one of the polling units and went away with a ballot box.

The police went after them and recovered the ballot box and arrested the hoodlums.

To win Ifelodun LGA, the PDP candidate picked up 17,107 votes while Oyetola placed second with 16,068 votes.

Adeleke also won Irepodun LGA with 14,369 votes while the APC candidate got 12,122.

Iwo LGA however went the way of the Osun governor who picked 17, 421 votes compared to the 16,914 secured by Adeleke.

Polling 14,527 in Ayedaade LGA, the incumbent governor also beat Adeleke who had 13,380 votes.

In Boripe LGA, Oyetola also emerged victorious, polling 21,205 votes to defeat the PDP candidate who had 7,595.

Oyetola won Isokan LGA by a slim margin, securing 10,833

Osinbajo Undergoes Successful Thigh Surgery Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhamnadu Buhari yesterday sent best wishes to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, after undergoing a surgical procedure on his leg.

Osinbajo went through a successful thigh surgical operation carried out by a team of specialist doctors at the Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos.

The media aide to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement issued yesterday evening, disclosed that doctors who performed the surgical operation on Osinbajo to treat the recurrent pain caused by a fracture in his leg had concluded the procedure and it was successful.

He added that the vice president, who is in good condition, alert and well, would be discharged from the hospital in a matter of days.

Buhari in a tweet last night by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, wished Osinbajo quick recovery.

He said: "I wish him speedy and full recovery".

Meanwhile, Duchess International

Hospital in a statement entitled "Successful Medical Treatment of the Vice President,” signed by its Medical Director, Dr. Adedoyin Dosunmu-Ogunbi, stated inter alia: “The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was admitted to the Duchess International Hospital GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, today on account of a fracture of his right femur (thigh bone), possibly related to a longstanding injury associated with a game of squash.

“He had a surgical operation performed by a team of specialist doctors, including Dr. Wallace Ogufere (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon); Dr. Om Lahoti (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon); Dr. Babajide Lawson (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon); Dr. Ken Adegoke (Consultant in Anaesthesia & Critical Care); Dr. Oladimeji Agbabiaka (Consultant Anaesthetist); and Dr. Adedoyin Dosunmu-Ogunbi (Consultant Physician and Medical Director).

“The operation was successful, and he is expected to be discharged within the next few days".

votes while Adeleke got 10,777.

The Osun State governor also scored 9, 123 votes in Ola Oluwa LGA to lead Adeleke who polled 7, 205 votes.

In Ife South, Oyetola scored 12, 481 votes, while Adeleke got 9,116 votes.

Oyetola also won in Ilesa East LGA with 13,452 votes, while Adeleke scored 10,969 votes The incumbent governor also won in Ayedire with 7, 868 votes while Adeleke scored 7, 402 votes.

In Ife Central, Oyetola defeated Adeleke with 17,880 votes while the PDP got 13,532 votes.

Oyetola also defeated Adeleke in Ifedayo LGA with 5,016 votes while the PDP candidate scored 4,730 votes.

In Atakunmosa East, Oyetola scored 7,449 votes while Adeleke scored 6, 992.

However, votes in Ward 07 and Ward 08 in Ilesa East were cancelled as hoodlums disrupted the voting process and carted away ballot boxes.

In Ife Central, Oyetola scored 17, 880 votes to defeat Adeleke who scored 13, 532.

Oyetola also scored 18, 189 votes to win in Irewole LGA while Adeleke got 14, 216 votes.

The governorship poll did not end without drama, as the Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun State, Aregbesola, did not vote during the poll.

While the pioneer Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande lost his Ila LGA to the PDP, Aregbesola boycotted the governorship election and travelled out of the country.

However, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said its operatives on election monitoring duties arrested

three persons suspected of vote buying in the gubernatorial election.

Aregbesola, it was gathered travelled abroad on an official engagement.

The minister has been at loggerheads with Oyetola.

The APC in Osun currently has two factions — one loyal to Aregbesola while the other supports Oyetola.

The minister had backed Moshood Adeoti, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), for the APC governorship ticket but Oyetola won the primary.

Aregbesola had subsequently described the primary as a “sham of an election” after his preferred candidate lost.

The minister was also not present during the APC mega rally in Osun on Tuesday, which was attended by Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate, as well as governors and other party stakeholders.

Residents, who spoke to THISDAY in Ifofin, Ilesha area, where Aregbesola was expected to cast his vote, said it was “unlike the minister” who always arrives in his hometown on the eve of an election.

“By now, everywhere will be bubbling with activities because Aregbe would have entered since Friday,” a resident said.

“He is so loved here and he has tried his best for his people. I don’t know why he’s not around this time like he’s always done.”

Codes, Coupons Used to Get Voters’ Commitment in Poll, Say CSOs

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said codes

and coupons were used to extract commitments from voters in the governorship election, as opposed to the blatant money exchanging hands in the Ekiti State election.

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) made this known in its Second Preliminary Statement on the Osun governorship election.

The convener of the CSOs, Ene Obi, said while the group was observing the election, it observed another means of vote trading.

She added that vote trading was recorded in most of the areas observed, particularly outside Osogbo.

Continued on page 68

OSUN GOVERNORSHIP RESULTS S/N

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

LGAs

BOLUWADURO ILESHA EAST OSOGBO ILA ATAKUNMOSA IFELODUN ILESHA WEST AYEDIRE ODO-OTIN BORIPE OBOKUN OROLU OLORUNDA IFE NORTH IFEDAYO IFE CENTRAL IREPODUN ORIADE AYEDADE OLAOLUWA IWO EDE SOUTH ISOKAN IREWOLE EJIGBO EDE NORTH EGBE DORE ATAKUNMOSA EAST IFE SOUTH IFE EAST TOTAL

APC

5,649 13,452 22,952 11,163 6,601 16,068 10,777 7,868 13,482 21,205 9,727 9,928 18,709 9,964 5,016 17,880 12,122 14,189 14,527 9,123 17,421 5,704 10,833 18,189 14,355 9,603 9,228 7,449 12,481 19,353 375,018

PDP

5,860 10,969 30,401 13,036 7,750 17,107 13,769 7,402 14,003 7,595 13,575 10,282 21,350 10,359 4,730 13,532 14,369 15,947 13,380 7,205 16,914 19,438 10,777 14,216 18,065 23,931 13,230 6,992 9,116 18,071 403,371

WITH NEW STATUS, NNPC GMD’S NOMENCLATURE NOW GROUP CEO of us on the 19th of July, and I’m inviting you.

“The meaning of this to our industry is that you’re going to have the partner of choice, the partner that will support you, the partner that will be the largest capitalised company in Africa.

Not only that, a partner that will be born of best practice, of everything that you can think of because we’re going to be a CAMA company. We are going to be another Shell, decision making would be easy, finances will also be easy.”

Kyari stated that the NNPC would be very frontal in its moves to acquire as many oil and gas assets as possible with the mindset to become one of the biggest oil firms in the world.

“What is very fundamental is that the NNPC is set to be the partner of choice. We will be the biggest capitalised company in Africa. We will be the partner that will be focused on the commercial value of every engagement that

we do.

“We will be the biggest oil and gas company and therefore there will be no distinction between the NNPC and the rest of the partners that we have in this business.

With Growing Drilling Challenge, Nigeria’s H1 Oil Production Falls by 28m Barrels

Meanwhile, the data from NUPRC showed that Nigeria produced 302.4 million barrels in the first half of 2020, which was regarded as the COVID-19 year, 248.6 million barrels in the same period in 2021, and slumped further to 220.016 million barrels from January to June this year.

That is an 11.29 per cent change between 2021 and 2022.

With the drop from the 302.4 million barrels in the first half of 2020 to 220.016 million barrels in the first half of 2022, Nigeria lost 82 million barrels of production

between 2020 and 2022.

The NUPRC data further showed that in the first six months of 2021, when the world had started recovering from the pandemic, Nigeria also surpassed this year’s six-month drilling total for the same period by 28.6 million barrels.

The figures highlight the seriousness of the drastic fall in the country’s crude production capacity, which has been blamed on massive oil theft, deteriorating upstream infrastructure, prolonged lack of investment in the sector as well as the inability to restart oil wells shut down in the height of the pandemic.

Of the country’s recorded 35 terminals/streams, the NUPRC data showed that Ajapa, Ima and Anambra Basin remain non-producing, while TuljaOkwuibome started producing in 2022, after a period of dormancy in 2020 and 2022.

To underscore the seriousness of the under-production challenge,

out of the 1.772 million barrels per day of crude oil allocated to the country by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in June, Nigeria was only able to produce 1.158 million bpd, according to the latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) by the organisation.

A THISDAY review during the week showed that Nigeria’s daily underperformance pegged against the OPEC quota yielded a whopping 614,000 bpd or 19.034 million barrels deficit for the month alone.

A further breakdown revealed that valued against $110 per barrel for the period, Nigeria may have lost as much as $2,093,740,000 to its inability to increase the country’s production level.

For a country with a huge foreign exchange shortage, the loss could, if it had been plugged, for a start, help cash-strapped federating units (states and local governments) embark on major projects.

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

Three Fintech Executives Convicted in US for Laundering $160m to Nigeria Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The operators of a Texan payments firm with ties to the United Kingdom have pleaded guilty in the United States to money laundering failures after their business facilitated the shipping of $160 million to Nigeria over about three years.

Anslem Oshionebo, 45, and Opeyemi Odeyale, 43, received 27-month prison sentences for failing to maintain effective antimoney laundering controls and unlicensed money transmitting, according to US legal filings, a Bloomberg report said.

The Dallas-based company they owned and operated — Ping Express US LLC — faces five years of probation and a fine as high as $500,000 after pleading guilty to a similar charge, while another executive received a 42-month sentence, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Ping Express sent customers’

remittances to Nigeria, Kenya and other African nations. In one three-year period highlighted by the DoJ, the firm failed to flag a single suspicious transaction to regulators despite processing a “significant amount” of them, though it filed a batch of reports later.

One customer used the firm to move funds they made from fake-romance scams, with victims including a woman in Indiana who sent $15,000 to a supposed roughneck oil worker in the Gulf of Mexico, and another who sent $6,300 to a purported Irish sea captain, according to the DoJ’s statement.

Another customer moved more than $80,000 in a single month, far more than the company’s $4,500 limit, court filings showed, according to the Bloomberg report.

“Having gone through a very painful three years of legal battle with a monstrous US DoJ, it was time to give in

and move on,” Odeyale said in an emailed statement that claimed the case against him had “gross violations,” while he cited his track record with other businesses.

“There is a lot of good I can do with the next two to three years than waste it in fighting an insurmountable foe,” he added.

Oshionebo said in an email

that “history will be the best judge” but he did not have the resources to continue fighting the case.

Odeyale also founded and controlled Payzen Ltd., a Londonbased payments company where Oshionebo has also been a shareholder.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority granted Payzen

approval to operate in January 2020, two months before federal prosecutors for the Northern District of Texas charged the two men and a number of others with money-laundering crimes, according to US and UK filings.

The British business wasn’t mentioned in the US case and hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing.

Odeyale ceased to be a controlling shareholder of Payzen in December 2020. The company is today controlled by Adekanmi Adedire, filings at Companies House show. In a LinkedIn message Bloomberg quoted Adedire as saying that Payzen is “unrelated” to Ping Express, which is a “totally different entity.”

Amosun Loses Scores of Loyalists to Abiodun James Sowole in Abeokuta Scores of ex-Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s loyalists have pledged their allegiance to the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun ahead of the 2023 governorship election Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs, Hon Tunji Egbetokun at the weekend received Amosun’s loyalists from Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area Addressing the politicians, Egbetokun commended them for their decision to join the mainstream of the APC in the state and team up with the governor ahead of the general poll next year.

He said, “You have got it right by taking this bold step in the sense that one cannot say because of sympathy you continue to stay with somebody and become useless. You should know what you want, where to get it and how to get it.

“We have a governor who is passionate about inclusiveness, justice and fairness. You can see that even if you join the party today, he takes and recognizes you as someone who had been with the party from the inception.

“Politics is parochial. It is how to better your life and

that of others. You cannot do politics with emotions. You are all welcome to Abiodun’s family and since you are not strangers, you will be promptly integrated.”

He assured Amosun’s loyalists that their interest would be taken into consideration as they have taken the best political decision.

He noted that they were grassroots politicians with great mobilisation skills. This is the right time for you to have retraced their steps especially now that elections are fast approaching”.

“Any politically-wise person should know that this is the right time to work and we cannot send them away,” he added.

He, however, urged other party members outside the mainstream to emulate the returnees and team up with the party especially now that a candidate from the Southwest is running for the office of the president on the platform of the APC. Speaking on behalf of the APC members, Femi Akinbile explained that their action was merely retracing their steps back to where they belonged.

He said their decision to return to the mainstream of the party would help the electoral fortune of the party as they are from wards with a huge population in the local government area, declaring that they were not ready to be misled again.

Bandits Ambush Troops in Plateau, Kill One Soldier Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Gunmen suspected to be bandits yesterday ambushed a military troop at Zurak Kampani community of Wase Local Government Area(LGA) of Plateau State Allegedly killing one soldier.

The bandits, according to an eye witness, Mallam Usman Abdullahi, invaded the community while the villagers were in the market on Saturday morning.

While the troops were on their way from Wase town to the village in response to distress calls, Abdullahi said they ambushed and killed one

soldier and injured another.

Zurak Kampani community is over a 100km drive from Wase town.

The spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the military task force in Plateau, Major Ishaku Takwa confirmed the ambush but said no soldier was killed in the attack.

Communities in Wase LGA had come under a series of attacks in recent times, leading to the death of scores, even as many had been abducted.

The attack forced many to flee their homes, especially after their assailants now issued quit notices to the villagers.

FRENCH NATIONAL DAY… L-R: French Defence Attache, Guillaume Duyon; French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and French Consul-General, Laurence Monmayrant at the French National Day held at the Alliance Française, Mike Adenuga Centre, Lagos … weekend

Experts Seek Implementation of Economic Development Plans Festus Akanbi Financial experts have stressed the need for the federal government to implement the National Development Plan 2021-2025 (NDP) to spur the country’s economic growth.

The experts said this at a webinar on Saturday with the theme: “Resetting Nigeria’s Economic Growth Trajectory.”

They said that practical measures should be adopted to implement the plans to enhance revenue generation.

The NDP which succeeds the Vision 20:2020 introduced in 2009 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan is a bridge for the country’s long-term plan currently being developed, “Nigeria Agenda 2050”.

The vision of the plan is to unlock the country’s potential across all sectors of the economy for a sustainable, holistic, and inclusive national development.

The Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Lamido Yuguda, said that the implementation of

NDP would boost productivity, employment and the standards of living. Yuguda, represented by the Executive Commissioner of Operations, SEC, Mr. Dayo Obisan, said that the successful execution of the NDP was critical to achieving economic growth since its objectives cut across all sectors of the economy.

“The federal government already has several laudable economic plans and the focus should be on increasing the level of implementation of these plans.

“The NDP is one of such

plans that the government can focus which is aimed at fostering economic growth and enhancing productivity.

“One of its broad objectives is economic diversification to improve non-oil revenue and increase the dollar earning power of our non-oil export.

“It also focuses on investment in infrastructure; security and good governance; education and a healthy population; poverty alleviation; economic and social development across states,” he said.

A’Court Sets Aside Judgment Exonerating Lai Mohammed in N5bn Defamation Suit Orders retrial, says suit should be assigned to another judge Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal, Abuja has set aside the judgement of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which discharged Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed from a N5 billion defamation suit.

The appellate court also ordered the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami accordingly to initiate the process for fresh retrial.

The judgement was delivered Friday by a three-man panel comprising Justice Abraham Georgewill, Justice Mohammed Mustapha and Justice Bature Isa Gafai.

The suit was filed by Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, claiming that the minister had defamed him by calling him a “looter” during a world press conference last year in Abuja.

He consequently dragged the minister and the AGF to court

seeking N5 billion as exemplary and general damages he suffered over the publication of the alleged defamatory material.

However, the trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi dismissed the suit on the grounds that Dokpesi, the founder of African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower Radio failed to establish a prima facie against the defendants.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the trial court, Dokpesi approached the appellate court

to set aside the judgement of the trial court for breaching his fundamental rights to fair hearing when he refused to hear the entire suit on the grounds that a prima facie was not made against the defendants.

In its unanimous decision Friday, the court agreed with Dokpesi’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) that the lower court erred in law when it dismissed the case of the plaintiff without hearing the matter in its entirety.

Police Arrest Eight Suspected Cultists over Attack on Tinubu’s Convoy in Lagos Segun James Operatives of the Nigeria Police, Zone 2 Command, have arrested eight persons in connection with the attack on the convoy of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, last month in Lagos.

The Zonal Public Relations Officer, Mr. Hauwa Idris-Adamu gave the figure during the parade of the suspects before journalists at the weekend, say-

ing that the suspects confessed to being members of different confraternities.

Tinubu, who returned to Lagos on June 19 after emerging as his party’s flag bearer in the presidential primaries that took place at the Eagles Square, Abuja, had visited the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu the same day.

On his way out, some armed hoodlums attacked his convoy, shattering the windows of the press corps bus with stones and

machetes and injured some journalists in the process.

At the parade, Idris-Adamu said that the zone had launched a manhunt for the sponsor of the attack.

The spokesperson noted that the suspects “are cultists. They belong to Aiye, Eiye, Oju Akpaco and Esuru boys confraternities.

They have mentioned the name of the sponsor of the attack,who is at large.

“Investigations are still ongoing and we will get back to the press

as soon as we have the principal suspect in our net,” she explained.

In another development, the Zone’s Monitoring Unit has arrested seven suspected members of a syndicate that broke into Jus Partners Cosmopolitan Limited, a telecommunication company in Yaba area of Lagos, on June 20.

The suspects who scaled the fence, tied the private guards on duty and carted away 16 drums of 96 Core Starlite Optic cables, estimated at N80 million.

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

1LJHULDQV DW WKH 0HUF\ RI )XHO 0DUNHWHUV· 3ULFH :DU Thestridentcallsfortheendofthecontroversialfuelregimeinthecountry,fortheumpteenthtime,aregainingcurrency as fuel marketers defied the existing price template for the sale of petrol under a regulated market environment last week. Amidst the pervading indiscriminate price hike, hoarding and the attendant product scarcity, analysts, therefore, believe the best time to withdraw the fuel subsidy regime is now, writes )HVWXV $NDQEL

I

In what looks like a complete breakdown of the regulation of the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil industry, fuel marketers last week began an indiscriminate adjustment of their pump prices in Lagos, Abuja and some other parts of the country, where residents spent several hours combing the cities for petrol.

In the cities, fuel queues curl around entire suburbs like gargantuan metal pythons, growing longer and fatter by the day, choking roads and crushing livelihoods.

Stunned by a combination of indiscriminate pricing and product scarcity, Nigerians wondered why the federal government is VWLOO ÀQGLQJ LW GL΀FXOW WR HQG WKH FRQWURversial policy of fuel subsidy blamed for the pervading confusion in the Nigerian oil sector.

'HÀDQW 0DUNHWHUV LQ 3ULFH :DU THISDAY investigation showed that while some petrol stations were bold enough to UHÁHFW WKH QHZ SULFH RQ WKHLU GDVKERDUGV others retained N165 as the price for a litre of fuel whereas the new price is disclosed to the prospective buyers at the point of sale.

For example, at Nice Filling Station, opposite Mobil Fuel Station along Lambe-Akute road, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, a litre of fuel was sold for N230 and this was conspicuously displayed on the dashboard for most of last week.

Our correspondents gathered that some ÀOOLQJ VWDWLRQV LQ /DJRV VROG SHWURO WR PRWRUists at N200/litre and still had queues, as black marketers dispensed the product at N300/litre.

In Abuja, Khalif Filling Station in Kubwa dispensed the commodity at N250/litre on Sunday but had N165/litre displayed on its pumps. But once a motorist tells the fuel attendant the amount he or she wishes to buy, this would be calculated based on N250/litre.

Industry sources described the current scarcity in major towns and cities as a deliberate action of some marketers who are bent on forcing the regulators to approve an increase in price as a result of a corresponding increase in the cost of transporting the product to the various marketing outlets.

Sometimes in January this year, oil marketers expressed their determination to escalate their call for an increase in the pump price of petrol, to the federal government, as the current cost of the commodity was no longer sustainable.

Speaking sometime in January this year, the Deputy National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Zarma Mustapha told newsmen that the federal government had been put on notice concerning marketers’ intentions to increase petrol prices.

“The current pump price is no longer sustainable and we have made this known to the government. However, we must DFNQRZOHGJH WKH HͿRUWV RI WKH 1LJHULDQ National Petroleum Company Limited in ensuring product availability,” he stated. $GMXVWLQJ WR &XUUHQW 5HDOLW\ Also, the National President, Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association, Bennett Korie, said Nigerians would have to adjust to the current reality, as it was no more feasible to dispense petrol at the approved UDWH RI 1 OLWUH LQ ÀOOLQJ VWDWLRQV DIWHU purchasing the product for about N170/ litre in some private depots.

Analysts believe the call for a new cost-

Attendant dispensing fuel...

UHÁHFWLYH SULFH UHJLPH ZDV WR SUHSDUH the minds of Nigerians for the current pricing, hoarding and product diversion with their attendant strains on businesses although oil marketers denied claims of product hoarding or diversion, as they VWUHVVHG WKDW WKH LQVX΀FLHQW VXSSO\ RI petrol by NNPC and the non-payment of bridging claims for the transportation of petrol were the key reasons for the scarcity.

buy, then why won’t we buy and sell? What else are we in business for? Are we going to buy products and keep them? The answer is no! So this is the reality.”

While marketers are blaming the current VFDUFLW\ RI SHWURO RQ WKH LQVX΀FLHQW VXSSO\ of products by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) which is the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria for several years running is claiming it has enough products to keep the country wet for months.

,QVXͿFLHQW 6XSSO\ The President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, was quoted DV VD\LQJ WKDW ÀOOLQJ VWDWLRQV WKDW KDG products were dispensing, while those that were shut had no petrol to sell.

He said, “The problem is that every side needs to be transparent. We as retail outlet owners are ready to sell petroleum products to the teeming Nigerian public.

We have no reason why we should not sell our products.

“The money used in buying the 45,000 litres of petrol from depots, almost N7million, is borrowed, and time-bound.

So every retail outlet owner knows that the wise thing to do in this business is to sell out and try to turn around that sale as many times as possible.

“So with this scenario in view, there is no retail outlet owner that is hoarding product or diverting it. Yes, we know there may be bad eggs among the good bunch, but the fact that we are not having VX΀FLHQW SURGXFWV LV ZKDW KDV UHPDLQHG the cause of fuel scarcity.”

Gillis-Harry added, “In the case of Abuja, it is clear to understand that if the bridging claims are paid to marketers, they will be able to continue their products’ purchase cycle. That is just the reality. So payment of bridging claims LV DQ LVVXH DQG LQVX΀FLHQW VXSSO\ LV also another issue.

“This is because if there is enough product and there is money for us to

'RXEOH -HRSDUG\ Analysts described the current scenario in fuel supply as double jeopardy in a country that spends virtually all its earnings from the sale of its crude on fuel subsidy. “What it means is that fuel marketers are collecting subsidies from the government and they are also making a kill of the process by selling above the regulated prices. The only way to stop this orgy of corruption is to quickly end the subsidy programme and allow the market to determine the product’s price,” argued Mr Lawson Ajeigbe, a Lagos-based energy analyst.

He added, “Nigerians are been pushed into a situation where they will openly canvass for price increase as long as the products are available. The logic is simple, now that petrol is being sold at an exorbitant rate, it ZRXOGQ·W PDNH DQ\ GLͿHUHQFH LI WKH VXEVLG\ is removed since the people are already getting used to higher pump prices.”

5HDFWLQJ WR WKH FRQWLQXRXV IDFH RͿ EHWZHHQ the federal government and marketers, industry analyst and former Group Chairman/ CEO, International Energy Services Limited, Dr Diran Fawibe, said the issue of fuel supply DSSHDUHG WR KDYH GHÀHG VROXWLRQV ´(YHU\ERG\ LV WKURZLQJ ÀJXUHV DERXW costs and prices to sell and what not to sell.

At the end of the day, it’s the consumers that will bear the brunt. What we have noticed is that prices vary from station to station, and from state to state, and obviously, that’s what the bridging payment by the Federal Government was supposed to address”, he said.

The National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, however, debunked allegations that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and marketers secretly agreed to increase the price.

“That’s not true. There is no letter to that HͿHFW IURP 10'35$ µ KH VDLG However, when asked why the fuel price was rising, he said it was due to the hike in the price of diesel.

“Those stations you see that sell above N165 do so because they have to recover their costs,” he said.

Foremost lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was quoted as challenging the federal government to rise to the occasion instead of making Nigerians bear the brunt of the current problems in the oil industry. $FFRUGLQJ WR KLP ´,I WKRVH UHÀQHULHV DUH QRW ZRUNLQJ LI QHZ UHÀQHULHV KDYH QRW EHHQ built by the government, if we now have to import fuel from abroad including from African countries that do not produce oil, WKHUH FDQ EH QR MXVWLÀFDWLRQ IRU YLVLWLQJ WKH irresponsibility of the government on the Nigerian people.

“Again, what do you call subsidy? The government claims that smugglers are moving litres of fuel from Nigeria to neighbouring countries. Again, do you blame the Nigerian people, if the government cannot curb the criminality of smugglers?.. the government has swallowed hook, line and sinker the neo-liberal policies dictated by IMF and the World Bank, whose implementation has continued to pauperise the Nigerian people.”

The current administration must end the fuel subsidy regime to free the economy from the burden of a system that is not only draining the meagre foreign exchange earnings but also giving corrupt businesses DQG SXEOLF R΀FH KROGHUV WKH RSSortunity from milking the generality of the people.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

16

REPORT

Highest Paid CEOs in Nigeria in 2021

Onyeagwu

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Essaadi

he Managing Director or &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU LV WKH KLJKHVW SRVLWLRQ LQ DQ\ RUJDQLVDWLRQ DQG LV XVXDOO\ IDFHG ZLWK WKH UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RI PDNLQJ WKH KDUGHVW GHFLVLRQV LQ WKH FRPSDQ\ 7KH\ DUH PRVWO\ SUDLVHG ZKHQ WKH FRPSDQ\ LV GRLQJ ZHOO DQG RIWHQ FULWLFL]HG LI WKH UHYHUVH LV WKH FDVH QR ZRQGHU WKH\ DUH XVXDOO\ WKH KLJKHVW SDLG HPSOR\HHV LQ WKH FRPSDQ\ 'XH WR WKH VHQVLWLYLW\ RI WKH UROH FRPSDQLHV JR D ORQJ ZD\ LQ DWWUDFWLQJ WKH EHVW KDQGV IRU WKH MRE KHQFH LQFHQWLYLVLQJ WKHP ZLWK FRPSHWLWLYH VDODULHV ,Q WKLV VSHFLDO UHSRUW FXOOHG IURP Nairametrics ZH EULQJ WR \RX D OLVW RI WKH KLJKHVW UDQNLQJ &(2V IRU EDVHG RQ WKHLU H[HFXWLYH FRPSHQVDWLRQ H[HF FRPSV 7KH 0' &(2V RI WKH WRS FRPSDQLHV RQ WKH 1*; ZKR UHSRUWHG WKH GLUHFWRUV· UHPXQHUDWLRQV HDUQHG DERXW 1 ELOOLRQ LQ VDODULHV LQ FRPSDUHG WR 1 ELOOLRQ LQ WKH SUHYLRXV \HDU Michel Puchercos (Dangote Cement) – N531m 0U 0LFKHO 3XFKHURV ZKR ZDV IRUPHUO\ ZLWK /DIDUJH $IULFD HDUQHG D VXP RI 1 PLOOLRQ IURP 'DQJRWH &HPHQW LQ WKH \HDU +H LV WKH *URXS 0DQDJLQJ 'LUHFWRU DQG &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU RI WKH PRVW FDSLWDOLVHG PDQXIDFWXULQJ FRPSDQ\ RQ WKH 1LJHULDQ 6WRFN ([FKDQJH +H ZDV DSSRLQWHG WR WKH SRVLWLRQ HͿHFWLYH -DQXDU\ DIWHU UHVLJQLQJ IURP /DIDUJH $IULFD LQ WKH VDPH \HDU $FFRUGLQJ WR LQIRUPDWLRQ RQ WKH ZHEVLWH RI 'DQJRWH &HPHQW 0LFKHO KDV PRUH WKDQ \HDUV RI H[SHULHQFH LQ WKH FHPHQW LQGXVWU\ KDYLQJ VHUYHG LQ YDULRXV FDSDFLWLHV DW /DIDUJH +H VHUYHG DV WKH 3UHVLGHQW &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU RI /DIDUJH +DOOD &HPHQW 'LUHFWRU RI 6WUDWHJ\ DQG 6\VWHPV DW /DIDUJH *\SVXP +H DOVR VHUYHG DV WKH &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU RI %DPEXUL &HPHQW DQG +LPD &HPHQW DQG &KDLUPDQ RI 0EH\D &HPHQW LQ 7DQ]DQLD +H UHVLJQHG IURP /DIDUJH LQ -DQXDU\ WR MRLQ D FRPSHWLWRU EUDQG 'DQJRWH &HPHQW 3OF DQG ZDV VXFFHHGHG E\ 0U .KDOHG $EGHOD]L] (O 'RNDQL WKH IRUPHU FRXQWU\ &(2 RI /DIDUJH +ROFLP ,UDT 'DQJRWH &HPHQW UHFRUGHG D \HDU RQ \HDU JURZWK LQ SURÀW DIWHU WD[ WR 1 ELOOLRQ FRPSDUHG WR 1 ELOOLRQ UHFRUGHG LQ WKH SUHYLRXV \HDU 7KLV LPSOLHV WKDW WKH FHPHQW JLDQW SRVWHG WKH KLJKHVW QHW SURÀW LQ FRPSDUHG WR RWKHU FRPSDQLHV OLVWHG RQ WKH 1LJHULDQ 6WRFN ([FKDQJH Roger Brown (Seplat Energy) – N475m

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

17

INDUSTRY

Dangote Extends Sugar Refinery to Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba UHSRUWV WKDW ÀYH \HDUV LQWR WKH DFTXLVLWLRQ RI KHFWDUHV RI ODQG LQ WKH Tunga community of Nasarawa State by the Dangote Sugar Group, a team from the group ZDV LQ WKH VWDWH UHFHQWO\ WR FRPPHQFH FRQVWUXFWLRQ RI D IDFWRU\ IRU WKH 7XQJD 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\

Dangote Sugar Refinery complex

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t all began in 2017 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dangote Sugar Group and the Nasarawa State government for a $700 million sugar project at Tunga in the Awe Local Government Area of the state. The signing ceremony of the deed of acquisition, lease, and development agreement took place at the National Sugar Development Council, Sugar House, Abuja.

The integrated sugar complex to be located in Tunga, Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, comprised 68,000-hectare sugar plantations and two sugar factories with the capacity to produce 430,000tpa RI UHÀQHG ZKLWH VXJDU UHSUHVHQWLQJ DERXW 30 per cent of the country’s consumption and would be the largest plant in Nigeria.

The sugar project would also provide 30,000 jobs for teeming youths in Nasarawa State. When extended to cover 100,000 hectares, it will make the sugar plant the largest in Africa. This was even as the Dangote Group had already committed the sum of N250 million for the community development of Tunga in line with its corporate social responsibility initiative to improve the people’s well-being.

1HYHUWKHOHVV WKH 'DQJRWH 6XJDU 5HÀQery in Tunga is also expected to generate about 90 megawatts of power annually when completed, as disclosed by Governor Abdullahi Sule at a sugar sensitisation workshop organised by the National Sugar 'HYHORSPHQW &RXQFLO LQ /DÀD According to the governor, “Aside from WKH UHÀQHU\ SURGXFLQJ PHJDZDWWV RI power yearly, it will only use an average of 45 megawatts to operate. The remaining 45 megawatts would serve the Tunga community as it is more than enough power for /DÀD WR XVH DORQJVLGH RWKHU DUHDV OLNH 2EL Keana, and Awe Local Government Areas of the state.”

Hence as long as legislation is required for the success of any given venture, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly said it would give the Dangote 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\ DOO WKH QHFHVVDU\ OHJLVODtive backing and support to enable the 7XQJD 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\ WR VXFFHHG 7KH speaker of the state assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, gave the assurance ZKHQ KH OHG RWKHU SULQFLSDO R΀FHUV RI the House on an on-the-spot assessment RI 'DQJRWH 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\ 7XQJD The assembly, therefore, assured the Dangote Sugar Group of its continued support for the activities of the Dangote group to succeed in the state. The asVHPEO\ QRWHG WKDW WKH UHÀQHU\ ZRXOG enhance the economic and security VWDWXV RI WKH VWDWH FRQVLGHULQJ LWV EHQHÀW in the overall development of the state.

It was against this background that the Nasarawa House of Assembly Speaker said: “The project will also tackle unemployment, thereby putting XQHPSOR\HG \RXWKV DQG RWKHU SHRSOH RͿ the street, and improving the standard of living of the people of the state and Nigeria at large. We appreciate Alhaji Aliko Dangote for this project in our state as this project is a pride to Tunga, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, and indeed Africa as a whole.”

The Speaker of the assembly, Balarabe Abdullahi, commended Governor Sule for ensuring that the project was established in the state when he was the 0DQDJLQJ 'LUHFWRU RI WKH 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\ of the Dangote group. The Nasarawa House of Assembly Speaker equally commended the host community and called for their continued support to enable the project to succeed.

During the visit to the Tunga Sugar 5HÀQHU\ SURMHFW VLWH E\ WKH SULQFLSDO R΀FHUV RI WKH VWDWH DVVHPEO\ WKH *HQHUDO Manager of Government and Strategic

Relations, Dangote Industries Ltd, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Dan-Musa appreciated the speaker and his entourage for the visit. He said the visit would further boost the relationship between the House and 'DQJRWH UHÀQHU\ The General Manager expressed the determination of Alhaji Dangote to continue to invest in Nigeria to tackle unemployment and uplift the standard of living of Nigerians.

Even though a factory for the Tunga 6XJDU 5HÀQHU\ ZDV \HW WR EH FRQVWUXFWHG to bring full-scale socio-economic activities for the people of the Tunga community, the siting of the Sugar Refinery and a Sugarcane Plantation alone was already transforming the community and generating employment for the people thereby reducing crime. This was confirmed by stakeholders in the Tunga community, therefore, commending Dangote Group for the huge agricultural investment in their area.

The stakeholders gave the commendation in separate interactions with THISDAY in the headquarters of Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. According to them, “the siting of a sugar refinery and sugarcane plantation is already transforming the community and generating employment for the people thereby reducing crime.”

For the chairman of the Tunga Development Association, Mr. Umar Ameygye, “the establishment of Dangote Sugar Refinery and sugarcane plantation in the area has brought a lot of benefits to us. The company has renovated and provided facilities in so many primary and secondary schools as well as primary healthcare centres.”

Ameygye continued that the company has also provided boreholes and overhead water tanks in various locations across the community. He added that the company, through the state government, had paid

compensation to all persons whose lands were acquired before work commenced.

2Q KLV SDUW WKH FKDLUPDQ RI WKH 7XQJD Youths Association, Dauda Musa-Dauda, simply said the company was God-sent to the community. He claimed that the company had employed a lot of youths from the area thereby addressing the issue of unemployment and insecurity.

Musa-Dauda also said the Dangote Group awarded scholarships to their indigenes in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions of learning.

However, five years into Dangote Group’s acquisition of the 68,000 hectares of land in Tunga, a team from the Group was in the state at the beginning of the month to commence civil works for the construction of the Dangote Sugar Factory.

A member of the two-man team from the headquarters of Dangote Group, Maryoud Elsunni, disclosed this when the team paid a courtesy visit to Governor Sule in the Lafia Government House.

(OVXQQL VDLG ´7KH &KDLUPDQ &(2 RI the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has directed his contractor to handle the project, which when started will generate employment for over 1,000 people from the immediate community. They will first undertake the construction of a bigger water pump station that will provide water across 15,000 hectares, in addition to the already existing water pump station that can cater for 600 hectares.

“The contractor is coming with some highly skilled personnel, but a lot of the workers will be engaged locally. Unlike contractors that will come with their workers, this one will engage thousands of local people to build these structures.”

Governor Abdullahi Sule who couldn’t hide his excitement when receiving the two-man Dangote Group team in his Lafia Government House office, said the essence of bringing investments like the Dangote Sugar Refinery was to bring wealth to the people of the state.

Earlier, while announcing the arrival of the Dangote team to members of the Nasarawa State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), also on a courtesy call, Sule explained the process for the production of sugar takes time.

According to the governor, “unlike what most people think, it is not possible to cultivate the 68,000 hectares of land in Tunga, all at once. A lot of people lack the proper understanding of the processes involved in the production of sugar, hence the need to throw more light on the matter.

“What you need to do is to start with 100 hectares, if the location is good for the production of sugarcane, then you will expand the production from 100 hectares to 1,000 hectares to 10,000 hectares. Since it takes sugarcane one year to grow, it will take approximately three years for an investor to produce enough sugarcane that will be crushed to produce sugar.

“Assuming it is good, then it takes him to 10,000 hectares. At that moment then he begins to now install his factory because he has enough cane by next year, to be able to crush and produce a little sugar” he explained.

While noting that peace and stability were key elements in attracting investors, Sule explained why his administration doesn’t take the issue of security lightly.

“When there is total peace and stability, WKLQJV ÁRXULVK 2SSRUWXQLWLHV ÁRXULVK Investors are looking for where there is peace, where there’s stability to invest their money. In Nasarawa State, we will not go anywhere if we don’t have peace and stability. We are looking at projects that will be revenue-generating,” the governor maintained.

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JULY 17, 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 24

Investment in Health is Investment in Wealth A

few days before our usual meeting day, my Billionaire Friend called me to hint that he would like to share a thought that could be the subject of our next discussion if it was okay with me. I was all ears. He started with a question: Have you heard of the expression “health is wealth”? I answered in the affirmative and he then asked further: Do you know what it means?

My reply: “That is obvious enough. It means when you take care of your health, you are putting yourself in a position to build wealth”.

“That is correct,” he said, “but I want to stretch it a bit further, and if it is alright by you, we shall dwell more on it during our next meeting. I gave him my nod on the subject.

Once we settled down for the session, my Billionaire Friend took off from where we stopped our telephone conversation:

HEALTH IS WEALTH “My boss, health is wealth is not just a cliché; it is at the core of wealth building, but unfortunately, many people trying to build wealth are not conscious of this reality. I have observed individuals who run around, especially during their youth, trying by all means to make a name, fame and wealth but totally neglecting to take care of their health, erroneously thinking that once the money is made, they would take care of their health.

They ultimately find this to be a disastrous assumption.

“Here is the reality, from personal observations, experience and what I have also read: once your health is fundamentally assaulted, everything may come to a halt and worse, it could get to a point where you will not be able to just throw money at it. Once your health is affected, lofty dreams can vanish; great visions can perish, and the wealth you have spent your vigour to build may become meaningless. I was once told of a wealthy man who sold all his property worth quite a lot at a fraction of the value, just to get cash, yet he could still not make it”.

“Many Nigerian wealth owners and builders have died for not paying attention to and investing in their health while being fixed and busy only stashing wealth in vaults. Some of my close friends have died from lacking investment in regular medical checks and attention to their health”.

“Don’t get me wrong, my boss; ill health can still come to anyone for a variety of reasons; what I want us to focus on in this subject is why wealth builders should be intentional about taking care of their health if they truly want to build enduring wealth”.

“In building wealth, wealth builders must take cognisance of the importance of their health. Otherwise, the whole effort of wealth building would end up worthless for their lives. Wealth builders must therefore be conscious of the need to regularly monitor and take care of their health, to ensure that they live and work with a sound mind, body, energy, good health, and the right mind to build their wealth”.

“The common health issues that generally occur with wealth builders, in their usually concentrated, focused and very busy search for wealth, are health problems arising from; overweight, or or mental health, workplace injury, violence, environmental quality, etc. These problematic health issues globally affect wealth builders. It is therefore important for wealth builders to always remain conscious that man must first be alive and well before he can ably build and enjoy wealth. Otherwise, wealth building would not be worth its effort”.

“Wealth builders must pay attention to the need for regular and continuous monitoring of their health by medical doctors, particularly their heart. Health problems of the heart cover many heart conditions, including heart disease, infection, congenital heart defects and coronary heart disease. These heart problems can usually easily be detected from simple blood analysis in medical laboratories for the detection and treatment by medical doctors. But wealth builders must first submit themselves for such analysis, detection and treatment of their heart conditions to save them from developing serious heart conditions or sudden deaths. It is generally common to find wealth builders pursuing wealth without investing in their health.

Hence, in many cases, fatal health injuries occur due to wealth builders not undergoing regular medical checkups.”

FAMILY HEALTH “Being mindful of wealth builders’ family health history is also important. In that wise, wealth builders should find out and be fully aware of their family health histories for good health investment. For instance, such knowledge of family health history is necessary for the early detection of hypertension and diabetes, which are the most recurrent health problems with wealth builders and owners as they age. Generally, parents’ health history has

Artist Impression of my Billionaire Friend

Here is the reality, both from personal observations, experience and what I have also read: once your health is fundamentally assaulted, everything may come to a halt and worse, it could get to a point where you could not be able to just throw money at it. Once your health is affected, lofty dreams can vanish; great visions can perish, and the wealth you have spent your vigour to build may become meaningless some relevance and correlation with the health of their offspring. Most times, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes can be traced to people’s parents. However, if wealth builders have taken the trouble to be aware of the likely development of such genetically occurring health issues, investing by wealth builders to prevent, detect or better manage such health issues would be better achievable. Early detection of diabetes and hypertension would allow wealth builders to take good pre-emptive actions, in consulting their medical doctors, usually long before these health problems rear their heads.”

“Wealth builders should also invest in creating the right environment around them to avoid the possible development of chronic respiratory diseases and avoid smoking and smokers. Smoking is medically known to be carcinogenic. Wealth builders must avoid smoking since it is known to damage the lungs and lead to chronic respiratory diseases in the long run. Therefore, it is strongly-recommended for wealth builders to invest in their health via regular checkups, using their recommended drugs appropriately and ensure that their medical doctors properly monitor their health performance.”

DISEASES: LITTLE FOXES THAT SPOIL THE VINE “Many chronic respiratory diseases usually start gradually. Hence, generally, investment in the early detection of pulmonary diseases and chronic bronchitis are very vital to the health and sustenance of the pursuit of wealth by wealth builders working in susceptible environments. Wealth builders with asthma and occupational lung diseases also need to regularly invest in closely monitoring their health to look out for any possible early development.”

“One area of human health which wealth builders need to pay close attention to, is the early detection of cancer. The symptoms of cancer for early detection include lumps or thickening of the skin, fatigue, skin changes, unexplained bleedings, etc. Once these begin to rear their heads, wealth builders must take prompt measures to invest in a thorough investigation before such early symptoms of cancer development to advanced stages. We can go on and on about the health issues usually occurring during wealth builders’

earnest pursuit of wealth. However, the whole essence of this conversation is the need for wealth builders to invest in and pay due attention to their health while seeking wealth. Wealth without health has no value and significance because man needs a healthy life to enjoy wealth. Wealth builders’ benefits of investing in health are enormous because they need to take care of their survival, energetic body, stable health and flexible body to build wealth and make significant contributions to societal, national and human development.”

“Wealth builders who do not invest in resting, recreating, engaging in pleasurable leisure activities and some simple exercises only end up with cerebrovascular diseases. These occur more regularly with ageing wealth builders who ignore their health but spend their time solely pursuing and accumulating wealth.“ “Stroke is most common with this class of wealth builders, as their blood supply to the brain is cut off, depriving their brain’s delicate tissue of oxygen and its necessary nutrients. To avoid the occurrence of stroke, wealth builders need to consult their doctors regularly, carry out regular check-ups of their oxygen levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and also regularly monitor their blood sugar levels to avoid stroke, which is common with wealth builders that jettison their health for pursuing wealth only”.

“As earlier mentioned, many wealth builders suffer from stroke, particularly those wealth builders who, as a result of the abundance of their financial endowments, end up not caring about what they ingest as food and drinks and thus develop obesity without caring about investing in their health or exercising regularly. Diabetes can be genetic, but its occurrence can be minimised by those wealth builders who watch their food and alcoholic drink intake to prevent it. In such cases where the health problems of diabetes have already occurred, then such wealth builders who have invested in managing such problems would, of course, be saved from the resulting complications. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will suffer long-term health complications.

Therefore, wealth builders need to invest and pay particular attention to regularly monitoring the sugar levels in their blood. The health complications that can arise from long-term diabetes include kidney failure, nerve damage, eye damage, cardiovascular diseases, etc.”

INVESTMENT IN HEALTH INSURANCE “We must realise that medical insurance companies that provide this health insurance policy coverage run for profitable goals and that they do make profits. Therefore wealth builders are encouraged to establish health insurance and health gym firms as viable opportunities for building wealth. Since health insurance is vital in the management of people’s health, then Nigerian with very poor public health facilities, over 200 million population and with only 3% of its population, investing in the provision of health insurance coverage offers wealth builders a great opportunity to wealth builders to grow their wealth in such an environment.”

“I started by investing in foreign health insurance outside Nigeria, long before the emergence of good health insurance companies in Nigeria. I had to be coughing out some $15,000 per annum for myself and my spouse, on medical insurance coverage, including medical evacuation out of Nigeria, in the absence of good local health facilities and health insurance companies. However, since the emergence of good health insurance companies in Nigeria, I have stopped procuring foreign health insurance policies for some years. I pay for my Nigerian health insurance policy in naira. It covers up to N50 000,000 naira health coverage and business class evacuation to the nearest centre of medical excellence outside Nigeria, with me as the patient and one person accompanying me and full treatment in private wards outside Nigeria. Wealth builders should take advantage of the National Health Insurance Scheme Act for themselves and their organisations. It has worked very well for me, my family and personnel. Nigeria’s health insurance coverage is good, working, covers all classes of the economic

strata and therefore comes highly recommended. It is generally known that good health is directly related to a productive life. Owning all the wealth in this world without good health is foolishness.”

“I enjoin you to be familiar with the last words of the world’s famous billionaire - Steve Jobs, to further appreciate this my position. The functionality of the human body is interconnected between various organs of the human body. Therefore, keeping wealth builders healthy is essential for their proper functioning towards their devoted pursuit of wealth. Hence, wealth builders must regularly monitor and take good care of their physical, mental health and social well-being, to ensure that their pursuit of wealth ends up meaningful.”

“While covering this subject, one is tempted to ask how best can one ensure that wealth builders save themselves the huge expense of maintaining good health at all times.

The answer to this is obvious with the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, which enabled many health insurance firms to emerge and thrive for the benefit of wealth builders and others in Nigeria. Wealth builders should procure health insurance for their health and their personnel. In doing this, they will save themselves the expense and trouble of coughing out unplanned and unbudgeted funds for providing health facilities for their personnel. Health insurance generally minimises the overall cost of providing health facilities for families and the personnel of wealth builders. There are many health insurance companies currently operating in Nigeria, and the cost in Nigeria, for procuring health insurance coverage is not as exorbitant as it is generally perceived here by Nigerians. Indeed one reason for this discussion is to make Nigerians aware that the procurement of health insurance in Nigeria is not out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians. This conversation is thus aimed at simplifying the myth around medical insurance coverage and providing some basic information and knowledge about this very important medical protective care need at the most minimal cost to Nigerians. Indeed, health insurance covers all different economic strata. There are, thus, levels for the poor, the average class, and the wealthy. The levels for the poor could be as low as N42, 000 naira per annum while for others, it ranges from N80, 000 - N600 000 per annum”. Health insurance policies extend from providing essential medical maintenance coverage in hospitals to providing surgeries for the poor while providing for the wealthy in medical evacuations out of Nigeria, in cases where required medical facilities are not available in Nigeria. This information is also for wealth builders, towards investing in not only providing good health coverage for their personnel and staff but in the process, motivating the productivity and optimisation of their personnel outputs, towards greater wealth builders profitability and business survival.

“Efforts should therefore be made by wealth builders to procure good health insurance policies for their personnel, for coverage in hospitals closest to their homes as arranged under their different insurance policies, towards reducing staff medical cost of accessing and receiving health coverage. This conversation became necessary from a recent experience of a close friend, who, out of lack of health insurance coverage, caused some embarrassment. This very committed and hardworking but uninformed sick friend is currently experiencing a major unexpected medical condition because of being without subsisting health insurance coverage. He has had to have cause to resort to friends and associates for assistance. His subsequent unexpected major surgeries, lengthy hospitalisation, and now evacuation would have been well covered under a good medical insurance policy in Nigeria and Naira, including his resulting evacuation.

All that good medical insurance coverage would have taken from him on regular payment of his insurance premiums would have only been appending his signature to the medical invoice covering the total cost of his treatment, surgeries, and medical maintenance costs.

Remember: health is wealth. Invest in your health while pursuing wealth” Thus far…

I can’t wait to catch up with you next week.

Email:ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com

This conversation became necessary from a recent experience of a close friend, who, out of lack of health insurance coverage, caused some embarrassment.This very committed and hardworking but uninformed sick friend is currently experiencing a major unexpected medical condition because of being without subsisting health insurance coverage

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T H I S D AY MONDAYSunday MARCH 14, 2022 17 July, 2022 Vol 27. No 9959

OPI NION

123

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

THE WANING SOVEREIGNTY OF AFRICAN STATES Insecurity is undermining the sovereignty of many African States, agues WEALTH DICKSON OMINABO

See Page 24

INEC AND THE APC IN AKWA IBOM STATE FIDELIS PUALKINS urges the electoral body to act as an unbiased umpire

See Page 24

AFRO-COLOMBIANS AND THE AFRICAN UNION OKELLO OCULI argues that the AU should press for the termination of practices which humiliate, and exploit Black peoples everywhere on the globe See Page 49

UDOM EMMANUEL ON HORSEBACK The Akwa Ibom governor is a man of vision, writes WALE HENRY OMOWALE See Page 49

EDITORIAL

RETHINKING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES…1 See Page 50

The Zikist Movement holds lessons for Nigerian youth, writes Ike Okonta

2023 AND NIGERIAN YOUTH: A HISTORY LESSON ‘In any society where a governing elite, faced with wide social inequality, mass poverty, unemployment and conspicuous waste of limited national resources, resorts to a systematic denial of its earlier revolutionary slogans, such an elite is bound to be challenged by a frustrated younger generation that is eager to consummate the social revolution.’

Mokwugo Okoye: A Letter To Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (August, 1955)

T

here is no doubt about it: the youth in Nigeria are stirring at long last. You need to encounter them on social media platforms and radio and television phone-in programmes to experience their fury against the two main political parties, the All Progressives Convention [APC] and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and their presidential candidates, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively.

It is a fury powered by the realization that the two parties do not have the faintest clue that Nigeria is gripped by a profound economic, political and social crisis, and that nothing short of new and truly patriotic faces as presidential candidates will do.

The two political parties’ decision to throw up Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, two politicians who have been on the scene since 1999 when the Fourth Republic began – politicians who have done absolutely nothing to address the poverty and the unemployment crisis in which the youth are presently trapped is an indication, the latter believe, that it will be business as usual come 2023 and they are now determined to put an end to the same old game. The youth are saying that they will vote for neither Tinubu not Atiku. They are also saying that they want to throw up a new political class in the country that will take her social and economic problems seriously and in fact move mountains to address them for the EHQHÀW RI \RXQJ DQG ROG ULFK DQG SRRU A new peoples movement is about to be born in the country powered by our youth. The last two peoples’ movements which brought about profound change in the country are the Zikist Movement in the late 1940s that paved the way for independence in 1960 and the June 12 1993 Movement which ended military dictatorship in the country in 1999.

Both movements were led primarily

by Nigerian youth. In this essay I will trace the origin and trajectory of the Zikist Movement to serve as a lesson for the Nigerian youth who are presently working to bring about a change in the way Nigerian politicians do business.

The Zikist Movement was founded in Lagos in February 1946 at the instance of four young journalists – M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu, Abiodun Aloba, Kolawole Balogun and Nduka Eze. They had just been dismissed from their jobs in the ‘Nigerian Advocate’, a Lebaneseowned newspaper, for advocating for independence from British rule, and they

decided to establish an organization that would continue to push their demands, built around the person of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the courageous journalist and proprietor of the ‘West African Pilot’, and the leading advocate for independence following the death of Herbert Macaulay in 1945.

The Young Zikists, as they were called, were impatient with the tactics of the older generation of Nigerian nationalists who contented themselves with writing petitions and articles in newspapers calling for the British colonisers to quit.

They wanted independence immediately, and they resorted to protest marches, boycotts, strikes and such tactics designed to impress on the British rulers that the time for them to go had come. Members of the Zikist Movement wanted the three big regions to be broken up into smaller states. They also advocated socialism, wanting the commanding heights of the Nigerian economy to be socialized so that the poor too would have a real stake in factories, farms and the service sector.

But it was in their pan-Nigerian outlook that the Zikists distinguished themselves most. The British colonizer had cynically divided the country along regional lines and was in fact encouraging WKH ÁRXULVKLQJ RI HWKQLF VHQWLPHQWV to divide the emerging indigenous political elite. This was an old tactic adopted by colonisers everywhere to divide the political opposition and make LW GLIÀFXOW WR PRXQW D XQLWHG FKDOOHQJH The Zikists would have none of this.

Although established by southerners, the Zikist Movement quickly spread to northern towns and cities and attracted such eminent young northerners as Raj Abdullah and Sa’ad Zungur who were later to play distinguished roles in the nationalist cause.

It was at the height of the Zikist Movement’s popularity and power giving the British sleepless nights that Dr Azikiwe chickened out and publicly disowned the

organization. This was a terrible blow for the young people. They tried to mediate with Azikiwe but he was adamant, taking to the pages of the mass-circulating ‘West African Pilot’ to describe the young Zikists as malcontents and overzealous renegades. This was the signal the British colonisers were waiting for. They arrested the leaders of the Zikist Movement in February 1950 and imprisoned them. The Movement was subsequently banned.

Those who escaped arrest changed the name of the organization to the Freedom Movement and tried to resuscitate it but WKH ROG ÀUH ZDV JRQH Even so, the activities of the Zikist Movement and the courageous and uncompromising stance of its members who insisted that the British must go served notice to the latter that the time to quit Nigeria had come, and 10 years later this indeed came about. The young Zikists’ dream of a great, united and prosperous Nigeria where the poor had equal say in the affairs of the country as the rich and where the divide between the north and the south was bridged did not come about, however. Britain, looking after her own interests, handed over to the independence politicians a hopelessly divided country where the rich, 62 years later, continue to be as cynical as they are corrupt and indolent and the poor are powerless to do anything about their sorry situation.

This then is the story of the Zikist Movement, and I urge the present generation of Nigerian youth intent on displacing the APC and PDP to bear the lessons of the rise and fall of this intrepid movement in mind as they move to remake the country.

Dr Okonta was until recently Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Politics, University of Oxford. He now lives in Abuja.

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY JULY 17, 2022

Insecurity is undermining the sovereignty of many African States, agues WEALTH DICKSON OMINABO

THE WANING SOVEREIGNTY OF AFRICAN STATES The African Union (AU) turned 20 on July 9. The 20th anniversary of AU was celebrated at a time when many African nations are enmeshed in political crises and other existential crises that threaten the peace, security and development prospects of the continent. Africa is a continent at a crossroads, challenged by human miseries and development problems.

Many African rural cities are scenes of human sufferings - poverty, hunger, deprivation and unquantifiable squalor amid the life of opulence exhibited by their leaders. These challenges undermine the objective of statehood, as today, many African nations rely on foreigners – international bodies and other stakeholders within the international community for sustenance.

This trend some analysts posit rewinds the clock of progress recorded by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the parent body of AU which was established in 1963. The humanitarian crises and security

problems in Africa have resulted in the compromise of sovereignty in many African States.

The Fund for Peace in its 2022 Fragile States Index reports that Africa is the most fragile continent in the world, as 14 out of the 20 most fragile countries are African nations, with Nigeria occupying 14th position, trailing behind Burundi, Cameroon, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Uganda and Mali. Human Security has been one of the major impediments to Africa’s growth and development prospects.

The alarm about human security in Africa has been very loud in recent times because of the development challenges that besets the continent. The COVID -19 pandemic, war and climate change are ranked as basic factors responsible for some of these sad realities.

Recently, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported that the 10 most neglected crises in the world are in Africa. NRC in its 2021 report listed the countries with the most neglected crises as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burkina Faso, Cameroon, South Sudan, Chad, Mali, Sudan, Nigeria, Burundi and Ethiopia. The organization said the 2021 ranking “testifies to the chronic failure of decision-makers, donors and the media to address the conflicts and human suffering on this continent”, The report indicated that this is the first time all 10 crises on the Council’s annual ranking will come from Africa.

The report sheds light on the challenge of insecurity in the continent, especially as it concerns human security. The report indicts the different African governments on their failure of leadership and abscondment of responsibilities. That Africa, will be the host to major humanitarian crises across the globe, points to the poor state of governance in the continent and the dereliction of responsibilities by state actors.

Another report by the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) indicate that “between 2012 and 2020, terrorist attacks on the continent increased four-fold, while there were 508 terrorist strikes across the continent in 2012 that resulted in 2,563 casualties. The number of attacks increased to 2,034 in 2020 resulting in 8,631 deaths, thereby representing 400% and 237% rises in attacks and deaths

respectively.”

These reports underscore the fact that many African States are weak. Governments across the continent are no longer able to withstand internal pressures thus making them lose their sovereignty under different guise. Insecurity on the continent is undermining the sovereignty of many African States, as some leaders now resort to private security outfits to help contain insurgencies in their countries while others depend on development agencies to resolve their humanitarian crises and solve their development problems. In recent times, stakeholders have criticised the operation of the Russian Wagner Group in Africa, especially in the Central Africa Republic and in Mali. Some argue that outsourcing national security to foreigners betrays the idea of sovereignty as it amounts to neo-colonialism and wilful surrendering of one’s nationality and territory to political aliens - those without political mandate and legitimate authority to govern a people.

Many Afrocentric scholars and activists argue that Africa is retreating to colonialism, citing loans, grants and other economic incentives by developed nations and multilateral agencies as bait to plungeAfricans to the inglorious past of servitude. In recent times, some stakeholders have complained about the dangers of Chinese loans and its impacts on State sovereignty amid the debate on the vagueness of sovereignty clause in the contracts.

The idea of political independence is rooted on the concept of State sovereignty and sovereignty is hinged on state capacity to defend its people, territories and shield them from miseries and other threats. African leaders and other stakeholders need to realize that there is a limit to what donor agencies and other foreign stakeholders can do to resolve their internal problems. This current trend where leaders are abandoning their responsibilities to development partners and donor agencies is not a sustainable pathway to the continent’s growth and development.

The real objective of sovereign statehood is hinged on the promise of liberty and responsibility to protect, which should manifest in peace, and improved standard of living of citizens. The dream for peaceful and prosperous Africa as captured in Africa Union Agenda 2063 would remain illusionary unless leaders take deliberate steps to address basic security concerns in the continent. Many Africans have lost faith on their countries, so unfortunate that many will prefer to embark on suicide voyage across the Mediterranean Sea just to avoid the sad realities of hunger and deprivation in their home countries.

The promise of sovereignty as David Williams argues is not just that “‘peoples’ can be free from external interference in their internal affairs, but that the sovereign state is the vehicle for achieving political and economic development.” This is the point that African leaders and all other leaders must prioritize because the essence of sovereignty is to advance the fate, destiny and dignity of citizens as well as enhance the progress and shared values of a people.

Africa is failing; its sovereignty is waning, governments are collapsing, terrorists and other non -state actors are winning the hearts and minds of citizens to their side because of the immoderacy of bad governance DQG WKH LQVXIÀFLHQF\ RI KRSH 'HIHQGLQJ Africa’s sovereignty starts with good governance, accountability, justice; these are the values that guarantee peace and hope in any nation. As Patrice Lumumba rightly said: “African unity and solidarity are no longer dreams. They must be expressed in decisions.”

2PLQDER LV WKH &RPPXQLFDWLRQV 2IÀFHU DW the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation

FIDELIS PUALKINS urges the electoral body to act as an unbiased umpire

INEC AND THE APC IN AKWA IBOM STATE No doubt, the Independent National Electoral Commission has the powers to monitor the organization and operation of political parties, including their ÀQDQFHV FRQYHQWLRQV FRQJUHVVHV DQG primaries.

Similarly, it is also the sole responsibility of political parties to nominate candidates for election.

Both the constitution and the Electoral Act give different powers to both the political parties and the INEC. Section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act 22 provides “Every political party shall, not later than 180 days before the date appointed for a general election under this Act, submit to the Commission, in the prescribed Forms, the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, who must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by the political party.”

While section 84 (13) states that, “Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for election shall not be included in the

election for the particular position in issue.”

However, exercising these powers have not been devoid of frictions between INEC and political parties. The dispute between Akwa Ibom chapter of All Progressives Congress and the INEC as represented by its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State is case in point.

What is not in doubt is the fact that it is the responsibility of political parties to submit the list of their candidates to INEC. Following a Federal High court judgment that declared Obong Stephen Ntukekpo the chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom State and confirmation by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, the Resident Electoral Commissioner has refused to recognize these judgments.

He also refused to relate with him.

The Secretary to the commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony had to write to Mike Igini drawing his attention

to the judgment of a Federal High Court declaring Ntukekpo as the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom and advising him to comply with the content of the judgment. Notwithstanding this letter, the resident electoral commissioner continues to deny the recognition to the APC leadership in the state.

Even if the resident electoral commissioner disagreed with the court judgment, he had no choice but to comply with it until an appellate court has set it aside. But in sheer disregard to the rule of law, the resident electoral commissioner has continued to accord recognition to another faction of the APC. He therefore chose to monitor primaries conducted by the faction not recognized by law. He would not have anything to do with the legally recognized leadership of the APC LQ $NZD ,ERP +LV RIÀFH ZRXOG not accept correspondences from the legitimate leadership. The party having given INEC statutory notices indicating schedules of its primaries, it cannot compel INEC to exercise its statutory responsibility of monitoring the primaries. He didn’t stop there.

He granted interviews to newspapers and television stations in which he ridiculed a valid court judgment thereby sitting on an appeal on the judgment of the federal high court.

In one of such interviews, Igini said that APC would not participate in the governorship and National Assembly election in Akwa Ibom because it does not have candidates.

This exactly is the crux of the crisis in Akwa Ibom. INEC cannot pick and choose which primaries to monitor. If INEC, out of disdain for the legitimate leadership of a political party chooses to monitor a primary conducted by an illegal faction, should the party be punished or accused of not conducting a valid primary? Put differently, what happens where a political party invites INEC to monitor its primaries and INEC declines? Should the political party be punished for INEC’s negligence and transgression? These and many more are the issues that the court will have to resolve in the Akwa Ibom case.

However, to err on the side of caution, it makes sense for INEC to allow the list of candidates sent by the APC to be on the ballot. If a court of law holds that the list should not have been accepted, then so be it. However, it will do an incalculable and irreversible injustice and damage to the APC if ,1(& GRHV QRW DOORZ WKH SDUW\ WR ÀHOG candidates. Even if the court holds that the list should have been accepted, other parties might have been declared winner of the election.

Holding the balance of justice is the least that is expected of an unbiased umpire. To do otherwise, is to give in to allegation that INEC is working for Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom.

Pualkins writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY JULY 17 2022

AFRO-COLOMBIANS AND THE AFRICAN UNION OKELLO OCULI argues that the AU should press for the termination of practices which humiliate, and exploit Black peoples everywhere on the globe A former guerrilla war leader, Gustavo Petro, was elected president of Colombia in a second-round voting results announced on Sunday 19th -XQH $OWKRXJK KLV ZDU UHFRUG had been softened by a past record of being elected as Senator and later the Mayor of the country’s capital city Bogota, it was still a ‘good shock’ to his people that a man with SOCIALIST ideological convictions had achieved that historic victory.

His Vice President also made history. Francia Marquez became the ÀUVW %ODFN :RPDQ WR EH HOHFWHG WR WKDW post. In her view her victory was not only a ‘’victory for all women’’, but a manifesto that ‘’we are facing the greatest possibility of change in recent times’’.

In terms of radical politics, Petro’s victory followed similar changes in Chile, Honduras and Peru. That of Francia Marquez seems to have been part of tremors broadcast around the world by the multiracial power of the ‘’BLACK LIVES MATTER’’ movement which kicked up a countrywide dust in the United States of America, Europe; and tremors in Brazil.

Afro-Colombians have a rare panAfricanist ancestry. Their music, CUMBIA, has roots in Eritrea, Angola and Mali. Their ancestors are reported to have come from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo and Angola. With a total of 4.4 million Blacks, they are competitive with several African countries. They constitute the fourth largest population of people of African descent in the western hemisphere. The United States, Brazil and Haiti are the top three.

7KHLU SHU FHQW 0HVWL]R 0XODWR share of the country’s population, LV D UHÁHFWLRQ RI $IUR &RORPELDQ DQFHVWRUV ÀJKWLQJ 6SDQLVK UDFLVWV DQG retreating into jungles and mixing with LQGLJHQRXV LQKDELWDQWV 7KHLU ÁLJKW away from gun-wielding Spanish military and civilian opponents, is UHÁHFWHG LQ WKH ODUJH FRQFHQWUDWLRQ RI their numbers along the coast of the 3DFLÀF 2FHDQ WR WKH IDU ZHVW Afro-Colombians hold a rich record RI ÀJKWLQJ IRU WKHLU IUHHGRP DQG WKH ULJKW WR UXOH WKHPVHOYHV ,Q a ‘’predominantly Black political administrative division’’, El Choco, was created. They later became PHPEHUV RI WKH WZR JXHUULOOD ÀJKWHUV FARC and AUC. The emergence of a Black woman activist as Vice Presidentelect gets legitimacy from this legacy. $W SHU FHQW RI &RORPELD·V population, Afro-Colombians are, however the poorest. This poverty remains rooted in governments denying them access to education. :KLOH SHU FHQW RI WKHLU FKLOGUHQ attend Primary School, very few of them attend higher education.

The Primary Schools have very low pedagogical facilities, including wretched school buildings.

This low access to education ensures lack of capacity to enter high-paying MREV 7KHLU DYHUDJH VDODU\ RI 86 Dollars per year is in contrast to US 'ROODUV SHU \HDU DYHUDJH IRU White Colombians. Governments deny their communities investments.

Colombia carries the colonial legacy of large plantations which exploited African slaves for sugar production; gold mining and cattle ranches. Wages are at starvation levels. Political dictatorships used lavish violence to repress protests and demands for

living wages. Hunger and malnutrition is normal to a ruling class characterised as “tough and resilient’’.

Newly elected president promised to have dialogue at the ‘’Presidential Palace’’ with ‘’those who have raised arms’’ and those he called the ‘’silent majority of peasants, indigenous people, women, youth’’. Andres Felipe Barranos, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation, as said of Petro –Marguez victory that since Colombia became a republic and got ,QGHSHQGHQFH \HDUV DJR ¶·QRWKLQJ like this had happened’’.

Luis Celis listed problems facing the new Leftists to include: ‘’agrarian reform, an economy at the service of the people; a more equitable taxation; to get out of hunger; of poverty, and to put an end to all that violence’’. :KHQ LQ D 6RFLDOLVW JRYHUQPHQW of Salvador Allende in Chile set itself the task of achieving that horrible list, he was assassinated by military coupists aided by the Americans.

Anthony Blinken, Biden’s 6HFUHWDU\ RI 6WDWH )RUHLJQ 0LQLVWHU

Afro-Colombians have a rare pan-Africanist ancestry. Their music, CUMBIA, has roots in Eritrea, Angola and Mali. Their ancestors are reported to have come from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo and Angola

congratulated Petro and offered cooperation ‘’towards a better future’’.

7KLV FKDQJH LQ WRQH PD\ UHÁHFW FRQFHUQ over massive investments by China in South America, and public rejection of past American assassinations; and ruthless exploitation of economies in the subcontinent.

The African Union owes Afro-Colombians the practical implementation of foreign policy promises expressed by Nigeria’s Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to demand termination of practices which humiliate, degrade and exploit Black peoples everywhere on the globe.

Oil-rich economies, notably: Nigeria, Angola and Gabon should create an ‘AFRICA DIASPORA EDUCATION FUND’’ to support good quality education facilities for Black communities in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, the United States of America.

The African Union must also learn from Colombia’s revolt by the wretched of the country that free and fair elections prevents resort to armed warfare for economies in the service of the people.

Prof Oculi writes from Abuja

UDOM EMMANUEL ON HORSEBACK THE AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR IS A MAN OF VISION, WRITES WALE HENRY OMOWALE Sometimes you don’t have to make a lot of noise to do a lot. That seems to be the mantra of the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, as he works his LQFUHDVLQJO\ ULVLQJ SURÀOH DV WKH FKLHI steward of his fellow citizens as the helmsman of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

6R VROLG KDV EHHQ KLV SURÀOH WKDW DIWHU KLV Trojan outing in the quest to be the nation’s number one citizen under the aegis of his party, he has chewed his cud, and turned attention with aplomb to the last phase of his term as the number one citizen of his state.

A lot has been written about how he has performed in the past seven years plus and few will doubt the contention that he is one of the sterling revelations of his generation.

But one can muse on that. However, let us ÀUVW ORRN RXW KRZ KH LV DOVR VKRZLQJ KLV deftness as a leader of his party and the politics of his state.

A few days ago, he consolidated his position as the head of his party when he led the PDP to win at the Federal High Court in Abuja in his bid to present, as part of a collective resolve, the person of Umo (QR DV WKH VWDQGDUG ÁDJ EHDUHU LQ WKH governorship poll. Some dissenting forces on the fringe of his party challenged the three-man formula endorsed by law and INEC as well as the new electoral law for conducting the ward elections across the state. They argued that it was not properly adhered to and asked the courts to nullify it.

They had, it seemed, tried to ape the melee in the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, where INEC had come to notify them of the improprieties of their primaries. So, the PDP fringe persons ZHQW WR FRXUW WR ÀQDJOH D VRUW RI WRUSHGRLQJ the process and therefore outplay Udom Emmanuel. But Justice Obiora Egwuata of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had other ideas. He dismissed the suit as incompetent and lacking in merit. As one barrister Emmanuel Enoidem noted, “the judgment will serve as a benchmark for a lot of litigants who will want to go to court RQ LVVXHV FRQFHUQLQJ WKH (OHFWRUDO $FW HVSHFLDOO\ VHFWLRQ WKDW D ORW RI SHRSOH are brandishing out of context.”

One of the big victors is candidate Eno, an ecclesiastic, who waxed pastoral in his response, calling it “God in action” and… “that is what the handwriting of God looks like.” In the bigger picture, it is also the big design of another governor as cleric in Emmanuel who has seen Eno as a crucial part of his completion agenda.

The completion agenda is to bring governance and the political culture of the state in tandem with Gov. Emmanuel’s dream sheet since he ascended the throne as the chief executive. Is it the Ibom Air, a project of extraordinary audacity, turning an otherwise outback state into the airspace charting the path for other airlines in the country in the sky? Or is it his work in the area of housing, a systematic building of estates to match the growing sprawl of Uyo and other major urban areas with WKH ULVLQJ SURÀOH DV D SODFH QRW MXVW RI FLYLO servants but of professionals who have started trooping to live there, meaning it is also a cynosure for high and low classes.

Shall we forget the high tower of a building to answer the yearning of the oil majors DQG RWKHU FRPSDQLHV ZKR ZDQW RIÀFHV to operate from? The Dakkada Tower is the smartest in the region and one of the smartest in the west coast of Africa.

We can speak of the strides in education and infrastructure, with highways that not only inter-connect the urban and rural areas but open the way to wayfarers entering and the leaving the state. The

coconut factory, billed as a revolutionary touchstone in an industrial Nigeria, has been launched to cater to many needs in one swoop.

But all of these require not just the steady hand of a governor but also a mobiliser of men and women, especially in the political terrain. That does not only mean getting members of the fold under one umbrella, but ensuring that the opponents crack and split and become incapacitated. They become divided. When war erupts, it is not a war but a rout. With quite of few implosions in the main opposition party, the APC, Emmanuel’s PDP is preening quietly. Recently, one of the chieftains of the APC, and secretary of its National Working Committee, Akpan Udoedehe, quit to star in the newly formed NNPP under Rabiu Kwankwanso. The party has come apart at the seam. This is because the PDP in the state has held together under the leadership and

ideology fashioned under Emmanuel.

We saw recently a gale of defections spearheaded by Bishop Samuel Akpan and other big wigs who defected to the PDP in a fanfare, and were received by PDP party chairman Aniekan Akpan.

For Bishop Akpan, it was not only a defection but also a homecoming. He was one of the founding members of the PDP before he left. His return was a sort of a prodigal son’s return, without the extravagancies of dissipation. He did not come alone, but with as many DV IROORZHUV XQKDSS\ ZLWK WKHLU sojourn in the APC. This is the worth of a leader. A party man is good for the party. A good governor is good for the state. But a good party man who is not a good administrator is as bad as a good administrator who is not a good party PDQ ,Q WKH ÀUVW LQVWDQFH WKH SDUW\ PDQ may win an election and fail the people on the throne. It is a talent as disillusion.

A goof administrator who is a bad party man may, one, never get there because you need good politics to win an election. Two, if a good administrator by an odd fortune secures the electoral win, he might be so much a disaster as a politician that he and his party may be swept out of power. His good deeds may never be seen or appreciated.

In fact, he may not be able to rally a people to a good idea of governance.

Hence we must appreciate Governor Emmanuel who has combined both attributes, and no one can wonder why his profile is so assured in this generation. He is a man on horseback riding ever FRQÀGHQWO\ LQWR WKH KRUL]RQ Omowale writes from Uyo

4 50

T H I S D AY SUNDAY JULY 17, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

RETHINKING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES…1 To resolve the perpetual financial crisis in the university system, we must examine alternative sources of funding

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consultancy services.

Incidentally, the military hile it is within the fundamental right JRYHUQPHQW RI *HQHUDO <DNXEX *RZRQ GHDOW ZLWK of parents to educate their children the problem at the level of policy. The federal military wherever they choose, it is a bit government had the students’ loans scheme, work study unsettling that those entrusted with programmes, scholarship schemes for indigent students, managing social assets now make grants, etc. There were also bursaries at the level of states. a public show of their children’s Sadly, all these schemes have either been abandoned or offshore graduation ceremonies. It is all the more compromised in their execution. scandalous that this has even become a competition 7R UHVROYH WKH SHUSHWXDO ÀQDQFLDO FULVLV LQ WKH XQLYHUVLW\ DPRQJ JRYHUQRUV PLQLVWHUV DQG RWKHU SXEOLF RIÀFLDOV system so that our graduates can compete globally in at a period when all our public universities in Nigeria the knowledge world, we must examine alternative have been shut for several months. Time has therefore VRXUFHV RI IXQGLQJ :KLOH ÀQDQFLDO DVVLVWDQFH IRU SRRU FRPH WR ÀQG D VROXWLRQ QRW RQO\ WR WKH FXUUHQW $FDGHPLF but bright students could come in form of scholarships and 6WDII 8QLRQ RI 8QLYHUVLWLHV $688 LPSDVVH EXW DOVR WR bursaries, the idea of tuition-free tertiary education for all is no WKH FKDOOHQJH RI SXEOLF XQLYHUVLWLHV LQ 1LJHULD $W WKH longer realistic. For the sector root of this crisis is the lack to attract quality academic and of an articulated policy on non-academic staff, provide funding public education.

ASUU must collaborate with government and the enlightened voice of the necessary teaching aids, and $V ZH KDYH UHSHDWHGO\ ensure conducive learning stated on this page, we public to find reasonable and feasible solutions to the funding of public tertiary environment for students, XQGHUVWDQG ZKDW $688 some people must bear the cost.

LV ÀJKWLQJ IRU HYHQ education. Such a solution must include reasonable tertiary fees and student 7KH $688 VWULNH PXVW FRPH when we disagree with to an end now. Our children their method. The weak support facilities on the basis of merit and need cannot remain at home ÀQDQFLDO FRQGLWLRQV RI LQGHILQLWHO\ $QG OHFWXUHUV most of our universities who have been off work for so are exacerbated by the long cannot expect to continue current crippling economic drawing salaries from a dwindling public treasury. On its part, FULVLV DIÁLFWLQJ WKH QDWLRQ <HW EHVLGHV SHUVRQQHO FRVWV the federal government can also not insist on a strictly technical funds are required to rehabilitate dilapidated facilities, adherence to its IPPIS payment platform. Nor should it ignore purchase consumables and aid research. But dealing the social and long-term economic cost of having public with the challenge of thin liquidity requires more than universities closed endlessly. There is a larger national seasonal strikes by both the academic and non-academic development interest at stake which must override the staff while the federal government and authorities in the combined ego of both sides. The federal government 36 states must also understand the primacy of constant VKRXOG FRPH FOHDQ WR $688 RQ WKH UHDO VWDWH RI RXU dialogue. economy. There is only so much fund that government Given the level of our development, education FDQ GHSOR\ WR VHWWOLQJ RXWVWDQGLQJ REOLJDWLRQV %XW $688 deserves priority attention and providing access to should be ready to settle for a negotiated payment plan indigent students is a moral obligation, especially for to offset its agreed demands over a sensible timeframe. members of the ruling elite many of whom may not have 0RVW LPSRUWDQWO\ $688 PXVW FROODERUDWH ZLWK had tertiary education were the universities not free. government and the enlightened voice of the public to But we should also not shy from the fact that times have ÀQG UHDVRQDEOH DQG IHDVLEOH VROXWLRQV WR WKH IXQGLQJ RI changed. The reality of the Nigerian condition today is public tertiary education. Such a solution must include that there’s not enough money to fund tertiary education reasonable tertiary fees and student support facilities at a commensurate level. Reducing corruption and RQ WKH EDVLV RI PHULW DQG QHHG ,Q GRLQJ VR $688 PXVW waste will help but not as much as usually advertised by undertake to be in the forefront of eliminating corrupt $688 6R ZH QHHG D SUDJPDWLF DSSURDFK WR DGGUHVV WKH practices and undue leakages in the administration and problem of funding. management of university funds.

In most countries where education is taken seriously, universities explore several ways of raising funds for their operations, without any attempt to reinvent the wheel. The common avenues include donations, NOTE: To be continued endowments, professional chairs, gifts, grants, and

Letters to the Editor

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

LETTERS SHUWARI AND THE SIEGE ON EDUCATION Nigeria` epic struggle to enforce rural development has continued to extract a chilling cost from some of the most vulnerable Nigerians who live in rural areas. The insecurity which has recently ridden into the mix has had the effect of compounding what was already an extremely tricky situation.

In many rural areas, Nigerians have been abandoned to their faith, and fates.

7KLV DEDQGRQPHQW LV DPSOLÀHG DQG accentuated by an appalling lack of the basic provisions that make life bearable in the least. These provisions would include good roads, water, electricity and the infrastructure that support health and education.

Now, to compound this almost impossible situation is insecurity which LV FRPSOLFDWLQJ ZKDW DUH DOUHDG\ GLIÀFXOW lives and putting Nigeria under intense scrutiny. To bear the brunt of these relentless attacks and an almost absolute collapse of security are children.

Because by reason of their tender age

and dependence on others, children are necessarily vulnerable to the DGYHUVH HIIHFWV RI FULVLV DQG FRQÁLFWV whatever affects others affects children disproportionately. $OPRVW HYHU\ FRQÁLFW FUDIWV WKH ELJJHVW victims out of children. When children do no lose their lives, they are left traumatized at the loss of loved ones.

The trauma that older people suffer IURP WKH GHYDVWDWLQJ HIIHFWV RI FRQÁLFW somehow makes its biggest victims out of children who are left to bear lifelong scars WKDW WKH\ RIWHQ ÀQG LQDGHTXDWH VXSSRUW WR recover from.

The Safe Schools Declaration, launched in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015, highlights WKH EURDG LPSDFW RI DUPHG FRQÁLFW on education and outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education and ensure its continuity GXULQJ DUPHG FRQÁLFW Nigeria is a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration which among other things VWLSXODWHG WKDW LQ WLPHV RI DUPHG FRQÁLFWV

schools are to be spared.

If the Declaration was applauded by state actors which sat at table on that day, the armed non-state actors which have made attacks on schools and students their specialty were anything but represented.

That ruthless attacks have since followed on schools and students in Nigeria are testament to the fact that the absence of these armed non-state actors from the Declaration bore eloquent witness to the fact that whatever was etched into the declaration, they disagreed with. But who do they represent? Who could they have been invited to represent?

It was in February 2018 that Nigeria was cruelly reminded of the horrors of the abduction of the Chibok school girls in 2014 when Boko Haram terrorists struck at the Government Girls` Science and Technical College and kidnapped 110 school girls aged 11-19 years old.

Five school girls died on the day of the kidnapping.

Unlike the Chibok girls, some of whom still languish in captivity, all the girls snatched from Dapchi were released by Boko Haram in March 2018 save for Leah Sharibu who is still being held for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

On Friday, July 8, 2022, gunmen attacked 6KXZDUL SULPDU\ VFKRRO LQ %XQL <DGL WKH headquarters of Gujba Local Government DUHD RI <REH 6WDWH ZKHUH WKH\ VHW WKH school and the teachers quarters ablaze before abducting the head teacher. This attack on a school facility and again on teachers formed part of the model of threepronged attacks on schools, students and their teachers. ,Q ZKDW KDV EHFRPH D YHU\ GLIÀFXOW situation, the activities of terrorists who are determined to overrun Nigeria have made schooling a very dangerous endeavour in Nigeria`s Northeast.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

17.7.2022

I

AMB WAHAB AKANDE NAVIGATING CROSS-CULTURAL CURRENTS AS AN ENVOY IN EUROPE Soft-spoken and courteous, the Nigerian Consulate-General to Frankfurt, Ambassador Wahab Akande is an ambassador extraordinaire with exemplary leadership in foreign missions. In this encounter with Funke Olaode at his office in Frankfurt Am Main, Akande expressed his satisfaction in changing the narratives, and perception of Nigerians in his domain and why he is proud to be a Nigerian envoy.

t is a Nigerian office that houses the ConsulateGeneral Mission located on Weißfrauenstraße 12, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

A first-time visitor would experience its welcoming breeze while walking along the magnificent structure coated in white hues. At the end of the structure, which spreads across the entire floor lies the office of the Nigerian Consulate-General to Frankfurt, Ambassador Wahab Akande, an indigene of Ede, Osun State.

Akande joined the ministry of foreign affairs about 29 years ago and had worked in many Nigerian embassies abroad. In addition to working at the headquarters of the ministry, he was a secondment to the presidency in the protocol department.

“I worked at the office of the president and office of the vice president for six years before I got appointed as Consulate-General to Frankfurt a year ago,” he recounted.

Akande has made Nigerians proud in service delivery as well as his demonstration of patriotism through dedication to duties. He served in Belgium before he was posted to Frankfurt in 2021 to head the first and only Nigerian Consulate Office in entire Europe.

Within a short period, his diligence, and respect for professional ethics have seen many Nigerians enjoying the privilege often experienced in the western world with prompt visa issuance and express visa appointment without delay.

His competence as the eyes and nose of Nigeria was put to test early this year when the Ukraine war broke out. The aftermath saw many Nigerians, particularly students fleeing the war zone. Akande was on ground ensuring safety of all regardless of their parental status.

His devotion in that dark moment has been hailed as true patriotism.

For those who have followed his career trajectory, Akande is a child of providence who didn’t think he would become an ambassador or a career diplomat. His only aspiration was to become a teacher.

“I became a career diplomat by accident. I had always wanted to be a teacher actually. In the university, I wanted to be a lecturer and God actually answered my prayer when I was posted to Jos for my NYSC. In those days, those students with either a First Class or a Second Class Upper (2.1) were usually recruited and posted to the university. I was lucky to be among the chosen. I was posted to the University of Jos and after my NYSC I was offered a position as a graduate assistant. And I began life

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 17, 2022

COVER

I Never Thought I Would Be a Career Diplomat, My Early Dream was to be a Teacher as a lecturer,” he recalled.

While navigating through life on campus, he met a mentor who believed his life was not suitable for a career in the classroom. There was a twist of fate as Akande’s career pivoted from being a teacher to a Federal Civil Servant. “I was a bit reluctant when my mentor was pushing me to obtain the Federal Ministry form into the Foreign Affairs. Reluctantly I came to Lagos to obtain the form and went straight for the interview where I met the wife of the late Head of State, Mrs. Shonekan who presided over the interview that morning.”

During the interview process, Akande discovered that he didn’t need a third party or external influence to secure his ‘dream’ job. His outstanding Second Class Upper Division from the University of Ibadan paved the way. “I was employed straight away with my 2.1 in French. With modesty, I was the only one with such a grade among the applicants for the job. I did documentation in the ministry of foreign affairs in 1993 and began work.”

Akande is a patriot who switches easily between his career and devotion to the nation as an envoy. And this is evidenced in his exploits where he believes in everything he does. Nigeria and Nigerians, however, take priority. “I was in Belgium at a time not as the head of missions, I was in charge of consular services dealing with consular problems of Nigerians and foreigners.

And of course, you know that Belgium is also an important country, it is the headquarters of the European Union. Just like Frankfurt is an important city. It is the commercial headquarters of Germany and Europe. It is the investment capital of Europe actually. And of course, you also have the biggest airport here and you also have a lot of Nigerians around here. Everywhere we go, it is a service to Nigerians.

Nigerians are the centre of everything we do. First and foremost, the embassies and the consulate exist because of Nigerians. It is for the welfare and the interest of Nigerians. We try as much as possible to render quality service to Nigerians, make the mission attractive to Nigerians, let Nigerians feel free to come, let them know that they can come without knowing anybody.”

As Consulate General in Frankfurt, Akande is making his mark. Before his appointment a year ago, the Consulate office in Frankfurt only captured biometrics and data while passport printing and issuance were done in Berlin. Taking the Nigerian visitors around the newly installed equipment, Akande with a tone of accomplishment exclaimed, “we have changed the narratives.

Everything is done here now and it is immediate.

“Before I was posted here a year ago, there was no passport machine in this place.

Akande

“While navigating through life on campus, he met a mentor who believed his life was not suitable for a career in the classroom. There was a twist of fate as Akande’s career pivoted from being a teacher to a Federal Civil Servant. “I was a bit reluctant when my mentor was pushing me to obtain the Federal Ministry form into the Foreign Affairs” You know the number one problem of all Nigerians in the Diaspora is the passport. In Germany, we have 79,000 Nigerians registered officially.

Everything they do is tied to the passport and the validity of their passport. So not having a passport machine in this mission was a big problem. And there is no way you can meet the aspirations of Nigerians without having that key thing that they need, which is the passport machine. Nigerians here can get their passport immediately and at stipulated cost.”

Akande’s visionary effort has

begun to alleviate the problems of Nigerians that want to renew their passports. “Officially, we are allocated to the city of Frankfurt and other states here. With the passport machine here, Nigerians in Norway, Finland, Austria, Luxemburg, Belgium, Poland and Finland now come here to renew their passports. It is a great feat.”

Akande praised the Nigerian Immigration Service, Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the Permanent Secretary for his support to achieve

such a milestone.

Recently, the Nigerian Consulate led

by Akande hosted top management from the University of Lagos during a jointly organised summit tagged “Partnership for Change with German Universities” at Goethe University in Frankfurt. Elated, Akande said he is delighted to be part of the epochmaking initiative. “You know the popular saying ‘German machine.’

Engineering here is a way of life.

Everybody you see created something.

If you bring a German here now to this office and say you want to cut this office into layers, somebody can do that. There is nothing that they cannot create. Even from secondary school, they start to promote engineering. Like my son did eight years in secondary school, he was doing art in Nigeria.

But even in art you still have to take some sciences. They want to fill up your mind. And that is one thing we need to do in Nigeria. And they also collaborate with the private sector.

They send all the mobile companies Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsches, in collaboration with the university. They have a foundation, and that promotes the teaching of sciences and technology and gives incentives to the students and grants for research a lot. So the University of Lagos in partnership with German Universities is a welcome development that I will continue to support.”

On the state of many Nigerians seeking asylum or those who are on the wrong side of the law, Akande said though there are bad eggs it “does not have cases of too many Nigerians spoiling our image or reputation here.”

He continued: “Most Nigerians here are either schooling or gainfully employed. And you also have a lot of Nigerians who are professionals; we have medical doctors, lecturers so Nigerians are also doing very well too. But the few Nigerians who are in prison are mostly not even those that are involved in high-profile crimes.

They are mostly involved in domestic violence, beating their wives, or fighting. We try to tell Nigerians that they have to imbibe the culture of where they live. Even in Nigeria now, you cannot beat your wife anyhow and get away with it not to talk of here. If you are no longer comfortable with your relationship, it is better to quit.”

Akande is also a committed family man who is able to balance his career with the home front. “My career is nomadic as we move from one place to another. While I was in Belgium, my family used to visit me four times a year. But this time around, my wife took a leave of absence and joined me with our last child.”

A very gentle and calm individual, his unassuming nature has constantly endeared him to all and sundry.

“It is a reflection of my personality.

There is nothing anybody has that nobody has not gotten before. You cannot be arrogant, and anything you have gotten anyway is through God it is not by your power. Why would you display arrogance, or show off anything? If you are humble, you get humility back. If you show arrogance to people, they will also show arrogance. I went to school in Ede, a town in Osun State. My parents never went to school, so I came from a very humble background, so I should be humble. I am grateful to God for everything he has done in my life because it is not by my power.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 17, 2022

53

GLITZ ENTERTAINMENT

Anyiam-Osigwe Delighted over First Set of Graduates of Film in a Box Training Stories by Vanessa Obioha The atmosphere at Lagos Theatre, Igando on a recent Thursday afternoon was filled with expectations and excitement as the over 300 students rounded up the four-week training in the art and business of filmmaking. The training ‘Film in a Box’ is facilitated by the Africa Film Academy, organisers of the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) in partnership with the Lagos State Government. The training however is part of the new initiative ‘100 Film Project’, which AFA launched last year which it said will empower young creatives, tackle unemployment and help creatives produce films that meet international standards.

The ‘Film in a Box’ is spread across three local governments in Lagos: Alimosho, Badagry and Epe. The goal is to train 600 young and emerging creatives in different aspects of filmmaking.

“It’s a long-term goal of not just training and leaving them because over the years we discovered that after the training, what next,” said AFA founder Peace AnyiamOsigwe. “So that’s where the ‘100 Film Project’ came from.

After training them now, we’re making sure that they have work to go to, so that it’s not just we have trained and helped them, no. We are going to make sure they have some work they’re doing and then from there, they can build up.”

The turnout at Alimosho however surprised the academy and the facilitators. One of the facilitators Keppy Ekpeyong who is a Nollywood veteran said they were amazed to have such a turnout.

“I think Alimosho managed to shake all the facilitators because we have evolved people who have become what they want to be.”

He added that the calibre of talents in the area showed

Anyiam-Osigwe (seated, middle) with facilitators

the great potential that they can become more than social media hype because they have the talent and passion and are hungry for visibility.

His words were echoed by Achor Yusuf, another facilitator who took the students on directing.

“I see the eagerness, the zeal of the young talents we found here. People really want to learn. It’s just a matter of time until we begin to see the impact of the training on society.”

The students are expected to produce films after the training. As they walked into one of the rooms to audition for roles in an upcoming film, their passion could not be hidden. It showed in the way they delivered their lines, and

Grammy Returns to Los Angeles for 65th Edition With normalcy gradually returning to the world, the Recording Academy has announced that it will be returning to Los Angeles for the 65th Grammy. The coronavirus led to virtual events.

Scheduled for February 5, 2023, the Grammy will take place in Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center.

The eligibility period for this edition is between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, and the online entry period will run from July 18 to August 31, 2022.

Nominees will be announced on November 15 and the final round of voting will commence on December 14, 2022.

A Day of Reckoning for Baba Ijesha

Although he was subsequently granted bail, he failed to meet the requirements and remained in custody. However, on September 28, 2021, a forensic expert gave evidence that incriminated the actor who gathered support from some of the prominent people in the Yoruba film industry, while receiving knocks from others too, notably the actress Iyabo Ojo. While the accused challenged the evidence under the claim that it may have been tampered with, his case came to a climactic end with the judge’s verdict last week.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo in delivering the judgment said she found the defendant guilty of “counts two to five and he is discharged of counts one and six. The defendant is hereby sentenced to five years imprisonment for count two, three years for count three, five years for count four and three years for count five.” The sentence is to run concurrently.

The judge also expressed sadness in delivering the judgment. “This is very sad. The behaviour of the defendant is appalling, the case shows the length people can go in exhibiting the animalistic urge in them in abuse the position of friendship. The defendant took his acting too far. Children are frequently preyed on because of their inability to defend themselves.”

The verdict was celebrated on social media, particularly on Twitter where Ojo was hailed for her stance on the matter. It was also a sort of vindication for many who have longed for a unique #MeToo moment in Nigeria. Many times, celebrities who have been accused of sexually abusing victims go scot-free, usually because they intimidate victims or find another means to shush them. With Baba Ijesha’s case, perhaps new dawn has come for victims of sexual abuse done by celebrities.

Omiyinka a k.a Baba ljesha

The intriguing trial of Nollywood actor, comedian and filmmaker, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, better known as Baba Ijesha came to an end on Thursday, July 14 when an Ikeja Special and Sexual Offences court convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment over the sexual assault of an underage girl.

On April 22, 2021, Baba Ijesha was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl. CCTV footage of him trying to lure the underaged girl who turned out to be the foster child of comedienne Adekola Adekanya, otherwise called Princess went viral and drew ire from many. It was alleged that it was not the first time the actor was allegedly sexually assaulting the minor. It was gathered that the actor defiled the minor when she was seven-year-old, and seven years later, he again carried out his pedophilic actions on her.

The accused while pleading not guilty was detained after the Lagos State Government found prima facie evidence to charge him under five provisions of the criminal law of the state. He faced six counts of child defilement that include indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by penetration which the prosecutor argued contravene Section 135, 137, 261, 202, 262 and 263 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015, that stipulates life imprisonment for offenders.

the determination to get a yes from the casting crew. The scriptwriting class according to the facilitators boasts many talents. One of them is 21-year-old Sylvia Chinwendu who is currently studying Environmental Management and Toxicology at the University of Benin. Her passion for telling stories led her to participate in the training and so far, she said it has helped her to understand the business of filmmaking.

One of the things that excite Anyiam-Osigwe is that the students were trained in their community and she is looking forward to seeing their works as they embark on their filmmaking project which the academy is supporting with seed funding.

Obi Emelonye Returns with New Film ‘Money A new flick by Nollywood film director Obi Emelonye is set to hit the cinemas this July.

The film ‘Money Miss Road’ marks Obi’s foray into the action-comedy genre.

Produced by Joy Odiete and starring Jidekene Achufusi (Living In Bondage), comedian Josh ‘Josh2Funny’ Alfred and veteran entertainer Charly Boy, ‘Money Miss Road’, follows two down-on-their-luck friends Josiah and Joseph.

When Josiah’s wife, Lucy (Oma Iyasara) arrives without notice and with their three daughters, Joseph (Achufusi) checks into a local hotel. But, a mix-up lands him in a room belonging to Diokpa (Charly Boy), a local criminal Lord.

What Joseph finds in Diokpa’s room changes his life and that of his friend Josiah (Josh2Funny) thus sparking a game of cat and mouse with Diokpa tracing the two Joes to Lagos where they have become the biggest boys in town.

Speaking on what inspired the story, the veteran filmmaker said he had always hoped to bring more comic characters to life following his comedy film Onye Ozi. “After a few years of biopics, dramas and the likes, I thought it was time to work on an action-packed comedy with memorable characters.”

The Blue Pictures Entertainment, Codeo Limited and The Nollywood Factory collaboration is executive produced

by Odinaka Emmanuel Offia with Radisson Blu Anchorage, VI Lagos as partners. It will premiere in cinemas on July 22.

Emelonye

Dillz Spins Summer Season with ‘Kelegbe’

Diilz

Fast-rising Afro-fusion singer, Adekanbi Adedamola, popularly known as Dillz has returned to the fore with a dancehall spinner dubbed, ‘Kelegbe’. The singer, who recently released his EP ‘Euphoria’ reignites the summer groove with this new bop.

“I just wanted to make something everyone can play and dance to”, Dillz says, explaining the inspiration behind the record. The song is an invigorating blend of Amapiano and Afro-pop. With its percussion and signature log drums, it evokes and allures at once.

Dillz has been consistent since he released the Euphoria EP in 2020, following up with gems like ‘Oga Nla’, ‘Take Off’ and ‘Hold Me’ featuring Oyedele. His sound blends a rap attitude with melodious afrobeats flow.

Produced by Rage, and Dawie, ‘Kelegbe’ has caught the internet’s attention, as it has found activity as a soundtrack to funny, dramatic internet skits. In only two weeks, Kelegbe has gathered over 500,000 views on Tiktok and more than 300,000 plays on streaming platforms. Charting 56 on Shazam worldwide, Dillz also reveals that he is set to release a compilation album later this year.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 17, 2022

54

HighLife

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

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

Inspiring Mileage of Abdul Samad Rabiu

Recognising an opportunity to serve the citizens of one’s country is not an ability that is available to many. Even among the handful of prominent Nigerians that have this ability, only a remarkable few understand that the opportunity to serve is a privilege. This is one of the things that make the Founder and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, stand out. Unsurprisingly, the match towards global prominence has been smooth for the BUA man and inspiring for the rest of Nigeria as they watch him carve out a path for his countrymen.

The France-Nigeria Business Council which was established about a year ago to improve business relations between France and Nigeria has announced a new President.

According to the news, President Emmanuel Macron of France has appointed Rabiu as the president of the prestigious council, granting him another year to improve the FranceNigeria business relations and help boost the economies of both countries.

Rabiu was the pioneering president as he was recognized as the council member

Okoya

In a world that is crazy enough to state that there is no difference between males and females, it is incredible that individuals are still showing incredible talent being themselves. With people like the wife of Chief Razaq Okoya, Mrs. Folashade Okoya, elegance is no excuse for arrogance, but no amount of flattery is enough to cover her achievements or shift them onto the shoulders of someone else.

Those that know Folashade are aware of her terrifying business talent. Back when she married the billionaire business, Founder of Eleganza group of companies, and Aare of Lagos, it was rumoured that she wanted an easy life where she did not have to work a day in her life. How wrong was that account!

It is no longer a secret that Folashade is one of the pillars behind the continued advancement of her husband’s company, Eleganza. As the Managing Director of the company, her influence is felt all the time, even when the company’s competitions and the industry for the sale of jewellery and household items are having a hard time. Moreover, this has not doused the other aspects of Folashade’s life, not her family or social circle.

In the case of her family, Folashade remains a good mother to her four children: Olamide, Subomi, Oyinlola and Wahab.

Similarly, she remains a hot wire in society, still attending the parties of her friends and associates, and being a relevant asset to all that know and love her.

Overall, when it comes to Folashade, Eleganza is a company with wings that is gradually climbing to the top of the industry.

Then again, that is likely why the Aare has not considered taking another wife after her. After all, this kind of jewel is kept close to the bosom with no replacement or complementing proxy.

There is no doubt that Mike Adenuga has helped Nigeria improve on many fronts since he became a frontline businessman.

He may not be as highly praised by Forbes as his peers are, but there is no debating the fact that he has the most indigenous awards of excellence for his many thoughtful projects and undertakings. And there is no undertaking that has benefitted Nigerians on account of Adenuga’s work in Globacom as the Ojude Oba. Adenuga’s foremost brainchild, Globacom, has been in a partnership with Ojude Oba for the last two decades.

Adenuga’s chief objective in this partnership is to bring recognition to his native land, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. So, as part of his contributions toward the sociocultural advancement of the town, the Glo/ Ojude Oba partnership came about.

Of course, Adenuga is not alone in his love for his hometown as expressed in the

with one of the highest business potential.

Moreover, he is not someone bogged down by bias and prejudice, other than to see the best for his country. As a result, President Macron’s reappointment of the Kano man is the greatest commendation from the council.

There is no question that Rabiu and his fellow council members have greatly contributed to the ideals of the France-Nigeria Business Council. With individuals like Mike Adenuga of Globacom, Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group, Tony Elumelu of Heirs Holdings, Jim Ovia of Zenith Bank, Gilbert Chagoury of Chagoury Group, Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank Group, Philip Mshelbila of NLNG, Daisy Danjuma of Sapetro, and May & Baker, the progress is not altogether surprising.

Thus, over the next 12 months, Rabiu is expected to effectively guide the strategies and resources available to the France-Nigeria Business Council to help the economies and people of both countries. He did it before, so there is no question that he will do even better this time.

Rabiu

How Globacom Has Been Making Ojude Oba Glow for 19 Years incredible footprints traceable to Ojude Oba. The Kabiyesi, Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, is another pillar upon whose shoulders this development has grown wings and flown higher than anybody expected.

For this year’s Glo/Ojude Oba cooperation, Adenuga will be supporting the Awujale to help fund the Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction. The underlying objective of this partnership is to give the people of Ijebu-Ode an easier shot at a good life, especially in helping them grow financially free and capable of securing a sustainable future for themselves.

The 2022 Glo/Ojude Oba partnership started on June 8, 2022, with a roadshow to promote the products and services of the telecom. That is already done and dusted, but Adenuga’s team is preparing to host the final celebration that will be held at the Royal Banquet Hall of the Awujale Palace after the celebration at the Ojude Oba Pavilion. During that celebration, there will be an international musical fiesta, with acts like Teni and Obesere to spur the youths.

All in all, the partnership has been ongoing for 19 years, and Adenuga’s Globacom has greatly helped to colour the celebrations.

Will Amosun Support PDP against APC as Close Ally, Akinlade Pitches Tent with Opposition?

Akinlade

The list of politically related themes that can excite average Nigerians enough to make them pump their fists into the air is very small.

However, in the last eight months, this list has been shuffled repeatedly. Nevertheless, decamping usually tops the list, mostly because of the implications that accompany every

instance of this party-switching occurrence.

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who has become the centre of attention for Nigerians as they contemplate and gamble on the possibility of his decamping from the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a case study.

Loyalty to a political party in Nigeria is usually developed around alliances. For the former Governor of Ogun State, this is a time of testing. The speculation around Amosun’s strained membership in the APC is coming at this time because his very close ally and good friend, Adekunle Akinlade, has once again dumped the APC. According to the reports, Akinlade is now a proud card-bearing member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

For those in the know, this is not the first time that Akinlade will cast aside his APC membership in favour of his political ambition.

In 2019, he failed to get the party’s gubernatorial

ticket and had to watch Dapo Abiodun take the governorship title. This was after he left the APC for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and still failed to beat Abiodun. Then he returned to the APC, all with Amosun’s help. Now that he has dumped APC for PDP, what will Amosun do?

Indeed, it is widely known that Amosun always supports his people.

He did that for Akinlade in 2019 when everybody else was on Governor Abiodun’s side. The question now is whether Amosun will join Akinlade in the PDP or will be appeased by APC with something good enough to bring Akinlade back to the party. It is either that or Amosun has to work against Akinlade in the PDP, which the Senator representing Ogun Central senatorial district in the National Assembly is not likely to do.

Much Ado About Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Alleged N455m Wristwatch … as Pictures Go Viral on Social Media Sensational artist, Tems, sang a captivating song where she said that crazy things are happening. That song has become a soundtrack for a lot of the crazy things that are dominating the Nigerian corner of social media in recent times. Most recently, the craziest thing is none other than the alleged N455 million designer wristwatch worn by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and Nigerians are naturally shaking heads and giving the viral pictures of the Governor’s supposed extravagance the death state it deserves.

Viral pictures abound that show Governor Uzodimma greeting President Muhammadu Buhari while spotting a designer wristwatch that is allegedly worth a bit over N455 million. According to online native doctors, Uzodimma’s wristwatch looks exactly like the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Sky White Diamond 18-piece Limited which currently

costs approximately $785,500 (or N455 million).

Someone did the calculations and estimated that this amount of money is enough to erect 75 school blocks with six classrooms in each block. In other words, if the calculations and speculations are to be believed, then Uzodimma took along with him to greet President Buhari 75 school blocks.

It has been a while since Governor Uzodimma dominated social media like this.

In fact, since he climbed over Senator Rochas Okorocha to be Imo Governor and threw (and received) ashes and dung in his struggle against Okorocha, Uzodimma has not gotten this much publicity. Unfortunately, this foray into the limelight is not the positive kind. Instead, it is the kind that will be remembered even after he leaves the gubernatorial position.

No doubt, Nigerians are not going to be kind to the governor in the days to come. After

Uzodimma

all, while politicians are known to steal a little and a lot here and here, they are not usually blatant. Thus, even as Uzodimma is suspected of having purchased a wristwatch worth N455 million for personal use, there is a lot of censure waiting to be delivered to his door.

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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 17, 2022

HIGHLIFE

Will Ambode Agree to Team up with Tinubu?

It is that time of the year when political analysts frustrate our heads with hypothetical questions and situations. With the 2023 presidential elections just around the corner, it is a wonder that these questions and situations have not shattered every crystal ball. Maybe such balls are waiting for former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to team up with Bola Tinubu, after which they will promptly explode in exasperation.

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest questions of the year revolves around whether or not Ambode is willing to team up with Tinubu to deliver the mantle of Nigeria’s presidency into the hands of the latter. The debate is a real thing on account of the relationship between the two men, a relationship that was dominated by Tinubu and Ambode was seemingly only carried along based on the whims of his erstwhile godfather.

Whoever remembers Lagos State before Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu came into the picture will recall that Ambode was well liked by Lagosians. This popularity was not only because he had the support of Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ambode really knows how to reach the

people. Alas, something came between Tinubu and Ambode and the former made sure to send the latter packing, causing Ambode to only serve as Lagos Governor for one term.

The embarrassment and humiliation could have driven anybody else out of the country. But Ambode persisted, although he lived under the radar. And now that Tinubu is the APC presidential candidate and one of the strongest options for the mantle of President Muhammadu Buhari, there are speculations that his boys are rallying around Ambode to recruit him for his former godfather’s presidential campaign.

So, will Ambode agree to team up with Tinubu? This is the question. Some people think that this is the best time he has to pay back the Jagaban. Others believe that politics is already an edgy game, and players like Ambode ought to be prepared for the worst.

We can only wait to see what Ambode will choose. After all, both paths are very beneficial to him. Side with Tinubu and get many benefits. Side with Tinubu’s rivals and get many benefits. The choice, at the end of the day, is Ambode’s. The rest of us can only wait.

Ambode

What Next for Tonye Princewill?

Princewill

The 2023 presidential election has caused a lot of friction in many of the political parties in Nigeria. In the top two parties, fractures have emerged that threaten the continued existence of the party structure. Even so, the

All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be in greater danger of falling apart, and the Muslim-Muslim presidential team structure adopted by Bola Tinubu is not helping matters.

With prestigious individuals like Tonye Princewill dumping the APC, things are not looking good for the party.

Maybe there is more to the picture, but several notable members of the APC have left the party over the decision of Tinubu to stick with a Muslim as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election. Princewill is the latest of these former APC members to throw this fact at the leadership of the party, stating that it sets the wrong precedent.

One thing to note about Princewill’s resignation from APC is that he is the second (after Mrs. Ibim Semenitari) to do so who is in the camp of former Minister of Transportation,

Chibuike Amaechi. As a result, several political analysts have claimed that the decision actually has little to do with the suggested religious undertones of Tinubu’s moves and a lot to do with the fact that Amaechi did not get the presidential ticket he expected. So, this is a kind of rebellion at Tinubu’s victory at the primary.

Other analysts are saying that Princewill and the others would still be members of the APC if Tinubu had listened to the clamour of the people and selected a Christian Northerner. Moreover, if Princewill decides to join the camp of Abubakar Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, it will be a big blow to the APC.

For Funke Fowler, Beautiful Times are Here It is a cliche but it must be said: tough times don’t last, but tough people do. This is the situation with Funke Fowler and her husband, Aigbovbioise Aig-Imoukhuede. After many moons spent wondering when true love will come, it is now obvious that the daughter of former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Babatunde Fowler, and wife of the younger brother of the super banker and former MD of Access Bank, Aig-Imoukhuede, have found each other to be correspondingly suited to the entreaty of this true love.

A few weeks ago, Funke was seen enjoying herself during an event. The event, which was held to commemorate the 60th wedding anniversary of the parents of Access Bank Group major-domo character, Herbert Wigwe, saw some of the most prestigious Nigerians gathered and clinked glasses. Among these individuals, Funke stood out because of her

beauty and a glow that tells the observant spectator that she is having the best marriage she could have possibly dreamt up.

Everybody knows that marriage is that field that many people never get right, even after spending years in it or having it with different people. For Fowler’s daughter, she had to go through one marriage before finding what can only be described as the right person.

Her union to Abiodun Kuku, son of the late business tycoon and Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu, Bayo Kuku, fell apart after only two years.

This was in spite of the many promises exchanged during a very luxurious wedding ceremony.

Then came the period of healing. And afterwards, Aig-Imoukhuede came in all his glory and stole the heart of Funke, letting it beat once again, and strengthening it with beats from his own heart.

The Partnership tghat Works … As Governor Sanwo-Olu Hosts DG, Runsewe Lagos State continues to hoist the flag of progress for the rest of Nigeria to follow. The State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is up there with the most historical leaders not only because of his polished temperament and warm virtuosity, but also because he always finds the right people to team up with in his Greater Lagos agenda. Currently, ahead of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), Governor Sanwo-Olu’s teammate is none other than the DG of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe.

To say that the preparations towards NAFEST 2022 are in full swing is to play down matters. Otunba Runsewe recently paid a courtesy visit to Governor Sanwo-Olu, with no other intention than to set the Governor’s mind at rest regarding the plans and provisions that his NCAC have in place.

Knowing that Sanwo-Olu wants the

Sanwo-Olu and Runsewe

NAFEST 2022 to be the loudest and most colorful one yet, Runsewe proved to the Governor that even he has the best interests of

Fowler

Lagosians and Nigerians in general at heart and is already going out of his way to bring out the best things about our robust cultural heritage. He also informed him of his plans to have Lagos First Lady, Ibijoke SanwoOlu, crowned as Mama NAFEST 22.

Sanwo-Olu is not stranger to genius, so his reactions during and after Runsewe’s visitation proved to spectators that he is convinced that the NCAC DG is trustworthy and will make Lagos shine once again. This is a given considering that fantastic lineup of events, all of which are expected to raise festive dust across the African continent, and contribute immensely to different business sectors of Lagos during the celebrations.

It is already incredible that NCAC DG is actively participating in the NAFEST preparations. Then again, he always was a hands-on person, committed to duty, and never shying away from responsibility.

Thus, combined with the irony of Runsewe’s ‘A Partnership that Works’ presentation to Sanwo-Olu during the visitation, things really are falling in place for NAFEST 2022.

Orubebe: Old Wine in a New Bottle What is the Orubebe effect? Anybody who was wise enough to follow the thrills of politics a few years back will recall a certain politician who single-handedly stalled the announcement of a new Nigerian president when he suspected foul play in the electoral process. That man is Elder Godsday Orubebe, and things are continually looking up for him. The latest news is that he has been unreservedly annexed by Ovie Omo-Agege, the Delta State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A few days ago, OmoAgege appointed Orubebe as the Director-General of his campaign council, leaving the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to decide how to help him win the gubernatorial campaign in Delta. Naturally, due to Orubebe’s history (and histrionics) as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for many years, Omo-Agege is generally considered a lucky individual with an admirable understanding of how politics works in Nigeria.

Orubebe left the PDP in June 2022. While his departure was a thing of speculation at first, the reason he left PDP eventually came to light. In fact, it was Orubebe himself that explained that he was not confident that the PDP will be able to regain power in 2023. Why fight the waves when all you have is a tiny boat? Thus, Orubebe informed his superiors in the PDP of his desire to join the bigger boat, especially since his former party did not read the times correctly and did things without considering its own constitution.

Anyway, Orubebe is now a proud member of the APC and is currently helping Omo-Agege drive his political agenda. This change in political scenery will amount to much in the form of a gubernatorial victory in Delta will determine whether Orubebe’s party-switching is justified. At the moment, Orubebe is best described as old wine in a new bottle.

Orubebe

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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 17, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Bola Tinubu: Much Ado About Nothing Since Baba announced his running mate, Nigeria has jumped into another round of confusion. The debate over the Muslim-Muslim ticket has been going on unabated with the whole country taking a position. Even my friend and brother, Sani called in and spoke to me for over an hour on the matter.

At the end of the long talk, I ask am, “Please, why you call me, am I Tinubu?”

You see, Daddy has a right to choose his running mate from any part of this country and from any configuration. My own is the reason he gave for his decision. Saying that he chose him because of his capacity is another resounding slap on our faces. The arrogance of this Tinubu campaign has been quite astounding. Never in the history of this country has a candidate pointed a finger in our eyes with such disdain.

Even when Abacha took over power as a military despot, he still

gave reasons and told us what he wanted to do. He didn’t dare say “emi lokan.” This one is just shouting emi lokan all over the place. We don suffer.

To date, all we are hearing is “emi lokan”- it is my turn. I made this one, I made that one. I even imposed ‘Eleyi’ and when that other one was crying, I made him so it’s payback time. The arrogance of it all will never make me see anything good in that campaign. Nothing is being said about policy, how he will tackle our myriad of problems but all we keep hearing is “na my turn” as if we are lining up to sleep with prostitutes at the famed Juliet Hotel in Shomolu where some of us cut our teeth.

It is the same thinking; the campaign has brought this running mate thing. So, in all of that Northern Nigeria, there is no Christian or animist who is capable. So, coming to tell us it

FUNKE AKINDELE: DAWN OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA CANDIDATE Ok, I know I came out blazing against this candidate but the PDP people in Lagos, who remain the most unserious political machinery ever put together by man anywhere in the world went ahead to announce madam – fresh from a divorce – their running mate to the equally ‘felele’ Jandor or whatever it is he calls himself.

My write up elicited a lot of response especially from the female folks.

My cousin in-law Rita tore at me. I suspect I may have damaged that relationship. She argued against my position, claiming that it’s because she is a woman hence my rabid attack. I disagreed very strongly but be like say, my talk no touch her.

But then my sister Nonny Ugboma came with a more analytical take on it.

She called me as I was having my lunch, “Edgar do you see what is happening?”

I said what. She said, “Funke has 15.5million million followers on Instagram. This is followership and if she converts just 10% of this, there might be an upset.”

I quickly washed my hands and went

into research mode. Kai, it’s true o. Her announcement video attracted over 600,000 views, much more than the margin Sanwo-Olu used to emerge as Governor. We heard that Sanwo-Olu won with a margin of about 250,000 votes. The video also attracted another 4,000 responses with over 80% being very positive to her candidacy.

Kai. I sent these figures to my egbon Segun Awolowo who remarked jocularly that with these figures, Funke could be President.

I didn’t stop o. I checked Tonto Dike who is also vying for deputy governor in Rivers State. She came in at 7.4 million followers. Banky W with four million followers and Davido with 24 million followers are looking quite strong – Davido was very instructive in Osun the last time. Then my research took me to Sanwo-Olu and he stood at a little over 600,000 with his deputy coming in at a paltry 30,000. Our dear Asiwaju has 103,000 with Peter Obi coasting home at 168,000. Dubai-based Atiku hit 434,000 and your dear Edgar, the Duke of Shomolu hitting a massive 1,500.

People, you see the imminent danger this portends. The only thing that is saving us from being taken over by light

headed denizens who will be running around State Houses with coloured hair and tattoos is ‘Convertibility’.

Can they convert this huge followership to voting power? That is the question that the Peter Obi movement is beginning to help them answer. Peter Obi has resonated in this market to the point that the self-awareness in this demographic is at its highest. Drawing from the #EndSARS saga down to the commercial bazaar that were the primaries, youths have ramped up voter registration. So, what we are seeing now is the fact that Peter may not clinch the presidency but will most likely cause upheavals in states like Lagos and Rivers.

Kola Abiola is there also with his Trybe Naija with over one million registered voters all carrying Trybe Naija cards and being stupendously empowered.

I am afraid o. Cos if ‘Jenifa’ succeeds in converting just five per cent of these and is able to galvanise women and youths, we just may be looking for work for Sanwo-Olu at NIMASA or join my lord Ambode for Lagos Governors Alumni Association.

Let’s sha be watching o. This is getting interesting. I swear.

Akindele

Abiola

Soludo

Tinubu

is because of capacity and not what it really is — a pragmatic look at voting patterns in that region — is another major slap.

This is why me o, I will never agree to this presidency, will not

vote for it and will do siddon look until we are saved from this convoluting monarchy.

Please get my point o. I really don’t give a rat’s ass if we have Muslims from the Presidency to the Local Government Council level, my own is just come out and say the truth. Why would I even expect that from someone who dropped from the sky, no school mates and no certification in primary and secondary and who graduated excellently from the university.

All of this cannot last forever, some of us like Martin Luther King Jr, have climbed the mountain top and have seen a new Nigeria. A Nigeria that will be driven by merit, a Nigeria that will have transparent and principled leaders and we have finally seen the sun of Nigeria rise from the East where the wise men came from. If ‘you gerrit you gerrit’. Thank you

KOLA ABIOLA: STILL ON THE MATTER This gentleman just may blindside us all and emerge the next President. Be laughing there. I sat with him the other day over a plate of Afang — he didn’t eat, so I ate mine and his — to look at his stats.

What Funke Akindele is parading is a joke compared to what Kola is parading. Kola has a youth movement tagged Trybe Naija who has over one million members all sufficiently briefed and ready. What Funke has is raw materials not processed and inexperienced. Kola has the finished product. Strong youths who are very clear as to their objective all with PVCs and ready to move. Spread all over the country and well positioned.

What I see, will be a major gain for him with the inevitable crashing of the main contenders – Tinubu and Atiku and a scramble between him and Obi for the fallout. He has an advantage over Obi who although has more public acceptability is still very light in the space where the fight will be – digitally driven youths. Obi has the numbers but convertibility will slow him. Kola has converted all of his core supporters

Malami:

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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 17, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS giving him a virile platform to fan out and ‘speeden’ further convertibility.

The man is calm and content. The worst case scenario I see for him is being called in on the table to name his price because he may just be the deciding factor.

Time still dey. Make we dey look. Please do not throw this page away o. Keep it and let’s look at it again after the elections. You will say this na Ibibio Nostradamus.

CHUKWUMA SOLUDO: A SHAMEFUL OUTING If you have not seen the video, please do not watch it. The video of the Anambra State Government Task Force destroying the Lion Odumeje’s church.

He was slapped and kicked around in the process. The humiliation was barbaric and gut wrenching.

The fact that the Lion is a small man in physical stature made the whole thing so tears-inducing and annoying at the time. A very dirty policeman slapping around a citizen simply because he was just asking questions and at best even just saying “allow me take out some things.”

The shame was complete when a supposedly civilised governor came out with a tepid statement apologising and saying that the culprits will be dealt with but not before telling us that the church was an illegal structure.

Mr. bald-headed Governor, no Nigerian deserves to be treated that way even if he is a serial killer. The fact that the man built his church illegally does not give you the right to unleash your goons on him in that manner. I expected more from you going by your pedigree. This is really a bad start and that treatment meted out to the Lion is a minus for you.

Please do not let this your government that we all prayed and fought for to be delineated by this kind of sheer banditry.

Me, I don’t kuku know why the Lion did not unleash just one of his many powers on those ‘fools’ in uniform and turn all of them to frogs so that people will know just what lies in that ‘tiny frame’.

ABUBAKAR MALAMI: A LITTLE BIT MORE STRATEGY Let me first quickly congratulate this gentleman on his recent nuptials. I can see that he has taken for a third wife, the very beautiful daughter of our outgoing president.

You see my people, one of the most beautiful things in this world is polygamy. The variety it portends makes life worth living. Please if you are not in it, you may try. You will come and thank me. Didn’t you see the other Governor with four wives and the lovely children?

That said, let me say very quickly the kernel of this my talk today. I am hoping that this marriage is based on true love because if it is not, then it is not a real strategic move o.

If I wanted to take a new wife todaythat is if the Duchess goes to Ukraine for a new production, it cannot be with the daughter of an outgoing President. It will be with either Tinubu, Atiku, Peter Obi or even Sowore’s daughter. That is how to be strategic. That is how it is done. Carried interest for future gain is what we call it in Investment banking.

So, my brother, here is to wishing you a lovely marriage and God’s true blessing. As for me, please anybody fit send me Iya Oloja phone number? Na there my heart dey now o.

ADEMOLA ADELEKE: ON THE DANCE, I STAND My people, even if it is to dance for the next four years, let us dance the dance.

I am a true democrat. I believe in one man one vote and as such the tyranny of the monarchy must end. The empire that started from Lagos has grown over the last few years capturing the whole

of South Western Nigeria and turning the states into vassals with ‘stooges’ sent with flags emblazoned with brooms to go and stake a claim.

Edo just recently got liberated. Ondo was liberated at some point but was recaptured. We thought Ogun was looking good until Eleyi, weakened by all sorts of scandals including a shady educational background, has been festooned back into the hood.

Now the chance has come for Osun to be liberated. It was almost liberated the last time, but the establishment quickly rallied round to pull it back into the harem. This weekend another opportunity for us to salvage what is left of the state has opened up.

A state that has been said to be poorer than the emperor itself. A state that has so much potential especially in solid materials, tourism and juju to still be wallowing in abject poverty is unacceptable.

Please let’s all dance into glory. Adeleke is our man. I hear a lot of times people saying, “Edgar, you are a media personality, don’t be taking sides.”

Media personality my foot. Which kind yeye media personality and I will not be saying my mind as it is paining me. I have taken sides and will continue to be taking sides. Come and carry the media personality go.

Adeleke has my support, the people of Osun have my support and the longsuffering harried people of Nigeria have my support. Kai. Mbok.

NIGERIA POLICE: WHAT IS IT WITH ADULTERY? Mbok, this police have been looking for trouble o. They have been sending post that adultery carries two years imprisonment. This thing is something that we did not know o. Some of us used to think that it is two willing adults o. This statement is a wakeup call

FOND MEMORIES OF MENA JOSEPH EDGAR This Monday, it will be two years. Two years since she looked into my eyes and said, ‘Duke, take me away from here’. Those were the last words she said to me and as I turned to walk away, my heart sank. The doctors called the next morning and I knew that was it. I went to see her lifeless but still very beautiful body in the ICU unit of that useless hospital.

She was still very beautiful, her lips pursed and her skin shining. She just left Alvin and I and I stood there with Alvin calling me that same moment she passed.

“Dad, is mum ok?” He asked.

“Please tell me she is ok.”

How would I tell the then 12-year-old that she had just passed?

I said, “she is sleeping.”

Two years later, the pain is still fresh. She was with me for 22 years. How do you forget 22 years? We lost two children and Alvin stayed.

But today she is gone. They say, get over it. I cannot. I am sorry I have to drag you guys into this every year but this is the only way I know how to mourn.

I loved her and still do love her. It is not easy and will never be easy. I will go to her grave tomorrow morning and just stand there and cry. That’s all. I’ll cry again.

Thanks.

Late Edgar Ortom

o. But that one is not even the problem, come and see the most scary one.

In a post allegedly sent out by the police, they have said that during sex, if one partner says you should stop during action and you refuse then you are liable to a long jail term.

If this is true, then make I begin do like Gani Fawehnmi did during IBB time — pack enough clothes and get ready for the gulag. Because how will man stop during motion? My God, the thing is something else o and scientists have not been able to decipher the sweetness thereof. So in the middle of a carousing engagement, someone will come and say, “Duke, please stop.” Please let me ask men, which man will even hear that kind of voice? There is something they call ‘point of no return’. At that point the plane must land o. It must land o.

We will land and hand ourselves over.

That’s all.

Please this is the constitutional reform we should be fighting for. If it is true, then our Constitution is truly defective and must be reviewed immediately. I volunteer.

AYO SHONAIYA: MY HERO, MY HERO It was my sister Mabel Okosun who called me the other night in a rage.

“Edgar, have you seen Afrobeats – the new documentary on Netflix?” I said no but what about it. They didn’t give my uncle Sonny Okosun enough respect.

They totally forgot him. I loved Sonny Okosun and wasn’t going to stand back and watch people denigrate his memories and his contributions to music in Africa.

So, I rushed to Netflix with a view to writing a scathing and deliberately flawed criticism of the thing. My brother, the thing turned me into Saul of Tarsus o. The documentary was detailed, lively and engaging. Very educational with some very powerful footage taken from way back. The one with Wasiu Ayinde on a chair and asking to be rolled into the studio killed me.

Everybody was there o. Even my big belle egbon Olisa Adibua and Kenny and D1. Kai. It was massive and breathtaking. I used the Muslim holiday to watch it till the end. Kai, come and see a young Dbanj, a young Don Jazzy, a skinny Tuface. They tried o.

Well-done Ayo and the team. This was a near perfect chronicling of the Nigerian music scene. But sha, you should have spent more time on Sunny Okosun. His contributions are heavy and that one second mention is not befitting and he reach for Mabel to vex. Even me here, I am angry. Please kindly do an addendum or do another mini documentary on Sonny Okosun.

By the way, did you know that he was the one who first played the Los Angeles Coliseum when most people were still playing at people’s backyard and claiming they were doing international shows?

OSITA OPARAGU: UPTURNING THE STATUS QUO Osita is a brilliant visioner. He has built a whole online school along the lines of STEM curriculum. STEM curriculum if you guys don’t know is the curriculum that has moved China from the backwaters of development to the front end of it. STEM is Science, technology and ---- I don forget the rest abeg. Please google or call Osita.

In hours and hours of tutoring all on the system, a child can start JSS 1 and complete SS3 and be better for it. He has tutors who have international grading and in concise videos deliver stellar performance.

Already, East African countries are falling over themselves buying the software which sells for a pittance for their wards. Corporate organisations also are doing the same as part of their CSR. He hopes the same will happen here and I really do wish he succeeds. Welldone bro.

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Iyalaje Oodua, Princess Toyin Kolade Rejoices

High Society Celebrates Ageless Fashionista, Abah Folawiyo at 80 Ageless beauty and fashionista, Chief Abah Folawiyo, otherwise known as Sisi Abah, is undoubtedly a showstopper any day.

Her aura commands attention and respect.

If you are not drawn to her commanding dress sense, you are sure to be stopped in your tracks by her graceful steps.

The wife of businessman and philanthropist, the late Baba Adinni of Yorubaland, Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo, she hit the limelight, gracing the covers of some popular newspapers and magazines. With her delectable fashion style, Folawiyo, owner of the upscale fashion outfit, Labenella, has clothed top celebrities in and outside the country.

Little wonder many celebrities and society top shots will come out to celebrate one of the pillars of Nigeria’s high society when she clocks 80 on Friday, July 22, 2022.

As gathered by Society Watch, to celebrate the milestone birthday, his beloved son, Segun Awolowo, with Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, as

well as other close friends of the super fashion matron, are already gearing up to paint Lagos red with one-of-its-kind celebrations.

It was revealed that the birthday shindig will take place in her palatial residence at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi Lagos.

The remarkable life of the super socialite has always been a subject of perpetual fascination after establishing herself in Nigeria as a fashion icon to cheer. She is one of the iconic names that headlined the Nigerian fashion industry back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, spearheading a fashion revolution that embraced the beauty of our local Ankara fabric that has, today, become a favourite of all.

As a result of her peerless charm and remarkable presence, Folawiyo leaves a deep impression on everyone she meets. Despite approaching the eighth floor in the stage of life, the grand dame is showing no sign of slowing down. It is not surprising, therefore, that others are honoured to have made her

Folawiyo

acquaintance in times past and are willing to turn the country on its head as they celebrate her 80th birthday.

Oando Top Shot, Eyimofe Boyo, Wife in Gay Mood Kolade

Princess Toyin Kolade, Iyalaje Oodua, by all standards, is a successful businesswoman and socialite of note. The beautiful woman has her hands in many pies, including oil and gas, furniture, real estate, maritime, hospitality and many others. She commands deep respect from young and old, especially in the political, social and business circles.

Today, she is one of the top players in the business world and her exciting journey would certainly inspire anyone who wants to succeed as an entrepreneur.

She is an inspiration to many.

No doubt, it takes a woman of guts like Kolade to thrive in the ever unpredictable business climate in Nigeria.

She is also in tune with the modern trends in the fashion world.

Call her a showstopper, and you will only be stating the obvious.

Last Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the Managing Director of Fisolak Global Resources, Fisolak Royal Furniture and Arikay Oil and Gas celebrated her birthday.

Society Watch gathered that she celebrated her birthday at the prestigious Marriott Hotel, GRA, Ikeja; many of her friends came to share in her joy on that day. And encomiums poured from most of the guests. It was also gathered that she displayed her sense of hospitality as the gaily guests were entertained with the best of local and intercontinental dishes with premium wines and expensive cognac.

Described as brainy, confident and intelligent, many, it was gathered, eulogized her for all her good deeds and abiding principles.

In the build-up to the ceremony, her pictures were generously used by many bloggers, with goodwill messages.

To further show her appreciation to God, She gave out food items and cash to the less privileged to mark the occasion.

When asked how she felt on the occasion, she said witnessing another year on planet earth is a rare privilege from the Creator which must be appreciated dearly.

It was also hinted that she was awarded an Ambassador of Peace by the United Nations.

Boyo, surrounded by friends at son’s wedding... recently

If a horse, as the Yorubas would say, could walk in the belly of the Deputy Chief Executive, Oando Group, Eyimofe Boyo and his movie producer wife, Ego, it would not tumble.

But a horse need not find its way into the belly of the Boyos, as their feeling of excitement has been permanently pasted on their face for all, even the blind to see since their son, Eyisan took his heartthrob, Keji to the altar penultimate weekend. The

wedding took place in Ilorin, Kwara State.

As gathered, the city of Imams and Alfas came alive as dignitaries came in for the wedding ceremonies, with the traditional wedding/Nikkai ceremony of the beautiful bride, who is also the daughter of Justice Alfa Belgore, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Society Watch gathered that the love story between the couple began in the UK where they are based. Also, the bride is a UK-trained physician who graduated from the University College, London.

Expectedly, the party was graced by top prominent people from across all walks of life. Some of the guests include Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Toyin Saraki; President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata; business mogul, Bola Shagaya; Richard Mofe-Damijo; Joke Silva; Kate Henshaw; Rita Dominic and Mildred Okwo among several others.

Expressing her happiness and gratitude, the mother of the groom, Ego

showcased her writing skills when she took to social media.

She wrote: “Love indeed is a very beautiful thing and when it culminates in marriage it unites the couple as well as their families.It is every parent’s dream to be there for the most important milestone in their children’s lives and I am so so happy, so full of joy and gratitude that I was there to watch my darling son, Eyisan marry the love of his life — Keji Belgore.

“May this union blossom and flourish and the love they have today for each other grow deeper and more beautiful as long as they both shall live. I cannot quantify neither can I qualify the love that was showered on my family throughout the week of the wedding, and to this, I say thank you! Thank you to everyone who showed up to celebrate us...

“To everyone that said a prayer for the newlyweds...To everyone that sent gifts, I say a very big Thank you! May we all have reasons to celebrate as long as we live.”

Niger Top Political Player, Umar Nasko Goes into Sabbatical?

Umar Nasko has never hidden the fact that he is a rare breed and very ambitious. If you by chance ask him, he would readily tell you that his lifetime ambition has been to rule his state, Niger.

And over the years, he has definitely worked hard to achieve this aspiration.

In his journey of life, he has proved that he is indeed fearless several times with many happy endings to his stories. Through his restlessness and strong political crusade, he wormed his way into the heart of the former governor of Niger State, Aliyu Babangida, who subsequently developed a special interest in him.

He held so many roles in the administration, including Chief of Staff when he resigned and threw his cap into the ring and eventually emerged as the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), by defeating the then incumbent deputy governor of the state, Ahmed Ibeto, and others in the primaries.

Many political analysts concluded that he would surely take over the reign of power from his boss based on his popularity and influence,

and the fact that he is the anointed candidate of the governor.

But this was not to be, as he lost to the opposition APC candidate, Abubakar Bello.

But undeterred, he threw his cap into the ring again for the 2019 governorship elections in the state. In no time, he regained his lost form and defeated other heavyweights in the PDP, including Ibeto, a former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, among others.

With the feat, he had hoped that his dream would come true. But alas! It turned out to be another wild goose chase, and he was left in the cold again!

However, a source has revealed that the handsome politician remains unperturbed despite the losses. As preparations for the 2023 elections kick off in earnest, Nasko has made wide consultation and even expressed his ambition to represent the Niger North Senatorial District.

But just as many of his fans were happy and gearing up for the battle ahead, Nasko suddenly chickened out of the race.

Nasko

National Waves Honours Festus Keyamo, Ned Nwoko, Dangote, Others at 14th Anniversary Awards

Keyamo

To commemorate the anniversary, the management of National Waves has concluded arrangements to honour the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus

Keyamo (SAN); the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Delta North Senatorial candidate and founder of Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation, Ned Nwoko; Presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, immediate-past Enugu State Commissioner for Environment and Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Chijioke Edeoga; Publisher Pointblank News and founder, Mary and Ude-Jack Foundation, Chief Jackson Ude; President of Institute of Debt Recovery Practitioners of Nigeria, Mr. Chris Opeodu; MD/CEO of Corporate Choices Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chia Waya; Dangote Group and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.

Keyamo and Adebayo are expected to deliver lectures at the event.

While Keyamo will deliver a lecture titled ‘The Judiciary and the 2023 Election,’ Adebayo will deliver a lecture titled ‘Let The Votes Count, The Imperative of Free and Fair Election.’

According to the publisher of National Waves, Mr. Jimmy Enyeh, the recipients were nominated after scrutiny of their contributions to the development of the country and service to humanity by the board and management of National Waves.

The event will take place on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

17. 7.2022

Soyinka at 88: A Literary Icon Devoted to Humanity

Beginning from his childhood to the days of his detention and the daily trial of being a socially committed writer, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has never been insulated from socio-political realities, says Yinka Olatunbosun

"Y

ou cannot sit down and write a poem when next door someone is being raped or violated in some way,” Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka was famously quoted to have said.

“You’d put down that pen. You can write it later. You know you are compelled to take action at that point or you cease to be a human being.”

The preceding statement almost sums up the life of this white-haired and bearded literary giant, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Wednesday, July 13. As a storyteller, who is a custodian of history, he believes has a duty to guard it. Hence, he found courage to do this beyond his writings. The statement also backdropped his tirade against the rising spate of insecurity nationwide, especially with the intrusion into a part of his secluded Ijegba home in Abeokuta by some herdsmen.

This was during an interaction with journalists at Lagos’s Freedom Park. It was on that occasion that he laid down his precondition for joining any more street protests against bad governance in Nigeria as follows: A fully air-conditioned wheelchair with protective gear.

For the discerning ones that morning, his response was perhaps a tactful way of saying, “I have done my part.” As a senior citizen, his intervention series has been a metaphor for the Yoruba proverb that states thus: “Agba kii wa loja, ki ori omo titun wo”, which loosely means that "an elder does not stay aloof where things are not in order.”

At 88, Soyinka is no longer an angry 1LJHULDQ \RXWK +LV GD\V DUH QRZ ÀOOHG with reminisces on his struggles for justice which he had repeatedly mentioned as a precondition for humanity. ‘Elewon’ is part of his lexicon-a Yoruba word used for a political detainee. An unapologetic palm wine connoisseur, Soyinka would recount his truth about history with friends and associates, sometimes in a relaxed atmosphere at his tree house.

His stance on humanity has not changed.

Flashback to 1969 after his release from the prison, Soyinka told a journalist: “Of course I got myself involved in what was happening. I don’t know whether you’d call it politics or not. I don’t consider war as politics. I believe war is a human problem.

But I am not a politician.”

His 22-month detention didn’t break KLP UDWKHU LW UHLQIRUFHG KLV ÀJKW DJDLQVW human right violation. “I think we writers, sometimes, are closet activists,” Soyinka once told a Turkish writer and activist, Elif Shafak on Aljazeera. He was a man who went on trial and detention for allegedly

Soyinka

... At his Abeokuta residence

holding a radio station at gunpoint in protest against electoral fraud.

The luxury of being non-political has eluded the conscientious writer and global citizen; giving way to a burdensome role in the course of history.

His social commentaries are poi-

Ransome-Kuti. $V D ÀUVW KDQG \RXQJ REVHUYHU KH KDG witnessed the Egba Women's Revolt against WKH FRORQLDO JRYHUQPHQW ZLWK GLͿHUHQW types of resistance tactics by women who refused to pay the exorbitant tax. The victory over the tax regime was short-lived and the Alake who had abdicated from the throne returned to power. But that didn't stop the women from asserting their rights yet again especially in the sphere of political participation.

Remaining resolute against man-made threats to humanity requires resilience.

To this end, Soyinka wrote tirelessly on oppressive regimes in his plays such as Kongi's Harvest, A Dance of the Forests, Madmen and Specialists, Death and the King's Horseman to name a few.

As a frequent global traveler, he has had his share of racism which he satirises in his popular poetry titled "Telephone Conversation" published in 1963. As a student of history, one must understand that 1963 is D VLJQLÀFDQW \HDU LQ WKH FLYLO ULJKWV PRYHment. It was the year Martin Luther King delivered the famous "I have a dream" speech. A wave of black consciousness had begun to spread as many African nations gained independence around this period.

The currents of racial prejudice still hovers above humanity, giving rise to black rights movements of our time such as "Black Lives Matter.”

In spite of the freedom from colonial rule, Soyinka and other writers of the period were quick to identify that the power of oppression had only exchanged hands at the nation's Independence Day on October 1, 1960.

His play, A Dance of the Forests, was banned from the celebrations on the claim that its tone is critical of a post-independent government, although it won a national competition. Soyinka accepted the prize money, and still staged the play.

Now as a senior citizen, Soyinka continues to condemn the brutal killings of Nigerians including the unresolved murder cases such as that of Bola Ige, a prominent lawyer and former Minister of Mines and Power and then Minister of Justice.

"Unsolved crimes only lead to a culture of impunity. This puts the entire nation at risk, no matter the privilege of high-level protection. This is a lesson that Nigerian leadership has yet to learn," he wrote. +LV ODWHVW SURVH D ÀUVW LQ \HDUV WLWOHG Chronicles of the Happiest People on JQDQW UHÁHFWLQJ KLV VKHHU GLVJXVW DW WKH Earth attracted global media attention. cycle of impunity associated with violation Published in 2021, the book has sparked of fundamental rights. Right from his child- conversations yet again on the structures hood, he had watched his mother, Grace that polarise humanity. In his remarks on Eniola Soyinka who is the granddaughter his hope for Nigeria, he said: "I feel nothing of Rev Canon. J.J Ransome-Kuti joined the for it because it’s totally diverged from movement of women rights activism led what I knew as Nigeria as a child. I don’t by her aunt-in-law, Mrs. Olufunmilayo recognise this country."

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17, 2022

ARTS & REVIEW\\POTPOURRI

Accelerating African Sounds with Bisilola Bakare’s Afrovibes Africa Yinka Olatunbosun

E

ver wondered what a day with the founder of Afrovibes Africa, Bisilola Bakare would be like?

Perhaps, the sight of a mounted tripod near her might be a good guess. Her keen eyes would follow as she pans the camera left or right. But that imagery is from her days with Ayo Banjo and Clarence Peters, honing her skills while shooting for the stars. That was between 2003 and 2005.

Flashback to her early career at Eko Reel Mix studios, she had always been a music enthusiast. Her persona as a cultural activist shines.

“I have always been in the production and entertainment industry even as a teenager,” she began. “I wanted to be a music artist, my days at Eko Reel Mix Studios back in the day were trying to make music and also learning the ropes.”

After her stint with Ayo Banjo and Clarence Peters, she gained admission to study theatre arts at the University of Ibadan. “I did events in UI as an undergraduate, coming up with event ideas and executing them,” she continued. “Ever since then, I’ve always known this is what I want to do.”

6KH ZRXOG ODWHU PRYH WR /DJRV WR ÀQLVK XS KHU ÀUVW GHJUHH DW WKH &UHDWLYH $UWV GHpartment, University of Lagos where she graduated. Fortunately, she cut her teeth with one of the best in Nigeria's cinematography and visual storytelling, Kemi Adetiba as assistant producer. With a portfolio of work that include her work experience with a UK based television production company as a country production coordinator in Nigeria and of course, Livespot 360, she is a creative dynamite, creating unique experiences on and RͿ VFUHHQ 2QH RI WKHP LV $IURYLEHV $IULFD D company she started in 2017. She explained the rationale for setting up the company, which curates events such as 'Afrovibes Live' and 'Sing Along.'

“Afrovibes Africa started to create platforms

ENCOUNTER meeting a need. A need to give up and coming artists especially alternative and live music artists a platform to express themselves. A need to create fun live music and art experiences on the Mainland, as at the time when we started there was no event like that on the mainland,” she said.

With strong appeal to a multi-generational audience, Afrovibes Africa promotes live music through music FRQFHUWV WKDW DUH VXUH ÀUH DYHQXHV IRU family bonding and friends’ night out.

The newly launched "Sing Along" which is a sub brand for Afrovibes Africa is a music touring concert that is markedly GLͿHUHQW IURP $IURYLEHV /LYH “Afrovibes Live is an intimate concert series while Sing Along concert is our mainstream touring concert series through which we hope to revive the touring culture within Nigeria. We see artists touring countries like the USA, UK and the likes but not tour Nigeria. That we hope to change with ‘Sing Along’.”

Even with the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown that temporarily muted the live music culture, Bakare was relentless in continuing the tradition of entertaining people. She only made some adjustments without breaking the global health protocol.

“We came up with the idea of studio Bakare sessions that people could watch and “Recently, we launched our main stream enjoy from the comfort of their homes. concert platform called 'Sing Along' concert 2XU SDUWQHU -DPHVRQ %ODFN EDUUHO NH\HG where we hope to revive the touring culture into the direction as well and we started ZLWKLQ 1LJHULD )RU RXU ÀUVW HGLWLRQ ZH WRXUHG Afrovibes Studio sessions- they made it across Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and this August happen.” $EHRNXWD ZLWK %U\PR VXSSRUWHG E\ 2ULMLQ ·· $VLGHV -DPHVRQ %ODFN %DUUHO WKDW VXS- she revealed. ported the platform consistently, AfroWhile working on the biggest food festival vibes Live has also enjoyed partnership in southwest Nigeria with Abula festival this with Budweiser, Schweppes, Nigerian -XO\ %DNDUH LV FRQÀGHQW WKDW WKHVH VHULHV Breweries and more. Right now, the 'Sing of events would activate Nigeria’s cultural Along' touring concert is on her mind. landscape and contribute to local economic

growth.

From established to up and coming artistes, there will be no discrimination on the kind of acts to be promoted on the Afrovibes Africa platforms.

“If you look at the thread of the kind of artists [that] we’ve featured so far you can tell highlife is a major part and alternative music ZLWK D SLQFK RI $IUREHDWV 2XU ORQJ WHUP goal is to be known as the company who has contributed to the growth of African culture through entertainment and tourism.”

All Eyes on the MODHAFEST 2022, Billed for December Yinka Olatunbosun

T

he Mother-Drum Healing Arts Festival, organised by Mother Drum Healing Arts Foundation Inc. and funded by the US National Endowment for the Arts, is set to take place on Zoom from December 2 to 4. The festival's 2022 edition, GXEEHG 02'+$)(67 DQG EDVHG RQ WKH theme "Connecting the World through the Arts", will feature the most exciting gathering of art enthusiasts, healthcare professionals, DQG WKH JHQHUDO SRSXODFH RI GLͿHUHQW FXOWXUDO backgrounds for the enjoyment of the arts, as well as for the promotion of access for emerging talents and diverse voices in the arts, entertainment, and healthcare system over three days.

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ARTS FESTIVAL

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

FG’s Foggy Intervention in ASUU’s Unending Strike The nearly five-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, which has prostrated Nigeria’s public tertiary education, requires a genuine and decisive intervention by the relevant stakeholders, writes Louis Achi

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hat is unfolding in the nation’s tertiary academic arena currently is arguably comparable to an Athenian tragedy but certainly lacking the majesty of a Greek drama. It’s hardly debatable that Nigeria’s development quandary at this juncture of her history is firmly linked to how cavalierly her leadership has been treating the education of its children who encapsulate her future.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), a Nigerian union of university academic staff founded in 1978, has fought consistently to ensure that the university system draws the vital oxygen of funding, infrastructural and other critical inputs from its promoters to give real meaning to having varsities in the first place.

Nelson Mandela’s compelling insight perhaps best captures why the nation’s leaders should urgently change their quirky engagement strategy with ASUU. His words: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.”

According to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and South Africa’s revolutionary first black president “there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Could the foregoing proclamation by Africa’s preeminent statesman have influenced President Muhammadu Buhari to make what probably represents his first direct, frontal engagement of ASUU from his Daura country home in Katsina State, last week?

The president had last Monday lampooned the striking ASUU, for being adamant and not calling off the lingering strike and said that “enough is enough.”

He urged ASUU to return to their classrooms in the interest of “our students and the country.”

He spoke when he received some APC governors, lawmakers and other dignitaries who paid him Sallah visit in Daura.

He stated that the lingering strike would have generational consequences on families, the educational system and future development of the country.

According to him, the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that are already begging for attention. But this exasperated approach neither represented an Olive Branch nor a well-thought-out position that could foreshadow a crisis resolution.

ASUU had called out its members on a one-month warning strike on February 14, 2022, over the non-implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the government and the insistence of the government on the adoption of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) as a payment platform for all federal workers. The warning strike had morphed into a full-blown action that has dragged for five months and counting.

Ngige The union proposed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative platform for the payment of its members’ salaries following discrepancies highlighted in the use of IPPIS. The miffed union last week described as “sad,” Buhari’s “enough is enough” comment on its ongoing strike, recalling the number of times the federal government had breached agreements with it. It argued that it should be the one saying “enough is enough.”

ASUU stated it was ready to call off the strike if the government okayed its two main demands: Accept UTAS and the renegotiated 2009 pact.

ASUU President, Dr. Emmanuel Osodeke, recalled that it was sad that almost a month after the union leadership concluded negotiations with the Nimi Briggs-led Committee, the government had yet to get back to it. He said it was the same outcome last year when the union had a pact with the Prof. Munzali Jubril-led Committee on the condition of service for university teachers.

Lamenting that the government failed to honour the agreement reached in May 2021, he revealed: “We have given our conditions for returning to the classrooms. They (government) set up a committee to negotiate with us and when they (committee) came, we asked them: ‘do you have the mandate of the government to negotiate?’ And they

said ‘yes’.

“We asked them: ‘does it mean that whatever we agree with will be accepted by the government? They said ‘yes.’ We started negotiations and we finished on the 16th of June 2022. They (the committee) said they were going back to show their principal and get permission to sign. We have been waiting till now.”

Giving more insight into the dilemma, he said that, “It is we who should be saying ‘enough is enough.’ They did that in 2021; it took one year to come back and they are doing it again. We have told the country that any day that they (government) agrees to sign and agree on a new salary payment system (UTAS), we will call off the strike immediately. Let him (Buhari) do the needful and let the children go back to school, not saying ‘enough is enough.’ He should put our universities right; that should be his legacy.”

On his part, outspoken Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Dr. Mathew Kukah condemned the lingering strike by ASUU, stressing also that “enough is enough.” According to Kukah, it is highly unacceptable that students have been at home for over four months and gates of Nigerian universities still remain closed.

He stated that it was quite sad that the strike has lasted this long, adding that it does not speak well of the democracy that the country practises. Kukah insisted that democracy has always given the people a platform for negotiation, consensus and several other means for solving such issues that exist between the government and the authorities of the various universities.

Kukah who spoke last Wednesday at the signing of a peace accord ahead of the Osun State gubernatorial election, said Nigeria must come to understand that without the universities giving opportunities for academic energy, analysis, and theorising, it will be impossible for the nation’s democracy to grow.

Over the decades, strikes and related threats by ASUU and other sister unions have continued to dog the nation’s tertiary educational system. Curiously, no administration has found a lasting solution to these intermittent crises.

At the heart of the union’s work stoppages is the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reached between the federal government and the union in 2008 which was never implemented. After serial strike actions which always ended with the federal government giving assurances during the negotiations, ASUU went on one of its most protracted strikes in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Eventually, ASUU called off the strike in December 2021 after the unimplemented MoU was rechristened Memorandum of Action (MoA). Since then, the federal government has only released about N55 billion to partially address the issues of Earned Allowances and the Universities Revitalisation.

Again, the promise to deploy UTAS, rather than IPPIS, to ensure academic freedom, has not been fully activated and even the Earned Allowances, Universities Revitalisation Funding and deployment of UTAS have not been satisfactorily implemented.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Kwankwaso’s Unguarded Utterances

Kwankwaso

The comments credited to the former Governor of KanoStateandpresidentialcandidateoftheNewNigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, that northerners would not vote for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi or any south-easterner, was very unfortunate. Kwankwaso was quoted as saying said that northerners would not vote for Obi if he is made the standard bearer of the merger of the two parties. He claimed that as a former Senator and former minister that he has more experience than Obi. But he has never utilised his so-called experience to promote any national cause. He only deploys his experience to play ethnic politics and divisiveness.

His utterances showed that his presidential aspiration is empty and divisive. Kwankwaso has demonstrated

that he has nothing to offer Nigerians except to ride on ethnic sentiments to seek for the highest office in Nigeria in every election cycle.

Unfortunately for him, he met his match in Obi who responded appropriately. According to Obi, “it is because of leaders like Kwankwaso that Nigeria today has over 100 million Nigerians living in poverty, 18 million children out of school and about 52 per cent of Nigerians either unemployed or under employed, because rather than vote for competent leaders, we will rather vote for incompetence due to a primitive belief of religion and ethnicity.

“Currently, Nigerians cannot travel from Abuja to Kaduna by road or rail; is it because someone from the South-east is in charge? People cannot travel to Minna by road; is it because someone from the South-

east is in charge? A few days ago, bandits attacked the presidential convoy in Katsina; is it because someone fromtheSouth-eastisincharge?Showmewherepeople are prospering in the North or South,” Obi said.

Kwankwaso is blindfolded by the perceived massive votes of Kano. But when the presidential result was declared in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Umar Ganduje polled 1,464,768 votes (78.9 per cent) while Atiku Abubakar and Kwankwaso only scored a paltry 391,593 (21.1per cent). Kwankwaso’s governorship candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was floored by Ganduje. Kwankwaso, who has demonstrated that he is an ethnic chauvinist, overrates himself because of his Kwankwasiyya supporters, who have never won any election outside Kano State.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17, 2022

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BRIEFINGNOTES

Again, Shettima in the Eye of the Storm Barely eight years after the controversial abduction of 276 Chibok school girls by Boko Haram insurgents, a former Governor of Borno State and senator representing Borno Central, Kashim Shettima, is again in the eye of the storm following his selection as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress by the presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 general election, Senator Bola Tinubu, in a controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, Ejiofor Alike reports

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fter surmounting the impregnable forces and intrigues against him to emerge successful in perhaps the most hotly contested presidential primary since the return of democracy in 1999, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator BolaTinubu has put his political might to another difficult litmus test with the selection of a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as his presidential running mate.

TheformerGovernorofLagosStatehadshockedthepoliticalbookmakerswhenhesuccessfullyusedhiswidely-acclaimedpoliticalsagacityto bulldozehiswaytoclinchtheAPCpresidentialticketdespitealltheplots and intrigues by the successive leaderships of his party and a section of the presidency to stop him.

Thisrecord-breakingfeatmighthavepropelledhimto dareChristian voters after his party had divided the country along religious and ethnic lines. The APC presidential candidate last Monday unveiled a fellow Muslim, Shettima, as his running mate, in a Muslim-Muslim ticket last proposed by the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, who ran with a fellow Muslim, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.

InhisspeechwhenheunveiledShettima,theAPCpresidentialcandidate stated that “the spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023,” adding that the formerGovernorofBornoStateiseminentlyqualifiedtodeliverthatall important electoral victory.

“Asamanwiththetalent,maturity,strengthofcharacter,andpatriotism he has my implicit confidence and faith,” Tinubu said.

ButmanyNigerians,includinghissupportersandotherAPCmembers thinkotherwise.ThoseagainstthechoiceofaMuslimrunningmateargued thatitwasnotproperfortheAPCpresidentialcandidatetocomparethe politicsof1993whenreligionwasnotafactorinthethenunitedNigeria,to thecurrentsituationwherethecountryissharplydividedalongethnicand religiouslines,withChristiansbeingkilledbyterroristsacrossthecountry.

Onlyveryrecently,fiveUnitedStates’senatorssentalettertoSecretary ofState,AntonyBlinkenurginghimtoimmediatelyredesignateNigeria asaCountryofParticularConcern(CPC)undertheInternationalReligious FreedomAct,followingwhattheydescribedastherecentactsofviolence targetingNigerianChristians,whichhadunderscoredthedeteriorating state of religious freedom in the country.

With the renewed attacks on Christians nationwide, the opponents of Muslim-Muslim ticket believe that this ticket would further alienate Christians,worsentheirplightanddeepenreligioustensioninthecountry.

With Muslims as APC’s presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman, President, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives, and Deputy Speaker,manyhaveallegedthattherulingpartyhasIslamisationagenda.

Critics of Muslim-Muslim ticket have also pooh-poohed the claim by the supporters of the ticket that northern Muslims would not vote for Tinubu if he fielded a northern Christian as running mate. According to thesecritics,ifthenorthernMuslimvoterswillnotacceptTinubu,afellow

Shettima Muslim, unless he runs with one of their own, the implication is that Muslims in Nigeria are not of equal status.

Many APC members, including Tinubu’s ardent supporters have also faulted the choice of Shettima.

AformerSecretarytotheGovernmentoftheFederation(SGF),Mr. BabachirLawal,hasdescribedShettimainnot-so-pleasantlanguage.

“And why Kashim Shetima? He is an overambitious man who has a Machiavellian bent and has lots of money with which to procure a preferred-candidate status among Tinubu’s lapdogs. And as we are beginning to see, to also procure bogus supporters, especially from amongtheChristiancommunitytohelplaunderhisno-so-goodimage,” Lawal reportedly said in a statement issued lastWednesday.

Hethendroppedthebombshell: “IadviseBolatomakesureKashima’s two hands are always in his plain sight and empty.”

ManybelievethatLawal’sadviseputsaquestionmarkonShettima’s strengthofcharacter.Unlikehissuccessor,ProfessorBabaganaZulum, the former Borno State governor came to national limelight on the wrong reason – his alleged controversial role in the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 276 Chibok school girls in his state.

Shettima was an ardent critic of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan over what he described as the failure of the administration to secure the lives of Nigerians in the North

But when insecurity in the North worsened under Buhari, he refused to criticise the president. Following the worsening insecurity under the current administration, Shettima broke down in tears before Buhari at the Council Chambers of the PresidentialVilla on January 7, 2019.

AfewdaysbeforecryingattheVilla,hehaddisclosedthathecouldnot criticise Buhari, the same way he criticised Jonathan over the insecurity in the North-east because Jonathan’s presidency had treated him as an enemy while he had unfettered access to Buhari.

Shettima held Jonathan with so much disdain that he did not call him tobriefhimafterBokoHaramabductedtheschoolgirlsfromChibok.He claimedthathedeliberatelydidthatbecauseheknewthatsecurityagencies must have briefed Jonathan of the development the day it happened.

ThethenDirectorofMediaandPublicityofthePDPPresidentialCampaign Organisation for the 2015 general election,Mr.FemiFani-Kayode,hadin March2015alleged thatShettimawasculpableinthe abductionofthe276 Chibokgirls.ButthethenBornoStategovernorswiftlydeniedtheallegation, sayingnooneshouldtakeFani-Kayode serious as he “is one Nigerian that is physically an adult but mentally an infant. “We all know that going into exchange with an infant is like having a dialogue with the blind, deaf and dumb.”

But Shettima’s critics insisted that his alleged complacence led to the abduction. A letter sent by the then Supervising Minister of Education and Rivers State Governor, Mr. NyesomWike to Shettima on March 12, 2014, requesting him to relocate Senior School Certificate Examination candidates of Federal Unity Schools to Maiduguri, the state capital, was allegedly ignored.

Wike had at the time, expressed fears over security challenges, and said the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National ExaminationCouncilofNigeria(NECO)hadalsoexpressedconcernsaswell.

Amonthafter,onApril14,BokoHaramterroristshitGovernmentGirls SecondarySchoolinChibok,BornoState,andabductedthe276female students.Shettimaand his predecessor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff had also traded blame on the sponsorship of BokoHaram.ThethenAttorneyGeneralandCommissionerofJustice,BornoState,Hon.KakaShehuLawan hadaccusedSheriffofbeingresponsibleforthegrowthofthedreadedIslamic terrorist group, saying that he should be arrested and prosecuted. But the spokesmanofSheriff,InuwaBwala,saidratherthanbeingthesponsorofthe group,Sheriffwasavictimofthesecthavinglostthreeofhisbrotherstothe terroristgroup.BwalaallegedthatofficialsofShettima’sadministrationwere “morelikely people to be suspected given the fact that at the time he left government,nopublicofficialhasbeenaccusedofbeinglinkedtothesect.”

Indeed, the terrorist that planned the Christmas Day (December 25, 2011) bombing at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, Mr. Kabiru Sokoto was allegedly arrested along with a “serving military personnel”attheBornoStateGovernor‘sLodgeinAbujawhenShettima was governor.

With the controversy over Muslim-Muslim ticket and Shettima’s moral burden, will the ticket be able to attract the targeted votes that willguaranteevictoryforTinubuatthepresidentialpoll?Thisisaquestion for February 25, 2023.

NOTES FOR FILE

Wike’s Political Adventure

Wike

Before the convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and other PDP’s presidential aspirants had chorused that “if I lose, I will abide by the decision of the party.”

When an aspirant agreed to participate in an election, he has also agreed to all written and unwritten rules, particularly rules that he must fall behind the winners and abide by majority decisions. He will have his day when things go wrong.

This explained why Wike’s behaviour of recent is strange.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar won fair square. Many have attributed Atiku’s winning to Wike ‘s failure in certain

quarters. Wike should abide by democratic codes of honour because if he had won he would have expected Atiku to be behind him to give him all the support he can get.

Many are worried that Wike wants to blackmail and threaten the PDP by flirting with opposition parties.

Political analysts view Wike behaviour as sheer arrogance and misplaced sense of self-importance. According to some observers, he is grandstanding. The Rivers State governor should have known that no committee or party that runs on democratic ethos will impose running mate on a presidential candidate.

Candidates freely choose someone they

can trust; someone they are comfortable working with and not someone they can’t vouch for.

One thing for sure for Wike - he can’t dig PDP grave in Rivers State without digging his own. Wike already has a governorship candidate in the state whom he single-handed nominated against the wish of the heavyweights in the state. He should ask Dr. Bukola Saraki, Mr. Gbenga Daniel, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.

They all dug PDP graves in their states and ended up losing the control of their states. Former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is watching very closely.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

CICERO/ISSUES

Tinubu

Adamu

Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Political Gamble or Winning Strategy?

The nomination of former Borno State Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the vice presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress depicts a slippery political decision for the critics of the MuslimMuslim ticket and a victory strategy as its advocates suggest, Gboyega Akinsanmi writes

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he flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate last Sunday. He ascribed this decision to the competence of the runningmateaboveanypoliticalexpediencyandreligious consideration that had for long defined such critical political decisions in the federation.

He, specifically, justified Shettima’s choice, which according to him, was “not to please one community or the other.” Rather, he argued, the choice was informed by the need “to bring the best governance to all Nigerians, regardless of their religious affiliation or considerations of ethnicity or region.”

Obviously, for Tinubu, the same-faith ticket is a strategy to garner majority votes in the north, where most people believe Christians are in the minority.

How did the APC candidate arrive at this decision, which most Christians considered insensitive to their interests nationwide? Was he motivated by the antecedents of the 1993 presidential election to which he alluded in his Sunday address?

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal provided some insight into these political conundrums in an article he wrote against the Tinubu-Shettima ticket last Wednesday.

In the article, Lawal attested to how some northern governors misled Tinubu to settle for Muslim-Muslim ticket without taking cognisance of the country’s ethno-religious realities.

Lawal also explained how some northern governors, especially those of the North-west extraction, had argued for the Muslim-Muslim ticket on two grounds.

First, they claimed, it would be difficult for them to defend the nomination of a northern Christain as the APC vice presidential candidate. Second, the voting strength of the north is significant with the North-west alone accounting 23.99 per cent of the registered voters based on the 2019 voters’ register They deployed the 2019 voters’ register to defend their quest to secure the vice presidential nomination.

Compared with the North-west, as the register showed, the North-east accounted for 13.44 per cent of the total registered voters; North-central 15.91 per cent; South-east 11.97 per cent; South-south 15.28 per cent and South-west 19.39 per cent. In aggregate, the north had a 53.34 per cent share of the total registered voters while the south accounted for 46.66 per cent.

Despite the empirical evidence they strongly

deployed to make a case for the North-west,Tinubu settled for Shettima, a vice presidential nominee from the North-east and a serving senator governor representing Borno Central. Is this choice informed

by Tinubu’s respect for regional balance? Was it in due regard to the federal character principle clause as enshrined in Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999?

Tinubu never justified his preference for Shettima based on any constitutional provisions. Rather, the adherents of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket have defended the decision armed with Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution. In specific terms, the section stipulates: “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as state religion.”

As Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and other adherents of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket have argued, the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu likened it to the current political reality of the federation, which according to him, would not determine the performance of the team if they eventually won the 2023 contest.

What actually makes the ticket the country’s current political reality as Adamu put it? Does it suggest that Muslims are in the majority in the north?

Can Tinubu’s choice foster peaceful co-existence among Nigerians of diverse religious inclination?

Or will it compound the growing culture of religious intolerance and inter-faith suspicion that has now become the character of the federation?

While Adamu did not convincingly explain what the current political reality of the federation suggests, critics of the Muslim-Muslim ticket have been faulting Tinubu’s choice, using constitutional, political and socio-economic evidence. The choice, they argued, has compounded their apprehension for the future of Nigeria.

The northern Christians first punched the decision in the light of Section 1(2) of the Constitution. The section states that Nigeria “shall not be governed, nor shall any persons or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”TheTinubu-Shettima,accordingtothem, will amount to an infringement of this provision if they eventually win the 2023 presidential election.

Besides, is a claim that northern Muslims are in the majority true? Apparently, there is no empirical evidence to sufficiently address this question in the public domain perhaps because the National Population Commission (NPC) classified the ethno-

religious data of the federation in its previous census exercises.

In the north, largely, critical stakeholders are deeply divergent in response to this question, probably with the intention to defend their faiths. But they provided useful responses that to some extent delineated the ethno-religious demography of the north. For instance, President, Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu admitted that there was no empirical data to establish the ethno-religious demography of the 19 states that constitutes the north.

But Pogu explained how the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern Chapter, attempted the headcount of all Christians under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The outcome of the headcount then, as the Middle Belt leader put it, was about 46 million. Contrary to the adherents of the Muslim-Muslim tickets, as Pogu claimed, northern Christians may not really be in the minority as being politically presented.

A study by Stefanos Foundation, a charity organisation that seeks protection of persecuted Christians worldwide, further offered clue to the ethno-religious demography of the north. In its study, the foundation revealed that apart from Hausa, Kanuri and Fulani, there were 670 other tribes across all the northern states with their own peculiar dialects and languages.

As indicated in a 2012 presentation by its Programme Coordinator, Mr. Mark Lipdo, the foundation attested that majority of the indigenes of the 670 tribes “are not Muslims. They are either Christians or practising their cultural traditional religion.” It thus identified supremacist ideology, especially with the introduction of Shari’a to 12 northern states, as one of the major challenges that most non-Muslims “are facing in the core north.”

While the foundation revealed its collaboration with all northern churches to conduct the headcount of all their members, Secretary, Northern CAN, Elder Sunday Oibe mapped religious demography of the north state by state based on his field experience as a northern Christain leader. Citing compelling instances, he claimed that there “is no northern state where there is no significant number of Christians -be it North-central, North-east or North-west.”

In the North-central, for instance, Oibe cited Benue, Plateau, Kwara and Kogi “as states where Christians are in the majority.” In the North-east, also, he cited Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe and even

Borno “as states where non-Muslims constitute a significant proportion of their populations.”

In the North-west, Oibe lamented misconception among Nigerians about the population of northern Christians. For him, most people do not even know that a huge population of indigenous people are Christians in Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi and Zamfara.

With this ethno-religious configuration, Oibe argued that the decision of the APC candidate “is indefensible coupled with structural marginalisation that indigenous non-Muslims have been suffering in the north for decades.They have long been denied political offices. They have been economically decimated. For Christians in the north, it is absolutely a lie to justify the Tinubu-Shettima ticket on competence.”

Given the conviction of the northern Christians, it might be a political gamble forTinubu to claim that the spirit of the 1993 presidential election had come upon the federation on different grounds. First, a number of its APC chieftains have resigned their membership of the APC as a result of Tinubu’s choice.

Second, northern Christians are suspicious ofTinubu’s choice. Hence, they are ready to embrace another presidential candidate that can protect their interests ethnically and religiously. Third, polling majority of the Muslim votes is equally uncertain for Tinubu. As Lawal put it, it is in the character of northern Muslims to vote for their sons. In 2019, they voted for their first son, President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2023, they will vote for their second, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

In this contentious debate, none of the divides is asking the big questions in the interest of socio-economic development.

The big questions are: How will the APC candidate end needless killings nationwide?

What are his plans to end the festering fiscal crises. How does he intend to restore the country’s distressed economy? What strategy do we adopt to pull over 12 million out-of-school children from the streets of Kano, Oyo, Niger, Bauchi, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom?

Among others, the questions include: how will he revamp the country’s dysfunctional healthcare system and make it accessible to all Nigerians irrespective of their economic status? How does he want to bring the unemployment rate from 33.33 per cent to 10 per cent in four years? What plans does he have to break the vicious cycle of extreme poverty in the federation within the shortest time? These are critical questions that have compounded the country’s socio-economic and political woes in the last five decades.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

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CICERO/REPORT

Funke Akindele Banks on Social Media to Win Lagos As the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Olajide Adediran, unveiled Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, as his running mate for the 2023 election, Segun James reports that many have expressed reservations over the strength of the political value she can bring to the ticket

T

he future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State hangs on the shoulder of two unlikely people – Olajide Adediran, better known as Jandor, a journalist and media entrepreneur, and Ms. Funke Akindele aka Jenifa, an actress.

From being a journalist with the Lagos Television at the Lagos Government House when Babatunde Fashola was the governor, Adediran defied the odds when he resigned his appointment to become an entrepreneur. In no time, he ventured into politics and proceeded to challenge the status quo within the All Progressives Congress (APC). His audacity shook the party to its foundation as he challenged the leadership of Senator Bola Tinubu within the party in Lagos.

Alleging that the indigenous citizens of Lagos were being marginalised within the party, he set up the Lagos4Lagos as a platform to clamour for the people to be given the opportunity to rule the state. More surprisingly, he offered himself as a candidate in defiance of the party leadership in the state.

While he was tolerated at first for what his opponents described as his nuisance value, his movement soon gained traction, a situation which forced the APC leadership to woo him without success.

His growing popularity soon attracted the attention of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which had been struggling for years in the state. They lured him to the party and practically gave the governorship ticket to him on a platter of gold. And for the first time, the PDP became a force to be reckoned with.

From all indications, the party may for the first time give the APC a challenge.

This was the situation when he unveiled Akindele as his running mate last week.

Akindele before now has never exhibited any political inclination. The development came a few days after the collapse of Funke Akindele’s marriage to a fellow entertainer, JJC Skillz.

In an advertorial, Adediran announced the choice of the popular ‘Omo Ghetto’ star. According to him, Funke is from Ikorodu in Lagos East Senatorial District like the incumbent Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat and has the overwhelming popularity to garner votes. Akindele also confirmed the nomination, saying she would work assiduously for the party and for Lagos to have a breath of fresh air, even as she announced in the advert that she has dropped Bello, JJC Skillz’s surname from her name. It was gathered that Funke emerged as a running mate after defeating former governorship aspirant, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour; former Senatorial candidate for Lagos East, Yeye Shobajo, another governorship aspirant, David Kolawole Vaughan known as Dakova and Mr. Teslim Balogun to clinch the slot.

The choice of Akindele has left many observers of political events in Lagos to query her political value. According to them, the fact remains that the APC is fully on ground and that it would take more than comedy to route the party

Adeniran (left) and Akindele

from office. Until her nomination, Akindele has been apolitical. But how her popularity as an entertainer counts for the PDP politically is still suspect.

But THISDAY gathered that those who settled for Akindele are merely relying not just on her popularity as an actress and a comedian but on her strength on social media. For instance, they pointed out that while she has 20 million followers on Twitter and Instagram, Governor SanwoOlu has a little over 1, 000,000 followers and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat has a paltry 600,000. They argued that Akindele’s huge figures would be of immense advantage to the PDP during the election.

But the APC through its Lagos State spokesman, Mr. Seye Oladejo, has described Akindele’s choice as running mate as an unserious decision by the PDP. According to him, “This development underscores the unseriousness of Lagos State PDP. This amounts to trivialising the importance of the forthcoming gubernatorial election by giving political neophytes who have absolutely nothing to bring to the table their electoral tickets.

“It also shows lack of depth in the party as regards quality members to put forward for elections if they could give a member who crossed-carpeted a few days before their primaries the governorship ticket and now went to the makebelieve industry to fetch a deputy.

The reason for voters’ apathy is, undoubtedly, due to the lack of credible alternatives by the moribund

opposition party.

“I was amused to read that the deputy governorship candidate said she was suspending her acting career for the elections whose result is highly predictable. I guess she’s suspending a lot more because she has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons.

“Lagosians will certainly not allow governance to be turned into a needless experiment or a sitcom. Governance is serious business, not a circus.”

However, Adediran has dismissed the APC’s assertion. At the unveiling event which took place in Ikorodu, he explained he chose the actress after a rigorous process.

According to him, “after winning the ticket, I needed somebody who would complement the work that we have done over the years; I needed somebody who shares the same passion with me in advocacy; someone who has been an overseer of her business over the years; someone who can appreciate the pain of the people, who has been managing people within her little space.

I reasoned that such a person will be able to connect given an assignment of this nature.

“I discovered that my sister, Funke, who will be the Deputy Governor of Lagos State by the Grace of God in 2023, will complement my efforts. My deputy governor is a youth. She’s 44 years old. We need a breath of fresh air in Lagos because for over 20 years, the state has been in a deplorable condition and we cannot continue like that.”

Adediran disclosed that he consulted widely among stakeholders and party leaders before arriving at

his choice. He said he formally declared his intention to vie for the Lagos governorship seat under the PDP soon after he left the APC. He later won the primaries with a landslide victory. He also went down memory lane to trace his humble beginning as a young lad in Mushin where he struggled through dint of hard work to start a career in broadcast journalism before veering off into media consultancy and later as a successful entrepreneur.

He recalled the early moments of his seven-year journey as the leader of the Lagos4Lagos Movement that has transformed into a political behemoth: “We knew from the onset that we had to be independent and that called for our grassroots mobilisation drive.

We created the necessary implosion within the APC to weaken the party’s structure and the result is what we see today.”

He dismissed insinuations that he was in the PDP to hijack the party for the APC, even as he debunked the wild speculation that he would decamp to the APC after winning the governorship election.

He added that until recently in Lagos, politicians, especially members of the APC could be forgiven for underestimating him but those who did when he joined the PDP were vanquished, and he has since stamped his authority as the leader of the party in the state.

Reacting to her choice as running mate, Akindele boasted that her followers on social media, numbering over 20 million, will come out en masse to vote for the party in 2023.

Even though the social media followers’ tally is an aggregate of her fans worldwide, who are not all resident in Lagos and eligible voters, the mother of two admitted that her social media followers alone could not determine PDP’s victory in Lagos.

Asked how the party would win the 2023 governorship election in Lagos, Akindele said her fans and followers outside Ikorodu would vote for the PDP instead of APC. She added her closeness to the grassroots after over two decades has revealed their pains, stating that it was time to proffer solutions to their problems.

“He (Mr Sanwo-Olu) has the numbers; I have the numbers. I have fans and followers. I’m true to myself. I have over 19 to 20 million fans on social media,” the actress said during a television programme last Thursday.

“There are a lot of people in the grassroots. Outside of Ikorodu, I have fans at the grassroots level everywhere. I have these fans and followers.

I feel their pain. I hear people nag. I watch TV; I feel their pain. I’m going out there to proffer solutions,” she said.

As the race for the most coveted seat of the governor of the richest state in the federation enters a critical stage, will Adediran be able to upset the political heavyweights in Lagos? Will Akindele be able to translate her social media strength to real votes? These are the questions as the 2023 general election draws near.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17, 2022

GAVEL

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IsINEC’sDecisionaDeathKnell forLawan,Akpabio’sAmbition?

UdoraOrizuwritesthattheIndependentNationalElectoralCommissionmayhaveforeclosedthedream of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to return to the Senate in 2023, after their failed presidential bids

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last week said it refused to publish the names of the candidates submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North-west senatorial districts, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Senator Godswill Akpabio, respectively, because it didn’t monitor the primary elections that produced the two aspirants. The electoral body also gave reasons for its reluctance to publish the names of actual winners of the APC senatorial candidates in the two districts.

The names of Lawan, Akpabio, and two other candidates were conspicuously missing from the published list of candidates in June. Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom had emerged in Yobe North and Akwa-Ibom North-west senatorial primaries supervised by INEC but the names of Lawan and Akpabio were submitted by the APC to the commission.

Both Lawan and Akpabio had contested for the APC presidential ticket, while the former lost to Bola Tinubu, the latter stepped down for him.

Many analysts had viewed the duo’s presidential ambition as premature and inordinate ambition.

As Lawan was gearing up for the APC presidential primary, another APC member in Yobe North Senatorial District, Bashir Machina, contested the senatorial primary in Lawan’s constituency and won.

After the Senate President lost in the attempt by the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to make him the consensus presidential candidate, the lawmaker who has been in the National Assembly since 1999, decided to return to the 10th Senate despite the fact that he did not take part in the Yobe North senatorial District primary that produced Machina.

As Machina awaits the publication of his name on the website of the INEC, the Adamu-led APC national executive, forwarded Lawan’s name to INEC as the senatorial candidate of the party for Yobe North.

But Machina who contested the primary in Yobe North senatorial district and won, had vowed to go to court to challenge the alleged attempt to steal his mandate. He insisted that he was the validly elected candidate, and that he had not withdrawn for any other person.

For Akpabio, as soon as he stepped down from the presidential race for Tinubu at the June 8 presidential primary in Abuja, he quickly lobbied the party to organise a fresh primary. During the midnight re-run primary which was held at the Ikot Ekpene Empowerment Centre on June 9, Akpabio emerged the winner, having scored a total of 478 votes out of the 512 accredited delegates, while Ekpoudom who won the first and authentic primary, secured just three votes.

The state Chairman of the party, Mr. Stephen Ntuekpo, while citing security infractions in the May 27 primary in the district, claimed he was directed to conduct a fresh primary by the national headquarters of the party on June 9, 2022. This sparked a war of words between Akpabio and Ekpoudom.

He, however, met a brick wall when the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Mr. Mike Igini, said the report of the commission on the senatorial ticket was “final and cannot be reopened again,” adding that Akpabio had nothing to do about it.

In his reaction to the news of Akpabio’s victory, Ekpoudom vowed that he would not relinquish the senatorial district ticket which he won on May 27, 2022 to anyone, no matter the pressure

Lawan on him. In a statement signed by his campaign Director-General, Hon. Uwem Udoma; Secretary, Obong Etokakpan, and the campaign’s Director of Media and Publicity, Peter Idiong, Ekpoudum described the June 9, 2022 midnight primary that produced the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs as “scam, unconstitutional, deceitful and legally defective.”

Firing back, Akpabio asked Ekpoudum to stop polluting the media space with falsehood about a non-existent ticket. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Jackson Udom, the former Akwa Ibom State governor said Ekpoudum was being placed on the off-side track of politics in the district, and probably was not aware of the notification of cancellation and order of a fresh election, because he belonged to the Udoedehe’s faction which was not recognised by the INEC and the national leadership of the party.

But speaking later at a radio programme monitored in Uyo, Igini said the re-run primary that led to the emergence of Akpabio was strange and unknown to law.

According to him, the May 27, 2022 primary, which produced Ekpoudum, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), subsists because it was not cancelled, neither was it rendered inconclusive. He added that Akpabio’s emergence was nothing but a “Nollywood fantasy.”

Igini added that what he knew about Akpabio was that he was the presidential aspirant for the APC, who stepped down for Tinubu, adding that, even if there was a re-run, it could only be conducted for aspirants that participated in the first primary. He advised politicians contesting the 2023 general election to meticulously study the new provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act as amended, so as not to continue with the hope that things were still the way it were with the repealed 2010 and 2012 Electoral Act.

Akpabio “By virtue of Section 31 of the 2022 Electoral Act, the only way somebody can be replaced in any form is that we no longer have substitution by political party. What you have now is withdrawal by individual or nominee and or death,” Igini explained.

According to him, the report of the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district APC primary as submitted to INEC headquarters in Abuja is final.

Meanwhile, INEC may have sounded a death knell for Lawan and Akpabio’s ambitions following its last week’s decision to reject their nominations on the ground that it didn’t monitor the primary elections that produced the two aspirants.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, the commission said the allegations of underhand dealings against it regarding the two senatorial tickets were intended to impugn the integrity of the commission The statement read in part: “In particular, allegations intended to impugn the integrity of the commission have been made in respect of the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts. To set the record straight, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandates the commission to monitor the organisation and operation of political parties, including their finances, conventions, congresses, and party primaries. In line with its constitutional and legal obligations, the commission deployed monitors to the various constituencies and received reports of such exercises. About the primaries for the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts, the commission stands by the monitoring reports received from our State offices.”

For these reasons, Okoye said the commission did not publish the personal particulars of

any candidate for the two senatorial districts at variance with the reports, which emanated from the states.

“Right now, the commission is funtus officio in the two cases. Aggrieved parties are at liberty to approach the Federal High Court and seek redress as provided in section 285 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and sections 29(5) and 84(14) of the Electoral Act, 2022. On the issuance of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents, he said the staff of the commission has been working hard, including weekends, to meet the deluge of requests received.

As of Friday, July 8, 2022, he said the commission had processed 433 requests, involving the certification of 1,662,776 pages of documents.

He said many of them were awaiting collection at the INEC headquarters by some of the same applicants complaining of delay in issuance of the CTCs. “Section 29 (4) of the Electoral Act provides that any person may apply to the commission for a copy of nomination form, affidavit, and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election and the commission shall, upon payment of a prescribed fee, issue such person with a certified copy of the document within 14 days. Persons applying for CTC of documents should endeavour to act timely and within the ambit of the law. The commission will continue to uphold the integrity of the electoral process, including the deepening of the deployment of technology to enhance the credibility of elections,” he added.

With this pronouncement by INEC, only the courts can decide the fate of the two politicians whom many in their constituencies have accused of regarding political positions as their birthright.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R JULY 17, 2022

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INTERNATIONAL International Public Administration and Nation-building: Beyond Professor Ladipo Adamolekun’s I Remember

P

ublic Administration is a sub-discipline of Political Science, which is a constituent of the Social Science.

It is used to refer to public governance in which case we are talking about the management or administration of public establishments. It can also refer to non-profit governance when we consider nonfor-profit establishments. Besides, because of the multidisciplinary character of the scope of Public Administration as a discipline, emphasis is generally placed on the study of public programme evaluation, policy analysis, ethics at work, human resources, organisational theory, statistics, public financial management, and budgeting all of which are considered to be the pillars of public administration theory.

What is useful and noteworthy is the purpose of public administration: to prepare people for public service, to train their minds on how best to organise government’s development agenda, implement its policies and respond to socio-economic and militaro-industrial challenges. Training in public administration and policy-making is a desideratum for people who are interested in becoming a civil or public servant, an international functionary or a diplomat. It is also an important requirement for organisations dealing with international affairs either in the area of business, cultural exchanges or protocol and etiquette.

While public administration, as discussed above covers the national level, the notion of an international public administration refers to the administration of international institutions at various levels: bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral. It is also a discipline concerned with the study of international bodies, its internal policy-making processes and purposes. Put differently, while public administration at the national level is much concerned with the implementation of public policy, international public administration deals with the global public, especially in terms of how to respond to global questions and challenges, such as climate change, pandemics, trans-border terrorism, human trafficking, UN Systems, institutional structures, etc.

All the ingredients of public administration and international public administration, either as managerial or occupational, political or legal, are flowing in the blood veins of Dr Ladipo Adamolekun, a Nigerian by ius sanguinis, having been born in Iju, Akure North, Ondo State, an international functionary per excellence, and a Professor of Public Administration by dint of hard scholarship. He will be eighty years old on Wednesday, 20 July, 2022.

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with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Adamolekun has in abundance. The problem, which is quite critical is that he, along with many other sophisticated professors in the public administration sector and generally in the humanity and social science disciplines are gradually leaving the scene. They are aging graciously.

Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, a diplomatic historian has attained the age of 80 and has become an observer of national politics. Professor Rafiu Ayo Akindele, a Professor of International Organisation, has similarly become an octogenarian. Professor Alaba Ogunsanwo falls into the same category. In fact, Professor Bolaji Akinwande Akinyemi is another octogenarian but who is still showing and saying that there is nothing like retirement in intellectual life. After many foreign policy initiatives –Technical Aid Corps Scheme, Foreign Policy Consultation Doctrine, Concert of Medium Powers, Black Bomb advocacy – he has again come up with the establishment of a Nigerian Academy of International Affairs as a special think tank to assist Nigeria’s foreign policy processes and professionalization of international relations.

Additionally, there is also the aspect of language diplomacy in which Professor Ade Ojo, former Director of the French-Nigeria village, is also an expert. He is also an octogenarian. Different scholars are working quietly on publications for many of these professors in their honour. I am not unaware of the efforts being made to also welcome Professor Adele Jinadu into the exclusive club of the octogenarians with also a befitting Festschrift.Without any whiff of doubt, they truly deserve to be honoured. However, who are their disciples? Who are to sustain their legacies? How much have they impacted on public administration of Nigeria?

In the Nigeria of today, education has been completely bastardised by Government. Educational certificates are no more than a chiffon de papier in terms of value. Little respect is given to academic lecturers. And without any gainsaying, Nigeria has become a terra cognita where people claim to have certificates

Going beyond ‘I Remember’ will require providing answers to one main question already asked by Professor Adamolekun: ‘we talk about herders: who owns the cows?’ (vide www.vaguardngr.com). An answer to this question will go a very long way in objectively addressing the current dishonesty-driven political governance of Nigeria and which has made a nonsense of public administration. Put differently, As much as I agree with Phillipe Destouches’s observation in his Le Glorieux, that ‘criticism is easy, art is difficult, I cannot but still subscribe to the viewpoint of Epicharmus in his Fabuloe Incertoe that ‘the wise man must be wise before, not after, the event.’ When will Nigeria be wise? What is the next level of public administration in and for Nigeria?

Additionally, Alfred Lord Tennyson says ‘knowledge comes but wisdom lingers.’ Shouldn’t Nigeria learn how to go beyond simply acquiring knowledge? Advisedly, let Nigerians underscore how to translate their knowledge into the provision of a new foundation for Solomonic wisdom in building a new Nigeria. It is by so doing that the teaching and learning of public administration to which the life of Professor Adamolekun has been committed, can be more meaningful. Meanwhile, Joyeux Anniversaire Monsieur le Professeur and Many Happier Returns.

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Public Administration and National Insecurity As noted above, one major purpose of the study of public administration is not only to facilitate the implementation of government policies, but to ultimately ensure good governance. It is generally accepted that national development cannot thrive in an environment of insecurity.Without peace, virtually all resources meant for economic growth and development have the potential to be diverted to the prosecution of crises and war.

In this regard, Nigeria is faced with many crises and conflicts: armed banditry, Fulani herdsmen imbroglio, agitations for selfdetermination, Boko Haram insurrection, Islamisation controversy, Fulanisation agenda, ISWAP terrorism, etc. How do we explain that all the teachings by Professor Adamolekun, as well as by his other public administration lecturers, have not enabled civil and public servants to contain the foregoing manifestations of insecurity in the country? Nigerians who also trained abroad have also taught many Nigerian officials currently in government. Why is it that the knowledge and impact of public administration has not helped in the containment of national insecurity in Nigeria? Asked differently, how do we explain that Nigerian experts excel abroad and are internationally recognised as experts of repute but are not adequately so recognised at home? 2004.

Even though the environmental conditionings of public administration in Nigeria are generally inclement, the very case of Professor Adamolekun is quite different and exceptional. He has been awarded several honours and distinctions at home and abroad. The highest national prize for academic and intellectual attainment in Nigeria, ‘The Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) was given to him in December 2005 while the Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State, conferred the D.Sc. (Public Policy and Governance, honoris causa) on him in 2016. This is in spite of Nigeria’s inclement conditions.

From international perspectives, he was an international functionary with the World Bank in Washington DC from January 1987 through July 2004. In 1975-1976, he was also a Public Administration Officer at the United Nations Secretariat, NewYork. Consequently, the issue is not only about professional competence and expertise which he

VIE INTERNATIONALE

that are always lost in transit; where they attend schools but would not know or remember the exact names of the schools they attended; and where it is not possible to ascertain the certificate-issuing authority of certificates possessed. In Nigeria, politicians have special certificates that the INEC has purportedly perused and accepted for electoral purposes, but evidence of which neither the owner nor the INEC has ability to show the public on request.

This is the situational reality before Professor Adamolekun and other present octogenarians. When they are still living, the problems are not being addressed. It is useful to note that Professor Adamolekun obtained a DPhil (Politics) from the University of Oxford in 1972.

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, who turned 80 on 4 January 2022, similarly obtained his doctorate degree from the Oxford University earlier in 1969. Professor Akinjide Osuntokun holds a PhD degree in History from the Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1970. He tturned 80 on 22 April, 2022. He is a few days younger than Professor Alaba Cornelius Ogunsanwo who turned 80 on 6 April, 2022. All A tthese professors have foreign educational background and cannot be ordinary in status. b Thus, there is no disputing that all these professors along with Professsor Adamolekun were born in the same year. They are all renowned sscholars nationally and internationally.They are diplomatists and their rreservoir of sagacious ideas and fountain of public affairs knowledge ccannot be easily quantified. With this, why is Nigeria in permanent ttrouble with herself? Why have teaching and learning not helpful to tthe extent that there are only politicians who are always wrapped up iin the glory of institutional corruption, political chicanery, electoral magouilles, and are always sophisticated in politics of hypocrisy?These m aare some of the questions that all the octogenarians should seek to aaddress in their period of retirement and reminiscences before they become nonagenarians. Certainly they will become nonagenarians b because it is the will of God. But which type of Nigeria will they be b witnessing at 90? w Without iota of doubt, both public administration and international public administration cannot but have their challenges. The issue is p not simply about teaching and learning. Besides, public administration n iis also subject to the whims and caprices of political will and the case of the Kuje jail break clearly serves as a good illustration of the chalo llenges. Apart from the conflict between the controversial hegemonic FFulani agenda under President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) and the iinstitutional objectivity of purpose of public administration, Femi FFalana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has also reminded us why the Government should be held directly responsible for the Kuje prison G saga because of its policy of remissness and neglect.

In this regard, Section 28 (1) (2) and (3) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act clearly provide for measures to be taken to ensure adequate security protection but these constitutional provisions were not complied with. Section 28 (1) stipulates that ‘there shall be provided monitoring devices to protect, control and safeguard correctional activities, including observatory towers,doubleperimeter walls, close circuit television, body scanners, e-monitoring devices, electrically activated alarm systems, and other instruments of restraint.’

Asprovidedinparagraph(2)‘theCorrectionalServiceshallestablishand maintain a fully equipped armed squad, intelligence and investigation unittoenhancesecurity,surveillance,monitoring,intelligencegathering and protection.’And perhaps more importantly, paragraph (3) has it that ‘in deploying the facilities under sub-section (1) priority shall be given to the security requirements of maximum security custodial centres.’

Thus, the law is not ambiguous. Where there is ambiguity is at the level of why the provisions have not been complied with.Why should the military security guards at the Correctional Centre be withdrawn on the eve of the incident? Why has there been no political will to prosecute the sponsors of terrorism?These questions point to the fact that the non-compliance with Section 28 of the Correctional Service Act cannot simply be a resultant from financial insolvency to procure the security services required. Consequently, why should anyone have qualms with any octogenarian preferring to let the sleeping dog to lie? Why shouldn’t they keep their peace? But, is keeping silent not beyondProfessorAdamolekun’sIRememberintermsofconsequences?

Beyond I remember Professor Adamolekun at 80 has every reason to rejoice, because, when Professor Tunde Adeniran noted in 2012 in his “Oladipo Adamolekun: A Colossus at 70,” public administration in Nigeria still had an impactful meaning, technique and focus. Today, when the same colossus is about to turn 80 on 20 July 2022, public administration is no longer meaningful, as the technique and focus of ensuring objectivity in public governance have been thrown into the dustbin of history to the unfortunate advantage of selfish political interests.

Professor Adamolekun, an epitome of public administration, has taught the subject for the purposes of better governance, national progress, efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Service.

However, he celebrated his 70th Anniversary in a Nigeria that opted to begin a journey of self-effacement in 2012. At 80, the journey appears to be still quite farther while the travelling fatigue is also deepening. This situation cannot but be quite agitating for Professor Adamolekun, especially that Nigeria’s public administrators and political leaders have brought total indiscipline and institutional corruption into the political governance of Nigeria. One typical illustration of indiscipline that has sustained insecurity is the issue of abduction of school children, meaning that many things are still fundamentally wrong with the political administration of Nigeria.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17 , 2022

ENGAGEMENTS

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Tinubu and the Burden of Faith

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Mr. Bola Tinubu, has merely announced a longstanding intention.

His naming of former Borno governor, Mr. Kashim Shettima, as his running mate confirms what is perhaps a long conceived preference for a Muslim-Muslim ticket for his 2023 race. That preference is neither so original nor earth shaking.

On the contrary, many are likely to see it as a mere cut and paste version of the MKO Abiola template in the June 12, 1992 presidential election.

The Muslim–Muslim gamble worked for Abiola because of his uniqueness as a genuine panNigerian citizen. Abiola was first and foremost a genuine altruistic trans national philanthropist.

He wanted nothing in immediate obvious return except open acknowledgment of his inherent goodness of heart across the nation. His ethnicity was not a badge on his forehead. On the contrary, Tinubu is an astute political investor. His generosity is targeted political investment aimed at specific outcomes and personal benefits. He is proud of and hardly hides his Yoruba identity. To those who have benefitted from the man’s generous handouts especially in Nigeria’s ‘northern hemisphere’, the pay back hour is at hand. The man is about to come knocking on every door for votes in return for cheques cashed in the past.

Nonetheless, Tinubu arguably rode on the fortunes of the June 12 political excursion into public notice. A NADECO militant who roamed the globe as an associate rebel with a democratic cause eventually returned home triumphant to harvest the smoke trail of June 12 into a personal political fortune. Again, that trajectory is neither strange nor so original. It was just a matter of recognising an opportunity that offered itself on a platter and seizing it. Time has passed and the Nigerian political landscape, compass and thermometer have all altered significantly.

As the flag bearer of the APC, a ruling party with a tattered performance record and overall miserable reputation, Mr. Tinubu knows he has an all -important election to win or lose. If he wins, a life ambition will have been fulfilled. If he loses, he may not have another opportunity to stand for any other election in life. Therefore, his choice of a running mate for 2023 can only be part of a strategic political arsenal to win power first and foremost. In a national election, politicians look for votes where they exist in quantum and recruit allies that can help them harvest those votes.

Astute political animals are not in the business of mining sentiments or pandering to crass sectarian emotions. It is only when they ascend power that they can exploit the machinery of governance and the power of public opinion to assuage popular sentiments wounded in the bloody hunt for winning votes.

To every intent and purpose, therefore, Mr. Tinubu’s choice of Mr. Kashim Shettima is well within the bounds of mundane political expediency and his democratic prerogative of choice. It should ordinarily not cause so much indigestion among the enlightened citizenry. The standard argument has always been that faith remains a private predilection. The choice of individuals in this area remains in the private domain. This is true to the extent that, in theory, a public office holder’s choice of what and how to worship should not affect his conduct or efficiency in office. The guidebook for judging the actions of political office holders remains the constitution. A president or vice president who adheres strictly to the letter and spirit of the constitution and discharges the duties attached to his office is not likely to offend public sensibility. Trouble only comes calling when a political office holder allows his private faith to impinge on his conduct of the affairs of state.

More pointedly, as my friend Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna State governor has said often in recent times, a public officer’s faith should have nothing to do with his efficiency in office. By his telling illustration, we do not ask the pilot what faith he practices before taking a seat in a flight. We simply want to be taken safely to our destination by a trained professional pilot. Trouble only comes if mid flight, he announces that he can only land the aircraft safely if we convert to his faith!

Beyond the general sensitivities around faith and state affairs, Tinubu still has to account to Nigerians on Mr. Shettima’s appropriateness for the role of number two. The criterion of ‘fit and proper person’ for the office of potential Vice

Tinubu President comes into play. He has understandably selected one APC leading light from the ‘northern hemisphere’ of Nigeria, an area that also has the likes of governors Zulum and El-Rufai who ordinarily would have balanced Tinubu’s street political credentials with some intellectual content. But he has exercised his right of choice, a hallmark of democracy.

Yet, we should not allow the veneer of religion to blind or divert our attention from the more consequential matter of Mr. Shettima’s fitness for the job Tinubu has offered him. Beyond the badge of having been a former governor of the Sahelian state of Borno, very little else is known of Mr. Shettima. Even as governor, we hardly know how much the school enrolment in Borno increased under his tenure or how many jobs he created. No one has indicated how much fight he gave climate change in his semi arid state. Even on the more urgent matter of security, Mr. Shettima is yet to fully publish his landmark achievements in the fight against Boko Haram unlike say Zulum who has survived a few terrorist ambushes during his tenure.

Borno’s overall importance is essentially geo strategic and unflattering. It is the epicenter of Nigeria’s jihadist terrorism. It is also the birth state of the notorious Boko Haram and Nigeria’s frontline state in the Sahelian jihadist frontier. Of course, the state offers no spectacular diversity management challenges, like say Lagos, that could equip anyone for the sheer complexity of deputizing for the president of Nigeria. In particular, Mr. Shettima may not have endeared himself to the Nigerian public in any particularly glowing or significant manner. If he comes immediately after Yemi Osinbajo as vice president, Mr. Shettima is likely to be a dim anti climax in the yes of the public.

Very little indeed is in the public domain about Mr. Shettima’s erudition, governance prowess or significant knowledge of Nigeria’s history, problems and prospects. Instead, the social media had erroneously associated him with the founding and support of Boko Haram which turns out to be wrong.

There is also the leaked phone audio of his call to former governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on the eve of the Jonathan ouster. That call

was dripping with ethnic vitriol, religious biases and even outright bigotry. On other occasions, he has been credited with uncomplimentary and biased views against some ethnic groups. There is as yet no record of Mr. Shettima dissociating himself from any or all of these worrisome pronouncements. Taken together, these are not the attributes that should herald a candidate for the office of Vice President of Nigeria. But Tinubu, who is himself accustomed to identity controversies, probably knows best.

The spontaneous reactions to Tinubu’s choice of his fellow Muslim as running mate should be understood in the context of the place of religion in the Nigerian psyche. In this place, faith based superstition holds the people in perpetual bondage. In other more enlightened places, those who choose to go to mosque to pray many times facing east would not threaten those who spend nights at vigil in the church. People elected into public office would not seize the podium of the Sunday sermon or the Friday prayer to comment on or validate their actions in government. Nor would a president or governor smuggle elements of his faith into state policy or programmes.

In a civilised polity, no responsible government would in the normal process of governance seek to manipulate public policy with reckless abandon. In the most enlightened of states and societies, the separation of mosque and state or church and state would be so thoroughly observed that the individual faith preferences of the captains of sate will hardly be known.

But Nigeria is a different place. Our political leaders are largely lawless, hardly obeying the very laws they emplace for the governance of others. Oaths of office mean nothing to these people. The society over which they rule is steeped in primordial superstition so much so that an arguable 98% of Nigerians live and breathe faith and its underlying superstition.

Our people surrender their lives to the irrational dictates of one alien faith or the other.

In this place, cause and effect defy the laws of scientific causality but obey the dark unfathomable irrational forces of divine machinations in a grey ghostly zone that is neither ancient African nor modern Judeo-Christian. There is a hand of God or the devil behind every fortune or

misfortune. People do not just die as mortals of natural causes. They must have been bewitched by the evil calculus of an envious neighbour or vicious uncle from thousands of miles away in the village.

Your wife will not miscarry except the witch next door has cast a spell on her. Good fortune is an act of divine benevolence, a compensation for long nights of praying and fasting. Sometimes, good fortune can be a testimony to the efficacy of a dark ritual. People with terminal health conditions prefer to go to prayer houses of hire a resident medicine man. This is where we live and why we die needless and senseless deaths.

In Nigeria, a permanent shadow of faith and superstition hovers over the affairs of state and society. Our politicians consult oracles and juju men. Some import expensive Marabouts from as far as Mauritania and Egypt or Bhudist monks from the Himalayas. Those in power constantly allow their faith to migrate into the sanctity of the secular domain. Nigeria is a secular state on paper but a secular state inhabited by mostly religious zealots, prayer militants and an unthinking mob of sheepish devotees. In this place, an irrational divine order supersedes the empirical socio political order presided over by human political agents.

Misguided politicians allow their private faith to unsettle the public by infusing governance with devious intent disguised as elements of religiosity.

In the present circumstance, the secular authority has frequently allowed fundamentalist zealots to openly bear arms, to shoot innocent people and bomb places of worship. By design or default, agents of violence have been allowed to invade the entire nation space with cascades of terror and trails of blood. The cries of religious domination and faith -induced violence have of recent consequently filled the air. The world has heard us loud and clear. Only a few days back, some US Republican senators signed a petition alleging systematic threats to Christians in Nigeria. Even Donald Trump condemned threats against Christians in Nigeria. It is not enough for our government to keep issuing reflex denials.

The reality chills the blood in the number of clerics kidnapped, abducted or killed each month. The troubling spectacle of women in church with pistol butts sticking out of their handbags or of clerics preaching the gospel with an AK -47 slung across their shoulder shows how far Nigeria has travelled on the road to perdition and apocalyptic unraveling.

The public disquiet over Tinubu’s MuslimMuslim ticket is therefore rooted in a place where religion rules the lives of the majority. Those who rule Nigeria know this too well and a ready to deploy faith in the pursuit of devious political ends. In the last seven years under Mr. Buhari, the power of faith in governance has been so recklessly deployed that Nigerians have cause to be thoroughly frightened by any hint that faith infused governance will persist beyond 2023.

In such an environment, it becomes important what religious badge those at the apex of state power are wearing. Our people have been scarred by sectarian fundamentalism decorated as the authority of state. Faith has been allowed to invade the very criteria for the allocation of high offices in the land and the dispensation of patronage in an otherwise diverse and plural state. A certain untidiness in the affairs of state has seen fidelity to skewed faith replace the meritocratic essence of normal public service career advancement.

Rank mediocrity has taken centre stage under the camouflage of sectarian fidelity and loyalty.

This is the backdrop to the current reticence over who runs for what and with whom. Nigerians are afraid not of faith but its serial abuses in recent times. We are afraid not of the muezzin’s clarion call to the faithful or the preachers urgent summons to salvation of the innocent but of the bombs that keep exploding in churches and mosques. We are afraid because those who went to worship at that Catholic Church in Owo are yet to return and may never return.

What frightens most people is that in today’s Nigeria, faith no longer travels alone. It has become mixed with complex issues of identity and politics that now make Nigeria a complex and difficult polity. Faith and ethnicity have a cruel embrace.

All over Nigeria, faith has become a tool of power, an instrument of domination and subordination.

Those who dominate others deploy faith to achieve a political end, to justify their excesses and recruit devotees to their uncanny project.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JULY 17, 2022

NEWSXTRA

Police Kill 10 Gunmen, Lose Two Officers, Civilian in Anambra

Recover vehicles, arms, bombs from three camps David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka Police in Anambra State yesterday said they killed over 10 gunmen, destroyed three camps habouring the criminals and also recovered vehicles and weapons, during an operation in Achalla, Awka North Local Government Area on Friday.

The state police command’s spokesperson, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this to journalists, noted that the police also lost two of its men and a civilian to the attack.

Ikenga said the criminals had earlier captured two policemen and a civilian who was described as a car tracker, who had joined

Economic Shocks: UN Agency Prescribes Export Diversification for Nigeria, Others Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has advised Nigeria and other African countries to diversify their exports to survive economic shocks from the current global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

UNCTAD, which outlined how African countries can rethink efforts to diversify their economies, also itemised some measures to make the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) impactful.

In its just-released ‘Economic Development in Africa Report 2022’, UNCTAD said African countries can diversify their economies by boosting the exports of high-value services, expanding private businesses’ access to financial services, tapping into new financial technologies and implementing effective policies.

It warned that the global economic shocks, climate change and other challenges could undermine Africa’s export diversification efforts if countries do not put in place the right policies, and

regulations as well as boost institutional capacities.

The UN agency called on African countries to tackle other hurdles facing small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), including poor integration into regional and global markets and a lack of capacity to compete with large public and private firms.

Noting that the free trade area needs effective export policies, UNCTAD said AfCFTA, which aims to create a single market for the continent’s 1.4 billion people, can also boost export diversification.

But to make the best of it, it said African countries must of necessity implement policies to boost productive capacities, and industrialisation, encourage investment as well as improve regional integration and infrastructure.

UNCTAD warned that global economic shocks, climate change and other challenges could undermine Africa’s export diversification efforts if countries do not put in place the right policies, and regulations and boost institutional capacities.

Vote for Credible Leaders, Shaibu Begs Nigerians Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Edo State Acting Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu yesterday urged Nigerians to ensure that only credible and competent leaders emerge in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

Shaibu gave the charge during the 17th convocation of Benson Idahosa University (BIU), in Benin City, Edo State.

The acting governor, who was a special guest of honour at the convocation ceremony, urged citizens to pray for the country, noting that only competent leaders can help the nation overcome its many socio-economic challenges.

He said, “Let us pray for

a greater Nigeria of our dreams. We must also pray for the coming election. As a government, we will do our best to make life better for our people.”

“We have not been lucky with leaders but must pray and do the needful to get competent leaders with the fear of God to move the nation forward. Governor Godwin Obaseki is doing his best to turn Edo State into the economic hub of the nation.

“We can only achieve this in a peaceful atmosphere. We are working to ensure that the state is peaceful by making the state uncomfortable for criminal elements,” the acting governor explained.

Rotary Club Installs President, BoD July 30 Rotary Club, Ikeja-Alausa Central, will inaugurate its President and Board of Directors (BoD) on July 30 at Lagos Airport Hotel. The event starts by 11 am.

In a year in which women in Rotary are breaking the glass ceiling, the club will be installing its first female President, Mrs Adebukunola Soile-Balogun.

This Rotary year (July 2022 to June 2023), Rotary International produced Rotarian Jennifer Jones as President, while Rotarian Omotunde Lawson is the Governor of Rotary International District 9110, covering all clubs in Lagos and Ogun States.

The club Directors who will be unveiled include the President-elect,

Rotarian Olayinka Patunola-Ajayi; the Vice President, who is also Public Image Chair, Rotarian Muyiwa Akintunde; Secretary, Rotarian Vincent Isaac; Treasurer, Rotarian Remilekun Bada and Club Administrator, Rotarian Tolulope Ajimotokan.

Others include Membership Chair, Rotarian Adeyemi Oguntirin; Rotary Foundation Chair, Rotarian Ayoku Banjoko Safatmaruwa; Service Project Chair, Rotarian Busayo Akomolafe; Youth Service Chair, Rotarian Abiodun Sonuga; History and Archives Chair, Rotarian Charity Uzochi; Immediate Past President, Rotarian Deji Shonuga and Sergeant-at-Arms, Rotarian Omoja Abimaje.

the police in an operation, to recover a stolen vehicle. According to him, the gunmen ambushed the police, capturing two of them, and the car tracker.

The police, however, reinforced and dislodged the criminals, leading to the killing of over 10 of them, while many others escaped with bullet injuries.

“During the operation, police recovered a human skull, one

locally-made rocket-propelled grenade RPG launcher, two (RPG) bombs, one singlebarrel long gun, and an empty chain of a bullet.

“Other recovered items include; one Toyota Sienna, one Mercedes Benz 4matic jeep, two cylinders, a huge quantity of hard drugs and other items, including a police beret and a police

belt.”

In the statement, Ikenga said: “The recovery came following a counter-offensive operation launched against criminal elements who had on 15/7/2022 laid an ambush against a six-man police team and a civilian car tracker who were on a recovery operation of a Toyota Sienna Space Wagon.

“The vehicle was earlier

snatched at gunpoint on 9/7/2022 in Oye-Agu Abagana. Four of the police operatives escaped the ambush, while two of the police operatives and the car tracker were captured by the criminals.”

Ikenga further stated that during the counter-offensive operation, police operatives neutralised 10 of the armed men and destroyed three of their camps.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING… L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN), Mayo Ayilaran; Chairman of MCSN, Orits Williki; Nigeria’s foremost flautist, Tee Mac, Actor Segun Alile at MCSN’s annual general meeting … recently

Appeal Court Okays Matawalle’s Defection to APC Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal in Sokoto has dismissed a suit seeking the removal of Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State from office over his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court, in its judgment, affirmed the earlier verdict of the Federal High Court in Gusau, dismissing the case against the governor.

Matawalle’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), shared the details of the Court of Appeal’s judgment with THISDAY at the weekend.

Matawalle at an elaborate ceremony in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, defected to the ruling

Continued from Page 1

APC in June last year after months of speculation and denial.

But his deputy, Aliyu Gusau who refused to defect from the PDP, on whose platform the duo was elected, was later removed from office by the state House of Assembly.

Following Matawalle’s defection, some aggrieved members of the PDP – Bashir Saleh, Abduhamid Haruna, and Ibrahim Turaki – approached the Federal High Court in Gusau, praying the court to sack the governor.

However, the court declined jurisdiction and held that the 1999 Constitution does not provide for the removal of a governor on account of defecting from one political party to the other.

Subsequently, the plaintiffs filed an appeal to challenge the High

Court’s decision.

A panel of three Justices of the Court of Appeal led by A. A. Gumel, held in its unanimous judgment that a governor cannot lose his seat on the grounds of defection from one party to another.

It affirmed that a governor can defect from one party to another without losing his seat in tandem with the provisions of Section 40 of the Constitution, and the binding decisions of the Supreme court in A.G. Federation V. Abubakar (Supra); and the Court of Appeal in Ogbuoji V. Umahi (Supra).

Citing provisions of Section 40 of the Constitution, the court held that a governor can defect from one party to another without losing his office.

The court held that the Nigerian Constitution does not provide

punishment for a governor who defects to another party.

It said Matawalle cannot vacate his seat because he defects to another political party of his choice in the exercise of his constitutional right of freedom of association.

The court added that once a governor is sworn in, he ceases to be under the control of the political party which sponsored him, and can only be removed from office in line with the provisions of sections 180, 188, and 189 of the 1999 Constitution.

“All the issues having been resolved in favour of Governor Matawalle, the appeal was dismissed and the judgment of the Federal High Court, Gusau, delivered on the 7th of February, 2022 was affirmed,” Ozekhome’s statement said.

APC, Tinubu, Oyetola in Osun: Won Lu‘le, PDP’s Adeleke Wins

“Knowledge of voting procedures and civic education of voters was very poor.

“Voting cubicles in many of the polling units were not positioned to ensure secrecy of the ballots, making it possible for voters to flash their votes to other people.

“There was open negotiation of buying and selling of votes well-coordinated by the polling agents in many of the polling units.

“There were no complaints from any of them against each other.

“Codes and coupons were used to extract commitments from voters as opposed to the blatant money exchanging hands observed in the Ekiti State governorship election.”

Obi, however, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines functioned credibly well.

She said that so far, commendably, Osun had witnessed

a high rate of Permanent Voters Card collection, recording a total of 1,518,303 as reported by INEC. Obi said that voting started peacefully, not showing any indications of the apprehension that had trailed the days preceding the election.

She said that Situation Room received reports from its network of observers of the early arrival of materials and INEC officials in most of the polling units which led to the early commencement of voting.

“The BVAS were deployed according to the number of registered voters.

“In polling units with over 1,000 voters, INEC kept to its promise to deploy two BVAS machines. The machines functioned credibly well.

“There were issues with the fingerprint verifications, however, the facial capture worked very well recording approximately one minute for accreditation and voting in Osogbo and outside areas, it took longer.”

ICPC Arrests Suspected Vote Buyers

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said its operatives on election monitoring duties arrested three persons suspected of vote buying in the Osun gubernatorial election.

The spokesperson for ICPC, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

She said one Dapo Olayode was arrested by the commission’s teams at Ife North and Central Local Government Councils, Osun East Senatorial District, precisely at Polling Unit 7, Iremo Ward IV. According to the statement, Olayode was arrested with a list containing the names of voters while an Android phone was also collected from him.

“At Egbedore Local Government, Osun West Senatorial District, precisely in Polling Unit 003, Ward 10, Osunbukola Junction, Kamorudeen

Nafisat, a female and Ojuade Musbau Olaniyi, a male were arrested by another team for alleged vote buying.

“Items collected from the duo included one Android Phone and a notebook containing a list of names of voters.

“A third team was attacked by a popular thug and his gang while attempting to effect the arrest of a vote buyer.

“The attack was at Polling Unit 1, Ward 7, opposite Polaris Bank, in front of Oba’s Palace, Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area,” Ogugua said.

She explained that the suspected vote buyer was also caught with a list containing names of 100 people expecting to be paid N5,000 each.

Ogugua said its team leader sustained a serious injury in the fracas that ensued, but the team was able to retrieve the book containing the list of 100 voters.

“The statements of all the suspects are being taken under caution, and investigations are still ongoing,” she stated.

JULY 17, 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 THE CURIOUS CASE OF NORTHERN CHRISTIANS allege “genocide” by “Fulani jihadists” and allege that the security agencies are colluding with them, and that there is a plot to wipe out Christians from the north. This thinking has reinforced the northern Christian solidarity.

A closer look at the facts, though, will reveal that the animosity is limited to a few states. In fact, Kaduna is the “epicentre”. The governor and deputy are Muslims and all ministerial appointments since 2015 have gone to Muslims. Things were more balanced in the past, but it still has to be said that even when there were Christian deputy governors and Christian ministers, Kaduna was still prone to ethno-religious bloodshed. Thousands were killed in upheavals between 2000 and 2002.

It is, therefore, difficult to blame the perennial animosity on political appointments. Gombe’s religious composition is similar to Kaduna’s but there is peace and harmony. Something should explain that.

From what I have observed so far, Christians in Kwara, Kogi, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kebbi, Niger, Borno and Nasarawa states appear to get along with their Muslim compatriots, at least generally speaking. There will be little tensions here and there but it is very rare to hear of religious upheavals and killings in those states. Perhaps they have devised a way of managing their differences.

In Plateau, Benue and Taraba, Muslims often complain of being pushed to the margins. Jos, in particular, has been a basket case in the last 22

years and something tells you another bloodshed is just a snap-of-the-finger away. Some of these things are deeply rooted in history and sustained through politics.

The irony of it all, if it can be so described, is that Christians used to play prominent roles in northern Nigeria, notably from the 1950s when Sir Ahmadu Bello was the premier of the Northern Region. He ran a system that accommodated not just Christians but ethnic minorities. The case of Chief Sunday Awoniyi, a Yoruba Christian who served as executive secretary of the Northern Regional Government in the 1960s, is often cited, but there were many similar stories. Bello shared scholarships and economic opportunities equitably to hold the north together. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, whom he anointed as the prime minister in 1960, was of the minority Gere ethnicity in today’s Bauchi state.

When the January 1966 coup wiped out many northern military officers, it was Gen Yakubu Gowon, a northern Christian, that the north made head of state after the July 1966 counter-coup.

His two deputies — military and civilian — were Christians. He ruled for nine years. In the military, which held power for decades, northern Christians were key players. Gen TY Danjuma, former army chief, was respected by both northern Muslims and Christians. In the 1980s, there was the “Langtang Mafia”, made of influential military officers from Plateau state. They were all Christians. Brig David

Mark and Brig Tunde Ogbeha were at the centre of action and defended the “northern interest”.

In addition to getting key military positions, northern Christians used to head at least one federal para-military institution — customs, immigrations, prisons and fire service — until 2015. Clearly, the Christian north used to have its pride of place. They were no pushovers. So, what changed? What happened to the bloc that was “politically strategic” to the core north and that used to provide the balancing factor in the socio-political configuration of Nigeria? Why is the Christian north no longer producing personalities like Gowon, Awoniyi and Danjuma who had cross-ethnic and cross-religious appeal? That is the burning question. The bigger question is how this old glory can be restored.

I wish I had the answer. A northern Muslim, who often shares his thoughts with me without filter, sent me this chat in reaction to my article, “The Awkward Muslim-Muslim Ticket” (THISDAY, June 19, 2022): “This unfortunate situation started with the formation of CAN. Our Christian brothers were told, taught and blackmailed to stop playing politics with mainstream northern political bloc. Very hostile southern press are at the centre of all this, and [northern Christians] boxed themselves into a corner which will NEVER protect their political interest.” I would add that southern politicians also played up the religious differences up north in order to get the votes of

the minorities.

But northern Christians will say something else: that they are only resisting an Islamisation and domination agenda by the Hausa-Fulani. What I can say with certainty is that since the 1980s, there has been a rise in religious extremism on both sides of the divide, and ethnic nationalism is getting stronger. There is mutual distrust, even hate. In short, the northern Nigeria of today is not the same northern Nigeria of the 50s, 60s and 70s. I suspect things started changing in the mid-80s, particularly with the storm over Nigeria’s involvement with the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). Today, a northern Christian feels more like a southerner and aligns with the south.

Meanwhile, if I were to advise Christians on the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, I would suggest that they play politics with wisdom. They must be strategic and less emotional. Since Muslims will hold the No 1 and No 2 positions if Tinubu wins, Christians should play for the No 3 and No 4 slots for “balancing”. Otherwise, they should vote for Abukakar Atiku/Ifeanyi or Peter Obi/ Datti Baba-Ahmed. They definitely have plenty options. But, really, what do vice-presidents do? The senate president and speaker are more influential.

More importantly, being vigilant over religious equity will be more useful for Christians than having a VP who is largely a space filler — like a redundant semi-colon.

And Four Other Things…

OBI-DIENT AFENIFERE Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural pressure group, has endorsed Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. This gesture should not be overlooked: the Yoruba and Igbo are political rivals. There is thus a “national unity” value in the endorsement by Adebanjo, who fell out with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, over 20 years ago. The Afenifere endorsement may not carry much electoral value — they endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2019 to no avail — but it is something that can be built upon as we continue to seek handshakes across the divides in our politics. Positive.

SPY CATCHER Mr Usman Alkali Baba, the inspector-general of police, on Wednesday ordered a ban on the use of police SPY vehicle number plates “irrespective of whether it is authorised or not”. He said the order is necessary to forestall the “continuous disregard for traffic rules and regulations” by motorists “hiding under the privileges of SPY police number plates”.

One of the things that will shock you about Nigeria is the way people of means get special treatment. I used to think SPY was reserved for the police, only to learn that Nigerians with good balances in their bank accounts can get it too. Criminals could pay for it to get privileged treatment on the roads by security agents.

Nigeria!

PARADOX OF PLENTY In the good old days — I mean not so long ago — Nigeria used to grow its foreign reserves and build up its excess crude account anytime crude prices went up. For the first time in our history, oil prices are going up and the naira is falling. It is now N620/$ in the open market.

Why? Because we are earning virtually nothing from oil exports. We are not exporting much.

Oil production is low, our share of production is low, NNPC is using most of our share to exchange for imported, subsidised petroleum products under the direct sale direct purchase (DSDP) arrangement. In 2014, NNPC brought in over $98 billion in oil sales. In 2021, the total from the same NNPC was $92 million.

Dire.

BADENOCH’S BULLETS I am happy for Mrs Kemi Badenoch, the Nigerian-born British politician seeking to be the next UK prime minister, for making the top five short list. More rounds of voting

by MPs will cut the list down to two, after which members of the Conservative Party will vote for a new leader that will take over from the scandal-riddled Mr Boris Johnson in September. While it is gratifying that Badenoch has gone this far in her career, I was shocked at her unprovoked attack on Nigeria and Nigerian politicians before a British audience. The same UK where MPs watch pornography in office with taxpayer’s money and ministers award contracts to cronies? She needs to give us a break. Please.

any party in that election), Ogun, Oyo and Lagos states but marginally in Bendel (present Edo and Delta states) where it scored 53.2% but also had good showing in Kwara (37.48%) and Gongola (21.67%).

NPP won old Anambra and Imo states convincingly but marginally in old Plateau State (49.70%). PRP won in Kano by 76.41% and scored 31% in Kaduna, though it produced the governor of the state. Lastly, GNPP won marginally with 54.04% in Borno State, the home of its flagbearer, but recorded 34.09% in Gongola and snapped up 26.61% in Sokoto, the home state of the NPN flagbearer. The most interesting and most competitive state was Gongola (present Adamawa and Taraba states). There, NPN led narrowly with 35.52%, followed closely by GNPP with 34.09%, then UPN with 21.67%. (In the governorship election, NPN dropped to seven states, UPN and NPP

retained their five and three states respectively, while PRP and GNPP each gained an additional one state to put their tally at two apiece.)

The strong showing by the five parties was not surprising, as the political parties were formed and led by prominent and respected politicians: Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of NPP; Chief Obafemi Awolowo of UPN; Mallam Aminu Kano of PRP; Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of GNPP; and Alhaji Shehu Shagari of NPN. The first three were pre-independence heroes; the last two had been parliamentarians and ministers in the lead up to independence and in the First Republic. Three of them were from the North and the remaining two from the South. All of them had bloc votes arising from their personal appeal or the pedigree and presence of their parties. All the parties were reincarnations of earlier popular parties from pre-independence era and the First Republic.

While they may not necessarily have the stature of the political heavyweights of the Second Republic, there are four candidates on the scene now that can ignite the kind of keen competition witnessed in 1979. These are: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of APC; Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP); Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP). Two apiece are from the North and the South. The last two are in a position to give the first two a good run. Kwankwaso has a long-established base in Kano and environs and in his Kwankwasiya movement that stretches beyond his North West zone. Obi is enjoying tremendous bounce among young voters and those desirous of upturning the status quo, and is seen as viable hope of the South East to win the presidency.

For the first time in the Fourth Republic, there is a real chance of moving beyond the traditional two-way race, which has the potential of expanding options for the electorate and deepening our democracy. The election may even go into a runoff, which one of the parties unsuccessfully aimed for in 1979. It is still early to project exactly how things will go in 2023, as the election is still seven months away. But one thing is clear: the eventual winner will be the candidate that can hold down his domain and garner significant support outside of his base. That is the abiding lesson from 1979.

ECHOES OF THE 1979 PRESIDENTIAL POLL Republican Congress (NRC) to represent moderate left and right persuasions (which his political architects labelled a little to the left and a little to the right). At that time, the politicians had no option but to belong to one of the two state-sponsored parties formed with the goal of preventing formation of parties along ethnic and regional lines.

Though that experiment ended with the General Sani Abacha coup in November 1993 and was later succeeded by another experiment of five official political parties all designed to enable Abacha to transmute into an elected president, the Babangida engineering instilled a consciousness that lingered within the political class. The third reason sprang from the decision to form a big national political party that could stand up to the military, which led to the formation of PDP in 1998 and the design by others over time to have an equally strong and well-spread counterweight that can end PDP’s vow or threat to be in power for 60 uninterrupted years. This desire led to the formation of APC in 2013 and eventually to the first alternation of power in 2015.

It is on account of one or a combination of these reasons that Nigeria has ended up with a political system where the two leading parties that have been in existence in one form or the Tinubu and Atiku other for more than two decades slug it out while the others just make up the numbers. The 10.01%. Also, each of the political parties won electoral weight of the other parties has been the presidential election in at least one of the so insignificant that they have little value even 19 states at the time: NPN led in nine states; for purposes of meaningful alliances or in case UPN in five states; NPP in three states; and the election goes into a runoff. As said earlier, PRP and GNP in one state apiece. It should be noted that some of these states have now it seems this is likely to change next year.

In our context, the 1979 presidential election been broken into two or three.

A state-level disaggregation of the performance serves as the base for what a really competitive multi-party presidential contest looks like. In of the parties shows how intense the competition the election conducted on 11 August 1979, the was and gives some intimation about what parties polled the following number of votes: the eventually made the difference for NPN, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), 5.69 million winning party. For instance, NPN won well votes; the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), 4.92 not just in old Bauchi, Benue, Kwara, Niger, million votes; the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP), Sokoto states but also in old Cross River and 2.82 million votes; the People’s Redemption Party Rivers states but marginally in Kaduna State (PRP), 1.73 million votes; and the Great Nigeria (43%) and Gongola State (35.52%). The party People’s Party (GNPP), 1.69 million votes. This also had a good showing in Bendel (36.20%), means that of the total 16.85 million votes cast, Plateau (34.72%) and Borno (34.71%). UPN won the NPN won 33.77%; the UPN, 29.18%; the comprehensively in old Ondo (where it scored NPP, 16.75%; the PRP, 10.28%; and the GNPP, a whopping 94.50%, the highest percentage by

70

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 17, 2022

SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

OREGON 2022

With 19 Medals in the Bag, Allyson Felix Says Goodbye to Athletics Americanseven-timeOlympicchampion,Allyson Felix, bowed out from her stellar career with one finalWorldChampionshipmedal,winningbronze in the 4x400m mixed relay in Oregon, USA early hours of Saturday.

The Dominican Republic mixed quartet denied FelixagoldenfarewellwiththeNetherlandspipping the United States to silver.

Felix, 36, retires with 19 world medals, 13 of which are gold.

ThebronzewonbytheUSAteamwasFelix’s19th at World Championships in a career that started almost two decades ago and also included 11 Olympic medals.

“It was very special to be able to run in front of a home crowd for my last race,”gushed Felix.“It was so cool. My daughter was in the stands. It was a night I will cherish.”

Felix added: “I’ve had such good memories. I know it is time and these guys will carry it on into the future.

“I am at peace stepping into this next stage and have tremendous gratitude for this sport.”

Former US sprinter and four-time Olympic champion, Michael Johnson, spoke glowingly about Felix’s achievements as a pundit for BBCTV. “I think the thing about her career that has been most impressive is just the longevity.

“Making the US team is very difficult, even just makingarelayteam,andshehasmadefiveOlympic teams,eightWorldChampionshipteams,andthat’s unheard of.”

Robert Lewandowski Lewandowski...agreement agreement reached for him to leave Bayern Munich for Barcelona

Barcelona, Bayern Munich Reach Agreement on Lewandowski

G

iven the latest development, Polish international, Robert Lewandowski, will lace boots for Catalan giants, Barcelona, next football season. Both Barcelona and Lewandowski’s Bayern Munich have reached an “agreement in principle” to allow the gangling striker to depart Allianz Arena for Camp Nou. The 33-year-old, who has one year left on his Bayern contract, told the German champions last month that he wishes to leave.

Lewandowski scored 50 goals in 46 games last season as he helped Bayern win a 10th straight Bundesliga title.

TRANSFER NEWS Barcelona however believe the deal is “dependent on the player passing a medical for the contracts to be signed”.

“It’s good to have clarity for all parties,” said Bayern President, Herbert Hainere, who first announced the agreement yesterday.

“We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona.

“Robert is an incredible player and he won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him.”

Lewandowski joined Bayern on a free

transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2014and has scored 344 times in 374 games for the club, making him their second-highest scorer of all time behind Gerd Muller.

The Pole has won the league in all eight of his seasons at Bayern and also helped the Bavarians win the Champions League in 2019-20.

Bayern have also announced that Germany winger Serge Gnabry, 27, has signed a contract extension until 2026.

Barcelona completed the signing of Raphinhafrom Leeds on Friday in a deal worth up to £55million having already signed Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensenon free transfers earlier this month.

Relegated Kano Pillars FC May Return to NPFL Next Season Duro Ikhazuagbe

K

ano Pillars FC confirmed at the weekend to have been relegated from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) following the inability of the Kano State owned club to upturn the three points deduction, may sneaked back to the Nigerian topflight through a backdoor window.

THISDAY sources revealed yesterday that the Sai Masu Gida may have lost the battle at the NFF’s Appeals Committee to reverse the point deduction following the violence that ensued in their home game with Dakkada FC on June 23, 2022, talks have reached advanced stage to acquire the slot of newly promoted Doma FC. “Kano Pillars will play in the NPFL next season despite their relegation. They are in talks to buy off the slot of newly promoted Doma FC,” revealed the top football source in Abuja.

The source who would not want his name in print stressed that there was nothing unusual

in the arrangement as several other clubs have used that window to play in the NPFL. “There is nothing strange in this arrangement. Delta Stars did that when they bought the slot of Kada Stars. Several clubs have gained promotions to the NPFL and sold their slots,” stressed the source.

However, the CEO of Doma FC of Gombe, Alhaji Suleiman Umar (Mai Doma), dismissed speculations that the club was negotiating to sell their slot to Kano Pillars.

“Let me be clear about this and assure the good supporters of Doma United Football Club that Doma United is not going to sell its NPFL ticket and we’re ready to play in the elite league.

“We didn’t come this far to stop. We will play in the elite league. People should debunk any other report that is saying a different thing because we don’t know where they’re emanating from. We’re a professional club, so we’ll play in the league.”

Although the buying of slots by clubs remains controversial, no real attempts have been made by both the NFF and the League Management Company (LMC) to

block that loophole used by clubs to return to the topflight.

Kano Pillars were relegated from the NPFL for the first time in over 20 years.

NFF’s Appeals Committee upheld the decision to deduct three points due to the violence Pillars inflicted on Dakkada at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

Former Pillars Chairman, Surajo Yahaya, was captured in a video that went viral on social media assaulting Assistant Referee 1, Daramola Olalekan, after visitors Dakkada scored a late equaliser against the home team. Yahaya was replaced with Ibrahim Galadima by the Kano State government.

Also, a camera, Sony HD Full HD 1920×1080, belonging to Dakkada was damaged by angry Pillars fans.

Following the incident the LMC deducted three points from Kano Pillars which left them on 42 points, five adrift of safety with one game left to play.

However, Pillars appealed the decision but the NFF rejected it which means Pillars have been relegated to the lower division.

Allyson Felix Felix... goodbye to illustrious track

Bassey Close to Record Ajax Switch Nigeria and Glasgow Rangers’Calvin Bassey has movedclosertoarecordtransfertoAjaxAmsterdam.

Ajax are prepared to pay the Scottish club €20million plus an additional five Million Euros of add-ons.

Accordingtoespn.nl,atransferhadbeenintheair for a few days, but things are now moving forward.

Bassey, who reached the Europa League final withRangers,hasnotbeenincludedintheselection for the exhibition game against Blackpool. He gets the chance to complete his transition.

The clubs are approaching an agreement; Rangers wants to see €25million before releasing their prized Super Eagles defender but Ajax have so far tabled €20 Million.

It seems that they will come to a deal because Bassey himself would like to make the switch to Ajax so that he can play the UEFA Champions League next season.

Calvin Bassey...close to Ajax switch

SUNDAY JULY 17, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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“The truth is that farming population in Nigeria is under siege and is being decimated; agriculture is gradually dying and food security is being threatened” – Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, asking the United States to hold the administration of President Buhari responsible for the spate of violence in Nigeria.

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SIMONKOLAWOLE The Curious Case of Northern Christians SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

T

he rumpus over the Muslim-Muslim presidential pairing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was, I have to say, inevitable. I would be lying to say I was surprised.

Since Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the choice of Alhaji Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno state, as his running mate, the outrage has been deafening. First, I expected northern Christians to kick against it. I also expected the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Conference of Catholic Bishops and Pentecostal pastors to oppose it vehemently. I expected the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its allies and other opposition figures to jump on it. So far, my predictions have been fairly accurate.

Many things divide us sharply in Nigeria depending on the situation at hand. It could be religion today and region tomorrow. It could be ethnicity or sub-ethnicity. It could be senatorial district or local government. Politics at state level often escapes national attention, but it is a microcosm of the macrocosm. What Tinubu’s candidacy has brought out clearly is the delicate balancing act in the macrocosm. We traditionally think Nigeria is north and south. A southerner has picked a northerner as his running mate. That is balancing, no? It solves one puzzle and creates another: a Muslim choosing another Muslim. It is not enough to balance the region — you must

Shettima also balance religion.

Northern Christians saw Tinubu’s candidacy as a rare opportunity for one of them to be the vicepresidential candidate. But in the cold calculations of electoral dynamics, the question Tinubu and his strategists would have asked themselves is: how many northern Christian politicians carry enough weight to rally the critical mass of northern

voters? To the best of my knowledge, there are no Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri Christians who are political heavyweights. More so, the major identity marker in the north is religion. You typically identify first as a Muslim or Christian before your ethnic stock. That is why politically, the north is analysed along religious rather than ethnic classification.

Conversely, religion is not the major identity marker in the south. Political classification is usually ethnic: Igbo, Yoruba and “southern minorities”. Even in the south-west, which is mainly a mixture of Christians and Muslims, religion is peripheral to politics, and that should explain why a predominantly Muslim state will elect a Christian as governor, sometimes along with Christian deputies. In Ogun, the baton is regularly passed between Muslims and Christians, even though it is not planned. In political fights, you will have Christians backing Muslims and vice versa. Religion is hardly on the front burner, although there are ongoing efforts to damage that admirable culture.

In view of the Tinubu situation, one question that is being asked again and again is why he was reluctant to pick a Christian from the north.

One pastor even said there are more Christians than Muslims in the north, a claim that cannot be backed by evidence. Of the 19 northern states, only three are governed by Christians: Benue, Plateau and Taraba. Two other states that have produced Christian governors in this dispensation

are Adamawa and Kaduna — both by default, after the governor or governor-elect resigned, died or was impeached. Why, then, are northern Christians not using their “majority” to vote Christians as governors if the pastor’s claim is the gospel truth?

But that begs the question. Must a northerner be a Muslim before he or she can enjoy the support of northern Muslim voters? That is the question at the heart of this debate which we are hardly addressing. Pray, what is wrong with northern Muslims voting for a northern Christian? Why can’t northerners support fellow northerners no matter the religion? If Yoruba Muslims willingly vote for Yoruba Christians without frontloading religion, why shouldn’t northern Muslims also back northern Christians and put region above religion? Do northern Muslims truly have an agenda against their Christian counterparts, to keep them perpetually subdued through the use of political power?

When you talk to northern Christians, especially those in the core north, they believe there is a plot to keep them down. They complain about being denied equal opportunities with their Muslim counterparts in areas such as allocation of land to build churches and state sponsorship of pilgrimage.

They complain of being incessantly denied federal appointments and deputy governorship slots in states like Niger. Increasingly in recent times, they Continued on page 69

WAZIRIADIO Echoes of the 1979 Presidential Poll POSTSCRIPT

W

ith the way things are shaping up, the 2023 presidential election may be the most competitive multiparty poll since 1979, the year that Nigeria held its first presidential election. Over time, the country has ossified into a two-party system. On paper, Nigeria remains a vibrant multiparty democracy.

But outside of two dominant parties, all the other registered political parties combined hardly score up to a tenth of the valid votes cast. With at least four parties boasting of potentially significant bloc votes ahead of 2023, Nigeria’s version of feckless pluralism looks set for a major challenge.

The competition in 1979 was more intense than what we have seen in recent times. Due to a number of factors that we will get to shortly, all the five parties that contested in 1979 pulled their weight. Each party locked down its traditional base and four of the five parties gave a decent showing outside of their enclaves. The votes were more evenly spread, ranging from 33.77% for the party with the highest votes to 10.01% for the party with the least votes. There is a possibility we may return to something close to this level of competition

among the top four in next year’s landmark polls. If this happens, it will mark a radical departure from the pattern set by the seven other elections held between 1979 and 2019.

A dive into the results of recent elections from 2003 shows that the only semblance of competition has been between the top two parties, while the other parties merely make up the numbers, even in periods when we had more than 80 registered political parties. Though 1999 shares a similarity with 1979 in terms of being years of transition from military rule, the result of the 1999 election is not dissected here because only two of the three registered parties fielded presidential candidates (two parties ran a joint ticket). Also, the 1993 presidential election will be excluded because there were only two political parties then.

In 2003, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the leading opposition party then, polled 61.94% and 32.19% respectively. That’s a total of 94.13%. The 18 other parties combined shared the remaining 5.87% of valid votes cast. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) came third with only 3.29% of the valid votes. In 2007, there was a slight improvement in the performance of the 23 other parties that fielded presidential candidates with the top two. They had a combined total

of 11.74% of the total valid votes. PDP grossed 69.60% and ANPP scored 18.66%, a total of 88.26%. The Action Congress (AC) came third with 7.45% of the valid votes, the highest by a third party since 2003.

From the 2011 polls, the two dominant parties returned to north of the 90% territory. That year, PDP and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC, a splinter party from ANPP) scored 58.87% and 31.98% respectively, a total of 90.85% of the valid votes. The other 18 political parties on the ballot managed only 9.15% of the valid votes. Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN, formerly AC) came third with 5.44%. In 2015, the two-party system got further entrenched.

The All Progressives Congress (APC, a party formed in 2013 by CPC, ACN, some parts of APGA and PDP) polled 53.96% and PDP scored 44.96% of the valid votes, a total of 98.92%, leaving the 12 other parties with a measly 1.08% of the valid votes. The African Peoples Alliance (APA) came third with 0.19%.

In 2019, there were 73 political parties on the ballot. APC and PDP scored 55.60% and 41.22% respectively, a total of 96.82%, with 3.18% of valid votes left to the other 71 parties on the ballot. The Peoples Coalition Party (PCP) came third with only 0.40% of the valid votes. Some observers argue that the parties that came third

in the last two elections, even with their below 0.5% performance, benefited from the closeness of their names to those of the leading parties.

It is also worth noting that the two leading parties since 1999 have been more or less the same: while PDP has remained constant, the other leading party has been different iterations of AD-APP, the parties that ran against PDP in 1999. The longevity has endowed the two parties with some form of first mover’s advantage and the muscle to edge out the rest.

There are some explanations for the emergence of two dominant parties in Nigeria. One is that it simply follows the trend of most multi-party democracies in which strong parties develop to reflect the two broad political and economic tendencies in society. In the United States of America and the United Kingdom, for example, there are many political parties but the main parties are the Republican Party and Democratic Party in one and the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in the other.

The second reason is that what we have seen from the late 1990s till now is the maturation of the political experiment by General Ibrahim Babangida. His administration created the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Continued on page 69

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