SUNDAY 3RD DECEMBER 2023

Kenyan President: Tinubu’s Removal of Petrol Subsidy Needed for Africa’s Development Idika Kalu blames delay in ending subsidy regime for current economic woes

Festus Akanbi

Kenyan President, Mr. William Ruto,

has said President Bola Tinubu’s removal of petrol subsidy is what Africa needs for development,

adding that the decision will move the continent forward.

This is as a former Minister of

Finance, Budget, and National Planning of Nigeria, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, attributed the severity

of the current harsh economic realities to the failure of successive administrations to summon the

courage to end the fuel subsidy Continued on page 5

Outstanding Tax Liabilities: FIRS Okays Waiver on Penalties, Interests... Page 5 Sunday, December 3, 2023 Vol 28. No 10462

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L-R: (front row): Founder, Atlas Oranto Petroleum, Prince Arthur Eze; Vice President Kashim Shettima; newly wed, Chinedu and Brittany Atanmo; Bride’s parents, Mrs. Uju and Mr. Emmanuel Ifejika; Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti and Groom's mother, Mrs. Kate Atanmo. L-R: (back row): Property magnate, Sir Olu Okeowo; Renowned industrialist, Mr. Ronald Chagoury; Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye; and former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, during the wedding reception for the couple at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos…yesterday KUNLE OGUNFUYI

At COP28 Summit, Tinubu Commits Nigeria to Ending Gas Flaring Unfolds bold agenda for a greener Nigeria with roll-out of 100 electric buses Challenges US, China to do more for earth $1bn new grants mobilised since COP27, says Kerry Deji Elumoye in Abuja In line with the global push to halt methane emissions, President Bola Tinubu has expressed his government's commitment to end gas-flaring in the country.

He also unfolded a bold agenda for a greener Nigeria with the rollout of 100 electric buses aimed at a sustainable and eco-friendly future for the country.

This is coming as the United States Special Envoy on Climate, John Kerry, has announced that over $1 billion in new grants has been mobilised since COP27 in Sharm el-Shiekh, Egypt.

President Tinubu made the declaration yesterday at the ongoing United Nations Climate Conference Continued on page 5

UNITED TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE...

L-R: Kenya’s President, William Ruto; President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani; and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, during the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai…yesterday

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NEWS

NiMet Predicts Three-day Dust Haze, Sunshine Across Nigeria Advises airline operators to get updated weather reports for effective planning of operations The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted dust haze and sunshine from today to Tuesday across the country.

The agency advised airline operators to get updated weather reports from it for effective planning in their operation, ” it said.

NiMet’s Weather Outlook, released yesterday in Abuja, forecast dust hazes over the northern region today throughout the forecast period.

According to NiMet, sunny skies with hazy atmosphere is expected over the North-central region throughout the forecast period.

“Cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine is anticipated over the inland states of the South and the coastal belt during the morning hours.

“In the afternoon/evening period, localised thunderstorms are expected over parts of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states,” it said.

The agency envisaged sunny skies with a hazy atmosphere

on Monday over the North and North-central regions of the country throughout the forecast period.

NiMet predicted cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine over the inland states of the South and the coastal cities in the morning hours.

The agency anticipated localised thunderstorms over parts of Imo, Abia, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States later in the day.

“For Tuesday, sunny and hazy skies are expected over the North and North-central regions throughout the forecast period.

“Cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine are envisaged over the inland states of the South and the coast in the morning hours.

“Later in the day, thunderstorms are anticipated over most parts of the southern region,” it said.

According to NiMet, dust particles are in suspension, and the public should take the necessary precautions. People with asthma and other respiratory issues should be cautious of the

present weather situation.

It advised the public to take necessary caution, avoid driving and walking through flood waters as moderate to heavy rainfall

could lead to flash floods.

“Strong winds are likely to precede and accompany the thunderstorms, the public is advised to take necessary safety

precautions.

“Disaster risk managers, agencies and individuals should be proactive, to avert loss of lives and property during the rainy

season.

“Airline operators are advised to get updated weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operation,” it said.

Outstanding Tax Liabilities: FIRS Okays Waiver on Penalties, Interests Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has approved a full waiver of penalties and interests on all outstanding tax liabilities subject to the payment of the full principal before December 31, 2023.

The agency said the concessions, which align with Section 32 of the Federal Inland Service (Establishment) Act, LFN 2004 (as amended) were considered in recognition of the challenges faced by many taxpayers in settling their outstanding tax obligations, and in line with the commitment of the current government to support businesses.

A statement issued by the

Executive Chairman of FIRS, Zack Adedeji, and obtained

by THISDAY, explained that the full penalty and interest shall be reinstated after the expiration of the one-off concession window where the outstanding undisputed liability remains fully or partially unpaid.

Section 27(2) of the FIRS Act suggests that liability to pay a penalty is triggered by default to comply with a demand by the FIRS for payment of an outstanding tax and not by default to pay the tax in the first instance.

Section 40 of the same Act also states that in the case of withholding tax, interest, and penalty accrue from the date of default.

The taxpayer will, therefore, be liable to pay the tax that ought to have been deducted and remitted plus the interest and penalty upon conviction.

The FIRS' statement read: "In recognition of the challenges that many taxpayers have faced in settling their outstanding tax liabilities, and in line with the commitment of the current government to support businesses, the Federal Inland Revenue Service has approved the following tax concessions for taxpayers with outstanding tax liabilities, in accordance with Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, LFN 2004 as amended: Full waiver of penalties on outstanding tax liabilities and Full waiver on

interests on outstanding tax liabilities.

"Taxpayers are advised that the waiver of interest is subject to the full settlement of outstanding principal on or before 31 December 2023.

"Please note that the full penalty and interest shall be reinstated after the expiration of this one-off concession window where the outstanding undisputed liability remains fully or partially unpaid.

"The FIRS appreciates all taxpayers who have been diligent in complying with their tax obligations as and when due while serving their continued support and cooperation for a more responsive and robust tax system," the statement added.

KENYAN PRESIDENT: TINUBU’S REMOVAL OF PETROL SUBSIDY NEEDED FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT policy as soon as it became a drain pipe to the economy.

The 84-year-old former minister, who also blamed the regime of dual foreign exchange policy of the immediate past administration for the current instability in the exchange rate, warned the current monetary authorities against arrogating a substantial portion of the foreign exchange management to parallel market forces.

Ruto spoke at a high-level event for African leaders with the theme “Africa’s green industrialisation” on the sideline of the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Speaking on the removal of subsidy by President Tinubu, the Kenyan leader, according to TheCable, said African leaders needed to make more of such difficult decisions that would stabilise their economies.

“I want to congratulate my colleagues, heads of state – the President of Zambia for the many steps they have had to take to stabilise their economy,” he said.

“President Tinubu here, who has had to make very difficult decisions, including the removal of subsidy.

“We all have to make such difficult decisions to get Africa moving and I want to promise here that we will gather the courage to make the right decisions so that Africa can match into the future.

“And also partner with other regions of the world as we tackle the challenge of climate change, and as we create opportunities for young people so that our young people don’t have to get into dangerous routes to go to other destinations.

“We want to create jobs; we want them to get equipped on our continent and continue working on their continent,” Ruto explained.

He added that investors and development partners need to know that Africa has green investment projects and is ready to use renewable energy to turn the existential threat facing the continent into opportunities for investments, job creation, and development.

Ruto said African presidents needed to work together to attract the potential of green energy to the continent.

The Kenyan president said some companies are already stepping forward to invest in Africa because they saw the “tremendous potential, opportunities, and businesses that exist on our continent”.

Idika Kalu Blame Delay in Ending Subsidy Regime for Current Economic Woes

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning of Nigeria, Dr. Kalu, has attributed the severity of the current harsh economic realities to the failure of successive administrations to summon the courage to end the fuel subsidy policy.

The former minister, who was a guest on ARISE NEWS Channel yesterday, wondered why the previous governments could not have ended the programme with the level of fraud and leakages associated with it, however, added that subsidy was not a bad policy.

He said: “We should never have sustained subsidy the way we did and this has little to do with the new administration. It could have been done by the previous administration and even a few others before that.”

Explaining that though the petrol subsidy was not entirely bad, the former minister, however, pointed out that the policy outlived its relevance when its operation began to give rise to leakages and corruption in the system.

“The issue is not as if subsidies are bad. In fact, subsidies have been designed since the mercantile period as a way of encouraging domestic production to shorten the learning curve, to give the ability to both domestic competitiveness and external competitiveness.

“So, the issue is not whether the subsidy is good or not. In the same sense, the issue is not whether you remove subsidy or you didn’t remove subsidy. Nobody will argue that when it is not efficient when it is not encouraging production, when it is giving rise to increased costs, when it is giving rise to leakages and corruption in the system, there is no question one has to take that political decision to remove the subsidy,” Kalu explained.

He also blamed the anxiety over the 2024 budget on the complication in foreign exchange management, which he said has affected other aspects of the economy.

He said: “Regarding the budget, the shocks that we are having now come from the reasons that have been discussed over the past few years and it is the big leaps in the exchange rate, and the corresponding rise in costs, because of the sheer lag in eliciting reaction from the producers, both those who are producing and those importing,” he said.

The former minister said he would never support a double foreign exchange regime, insisting that no economy can survive under such a policy.

“I cannot support the practice

of a double foreign exchange regime. When you look at advanced countries, you look at Asian Tigers, you look at most of Europe, they don’t talk in terms of double exchange rates. As a professional in the field that has helped other countries manage their exchange rate system, I believe the emphasis is on resource allocation.

“We should not be carried away thinking there is something laudable about two foreign exchange systems.

“I will advocate like what we had in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and even to early 1960s when we were not talking about multiple exchange rates, but then you compare that to the position we had recently, which was a horrendous mixture of all kinds of presumptuous rates of exchange. You think farmers deserve this, market women deserve that, or large-scale producers deserve that.”

Speaking on the efforts of the current managers of the economy to

improve the situation, Kalu pointed out: “We may be experiencing dynamic changes right now, but I think the government is doing everything to improve the situation.

“I listened to the Minister of Finance and Minister of Budget and National Planning trying to explain the details of the budget including the Governor of the Central Bank.

“I'm sure they will be trying to tackle some of the problems the

way we have decided to adjust the exchange rate and the target is to move to a single-digit rate.

“The black market will always be there but it’s supposed to be a fringe market but the differential should be very small. On no account should we begin to arrogate such a sizeable play in the whole metrics in the parallel market. In some countries, it is non-existent and that’s where all the countries are moving to,” Kalu added.

AT COP28 SUMMIT, TINUBU COMMITS NIGERIA TO ENDING GAS FLARING (COP28) summit on methane and other non-greenhouse gases in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

President Tinubu, who shared the platform with the President of COP28, Dr. Sultan Ahmed al-Jabar; the United States Special Envoy on Climate, Kerry, and the Chinese Envoy on Climate, Xie Zhenhue, told the global leaders that Nigeria has already imposed heavy penalties for defaulters.

Praising the leadership of the UAE for the drive to reduce greenhouse gases, the president said he was aware of the need for participants to make commitments to the goal of limiting the earth's temperature increase by the end of the century.

His words: "Sitting here in this room, I know that we have to commit ourselves. We have been doing so before today. We are committed to critical steps to reduce methane emissions by ensuring gas flaring is eliminated.

There is a huge penalty for that.

There is equally a huge incentive to do so.

"The measures that are taken here are a welcome development, no doubt about that.

“I am with the leadership of the UAE for the commitment shown so far.

"We are consolidating on gas export, usage domestically, and export to other countries. I can assure you that we will be partners in progress to achieve renewable energy.

"We are committed to an energy mix; we are providing cooking gas for our large population. We will continue to do that.

"We have signed off on the reduction of methane. We will leverage new technology and we hope that the two giant nations and the Emirates will be able to help us," Tinubu explained.

The President pointed out that the world's biggest economies, the US and China, are the biggest culprits in greenhouse emissions, stressing that the earth needs urgent healing.

While expressing delight that both countries were represented at the summit, he said: "What I know of Africa is the fact that de-risking in additional investment and technological knowhow is very necessary and the largest economies that have benefitted immensely should do more real fast because the earth needs healing and needs more attention."

Speaking earlier, Sultan al-Jabar stressed that the efforts being made prove that success is possible in the objective of limiting the earth's temperature.

He observed that the elimination of all CO2 gases can be done with the necessary cooperation and hard work on the part of the countries.

Also speaking, Kerry announced that over $1 billion in new grants has been mobilised since COP27 in Sharm el-Shiekh, Egypt.

He expressed happiness that more countries have made methane pledge endorsements.

According to him, “Earlier today the United States finalised standards to sharply reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations. And those efforts will achieve a nearly 80 per cent reduction and is planning a rulemaking review.

“We, the United States, are planning a rulemaking review on methane emission standards for landfills. The United States and the European Union launched a global methane pledge two years ago in Glasgow, with 100 countries joining.

“At COP 27 in Sharm elSheikh, we were able to grow the list of endorsements to 150 countries. I'm pleased today to announce new global methane pledge endorsements from Angola, Kenya, and Romania.

And I'm particularly excited that Turkmenistan Kazakhstan joined yesterday and Kosovo President Costco is here to join today. We're working to turn the pledge itself into action.

“Over 86 countries covering well over half of emissions have national methane action plans in

place and we are engaging with our partners to develop them.

And we are launching exciting new initiatives and partnerships including lowering organic waste or low methane to support some national waste reduction efforts around the world.”

According to him, President Biden had launched the methane finance sprint at the April 2023 major economies forum he hosted at the White House to raise $200 million to help us go forward.

“Well, I'm very pleased to announce today that the United States, the European Union, other governments, philanthropies, and the private sector significantly exceeded that target. And together, we have mobilised over $1 billion in new grant funding since COP27 for methane which has more than tripled previous annual methane grant funding.

“And then we will leverage the score in project investment. And these funds are going to support cutting methane emissions across all sectors with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

“As part of this effort, we have a group of oil and gas companies that have stepped up and decided to take a leadership role in helping to deal with this job on a local basis.”

Meanwhile, President Tinubu also yesterday declared that Nigeria is taking a significant step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future by introducing a pioneering initiative to deploy a fleet of 100 electric buses.

The president spoke at a highlevel meeting with stakeholders and investors on the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the sideline of the COP28 climate summit.

President Tinubu explained that the strategic initiative is aimed at significantly reducing Nigeria's carbon footprint and modernising the country's transportation systems as part of a larger effort to position Nigeria and Africa as the pioneering frontier of green manufacturing

and industrialisation with a focus on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.

To spearhead this transformative plan, the President announced the appointment of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mr. Dahiru Salisu, to co-chair the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan. ''This initiative stands as a testament to our dedication to environmental stewardship as clearly exemplified through our collaboration with the Africa Carbon Market Initiative. Our visionary plan is a strategic guidepost, directing Nigeria towards becoming an investment-friendly destination for carbon market investments.

He assured prospective investors that the initiative transcends being a mere pilot project. ''As we unveil our initiatives, I challenge other nations to emulate our strides in mapping out their sustainable futures with a clear understanding that Africa is a beacon of innovative solutions to climate-related challenges. ''Nigeria's plans for a greener and cleaner economy can serve as an inspirational narrative for nations worldwide. Our comprehensive approach, rooted in visionary leadership and pragmatic action supported by our technical partners, is poised to become a blueprint for countries aspiring to also develop and catalyse their markets for sustainable growth,'' the President further said.

Earlier in his remarks, FIRS Chairman, Adedeji acknowledged the visionary leadership of President Tinubu as the guiding force behind Nigeria's commitment to harnessing its vast carbon potential.

Adedeji pledged the full commitment of the committee to drive the implementation of efficient policies and frameworks to achieve sustainable carbon market growth.

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NEWS

WELCOME TO THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE… L-R: Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Central Business Districts, Mrs. Bola Olumegbon-Lawal; Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo; Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; and Vice President Kashim Shettima, when the vice president arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos…weekend

FG: We are Committed to Combating Terrorism in Nigeria N’Assembly backs president on restructuring of security architecture Francis Sardauna in Katsina President Bola Tinubu yesterday said his administration was determined to combat and defeat all forms of terrorism and other security challenges bedevilling the country.

This is coming as the National Assembly has thrown its weight behind Tinubu’s decision to review Nigeria’s internal security architecture in order to address the challenges afflicting the country.

The president, who spoke during the seventh and eighth convocation of the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, said the federal government remained resolute in tackling the nation's security challenges.

He appealed to all Nigerians to join hands with the federal government by giving useful

information to security agencies on the activities of the miscreants in order to ward off terrorism in the country.

The president, whose speech was read at the convocation ceremony by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Prof. Abdulkareem Sabo Muhammad, said security was a collective responsibility of all Nigerians.

He said: “I, therefore, appealed to all Nigerians to join hands with the government by giving useful information to security agencies on suspicious persons, miscreants and their activities.”

He explained that the government was also committed to unlocking the potential in the nation's agricultural and mining sectors to provide loans for graduates who are willing to

go into agriculture.

Tinubu added that his administration was committed to tackling the challenges of unemployment among graduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions for the development and growth of the country.

He, therefore, urged the FUDMA graduates to key into the federal government's Alert Digital Innovation programme, aimed at training two million youths and empowering one million micro, small and medium enterprises across Nigeria.

He added that the federal government had mandated the National Universities Commission (NUC) to develop a blueprint through the new core curriculum minimum academic standards that would respond to the rapid changing needs in the

labour market.

In his remarks, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State lamented the negative impact of security challenges on the educational sector in the state.

He said many schools in frontline local government areas of the state have been closed due to banditry “and in some cases, schools have become a den for bandits.”

Meanwhile, the National Assembly has thrown its weight behind Tinubu’s decision to review Nigeria’s internal security architecture in order to address the challenges afflicting the country.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who made his position known yesterday in a pre-convocation lecture at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Katsina State, described

Ararume Kicks against Fresh Appointment of NNPCL Board Chairman

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Senator Ifeanyi Ararume has kicked against the appointment of a new Non-Executive Chairman for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Ararume, who is the courtrecognised chairman of the board, stated that the move

by President Bola Tinubu is in breach of an order of court.

In a public notice issued on November 30, by his lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja (SAN), the former senator stressed that he remains the chairman of the board until ordered otherwise by the court.

"Our attention has been drawn to the news of the appointment of new members of NNPC Limited Board, including a new Non-Executive Chairman by the President on the 27th November 2023, in utter violation of the judgment and order of the Federal High Court, Abuja dated 18th April 2023 in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1621/2022 – Between Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume V. the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, NNPCL and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wherein the court restrained the president from removing the name of

Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume from the Corporate Affairs Commission as a Non-Executive Director of NNPCL and that he be allowed to continue to function as the Chairman of the Board of NNPCL. This judgment remains valid and subsisting until this moment without being set aside", the notice read in part.

Ararume expressed the shock that the president could brazenly disobey the court judgment by purporting to appoint a New Board and Management Team for NNPCL instead of giving implementation to the said judgment of the Federal High Court.

"It is shocking that rather than obey the valid and extant judgment of the court, the president has taken the laws into his hands to overrule the courts and usurp the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal before whom, the President has filed an appeal which is pending, by taking steps to undermine the judgment by such illegal appointments.

"This singular act of Mr. President unfortunately denotes a wanton disregard for the rule of law and a direct affront on the judiciary," the notice added.

It argued that with the said judgment still valid and subsisting, it is clear as crystal even to the common man that the appointment of the new Board and Management of the NNPCL by the President on November 27, 2023, is illegal, wrongful, null and void and of no legal consequence".

The notice warned the general public to "beware of those illegal appointments in their own interest" and avoid having any dealings whatsoever with the new Board and Management of the NNPCL "as anyone who goes ahead to do any business or transactions with them will be doing so at his or her own peril.

"We hereby call on Mr. President, who is a huge beneficiary of judicial pronouncements and the rule of law, to reverse his decision and allow the flow of the rule of law.

"Mr. President should have known that respect for the rule of law is equally a strong factor in the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which he has been traveling all over the world to promote."

Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, had

on April 18, 2023, set aside the removal of Senator Ararume as the Non-Executive Chairman of the newly Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited Board.

Justice Ekwo in the judgment held that Ararume's removal by the then President Muhammadu Buhari contravened provisions of the NNPCL laws as well as the Company's and Allied Matters Act. In addition, Ekwo had held that Ararume's removal after his appointment by Buhari was illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void and subsequently nullified the president's action.

The court also declared as nullity all decisions and actions taken so far by the board in the absence of Ararume.

While Ekwo had made an order reinstating Ararume as Non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL Board with immediate effect, he had made another order directing the defendants which included Buhari, NNPCL, and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), to pay Ararume the sum of N5 billion being damages he suffered following his unlawful removal as NNPC Board Chairman.

the country's security challenges as enormous but surmountable.

The lecture was titled: ‘Harnessing the Power of Education, Technology, and Innovation in Tackling Insecurity.’

He said there was a need to pursue security sector reforms and drive investments in socioeconomic opportunities for wretched communities, especially in the North-west region of the country.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Prof. Bashir Mohammed Fagge, the Deputy Senate President advocated innovative domestic and regional interventions to “dismantle the lethal web of intersecting threats facing the security of our nation.”

He also called for the immediate integration of tolerance, empathy, cooperate dialogue, human rights and citizenship duties in the nation’s educational curricula.

Jibrin said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on Wednesday, while presenting the 2024 budget proposal to the joint session of the National Assembly, that defence and internal security are accorded top priority.

“He also disclosed that the internal security architecture will be overhauled to enhance law enforcement capabilities to safeguard lives, property, and investments across the country.

We are on the same page with Mr. President to address the security challenges facing our country,” Jibrin explained.

“Thus, Nigeria’s security challenges are enormous, though not insurmountable.

“Innovative domestic and regional interventions can dismantle the lethal web of intersecting threats facing the security of our nation,” he added.

According to Jibrin, with visionary leadership, multistakeholder partnership, and citizens’ action, the tide of violence can be progressively tamed.

He added, “Then we can focus our attention on building Nigeria’s peace infrastructure at the grassroots.

“National rebirth is imperative to further strengthen and foster a security architecture reflecting shared identity, inclusiveness, social justice, and prosperity for all Nigerians,” he said.

Over 74,000 Candidates Registered for 2023 SSCE, Says NECO Registrar Kuni Tyessi in Abuja No fewer than 74,819 candidates are participating in the ongoing 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates nationwide, the Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Prof.

Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has said.

Speaking yesterday while monitoring the examination at Government Science Secondary School, Gombe in Gombe State, Wushishi, disclosed that reports received from the various centres across the country indicated that the examination was going on smoothly.

He admonished candidates to shun examination malpractice, noting that various measures have been put in place to check the menace.

The Registrar who is on a

nationwide monitoring of the examination, said the Council has put in place necessary measures to ensure that the examination is seamless.

"I can tell you that from our records, not less than 74,819 candidates are participating in the ongoing 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for External candidates nationwide.

"So far, reports received from the various centres across the country have indicated that the examination is going on smoothly.

"I advise all candidates to shun examination malpractice because the council has put various measures in place to check the menace," he said.

The 2023 SSCE External, which started on Monday, November 20, 2023, will end on December 20, 2023.

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FARE THEE WELL, FATHER… L-R: Rights activist, Mrs. Annkio Briggs; Mrs. Nkechi Okemini Mba; former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Son of the deceased, Prince Tonye Princewill; and Mrs. Jetiba Soberekon, during the funeral rite for the late King T. J. T Princewill, in Buguma, Rivers State…recently KUNLE OGUNFUYI

FG’s Student Loan Designed to Enrich Private Varsity Owners, Says ASUU Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday described the student loan set up by the federal government as a plan to enrich a few individuals who own private universities in the country.

The National President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, who was represented by his deputy, Christopher Piwuna, stated this

while speaking to journalists in Bauchi on the sidelines of the award of scholarship to undergraduate students in Bauchi Zone of the union held at the ATBU, Yelwa Campus.

He said if the government was sincere in its intentions, the proposed student loan should be made a grant instead of a loan.

He said: “Right from the start, we believe that the Nigerian state is capable of funding education

PwC: States Should Proceed with Caution on Electricity Act Implementation Oluchi Chibuzor with agency report PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has warned states across the country to approach the implementation of the Electricity Act with caution and careful planning to avoid disruptions to the power system.

Partner and Finance Advisory Leader, PwC Nigeria, Bimbola Banjo, made this known at the firm’s 14th edition of the annual power and utilities roundtable, with the theme “The Electricity Act 2023: Powering Nigeria.”

Banjo, according to TheCable, cautioned against the adoption of the technology, saying that it would come with substantial financial burdens for states due to its high upfront costs.

“While there is an urgency to adopt the Electricity Act, states must exercise caution and assess their readiness for implementation,” he said.

“The process of adoption will incur significant costs, including engaging legal and commercial advisors, and will require substantial investments in technology, human resources, and the establishment of state-level structures.

“Before proceeding, states should conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their electricity market and network infrastructure, accompanied by detailed technical and commercial feasibility studies.

“This rigorous assessment will ensure that states are adequately prepared to implement the Electricity Act effectively and reap its full benefits,” Banjo said.

The new electricity law repeals the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 and consolidates the laws relating to the Nigerian Electricity

Supply Industry (NESI).

The Senate passed the electricity bill in July 2022 to solve the sector’s challenges.

Consequently, states have been granted constitutional authority to enact laws that allow them to generate, distribute, and transport electricity within their boundaries, including territories formerly covered only by the national grid.

Partner and energy, utilities, and resources leader at PwC Nigeria, Pedro Omontuemhen, emphasised the significance of this year’s roundtable theme, highlighting the Electricity Act’s potential to address numerous challenges faced by the sector.

“The 2023 power roundtable’s timing coincides with the ongoing COP 28 in Dubai, highlighting the urgent need for continued action on climate change especially in the area of renewable energy,” Pedro said.

“The Electricity Act can play a pivotal role in addressing this challenge by providing guidance on balancing the utilisation of our natural resources with the reduction of carbon emissions while showing how we can generate, transmit, and distribute adequate power to meet Nigeria’s energy needs.”

According to him, discussions at the roundtable have shown that power sector stakeholders welcome the Electricity Act as a good step, especially for consolidating the laws governing the Nigerian electricity supply industry and establishing a policy framework that empowers state governments and investors.

He, however, said there is more to be done to enhance the legislation and make it more responsive to the realities of industry practitioners.

in Nigeria. All these issues that have led to the introduction of the loan, the issues of charges in our universities, are as a result of poor funding. So, this particular effort by the government is supposed to meet that funding gap in the universities.

“We believe that with discipline, the Nigerian state can fund education adequately. From recent happenings in the country, where, for instance, one member of the National Assembly can take just a part of his allowances would include a N160 million, is a clear sign that if the Nigerian atate is serious, it can fund education.

“The leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, I think, tried to demonstrate that, when his administration agreed to release N200 billion in 2013 as part of the NEEDS Assessment and till this day, 10 years after the release of that money, we still see what that money is doing in this system.

“Just imagine if the government takes this funding seriously. So, we are against the student loan as a form of funding education, we think the loan will go back into the coffers of private individuals who are in government today who own private universities. If the government is serious, they should make grants to institutions and students.”

Speaking earlier in his speech during the scholarship award presentation to 19 indigent students

in Bauchi Zone, the ASUU National President said, “We just want to show the government that we believe that the resources are available to take care of education.

“Parents are failing in their responsibilities and their responsibility is to join us to ensure that this system is better but you fold your hands to watch us. But we want you to be part of this struggle, tell other parents. We don’t expect anything from you, All we want is for you to join hands with us to ensure that the system is better for the future.”

Speaking to the awardees, he said: “From today, you have become ASUU Ambassadors, we expect that, on your campuses, you’ll do what ASUU does and what ASUU does is: One, we protect our members, their interests and everything that concerns them. Their relationship with their employers, their relationship within the campus and anything that will advance their welfare is what ASUU does.

“Another thing that ASUU does is to protect the interest of Nigerians.

Let it be on record that, we have no interest whatsoever, to please any government. Our goal is not to please any government, our goal is not to play to the interest of the government.

“And so we want to reassure Nigerians particularly Nigerian students that as your parents, as your mentors, as those who guide

you, we will continue to look after you and this scholarship today is one of the many things that we will continue to do.

“Our constitution in ASUU stipulates that we will continue to have interest in socioeconomic and cultural policies of the government and how it affects Nigerians. That is one responsibility we have no plans whatsoever under whatever condition to let go. We will continue to fight for Nigeria, we will continue to fight for the educational system in this country.”

The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Lazarus Maigoro, who said that for 2023, the Bauchi zone of the union is giving 19 indigent students a scholarship apart from the 12 already awarded by the national body in the six universities that constitute the zone.

He said the union decided to initiate this yearly scholarship award because of the predicament of the indigent students who are sometimes prevented from writing examinations on the basis of not being able to pay their school fees/ charges as the case may be thereby truncating their future.

“It is worthy to note that many students have dropped out of school due to the inability of their parents to pay their school fees or charges.

This indigent student’s scholarship funded solely by ASUU either at the national level or branch level has continued to support students

towards the attainment of their educational objectives.

“I can authoritatively say without mincing words that as we teach these students in the classroom, we notice quite a number who are distressed due to the very harsh economic realities of our country.

“It is for this reason that ASUU totally rejects the idea of the student’s loan but students grant instead of loan which should not be paid back. The question is, who will pay the loan? What is the fate of those who cannot access it? The psychological trauma the students will be subjected to due to the loan while still on studies will affect their performance negatively.

“The thought that they will graduate with a loan of 4 million naira and above without the capacity to pay back is another psychological torture on them. Furthermore, those who cannot access the loan due to the stringent conditions attached virtually means dropping out of school.

“Currently, in view of the hike in school fees or charges in public universities all over the country, many students have not been able to resume. ASUU Bauchi zone is working on getting theqqx xqstatistics of students who may likely drop out of school at the end of the current session with the hope of making government review its decision on the issue of the loan and replace it with grants.

Appeal Court Affirms Otti’s Election as Abia Governor Wale Igbintade An Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State in a unanimous decision yesterday, upheld the victory of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, at the polls, stressing that it conformed with the provisions of the Electoral Act. The court of dismissed the appeals brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their governorship candidates against Otti’s victory.

The appellate court ruled that petitions brought by the appellants lacked in merit, as they were like “a comedy skit brought to a democratic setting.”

The court said issues of political party membership is a pre-election matter, which also falls within the jurisdiction of

the political party.

It further said since Otti joined the Labour Party, won its primary election and submitted his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he was qualified to contest.

On the issues of Bimodial Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) brought by the PDP and its candidate, the appeal court said the appellants failed to demonstrate or link their documentary evidence to the specific parts of the case.

The judgement has sparked celebration among the supporters of Governor Otti in some parts of the State.

Meanwhile, the PDP while reacting to the judgment in a statement signed by the party’s acting State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah advised its

members to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law-abiding.

The statement reads, “The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to the judgement of the three-man panel of Appeal Court judges which sat in Lagos and upheld the decision of the Abia Election Petition Tribunal which had affirmed Alex Otti as the winner of the March 18, 2023 Abia governorship election following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. “Following the judgment of the Appeal Court, the Abia PDP assures its members, numerous supporters across Party lines and the good people of Abia State to remain calm as the Party leadership is meeting with the governorship candidate and his running mate and the legal team

to review the judgement of the Appeal Court and come up with the next line of action.

“Abia PDP uses this opportunity to reiterate its confidence in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man and one of the strongest pillars of our democracy.

“We call on members of the PDP, our numerous supporters and sympathisers and the good people of Abia State to remain steadfast, calm, peaceful, law-abiding and put our hope and trust in God and in the Judiciary as we explore the options available to us.

“We also call on the good people of Abia who have been suffering under the bad policies of Alex Otti to know that the party would never abandon them.”

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NEWS

GREAT SCHOLARS… L-R: Chairman of the Occasion/Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Ajayi Crowther University, Dr. Olutoyin Okeowo; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola; First Occupier of Dr. Adenuga Jr. Professorial Chair, University of Lagos, Professor Sunday Adebisi; Mrs. Adetoun Adebisi; Chairman of Board of Trustees of Dr. Adenuga Professorial Chair, Professor Taiwo Osipitan; and Registrar, University of Lagos, Mrs. Olakunle Makinde Jr., at the first special annual lecture of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at University of Lagos…recently

Dangiwa Seeks Affordable Mortgage Products to Match Nigeria’s Economic Realities Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, yesterday told heads of mortgage institutions in Nigeria to find innovative solutions that will make financing more accessible and affordable to Nigerians.

Speaking during the 20th edition of the Mortgage Banking Chief Executives’ Annual Retreat in Abuja, Dangiwa urged the mortgage bankers to be creative in developing housing products for the country.

The theme of the programme was: ‘Advancing Sustainable and Affordable Housing in Nigeria: Navigating Macro-economic, Legislative, and Policy Frontiers.’

He noted that CEOs of mortgage banks must find new ways to navigate the harsh macroeconomic environment and ensure that ordinary Nigerians, especially those in the low- and medium-income bracket can access the finance they need for home ownership.

"While the government works to fix this macro-economic challenge, I still believe that as CEOs of mortgage banks, you can find creative ways to develop innovative mortgage products that are responsive to Nigeria's current economic situation.

“This includes adopting rent-toown mortgage options and flexible monthly mortgage loan repayments to make commercial loans more affordable.

"I note with concern that the capital market has not been maximally tapped to raise long-term funds to refinance mortgage loans and to explore more creative ways to make mortgages more affordable even as we work to fix the larger macro-economic problems.

“As leaders, we must not only see the provision of housing and home loans from a business and profit perspective but also see expanding access to affordable mortgages as a moral imperative," he said.

While acknowledging the presence of legacy challenges and barriers that hamper development in the sector, he charged the mortgage bankers to see themselves as leaders with a moral imperative to make housing more affordable and easily

accessible to Nigerians.

“I am pained to note that the same problems that have been militating against the growth of housing finance, mortgage adoption, and housing delivery in this country and have been the points of discussion at every one of the previous 19 editions are the same ones that still plague the sector today,” he added.

Dangiwa stated that he was aware of the cost of funding and its impact on lending rate, which he said is a reflection of the broader economic reality.

He expressed confidence in the ability and willingness of President Bola Tinubu to drive economic growth and create a more friendly environment for mortgage banking

FG: 2024 Budget will Transform Nigeria, Improve Living Conditions of Citizens Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna The federal government has said that the passage of the 2024 budget by the National Assembly will mark the beginning of transforming the country and bring about tangible improvements to the lives of Nigerians.

Speaking yesterday in Kaduna, at the 2023 Annual Lecture and General Meeting of the Kaduna State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, said President Bola Tinubu, came into office at a very challenging time in the nation’s history, stressing that the president has confronted all the inherited challenges head-on.

The theme of the lecture was: ‘Demographic Translation, Ethical Resources, and Sustainable

Development: Reflections on Northern Nigeria’.

The minister said the budget signifies a pivotal step towards the realisation of the President's Renewed Hope Agenda, by aligning fiscal strategies and priorities with broader national development objectives.

“Just this week, he presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly, the first full-year Budget of his Administration. The budget as presented signifies a pivotal step towards the realisation of his Renewed Hope Agenda, by aligning fiscal strategies and priorities with broader national development objectives.

“In addition to its focus on development priorities, the budget demonstrates a commitment to fiscal responsibility. President Tinubu's administration recognises the importance of prudent financial

management as the foundation for long-term economic stability. As the 2024 appropriation bill moves through the legislative process, we are very optimistic that its passage will mark the beginning of a transformative era, bringing tangible improvements to the lives of Nigerians,” Idris said.

The minister noted that before the budget presentation, President Tinubu had assented to a Supplementary Budget, signed some landmark Bills and Executive Orders into law, and inaugurated special presidential initiatives on fiscal policy reform, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Food Security, MSME Support, and other critical areas of the economy.

“The goal has been to deliver relief to the Nigerian people, and lay the groundwork for true and lasting prosperity,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to acknowledge that while the present administration came into office at a

very challenging time in the nation’s history, the president has confronted all the inherited challenges head-on.

“Nigerians have as president a transformational leader with a solid track record in the private sector and at the level of subnational government. A man who will not be fazed by challenges and obstacles, who has regularly said he does not need pity or sympathy; because he asked for and passionately sought the job,” he said.

While speaking on the theme of the lecture “Demographic Translation, Ethical Resources, and Sustainable Development: Reflections on Northern Nigeria”, Idris said the concept of Demographic Transition was a very crucial topic in Nigeria, considering the country’s growing population, which is projected to be the third most populous country in the world, after India and China, and ahead of the United States by 2050.

Anambra APC Formally Unveils Ubah, Ekwunife as Members David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka Senators Ifeanyi Ubah and Uche Ekwunife were yesterday formally presented to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State as new members of the party.

Ubah had recently announced his defection from Young Progressives Party (YPP) to APC. On her part, Ekwunife recently lost her bid to return to the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The state Chairman of APC, Chief Basil Ejidike, who formally received the two senators, hailed the leadership qualities of President Bola Tinubu, while requesting more commitment from the members of the party.

Ejidike who spoke about the prospect of APC taking Anambra State in 2025 through the new entrants said: "We can achieve this great feat if we want, because the manpower and resources are readily available.

"Year 2025 affords us yet another opportunity to contest and win Anambra State Government House.

Let us as one family work towards achieving this goal for our party.

"I enjoin you the new members not to fail to sustain their dogged and positive humanitarian spirits, which is their hallmark. We urge you to double this inherent spirit in your service to the party.

"The APC will definitely provide you the platform to do more in this regard. I pledge our unalloyed

support and cooperation in all our dealings with all of you. Please, rest assured that the party is large enough to accommodate everyone's political aspirations."

Senator Ubah, one of the new entrants in his speech said the wait for APC to take Anambra had ended.

He said: "APC would no longer keep quiet in Anambra, pretending that all was well when things were going wrong. APC has finally arrived in Anambra State."

to thrive in Nigeria.

The minister assured the mortgage bankers that the jinx of macro-economic, legislative and policy issues that had held down the growth of effective housing delivery in the country will be broken under the leadership of Tinubu.

Speaking earlier, the President of the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN), Ebilate MacYoroki, noted that the retreat provided a platform for deliberation

aimed at harnessing policies and partnerships to create products that ensure access to affordable housing financing.

Also speaking at the event were the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), Kehinde Ogundimu, who observed that despite efforts by mortgage bankers in the past years, the industry has performed below expectation.

FG: Nigeria to Continue Engagement for Release of Deposed Niger’s President Nigeria will continue to engage with the government of Niger Republic to ensure the release of the country’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said.

Bazoum has not been released since the junta struck in the West African country earlier in the year.

But Tuggar said Nigeria, which plays a critical role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, won’t relent on pressing for Bazoum’s freedom.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference in Dubai, the Minister said Nigeria is not under any pressure to act against the Niger Republic.

“And we have made it clear; we spelled it out. We are asking them to release President Bazoum so that he will be allowed to leave Niger.

He will no longer be in custody.

He will go to a third country that is mutually agreed upon. And then

we start talking about the removal of sanctions,” the minister said.

“So, let no picture be painted that Nigeria is the one being difficult or that ECOWAS – because it was an ECOWAS decision – is being difficult. We continue to talk with them; to engage and our doors will continue to be open to those in charge in Niger as of now. You know, the opportunity is there. We are always ready, willing, and able to listen to them and the ball is in their court.”

Although many had claimed Nigeria was being controlled by some external forces, the minister argued that the country’s track record on the continent proved otherwise.

“There is no conflict between Nigeria and Niger. The people of Nigeria and Niger, we are brothers.

We are not against them; and don’t let anybody fool you that Nigeria is being dictated to by some other country what to do,” the minister added.

Fire Engulfs Federal Secretariat in Abuja Olawale Ajimotokan, Abuja

There was a fire outbreak yesterday at the Federal Secretariat, Phase II, Abuja.

The inferno, which started at about 2.30p.m., affected Block C of the complex that also houses the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The Director Communications, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mohammad Ahmed, said the fire was triggered by an explosion from the Electrical Utility Room on the 3rd floor of Block C being used as a solar and inverter room by

the present occupant, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said the incident, which was brought under control by the prompt response of personnel from the federal, as well as the FCT Fire Services at about 5p.m., affected the utility rooms on the second to the eighth floors of the building.

He said the Permanent Secretaries, Common Services Office-OHCSF, Mrs. Lydia S. Jafiya and Special Duties Office, Faruk Yusuf Yabo and Directors from the affected MDAs were on ground, while the operation lasted.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

BUSINESS

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

Ending the Cycle of Mishaps Since early this year, the aviation industry has recorded many mishaps, a development, which calls for stricter regulation and review of standard operation procedures of airlines, writes Chinedu Eze

I

t was a moment of confusion for Nigerians in general and for the aviation industry stakeholders, in particular, on August 1, 2023, when the news of an aircraft (a Jabiru J430 single engine) crash at Oba Akran, Lagos was broken in the media.

Luckily, the two persons on board survived.

Shortly after, a United Nigeria Airlines EmEUDHU (5- VXͿHUHG D UXQZD\ H[FXUVLRQ ZKLOH landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA) in Lagos.

The aircraft, bearing the registration 5N-BWW, ZDV FRQGXFWLQJ D GRPHVWLF ÁLJKW EHWZHHQ Abakaliki and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on May 31, 2023, when the incident happened.

The Embraer ERJ145 aircraft carrying 50 passengers onboard made a landing at the Lagos runway 18L. The aircraft, during its landing, YHHUHG RͿ WKH GHVLJQDWHG UXQZD\ UHVXOWLQJ LQ D UXQZD\ H[FXUVLRQ According to the airline, the aircraft landed safely but was “forced to terminate its movement to the apron.”

On September 9, 2023, another incident happened when an aircraft, with registration number 5NBWY, belonging to the United Nigeria $LUOLQHV VNLGGHG RͿ WKH UXQZD\ DW DERXW pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos while trying to land under a very heavy rainfall.

On November 14, a ValueJet CRJ 900 BomEDUGLHU DLUFUDIW VOLSSHG RͿ WKH UXQZD\ DW WKH Port-Harcourt International Airport, causing momentary panic and chaos among passengers.

The aircraft which landed at 15.32 hours with SDVVHQJHUV DQG ÀYH ÁLJKW FUHZ PHPEHUV overshot the runway.

On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, there ZDV SDQLF ZKHQ D 'DQD $LUOLQH ÁLJKW WDNLQJ RͿ IURP /DJRV WR $EXMD DERUWHG WDNH RͿ IROORZing a faulty engine, leaving many passengers stranded.

3DVVHQJHUV DERDUG WKH ÁLJKW VDLG WKH\ KHDUG D ORXG H[SORVLRQ ZKHQ WKH DLUFUDIW ZDV DERXW WR WDNH RͿ SURPSWLQJ WKH 3LORW LQ &RPPDQG WR DERUW WDNH RͿ One of the passengers said, “The Captain was trying to manage the situation but the report we had was that the plane lost its two engines. :H KDG WZR H[SORVLRQV DQG WKH SODQH ORVW WZR engines. It was God that saved us, it would have been a big disaster.

“Up till now the plane cannot move, the passengers are stranded here. They are not PDNLQJ DQ\ HͿRUW WKH\ DUH QRW PRYLQJ :H have complained to the NCAA, they did not do anything. ´,W KDSSHQHG DURXQG DIWHU D P 7KH ÁLJKW - ZDV VFKHGXOHG IRU DP 8S WLOO QRZ they have not done anything. They have not scheduled us, they are just keeping quiet. Nobody is talking to us, it is really a very pathetic FDVH :H KDYH PDGH DQ R΀FLDO FRPSODLQW WR NCAA.”

Safety Breaches

$OVR RQ 1RYHPEHU D ÁLJKW RSHUDWHG

by Aero Contractors Airlines from Lagos to $EXMD KDG D UXQZD\ H[FXUVLRQ LQFLGHQW LQ WKH morning, causing the temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number 1 %<4 VOLG RͿ WKH UXQZD\ ZKLOH WU\LQJ WR H[LW YLD $ DQG JRW LWV QRVH ZKHHO VWXFN LQ WKH grass verge.

THISDAY learnt from inside sources that RQ ODQGLQJ WKH SLORW LQ FRPPDQG RI WKH ÁLJKW claimed to have lost the aircraft steering, and RXW RI WKH IRXU H[LWV RͿ WKH UXQZD\ WZR ZHUH

WZR UHJXODWLRQV ZHUH EUHDFKHG LQ WKLV FDVH DQ aircraft that was meant for private service was used for charter service and it operated into an airport designated for Visual Flight Rule (VFR), that is Sunset Airport.

They stressed that this could be attributed to the lapses of the regulatory authority, noting that such breaches have become common in recent times.

“Ibadan is known as Daylight Airport.

Diversion 6XUSULVLQJO\ WKH ÁLJKW ZDV DOORZHG WR OHDYH In the latest incident, the Nigeria CivilAviation Abuja to Ibadan at that time. That was a big Authority (NCAA) suspended the wet-leased risk. The aircraft does not have an Air Operator aircraft operated by United Nigeria Airlines &HUWLÀFDWH $2& ,W KDV 31&) 8VLQJ SULYDWH pending the conclusion of an investigation aircraft to operate charter services is eroding the LQWR WKH GLYHUVLRQ RI D ÁLJKW PHDQW IRU $EXMD market. It means the industry is not properly to Asaba last Sunday. regulated. Every aircraft should be monitored.

NCAA had earlier directed United Nigeria “Also, the Visual Flight Rule at Ibadan airport Airlines to suspend the use of the aircraft, an was compromised. We operate charter services Airbus leased from Europe-based Fly2Sky, until DQG SD\ D ÀYH SHU FHQW FKDUJH WR 1&$$ :H after the investigation. also face stricter regulation in terms of mainteWhen the incident happened, the airline said nance to ensure that aircraft that operate charter in a statement that it temporarily diverted its services are safer. Those that have a permit as ÁLJKW 18$ WR $VDED GXH WR SRRU GHVWLQD- SULYDWHO\ RSHUDWHG DLUFUDIW GR QRW SD\ WKLV ÀYH tion weather. per cent charge and are not subjected to strong 7KHUH ZHUH GLVFUHSDQFLHV LQ WKH H[SODQDWLRQV maintenance monitoring,” the operator who is given as the cause of the diversion when Air into charter services, told THISDAY. 7UD΀F &RQWUROOHUV FRXQWHUHG WKLV FODLP LQVLVWLQJ $QRWKHU RSHUDWRU ZKR LV DQ H[HFXWLYH RI D that there were favourable weather conditions scheduled commercial airline, told THISDAY in Abuja at the time of the diversion. on condition of anonymity that breaching the After a post-incident meeting, the NCAA VFR at Ibadan airport was a compromise on suspended the airline’s wet lease aircraft pending VDIHW\ DQG UHJUHWWHG WKDW VLPLODU ÁLJKW RSHUDWLRQV further investigation. However, there are indica- have been happening at that airport and others tions that the NCAA may lift the suspension that have similar conditions. since the incident had no safety breach.

“Although the Nigeria Safety Investigation On November 3, 2023, there was a serious Bureau (NSIB) is yet to publish its initial report incident that happened at the Samuel Ladoke on the incident; so, we cannot talk about what Akintola Airport, Ibadan, Oyo State, in which an FDXVHG WKH LQFLGHQW EXW WKH ÁLJKW KDG QR EXVLQHVV aircraft not designated for charter service was going there without navigational aids. Also, involved in a charter operation and landed short as a private aircraft, it should not have been RͿ WKH UXQZD\ LQ WKH QLJKW DQG FUDVKHG LQWR allowed to operate charter service. That was a the bush. The aircraft was severely damaged, violation of standing regulation. The operator but no life was lost.

RI WKDW DLUFUDIW FDQ EH DFFXVHG RI WD[ HYDVLRQ because airlines that operate charter services Laxity SD\ D ÀYH SHU FHQW WD[ WR 1&$$ $ ORW RI WKLQJV The Ibadan incident was an eye-opener into are happening these days. Last time, an airline WKH ODSVHV WKDW DUH EHJLQQLQJ WR RFFXU LQ ÁLJKW that had not operated for one hour had its AOC regulation. renewed but airlines that that have operated for Two operators who spoke to THISDAY said \HDUV IDFH GL΀FXOW\ LQ UHQHZLQJ WKHLU $2& µ XQGHU PDLQWHQDQFH ZKLOH WKH ÀUVW ZDV ZKHUH DQ\ DLUFUDIW WKDW ZDV DERXW WR WDNH RͿ HQWHU the runway.

So, the pilot inevitably had to use the last H[LW IURP WKH UXQZD\ WR WKH WD[LZD\ ZKHUH WKH aircraft nose wheel got stuck. Flight NG 119 with a registered Boeing 737 aircraft 5N-BYQ from Lagos to Abuja had a total of 133 passengers on board.

the operator said.

7+,6'$< OHDUQW IURP DQ R΀FLDO ZKR ZRUNV DW WKH DLUSRUW LQ ,EDGDQ WKDW WKLV ZDV QRW WKH ÀUVW WLPH DQ DLUFUDIW ZDV Á\LQJ WR WKH DLUSRUW ODWH 7KH R΀FLDO VDLG PDQ\ DLUFUDIW GR VR DQG WKH airport management and the Nigeria Airspace 0DQDJHPHQW $JHQF\ 1$0$ ZHUH QRWLÀHG WR H[WHQG RSHUDWLRQ WLPH XQWLO WKH DLUFUDIW DUULYHG

Thorough Assessment

5HDFWLQJ WR WKH UHFHQW LQFLGHQW RI ÁLJKW GLYHUsion, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo ordered for thorough investigation and assessment of the incident.

He restated the concerns of several aviation stakeholders and the challenges faced by the sector regarding infrastructure, management, and navigational safety, among others.

Some industry stakeholders are of the view that the industry needs a total safety overhaul to avert any tragic incident in the future. They are of the view that these incidents are precursors to ominous events that may happen in the industry if pre-emptive actions are not taken.

Industry stakeholder and aviation security H[SHUW *URXS &DSWDLQ -RKQ 2MLNXWX UWG WROG 7+,6'$< ´7KHUH VKRXOG EH PDQ\ FRQFHUQV for us about our domestic commercial aviation sector which I believe need a thorough H[DPLQDWLRQ E\ WKH UHVSRQVLEOH DXWKRULWLHV before AOC/AOL (airline licenses) are issued to them and when their operations begin, regular oversight and audits of earnings still by the VDPH DXWKRULWLHV 1RQH RI WKHVH DUH HͿHFWLYHO\ done on the public and private operators to NQRZ WKHLU ÀQDQFLDO KHDOWK µ Nigeria can take a cue from the United States, which is currently undertaking a review of the safety status of the aviation industry, following a series of incidents. In the past in Nigeria, when such incidents began to occur, they became a harbinger of major accidents, but since 2013, Nigeria has enjoyed a good safety reputation of not recording any major accidents involving commercial airlines.

It is the responsibility of the regulatory agency, NCAA, and the Ministry ofAviation to maintain that good record and improve on it.

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SOFT FINANCE

INVESTMENT | ECONOMICS | FINANCE | MONEY | E-COMMERCE

with

AYO AROWOLO ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com 08086447494 (sms only)

Wealth Building in Hard Times Requires Different Mindset Everywhere you go, there are complaints about tough times. From every quarter: teachers, civil servants, business persons, students, etc. Last week, I put a call through to my Billionaire Friend to pick his mind. He replied that building wealth and complaints don’t go together, and that requires a different mindset. He said the note he had sent to me on the same subject is still apt for this season. You might want to take another look at it, shared below:

I

n his words, “Generally, wealth building requires a can-do mindset.

This mindset must be devoid of casting blame and excuses. This mindset grows from years of building competencies, continuous acquisition of knowledge, burning desire for success, commitment and unwavering focus on achieving goals. With these and other positive natural attributes, wealth-builders have a high chance of building extraordinary lives. Having a mindset that fuels defiance and grittiness helps you face life’s challenges head-on”.

“A simple look into students’ attitudes at examination centres can teach us something about this can-do mindset. An aura of confidence oozes out from a student who has prepared well for an exam, and most times, they pass excellently. Athletes also have this same attitude. They come to sports events brimming with confidence and zeal. I think that a sportsman who does not believe he can win has a high chance of failing. Everything about life and human endeavours requires a positive attitude and thinking for producing good results”.

“There is a reason many authors widely discuss positive thinking as an ingredient for success in all spheres of human endeavours.

It is common for unsuccessful people to blame others, blame their environment, and give good excuses for their failures”.

“Growing up, we had a neighbour who blamed “Capital” for failing to succeed as a big-time printer. He was an excellent printer, however, he had to rely on other printing presses for printing the jobs he obtained from clients. Unfortunately, until he died, he did not acquire his printing press. There were also other neighbours, who blamed lack of capital for not being able to build their own homes and died as tenants”.

“Meanwhile, back then on Lagos Mainland, landed properties were comparatively very cheap. Yet such tenants kept blaming lack of capital for not being able to buy land. At the same time, many of their co-tenants devoted time and energy to planning and gradually building capital to buy their properties. Many others who kept offering excuses, blaming lack of money and poor economy, ended up as tenants till they eventually died. They kept casting blame and making excuses for their inability to act, take advantage of available opportunities and plan appropriately. This trait can also be found among potential wealth builders. You should see how wealth builders are staying aloof, and doing nothing while blaming their situation on the high inflation rate, cost of capital, badly managed naira exchange rate, and poor safety of life and properties, for their failures in building wealth. Whereas, under these same circumstances, other wealth builders with the “can-do” mindset are taking advantage of these same circumstances to build wealth”.

“Generally, human successes are best achieved by observing our environments and staying on the lookout for untapped opportunities. No matter how bad the environment of successful wealth-builders

many others. We had mentioned in our earlier sessions individuals such as Femi Otedola, Aliko Dangote and a host of others who with this can-do mindset took advantage of the opportunities in the environment to create phenomenal wealth”.

ACQUIRING THE MINDSET

Artist Impression of my Billionaire Friend may be, they end up spotting the ripe and hanging fruits of opportunities, which are waiting to be plucked by discerning and smart wealth-builders.

Thus, wealth builders who have taken the time and effort to take advantage of all the values and attributes that have been discussed in our previous conversations will always succeed, no matter how bad their environment may be. History has it that many wealth builders made their wealth during the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945. Others made their wealth in the accompanying economic depression after the war by searching, probing, investigating, and looking out for opportunities hanging out there. These all require wisdom, knowledge, skills, and a strong positive attitude toward life”.

“Casting blame and excuses are self-destructive and do not go well with building wealth. Humans are not built to be passive and complacent. Man was not designed to lie down doing nothing and blaming others for their inability to be successful in life”.

“Sportsmen spend hours and days preparing for their success by training hard and exercising.

Scholars prepare for their successes by reading extensively, continuously acquiring knowledge, researching and devouring books. Wealth builders too, generally only succeed from searching for hanging, yet-to-be-tapped opportunities, acquiring basic skills, literacy and knowledge about finance and economics and growing their competencies for taking advantage of the opportunities arising from their surrounding challenges. Such challenges include environmental, climatic, economic, financial, scarcity of goods and services, exchange rate mismanagement and

“The “can-do” mindset, which is positive thinking, has an element of innateness. Some people are naturally pessimistic. They never see success in any endeavour. Most times, life gets hard for them. In life, those who give excuses and cast blame struggle to succeed.

However, people who have a positive attitude towards life have a high chance of succeeding, regardless of how many times they experience failure in their journey”.

“A good historical example is Abraham Lincoln. He competed many times before finally becoming President of the United States of America. There are many examples to cite of those who climbed and failed many times before eventually succeeding in reaching their heights. The process of achieving success in life is not a piece of cake. It is generally tasking, arduous and can be disturbing. It requires personal sacrifices of energy, resources, reading, trying, failing and rising. Many times, people tell me that I must like the selfless sacrifices that I make of my time, resources, needs and energy, which accounts for why I go on, making such sacrifices. But I laugh in response to their ignorance. I engage in those sacrifices and hard work, mainly because of eventually achieving my goal of reaping happiness and lasting selfless legacies from those ongoing sacrifices and hard work. Indeed, the process of building wealth is not an easy one. It involves making similar sacrifices, with success being expected, helping to pump up the energies of wealth builders and keeping them going. Such expected success can be likened to that of a first-class student, who spends all his time and energy reading and researching. This is exactly what happens with wealth builders who take advantage of opportunities around them by positively thinking, aspiring and overcoming confronting challenges to their endeavours”.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING? “Generally, a negative attitude, as earlier discussed, leads to failure. This question has been globally covered by famous authors. Of particular reference, is Dr Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote the book, “Power of Positive Thinking”.

“Dr Vincent Peale, a clergyman, has written about forty-six books on issues around positive thinking. ‘Power of Positive Thinking’ is his most powerful book on the subject. In that

Generally, wealth building requires a can-do mindset which must be devoid of casting blame and excuses, as reasons for inabilities, efforts and poor attempts at succeeding. This “can-do mindset”grows from years of building competencies, the continuous acquisition of knowledge, a burning desire for success, commitment and unwavering focus on setting goals

book, he clearly stated that to succeed in life as with wealth building, people must believe in everything they do. Wealth builders must be kind to themselves. That is to be kind to themselves in the sense of not overworking themselves. They should give themselves time to attend to their health and well-being whilst pursuing wealth building. The author also clearly states that positive thinkers must build new power and determination at every time. He goes on to espouse that, like others, wealth builders must renew their energy at all levels, as they proceed in building their wealth.

SHARING HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “My worst obstacle has been in the quality of Nigeria’s human capital. The human capital of Nigeria is full of people who are out to out-manoeuvre wealth builders and make illicit gains at the expense of wealth builders.

The human capital of Nigeria is unfortunately full of people with poor reputations and integrity, who always want to cut corners at the expense of other people. These include government officials, who without any iota of human feelings or empathy whatsoever, always make things difficult for wealth builders.

This is the worst obstacle wealth builders face in Nigeria. This is possibly why private investment in Nigeria is fast dying and why factories and manufacturers are fast closing and moving away from Nigeria, to saner countries. This is why our productive ability as a nation is fast declining. This is why our economy as a nation is mostly based on poor quality and poor performing assets”.

MISTAKES ARE PART OF THE PROCESS? “Human endeavours cannot and should not be expected to be perfect. Only the work of God is perfect. Man can only strive for the unreachable assumptions of God. All man’s endeavours and activities should therefore be factored with the expectation of human mistakes in anticipation of expectations at the building, forecasting and budgeting for wealth, by wealth builders. Wealth building must go through the process of planning, forecasting and taking into consideration contingencies that would/may arise. It is these contingencies that people sometimes call mistakes. They should not be seen as mere mistakes, but as controllable, uncontrollable, poorly prepared and unplanned contingencies which usually occur in wealth building. In basic financial management, experts make plans and provide for such contingencies ahead of their occurrences. This allows wealth builders to apply one of the most important elements of basic accounting, which is the concept of contingency. The contingency concept guides wealth builders to avoid making provisions ahead of expected profits but provides for them to make provisions for future losses”.

“In general, wealth builders who aim to succeed must develop their competency level in the area chosen for building their wealth.

They must develop knowledge, financial literacy, positive thinking and a positive attitude for successful wealth building. To do otherwise, such wealth builders are only assured of eventual failures”

SUNDAY DECEMBER 3, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 3, 2023

The President is marketing Nigeria to investors and the larger international community with confidence and style, writes ABDULAZIZ ABDULAZIZ

PRESIDENT TINUBU AS CHIEF SALESMAN

I

t was pin drop silence. All heads turned to his side of the hall listening as the man gently, but firmly, made a case for his country to this crème de la crème of the Saudi Arabian economic bureaucracy and business community.

He grabbed attention with an off the cuff speech that exuded confidence, authority, assurance and truthfulness. It was a little wonder his audience followed through and nodded all through!

The setting was the Saudi-Nigeria Business Summit and the speaker was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was a forum held on the sidelines of the recent Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

President Tinubu went into the meeting hall at the JW Marriot Hotel in upscale Riyadh as the President of Nigeria. By the time he picked the microphone he quickly wore the garb of a chief salesman for a product he is excited to market.

It was an effortless exercise in sophisticated arts of marketing and advocacy. It was a presentation from the heart that was as unpretentious as it was unscripted. He spurned out the facts and the figures, reeled out the justifications and tickled the boardroom chiefs where it mattered without appearing weak or pitiable. It was a classic case of economic diplomacy and salesmanship at the highest level.

Since the beginning of his campaign for office, one of the most frequent words on his lips has been “prosperity”. President Tinubu is a prosperous man. His life is tinged with footsteps of prosperity, from the corporate world where he was a successful businessman to the prosperous political career that was capped with his election to the highest office in the land.

It had not always been rosy for him. He had told his story again and again to motivate the younger generation and inspire the country.

He had toiled to reach the top. He knew the pains of want and starvation, and the sweetness that comes with economic liberation and prosperity. It is the latter that President Tinubu is desperately working to see that all Nigerians have tested.

He had the lifelong ambition to lead his fatherland. He has fulfilled this ambition. He could, if he chooses, stay back and enjoy the pecks that come with it and pass the time in office. But because the ambition was not a vain one, President Tinubu is up and doing. “I campaigned for it. I begged for the job. I even danced to get elected. There is no excuse!”

That is his mindset and the philosophy of leadership for him, and it is for this mindset that he is willing to go to any length to ensure that he bequeath to Nigerians a prosperous country that everyone desires.

It was in his quest for this objective that the President chose to use his time in Riyadh to address the country’s top boardroom chiefs.

It turned out to be not just another meeting or a boring address from just another President. It was dazzling interaction that stole the minds of almost everyone in the room, by their own admission.

“We came with high expectations but you have exceeded them,” said the Saudi minister of investment, Khalid Al Falih, who moderated the three-hour session, after the rousing applause that greeted President Tinubu’s address to the Saudi business community. The minister had in his welcome address spoke about how they had followed President Tinubu’s campaign promises and how he started off with the “boldest economic reform agenda in decades” for Nigeria, likening it to happenings in Saudi

Arabia.

Mohammed Abunayyan, Chairman of Saudi’s ACWA Power confessed to being “inspired and motivated” by the President promising to see how his company can make foray into Nigeria. In the same vein, Abdulrahman Alfaqiq, the CEO of Saudi oil trading company (SABIC), promised to upscale their business relationship with Nigeria due to the assurances he got from the top. They were just a few of the many who spoke in glowing terms about the President and in optimistic sense of the new business environment being created by President Tinubu for domestic and international investors.

This was not the first time and certainly not the last. In September, the President’s participation at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, was a potpourri of achievements.

He maximally used the time to network with the right people and seek out investments for Nigeria. It was, in every sense, a bumper harvest for the country as the President came back with a basket full of goodies amounting to billions of dollars in investment pledges.

Most of the commitments are in areas dear to the heart of the President and at centre of our quest for development. These include the $3 billion promised by Jindal Steels for iron ore processing to aid Nigeria’s drive for industrialization, Skippersells’ plan to invest $1.6 billion in the power sector by building 2000MW power plants across the country in four years, Indorama’s pledge for $8 billion expansion of their petrochemical facilities in Rivers State, a billion dollars secured by the Defence Industry Corporation Of Nigeria (DICON), among others.

The President’s last trip to Germany for the G20 Compact with Africa Summit also garnered as much fruits with the signing of the $500 million gas and renewable energy pact with the German government, among others.

As a young man, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was trained as an accountant. He was a very good student, his records show, who finished from the Chicago State University with flying colours. In the aftermath, he pursued strings of career opportunities in Accounting and Auditing. He left his job on his own volition and ventured into politics.

But in his new job President Tinubu is demonstrating that beyond his training in Accountancy, as Omo Iyaloja he has imbibed not a few skills from his revered mother and notable businesswoman to apply in his bid to market Nigeria to investors and the larger international community.

Abdulaziz is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media. He’s on X @ AbdulFagge

EMEKA NWOSU pays tribute to Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, at 61

THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN THE SENATE The emergence of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio on the leadership saddle of the Senate has, predictably, set the Senate and indeed, the National Assembly on the path of glory and irreversible development. Under his watch, the National Assembly is undergoing steady transformation which is aimed at changing the ugly narratives of the past and enthroning a new legislative renewal.

The popular expectation of a focused and creative National Assembly under the man fondly called the uncommon transformer is informed by his outstanding leadership credentials DQG DFFRPSOLVKPHQWV LQ RIÀFH DV WKH Governor of Akwa Ibom State. His legacy of uncommon achievements which had seen Akwa Ibom transformed from a backwater community into a beautiful modern state has remained incomparable and unsurpassable till date.

Akpabio is known as the man with the Midas touch who is driven by a passionate desire for excellence. It is those excellent qualities that he showcased when he served as Governor from 2007 to 2015 that many Nigerians expected him to bring on board as he became the Senate President and Chairman of the 10th National Assembly. And I must say that those expectations have not been misplaced in any manner, whatsoever.

What the nation has seen in the last six months of Akpabio`s stewardship is a new dawn of hope and foresighted leadership; a radical departure from the politics of bread and butter that KDG EHHQ WKH GHÀQLQJ IHDWXUH RI WKH National Assembly from the inception of the current political dispensation.

Akpabio, a former Minority Leader of the Senate, is no stranger to the ways of the National Assembly. He knows all the pitfalls of the institution and the challenges that had in the past limited its performance. To cure it of all the known maladies and reposition it for greater effectiveness and relevance to the Nigerian people, Akpabio saw the need for a proper re-orientation of the members of the 10th National Assembly to ensure that they are in tune with the realities of the moment and global best practices.

It is basically for this reason that Akpabio has organized leadership and management retreats for Members of the National Assembly to align them with a new vision of quality and meaningful representation. In one of the retreats organized in Ikot Ekpene, the home base of the Senate President, competent resource persons were drawn from various fields of human endeavor to equip the people’s representatives with profound ideas and knowledge on how to effectively carry out their constitutional responsibilities of representation, oversight and law making.

The norms imbibed from the various retreats and workshops organized by Akpabio have continued to govern the conduct of the members of the National Assembly in the effective discharge of their official functions.

This has helped to foster a climate of understanding, while eliminating the spirit of mistrust and distrust which had been the undoing of the National Assembly in the past.

Akpabio, in his leadership approach, runs an open House where the views of his colleagues count. He

is a good listener; and he carries his colleagues along. He is a leader who believes in the power of consensus.

These great qualities have helped Akpabio steer through the proverbial banana peels in the Senate and builds FRQÀGHQFH LQ KLV FROOHDJXHV It is to his eternal credit that under his leadership, the Senate, and indeed the National Assembly, is not associated with any scandals. Rather, the National Assembly, under his watch, has continued to operate under higher ideals. As a leader who understands the essence of harmony in governance, especially in a complex geo-political environment like Nigeria, he has skillfully forged a new partnership with the Tinubu-led Executive which works for the Nigerian people. This is without compromising the independence of the National Assembly which remains the representative organ of the people in any democracy. tesmanship in the able manner he has continued to handle the affairs of the Senate. He demonstrated this clearly in the adroit manner he constituted the leadership and membership of the standing and adhoc Committees of the Senate without any negative backlash. In the past, composition of Committees was often the cause of unbridled bad blood and source of leadership instability.

Akpabio was able to handle this delicate balancing in the Senate without causing any social disruptions in the political fabrics of the Red Chamber. This bears an eloquent testimony to the political astuteness of this uncommon transformative leader from Essien Udium Local Government Area in the Ikot Ekpene senatorial zone of Akwa Ibom State. Even when some of his colleagues have had cause to disagree with him on any issue on WKH ÁRRU RI WKH 6HQDWH KH KDV DOZD\V had the presence of mind to deploy diplomacy and statesmanship in reaching amicable resolutions.

As the Senate President celebrates his 61st birthday on December 9, 2023, the drums and cymbals should be rolled out in honour of a leader who has remained a source of inspiration to his generation. History will be kind to him for the stability which his calm and measured leadership has brought to the National Assembly.

Dr. Nwosu, a Political Analyst, writes from Abuja. Email: cdnwosu2@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 3, 2023

EDITORIAL

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

THE BANE OF JOB RACKETEERING Staffing government agencies with unqualified staff comes at a huge cost to the nation

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HFUXLWPHQW LQWR SXEOLF RIÀFHV RXJKW WR House completed the exercise, the committee saddled celebrate competence and meritocracy. with the assignment is reluctant to put its report on That is no longer the case in Nigeria. the table. Meanwhile, some commissioners at the For almost a year now, health workers FCC have raised concerns over the delay, alleging at the Obafemi Awolowo University unwholesome practices on the part of the lawmakers 7HDFKLQJ +RVSLWDO 2$87+ ,OH ,IH who seem to be working to bury their own report.

Osun State, have been working without pay. With It is a notorious fact that the federal government the health institution unable to meet its commitments recruitment and payment of civil servants and public to staff who are now in desperate need, the fate of RIÀFHUV DUH IUDXJKW ZLWK FRUUXSWLRQ HQKDQFHG E\ patients can only be imagined. But why are workers UHSRUWV RI ÀOOLQJ YDFDQFLHV WKURXJK XQGHU WKH WDEOH not paid? Following a recent unrest at the hospital, deals. There are reports that some job applicants an investigative panel by the Federal Ministry of pay as much as N5 million to be hired, especially in Health and Social Welfare has attributed the problem ¶MXLF\· DJHQFLHV ZKHUH D ORW RI LOO JRWWHQ PRQH\ FRXOG WR DOOHJHG MRE UDFNHWHHULQJ DQG RYHU HPSOR\PHQW LQ be made. But this malaise is not restricted to federal ÁDJUDQW DEXVH RI H[WDQW UXOHV DQG UHJXODWLRQV agencies. In fact, in many of the 36 states and 774 local government areas most of the job placements The story is sordid and embarrassing. In 2022, the are handled by syndicates.

RIÀFH RI WKH +HDG RI &LYLO It is so bad that to secure a Service of the Federation The public service has largely been unable to meet the expectations teaching job in some states, granted the OAUTH a many applicants resort to waiver to hire 450 clinical of citizens both in terms of basic needs as well as institutional taking loans from family VWDII WR ÀOO WKHQ H[LVWLQJ transformation. When somebody pays to secure a job, it stands to PHPEHUV DQG ÀQDQFLDO vacancies. But the acting agencies at exorbitant chief medical director of reason that such person will be there to serve interest rates. the institution allegedly Various surveys connived with other themselves and not the public good conducted on recruitment PDQDJHPHQW RIÀFLDOV WR process into the country’s public service have commercialise job opportunities which were then sold revealed that sentiment and other primordial issues to the highest bidders, some for as high as N500,000.

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R like ethnicity, nepotism and favoritism attract higher With that, the hospital management reportedly EDITOR DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN DEPUTY EDITORS FESTUS AKANBI, EJIOFOR ALIKE premium than merit. A report by the United Nations recruited 2,423 people, thus exceeding the provision of MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO 2IÀFH RQ 'UXJV DQG &ULPH 812'& IRU LQVWDQFH the personnel budget by 1,973 workers. Even worse, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU observed that 32 per cent of Nigerians who secured only 55 of those hired have clinical background while CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI jobs in the nation’s public service in 2019 paid a bribe. the rest were mere administrative workers, most of EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN 7KH ÀQGLQJV ZHUH QRW EDVHG RQ SHUFHSWLRQ EXW RQ them with no requisite academic and professional THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE HPSLULFDO ÀQGLQJV EDFNHG E\ WKH 1DWLRQDO %XUHDX RI FHUWLÀFDWHV 7RGD\ 2$87+ KDV D VWDII VWUHQJWK RI 6WDWLVWLFV 1%6 7,279 out of which 4,245 are in the administrative The public service has largely been unable to meet cadre!

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D the expectations of citizens both in terms of basic Unfortunately, this challenge is not restricted to EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA needs as well as institutional transformation. When OAUTH. It is a national problem. Yet, resolving issues GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, somebody pays to secure a job, it stands to reason of job racketeering, as indeed other malpractices, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI that such person will be there to serve themselves and involves applying principles, and transparent DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, not the public good. We therefore urge the Ministry measures. Last July, the House of Representatives ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI of Health to go beyond the investigations by bringing assigned itself the duty of investigating the sleaze SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH all the culprits in the OAUTH scandal to justice. But in some federal agencies and mismanagement of ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI this is a matter that smears the integrity of public the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI LQVWLWXWLRQV LQ 1LJHULD 6WDIÀQJ JRYHUQPHQW DJHQFLHV 6\VWHP ,33,6 7KLV LQFOXGHV LQTXLU\ RQ WKH DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO ZLWK XQTXDOLÀHG VWDII FRPHV DW D KXJH FRVW WR WKH allegations that the chairperson of the Federal TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com nation. We must all strive to rid our country of this &KDUDFWHU &RPPLVVLRQ +DML\D 0XKHHEDK 'DQNDND LV emblem of shame. in the thick of job racketeering. Three months after the

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 UNIVERSITIES AND CULTURE OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM

The Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation welcomes the opportunity to ponder and critically reflect on issues and challenges facing us as a society. The university, as an ivory tower, remains our best hope of expressing and exercising academic freedom and furthering intellectual debate, awakening, and enlightenment. But from recent developments, the culture of intellectual freedom is in danger.

Academic freedom is eroding very fast. In the past months, I have been traveling across the country working with local partners to address abuses linked to paranormal or superstitious beliefs. The stories that I have heard are shocking, PLQG ERJJOLQJ DQG WUDXPDWL]LQJ , ZDV LQ Abuja where we have been pressuring the 1LJHULD 6HFXULW\ DQG &LYLO 'HIHQFH &RPPLVVLRQ 16&'& WR KDQG RYHU WR XV D \RXQJ PDQ who was manhandled by their officers for disappearing someone’s manhood. They have not done that and may never do so.

You may have seen a video that went viral on VRFLDO PHGLD ZKHUH RIILFHUV RI WKH 16&'& ZHUH

seen beating, hitting, and kicking this innocent man, urging him to ‘return it’. Return what?

You may ask. That is, the penis he magically stole. Nobody has bothered to query this absurd claim. Can someone’s manhood or womanhood be magically stolen, or be disappeared as popularly believed?

What does it mean to steal or disappear one’s private part?

From there I traveled to Lokoja where we KRQRUHG D URDG VDIHW\ RIÀFHU DQG D FRXSOH who helped save the lives of two alleged penis snatchers. Many people have been beaten and killed for magically snatching someone’s penis. A claim that has no basis in reason, science, or reality. From Lokoja I traveled to Calabar where a Nigerian artist, Etinosa Yvonne, and the Basic Counsel Rights Initiative staged an exhibition on witch persecution. The program focused on stories of accused persons and the impact of witchcraft accusations on victims and their families. The exhibition was like a horror movie. It used real photos

and illustrations to show the pain and agony, inhuman and degrading treatment of alleged witches. In the case of Martina Itagbor, some youths driving, and drunk had an accident and two persons died. Those who survived accused this innocent woman. Some youths abducted, tortured, and lynched her. Now if I may ask, can an old woman in the village magically cause accidents on the road? Are WKHUH EORRG VXFNLQJ GHPRQV RQ RXU KLJKZD\V as many churches preach?

From Calabar, I traveled to Abakiliki for the inaugural meeting of the Critical Thinkers Corner. At this event, someone told us about a village in Cameroon where dead people built VRPH KRXVHV 'HDG SHRSOH EXLOW KRXVHV" , ZDV shocked to hear that. When I queried further to know if they were still maintaining the houses or if they built the houses and left them unoccupied, the person backtracked saying it was a story.

Earlier I was in Owerri where beliefs spiritual husbands and wives, in the magical infliction of

diabetic sore also known as acha ere, stealing of destinies are destroying families and communities. In a particular case, a woman who had dementia left her apartment in Oguta and could not find her way back. Unfortunately, some people saw her the following day and DFFXVHG KHU RI EHLQJ D ZLWFK ZKR FUDVK ODQGHG ZKLOH Á\LQJ WR D FRYHQ /HW PH DVN \RX DJDLQ FDQ SHRSOH VSLULWXDOO\ Á\ DURXQG at night as popularly believed?

Another lady with mental health FKDOOHQJHV ZDV EUDQGHG D Á\LQJ ZLWFK DQG brutalized by a local mob. Still, another was accused of magically tying up the destines of people in the community and subsequently banished. These stories and incidents are too many to be recounted. I was at a Navy School in Ile Ife for a lecture on archiving indigenous knowledge accessories.

Leo Igwe, director of Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

3.12.2023

OLABODE MAKANJUOLA MAKING HIS MARKS IN AVIATION AND SHIPPING He is a business revolutionaire in his own right. Olabode Makanjuola, CEO, Caverton Offshore Support Group seems to possess a magic wand in aviation and shipping; making his career life a subject of keen interest, writes Funke Olaode ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/victoria.olaode@thisdaylive.com.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R DECEMBER 3, 2023

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COVER

I am Happy that Caverton is Adding Value to the Economy and Human Capacity

O

labode Makanjuola, Chief Executive Officer of Caverton Offshore Support Group is far from being a green horn.

Having made his mark for over two decades in aviation and shipping, he isn’t just your regular silver-spooned individual. Aside from pedigree, his solid academic background matched with shrewd business sense put him in a good stead in the corporate world.

Although his rise in business may be steady and gradual, he grew and learned under the stable of his father and Caverton Boss, Aderemi Makanjuola. The quiet, humble and unassuming Bode as he is fondly called may have learned the ropes but he is gradually becoming his own self in decision-making in business sense since the leadership mantle fell on him as Chief Executive Officer of Caverton conglomerate.

Focused, diligent with an outstanding administrative skill, there is no air about him during an encounter with this reporter on a sunny afternoon at the expansive premises of Caverton Training Centre located at Murtala International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. It was during a courtesy visit by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, SAN to the Caverton centre. That the Minister was flabbergasted by what he saw on ground was an understatement. With the state-of-the-art facility, one of its kind in Africa, there is no doubt that Caverton has placed Nigeria on the global map as the largest indigenous aviation industry in Nigeria and the West Africa.

The seed of intellectualism in Bode was first ignited at the ivy league Adesoye College, Offa, Kwara State after which he proceeded to Kings College Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom for his advanced level between 1994-1996. He would later move to University of Leicester England between 1996-2000 where he read Mechanical Engineering, City University Business School, England for Master’s degree in Shipping Trade and Finance.

Armed with solid academic degrees from reputable universities, Bode began his career in 2000 as industrial trainee at Elder Dempster Nigeria. Right there, his future as a business mogul had been laid out. Between 2002 and 2006, he was LPG Trader/Business Development with Le Global Oilfield Services.

In 2006-2007, he was Operations Director/ Chartering Manager, Caverton Marine Limited, in 2007, he was an Executive Director, Caverton Offshore Support Group prior to his current role where he sits on the board of a number of bluechip companies.

Since then he dabbled into the business world, navigating several commercial trading contracts with the NNPC, Nigerian LNG and a number of international trading companies.

Excited about the progress made so far, he went down memory lane.

“Caverton actually started out as Carverton Marine Company with our Chairman Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola in 1999, with its own fleet of LPG tankers. In 2004, we saw an opportunity to explore the aviation space, specifically through rotary aviation.

At the time, that space was only occupied by foreign companies that were servicing the oil and gas industry.”

For him, it was a very long journey to recognition. At that time, no one was willing to give a new Nigerian company contracts, especially one without experience or whatever the opportunity to explore that space which is quite understandable. Safety is a critical element in the aviation sector which cannot be sacrificed on the altar of sheer sentiment.

“You have human lives in your hands.

And the oil industry is probably the most stringent sector that you find in any part of the world or in the aviation industry. The common cliché you often hear is that if you want to succeed in this sector, you need to build the infrastructure. It is not enough to go out and just buy a helicopter or buy a sixwing aircraft and all of that. You needed to actually build the facilities, like the hangars, which at the time didn’t exist. Most people just bought whatever aircraft they had and just left them. And that gave rise to our hangar which is behind us. This was the first hangar that we actually built. And then we built the first intercity helipad which is located at Ozumba Mbadwe.”

While exploring onshore and offshore work, Makanjuola considered the possibility

We became the largest offshore support service company that was offering both aviation and marine services. But in terms of growth, we also sort of started looking at our wider aviation industry and we realised that there are two areas that we were really lacking and that was training and maintenance

Makanjuola

of commuting by air as an added option in the services provided. And with the emphasis on local content development, the sky was indeed the starting point for Caverton.

“And also for us it was a way of bringing Caverton to the public, to actually let them know that we are here,” he continued. “Fortunately, with the closure of the bridge and everything, the oil companies started to take notice. And then that was the advent of local content development.”

As Caverton grew, some multinationals started paying attention to its services which are top-notch. This led to contracts from Multinationals such as Shell, Total, Chevron and a number of other IOCs as well.

“We became the largest offshore support services company that was offering both aviation and marine service. But in terms of growth, we also sort of started looking at our wider aviation industry and we realised that there are two areas that we were really lacking and that was training and maintenance.

“To train a pilot costs a fortune and to do major checks or major maintenance also.

Literally we have to fly the engines out of the country, wait for clearing and bring them back. There was a shortage in terms of well-trained engineers. We spend millions of dollars on training our pilots because

pilots have to go through what you call the recurrency training. It is not enough that you know how to fly; you always have to go back to upgrade yourself every quarter, every six months. There are very few of these simulators in the world. You can only find it in Dubai, United States and Europe.

We would end up going to the UAE. And a lot of times after a long journey, the only slots our pilots would be able to find, would be maybe like a 3 am or 2am. Slot.

If they could even find a slot at all. We decided to take the bull by the horns. The economy was dwindling, forex was now basically making it unbearable. It is very expensive to actually go out.”

Having identified the problems, Caverton swung into action and built the Maintenance and Repair Overhaul Organization, MRO through support of the then government via the aviation intervention funded by the Bank of Industry during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Today, Caverton has a fully operational MRO where they can assemble aircraft there, strip them and re-spray. All the training is done locally with international standards.

“We don’t send our aircraft out any longer. We actually have partnership with the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, and even the Presidency. So, all

their aircraft are in our hangar right now. Also, we have a very good relationship with the Original Equipment Manufacturer, OEM. The likes of Leonardo and the rest of them that the government buy their aircraft from. Today, we serve as an intermediary when it comes to equipment and maintenance. We will fix it.

So, the president helicopters is there. We have got two Air Force helicopters. We actually just finished maintaining two helicopters from Benin Republic. The idea is basically creating a hub within the Sub-Saharan African region. It has grown the economy and prevents capital flight. We used to spend close to $2 million a year, sending people out. We had issues with visas, flight delays and hotels. We invested in this and we are proud to say it is also EASA certified. We have had other countries coming for training such as India and Egypt.”

Over the years, Caverton’s success is built on the pillars of innovation, professionalism, safety and unwavering dedication to customer’s satisfaction. And the management is proud of its achievements and the positive impact it has made in the Nigerian aviation and maritime sectors. Its Training Centre houses the first-ever full reality AW-139 simulator, as well as a soon to be commissioned AW109 simulator. These simulators enable the company to provide comprehensive and realistic training to their pilots, ensuring the highest standards of safety and operational excellence. Recently, it acquired a new helicopter, Bell 429 for its offshore operations in Cameroon, that brand is the first to operate in West Africa for the oil and gas market.

Not resting on its oars, Caverton is expanding and diversifying. Its Marine Boat, locally made with world standard, when launched will be the largest provider of waterways transportation across Lagos State and by extension Nigeria at large.

“We are dedicated to aviation and lately marine boats. We are currently working with the state government to address water transportation in Lagos. If you want people to get on water ensure that the boats are good.

You can’t actually afford the boats, so the next best thing is to say why can’t we build it here?

But if we are going to build them here, then we have to build them to a certain standard that meets people’s needs.”

Happily married with wife and children, for leisure, Bode is an avid polo player with a love for horses and is currently President of the Lagos Polo Club. He also enjoys fishing and watching football. He is a longstanding supporter of Arsenal football Club. He is the Vice President of the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce as well as a board member of Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, a way of giving back to the society.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R DECEMBER 3, 2023

24

HighLife

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

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

Stanley Uzochukwu Opens New State-of-the-Art Hotel in Lagos

Aliu

Adisa Aliu: The Oil Magnate Adds Another Year

L-R: Uzochukwu and his wife, Former Presidents Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, Gov. Sanwo-Olu, Former Senate President, Pius Anyim and other dignitaries at the grand opening ceremony.

Charisma is a big advantage to an individual, big enough to transform odds into opportunities and change into favourable chances. Adisa Aliu, the CEO of Matrix Energy Group and Duke of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, overflows with charisma. Adding a new age, Aliu’s visage may not have changed but the breadth of his experiences has thickened.

For all the noise about CEOs in Nigeria, a pitiful few know all the ins and outs of corporate leadership.

Aliu is almost without an equal. He is knowledgeable, and experienced, with just enough political personality to befriend but not threaten, and a healthy dose of individual invisibility.

Aliu is widely considered one of the rising stars of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. The descriptor for his astral status has all to do with his favoured operational methods and policies and nothing to do with his experience or standing in the industry. Dedicated to bringing the best out of every region, Matrix Energy has grown into a force for positive change under Aliu’s management.

Aliu adding a new year to his age is a big deal. It signifies a natural change that Aliu will doubtless take advantage of. With every increase in real and corporate years, Aliu is polished into an authentic change-maker, trailblazer, and the force of reconstruction that the oil and gas industry in Nigeria needs to make valued contributions to the economy.

Even as Aliu grows a year older, Matrix Energy reinforces its might in the oil and gas industry. With both these seemingly slight changes, new things are on the offing for Nigeria.

Momentum is usually evidence that progress is ongoing and the peak is within reach. With Stanley Uzochukwu, philanthropist, politician, and business magnate, momentum is simply the tone of his journey. Lagos is currently bearing testimony to this with the latest state-ofthe-art hotel stamped with Uzochukwu’s excellence.

The Delborough Lagos is the brainchild of Uzochukwu and currently has no peer in the city. Fitted with features capable of turning heads and moulding dreams, Uzochukwu’s The Delborough is a world-class edifice, broaching an idea of hospitality that is unseen in this part of the world.

Apart from the hotel’s distinctive look,

Glitz, Glamour at Globacom’s Growing with Powering Ambition Campaign Event

Globacom has a special place in the hearts of Nigerians. The telecoms company claims to be number one in terms of service quality and data packages. While this is often contested, there is no debate that Glo takes one of the front-row seats on marketing campaigns. The latest of these got Nigerians talking, simply blown away by the ingeniousness of the marketing team, and by extension, Glo’s boss, Dr. Mike Adenuga.

Adenuga has few peers.

Since arriving at the corporate scene, the man has dominated his era, especially in the area of telecommunications. Leading where others only dare to follow, Adenuga has crafted Glo into a brand that reflects his indomitable perspective.

So valiant is the brand’s presence in the telecoms industry that it has created a new niche for Nigerians, simply referred to as powering ambitions.

Glo has empowered communication over the years but is now turning its attention towards

the five-storey edifice boasts a unique architectural design that is replicated from the foundation to every pillar. With modernity and novelty factored into this design, The Delborough takes the first step into redefining hospitality in Nigeria. As executive as it is homely, the hotel is already winning the praises of onlookers, including the dignitaries Ugochikwu invited to inaugurate it.

Among these dignitaries, former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and others made sure to laud Uzochukwu in view of the changes to youth employment and engagement that the hotel’s operations guarantee. Jonathan even said that Uzochukwu’s doings

model his expectations for young business people in the country, interspersed with a commitment to the welfare and growth of other people.

Uzochukwu’s noteworthy achievements over the years have cemented his name as dedicated to positive change. Commentators once claimed that his ties with presidents buoyed his attainments. Time has shown that it is the other way around: presidents liked Uzochukwu because of his achievements and offered him a platform to do much more.

Uzochukwu has not disappointed his presidential backers with The Delborough Lagos. As the earliest of many to come, the hotel has set off a spark with Uzochukwu’s name printed in the clouds.

Richard Pryor’s Daughter Visits Nigeria, Launches Multimillion-Dollar Film Project

Pryor

As 2023 paves the way for 2024, Nigeria’s prospects continue to glow. The film and movie industry, Nollywood, is the latest to benefit from this amplifying

fortune. With Rain Pryor, daughter of Richard Pryor, the Hollywood legendary actor and stand-up comedian, this industry is on its way up.

Nollywood, like the Nigerian music industry, has gone international. While the elevation of the music industry is evidenced by a growing global regard for Nigerian music acts, Nollywood is catching the eye of many international film masterminds.

The latest is Rain, an A-list Hollywood actress who hopes to get together with her Nollywood counterparts in a multimilliondollar film project.

According to the reports, Rain has contacted several competent film producers in Nollywood. These include filmmaker Bola Atta and arts consultant Chike Nwoffiah, both of whom will assist Rain personal, shared, and business ambitions.

The company demonstrated its commitment to this new campaign with an event at the Eko Convention Centre titled “An Evening with Glo.” As it has become inseparable from Adenuga, the event was brilliant, exhibiting some of the best achievements of the company in the last 20 years. Emphasis was especially placed on Glo’s innovation and impact, and its dedication to customer satisfaction. With musical acts such as Asake and Chike in the grooving booth, guests were won over by Glo’s attainments.

Both Adenuga and his Glo remain on the zenith of the telecoms industry in Nigeria.

Against competitors, Glo has the peerless advantage of Adenuga, and Adenuga has the unrivalled single-mindedness of the Glo team. No wonder Adenuga dared to say that at the company, they are all about “creating a world of limitless opportunities” for all their customers.

It is a new era for the telecoms industry in Nigeria. With Adenuga on the ambitionpowering path, many Nigerian dreams will be launched into manifestation this coming year.

and maximise the effects of her being the Director and Executive Producer for the film.

In the blueprint for the film project, Rain will act alongside Odunlade Adekola, a wellloved Nollywood actor. According to her, Odunlade’s expertise and broad range of character experience make him the perfect fit for one of the main characters in her film. This means that Odunlade might have to shuffle between Lagos and Osun states, as well as Maryland, USA, where the film will be shot.

Rain’s goal is to enhance cultural tourism.

She is completely smitten with Nigeria and Nigerian culture, evidenced by her adopted Yoruba name, Osunyemi Oriomodun. Given that the country and her people have what it takes to attract someone like Rain, it would be odd if the rest of the world is dazzled into awe once the film gets out in 2025.

Adenuga

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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 DECEMBER 3, 2023

HIGHLIFE

How Dapo Abiodun Finally Ended Ladi Adebutu’s Guber Ambition

Abiodun

In the Nigerian variant of politics, one can either be a winner or a loser. All the drama that goes into elections, tribunals, and appeals ends here. This is why the victory of Ogun

State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, over his rival, Ladi Adebutu, at the Appeal Court is greatly celebrated by one party and the cause of heartache for the other.

Between Abiodun and Adebutu, one might perceive both rivalry and a commitment to outdo the other. Being the incumbent governor, Abiodun holds more of the hopes of the people in his hands, whereas Adebutu believes that the hearts of the people are with him. But the recent ruling of the Appeal Court did not go the way Adebutu wanted, reinforcing Abiodun’s confidence that Adebutu’s gubernatorial ambition would meet an early end during his tenure.

The ruling of the Appeal Court regarding the validity of Abiodun’s electoral victory in the March 18, 2023, governorship hustings in Ogun was unfavourable to Adebutu. According to the ruling, Adebutu’s appeal lacked merit and warrants dismissal. Thus, the earlier ruling of the election tribunal that Abiodun triumphed over Adebutu was upheld.

Adebutu reportedly had a mixed reaction to the ruling. First, he was not very happy that his case was dismissed outright.

However, he was also excited that the court recognized some inconsistencies in the electoral conduct and commanded that the election be held in 92 polling units, calling out the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Abiodun the winner of the election despite these lapses.

But sources report that Abiodun has retired Adebutu and there’s nothing the latter can do about it. Perhaps, Adebutu might rest for a little while before prodding political curtains. Perhaps, he will go on campaigning in the grassroots, envenomating the hearts of his hearts against Abiodun.

But Abiodun remains in the government house, with Adebutu’s dream job. Even Adebutu cannot ignore this jab from Abiodun, showing the superior capacity for victory.

Even in Death … Maryam Babangida Gets Another Honour Life is a trail of choices, each with its implications. The decisions of Nigeria’s prime First Lady, the late Maryam Babangida have earned her salutations many years after her death. The most recent of these salutations is an honorary degree, one that recognises the late wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for her courage and devotion to the welfare of other people.

It is a happy time for the Babangidas as the nation celebrates the peerless contributions of the late matriarch of the household, Madam Maryam. Even though her daughter, Aisha, carries the torch of her legacy now, people all over Africa still recall all the undertakings and attainments of the First Lady before she passed on. Baze University decided to do something about this and carved out an honorary degree in honour of the late advocate of women’s rights.

Baze University honoured Madam Maryam alongside another deceased Nigerian, Justice Mohammed Bello. According to the institution,

both of them deserve the respective Honorary Doctor of Science degrees and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees considering their contributions. It was all part of the institution’s convocation ceremony for 2023, motivating other Nigerians to look forward to such posthumous recognitions.

Indeed, Baze University’s decision is already motivating many to imitate the works of Madam Maryam, starting with her daughter, Aisha. According to the latter, her mother’s investment of time, energy, and resourcefulness was not to earn recognition but to alleviate problems to the best of her ability. Thus, she will go on emulating her, using her time, energy, and resourcefulness to better all lives within her reach.

As Aisha noted in a Ghanaian quote, one should not abandon the legacy of elders to make one’s own when the former is more credible and impactful. This is a lesson for all who wish to make an impact, reaching similar heights as the late First Lady.

Oyedepo

Isaac Oyedepo: ln His Father’s Shoes

Add Late Maryam Babangjda

Foundation of Love … Laide Lanre-Badmus Floats New NGO

Lanre-Badmus

Being a dreamer has its perks. Visionary individuals like the lifestyle consultant and interior designer, Laide Lanre-Badmus (LLB for short), have accomplished great things due to their idealistic charm. It continues for LLB as indicated by her new initiative, the LLB

Foundation, designed to protect the interests of young people involved in matters related to sexual abuse.

LLB launched her foundation in Ibadan at the celebrated Mauve 21 Event Centre. The event was well-attended as individuals from every branch of the public/governmental, business, and entertainment sectors stood with LLB to propel the foundation forward. LLB, who is a lawyer by academic training, emphasised the gravity of the foundation’s purpose, evidenced by her decision to involve law practitioners in the activities of the foundation.

According to the Purifoy Seven Drops on Ten Principal Partner, her LLB Foundation has one mission: to target sexual abuse. With this focus, the LLB Foundation has positioned itself to reduce the menace that this represents, protecting young boys and girls victimised by it, and rooting out all its roots and fruits.

LLB explained that the greatest motivation for her foundation is her experience. According to the interior designer, her step-father sexually abused her when she was just 13 years old and her mother could not defend her. Without such protection from someone else, LLB intimated that victims would seldom become emotionally stable, depriving them of a future of happiness.

With the LLB Foundation, victims of sexual abuse can ‘vent and heal’ and rid themselves of emotional baggage. With this done and the perpetrators dealt with, they can live good lives, unladen with the sorrows of the past.

LLB’s new foundation will doubtless shine in the future. As someone whose voice has reached the ends of the earth from a small corner in Oyo, LLB is a master of amplification.

Having set her mind to protect the victims of sexual abuse, it is almost certain that they will be protected.

Mele Kyari: Second Time Lucky Luck be a lady, sang Frank Sinatra. By every indication, this lady knows and loves Mele Kyari, the man who has been the face of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) forever. Despite the challenges of the oil sector in Nigeria in the last year, luck shined on Kyari, letting him be reappointed as the face of the sector once again.

President Bola Tinubu has unveiled the list for the new board and management at NNPCL. Following his decision to shuffle the administrative body of the agency, many onlookers expected the president to shove Kyari under the bus, blaming him for the ills of the past year. But Tinubu did no such thing.

Kyari got another chance to head NNPCL as its Group CEO. By this reappointment, Tinubu has demonstrated his confidence in Kyari’s leadership methods and potential to

turn around the oil sector, bringing relief to the nearly 250 million Nigerians. To be sure, the oil sector is challenging and Kyari has done his part since he was first appointed in 2019.

From the perspective of an ignorant outsider, Kyari has not achieved much this year as NNPCL’s boss. The price of fuel has risen many times, reaching a height so unreasonable that Nigerians have been forced to reduce everything by half. However, analysts have explained that much of the difficulties in the oil sector have little to do with Kyari, and he is only a victim of change and circumstance.

With Kyari’s reappointment, some hopes have been reignited and others dashed.

President Tinubu expects Kyari to change the negative narrative, assured of his ability to do so. It is only the president’s hopes that matter now, and it is favourably on the side of Nigerians, borne on Kyari’s shoulders.

Kyari

Progress is a force of change. The time comes for every son to take over from his father. In the house of Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, this has come true. The younger son of the Winners Chapel founder, Isaac Oyedepo, has successfully branched out of his father’s ministry, with his father’s blessings.

Netizens are currently involved in a debate regarding the validity of successorship in Christian assemblies.

Some argue that like Isaac, children should continue in the ways of their fathers, not necessarily under the same name. Others argue that such children should serve their fathers until the latter is willing to let go.

Apparently, there is merit to both arguments in the case of Pastor Isaac.

He officially announced the take-off of his ministry, The Isaac Oyedepo Evangelistic Ministries. Sharing a video to this effect, Isaac also provided evidence of the fact that his father supports his decision and has blessed him.

Pastor Isaac is the younger of Oyedepo’s sons, the first being Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr. Both of them went the way of their father, committing themselves to a lifetime of pastoral service. However, while the older Oyedepo remains under his father, Pastor Isaac decided to continue the family legacy under a different name, doubtless earning the grace of his father.

It is important to recognize that Bishop Oyedepo himself started at a young age. Long before pastoral figures were wealthy, he walked the lengths of the country, fulfilling the call for his life. Isaac looks to be following the same path, although his beginnings are not as humble as his father’s. But the end may not be drastically different, particularly because of the harmony between father and son.

For the Oyedepos, the new ministry is the start of something new and something good. It is the story of a son desiring to wear the same size and colour of shoes as his father.

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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 DECEMBER 3, 2023

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

TILL DEBT TEAR US APART With this new request, it is said that our national debt will cross the $57 trillion mark. My people, we are officially in slavery. Simple.

The blame is not on President Bola Tinubu, don’t get me wrong o. He only just inherited it and is doing his best to deepen the situation.

We have seen a budget expenditure plan of about N27 trillion which they have said is like 23% higher than the unfortunate Buhari’s own and a side-by-side request for an additional borrowing permission for another $8.6 billion and plenty money in Euro ostensibly for expenditure in infrastructure, power, health, railways and the like presented to the National Assembly.

You see, what Tinubu is facing now is a catch 22 situation. If he borrows,

he will die, if he does not borrow, he will die. This is where we find ourselves as a nation after years of deliberate rue in leadership. Since Chief Obasanjo cleared the national debt and handed over almost a clean slate to President Yar’Adua, we have been faced with a long line of ineffective and paraplegic leadership. Leaders who really had no business in running a street resident association, talk less of a complex nation with the kind of economy that we have leading the ship of state.

Today, the only thing that is keeping us afloat is the fact that over 80% of the population are not keyed into the mainstream economy. Otherwise, we would have been eating raw grass on the

roads.

All of our leaders, including the latest kid in town have been doing “wuru wuru” to the answer, that is going to borrow to shore up the expenditure side of the wahala while utterly neglecting the most critical side of the wahala which is the production side of it.

Our earnings keep getting depleted but our expenditure keeps rising and me, I am even wondering why or how we keep finding people to lend to us despite the very garish state of our finances.

My well thought-out advice to Mr. Tinubu is to continue with the wuru wuru to the answer method. Mbok, my brother, as long as you find people to borrow you, keep borrowing.

Nothing do you, abi?

Obaseki

Akeredolu

Usman-Ododo

Pinnick

Ogun State to proclaim it was his turn to rule whether we liked it or not.

On his mandate they stand and we wonder why the notion of separation of powers is dead with this set. On his mandate they stand and you wonder why all of his cabinet members including those still doing NYSC were asked to just bow and go. On his mandate they stand and you wonder why and how even their officers were chosen for them, making one of them shout - we are not slaves.

My people, the only bright spot in all of these is the fact that if you read very carefully the words of our National Anthem, you will get more clarity as to their refusal to sing it.

Our National anthem evokes passionate patriotism, it extols sacrifices, unity and diligence as we strive to build a Nigeria that we will all hail, virtues that are alien to this set, hence the decision to sing the other one which reeks of selfish and arrogant individuality.

So at least we now know that our socalled legislators are not standing on our mandate but on his mandate. This is just so you know.

the urge to still cling to power remains fastidious.

I hear oga has not been to his state for over six months and that upon his return to the country, he has been ruling from Ibadan.

You see, what is not good is not good. This same oga had lampooned the late President Yar’Adua for doing the same and now he is even doing far worse, causing so much confusion in the state just to be able to use his syringes to sign edicts and memos.

My egbon, ma bi nu si mi. Let me talk the small Yoruba that I can muster. The position should not be a do-or-die na, because the way you are taking this thing, it’s like a “do or I must die” on top the thing. The tenure is almost gone, I hear it is finishing 2025 and elections will start November 2024. So why the tenacious hold on power in the face of severe physical inability to do so?

The fact that the constitution has grey areas where it does not stipulate just how long we can tolerate an absentee governor or stating any other grounds for removal except being insane, does not mean that we should now be allowing this kind of thing na.

I hear it is so bad, that reports have been published showing his son carrying out his duties-inspecting facilities with the full complement of the governor’s entourage.

This is so wrong if it is true. Please Mr. Akeredolu, even if your deputy has two left legs, hand over but get a firm commitment from him to pay all your medical bills if that is your fear. In fact you sef, pay all the bills upfront, give yourself the kind of pension plan that we hear Akpabio gave himself in

GODWIN OBASEKI, LEAVE PHILIP SHAIBU ALONE It is very clear that the wind of change in Edo State is not blowing anywhere near Philip Shaibu, but Godwin is not listening.

Philip is wearing his khaki “Oshiomhole’ uniform with that wristwatch that caused wahala the other day, trying to distract the very good people of Edo with his prebendal politics, not realising that class and elegance have come into Edo politics.

You see, what is even giving him some level of oxygen is that lack of confidence being shown by the incumbent -Obaseki.

If everything Mr. Shaibu is saying is correct about the way he is being humiliated and hounded, then Mr. Obaseki is showing some very disturbing amateurish tendencies.

How for the life of me would you stoop low as to stop fuelling his cars, or threatening to revoke the C of O of the hotel he used to make his declaration and other such loutish tendencies when the man in a free and fair cannot even get votes from the many brothels that litter the state?

If we are to believe his assertions, then Obaseki must pull back and start applying common sense. Except he is saying that he is so afraid of Philip hence the need to go the “Oluomo” way in engaging him.

Obaseki should be confident enough to provide a level playing field and engage in a free and fair battle - if there is anything like that anymore in Nigerian politics.

Please my brother, kindly stop hounding and harassing Shaibu if according to

him, you are doing that at all, so the man can run his race in grace and be wholly defeated as it is expected. If you are allegedly doing all of these things, the man is saying you are doing to him, then you would only be giving him the platform to play the “pity politics” that he seems to be so adept at playing.

Abi who can remember that clip of him standing at the gates of his office and making that famous call – mummy where you dey, dem don lock gate o….. Lol. Kai. WHAT MANNER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY? Please on whose mandates are these ones standing? Do they even know why they are in the National Assembly. It’s no wonder that ever since they got there it’s been one anti-people policy or the other that they have been pushing.

From expensive SUVs to prayers in their mails - a euphemism for funny payments and all sorts that have stood them up as one set of legislators Nigerians would be regretting ever voting for.

Standing within the hallowed halls of the chambers to sing the campaign anthem of President Tinubu is a new low I swear. Just when one feels like it cannot get any worse, these ones who are the most detached and insensitive bunch you can ever come across just sink lower.

The National Anthem which is a unifying anthem, was no where to be heard-at least not from the clip I watched, instead it was the most divisive anthem of a man who stood very egotistically somewhere in

ROTIMI AKEREDOLU: ON YOUR MANDATE YOU ARE KNEELING My Lord, on your mandate you will stand o. Even if it means standing on your hospital bed with the drips flowing and your medical team standing by just in case… I have never seen this one where health is in such a precarious state yet

Tinubu

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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 DECEMBER 3, 2023

Akwa ibom, do whatever but just hand over.

I repeat, your health should be much more important than the lives of all of Ondo State. I am sure the good people of Ondo State will not mind making the huge sacrifice of a lower standard of living and a rise in unemployment to mention a few just so that you get better. They won’t mind, I swear. Resign my brother and go take care of your health. Enough of the games. I know you will not listen o, me I have kuku said my own and have run after the young female cleaner who just walked past me, with the best ……… I have seen in a while. Get well soon Your Excellency.

Thank you.

AHMED USMAN ODODO: THE KNEELING LEADER OF KOGI Nigeria is now a huge circus. Every day we see new things that continue to amaze us and distract us from the woes we face daily. This one has brought a new style o.

He is just kneeling down everywhere. It is not as if he is the first, after all, my own governor in Akwa Ibom had knelt down and allowed his incumbent to rub his bald head in prayers against the wizards and witchcraft who were against his emergence. But since then, he has stopped kneeling and is now expecting the rest of us to do the kneeling.

Mr. Ododo has however taken the kneeling posture international. If he continues like this, he could well be nominated for the Oscars. Did you see how the bobo knelt down for his principal immediately he received his certificate of return? He went straight o with the full humility of a Fulani bride after her groom had received the flogging of his life in a show of strength that he was capable.

The kneeling did not stop there o, it continued when he went to show President Tinubu his certificate of return.

Bobo went straight in thanks and full supplication.

This is what you get when you enthrone barely literate denizens to continue in the tradition of incompetence. You see, knowhow and literacy come with a certain confidence. The confidence becomes lacking when there is no capacity or drive to deliver. It is only natural because your common sense will tell you that you don’t deserve this and you immediately lose all self-dignity and start doing “alabaru” to those who put you there.

Tomorrow now to retain the position, you will see another Wike-Sim epic WrestleMania in Kogi. This one, I kuku trust that Governor of Kogi. He doesn’t suffer fools, if this Ododo person try himself he will find himself in the pit latrine of his village on his knees and worshipping whatever he finds there.

Meritocracy and fair play were nowhere near the Kogi election. They both had travelled and what replaced them were virtues you could only see in the very pits of hell according to reports. It is no wonder this one is going everywhere and kneeling down in a show of useless gratitude to the powers that placed him.

He has sent a message that he is coming to thank me too and I have also sent him a message that he must kneel down too.

He will not say that because I am writing this and condemning his kneeling for the governor, he will now not come and kneel down for me. He must kneel down well, otherwise I will ask Dino to release one song on his head.

DAVID HUNDEYIN: STOP SCARING US Look bro, I enjoyed all that your talk with or is it against Tinubu. Please stay on that lane and leave this our aviation thing alone o because it is scary o. I was due for Abuja during the week. It wasn’t a serious meeting like that but just to rush down to see my brother Akan Udofia who is launching a spirited fight for his political life at the Supreme Court when I ran across a tweet allegedly posted by Mr. Hundeyin.

Mbok, this boy scared the living daylight out of me o. To paraphrase him, he said: Is it until hundreds of lives are lost in a ball fire of kerosine in the air that our authorities will wake up to the reality of the dire situation pervading the aviation sector? He went on to catalogue some airlines which were cutting corners,

others not meeting their servicing deadlines, some others flying without spare parts and also mentioning that all stakeholders including the pilots whose

lives were more at risk were all being complicit.

My people, as I was reading, the news of people taking off to Abuja and landing in

Akpata and Ighodalo

OLU AKPATA VS ASUE IGHODALO: HEADS YOU WIN, TAILS YOU WIN It is looking like Edo State for the first time in its history and for the first time in any state’s history I dare say will be having more than two qualified candidates running for the gubernatorial elections. Mbok, forget that joke of a Phillip and let’s talk better abeg.

Asue and Olu are already front runners even though Asue, my brother, is still playing the ostrich game. Na only him no know say he is coming out. The whole world, even the unborn child at the Benin General Hospital is aware of his candidacy and he is still doing ‘boju boju.’

These two come more than qualified. Astute lawyers who have played very significant roles in nationhood. Strong filial pedigree, the charisma and grace to represent a very rich and proud people and the clarity to understand the issues that bedevil the state and also the ability to build structures that would bring the much needed succour for the people of the state.

Asue is a man of many parts. A powerful boardroom titan, one of the most brilliant corporate lawyers whose activities have berthed huge conglomerates, created jobs, impacted infrastructure while still positioning himself as a very influential thought leader especially with his job at the NESG. Olu on the other hand, is a powerful attorney. A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) whose

tenure saw him stand against the dictatorial tendencies of the Buhari regime when they were attacking judges at night. Olu is internationally respected, a man of intellectual means, great lineage, strong charisma and a very powerful dancer.

If you see Olu dance ehn, you will marvel. The way he used to carry himself almost with the finesse of a Russian ballerina, you will be amazed. That is what he used to beat Asue because I do not think Asue can dance to save his life. But Asue get bangle pass Olu. Yes, Asue’s bangles are ornate and beautiful.

The way he used to wear them on his suits, especially that one that looks like it is Mahatma Ghandi that gave him, you will just shout ‘Your Excellency.’ The way he will be swaggering all over the place like a colonial governor general and be doing like Obama and rightly so.

Anyways, Edo State stands to gain from all of these. If na Asue, you get Eldorado, if na Olu you get paradise but na one person go be governor and the people of Edo must decide.

I trust them to do the right thing as they have been shouting Edo no be Lagos for some time now.

Who am I supporting? Na any of the two wey go buy Afang for me. You know I am easy to compromise with, just ask Sanwo-Olu how many plates of Afang he sent to me “before I enter Shomolu collect beating for am.”

Asaba emerged. Mbok, I called Akan to say I will send him virtual support. I cannot come and be roasted in the air due to the rash of incompetence embedded in our officials. It is only ‘till we meet again” they will sing for my service of songs and before you know it, Duchess will remarry and most likely may go and marry that dancing governor with big bele and nobody will name any airport or even gutter after me.

Mbok, Keyamo leave Air Nigeria alone for now. We have heard all there is to hear on that scam, make he go. Come and see better problem here. People are pushing aeroplane to jumpstart o, people are using towing van to tow aeroplane out of huge ditches on our runaways and planes are flying with leaking exhaust and sellotape in a dire attempt at keeping the spare parts that they are buying at Ladipo market in Mushin.

Fear is catching me oooooo. I beg Nigerians to stop flying o till further notice. It is better to risk kidnappers, at least those ones will give you Indomie to chop rather than becoming fresh meat for sharks when your flight to Abuja mistakenly lands in the Atlantic. Shebi it is Asaba they are landing now. Wait and see where they will land from December. I have run away oooo.

AMAJU PINNICK AND KOLA KARIM: TWO PEAS IN A BIG POD Let me quickly send congratulatory messages to these two very well-respected Nigerians. First Amaju. It was his birthday last Friday. Amaju has been nothing but a blessing to Nigeria. A different kind of Nigerian with a passion for Nigeria that remains unparalleled. He has used football and entertainment as platforms to contribute very significantly to the nation and it is for this main reason and more that I really want to say a big happy birthday to you my big brother.

Kola Karim on the other hand has just been appointed Chairman of the huge conglomerate BAT. BAT directly and indirectly employs thousands of Nigerians through their operations especially in the agric sector and Kola joining this team goes to show the uniqueness of the value he would be bringing to the table.

Silver and gold I have none but a freshly made bowl of Afang with snail and “towel meat” better known as “shaki” served with the smoothest fufu ever I have in abundance to serve you at your very convenience. Well done guys and God bless you.

GEORGE WEAH AS A BRAVE AFRICAN Every African should go watch the clip of the handover ceremony that is in circulation. Ohhh my God, I was just so proud of this leader that I shed some tears. I was eating afang o, well made one o. The type that they don’t finish pounding the leaves and you will still taste its rawness as I watched the clip.

Mr. Weah, walking so majestically and with full pride towards the ceremony in a symbolic all-white ensemble and the people all shaking and saluting him as he willfully and obediently handed over power to the new President who looked like he would soon bend down and fall at any minute.

If you followed the recent history of this country, you will understand the immense pride the whole of Africa is having right now. A country that was led by illiterate, gun-totting buccaneers. They gave the world a whole new meaning to savagery.

They killed with impunity, chopped off the heads and ears of peoples and ate them on camera; did all sorts of atrocities that gave civil war a whole new meaning in debauchery.

The country had gone to the dogs, but just a few years later and after a whole lot of hard work from successive governments especially that of my beautiful grandma – Sirleaf Johnson, Liberia today was witnessing another civilian transition peacefully without acrimony.

Kai, I stand up in full salute to not only Mr. Weah but to the people of this country, Liberia. You have made us very proud and we pray that you continue to grow in peace and development so that some of our people will start to “japa” towards you since your flag is almost like that of the United States. Well done, and may God bless the beautiful people of Liberia.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 3, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

PERSPECTIVE

100 Days: Alake’s Midas Touch Spurs Global Interest in Mining Sector Segun Tomori

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he world over, the first 100 days of a leader’s assumption of office usually sets the tone for his leadership style, gives a glimpse into the policy direction and lays the foundation for assessing his vision or otherwise. Conceptualised by the then United States President Franklin Roosevelt, it soon became a benchmark, globally, to measure the early success of a president or public servant.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD), though hitherto co-existing with Steel Development as Ministry of Mines and Steel, Nigerians and indeed the international community paid scant regard to it, despite having the potential to generate at least $700billion revenue. Almost every state in Nigeria has a preponderance of most sought-after mineral resources in commercial quantities, yet the potential of the sector remained under-utilized, absence of efficient governance structures stifled development alongside the menace of illegal mining and opaque nature of the sector. Visibility for the industry was also hampered by fixation on oil by successive governments, but all of that changed with the advent of President Bola Tinubu administration and the appointment of Dr. Dele Alake as minister.

Alake swung into action by conceptualising a seven-point agenda that pragmatically seeks to reform, restore investor confidence, and renew global interest.

He identified eight priority minerals that require immediate intervention and focus - gold, baryte, iron-ore, lead/zinc, coal, limestone, bitumen, and lithium.

Within his first 100 days, several landmarks have been recorded already.

Of particular significance is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German firm, Geo Scan GmbN who will deploy their cutting-edge proprietary technology that will be able to explore mineral resources up to 10,000m below the earth. The firm will deploy its plant and establish its technology at no cost to Nigeria. This will culminate in the generation of big data on specific eight priority minerals and their deposits - a cardinal plank of the minister’s agenda.

Recently, Alake launched revised guidelines for Community Development Agreements (CDA), which aims to ensure host communities derive maximum benefits from operations of mining companies whilst requisite royalties accruable to government is secured for economic development.

“The mining companies must ensure that host communities enjoy the benefit of minerals in the belly of their land while host communities must also ensure a free and unfettered environment for smooth operations. Without peace, there will be no gain for anybody”, he asserted, at the launch.

At a separate fora, Dr. Alake pledged to strengthen the ministry’s mines inspectorate to enhance its ability to ascertain authenticity of mining agreements and also hinted about a role for traditional rulers in the signing of agreements on behalf of host communities.

In furtherance of reforms, Dr. Alake announced, days ago, the revocation of 1,633 mining licenses due to default in payment of stipulated annual service fees. The operators had exceeded by

Alake almost three weeks, the 30-day notice to clear their indebtedness, issued by the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) as stipulated by Sections 11 and 12 of the Nigerian Mineral Mining Act (NMMA).

Reading the riot act to other category of defaulting operators, Alake declared that the era of shortchanging government in royalties and taxes, amongst others, is over, warning illegal miners to also desist from their illicit trade. “Like I always say, a new sheriff is in town. President Tinubu has the political will and is committed to total reforms. Those that refuse to turn a new leaf will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

Plans for the establishment of Mines Police and mine surveillance task force to effectively secure the mining environment are in full swing. The clearest indication of this was the visit of Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar Badru and his Minister of State, Alhaji Bello Matawelle to Alake’s office, few weeks ago.

Giving an insight into what transpired at the meeting, Matawelle pledged unalloyed support and collaboration with the solid minerals ministry to secure all mining sites in the country, restating the significance of the sector to Nigeria’s economic development.

On the new security architecture, Dr. Alake emphasised that the outfit will encompass an infusion of a huge dose of technology while its structure will be developed in collaboration with all inter-military agencies. Part of proposed technological innovations will be the capacity to covertly monitor all mining sites in the country, detect intrusion, and provide rapid response to nip threats in

the bud.

Aside from giant strides on the home front, engaging the international community on the prospects of investing in a revamped mining sector has been a top priority for the minister in the last 100 days.

Quite a number of diplomatic shuttles have started yielding fruits. A deal for free training of Nigerian mining professionals on modern mining technology and practices was signed in Australia by Dr. Alake on behalf of Nigeria, and Hon. Bill Johnston, the Australian Minister of Mines and Petroleum, on behalf of Australia. Nigerian miners will benefit from training, study trips, and exchanges of mineral professionals, while the collaboration will also attract foreign direct investment, enabling Nigeria to compete globally.

Just days ago, the minister made a strong pitch for investment in Nigeria’s mining sector at the Mines and Money Conference in London. He thrilled his audience with advantages of investing in Nigeria, citing lower production costs due to surface mining and billions of dollars of untapped minerals lying fallow in the country. “The country’s geological bounty encompasses over 44 distinct mineral types, found in exploitable quantities, across more than 500 locations. Recently, recognizing the evolving global landscape and

in response to emerging trends, Lithium has been included as a crucial strategic mineral of global consequence”, he added.

Not done, The Minister assured that the Tinubu administration is dismantling bottlenecks to ease of doing business in the sector, addressing security challenges and placing premium on solid minerals beneficiation and value-addition, as a panacea for sustainable growth in the sector.

A major highlight of the enthusiasm that trailed Dr. Alake’s performance was the subsequent high-level meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden. Dowden, who chairs British National Economic Security Council, is interested in partnering with Nigeria on energy minerals such as Lithium. Alongside founder of Carousel Bio-energy, Jafar Hilali, the British leader promised to facilitate investment by a consortium of British companies in the Lithium value chain that will culminate in the production of Lithium battery powered energy buses for the Nigerian domestic market. In the spirit of strengthened relations, Mr. Dowden seized the occasion to convey the invitation of the British Government to President Tinubu to attend the African summit, scheduled for next year.

On the sidelines of the London conference was also a meeting with the United States Assistant Secretary for Energy and Natural Resources, Geoffrey Pratt.

Both leaders agreed to set up a joint team of officials to explore financing for credit to mining firms and infrastructures. Pratt expressed satisfaction with the ongoing reforms announced by the Minister at the plenary of the conference, stressing that the US would like to be Nigeria’s partner of choice in developing the solid minerals sector.

Already, there is palpable excitement in the mining industry on account of the renewed interest of government in the sector. Alake’s office has been a beehive of activities as local and foreign investors continue to troop in, seeking to contribute their quota to mining sector development.

In just three months, Dr. Alake has led the charge with the dexterity of a skilful visionary, shifting global attention to Nigeria’s solid mineral resources. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris during a recent courtesy visit, aptly captured the essence of the “Alake magic”- “Since he came here, he has managed to put solid minerals on the front burner, to the extent that people are becoming extremely envious of this ministry, because of the work he has done. It is not a mistake that the president brought him here. He knows that he can turn things around”.

Like they say, “the reward for good work is more work”. That will be the mantra of the minister as he seeks to consolidate on his “Agenda for the Transformation of Solid minerals for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity”. Key elements like creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation; Joint Ventures with Mining Multinationals; Creation of six (6) Mineral Processing centres to focus on value-added products amongst others, will ascend the implementation stage, in the coming months. Indeed, it is a new dawn for the mining sector. Renewed Hope is here! ˾ Ù×ÙÜÓ ÓÝ ÞÒÏ ÚÏÍÓËÖ ÝÝÓÝÞËØÞ ÙØ ÏÎÓË ÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÓØÓÝÞÏÜ ÙÐ ÙÖÓÎ ÓØÏÜËÖÝ ÏàÏÖÙÚ×ÏØÞ˛

30

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

INTERNATIONAL US Self-destruction and France’s Self-effacement in Africa: The Challenge of The Sahel for Tinubuplomacy

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he Sahel normally refers to a region, not as a region of Africa as defined in Article 1(d) and 1(e) of the 1991 Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, but simply as a biogeographic region comprising only Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.

As explained in https: //www.britannica.com, the Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso, Southern Niger, northeast Nigeria, south-central Chad, and into Sudan.’ Put differently, Sahel ‘stretches along the Sahara desert’s southern rim from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.’ Sahel, which in Arabic is called Sahid and meaning shore or coast, has been described by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, as a ‘microcosm of cascading global risks. Our concern today is not about the biogeographic character of The Sahel but about The Sahel, as the new name of the currency that has just been created by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The establishment of The Sahel as a currency appears to be the beginning of a new scramble for autonomous and respected sovereignty in Africa, particularly in Francophone Africa.

Three main dynamics are responsible for this development.

First is the United States unconscious policy of self-destruction which underscores self to the detriment of global peace and security. For example, United States policy attitude towards Israel, especially on the Israelo-Gazan war, has attracted much hatred from the world in the face of Israeli’s indiscriminate killing of internationally-protected people in Gaza. This development has prompted the rise in support for Africa from Turkiye (former Republic of Turkey), Russia, and China which is also seeking to replace the United States as the new world leader.

Secondly, France disregards anti-French sentiments in Africa.

France has been protecting NATO interests inAfrica and the United States has always supported France, regardless of their intra-NATO disagreements. Recall here that the NATO headquarters used to be in Paris. When France was dissatisfied with the mainmise of the American NATO Commander, the NATO headquarters was moved to Brussels in Belgium. But this has not prevented joint collaboration in the exploitation of African raw materials and war on terror.

Thirdly, China, Russia and Turkiye support the Francophone countries revolting against France. Turkiye has its own disagreement with the NATO. Turkiye also has sympathy for the Arab Palestinians and has always openly criticized Israel for its humanitarian excesses. All these dynamics have become catalysts in the United States’ unconscious self-destruction as a global power and France’s self-effacement as an African power and power in Africa.

Self-Destruction and Self-Effacement At the level of the United States, the Washingtonian authorities cannot see that the disregard for the basic principles of conflict resolution cannot qualify the United States to be respected or be considered as an objective mediator in international relations.

Grosso modo, a mediator is considered a neutral person or a country trying to help parties in dispute to reach an agreement.

Mediation, which can be of two types, evaluative and facilitative, is an act or method of conflict resolution the outcome of which may not be binding. The important operational word required of any mediator is ‘neutrality.’

The United States has neither acted as an evaluative mediator nor as a facilitative mediator basically on the consideration of its partisan interests in most of the cases it is seeking conflict resolution.

The Israelo-Palestinian conflict is a case in point. In evaluative mediation, the mediator is required to direct the parties’ thinking by evaluating the merits, weaknesses of each party’s position and advising them. Unlike evaluative mediation, facilitative mediation requires the mediator to help the parties to communicate and negotiate but does not ‘offer advice or comments on the merits or otherwise intervene in the dispute,’ to borrow the words of

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Tinubu Bryan A. Garner in the Black’s Law Dictionary. The critical point here is that any mediator who already has a partisan interest cannot be capable of any objective mediation be it evaluative or facilitative. This is one major reason for the prolongation of the Israelo-Arab conflict. When gleaned from this non-neutrality perspective, the United States is internationally perceived to be dishonest in the global quest for peace and security. This is a pointer to self-destruction.

Additionally, when most Africans either decided to abstain or vote against the resolution of the United Nations GeneralAssembly seeking to condemn Russia for its alleged unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, US President, Joe Biden, disregarded the principle of sovereign equality of all the Member States of the international community by warning them, particularly the African States, that any country that votes against United States’ foreign policy interests will be duly sanctioned.

Obviously, this warning of sanctions cannot apply to any of the PermanentMembersoftheUNSecurityCouncil.Theycannotapply to the allies of the United States. The developing countries which are targeted have been pushed to the extent of seeking alternative shelters elsewhere. It is against this background that the doors of Africa are now increasingly being opened particularly to the Chinese and the Russians. This American attitudinal disposition is precisely what France is also being accused of in Africa. It has prompted some Francophone West African countries to declare

“

Nigeria’s foreign policy attitude towards France is to prevent France from using Francophone Africa, particularly the neighbours of Nigeria, against Nigeria’s policy interests in the ECOWAS region. The French attitude towards Nigeria is not different: prevent Nigeria from instigating Francophone West Africa against France’s privileged ties with Africa as a whole. Is it in Nigeria’s national interest to have France declared persona non grata, bearing in mind that French investments in Francophone West Africa, all put together, have not reached the level of French investments in Nigeria? In terms of the sub-regional currency, The Sahel, one Sahel is the equivalent of 1000 CFA. The Ministers of Finance and Economy of the three sponsoring States met on November 25, 2023 in Bamako to lay a concrete foundation for the new currency. A new finance bank has been established and will be financed by Russia, China, and Turkey. A common airline company, and a common judicial system have also been put in place. Henceforth, gold mining will no longer be done outside of Mali, Niger, and Burkina. Most importantly, a central civilian nuclear centre with regional scope has been created. The Malians have said that Africa’s true independence now begins from Mali. How does Tinubuplomacy of 4-Ds respond to this new development nationally and regionally?

France unwanted in their countries.

Africa as a target of US foreign policy can also be explained at the level of the International Criminal Court. The United States wanted the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, arrested at the last BRICS Summit in South Africa if he opted to attend and to be surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial. True, the Court, which was established by the Rome Statutes on July 1, 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, had issued a warrant of arrest on President Putin. The ICC has the mandate of investigating and prosecuting all those responsible for grave offences of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression. The ICC only has 123 members out of the 193 member countries of the international community. The 123 signatories to the ICC statutes do not include the membership of the United States and the other powerful countries, like Russia, China, and India.

The United States that has not signed the statutes still wants to take advantage of the same ICC. Why? The reason cannot be far-fetched: US troops have been engaged in several war crimes, aggression, and genocide. Signing the Rome Statutes cannot but require the trial of US troops by the ICC. The US government does not want the trial of any American soldier outside of America.

What the United States is trying to do is to go through any friendly signatory to the Rome Statutes to protect its national interest.

The United States wants to eat its cake and still have it. As noted

by Claire Klobucista and Mariel Ferragamo in their ‘The Role of the International Criminal Court,’ (vide cfr.org), ‘some forty countries never signed the treaty, including China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

Several dozen others signed the statute, but their legislatures never ratified it. These include Egypt, Iran, Israel, Russia, Sudan, Syria, and the United States.’

More important, ‘two countries have withdrawn from the ICC. Burundi left in 2017, following the court’s decision to investigate the government’s crackdown on opposition protests. Philippine’s President, Rodrigo Duterte, pulled out in 2019, after the court launched an inquiry into his government’s war on drugs, saying domestic courts are sufficient to enforce the rule of law.’ The import of the foregoing quotation is to ask if the withdrawal of some countries from the ICC and the refusal by some other countries to sign the ICC is not as a result of the United States own policy attitude? This policy attitude has not been helpful to the international image of the United States. It has only enhanced the perception of a superpower in decline and why the influence of Russia and China is on the incline.

Perhaps more interestingly and disturbingly, political governance in the United States is largely dominated by the American Jews who also influence Israeli policies. Israel appears to be wrapped up in the glory of its achievements in the new world of technology.

Brigitte Gabriel in a video-post has listed the ranking of Israel in the world and what Israel has contributed to the growth and development of the world: Israel has the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world apart from Silicon Valley.

Israel accounts for the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world. Israel is number two in the world for venture capital funds after the United States and has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies outside United States and Canada. Israel’s economy is worth 100 billion dollar and is larger than those of all its neighbours combined. This is in spite of the fact that Israel does not have oil. Israel not only has the highest standard of living in the Middle East but also has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 in the world. Israel has the world’s second highest per capita of new books and more museums per capita than any country. Voicemail technology was developed in Israel and four young Israelis developed the technology for AOL Instant Messenger, which all Arabs and non-Arabs are using.

Besides, Brigitte Gabriel has added that the first PC antivirus software was developed in Israel and that the cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola which has its largest development centre in Israel. The firewall software was also developed in Israel. Israel is the cornerstone of most computer security systems.

Israel made the PillCam which is a camera device designed to be swallowed and designed to help diagnose and treat infections like intestinal disorders and digestive system cancers. The flexible Stent was created in Israel and has helped save millions of people’s lives since 1996. It is a device used to open up arteries to help treat heart diseases and all the complications that come with it. This helps avoid the need for open heart surgery.What about the Drip irrigation system? It was developed in Israel in the 1960s and it is Israel’s mega contribution to global agriculture.

It has revolutionalised agriculture around the world. Cherry tomatoes were invented in Israel. Waze is a GPS system now used worldwide. It was developed in Israel and sold to Google in 2013. Are these achievements the reasons for Israel’s abuse of humanitarian law and criminal recklessness?

The Sahel and Tinubuplomacy The fact of a new currency sponsored by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger cannot but signal the loss of Francophone Africa by France. It points to an emerging war between Africa and the West, in general, and between Africa and France, in particular.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

3. 12. 2023

For Kakadu the Musical at 10, a Promising Comeback Show The riveting musical drama set in post-colonial Lagos, Kakadu the Musical makes a full circle moment in theatre with a planned comeback show this holiday just a decade after its first production. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

T

heatre itself was a strong cultural phenomenon in the 50s, 60s and 70s in Nigeria. The father of Yoruba contemporary theatre, Herbert Ogunde seemed to set the pace for performing art to serve as national conscience. Fast-forward to the 80s and 90s, there was a decline in theatre culture except for the theatre troupes owned by government parastatals and international cultural organisations. With lack of public funding for the arts, especially theatre, theatre-goers seemed to seek entertainment mostly on Nigerian campuses and outside the Nigerian shores.

Ten years ago, Kakadu the Musical changed the narrative; returning the drama to an elevated level that it became very attractive to corporate RUJDQLVDWLRQV JRYHUQPHQW R΀FLDOV DQG WKH JHQHUDO SXEOLF .DNDGX ZDV ÀUVW SHUIRUPHG in Lagos in 2013 and a year later at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and is WKH ÀUVW 1LJHULDQ PXVLFDO WR EH VWDJHG LQ 6RXWK Africa in 2017. The country's largest theatre, Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg was the venue for this production which was part of the Africa Day Celebrations from June 7th to the 18th that year.

The musical, rich in spectacle, tells the story of dreams and hopes, of peace and war, of friendships and broken promises, of pain and loss, and of love and innocence.

Kakadu, the musical, came at a time when the Nigerian audience seemed to be yearning IRU VRPHWKLQJ GLͿHUHQW IURP VLWFRPV DQG KRPH videos. There was also a growing need to grow Nigerian theatre to a world-class standard, just as with music and the visual arts. For the executive producer of Kakadu, Uche Nwokedi SAN, venturing into theatre started with a personal desire to write beyond legal briefs and later burgeon into something bigger—empowering youths through the creative arts.

That was the genesis of Playhouse Initiative, D QRQ SURÀW RUJDQLVDWLRQ VHW XS E\ 1ZRNHGL and his wife, Winifred, to train and empower young creatives with an interest in music, dance, drama, acting, and more. On his own, Nwokedi worked really hard to deliver a masterpiece on stage. Kakadu, like sweet crude, went WKURXJK D VHULHV RI UHÀQHPHQWV PDGH SRVVLEOH by a formidable team comprising the cast and crew, 50 men strong.

At the helm of the production is Kanayo Omo, the artistic director of Kakadu the musical.

The UK-based Nigerian director coordinated the development of the story and characters, paying attention to stage use, lighting, sound, and other elements of the production. Driven by music and set in a popular nightclub in Lagos of the same name, Kakadu is a kaleidoscope of sounds: highlife, calypso, the Latin beat,

Afrobeat, Anglo-American soul, pop, as well as Nigerian folk songs.

With a romantic story as the icing on the cake, the playwright weaves a powerful story about national unity and humanity through a collage of music, fashion, and dance. Essentially a multi-generation piece, Kakadu is even more relevant now WKDQ LW ZDV ÀUVW SURGXFHG FRQVLGHULQJ the fracture in national unity caused by the events surrounding the last elections.

The audience is more likely to draw parallels between the disenchantment that characterised the temperament in the post-civil war period and post-election in present-day Nigeria.

5HÁHFWLQJ RQ ZKDW LQÁXHQFHG WKH FKRLFH of music in the drama, Nwokedi revealed that childhood nostalgia was a factor.

“The most interesting part of writing Kakadu was to weave a story around the songs that I grew up listening to, and at the same time using the songs both as dialogue in the play, and as milestones for the passage of time,” he says. “Thus, the music became a character on its own and in a sense my alter ego in the story."

For those who had seen Kakadu the musical before, there's a certain degree of expectation that comes with waiting for the show. Preparing the audience for what to expect, Nwokedi revealed some of the new bits of the 10th year production.

"We have a new cast,” he discloses during a telephone conversation. “The VWDJLQJ LV JRLQJ WR EH GLͿHUHQW :H ZLOO bring a new aspect of the story. Kakadu today is more relevant than it was. It is a story that is never stale. A lot of people have called for it to be done. I think it is a great time to run it.”

With an assortment of fashion tastes of the decade, the costume used in Kakadu had always been a subject of interest in fashion blogs and websites. The ensemble are windows into the popular culture of the 60s and how that represents the spirit of the time.

Still on the Kakadu team is Ben Ogbeiwi, its musical director since inception. He is RQH RI WKH QDWLRQ·V ÀQHVW PXVLFRORJLVWV famous for his role in the music reality show, Project Fame.

When asked why Kakadu has always been staged in Lagos, Nwokedi said: "Lagos is the most convenient place for us to have the show. The fact that we are supported by First Bank Plc makes it a more compelling and convenient location for the production. We can consider Abuja subsequently if we can get sponsorship."

Bringing Kakadu to the stage at a period

Kakadu The Musical crew

On stage ZKHUH LQÁDWLRQ LV DW DQ DOO WLPH KLJK LV D UDUH show of resilience. But Nwokedi is not one to be cowed into creating digital content in lieu of the theatre experience.

"Regardless of the popularity of digital con-

tent, you cannot run away from the theatre,” he adds. “Many started their careers in the theatre and then moved on to other things. I am very traditional about these things and I would always do theatre.”

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

32

SUNDAY DECEMBER 3, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

Who’ll Save LGAs from Governors’ Stranglehold?

Since 1999, all the attempts to grant autonomy to the local governments through constitutional amendments have always been thwarted by state governors, leaving the entire system of the third tier of government in their chokehold, writes Wale Igbintade

A

recent revelation that 313 out of the 774 local government areas (LGAs) in the country are still being run by sole administrators or caretaker committees instead of elected officials has shown that actualising local government autonomy in Nigeria is still a mirage.

Of the 774 LGAs in the country, 461 are currently being run by elected officials, while 313 others are run by sole administrators or caretaker committees. The 461 elected local government chairmen are spread across 20 states out of the 36 states of the federation.

The states with elected council officials are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Jigawa, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Taraba and Rivers.

Local government as the third tier of government in Nigeria is the closest arm of government to the people. Its mandate is to take development to the local areas.

But since democracy was restored in the country in 1999, local government administration has been hijacked by state governments. Governors do not only choose their cronies to administer the local governments, they also dictate how their finances, especially allocations from the Federation Account, should be utilised. The practice cuts across political parties with a predominant number of state governments regarding the third tier of government as mere administrative appendages placed under commissioners for local governments and chieftaincy matters.

This has caused the third tier of government to lose its financial independence, as well as operational autonomy, thus rendering them redundant and incapable of rendering even the simplest of social services to the grassroots. The situation is said to be a major reason for under-development at the local government level.

Many observers have wondered if the state governors would ever allow the policy to work considering their firm control of the councils and the huge money they get from

Chairman, NGF, Razaq

AbdulRahman Abdul-

them as slush funds. They also wondered if the governors would not devise another strategy to circumvent or thwart the policy.

Some of the states where there are currently elected officials running the local governments conducted the local government elections when the governors were leaving office. For over seven years while they were in office, they ran the system with sole administrators and caretaker committees.

Even in states where there are elected officials, the stories are the same – they are not given the free hands to run their affairs. In states where Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) are created from local government areas, the federal allocations of such local governments are spread and shared with the LCDAs to run their affairs, thereby shortchanging the local governments.

Section 7(1) of the Constitution specifically states: “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is, under this constitution guaran-

teed; and accordingly, the government of every state shall subject to section 8 of this constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, finance and functions of such councils.”

But since 1999, all attempts to grant autonomy to the local governments through constitutional amendments have always been thwarted by governors. Even several courts, including the Supreme Court, have tried to intervene on several occasions on the overbearing attitude of the governors on the local governments to no avail. Not only that elections not conducted, chairmen and councillors frequently removed at will, while sole administrators and caretaker committees are frequently appointed to run their affairs all because of their revenue.

THISDAY gathered that it was against this background that the federal government, alarmed by the continuous misuse of cash allocated to local councils across the country by state governments through the State Joint Local Government Accounts (SJLGA), outlawed the meddling of states in council allocations via the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), which was excised from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

However, as lofty the NFIU guidelines were, many believed it had to surmount a legal hurdle as Section 162 (8) of the 1999 Constitution empowers the states to distribute allocation to councils “among the local government councils of that state on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of the state.”

Many stakeholders have been calling for a review of the constitution to strengthen the autonomy of local councils, but progress has been slow, as many state governors resist the efforts to reform the system.

But to address the challenge, the National Assembly proposed a bill to abolish the state joint local government account and provide for a special account where all allocations due to the local government councils, from the federation account and state government, shall be paid.

In the bill, each local government council was to create and maintain its own special account to be called the Local Government Allocation Account into which all the allocations will be paid.

The legislation also mandated each state to pay to local government councils in its area of jurisdiction such proportion of its internally generated revenue on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly.

However, late last year, it emerged that 20 out of the 36 state Houses of Assembly in the country rejected the bill, falling short of the required 24 votes among the 44 transmitted bills.

In May 2019, NFIU issued some guidelines to guard against the overbearing influence of state governments in the administration of local governments’ monthly allocations.

The agency also threatened to deal with individuals and companies abetting the diversion of local government funds with local and international sanctions. The guidelines also reduced cash withdrawal from local government accounts to N500,000 daily.

But the 36 state governors saw the decision as an encroachment and challenged the decision at the Federal High Court in Abuja which in a judgement threw out a suit. Yet, it still does not stop them tampering with the funds.

So bad has the situation become that last Friday, the Senate asked the federal government to stop the statutory allocation of funds to local government councils whose chairpersons are not democratically-elected.

The resolution followed a motion by the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, during the plenary on Friday. He said the development was against the constitution.

Moro complained that some state governors dissolved elected local government officials and replaced them with caretaker committees at will. He therefore urged members of the upper chamber to condemn the use of caretaker chairpersons as administrators of local governments.

The majority of the senators supported the motion when it was put to debate.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

CJN’s Out-of-Place Criticism

Uzodimma

In what many considered as insensitive, the Chief Justice Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, last week reiterated the judiciary’s determination not to be overwhelmed by the sentiments of the “mob” in their decisions.

Speaking during the special session of the 2023/2024 legal year and the swearing-in of 58 newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Justice Ariwoola who apparently was responding to the criticisms that have so far trailed tribunal judgements, urged judges not to be overwhelmed bytheactionsorloudvoicesofthemoborcrowdwho have confused the law with sentiment or something else in deciding our cases.

Though the CJN used the occasion to admonished the judicial officers to work very hard and be very honest,humbleandcourteoustoallintheirdischarge

of judicial duties, he remarked that it was necessary forthemtohaveatthebackoftheirmindsthatpublic opinions, sentiments or emotions can never take the place of law in deciding the cases that come before them.

It is really sad that the CJN has not seen anything fundamentally wrong with the embarrassments the judges, especially of the Court of Appeal, are causing thejudiciary.FromtheKanogovernorshipjudgement to Plateau and others, it is one form of incongruous judgement or inconsistency with set precedents or theother.Evenretiredseniorjudgesareembarrassed.

Manyobserversfeelthatthisisthesecondtimethe CJNwoulddismissthefeelingsofNigeriansconcerning the incongruous, and controversial judgements that are inconsistent with set precedents in recent times.

At the peak of the criticisms that trailed the judge-

mentoftheSupremeCourtaffirmingformerSenate President,SenatorAhmedLawanandformerMinister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio as senatorial candidates on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively, the apex court had attempted to gag the public from subjecting their judgements to public scrutiny.

Many had faulted the apex court’s reaction, noting that if politicians and political parties cannot manage their internal wrangling maturely, Nigerians expect the courts to whip them into line by doing justice to all.

While it is natural for those who lost court cases to condemn judgments, the CJN’s comments were insensitive and could embolden corrupt judges to continue on this destructive path and destroy Nigeria’s democracy.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

BRIEFINGNOTES Much Ado about Founders of Lagos

A passing remark by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, that Lagos was founded by the Binis, a position that was earlier canvassed by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has again sparked unnecessary reactions. Ejiofor Alike writes that for a country like Nigeria that is plagued by insecurity and serious economic crisis, efforts should be channelled towards rescuing the nation instead of dissipating energy on unhelpful debates

I

t is only in a country where issues of national importance are relegated to the background, and ethnic supremacy, sectional interest and religious bigotry are promoted that a passing comment by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, that the Binis founded Lagos State, would spark a serious debate.

During a visit to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, last Sunday, the monarch said, “It is in the history books that the Binis founded Lagos. When some people will hear it now, they will go haywire, what is the Oba saying there again? But it is true. Go and check the records. Maybe not all over Lagos as we know it now but certain areas in Lagos; maybe the nucleus of Lagos, was founded by my ancestors. The Oba of Lagos will say so.”

The Benin monarch was not the first to make this claim.

Apart from history books, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, had also corroborated this claim when he once declared that “modern-day Lagos was founded by Prince Ado, the son of the Oba of Benin.”

In a statement issued in 2017 from Iga Idugaran, Palace of the Lagos King, Oba Akiolu had reportedly said: “I was told by my late paternal grandmother, who was a descendant of Oba Ovonranwen Nogbaisi, and with facts from historical books, let me share this knowledge with you all on Eko or Lagos, as it is popularly called.

“Modern-day Lagos was founded by Prince Ado, the son of the Oba of Benin.

Prince Ado was the first Oba of Lagos, and it was he that named the town Eko, until the Portuguese explorer, Ruy de Segueira, changed the maritime town to Lagos, which at that time from 1942 was the Portuguese expedition centre down the African Coast.

“It was a major centre of slave trade, until 1851. Lagos was annexed by Britain via the Lagos treaty of cession in 1861, ending the consular period and starting the British colonial period. The remainder of modern-day Nigeria was seized in 1886, when the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established in 1914, Lagos was declared its capital, due to the struggle of the Bini King.

“Lagos experienced growth prior to the British Colonial rule, but even more rapid growth during the colonial rule throughout the 90s till date. Thanks to the Aworis, Binis, Yorubas and migrants across the nation and the world at large, as no particular group of people can take the glory alone.

“Lagos is made up of lagoons and creeks.

Oba Ewuare II

Oba Akiolu

These are the Lagos Lagoon, Lagos Harbour, Five cowrie creeks, New Canal, Badagry creeks, Kuramo waters and Lighthouse Creeks.

“The Aworis and Binis are known to be the first settlers of the Eko land. The Aworis are speakers of a distinct dialect close to that of Yoruba language with a rich Bini mixture.

Traditionally, Aworis were found in Ile-ife; they were known to be the Binis, who followed their self-exiled prince, the first son of the Ogiso (now called Oba) of Benin Kingdom, whose stepmother was after his head.

“The exiled Benin Prince Izoduwa, known to Yoruba as Ooduwa (Oduduwa), was made ruler of the Ife people due to his powers and followers from the great Benin Kingdom.

“Izoduwa (Ooduwa) was made the first king of Ile-Ife in 1230 AD. His followers from his father’s Kingdom in Benin are today’s Awori people, who settled in Eko now called Lagos.

“In the 1300s, the King of Benin Empire heard from one of his traders, who were settlers in Eko, of how the Binis were treated by the Aworis who lived in their areas. Upon hearing this, the King of Benin commanded the assembly of a war expedition, led by his son, Prince Ado, which headed (for) the settlement of the Aworis and demanded explanation “On arriving Eko, Prince Ado and his army

were more than welcomed. The Aworis asked the Bini Prince to stay and become their leader. Ado agreed on the condition that they surrender their sovereignty to the Oba of Benin, to which the people agreed. On hearing this, the King of Benin gave his permission for Prince Ado and the expedition to remain in Eko. “The Oba of Benin sent some of his chiefs, including the Eletu, Odibo, Obanikoro and others to assist his son, Oba Ado in the running of Eko. Oba Akiolu added: “The name Eko was given to it first by the king of Lagos, Oba Ado, the young and vibrant prince from Benin. Eko was the land now known as Lagos Island, where the king’s palace was built.

“The palace is called Idugaran, which means “palace built on a pepper farm.”

Oba Ado and the warriors from Benin, together with the early Bini settlers in Eko and the Awori people settled in the southern part of Eko, called “Isale Eko.” “Isale literally means downtown (as in downtown Lagos) “Until the coming in of the Benin in 1300 AD, Lagos’ geographical boundary was Lagos mainland. Lagos Island, the

seat of the Oba of Lagos, then consisted of a pepper farm and fishing post. No one was living there.”

Nobody had challenged Oba Akiolu’s claim.

A prominent Lagos Prince, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi, had also in 2019 stated that the Binis were the first settlers in Lagos, adding that Lagos was part of the Bini Empire.

But following Oba Ewuare’s comment, notable personalities went haywire as predicted by the Benin monarch.

Prominent among these personalities was the Balogun of Eko, Abisoye Oshodi, who faulted the claim by the Oba of Benin, insisting that Lagos was not founded by Binis.

Oshodi, had in a video, debunked the claim, saying the Binis ‘never created Lagos’, stressing that there were other tribes in Lagos before the state was formed in May 1967.

Mungo Park was credited with being the first European to explore the full length of the River Niger and this claim has not diminished the status of the river.

With the level of hardships in Nigeria, it is surprising that many Nigerians are more interested in the unhelpful debate over who built or founded Lagos, which can neither diminish the status of the Centre of Excellence nor confer any advantage to the supposed founders.

NOTES FOR FILE

Who’s Homeboy in Edo?

Ighodalo

The race for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket in the upcoming Edo State governorship election promises an intriguing watch. Recently, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, reportedly Governor Godwin Obaseki’s favoured candidate, questioned the “homeboy” status raised by Comrade Philip Shaibu, asserting that jumping from one Mama Put to the other is not what defines a true Edo boy.

Opposition to Ighodalo has been fuelled by claims that he is unknown in the state, a narrative that Shaibu has since advanced by declaring himself the homeboy who does not need to learn the ropes of governance and being familiar with the nook and cranny of the state.

Responding, Ighodalo fired back during his interaction with locals in his Ewohimi community, in Esan South Local Government Area.

He emphasised his long-standing service to the state, dating back to the Adams Oshiomhole era. He particularly highlighted his role in the Economic Management Committee which Obaseki chaired.

The interaction faced controversy due to Ighodalo’s limited knowledge of the native dialect. Nonetheless, with the assistance of an interpreter, he confidently proclaimed himself as a true Edo boy.

“I am a true Esan Boy. I am not going to use homeboy because they have used it badly. I am a true Edo boy, I am

a true Nigerian…People can say what they like because we are not noisy or because you are not jumping from one Mama Put to the other does not mean you are not a true Edo boy.

“This issue of Edo boy, the issue of a true son of the soil is in the heart. There are many of our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who are more Edo than many people who live here. It is in the heart. It is not how many pepper soup joints you go to. For those of us in the Diaspora and Nigeria, all the best hands must come to develop Edo State. Sometimes we cannot sit in the village in the Mama Put and say the rest of us cannot come and develop our state. It is not done.”

Undoubtedly, Ighodalo’s assertion of being a real Edo boy will be a topic of discussion as the campaign season unfolds.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

CICERO/ISSUE

Can the Supreme Court Undo Imo Guber Controversy?

Will the outcome of the governorship election in Imo State on November 11 stop the Supreme Court from resolving contentious matters arising from the 2019 governorship election in the state? Asks Alex Enumah

Ariwoola

B

efore the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, Nigerians had received the news that the Supreme Court was going to hear an appeal seeking to invalidate the years that Governor Hope Uzodimma spent in office as the Governor of the state on October 31, 2023.

The matter was later deferred to December 5, giving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the opportunity to conduct the November 11 governorship election in which Uzodimma was seeking a second term in office and which he eventually won.

The hearing, coming three years after the motion was filed at the apex court, has exposed the startling delay and the sluggishness of the wheels of justice.

But the question many are now seeking answers to is whether the outcome of the November 11 election will stop the apex court from still going ahead to resolve contentious matters?

From January 2020 when the court delivered the judgement sacking Emeka Ihedioha as governor till dated, the court has not known peace, with many wondering how such a judgment could have come from a Supreme Court, especially when his replacement, Uzodimma, going by the earlier judgment of the same court, was not a candidate in the election. The decision left many speechless and dumbfounded.

Before the verdict, precisely on December 20, 2019, the same court had adjudicated on the Imo governorship dispute and ruled that Uche Nwosu was guilty of double nomination in that he was the candidate of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Action Alliance (AA) in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the state.

Consequently, the court disqualified Nwosu from the election and declared that the two parties he held their tickets did not participate in that election.

Curiously however, the same court, while sitting on another petition on Imo governorship election brought before it by Uzodimma, threw its earlier judgment overboard and came up with a strange verdict. In the judgment delivered on January 14, 2020, it conveniently glossed over its earlier judgment and recognised Uzodimma as the APC candidate in the said election.

The court did not just recognise him as candidate, it went ahead to award him victory in that election. By this act, many felt the court, wittingly or unwittingly, imposed two candidates on the APC, thereby contradicting its earlier declaration that

Uzodimma “a political party is not capable of sponsoring two candidates for the same office in the same election”.

But in a motion later filed at the court, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in its application, sought the removal of Governor Uzodimma from office. It claimed that a fresh election was necessary since in the eyes of the law, Imo State had no duly and validly elected governor, going by two judgments of the apex court in appeals number SC/1384/2019 and SC/1462/2019. It equally filed an application for an order, directing INEC to conduct a fresh election in the state within 90 days.

APGA, through its legal team, pointed out that the apex court, in its judgement in the second appeal number SC/1462/2019, wherein the then governor, Ihedioha of the PDP was sacked, did not establish that Uzodimma was duly nominated by the APC. “Indeed, this court rightly noted at page 9 of its judgement in appeal number SC/1462/2019, Uzodimma vs Ihedioha, that the issue of the 1st appellant’s nomination by the 2nd appellant did not arise. Consequently, there is no decision of this court that has determined or established that Senator Hope Uzodimma is the duly nominated/ sponsored governorship candidate of the APC in Imo State as stipulated by Section 11177(c) of the Constitution,” APGA added.

Apparently due to the fact that the court did not take immediate steps to give effect to its judgement, it was railroaded into giving another judgement that contradicted its earlier position.

The contradictory judgement was that of January 14, 2020 in which the same court pronounced Uzodimma as the governor based on the election of March 9, 2019.

APGA found it baffling because Uzodimma could not have emerged winner in an election he did not participate in. The December 20, 2019 judgement of the Supreme Court affirmed that Uzodimma and his party, the APC, did not participate in that election.

They have posited that it is this contradiction that the court has set out to resolve. They added that everybody that has respect for democracy and rule of law was looking forward to the resolution of the case and they hoped that the court would free the state from all the quagmire that had beset its governorship since 2019.

Aside APGA, both the PDP and APP equally filed fresh appeals wherein they urged the court to give effect to its 2019 verdict that disqualified

Nwosu on the grounds that he was nominated by both the AA and the APC. PDP is asking the apex court to restore its candidate, Ihedioha, back to office, since the APC was precluded from sponsoring two candidates in the Imo State governorship election.

In an affidavit filed in support of the application, which was deposed to by a legal practitioner, Adedamola Farokun, PDP averred: “The 3rd respondent/applicant (PDP) is neither in any way seeking a review of the valid, subsisting and well considered judgement of this court delivered in this appeal in 2019, nor seeking a review of the judgement of this court delivered on January 14, 2020 in SC/462/2019, but humbly seeking that this court give effect to its judgement delivered on December 20, 2019.

“That this court has the constitutional, inherent powers and jurisdiction to grant the reliefs sought and give effects to its judgement. That it is in the interest of justice for this court to exercise its wide discretionary powers in favour of granting this application as prayed.”

Farokun also averred that Uzodima was not the candidate of the APC based on the court’s judgement that Nwosu was nominated by both the APC and the AA. PDP urged the Supreme Court to hold that “both the AA and APC did not sponsor and/or field any candidate for the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019 in view of the double nomination of the appellant/respondent by the two political parties aforesaid, and his subsequent disqualification as their gubernatorial candidate, as found by this honourable court in its judgement.”

It argued that in view of the fact that governor Uzodimma did not contest the election as an independent candidate, there was no legal basis for him to be recognised as the validly elected governor of Imo State.

This is why a public policy think tank, the Neo Africana Centre (NAC), has expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s decision to revisit its December 20, 2019 judgement.

In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Jenkins Udu, the Centre said it was difficult to understand how a political party, in this case the APC, which had been disqualified from an election by reason of double nomination would be assigned another candidate for the same election.

The group said the absurdity of January 14 would not have taken place if the court had given effect to its earlier judgement of December 20. It has

therefore commended the court for revisiting the issue in the hope that justice, even though it has been delayed in this matter, should not be denied ultimately.

The statement reads in part: “We at the Neo Africana Centre have followed with keen interest the political developments in Imo State since the turbulent turn of events that followed the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on March 9, 2019. As an organisation whose focus areas revolve around good governance and democracy, we do not shy away from issues that tend to detract from our core objectives.

“The truth is that the Imo political situation has been a pain in the neck following the unjustified removal of Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State on January 14, 2020. Our concern here is that the judgement under reference was an illicit jump. It would not have been necessary if the Supreme Court which, in its December 2019 judgement, disqualified a certain Nwosu from the governorship election on grounds of double nomination had given effect to its judgement. It is therefore heartwarming that the court has decided to revisit the issue, in full recognition of the fact that its December 20 judgement has been hanging in the balance.

“We appreciate the fact that the Supreme Court understands the need to take judgments to their logical conclusions by ensuring that consequential pronouncements are not overlooked. Regardless of the fact that a fresh election will be held in Imo State soonest, the need to resolve the lingering issues around the 2019 exercise remains paramount.

The coming election in Imo State will be haunted by the ghost of 2019 if the contentious issues are not laid to rest.

“We therefore urge the Supreme Court to stay on track in this matter. The people of Imo State need justice and this will come through a tidy cleansing of the Augean Stable around the March 9, 2019 governorship election. The ultimate import of the judgement will be to ensure that even though justice has been delayed in this matter, it should not be denied outright.”

Despite the obvious faults in the January 20, 2020 judgment of the Supreme Court, many are skeptical if the apex court will use the opportunity to correct the wrongs it made given the fact that it has never reversed itself.

If the motion is eventually thrown out, it will as usual continue to taint and dent the image of the highest court in the country.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

36

ENGAGEMENTS

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

Henry Kissinger, the Centurion’s Last Salute

W

hen Henry Alfred Kissinger turned 100 on 27th May this year, I wrote this tribute in salute to a man who is undisputedly the greatest statesman and diplomatic centurion of the 20th and perhaps even the 21st century. I reproduce here a slightly amended version of that tribute as the world salutes the great diplomat on his final exit salute.

His distinctive deep baritone with a heavy German inflected accent testifies to a man of world historic mission and accomplishment.

Henry Alfred Kissinger has in one lifetime graduated from an outstanding scholar and global diplomatic icon into a foreign policy institution and veritable oracle of statesmanship. As he passed on this week at the age of a hundred plus, the world of international affairs and global diplomacy is likely to stand still in tribute to a man whose career embodied and traced the major outlines of United States foreign policy in the 20th century and part of the 21st century.

His Teutonic energy remained intact at 100 just as his intellect and analytical insight remained razor sharp. Age and experience only converted his measured elocution into oracular echoes from this world and all ages. Either as National Security Adviser or Secretary of State and, at one point, a combination of both, the strategic footprints and foreign policy compass of the United States still carry the unmistakable imprints of Alfred Heinz Kissinger.

Henry Kissinger’s towering influence has saw the United States grow from a rising global power in the post World War II era to the major bulwark of a rising West and now the undisputed dominant global military and economic power.

His is a career that saw the United States rise from a competitor for global pre-eminence into the champion of a unipolar world and now the pillar of the survival of Western predominance.

Kissinger remained in the forefront of the management of American foreign policy, power and influence in a bipolar world characterized by the Cold War between the West and the United States on the one hand and the old Soviet Union and the East bloc countries on the other. It is perhaps to the glory of his strategic foresight and sagacity that by the late 1980s, the United States emerged triumphant as the pre-eminent champion of a unipolar world of free markets and liberal democracy with an obvious technological and industrial advantage. The indices of America’s power have only been widely imitated but not yet equaled or surpassed.

His was a diplomatic influence and intellectual prowess that saw the United States through major wars in Indochina and the Middle East. It spanned the era of nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles and lethal biological weapons. From a world in which global power was a contest of two dominant power blocs, the Kissinger era also witnessed “the rise of others”, the emergence of smaller equally lethal powers with considerable regional and geo strategic influence and ambition in Asia , Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Oceania.

We now have China, India, North and South Korea, Iran and Israel as armed contestants for regional eminence occasionally brandishing military (including nuclear) capabilities to cause their neighbourhoods considerable insomnia.

In many ways, Henry Kissinger’s career path was a very American story. From his early days as a junior officer in the German army, his family fled from Nazi Germany and the evil of the holocaust and emigrated to the United States.

The young German Heinz Alfred Kissinger, a German Jew became the American Henry Kissinger, the Harvard scholar of modern European history. He soon became part of the pursuit of the American dream of upward mobility through hard work and higher education. Twenty five years of study and academic ascendancy in Harvard revealed his outstanding knack for diplomacy and unique analytical skills in international affairs. He was noticed through the strength of his research and writing by the US establishment. He came to be engaged as a consultant by the State Department under the Kennedy presidency. Specifically, it was the US ambassador to Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, who initially hired Kissinger as a consultant to

Kissinger assist the State Department with the Vietnam situation which was America’s central foreign policy challenge at the time.

Subsequent interactions with President Kennedy earned him the job of National Security Adviser, a position that placed him in the centre of the raging Vietnam policy vortex. A war was raging between North and South Vietnam mostly along ideological lines placed the United States at the center of global attention because of the ideological underpinnings of the conflict. Because of the material and human costs of the war, what to do with the Vietnam war became a major political and domestic policy issue in the United States. Protests and demonstrations raged in major urban centres as young Americans protested against a war they considered unjust and wasteful and so far from home. Young people intent on dodging the Vietnam draft fuelledtheprotests as images ofwarcasualties and Prisoners of War were broadcast through the novelty of television and inter continental radio broadcasts. .

Between 1969-75, Kissinger served as National Security Adviser to President John F. Kennedy. For Kennedy, the quest for peace and triumph in Vietnam could only lead through a decisive victory in the war. And because Vietnam was far away, superiority on the ground could only be assured through intense and massive superiority in the air. This in turn meant intense bombardment of the Vietnamese countryside. Therefore, Kissinger was confronted with the dual task of pursuing peace through diplomatic engagement while working for United States’ victory through a decisive military conquest of North Vietnam.

The irony of Kissinger’s Vietnam legacy is that he was praised for the diplomatic negotiations that led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accord in 1973 which led to the ceasefire. He even received the Nobel Prize for peace on his role in resolving the Vietnam war. But he knew about and kept a secret of US bombing of Cambodia. He never believed in South Vietnam as a possible ally except as a strategic bulwark of the US’s larger fight against communism.

After Kennedy and under Richard Nixon’s presidency, Kissinger was to combine the roles

of National Security Adviser and Secretary of State. He became very close to Nixon and the latter became so enamored of Kissinger’s sweeping intellect and capacity for deft analysis of global tends. The president came to entrust him with the management of complex negotiations and covert outreach to major allies and adversaries. He superintended the end of the Vietnam war and of course the chaotic US evacuation from Saigon on April 29, 1975.

Easily his most significant assignment and achievement under Nixon was the opening up of links between Washington and Beijing.

Kissinger saw opening of links with China as one of the most effective diplomatic coups to deny Moscow of a major ally in the unfolding bipolar world order. Rapprochement with China would also open up great economic opportunities for American industry in the years ahead. After a seemingly endless series of shuttle diplomatic missions initially through allies and proxies, Kissinger visited Beijing severally to prepare the grounds for Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China from 21st to 28th February, 1972.

The president met with Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung in the presence of Kissinger and his deputy, Winston Lord.

As for engagements with the Soviet Union, Kissinger believed and worked for constant diplomatic engagement. He prepared the grounds for the grand Washington summit of 1973 between Richard Nixon and the then Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev. Kissinger was presentalongsideAlexeiKosygin,thenChairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers. The summit was mostly about inconsequential matters like oceanography, marine rights, agriculture and other tangential issues. In Kissinger’s playbook, summits and meetings with Soviet leaders was a strategy in the ancient rule of keeping your enemies close and under watch in order to follow their thought processes in order to second guess them when necessary.

In the Middle East, Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy was instrumental to the signing of the peace accord between Israel and Egypt in 1979.

He was able to achieve this feat as spinoff from his friendship with Anwar Sadat who trusted him as an honest broker . He also enjoyed the confidence of Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Yizshak Rabin who also trusted Kissinger as a

person of Jewish descent. This peace accord formed the backbone of the Middle East peace process for over four decades and has subsisted till the present without fundamental distortions.

The burden of history placed the design, execution and management of U.S foreign policy in most of the years of the East-West Cold War in the hands of Henry Kissinger and his ideological and intellectual disciples in the White House and the Department of State.

While engaging in the various encounters in which the US was embroiled, Kissinger and his successors had to contend with balancing between the pre-eminence of the United States and the maneuvers of an ambitious and powerful adversary, the Soviet Union. From 1945 to 1989, the world order was governed by confrontations and threats thereof between the United States and a counterveilling Soviet Union in theatres of trouble around the world.

The management of this precarious bi-polarity as a US foreign policy burden fell on the broad shoulders of Dr. Henry Kissinger.

In the process, he evolved what has been described as the Kissinger doctrine in the evolution of US foreign policy. Broadly, the major elements of this doctrine can be distilled into the following: The overriding primacy of US national interest as defined by the prevailing conditions, Deterrence as a principle of discouraging adversarial intentions towards the United States and its allies and their interests around the world, Championing of nuclear non-proliferation to prevent the acquisition and development of nuclear capability by rogue states, United States nuclear pre-eminence in the world An overriding technological advantage of the United states as a foreign policy tool.

In short, the kernel of the Kissinger doctrine in foreign policy is the concept of ‘order through pre-eminence’. The United States must strive to maintain its dominance of the post -World War II world order by remaining the dominant military, technological and economic power in the world. In addition, a powerful America must remain the principal guarantor of the world order through these instruments of global power. Kissinger’s foreign policy construct was anchored on strength, not weakness.

It was the pursuit of world order and peace through the instrumentality of undisputed and overwhelming American power and strength.

For him, the guiding beacon of United States foreign policy must always be the national interest defined on a dynamic scale. The national interest must translate into a grand vision to be pursued through an appropriate grand strategy. These principles and concepts became ingrained in the post -Kissinger days and became the guideposts of subsequent White House foreign policy regimes. It has therefore become convenient to characterize some subsequent National Security Advisers and Secretaries of State such as the late Zbigniev Brezinsky as “Kissingerians” as a way of acknowledging his clear tradition in the evolution of US foreign policy.

Kissinger’s prodigious intellect has witnessed a vast output of publications that capture not just his experience on the job but also his insights into the discipline of foreign relations and diplomacy. His major books include: On China, World Order, Leadership, White House Years, Diplomacy , Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, Years of Upheaval, Years of Renewal, The Age of Artificial Intelligence. As a result, Kissinger remains the most cited and quoted authority on US foreign policy and global affairs in the modern era.

In his career in and out of government, Kissinger’s global Influence and reach remains strong among those he met at work. Among this select group, his collateral and residual influence as an expert remained strong. In the course of his high profile diplomatic shuttles to project and protect the influence and interests of the United States over these decades, Kissinger was rewarded with ‘friends in high places’. This wide network of leaders included.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER DECEMBER 3, 2023

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PERSPECTIVE

Fubara and the Price for Absolute Loyalty Eminent Boboye

“Y

ou cannot buy loyalty; you cannot buy the devotion of hearts, minds, and souls. You have to earn these things”. -Clarence

Francis By any stretch of imagination, I doubt if the ripples between the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his political master and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, can again be called a minor family misunderstanding between father and son, as the former wants us to believe.

If the media parley the FCT Minister arranged with some select journalists in Abuja on November 24, is anything to go by, the misunderstanding between the father and son has transgressed beyond a minor family affair into a political imbroglio. We can only hope that the crisis will not degenerate into the kind of irreconcilable differences we have witnessed between Rotimi Amaechi and Wike since 2014.

Anybody who watched the media parley would appreciate the enormity of bitterness the former governor still harbours against his estranged protégé and successor, despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention. I’m not sure the President himself will be happy seeing his beloved Minister flouting his directives of true reconciliation.

The media parley started like an innocuous chat that was meant to X-ray the policy thrust of Wike’s administration in the FCT, but ended up as another plot

by Wike to hit at the Governor of Rivers State.

Was the media parley purposely orchestrated to spite the Rivers State Governor? This may be hard to conclude, but in all honesty, Wike’s open display of rage and indignation for a man he brought to superintend over the affairs of a state he ruled, yes, ruled with fist for eight years, calls for concern. The greatest concern is that Wike’s vituperation and tantrums came barely three weeks after President Tinubu had waded in.

The major takeaway from the sponsored interview is that the crisis between the ‘father’ and ‘son’ is far from being over as many, including Fubara, have thought.

It will be naive, therefore, of Fubara to continue to see the crisis as a minor thing that can be resolved so soon in a family manner. This is because Wike’s exchanges with Fubara since the feud between the duo came to public glare on October 30 has revealed the inner working of Wike’s nature.

Now, let’s dissect Wike’s accusations against his protégé son. In the interview, Wike raked up many allegations against his estranged godson. He labelled Fubara an ingrate, accused him of masterminding the burning of the State Assembly complex to prevent his impeachment, accused him of disrespecting Mr. President and also charged the governor with an attempt to destroy his political structure in the state.

Wike’s claim that Fubara is an “ingrate” beats my imagination. Fubara an ingrate?

Really? I’m not sure the FCT minister knows the meaning of ingrate. If he does, such word would never have slipped off his lips.

How on earth would a governor that conceded all the commissioners but two to his predecessor and godfather qualify for an ingrate? If Fubara is an ingrate the way Wike is portraying him, would he have allowed Wike to pick his principal aide such as Chief of Staff for him? Would he have consented to the idea of having the Secretary to the State Government appointed for him by the FCT minister?

Again, is it not the same “ingrate” that

Wike took bullets for Wike as his AccountantGeneral when the EFCC was investigating his government? If Wike didn’t have confidence in him, would he have put him forward to succeed him?

I will advise the FCT minister to look for another adjective to qualify Fubara because the word “ingrate” cannot fly by any stretch of imagination.

We were all witnesses to how Wike became a governor in 2015, and the role former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, played. I’m not sure anyone heard the then first family appointing commissioners and personal aides for Wike as a governor. Would Wike have even accepted if they dared doing it?

I want to believe that Fubara is paying the price for absolute loyalty to his political master.

Meanwhile, Wike accused Fubara of masterminding the burning of the state House of Assembly to prevent his protégé lawmakers led by Martins Amawhuele from impeaching him. This, to me, is a wild allegation that is akin to calling dog a bad name in order to hang it. Would the governor who orchestrated the burning of the Assembly visit the same Assembly the following day to assess the level of damage? Would Fubara have also condemned the act in such an unmistakable term if he had a hand in the incident?

I think the Rivers people will be glad if Wike can come out to substantiate this serious allegation with concrete proofs.

Now to the allegation of Fubara disrespecting President Tinubu, how?

Between Fubara who has maintained calmness and has been preaching peace and Wike who has been throwing tantrums at Fubara after Mr. President’s intervention, who is disrespectful to the President? Wike’s accusation amounts to a pot calling kettle black.

It is on record that Fubara had, in a well publicised press statement titled, “Peace

is Priceless”, apologised to Rivers people and likened the feud between him and Wike to a mere family misunderstanding between a father and his son. He restated this when he received a military delegation led by Gen. Christopher Musa to the Government House in Port Harcourt, three weeks ago.

Fubara said: “For our dear state, I know everybody is wondering what’s going on, and what’s not going on. We are okay, there is no problem.

“If we have an internal issue, it will be resolved and everything will go back to normal.

“There is nothing wrong if a father and a son have a problem. If there is any problem, but I don’t think there is any, whatever it is, we will definitely resolve the issue.”

Even at the church service marking the commencement of the 2023/2024 Legal Year ceremony in the state, the governor paid homage to his predecessor who he fondly calls “my oga”.

Since President Tinubu brokered peace between the duo, has Fubara made any offensive statement against Wike or the President? Even when it was convenient for the governor to tinker with the political office holders Wike imposed on him, Fubara has maintained the structure till date just for peace to reign.

Even as a governor from the opposition party, Fubara has continuously revered Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in all his undertakings. How then has Fubara disrespected the president?

It’s, therefore, appallingly disturbing for Wike to come out on the live television again to threaten fire and brimstone, making wild allegations against the governor.

The fact that Wike used the media parley to denigrate Fubara after the President had sued for peace is a gratuitous insult on Rivers people and an unmistakable act of disrespect to the president.

And now to the accusation that Governor Fubara was seeking to destroy the structure that produced him as governor just within three months of his emergence.

Hear Wike: “In three months, it is sad for someone to scatter a political structure that supported and brought him up.

“You know what is painful. All these allegations, I smile. In all your doings be grateful in your life, no matter the circumstance.

“Nobody who is a gentleman and a politician will support this kind of thing.

And I kept quiet”.

He continued: “Be fair to the structure that brought you to power. You are the governor, but all you must understand is that some people had sleepless nights because of you. It is too early to fight that structure.

“I’ve never seen it happen anywhere.

You have told Nigerians the kind of person you are. Some people will even pretend for one year or two years”.

Wike’s accusation sounds timid and lame, to me. Has anyone seen Fubara tampering with the political structure Wike left behind, either within the state PDP or within the cabinet Wike constituted for him? Perhaps, the FCT minister should be kind enough to tell us how many structures, either at the state PDP executive or at local or ward levels Fubara has dismantled or to use Wike’s words, destroyed?

Wike is merely being hunted by his own shadows. We were all in Rivers State when Wike hijacked the PDP structures from the then sitting Governor Amaechi with the help of President Jonathan and his wife. Could this be the reason why he thinks Fubara would pay him back in his own coin?

Whoever has taken time to study Wike’s political lifestyle over the years will attest to the fact that the Obior Akpor strongman doesn’t let things go off easily, much more when the issue revolves around power. Since he became the Chief of Staff to Governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2007, Wike has left no one in doubt that he is an ambitious man with a desire for power after power that ceaseth only in death. So, whoever tries to challenge his behemoth must be ready to receive his rage and tantrums.

But Wike should stop playing God in Rivers politics. No doubt that he still wields power as the FCT minister who has the ears of Mr. President, but he should exercise greater restraints and circumspection in whatever things he is doing right now. Nobody plays God and succeeds.

To Minister Wike: Like many people have rightly pointed out, there can’t be two captains in a ship lest it sinks. Yes, God used you to help Fubara ascend the exalted office of the Governor of Rivers State, just as God used Jonathan and his wife to make you governor in 2015; and Fubara is appreciative of your role, hence, his frequent mention of ‘My Oga’. But you should note that Fubara is the governor everybody knows in Rivers State today, he should be allowed to govern the State to the best of his ability without further distraction. I dare say that you can only win the loyalty of your estranged protege son back if you give him free hand to govern Rivers State.

Both President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima installed governors but gave them free hands to govern their states. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi and other appointees in President Tinubu’s cabinet also installed governors but do not interfere in the governance of their states. So why does Wike want to be FCT minister and governor of Rivers State at the same time?

Boboye writes from Port Harcourt.

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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 DECEMBER 3, 2023

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Dubai: Tale of a ‘Dangerous’ Beauty

Adedoyin

Prince Samuel Adedoyin: A Glittering Light in the Business Firmament at 88 Of what God’s goodness and kindness would he not appreciate?

Tomorrow, Monday, December 4, the billionaire businessman who sits atop many conglomerates, Prince Samuel Adedoyin, will have more than one reason to be joyous, apart from the grace to survive the mysteries of the days and nights in the past year.

When the chief rises from his ornate bed to witness the dawn of the new beautiful day, his heart would be filled with gratitude to God for the grace to mark another birthday in sound health.

Society Watch gathered that the renowned business magnate would celebrate his birthday tomorrow. As a man who continually appreciates the goodness of God in his life, and loves to count his blessings, he would be throwing his door open at his palatial palace in Victoria Island for another birthday soiree that is expected to be grand as usual.

Also, the man who has been contributing heavily to the growth of Nigeria’s economy for over 60 years would be enjoying a downpour of goodwill messages from children, relatives, friends, close associates as well as admirers. The story of the Kwara State-born octogenarian is definitely the true definition of a man born under the proverbial lucky star.

From a very humble and illiterate background, he weathered the storm to attain the height which now endears him to many. Today, many will be grateful to him for opening the gateways of businesses they are now threading. And generations to come will surely appreciate this man who laid the good path that they are now following.

The mogul is a rare gem who realised and understood his dreams quite early in life. He followed it religiously and refused to sell his birthright for a bowl of porridge.

Even in the midst of difficulties, he knows who he is and refuses to hide under anybody’s shadow. This uncommon strength of faith and dedication have earned him respect and adoration while his advice and contribution are well respected in the business world.

Chief Adedoyin, for many decades, has served as a business advisor and consultant to many other businessmen. This included governments of several nations who had found him worthy as a result of his huge experience in sectors of the economy.

Also, his philanthropic gesture is out of this world. So, also is his unwavering acts of generosity, sharing love as a sacred devotion and giving back to society, especially his hometown, Agbamu in Kwara State, where he has single-handedly sponsored the education of thousands of school children for many years.

Little wonder his home in Nigeria and abroad is always a beehive of activities.

This explains perhaps why family and friends are more than ready to celebrate him tomorrow.

Dubai is the most populous city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is also the second-largest emirate by territorial size after the famous capital, Abu Dhabi.

The city is like a window into the Arabian glamour at a glance. It combines the splendour of London, Zurich, New York and Paris. For obvious reasons, it is a Mecca of sorts for adventurous people from every part of the globe. And for fun seekers, there is always a temptation to visit again and again because of its precinct beauty.

Dubai is ever a delight to tourists because of its Wild Water Park, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Creek, Dubai Fountain and many others. But this is not all about Dubai. It also boasts many beautiful and most expensive universities, as many international universities have opened their campuses there.

In the thinking of many, these and more could be part of the attractions driving some affluent

Nigerians towards this ‘paradise on earth’. But it seems that the beautiful city is fast becoming a bad destination spot for many Nigerians, especially ladies who have taken to prostitution as a profession. Expectedly, this has led the government to come hard on them, while many are now living in perpetual fears and incessant regrets.

Before this episode, it was no longer news that the UAE government had placed a visa ban on Nigerians since October 2022, owing to an alleged increase in criminal activities in the Arab country. Many would recall in 2014 how two Nigerian students were killed in the city within one year.

First, Nigerians woke up to the rude shock of the alleged murder of 24-year-old Oyamuyefa Alamieyeseigha, son of the ex-governor of Bayelsa State, DSP Alamieyeseigha. It was gathered that the lifeless body of Oyoms, as he was fondly called

by friends, was found in the corridor of his posh apartment by security men.

While some said he committed suicide, others claimed he was murdered by a group of people he had allegedly had a heated argument with some days before his death.

However, the circumstances surrounding his death remain unresolved till today.

Sadly, this happened as Nigerians were still grappling with the shocking death of Toba Falode, son of a frontline Nigerian sports journalist, Aisha Falode, in a similar occurrence. Toba, a student and rap artiste, famously called Tyler Fray, was reportedly murdered after being pushed down from a skyscraper. Many months after the tragic incident, the mystery surrounding his death remains unravelled. Tens of such murders have happened in the past and none has been resolved.

Abdulrazaq Isa, Danjuma Saleh Not Resting on Their Oars Isa

Saleh

For the duo of Abdulrazaq Isa and Danjuma Saleh, the journey on the boulevard of fame and success began close to three decades ago. At that time, they were both prodded by the desire

to leave their imprints on the sands of time.

Consequently, they conceptualised Walter Smith and Associates. When the company was birthed, little did they know that it would someday grow to become one of the most successful oil exploration companies in Africa.

Obviously, they were on a rollercoaster ride, as the company eventually merged with a Canadian company, Petroman Oil in Calgary, Canada, thereby becoming Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited that same year.

In 2003, the new company eventually won the bid for a marginal oil field known as Ibigwe OML 16; and five years later, it commenced production and export of crude oil.

Relentless, these ambitious partners invested huge sums of money to drill additional oil wells in the Ohaji-Egbema area of Imo State in 2011.

But sadly, there was a tragic twist to their hitherto enchanting stories. While drilling the second oil well known as Ibigwe-2, a blowout occurred that resulted in a huge fire outbreak that lasted for two months. For them, it was a

most unnerving development, as initial efforts to put out the fire were unsuccessful. Not a few imagined the closure of the company after they recorded a huge loss. But God intervened and turned their sorrow inside out. So, like a phoenix, the company surprisingly rose from its ashes.

By 2013, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited raised $180 million to drill five wells and Commissioned a 15,000 barrelsper-day-capacity flow station to expand its 20,000-barrel capacity crude storage tank operations.

To date, the company has produced more than five million barrels of crude oil and several million cubic feet of associated gas. A few months ago, the World Economic Forum (WEF) announced the selection of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited as a member of the Forum’s Global Growth Companies (GGC). This indicates the rising profile of both Isa and Saleh who are not resting on their oars.

UK-based Show Promoter, Omobolanle Olatishe, Honoured For Omobolanle Olatishe, the question many of her admirers and friends ask is how she was able to survive and strive in a male-dominated environment. Her answer has always been that, dedication, hard work and a doggedness that knows no gender.

Olatishe, a successful show promoter and serial entrepreneur worked hard to attain her current status and has remained distinct as a show promoter of high repute in the UK, her country of residence. The founder of Alexes Alexes promotion is known for not doing things in half measure, the reason she takes her time and expends her money to promote Nigeria’s music: Afrobeats, Juju and Fuji genres of music and putting them on the world stage.

For her dedication to business and the successes of her 10 business ventures running concurrently in the UK and Nigeria, as well as her dedication to cheerful giving, the Iyalaje of Aramoko-Ekiti kingdom last week received a well-deserved honorary doctorate in public sector management and Business Administration from the prestigious London Institute of Public Sector Management as a part of celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary.

While she was being presented with the degree, it was noted that her contribution to the public sector, and business administration in the UK were criteria for selecting her for the Olatishe award.

Top Politician, Araoyinbo, Rejoices on His Birthday

Araoyinbo

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” Psalm 90: 12 This bible quote simply explains that birthdays are not just mere occasions meant for only celebrations, during which glasses filled with vintage drinks are clinked and sumptuous delicacies munched. Birthdays are indeed opportunities for introspection and expression of gratitude to God for the grace to be alive and be counted among the living.

Last weekend, businessman cum politician Olumide Araoyinbo turned a new page in his book of life. A reliable source revealed that the birthday celebration was low-key and devoid of carnival-like celebrations. But for one with a good taste for beautiful things that life can offer, family members, friends, and business political associates gathered to share in his joy.

Expectedly, they poured encomiums on him on the momentous occasion of his birthday. However, despite the lowkey tag, the day turned into a wonderful experience for all those who attended.

Society Watch gathered that premium and top-quality drinks only meant for the elites flowed like an endless river. while plates of assorted foods garnished with highly scented barbecue were washed down with chilled glasses of palm wine.

Araoyinbo, a former majority leader of the Ondo State House Assembly and president of the Ondo State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONDOCCIMA) truly has good reasons to thank his creator.

Recently, he commissioned his new three stars hotel and apartments, located in the highbrow Ijapo Estate, Akure, the Ondo State capital A man with a deep pocket and an even larger heart, Araoyinbo loves to see others succeed. Blessed with an innate belief that behind every success story are others helping to make it happen, the gentle giant seems to eat and breathe kindness and he continues to impact his immediate society without fanfare.

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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 DECEMBER 3, 2023

NEWS

SENSITISATION PROGRAMME… L-R: Director, Public Health Department, Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike; Chairman, House Committee on AIDS Tobaculousis & Malaria, Hon. Godwin Ogah; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa; and National Coordinator, NASCP, Dr. Adebobola Basorun, during National HIV/AIDS control programme in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: AYO AJAYI

FG Partners US, Others to End HIV/AIDS by 2030 Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government has disclosed that it is working with the United States, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and the Global Fund on an initiative aimed at ensuring country ownership and sustainability of national response to HIV-AIDS beyond 2030.

The collaboration came just as the Secretary to the Government of Federation, Senator George Akume, revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to sustaining the initiative to treat more HIV patients annually using resources mobilised locally.

The SGF, who spoke during the commemoration of World AIDS Day in Abuja on Friday, said the government recognised the invaluable contributions of communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Akume said, “I must commend the National Agency for the Control of AIDS for its commitment and leadership to end AIDS as a public health threat in our country.

“The administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to ending AIDS by 2030 and will ensure no one is left behind in providing access to HIV services across the country. A sustainable HIV response is part of the renewed hope agenda of this administration.

“NACA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS recently launched a N62bn private sector-driven HIV/ AIDS Trust Fund of Nigeria.

“This is yet another unique achievement in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We call on the organized private sector to ensure the private business community delivers on its pledge to support the Government’s effort to achieve an HIV-free generation where no baby is born with HIV in Nigeria.

“We recognise the invaluable contributions of communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It is within these communities that we have found resilience, determination, and the will to make a difference. The strength of these communities has propelled us towards achieving the global

Mike Adenuga Chair: Adebisi Call on Nigerians to Embrace Entrepreneurship Federal and state governments, as well as Nigerians, have been asked to, as a matter of policy and deliberate intention, embrace “everythingprenuership” to ensure value creation in the country. This will also address the issues of deprivation, hunger, unemployment, and “japaism” and move many informal businesses into the formal circle.

First occupier of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies, University of Lagos, Professor Sunday Adebisi, who is also the Director of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Centre of the institution made the call while delivering the first special lecture of the Professorial Chair entitled, ‘Revolutionizing the Nigerian Economy to Create Jobs and Sustainable Wealth. The Sole

Ladder, The Sole Option, The Sole Platform’ on Tuesday at University of Lagos.

He said all the things happening in and around Nigeria are windows of opportunities, adding that the citizens, if given direction and supported with well outlined policies, would help the nation create massive wealth.

“Government should identify possible innovations in the areas of their strength and motivate the citizens to pursue enterprise opportunities there. The three tiers of government must make a deliberate effort to support the democratisation of innovation and entrepreneurship from the next academic session in all levels of education in Nigeria with a good monitoring team at all levels”, Professor Adebisi said.

goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

“Nigeria aligns fully with global solidarity and shared responsibilities which requires us to view global health responses in a new way, The government of “Renewed Hope” of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to sustaining the President’s initiative to treat more HIV patients annually using resources mobilised locally.

“I am happy to note that the key strategy for sustainability and country ownership of HIV to be launched today indicates a pivotal commitment towards ending AIDS by 2030 and beyond, with states providing leadership. I, therefore,

encourage the state government to key into this agenda for ownership of sustainable HIV response in Nigeria. I equally acknowledge and appreciate the outstanding support and commitment of the United Nations, government and people of the United States of America, and the Global Funds for their unflinching support over the years to keep people living with HIV alive in Nigeria.”

The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Gambo Aliyu, said the leadership of communities of persons living with HIV,

key affected populations, women, adolescents, and young persons; policymakers, religious, traditional, and political leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, organised private sector, the general public, and the media has a critical role to ending social, cultural, legal and economic inequalities holding back progress to ending AIDS and elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. He said the sustainability agenda was an initiative of NACA in collaboration with its development partners supporting the national

HIV response that ensures that community leaders take ownership of the programme.

In addition, he said it is an advocacy tool for the government at all levels to increase HIV financing, especially in the light of dwindling resources from donor agencies.

Aliyu noted that despite the government’s funding of the national response, evidence showed that the HIV response in Nigeria has been donor-driven.

Aliyu maintained that over the last four years, especially during the period of the COVID-19 epidemic, Nigeria demonstrated tremendous capacity for HIV case identification at the community level.

Do Not Succumb to Hardship, Obi Charges Youths Chuks Okocha in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has charged the Nigerian youths not to cower in their resolve for a new Nigeria no matter the weight of the challenges.

Obi, who made the charge in a keynote address at an international youth conference in Enugu at the weekend, reminded them that Nigeria belongs to them.

“You must not cower in the

face of difficult challenges and bad governance that pervade the nation but must raise your voices and demand good governance.

“We all must persevere and work together to dismantle the criminality and corruption that has festered through different levels of government in our nation,” Obi explained.

He commended the organisers of the programme for the wonderful initiative aimed at empowering our youths with the right knowledge and leadership

skills to make positive change.

“We will, all together, build the New Nigeria of our dreams,” Obi added.

Reminiscing on the theme of the conference attended by notable youth mentors, which is on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Obi interacted with a cross-section of young entrepreneurs, youth advocates, and change agents.

The event was aimed at discussing how to ‘Accelerate Actions to Achieve the SDGs in Nigeria Through Entrepreneurship

and Civic Engagement,’ a topic of critical importance to the nation, especially the youths, whose future must be secured.

“As a keynote speaker, I pointed out to them that the SDGs are a follow-up of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000 - 2015), which before it ended in 2015, none was ever achieved in Nigeria because they were not mainstreamed into the development agenda of the government, as other countries, like China, India, and Vietnam, did.

N2bn Judgment Debt: Court Summons NATCOM Acting DG Wale Igbintade Justice Akinkunmi Idowu of the Lagos State High Court has summoned the acting Director-General of the National Commission against the Proliferation of Arms, Light Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NATCOM), Mr. Adejare Adegbenro, to appear before it following his failure to liquidate an alleged N2 billion judgment debt.

Justice Idowu issued the summons in a November 8 ruling on an application filed by Fundquest Financial Services through its lawyer, Mr. Adetunji Adedoyin-

Adeniyi of AAA Chambers According to the summons, Adegbenro is the 3rd judgment debtor in a N2,016228,442.95 debt owed to the Judgment Creditor, Fundquest Financial Services Limited.

The judge adjourned till Monday, December 4 for further proceedings.

The summons reads in part: “The Judgment Creditor obtained a judgment against the above-named 3rd Judgment Debtor in this court on the 5th day of July 2021 for: “The sum of N1,033,800,276.46 against the 1st and 2nd Judgment Debtors being the amount

outstanding and unpaid, as of 30th November 2020 by the 1st & 3rd judgment debtor in respect of the Institutional Note Issuance/ Commercial Paper Facilities in the sum of N405, 000,000, availed to the 1st judgment Debtor vide the Judgment Creditor’s offer letter of 27 April 2017 and guaranteed by the 3rd judgment debtor.”

Other sums mentioned as comprising the N2,016228,442.95 debt include N418,326,446.11 and N594,101,720.38.

Justice Idowu added that the sums: “Be attached with interest at the contractual of 30 per cent per an-

num from the 30th November 2020 until 5th July 2021 and thereafter at 20 per cent per annum till the day the whole outstanding judgment debt is finally liquidated as per the summary judgment of this honourable court.

“And whereas default has been made in the payment of the judgment debt of N2,812,781,833.87 payable in pursuance of the said judgment and the Judgment Creditor has required the Judgment Summons to be issued against you the 3rd Judgment Debtor- Mr. Adejare Nurudeen Adegbenro.

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ASUU to FG “From recent happenings in the country, where, for instance, one member of the National Assembly can take just a part of his allowances would include a N160 million, is a clear sign that if the Nigerian state is serious, it can fund education” – ASUU saying if the government is sincere in its intentions, the proposed student loan should be made a grant instead of a loan.

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WAZIRIADIO POSTSCRIPT

Preliminary Notes on the 2024 Appropriation Bill

O

n the day that marked his sixth month in office, President Bola Tinubu presented his first full-year budget proposal to the National Assembly. The N27.5 trillion budget he proposed, Nigeria’s largest so far in Naira terms, continues the problematic tradition of unrealistic budgeting, anchored on revenue projections that are hardly met and on debts and deficits that always end up bigger than anticipated.

Nigeria sorely needs fiscal consolidation—we need to slash budget deficits and stop the accumulation of debts. President Tinubu has opted for the opposite direction. His early actions on petrol subsidy removal and foreign exchange rates unification, ordinarily, should have strengthened his hands in the pursuit of fiscal discipline. But his expansionary instincts clearly got in the way, and this suggests that Nigeria will remain in a fiscal hole for much longer.

In presenting the highlights of the 2024 money bill, both the president and the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, gave some nice spins to the budget christened, expectedly, as the Budget of Renewed Hope. But highlights are not all there is to budgets. Without having access to the complete budget document, the rest of us cannot independently ascertain if there is a reason for hope at all, not to talk of a renewed one.

The full budget is not yet in the public domain.

As at 7 p.m. yesterday, only three documents were available on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation: the president’s budget speech, a PowerPoint presentation by the budget and planning minister, and the 2024 to 2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)/Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

A member of the National Assembly alleged in a BBC interview that even legislators do not have the full budget. At least one of his colleagues has countered the claim. Interestingly, both chambers of the National Assembly have passed the appropriation bill for second reading.

All of these—the known content of and the circumstances surrounding the 2024 appropriation bill—raise some critical issues. I will address some of these issues under three broad headings in this preliminary comment on the 2024 budget proposal.

Imperative of Rethinking Budgeting in Transition Years

The 2024 appropriation bill is the third budgetrelated interaction between the Tinubu administration and the legislature within six months. On 12th July, the president sent a request to the National Assembly to amend the N819 billion supplementary budget for 2022. On 31st October, Tinubu requested for the passage of a N2.17 trillion supplementary budget for 2023. Then on 29th November, he presented the 2024 budget proposal, expected to be operational on the first day of next year.

It is conceivable that we might have three different budgets in operation at the same time. At least some of the capital items in the supplementary budgets for 2022 and 2023 are likely to stretch into the new year. This will be untidy for accounting and tracking purposes. This probability again questions the rationale for including some capital items in the 2023 supplementary budget when they can be accommodated in the 2024 budget.

Working simultaneously on a supplementary budget and a full-year budget may also explain why the complete version of the 2024 proposed budget is still not available. It is clear that the preparation and the passage of the 2024 budget are being rushed in both arms of government. Speed can be a virtue, but not in a matter as sacred as budgeting—an issue we shall return to shortly.

Tinubu However, the main issue here is that an outgoing government should not be making budgets for the period it will not be in charge. It is reasonable to expect that the priorities of the new administration will be different. This could arise from promises made during the campaigns, a different style of governance or the need to cushion the impact of initial reforms undertaken (in this case, the removal of petrol subsidy).

To give a new administration a measure of flexibility at take-off, we may need to pass a law that budgets in election/transition years should be for a maximum of six months. For example, the term-barred administration of President Muhammadu Buhari should have prepared a budget till only June this year. The same should apply to a president standing for re-election, as there is a possibility a sitting president can lose, as it happened in 2015.

This practice is already in place in many countries, including in Ghana.

Having a different approach to budgeting for a transition year should serve the dual purpose of avoiding government from shutting down and allowing the next administration the freedom to design a half-year budget that aligns with its focus and priorities. It will also save us the ungainly possibility of two or three budgets running concurrently. Also, it should provide an additional incentive for the new administration to constitute its cabinet on time.

Budgets Deserve More Than Perfunctory Treatments

President Tinubu requested the National Assembly to treat his 2024 budget proposal with “reasonable dispatch” so that the budget can come into effect from 1st January 2024. It is conceivable that his request will be granted. Already, there is a kite flying around that the budget would be passed before the legislators proceed on Christmas break.

The two supplementary budgets were attended to with utmost, almost embarrassing, dispatch. The amendment to the 2022 supplementary budget took about a day. The 2023 supplementary budget was concluded within a week: submitted to the National Assembly on 31st October, passed by the legislators on 2nd November, and signed into law by the president on 8th November. While this fast-food approach to processing appropriation bill can be excused for virement and supplementary budgets,

it will be suboptimal for year-long budgets.

The president anchored his appeal on the need for the two arms of government to continue to work harmoniously and promptly “to serve and to benefit the people of our beloved country.” True, we need both the legislative and executive arms to keep working together for the benefit of Nigerians but also as strong checks on each other. Neither the principle of separation of powers nor the interest of Nigerians will be served when the budgeting process is reduced to a perfunctory, hollow exercise.

Appropriation is at the core of legislative powers.

That is why the legislative arm is said to have the power of the purse, even when it is the executive arm that initiates and implements budgets. Appropriation profoundly brings together the three functions of the legislature: representation, oversight and legislation.

Budgeting allows them to ensure that the interests of the constituents are served, to provide oversight over the executive, to make laws for allocation of resources (that is why the appropriation comes as a bill that later becomes an act). Such a grave responsibility should not be handled with the levity witnessed in recent time.

It is good to have a January to December budgeting cycle, and a lot of work was done to get us to this predictable state. But the legislature needs enough time to work on the budget proposals not just in terms of general debate but most importantly in terms of the heavy lifting undertaken by various committees where the budgets of different agencies are expected to be examined in granular detail before recommendations to the appropriation committee, then passage by each of the two chambers, harmonisation and passage of the harmonised version, then transmission of the clean copy for presidential assent.

The legislature needs ample time to do all of these well, and this is why budget proposals are usually presented to the National Assembly in late September/early October. The executive also needs enough time to scrutinise what is transmitted before the president signs the bill into an act (otherwise, all sorts may creep into the signed budget). The delay this year is fully on the executive, perhaps because it is new. Hopefully, this will be corrected in subsequent years.

Of Rosy Projections and Suffocating Debt Service

The assumptions underlying the budget have already been passed in the 2024 to 2026 MTEF/FSP. The legislators could have exercised more rigour in aligning the MTEF/FSP with reality and could have done more to start the process of pulling us away from the path of voodoo budgeting. For 2024, oil price benchmark is projected at $77.96 per barrel; oil production, at 1.78 million barrels per day; inflation, at 21.40%; and GDP growth rate, at 3.76%. Apart from the benchmark oil price, the others are very rosy projections.

The performance of the 2022 budget and of the 2023 budget from January to September, as contained in the 45-page presentation by Senator Bagudu, shows that past projections were mostly off-target, not just in terms of underlying assumptions but most significantly in terms of revenue projection.

We have always fallen short on revenues, which inexorably leads to more debts and wider deficits, and subsequently greater allocation to debt service.

Beyond just hope, there is little indication that 2024 will be different.

The 2024 appropriation bill projects that total revenue for the Federal Government will jump from projected N11.04 trillion in 2023 to N18.31 trillion in 2024, an increase of 66%. This puts the

budget deficit at N9.18 trillion. Compared to the N13.78 trillion deficit of the 2023 budget, that is a reduction in deficit by 33%. If the deficit can be kept as projected, that is some progress. But I won’t hold my breath. Revenue always underperforms, leading not just to increased deficits but to net negative financing (read: ways and means).

In a way, the expected increase in revenue is not totally baseless. It is predicated on gains from removal of petrol subsidy, Naira devaluation and expected jump in oil production. But to expect Federal Government’s share from the main pool to jump from N4.73 trillion in 2023 to N11.99 trillion in 2024 may be a bit of a stretch, especially when future oil revenue has been encumbered through loans, prior subsidy and some measure of subsidy resurfacing.

There are more concerning areas. Even as projected, the 2024 deficit is 50.11% of the expected revenue.

And if revenue underperforms, as it is likely to, the deficit is likely to grow bigger. The projected deficit is 3.88% of Nigeria’s GDP, above the 3% threshold allowed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007. To fund the projected deficit for 2024, the government expects N298 billion from privatisation proceeds, N1.05 trillion from loans and grants from multilateral agencies, and N7.83 trillion as new loans.

The thing about budgeting is that what goes in at one end, comes out at the other. We have been designing and implementing budgets with bloated revenue expectations ostensibly to mask the extent of the deficit. We have been playing an optical illusion game with ourselves. We bridge the resultant gaps by binging on debts, which not only widen the deficits, but lead to hike in subsequent allocation to debt service. In a piece in this column on October 15th, I showed that debt service went up by 593.36% between 2012 and 2022.

The profile of debt service in our budget continues to grow astronomically. The sum of N8.5 trillion was allocated to debt service in the 2024 proposed budget (broken down as N8.25 trillion for debt service and N243 billion for sinking fund). That’s 31% or close to a third of the total budget for the year. Debt service also constitutes 46% of the projected revenue, which from experience is likely to fall short. Debt service is almost at par with the proposed capital expenditure of N8.7 trillion (unlikely to be met too). Debt service is 31% higher than personnel allocation of 6.48 trillion. Interestingly too, hard expenditure (debt service and personnel) will gulp 82% of projected revenue.

The presidency highlighted allocations to some strategic sectors: N3.25 trillion to defence and security, N2.18 trillion to education, N1.33 trillion to health, N1.32 trillion to infrastructure, and N534 billion to social development. This is commendable, even when the allocations to education and health are still below recommended levels. But all these highlighted strategic allocations sum up to N8.61 trillion. We may need to remind ourselves that the allocation for debt service alone is N8.5 trillion.

Clearly, debt service has become a tightening noose around our neck. And the more debts we take, the tighter the noose will become. This is not an argument for the repudiation of our debts.

But we have to embrace the wisdom of the need to stop digging when inside a hole. We need to significantly and realistically bump up revenue.

Yes, a tax and fiscal reform initiative is on, but until it starts yielding adequate fruits, we need to be more prudent in allocating, and spending, available resources. Until the full budget is out, it is difficult to know if this government really gets the last part.

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