SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022

Nigeria’s Crude Oil Underproduction Persists over Prolonged Repairs at Forcados Terminal African leaders kick against abrupt end to fossil fuels

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria’s underproduction of crude oil will persist as repair

work on Forcados, a key oil terminal, will drag till the end of September, after months of halted flows contributed to

hobbling the country’s supply performance in August.

The repairs to a subsea hose have stopped exports of Forcados

crude, which is the single largest export grade.

This is coming as African ministers meeting in Cairo two

months ahead of the COP27 climate summit, have called for a sharp expansion of climate financing for their continent while

pushing back against an abrupt move away from fossil fuels.

Continued on page 6

Lawan, Gombe Gov Visit Minna, Hold Meetings with Babangida, Abdulsalami… Page 6 Sunday 11 September, 2022 Vol 27. No 10015

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Atiku’s Camp Digs Deep Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

REUNITED FOR FAMILY…

Despite the resignation of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin and his replacement with a former President of the Senate, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the crisis in the party has persisted with the camp of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar disclosing that sacking the party’s National Chairman,

Princess of Wales, Catherine; Prince of Wales, Williams; Duke of Sussex Harry; Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, during the formal proclamation of King Charles III in London…yesterday

Continued on page 8

Less Than 48 Hours after Queen’s Demise, Charles III Formally Proclaimed King Declares Bank Holiday as burial fixed for September 19 Takes oath to secure the Church of Scotland Nigeria looks forward to strong relationship with King Charles III, says Buhari Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Bayo Akinloye in Lagos with agency reports King Charles III was yesterday formally proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch.

His emergence followed the death

of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen, who was UK's longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland last Thursday afternoon at the age of 96. Her funeral has Continued on page 5

WeThoroughly InvestigatedTinubu's Alleged SAVE THE KING… Certificate Forgery, Says Ex-lawmaker...Page 8 GOD Queen Consort, Camilla (left), and King Charles III, during the formal proclamation of the monarch in London…yesterday

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CONDOLENCE VISIT… L-R: Representative of President Muhammadu Buhari and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha; British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; and SFG’s wife, Mrs. Olufumilayo Boss Mustapha, during their condoclence visit to the British envoy on the passing of the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in Abuja…yesterday

Delta PDP Guber Tussle Not over as Edevbie Asks Supreme Court to Declare Him Party’s Candidate Alex Enumah in Abuja Barely two weeks after an Appeal Court voided his declaration by a Federal High Court as the Delta State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 governorship election, Mr. David Edevbie, has asked the Supreme Court to re-affirm his candidacy.

Edevbie, in a 23-ground of appeal, faulted the entire unanimous decision of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Peter Ige and asked the apex court to hold that he is the rightful candidate of the PDP in the Delta State governorship election slated for February next year.

The appeal filed by his lawyer, Mr. Eko Ejembi Eko (SAN), has Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

Following the governorship primary election held in the state on May 25, 2022, Oborevwori had emerged as the PDP candidate after overcoming his closest rival, Edevbie While Oborevwori polled a total of 590 votes, Edevbie scored 113 votes and the Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Kingsley Otuaro, and the immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Peter Mrakpor, scored nine votes each.

But Edevbie, a former Commissioner for Finance, who felt aggrieved, went to the Federal High Court in Abuja to contest the credentials Oborevwori submitted to INEC. In suit number: FHC/ ABJ/795/2022, he alleged that the documents were forged.

Among the prayers Edevbie sought at the court included an order removing Oborevwori as the flagbearer of the PDP and that his name be forwarded to INEC as an authentic candidate of the PDP. In his judgment, Justice

Taiwo Taiwo on July 7, 2022, disqualified Oborevwori who is also the Speaker of the state House of Assembly. The court ordered INEC and the PDP to recognise Edevbie as the candidate of the party in the election.

The trial judge agreed with Edevbie that Oborevwori ought not to be on the ballot for the PDP primary election on account of supplying false and forged documents to INEC to aid his qualification for the

governorship election.

But not satisfied with the judgment, Oborevwori and the PDP headed to the Court of Appeal to seek redress.

In an 18-ground of appeal, they urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment.

Citing a plethora of authorities, they asked the appellate court to upturn the verdict and give them victory.

In a unanimous judgment, a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Peter

Ige held that the lower court erred in law in concluding that Oborevwori was not qualified to participate in the governorship primary election of the PDP on account of forgery and perjury.

The three-man panel agreed with the appellant that the suit filed by Edevbie was wrongly initiated because allegations of criminal offences must be proven beyond affidavit evidence.

It noted that cases involving criminal allegations ought not to have commenced by an

Originating Summons as in the instant case.

The court held that this case "cannot be resolved without recourse to oral evidence" because the issue of forgery and falsehood and others raised by the plaintiff and 1st respondent "is deeply rooted in criminality".

The panel stressed that such criminal cases must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt with the calling of relevant witnesses and not by mere affidavit evidence.

The court held that the failure of Edevbie to call relevant witnesses was fatal to the case and the trial court erred in law when he found merit in the suit and granted the reliefs sought.

According to the judgment, Edevbie would have called the institutions he claimed their certificates were forged to prove his allegations, adding that the forged certificates and other documents must be presented before the court to substantiate the allegations.

LESS THAN 48 HOURS AFTER QUEEN’S DEMISE, CHARLES III FORMALLY PROCLAIMED KING been fixed for September 19, 2022.

The formal proclamation of King Charles III was made by the Accession Council, an ancient body of advisers that dates back to the time of the Norman Conquest.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria was looking forward to a strong working relationship with the UK under King Charles III. Also reacting to the proclamation, a former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has prayed that the exercise would bring a new dawn in the lives of Britons and their allies.

In his new position, King Charles III is the Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth.

During the historic ceremonies in St. James's Park and the Royal Exchange in London, King Charles III made a personal declaration on the death of his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and vowed to uphold “constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands, and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world.”

At 11 a.m. yesterday, trumpets then blared from the balcony of St James’s Palace as the Principal Proclamation announcing the King was read out. Crowds gathered outside the palace as the King was officially proclaimed Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including

Supreme Head of the Church of England and Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s Armed Forces, as well as Head of State of the Commonwealth and British territories around the world.

On a balcony above Friary Court in St James’s, David White – an official known as the Garter King of Arms – read the proclamation.

He ended by saying: “Given at St James’s Palace this 10th day of September in the year of our Lord 2022.” In the moments after, “God save the King” was shouted out.

Paying tribute to the Queen at the throne room of St James’s before the assembled Accession Council, the King also approved an order that the day of the Queen’s funeral would be a bank holiday.

Making his declaration, Charles III said: “My lords, ladies and gentlemen, it is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved mother the Queen.

I know how deeply you, the entire nation, and I think I may say the whole world, sympathise with me in the irreparable loss we’ve all suffered.

“It is the greatest consolation to me to know the sympathy expressed by so many to my sister and brothers. And that such overwhelming affection and support should be extended to our whole family in our loss.”

Continuing the declaration, the King said: “In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and

to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands, and the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world.

“In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose Sovereign I have been called upon to be and that in the discharge of these duties I will be guided by the counsel of their elected parliaments.

“In all this, I am profoundly encouraged by the constant support of my beloved wife. I take this opportunity to confirm my willingness and intention to continue the tradition of surrendering the hereditary revenues, including the Crown Estate, to my Government for the benefit of all, in return for the Sovereign Grant, which supports my official duties as Head of State and Head of Nation.

“And in carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of Almighty God.” Prime Minister Liz Truss joined Camilla, Queen Consort, William, Prince of Wales and 250 other dignitaries, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell; the Prime Minister; the Lord Privy Seal; the Lord Great Chamberlain; the Earl Marshal and the Lord President to sign the proclamation.

Former Prime Ministers Boris

Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major; Labour former Cabinet minister, Harriet Harman; the Mother of the House; Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer and the high commissioners of the 14 Commonwealth countries where Charles III is Head of State, are also on the body of the Accession Council.

During the event, the Lord President – Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt – announced the death of the sovereign and called upon the Clerk of the Council to read aloud the text of the Accession Proclamation before the body signed the document. It includes Charles’s chosen title as King, already known to be King Charles III. Charles III then entered for the second part of the council at 10.20 am, attended only by privy counsellors, and where he made a personal declaration about the death of the Queen. He took an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland and signed two documents to record it, with his wife Camilla and his son Prince William among those witnessing his signature.

A wave of further proclamations will take place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are to take place at midday today (Sunday).

Part II is the holding by The King of His Majesty’s first Privy Council. The king will make his declaration and read and sign an oath to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland and approve Orders in Council which facilitate continuity of government.

In recognition of the new sovereign, flags were flown at full mast from the time of the principal proclamation at St James's Palace until one hour after the proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, after which flags will return to half-mast in mourning for the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Meanwhile, the British monarch has declared a national Bank Holiday for the queen's funeral. The announcement was made after King Charles III was formally declared head of state. Queen Elizabeth II will be given a state burial.

Opening proceedings at the Accession Council, the Lord President, Rt. Hon. Penny Mordaunt MP said: “My lords, it is my sad duty to inform you that Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has passed away on Thursday, the 8th of September, 2022, at Balmoral Castle. I propose that, when a certain necessary business has been transacted, a deputation consisting of Her Majesty, His Royal Highness, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York, the Prime Minister, the clerk of the Council, and myself, shall wait on the King and inform him the Council is assembled.”

Reading the text of the proclamation, the Clerk of the council said: “Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth II of blessed and glorious memory, by whose decease Continued on page 10

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NEWS

CELEBRATING ESAMA @ 88…

L-R: Ooni of Ife, HRM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II; Celebrant and Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion; and Emir of Kano, HRM Aminu Ado Bayero, during their arrival in Benin for Igbinedion’s 88th birthday at Okada, Benin City, Edo State…yesterday

Lawan, Gombe Gov Visit Minna, Hold Meetings with Babangida, Abdulsalami Tinubu’s chances in North-east very high, says Yahaya Laleye Dipo in Minna Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and the North-east Coordinator of the Tinubu Support Organisation and Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, yesterday had separate closed-door meetings with two former Heads of State, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) in their homes in Minna, Niger State.

Though THISDAY could not ascertain the reasons for their visits as of press time, it was gathered that their meetings centred on the unity of the country.

Lawan arrived in Minna at about 1.30 pm and first visited the residence of Abdulsalami before he went to that of Babangida.

His meeting with Abdulsalami lasted for about 40 minutes, while that with Babangida took about 30 minutes.

Ahmad amid growing concern that he is not supporting the candidacy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu, declined to speak to the press on politics and especially the 2023 general election.

He said he was in Minna "on a private visit not for politics."

The Senate President along with some others had recently absented themselves from a meeting called at the instance of Tinubu with all presidential aspirants of the APC. Speaking to journalists after he met with Abdulsalami, the Senate President said that the two leaders have a lot of roles to play in ensuring the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians.

Lawan, who was accompanied by the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Sani Musa, said he was in Minna on a sympathy visit to the former Head of State who was recuperating from an illness.

He added: “As an elder statesman, it is necessary that the visit is made especially with the contributions Abdulsalami has made to the country.

“As our leader and elder statesman, we felt that it is necessary that we make this visit today to come and sympathise with him and his family.

“We are grateful to God for the lives of our fathers and we pray that they recover completely.

This is to enable them to continue with their good work of ensuring that Nigeria remains united and Nigerians live peacefully amongst themselves.”

Lawan, however, shunned questions fielded on politics and the 2023 elections as he insisted that “he was only in the state for a private visit and

not a political visit.

On his part, Governor Yahaya’s first point of the visit was Abdulsalami’s residence before he later visited Babangida.

He said he was on a visit to both leaders to “check on their health especially Abdulsalami who is recuperating.

Answering questions from journalists after his visit to Abdulsalami, the governor said that the chances of the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu in the North-east in the 2023 general election are very high.

“Our chances in the Northeast are very high indeed. We are strong in our resolve to win the 2023 general election and we shall succeed.

According to him, “It does not matter that the PDP’s presidential candidate is from North-east. Both Tinubu and Atiku are my brothers. Nigeria is one and our major goal is to maintain a united and indivisible country and so, it doesn’t matter where both leaders come from because what we need is the best for Nigeria.”

“General Abdulsalami is

our father and elder statesman and knowing him had been a blessing to us. I have come to greet him after his return from a medical checkup abroad,” the governor said.

Yahaya attributed the relative peace being enjoyed in his state amidst diversity because the people had realised their differences long ago and have also decided to address them, work together and live in peace to forge ahead.

“In Gombe, you will find that some families have both Christians and Muslims. It is a cosmopolitan settlement and

a small Nigeria. We realised our differences early on and seek to address them. We have tried to maintain peace and understanding in the spirit of nationhood and brotherhood”, Yahaya declared.

He said that the two former leaders were carrying out their duties in guiding and advising the people on how to live together as one, saying that their efforts should be applauded.

Speaking about the state of insecurity across the country, Yahaya, said that the state has been able to maintain its peace amidst diversity.

NIGERIA’S CRUDE OIL UNDERPRODUCTION PERSISTS OVER PROLONGED REPAIRS AT FORCADOS TERMINAL THISDAY had reported that with an estimated average oil price of $100 for the month, the country lost as much as $756 million to shut-ins in July, according to data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Aside from the Forcados terminal which curtailed supply to the tune of 258,000 barrels as a result of the closure of the facility, following reports of a ‘sheen’ in the vicinity of the facility, some other facilities have also been negatively impacted. The Forcados asset is operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

Bonny terminal has also been taking a hit, with force majeure declared as a result of the shutdown of the terminal.

The facility lost 3.545 million barrels in July.

The country has been battling sabotage on its pipeline network in recent years without much success.

Some oil industry operators have said they receive as little as five per cent of crude volumes pumped through the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), for instance, reflecting a larger issue for the country which is already facing shrinking investment.

However, Bloomberg quoted a spokesman for Shell Plc, as confirming that repairs remain ongoing at the Forcados terminal,

but declined to comment on the time frame for a restart.

When exports resume, the terminal is expected to start by shipping a backlog of delayed cargoes from prior months, according to traders of west African crude, Bloomberg added.

Since June, the 180,000-barrela-day Trans Niger Pipeline, one of two that feed the Bonny oil terminal, has ceased transporting oil due to theft.

Similarly, shipments are scheduled to resume in late October at Brass, where a force majeure has been in place since June, according to loading plan data compiled by Bloomberg.

A very low amount of oil was reaching the terminal because of extensive illegal bunkering, or pipeline tapping, operator, Eni SpA said last month.

The Nigerian oil sector continued its struggle in August even as the country remained behind Angola in crude oil production.

Angola’s average daily output in August of 1.17 million barrels was more than Nigeria’s at 1.13 million barrels, according to Bloomberg’s survey of monthly OPEC output.

But THISDAY's checks revealed that the Bloomberg figure differed from the one released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), which pegged the

country’s production at a paltry 972,000 barrels per day for the month.

The figure rose to 1.18 million barrels when condensate–a light hydrocarbon that is exempt from OPEC quotas – is included.

Nigeria’s production has declined steadily since 2020 and has reached multi-decade lows this year. Both Nigeria and Angola are also dealing with years of low investment that have impinged production.

Also, troubled Libya produced 1.08 million barrels of crude a day in August, according to the survey, and could soon overtake Nigeria if the West African country continues on its current trajectory.

Reuters quoted Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics for consultancy Energy Aspects, as saying that the exports for August were the lowest since at least 1990 as issues at the Forcados export terminal worsened an already weak supply.

Data from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed that output never fell below 1.4 million bpd, even amid what were considered at the time to be crippling militant attacks in the Niger Delta.

Industrial-scale oil theft poses an "existential" threat to what is typically Africa's largest oil exporter, a Shell executive

said in July, while President Muhammadu Buhari has said the problem is affecting state finances "enormously".

In July, the Group Executive Officer of the Nigerian NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari, said 700,0000 bpd were missing from its exports as thieves stole some oil and companies shut operations in other fields to avoid the thieves.

Some companies have said more than 80 per cent of the oil they put into certain pipelines was stolen. The oil workers' union this week voiced its concern over the safety of its members and threatened to strike if the government does not take swift action to curb oil theft.

Meanwhile, African ministers meeting in Cairo two months ahead of the COP27 climate summit have called for a sharp expansion of climate financing for their continent while pushing back against an abrupt move away from fossil fuels.

A communique released yesterday after a three-day forum for finance, economy and environment ministers, said Africa benefited from less than 5.5 per cent of global climate financing despite having a low carbon footprint and suffering disproportionately from climate change.

It urged rich countries to meet and expand climate pledges, adding that poor countries should

be able to develop economically while receiving more funds to adapt to the impact of climate change.

The document stressed "the need to avoid approaches that encourage abrupt disinvestments from fossil fuels, as this will... threaten Africa's development".

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed told the Cairo forum that gas was a matter of survival for her country.

"If we are not getting reasonably-priced finance to develop gas, we are denying the citizens in our countries the opportunities to attain basic development," she said.

The communique also stressed the need to focus on climate change in a review of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, Reuters said.

It suggested the creation of a sustainable sovereign debt hub that could reduce the cost of capital for developing states and support debt-for-nature swaps.

Experts say there is private as well as public sector appetite for financing and investing in climate projects in Africa, but funding is hindered for reasons including risk perception, underdeveloped green finance markets, and local technical and policy constraints.

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

NEWS

PROMOTING HUMANITY...

L-R: Wife of Olu of Warri, Olori Atuwatse II; Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse II; with former Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, during the AiDCA Humanitarian Africa Industrial KINGSLEY ADEBOYE Development Conference Award 2022 in Abuja yesterday

We Thoroughly Investigated Tinubu's Alleged Certificate Forgery, Says Ex-lawmaker Sunday Aborisade in Abuja Former Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, Hon. Adeniyi Fabikun, has said his colleagues thoroughly investigated the certificate forgery allegations levelled against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, when he was governor of the state.

He also described as false, claims in some quarters that they were bribed to clear Tinubu and exonerate him of any wrong doing, after considering the report of a panel which probed the former governor.

Tinubu is currently being accused of certificate forgery despite the fact that the state parliament had said he was not guilty of the allegation after it investigated the matter.

Fabikun, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, said Tinubu was given a clean bill of health after a thorough scrutiny of documents he presented.

He also said there was no evidence before the lawmakers then that Tinubu owned the Alpha Beta Company, which monopolised the collection of taxes for the state government.

Fabikun told THISDAY that contrary to insinuations, nobody compelled the state assembly to probe the Tinubu's certificate forgery allegations.

He said: "We were not compelled by anybody to probe the governor. Nobody coerced us to do so. As a matter of fact, there was no formal petition before the legislature on the matter until we took it upon ourselves when the issue was being discussed on the pages of newspapers.

"A member, during plenary, drew the attention of the then Speaker to the issue and there was a resolution that the matter must be looked into, dispassionately.

"A committee was subsequently set up to look at the whole issue.

The panel met, did a thorough job and after some weeks, submitted its report which was considered at the Committee of the Whole House.

"Having painstakingly considered the report based on the steps taken by the panel to arrive at the conclusion, the Assembly gave the former governor, a clean bill of health and he was exonerated of any

wrong doing."

Fabikun insisted that Tinubu actually submitted the certificates he obtained from the schools he attended and that the lawmakers were convinced that the documents were not forged.

He said: "It will be foolhardy for anybody to think or insinuate

that Asiwaju Tinubu did not go to school. Whoever is saying that, knows nothing about the APC candidate.

"I can categorically confirm that the committee did a thorough job based on the report it submitted and considered by the House. " I saw all the certificates

he presented. He even had a Second Class Upper degree certificate at the Chicago State University. I saw the photocopy of the certificate. He read Bsc. Accounting.

"Nobody teleguided the committee. I can confirm to you that we were not coerced.

Even after the investigation, some people were insinuating that we had been bribed but there was nothing like that."

The former lawmaker who is also a practicing tax consultant, described as untrue, reports that the House of Assembly approved Alpha Beta Company as the

sole tax consultant for the state government.

Fabikun said: "I am not aware that there was such request for approval from the executive.

"I was the Chairman of the Finance Committee then and nothing like that came to my table.

stakeholders but that is far from it because the party leadership examined the issues vis-a-vis the provisions of the party’s constitution as amended in 2017.

“When you look at that constitution, there are principal officers called the National Working Committee of the party led by the National Chairman and in the order of hierarchy, the Deputy National Chairman who must also come from the same zone with the National Chairman is next in line.

“The third in line is the National Secretary and when you look at these positions, the National Chairman is from the North, the second in command is also from the North by the provision of the party’s constitution.

“In Section 45 of the party’s constitution, in the event of removal or resignation of the national chairman, the National Deputy Chairman takes over and acts in the position of that national chairman pending when the party can organise another election or do a NEC meeting to be able to decide as to how to rearrange the hierarchy of the party,” he explained.

He said because the positions were elective, even if Ayu were to step down for power to come to the South, the provisions of the constitution of the party would also be breached.

“That can only happen if you can also decide to remove the Deputy National Chairman of the party who the lot immediately falls on by the provisions of the law.

“Even if the party can solve that puzzle by bringing both National Chairman and Deputy to South, the third person in the hierarchy of the National Working Committee of the party is the National Secretary and that is in the South specifically Senator Samuel Anyanwu from Imo State.

“Now if you decide to bring these two positions to the South, have you also made arrangements to take the National Secretary to the North?” he queried.

He stated that “because of

these legal impediments the party examined it that given the time that we have which is just about six months to the general elections, that it may likely snowball into some form of crisis that could trigger a whole lot of discomfort within the party if we proceed to begin to make these changes that there is the tendency that the party may be embroiled in a crisis that would be worse than the one we are seeing at the moment.

“That greater crisis is what the ruling APC is waiting to happen but the leadership of the party is intelligent enough and am happy that Governor Nyesom Wike and other leaders appreciate the need for the party to move as a whole into the 2023 general election.”

The campaign spokesman further said it was based on this that the party decided to look at what was possible at the moment and that gave room for the resignation of Senator Jibrin and the subsequent emergence of Senator Wabara as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

“The emergence of Wabara in the South to join the vice presidential candidate and National Secretary had created some form of balance in the interim.

“But what is most important is that there is a bigger elephant here which is winning the 2023 general elections because Nigerians are looking up to the PDP to rescue the nation from where we are at the moment,” he said.

Speaking on the performance of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta and the value he brings to the ticket as Vice-Presidential candidate, Aniagwu, who is Information Commissioner in Delta State, said that Okowa had performed tremendously with his five-point agenda.

that the members of his camp were not discouraged by the confidence vote passed on Ayu by the NEC, insisting the right thing must be done.

Speaking yesterday at the reception held in Port Harcourt for defectors from other political parties into PDP, the governor said his camp would not fight and retreat.

He said: “I was listening and watching; they said there is one man they called Secondus. They said he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person a vote of confidence. He forgets history.

“Ask him if the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida moved a motion of vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndudi Elumelu. They gave you (Secondus) a vote of confidence; what happened? You left office.

“We don’t fight and go back. If you like you can have as many as 20 votes of confidence; it’s not my business. My business is to make sure the right thing is done, and the right thing must be done - whether today or tomorrow.”

“I’m not going to play party with the interest of my people.

Rivers State is paramount to me first before any other person or group. So, the eyes can see what we have done. Up till today, we have never abandoned governance,” Wike said.

The Rivers State governor stated that “because of the love we have for our people, we will continue to serve you till May 29, when by the grace of God, Siminalaye Fubara will be inaugurated next governor of Rivers.”

On the chances of Rivers PDP in the coming elections, Wike boasted, “If God gives you the ticket of PDP in this state, go home and sew your cloth for the inauguration day.

Because what will any Rivers man or woman be saying that he or she wants to vote for any other person in Rivers State?

“As a party, we have kept faith with our people. As a party, we have stood for our people. As a party, we have never allowed

intimidation from any quarter and that is what we are talking about the interest of Rivers State.

“Remember, before I came on board, one state had our property with them. As I came in as governor, with the support and prayer of our people we took all our property back.”

In a related development, a member of Wike’s camp and Governor of Oyo State, Makinde, has argued that the main opposition party would be unable to restructure Nigeria if it cannot restructure itself.

Makinde spoke at the weekend after he inaugurated the Umuakatawom-Osaa-Okea-Ohuru road in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

“We are saying that if PDP has promised to restructure Nigeria and we cannot restructure PDP, we are not ready to restructure Nigeria.

That is the fact,” Makinde said.

ATIKU’S CAMP DIGS DEEP Dr. Iyorchia Ayu would plunge the party into more constitutional crises.

The camp of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has also refused to be pacified by Jibrin’s resignation and has consistently demanded that Ayu should relinquish his position to a southerner to ensure a balance of power between the North and the South.

Wike yesterday also insisted that the members of his camp were not discouraged by the confidence vote passed on Ayu by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC), insisting that the right thing must be done.

A member of the Rivers governor’s camp and Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde also at the weekend argued that the main opposition party cannot be able to restructure Nigeria if it cannot restructure itself.

But speaking yesterday on ARISE NEWS Channel, a spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, stated that sacking Ayu would cause more crises in the party.

This is coming as the NEC has directed the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to unite all the governors elected on the platform of the party.

According to Aniagwu, the PDP, as a listening party, would take a second look at the issues based on what was permissible by the law of the party.

He argued that removing Ayu would create a constitutional crisis for the party, which would snowball into greater problems than what the party was faced with.

According to him, the main issue being canvassed by the stakeholders is the stepping down of the national chairman, which has now been overtaken by events following the vote of confidence by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

“People may misinterpret it to mean calling the bluff of certain

No Retreat, No Surrender, Right Thing Must Be Done, Wike Insists Meanwhile, Wike has declared

NEC Mandates NWC to Unite PDP Govs Meanwhile, the PDP’s NEC has directed the party’s NWC to unite all the governors elected on the platform of the party.

THISDAY also gathered that the party has nominated all officials that would head the presidential campaign council, but will have to wait till the NWC reconciles all the governors of the party.

Speaking yesterday in an interview with THISDAY in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba said that NEC mandated the NWC to form a committee of the whole to reconcile all governors of the party before the commencement of the presidential campaigns.

He said that the NWC would also tap the expertise of the former Senate president, Senator Adolphus Wabara in this task, who is a diplomat.

"We are commencing this week to meet with PDP governors. We will visit them as we don't want to take anything for granted," he added.

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PEACE AMBASSADOR… L-R: Special Assistant to the Governor on Inter-Ethnic Affairs, Mr. Hadi Sani, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and Representative of the Sarkins in the South-west, Alhaji Basi Muhammed, during the conferment of Peace Ambassador Award by the Arewa Consultative Forum (South-west) on the governor in Abeokuta…yesterday

Amaechi Knocks Wike for Failing to Honour Graham-Douglas at Funeral Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt A former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi could not hide his displeasure over the indifference of Governor Nyesom Wike and the Rivers State government to the funeral of Alabo Tamunotenyim

Omubo Graham-Douglas (TOG), as the four-time federal minister who died at 83 was laid to rest yesterday in Abonnema in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of the state.

Wike, his deputy and daughter of the Kalabari Kingdom, Dr.

LESS THAN 48 HOURS AFTER QUEEN’S DEMISE, CHARLES III FORMALLY PROCLAIMED KING the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George.

“We, therefore, the lords spiritual and temporal of this realm, and members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council, and representatives of the realms and territories, aldermen, and citizens of London and others, do now hereby, with one voice and consent of tongue and heart, publish and proclaim that the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful liege lord, Charles III, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and his other realms and territories, King, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, to whom we do acknowledge all faith and obedience with humble affection, beseeching God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless His Majesty with long and happy years to reign over us.”

He declared to the room ‘God Save the King’ and the packed room repeated the famous phrase.

The historic event came after Charles gave a landmark address to the nation on Friday and paid a poignant and moving tribute to his ‘darling Mama’ the Queen.

The King pledged his whole life to serve as the new sovereign just as the Queen did, saying: “That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

And he used his speech to announce that he had appointed his

son William, the Prince of Wales, with Kate the Princess of Wales.

Meanwhile, the Royal Family has fixed the burial date for the late Queen Elizabeth II for September 19, 2022.

Announcing the date on its verified Twitter handle, The Royal Family said: “The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19th September.

“Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects.”

Nigeria Looks Forward to Strong Relationship with King Charles III, Says Buhari Meanwhile, President Buhari has yesterday said Nigeria was looking forward to a strong working relationship with the UK under King Charles III. The president’s solemn commiseration was made yesterday on his behalf by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, who was accompanied by his wife, Olufumilayo, during a condolence visit to the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing at his residence in Abuja.

The SGF also signed the condolence register on behalf of the federal government.

He said the government of Nigeria welcomes the Queen’s successor, King Charles III and is looking to a strong working relationship with the UK.

Ipalibo Harry Banigo, were conspicuously absent with no representative of the Rivers State Government present as activities marking the burial of TOG climaxed at his home-town with a requiem service before his remains were interred.

In his remarks, Amaechi said by his immense contributions to nation-building, Rivers, in particular, the Head of Orubibi Douglas War Canoe House deserved a state burial.

He said: “Indeed going by the contributions he made to the state, I was thinking that the state would take responsibility for everything concerning Alabo. You don’t need to be governor to be recognised.

“Alabo played a very important role in making Rufus Ada George governor of Rivers. We came to thank him here in Abonnema when Ada George became governor. And he (TOG) was arguably one of

the best-dressed Rivers men until his death.”

Whatever imagined void created by the absence of the Rivers State Government was, however, filled by the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douyi Diri who led a large contingent from his state to “celebrate greatness” in TOG, according to the words of Diri.

Diri said: “TOG was a colossus.

We are all here to pay our last respect to this incredible man.

We are not here to mourn but to celebrate greatness. I’m deeply honoured to be part of the gathering.

“TOG represents the very important symbol and voice, highlighting the issues and importance of our corporate existence as a country and as an ethnic (Ijaw) nationality.

“I and the Government of Bayelsa thank the GrahamDouglas family and the people

of Abonnema for the incredible gift that TOG was to the Ijaw nation and Nigeria at large. It is remarkable to note that throughout his service to the nation, he left an indelible imprint as an administrative and innovative genius.

“Whereas he is a staunch and patriotic Nigerian, he will wear the Ijaw ethnic identity with great pride. And what defines people, are their language and their mode of dressing. Today I dress, though lowly, like Alabo Graham-Douglas, representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality. We would always remember him as a man of integrity who embodied the principles and values of our forbearers.”

Prof Benjamin Okaba, President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), celebrated TOG as, “A man who stood out from the crowd, a crusader for the Ijaw Kingdom

with an impeccable record of excellence. The Ijaw nation is mourning because we are passing through perilous times and we needed Alabo to be with us at this time. Alabo is somebody we need to study. He was a leader of the Ijaw nation.”

The International Youth Pastor of the Redeemed Church of God, Pastor Belemina Obunge in the funeral sermon, themed, ‘Why Do We Have Life’ said the essence was to follow the word of God and to please Him, urging the congregation to be committed at all times to living aright before their maker as everyone would bid farewell to life on earth.”

Among others present to pay last respect was Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd); former Petroleum Minister, Mr. Odein Ajumogoba (SAN), and former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, among others.

Colleges of Education Union Disagrees With VCs on Salary Cadre Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has objected to the comparison made by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities on the salaries of university and College of Education lecturers.

In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, the union said the vice-chancellors' perceived favoured monthly salary of Chief Lecturers in Colleges of Education is not justifiable.

"The union wishes to inform the vice-chancellors that the salary structure specifically drawn for the academic staff of polytechnics and Colleges of Education is the CONPCASS. "This is not the same with the university CONUASS, in terms of value in accordance with the levels. It also did not, initially, recognise the peculiarities of the College of

Education system, in terms of the distinct responsibilities or job-specific functions different from those of others," it said.

COEASU said the remuneration for peculiar academic allowances for academic staff dissimilar to the general allowances consolidated by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) was not included.

It said the statement made by the vice-chancellors reflected a long-harboured prejudice and disdain some university lecturers seem to have for their colleagues teaching and doing research at the Colleges of Education all over Nigeria.

"COEASU seldom engages itself in debates over the conduct of affairs of sister unions let alone the university system, which is the ivory tower responsible for the education of the top-level manpower of the nation.

"However, giving the

innuendoes and implicit aspersions supposedly cast on Chief Lecturers, the most experienced and seasoned academics and those at the apex of our noble profession, it would not be preposterous to state that a measured response to the statement, in the form of clarification as well as caution, is not just a matter of necessity but an imperative.

"As a well-focused union with enormous respect and empathy for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), we would not have joined issues with the vicechancellors on this seemingly divisive comment except that it is not only misleading but also potentially counterproductive at this time when our union is renegotiating the welfare of our members with the government," it said.

COEASU further said that the action of the vice-chancellors contravened the principle of

mutual respect and solidarity between the College of Education staff and ASUU as well as the robust support they have shown towards the painful plight of ASUU members.

The union said Colleges of Education lecturers are suffering the same poor conditions of service and remuneration.

It said the comment by the vice-chancellors has openly revealed the long-harboured prejudice and disdain some university lecturers seem to have for their colleagues teaching and doing research at the Colleges of Education all over Nigeria.

"We enjoin the Vice-chancellors to note that Chief Lecturers in Colleges of Education are equally professional teachers who possess a doctorate (PhD) which is the highest academic qualification, carry out research, train young minds for national development and engage in impactful community service," COEASU said.

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

Monkeypox: Nigeria Leads as Africa Records 524 Infections, 12 Deaths Sunday Ehigiator The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that Nigeria currently leads on the log of African countries with monkeypox infections and fatalities.

WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti revealed this during a virtual press briefing on Meningitis.

As of September 8, according to the regional director, there are now 524 confirmed cases and 12

Fire Kills 20 in Oyo Bus Collision Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan At least 20 passengers were burnt to death when a bus collided with another vehicle and caught fire in Oyo state, police and an official said yesterday.

The accident occurred at Lanlate in Ibarapa area of the state Friday night.

The Chairman, Ibarapa Local Government Area, Hon. Gbenga Obalowo confirmed the accident yesterday.

Obalowo described “as a fatal accident. We counted over 20 human bodies burnt completely.”

“They had a head-on collision and the two vehicles… which were both conveying passengers caught fire and got burnt beyond

repair,” he said.

He said two people “with severe burns” survived the crash and they had been taken to the hospital.

A senior police officer in the state confirmed the crash, saying that “20 people lost their lives in the accident,” without giving details.

Obalowo blamed the accident on speeding and reckless driving.

In July 30 people were burnt to death when three vehicles collided on a highway in Kaduna state.

In 2021, Nigeria recorded 10,637 road accidents, which claimed 5,101 lives and injured more than 30,000 people, according to figures by the road safety commission.

Three Chibok Girls Rescued as 79,000 Insurgents Surrender The Theatre Commander, North East “Operation Hadin Kai”, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, said over 79,000 insurgents comprising combatants and non-combatants have so far surrendered.

Musa made this known in Maiduguri while briefing newsmen on recent successes of the command.

The commander said that the sustained onslaught on the insurgents under the kinetic and non-kinetic approaches had led to the mass surrender.

According to him, this led to the need to have additional camps in Maiduguri to host the repentants that were being sorted out to identify the combatants and not combatants.

He lauded the support from the public, which he described as “unsung heroes” and urged them to sustain the tempo for a speedy end to the conflict.

“We are really happy with

the way the members of the public were cooperating with us; they see the sincerity in what we are doing.

“We are committed to the human rights charter and the rules of engagement in our operations,” Musa said.

Also speaking on recent success, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Maiduguri, Maj.- Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, said that within the period under review, three more Chibok girls were also rescued.

Shuaibu said the girls rescued comprised Falmata Lawan, Asabe Ali and Jinkal Yama, who are on serial number three, 12 and 20, respectively on the list of abducted Chibok girls.

The girls were rescued separately in the Bama axis on August 30, September 1 and September 2 respectively.

BAT Ambassadors Mobilise Grassroots Support for Tinubu, Shettima Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja As part of efforts aimed at actualising the lifelong ambition of Senator Bola Tinubu Ahmed of becoming Nigeria’s president, the Interim Coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Ambassadors, Chief Jamiu Ekungba, yesterday, said that his group is at present in 12 states mobilizing support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate.

Ekungba disclosed that the BAT Ambassadors at present, has representatives in twelve states of Nigeria, with membership in second half of six digits but the working executives in these states are currently 1,407 strong men and women.

On how the campaign group has been working in line with its objectives, he said two major

strategies had been devised. “The max movement strategy that will involve room-to-room campaign through reaching out to every Yoruba man and woman, boys or girls on a one-to-one basis.

“We also planned to use social/ conventional media to engage the people. This is to meet the challenges of the youth who glued to their hand-set and computer 24/7. We have developed a very robust and comprehensively dynamic media architecture to bombard the social and conventional news media.”

Ekungba added that the group is rooting for Tinubu presidency because they see in Tinubu a practical and demonstrable evidence of performance which if allowed to be replicated at the national level will in the shortest possible time produce the Nigeria many have dreamt of.

deaths across 11 African countries.

Moeti said Nigeria topped the list of the cases recorded, and is followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ghana.

According to her, Nigeria recorded six of the 12 deaths, while Ghana reported four and two recorded in the Central African Republic.

Checks on the CDC monkeypox global map shows that as of September 9, Nigeria has

220 infections, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 195 cases and Ghana with 76 cases, while the global infections now stand at 57,527.

“Although no single monkeypox vaccine has been administered to any high-risk group in any of the African countries reporting cases, WHO has provided 39,000 test kits to countries, enabling improved testing rates,” Moeti noted.

Speaking on Africa’s progress with Meningitis Group A, Moeti admitted that not a single case has been reported on the continent in the past five years but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed vaccination campaigns targeting more than 50 million African children.

She also noted that the major outbreaks caused by meningitis Group C have been recorded in seven of the African Sub-Saharan

meningitis belt countries in the past nine years.

She said; “The most recent was a four-month outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which claimed more than 200 lives just last year.

“The pandemic severely disrupted meningitis prevention and control services slashed by half in 2020, when compared to 2019, followed by only a slight improvement last year.”

IN SUPPORT OF TINUBU …

L-R: Special Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Youth Matters, Mr. Alli Balogun; Patron, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, Mr. Lai Omotola; Member, Board of Trustee, Asiwaju Projects Beyond 2023, Mr. Abiodun Yinusa, and Senior Legislative Aide to the Speaker, Hon. Adamson Ayinde, during the patron’s visit to the project’s office in Abuja .... weekend

Troops Kill Attackers of NDA, Federal College of Forestry John Shiklam in Kaduna The Kaduna State Government yesterday revealed that bandits who were responsible for the security breach at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and kidnapping of students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation Kaduna had been killed.

However, the state government disclosed that notorious bandit Boderi Isiya narrowly escaped

being neutralised, while his deadly second in command and several other fighters were gunned down by troops of the Nigerian Army.

The Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan made the disclosure yesterday.

Aruwan added that security agencies informed the Kaduna State Government of this development in an operational feedback.

He said: “A painstaking check with credible human intelligence

sources further confirmed that Boderi and his terror group had a bad day in the hands of the combat-ready troops.”

Reports explained that the troops engaged the bandits around the Tollgate general area of Chikun Local Government Area.

Reports added that the bandits scrambled in retreat, only to run into another ambush laid by the troops in Sabon Gida general area.

The troops engaged the bandits ferociously, and ultimately subdued

them.

Corpses and weapons were recovered at the scene, while some of the terrorists eventually died from bullet wounds.

Boderi’s deadly second in command, one Musti, was among those identified to have been eliminated, alongside one Yellow Mai-Madrid and one DanKatsinawa, with others yet to be identified. Some of the terrorists are battling with life-threatening wounds.

Pyrates Confraternity Laments Neglect of University Education Dike Onwuamaeze The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, yesterday lamented the failure of the federal government to fund the country’s public universities effectively.

The association said that it was scandalous that the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would have to embark

on a strike to prevent a total collapse of the country’s public university system.

NAS Capoon, Mr. Abiola Owoaje expressed the concerns during the unveiling of the 70th anniversary of the association held in Ikeja yesterday.

Abiola said: “We are, however, saddened by the sorry state of education in our tertiary institutions, especially Nigerian universities. It is scandalous that ASUU would

have to embark on a strike to prevent a total collapse of the public university system.

“It beggars belief that a government can be so indifferent to what becomes of a largely youthful demography that is the most populous in the continent.

“The federal government that has not been able to stop the massive leakage of funds meant for development and which does not blink an eyelid while

funding the profligate lifestyle of its officials, now finds it difficult to devote funds to run public universities.”

He recalled that the founding members of the pyrates Confraternity benefitted immensely from the good quality public university education on offer in Nigeria at their own time, which enabled many of them to excel in their chosen careers and made the country proud both at home and abroad.

Mamu’s Arrest: Gumi Breaks Silence, Accuses DSS of Terrorism Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to either release Tukur Mamu or charge him to court.

Citing the law, Gumi said anybody arrested over an alleged crime needs to be taken to court within 24 hours.

Mamu, who negotiated the release of some of the victims of the Kaduna -Abuja train attack, was arrested at Cairo

International Airport on his way to Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj.

He was deported back and picked up by the DSS at Kano International Airport.

The DSS subsequently said Mamu has questions to answer on the rising insecurity in the country.

During his weekly preaching at Sultan Bello Mosque, Gumi said Mamu was arrested because of his role in assisting victims of terrorist attacks.

The cleric, who said God has a way of testing a believer, added that the arrest of Mamu was God’s way of testing his faith, praying that Mamu would overcome it.

“Take him to court to face trial. Keeping him in custody despite being a family man was just to intimidate him.

This intimidation is also terrorism. Arresting people unjustly is also terrorism; just like the terrorists do by

going to somebody’s house to kidnap him.

“How can we continue in this situation under a government that is about to wind up? Our hope is for them to finish successfully not in a bad light. It’s not about Tukur Mamu, you all know that whenever they arrest innocent people, I always talk, not to talk of someone that I know and I’m only advising the government to release him so that we can apologize to him to forget what happened.”

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NEWS UNIBEN Staff Commits Suicide amid FG’s Failure to Varsity Staff Salaries Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City A staff member of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prince Carter Oshodin committed suicide amid the failure of the federal government to pay salaries of academic and

non-academic staff of universities.

The incident took place at Umelu, a community in Upper Sakponba, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Edo State over his dire financial situation.

Oshodin, who has not been paid salaries for seven months

Man Arrested for Defiling 14-year-old Niece Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a 38-year old man, Mr Tyoughche Emmanuel for allegedly defiling his 14-year-old niece.

The corps paraded the suspected paedophile, Mr Tyoughche Emmanuel in Abuja.

After the parade, the Commandant in charge of Anti-human Trafficking, Irregular Migration and other Related Offences Unit, NSCDC National Headquarters, Elor Janet, said the corps would stop at nothing to end the reoccurring cases of human trafficking, sexual harassment and female gender abuses in the country, and put a stop to the menace by protecting the girl child.

She revealed that the arrest of the alleged paedophile was made was by the Special Female Squad of the NSCDC after a tip off by an NGO, Emerging Genderplus in Abuja.

According to her, the suspected paedophile, aged 38 years was arrested by the NSCDC Female Squad in Anagada at about 5:30 am Friday and handed over to human traffic unit, for his consistent sexual assault on his 14-year-old niece (name withheld) who was under his custody.

Narrating the ordeal in the hands of her uncle, the 14 year old said: “My uncle Mr Tyoughche Emmanuel, gave me a black substance in a small bottle to drink after which I slept off and the next thing I noticed was my Uncle putting his fingers inside where I use for urinating.”

She added that: “He did so four times on different occasions and also sucked my breasts during these occasions too and my breasts are paining me.

“Whenever his wife (of the accused) goes out, he will come around me and I always refuse, but he threatened me that he will beat me until I vomit blood, so I was afraid of telling anybody.”

NCC Faults COSON’s Claims on Music, Sound Recordings in Nigeria The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has faulted the recent claims of the management of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) over the right to collect music and sound recordings in Nigeria, saying such right belongs to the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) only.

A statement from the NCC said the attention of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has been drawn to recent news reports contesting the statement made by Mr. Matthew Ojo, Director and Head of the Commission’s Lagos Office, on its behalf concerning the approved Collective Management Organisation (CMO) in the music

sector.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the only CMO with approval to operate as a CMO in music and sound recordings in Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act (Cap C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) is the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN)” the statement signed by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Vincent Oyefeso said.

The director explained that the approval earlier granted to the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) lapsed with effect from 19th May 2019 and it has not been renewed.

JCIN Recognises Tech4Dev Co-founder among Outstanding Youths The Junior Chambers International Nigeria (JCIN) has recognised Co-founder and Executive Director, Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), Oladiwura Oladepo as one of the 10 most outstanding young persons in Nigeria for 2022.

In a statement by its National President, Olawale Bakare at the weekend, JCIN said Oladepo’s recognition comes as a result of her role at Tech4Dev that has seen the non-profit enterprise create, develop and sustain programs. According to the statement, the award was to amplify the message that action was needed across all generations to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially, the youth.

The statement said the programs had impacted the lives of 10 million beneficiaries across

15 African countries and beyond being the creative force behind the Women Techsters Initiative.

According to the statement, the Women Techsters Initiative aims to bridge the digital and technology knowledge divide and ensure that women have equal access to opportunities.

Her dream is to help train 5 million women and girls in digital and technology skills in Africa by 2030.

The statement explained that Oladepo, who holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the prestigious Lagos Business School and from the Yale School of Management, was recently inducted into the revered Forbes Non-profit Council as a result of her contribution to eradicating poverty in Africa through Tech4Dev as well as being named the 2022 Waislitz Global Citizens’ Choice Award winner.

due to the strike action embarked by university unions, worked as a data entry personnel at the university.

It was gathered that the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), which the deceased belong to, has called off its strike recently, but the members were yet to be paid.

Oshodin’s FaceBook confirmed his job description at UNIBEN while dropping a message that “Leave a good legacy behind before you depart.”

In Facebook post in 2017,

Oshodin had counselled those who work in the public sector to persevere, as there were better days ahead.

He further said: “Another thing you have to know when working with the government because salary is peanut, you lose hope.

Please don’t.

“I know a woman that started work with N125 in 1986 now she is earning over N300, 000 in 2017. That is why you have to be with what you are doing because little drop of water

make a mighty ocean.”

A professor in the university, who privately talked to THISDAY, yesterday said it is disheartening that they have not been paid since the strike action began.

He also wondered why the federal government had failed to offset salaries of members of NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) that called off their strikes about three weeks.

He acknowledged that the

deceased “is one of our staff members that killed himself due lack of money. Even some months ago, he was quoted to have been advising people on coping strategies. Yet, he took his life, which has put his family in a bigger problem.

“We have not been paid a dime since we went on strike.

It will be 10th month by next month. The non-academic staff that resumed since has not been paid anything,” the professor lamented.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE… Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma (left) with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Mrs. Sadya Umar Farouq when the latter came to unveil an empowerment programme in Owerri, Imo State ... yesterday

Anglican Priest Resigns to Form Polygamous Movement An Anglican priest of the Nnewi Diocese in Anambra State, Rev. Ogbuchukwu Lotanna, has resigned his position as a priest of the church.

Lotanna, a lawyer from Mbanagu Otolo Nnewi, stated in his resignation letter that he received a divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy.

He claimed that the movement, which would be called

“Gideonites” was aimed at encouraging polygamy, with a vision to reducing the rate of sexual sins in society.

He also said the place of worship would be called “Gideonites Temple.”

He pointed out that polygamy is not a sin, contrary to what is generally being preached.

According to him, what God hates is divorce of any type, and sleeping with another man’s wife.

He insisted that God desired men to even marry more than one wife, instead of going for someone’s wife or ladies they were not married to.

He said he had taken his time to discover the truth the church had hidden from members for a long time, adding that it was high time people were told the truth.

His colleagues expressed shock at Lotanna’s action, saying that

they never expected such.

Lotanna ordained an Anglican priest on December 22, 2019, at Cathedral Church of St. Mary’s Uruagu, Nnewi, is married to Chinyere Abigail, who hails from Umuogbu village Achara in Awka North of Anambra State.

No official reaction yet from the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi about the development, as the diocese is busy with the activities of its 2022 synod.

Suspected Herders Kill Four, Burn Houses in Benue Four people were reportedly killed in separate attacks by suspected herders In two communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

Several houses were also said to have been razed down by the marauding herders.

Last week, nine people were killed in separate attacks in the same Guma LGA by suspected herders.

Coincidentally, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom hails from Guma LGA.

In the latest attacks that happened Friday and early hours of Saturday, locals told our correspondent on the phone that the suspected herders invaded several communities and killed four people.

Three people were reportedly killed at Yogbo community Friday evening and one other killed at Ukohol community early hours of Saturday.

A local who did not want to be named said, “Two women were killed behind Yogbo

primary school and another one also within the community Friday.

“Incidentally, the chairman of the local government comes from this village (Yogbo).

“Today, the attackers killed one person at Ukohol. They also burnt many houses in several villages that were attacked in the area.”

It was gathered that residents of the affected communities have fled for fear of further attacks.

Confirming the attacks, Chair-

man of the local government, Mike Ubah, said four people were killed in the attacks.

“Four people were killed.

Three of them at Yogboh while the remaining one was killed at Ukohor within the said period,” the chairman said in a terse statement to journalists on Saturday.

Efforts to get the State Command Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, to comment on the attacks were not successful as she didn’t pick calls from our correspondent.

Implement WHO’s 20% Tax on Sweetened Products, Coalition Tells FG Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja A coalition of non-governmental organisations against sweetened products, National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR) yesterday tasked the federal government to implement 20 percent tax burden on sweetened sugar beverages and products recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017.

The coalition, comprising Nige-

rian Cancer Society (NCS), Project Pink Blue (PPB), noted that the tax could discourage consumption because they discourage purchase of the sweetened product.

It called for the implementation at a news conference in Abuja yesterday to herald the global week of action against non-communicable diseases under a theme, “Invest in NCDs today, save lives and money tomorrow.”

The conference was addressed

by NASR’s Health Communication

Specialist, Omei Bonos-Ikwne; Vice President, Nigerian Cancer Society, Mr. Elijah Elijah and Programme Coordinator, Project Pink Blue, Mrs. Gloria Okwu, among others.

NASR is a coalition of nongovernmental organisations advocating for policy measures to tackle the health risks of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, commonly known as soft drinks.

Nigeria ranks the 4th highest soft drink consuming country globally (behind the United States, China

and Mexico), with over 38 million litres of soft drinks sold yearly.

The excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with obesity and non-communicable diseases like type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dental caries, liver disease and some cancers.

Given the danger of sweetened sugar beverages, the WHO advised its member states to help fight non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and

14

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

NEWS Gbajabiamila: Media Must Ensure Democracy Survives in Nigeria Udora Orizu in Abuja Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday said the survival of Nigerian democracy rested with the media who must provoke public discourse and then hold the leaders to account.

He made the remarks at a capacity building workshop organised by the media unit of his office for the House of Representatives press Corps in Abuja.

The workshop was organised under a theme, “Deepening Legislative Knowledge Through Critical Reporting.”

Speaking at the workshop, the speaker said the role of the press in a democracy “is multi-faceted.

You inform the public and you educate them about the law and government, politics and governance.

“You record history as it happens and preserve the national memory as a guide and warning for the future. You hold power to account, ensuring that those who are chosen to serve the public interest keep faith with the citizens who depend on them.

“Democracy will not long survive without a vibrant, independent, innovative and patriotic press,” the speaker explained the role of the media in a democracy.

In discharging the responsibilities of the media, Gbajabiamila emphasised the high level of professionalism from all media

practitioners.

He, however, regretted that a section of the media had deviated from the norms and ethics of the profession.

He also revealed that the evolution of online media had dwindled the advertising prospects and incomes of the traditional media.

He said: “Through the years, technological advances, the rapid increase in access to internet services, and the growth of social media has changed the way we receive and interact with news and information.

“What we understand as the professional press – newspapers and magazines, television and radio – are now in competition with every member of the public with a smartphone, access to the internet and the inclination to participate in the public discourse.

“While the landscape within which the press operates has changed in dramatic ways, the duties of the press and the public expectation of them remains the same.

“We expect journalists and media organisations to maintain

a high level of professional conduct; we demand accurate reporting and detailed analysis of public policy and expect the media to continue to defend citizens’ rights, hold the powerful to account and promote the public good through the honourable practice of journalism.

“Often lost in the conversation is the fact that after all is said and done, media is a business.

Quality journalism doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it requires resources to train and equip staff, and invest in technology to improve content quality and broadcast capabilities,

amongst other things.

“For generations, these resources have come from the sales of newspapers and magazines and from advertising and subscriptions. For the last two decades, the proliferation of online sources has decimated sales and precipitated a drastic and rapid decline in advertising income.

“We need journalists we can rely on to be our islands of accurate information and context in a sea of misinformation and propaganda manifesting as journalism.

PAP Disowns Beneficiaries in N3.8bn Unexecuted Contracts Suits Olusegun Samuel The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has disowned 15 lists of over 1,200 beneficiaries purportedly empowered with starter packs and items in the ongoing suits at Federal High Courts in Abuja.

The suits are seeking the payment of N3.8billion to 15 companies over alleged unexecuted contracts with links to the vandalised 60billion Presidential Amnesty Programme Training Complex in Boro-Town, Kaiama, Bayelsa State.

According to the amnesty office, the lists, tendered in evidence by the 15 companies and contained names of alleged beneficiaries from states of the Niger Delta, could

not be authenticated.

In a letter replying the request from Folurunsho Aweda and Associates under the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the amnesty office argued that after going through the lists of beneficiaries as tendered by the 15 companies in connection with the distribution of empowerment items, the acknowledged stamp shown on the lists forwarded for authentication differed from the standard stamp used by PAP to receive documents from vendors.”

The letter, which disowned the lists, was signed by the Principal Officer on behalf of the Interim Administration, CO MPI Captain (Nigerian Navy) and dated September 8.

IPOB Can’t Stop Buhari’s Visit, Imo Boasts Ahead of the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Imo State next Tuesday, the state government on Saturday dismissed the threat issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba made the remarks at a news conference he addressed in Owerri, the Imo State capital yesterday.

Emelumba made the statement in response to a threat issued by IPOB declaring a sit-at-home in the state on Tuesday, saying security operatives were ready for Buhari’s visit to the state.

Specifically, the commissioner said IPOB could not threaten the president.

He said: “Nobody can threaten Buhari. He is president and commander in chief of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Imo is one of the states he governs and he is free to visit it. Security is in top gear and I can assure you that his visit will be successful.”

The commissioner said that Buhari was visiting the state to inaugurate three signature projects built by governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration.

He mentioned the projects as the first phase of the Owerri- Okigwe Road, the Owerri- Orlu Road and the rebuilt Imo state House of Assembly complex.

Emelumba said that the projects would boost the economic and social life of the state, adding that the state government spent billions to execute them.

He said, “Mr president is coming to commission Owerri- Okigwe Road, Owerri- Orlu Road and the house of Assembly complex on September 13. These are signature projects built by the governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration.

“Previous governments failed to build them. The Orlu- Owerri is a quality dual carriage road.

35 kilometres, spotless and can will any competition in the world and it was executed in less than two years.

“It took honesty and determination by the governor to fix the road. This will change the economy of the state. It will enhance the economic and social activities of the state.

“The House of Assembly complex was rebuilt completely.

It was abandoned for ten years.

The lawmakers abandoned the place for their safety, which is not a good sign for democracy.

“Uzodinma spent billions to rebuild the Imo Assembly complex and it has State of art facilities.

These are signature projects.

Imo people are excited for the coming of Buhari. The impacts and transformation they will bear in the economy of the State are commendable.

70 HEARTY CHEERS… L-R: Representatives of members of the National Association of Seadogs: Mr. Uchenna Nnoli; Mr. Steve Akhigbemidu; NAS Capoon, Mr. Abiola Owoaje; Professor Tunde Makanju and Mr. Jobi Taiwo, during the unveiling of their 70th anniversary logo in Lagos …weekend

PenCom Clarifies DG’s Absence from Budget Defence C’ttee Chibuzor Oluchi | The National Pension Commission (PenCom) yesterday explained why its Director-General, Aisha Dahir-Umar, did not appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on Thursday.

The commission made the clarification in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications Department, Abdulqadir Dahiru, stating that the directorgeneral was absent because she

was out of town attending an official engagement.

PenCom was scheduled to defend its 2021/2022 Budget and present the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) to the House on Thursday.

At the hearing, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon Saidu Abdullahi, frowned at the absence of the commission’s director- general.

“It is pertinent to note that the DG’s absence was because she was out of town attending an official engagement.

“However, the Commissioner for Finance, the Director and Head of Accounts and the Deputy Director and Head of Financial Planning represented her, which is the usual practice whenever the director-general was unavailable.

“The director-general takes invitations from the National Assembly seriously and ensures

that she attends personally except when the exigencies of her office make it impossible.

“In which case the relevant commissioner and management staff of the commission represents her,” the statement said.

The statement further stated that the management of PenCom was pleased with the observation by the House committee on the quality and comprehensiveness of the reports the commission submitted to it.

FG, Swiss, Moroccan Firms Sign Food Security Agreements Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The federal government has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with a Swiss company, Mesencell Biotechnology and its Moroccan counterpart, RAHAD Industries Limited to boost biotechnology and food security in the country.

Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha signed the agreement

on behalf of the federal government recently.

At the signing of the agreement Wednesday, Mustapha explained that the agreement would offer training to Nigerian scientist and researchers on the usage of the technology He explained that scientists and researchers “will be properly trained on the usage of the technologies across the country.”

“The agreement covers a variety of research and development efforts in many biotechnologi-

cal products, including drinking water and wastewater treatment, gas treatment, sulphur dioxide reduction, soil biodegradation, and the use of stem cells for diabetics and cancer-related diseases.

“Over a year ago, we had signed the MoU through the Ministry of Science and Technology and Innovation with this companies. The MoU is on the development of technologies that they have already brought the technologies to the country.

“Part of the MoU is to domes-

ticated the technology here in the country for us to have first hand skills. The MoA is the beginning of a new chapter in the area of scientific biotechnology in the country.

“Nigeria and Morocco had earlier on signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 25, 2021 in Abuja, Nigeria, for the research and development of biotechnological products and processes, including the production of bio-fertilizer and bio-fungicide.

Onuesoke Charges Ogun People to Embrace Sowunmi’s Development Plan Sylvester Idowu in Warri A former gubernatorial aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke yesterday urged the people of Ogun State to embrace the development template of the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, Chief Segun Sowunmi.

Onuesoke gave the advice while addressing journalists on the sideline of a workshop on good political leadership held

in Abeokuta, saying Sowunmi’s template “is built on improving the socio-economic development of the state.”

He noted that Sowunmi had a very good plan for the people of Ogun State, noting that the party’s governorship candidate remained the only experienced and qualified candidate to administer the affairs of the state at this time.

According to him, it is on record that Sowunmi spent 20 years to prepare himself for the

governorship race, having paid his dues in serving at various capacity of the party.

With such fantastic record of experience, Onuesoke explained that there was no doubt that he will deliver his promises should he become Governor of Ogun state.

He further said Sowunmi “is running on a new deal with sincerely set principle. He had looked at the governance space in Nigeria and in Ogun State in particular.

“He is convinced that they cannot keep doing things the way they have been doing them and expect an outcome that is different from the ones that they have been having.

“There is no doubt that Sowunmi’s agenda, which include improving the road infrastructure in the state, adopting a robust environment and waste management strategy that will keep Ogun clean, provision of educational programme which

15

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

BUSINESS

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

BEDC: A Hostile Takeover Gone Awry

No matter where the pendulum swings, the current stalemate over the planned takeover of the ownership of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company by the Bureau of Public Enterprises over the former’s loan exposure to Fidelity Bank Plc will hurt the distribution company and question the claims of the current administration to adherence to the rule of law, writes Festus Akanbi

I

nrecenttimes,newsaboutthemanagement and board of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has continued to dominate the media space, especially from July when it was listed among other Discos billed for takeover by their lenders over the alleged failure to meet their terms on loan repayment.

The, drama which followed the attempt by the lender to Vigeo Power Limited, the majority investor in the distribution company, Fidelity Bank Plc, to recall its loans and change the company’s board, has snowballed into a pitched legal battle for the control of the power distribution company with analysts expressing the fear that the dispute could worsen the performance of BEDC as well as question the truth in the claims of the present administration that it adheres to the rule of law in its dealings.

On July 7, the federal government announced the takeover of Benin, Kano, and Kaduna electricity distribution companies (Discos) by Fidelity Bank.

In November 2013, the federal government unbundled the Power Holding Company of 1LJHULD 3+&1 DQG VROG XWLOLW\ ÀUPV WR private investors.

Interestingly, while the takeover processes of other distribution companies were resolved within a short period, that of BEDC continued to generate controversies two months after.

The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) explained that the “restructuring was a result of the contractual agreement between the bank and Vigeo Power Limited (VPL), a core investor in Benin Disco”. However, the management of VPL has insisted that it didn’t obtain any loan from the bank.

According to the NCP, “Fidelity Bank informed council, vide its secretariat, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, that they have activated the call on the collateralised shares of Vigeo Power Limited in BEDC.” The NCP further described Fidelity Bank’s action as a contractual and commercial intervention between the core investor (Vigeo Power Limited) and the lender, pointing out that the BPE is involved because of the 40 per cent shareholding of the government in the BEDC. Consequently, to safeguard the industry and also support the market stabilisation through restructuring and repositioning to serve the citizens of the franchise area better, the federal government decided to appoint a new board for BEDC comprising KCAkuma (Chairman),Adeola Ijose (Member), Charles Omoera (Member), Yomi Adeyemi (Member), DG (BPE) (Member), and Henry Ajagbawa (Managing Director).

VPL Heads to Court However, in a swift response, Vigeo Power on July 8, secured an order of interim injunction restraining the bank from taking over the company’s assets.

As the battle for the soul of the company rages, the Managing Director/CEO of the company, Mrs. Funke Osibodu, in a statement assured the public that Benin Electricity Plc is back fully under the governance and operational control of its legal and statutorily recognised board and management.

“We should reiterate that contrary to the deliberate and malicious falsehood being peddled by those who are desperate to illegally acquire BEDC by stealth under the cloak of a non-existent regulatory or contractual power, at no point did Vigeo Power Limited, the core shareholder in

Benin Electricity Distribution Company

BEDC, borrow money from Fidelity Bank (or any other bank), let alone charge its shares in Fidelity Bank (or any other bank).

“We hereby use this medium to assure the general public, both local and international, together with our wonderful customers, that normalcy has since returned to BEDC, under the lawful control and management of its legitimate board and management.”

Struggle for Control Dismissing the appointment of an interim board by the BPE, the management of BEDC said, “There is no contractual, statutory or regulatory basis for such”, adding that, “For the avoidance of doubt, the shares of BEDC have not been given as security to Fidelity Bank or any other party”.

“As we understand it, Vigeo Holdings Limited (VHL – a non-shareholder of BEDC) obtained credit facilities from Stanbic IBTC Bank Limited, Fidelity Bank Plc, and Keystone Bank Plc (the VHL Lenders).

“We further understand that the said credit facilities (and any enforcement action in relation thereto) have in the meantime become subject of litigation in a Court action instituted by VHL DQG RWKHU SODLQWLͿV 9+/ $FWLRQ ZLWK 6XLW 1R FHC/L/CS/239/22 – Vigeo Holdings Limited and 4 Ors v. Stanbic IBTC Bank Limited, and therefore, sub judice”.

The management of BEDC Electricity Plc warned that “Any attempt by Fidelity Bank and/or BPE to intervene in BEDC in the manner being reported will be illegal, unlawful and will be resisted”.

The company, therefore, urged the members of the public to discountenance the publication by the NERC, saying it amounts to nothing but part of an unguarded plot to occasion chaos and confusion, destabilise the statutorily recognised and legitimate management of BEDC Electricity and forcefully take over the governance of the company contrary to all laws and regulations.

Despite Osibodu’s claims, however, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission 1(5& RQ 6HSWHPEHU D΀UPHG WKDW WKH QHZ Board of Directors and Management of BEDC,

headed by Henry Ajagbawa, has come to stay.

The NERC explained that the BEDC “is a distribution licensee of NERC and by powers vested in the commission by the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), regulatory instruments issued under EPSRAand the terms and conditions of the licence issued to BEDC. NERC is the primary authority that is vested with powers to statutorily recognise the board and management of BEDC as an operator in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).”

The commission stated that the BEDC is a jointly owned venture with Vigeo Power Ltd holding with equity of 60% and 40% being held by BPE on behalf of the federal and state governments.

It pointed out that “One of the shareholders in Vigeo Power Ltd, Vigeo Holdings Ltd, subscribed to its shares vide a loan from Fidelity Bank Ltd”, adding that “In the light of a default in servicing the said loan, the bank has exercised its rights to repossess these shares that were provided as security for the acquisition loan.”

NCP Undaunted In its reaction, the NCP said the restructuring of the DisCos was concluded before the court order was issued. ,Q D VWDWHPHQW LW VDLG ´7KH DWWHQWLRQ RI WKH National Council on Privatisation (NCP or council) has been drawn to an interim order of the federal high court dated 8th of July, 2022, in respect of a suit between Vigeo Power Limited vs.

Fidelity Bank Plc and seven others over the board composition of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC),” the council said.

“Following this unfortunate development, it has become imperative for [the] council to HGXFDWH ERWK WKH VWDͿ RI %('& DQG WKH SXEOLF particularly those within the BEDC franchise area comprising Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti states of the steps taken by the federal government regarding the board composition of the various electricity distribution companies across the country which were concluded on the 5th of July, 2022.”

NCP added that the restructuring of the Discos

was published/aired in print and electronic media platforms across the globe.

It, therefore, stressed that the board composition of both BEDC and the other four Discos “was concluded on the 5th July 2022, three days before the purported court order”.

Troubled Discos Watchers of the ongoing drama wondered why BEDC’s case is being trailed by controversy given the fact that the issues with other debt-ridden Discos have been resolved with little drama.

Recently, there were issues following the takeover of the assets of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) over default LQ WKH ORDQ SD\PHQW $0&21 KDG FRQÀUPHG the takeover, describing it as obedience to a court order, but decided to change its mind the next day when the corporation sked the public and VWDͿ WR GLVUHJDUG WKH HDUOLHU VWDWHPHQW WKDW WKH issue had been resolved with the company.

7KH JDOH RI ORDQ UHFDOO DOVR DͿHFWHG WKH $EXMD Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), when the lender, (UBAPlc) decided to exercise its rights over the shares of KANN Utility Company Limited, a core investor and part owners of AEDC. Another Disco which lost its control was the <ROD 'LVFR ,W ZDV WKH ÀUVW WR EH UHWULHYHG E\ the federal government after the declaration of force majeure by Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, the core investor in WKH ÀUP &RQVHTXHQWO\ WKH IHGHUDO PLQLVWU\ RI power took over the management and control of the electricity distribution company and appointed Mr. Baba Mustapha, an engineer, to lead the company.

Currently, the debt owed to banks by the power sector stands at about N819.97 billion as of last year. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had, in 2020, put non-performing loans (NPL) in the power sector at N33.22 billion out of N1.23 trillion NPLs recorded by banks.

Analysts fear that commercial banks and other lenders to the power sector may tighten facility rendering, with the consequence of throwing many into the labour market.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

ECONOMY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

17

ENERGY

As Oil Workers Brace for Nationwide Strike over Theft, Vandalism Festus Akanbi ZULWHV WKDW ODVW ZHHN·V UDOO\ E\ WKH 3HWUROHXP DQG 1DWXUDO *DV 6HQLRU 6WDͿ Association of Nigeria, where the union highlighted various issues including the severity of oil theft in the country, revenue losses, the frustration of oil companies operating nationwide as well as job losses by its members appears to be the needed push for the current administration to fasttrack the process of ending the cycle of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria

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ast week, the Petroleum and 1DWXUDO *DV 6HQLRU 6WDͿ $VVRFLationofNigeria(PENGASSAN) aroused the consciousness of the government and Nigerian people over the devastating effects of oil theft on the economy, warning that the nation may soon witness a crippling nationwide strike of oil workers DPLG WKH FRPSODLQWV WKDW VRPH RLO ÀUPV DUH shutting down operations because of oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

The oil workers’ union, which staged rallies in Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos and Warri on Thursday, noted that apart from the fact that Nigeria can no longer meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota, some oil companies are losing between 40,000 and 50,000 barrels per day and they have begun to exit Nigeria because they can no longer pay salaries of their workers.

PENGASSAN’s National President, Festus Osifo,whocapturedthefrighteningdevelopment said: “Today, the country is near comatose, it is almost on its knees because of oil theft.

“Companies are shutting production because they cannot produce and send into the pipelines because most of these products are stolen.

“Instead of them to keep producing, what is being done as of today is that the majority of our land operations are shut down because of oil theft.

“Some companies in the service sector are A vandalised pipeline folding their operations because they cannot sustain the workforce anymore, they cannot cluding engagements of communities, private pay salaries.” contractors, and technology.

7KURXJK WKLV HͿRUW VHFXULW\ R΀FLDOV KDYH Oil Companies Shutting Down Production destroyed 959 metal tanks for storage purposes, PENGASSAN’s President lamented that his 737 ovens, 452 dug-out pits, 355 cooking pots, members are losing their jobs at an alarming and 179 wooden boats between April and rate, disclosing that this is so because some of August, this year.

WKH PDMRU RLO SURGXFHUV DUH ÀQGLQJ LW GL΀FXOW They also recovered 35.8 million litres of to meet their obligations especially, payment crude, 22 million litres of diesel, 0.15 million RI VWDͿ VDODULHV litres of premium motor spirit, 0.76 million He pointed out that Nigeria Agip Oil Com- litres of kerosene, 207 pumping machines, 12 pany, for instance, has shut down production welding machines, two power generators, and from land locations because the company said it WZR ÀOOLQJ PDFKLQHV cannot continuously produce and allow thieves to remove the entire product.Agip is not the only &RQÁLFWLQJ )LJXUHV endangered oil company in Nigeria. Another $QDO\VWV VDLG LW LV GL΀FXOW WR QLS WKH SUREOHP RI WURXEOHG RLO ÀUP LV $GGD[ $FFRUGLQJ WR 2VLIR oil theft in the bud because the body language of Addax has shut down OML 124 because it can the government indicates that they don’t know no longer be sustained.

WKH ÀJXUHV RI EDUUHOV RI RLO EHLQJ VWROHQ GDLO\ +RZ Osifo was quoted as saying that Total E & P is FDQ \RX ÀJKW D SUREOHP \RX FDQQRW LGHQWLI\" DQRWKHU H[DPSOH RI DQ RLO ÀUP IDFLQJ KDUG WLPHV Last month, the Managing Director/Chief in Nigeria. “For example in OML 58, there have Executive of the Nigeria National Petroleum been challenges in that location since January. Corporation Limited, Mr. Mele Kyari, blamed “Initially, they shut down production completely various sections of the Nigerian society for bebut because the well also has associated gas, ing complicit in the theft of millions of barrels what happened at the end of the day is that of crude oil, mentioning even that make-shift they produced the crude oil, stored it in the pipelines and stolen fuel have been found in tank and they reinjected it into the well. That churches and mosques. means the oil that could have bettered the lives 8QIRUWXQDWHO\ JRYHUQPHQW R΀FLDOV FDQQRW of Nigerians is sent back into the well.” speak in unison on the exact volume of crude Osifo explained that SPDC is one of the worst oil lost to theft and vandalism daily. What we hits as of today because they have shut down KDYH LV D F\FOH RI FRQÁLFWLQJ ÀJXUHV most of the land locations.

While some data from the Nigerian National Justifying the rally, he said, “The reason we Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited showed are doing this is that a lot of companies are that Nigeria was losing about 250,000 barrels shorting in production and when you short a of crude oil per day to theft, suggesting a total single barrel you are shortshoot100. When you loss of about $1.5 billion, Kyari, addressing the short 10, 0000 barrels you are shorting 10, 000 WK VHVVLRQ RI WKH 6WDWH +RXVH EULHÀQJ DW WKH barrels multiplied by 100. If you do the math, Presidential Villa in Abuja was quoted to have that is about a million dollars every day. And said that the country loses 700,000 barrels of some companies are shorting 40, 000 to 50, 000 FUXGH RLO GDLO\ WR RLO WKHIW D ÀJXUH WKH PLOLWDU\ barrels of crude oil per day.” has faulted and denied.

As the oil theft menace reached an all-time On his part, the Minister of State for Petroleum high, President Muhammed Buhari ordered the Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, noted that the &KLHI RI 'HIHQFH 6WDͿ &'6 *HQHUDO /XFN\ country loses 400,000 barrels of crude daily via Irabor, to coordinate a process that will ensure oil theft. Sylva, who made the revelation during both kinetic and non-kinetic interventions in- a recent visit to Governor Hope Uzodimma of

Imo State in Owerri, regretted that the nation had fallen short of OPEC daily quota, from 1.8 million barrels to 1.4 million barrels, due to crude theft. He described the development as a “national emergency.”

Humongous Losses However, a data analysis by Premium Times showed that between January and July, Nigeria lost an average of 437,000 barrels of oil a day to criminal entities and individuals who illicitly WDS SLSHOLQHV RQVKRUH DQG RͿVKRUH LQ WKH 1LJHU Delta region.

“At current prices, the stolen oil is worth more than $10 billion, which is equivalent to N4.3 WULOOLRQ DW 1 WR D GROODU 7KLV ÀQDQFLDO ORVV is more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s external reserves. It is also more than double Nigeria’s total revenue between January and April, a period when Nigeria’s total oil revenue was unable to service its debt and the country had to borrow for everything else including payment of workers,” the report stated, adding WKDW ´1LJHULDQ SURGXFWLRQ IHOO LQ WKH ÀUVW VHYHQ months of the year to about 1.1 million barrels a day of crude equivalent in July from over 1.4 million barrels in January, according to data obtained from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).”

According to the report, in January, Nigeria was allocated 1.68million barrels by OPEC in a month when the country was only able to produce 1.41 million barrels per day. This amounts to a shortfall of about 270,000 barrels per day. With the price of crude at $85.24 in January, this shortfall translates to Nigeria losing a staggering $23 million daily. ,Q )HEUXDU\ WKH ÀJXUH ZHQW GRZQ WR PLOlion barrels per day against the OPEC quota of 1.7 million barrels per day, recording a shortfall of 328,000 barrels per day, which resulted in a loss of $30.81 million daily (at $93.95 OPEC basket price).

It was a double tragedy for Nigeria in March.

First, the price of crude oil had jumped to $113 per barrel and OPEC had increased Nigeria’s quota to 1.71 million barrels per day. But sadly,

Nigeria’s production had dropped to 1.34 million barrels, a daily shortfall of 378,000. This means the country was also losing $42.8 million worth of revenue daily.

Although oil prices dropped to $105 in April, OPEC still increased Nigeria’s required production to 1.73 million barrels per day. Unfortunately, this opportunity could not be converted to gains as Nigeria was able to produce 1.32 million barrels.

According to the Premium Times report, with some companies shutting production in May, Nigeria’s output further dropped to 1.23 million barrels per day compared to the average OPEC quota of 1.75 million. This amounts to a shortfall of 520,000 barrels per day. It also translates to a loss of $59 million in daily revenue since the oil price increased to $113 per barrel in May. In June when the price was $118 per barrel, Nigeria’s production had fallen to 1.23 million barrels per day compared to OPEC’s required production of 1.77 million.

For the seventh consecutive month, Nigeria’s output witnessed a sharp drop in July. Total production was 1.18 million barrels per day against OPEC’s 1.79 million barrels quota.

Observers said it is a paradox that Nigeria which is in dire need of funds for its budget and capital projects appears helpless as saboteurs, LQFOXGLQJ JRYHUQPHQW R΀FLDOV DUH PDNLQJ D kill of the lapses in the process of monitoring crude oil production in the country.

The government have explained how the economic sabotage is pushing Nigeria to the ÀQDQFLDO EULQN ,W LV DOVR WKH UHDVRQ IRU 113&·V inability to remit oil sales receipts to the central bank in the last six months.

Financial analysts said the $10 billion in revenue, which was said to have been lost to theft and vandalism would have saved the country, especially in recent times when the QDWLRQ VXͿHUV IURP DQ HPSW\ WUHDVXU\ DQG rapid decline.

This is why many see the threat by members of PENGASSAN as a wake-up call on the federal government to take decisive steps to tackle and end the menace.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

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ast week’s suspension of the planned introduction of a ÀYH SHU FHQW H[FLVH GXW\ RQ WHOHFRPV VHUYLFHV GRPLQDWHG discussions among stakeholders in the nation’s telecom LQGXVWU\ 7KLV LV EHFDXVH FRQWUDU\ WR WKH VHHPLQJ GHVSHUDWLRQ RI WKH )HGHUDO 0LQLVWU\ RI )Lnance, Budget, and National Planning to UDLVH DGGLWLRQDO UHYHQXH WKURXJK WKH QHZ WD[ WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI &RPPXQLFDWLRQV DQG 'LJLWDO (FRQRP\ DQG WHOHFRPV RSHUDWRUV DUH calling for caution, considering the plight of VXEVFULEHUV LQ WKH UHFHQW WLPH 7KRVH NLFNLQJ DJDLQVW WKH SURSRVHG H[FLVH GXW\ DUH RI WKH YLHZ WKDW LW ZLOO DGG WR WKH EXUGHQ RI WKH WHOHFRPV VHFWRU ZKLFK DOUHDG\ KDV WD[HV DQG OHYLHV LPSRVHG RQ LW E\ WKH WKUHH WLHUV RI JRYHUQPHQW 7KH\ DUH KRZHYHU KDSS\ ZLWK WKH GHFLVLRQ RI WKH JRYHUQPHQW WR VXVSHQG WKH ÀYH SHU FHQW WD[ D GHYHORSPHQW WKDW GLG QRW JR GRZQ ZHOO ZLWK WKH EXGJHW R΀FH RI WKH IHGHUDWLRQ which is insisting that the suspension will DͿHFW WKH FRXQWU\·V EXGJHW DQG VKRXOG JRYHUQPHQW WUXO\ VXVSHQG WKH ÀYH SHU FHQW WD[ SROLF\ RQ WHOHFRP RSHUDWLRQV 5% Excise Duty The Minister of Finance, Budget, and NaWLRQDO 3ODQQLQJ 'U =DLQDE $KPHG KDG ODVW PRQWK QRWLÀHG WKH WHOHFRP VHFWRU RI WKH SODQ WR LQWURGXFH WKH ÀYH SHU FHQW H[FLVH GXW\ RQ WHOHFRP RSHUDWLRQ LQ DGGLWLRQ WR WKH SHU FHQW 9DOXH $GGHG 7D[ 9$7 WKDW DOO VHFWRUV RI WKH HFRQRP\ SD\ IRU JRRGV DQG VHUYLFHV UHQGHUHG In the notice, the Minister disclosed that the JRYHUQPHQW ZRXOG EHJLQ WKH LPSOHPHQWDWLRQ RI WKH H[FLVH GXW\ RQ DOO YRLFH FDOOV 606 DQG GDWD VHUYLFHV DGGLQJ WKDW WKH ÀYH SHU FHQW H[FLVH GXW\ KDV EHHQ LQ WKH )LQDQFH $FW EXW KDV QHYHU EHHQ LPSOHPHQWHG ´+HQFHIRUWK WKH ÀYH SHU FHQW H[FLVH GXW\ ZLOO EH FROOHFWHG E\ WHOHFRP RSHUDWRUV DQG SD\PHQW PDGH WR

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19

SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 • T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

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

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

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 08Sept-2022, unless otherwise stated.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 7.42% Anchoria Equity Fund 138.83 140.39 -0.30% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.35% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Eurobond Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A ARM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 91.44 91.44 -5.46% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,096.20 1,096.20 9.62% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.09 2.09 2.90% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.32 2.37 9.50% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.01 1.01 5.83% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.22% Paramount Equity Fund 19.14 19.49 9.86% Women's Investment Fund 146.14 147.91 2.96% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.37% Cordros Milestone Fund 130.96 131.89 5.27% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 111.07 111.07 5.01% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 9.40% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 10.38% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,117.07 1,136.66 0.51% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1499.87 1499.87 11.47% FBN Balanced Fund 193.77 195.10 10.57% FBN Halal Fund 123.24 123.24 10.76% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.16% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 125.74 125.74 5.96% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 159.05 161.19 5.95% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.55% Legacy Debt Fund 3.56 3.56 -11.08% Legacy Equity Fund 1.88 1.91 7.90% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.24 1.24 2.79% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

4,052.32 3,616.07 100.00

4,105.98 3,616.07 100.00

5.77% 6.19% 10.48%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.11 1.11 4.04% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.10% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.93 2.97 2.88% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 6.00% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 142.68 142.68 4.01% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.23 1.27 2.20% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.06 1.06 0.78% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.61 1.64 13.33% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,168.15 1,168.15 6.39% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 12.05 12.13 10.61% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.76% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 102.41 102.41 9.67% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 11.42% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 123.40 125.87 0.05% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 9.24% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,533.72 3,567.61 4.32% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 241.61 241.61 2.56% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.39 1.41 11.11% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 325.82 325.83 4.05% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 258.17 262.01 10.69% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.20% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,729.26 11,889.20 7.51% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.34 1.34 3.54% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 119.63 119.63 2.33% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 112.06 112.06 5.34% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.95 0.97 7.47% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.34 1.36 2.73% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.14 8.72% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.08 1.08 4.92% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.91 1.91 4.32% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.15 123.15 3.93% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.51% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.61 13.73 3.17% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.57 15.72 6.51% Zenith Income Fund 23.09 23.09 5.20% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.45% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 3.79 3.89 -5.55% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.02 6.12 3.06% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 17.95 18.15 1.51% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.50% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 17.82 18.02 -10.78% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 140.60 142.60 -10.81%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

118.56 51.93

4.66% 2.11%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.18 126.83 98.98 16.40 17.10

14.28 130.05 101.14 16.50 17.20

1.34% -0.22% -0.78% -8.42% 15.96%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.59

0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

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

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

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

AYO AROWOLO

GOLD

INVESTING

Final Wrap-up: Honouring My Mysterious Billionaire Friend & Other Cheerleaders (1) Gratitude: it is taking acknowledgement 20 steps forward in saying, “not only do I see/hear/feel you…I thank you for X”, it doesn’t matter what that X is”-Anonymous.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it “– William Arthur Ward.

“In ordinary life, we hardly realise that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Gratitude acknowledges what is, not the lack and makes room for what can be so that we can live, love, laugh and leave a legacy” - Helena Frey “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new” - Ralph Waldo Emerson “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives” - John F. Kennedy “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more” - Zig Ziglar

L

our conversation, he repeated the question this way: “Let me still ask my innocent question again: are you averse to making money?”

“Not in the least, sir.”

“Good! Let us have a deal. You would come around once a week. I will share with you one wealth-building tip per time. You would promise that you would attempt to put it into practice. And you would also tell your readers to do the same. I will take questions. They can ask me questions on any issue or topic through you if it has to do with wealth building. We will cover Personal Finance, Investment Tips, Savings, Budgeting, Financial Planning, Commodities such as gold, and anything that helps you to increase your knowledge about Wealth Creation.

“Is it a deal?”

“By all means, sir.”

“But there is a rule: I would stop the weekly conversation once I see that you do not try to apply what I share. What I say to one, I say to all. What I say to you, I say to your readers as well.”

Here is my short response to this. While I don’t mind concentrating on learning how to make money, I see myself first and foremost as a journalist. By training, I am an investigative journalist, but I have kept this aspect of my trade silent deliberately. I get a kick observing how and why people behave and act the way they act. Due the nature to my career, which started over 33 years ago, I have related at different levels of intimacy with several individuals who started small and in the course of tracking them, they have grown to become notable wealth builders. I have made copious notes from observing their wealth-building endeavours. A number of them started very well, but through some business and life mistakes, they fell out of the path without a trace, even though some of them are still alive.

I have witnessed, for instance, the story of three partners who started their wealth-building endeavours together at the same time I started my career. As I watched them, something began to unfold: Two of the partners fell out of the pathway. In contrast, the one who appeared less visible then worked his way steadily through the path, and today he is a multi-billionaire touching lives across Africa and the rest of the world, especially through entrepreneurship and philanthropic endeavours. I was very close to the three of them from the beginning. One of them is late, and the second of the trio, I have no idea what he is up to now. In my notes, I have been trying to understand why three individuals started as partners with the same resources and privileges but ended up at different destinations. I have been interested in studying the choices that landed them in different fates. That has been my interest.

I have also tracked another set of two individuals who started as partners and over the past two decades have created what could be described as a financial empire with footprints in many African countries.

Again, I have been interested in understanding what they got right that other partners missed. I have taken copious notes on the journey over the past 33 years, but from 2001, I began to study these great individuals and document my observations. In the process, I have also tried to create some ventures but they all failed. However, one of those individuals who started the same year I started to try entrepreneurship is still standing having built a solid enterprise that has become a source of succour to so many families. I wanted to know what he got right and what I did wrong. Sitting on the balcony, watching these individuals as they move on, has been a very engaging hubby. In the process, I decided to interview some of them to share their life and business lessons, and those lessons are invaluable. I was able to interview about 30 of them through a column I started in THISDAY ON SUNDAY called LIFE LESSONS. The WhatsApp version was created in 2017 and is still running. Those

et me write this and get done with it very quickly.

This will be the last and final edition of the weekly conversation series with my first Billionaire Friend, which started some 31 weeks ago. The reason for this will be dealt with in the seven Artist Impression of my Billionaire Friend discussion points that follow this short introduction. Three will run this week and we conclude with the remaining pathways. So, I decided that if I started by revealing the identity of my Billionaire Friend, he may have some four next week. Here we go! people who don’t like him and no matter what he says, they would treat such nuggets with a biased mind.

ISSUE #1: IS YOUR BILLIONAIRE FRIEND So, we agreed that we should focus on the message, REAL OR AN IMAGINARY STYLE OF not the messenger. That is the truth and nothing but TELLING A STORY? One early morning, while I was going to the office with the truth. And this has helped a great deal. my colleague and friend, Chuks Onwudinjo, THISDAY Director of Print Production, I got a call from Eni B (that ISSUE #2: IF YOU HAVE SO MANY is what we call our MD, Mr Eniola Bello) and what he BILLIONAIRE FRIENDS AND WRITE ON said next got into my soul. He said: “Hey Ayo, when HOW TO BECOME A BILLIONAIRE, WHY are you going to end this fake conversation with your ARE YOU NOT A BILLIONAIRE YOURSELF? Again, not too long after Eni B threw the jab, Chuks imaginary Billionaire Friend, because a bank wants us to introduce a personal finance page which they want to and I decided to check him out in his newly furnished sponsor. I want you to anchor it, so let me know when you office in Ikoyi. The first thing he said when he saw me can start”. With that short conversation, he had thrown was: “The man who writes about billionaires, but he is a heavy knock on my spirit that almost instantly killed not a billionaire. Why don’t you make the billions first all the inspiration to continue the column. He did not and then you can write about it”. I did not provide mean anything harmful. He just thought that the column any answer, and I was not angry as I was now getting used to the joke. Indeed, Eni B is not alone. In my was my style of telling a story.

By 9.27 am, a billionaire friend of mine who, together very first conversation with my Billionaire Friend, the with his partner, had replicated a David vs Goliath story following discussion ensued: “Yes, my boss (that is what he calls me), thank you of the Bible in the banking sector by acquiring a much bigger bank than the one they were both running, sent for honouring my invitation. I have two concerns about you that I had wanted us to discuss but had just been this text to me on WhatsApp: ”Ayo, good morning, and trust all is well. Please unable to get around to doing so. My first and main let’s discuss when you have a minute”. I had shared concern is this. We have known each other for close to every single edition of the Conversation series with him, three decades. There is possibly nothing I am doing that and he had thrown in one or two suggestions along is secret to you. I just want to ask a simple question: the line. That morning, I quickly called him, and the ‘Is it that your profession prevents you from building following conversation ensued after some preliminary wealth or you are not just interested?’”

“I am a journalist. I am trained to observe what chats: “When are you going to reveal who this your Billionaire Friend is. I know one day we will get to people do and make news and features out of such.”

“And that prevents you from building your wealth know him”. We closed the discussion after a few more exchanges of notes. A number of the readers of the in the process of reporting others?”

“Not exactly, sir.” column have also asked me a few times to reveal my “Or is your religion against you making money ?

Billionaire friend’s identity.

My Billionaire Friend is not imaginary; he is a real, I understand you are a pastor. Is your religion against genuine investor, a notable billionaire in Nigeria who has wealth accumulation?”

“By no means, sir. I am not a pastor. I am not even a left solid imprints in the sand of time with his philanthropic endeavours both in and outside the country. He started deacon, just simply Ayo Arowolo. But more accurately, building his wealth right from his undergraduate days you could call me Brother Ayo in our church parlance.”

“That brother one is beyond me. Let me stick to through deliberate investment, which has now grown into a web of wealth portfolios covering real estate, stocks, the one I know. You are my boss.”

And when I was about to depart from his house after gold, solid minerals and so on, spread across Nigeria and some parts of the world. He has travelled to over 70 countries and has hosted several notable ambassadors and diplomats in his house. I first met my Billionaire Friend around 1992 when I was a cub reporter at The My Billionaire Friend is not imaginary; he is a real, genuine investor, News Magazine through a mutual friend, and we have been very close since then. a notable billionaire in Nigeria who has left solid imprints in the sand When we started this conversation series earlier in the of time with his philanthropic endeavours both in and outside the year, we both agreed to keep the identity anonymous, strictly my initiative and suggestion. In my relationship country. He started building his wealth right from his undergraduate with the people on the street, the impression people have days through deliberate investment, which has now grown into a web about wealthy people is not positive. Most believe that all the wealthy people (especially those from Nigeria) make of wealth portfolios covering real estate, stocks, gold, solid minerals their money through rent-seeking endeavours or some and so on, spread across Nigeria and some parts of the world. He crookedness. From my interaction with several successful people throughout my career that has spanned more has travelled to over 70 countries and has hosted several notable than three decades, I have observed first-hand, however, ambassadors and diplomats in his house. I first met my Billionaire that some of the wealthy people in the country created their wealth through pure entrepreneurship, investment Friend around 1992 when I was a cub reporter at The News Magazine and other legitimate wealth creation paths. I can trace through a mutual friend, and we have been very close since then. how some of them made their wealth because they left

ABOUT MY BILLIONAIRE FRIEND

successful people regularly share their lessons with over 230 individuals on the platform. So that has been my interest up till this moment.

I hope one of my friends, a Lagos state-based judge, will read this piece. I was in his company with another close friend in the same car two years ago to honour a senior colleague who had invited the three of us to his ordination in his church, outside Lagos. While we were in the car, the judge started a very humourous discussion. He asked my other friend to openly ask me if I was averse to making money. He worried that given the number of billionaires in my network as friends, he wondered what was wrong with me and why I was not a billionaire. He said his wife, who has a copy of my book, THE MILLIONAIRE CAPSULES, has remained a raving fan, and he is always confused about how to relate my story to her. I just hope he is reading this.

ISSUE #3: I ALMOST STOPPED THIS COLUMN AFTER THE 10th EDITION For those who started reading from the very first session with my Billionaire Friend and were very observant, you would notice that the column started on an inspirational note. But after the 8th edition, or thereabout, I lost all the stream of inspiration to continue, for no reason. We sometimes call it writer’s block, but this was an unusually long one. I had almost created a scenario where I would just manufacture a reason for stopping it. But a few things happened that got me to hold on even with no trace of inspiration left.

One early morning, a multi-billionaire, one of the four on the Forbes list, called a colleague at THISDAY and talked about his excitement about the column. He asked for my phone number from the colleague and told him he wanted to talk to me and appreciate the column. I had written in one of the series that briefly mentioned his journey and the difficulties he faced on the path. I was surprised that such a notable billionaire could even be interested in the column. My spirit was revived a bit. Then I noticed that two of my friends, one a former Central Bank of Nigeria deputy governor and another a former minister of finance, who receive the article directly from me weekly made it their duty to send in very encouraging comments for every single edition to date. Another friend who sensed that the column was losing steam called me as he normally does and issued this command: “Ayo if you have to crawl, you must never stop the column.”

Another factor that kept me on was when I realised that a friend of mine had instructed that the article be circulated to over 3000 youths in 54 African countries, every week, and a number of them had written back to give me feedback on the series. I just felt I would let them down if I suddenly stopped it.

But the most important factor that influenced my not stopping was the attitude of my Billionaire Friend. He made a particular scripture on partnership I have always loved come alive. It reads: “Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labour, for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.

Again, if two lie down together, they keep warm; how can one be warm alone? And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken - Ecclesiastes 4:9-2 (AMPL).

My Billionaire Friend and I had agreed that we would not stop until we generated 52 wealth capsules. We were very determined to make this happen until I started to show signs of distress. He noticed it, and he swung into action and even took up the job of dictating his thoughts (while I transcribed) and he created another time to edit and even re-write most of the content. At one point, it was getting to him, too, as he told me his wife told him to take it easy with the project. But we held on until we got to Session 26 when we realised we needed to stop the conversation and think of a creative way to continue the project. I want to especially thank my Billionaire Friend for his incredibly positive attitude that saved the project.

We stop here for this week; we shall conclude next week with the remaining four discussion points.

Please ensure you don’t miss the edition; my Billionaire Friend has a valuable gift for dedicated followers of this column.

See you next week…meanwhile share with me your thoughts on the column; in what way has he impacted you: what should be improved; which of the articles resonated with you most.

I shall be eager to read from you. Share your feedback with me either via my whatsap (0906 705 9433-text only please) or via my email: ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com.

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

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

INTERNATIONAL Funeral Diplomacy à la Nduka Obaigbena: The Challenge of a Citizen Diplomacy-driven New Nigeria

‘F

uneral diplomacy refers to the conference held by worldleaderswhentheyassembletogethertopay their homage to a deceased international figure’ in the eyes of the US Legal.com. Etymologically, it is traceable to the Feast of the Dead, which was celebrated by the Algonkians of the Upper Great Lakes of Canada in the 17th century. Since then, the practice of funeral diplomacy did not get worldwide recognition until 1960 as from when it became an important institution of the world diplomatic system for two main dynamics. Attendance at international funerals at short notice became easier because of the improvements in the speed, safety, and comfort of air transport all of which encouraged world leaders to want to attend funeral ceremonies and summits (vide G.R. Berridge, “Diplomacy after Death: The Rise of the Working Funeral,” Diplomacy and Statecraft, Vol. 4, No. 2, July 1993, pp.217-234). Secondly, there is also an advancement in the technology of embalmment and refrigeration which not only enables preservation of bodies for a longer period in hot climates, but also enabled ample time for foreign dignitaries to prepare and assemble before burial or cremation.

Funeral diplomacy can be state or non-state in character. When it is state in character, world leaders are mainly the participants and they must have been officially invited. The deceased were generally presidents and statesmen during their lifetime. In this regard, the paraphernalia is always visible: the coffin is always covered with the National Flag. Government officials, security agents, etc., carry the coffin. Depending on whether or not the deceased is a Head of State, there can be a 21-gun salute. Bouquets of flowers are also placed in honour of the deceased during lying-in-state or at the tomb.

Since funeral diplomacy became noteworthy as from 1960, the funeral of Pope John Paul II on 8 April, 2005 has been widely regarded as attracting the largest concentration of world leaders in modern history.The Pope was seen as an international diplomat who worked for global unity and peace before his death. As expected, his funeral generatedcriticalissues:whoshouldhavebeeninvitedtomourn;sitting arrangements, especially in terms of determination by accreditation seniority, hierarchy and use of alphabetical names; acceptance to or not to shake hands; where to seat and who to sit with or not to sit with, etc.

What is noteworthy here is that all these critical issues are not generally characteristic of non-state funeral diplomacy, especially in terms of acrimony and animosity.The funeral diplomacy deployed

by Prince Nduka Obaigbena during the burial of his mother, Princess Margaret Obaigbena, is an illustration of mixed funeral diplomacy in which state and non-state actors played active parts, and therefore providing a good basis for citizen diplomacy-driven nation-building. Obaigbena

Nduka Obaigbena’s Diplomacy Statefuneralsaregenerallyvisibleunlikenon-statefuneraldiplomacy.

In Ile-Oluji Kingdom of Ondo State, when a notable person, like a High Chief, dies in the community, informing other High Chiefs about the death requires much of traditional protocol.The king sends a delegation to the High Chiefs to inform them about it. The delegation goes to the house of the High Chief to be notified and simply tells him or her that the person who had actually died is sick or indisposed. The hosting High Chief will respond to the delegation by sympathising and asking the delegation to do what is necessary to ensure quick recovery of the deceased, apparently showing ignorance of any death.

The delegation then gets out of the premises of the High Chief, but immediately returns to inform that the illness of the notable person has deepened. Again, the response of the host High Chief is to query why not much efforts had not been taken to prevent the deterioration of the illness. He then prays to God for divine intervention and healing.

The delegation thereafter will thank the High Chief and depart. But more interestingly, the delegation will finally return again to break the news of the passing on of the notable person to the High Chief.

This protocoled tradition is common in Yoruba culture.

Another feature of Yoruba funeral diplomacy is the traditional protocol followed by a wife who loses her husband. The protocol is very tough: the widow may be required to sit on a floor mat for about forty days for various reasons that are not well known to the public under non-State funeral diplomacy. And true enough, burial culture is rich and varies in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta from where Prince Nduka Obaigbena hails. The culture is quite rich with the wearing of beads and multi-coloured dresses and big hats, but emphasis will be on Obaigbena’s funeral diplomacy, which is not, stricto sensu, a state funeral, but, as noted above, mixed, because

with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

it combines the attributes of both state and non-state funeral diplomacy. It is a very visible funeral. As explained byVarunVivian Mallik,‘funerals that remain largely invisible are of those who do not belong to the polity and hence do not deserve to be mourned’ (VarunVivian Mallik,“Do the Dead Matter? Identifying Mourning and Funerals as a Political Act,”https://www.e.ir.info/2020/03/12, March 12, 2020.

Put differently, it is not every dead body that qualifies to be mourned. Sigmund Freud considers, in his Mourning and Melancholia, ‘mourning as the reaction of the loss of a loved person, or the loss of some abstraction like one’s country, liberty, an ideal and so on and so forth.’In his eyes,‘mourning must not be seen as being rooted only in grief. Instead, it should be seen as evoking multifarious responses.’ Without scintilla of doubt, Obaigbena’s diplomacy reflects an expression of grief and other multifariousresponses.Thefuneralwasnotonlynationally,butalso internationally, visible, meaning that it qualifies to be mourned.

The visibility is explainable by high level and quality attendance, presence of several governors and senior government officials, internationalsocialperformances,verypositivetestimonies,public records and legacy of the deceased, extensive media coverage, invitationtoaselectaudience,impactfulsermonsdeliveredduring funeral and commendation services, colourful renditions by a South African choir, provision of a chartered aircraft to facilitate transportation of invited guests, etc. In fact, the public records of Princess Margaret Obaigbena, nee Usifoh, a mother of altruistic goodness and exceptional patriotism, on the one hand, and the church sermons, on the other, are retained here for further explication to show how a new Nigeria can be built through the promotion of citizen diplomacy. In other words, the legacy of the

The current criticality of insecurity in Nigeria makes the development of citizen diplomacy a necessity and why the Owa-Kano model of understanding should be taken more seriously by the Federal Government. This observation is predicated on the assumption that the peoples’ agenda is not the same as that of the Federal Government which appears to be consciously fulanising the country in theory and practice against the wishes of most Nigerians. The peoples of Nigeria, from the Owa-Kano example, want to live harmoniously in peace. They want to co-exist without ethno-religious threats and animosities. But PMB’s apparent fulanisation and Islamisation officious agenda militate against national cohesion. It fuels insecurity and engenders unnecessary anti-government sentiments. The peoples should be working pari passu with the government in neutralising insurgency. This has not been so and why fighting insecurity has been that of self-deceit and propaganda, especially when nothing is said and done about sponsors of insecurity in Nigeria. But good enough, funeral diplomacy à la Nduka Obaigbena can still be helpful to nation-building if efforts are further made to understudy its structural patterns with the objective of establishing a body of media citizen diplomats to relate with their counterparts in other regions of Nigeria and Africa. May the soul of the Dame of the Anglican Church, Princess Margaret Obaigbena, continue to rest in perfect peace in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen

“

“

VIE INTERNATIONALE

deceased can be taken advantage of in launching citizen diplomacy, beginning with the media world, as a potent tool for nation-building and national development.

As regards Princess Obaigbena’s legacy, it is important to note that, in Nigeria, any civil or public servant who serves either for thirty-five years or attains the age of sixty years before retirement from the public service, without his or her record being tainted, naturally deserves special commendation.To retire without any whiff of blemish, without being sacked, and without dying in office deserves special thanksgiving in a Church of God. It is, indeed, a thing of joy and a good reference for the Obaigbena family that the deceased retired from the public Service gracefully.

Dame Obaigbena was a former Chief Nursing Officer of the defunct Bendel State, now Delta State.This was at a time when corruption was seen as a societal irritant and when corruption was not institutionalised.

And without any jot of gainsaying, it is on record that she dutifully A sserved as a Special Adviser to three different governors of Delta State.

TThe import of this can be interrogatively put: what qualified her to be continuously seen and considered for the position of a Special b Adviser under different governors? We posit here that dint of hard A work, loyalty of purpose, patriotic services, as well as commitment w tto community development cannot but be part of the reasons.Thus, we are talking here about her legacy of objectivity of purpose, loyalty w of service, commitment to hard work, attitudinal discipline, as well as o her commitment to the work of God.The men of God were particularly h happy about her contributions to humanity. h In the sermons given by the Men of God, particularly Godfrey Ifeanyiichukwu Ekpenisi, a first-class graduate who became the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ika in Delta State in November 2018, emphasis A was placed on her impactful contributions as a mother of mothers. w Dame Margaret Obaigbena served God purposefully. She served D her generations and lived as a lighting influential in the world. As h put by the men of God, Dame Margaret Obaigbena served as a salt p aand as light. She gave her time, her love, and resources. She was not sselfish with her time and with her love. Never was she selfish with her rresources. Her life was very exemplary for humanity. She gave hope tto the despair. Those rejected were able to find solace under her. It iis in recognition of these that the Messengers of God not only had tthe courage to plead with God in their prayers that all the listening people in the congregation be given grace to serve their generations p by the will of God. In fact, the theme of the sermon was‘Serving Your b Generation by the Will of God.’ G And true enough, the organisation of the funeral activities largely rreflects how to serve one’s generation. Obaigbena’s funeral diplomacy provided the politically warring parties a friendly platform to meet and to forget for a while their friendly enmities. At the funeral ceremonies were the Standard Bearer of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed AdekunleTinubu and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Gregory Obi, CON. In fact, the running mate of the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Ifeanyichukwu Arthur Okowa. Obaigbena’s funeral diplomacy brought all of them together.

Guests with diverse interests and representing different geo-political backgrounds were also there: Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Eluonye Irabor; the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON; Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the Chairman of the National Economic Submit Group, etc. Owa-Oyibu community actually played host to an informal Governors’forum. Governors, past and present, were there: John Olukayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, former Governor of Lagos State and currently Minister ofWorks and Housing; Dr Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State; Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki of Edo State; Ibikunle Amosun formerly of Ogun State; Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross River State; Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; Adedapo OluseunAbiodunofOgunState;AbdullahiUmarGandujeofKanoState.

More interestingly, to support the Chairman ofThisDay Newspapers and Arise News and the former President of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Prince Nduka Obaigbena, top media professionals were also there. The Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of ThisDay Newspapers, Eniola Bello; the CEO of the BISCON TV, Bisi Olatilo; the publisher of Ovation International magazine, Chief Dele Momodu; Pioneer Managing Director of Arise TV, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu; Associate Director Emmanuel Efeni, and theThisDayLive egghead, Dr Reuben Abati, etc. also took active parts in the ceremonies.

Citizen Diplomacy and New Nigeria Thus, from the foregoing, it was a funeral ceremony with national and international dimensions: different cultural displays and masquerades and special performances by the visiting Zulu students from South Africa. Nduka Obaigbena’s funeral diplomacy enabled the gathering of leading businessmen and business women, leading entrepreneurs, politicians,andparticularlypartystandardbearers,seasoneddiplomatic personnel, notable religious leaders, media professionals, traditional rulers, as well as government officials representing their principals.

And true, Owa-Oyibu became a new terra cognita for politicians and governors to meet and exchange pleasantries. But most unfortunately, advantage of the gathering, though meant for mourning or grieving, should have been taken to advance the course of nation-building.

There were no visible pointers to that.What was indisputably clear was wining and dining. It was not grieving time but celebrations galore.

And why not? It was time of happiness and gratitude to God. Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

OPI NION

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T H I S D AY MONDAYSunday MARCH 14, 2022 2022 11 September, Vol 27. No 10000

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

SOMETIMES THE KING IS AN AREWA WOMAN Arewa women are breaking barriers and making inroads into every facets of society, writes AISHA SHUAIBU

CHIDI ANSELM ODINKALU urges Nigerians to be more discerning in choosing their leaders

AS NIGERIA GETS SET FOR PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS T

See Page 24

QUEEN ELIZABETH’S DEATH AND THE FUTURE OF THE COMMONWEALTH

CHEKWUBE NZOMIWU argues that the Commonwealth is of little benefit to Nigeria

See Page 24

EDITORIAL

EXIT OF THE GLOBAL QUEEN

See Page 49

he mantra of candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the campaign that eventually took him to Nigeria’s presidency in 2015 was one word: “Change”. For a fact, it was not original.

Some 32 years before 2015, in the 1983 presidential election, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) first deployed that slogan in their unsuccessful bid to make President Shagari a oneterm president.

The moment then seemed ripe for that message. Under the watch of President Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria (NPN), a unique mixture of poor luck and official criminality conspired to bring Nigeria to its knees. The desire for change seemed very real but then the NPN did not plan to quit power and its opponents were too divided to offer any potent threat. So, Shehu Shagari managed to increase his share of the announced results from 36% in 1979 to 47.5% in 1983. Nnamdi Azikiwe, despite the resonance of his slogan, only ended up with 13.99%.

Muhammadu Buhari, then a Major-General in the Nigerian Army, decided thereafter to procure with the gun what the opposition could not with the ballot box: he ousted President Shagari in a military coup. Having taken power as a soldier from Shagari in 1983, Buhari went back to the future in 2015 to purloin the mantra of the NPP. It is doubtful whether Buhari knew in 2015 that his slogan was a genuflection before the altar of an “Igbo party”, which was how many people viewed the NPP. To be fair, it was not only president Buhari’s All Progressives’ Congress (APC) that cannibalized the remains of the NPP in 2015. The NPP’s party slogan was “Power to the People” which the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had stolen at inception in 1998. So, going into the 2015 election, the two leading parties drew their inspiration from one source.

The real challenge in 2015 was one that is alltoo-familiar in African politics: an anti-climax of fulfilled political expectations. The ruling party had been so long in power, it had no effective plan for transition into opposition and the opposition party had become so comfortable in that role it did not prepare for governance.

The electorate had to take considerable responsibility for this. People were so enamoured of the unproven powers of the Buhari magic, they decided not to bother with asking him to explain what kind of change he meant. It should have been evident to anyone who cared that “change”, is value neutral. It implies motion without necessarily promising movement or progress.

Its direction can be negative or positive. It has precisely the kind of laconic quality to empty it of any clear commitment. With the promise of “change”, candidate Buhari promised everything while simultaneously committing to nothing.

Four years later, when he ran for re-election, President Buhari reached back into precisely the same bag of trickery, promising “next level” without indicating “of what?”

In less than three weeks, on 28 September, 2022, the campaign season for the 2023 presidential election will begin. If Nigerians are not to fall into the same error as in 2015, when the electorate seemed hynoptised into choice without information, then in 2023, there has to be a concerted effort to get clarity concerning the positions of leading candidates on the issues that

matter.

It is a measure of the misadventure that has been the Buhari presidency that the two issues that arguably did more than any others to persuade Nigerians to his corner will not much bother most people in 2023. One is integrity and the other is corruption. On both issues, the Buhari presidency has been characterized by “a yawning gap” between rhetoric and reality, which has spawned a rich supply of choice epithets from “a fraud” to “dishonest integrity”. Many believers, shell shocked from the duplicities of this Buhari era, seem to have decided that they will not mind capable rogues who can get things done.

This is why as the campaign season begins, the voters need to put themselves in a position to identify the issues on which every serious candidate must show that they have done some contemplation.

One is coexistence. It has become cliched that Nigeria has not been this frayed since the end of the Civil War in 1970. The major reason for this is that President Buhari, in the memorable words of former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar, has profoundly “mismanaged Nigeria’s diversity.” As a testament to this, on the approach to the 40th anniversary, the landscape of the 2023 elections could potentially reprise the 1983 elections. There will be two major candidates from the south, one from the north, and an unending supply of dog whistle. It will be a brave candidate who campaigns boldly on a message of coexistence. But may be such is the kind of candidate that the country needs at this time. Every serious candidate needs to be pressed on this point.

Two, what is the value of a Nigerian life?

By the most conservative counts (based on open sources), 5,797 persons in Nigeria have been killed in the first half of this year but the numbers do not do justice to the desperate VWUDLWV LQ ZKLFK WKH FRXQWU\ ÀQGV LWVHOI :H have become used to the president neither acknowledging the human abattoir that the country has become under his watch, nor having any interest in empathy or fellow feeling. This indifference has set the country asunder when it should be coming together against the common threat of insecurity.

Economic activity has been blighted and a nation-wide food security crisis could be imminent. In many cities, such as Kaduna in the north-west and Jos in the north-central, going from one part of the city to another could be a death sentence. Even the uniformed security

services are struggling to protect themselves. Each serious presidential candidate must be prepared to show from the first hour of office what they propose to do to alleviate insecurity.

Three, how will the Commander-In-Chief optimize the security services? This is probably the most important job of a president. It is also the one that the present incumbent has proved most inept at. Under him, the federal government retrenched the police, transferring its responsibilities to the armed forces. When he addressed the cohort at the National Defense College in 2017, then Interior Minister, General AbdulrahmanDambazau,describedthesituation of the country as “military operations other than war, (MOOTW)” and proclaimed the doctrine that the armed forces are now “spearheading all internal security operations due to the fact that the Nigeria Police is no longer in position to handle such matters effectively.” As proof, today, the army is actively deployed in all 36 states of the Federation in 18 special, expeditionary theatres. What this means is that the army is too stretched to be effective against threats upon the homeland while the police is too demoralized to do its primary task of safeguarding law and order. Every serious candidate must have a plan to reverse this and make the security services fit for purpose.

Four, the economy will require attention in respect of both monetary and structural reforms.

The president who will be inaugurated on 29 May 2023 will not have the luxury of a honeymoon.

He’ll have to confront a disabling debt overhang, the removal of petroleum subsidy, a fiscal cliff, and a national currency in free-fall.

Five, to make progress on the above four issues, every serious candidate has to answer the question: are you prepared to serve only one term? This is not a matter of political convenience or deals. Rather, any president who desires to make progress on these must be prepared to confront committed blowback. If they are too in love with a second term, then the first term will be wasted. This indeed may be the defining issue of all.

Still on Bishop Kukah:

There were three errors in my piece of last week on Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah. First, he is the Convener of the National Peace Committee, not the Secretary.

Second, Kevin Aje, who came from Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, was the first Nigerian Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. Kukah was the second.

Third, the Diocese of Sokoto does not cover Kaduna. In fact, Sokoto Diocese was under old Kaduna Diocese, and is currently under the Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province. The Diocese of Sokoto covers Katsina State, Zamfara State, Sokoto State and parts of Kebbi State (Jega, Kamba, Birnin Kebbi, Argungu). Zuru, Koko, Yauri, and some other parts of Kebbi State within those axis belong to Kontagora Diocese.

My thanks to Fr. Chris Omotosho, Director, Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, for this.

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

Arewa women are breaking barriers and making inroads into every facets of society, writes AISHA SHUAIBU

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CHEKWUBE NZOMIWU argues that the Commonwealth is of little benefit to Nigeria

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Anambra State

49

T H I S D AY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

EXIT OF THE GLOBAL QUEEN

T

Queen Elizabeth 11, the longest British Monarch, dies at age 96

Queen Elizabeth II had an abiding modesty and he passing of Queen Elizabeth II at decency in taste and carriage as well as a certain the age of 96 has united the world in polished candour of expression. In spite of her a sense of common loss. Her 70-year traditional British Anglican roots, the Queen was reign remains the longest in British a role model and inspiration for generations of monarchical history and one of the younger citizens. So, at the end, by sheer force of most enduring. Over these past seven personal example, Queen Elizabeth II became not decades, the late monarch remained relevant to only a monarch for all seasons but also a global every age. From the surviving veterans of World moral beacon.

War II to the icons of the swinging sixties, to the For her family, Queen Elizabeth II remained baby boomers and the internet age, Queen Elizabeth D VWDELOLVLQJ LQÁXHQFH 6KH IRXQG WKH JUDFH WR II transcended generations, fads and currents. And weather the storms of the occasional scandals and yet, her appeal and integrity never waned up to her the expansive subtle rebellion of grandchildren last moment. who belonged to a different generation and saw Meanwhile, as we remember Queen Elizabeth II, life differently.

Even it is also important not at moments of trying to forget the institution upheaval, the Queen’s she represented and While the imperial and colonial record of Britain under her natural calm resolve and its past links with adaptive capacity saw slavery and colonial monarchical watch will be interrogated in the years and decades her through. When, for subjugation, especially instance, her daughter-inon the continent. The ahead, the abiding lesson of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II is the law, Princess Diana died in royal family, according worrisome circumstances, to Corinne Fowler, a power of service and love for one’s country it was the Queen’s deft Professor of history management of the at the University of tragedy that guaranteed Leicester, had “an order and protected the monarchy. opportunity to show leadership by acknowledging Despite the fact that what Queen Elizabeth II held its involvement (in slave trade), making a formal was largely a ceremonial power, her passion and apology and asking openly and humbly what dedication transformed it into a bulwark of stability the family can do to begin to repair the damage”. for the country during testy periods as Britain made That Queen Elizabeth II never did is a permanent transition from global empire to a smaller, less indictment not only on her legacy but also on the LQÁXHQWLDO FRXQWU\ (YHQ KHU PRVW LPSODFDEOH IRH British royal family. would concede that the life of Queen Elizabeth II However, we must also concede that the appeal ZDV GHÀQHG E\ GXW\ GHFHQF\ DQG VHUYLFH $QG KHU DQG LQÁXHQFH RI 4XHHQ (OL]DEHWK ,, WUDQVFHQGHG determination to serve went beyond the ceremonial.

WKH FRQÀQHV RI *UHDW %ULWDLQ DQG ZKDWHYHU PD\ During the World War 11, she contributed to war have been the role of the royal family before she efforts as a trained mechanic. As the world therefore ascended the throne. That perhaps explains why PRXUQV WKH SDVVLQJ RI WKLV PDJQLÀFHQW ZRPDQ WKH the Commonwealth grew from a small gathering of challenge she has thrown to the successor King seven nations to an effective tool of global diplomacy Charles III is that of minimally emulating her that comprised 57 countries, including those that mother’s leadership and moral strength. never came under British colonial rule. And in the While the imperial and colonial record of Britain course of her soft human angle diplomacy, the Queen under her monarchical watch will be interrogated travelled to over 100 countries in her lifetime. In the in the years and decades ahead, the abiding lesson process, she made friends both among leaders and of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II is the power of the common folks. In Africa, her friends included the service and love for one’s country. It will serve ODWH .ZDPH 1NUXPDK RI *KDQD .HQQHWK .DXQGD Nigerians, starting from our underperforming of Zambia and Nelson Mandela of South Africa, the leadership class, to take a cue from her sterling only world leader who called her, Elizabeth. example of seven decades.

Respected and adored throughout the world,

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

THE NORTH EAST AND CHILDREN OF WAR 2QH RI WKH XJOLHVW HIIHFWV RI ZDU DQG FRQÁLFW and perhaps what makes it so egregious is the fact that more often than not, its biggest casualties are the innocent. If humanity abhors war and must continue to do so, it is because usually, when war breaks out, those usually FDXJKW LQ LWV FURVV ÀUH DUH WKRVH RQ WKH PDUJLQV They are almost always women and children, the old, and the weak.

For more than a decade now, the Nigerian experience has been shaped by war, a war that has nonetheless proven its relentless ability to alter lives and claim victims.

The disturbing argument that Nigeria was not prepared for the full-scale onslaught of terrorism when it descended on the country is only strengthened by the terrifying number of scalps the terrorists have claimed. However, it appears that it is out of children that the terrorists are carving out their biggest trophies yet.

Even before Boko Haram commandeered

Borno State as the launch pad of its insurgency against Nigeria, northern Nigeria, long thought to be the problem region of the country, was always a tottering giant. Vast in land mass and the variety of ethnic groups, the region was always posting statistics that curdled the blood of human development experts. In health and even in education, the region`s struggles were clear for all to see.

Thus, even before 2009, the region was headed for the brink. In fact, the dire conditions of the region no doubt gave Boko Haram some of the physical and mental tools they needed IRU WKHLU RSHUDWLRQV RI GHDWK :KHQ WKH\ ÀQDOO\ FDPH LQ LW ZDV WR IDQ LQWR D UDJLQJ ÀUH D ÁDPH WKDW ZDV DOUHDG\ OLW DQG FU\LQJ RXW IRU some fuel. Terrorism has since spread like a ZLOGÀUH LQ WKH UHJLRQ FODLPLQJ YLFWLPV LQ WRQV and conspiring to alter life irreparably.

By a recently released report of the United Nations on the fate of children in the northeast, about 694 grave violations were recorded

on 532 children within the last two years in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States from January 2020 to December 2021.

Some of the children suffered multiple violations including abduction and recruitment LQWR DUPHG FRQÁLFW RU VH[XDO VODYHU\ $ERXW 212 children were said to have been killed or maimed by gunshots while about 63 girls were said to have suffered sexual violence.

7KH PDLQ SHUSHWUDWRUV ZHUH LGHQWLÀHG DV members of the Boko Haram sect and other splinter groups, including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

For children in the affected states of the north-east, their experience of these atrocities is beyond nightmarish. Is childhood not supposed to be a time of innocence, sweetness and bliss? Why should the experience of children in the north-east be so violently different as a result of a senseless war against Nigerians by those who are criminals through and through?

Since Boko Haram started its campaign of death and destruction in the North-east, many children and their families have been slaughtered. Many schools have been reduced to rubble and teachers killed. Indeed, while the group has never hidden its disdain for HGXFDWLRQ ZKLFK LW KDV VSHFLÀFDOO\ VRXJKW WR disrupt through heavy-handed methods, the bandits emboldened by the successes of Boko Haram to launch their own operations have HQMR\HG ÀHOG GD\V DEGXFWLQJ VWXGHQWV DQG holding them for ransom.

Children have suffered unimaginably at the hands of terrorists in Nigeria. Bringing to an end the needless suffering of children and their families should be deemed an urgent act of justice. For it is the gravest injustice that children continue to endure the most suffering DV D UHVXOW RI D VHQVHOHVV FRQÁLFW WKH\ NQRZ nothing about. t ,FOF 0CJF[V 5XJUUFS !LFOPCJF[V

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

11.9.2022

W

TEMITOPE ADEYEYE

If there’s a real revolution in the jewellery business in Nigeria today, 42-year-old Temitope Adeyeye, the creative director of BOHJewellery would rightly wear the crown. Having studied English and Literary Studies, she had a short stint with Timbuktu Media, Publishers of NEXT Newspapers, where she worked in the Administrative department. Her passion for creativity has consumed her, driving her to continually redefine her space as a jeweller, writes Adedayo Adejobi

hen Temitope Adeyeye started her jewellery business, consumers’ taste in gems was limited.

She would later include quartz and opals in her jewellery making, drawing more customers to her doorstep. But as the demand for ‘Made in Nigeria’ luxury necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings increased, hers became the go-to store for authentic Nigerian jewellery.

Born in Lagos, she attended Morolu Nursery and Primary School, Lagos, and the University of Ado Ekiti State, where she studied English and Literary Studies. Tope’s late grandma, Princess Gladys Modupe Odedina, fondly called ‘Iya Kekere’ played a key role in what has become her attraction to this precious world of jewelry. As a little girl, she admired her grandma’s extravagant jewelry. Those formative years played a huge role in her obsession with the craft and her unbelievable attention to detail.

Her dream was to become a renowned writer like the literary icon, Wole Soyinka. But all of that changed when she visited Abeokuta to spend the holidays with her late grandmother, Princess Gladys Odedina, fondly called ‘Iya Kekere’. She was an avid collector of all kinds of jewellery, gemstones, amber, precious metals, shells, rings, necklaces, brooches, enamel, pendants and bracelets.

Her collection piqued the younger Adeyeye.

“The more I learnt about my craft, the more determined I grew to become a world-renowned jeweller,” she said in a recent encounter.

Upon her first visit to her late grandma, she got her first sets of jewelry. Afterwards, she would often bring back home a gold ring, bracelet or necklace on subsequent visits. That ignited her love for jewelry.

“Till date, I see beauty in all the stones that nature offers,’’ she said.

Recounting a memorable childhood experience, ‘‘I remember she had given me loads of jewellery, but the tasselled gold anklet she gave me when I was 15 was the most memorable of them because back then wearing anklets was almost a taboo,” the jeweller said.

Historically, some cultures believe that an ankle bracelet worn on the left foot is a charm

ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

51

COVER

I See Beauty in All the Stones that Nature Offers or talisman. Such anklets were used as amulets to protect the wearer from diseases and bad omens. Today, an anklet on your left foot may also indicate that you are married or engaged to a lover. Regardless of the seeming symbolism attached to wearing anklets, Adeyeye unapologetically wears anklets and gives credence to her grandmother who pointed her the way of jewellery.

From being a budding jewellery entrepreneur to an expert in some of the most expensive stones, what started as mere fascination, took a huge leap in her mind’s eye when she was in her second year at the university. Even though there was a final year student who sold handmade jewelry pieces, when Temitope was in the 200 level, it did not deter her. Reflecting on how to fill the possible gap the lady’s graduation would create, the jeweller conferred with her guardian about her interest in jewelry-making. She swung into action, made inquiries and off, she went to the notoriously rough and densely populated Lagos Island market.

She relocated to Ikeja to begin a two-month training and apprenticeship with Emeka, a jewelry and precious stones dealer. With him, she had learned about types of gemstones and beads, corals, amethysts, garnets, onyx, etc.

A few months into her training, the grooming was cut short, as Emeka left for the village to deal with family emergencies.

Even though she had learnt enough to set her off for a trade, she decided to ramp up education beyond the basics of bead and jewelry-making.

She loaded up on magazines and more training, and by the time she returned to school, she used her N11,000 pocketmoney to buy items needed to start her business.

“I got back to school, and before I knew it, I was the one making beads for all the top ladies in Ekiti State. I remember that there was one local government chairman that was a woman and I ended up being her jeweller,” she said.

As a student and entrepreneur gaining grounds and looking to meet demands, she would leave Ekiti at 4am for Lagos to restock her jewellery supplies and head back to school the same day, of course with the express approval of her guardian. Fast forward to two decades later, she has traversed the world, honing her skills. Having mastered the craft, she has become a household name.

Speaking on the creative process, Adeyeye said: “I design all the jewelry pieces and I personally check every step of the creation process from start to finish . I sketch with pen and paper and then I take it to be converted into a 3D computeraided design to refine and perfect every detail.”

When she finishes a piece,

Adeyeye

she gazes at it proudly, holding it carefully as she inspects it to ensure it is absolutely perfect. But as soon as she was done admiring it, she would start working on the next one.

Her drive and tireless passion for creating masterpieces is amazing.

If you are wondering where her passion comes from, don’t look too far.

“I believe my passion comes from spending so much time around beautiful jewellery and helping out from a young age,” she began.”I eventually began drawing my own designs as I have always loved the creative side of jewellery. I think receiving structured feedback helped me gain an appreciation for designing jewellery and shaped my ideas.”

“As for inspiration, I find it everyday in the beauty of the world surrounding us, as my jewels capture the essence of a moment.

All my collections hold one thing in common: showcasing and radiating light, through its designs and to the wearer,” she continued.

Speaking on the challenges faced so far, she said: “The major challenges we have in this business is the under-development of the mining and indigenous jewellerymaking industry in Nigeria.

Much focus has been put on our oil resources while our natural stones and gem deposits are ignored. The discovery of oil in 1956 has seriously hurt the mineral extraction industries.”

In an industry worth about $300 billion, unfortunately, Nigeria amounts to a tiny fraction of the figure despite its huge gemstone deposits. Adeyeye believes Nigeria can earn $100million annually from the local jewellery industry if exported to international markets.

Sounding a note of advice to the government, the jeweller said: “With vast high-grade steel deposits in Nigeria, all our mineral and gemstone deposits are sold as rough unfinished products at very ridiculous rates abroad. If we can manufacture here then we can create job opportunities and also export our finished products thereby strengthening the naira.’’

Despite the challenges, she has forged ahead and made herself a force within the industry. Her elite clientele attests to the quality of the service she renders.

“We have notable individuals, celebrities, political office holders, and captains of industry who wear our brand. But for privacy reasons, I will not be mentioning any names.”

If she could only wear one piece of jewellery for the rest of her life, it would be a simple combination of diamonds, topaz and citrine, because the combination never goes out of style and will fit on almost any outfit.

Historically, women have always been the largest customers and purveyors of fine jewellery, but one of the biggest current trends is a cultural shift with men embracing regular and custom jewellery. For Adeyeye, her preferred gemstones are diamonds, while she loves the artworks of Ben Enwonwu and admires Moofa’s fashion.

For her, showcasing Nigeria through her dazzling gemstones and illuminating ornaments is her lifelong ambition.

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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 ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

GLIT TRIBUTE

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

THE QUEEN OF FASHION DIPLOMACY Throughout her life, the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain made bold statements with her fashion for each occasion. Be it diplomatic visits, weddings, birthdays, funerals, jubilees, social events or holidays, the late monarch was always clothed with a purpose to be seen and revered. That intentionality is what sets her apart despite her conservative approach. Vanessa Obioha writes

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

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GLIT TRIBUTE

The Queen of Fashion Diplomacy

B

ritain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II breathed her last on September 8, 2022, throwing her kingdom and other parts of the world into mourning. At 96, the Queen’s influence in Britain was never undermined. During her 70 years on the throne, she lived to meet 15 prime ministers, the last being the newly installed Liz Truss who met her two days before her passing.

In a televised tribute, Truss described the late monarch as the rock on which modern Britain was built. She said Queen Elizabeth II had through thick and thin provided the strength and stability the country needed. “She was the very spirit of Great Britain and that spirit will endure.”

The Queen was immediately succeeded by her son Charles who is now known as King Charles III. She will be mourned for 10 days and will be buried beside her beloved husband Prince Philip at George VI chapel.

During her reign as Nigeria’s Head of State before Independence, she visited the country in 1956, where she inaugurated her bronze sculpture which was exhibited by Ben Enwonwu, a Nigerian sculptor.

Enwonwu captured the Queen in London in an artwork that showed her seated with her hands delicately placed on her lap. The work was completed and presented at the Royal Society of British Artists exhibition in London in November 1957.

During her visit to Nigeria, she toured the country, was driven in a Rolls Royce and appeared at functions in elegant gowns and accessories.

In 2003, she was in the country to attend the Commonwealth hd of government moong, spending four days from Decmber 3 to 6, 2003.

Queen Elizabeth II was known for her diplomacy, which was often seen in her fashion and style. Her choice of outfits always reflected the changes and the leadership role she assumed.

Born on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth’s sense of fashion was conspicuous from girlhood.

The young Princess and her sister, Princess Margaret were mostly dressed in frilly frocks.

During the war-torn and post-war England, the young Princess opted for clean and polished silhouettes with a nipped-in waist. The fashion statement was in vogue at the time and often matched with hats which is a traditional symbol of Britain’s fashion. Over the years, the hat became a royal emblem of Queen Elizabeth as she dazzled the world with different styles, particularly the purple hat with feathers she wore to the Solomon Islands in 1982.

For her wedding dress, the Queen favoured a Norman Hartnell-designed, seed pearl-encrusted royal wedding gown. The chiffon, silk and tulle used in designing the dress were purchased by the Queen who paid with her ration coupons.

The late monarch married the late Prince Philip Mountbatten in 1947.

From the moment she succeeded her father, King George VI who died in 1952, the 25-year-old Elizabeth knew that her appearance would play a vital part in her rule. Although, it was a role she had been preparing for since her parents had no male child.

Becoming the Queen of Britain as well as the Commonwealth Nations at a time when political changes such as the decolonisation of Africa were happening, required her to show her power through the way she appeared. She was quoted to have said that she needed to be seen and be believed. Those words became the motive behind each outfit she wore, starting with her coronation dress, a white duchesse satin gown, embroidered with national and Commonwealth floral emblems in gold and silver thread and embellished with seed pearls. The dress represented her diplomatic duties and was designed

by Hartnell.

Power dressing was a major diplomatic tool for the late queen. Given that she had to attend 300 events in a year, the Queen understood that for her to be seen and believed would largely depend on her consistency in her styles in such a way that reflected global changes and showed empathy. Each foreign trip was an opportunity to show diplomacy. Even though she had to be formal on most of her trips, she found a way to elevate her style and stand out in the crowd. This usually came in the form of colourful and vibrant outfits. For instance, during her diplomatic visit to Ottawa in 1957, she wore a green and white maple leaf dress for the state dinner.

“I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am,” she once acknowledged to Robert Hardman, the royal biographer.

Queen Elizabeth II also had a penchant for uniformity. Each of her dresses was accompanied by matching accessories. Be it gloves, hats or purses, none of these items was out of place in whatever outfit she accompanied them with. Her earlier formal outfits were classic but stylish and elegant. The latter part of her life saw her favouring tone-on-tone outfits. She became a symbol of colour blocking and monochrome looks. Her Majesty shied away from trends but in her own stylish way, was a trendsetter.

Throughout her life, the queen made bold statements with her fashion for each occasion. Be it diplomatic visits, weddings, birthdays, funerals, jubilees, social events or holidays, Queen Elizabeth II was always clothed with a purpose to be seen and sequin-covered harlequin gown that she wore to the Royal Variety Performance in 1999. revered. That intentionality is what sets her apart On her silver jubilee in 1976, Queen Elizabeth despite her conservative approach.

For her father’s funeral, the Queen chose a black II decided to alter her look by wearing a gorgeous dress and a black veil to convey her plaintive mood. new gown and some royal regalia. Her pick for When Princess Diana died tragically in 1997, the late golden jubilee was a bright red coat matched with a purple hat. Her diamond jubilee however was a majesty wore a sombre black dress and hat to the white boucle coat designed by her dresser Angela funeral.

Kelly, with a matching white upside-down saucer For her late husband Prince Philip’s funeral hat. Always fresh with ideas on her dressing, in 2021, the Queen wore a diamond brooch she the late monarch debuted a stunning new blue inherited from her grandmother and a black face coat and hat for her Platinum Jubilee balcony mask trimmed with white piping. appearance during Trooping the Colour in 2022.

Each visit to a foreign nation had a dress that For each of her children and grandchildren’s matched the purpose of the visit and made her wedding ceremonies, Queen Elizabeth II used prominent. For instance, during a visit to meet President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, the the occasion to show the world her deep sense of fashion. At Princess Diana’s wedding to her son late queen wore a full-skirted blue frock. In 1983 Charles, she wore a turquoise colour dress with when she had a meeting with President Ronald Reagan and the First Lady, Nancy, she ditched her matching headgear while her hands were covered in white gloves and a matching white pearl signature evening wear for a frothy gown with a necklace. golden purse and white gloves.

Her choice of outfit for Prince William and Even though she was Queen of Britain, her social Kate Middleton’s wedding was a springy yellow life was not void of elegance. At the premiere of ‘Doctor Dolittle’ in 1967, she chose a stunning look, coat, matching dress and hat.

A cheerful lime coat and purple floral dress wearing a fur wrap and tiara. For the West End show premiere in London in 1973, she donned a heavily was her pick for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. embellished gown along with a fur cape. Perhaps At home, the Queen’s fashion sense did not one of her controversial outfits was the colourful

waver. A lover of fur, she picked a regal white fur and jewels from the royal vault to attend the State Opening of Parliament in 2002. When at Balmoral in Scotland, she settled for her Scottish tartans and English tweeds.

Queen Elizabeth II in her lifetime had viral meme moments. For instance, in 2016’s Trooping the Colour Appearance, she chose a loud green coat and hat that triggered a thousand greenscreen memes.

Also, on her 90th birthday, her bright lime green suit started a hashtag #neonat90.

Her fashion statement was not limited to her outfits as she also inaugurated the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design at the London Fashion Show in 2018. The award was given to a young designer.

The late monarch was known for fashion sustainability long before it became a clarion call in the fashion world. She started recycling her garments and fabrics and in 2019, decidedly stopped wearing furs.

Queen Elizabeth II made her mark in the fashion industry and would be considered an icon whose sartorial splendour may not have aligned with the conventional rules of fashion but in itself spoke volumes of power and purpose which many female leaders would later emulate.

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PERSONALITY

Towards a Fashion-forward Future The Creative Director of the fashion brand, Rekana, Sharon Ojong, is identifying herself as the afro-modernist of our time. In this encounter with Vanessa Obioha, she speaks on the need for the fashion industry to be more inclusive.

Okpe

Ojong

E

arlier this year, fashion designer and creative director of Rekana, Sharon Ojong took a different approach in launching her afromodernist collection, Rekana’s Rainy Resort 2022.

The collection which tells a story of contemporary black culture is tethered to a self-produced fashion film titled ‘Children of God’.

The clip, slightly over 10 minutes, tells the story of a distressed afro-modern man running away from his past towards the church where he meets a diverse group. The film is sprinkled with messages of inclusion

and diversity. For instance, the priest is a woman, breaking the traditional Catholic church culture that reserves the role for the male gender. The soundtrack also is in Ibibio language while the cast is dressed in sunshine-yellow adire sets. All 12 pieces of the Rainy Resort collection convey a message of God as our help and refuge irrespective of our differences.

“The new collection was inspired by love, inclusion in the church, and our transition into more ethical-sustainable clothing made with eco-friendly, handwoven, hand-dyed fabrics, with low-impact materials for our tie-dye process. It took me

seven months to put these all together, the collection and the film,” she said in a recent encounter.

To be sure, Ojong has paid her due by climbing through the rungs of the fashion and media industry from being an intern at FAB Magazine, working alongside industry giants like actors Ramsey Nouah and Rita Dominic to launching her brand, Rekana.

However, her rise to her current position was not a linear path. The designer has donned many different professional togas. She was part of the reality television show KokoMasion

hosted by Nigerian megastar Oladapo Oyebanjo, better known as D’banj. At one point, she launched Deevas, a PR consulting firm before forging ahead to work with highly reputable firms like Spice Fashion, and Glam Africa. She often describes herself as being a ‘creative griffin.’

In the fashion world, she is setting herself apart with her take on Afro-Modernism.

“Afro-modernism is what sets me apart from other fashion creatives,” said Ojong in a recent encounter. “I wanted to tell our story with a new approach to defining our visual identity. My designs are inspired by Nigerian culture, timeless traditional elements in history, old patterns, and personal stories combined with inspiration from the modern world.”

Explaining further, she described the idea of afro-modernism as “a belief in clothes that celebrate self-expression, inclusivity, and the old meeting the new. We source inspiration from old patterns, timeless African styles in history, and then combine them with inspiration from the modern world.”

That inclusivity, she added, is gradually disappearing from various spheres of life, the church particularly. This, she said, informed her decision to use the church to drive the narrative of inclusion.

“Using the church to tell our story of inclusion was very intentional. The church should be open to all, to come as they are. But most churches have been disappointing with their lack of inclusion, making conscious and deliberate efforts or awareness that address social injustice.”

Giving her stance on the conservativeness of the church towards fashion nuances, she said that “as far as God is concerned, all things are possible. I don’t also believe God cares about what you are wearing if it’s cool or expensive, or not. God is all about love, and love lives inside of us.”

Citing focus, determination and consistency as key elements to her rise in the fashion industry, she, however, notes that inclusivity through collaborations is the key to unlocking more potential of the growing fashion industry to compete fairly against big international names that thrive on well established enabling structures and systems.

“Although the fashion industry is the most inclusive industry in terms of personalities and a variety of creatives in Nigeria, we still have a long way to go. The Nigerian fashion industry is susceptible to cliques that make inclusion difficult. It is built around a group of friends working together and sometimes working against each other to give access to themselves.

“In a growing economy that craves and needs diversity, this makes it hard for the underrepresented to get started in fashion and have access to equitable resources. I am optimistic about change within the fashion community and believe if inclusion is done right, the return on investment is significant.

We need more sustainable production and manufacturing methods.”

Perhaps what inspired her gutsy approach to become a trailblazer in afromodernism in fashion can be traced to her strong passion for fashion from an early age. She had always been experimental in her projections. Her ability to understand various human-to-human relations irrespective of age, creed, or race, has been the greatest vehicle for conveying her ideas.

“I loved visiting my grandmother for a few days, sitting in the dark, telling stories and going to her farm,” she recounted.

A storyteller in her own right, Ojong’s approach to fashion goes beyond style and appearance. For her, it’s a platform to initiate growth through arty expressions shaped by a potpourri of occurrences.

“We are very much passionate about the need for creativity, expressiveness, and vocalness in what you wear and this is all that Rekana is about. Empowering real people, with real stories to live freely and be the true you without limitation, a true afro-modernist,” she concluded.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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HighLife Stamp of His Honour … Nigeria’s Biggest Philanthropist, Femi Otedola Becomes Chancellor

Otedola

Charity and clemency are the hallmarks of a humanitarian. Since Femi Otedola became a household name in Nigeria, there has been an underground clash among closet thinkers about whether he is more proficient in business and investment or philanthropy. Time and again, Otedola proves that he is a master of both, with the latter driving the former. Therefore, it is unsurprising that every beneficiary of Otedola’s charity has tried to compensate him one way or another.

A private Catholic university in the Epe area of Lagos, Augustine University, has found a way to immortalise the doings of Otedola in the university. They did not build statues or name every lecture hall after him. Instead, they recently announced that they had made him the university chancellor, effective from April 7, 2022.

Otedola’s chancellor position, according to the management of Augustine University, follows his many charitable investments in the tertiary institution. Moreover, none of these investments was born of a desire to be famous or earn more prestige. Instead, as Otedola himself has explained, Augustine University has benefitted from his philanthropy because it is in Epe and his father had wanted a prestigious university established in the Lagos area.

It is approximately three years now since the Geregu Power man donated a complex to the institution’s Engineering faculty.

The complex was reportedly valued at around N2 billion, which very likely tops the list of Otedola’s biggest donations at a single time. Such charitable donations have become second nature to Otedola, so he may have done something more astonishing somewhere else.

To be sure, nobody can blame the management of Augustine University for their appointment.

To have someone as altruistic and generous as Otedola on their board of decision-makers is their fortune. As for Otedola, the appointment to Chancellor is a stamp of his many good works over the years.

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

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

Abdullahi Haske: Meet Nigerian Silent Billionaire that People Hardly Talk About Nigeria is blessed with lots of citizens who, one could argue, have their heads screwed on tightly. Some of these Nigerians have gone on to be silent billionaires. Abdullahi Haske is one of such people, and his source of wealth has always been a matter of public debate.

As a result, very few people are willing to promote him as a motivational figure to young Nigerians.

Haske is undoubtedly one of the youngest billionaires in Nigeria. He is almost 35 as of the third quarter of 2022, even though his seemingly boundless wealth is overflowing on the banks of the oil and gas industry.

However, despite his peculiar nature, being very young and very wealthy, some people have found occasion to fault his source of wealth.

In truth, Haske had a good foundation.

In other words, he had parents who cared about preparing him for the world of wealth and affluence. A native of Yola, What should be said about a son that is constantly wishing to walk in his father’s shoes? You would be right to say that the reasonableness of this intention depends on the size of those shoes. So, what should be said to Idris AbiolaAjimobi, the son of the late Abiola Ajimobi, politician extraordinaire, senator, and former governor of Oyo State? On the one hand, the shoes are wide and mighty; on the other, Idris is his father ’s son. Ultimately, time will tell how well and how far Idris will prove himself as the progeny and pride of his late father.

Idris has, without a doubt, started to walk in the same path that his father walked in his journey to greatness. This is one of the many conclusions that many far-sighted individuals made following the

Adamawa State, Haske studied Political Studies at the University of Abuja and earned himself an MBA in Economics from Lagos Business School. These certifications, along with several other professional variants, allowed him to know enough about business life to excel at it.

He worked as a contractor in his early years of business, targeting sectors such as oil and gas, construction, and public procurement. Because, once again, his head is screwed on tight, it did not take long for Haske to find success and become the Group Managing Director of AA & R Investment Group. And since this establishment has its fingers in virtually every profitable pie in Nigeria’s corporate boardroom, Haske has earned himself a nifty reputation among the makers and builders of wealth in Nigeria.

So, people definitely talk about him.

However, those who know very little of his adventures, skills, and influence generally prefer to leave him be. And there is no indication that Haske is overly bothered by this.

Idris Ajimobi in His Father’s Shoes

Diri

Haske

reports of Idris emerging as the preferred All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Ibadan SouthWest II State Constituency. Furthermore, the fact that Idris’ victory was the result of a consensus agreement rather than a we-no-go-gree election, it is clear to onlookers that he is on to a fine start.

Of course, Idris was not the only individual interested in the House of Assembly position. Every one of the aspirants was given a chance to prove their value to the party and the good people of Ibadan South-West II, but Idris demonstrated the genius of leadership that he undoubtedly inherited from his father. So, great things are all over the horizon for Idris, although the responsibility of reaching and maybe even surpassing the level of his late father is heavy.

Starting Solid … Ahmed Halilu Gets Serious with Task Ahead

Halilu

There is a time for everything: One period to accumulate capacity and experience and another time to spring up with the prowess of a heroic figure. For Ahmed Halilu, elder brother to First Lady Aisha Buhari, this is the time to burst forth with oxen strength and cheetah speed.

As optimists are in the habit of declaring

during such opportune times, great things are over the horizon.

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Halilu to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), the governmental institution responsible for printing Naira, where he is to serve as Managing Director (MD).

This appointment was in line with the President’s attempt to consolidate his legacy as his tenure draws closer to its scheduled end. Thus, by appointing Halilu, Buhari is essentially confirming what others have said: that Halilu is what NSPMC needs to move things to the next level.

Halilu is not a novice to the functions and tasks of the Nariaprinting institution. Before this appointment, he served as the acting MD and only got the nod of permanent leadership from the President following the reported approval of Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele. So, it is very unlikely, as many would suppose, that Halilu would become incompetent simply because of the influence and command he now has in Nigeria.

Furthermore, Halilu is an experienced corporate executive who is not at all unfamiliar with the callings of the banking sector. Before his assignment to the hustle and bustle of business life as a staff of the NSPMC, Halilu worked with African International Bank Limited (AIB) and Zenith Bank Plc. Moreover, he is a proud member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), which is no surprise based on his active banking experience of over two decades in the banking and financial management industry.

With Halilu’s new appointment, great things are expected of him. Perhaps he will be able to crystallise the President’s expectations before the latter retires from office, thereby earning Buhari some extra points in the annals of history.

Lagos to the World: Sanwo-Olu Markets Lagos and Dazzles Americans There is much to be said about Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Since coming into power in 2019, the man has always found ways to outstrip expectations and push ahead of his peers. Recently, he started wooing foreign investors to Lagos, noting the cardinal excellencies of the state and guaranteeing that a trial will convince them. And even though these foreigners are not yet rushing here in their droves, their reactions to Sanwo-Olu’s suggestions show that they are clearly dazzled and captivated.

Governor Sanwo-Olu continues to prove to Lagosians everywhere that they did not make a mistake when they elected him to be their leader. Del-York International recently held a banquet in honour of the governor in Washington DC, United States. During the feast which was themed: ‘Investment Opportunities in Lagos, Africa’s Largest Economy,’ SanwoOlu went to great lengths to show that

Lagos could become one of the most lucrative investment wells in the world if given the chance.

Dazzling his audience with statistics and research-driven facts, Sanwo-Olu noted that Lagos satisfies every criterion for a region worthy of a deluge of investments. Moreover, with the efforts of his administration to establish an accommodating atmosphere for profitable businesses, Sanwo-Olu guaranteed that every investment will yield greater returns than expected.

One of the questions that might have become a fork in the confident arguments of Lagos’ greatness by Sanwo-Olu was the matter of security. In light of the waves of insecurity sweeping across Nigeria, how is Lagos different?

Sanwo-Olu answered this question smoothly, explaining why there is no Nigerian state as safe as Lagos. He also shared some of the dynamic policies and infrastructural provisions that his administration regularly updates to sustain this security.

Sanwo-Olu

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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 ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

HIGHLIFE

Between Herbert Wigwe and Aig-Imoukhuede One of the most prominent maxims in business circles is that genuine friendship is ever in short supply when it comes to enterprise and money-making endeavours.

There are many cases to prove the authenticity of this pessimistic claim. However, some cases show that the oil of friendship can snuff out the fires of avarice and the undue predilection for money-grubbing attitudes. In the latter case, we have individuals like Herbert Wigwe and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede blazing the trail of enduring friendship.

There was a time when Wigwe and Aig-Imoukhuede overturned the grim expectations of many. It was early on in the new millennium and they were sharp, motivated, and energetic 37-year-old bankers.

Looking to erect a legacy for their banking temperaments, they acquired a tiny and unremarkable bank and reforged it with their acumen and experience, experimenting with old and new management simulations and adopting established models. That bank is what we know today as Access Bank, which is gaining more omnipresence across Africa and

in the more developed parts of the world.

Yet, despite the massive success of their brainchild, Herbert and Aig-Imoukhuede remain great friends. Even though they still have multiple business partnerships established on financial gains and reputation, neither Herbert nor Aig-Imoukhuede is willing to slight the other. This has resulted in one of the most popular bromances in the Nigerian banking industry and corporate sector.

Of course, as the Chinese say, the tallest tree struggles the most against the wind.

Unsurprisingly, the friendship of Herbert and Aig-Imoukhuede has come under attack many times in the form of gossip and rumours. The majority of these rumours take the form of reports about Herbert and Aig-Imoukhuede at war or having an irreconcilable quarrel. By the most credible accounts, such reports are false.

So, even as Herbert and Aig-Imoukhuede continue to grow more successful in their individual and joint business endeavours, their friendship is not lagging. It could even be described as one of the motivations behind their renewed pursuit of business interests.

Wigwe

Aig-Imoukhuede

Toyin Saraki: Woman of Global Impact at 58 American poet, Countee Cullen, said that some people are teeth on a silver spoon with stars strung for a rattle, indicating that these people never had to struggle. This may appear to be the case for Lady Toyin, the wife of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. But it is not. The difference is that individuals like Toyin struggle to help others and keep up a good front while doing so. At 58, Toyin is an old hand at this and has earned the respect of men, women, and children everywhere.

Although Toyin is usually first described as the wife of the prestigious Saraki, she is a princess in her own right. Born into the Royal families of Ojora and Adele, she is a true catch and is one of the brightest lights of Saraki’s life. But more than that, Toyin has shone the light for many others to walk, which is one reason she became a global health advocate,

Saraki

founded Wellbeing Foundation Africa, and was appointed by World Health Organization (WHO) as an ambassador for global health.

Toyin is one of those people whose achievements have a compounding effect.

As a result, she leaves more and deeper marks in the lives of the people associated with her and those she considers her charge, especially women and children. In the last 20 years, especially, Toyin’s footsteps can be seen all over efforts in Africa to improve maternal and child health, reduce genderbased violence and discrimination and allow Africans to live fully.

And that is another thing about Toyin, a lady so committed to helping other people that she doesn’t stop to consider their nationalities, religion, or any other thing. She simply backs them with her resources and influence. Therefore, at 58, she is erecting a legacy that will be remembered on the global stage for decades to come.

Ooni of Ife New Wife Unveiled Marriage is such a sweet thing. Unlike those committed to religious oaths or who for one reason or another prefer to live their entire lives in solitude, the rest of us are easily cheered up at the prospect of someone else having our backs, especially when such people are of the opposite gender.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, is not falling behind in his journey to the origin.

In fact, one could say that Oba Ogunwusi has eclipsed the doings of many of his forebears, especially considering the beauty and sheer charm of his new Olori.

The name Mariam Anako rings like a soft bell. It became popular across the Southwest for a short time and disappeared almost immediately after, returning to its place on Nigeria’s corporate shelf. The reason for this appearing-disappearing act is that the bearer of the name changed statuses, going from being a

mid-level corporate Amazon to the Queen of Ife. Now known as Olori Mariam Ogunwusi (nee Anako), the new bride is not some airhead with the waistline of a grasshopper. She is in her 30s and is one of the decision-makers at Nestoil Limited.

According to reports, Olori Mariam is an indigene of Kogi State from the Ebira axis.

Her father is late but she grew up under the mentorship of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar.

Moreover, she is not the only one who has found remarkable success among her siblings.

Her elder sister, Medinat Anako, is the Special Adviser on Intergovernmental Affairs and Kogi State Diaspora Focal Point Officer (DFPO) to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State. Another one, Mrs. Raliat Abdulrahman (nee Anako), is a Special Adviser to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Femi Gbajabiamila. She is not from a

Ooni

house of slackers.

Maybe this is one of the many things that Oba Ogunwusi saw in her and compelled him to take her as his Olori.

Strong-Willed: How Aisha Falode Gets Her Groove Back

Folade

Some people have the kind of will that is forged over and over again as a result of tragedy and misfortune. For these people, time leaves clear marks on their memories and it takes something extra to look back at the past, despite grappling with a strong sense of the need to move forward. The renowned sports broadcaster, Aisha Falode,

is like this. In recent times, she had to endure a truly harrowing experience that nearly capsized her identity as a mother.

And yet, she has not allowed herself to continue to wallow in that pit of misery and depression but is instead giving birth to new dreams like the mythical Phoenix.

Some time ago, Falode lost one of the most important lights in her life, her only son, Oloruntoba. It was not the typical passing and he was not yet old enough to be called an adult. Fray, as he was known, was only 19 years old, and had reportedly been pushed off a 17-story building in Dubai by an Arab, leading to his death.

Following Fray’s untimely demise, Falode fell into depression. To make matters worse, the authorities in Dubai did not pursue matters to the point of giving Falode closure. This also brought about the writing and publishing of the book, ‘Gift of Life - A Sibling Bond’, by Fray’s older sister, Toluwalase. It was part of what helped

Falode to traverse that terrible period in her life.

Today, she is back in her spirit and ready to continue her path in the world of sports. The first indication of this was her appointment to the Women’s Football League by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 where she was to serve as the League’s Chairman. Even more recently, she served as the Chef de Mission (leader of the delegation) for the Nigerian team during the just-concluded 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Now, Falode has joined the race for the NFF Executive Committee, a position that will be decided on via elections on September 30, 2022. Even though her ambition is in line with her old wish to contribute to women’s football in Nigeria and outside, it is also substantial proof that her will is strong and she has recovered her groove.

Is Rotimi Amaechi Staying Aloof?

Human life and experience have always been a kaleidoscope of surprises. In the face of these surprises, there is very little that an individual can do outside of persevering. This is the state of things for Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation and one of the 2023 presidential aspirants under the canopy of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Having lost both his ministerial position and the shot at the presidency, things have quieted down for the man. But does this mean that he is staying away from the goings-on across political parties?

There is no debating the fact that Amaechi has recoiled into a shell, choosing to live under the radar. This is reportedly the consequence of his having lost the chance to represent the APC in the 2023 presidential elections.

However, one can say he did remarkably well, although it is evident that he is not as impressed by his achievements as others are.

Among the APC presidential aspirants during the primary election, Amaechi came behind only Bola Tinubu with 316 votes to Tinubu’s 1,271. Almost immediately after the election, Amaechi was among the aspirants that noted that most of the party delegates had been bribed and therefore sold out their voting rights to the highest bidder. The intelligent public interpreted Amaechi’s comments as meaning that he might have won had it been a fair game.

Nevertheless, because there was really nothing holding Amaechi back in Abuja, it did not take long for him to retire to Rivers State, where he can at least rest from all the political scheming and struggling. However, ever since then, he has been operating on a low key. This is despite the prodding of some of his detractors in Rivers.

So, there are currently many questions from the public about whether Amaechi has completely thrown in the towel. But this does not seem to be the case. Perhaps the former Transport Minister is only resting, saving his strength for the future. Time will tell which it is.

Amaechi

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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 ˾SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Bola Tinubu – Hundeyin! Hundeyin! Hundeyin!

Everybody is afraid to give their advice on this matter. Me, I am not afraid o because I am still in shock with what I have read.

You see, I have been hearing this talk about the long write up by this Badagry bobo but never had the time to read it or connect. I think he is just a rabble-rouser and attention seeker so I do not ever take him seriously, hence my reluctance.

Anyways, I had to take my son back to school in Ibadan. That was how I entered train o, thinking that within minutes I will be in Ibadan, eating Amala at the Amala Sky joint and come back to Lagos in time for my sex church service – I hold this service every Sunday on zoom. You know that saying: “The journey is three hours and three hours come,” meaning that someone going to London will get to London, bathe, do that thing to his wife, me, I am still looking at the rusty roofs and decrepit landscape that your APC has fostered in South-west Nigeria.

Anyways, to kill the boredom, the devil

now threw this person’s write up on my phone. As I was reading, I was shouting o.

People on the train were asking me what the matter was, I said nothing. I will read again and I will shout o. The things this bobo was saying about Tinubu was bad o.

Have you read the write up? If not, Daddy please don’t read o. It can disturb your BP o.

This mad boy took you to the cleaners o. He fearlessly traced your history from Iragbiji down to Bourdillon. This boy, who send him this kain work o? Aghhhhh.

He cannot go scot free o. If I were in your shoes, I would sue him o.

After some time, my son tapped me and said I was embarrassing him, that people were looking at us. I said, “come on, shut up, if you know that it is your future that is making me shout you will keep quiet.”

ThenI read another one, “ahhhhh” I shouted ooo. By this time, the train people had come to my couch to ask me to calm down or else they would drop me in Abeokuta.

I said, “please don’t vex. This Badagry boy has thrown atomic bomb into the political landscape o.”

Asiwaju, I did not show anybody o. The thing was too explosive o. Kai, I started asking myself if these things were true o. The boy even put documents from America and that kain thing.

Well, my advice is for us to sue him. Let’s use him to test the sanctity of the judiciary as we move towards the elections. This boy cannot just open his mouth and run like he has diarrhea and go scot free.

Baba, let us sue him. Defamation or is it libel? Whatever it is, let us throw the book at him and if he cannot substantiate all these talks, then he must sweat. We cannot keep quiet o. We must use him to teach other ‘rumour mongers’ a lesson o.

Kai, Hundeyin? Who the hell is he o?

Who is his father o, what is his claim to fame? Oya na, I am ready. If you guys are too busy to do it, just give us the green light and let’s sue him at all the magistrate courts in Lagos. This is just too much.

WALE BABALAKIN: A QUICKIE AT THE AIRPORT I was called in by the very beautiful Dupe Oduwole. Dupe was my classmate at the famous Command Secondary School in Lagos, where her beauty contributed in no small measure to my failure and eventual expulsion from the school. To say that 30 years after she still has that eternal glow is an understatement.

Anyways, she now works for the highly cerebral Mr. Babalakin.

“Edgar,” she began on the phone, “Mr. Babalakin will see you on Monday at 12 noon.”

Kai, that voice, she still get am o.

I said “yes ma. Thank you so, so much.”

As I walked in, he hailed me – King of Shomolu! I corrected him that the right title is Duke of Shomolu. “Get my title well o,” and he laughed.

Nice gentleman. We talked business and after that, the inevitable. I am sure if I had just walked away without bringing Nigeria matter into the equation, he would have thought I had COVID. I asked him: “Sir, what is the hope?”

He looked at me intently and said, “We have lost the sense of right and

wrong.”

Simple. That was it.

He went ahead to say that morality has gone through the window and it cannot come back through any legal machination but may come through a spiritual revival.

I could not help but agree. The system and society at large have died. Nobody has a true sense of justice and fair play anymore. We are all now worse than the Jew who asked for a pound of flesh.

Everybody is out to cheat and get undue advantage. Nigeria is in a mess and I am sorry to say this. Even me that I am a forever optimist don almost give up.

As I walked away, his smile and his contentment kept radiating in my mind. Some people have found some form of fulfilment even in this madhouse. I said a little prayer to God to give me that same feeling of fulfilment and contentment so that I will not run and cross express road one day o, like Obesere’s Egungun.

Kai.

is more than commendable. His take on this issue with the bigheaded governor’s image in the background was on point. He asked, “does this mean that the Igbos who died fighting against marginalisation during the Civil War, died in vain?” He went on: “The fact that there is a dearth in federally-funded infrastructure projects in the East not enough to push for an Igbo presidency?”

His take on other national issues have always been no nonsense, crisp and clear. With Rufai, what you get is boldness and a very concise approach to issues with no ambiguity and this is why Rufai is my man of the week.

A plate of Afang for you whenever you are ready. Thanks

RUFAI OSENI, MAN IN THE SPOTLIGHT Rufai seems to be in the news these days. He is either ‘threatening’ policemen or Lagos State Government officials are threatening to stone him with the law or a

governor is yabbing him over his traffic misdemeanor.

Rufai, who just recently lost his dear father, is today becoming a critical voice in our country. His approach to national issues are very cohesive and all embracing. His approach is Nigerian and very far from sectional and this is why I am in love with him.

Rufai is my friend. I first met him at Inspirational FM where I had gone for an interview with the late Dan Forster. He was very fat then but today he is slimmer and if not for his height, he can pass for a Nollywood hunk. The other day, we both had a closed session with former Emir Sanusi and as the conversation was going on, they switched to French. I was looking at these people. “Why are they speaking very fluent French over my head?” I ran away o, you can never say o, they could have been planning to sell me.

Anyways, why I am talking about my short friend today is because of the clip that has been circulating.

Rufai was talking about a statement purportedly made by a sitting Igbo governor where that one had said that there was no need for an Igbo presidency.

You see, the way Rufai utilises the platform that ARISE TV gives him

Babalakin

Oseni

Kyari

Tinubu

ABBA KYARI: NOW I AM REALLY CONFUSED The federal government has just taken this ‘bandit’ to court with a rap sheet that stretches the whole of Third Mainland Bridge. From what we have seen, it’s looking like the Forbes list was doing the bro a huge disservice by not listing him there. Millions of naira

Prince:

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LOUD WHISPERS in various banks, hard currencies in those banks, lands, shopping malls, all sorts. The only thing we have not seen is a private jet and I am sure he has ordered, you know that one takes forever to be delivered.

My people, as I am reading this, what comes to my mind is why all of these things that have been in the open are just being actioned.

Is it because of the US indictment, or a complex ploy to avoid an extradition? How can a serving policeman have over N200 million in one bank? Even if the yeye bank whose MD is one tall, bald-headed slim person like that cannot do their KYC, all the trigger mechanisms in the system from EFCC to FIRS to LIRS to even guguru defence did not see it?

Let me even go back to the bank.

So, a serving policeman is throwing N200 million at you and you are not asking questions? Na wa.

Well, my main confusion is that, with all this plethora of allegations, court cases and indictments, how will they affect the current extradition on the ground? The thing is really confusing me o. Please help.

POLICE CONSTABULARIES VS OKADA RIDERS: A TALE OF UNTIED WRAPPER Two novelties. Policemen going on to protest over nonpayment of salaries and then trying to tie their situation on Okada riders. How Okada riders as a group enter this matter is something their executives will need to call a press conference to explain to us.

But seriously, not paying policemen salaries with the type of work that they do is heinous. They are part of emergency services. So their welfare and wellbeing must be paramount.

Why not owe the National Assembly instead of owing policemen?

I am not sure these sets are given guns to carry but even if they do not carry guns, the fact that they carry the authority of state with their uniforms is enough to drive them to things we cannot even print here.

Daily, I see policemen on the road and my personal social responsibility is to stop and chat and give them money. Some will run away thinking it is a set-up, the bolder ones will engage and thank me.

During #EndSARS, I was stopped by a team of policemen. I allowed them to do their duty when they finished, they asked me to go. I said, take N20,000. They looked at me and I said, “no, please take it.

I love the police. I love what you have been set up to do, now the fact that you cannot perform your duties should not be held against you. Please take.” The head of the team started crying. I swear, he started crying. He cried o and his people held him. He lamented, really lamented and after, called his wife to come and he gave her N10,000 saying this is the first money he had given her in months.

My people let us not allow the nefarious activities of Okada riders who are now exploiting the situation to sleep with their wives for N5 to belittle this issue. The blame should be laid on the floor of the federal government whose priorities are never right. It is because of their laxity that Okada people are sleeping with Police wives. Simple. It’s the government that is causing this thing.

Please, I beg the authorities to kindly hurriedly do something about police welfare. It is shameful.

ICE PRINCE: COOLING OFF IN JAIL Still on the police matter. This one has been accused of abducting and threatening to throw a policeman into a river simply because he was accosted for driving without a licence. It has been reported that he was granted bail but has been remanded in Ikoyi prison pending when he meets the bail conditions.

You see what we are saying. When the policeman’s conditions of service are herculean, why won’t musicians whose sell-by dates have passed not want to treat them like you do with a rotten bag of potatoes?

I swear, the Nigerian policeman is the worst species of policemen globally. Funny enough, you will find some of the most honest and beautiful Nigerians within their ranks. But when you don’t pay

them, talkless of paying them well, no insurance cover, no accommodation, nothing what you expect.

They lose dignity and professionalism. They stand by the road to beg for food to survive leading to this kind of altercation.

I don’t really care about Ice Prince or whatever he calls himself. All I care about for now is police reforms. It must involve the private sector in partnership with the government and the Police Service Commission so that it will be effective.

LET’S DO THIS NOW. Portable: Storm in a Portmanteau You guys may not know him.

I don’t even know him. Never heard of his songs but seem to be intrigued by his activities on social media where he is king.

This musician is a stark illiterate, dirty looking and seemingly drug infested.

BOLANLE AUSTEN-PETERS: ON A COLLISION COURSE

Austen-Peters

Her latest movie premiered on Netflix to huge positive acclaim. She needn’t have worried because prior to the showing, her people had been all over herding people towards the streaming platform to watch the show. It is no surprise that that same day, the movie was the second most watched feature on the international platform.

I was privileged to have seen the movie at a very private screening. I had also been invited to a concept abi script conference at the famed Terra Kulture at some point and after it all, I could tell that we were holding a sure fire hit.

The characterisation, the weaving plot line and the total execution of this project puts Bolanle, my famous sister, on a different pedestal. Like I always

tell her, “any time I try to catch you, you will just do another one. I have given up.” She would laugh and say, “Edgar, you are a worthy colleague.”

Bolanle is a gift to this nation. Her penetrative focus and engagement not only rebirth a sector that we all are gaining from but has already propelled her towards global acclaim.

I can only say well-done my sister.

Let me do small amebo. Her latest project ‘MAY’ involves Oprah Winfrey. I have also heard that another top Hollywood biggie has already accepted to coproduce with her. His name? I didn’t hear that one well. You know when you are doing amebo you don’t wait for details, you just move with the one you have heard.

Kai. Well done Mummy. Welldone.

But somehow, he seems to hold our attention as millions follow him on various social media handles. His illiterate rants have somehow overshadowed whatever talent he is deemed to possess.

The other day, he claimed to have been the founder of the one million gang that has violently been threatening Lagos and Ogun State suburbs. This triggered a Federal Police investigation making him to quickly recant.

His most recent rant is threatening to beat up co-nominees at the recently held Headies music award show. This led to his disqualification only for him not to be able to contain his angst and jealousy at the eventual winner – Goye Menor.

There has been all sorts of abuse and taunts from Portable. He went on air to abuse that one’s father, wondering ‘what in the life of me did he sing’, derided that one’s achievement as if it is his fault that he won.

I find all these very amusing. Very interesting and good content to relax and laugh when I need to cool off from the hardship that is this country. You too try to follow him; he will cure you of stress and High Blood Pressure. I tell you the boy is just a riot.

CRIME OF PASSION: MBOK, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I have just seen footage from AIT of an Akwa Ibom woman who arranged for her husband to be kidnapped simply because he had stopped sleeping with her and taking care of her children.

With TV microphones and cameras on her face, she begged to speak in her native dialect so that she could better explain herself. They gave her the go ahead and she dropped the clinger. The policeman interviewing her did not believe he heard well. He asked her to repeat what she just said in English and she said, “he no dey f..k me again, that’s why I do am.”

Ohh my God. You see how life can be.

Some of us are here begging to do the thing and we are hearing all sorts of excuses o. Headache, you never buy ticket for summer, I get boil, fasting.

In fact, Pastor Adeboye is really disturbing my sex life. Every day, na one service or the other. He will just be ordering fasting and prayer without clearing from me or getting my say since I will be adversely affected.

Now, see my brother getting kidnapped because he refused to do the thing. You see life. You see how it is now, different strokes for different folks. Me in Shomolu will have to write memo – Dear Duchess, I may feel like making love next Saturday by 4pm and I promise that I will take my bath and be of good behaviour, come home early, allow you watch your Yoruba movies and buy new tyres for your car the days preceding the said date. I will now submit and wait for a response.

Na him my brother dey get free of charge like this and he turn him eye dey face the Afang or palm wine on the table. Anyways, he has escaped being kidnapped and we thank God he didn’t lose his life in the process.

So the question my brothers is, if you find yourself in this kind of situation where your wife has arranged for you to be kidnapped because you have failed in your matrimonial duties, what would be your reaction? My phone number is at the top of the page. Oya, send me a text and let’s exchange views. Kai. Life.

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Top Hotelier Segun Awolowo Spreads Tentacles

Awolowo

Lagos is famed for its amazing nightlife as the city comes alive in the dark. Clubs, hangouts, lounges, and diners try to keep up with the demands of fun-seekers who seek the best places to unwind. Do you fancy a bite with a socialite? There is a new place for you with a fun atmosphere and treats patrons well: Red Pepper. Recently, this new diner joined the class of Lagos’ top high-end restaurants of international repute. Tucked within the precinct of the newly upgraded popular hotel, Country Guest House, in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, this new fabulous restaurant is owned by city socialite and hospitality guru, Segun Awolowo.

Known for going the extra mile to inject innovation into his hospitality endeavours, Awolowo has upped the standard in terms of luxury and quality entertainment only fit for royalty. With world-class facilities complimented by a team of courteous staff at the beck and call of guests and patrons, Awolowo’s Red Pepper has become a goto destination for the affluent in Nigeria’s entertainment capital, Lagos.

The Ikenne-born businessman owns three hotels, De-Skyline Hotel and two Country Guest Houses, all in Ikeja, Lagos and another boutique hotel very close to Heathrow Airport in London. In a chat, Awolowo has been over the moon with the latest addition to his business profile.

However, his 65-room hotel at the MM2 has recently been demolished to pave the way for a multi-storey 4-Star hotel in partnership with Radisson. Awolowo claimed the new hotel coming up at the airport will be the ultimate location for travellers and those in need of luxury accommodation experience and cannot wait for it to be completed and open for business.

City Socialite, Fred Ajudua, Remains in His Cocoon He used to be one of the biggest spenders in the social circle. In fact, he was a darling of many musicians, especially Fuji and Juju music stars, who constantly sang his praises and were handsomely rewarded in return.

Many artists would gladly choose to perform free of charge, as long as his name was on the guests’ list. Not a few purposely took trips to his Victoria Garden City (VGC) home in Lagos styled after an Arabian palace. Everything about the architectural masterpiece oozed taste and wealth.

Such was the influence and popularity of Fred Ajudua way back in the ‘90s.

He was a happy-go-lucky guy with everything at his beck and call. But today, Ajudua is now treated with disdain by many.

His popularity suffered a serious decline, following his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen of $1.69 million. He is also standing trial for allegedly defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, of $8.4million, while they were both in custody at the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos between November 2004 and June 2005.

Political Jesters Dino Melaye, Fani Kayode, Showcase Clownish Talents Dino Melaye seems to derive pleasure in stoking the embers of controversy at the slightest opportunity. In the past, he had been involved in some ridiculous drama. You would be forgiven if you think the former member of the Red Chamber would have outgrown his kind of childish comedy.

Dino’s theatric reminds one of Femi FaniKayode, a former Minister of Aviation, who has yet to feature either in a stage play or a Nollywood movie but has the potentiality of a comedian. He is never in short supply of comical tendencies.

A few days ago, the smooth-talking Fani-Kayode, fondly known as FFK, for inexplicable reasons, stirred the hornet’s nest when he posted an old picture on Twitter of the Kogi State-born lawmaker, Melaye, “drinking” garri with the caption: “This is Dino Melaye drinking garri when he was still struggling! You can take a man out of the jungle but you can’t take the

jungle out of a man! This clown is a real jungle.”

Melaye, who doesn’t know how to maintain his cool in the face of slight provocation, literally fired back, saying, “FFK, I posted this picture myself in 2010 as a member of the House of Representatives showing how much I like Ijebu garri. I have never hidden the fact that I am from a very poor background.

I am proud of my past, my present and my future. Won three national elections and had a second address.”

Since then, the two political ‘jesters’ have thrown caution to the wind, with a series of skits showcasing their shameful acts which have made them the butt of jokes among the youngsters that had before now looked up to them.

While many expressed their shock over such behaviours, some are simply indifferent, knowing them to be capable of such comical tendencies.

Melaye

Fani-Kayode

Property Merchant Yemi Lawal’s Headache

Lawal

Yemi Lawal is a property merchant of repute.

He has been in the business for many years

and has tried to keep his integrity intact. It is, therefore, no exaggeration when people discuss the growing success of his estate company, which is currently taking the Lagos housing sector by storm.

He had, in the past, smiled to the banks after successfully delivering many architectural masterpieces across Lagos State. This is an attestation to his resilience and uncommon approach to issues that have to do with his kind of business which equally earned him several awards and recognition.

However, the Chairman of Seagle Property is currently experiencing a bad time.

Last week, his eye-popping building, under construction, on Oba Idowu Street in Lekki, Lagos collapsed, a development that hurt the feelings of many in and outside the state.

It was greeted with outrage, causing the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, to

resign his appointment.

To say the ugly situation is giving him a serious headache is an understatement. It is causing him sleepless nights, not because millions of Naira have gone down with the collapsed building but it has affected his integrity with a blot on his hard-earned reputation.

Lawal, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) had over 18 years of commercial banking experience in audit, treasury, branch management, regional management and corporate banking, majoring in Corporate & Project Finance.

Prior to floating Seagle Property Development Company Limited in 2007, he had left the banking industry in 2005 as a Regional Manager to set up Eagleways Investment Group, which is now the umbrella body of all his subsidiary companies.

For Billionaire Businessmen, Okoya, Adedoyin, It’s Friendship Made in Heaven It was Thomas Aquinas, an Italian philosopher and Theologian, who said: “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”

Indeed, one would have thought that the late Catholic priest probably had two Nigerian billionaire businessmen, Prince Samuel Adedoyin and Razak Okoya in mind when he uttered these deathless words, given their longstanding friendship.

The friendship, which has spanned about six decades, started when they were in their 20s and were traders in Lagos. They are two of a kind, and their friendship has reinforced the saying by Nicole Richie that “True friends are like diamonds - bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.”

It was gathered that, though they have had moments of disagreement, they have stayed together largely due to the mutual respect they have for each other. In fact, theirs is the real definition of friends made in Heaven!

Okoya, Chairman, Eleganza Group of Company, is not one of your run-off-the-mill

Adedoyin

businessmen. In many ways, he is head and shoulders above many of his competitors in the industry, owing to his brilliance and uncommon business acumen. To say the Aare of Lagos is one of the greatest industrialists in the history of Nigeria is like stating the obvious. He also typifies a soul who enjoys abundant luck and grace of God, particularly when you consider how he had risen from grass to grace. Though he started his business on a shoestring, he towers above many of his competitors today due to his resilience, determination and I-can-do spirit.

Also, the success story of Prince Adedoyin will continue to inspire many young people.

Today, the Doyin Group has grown to encompass a wide range of investments across different industries like real estate, hospitality, manufacturing, food and beverages, soaps and detergents, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture, among others.

Olori Janet Afolabi’s New Initiative

Olori Afolabi

If you think Olori Janet Afolabi, the Queen of Apomu Kingdom is out of ideas for the development of her people, you will be forgiven. She is not resting on her oars yet.

Weeks back the CNN award-winning journalist officially flagged off “Initiative to Stop Teenage Pregnancy.”

It was gathered that the initiative that is

aimed at curbing the rising rate of teenage pregnancy in the community was launched at the town palace hall. According to the Problem Analysis research carried out by Olori Afolabi, 60 per cent of teenage girls in Apomu are either pregnant or have given birth to one or more children.

The research also shows that factors responsible for teenage pregnancy range from poverty, child marriage, excessive consumption of alcohol, access to online pornographic videos, rape, unemployment, lack of sex education, nonchalant attitude of some parents and decreased supervision of parents on the lifestyles of teenagers.

The rate of teenage pregnancy has now led to economic, social, psychological and medical challenges. There is increased poverty, street children, malnutrition, VVF, out-of-school teenagers and unproductive lifestyles.

Worried by this trend, Olori Afolabi decided to embark on the initiative to reduce

some of the consequences and dangers of teenage pregnancy.

Speaking at the event, Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi the Alapomu of Apomu urged parents and stakeholders to discourage their wards from pre-marital sex, prostitution and an undue craze for money.

In her speech, Olori Afolabi said teenage pregnancy has impacted negatively on the educational development of the community. She said: “This initiative is to sensitise teenagers about the dangers and consequences inherent in early pregnancy and abortions. It is saddening that hundreds of teenage students with great potential have either lost their lives or their vital organs in the process of attempting to terminate unwanted pregnancies.”

Also, Christiana Adelabu, Otun Iyalode of Apomuland, who is the highest female chief, said some parents contribute to the increase in teenage pregnancy by celebrating their teenage girls who give birth to children.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

11. 9.2022

Engaging Emma Prempeh’s Sombre Vignettes of Memories Emma Prempeh, a London-based British artist with Ghanaian and Vincentian heritage, whose work delves into the concept of distant memories, holds her first Lagos solo exhibition at Tiwani Gallery’s Lagos operation base in Victoria Island. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes

A

wistful proclivity for transcendence—which inevitably transmutes into a mindful scouring into the realm of the intangible—wafts through Emma Prempeh’s canvases. And come to think of it, isn’t there something forcefully evocative about the paintings of this 26-year-old British artist of Ghanaian and Vincentian heritage WKDW UHEXͿV VXSHUÀFLDOLW\" ,QGHHG EHIRUH these large-sized paintings—shown in her ongoing debut solo exhibition, which opened on Saturday, September 10 at Tiwani Gallery’s /DJRV RSHUDWLRQ EDVH LQ 9LFWRULD ,VODQG³WKH viewer needs to have his wits about him.

Of course, it also helps that she lets in her Lagos audience beforehand on her creative ZKLPV ZLWK WKH IROORZLQJ ZRUGV ´0\ UHÁHFtions are about how we exist within spaces of (in)tangible realities that are present and simultaneously experienced as metaphysical: spiritual, supernatural, or transcendental.”

As a child, she further disclosed, she was D΁LFWHG ZLWK D IUDJLOH KHDOWK FRQGLWLRQ which in turn led her to look elsewhere, beyond her bodily discomforts, for some VRUW RI PHDQLQJ ´,W EHFDPH PRUH DSSDUHQW ZKHQ , KDG P\ ÀUVW KHDUW VXUJHU\ µ VKH QDUrates. “Whilst dealing with a few hiccups IURP WKH KHDOWKFDUH V\VWHP LQ WKH 8. , KDG delayed knowledge of being under general DQDHVWKHVLD ,W PDGH PH TXHVWLRQ UHDOLW\ 'R we know when we are gone and then what EHFRPHV WKH PHDQLQJ RI OLIH"µ Thus, spirituality came to mean, to her, the VHDUFK IRU DQVZHUV WR WKHVH TXHVWLRQV DQG her curiosity about the human experience.

“Thinking about it in this way does present LW DV P\ FRSLQJ PHFKDQLVP , WU\ WR UHVSHFW DOO WKH ZD\V SHRSOH VHHN DQVZHUV , GRQ·W refuse to pray or bow my head in respect of P\ ORYHG RQH·V UHOLJLRXV SUDFWLFHV , WKLQN spirituality is an important part of our human experience. At this stage of my life, agnosticism dominates my world.” ,Q KHU SDLQWLQJV³IHDWXUHG LQ WKH H[KLbition, titled You Were, You Are, And You Always Will Be, which ends on Saturday, 2FWREHU ³VKH HORTXHQWO\ H[SUHVVHV this inclination to explore the more subtle emanations of the gross-materially visible or tangible experiences. Prempeh, a painter for whom, according to informed sources, the DSSURSULDWLRQ RI FLQHPDWRJUDSKLF WHFKQLTXHV is a stock in trade, once stated her preference for the idea of using paint in ways that extend beyond the canvas. Could that be why she combines iron powder, print, and imitation gold leaf as well as, sometimes, the use of SURMHFWLRQ ZLWK RLO DQG DFU\OLF LQ KHU ZRUNV" By the way, the 2020 Alumno/Space bursary winner and 2019 Goldsmith University graduate arrived in Lagos early in August for a residence programme funded by Tiwani Contemporary's Fellowship Platinum Partner donor package. A statement recently credited to her suggests that she hoped to leverage the

Go Liming, oil, acrylic, iron powder, print, and imitation gold leaf on canvas

A section of the exhibition hall featuring Emma Another view of the exhibition hall Prempeh's works

programme as an opportunity to further deepen her practice while working in an unfamiliar environment.

And since her Lagos experience has so far been "wonderful", elements of this experience inevitably seep into— consciously or sub-consciously—some RI KHU SDLQWLQJV ,QLWLDOO\ HQFRXUDJHG WR visit the city by her close friends with Nigerian roots, she now feels as if she hasn’t been able to see everything. “So, , DP KRSLQJ WR UHWXUQ ZLWK WKHP µ VKH enthuses. “Everyone is so warm, and , IHHO DW KRPH $ PRQWK LV WUXO\ QRW enough to witness the soul of anywhere LQ WKH ZRUOG EXW , KRSH \RX DUH DEOH to witness aspects of my experience in my new body of work.”

Back to her practice, she seems to KDYH GHIWO\ SDWHQWHG D WHFKQLTXH WKDW LV ÀUPO\ URRWHG LQ OD\HULQJ DQG DSSURSULDtion. First, there is her starting point, ZKLFK HPSOR\V WKH WRQDO TXDOLWLHV RI blackness not only as a framework for her paintings but also as a cinematic foundation for conjuring and projecting memories. These resurrected

recollections of people, events, and places from the past serve to highlight awareness of ancestral time and relationships, selfhood, and evolution. Then there is the use of Schlag metal—a brass alloy of copper and zinc that looks like gold leaf—in certain portions of her large-scale works. This, she explains, functions as a depiction of time, allowing her to physically show changes in her methods over a shorter period than the natural deterioration of oil on canvas would.

Hence, her allusion to these materials used in her paintings as “fragile” has to do with their temporal essence, since fragility goes hand in hand with temporality. %XW WKHQ LW LV QRW MXVW DERXW KHU WHFKQLTXH for a lot swirls around the word perception—the artist’s precisely in this case. Take the paintings “And So On” and “Go Liming”, IRU LQVWDQFH 7KH\ DUH VKH FODULÀHV ERWK EDVHG on her perception of family, not necessarily KHU GLUHFW H[SHULHQFH ZLWK WKH ÀJXUHV DQG the objects in the paintings. “They are people DQG WKLQJV , DP IDPLOLDU ZLWK +RZHYHU WKDW gives me a sense of home or comfort within the patterns and decorations.”

As for the carpet installation before the

painting “And So On”, it evokes a feeling she had as an eight-year-old visiting her grandma. ´>, ZDV@ LQ DZH DW DOO WKH ROG IXUQLWXUH DQG KHU SDUWLFXODU WDVWH RQH WKDW ,·YH UHDOLVHG LV very indicative of the style in which many migrants to the UK from Caribbean islands adopted within their interior spaces to bring a sense of home with them. The bottles that my mum still cherishes today, she constantly reminds me that they are crystal glasses and ROGHU WKDQ PH 6R , VKRXOG SURFHHG ZLWK FDXWLRQ ZKHQ KDQGOLQJ WKHP , ZDQWHG WR embody my past, present, and future through my continued exploration of family, and the act of painting these scenes, as well as ÀQDOO\ FUHDWLQJ DQ LQVWDOODWLRQ IRU SHRSOH WR ZLWQHVV DQG SRVVLEO\ ÀQG DVSHFWV WKDW WKH\ might be familiar with.”

Moreover, the immersive capacity of these works serves to draw to the viewer's attenWLRQ D OLWWOH QRWHG RU IUHTXHQWO\ JORVVHG RYHU fact. And that is that he has started to take an active role in the circumstances being portrayed. For instance, he impresses his RZQ SHUVRQDO QRWH LQ WKH ÀJXUDWLYH GHSLFtions in the paintings in accordance with his nature, thus lifting the veil on the potential for multifaceted experiences of particular occurrences. That should explain why the oil, acrylic, iron powder, print, and imitation gold leaf on canvas painting, titled "Go Liming"—which depicts a scene that probably dated back to about half a century ago or VOLJKWO\ OHVV³UHVRQDWHV GLͿHUHQWO\ ZLWK WKH viewer, to whom it reminds so much about Nigeria of the 70s even when the artist is alluding to a period in the 90s.

Talking about “Go Liming,” the title derives from a Caribbean slang term (especially Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Tobagonian) that suggests the sharing of a fun time with friends while sharing food and drinks amid FRQYHUVDWLRQ DQG ODXJKWHU ,Q IDFW WKLV H[tremely dynamic painting of middle-aged revellers somehow infects the viewer with its throbbing joie de vivre despite sporting a SDWLQD RI JUDLQ\ PLVWLQHVV WKDW LV IUHTXHQWO\ associated with old photographs.

Other paintings also possess this contagious TXDOLW\ ZKLFK VXFNV WKH YLHZHU LQWR HYROYLQJ YLJQHWWHV RI PHPRULHV ,PSUHVVLRQV RI these past vignettes—mediated through the sensory organs—take on a life of their own, free of the constraints of their rigid, À[HG IRUPV ,W VRRQ EHFRPHV HYLGHQW WKDW such static representations can never fully capture mobile events.

On the whole, Prempeh’s paintings, despite being rendered mainly in sombre earthy tones, take the viewer through a gamut of poignant emotional states. Static images of spectral forms, some of which verge on the subliminal, seem to project their presHQFH EH\RQG WKH FRQÀQHV RI WKH ODUJH VL]HG canvases.

Meanwhile, the exhibition's very soul reverberates like a theme song in the other works, even when it appears to be sometimes subsumed by lurking meta-narratives.

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

62

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

ARTS & REVIEW\\POTPOURRI

Atiku and the Challenge of National Renewal Modestus Ugochukwu

F

or many patriots, the forthcoming presidential election is like no other in the annals of Nigeria’s political history. This school of thought is informed by the tottering phase of our nationhood when there is so much to think about regarding our collective future because so many things are not looking good as the nation is confounded in a miasma of adversity.

Therefore, genuine patriots are bothered on WKH ZD\ IRUZDUG DQG DV ZRXOG EH UHÁHFWHG in both the electoral process and indeed the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. This is why Nigerians must take the election seriously particularly on the question of leaders it throws up at the end of the day.

Thus, the leadership debate has continued to re-echo as we now have in a new book which centres on a frontline presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the transformative leadership he could bring to the table if elected next president. Titled Atiku Abubakar: Uniting Nigeria for Peace and Prosperity, the book promises to ignite hot debates on the subject and other related issues of development and Nigeria’s quest for renewal.

The author, Tony Olutomiwa, a media execuWLYH ZULWHV VR HͿXVLYHO\ RQ WKH H[FHSWLRQDO TXDOLWLHV RI $WLNX DV H[HPSODU DQG XQLÀHU PRVW suitable to take over the reins of power at this moment in our national history because of his demonstrated leadership, vision and experiHQFH QRWLQJ WKDW ´WKH HVVHQWLDO $WLNX LV D ÀWWLQJ answer to a national crave for a new leadership that is truly compassionate, transformative and HͿHFWLYH µ The book which has 12 chapters, however, did not treat the leadership question in isolation DV LW RͿHUV LQVLJKWV LQWR YDULHG WRSLFDO LVVXHV which the Atiku Abubakar presidency would tackle headlong if elected as Buhari’s successor.

Thus, aside the introduction which explains the essence of the book and followed by what the author considers as the issues in the historic election (situated basically as that of the economy, security, restructuring and nation building, patriotism and good governance) “to

BOOK REVIEW UHÁHFW RXU FRPPRQ JRDOV DQG DVSLUDWLRQV µ WKH book focuses explicitly on the man Atiku and his mission in politics.

Other serious topics include Reinventing Leadership and Service, Reviving and Entrenching ,QVWLWXWLRQV 6HULRXV (QJDJHPHQW ZLWK WKH youths, Restructuring as Elixir and Clarion FDOO WR 3DWULRWV <HW WKHUH DUH FKDSWHUV RQ -RE Creation, Change the Change, A Chance for *RRG *RYHUQDQFH DQG 5HEXLOGLQJ 1LJHULD·V Leadership, and Restoring our place in the :RUOGµ Both leadership reinvention and institutions are deemed major areas requiring attention by the next president because they are important for national renewal having been so derelict till date and consequential to the poor state RI DͿDLUV :KLOH LQHͿHFWLYH OHDGHUVKLS KDV continued to be a drawback, our institutions

are so weak, non-functional and moribund, the author posited, thus leading to poor service delivery across board. Therefore, the author VXJJHVWV D WXUQDURXQG ZKLFK KH D΀UPV ZRXOG be better actualised by the Atiku presidency, stating that “the twin elements of leadership and service have to be reviewed and taken seriRXVO\ DV PXWXDOO\ LQFOXVLYH YDULDEOHVµ DGGLQJ WKDW ´UHFHQW HͿRUWV DW PDNLQJ DGMXVWPHQW LQ D series of struggles and policy somersaults by the Buhari administration hardly measures to WKH KLJK H[SHFWDWLRQV RI WKH 1LJHULDQ SHRSOHµ 8QGHU ´6HULRXV (QJDJHPHQW ZLWK WKH <RXWKVµ the author articulates the importance which Atiku attaches to the concerns of the youth population in the country, indicating that such propensity would be given greater verve if the former vice president eventually gets the number RQH MRE DQG DW WKH GULYHU·V VHDW +HUH DWWHQWLRQ is drawn to the less than desirable priority given to youth development by the APC-led federal government close to eight years in the saddle.

The author cites yearly decrease in budgetary allocations to both education and health as “too FULWLFDO EXW QHJOHFWHG DUHDV µ WKXV LPSRYHULVKLQJ the youths.

Nonetheless, the author showers praises on the Nigerian youths as being exemplary as can be seen in their enterprise, talent and adventurous struggles to make great impact.

The inherent challenge, the author posited, is already being addressed by Atiku who will “deliberately and innovatively invest in the youths of this country because he’s familiar with their issues to freely express themselves LQ OHDGHUVKLS DQG HQWHUSULVH µ Restructuring comes under sharp focus in chapter seven, recognized as a well-thought-out idea in remaking the country towards peaceful co-existence out of the present situation that is considered not working. Although this subject KDV EHHQ JLYHQ GLͿHUHQW LQWHUSUHWDWLRQV WKH book however sees it as a major campaign issue for any serious candidate in the 2023 election, underscoring the concern that “having existed for the last 61 years as a nation and having H[SHULHQFHG GLͿHUHQW JRYHUQLQJ PRGHOV DQG threats to nationhood, it is a fact of our realities today that this current federal system is not ZRUNLQJ µ 7KH DXWKRU H[SODLQV WKDW UHVWUXFWXU-

ing is not a poison but a realistic era Atiku Abubakar is proposing for the best interest of the people.

Other issues treated in the campaign book include the call to patriotism, to let Nigerians see the 2023 election as a call to duty by voting responsibly to elect a worthy leader in the mold of Atiku Abubakar that can usher in the long-awaited promised land. As the author argued, “the distinctive leadership value of Atiku Abubakar should be our concern in WKLV DOO LPSRUWDQW SUHVLGHQWLDO HOHFWLRQ ,W LV a citizens’ election which should truly engender RXU XQLW\ LQ GLYHUVLW\ µ Chapter nine is devoted to the challenge of job-creation as a cardinal issue to Atiku, who, it is stated, will pursue the lofty goal of creating many good and high paying jobs to address the acute unemployment situation in the country.

Quoting various economic indices mostly from WKH 1%6 DQG 'HEW 0DQDJHPHQW 2΀FH WKH campaign book tender serious queries on the performance indicators of the APC government which it claimed failed to deliver on its electoral promises.

Anew government onAtiku’s watch, the author further writes in chapter 12, would engender opportunity for rebuilding Nigeria’s leadership and thus restoring its place in the world.

According to the author, “Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Buhari has been anything but suspect, largely bogged down by inertia and poor vision. Atiku Abubakar believes we now need a clearer opinion and strategy as Nigeria reforms towards a new regime of vibrant diplomacy. This can’t be achieved with the current laidback, weak and uninspiring foreign policy under the APC DGPLQLVWUDWLRQµ The issues raised in the campaign book also found validation in the penetrating foreword by the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who also stressed the relevance ofAtiku’s leadership towards national renewal, adding that “after such turbulent eight years of the ruling APC, Atiku is committed to uniting WKH QDWLRQ IRU SHDFH DQG SURVSHULW\ µ

8JRFKXNZX ZULWHV IURP 0L[RW 0HGLD /WG Abuja.

$W $ͿQLW\ *DOOHU\ )RXU $UWLVWV 6WLU &RQYHUVDWLRQV DURXQG 3DWKV RI 'HVLUH Yinka Olatunbosun

E

mmanual Adeyemi, Lawrence Meju, Roseleen Labazacchy, and 7KXWKXNDQL 0\H]D PD\ KDYH GLͿHUent backgrounds and interests, but at this latest group show at the AfÀQLW\ $UW *DOOHU\ LQ 9LFWRULD ,VODQG Lagos, their works collectively echo the same message. Centred on the theme Desire Lines, the show illuminates the concept of a desire path – one that is formed when people choose not to use the path that you have paved for them.

According to the curator, Moni Aisida, the works in this exhibition explore the concept of what it means to take that road and the myriad outcomes that could be wait on the other side.

Lawrence Meju’s works implore us to “explore our mindscape, face all our emotions and who we are KHDG RQ µ +LV SDLQVWDNLQJ PHWKRG RI GRFXPHQWLQJ sketching, cutting, measuring and pasting the paper in his works pays homage to his background in architecture.

Working with textured paper, upcycled paper and SDLQWV DUW LV D FKDQQHO IRU KLV LQWURVSHFWLRQ +LV FROOHFWLRQ WLWOHG ´([WUDQRUPDO 3RUWUDLWVµ LV H[HFXWHG with a playful approach, which culminates into a series to inspire authenticity.

An undergraduate student of architecture at the University of Lagos, he revealed that paper was the only medium available to him at the time of conception and creation of the works which grew ODUJHO\ RXW RI MRXUQDOLQJ ´:KHQ /LIH *LYHV <RX Kotton Kandies is just another way of saying when life gives you lemons,’’ he explained at the exhibition opening. Alluding to the ocean in this piece, Meju’s

Centre of All by Roseleen Labazacchy, mixed media painting,

EXHIBITION works speak volumes about his optimism and calm DSSURDFK WR OLIH ´9LYLG 'UHDPV LV D PDQLIHVWDWLRQ RI *RG EOHVVLQJ WKH ZRUN RI P\ KDQGV µ KH DGGHG Life may not have been all rosy for the young artist EXW KH GRHVQ·W GHVSDLU +LV PRWKHU ORVW WZR VKRSV in FESTAC to a government demolition exercise and she is yet to get compensation from that. “But WKHQ WKHUH DUH JRRG WKLQJV WRR , ZRQ D VSHOOLQJ EHH FRPSHWLWLRQ 6R IRU PH ,·G UDWKHU IRFXV RQ the good things that had happened to me than ZDOORZ LQ VHOI SLW\ µ One of those good things that happened to Meju is the Adidas Flagship London with Creative Debuts ZKHUH KLV ZRUNV ZHUH ÀUVW H[KLELWHG RXWVLGH Nigeria.

Emmanuel Adeyemi’s works are about tapping into our subconscious by connecting with nature DQG WKH XQLYHUVH DURXQG XV +H XUJHV WKH YLHZHU WR ORRN EH\RQG WKH VXUIDFH +H EHOLHYHV WKDW WKH disharmony in this world is caused by our ignorance to the fact that we are layered human beings.

“Once we are able to unite within ourselves, that XQLW\ ZLOO EH UHÁHFWHG LQ WKH ZRUOG µ KH VDLG +LV interest lies in human relationships, transforming the earth and challenging perspectives as well as perceptions. Using foam, damask and acrylic on canvas, Adeyemi often enjoys working outdoors.

6RPH RI KLV ZRUNV DW WKH VKRZ LQFOXGH 7KH +RPH *\P &RQVFLRXV )DQWDV\ DQG $ 7LPH 7UDYHO RFFXUUHG :KLOH *RLQJ 'RZQ 0HPRULHV ·· $ GLJLWDO FROODJH DUWLVW IURP -RKDQQHVEXUJ 6RXWK Africa, Thuthukani Myeza began his digital collages IURP WKH ÀUVW SKDVH RI WKH SDQGHPLF LQ WR VHHN VRODFH DQG UHIXJH +LV ZRUN H[SORUHV WKH EHDXW\ DQG GUHDG RI EHLQJ EODFN LQÁXHQFHG E\ DSDUWKHLG segregation, pre-colonial and colonial Africa.

Myeza’s works are about the power of narrative. +H UHOLVKHV WKH SRZHU WR WHOO WKH VWRULHV RI KLV SHRSOH ,Q WKH ERG\ RI ZRUNV KH UHWROG VWRULHV +LV ZRUNV UHGUDZ WKH OLQHV DQG ERXQGDULHV RI ZKDW we have accepted as fact and truth with the works he juxtaposes in his images prompting the viewer to ask questions about their history and reality. ´, GLVFRYHUHG WKDW SDUWV RI RXU KLVWRU\ ZHUH QRW taught in schools. The beauty of a continent is still held hostage in the museums and the galleries of the oppressors’ descendants. My work is a reshaping of narratives hidden behind payrolls DQG SULYLOHJH µ +LV SURWHVW DUW FROOHFWLRQ ZKLFK LQFOXGH )UHHGRP ´$V $ 6WUXJJOH *HW 5HDG\ 0DPD DQG )UHHGRP

'HEWµ LV WLPHO\ DV LW UHÁHFWV WKH MRXUQH\ RI XQLYHUVDO VXͿUDJH LQ 6RXWK $IULFD DV ZHOO DV RWKHU fundamental rights of citizens often threatened by forms of tyranny.

Roseleen Labazacchy, who hails from Oyo is preoccupied with celebrating the African women using mixed media and a seamless amalgam of post-impressionism and neo-impressionism. ´0\ ZRUN IRFXVHV RQ $IULFDQ ZRPDQ·V GLJQLW\ µ she explained. “Women are seen as not as powerful as the men. Women are not treated with as much respect as the men. They blame the women for IDLOXUH RI WKH KRPHV , EHOLHYH LQ QDWXUDOQHVV , believe that the beauty of the African woman in ZLWKLQ DQG QRW WKH PDNHXS , JUHZ XS LQ 2\R WRZQ DQG , KDG VHHQ GLͿHUHQW IDPLOLHV DQG , ZDQWHG WR FKDQJH SHRSOH·V PHQWDOLW\ DERXW ZRPHQ , EHOLHYH WKDW ZRPHQ VKRXOG QRW EH ÀQDQFLDO EXUGHQ RQ their husbands. Women should love themselves IRU WKHP WR EH DEOH WR ORYH WKH RWKHU ZRPHQ <RX don’t need to be maltreated to prove their love.

Women should have the freedom to choose the PHQ WKH\ ZRXOG ZDQW WR PDUU\ µ :LWK WLWOHV VXFK DV ´7RXFK 1RWµ ´'R]LQJ %HDXW\µ ´(FKR :LWKLQµ DQG ´&HQWUH RI $OOµ KHU ZRUNV GHSLFW African women in bold colours, sometimes militant, VRPHWLPH GHÀDQW VRPHWLPHV SHDFHIXO EXW DW DOO WLPH self-assured. She appropriates the African tie-dye textile materials adire, some of which she dyes KHUVHOI WR VLJQLI\ WKH XQLTXHQHVV RI HYHU\ VXEMHFW +HU collection is a repository of stories of African women in history, the warriors, the matriarchs, the deities and the queens and kingmakers from whom they originate. Through her works, she inspires women to defy societal odds and become the best versions of themselves. The show runs till September 30.

63

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

As Political Parties Gear up for Campaigns Ahead of the September 28, 2022 kick-off date for the 2023 presidential election campaign, incendiary cross-fire among the supporters of the leading political parties and other worrisome trends need to be checked, writes Louis Achi

D

espite the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve the standards of elections in the country, politicians and their supporters have continued to deliberately frustrate these efforts.

Speaking during one of his serial stakeholders’ engagements ahead of the 2023 general election, Chairman of the INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had restated the commission’s commitment to raising the bar of the standard set in previous elections.

But if the INEC boss was worried by the increasing mischievous disinformation being freely exchanged by the supporters of the major political parties before the campaign flag-off, he did not show it.

Beyond INEC’s statutory regulations that guide elections and the conduct of political parties, mischievous and inflammable rhetoric by the supporters of these parties even before formal campaign kick-off sends worrying signals.

Specifically, INEC has fixed Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 25, 2023, while Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on March 11, 2023. The electoral umpire’s schedules also indicate that by September 20, it will publish the final list of candidates for Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives seats ahead of the polls.

These outlines align with Section 32, 1, of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the commission and are largely seen as within the domain of the legal provisions.

More, INEC has also scheduled publication of the final list of candidates for state elections, Governorship and State Houses of Assembly on October 12.

The embargo on campaigns which is being observed in breach will then be lifted for candidates for various elections to unveil their agenda. Then political parties’ campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 while campaigns for Governorship and State Assembly elections will commence Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

Parties are expected to halt campaigns for Presidential and National Assembly elections at midnight on Thursday, February 23, 2023

while campaign for Governorship and State Assembly elections will end at midnight on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

But despite these unambiguous guidelines, the unfolding confrontational scenario squarely puts voters on the spot to seek more clarity and carefully sift the facts and fictions concerning the positions of leading candidates on the issues that genuinely matter.

This necessary footing will better position voters to identify the key issues on which every serious candidate must show that they have done some profound leadership meditation.

But unfortunately, politicians are already engaging in needless mud-slinging and provocative rhetoric that are merely diversionary.

It is worth clarifying that political campaign fundamentally is an avenue to unveil and market agendas and externalise manifestos for the offices sought. They afford opportunity and time for debates among competing candidates of various parties for contested offices.

An example from the disconcerting quasi-interventions from diverse stakeholders ahead of the September 28 campaign kick-off date was last week’s allegation credited to a prominent personality from the South-West that a plot is afoot to get rid of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, if he wins the 2023 election and install his running mate, former Governor Kashim Shettima as president.

The prominent personality was ‘quoted’ to have also alleged that those behind the plot would take advantage of Tinubu’s medical condition and appealed to Yorubas to stop being sentimental and tribalistic about the three major candidates contesting for the office of the presidency.

But good a thing the allegation which raised hackles and provoked some anger and alarm was rebutted and properly disowned by the alleged source. Even if the messenger in this case is separated from the message, considerable and needless suspicion has been created within the ranks of the electorate, which could sway voter behaviour. And this maybe the actual intent of the incendiary, groundless misinformation.

Even before the foregoing strange theory, key spokesmen from the major parties - APC, PDP, LP and NNPP have all indulged in various disinformation stunts presumably to damage their perceived and real opponents and enhance their principals.

Perhaps, even more damaging is the fact that pre-campaign bluster and disinformation flowing into the campaign proper will or is already spooking foreign investors. Analysts at CardinalStone Partners Limited have stated that the build-up to the 2023 election will keep foreign investors at bay and throw up more financial account-related concerns.

The analysts, while commenting on the state of the nation in their 2022 Mid-Year Outlook themed: ‘Same Challenges, New Shocks’

argued that pre-election year concerns and fears of negative pass-through to inflation will likely limit the magnitude of currency adjustment made at the official market in the current year.

According to them, akin to the trend witnessed in emerging and frontier markets, Nigeria was also mostly unappealing to foreign capital providers in H1’22 - attributing these sentiment to geopolitical uncertainties and hawkish rendition from global central banks.

“In our view, the intensification of pre-election activities will likely keep foreign investors at bay and throw up more financial accountrelated concerns,” CardinalStone Partners Limited surmised.

According to Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, human rights activist, lawyer, professor and writer, “There will be two major candidates from the south, one from the north, and an unending supply of dog whistles. It will be a brave candidate who campaigns boldly on a message of coexistence. But maybe such is the kind of candidate that the country needs at this time. Every serious candidate needs to be pressed on this point.”

Against the backdrop of these provocative breaches of the rule of the game and without consequential pushback by INEC, many Nigerians who are being buffeted by myriad existential challenges are keeping their fingers crossed.

As the two days fixed for the commencement of political campaigns are fast approaching, Nigerians are looking forward to seeing issue-based campaigns. By issuebased, they mean they would rather have the spotlight redirected from the usual distractions and beamed on supposedly more serious issues of the economy, political reforms, education, healthcare, power generation, security and even anti-corruption matters.

So those potential leaders who will approach the electorate in the coming weeks, they are advised to demonstrate the value they attach to Nigerian lives and their commitment to improving it. The ultimate test for each candidate vying for power should be about how their policies have impacted lives and the demonstrated potential of every candidate to do even more. Without a comprehensive plan to improve the quality of life, they would only have confronted the symptoms of a complex problem.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

When Will Adamu Sanction Tinubu?

Wike Tinubu

Three months have passed since the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), C Senator Abdullahi Adamu, promised that the S presidential candidate of the party, Senator Bola p Tinubu would be sanctioned over the jabs he threw T at a President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu as the leading aspirants in the party, had in i an outburst at a meeting with APC delegates in Abeokuta last June, said it was his turn to fly the A party’s ticket, having facilitated the emergence of p BuhariandVicePresidentYemiOsinbajoaspresident and a vice president in the 2015 general election.

“If not for me that stood behind Buhari he wouldn’t have h become the president. He tried the first time, he h failed, the second time, he failed, the third, he

failed; he even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again; I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed,” said the former governor of Lagos State Tinubu later issued a statement to apologise to the presidentbutAdamusaidhisapologywasnotenough as it had not erased the impression created in the minds of many Nigerians. He expressed willingness to punish him over utterances.

“His utterances are very very insulting. It’s very very unbecoming for a person of that standing to do what he did to the sitting president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President produced by the

votes of the APC. Yesterday we saw some part of a retraction but that effort is not adequate. It is not sincere. It doesn’t wipe out the impression that that event has left in our minds,” he added.

One of the ways Adamu wanted to punishTinubu was to impose the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan on the party. But the plot failed woefully as the former Lagos governor emerged the presidential candidate of the party to the consternation of Adamu.

Since then, having seen that he had no choice, the APC chairman has been following Tinubu everywhere like a child, and vigorously campaigning as the flagbearer of the party. Where then is the sanctions he publicly declared to impose onTinubu?

64

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

BRIEFINGNOTES Melaye vs. Fani-Kayode: A Season of Clowns and Jesters While most Nigerians are currently worried over how to make the right choices in the 2023 general election to rescue the country from her enormous challenges, a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi FaniKayode, and an ex-member of the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, in what many have described as their bloated egos, have been uttering inanities, and calling each other clowns and political scavengers in stage-managed videos of their absurdities in their bids to promote the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, respectively, Ejiofor Alike reports

M

any social media commentators were outraged last week by what many described as a show of shame by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and an exmember of the National Assembly, Dino Melaye.

While many Nigerians are seriously disturbed by the plethora of security and economic challenges are that currently plaguing the country, the two politicians-turned-comedians have been busy recently showing off their living rooms in what should best be described as children’s pranks, which were unbecoming of serious-minded politicians who once held important leadership positions. These two politicians shamefully turned to skit makers in their attempts to ride roughshod over each other and demonstrate superiority or supremacy.

The former aviation minister stirred up a hornet’s nest last Sunday via his verified Facebook page where he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. Fani-Kayode, who is of the APC, claimed that Melaye had revealed that all the PDP governors spent money to get Ayu elected as National Chairman.

“This is a grave and serious matter. It is a public confession of a criminal offence made by a senior figure within the PDP cabal that committed the said offence,” he reportedly said.

While calling on INEC to nullify Ayu’s election, he further called on security operatives to arrest Melaye in order to probe his revelation.

In his response, which was laced with insults and diatribes, Melaye, on the same Sunday and on his verified Facebook page, called him a “political scavenger,” and told him that the PDP has no position to offer him.

Melaye queried Fani-Kayode’s statement as “an incoherent gibberish produced from his temporary relief from insanity. How can one explain his momentary consciousness to react to an interview long granted, if not that his world of reality is not in sync with the world of sound minds?”

He alleged that Fani-Kayode had contacted a former Deputy Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Timi Frank, in a bid to lobby for a position in the Atiku-Okowa campaign team.

The former senator recalled how FaniKayode worked for the failed presidential bids of Governor Yahaya Bello and Senator

Melaye

Fani-Kayode

Ahmad Lawan.

“Now that campaign structures have been formed by parties and he’s sidelined, having lost face everywhere, he has found the PDP as the access card to his next meal,” he said.

Melaye’s allegation was not strange considering Fani-Kayode’s history of switching his membership of political parties.

Both Fani-Kayode and Melaye have a controversial history of switching membership of the two main parties in their political careers but the former aviation minister’s record is legendary.

By leaving the PDP where he cut his teeth in politics, for the APC, rejoining the PDP and later defecting to the APC, the former minister is believed to be incapable of sustaining relationships in his political career.

Responding to Melaye’s tirades, FaniKayode mocked the former senator for his humble background.

In his Facebook page last Thursday, the former minister posted an old picture of Melaye where he was said to be drinking what looked like soaked

garri (product of cassava).

“You can take a man out of the jungle but you can’t take the jungle out of a man! This clown is a real jungle,” the former minister wrote, mockingly.

The ex-minister also posted a video of Melaye when he was arrested by the police in 2019 for illegal possession of arms, and alleged sponsoring of hoodlums in Kogi State.

“I have never seen such weakness and cowardice. Is this the man that wants to lead the charge for a serious presidential contender? We will eat them for breakfast!

No wonder he got upset when I called for his arrest and that of their party chairman. The idea of the police bundling him again drove him insane and he started to insult his elders, betters and those of us that fed him in the past,” Fani-Kayode wrote.

Before posting the video, the former minister had earlier issued a statement, titled: “Dino Melaye: No More Arses For You to Lick Here,” where he claimed that “Melaye has been crying and wetting his pants ever since” he made the call for his arrest.

He said Melaye’s response was laced with only with insults and a long diatribe of wild

allegations and subjective invectives.

“Is that what you call a spokesman for a presidential campaign?” he asked adding, “I don’t have time for clowns, filthy peasants and desperate cowards but I couldn’t help but notice the anger in his response. He was crying like a baby. And it gave me pleasure.”

He also recalled that Melaye had worked for Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Nyesom Wike, before he finally moved to Atiku.

According to him, these politicians dumped Melaye when they found out that he is “illbred ignoramus, shameless hustler, infantile prankster, jobless bully and desperate court jester.”

In his attempt to demonstrate that he fed Melaye as he claimed, the former aviation minister turned to a professional skit maker, and posted a video of where two young men whom he referred to as his security detail entered his sitting room to inform him that Melaye was waiting at his gate and wanted to see him. In the script, which was very professional, the former minister quickly reminded the two men that the notice on his gate clearly stated that no stray dog would be allowed into his premises. He asked them to “find something” for Melaye and dismiss him.

In his swift response, Melaye posted an amateurish video where three young men came inside his living room to beg him to invite Fani-Kayode for a dinner but the former Senator quickly rejected their request and walked out on them. While some social media commentators described the two politicians as clowns, others said their behaviour was childish.

The inanities uttered by the two former leaders and the stage-managed videos of their absurdities where they made jesters of themselves were evidence of how Nigerian politicians have sunk so low to remain relevant in their political careers. Most of these political leaders are not concerned about the plights of the masses or how to tackle the serious challenges that are afflicting the country.

Many believe that the shameful conduct of these two politicians portrays their political parties as unserious and unprepared to tackle the serious problems overwhelming the country.

It is high time their principals called them to order before they before they make mockery of their campaigns. All Nigerians want to see at this juncture, is not entertainment, but issue-based campaigns and how the challenges confronting the country would be tackled.

NOTES FOR FILE

Ali Ndume’s Lone Voice in the Wilderness

Ndume

One politician, especially from the North, who does not prevaricate or equivocate to be politically correct is the senator representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume. In a country where playing to the gallery has become the norm, Ndume is a lone voice in the wilderness. He is always blunt when he discusses the security situation of the country.

Despite the constant misinformation by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed and other government officials that the insecurity challenges facing the country is abating, Ndume has continued to say it as it is.

Last week, he said the major challenge ahead

of the 2023 elections remained insecurity.

He added that things would be better once the country is able to overcome the security challenges of insurgency, terrorism, separatist and other forms of criminality.

The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Army, said that equipment and the platforms are being acquired, adding however, that they are not enough.

After the attack on the Kuje correctional facility rcently, Ndume said he was disappointed with the response of leaders on the attack, adding that it was the responsibility of those in power to secure and protect the lives of the citizens. He even wondered why heads did

not roll after the attack which embarrassed the country.

Even as a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ndume does not always fail to take on President Muhammadu Buhari when the need arises. Recently, he wondered why the president does not always directly address the nation on security matters as it is done in advanced democracies, rather than issuing statements through his media advisers.

“By the time you ask people to elect you as President, anything that happens to any Nigerian, God will hold you accountable you for it,” he reportedly lamented.

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Delta PDP in Limbo as Edevbie Files Appeal With the decision of David Edevbie to proceed to the Supreme Court with an appeal to challenge the Court of Appeal decision setting aside his victory at the High Court, the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State has to wait for a final decision on who its authentic governorship candidate is, Alex Enumah examines the grounds of appeal

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wo weeks after the Court of Appeal set aside his victory at the Federal High Court in respect of his quest to seek the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Mr. David Edevbie, has asked the Supreme Court to re-affirm his candidacy in the 2023 election.

Edevbie in a 23-ground of appeal faulted the unanimous decisions of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Peter Ige. He, consequently, asked the apex court to hold that he is the rightful candidate of the PDP in the governorship election slated for February next year.

Recall that after the victory of the Sheriff Oborevwori in the governorship primary election held in the state on May 25, 2022, Edevbie, a former Commissioner for Finance, who felt aggrieved, had gone to the Federal High Court in Abuja to contest the credentials Oborevwori submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In suit FHC/ ABJ/795/2022, he alleged that they dicuments were forged.

In his judgment, Justice Taiwo Taiwo on July 7, 2022, disqualified Oborevwori who is also the Speaker of the state House of Assembly. The court ordered INEC and the PDP to recognise Edevbie as the candidate of the party in the election.

The trial judge agreed with Edevbie that Oborevwori ought not to be on the ballot for the PDP primary election on account of supplying false and forged documents to INEC to aid his qualification for the governorship election.

But not satisfied with the judgment, Oborevwori and the PDP headed to the Court of Appeal to seek redress. In an 18-ground of appeal, they urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment.

They stated that Justice Taiwo misdirected himself in law when he assumed jurisdiction to entertain the claim of the plaintiff, predicated on section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022, before the submission of his name (the appellant’s) to INEC. Oborevwori specifically faulted Justice Taiwo for allegedly ignoring the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Modibbo Vs Usman (2020) 3 NWLR (PT. 1712) 470, in which he claimed that the apex court held that Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which was the same with Section 31(5) of the Electoral Act, 2010, had settled the law that cause of action only arose when the name of a candidate was submitted and published.

He said: “The trial judge side-tracked the decision of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal contrary to the established doctrine of stare decisis and by his decision overruling the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

“The first respondent (Edevbie) on oath admitted that the name of the appellant was yet to be submitted and the trial court held that the first respondent by law, need not wait for the publication of the name of the appellant by INEC.” Oborevwori argued that it was in the law that information about a candidate’s qualification could only be challenged after the political party sponsoring the candidate submitted the name and INEC published the name and the accompanying affidavit.

He further contended that the trial judge misdirected himself in law when he agreed

Oborevwori with Edevbie that he (appellant) failed to meet the constitutional requirement of Sections 177 (a) and 182(1)(J) of the 1999 Constitution and that his certificates were forged.

At the hearing of the appeal, Edevbie’s lawyer, Ejembi Eko (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit and affirm the decision of the lower court which disqualified the appellant.

On his part, Oborevwori’s counsel, Damian Dodo (SAN), adopted his brief of argument, and urged the court to accept the appeal and grant all the reliefs sought, including setting aside the July 7 judgment.

In its verdict, the Court of Appeal reversed the judgment of the lower court. The three-member panel of appellate court, led by Justice Peter Ige, held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to have entertained the suit filed by Edevbie on the grounds that the cause of action had not crystallised when the suit was filed.

While holding that the suit was premature, the appellate court added that the plaintiff ought to have waited for the PDP to forward the name of Oborevwori to INEC as its candidate in the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.

Justice Ige noted that while Justice Taiwo acknowledged that the name of Oborevwori has not been forwarded to INEC as PDP’s candidate he erroneously held that the plaintiff need not wait for crystalisation of the process before going to court.

On the alleged discrepancies in the names on the certificates presented

by Oborevwori, Justice Ige held that Edevbie did not only fail to prove that the names were not those of Oborevwori but also failed to show who owns those names.

He held that it was not enough to prove that the certificates and other documents were forged, but the plaintiff must prove that it was

Edevbie the defendant himself who forged the said certificates and other documents.

He observed that even the lower court observed that neither Oborevwori nor the PDP breached the party’s guidelines as well as the Electoral Act as regards the selection and nomination of its candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.

He further upheld the appellant’s contention that the suit filed by Edevbie was wrongly initiated, because allegations of criminal offences must be proven beyond affidavit evidences. He noted that Edevbie ought to have called the institutions he claimed their certificates were forged to prove his allegations, adding that the forged certificates and other documents must be presented before the court to substantiate the allegations.

The appellate court reasoned that the 1st respondent filed the suit at a time the name of the appellant had not been forwarded by PDP and announced by INEC as candidate of the party for Delta State governorship election in 2023.

“An aspirant can only challenge a candidate in court when INEC releases names of candidates for a particular election. The name of the candidate had not been forwarded to INEC by the PDP”, Justice Ige noted, adding that “Section 29(5) of Electoral Act was misconstrued by the trial court”.

“Having resolved issues 1, 2, 4 and 5 in favour of the appellant, the appeal has merit and is bound to succeed. The judgment of the lower court, delivered by Justice Taiwo, is hereby set aside,” Justice Ige said.

The appellant court also allowed a similar appeal filed by the PDP on the same issue.

The judgement of the Appeal Court had come under fire with many lawyers feeling that the panel did not do enough justice to the case. They faulted Justice Ige for holding that it was not enough for Edevbie to say that Oborevwori’s certificates and other documents were forged, but he must prove beyond reasonable that it was the defendant himself who forged

the said certificates and other documents.

They argued that the case is not a criminal matter but a civil and electoral matter which should have been treated as such.

They further faulted Justice Ige for holding that Oborevwori’s name had not yet been forwarded to INEC as PDP’s candidate and that Edevbie ought to have waited for crystalisation of the process before going to court.

For these reasons, they urged Edevbie to proceed to the Supreme Court in order to enrich the country’s jurisprudence.

This, perhaps prompted him to file a 23-ground of appeal before the Supreme Court, faulting the decisions of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal.

In ground 3 of the appeal, he claimed that the appellate court erred in law when it held that his suit “at the trial court was not cognisable as an originating summons action”.

According to his lawyer, Mr Ejembi Eko (SAN), Order 3, Rules 6 of the Federal High Court Rules 2019, mandated that suit seeking the interpretation of any statute/ instrument and the determination of any question based on same should be via originating summons.

Appellant further submitted that the pre-election practice direction of the Federal High Court 2022 mandated that “all pre-election matters such as the instant suit as presented before the lower trial court should be by originating summons.

Also, the former Commissioner for Fanance submitted that contrary to the claim of the appellate court that the case of PDP and others versus Degi-Eremenyo and others of 2020 had been “superceded” by the Supreme Court and that same did not apply to the narrow facts of the instant case, the case is still extant and has not been overruled by the apex court.

The appellant also disagreed with the ruling of the lower court that his case “had not crystalised and was premature” when it was filed. He argued that as an aspirant, the law stipulated that any complaint he had relating and arising from participating in a party’s primary must be ventilated within 14 days, adding that the cause of action of his case accrued within the 14 days allowed by Section 285 (14) of the Constitution .

He further faulted the decision of the appellate court which held that there was no cause of action under Section 84 of the Electoral Act, claiming that the cause of action was that the 1st respondent did not possess the minimum requirements to participate in the election as stated by Section 177 of the Constitution.

On proving the allegations “beyond reasonable doubt”, Edevbie argued that”there is no principle of law that proof beyond reasonable doubt cannot be achieved by documentary evidence alone”, adding that the standard proof of presentation of false/fake or forged documents in an election matter is distinct from the standard proof in a strict civil or criminal action.

He further claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when they concluded that failure to call evidence from the institutions that issued certificates and other impugned documents was fatal to the case because the 1st respondent never denied ownership of the documents and affidavits pleaded against him.

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Political Campaigns and INEC’s Riot Act Beyond the usual rhetoric of warning political parties and their candidates against the use of public facilities and religious centres for campaigns, the Independent National Electoral Commission should apply sanctions to serve as deterrent, Chuks Okocha writes

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has frowned at campaigns in public offices and religious centres, saying they violate the Electoral

Act. While warning political parties and candidates against such violations, INEC asked them to align strictly with the provisions of the Electoral Act to avoid sanctions as stipulated by the Act. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Committee on Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, explained that the law expected political campaigns to be civil and devoid of abuse as provided in Section 92 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The electoral body fixed September 28 for the take- off of presidential and National Assembly campaigns, while the elections are slated for February 25, 2023. The timetable released by the commission also indicated that governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections would be held on March 11, 2023.

In the past, most political parties and their candidates engaged in subtle campaigns in public offices and worship centres, especially churches and mosques, to woo civil servants and worshippers.

In the build-up to the current political dispensation, candidates of political parties have been making it their pastime to be visiting churches and other worship centres as part of their major steps to mobilise the electorate and build support base. While some of them are invited, others are not invited.

A particular presidential candidate of one of the leading three political parties has so far visited or has been invited to about six churches or crusades since he became the flagbearer of his party where he received a tumultuous welcome from the congregations and won many supporters.

Many are wondering if these political parties or their candidates have not read the Electoral Act to know that they flagrantly contravene the law by their actions.

Relying on Section 92 of the Electoral Act, 2022, Okoye explained that the law expected political campaigns to be civil and devoid of abuse. He asked political parties to align strictly with the provisions of the Electoral Act to avoid sanctions as stipulated by the Act. He said: “Section 92 of the Electoral Act makes it mandatory that a political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.

“Therefore, abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns. Also, at a political rally held in Katsina

Yakubu

State last week where 19,500 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were captured on camera burning brooms, the symbol of the APC. This could be regarded as incendiary.

“Subsection 3 states that places designated for religious worship, police stations and public offices shall not be used for political campaigns, rallies and processions; or to promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their

programmes or ideologies.

“Masquerades shall not be employed or used by any political party, aspirant or candidate during political campaigns or for any other political purpose.”

The INEC official stated that reference to subsection (5) of Section 92 warned parties and candidates against training or enlisting the help or services of individuals or groups for the purpose of displaying physical force or coercion in a manner that could arouse reasonable apprehension during the campaigns.

Okoye added: “A political party,

aspirant or candidate shall not keep or use armed private security organisation, vanguard or any other group or individual by whatever name called for the purpose of providing security, assisting or aiding the political party or candidate in whatever manner during campaigns, rallies, processions or elections.

Speaking on the need for compliance, the INEC national commissioner pointed out that the Act already provided for sanctions for violators and that adherence to the law should be prioritised by all the parties and candidates.

In tandem with subsections 7(a) (b) and 8, he stated, “A political party, aspirant or candidate who contravenes any of the provisions of Section 92 of the Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction in the case of an aspirant or candidate, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N1,000,000 for any subsequent offence.

“A person or group of persons who aids or abets a political party, an aspirant or a candidate in organising or equipping any person or group for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of three years or both.

For those who coerce others to support their candidates or to refrain from supporting a particular candidate during campaigns, Okoye reminded them that “Section 93 of the Act prohibits a party, candidate, aspirant or person or group of persons from directly or indirectly threatening any person with the use of force or violence during any political campaign in order to compel that person or any other person to support or refrain from supporting a political party or candidate.

“A political party, candidate, aspirant, person or group of persons that contravenes the provisions of Section 93(1) of the Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction in the case of a candidate, aspirant, or person or group of persons, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N500,000 for any subsequent offence.”

Many Nigerians are wondering when INEC would go beyond the rhetoric and sanitise the electoral space. Many Nigerians feel that they have had enough of the sermons from commission. They demand that it should go beyond the sermons and apprehend and prosecute electoral offenders.

Those who spoke with THISDAY feel that these offences are frequently violated because of lack of decisive actions on the part of the electoral umpire.

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Buratai Reappears with Research Centre Against the background of increasing loss of faith in the Nigerian project, former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, General Tukur Buratai, initiated the Tukur Buratai Research Centre, a cutting-edge leadership think-tank to aid the troubled national development journey. Louis Achi examines the underlying vision

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his is a good time to recall former French president, Giscard D’Estaing’s counsel to statesmen and world leaders: “There can be no response to history without effort.” D’Estaing’s sage warning was clearly inspired by the environment of the human crisis that defined his era. He was born during the First World War and fought in the second bloody global conflagration.

Today, the stakes are extremely high, and Nigerians are mindful that failure to achieve democratic stability, through a fair, transparent, inclusive governance process and very importantly, an untainted leadership transition process may imperil the country’s future as a coherent state.

Moreover, being Africa’s demographic and natural resources centre of gravity, Nigeria ought to lead the journey of transformative change on the continent. She ought to provide the leadership to raise Africa to her next level. But then charity must begin at home because at this period in human history, it surely would be sheer folly to tread a different path.

And that is the challenge before both the current Muhammadu Buhari presidency and successive administrations. This is also at the core of the leadership think-tank project initiated by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Republic of Benin.

Conceivably, in order to respond to the tumultuous history he has found himself in and had actually played a crucial role in as counselled by the ex-French President D’Estaing, the former COAS recently initiated the establishment of a cutting-edge leadership research centre at Gora in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria.

He stated that the Centre would collaborate with the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, in the fields of strategic studies, peace and conflict studies, environment and leadership for development. Not one to beat about the bush, the ground breaking and fundraiser for Tukur Buratai Research Centre (TBRC) held at Gora in Nasarawa State in late December last year.

When THISDAY directly asked the brawny ex-General, now an Ambassador, why he opted for this path, he provided an insight that showed his lesser known side and spoke to a hidden passion about the progressive transformation of the Nigerian state.

Ambassador Buratai said: “My simple philosophy about life is to continue to live a life of value by improving on the system that we have. As someone from the military, I reckoned the best way for me and my associates to add value to our society and make our country better and stronger is through a think-tank like the Tukur Buratai Research Center (TBRC).’

In addition, the soldier-statesman said that Nigeria has the potential for greatness but there were insufficient capabilities to transfer those potential into socio-economic benefits for the people. According to him, inadequate research and development implementation in Nigeria create a massive void in the nation’s progress.

His words: “When properly focused research and training institutes are established, innovation and development become a natural progressive activity that benefits the nation’s life. In other words, Nigeria gains the ability to develop positively as a result of enhanced study and training.

Buratai

“Corruption, insecurity due to terrorism and banditry, inadequate infrastructure, issues in governance and an inept educational system are all systemic flaws. With every amount of commitment made to research and training, as well as a strong national orientation one may be confident that we, as a people and a nation, are on the right track.

“I would like to utilize this TBRC platform to emphasize that now is the moment for us to turn within and devise home-grown solutions to our unique difficulties.”

Further, according to him, the “TBRC was his way of contributing to national development and giving back to society through a well thought-out approach that would have a long lasting impact on the country. As a result of the myriad of socio-economic and political challenges, it may be reasonable to argue that Nigeria can, to a large degree, resolve her development issues through research.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the unique initiative drew support from several stakeholders who are also concerned about the worrisome drift of the national journey. According to the Vice Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Suleiman Mohammed,

the institute and TBRC had identified their research and development partnership based primarily on security and strategic studies.

In his words: “The vision and mission of the Buratai Centre aligns with the university’s policy and strategy for impacting the society.

The centre’s motto which is to promote research for leadership and development is a strong statement about the ultimate value of research to impact humanity positively.

We envisage that the centre will be a hub for cross fertilization of ideas on security, peace, conflict, leadership and development issues.”

Soft-spoken Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State who performed the ground breaking donated N50 million to the Centre. Over N160 million was realised at the occasion with the highest donation of N100 million coming from the BUA Group of companies.

The emerging consensus is that Ambassador Buratai’s well-considered leadership project is certainly not coming too soon.

Today, ethnic nationalism, a crucial component of the myriad challenges, has reared its head in the country with different political nuances - from the overt to the subtle. This has a history. But perhaps most importantly and to the credit of Nigerians, the country remains one entity despite powerful forces that have challenged its growth and severely tested its resilience.

These have undeniably sown the seeds of loss of faith in the Nigerian state. Former US President Bill Clinton captured something of this troubling truth at the Leon H. Sullivan Summit, held in Abuja in July 2006. His words: “There is no single tragedy in Africa more than robbing people of their dreams.

The new challenge in Africa today is building a systematic capacity which will enable the people to live to make their own progress and save their own future. If you look at the miracle economies of Asia, it’s not only hard work but the opportunity to be part of a system that will reward your intelligence and hard work.”

Further prodded by THISDAY, the Ambassador made it clear that a strong and innovative think-tank would go a long way to boosting a nation’s institutional development and democracy, noting the Centre will fill the vacuum in the area of research and policy development. He then revealed the hidden historian and philosopher in him by enlisting specific examples of the place of innovative think-tanks in human development history.

Hear him: “Let me make it categorically clear to us that one of the factors that helped the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is strong and innovative think-tanks. As far back as 1831, the Duke of Wellington set up the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies with the aim of helping policymakers navigate through complex policy problems. Then the London Fabian Society which was established in 1884, home to Sydney and Beatrice Webbs, who later founded the London School of Economics.”

He accurately recalled that Lionel Curtis of Oxford University spearheaded the establishment of a think-tank to explore international problems and advocate policy solutions.

According to the ambassador, “In 1919, scholars like Lionel Curtis of the Oxford University spearheaded the establishment of a think-tank to explore international problems and advocate policy solutions. After that, we saw the emergence of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 1916, which in 1927, merged with two other institutions to form the widely acclaimed Brookings Institution. I believe that there exists a gap in our polity that TBRC as a think-tank can fill through research and policy development especially in the areas of security and defence, peace, conflict management, climate change, leadership and development.

“We need development in every sector of our national life, and this is something that should not be left for the government alone to do. As I have said in so many fora, there can be no real development without security and peace, and in the same vein, there must be economic opportunities, equity and justice for security and peace to exist which in turn serves as the foundation or pillars of development.”

Ambassador Buratai’s intervention through his think-tank must, of course, bear a human face - a scenario he has left pretty few in doubt about. It is only through this pathway that Nigeria’s current and subsequent leadership can give meaning to the four essential human freedoms espoused by that great American President - Franklin Roosevelt whose country has supplied Nigeria with the democratic model she is operating currently.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 11 , 2022

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ENGAGEMENTS

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

The APC on Trial Chidi Amuta

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herulingAllProgressivesCongress (APC)expectsvictoryinthe2023 electionalmostasanentitlement.

This is for one reason only: it is the incumbent party in national power. President Buhari and core party leaders are carrying on in a manner that suggests that electoral victory is a befitting necklace or medal to be decorated with merelyforpresidingoverthenationfortwouninspiring presidential terms.

Ironically, however, Mr. Buhari’s troublesome presidency and whatever legacy he may pride in may have become millstones around the neck of the party’s presidential candidate and Buhari’s presumptive successor in 2023. It is still uncertain forhowlongMr.BolaTinubu,theparty’spresidential candidate,isreadytoweartheBuharimillstonearound his neck. There lies the key to bith the vindication of the APC and indeed the electoral chances of Mr. Tinubu himself.

At best, the electoral chances of the APC in the 2023 election are now chiefly defined by a series of nagging questions. The axiom mostly in African politics and democracy is that incumbency invariably confers an easy winning chance on the ruling party. Part of the urgent trial of the APC is to test thisassumption.Hiddenunderthatlazyassumption is a series of other questions that ought to interest thoseinterestedinthegrowthanddevelopmentof democracyinNigeria.Thecriticalquestionsaremany.

Do electorates punish non- performing parties by denying them victory at the next election? Or, in the alternative, can a party, in spite of a dismal performance in government, still coast to victory at the next election irrespective of a massive popularity deficit? Is the electorate of registered voters a true representation of the popular wish at elections?Doestheelectoratehaveamind,amemory, like a person, that either punishes or rewards past experience in the hands of a political party and its elected officials? Finally, is the public of voters in a democracy an insensitive mob that returns a party topowerevenifitsgovernmenthashurtthepeople badly and betrayed the public trust and devalued the good of the nation?

In respect of these questions, there is a sense in whichboththeAPCandNigeria’sdemocraticevolution areontrialfor2023.Thepartythatcoastedtopower crowing ‘change’ has itself made change the logical consequenceofitsownpowertenure.Apopulacethat wentouttoenergeticallyoustthevirtualhegemonyof thePDPistodaydrainedofanyenergywhatsoever.A combinationofgrindingpovertyandwarlikeinsecurity undertheAPCgovernmenthasenthroneduncertainty as the new normal. There is no point rehashing the catalogueofwoesthatcharacterizeBuhari’sNigeria.

The Goebelian propaganda machinery of the APC government is urging Nigerians to believe the opposite of what they are experiencing. We should ignoreWorldBankstatisticsandcontentourselves with living in what has become the poverty capital of the world. We should be thankful for living in the world’s second most terrorized country. There is no point complaining about being a citizen of one of the most dangerous places in the world. We are toldthatitcouldhavebeenworseifnotforthevaliant messianiceffortsofGeneralBuhari.Evenafterover seven years in federal power, there are elements in therulingpartywhostillblamepresidentJonathan’s PDP for the nation’s woes.

Thosewithnoappetiteforpoliticscouldperhaps ignore the more social and political adversities of ourtime.Aparty’spublicpolicythrustdoesnothave to be universally popular after all. But the yawning absenceofanycoherentpolicyinanyareaofnational life is a felony in government. To add this atrocity to a rudderless handling of matters of economic management is nearly treasonable. How else does anyonedescribeagovernmentwhosedebtservice obligationhasrisenaboveitsbestrevenueexpectations?Or,evenworse,howdoesanygroupofpeople in the name of government run a nation’s economy agroundtothepointofhabituallyborrowingtrillions from the Central Bank just to keep up salary obligations? Government has dug the nation into a ditch and its solution is to dig an even deeper and ditch.

Governmentisbrokeinaliteralsenseandthepeople are themselves broken in every way.

Thiscatalogueofadversityhasputtheverysurvival of the nation to serious question. A divisive nativist politics has torn the fabrics of national unity to shreds as Nigerians are splintered more than ever alongallethnic,religious,regionalandpartisanlines.

Insum,theAPChasachievedsomethingremarkable

Adamu in political theory. Under Mr. Buhari, the party has demonstratedhoweasyitistowreckanationinless than eight years. A Nigerian who left the country in 2015andreturnstodaymayfindithardtorecognize the nation he left behind.

Eventhen,thereportcardoftheAPCisnotatotal landscape of unrestrained disaster and hopeless incompetence. Here and there, there are specs of fickle brightness. A commitment to infrastructure restorationhasyieldedafewkilometersofrehabilitated federal highways. A major bridge across the River Niger at Onitsha has been completed at last afterdecadesofrhetoricalcommitmentsandshifting political antics. In all fairness, several kilometers of neededrailroadshavebeencompletedandsparkling Chinesetrainsdeployedbrieflyonlyfortherailservices along major routes to be shut down or suspended because of the fear of terrorists.

In states controlled by the APC, a few good men as governors have stepped forward to assert good governance as a possibility. In Kaduna, a reform of educationandthepublicservicehasonlybeeninterruptedbytheceaselessscourgeofterroristattacks.

InLagos,ahumanisticyounggovernorhascalmedthe usuallyfrayednervesofanoisyanduntidycity-state.

InthelessfortunateAPCcontrolledstates,however, woes have been heaped on tragedies to produce scenes of unmitigated disaster and unrestrained autocratic excursions.

ThepastoralstateofZamfaraisnowthenational epicenter of terrorism, with all ungoverned spaces literally garrisoned off by fierce armed bandits and imported terrorists flowing freely from across the borderwithNigerRepublic.Katsina,thehomestate of the president, is now a poster state of a strange illicit diarchy in which sovereign state power is split almost equally between an elected governor and squadsofstateauthorizedbanditpowercontenders.

ThisgeneralprofileoftheAPCatnationalandstate levels is the backdrop and landscape against which the chances of the party in 2023 can be assessed.

It is of course the right of every democratic nation to expect a wave of elevating promises of change each time it is about to elect a new leadership. It is alsothejustexpectationofanyrulingpartytowork towardsvictoryandself-perpetuationinpower.But thefeasibilityofpoliticalsurvivalandlongevitymust befoundedonclearrationallogicofwhatispossible.

Justifiablytherefore,theAPC ispositioningitselfto succeeditselfcome2023.Ithaschosenapresidential candidate after a massively transactional primary convention season. The party has ramped up its rhetoric to give Mr. Bola Tinubu a winning chance.

Theonsetofthecampaignsanytimefromnowshould unveil the new message of the party . Hopefully, the newmessageanditscarriercanrenewthetrustwhich

gave the party a mandate to rule in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

AsthemascotoftheAPCinthecountdownto2023, Mr. Bola Tinubu comes to table with a mixed bag of strenuousadvantages.Heishoweverinatripartiterace with a fellow political old war horse, Atiku Abubakar, and a disruptive populist figure with a growing pop star followership, Mr. Peter Obi. Onhisown,Mr.Tinubucomeswithafairlycompetitivepoliticalcredentials.Hecreditablyreformedand modernizedthegovernmentofLagosstate,Nigeria’s fractious and disorderly metropolis. He was among a few politicians who opposed the late kleptocratic despot, General Sani Abacha, which earned him the reward of exile under the banner of then dissident movementNADECO(NationalDemocraticCoalition) . A co-founder and author of many political projects andgroupings,Mr.Tinubuwasonceasenator,founding member of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC). He can be credited withtheemergenceofMr.BuhariasAPCpresidential candidatewhoneededTinubu’scatchmenthomebase of the South West to become president in 2015.

However, Mr. Tinubu is burdened with a cocktail of resume headaches which can prove costly in a national contest. These range from questionable schoolrecordstododgyaffidavitsaboutcertificates andbigmoneymatters.Hehassofarweatheredthese controversies in a political career that is typical of the ‘big men’ of Nigerian politics. On the face of it, there is nothing so disadvantageous on Mr. Tinubu’s resumethatcanunsettlehiselectoralchances.Most of those who vote in Nigeria could not be bothered whatschoolyouattendedorwhereyourgrandfather hailed from. His problems lie elsewhere in the very nature and configuration of the Nigerian national electoral geography and compass.

AsthepresidentialcandidateoftheAPC,Mr.Tinubu isnotnecessarilymoreburdenedthanhistwomajor frontline contenders. But his party platform is an albatross. As a party mascot, he has the unenviable taskofdefendingtheperformancerecordofhisrather blemishedpartyanditscrasslyincompetentnowlame duck president. The question on Tinubu’s chances now come down to this: How does Mr. Tinubu make progresswithoutrejectingordisowningMr.Buhari’s performance baggage? If he insists on continuing, even if rhetorically, with the Buhari legacy, it means undertakingtocontinuewithinsecurity,masspoverty, unchecked corruption, indecisive governance, bad economics and an incoherent policy approach.

Sofar,Mr.Tinubuhasnotyetevolvedapersonalmessagingthatdistanceshimfromtheeffeteandbumbling Buhari. It would be political bad manners to disown Buhari. It is even worse politics to allow members of

his family (so far, his wife and his daughter) to keep pledginghiscommitmenttocontinuingwithBuhari’s policies.Theiropenappearanceinpoliticalmarketing is bad for Mr. Tinubu as it hints at a political dynasty inthemaking.Asamatterofpoliticalexpediency,he canillaffordtodisavowMr.Buhari’slegacy.Andyeta messagingthatsuggestsawishtocontinuealongthe Buhari path is a sure way to certain electoral defeat.

Tinubu can neither swallow Buhari nor spit him out withoutsufferingfatalpoliticalindigestion.Heneeds tofindaconsensuswithinthepartythatmodifiesthe party’smessagingtoNigerianswhichmustincludean admissionofBuhari’sfailuresanddisastrouslegacy.

Thus,theplightofdefectiveAPCandthefortunesof theTinubucandidacyarejoinedatthehips.Theparty’s unpopularitycanordinarilybefixedwithalotofhard work. Acreativecampaignstrategycanboldlyadmit Mr.Buhari’serrorsasevolutionaryinthelifeofayoung party. That admission alone cannot however win an election.Itcanbequicklyfollowedbythemarketingof analternativepathwaythatfrontallyprofferscreative solutions to the most urgent national emergencies.

Thatalternativepathwaymusthoweverbesuperior to the programmes and solutions of both Mr. Atiku AbubakarandPeterObirespectively.Thewayoutis notthroughmotorparkgradepropagandaorabusive communicationofthesortwehavepreviewedbetween Mr. Keyamo and Femi Fani-Kayode on the one hand andDinoMelayeontheother.Insultingtheintelligence ofNigerianscannolongerpassaspoliticalsalesmanship in this day and age. The concept of attack dogs as political communication belongs somewhere in the antiquity of Nigerian politics.

So far, Mr. Tinubu seems to be stuck in the Buhari andAPCquagmire.HewantstocarryonwithBuhari and even deepen his divisiveness. The choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket as a vote catching antic is an ancient and foolish strategy. Religion may be unimportant in the business of governance but Mr. Buhari has weaponised it and sharpened sectarian sensitivities in the nation. Mr. Tinubu wants to be in religiouscontentionfornorthernpopularvoteswith Mr.AtikuAbubakar.Butinthepopularimaginationof the average streetside northerner, Atiku Abubakar is the more authentic northern Muslim who also happens to carry Buhari’s Fulani DNA. There is even a Machiavellian hint that has suggested that pairing Mr.ShettimawithahealthcompromisedTinubumay infactbearusetoemplaceanothernorthernMuslim president if Tinubu flips or slides!

Inrealterms,theblocvoteoftheSouthWestwhich Mr.Tinubu‘donated’tohelpcoronateMr.Buhariin2015 may no longer be in tact. States like Oyo, Osun, Ondo and significant portions of Lagos may now not vote the way they did in 2015. New political and financial centres of gravity have since emerged in the zone that could unsettle the Tinubu/APC advantage. The APC now has to work for its votes in the South West more than it did in 2015.

The party also has clear consequential problems in two strategic zones in the Southern hemisphere.

IntheSouthEast,noonecanvouchforthepopularity of the APC in both Imo and Ebonyi states where the incumbent governors happen to be in the party by default. They are in the party mostly for reasons of theirpersonalambitions.ButbothMr.HopeUzodimma and DaveUmahiarenotthemostpopulargovernors even in their respective states. Their presidential ambitions have taken a nose dive with the collapse of the campaign for a president of Igbo extraction in 2023. Elsewhere in the zone, the APC is more of an inconsequential acronym.

Worsestill,Mr.Buhari’srhetoricandbodylanguage towardsthezonehaspoisonedthepoolfortheparty.

Thepresidentneverdisguisedhispersonalindifference towardsthepeopleofthezonewhomhehasdescribed variously as ‘dots’ in a national circle of hate. These people have the memory of an elephant; they hardly forget.LiketheJews,theIgboscarryaperennialsense ofcollectivehurt;oncehurt,theinjuryispassedfrom generation to generation!

The situation in the South South is not any better for the APC. Majority of the governors of the states in the zone are mostly in the rival PDP and may have no dividend to show their people to justify an alignmenttowardstheAPC.Therearenotoomanyfederal projectsinthelastsevenyearstoshowinthezonethat produces the bulk of the nation’s oil and gas wealth.

Yet, the elections are still a clear six months away.

That is like eternity in politics. The party could still re-make itself. Mr. Tinubu could still re-engineer bothhimselfandthemessageofthepartyonwhose platform he is building his presidential hopes. In the 2023election,theAPCfacesaracewithmorecomplex determinantsthanthesimplebinary(eitheror)choice that propelled it to power in 2015.

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Abiodun Urges Nigerians to Eschew Politics of Rancour, Acrimony James Sowole in Abeokuta Ahead of the conduct of the 2023 general election, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has called on Nigerians to eschew politics of rancour and acrimony, and give serious consideration to the future of the country.

Abiodun made this call at the inauguration of the Southwest executives of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and conferment of the Award of Peace Ambassador on him by the forum in Abeokuta, yesterday.

He noted that it was time to engage in activities that would unite rather than divide the country.

The governor explained that as a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, tolerance and understanding remain the prime attributes needed for the overall economic development and well-being of the people.

He emphasised that the state has a standing reputation as a place where different tribes, religions and ethnicity have been managed with success, adding that the state is proud to identify with all endeavours that help in promoting peaceful and conducive environments for investments and creation of individual prosperity.

He said: “Let me use this opportunity to inform our people that politics and politicking towards next year’s general elections have already begun, and we must all shun the politics of rancour and acrimony. We should rather consider the greater good of our nation as paramount in our thoughts and deeds.

“We must not allow politics to

truncate what we have enjoyed in Ogun State. This administration has done everything within its capacity to lower the political temperature, to ensure that all issues relating to crime, criminalities and thuggery are lowered so that our people can be free to go about their businesses.

“I want to thank the Miyetti Allah chairman who in his remarks stated that in Ogun State, everyone is free to go about their legitimate businesses at any time of the day. I, therefore, urged all our people to continue in their support and cooperation and also in prayers, together, we will build a state that is enviable by others”, he said.

“As I recognise this event as another contribution of the Arewa community towards the promotion of peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, I am also very delighted to be honoured by the loving people at this gathering. I want to commend all our brothers and sisters from the Arewa community across the South-west of Nigeria for today’s inauguration of the South-west executive council and the presentation of today’s award.

“As a government and people, we are particularly pleased to share the joy of today. Permit me to note that the Arewa Consultative Forum has continued to considerably influence the political scene in Nigeria. This Association had contributed to being at the vanguard of the One-Nigeria campaign which is a more united and stronger Nigeria. It also means a country where all the people can enjoy increased prosperity,” Abiodun stated.

The governor, while appreciating the Forum for the honour done him, said the award would further propel his administration to take more

proactive measures that would secure the people in the state irrespective of where they come from.

In his address earlier, the

National Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, Chief Audu Ogbe, represented by the Administrative Secretary, Alhaji Munir Mohammed, ap-

preciated the state government for making Ogun conducive for all to carry out their daily business activities without molestation.

ROYAL AFFECTION . . .

Deputy Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Igwe R.S.N Eze (left); Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; flanked by other monarchs from Enugu North Senatorial District, at the Government House, Enugu..yesterday.

Enugu Govt Suspends Activities in Golf Annex, Agu Abor for Proper Regularisation The Enugu State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development has said it has suspended all activities within the Golf Annex I, Agu Abor.

A statement by the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, explained that the suspension, which has the approval of the state government, was carried out in response to the “various serious and technical issues concerning the Golf Annex 1, Agu Abor.”

Aroh disclosed that a committee was set up “to deal with all outstanding issues concerning the Golf Annex I, Agu Abor, with a view to effectively and conclusively resolving all issues to allow infrastructural work to resume in earnest.”

The commissioner added: “Exultantly, the committee is almost concluding its assignment with the resolution of all multiple allocations and community protests,

determination of outstanding payments and review of road and drainage designs to allow for full accessibility of all plots.”

Aroh, therefore, expressed optimism that “full scale work to complete the infrastructural works at the Golf Annex I, Agu Abor, will resume shortly in line with the state government’s commitment to ensure decent and affordable housing for all in Enugu State.”

The statement listed the technical issues concerning the Golf Annex 1 that are being addressed to include “protest and petitions from the host community/previous land owners; issues of double/ multiple allocations; non-payment of statutory land fees by many allotees despite repeated demands; and overall review of design arising from non-accessibility of several plots due to technical error in original layout design.”

Zulum Offers House, Scholarship to Family of Slain CJTF Commander

Tinubu’s Wife Donates Food Items, Clothes to Widows, Abuja IDPs

Abiru Unveils N300m Constituency Revolving Loan Thursday

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Sunday Ehigiator

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has given approval for the release of N10 million and a house to the bereaved family of a popular member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Babagana Mallam Tela who was killed by the Boko Haram.

This was revealed in a statement the spokesman to Governor Zulum, Isa Gusau issued at the weekend after the governor had visited deceased family to register his condolence after he had previously sent representatives.

Tela, also known as Kadau in Bama Local Government Area, Borno State, was the overall commander of the ‘Civilian JTF’ in the area before he was killed by the terrorist grouping in June 2022.

The ‘Civilian JTF’ is a prominent volunteer group of combat ready youths, famous for using their local understanding of Borno’s terrain to fight Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.

Members of the group have been working closely with the Nigerian military and has members operating under sectors modelled after military battalions to check the excesses of the terrorist group.

Kadau was ambushed by Boko Haram, while leading his team, Sector One on a routine patrol outside Bama town.

During his meeting with counter-insurgency volunteers in Bama during the week, Zulum paid tribute to Kadau for paying the supreme price in defense of Borno and Nigeria.

He directed the release of N10m for the families upkeep over a period of time, directing that the family opens an account with joint signatories, to which the N10m, would be deposited.

Zulum also directed that a house worth another N10m be purchased for Kadau’s bereaved family so that they should stop paying rent.

He directed that all children of the late commander be awarded Borno Government’s scholarship throughout their education which he described as “very small reward for all that Kadau did in his contributions to returning peace in Bama and by extension Borno State and Nigeria”.

Zulum had before that donation, offered cash, food and textiles to all 683 volunteers involved with fighting Boko Haram in Bama and he had paid tribute to all of them for their services.

The wife of the presidential candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Oluremi Tinubu yesterday donated food items, clothes to widows, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with special needs in Karon-Majigi, a suburb in the nation’s capital.

Tinubu, currently representing Lagos Central in the Senate, pledged to continue to give voice to the voiceless in order to ameliorate the plight of the vulnerable in the society.

She gave the assurance in Abuja yesterday when she led some women including the wife of the vice presidential candidate of the APC, Nana Shetimma to visit the community within the precinct of Abuja Municipal Area Council.

Also on Tinubu’s entourage are the APC National Women Leader, Dr. Betty Idu, Federal Commissioner, Federal Character Commission, Hon. Ginika Tor and former APC National Women Leader, Stella Okotete, among other dignitaries.

Tinubu noted that her visit to the community was part of efforts to familiarise and give

support to the less privileged and to let them know that she felt their pains.

Her words: “I am here today because of the work ahead of us, you don’t just jump into the waters without learning how to swim. This is like a familiarisation tour to every part of Abuja, to know the people who have special needs and to see how we can ameliorate their sufferings.

“Because in a situation like this, they are more like voiceless. So, we are here to see and assure them that they are not alone and that we feel their pain.

“So at least, if God happens to get us to that exalted position, we don’t just go there blindly without really understanding what is in our communities and environs,” Tinubu said.

She assured that she would embark on visitation to other communities ahead of the 2023 general election.

Items donated are cash gift, 250 clothes for babies, 600 pieces of wrappers and food items, including rice, maize, beans, cartons of Indomie noodles, vegetable oil, and food condiments.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Industries, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru has unveiled and called on all micro, medium and small enterprises (MSME) living or doing business in Lagos East to apply for the N300 million Constituency Revolving Loan at six percent interest rate per annum.

The lawmaker has in November 2021 organised a one-day MSME Clinic/ Workshop in partnership with the Fate Foundation and Standard Chartered Foundation.

The workshop drew over 1,000 MSMEs drawn across 98 wards in the 16 LGAs/LCDAs in the Lagos East Senatorial District.

The training which attracted executive leadership of business-related regulatory agencies and partners like; BOI, SMEDAN, CAC, LIRS, NAFDAC and LSETF greatly enhanced the capacity of MSMEs in the district.

In addressing the dearth of knowledge which is one of the major reasons why

MSMEs fail, a knowledge pack containing seven valuable books covering areas like; financial management, human capital, legal, strategy, marketing and communication, digital technology and tax management authored by reputable corporations including Deloitte, KPMG, Verraki among others were given free of charge to all participants.

Participants also received Enterprise Development Certificates after the training.

In fulfillment of the promise made to constituents at the event, Abiru will on September 15 formally unveil the N300 million constituency revolving loan at 6 percent interest rate per annum .

It is also worth mentioning that in June 2022, he empowered about 1,250 market women and traders with the sum of N50,000 each as financial grants totaling N62.5 million to support their businesses.

Hand-planters and financial grants of N20,000 were also dolled out to 200 rural farmers in the agrarian part of the district.

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B AC K PAG E C O N T I N UAT I O N WHY NIGERIAN PRESIDENTS FAIL saw corruption as our only problem. I did not take kindly to any criticism of Obasanjo and I became anti-Afenifere in the process. But less than one year into his administration, I had turned to his critic. It was a case of disappointed love.

For one, I couldn’t stand some characters in his cabinet. I said if this man really wanted to fight corruption, as he staunchly promised in his inauguration speech, some persons should not have been ministers.

When he started talking about removing fuel subsidy, I was incensed. All my life, I had argued that Nigerians, being citizens of an oil-rich country, should enjoy cheap petrol. I refused to evaluate or accept the economic arguments. I concluded that Obasanjo was anti-poor as I was more interested in the socio-political implications.

Meanwhile, corruption exploded in our faces. I held Obasanjo liable for failing to lead by example as he had promised during his campaign.

That was how our dear messiah began to unravel. Ahead of the 2003 presidential election, I had found another messiah in Gen Muhammadu Buhari, flagbearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP, now part of the All Progressives Congress, APC).

When he became head of state in 1983-85, prices of essential products had gone out of reach. I was happy with his price controls.

I believed he was protecting the poor.

Forgive me: I was just a secondary school student and knew nothing about why our economy was in a mess. Buhari later lost me when his government began to crack down on the media and activists. I was so happy when Gen Ibrahim Babangida overthrew him in 1985.

However, when Buhari granted an

interview in 1994 or 1995 admitting that he made mistakes as head of state, adding however they were “genuine mistakes” because “we were in a hurry to change Nigeria”, my heart melted. I began to desire his return to power. I said this was the man Nigeria needed! I remember eulogising him in an article in THISDAY sometime in March 1998. My late friend, Chuks Ehirim, who was TheNews/TEMPO correspondent in Enugu, called to ask me, jokingly: “So how much did Buhari pay you for this?” With my Buhari dream going nowhere in 2003 and 2007, I gave up on my search for a messiah. Instead, I started thinking: “Let’s make do with what we have.”

That was why when Dr Goodluck Jonathan was being marketed as the “breath of fresh air” in the 2011 campaign, I was calm. I had become a realist. My worldview had evolved. I had looked deeply at the Nigerian society and its complications. I said Jonathan, relatively young at 52, would only try but not much would change. The insecurity that he inherited from President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua only worsened as Boko Haram started bombing everywhere with ease. Rather than face this common threat to us, all sides resorted to politicking and finger-pointing. Meanwhile, corruption and waste grabbed us by the neck at all levels of government, but only Jonathan carried the blame.

As we later saw, all the politicking — and counter-politicking — was geared towards the 2015 elections. Buhari, who was making a fourth bid, became a symbol of change, the messiah Nigerians had been searching for. That was how overmarketing began again. People who previously abused and

rejected him became pilots of the campaign, creating fables and fantasies. I was so worried for him that I wrote an article, ‘Buhari and the Burden of Expectations’ (THISDAY, January 25, 2015), in which I said: “Imagine the nicknames young people would start calling Buhari on Twitter by this time next year if he has not performed some magic — assuming he wins the presidential election.”

The online marketers said that as a modest retired general who had to take a loan to pay for his nomination form, Buhari would end both corruption and Boko Haram with one punch. I recalled my Obasanjo vibes in 1999 and wrote: “God help Buhari if, assuming he wins, he is unable to stop Boko Haram’s suicide bombers. God help him if the terrorists continue to grab more villages. God help him if his government has not created 2.5 million jobs by May 2016 — as promised by his party. God help him if we are still unable to enjoy steady power supply. God help him if crude oil prices skyrocket and he has to increase fuel price or pay N1 trillion annually on subsidies. He won’t find it funny!”

We all know what happened next. It took less than one year for “Sai Baba!” to give way to “Chai Baba!” Some people were soon saying “even Jonathan was not this bad”. As we prepare to vote in another “messiah” in 2023 and the overmarketing is in full swing again on social media, I crave your indulgence to repeat myself: God help Tinubu/Atiku/Obi if by 2024, ASUU still embarks on its yearly strike; the national currency is exchanging at N1000/$; fuel subsidy budget blows up to N10 trillion; kidnappers are still on

the prowl; bandits and terrorists are yet to be eradicated; IPOB, ESN and the socalled unknown gunmen are still holding the south-east by the jugular; crude oil theft is still a pastime in the Niger Delta; and the Yoruba Nation activists stage a sensational comeback.

Let me be very clear: there is nothing wrong with having expectations. In fact, to expect nothing will be a tragedy. However, Nigeria will not change overnight — no matter what any presidential candidate promises, or how their supporters sell them.

Things tend to get worse before they get better. We won’t cut expenditure or grow revenue without enduring adjustment pains.

Something has to give. There will be winners and losers. We can’t reduce unemployment and poverty within the twinkle of an eye.

The naira will not stabilise, much less strengthen, miraculously. Many good things take time to yield results. We don’t need to be deceived, or to deceive ourselves, at election times.

What then? We need to temper our preelection expectations so that we do not end up disappointed and disillusioned if things do not seem to change dramatically.

We need look out for overall signs of direction and progress to avoid concluding within a year that a president has failed.

Obasanjo failed in many areas but still achieved much. He kickstarted the telecoms revolution, launched the pension reforms, revamped the oil and gas sector and used his experience to shield our democracy from military incursion, among others.

Selling him as the messiah was an issue, but even if he was the messiah, could he still fail to deliver the goods? That is a topic for another day.

And Four Other Things…

AYU FOR REAL? On Thursday, the national executive committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) passed a vote of confidence on Dr Iyorchia Ayu, its national chairman. I think this finally answers the question as to whether or not there will be reconciliation between Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate, and the allies of Chief Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers state. Since Ayu openly celebrated the defeat of Wike by Atiku at the presidential convention in May, his continued stay as the party chairman has come under opposition from Wike and his allies. His ouster is apparently the major condition for the party to heal. I now don’t see a way out of this. Deadlock.

MILITARY ONSLAUGHT There has been a string of victories by the Nigerian security forces over terrorists and bandits in the last few weeks. This is heart-warming and I say kudos to them. It appears the daring raid on Kuje prisons by the terrorists really hit the authorities and woke them up to the menace more than ever. There is always the danger of “collateral damage” when the military embarks on operations of this nature and this is exactly what the terrorists use to shield themselves. I just hope that the successes recorded during this latest military campaign will be sustained. We had Boko Haram by the jugular in 2016 but ended up dropping the ball. Their resurgence was absolutely devastating. Vigilance.

CRUDE PRAYER Anytime I get breaking news that crude oil prices are falling, I am delighted. Our Bonny Light is now below $90/barrel. I hope it will fall to at least $60 and stabilise there for years. Please don’t blame me: we are not benefiting much from high oil prices. Our crude production has fallen and, worse still, our share of the output has also gone down to miserable levels. That means we cannot earn much forex from oil exports. In addition, low oil prices also mean our petrol subsidy bill — projected to hit N4tr in 2022 alone — will come down. Energy bills and flight tickets should also become cheaper. Admittedly, petroleum income taxes will fall too, but we’ve seen worse things. Simple.

LONG LIVED THE QUEEN When Queen Elizabeth II of England died on Thursday, it did not feel real. She had been on the throne for the whole of 70 years — the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom — and we were all so used to her that someone joked about King Charles III, her son and successor: “How can a man be appointed queen?” True, it will take getting used to that a man is now the monarch.

We have to say “King’s English” in place of “Queen’s English” and “God Save the King” will replace “God Save the Queen” as the national anthem. Queen Elizabeth witnessed the highs and the lows of life and politics — and everything in between — and managed to stay out of controversies. Unforgettable.

himself and his camp. He may be in it just for the attention. And he may also just be playing the spoiler, especially

as it is unlikely that he will leave PDP. Clearly, PDP cannot afford these unending battles within. Based on a careful appreciation of forces at play, the party may consider three options for addressing the Wike challenge. None of the options will be without potential costs.

The first will be to call Wike’s bluff, end all the overtures and concessions, and find ways of compensating elsewhere for the potential downsides of snubbing him and his camp.

The second will be to isolate him into a lone wolf by cutting the ground off around him. It is possible that some in his camp might have more pressing concerns than who the chairman is and could be seduced with immediate and future offers. Given how close-knit Wike’s camp appears, this is more possible than probable. The last option is to give in to Wike’s demand and ease out Ayu, with the hope that Wike can live with only that concession, and he and his supporters will then throw their full weight behind the party and its candidate.

Given its history and current spread, PDP remains the best-positioned party to take on the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election. But it can only do that effectively if it puts its house in order. At the moment, despite its best efforts, PDP is still a divided house. But it has the luck of time, as the elections are at least five months away.

That is enough time to resolve the Wike and other internal issues. However, it is also enough time for things to completely fall apart.

THE WIKE THING AROUND PDP’S NECK imposing stature of a sitting president and abandoned by its former presidents, PDP lacked a rallying force. Post-2019, the defeated presidential candidate practically relocated. Wike stepped into the vacuum to hold the party together, orchestrating consequential actions (including the removal and replacement of party officials), and expanding his network within and outside the party. He established a hold that almost got him the party’s ticket.

That hold didn’t fizzle out with his failure to snap the ticket.

I think it is a combination of these three factors that transformed Wike into a power centre within such a dominant party. These factors also strengthen Wike’s hands in taking on and asking for the resignation of his party’s chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu. Wike frames his issue with Ayu in equity terms: if the candidate is from the north, the party chairman should be from the south. But it seems there is more between the two of them, given how personal and suggestive their public exchanges have been. Ayu has insisted he is going nowhere, and he even got a vote of confidence from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on Thursday. Wike maintains the only condition for truce is Ayu’s exit.

Each is expected to further dig their heels, until something gives.

Many have had to speculate about Wike’s endgame, including whether he would sheathe his sword if his Ayu demand is met or he would keep on making demands or he would leave PDP for another party. With politicians, it is

Wike difficult to say. He may just be seeking a pound of flesh. He may merely be seeking enough accommodation for

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Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Brazil Reject Jesus for World Cup

B

razil have left in-form striker Gabriel Jesus out of a 26-man squad for this month’s friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia but Gleison Bremer and Roger Ibanez are included for the first

time.

Coach Tite on Friday night named his last squad before the World Cup in Qatar with players given their final chance to make the cut for the finals that kick off on November 21.

“These are opportunities to have peace and a sense of justice further ahead (in the final list),” Tite told a news conference.

“I can’t close the national team list now, and then another player may emerge (before the World Cup).”

Jesus’Arsenal team mates Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes also miss out along with Philippe Coutinho and Dani Alves, while Juventus’ Bremer and AS Roma’s Ibanez could get the chance to make their debuts in defence.

Brazil will play Ghana on September 23 in Le Havre, France and Tunisia in Paris three days later. Brazil are in Group G with Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland at the World Cup.

Odion Ighalo...savouring the joy of leading his Saudi club, Al Hilal to win the Lusail Super Cup in Qatar...on Friday night

Odion Ighalo Leads Al Hilal to Lusail Super Cup Victory Duro Ikhazuagbe

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dion Ighalo proved Friday night that he’s not ready to hang his boots yet as he gave a virtuoso performance leading his Saudi Arabia Al Hilal to win the Lusail Super Cup in Qatar. Al Hilal who are the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) champions, defeated Egyptian league winners Zamalek 4-1 in shootouts to clinch the trophy. Regulation time deadlocked 1-1.

Playing before a near capacity 77, 575 fans inside

the magnificent Lusail Stadium earmarked to host the final of the 2022 FIFAWorld Cup in Qatar, Ighalo gave Al Hilal the lead in 18th minute with a lob over advancing Mohamed Awad, after he sneaked in to pick an aerial pass from Gustavo Cuellar.

ThatgoalelectrifiedthearenadespiteZamalek’s fans, who were in the majority, continuing in their tradition of singing, drumming and dancing.

Although the Egyptian side equalized for the game to drag into penalty kicks, Al Hilal goalkeeper, Abdullah Al Muaiouf, was hero of the night, blocking a Mahmoud El Wensh shot

after Ahmed Zizo’s first effort came back off the post in the shootouts.

All four Al Hilal players scored, with Andre Carrillo netting the winner.

The match was the last major test for the $675 million stadium before the kick off of this year’s World Cup final.

Seventy-two days from the start of the tournament, Lusail is the last stadium to be officially inaugurated amongst the eight to be used to host the world.

It will host 10 World Cup matches, including the December 18 final.

BOWFT: Nasarawa FC Decimates Braveheart 10-1 to Reach Q’final Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

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asarawaAmazonFootballClub, yesterday, defeated Braveheart Ladies of Edo State in an 11-goal thriller to seal a spot in the quarter-finals of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT).

Nasarawa Amazon secured the maximum six points from their two games played so far in the competition after defeating Braveheart Ladies 10-1, at the University of Benin Sports Complex.

The team won their first game on Thursday against FC Robo Queens 2-0.

In the other game yesterday, Royal Queens Football Club defeated RoyalToms International 2-0 to go through to the quarter final of the 2nd edition of the tournament. Edo Queens top Group B with 6 points.

The goals for Nasarawa Amazons came early in the match as Ayatsca Hembafan scored a brace in the 2nd and 37th minutes of the game, while Okoronkwo Amarachi registered her name in the score sheet in the 28th and 45 minutes of the game.

Those that added their names in the score sheet for Nassarawa Amazon in the one-sided game include Patricia Innocent in the 5th minute; Owoeye Timitope, 19th minute, and Kessiana Ojiyouwi, who pulled in her goal in the 30th minute.

The consolation goal for Braveheart came

Nasarawa Amazon striker (in blue jersey) dribbles past Braveheart defender during the 10 – 1 victory over Brave Heart, on match day 3 of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament, at the Western Boys High School Mini-Stadium, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State ...yesterday through a penalty kick towards end of the first half to make the scoreline six goals to one in favour of Nassarawa Amazon Football Club.

Four additional goals were scored by Nassarawa Amazon in the second half, bringing the total score

line to 10 - 1.

With an early goal lead from Ola Olaronke, Royal Queens dominated the game until the 83rd minute when Isaac Alexandra netted a penalty kick to cement the win for Royal Queens.

Jesus... not listed for friendlies

Ruud, Alcaraz in Supremacy Battle for Tennis’ Top Rank

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panish teenager, Carlos Alcaraz will battle Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final of the US Open today in New York.

Alcaraz, 19, reached his first Grand Slam final with a five-set win over American hope Frances Tiafoe in the US Open semi-finals.

Ruud on the other hand will continued his own bid to land a first major by beating Russia’s Karen Khachanov earlier on Friday.

Third seed Alcaraz won 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3, while fifth seed Ruud earned a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 5-7 6-2 victory.

Whoever triumphs in today’s final will become the new men’s world number one.

The champion will replace Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who lost in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows, at the top of the ATP rankings.

Alcaraz has long been touted as a potential Grand Slam champion and now is one victory away from becoming the youngest man to win a major since Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2005.

The teenager secured the opportunity by coming through another epic contest that showed his talent, athleticism and heart.

Beating 22nd seed Tiafoe, which took him more than four hours and four match points, was the third match in a row where he won a lengthy five-setter.

Sunday September 11, 2022

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Makinde to PDP

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“We are saying that if PDP has promised to restructure Nigeria and we cannot restructure PDP, we are not ready to restructure Nigeria.

That is the fact” – Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, carpeting the leadership of the PDP for their inability to resolve the crisis in the party.

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SIMONKOLAWOLE Why Nigerian Presidents Fail SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

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ometime last month, a young Bolt driver asked me: “Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi… who should we vote for?” I’ve been asked similar questions many times by those who respect my views. I usually give them an analytical answer — devoid of emotions — by highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and chances of each candidate. On this occasion, I came up with a cheeky proposal: “We need a president who has the vision and talent-spotting skills of Tinubu, the coolness and carriage of Atiku, and the agility and frugality of Obi.” He laughed at high volume. “Are you then suggesting that we merge the three of them?” he asked. Of course, he knew I was kidding.

But he got my point: no one candidate ticks all the boxes. In one of the essays in my forthcoming book, Fellow Nigerians, It’s All Politics, which is now available for pre-orders on the website of Roving Heights, I argue that although we desire a president “who speaks like Barack Obama, governs like Bill Clinton and inspires like Winston Churchill”, it is not going to happen anytime soon because our leadership selection process “is filled with loopholes and pitfalls and it cannot

Obasanjo produce our ideal leader as things stand”.

One pathology of underdevelopment is the warped leadership selection dynamics.

Who the majority of voters end up choosing is not necessarily who they really need.

I went on to have a robust conversation with the Bolt driver. I sold him my little

theory: that Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved by one president or a single administration. Our primary concern should be that we are making progress per president, per time. Every president will record landmarks and setbacks in different sectors. No president is totally good or utterly bad, although the emotions of the moment often obstruct balanced judgment. Ironically, we often raise our enthusiasm sky-high before presidential elections. Sooner than later, we begin to lose faith in those we elect to pilot the affairs of the country and swiftly brand them, rightly or wrongly, as failures.

Why do Nigerian presidents fail? Or, rather, why do the presidents fail to live up to expectations? Both questions are intertwined on many counts. There is a sense in which failure to meet expectations is effectively what we call failure. Off the top of my head, I can identify at least five (out of one million) reasons.

One, the leadership selection process, particularly pre-election marketing. Two, our warped understanding of federalism which shapes our assessment of presidents.

Three, mismanagement of socio-political dynamics. Four, poor understanding of development planning. Five, domination of political power by the predatory, rather

than the developmental, elite.

In this article, I will dwell on pre-election expectations fuelled by overmarketing. It could be deliberate: just to win elections.

It could be emotional: we always want messiahs and we create them in our imaginations. It could also be a result of a poor understanding of the depth of the challenges ahead. We set up our presidents for a verdict of failure right from electioneering period. Nigeria faces overwhelming social, economic and political challenges and we desperately desire a solution. We want to be like countries who have competent and patriotic leaders. So, we go into fantasy mode during elections, creating messiahs in our heads and dressing them in borrowed garbs.

I have been there before. In 1999, I was a staunch supporter of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Upon visiting Abeokuta, Ogun state, in November 1998 along with other THISDAY editors to interview him, I was wowed by the modesty of his residence.

I said if a military head of state in an oil-boom era could be this modest, then he had my vote. I started promoting him as the leader that would extinguish corruption and lead us to greatness. At the time, I Continued on page 70

WAZIRIADIO The Wike Thing around PDP’s Neck POSTSCRIPT

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overnor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has managed to remain the main issue in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is despite that he lost the party’s presidential ticket by a clear margin to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the party’s primaries in late May and, in short order, also lost the chance to be Atiku’s running-mate to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State. The leading opposition party has known no peace since then. Wike, who once dramatized how he was going to win the party’s presidential ticket because his name was supposedly on everyone’s lips everywhere, has been at the centre of it all.

He fires and receives salvos. With his ubiquitous live band, possibly a first in our politics, he savages then mocks his adversaries, providing quality entertainment to the opposition and some neutrals, and obviously riling PDP members, their sympathisers and some other neutrals. He openly hobnobs with the opposition, ready to receive anyone,

obviously enjoying the attention that goes with being the current beautiful bride of Nigerian politics. Despite all these, his party’s grandees, including the presidential candidate, have made repeated attempts, within and outside the country, to appease him. They are yet to succeed.

Another attempt was made on Thursday when the chairman of the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Senator Walid Jubrin, stepped down. He was replaced by Senator Adolphus Wabara, former Senate President, who became the acting chairman. That supposedly addressed one of the advertised grouses of the Wike camp: the need for regional balance in the leadership of the decision-making organs of the party. But Wike was unimpressed, angry even. He dedicated a long tirade to what he considered a cosmetic concession, insisting the candidate and the chairman of the party should not come from the same region, saying unsavoury things about both of them, and promising more in days to come.

PDP clearly has a Wike issue, one that has to be resolved one way or the other.

Before examining the options available to PDP, it is important first to understand how the governor of just one state became a major force within a party as big as PDP. I can think of three reasons. One obvious explanation is that Wike is the governor of a well-resourced state that also happens to be one of PDP’s strongholds, and a must-win for the party in what is shaping up to be a tight race.

Rivers has 3.69 million registered voters, now the fourth highest in the country, and PDP will definitely need Rivers’ votes and resources to stand in good stead. The fact that Mr. Peter Obi, the flagbearer of the Labour Party, is likely to eat into the traditional PDP votes in the South East and some other places further raises the profile of Rivers and enhances Wike’s leverage. Electoral politics, it is said, is a game of addition, not subtraction. And in the mathematics of elections, double subtractions do not amount to an addition.

Second is that Wike is actually not a lone wolf. He has at least three other sitting PDP governors openly with him and three others said to be secretly with him.

That means that Wike inclusive, between four to seven of the current 13 PDP governors are in his camp, amounting to between 31% and 54% of all PDP governors. Given the outsize role that governors play in our politics and our elections, this is not a trivia slice. To be sure, many within and outside the party take issues with Wike’s style and comportment. But it appears that Wike has become the rallying point to the aggrieved and the alienated within his party. This group includes those still not happy about the decision to throw the party’s presidential ticket open, instead of zoning it to the south, a decision which eventually led the emergence of Atiku as the candidate.

A third reason is that Wike literally carried the party on his back, especially post-2019 elections. Having oil money and the willingness to spend, no doubt, helped him in this quest. As I mentioned in a July piece, PDP has been like a fish out of water since it lost the presidency in 2015. Robbed of the Continued on page 70

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