SUNDAY 26TH JANUARY 2020

Ihedioha: PDP Files Request for Case Review to S’Court This Week Lawyers putting final touches to petition As party mulls consensus candidate for chair of govs’ forum Chuks Okocha in Abuja All things being equal, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is filing for a review of the

Tuesday, January 14, Supreme Court judgment that nullified the election of its candidate, Emeka Ihedioiha, as the governor of Imo State, before the end of this week.

The Supreme Court had penultimate Tuesday, January 14, sacked Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and ordered the swearing-in of the All Progressives Congress

(APC) candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, a judgment that had since attracted the ire of the observing public. .

But the decision to formally seek a review of the case,

THISDAY gathered, received the approval of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP at its meeting last week.

To that extent, some of the constitutional lawyers engaged

by the PDP to formally present the party's request for a review of the Supreme Court judgment, THISDAY further Continued on page 5

FG to Award 19 Road Projects on Tax Credit Scheme… Page 12 Sunday 26 January, 2020 Vol 25. No 9057

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Bandits Kill 11, Kidnap Scores, Rape Women in Niger Communities Senator sends SOS to Buhari Laleye Dipo in Minna Armed bandits were again on rampage in some Niger communities on Saturday, killing 11 people, kidnapping

scores of others, and raping women. The incident took place about 6am at Kudodo, Galapai, Dnakpala, Makera, and Dnalgwa villages of Shiroro Local Government

Area.

The senator for Niger East Senatorial District, Alhaji Sani Musa, sent an urgent appeal for intervention to the federal government to

halt the carnage. The distress message in the aftermath of the attacks was the second by the lawmaker in one week following similar assaults by gunmen.

Saturday’s invasion was said to have been carried out by about 50 armed bandits who left 16 of the villagers wounded. A victim of the attack, simply named Saidu,

had his two wives raped by four of the bandits in his presence before he was shot dead.

Continued on page 5

A S C O R O N AV I R U S S P R E A D S T O 1 2 C O U N T R I E S . . .

FG Mounts 24-hour Nationwide Vigilance To start screening persons, goods from China Urges Nigerians not to panic, directs NCDC labs to be ready 54 killed, 1,287 infected, US, Malaysia, Australia, 9 others affected Lagos: We’re prepared for any eventuality As Lassa fever kills 29 in 11 states Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Martins Ifijeh in Lagos Following the recent outbreak of Coronavirus, a deadly virus, in no fewer than 12 countries, resulting in the death of about 54 persons, with about 1,287 others infected, the federal government has commenced a 24-hour round-the-clock vigilance to check the import of the killer virus, believed to have originated from China.

However, as part of initiatives to prevent the spread of the virus to Nigeria, the government has ordered the screening of persons and goods from China, even as it enjoined the Nigerian people not to panic, because it has instructed the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to get the laboratories ready in the event that anyone was infected.

Sharing equal confidence with the federal government, the Lagos State government Continued on page 8

GIVING WINGS TO FIDELITY CUSTOMERS...

L-R: Founder, Centre for Value in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi; Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside; Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat and HRM Oba Saheed Elegushi at the Fidelity Bank Year End Customers Appreciation party themed: 'Give them Wings', which took place at Eko Hotel and Suites. Lagos at the weekend

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N128bn 2020 Budget of N’Assembly Shrouded in Secrecy, Says Senator Deji Elumoye in Abuja A member of the National Assembly, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, has declared that the N128 billion voted for the National Assembly in the 2020 Appropriation Act is covered in secrecy. Hadejia, who is Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Public Accounts, said at the weekend in Abuja that he did not have the breakdown of the N128 billion voted for the Assembly.

Answering reporters’ questions on the budget, the senator stated, "The details of the N128 billion budgeted for the National Assembly in 2020 are never there. I don' know anything about the breakdown, I cannot give you details about budget which I am not privy to and I was not part of those who put it together."

According to him, the Appropriation Committee that put the budget estimates together for approval will be in a better position to speak on it.

"You need to forward your question to the appropriate

quarters. You can meet the appropriation committee because they know what goes into where in the 2020 federal budget," he told reporters.

Hadejia, however, stated that details of the other aspects of the N10.59 trillion budget were made public except the vote of the National Assembly.

He said, "I am not aware that the details of the 2020 budget are not given. Was it not the details that gave birth to the N37billion earmarked for the renovation of the National Assembly by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) this year? So, if the details were not there, how would people have known this?�

Also speaking on the nonavailability of the details of National Assembly budget, senate spokesman, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, explained that the Clerk of the National Assembly was in the best position to give the breakdown.

Akwashiki stated, "The Clerk to the National Assembly is supposed to be in charge of that. Being the accounting

officer of the National Assembly, he is in the best position to give the details.

The disbursement of funds for the capital component of

the budget is the duty of the National Assembly bureaucracy.

"We don't execute capital projects as senators, we only collect our salaries and

allowances. We don't award contracts, neither do we determine the contractors that would get the jobs. The National Assembly budget is a

public document and since the Senate President has promised to make the budget transparent, the Clerk should be in the best position to speak on the issue."

FROM YALE WITH LOVE...

Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi (middle), anked by the USA Consul General, Claire Pierangelo (left), and President of Yale University, Mr. Peter Salovey (right), after their meeting in Abuja... yesterday

IHEDIOHA: PDP FILES REQUEST FOR CASE REVIEW TO S’COURT THIS WEEK gleaned, had been putting final touches to the petition.

In another breath, the leadership of the party is currently seeking a consensus candidate to chair the forum of its governors, which is considered a straight fight between the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom.

And barring any last minute changes, there’s the likelihood that the new chairman of the PDP governors’ forum might emerge today as the race to replace outgoing chairman and Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, heightens.

A PDP source that confided in THISDAY hinted that the party had assembled a group of lawyers across the country that are considered the brightest in constitutional issues to break down the verdict of the Supreme Court and exposed its failings.

This, the source said, was one of the directives of the NEC that all constitutional means must be taken to seek a review and ensure justice for the sake of posterity.

Asked if it was possible for the apex court to review itself, the source immediately referred to the case of Adegoke Motors Ltd. v. Adesanya, [1989] 13 NWLR (Pt.109) 250 at page 275A, where a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, who delivered the lead judgment, noted thus: "We are final not, because we are infallible, rather, we are infallible, because we are final. Justices of this Court are humanbeings, capable of erring.

It will certainly be shortsighted arrogance not to accept this obvious truth. It is also true that this Court can do inestimable good through its wise decisions.

"Similarly, the Court can do incalculable harm through its mistakes. When, therefore, it appears to learned counsel that any decision of this Court has been given per incuriam, such counsel should have the boldness and courage to ask that such a decision be overruled. This Court has the power to overrule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to persevere in error."

The PDP source said the

lawyers have been briefed and were expected to brief the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party too any moment from now to ensure that the party's petition for a review of the Supreme Court decision is submitted latest by Friday (last week) or early next week.

According to the source, "After the NEC meeting last Friday, a lot of actions to be taken were lined up. The first was a solidarity visit to the ousted governor and this was followed up with the peaceful protest that took place Monday.

"We are in the third stage, which I can describe as the legal fireworks. A group of brilliant lawyers well grounded in constitutional issues were engaged and all things being equal, the team of lawyers will brief us and go on to submit the petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria."

The source explained that the PDP was not taking the Supreme Court judgment lightly, because "We believe that as mortal beings, there is an error in the judgment of the justices of the apex court and we shall approach the Supreme Court.

"We are not insulting or abusing the justices of the Supreme Court.

No! We are simply saying, please take a second look at what you have done in view of the dictated errors. There is a case of the judgment based on more than registered votes in the state.

"We shall be asking the Supreme Court to review the verdict in view of what it said in the Atiku presidential petition against President Muhammadu Buhari, wherein the apex court said all the witnesses in the polling stations must account for what happened in their respective polling stations.

"In this instant case, not up to ten per cent of the witnesses of 388 polling stations were recorded. So, basically, we asking the Supreme Court to be courageous and take a second look by reviewing the judgment again. This is the essence of the petition to review."

Citing, the same Supreme Court verdict on the Sokoto State governorship election petition, the PDP source said, there were elements of double standards, explaining that the Justice Abba

Aji in the case of Sokoto State governorship petitions, said it had no power to count or allocate votes as such was not the duty of the Supreme Court.

Reading out part of the judgment, where the apex court quoted Justice Abba-Aji, it held that the Supreme Court had “loudly� held on various occasions that “documents cannot be dumped on the court. “It is not the duty of the court to sift through documents tendered by parties, which have not been demonstrated in the open court. It is also not the duty of the court to sort out the various documents, the figures and do the calculations in chambers to arrive at a figure given in a final judgment especially, in an election petition challenging the number of various votes polled by the candidate declared and returned as winner of the election."

Astounded by these differing stances, the source asked: “Why did this same Supreme Court allocate votes to Uzodinma of the APC in Imo state and declared him winner?"

According to him, other grounds of review would include that, “Hope Uzodinma was not APC candidate and was not a candidate of any party in the 9th March Governorship election in Imo State based on the judgment of the same Supreme Court on 20th December 2019. “Uche Nwosu was declared as the rightful candidate of APC and AA. That APC couldn't have produced two candidates in one election. That Supreme Court has no powers to allocate votes to any candidate or the power to increase the number of people accredited by INEC. “That somebody that was not a candidate cannot be a winner of any election he was not a candidate. That the Police have no powers to organise elections in Nigeria and results tendered by a police officer cannot be admitted in any court as exhibit as he was not INEC officer. “That votes tabulated by the Supreme Court were more than votes cast during the election,� noting that the petition would be served to all members of the 7-man panel, comprising Justices Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta,

Olukayode Ariwoola, K.M.O. Kekere-Ekun, Amiru Sanusi, Amina Adamu Augie and Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, but directed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammad.

Meanwhile, the party leadership is seriously considering the possibility of arriving at a consensus candidate for the office of the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, even as some governors have already begun to lobby for the emergence of Tambuwal.

According to an insider, the PDP was considering a consensus candidate especially, in the person of the Sokoto governor because of an emerging concern that an election could divide the forum and by extension affect the party.

However, from all indications, the new chairman of the PDP governors forum, is likely today before the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Monday. Dickson who is currently Chairman of the forum ceases to be governor by february 3rd.

Thus, while some PDP governors were allegedly lobbying for Tambuwal, it was also gathered that other governors had been asking his Benue State

counterpart, Ortom, to back down as the North Central zone, in the person of Senator Bukola Saraki had occupied the office before.

Those backing Tambawal believe he has strong leadership qualities and characters that could not be easily be manipulated, but reckoned that his closest rival, Ortom might not concentrate well on the job, because of the herdsmen crisis ravaging the state.

Immediately after the tenure of former Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, who was the pioneer chairman of the forum as a South-south candidate, Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo State, from Southwest took over at the party’s governors’ forum.

After his exit, former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, also from Southwest, stepped in, before Ibrahim Dankwambo, former Gombe State governor of North East took over and then, back to the South-south through the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson.

With the breakdown of rotation so far, the North Central, North West and Southeast are the three zones that have yet to enjoy the chairmanship of the Forum.

Tambawal, it is believed, looks

good to clinch the position, because of his leadership qualities.

He was Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years and was believed to have given the Green Chambers its true identity of productivity and independence.

A second term governor, Tambuwal decisively won his re-election at the Supreme Court, last Monday. Therefore, the PDP governors backing Tambawal believe that he has the capacity to give the governors of the party leadership and direction.

THISDAY gathered that the South-south governors of PDP are clamouring for a consensus candidate in Tambawal, in order to use his chairmanship to give PDP a sense of direction.

Tambuwal, as the Deputy Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, the overall body of the 36 states governors across party lines, the governors believe, stand in a better place to give them a sense of belonging at NGF. Most PDP governors argue that Ortom would be too preoccupied with herdsmen crisis to galvanise other governors and it was for the same reason, that the Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, allegedly stepped down for Tambawal.

BANDITS KILL 11, KIDNAP SCORES, RAPE WOMEN IN NIGER COMMUNITIES The bandits rustled about 300 cattle.

The attack came nearly one week after bandits sacked eight communities in the same Shiroro Local Government Area.

Six people, including a Village Head, were killed in that attack, while his son and 15 others were kidnapped.

The Saturday morning attack also came 24 hours after another set of bandits invaded four communities, namely, Kusherki, Dakolo, Amale, and Ishaw, in Paikoro Local Government Area, killing a postgraduate student of the Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Mathias Livinus.

The senator representing the area confirmed the latest attack to THISDAY, lamenting, "The situation is getting out of hand."

Musa, who only three days before visited an Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) camp in Kuta where over 1,000 people were camped, described the recent

onslaught by bandits "as nothing but a declaration of war on my people".

He said, "Innocent families are being displaced, killed, raped, kidnapped, with community members in a state of despair.

"As the attacks continue, more villagers in my constituency are awaiting their fate, as no sign of succour comes their way. It is confirmed that the bandits attacked all through the night to this afternoon and most communities are in grave danger."

Musa appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and all the security services to come to their aid “without further delay".

Speaking to newsmen on Saturday evening, Musa said, "Residents of Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger State came under heavy attacks this morning when armed bandits in their numbers invaded the villages of Kudodo, Galapai, Dnakpala, Makera, and Dnalagwa, killing

scores, raping and abducting people.

"In what seems to be coordinated attacks, adjoining villages, like Amale, Tunga, and Adunu, were not spared, as the bandits left on their heels more deaths, destruction, and abduction.�

Lamenting the spate of killings by armed men, Musa stated, “My people are under siege.

For months now, most local governments in Niger East have been under the menacing grip of bandits with no succour in sight. “We are, again, calling on Mr President and all the security chiefs to come to our aid without further delay as the people risk continued attacks from these ungodly killers.� Musa also called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant authorities to respond to the plight of "my people who are helplessly in state of fear and despair".

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Kwara Govt: Saraki Has No Legal Right to Disputed Ilorin Land Official says CAC shows Asa Investments does not belong to Saraki family, two owners dead Tobi Soniyi The family of Second Republic Senate Leader, late Dr Olusola Saraki, has no legal right to the piece of land opposite his house in Ilorin, where he built his Ile Arugbo (old peoples home), so says a top official of the Kwara State government. The official, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, agreed that the land was offered to Asa Investments Limited, a company often associated with the late politician.

"However,� he claimed, “Asa Investment does not have a right of occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy.

It does not have any document to show that it owns the land. “Moreover, the two

shareholders of Asa Investments Limited are dead.

Therefore, the company has no legal standing. “Saraki is not the owner/ shareholder of the company (Asa Investments) that the offer of land was made to.

"Under Nigerian laws, a limited liability company must have two shareholders.

If either one or both are dead or extinct, the company ceases to exist."

A status report on the company issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission, dated January 10, 2020 shows that Alhaja Bodurin Alaro and Alhaji Alabi Agoro are the shareholders of Asa Investments Limited.

The Kwara State government recently reclaimed the piece of land amid controversy, while

the building on it, known as Ile arugbo (old peoples home), was demolished.

The position of the government official is in tandem with the report of the committee on the review of sales of Kwara government property from 1999 to date.

The committee had declared that there was no proof of payment or tight of occupancy on the expanse of land in issue.

Chairman of the committee, Sen. Makanjuola Ajadi, said in a statement, “The attention of the Committee on the Review of Sales of Kwara State Government Properties from 1999 to Date has been drawn to the various publications on the decision of government in respect of the land earmarked for the construction of the State Secretariat (now commonly

referred to as Ile Arugbo). “The issue of the land in question came under the terms of reference of the committee which considered several other properties of government and submitted its recommendations in July, 2019.

"As was the case with all the properties looked into by the committee, the committee’s recommendations are based strictly on available records. “Based on the available records, the committee did not see proof of any payment nor an approved Right of Occupancy.�

He said the committee discovered there was a foundation on the land with erected columns at varying areas of the larger segment of the land.

According to him, “The

committee also noted that the land in question was also a part of a larger parcel of land, part of which has been developed into a Civil Service Clinic and Secretariat complex now housing the State Ministry of Finance, among others. “With emphasis, from all records available, there is no Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy available to the private firm which the land was allocated in principle. “There is also no application nor receipt of payments for the land. Where, therefore, is the right to a claim to this land?�

He added that based on existing convention, land set aside by government for specific public use should not be converted to private use

"In view of the above reasons, the committee is convinced to recommend that the land be repossessed and put to the original use it was meant for,� the chairman said.

Ajadi noted that the use of “Ile arugbo� to describe the land in question gave an erroneous impression of a structured building where old people were catered for, adding, “This is not so�.

He stressed, “What is on ground until the physical reclamation by government was a shed used by the late Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki to keep people waiting to see him for political meetings. “In essence, the house built and lived by the late Dr Olusola Saraki is intact, not touched or demolished by the Kwara State Government.�

ministry health, its Port services officials as well as other partners in order to further strengthen the country's preparedness against Coronavirus.

"NCDC has built up significant level of experience in the handling of such disease outbreaks having been part of the team that tackled the Ebola outbreak in the country. Beside our personnel posted at the airports, we have an isolation centre at Yaba in Lagos.

"The aim of the risk assessment exercise is to find out the weak link in the preparation and to quickly address it. It is also to assess the risk of importation of the virus disease and to monitor the spread of the disease. NCDC has also set up a multi-sectoral working group that sits everyday to respond to any report of outbreak," he said.

He said it was not only at the airports that NCDC had mounted a 24-hour vigilance, but also at all the ports of entry including the border posts.

On the collaboration between the federal and state agencies in dealing with Coronavirus, he said it had put all states on alert and was relying on those with capacities to manage disease outbreak of this magnitude.

He said the Lagos state government, for example, has a huge quarantine system that has been improved upon since the days of Ebola outbreak.

Lagos: We’re Prepared for Any Eventuality However, reiterating the confidence and capacity of the Lagos State government to tackle any eventuality, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at the weekend, inspected the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, which is the state’s infectious disease hospital and former site for the treatment of Ebola during the 2014 outbreak.

He said the visit was to evaluate the facility’s level of preparedness for management of possible outbreak of Coronavirus. “We have inspected the isolation and treatment wards, quarantine unit, proposed site for the expansion of the isolation

wards, and mini emergency operations centre, and we are satisfied at the level of preparedness to handle any possible outbreak,� he said.

to 14.8% this year.

"NCDC continues to support treatment centres across states in the country to effectively manage Lassa fever cases. In addition, five laboratories in Nigeria have the capacity to diagnose Lassa fever in Nigeria. “These laboratories are critical to reducing turnaround time between identifying a suspected case and confirmation.

This ensures prompt case management and other response activities, thereby reducing the number of deaths," it said.

It further said Nigeria was contributing to research and other activities for the development of a Lassa fever vaccine.

The agency said NCDC and the three main treatment centres in the country – Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre Owo and Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakalilki – were set up to commence Lassa fever epidemiological studies that would provide data to guide research and response activities.

Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and cases are recorded all year round. The Lassa fever virus is transmitted by rodents, which can be found in our environment. .

Lassa fever is largely transmitted through contact with items or surfaces contaminated with urine, faeces, saliva or blood of infected rats.

It could also be transmitted from person-to-person through contact with blood, urine, faeces and other body fluids of an infected person.

To minimise the risk of infection, members of the public have been advised to ensure their environment is always kept clean to avoid contact with rodents.

Early symptoms are fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, sore throat etc. It is in very severe cases that the patient bleeds from body openings.

Thus, if a patient did not respond to treatment for malaria or other febrile illnesses after 48 hours, it is important to test immediately for Lassa fever.

FG MOUNTS 24-HOUR NATIONWIDE VIGILANCE has said it was prepared too for any eventuality, should Nigeria catch the virus that has now spread from Wuhan city in China, to Thailand, Vietnam, United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, UK, Australia, Nepal, Malaysia and France, thereby fueling global panic.

Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, hinted at the development in an exclusive chat with THISDAY, whilst another source within the agency also said the country has further secured the collaboration of the Chinese authorities to ensure that passengers and goods leaving China for Nigeria were made to undergo screening at both ends of the journey.

While asking Nigerians not to panic, the federal government reiterated that it had put measures in place to prevent the public health threat, as well as the management of the outbreak should it find its way into the country.

Ihekweazu said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not placed any travel ban between China and other countries, and that no country has done that, including Nigeria.

He, however, said travel ban has been severely restricted out of Wuhan province in China, the epicenter of the outbreak. “Currently, there is no known case of the virus detected in Nigeria. The WHO Regional Director for Africa on Friday assured Africans that no case of the virus is in any African country. However, we are working very hard to be prepared in the event of an outbreak. It is precisely for events like this that the NCDC was set up. “Since the first cases were confirmed in China earlier this month, we have been in close contact with WHO, the Africa CDC and other coordinating bodies. “We set up an Epidemic Information Management Group that includes representatives from Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners. This group

meets daily to review the situation globally, assess the risks to Nigeria and provide recommendations for action. “It is very important for the right information to be disseminated. A public health advisory was issued to Nigerians to inform members of the public on steps to take if they suspected that there was a case of Coronavirus around them. We have also provided guidance to state ministries of health on what to do if they had a suspected case.�

According to Ihekweazu, over the last three years, the federal government had strengthened capacity at the NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory to provide molecular diagnosis for various disease pathogens, adding that at the moment, the centre has received advice from WHO to use the primers for the new virus and that the centres are no longer what they used to be.

On whether the country has the capacity to address Coronavirus should there be an outbreak in Nigeria, Ihekweazu, whose centre is responsible for the country’s national health security, said Nigeria has improved in its JEE rating from 39 per cent in 2017 to 46 per cent in 2019, adding that it has worked very hard to ensure it is able to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. “We have established a National Reference Laboratory with the capacity to test for all epidemic prone diseases in Nigeria as well as highly pathogenic infections such as Ebola. We continue to build capacity in our network of laboratories across states in Nigeria. “During outbreaks, countries are guided by advice from the WHO on travel and trade related bans through the International Health Regulations. Currently, WHO has not placed any ban on travel between China and other countries. “We have advised travelers to Wuhan in China to restrict contact with livestock and

livestock produce as well as with ill patients. NCDC has also advised travelers from Wuhan, China with symptoms to report to NCDC on arrival in Nigeria.�

He, therefore, called on Nigerians to remain calm, noting that the Federal Ministry of Health, through the NCDC and its partners were fully committed to strengthening the country’s preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks. “Our advice to travellers from China is to report immediately to a port health officer on entry or to NCDC, if they felt ill. “In addition, members of the public are advised to adhere to preventive measures, like several other infectious diseases such as washing of hands regularly with soap under running water; covering of mouth and nose properly with handkerchief when sneezing and/or coughing. You may also cough into your elbow if handkerchief is not available. “Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. Avoid self-medication, report to the nearest health facility, when you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms.

Healthcare workers are always advised to observe standard infection prevention and control measures when attending to patients and take a travel history.�

On his part, the NCDC source, who pleaded anonymity, also said a technical team has been set up to assess and monitor development regarding the Coronavirus on a daily basis.

He admitted, too, that the agency has gained a lot of experience over the years, since the outbreak of the Ebola disease, adding that in terms of facilities, it has also set up specialist laboratory centres, where difficult medical issues could be referred.

For instance, he said the NCDC, last week, organised a risk assessment exercise in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, federal

LASSA Fever Kills 29 in 11 States Meanwhile, the NCDC, last night, said 29 deaths had been reported in 11 states out of the 195 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in the country.

A statement issued by Ihekweazu, said NCDC has activated a National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to coordinate response activities.

"As at the 24th of January 2020, 195 confirmed cases and 29 deaths had been reported in 11 states. Of the confirmed cases, 89% are from Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi States. The increase in the number of cases at this time of the year is not unusual due to ecological factors".

The National EOC, the agency said, included representatives from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Environment, World Health Organization, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control, and other partners.

NCDC said it would continue to support states in strengthening their preparedness and response capacity, noting that over the last three weeks, it had deployed Rapid Response Teams to support five of the affected states.

The statement also said the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, had led a high-level delegation to Kano State on Saturday following the deaths of two health workers infected with Lassa fever.

In addition, NCDC said it has rapidly increased risk communications and community engagement activities to ensure that Nigerians are aware of the risks of Lassa fever and measures to protect themselves.

The NCDC statement claimed that there has been a decline in fatality rate of reported Lassa fever cases from 23.4% in 2019

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

INEC P ROPOSAL ON VIOLENT POLLS… The plan to press for electoral reform needs support. Incessant violence put the democratic process at great risks

T

he proposal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to announce results of elections marred by violent disruptions is a welcome development that should be supported. According to its chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, “INEC has decided that although the commission has no power under the law to cancel an election, it will not proceed with the process in any constituency where the safety of our personnel and materials is threatened.” He added: “Collation of results will not proceed where the collation centres are invaded. No declaration of winners will be made where Returning Officers are threatened.”

Yakubu, who spoke at the InterAgency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) prefaced his comment by highlighting that “the purpose of security deployment during elections is to protect the voters, election officials and materials, accredited observers, the media and to safeguard the integrity of the processes generally, including the polling units and collations centres”. But that, according to him, has not stemmed the violence. We understand why. While non-partisan cooperation and collaboration is imperative for election security, some of the security agencies worked at cross-purposes last year. In Rivers State, as widely reported, personnel of the Army and Police almost exchanged gun fire at the INEC head office in Port Harcourt. At the end, those that were brought in to enforce law and order became the real instigators of violence.

It is therefore important that the security agencies put their act together. But much more importantly, the decision by INEC not to hold elections in the

face of violence is a pro-active step that will help to curb the activities of election vandals. From the primaries of the political parties to the campaigns preceding the exercise, the last general election in February /March 2019 was one of the most violent we have had in the country with several lives lost and scores of others injured. That sordid episode was replicated in the 16th November 2019 gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States as the process turned out to be a complete warfare with the attendant loss of lives.

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It should not be accepted as normal that instead of intensifying their campaigns to win votes, politicians now procure arms and other instruments of war for elections

Letters to the Editor

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S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS OLAWALE OLALEYE, TOBI SONIYI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI , PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH, PATRICK EIMIUHI ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

t is sad that in Nigeria today, no election would be said to be complete without violence, in most cases resulting in the deaths of voters, INEC officials and also the destruction of election materials. For instance, all foreign observers during the 2019 general election, including the ECOWAS-Election Observation Mission (EOM), led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, reported that even though the campaigns were largely peaceful, the elections were marred by violence. The flaws inherent in the election got to a head when a presiding officer in Imo State, a university professor, disclosed that he declared the winner of a senatorial election ‘under duress’ from a candidate at gunpoint.

It should not be accepted as normal that instead of intensifying their campaigns to win votes, politicians now procure arms and other instruments of war for elections. Neither should it be accepted as a way of life that INEC officials should be killed or maimed while performing their official duties. But to give legal authority to this proposal aimed at curbing electoral violence, it is expected that the commission would, within the window of the electoral reforms that is ongoing at the National Assembly, ensure an amendment to the electoral act.

However, given a recent Supreme Court judgment which practically ousted the powers of INEC in the exercise of its duty on the matter in question and handed them to the police, the law has to be clear and ambiguous. If it is not, there is the likelihood that some unscrupulous politicians could still manufacture results from such polling units where INEC cancels elections and use them to conjure judicial electoral victory. But there is no doubt that a solution needs to be found to the incessant electoral violence that put the democratic experiment and our country at great risks before we are tripped over the precipice by the inordinate ambition of a few.

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

Nigeria and Threat of United States’ Travel Ban

am not in support of adding Nigeria to the ban list but I won't blame the United States because of some of the following: One, Nigerians are some of the highest migrants with visiting visa to the US. I have forgotten the particular year: over 25,000 Nigerians with visiting visa disappeared in the US. So if you disappeared in the US with a visiting visa, you are part of the cause.

Two, Nigeria mixes its security forces with so-called repentant terrorists. They said they are repentant and reformed after few months of rehabilitation and feeding. Nobody knows who is who.

Three, Nigeria has no national data. With free visa to all Africans for a nation without a national data and any Dick and

Harry can acquire our passport, that makes the holders of this passport dangerous. Our boarder is so porous that the terrorists fleeing the Middle East are ending up in Nigeria.

Four, Killing and kidnapping in Nigeria is now normal.

Nobody or group has ever been held accountable over any of the killings in Nigeria, be it a single murder or a village pogrom.

These killers are also holders of the same Nigerian passport and nobody knows them. The bandits are another set of killers and kidnappers. They are deep in crime, but no identity and they have or can acquire the green passport. The kind of killings and kidnappings tolerated in Nigeria by our government will never be tolerated in a saner clime like Ghana, Ivory Coast,

Rwanda, Botswana, and about 45 other African countries.

Five, our economy is down from a $520 billion economy Goodluck Jonathan handed over in 2015 to about $375 billion at the moment. An economy that lost about $145 billion of its economic strength with weak currency in the face of ever increasing population will definitely create a pandemic mentality hence increase in visa violations and travelling through the Mediterranean Sea. Nigerians constitute large percentage of those dying at high sea or making it to Italy or Spain from Morocco or Western Sahara. It's desperation.

Another reason could be that there is no improvement in governance from the gains of 2015 in Nigeria, instead the country is back-pedaling to

stone age. There is no future plan or direction, no economic direction and there is absolute disenchantment that Nigeria. Many people outside Nigeria view the country as the Somalia of West Africa.

Constant demonstrations by some people in Nigeria shouting death to America over issues that do not concern Nigerians. Recently, the killing of Soleimani in Iraq attracted protests from across major cities in the north and often happens each time something that does not concern us happens. When you add the fact that a Nigerian named Abdulmutallab actually tried to bomb American airline some years back, you will understand that American government must have come to conclusion that Nigerian system produces anti American sentiment. The possible culmination in visa ban started long ago well into Obama's administration. What could make an

American president do eight years without visiting Nigeria? If we are doing well as a nation, nobody will ignore us and there won't be mass exodus of people.

Average Nigerians won't be happy to see Nigeria enter American or any country's travel ban list especially if one is genuine, law abiding and harbors no plan of fleeing especially through back door.

But on American side, it also makes sense because self-preservation is the mother of defence. In all these reasons, the ones that must have taken the cake are open border to Africans, easy acquisition of Nigeria's passport and pandering of terrorists. The question is: if you were American government, how would you see Nigeria as a country with all information available to you?

––Obi Ebuka Onochie, obiebuka360@gmail.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ANUARY 26,2020

NEWS OF THE WEEK.... NEWS OF THE WEEK.... NEWS OF THE WEEK....

Tobi Soniyi

Finally, Adoke in Court, Faces Multiple Corruption Charges Junaid: Sanusi Asked to be Osinbajo’s VP when Buhari was Sick in London The last has yet to be heard about what transpired when President Muhammadu Buhari was in London, the United Kingdom for treatment.

Nigerians didn’t have to wait longer as the week began with the revelation by a second republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, who claimed that Muhammadu Sanusi II, emir of Kano, lobbied for the position of vice-president when President Muhammadu Buhari was hospitalised in London.

Osinbajo presided over the country when Buhari treated an undisclosed ailment in London in 2017. Mohammed said the emir asked Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to consider him for the nation’s number two position in the event that the president dies.

The former lawmaker also alleged that Sanusi met with some south-west leaders to canvass support for a presidential candidate aside Buhari.

“Once Buhari was sick, very sick in England, he went to Osinbajo, this current Emir Sanusi; he was sure that Buhari was going to die. And if Buhari dies, he would like Osinbajo to consider him as a vice president, even though on the Sanusi surface, he belonged to no party,” he said. Emir Sanusi has yet to deny the claim.

Indeed many things must have happened while Buhari was abroad on medical. There will be more revelations in the future.

But before those who know suffer memory loss, they should open up on other matters that took place while the president was abroad.

There have been speculations that the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is being hounded for what he did and didn’t do while the president was away in UK to attend to his health.

The cabal was reportedly offended by the decision of Osinbajo to releive the then Director Genereal of the State Security Service, Mr Lawal Musa Daura after he invaded the National Assembly.

When Supreme CourtTurns Governors to PrayerWarriors The Supreme Court eventually upheld the election of Plateau, Bauchi, Sokoto and Kano states governors.

But not until they have held special prayers to make sure that the judgment favour them. If nothing is wrong with the justice system, as All Progressives Congress claimed in its reaction to the Peoples Democratic Party’s statement on the removal of Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, why would anyone have to hold prayers for judgment to favour them?

Some communities in Sokoto State had last Sunday organised special prayer sessions ahead of Monday Supreme Court judgment for the success of the state and Aminu Tambuwa The grand finale prayer session was led by Malam Tukur Rijiyar-Zaure to seek God’s intervention for the state and Tambuwal to be declared as the elected governor of the state by the apex court. In Bauchi, a coalition of four groups called for special prayers for the state governor, Bala Mohammed.

The groups, comprising the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Peoples Democratic Party Youths Movement, Coalition of Women groups and Artisans, trooped to Bauchi State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), yesterday, to declare support for the governor.

In Kano State, supporters of S L-R: Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Aminu Tambuwal Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also of Sokoto State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State resorted to prayers for divine intervention for the Supreme Court to uphold the governor’s election.

No one can blame them, after all it took a prophecy from Father Mbaka to get the Supreme Court to sack Ihedioha! It is typical of Nigerians to outsource challenges that can be tackled through policies or legislation to religious institutions.

By now it should be clear to both parties that the Supreme Court is a common enemy that has to be confronted.

Insecurity Everywhere, as Catholic Bishop Confirms Killing of CAN Chairman The security situation in the country remains dire even though the government continues to pretend as if there is no cause for alarm. Security agencies are obviously overwhelmed. During the week, the Catholic Bishop of Adamawa Diocese, Bishop Stephen Manza confirmed the killing of the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) Chairman for Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Rev. Lawan Andimi, in the hands of terrorist group, Boko Haram.

He also told the Federal Government to stop deceiving Nigerians that the group has been defeated.“Government should stop fooling Nigerians and tell them the truth. Boko Haram is still strong…who can travel between Michika and Maiduguri without using escorts,” an angry Manza asked.

In Lagos, the gory details of how police evacuated the remains of a businessman, Ignatius Odunukwe on Tuesday from the canal in Ogunbo forest, off Ajah Road, the location where suspected killers dumped the dismembered body of their victim after killing him.

The power of security agencies to prevent crimes before they happen appeared nonexistent.

During the week, eight Nigerian soldiers killed, five wounded in battle with Boko Haram.

Insecurity has become the new normal.

With this level of insecurity in Nigeria, no one should wonder why President Donald Trump wants to include Nigeria in the list of countries Rev. Andimi with visa restriction to the United States.

When Dr Goodluck Jonathan was the president, Mohammed Bello Adoke, (SAN) was the Attorney General of the Federation. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission reported to him. You would often see the then Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde at the Federal Ministry of Justice clutching files waiting to see Adoke at the Federal Ministry of Justice. Today, Adoke is on remand at EFCC facility.

The commission has filed multiple corruption charges against him.

Under Nigerian law, an accused person remains innocent until proven guilty and convicted. Mr Adoke is presumed innocent.

The charges include money laundering, denying Nigeria taxes and an alleged N300 million bribe. Adoke faces charges before both the Federal High Court and the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The EFCC filed a seven-count charge against the former attorney-general before the Federal High Court in Abuja and a 12-count charge before the FCT High Court.

Today, Abubakar Malami, (SAN) is exercising the same power Adoke had as AGF. Malami had used the power to hound judges he had issues before he was appointed justice minister. In the future, some of the decisions he takes today as AGF will come back to haunt him when he leaves office. Those calling the shots today will become ordinary persons tomorrow.

Why AmotekunWill Remain in the News

Adoke

Hardly a day passes without Amotekun being in the news. There must be something about it that keeps it in the news every day. If people are not mobilising to support it, some highly placed politician would be issuing a neither-here-nor there statement on it.

As it is, the battle line is drawn between the protagonists and the antagonists as well as the neither-here-nor-there. Attorney General Malami stood by his declaration that the security outfit is illegal. He had nevertheless, helped to bring Amotekun into national reckon Although, it appeared a truce was reached after the governors of the states in the south west met with the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, no one should expect the controversy over Amotekun to disappear very soon. As it is always the case, the devil is in the details.

Whether we like it or not, Amotekun is going to remain in the news.

US to Restrict Nigerians As Nigerians become nuisance, United States President, Donald Trump, is set to add Nigeria and six others to a new list of countries on America’s visa restriction. According to the report, Nigerians would not be barred from entering the country but would not be issued with certain types of visas. Last year, US indefinitely suspended its interview waiver process for visa renewals for Nigerian applicants. The waiver process previously allowed holders of two-year visas, usually frequent travelers, to renew them by submitting their passports and supporting documents for review rather than going through in-person interviews for every application.

Before we blame Trump, it is interesting to note that an estimated 29,723 Nigerian immigrants living in the United States overstayed their U.S. non-immigrant tourism/business (B1/B2) visas between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2018.

Statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security Nigeria had 15.18 per cent rate of overstay and a Suspected ‘In-Country Overstay’ rate of 14.81 per cent.

Is Nigeria Losing theWar Against Corruption?

President Muhammadu Buhari came to power promising to fight corruption.

He has indeed made some efforts. But he has also in several ways undermined his own efforts and some of the gains of the past are being eroded. Last Thursday, Nigeria was adjudged 2nd most corrupt country in West Africa by Transparency International. Just like security, Nigeria is losing the war against corruption.

No one should be surprised that the handlers of the president, rejected the rating.

You can’t blame them. It is easier to see others’ mistakes but yours.

Ironically, the same government officials are quick to celebrate when Nigeria is rated favourably. No one should expect to see improvement in the fight against corruption.

A government that is not humble enough to accept its mistakes can’t make progress.

It is the same reason Nigeria is losing the war against insurgency, banditry, kidnappings and Buhari other vices.

At THISDAY 25 Anniversary Celebration, Everyone is a Winner The THISDAY 25 Anniversary Event Did not Disappoint. It was an awesome night of glitz and glamour. No one could have been happier than the Publisher/Chairman of Thisday, Prince Nduka Obaigbena. No one gave him a chance when he started the publication. But against all odds, he succeeded.

Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu’s description of the event was apt.

He wrote: “The venue, Eko Convention Centre was filled with A-list guests as the influential newspaper chose the occasion to honour 25 top Nigerian brands and personalities of the last decade. “That was not all, the event was also used to pour encomiums on the over 1000 staff that have passed through the newspaper and helped to make it one of the most admired media brands on the African continent.

“The occasion, graced by super model, Naomi Campbell, John Lagend, Asa, witnessed the launch of Arise Play, a global streaming service of the media company.

“Awardees at the event which had winners in two categories: Editors’ choice and People’s choice included: Mr Godwin Emefiele and Mr. Herbert Wigwe ( Bankers of the Decade), Mr Babatunde Fashola and Mr Peter Obi ( Governor of the Decade ), Globacom and Gtbank ( Brand of the Decade), Mr. Femi Otedola and Tony Elumelu Foundation ( Philanthropist of the Decade), Dangote Group ( Company of the Decade), Mr Rotimi Amaechi and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ( Minister of the Decade), Zenith Bank and Access Bank ( Bank of the Decade), Central Bank of Nigeria and Economic & Financial Crimes Commission ( Institution of the Decade), Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. ( Entrepreneur of the Decade), Amina Mohammed and Chimamanda Adichie ( Woman of the Decade), President Muhammadu Buhari and Dr Goodluck Jonathan ( Persons of the Decade). The event had a hall filled with top-rate Nigerians such as Uncle Sam Amuka, Alhaji Isa Funtua, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Mr Mele Kyari ( GMD, NNPC), Mr Ibrahim Magu (Acting Chairman, EFCC), Mrs Bella Disu, Executive Chairman, Globacom, Mr Jim Ovia, Hajia Bola Shagaya, Kennedy Uzoka and others.”

SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

NEWS

Acting News Editor ĂŒĂ™ĂŁĂ?Ă‘Ă‹ Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă—Ă“ E-mail: Ă‘ĂŒĂ™ĂŁĂ?Ă‘Ă‹Ë›Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă—Ă“ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—ËœÍ¸Î€Í¸Î€ÍšÎ Î€ÍžÍ˝Î Í¸ Ě™Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁĚš

How AGF Frustrated Malabu, Goje Corruption Cases, Alleges TI ‡ Says Malami hasn’t prosecuted any graft case since 2015 ‡ $VNV ()&& ,&3& WR FRQWUDGLFW &3, ZLWK IDFWV ÀJXUHV Gboyega Akinsanmi Transparency International (TI), the world’s foremost coalition against corruption, has said that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami frustrated high-profiled cases since he assumed office in 2015 and has not been at the forefront of anti-corruption fight.

The coalition alleged that Malami had not prosecuted any corruption case in about five years he had been in office, but had watered down cases that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was investigating or that were before the court.

TI’s Contact Person in Nigeria, Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani made the allegation in an interview with THISDAY on Friday, defending the 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), TI’s annual publication that measures corruption in 180 countries and territories.

The CPI, which the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), TI’s chapter in Nigeria, released on Thursday, revealed that Nigeria scored 26 out of 100 points in the 2019 CPI, falling back by one point when compared with the 2018 report.

In the country comparison, the CPI revealed that Nigeria “ranks 146 out of 180 countries – two places down compared

to 2018 results. While the index does not show real incidences of corruption, it is a reliable indication of the perception of the Nigerian public and the international community about the state of corruption in the country.�

Disappointed at Nigeria’s rating on TI’s corruption index, the attorney-general condemned the 2019 CPI that placed the country at 146 out of the 180 countries and territories globally, noting that there was no evidence to back the country’s rating.

In a statement by its acting spokesman, Mr. Tony Orilade on Friday, also, the EFCC faulted Nigeria’s poor rating on the index, questioning the

bogus and ambiguous criteria TI used to arrive at what it called “a jaundiced and illogical rating.�

But in a telephone conversation with THISDAY, Rafsanjani challenged the attorney general to present one corruption case he had prosecuted since he assumed office in 2015, noting that Malami, in four good years, had npt prosecuted any corruption case.

Rather, TI’s contact person alleged that the attorney general watered down corruption cases that the EFCC had been investigating before Malami assumed office or the graft cases that had been filed at the court before he took over as the justice minister.

ON AMOTEKUN WE STAND ...

L-R: Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu; his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Lagos State Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat at the South-West Governors Forum meeting at Abuja.. Thursday.

Malami: Prisoners’ Consent Required under Nigeria-Macao Transfer Agreement Tobi Soniyi Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said that the consent of prisoners will be obtained before they are brought to serve their sentences in Nigeria under an agreement for the transfer of sentenced persons between Nigeria and the Government of the Macao, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, which Nigeria ratified last week.

Providing details of the agreement Friday, Malami said Nigeria would derive immense benefit from the agreement.

A statement by Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, quoted Malami as saying that the ratification of the agreement would enhance the image of the country as responsive to the need

of its citizens, and guarantee the political and constitutional rights of Nigerians.

The minister said, “The objective of the agreement was to enable the sentenced persons to return to their places of origin for the continuation of their sentences where language or cultural barriers are non-existent, and friends and relatives pay regular visits, which could facilitate and enhance their rehabilitation.�

The instrument of ratification of the agreement for the President’s signature was prepared by Malami as approved and directed

by President Muhamamdu Buhari pursuant to the Federal Executive Council’s memorandum presented in 2018.

Malami said with the agreement, persons in the Correctional Service Centres of both countries who wished to serve their sentences in their home countries would be enabled to do so.

He disclosed that Nigeria

signed the agreement with Macao on June 1, 2018, pointing out that Article 17(1) of the agreement provides that each party shall notify the other in writing upon completion of the required internal procedure.

Malami disclosed that the transfer of sentenced persons under the agreement was subject to the consent of the transferring and receiving parties and the sentenced person(s). He added that where, in view of age or physical or mental condition, either party considered it necessary, the sentenced person’s consent might be given by a person entitled to act on his behalf.

Malami reiterated that Article 12 of the agreement indicated that the cost of the transfer and transportation of sentenced persons should be borne by the transferring parties until the time of the delivering of the sentenced persons to the jurisdiction of the receiving party.

Citing different corruption cases the AGF allegedly frustrated, Rafsanjani explained how Malami prevailed on President Muhammadu Buhari to drop the Malabu oil scandal at the initial stage. “He misled the President that there was no case in the Malabu oil deal contrary to the position of the EFCC. That is why the case did not go on for a very long time. Until the EFCC insisted on prosecuting the case, the Malabu oil scandal has been swept under the carpet.�

He, also, explained how the AGF withdrew the corruption case against former Gombe State Governor and a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Danjuma Goje in 2019 after Goje stepped down to context the election of the President of the Senate.

He alleged that the attorney general “applied for the withdrawal of the charges eventhough EFCC had filed N25 billion corruption charges against Goje alongside a former Executive Chairman of Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Aliyu ElNafaty.�

Rafsanjani, also, explained how Malami stopped the prosecution of former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki for allegedly forging the senate rules to conduct the election of principal officers.

Since 2015 the attorney general had been in office, Rafsanjani claimed that he “has not gone to court to prosecute any corruption case . Rather, he has watered down corruption charges in courts or those under investigation at the EFCC. “Rather than dismissing the TI’s corruption index, the federal government should review areas where we need to improve on the efforts of

fighting corruption,� TI’s contact person advised.

He, therefore, justified the corruption perception index on Nigeria, noting that it “is the perception of citizens in Nigeria. This has nothing to do with what EFCC or ICPC is doing.�

In Nigeria, Rafsanjani lamented that public offices “are abused and electoral processes at all level compromised. When they go to hospital, they encounter corruption. When they go to police either on the road or at the police station, they encounter corruption. “When students are seeking placements in the tertiary institutions nationwide, they encounter corruption. When they go to process international passport or driver’s licence, they encounter corruption. This has nothing to do with what EFCC or ICPC is doing.�

Rafsanjani lamented that the critics of the 2019 CPI did not read the report, noting that in the same index, specifically, the ratings of Canada and the US dropped.

He, therefore, challenged the critics of the 2019 CPI “to come out and present facts that contradict the Corruption Perception Index on Nigeria.

He said: “In fact, the federal government does not need Transparency International to know there is corruption in Nigeria. “It is something that is happening on daily basis. If they are saying there is no corruption, let them come out and contradict the CPI with facts and figures. Any official that dismisses the CPI is actually the beneficiary of corruption.

It is the perception of citizens in Nigeria.�

Traditional Ruler Arrested over Killing of Police OfďŹ cer in His Palace Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Federal Territory Police Command yesterday condemned the killing of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Eric Isaiah, in the palace of Chief of Ushafa in Bwari Area Council.

With the development, the command arrested the traditional ruler, Alhaji Mohammed Baba and his secretary, Danlamu Busa for alleged complicity in the murder of the police officer.

The command condemned the killing in a statement yesterday, describing it as barbaric and unpatriotic and said the killers must be arrested and brought to justice.

The statement said the police command would not treat with levity attacks on police officers

on lawful duty.

It added that the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Mr. Bala Ciroma, condemned the unprovoked actions of some persons who attacked and killed Isaiah at the palace of Chief of Ushafa in Bwari Area council on January 23 at about 2100hrs.

The statement disclosed that the slain police officer was attacked in the palace of Ushafa while he wanted to arrest one Moses Peter aka Dogo, a suspect wanted for culpable homicide, Describing the act as barbaric and unpatriotic, the statement said the police commission said the killers of the police officer would be brought to justice.

The statement said the command “will not treat any act of attack on police officers on lawful duty with levity.

“The unfortunate disregard for law and order happened on January 21, when one Dominic Emmanuel reported at Bwari Divisional Headquarters that his brother Moses Emmanuel (now deceased), who was engaged to work as a mason by one Mrs. Priscilla Patrick, was found unconscious after being attacked and severely injured. “After he was rushed to Bwari General Hospital, the deceased was able to provide vital information as to his assailants. Consequent upon this, one Moses Emmanuel aka Dogo and one John (surname unknown) were fingered as the perpetrators of the act.�

The statement said the condition of the victim deteriorated and later gave up the ghost at the hospital, where he was receiving treatment.

SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

OPINION

ÀMÒTÉKÙN: Symbolism And Misrepresentations Operation Amotekun is an instrument for preventing local crimes, writes Oludayo Tade

...a leopard shall watch over their cities; everyone that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many and their backslidings are increased (Jeremiah 5:6b)

W

hat can we learn from the differential constructions ofÀmòtékùn and how does Àmòtékùn symbolise Nigeria? Just like poverty, insecurity knows no tribe, religion, political party, young or old, male or female, clergy or king. Virtually all professional groups have been victimised: judges, lawyers, doctors, lecturers, teachers and even the police continue to be attacked, disposessed and kidnapped by robbers and forced to cough out millions. Farming communities also continue to be dislodged by bandits and herders, thereby worsening food insecurity and displacing people to Internally Displaced Camps where they are exposed to new exploitation. When cattle rustlers trouble nomadic communities, the country is further engulfed in anomie and a return to a state of nature where life is totally uncertain and life chances towards a good life is significantly pruned for compatriots.

Unlike the securitised elite who constitute a hard-to-reach targets, the rest of us are described as soft targets by megaphone ministers and aides. But when they become victims such as when a governors’ convoy was attacked by suspected kidnappers on our hellish highways, the message sank that there is need to bury party affiliation and religious contours. The ‘hard targets’ are now harmonising their differences and annexing resources against kidnappers, armed robbers, rustlers and criminal herdsmen based on geographical proximity and inter-twined borders. It was against this unpleasant background that OperationÀmòtékùn was birthed. The operation seeks to utilise the locals for intelligence gathering and performing complementary policing with the use of traditional mechanism of social control. The thinking is simple: since all crimes are local, local remedies can be effective in preventing and eradicating them.

Existing security structure is overstretched. With a daily depleting figure of 302,152 personnel, half of which service the political class and the securitized elite, the ability of the Nigeria police to fully combat the enormous challenges of securing lives and properties is daunting.

They are poorly funded by the federal government and possess inferior fire power as confessed by the top echelons of the police which makes their men vulnerable to the adequately prepared,

motivated, well-fortified and hellishly equipped criminals to fulfil the biblical observed essence: to steal, kill and destroy. State Commissioners of Police are supported with local funds by state governors who are constitutionally described as the chief security officer. They buy operational vehicles and equipment and pay allowances to officers on special outfits.

Who among the politicians take permission from the constitution to hire thugs that disrupt elections? Who among them informs the IGP of bringing weapons for their private guards?

Unfortunately, Nigeria’s politics thrives on disunity and divisions.

This approach to politics was inherited from the colonial power for administrative exploitation of the colonised nations in Nigeria. Post colonial Nigeria is still characterised by government’s efforts to factionalise unions, groups and associations to their own benefit. That Western Nigerian governors decided, in conjunction with the informal groups and traditional leaders, to form alliance and secure their domains are certainly uncommon and bound to elicit different subjective interpretations.

In a country where divide and rule reign supreme,Àmòtékùn (Leopard) has attracted symbolisms that project the existential threats of insecurity with illogical narratives of ethnicity, religion, politics, or self-determination. These, in my view, are myopic views of the everyday threats which south westerners encounter. Politicians can trade lives of people to actualise their 2023 ambitions and this is why a myopic organisation expects their co-travellers in the western zone to stopÀmòtékùn or lose 2023 presidency. They await the Esau in western region to sell out their people for personal benefits.

The characters who embody the Leopard spots will not change (Jeremiah 13:23).Àmòtékùn is certainly a threat to the business interest of MiyettiAllah cattle breeders association of Nigeria. The association

In a country where divide and rule reign supreme, Àmòtékùn (Leopard) has attracted symbolisms that project the existential threats of insecurity with illogical narratives of ethnicity, religion, politics, or selfdetermination

views a complementary security outfit as a ploy to chase them out of region. They need not worry but need to behave in conformity with the norms of the society which they have decided to be part of.

Who amongst them dare to challenge the deities in Ondo that killed deviant cows that climbed the scared hill? The gods could not be blamed!

For sure, we must not threaten the livelihoods of others to guarantee our own. This is whyÀmòtékùn has state backing with clear-cut structures of checks and balances. The Operation is unlike the OPC which was unregulated by a formal structure.

A‘Leopard’ voiced the Oduduwa republic sentiment. Regional groupings were done with the mind of putting somewhat similar peoples (language, geography) together in each area. The necessity and reasonability of an initiative likeAmotekun is already entrenched in governance with federal character principle, allocation of infrastructure among others. Unlike those who have voiced their self-determination motives, Western Nigeria believes in Nigeria but abhors insecurity of lives and properties of her people. Warriors headed most pre-colonial kingdoms because people wanted peace and order and only the person that can assure this became the king.

If the whole is equal to the sum of its part, then the insecurity in a part must be a major concern to the whole and the whole should be happy if a part has found indigenous mechanism to mitigate insecurity. The leopard spot characters misrepresenting the true essence ofÀmòtékùn are some of the reasons Nigeria is progressivelyretrogressive till date.

One thing has come out clear from theÀmòtékùn discourse: BothAbrahamic religious adherents support it. This is not strange.

Landlord associations which have Muslims and Christians mainly as members hire night watchmen (olode) who have charms to protect them. When confronted with matters of life and death, we all realise that there are certain traditional powers which historically have been used to protect kingdoms but which modernisation and the imperialists have described as fetish. When fully operational with domestic laws backing its essence,Àmòtékùn will watch over the western cities and utilise traditional means to boost social control in the region. Hunters, vigilante organisations, traditional rulers and others have come under one umbrella to make this work. Care must be taken. Trust is important and the incentives of theÀmòtékùns must not be less than the minimum wage.

––Dr.Tade, a sociologist sent this piece from Ibadan via dotad2003@yahoo.com (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

Nigeria’s Road Infrastructure Renewal and China Relations Charles Onunaiju writes that Nigeria’s economic relations with China are well made and beneficial

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f the various strands of Nigeria-China comprehensive and strategic cooperation, infrastructure renewal which would fill the important gap in the Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan constitutes a vital core. The strategic plan of President Buhari administration to put infrastructure construction at the center of economic revival, objectively elevated and squarely put the Ministry of Works and Housing in the front-line of re-engineering the country’s economic outlook through building critical infrastructure. The ministry of works and housing with its resourceful and erudite helmsman, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has obviously taken their mandate seriously, understanding the historic significance of their effort to actualize the vision of President Buhari’s government. Realizing the ancient wisdom that if you want to get rich, build roads, a metaphor clearly indicating the fundamental roles of infrastructure in any meaningful effort at sustainable and inclusive economic development, the ministry of works and housing under Fashola has enlisted high caliber and credible Chinese firm to discharge the mandate of building sound and solid transport network that would form the major artery for Nigeria’s economic recovery.

The Nigeria-based China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) which has been in the Nigerian construction market in the past 26 years has demonstrated strong faith in the country and has been at the cutting edge of shoring up and filling in the gap in the country’s infrastructure deficit.

Nigeria-China strategic cooperation has in recent times focused on enabling the strategic fundamentals that would stimulate sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Nigeria that will open the socio-economic space of the country with a view to creating employment, generate productive economic activities and help maintain social balance for stability and progress. China Harbour Engineering Company has brought both experience of its parent company and its international exposure in delivering high-quality projects on schedule to bear on its craftsmanship in delivering world-class infrastructure service in Nigeria.

Currently, the company is a major contractor, delivering the expansion of the 5.4Km Abuja-Keffi expressway and dualization of Keff-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road, a key project of the larger continental trans-Sahara highway. The trans-Sahara highway

project is a continental-scale infrastructure that passes through six African countries namely, Algeria, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Tunisia and has the objective to make enormous contribution to the development of commercial exchanges through roads connectivity and promote regional integration. As key artery of a regional highway network, it would seamlessly integrate in the framework of the Belt and Road framework of international cooperation, initiated by China as a global massive infrastructure connectivity scheme, which facilitates trade and enhances people-to-people contacts among other things. China Harbour Engineering which is handling the Nigerian component of the trans-Saharan highway brings speed, efficiency and corporate social responsibility in the discharge of its work. Already the pace of work at the Abuja 5.4Km expansion project has stunned residents of the city, since work commenced in April last year with the speed, efficiency and thoroughness of the contractor. The project is the first road project with 85% funding by the China Export and Import Bank in the form of preferential export buyers credit, an innovative financial model, under which the federal government would provide a counterpart funding of 15%.

The plan demonstrates a vital innovative insight of the federal ministry of works to deliver the timely and necessary infrastructure projects that would quicken economic recovery and development.

In addition to the imaginative insight of the ministry of works under the resourceful and focused leadership of the minister Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the ministry has demonstrated a viable partnership with the contracting firm by effective supervision and monitoring. As a principal and core actor in the government’s efforts to re-position the economy and deliver sustainable and inclusive growth, through provision of enabling infrastructure, the ministry has creditably discharged its mandate and is still doing so to the satisfaction of discernible Nigerians.

The duration of the project is 36 months and work on the site which commenced on the 1st of April 2019 is expected to be completed in 2022.

If the speed, efficiency and commitment of China Habour in handling the Abuja - Keffi Expressway expansion project is replicated in other places of the trans-Saharan highway project, the ultimate vision of its planners whose idea was first proposed

in 1962, would be realized in delivering a functional continental unity underwritten by practical integration and connectivity.

For the Keffi-Lafia-Makurdi road project alone, China Habour has trained over 80 qualified engineers and other 1000 skilled workers, with direct employment certain to increase as the construction makes progress. While over 2000 jobs would be created to absorb local skilled manpower, more than 3,500 indirect jobs including suppliers would be created in the period of the project construction. Because, China Habour has been part of Nigeria’s social fabric, since 26 years of its debut in the Nigeria’s infrastructure market, it has taken time and shown enormous keenness in fulfilling its social responsibility. To this effect, it has diligently installed water pipes outside its construction sites to relieve the tension of water supply in local communities. Well aware of its support services to local communities and the need to promote robust and healthy relationships with host communities along its project routes, China Habour has dug wells, provided free clean water and donated books and other educational supplies to local schools, with hope to contribute in building the capacity of young Nigerians. China Harbour complete fate in Nigeria and its future is demonstrated by its investment in the country’s human capital through support for education and health of their host communities.

China Habour Engineering Company which has accumulated extensive experience since its entry into Nigeria’s infrastructure market has executed various projects in different fields including dredging works in Calabar River, rehabilitation of Terminal B of Warri Port in Delta State and construction of breakwater in Lagos. Currently, the firm is engaged in two large scale projects, the Lekki Deep Seaport and Keffi road project, a clear illustration of the firm’s technical and financial capacity.

Evidently the partnership of China Harbour Engineering Company, a foremost and experienced infrastructure service provider with an astute Nigeria’s minister of works, will deliver nothing short of revolution in the road infrastructure sector of Nigeria’s economic recovery and growth plan and lay solid foundation for the emergence of one of Africa’s strongest economies.

––Mr. Onunaiju is director, Center for China Studies, Utako, Abuja.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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LETTERS THISDAY AT 25: Blazing The Trail

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n July 13 1986, something novel berthed in the Nigerian media space.

ThisWeek magazine was born but the question on the lips of many pundits and members of the public was Nduka who? The publishing industry was dominated by money bags in the persons of the likes of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the Concord, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu of the Champion, late Alex Uruemu Ibru of The Guardian. A few veteran journalists were also active on the publishing scene like Pa Sam AmukaPemu of the Vanguard and the quartet of late Dele Giwa, Yakubu Mohammed, Ray Ekpu and Dan Agbese of the Newswatch magazine. There was also Chris Okolie of the New Breed Magazine.

Who then was this then 27- year- old upstart that had boldly taken the industry by storm?

Obaigbena wasn’t a push over as he had paid his dues by working for the prestigious Newsweek and TIME magazine.

He also had the distinction of being the first journalist to interview the then Military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari when he first came to power on December 31, 1983. As the point- man of TIME magazine in West Africa, he had made so many contacts with the business and political elite and was a

Obaigbena force to be reckoned with even though he wasn’t too known to the general public at the time.

The magazine was the first to be all glossy and was also published from London and air-freighted to Nigeria on a weekly basis. The Duke as Obaigbena is fondly called, raided The

Guardian newspapers and poached the likes of the late Pini Jason, Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, Sonala Olumhense, amongst others. He poached Tunji Lardner from Newswatch and in a short space of time built a formidable team that paraded the finest of pen pushers and wordsmiths in the

Nigerian print media.

The magazine had a lot of promise but tragically died after just five years because of the devaluation of the naira by the then General Ibrahim Babangida-led regime.

He delved into partisan politics by contesting for a seat in the then Third Republic Senate which he

Rape And Pedophilia in Nigeria

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ny day I woke to the scorching news of rape or pedophilia, I lose interest in doing anything, simply because the society has made laws with sharpened teeth but won't allow it to bite incessant occurrence and reoccurrence of sexual assaults and sexual abuse on children.

According to Merriam Webster and other English Dictionaries, rape is the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim while pedophilia— a feeling of sexual attraction to children, is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children according to Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders.

This includes fingering and sharing of erotic materials with prepubescent children.

Though the Penal Code applicable in all the states in Northern Nigeria allows sex with a pubescent girl at age 14, it's important to note that the most conventional worldwide is18 and must be with the consent of the person involved.

These incessant cases are sardonic and the worst problem is lack of special courts to handle these cases and implementation of strict laws on affluent people found guilty of such acts.

Paedophilia which is synonymous to rape or that can lead to rape, causes a lot of damage to the opposite sex like health defect, death, cut of the vagina for the females and the likes of these vices.

I personally don't think that there's a punishment better than death by hanging or life imprisonment for anyone sexually assaulting underage children.

Though there is rape in same-sex (lesbian or gay) and legal or traditional marriages, it is not rampant.

These however made some lenient groups to

attempt grouping rape into legitimate which is intimate partner rape and real or illegitimate rape. In any case, whether date rape, courtship rape, intimate partner rape or distant partner rapes, all rapes are real rapes and criminal regardless of condition or circumstances.

Rape/Phedophilia victims are mostly covered because of the disdainful look and isolation they got afterwards.

They believe if the case is not covered up, the victim might face a lot of challenges in her present and future life and of course justice might not prevail. Furthermore, the society finds it difficult to bring those who engage in pedophilia to book as they maybe of the elite class and thus immune as the can manipulate the courts.

A lot of reasons actually trigger rape and pedophilia, some are caused by the victims or the environment they find themselves.

Indecent dressing is one of the causes though there is freedom of lifestyle; but some certain parts of the body attract people of either

opposite or from the same sex.

Drug/alcohol addicts are the ones mostly engaged in rape because they are not in their right senses and since laws laid are lax in a country where social inequalities are rampant, they work freely after their evil acts.

Access to pornography or erotic materials by young children and adolescents is another curse on this generation that ignites rape and sexual assault on children.

Lack of sex education, cultural silence and cultural beliefs are not left out as well as the way children are rebuked or corrected by parents or neighbours when caught in such acts.

To the best of my knowledge sex education is one of the best ways to end rape and pedophilia. This responsibility is not only on government, teachers and parents but the media, civil society organisations and religious leaders.

–– Lawal Sofiyyat Bolanle, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

lost and was part of the Constitutional Conference between 1994/1995 under the then General Sani Abacha-led regime.

His love for adventure got the better part of him in 1995 and he took the publishing industry by storm when THISDAY Newspaper was launched in January of that year.

Few people gave his paper a chance as they saw him as an opportunist who cashed in on the fact that the military had proscribed The Punch, Concord and The Guardian.

They opined that the paper would go into oblivion in an industry that had a high mortality rate.

He proved his critics wrong as the paper continued to wax stronger and grew from strength to strength while pioneering many innovations.

It was the first paper to reserve the back page which was traditionally for sports for columnists which other papers followed. It was the first paper to publish the daily activity of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and was the first to introduce colour to its pages.

It continually churned out breaking news especially in the politics and business beats that it soon became the paper of choice for the decision makers and elite.

It was the first paper to diversify into entertainment by using star power to rebrand the nation. He did this through his bringing in of international artistes like Beyonce, Jazy Z, etc., to perform at concerts which resonated well with the Nigerian public.

The THISDAY awards brought in the likes of Bill Clinton, George Bush Jr, Condelezza Rice, Collin Powell, Tony Blair, etc., into the country to add spice and flavour to the awards.

There must be something in the paper that makes some of its journalists return back there after they have left.

Olusegun Adeniyi was poached from there while

editing the paper to be the spokesman of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He returned there in 2011 as the Chairman of the Editorial Board. Bolaji Abdullahi, erstwhile Minister for Youth Development as well as Sports joined in 1997, left after a year to work with the African Leadership Forum and then rejoined in 1999 before leaving for the UK where he got the British Council Chevening Scholarship.

Bisi Ojediran left for The Shell Petroleum Development Company and returned there in 2008 as the Editorial Board Chairman. Joseph Ushighale, the current Managing Editor left there to become the Chief Press Secretary to Donald Duke and returned in 2007. The current Managing Director of Arise TV and former editor of the paper, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu left for an assignment with the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) before returning back.

Dr. Reuben Abati who was with The Guardian for years pitched his tent with Arise TV after serving as Jonathan’s spokesman for four years. Peter Ishaka, Editor, Editorial Page, returned there after spending a decade with Senator David Dafinone, editing Who’s Who in Nigeria.

What is it in the paper that makes some of its members of staff return after one would have thought they would have moved on? Only the Duke of possibilities, apologies to Waziri Adio, Executive Director of the Nigerian Extractive Transparency Initiative (NEITI) can answer that question. We urge the Duke to make it open to the public so that we can learn from him.

Congratulations to the THISDAY Group on its Silver Jubilee and we hope to celebrate more years of robust journalism with the Duke in good health.

––Tony Ademiluyi, Lagos.

The Odd Dozen

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here have been tens of thousands of gun rights supporters at a protest in Virginia's capital complaining about possible changes to gun laws.

One of the laws they were concerned about was the right to buy only one gun a month and thus 12 a year. How many guns does a person need? Even in the worst

of the westerns or gang shows nobody has more than two guns in their hands at any time.

Nobody needs to buy a gun a month, it's expensive and hard to actually justify their purchase but it seems to be allowed and probably happens.

Two six shooters should refer to the number of bullets, not the number of guns.

––Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia.

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SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 •T H I S D AY

RE “CAVEAT EMPTOR” REJOINDER (TOYOTA (NIGERIA) LIMITED).

TOYOTA (NIGERIA) LIMITED (henceforth, “TNL”) has had its attention drawn to certain paid advertisements in some of the National Dailies which were signed by the Management of Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited.

WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THE STATEMENTS MADE IN THE ADVERTISEMENTS DO NOT REPRESENT THE TRUE STATE OF FACTS, ESPECIALLY AS THEY RELATE TO OUR BUSINESS ENTITY AND OUR BUSINESS PRODUCTS (TOYOTA VEHICLES, SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES). WE, THEREFORE, FIND IT NECESSARY TO, BY THIS PUBLICATION, SET THE RECORDS STRAIGHT. 1)

Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan (“TMC”) is the manufacturer of Toyota vehicles, spare parts and accessories (“Toyota Products”).

2)

Toyota Nigeria Limited (“TNL”) is the Sole Distributor of Toyota Products certified for the Nigerian market, as duly appointed by TMC.

3)

TNL, as TMC’s Sole Distributor, is exclusively vested with the authority of TMC (as the manufacturer) to appoint accredited Dealers for the sale of its certified Toyota Products in Nigeria.

4)

In August 1997, Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited was appointed by TNL as one of its Dealers.

5)

However, having persistently failed to meet its obligations under the Dealership Agreement governing the relationship, and to protect the image of TMC and the brand “TOYOTA’’, Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited was, on 28th March 2019, formally disengaged by TNL as an accredited Dealer of Toyota in Nigeria, a decision which is unreservedly supported and approved by TMC.

MANAGEMENT TOYOTA (NIGERIA) LIMITED.

17

SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 • T H I S D AY

RE “CAVEAT EMPTOR” REJOINDER (ELIZADE (NIGERIA) LIMITED)

ELIZADE (NIGERIA) LIMITED (henceforth referred to in this publication as “ENL”) has come across paid advertisements in some of the National Dailies which were signed by the Management of Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited.

While the advertisements do not refer to ENL by our proper name, the references there to “Elizade Motors Limited” and the use of our trade name “Elizade” in the context of the publications will, in every probability, lead to the statements made there being associated with ENL. For this reason, we feel compelled to issue the following REJOINDER in order to set the record straight as regards THE STATEMENTS MADE IN THE REFERENCED PUBLICATIONS BY GLOBE MOTORS HOLDINGS (NIGERIA) LIMITED WHICH ARE EVIDENTLY CALCULATED TO MISLEAD AND CONFUSE THE GENERAL PUBLIC 1)

ENL is the foremost Toyota Auto Dealer in Nigeria, having traded with distinction, first, directly, and later, indirectly, with Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan (“TMC”), the manufacturer of Toyota vehicles, spare parts and accessories (“Toyota Products”), for a period which is now close to 50 (fifty) years.

2)

For the past 23 (twenty-three) years, ENL has been an accredited dealer of Toyota products certified for Nigeria having duly been appointed by Toyota Nigeria Limited (“TNL”).

3)

ENL did not make any publication in respect of Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited, whether regarding that company’s status as a Toyota Dealer, its conduct as an Auto Dealer, or in any other context whatsoever. ENL’s relationship with Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited does not extend beyond their having, for a period, both been Toyota Dealers, until the Dealership granted to Globe Motors Holdings (Nigeria) Limited was terminated by TNL.

SIGNED, MANAGEMENT OF ELIZADE (NIGERIA) LIMITED.

18

J ÍşÍžËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

INTERNATIONAL Transparency International’s Corruption Index 2019 and Nigeria: Government’s Myopic Reaction

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ransparency International’s 2019 corruption index reminds one of the early 1970s in Nigeria, when government’s buses in Lagos State did carry one warning advert: ‘do not give bribe. both the giver and receiver are guilty.’ The advert, warning people not to engage in acts of bribery and corruption, was symbolic, but did not mean that bribery and act of corruption was taken as a big deal by Government.

In truth, bribery and corruption used to be an instrument for managing economic setbacks: tax evasion, under-reporting of costs to meet budget targets, financial malpractices, etc. And true again, bribery is a manifestation of corruption, which, according to Professor J.S. Cookey, the Chairman of the Political Bureau under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, in his report in 1987, constituted the bane of Nigerian society and which he said became manifest as from 1967.

In other words, corruption was not only identified as a critical problem as far back as 1987, even though no solution could be found to it in the period from 1967 to 1987, but also that corruption was part of global economic governance until May 4, 1993 when the Transparency International (TI) was established as a nonprofit, non-governmental organisation with a mandate to carry the international battle of anti-corruption to the door steps of all agents of corruption worldwide. The TI, which has its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, operates on the basis of a methodological framework, Corruption Perception Index, believes that corruption not only affects everyone, and therefore, should be of concern to everyone, but also hurts the poorest and most vulnerable members of the global community. It undermines democracy. It also undermines the rule of law.

Corruption undermines development, peace and security.

One most recent case is that of President Donald Trump of the United States. He engaged in political corruption in United States’ relationship with the Government of Ukraine, by asking the newly elected President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate corruption charges levied against Hunter Biden, the son of a former US Vice President, Joe Biden, a democrat vying for the position of the President in the 2020 presidential elections.

Donald Trump requested for a quid pro quo before approving delivery of US defence assistance for Ukraine, which is a manifestation of corruption per excellence. It is against this background that Donald Trump has been indicted and impeached by the House and that he is also being tried in the Senate for possible conviction and removal. It is also against this background that the activities of the TI and its corruption perception indices should be explained and understood.

In this regard, what really is the TI fighting? It is fighting corruption. If it is fighting corruption, which type of corruption is it fighting? How is it carrying out the fight ? What is corruption really about in practical terms? TI says that ‘corruption generally comprises illegal activities, which are deliberately hidden and only come to light through scandals, investigations or prosecutions.’ Why is an act of corruption hidden consciously? In fact, how is corruption understood internationally? Why is it that corruption has been difficult to nip in the bud? Why has it been particularly recidivist in Nigeria?

Understanding Corruption

On 31 October, 2003, 140 Member States of the United Nations drafted a Convention against Corruption and signed it on 9 December, 2003. The multilateral treaty entered into force on 14 December, 2005. The treaty is important because it is currently the only comprehensive and binding agreement on a universal scale on anti-corruption. Most countries of the world have signed and also ratified it. Thus, three points are particularly noteworthy about the Convention.

First, it is essentially designed to be preventive in orientation.

For instance, in the statement of purpose contained in Article 1, the Convention is ‘to promote and strengthen measures to prevent and combat corruption more efficiently and effectively,’ as well as ‘to promote, facilitate and support international cooperation and technical assistance in the prevention of and fight against corruption.’

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Buhari In the same vein, chapter two, which is on preventive measures, has it in its Article 5 a provision on ‘preventive anticorruption policies and practices’ and in its Article 6, another provision on ‘anti-corruption body or bodies.’ As provided in Article 5, ‘each State Party shall, in accordance with the fundamental principles of its legal system, develop and implement or maintain effective, coordinated anti-corruption policies that promote the participation of society and reflect the principles of the rule of law, proper management of public affairs and public property, integrity, transparency and accountability.’ Second, the treaty requires not only the signatories to the Convention, but also all the citizens, and particularly the private sector, to be involved in the implementation of the Convention. Article 5, as shown above, talks about the promotion of participation of the civil society. Similarly, Article 6 has it that ‘each State Party shall... ensure the existence of a body or bodies, as appropriate, that prevent corruption’ in different ways: implementing the State obligations provided in the UN anticorruption convention, as well as promoting and disseminating knowledge about prevention of corruption. This simply means that the anti-corruption war cannot but be the responsibility of every citizen of the world. Articles 12 and 13 of the Convention further define the context of involvement of the private sector and the participation of the society respectively.

While Article 12 requires all State Parties ‘to prevent corruption involving the private sector, enhance accounting and auditing standards in the private sector,’ as well as providing effective penalties whenever there is failure to comply with official measures, Article 13 stipulates that every State Party shall ‘promote the active participation of individuals and groups outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organisations, and community-based organisations in the prevention of and the fight against corruption and to raise public awareness regarding the existence, causes and gravity of and the threat posed by corruption.’

In the period from 2008 through 2011, when maximum points obtainable was ten, Nigeria scored 2.7 points in 2008, 2.5 in 2009, 2.4 in 2010, and 2.4 in 2011. In other words, the situation of corruption was worsening, with a gradual decline from 2.7 to 2.4. With 2.4 points, Nigeria was placed in the 134th position in 2010 and 143rd in 2011.As from 2012, when the methodology for assessment was changed and the maximum points obtainable became 100, the maximum point ever scored by Nigeria was 28% and that was in 2016.

Nigeria was placed in the 136th position.The position reected the new determination of the newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari. But thereafter, the maximum points scored by Nigeria was only 27% and that was in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018, thus occupying the 139th, 136th, 148th and 144th positions respectively. Consequently, if the 2019 rating moved Nigeria backward from 144th to the 146th position, what really is the big deal. Government should move away from myopia and prepare for the challenges of coronavirus, the new global problem

Third, and perhaps, more significantly, the Convention did not define what constitutes an act of corruption, but criminalises it in Chapter 3. By implication, the conception or conceptualisation of corruption has to be gleaned from the measures suggested to the State Parties to the Convention as possible solutions. In other words, when corruption is explained in its ordinary sense, it is simply an act of dishonesty. It refers to any fraudulent action by people in power. It also refers to any act of alteration or falsification, especially in the context of changing the original sense of a word, or debasing a word. Corruption involves seeking illicit benefits. However, the technical or deductive, definition in the UN Convention is not necessarily different, it is only more complex in terms of meaning.

Put differently, if we espy the measures required to be taken by the signatories to the Convention, what constitutes corruption can be easily delineated. In this regard, if the general public and private sectors are involved as stakeholders, especially in terms of the need for the Government to take anti-corruption measures, such as compelling public officials to promote efficiency, transparency and accountability, as well as merit-based recruitment in public administration, then an act of corruption cannot but be an engagement in any act of inefficiency, nontransparency, non-accountability, non-merit-based recruitment.

In short, any engagement in an act of dishonesty, necessarily constitutes an act of corruption.

The UN Convention appears to have left to the signatory State Parties the responsibility to articulate the notion of corruption, and the responsibility to prevent, investigate and prosecute any act of corruption. In this regard, there is no disputing the fact that Nigeria has done well in terms of the rule of pacta sunt servanda.

Nigeria respects the principle of sanctity of agreements as provided in the 1999 Constitution as amended. It is truism to say that the Government of Nigeria, under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which established the ICPC, also does not provide any definitive conception of what corruption is. It only gave examples of corruption cases, such as bribery, fraud, gratification, fraudulent receipt and acquisition of property, making false statement or return, refusal to report fraudulent transactions, etc.

In reconciling the understanding of the foregoing with the rating of Nigeria by the TI in the context of Nigeria’s backward movement from the 144th in 2018 to 146th in 2019, and the reaction of the Government of Nigeria, particularly through the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, it is useful to remember that Section 61 of the ICPC Act has it that ‘every prosecution for an offence under this Act or any other law prohibiting bribery, corruption and other related offences shall be deemed to be done with the consent of the Attorney-General.’ The implication of this is that the Attorney-General is presumed to be the reservoir of all knowledge about corruption offences and their prosecution. If the TI is contesting any position or rating of Nigeria, reactions should be made in light of the existing knowledge in possession of the Attorney-General and all efforts at prosecution by both the ICPC and the EFCC. The challenge therefore is this: has Nigeria done more than what the TI has considered in rating Nigeria the 146th out of a total of 180 countries? If yes, what should have been the appropriate position of Nigeria? What are the determinants of the rating? Is Nigeria’s reaction and condemnation of the rating not myopic?

TI’s Rating and Nigeria’s Reaction

Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, reportedly said that, ‘in terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more, and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption, devoid of extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International.’ More important, he reiterated that ‘our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more and we will double efforts.’ It is therefore crystal clear from the perspective of the AttorneyGeneral that what constitutes a fight against corruption is limited to legislation, its enforcement, and recovery of looted assets. Most unfortunately, however, the determinants of corruption are more than legislation and enforcement.

Apart from the general criteria for evaluation of efforts, the TI also considers non-acceptability of selective prosecution of corruption suspects, attacks on the media, intimidation of the whistleblowers, and the factor of ‘big money.’ Other determinants include experts’ assessments, data surveys focusing on access to information, bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement and enforcement of anti-corruption law.

As explained by Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani, the Head of TI in Nigeria, the corruption index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, in the opinion of experts and business people, using a scale of 0 to 100, in which case zero point means ‘highly corrupt’ and 100 points imply ‘very clean.’ (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

19

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS

Editor: Kunle Aderinokun 08033204315, 08111813084 Email:kunle.aderinoku@thisdaylive.com

How Much Does Nigeria Really Owe? The federal government has insisted that Nigeria’s borrowing remains sustainable in the short, medium to long term levels, guided by the DMO objective of prudence. But the problem is not necessarily that we are borrowing, the problem is that we are spending some 60 per cent of national revenue on debt servicing. Without a truthful and forthright government’s acceptance of the debt situation, Nigeria’s chances of escaping its self-inflicted debt trap are fleetingly small. Nosa James-Igbinadolor reports

One of the coaches operating on Abuja-Kaduna railway, a project built from borrowed external loans

S

ince coming into office in 2015, the Buhari administration has ballooned the nation’s debt to as high as $86 billion. A senior fellow at the Jack Kemp Foundation, Dr. Ike Brannon, posits that, “In essence, the nation’s debt is about where it was in 2005-06, just before Nigeria benefited from massive debt relief as part of a programme coordinated by the Paris Club, IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank. To have squandered the debt reduction in just 14 years and have no tangible economic progress to show for it is beyond disappointing.�

Without a truthful and forthright government’s acceptance of

the debt situation, Nigeria’s chances of escaping its self-inflicted debt trap are fleetingly small.

Acritical problem facing the country, is that while most developing countries take advantage of concessionary financing from the World Bank or other international institutions, Nigeria’s debt profile is now increasingly made up of commercial debt.

Its recent Eurobond issuances in London, for example, came at a relatively high yield, which makes its economy especially vulnerable to external shocks, such as a sustained drop in oil prices.

At the end of its 126th Monetary Policy Committee meeting of the Central Bank of Nigeria in September 2019, members

noted that despite energetic increase in private sector lending, mounting public debt remains a headwind to economic growth. “The huge concerns expressed in the last MPC meeting about the increases in total public debt remain unabated. Based on the Bond Issuance Calendar of the Debt Management Office (DMO), there were three additional FGN Bond Auctions in July, August and September to raise money to part-finance the 2019 Federal Budget while additional Issuance of Eurobond is expected in the late part of 2019 or early 2020. “As the threat of debt vulnerability continues, a coordinated domestic revenue expansion with simultaneous fiscal prudence as suggested in the last MPC meeting still remains the key to

20

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS/ECONOMY How Much Does Nigeria Really Owe?

Buhari

Ahmed

DMO DG, Patience Onhia

addressing the weak fiscal position of the economy,� MPC noted.

Deputy UN Secretary-General and former minister of environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, had in 2018 expressed worries over the country’s expanding debt profile. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the UN Working Together Conversation programme, Mohammed explained that although a former minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was very influential in the debt relief Nigeria secured in 2005, the nation has since returned to the path of indebtedness. “As I was coming up from New York, some of the concerns that came up from the meeting we had in China just recently and reports that we have; the debt issues are really big, I mean, having experienced what it was for Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala) to get debt relief, it took her a few years to convince people, and we are now back again in my country to a level of debt that is worrying.�DMO asserts that with a $26.941 billion external debt portfolio and N58.449 billion local debt, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent request to the National Assembly for approval of the 2016 – 2018 Medium Term External Borrowing Plan for the sum of $22.718 billion, the country’s debt portfolio is manageable, noting further that the public debt stock of the country is a cumulative figure of borrowings by successive governments over many years. “The requests in the plan are proposed borrowings from multilateral and bilateral lenders. The proposed loans are concessional, semi-concessional, and long-tenured and are for the purpose of financing infrastructure and other developmental social projects.

All of which have multiplier effects in terms of job creation, business opportunities and overall increase in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Also, the benefits are long term and will serve generations of Nigerians,� the DMO noted.

It further explained that, “the proposed new borrowing is consistent with the subsisting debt management strategy which seeks to replace short-term high –interest cost domestic debt. With low interest long-term external debt and is one of the measures that is being implemented to moderate the level of debt service. The achievements in this regard are evidenced in the declining share of domestic debt in the total public debt from over 83 per cent in December 2015 to about 68 per cent in June 2019.�

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, agrees with the supposition that Nigeria does not have a debt problem. “We have heard repeatedly that Nigeria is inching into a debt crisis, and we have consistently said that Nigeria does not have a debt crisis. Our total borrowing today is just under 20 per cent of our GDP while multilateral institutions project for an economy our size to borrow up to 50 to 55 per cent of our GDP. What we have is a revenue problem. Our revenue performance by half-year is 28 per cent so we have designed a strategic revenue growth initiative early this year which has three thematic areas: One is to achieve sustainability in revenue generation. Two is to identify new and enhanced enforcement of existing revenue streams and three is to achieve cohesion of our people and tools,� she explained.

Director, Union Capital Market Limited, Mr. Egie Akpata, is dismissive of the minister’s conclusion. “Everybody has a revenue problem,� he said. “That is not the issue at stake, the issue at stake is that the Nigerian government spends far more

on debt servicing than any known organised country and on that basis, we are spending too much, simple! When your income becomes higher, we can afford to spend 60 per cent on debt servicing, but you cannot have a revenue challenge like we do and spend some 60 percent of our revenue on debt servicing.

It doesn’t make sense. This is where the challenge is�.

On the country’s debt management strategy that seeks to focus on increasing the external component of the debt portfolio to moderate the debt service costs and elongate the tenor of the portfolio, Akpata called it a “fantastic strategy on the short term, but catastrophic over the long term.� “If you think of it from a cash flow basis, it is definitely correct, you borrow abroad, which is cheaper, so on a cash flow, on a short term, before the currency gets devalued again, what you are paying out is a lot less. If you use last year as an example, you borrowed the Eurobond at seven per cent and you are issuing Naira bonds at 14 per cent, so, in one year, you pay seven per cent on the foreign currency without any devaluation and issue the naira at 14, so obviously, it is cheaper on the foreign one. “However, if the currency gets devalued dramatically, the equation will suddenly and certainly change, and we know the naira will certainly go through some substantial amount of devaluation again. This currency used to be considerably stronger than the dollar, it is now N360. So, you can imagine if someone borrowed in 1980 when it was 60 kobo to a dollar and said it was cheaper to borrow abroad, you can imagine the place he will be now. Even if you go back 10 or 11 years to 2008 or 2009, it was N120 to a dollar, now it is N360, so you are owing three times as much. So, on the short-term basis, it is certainly the correct thing to do, on the long term, not only does your cash outflow for your debt service becomes more as your currency loses value rapidly, but the amount of debt you owe multiplies proportionally also. This is what people tend to forget. If the Nigerian government borrowed a $100 in 2008, it was N12 billion, today that $100 million is N36 billion.

Three times as much. Now of course the Nigerian government is playing games around the exchange rate they use for their stuff, but the exchange rate in Nigeria is N360 and that is where the market clears. The nominal N305 is purely artificial. It is not the real exchange rate.�

The reality is that the dual exchange rate adopted by the Nigerian government helps to understate the amount of debt the country really has. As Akpata noted, “When they show the debt in naira, it is based on the N305 instead of N360, so they are understating the debt by about 20 per cent. So, the debt is understated by some 20 per cent. Unfortunately, also, what that means is that the government has 20 per cent less naira to work with, particularly the state governments, so they are basically short-changing the entire system. It is not really clear who benefits from this.�

What is clear, is who does not benefit from the Buhari government’s decision to adopt a dual exchange rate. The Nigerian people and a system of accountability do not benefit from the dual exchange rate. It is clear now that the multiple exchange rate system has only helped to promote currency speculation and trafficking at the expense of real production domestically, while providing avenue for stealing government revenue.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has consistently warned

the Nigerian government that continued foreign-exchange restrictions are among the factors that dampen long-term foreign and domestic investment and keep the economy reliant on volatile oil prices, arguing that the elimination of exchange-rate restrictions and multiple-currency practices would “remove distortions and help economic diversification.�

In addition, Akpata posits that as long as Nigeria continues to spend the bulk of its revenue on debt servicing, it would be unlikely that the country would be able to provide good social services, security and infrastructure to its citizens. “So, it is not surprising that the level of social infrastructure in Nigeria is abysmal and it has not improved at all any time in the recent past and it is not likely to improve any time soon given some of the debt numbers flying around. We are just spending our monies servicing debt.�

On the government’s consistent claim that the country’s problem is one of revenue for servicing and not of debt, Akpata argued that, “If you use the bulk of your monies to pay off debts, then it is because you owe too much. There is no need talking about countries that have high debt to GDP and low borrowing costs.

If you go to Japan, where the debt to GDP is about 140 per cent, the government just like many countries in Europe can borrow money at literally zero per cent. So if the Nigerian government can borrow 30-year money at zero per cent, then you would have technically, a very low debt servicing. “We have to understand that the countries that DMO try to compare us with in their documents have high revenue to GDP. You can’t have low revenue to GDP and expect to have high debt servicing problem, the type Nigeria has. Secondly, these countries tend to owe almost all their debts in local currencies.

I am not aware that the U.S government has material debts in foreign currencies, same for Canada, same for U.K. Most of these countries owe almost all their debts in their local currencies. We are at the opposite end and that is why we have constraints.

These constraints are the outcome of our poor foreign currency earnings. “So, you have all these foreign debts and you say you want to tax people. Who are you going to tax? Agriculture is the biggest section of the economy and it is a naira-earning industry and most of the agriculture done in Nigeria is subsistence and it is individual. Who taxes individuals? It is state governments, not foreign governments. So, the challenge is that it is only in Nigeria that the level of debt service to revenue is ignored. The reason it is not generally talked about in these countries mentioned on the DMO site is that their borrowing costs have never been high in the last 20 years. It used to be high in the 1980s when it was some 16 per cent in the U.S, but it is historically low now that a 30-year bond borrowed in the 1980s at 16 per cent is maturing now.

The most borrowings the Nigerian government has done in recent years is the Eurobond and it was at seven percent.

You don’t get cash from China Exim bank; they don’t give you cash. So, if you want to borrow cash, the Eurobond is the most commercial‌Bottom line is when you have a high interest rate environment, there is a limit to how much you can actually borrow. We do not have big corporations in Nigeria that you can tax, so the burden of tax is on individuals and you don’t raise the kind of monies you want from individuals.�

21

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Any Hope for Consumers as ,QĂ DWLRQ .HHSV 5LVLQJ" Inflation increased from 11.37 per cent in January to close the fiscal year 2019 at 11.98 per cent. It represents an increase of 0.61 basis points and a clear evidence of increased hardship for consumers, as they had increases in prices of commodities to contend with.

Yet there are no indications that the rising trend will abate soon, given the government’s decision to continue to shut its land borders against some goods, which has resulted in price hikes at local markets. Bamidele Famoofo reports

T

here seems to be no end to the rising prices of commodities, especially food items in Nigeria as inflation maintains its galloping streak.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), consumer price index (CPI), that measures inflation, increased by 0.61 points from 11.37 per cent in January, 2019 to 11.98 per cent in December, 2019.

The plan of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) some three years ago was to bring inflation to single-digit rate.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had announced on his assumption of office that it planned to contain inflationary pressures in the economy and bring inflation down to a single digit, targeting a range of 6 to 9 per cent.

However, since inflation doubled from 9.5 per cent in 2015 to 18.5 per cent in 2016, CBN has attempted to use a contractionary policy strategy to reduce it to single digit, which has not yet occurred. The monetary contraction strategy has brought some benefits though. Since CBN raised interest rate in July, 2016, inflation has dropped from 17.1 per cent in July 2016 to 11.25 per cent in March, 2019.

The declining trend has since been reversed, as inflation resumed an upward movement until the close of the fiscal year 2019.

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending December 2019 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 11.40 per cent, showing 0.05 per cent point from 11.35 per cent recorded in November 2019. The urban inflation rate increased by 12.62 per cent (year-on-year) in December 2019 from 12.47 per cent recorded in November 2019, while the rural inflation rate increased by 11.41 per cent in December 2019 from 11.30 per cent in November 2019.

On the last count, CPI, which measures inflation, increased by 11.98 per cent (yearon-year) in December 2019. It was 0.13 per cent points higher than the rate recorded in November 2019 (11.85) per cent.

NBS said, “Increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yielded the headline index. On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 0.85 per cent in December 2019, which was 0.17 per cent rate lower than the rate recorded in November 2019 (1.02) per cent. On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 0.90 per cent in December 2019, down by 0.17 from 1.07 per cent recorded in November 2019, while the rural index also rose by 0.82 per cent in December 2019, down by 0.16 from the rate recorded in November 2019 (0.98) per cent. The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 11.83 per cent in December 2019.

This is higher than 11.75 per cent reported in November 2019, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in December 2019 was 11.00 per cent compared to 10.98 per cent recorded in November 2019. “Food remains a major driver of inflation in Nigeria as composite food index rose by 14.67 per cent in December 2019 compared to 14.48 per cent in November 2019. The

A pepper market

statistics bureau noted that the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of edible commodities like bread and cereals, meat, fish, oils and fats, potatoes, yam and other tubers. “On month-on-month basis, the food subindex increased by 0.97 per cent in December 2019, down by 0.28 per cent points from 1.25 per cent recorded in November 2019.

The average annual rate of change of the food sub-index for the twelve-month period ending December 2019 over the previous twelve-month average was 13.74 per cent, 0.09 per cent points from the average annual rate of change recorded in November 2019 (13.65) per cent.�

Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce stood at 9.33 per cent in December 2019, up by 0.34 per cent when compared with 8.99 per cent recorded in November 2019. On month-onmonth basis, the core sub-index increased by 0.81 per cent in December 2019. This was up by 0.02 per cent when compared with 0.79 per cent recorded in November 2019. The highest increases were recorded in prices of hospital services, hairdressing saloons and personal grooming establishment, garments, repair and hire of footwear, vehicle spare parts, passenger transport by air, shoes and other footwear, appliances, articles and products for personal care, clothing materials, other articles of clothing and clothing accessories and cleaning, repair and hire of clothing.

The average 12-month annual rate of change of the index was 9.15 per cent for the twelve-month period ending December

2019; this is 0.04 per cent points lower than 9.19 per cent recorded in November 2019.

Quarterly Review Inflation dropped to 11.25 per cent (yearon-year) at the end of first quarter ended March 31, 2019. The figure was 0.06 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in February 2019 (11.31) per cent. On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 0.79 per cent in March 2019, this is 0.06 per cent rate higher than the rate recorded in February 2019 (0.73) per cent. The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending March 2019 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 11.40 per cent, showing 0.16 per cent point from 11.56 per cent recorded in February 2019.

Inflation further dropped at the end of second quarter to 11.23 per cent (year-onyear) in June 2018. This is 0.37 per cent points less than the rate recorded in May 2018 (11.61) per cent and represents the 17th consecutive disinflation since January 2017.

Increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yield the headline index.

On a month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 1.24 per cent in June 2018, up by 0.15 per cent points from the rate recorded in May 2018.

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending June 2018 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 14.37 per cent, showing 0.42 per cent point lower from 14.79 per cent recorded

in May 2018.

Third quarter performance of CPI showed a marginal increase at 11.28 per cent (yearon-year) in September 2018. This is 0.05 per cent points higher than the rate recorded in August 2018 (11.23) per cent.

Headline index on month-on-month increased by 0.84 per cent in September 2018, down by 0.21 per cent points from the rate recorded in August 2018 (1.05) per cent.

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12-month period ending September 2018 over the average of the CPI for the previous 12 months period was 13.16 per cent, showing 0.39 per cent point from 13.55 per cent recorded in August 2018.

Expert’s View A Lagos-based economist, Marcel Okeke, reacting to the current inflationary trend in the country and the declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari that the borders will not be opened anytime soon, said the stance of the president would further drive up prices in the markets. “This will worsen the situation, because the goods, especially foodstuff that used to be available in quantum (even if brought in via smuggling) are now scarce. Local production or supply is not meeting demand; so price goes up. It is also not being easy for people to change taste overnight, from foreign rice to local, for instance. Local producers are also deliberately hiking their prices to cash in on the lingering (unilateral) land border closure as long as it lasts,� Okeke explained.

22

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

FAAC: How Three Tiers of *RYW %HQHĂ€WWHG LQ About N7.6trillion was shared by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the three tiers of government in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. Bamidele Famoofo reports how the federal, state and local governments benefitted from the federal allocation in the review period, which saw the first tier of government receiving the chunk of N3.09trillionabout 41 per cent- of the total distributable income

T

he three tiers of government received about N7.6 trillion from the federation account in 2019. This is according to figures released by the ministry of finance, budget and national planning and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Members of the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), include the minister of finance as chairman, all state commissioners of finance, states’ accountants – general, accountant - general of the federation and also the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of finance.

Revenue sources of the government at the centre, from which FAAC receives its distributable income, include cash from the excess crude account, value added tax (VAT), equalisation account and forex gain among others.

The statutory account and VAT are two major sources from which FAAC draws its monthly distributable revenue. In the review period, statutory account accounted for about 85 per cent of the total revenue received by the three tiers of government at N6.49trillion.

VAT, which stood at N1.08trillion accounted for 14.3 per cent of the commonwealth of the nation shared in 2019.

According to a statement from the finance ministry in December, there were significant increases in revenues from companies income tax (CIT), VAT, oil and gas royalties and petroleum profit tax (PPT), while import duty increased marginally.

Breakdown of allocation among the tiers of government showed that FG got N3.09trillion, which represented about 41 percent of the largesse in 2019. That amount would finance about 36 per cent of the 2019 budget of the federal government. The allocation to first tier of government in 2019 was three and half times bigger than the 2019 budget of Lagos State.

All the states of the federation shared N1.98trillion which is exclusive of the 13per cent derivation allocation enjoyed by the oil producing states.

Local governments, which are 774 in the federation shared N1.5trillion. While the states accounted for 26.1 per cent of the FAAC allocations in 2019, local governments accounted for 19.8 per cent of total revenue in the review period. Oil producing states had the privilege of sharing an additional 7 percent of the revenue generated centrally in fiscal 2019.

Month–on-month Allocation The FAAC disbursed the sum of N660.37billion to the three tiers of government in February 2019 from the revenue generated in January 2019. The amount disbursed comprised of N497.12billion from the statutory account, N104.47billion from VAT, N8.12billion as excess charges recovered, N50billion distributed as forex equalisation fund and N654.70million exchange gain differences.

Federal government received a total of N275.33billion from the N660.37billion. States received a total of N182.17billion and local governments received N136.88billion. The sum of N48.49billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund. Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N5.66billion, N7.62 billion and N4.07 billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.

Fayemi

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the federal government revealed that the sum of N221.33 billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N4.94 billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.47 billion as stabilisation fund; N8.30 billion for the development of natural resources; and N5.90 billion to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The sum of N619.86billion was shared in March 2019 from the revenue generated in February 2019. Federal government received a total of N257.68billion from the N619.85billion.

States received a total of N169.93billion and local governments received N127.72billion.

The sum of N50.95billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

In April, FAAC disbursed the sum of N617.57billion. The amount disbursed comprised of N446.65billion from the Statutory Account, N92.18billion from VAT, N55billion as Good and Value Consideration, N10billion as Additional Funds From NNPC, N13.09billion distributed as FOREX Equalisation Fund and N652.55million exchange gain differences.

Federal Government received a total of N257.76billion from the N617.57billion. States received a total of N168.25billion and Local Governments received N126.58billion. The sum of N49.82billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

All the arms of government shared N616.20billion in May, with FG getting a total

of N253.92billion. States received a total of N168.06billion and local governments received N126.28billion. The sum of N46.35billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

The three tiers of government got a disbursement of N679.7billion in June 2019, with federal government having a total of N284.16billion.

States received a total of N187.61billion and local governments received N140.10billion.

The sum of N40.44billion was shared among the oil-producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

The FAAC disbursed the sum of N762.6billion to the three tiers of government in July 2019 from the revenue generated in June 2019. The amount disbursed comprised of N652.95billion from the statutory account, N108.63billion from VAT and N1.02 billion exchange gain differences. Federal government received a total of N309.43billion from the N762.60billion. States received a total of N201.16billion and local governments received N151.38billion. The sum of N38.70billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

To the three tiers of government in August 2019, was N769.53billion shared from the revenue generated in July 2019. The amount disbursed comprised of N607.37billion from the statutory account, N94.16billion from VAT and N999.99m exchange gain differences. Federal government received a total of N299.80billion from the N769.53billion.

States received a total of N190.38billion and

local governments received N143.57billion.

The sum of N51.63billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.

The FAAC disbursed the sum of N740.87billion to the three tiers of government in September 2019 from the revenue generated in August 2019. the amount disbursed comprised of N610.04billion from the statutory account, N20billion from forex equalisation account, N1.754billion from excess bank charges recovered for the month, N88.08billion from VAT and N1billion exchange gain differences. Federal government received a total of N310.97billion from the N740.87billion. States received a total of n193.57billion and local Governments received N146.23billion. The sum of N48.74billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund. Revenue generating agencies such as NCS, FIRS and DPR received N5.34billion, N10.99billion and N3.644billion respectively as cost of revenue collections. Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to FG revealed that the sum of N242.01billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N5.66billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.83billion as stabilisation fund; N9.51billion for the development of natural resources; and N6.47billion to FCT. FAAC disbursed the sum of N693.52billion to the three tiers of government in October 2019 from the revenue generated in September 2019. The amount disbursed comprised of N599.70billion from the statutory account, N92.87billion from VAT and N954.20million exchange gain differences. Federal government received a total of N293.80billion from the N693.52billion. States received a total of N186.81billion and Local Governments received N140.86billion. The sum of N51.53billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund. Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria NCS, FIRS and DPR received N5.61billion, N8.18billion and N5.70billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to FG revealed that the sum of N226.21billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N5.32billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.66billion as stabilisation fund; N8.94billion for the development of natural resources; and N6.17billion to FCT. FAAC disbursed the sum of N702.02billion to the three tiers of government in November 2019 from the revenue generated in October 2019. The amount disbursed comprised of N587.20billion from the statutory account, N104.91billion from VAT, N8.70billion from solid mineral revenue and N1.11billion exchange gain differences. Federal government received a total of N295.74billion from the N702.02billion. States received a total of N192.70billion and local governments received N144.99billion.

The sum of N49.16billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund. Revenue generating agencies such as NCS, FIRS and DPR received N5.97billion, N9.12billion and N4.34billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the FG revealed that the sum of N228.02billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N5.33billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.66billion as stabilisation fund; N8.95billion for the development of natural resources; and N6.30billion to FCT.

23

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Gov. Abiodun presiding over one of the business meetings in London

Governor Abiodun Meets UK Coys in Investment Drive Bamidele Famoofo

T

he Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun last week met with executives of at least nine UK-based companies in a bid to pull investments into the State.

Abiodun, who attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 in London, had promised to represent the interests of the people of the state both at the summit and on the sidelines.

The summit, facilitated by the UK Department of International Trade under the Investment Promotion Programme, is a platform that avails participating countries the opportunity to establish a new phase of partnerships on investments and mutually beneficial economic prosperity.

Abiodun last Tuesday had an assessment tour of the UK manufacturing and agro-processing headquarters of Alvan Blanch. Alvan Blanch specialises in the manufacturing and supply of machines used for the processing of agricultural produce and waste.

The governor, who said Alvan Blanch had indicated interest in investing in the state, was together with his team, received by the Managing Director of Alvan Blanch, Mr. Andrew Blanch. Governor Abiodun was in company with the commissioners of finance and of Commerce, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, and Mrs. Kikelomo Longe; the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Commerce, Mrs Sola Arobieke; and Special Assistant at the Governor’s Office, Debo Adeleke.

On Wednesday, Abiodun was in five other companies to meet with their executives. The different companies have multiple specialisations in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and agro-processing, investment and asset management. Others include technology, financial advisory, capital raising, private equity.

At United Green, the governor was received by Rod Bassett, Director, Agriculture and Dairy and Amin Ajami, Director, Principal Investment. United Green is a multi-interest investment company in markets including agriculture and nutrition, real estate and technology.

The meeting was an opportunity for both parties to discuss the possibility of siting a state-of-the-art commercial dairy farm in Ogun State.

Received by the Chief Investment Officer, Chris Isaac, and the CEO, Daniel Hulls, Abiodun was also at AgDevCo. AgDevCo is a co-funded company that invests in the transformation of agribusiness in Africa, ensuring food security by providing growth capital and support to high-potential partners. Seeing as Ogun State is a high-potential investee because of its ease of doing business status, location and arable land, Abiodun outlined the benefits of investing in the agribusiness of the state, which is currently being locally developed back home.

Lion Head’s Global Partner, Christopher Egerton, and its Directors, Olamide Edun and Fola Pedro received Governor Abiodun in a meeting with the investment bank which operates globally across highpotential markets in financial advisory, capital raising and other investment management activities.

The governor also met with Actis’ Senior Adviser, Simon Harford and Edu Okeke of Azura Power West Africa Ltd. Both companies are world-class power investments companies that have a long history of advisory and investment roles in Africa, especially Nigeria. The companies expressed their will to explore the numerous potentials of Ogun State, considering amongst other things the State’s proximity to Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital.

After having signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Adam Smith International in November of last year, Ogun State is set to see a new phase in urbanisation and public transportation, which would ensure job creation and reduction in poverty. Mr. Guy Harrison, Head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund in Nigeria, had signed the MoU together with the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, towards ensuring that people can live and work in Ogun State peacefully.

In furthering this, Abiodun yesterday had a tour of one of the smart cities of the Future Cities Nigeria programme in London. At the meeting were Matt Uzell of Adam Smith International, Bob Allies of Allies and Morrison, and other investors and consultants.

The governor also met with a delegation from the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), led by Nisrin Abouelezz, Regional Group Head, Africa (International & Structured Finance).

SMBC is a reputable Japanese bank with over 400 local branches and 19 overseas branches, excluding sub-branches and agencies. The bank, with a balance sheet

of $1.6trillion, is looking to fund projects in Ogun State because of the prospects that are laid bare to it.

The Mabey Group, a UK group of companies which specialise in steel, plant hire, engineering and construction products, is also looking to invest in the infrastructure of the state. The team from the group, led by Michael Treacy, President and Founder, Treacy & Company met with Governor Abiodun in London to discuss and fine-tune details of the partnership that would bring to reality the interest and commitment of the Group to invest in the infrastructural development of Ogun State.

It is expected that as the investment drive gains momentum, Ogun State would begin to feel the impact of these collaborations. The State’s PPP is also expected to thrive further, as local and international private investors are continuously willing to bring their business to the state to enjoy its ease of doing business status Abiodun also met with Konexa, an energy operator willing to invest in Africa, making Ogun State its location of choice.

The group was represented by the CEO, Pradeep Pursnani and the Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Impact, Simon Meier.

Konexa is an energy solutions company which specialises in and operates grid and off-grid energy systems across Africa.

The group features as one of a number of investors the governor had earlier met with in London across sectors including housing, transportation, agribusiness, energy and manufacturing.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS/BRAND & MARKETING

How Telcos Leverage Campaigns to Maintain Market Shares With the way promoters of telco brands are rolling out campaigns in the last few months, the brands appear set for another round of competition.

Raheem Akingbolu reviews a few of the campaigns

S

ince the arrival of the Global System of Mobile (GSM) communications, the fortune of the marketing communication industry has continuously been on the increase. By implication, the impact of creativity on the growth of telecommunications brands and their products, have sent wake-up call to other brand owners to look outside the box and solve their marketing challenges through topnotch marketing solutions.

As competition thickens in the telco market, the players seem to have gone back to the drawing board and identify impactful advertising as a launch pad to win consumers’ loyalty.

MTN Through a New Year thematic campaign tagged “Turn-It-Up,� MTN has simply gone back to the basis and reconnected with Nigerians. The campaign tries to change and improve the quality of lives by encouraging Nigerians to rethink and embrace a new approach that reflects the changing dynamics of the world around them.

Speaking at the unveiling in Lagos, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Rahul De, admitted that the brand wanted Nigerians to excel and attain their dreams and aspirations. This, according to him is what drives MTN to continue investing and exploring opportunities for Nigerians.

With the new campaign, MTN is telling Nigerians; ‘Don’t look too far; the opportunities you seek are closer than you think’.

The MTN success story is due largely to the vision, mission and commitment of its operators in establishing a market leadership position for itself.

The history of the brand can be said to revolve around effective use of communication. When MTN launched into the market, its PR account was handled by Corporate and Financial, while the advertising brief was handled by TBWA/Concept Unit. The two agencies launched the brand aggressively into the market with the pay-off line ‘Best Connection’.

In April 2005, it launched ‘Everywhere You Go’ to harmonise and create a universal brand promise in all MTN operations across the continent.

Still yearning for top of the mind presence, the brand went into its creative kitty to launch the ‘Go’ campaign with a view to positioning the Telco as a company that encourages men and women to go and conquer the world, knowing that man desires to live a better life, desire a secured future, progress and change. ‘Everywhere You Go’ was said to have been anchored on MTN’s core values of leadership, integrity and can-do spirit. However, due to the company’sleadershiponcoverageandmarketshare, in the Nigerian market, consumers’ interpretation of the pay-off was seen to have emanated more from a geographical rather than a brand philosophy perspective.

Globacom Glo has since its launch in 2003 remained a respected brand driven by passion for excellence in service delivery. In campaigns and brand promise, it has maintained a larger-than-life imagery.

Perhaps to consolidate its existing status, the brand, has again gone extra mile by drafting in the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Anthony Joshua, for the second time, as the face of the brand. In its latest campaign, Glo seems to be telling Nigerians to draw inspiration from the World Champion.

The campaign that is currently running is a follow up to the last year’s Anthony Joshua television commercial (TVC), where the world heavyweight boxing champion boisterously demonstrated the intrinsic values of having a reliable ally in one’s corner. It was a slice of life that jogs memories about the significance of effective partnerships.

Globacom had, in February 2019, released

Nigerian Telcos

the original copy of an endorsement television commercial by Anthony Joshua, which ignited a fire of patriotism in Nigerians all over the world.

The second version of the TVC encapsulates how Nigerians in different geo-political zones across the country were not only enamoured by the remarkable odyssey of Anthony Joshua but also drew inspiration from his bricklayer to world champion story. The people, who followed the AJ narrative with rapt attention, leveraged the superiority and nationwide 4G spread of Globacom to follow the story.

In the sequel TVC, a University of Lagos female student was spotted watching theAnthony Joshua commercial. And she is followed by a teenage boy, who is also seen savouring the TVC from the comfort of his father’s sitting room. The TVC then dovetails to fishermen throwing their net for a harvest in Lagos.

The commercial cruises to a not-too prosperous tailor in Aba tapping inspiration from Anthony Joshua’s message. This is swiftly followed by a group of female basketballers drawing wisdom from Joshua’s message in Port Harcourt, where some lady basketballers were jointly watching Joshua’s message on an iPad on the court. This is closely followed by a classroom setting in Sokoto where students gathered to watch Joshua’s message on a laptop. A young boxer also took tutorials from the world champion and he later won his bout while a lady executive in Abuja was also shown watching the message on her phone.

The voyage of the TVC to the aforementioned cities is a clear testimony to the nationwide coverage of the Glo 4G, rated as Number 1 in the country in view of its spread and coverage. The intention of Glo to draw allegory as the number one in superior data coverage with the ascendancy of Anthony Joshua as the world’s number one boxer is unmistakable.

The synopsis of the Anthony Joshua TVC is pegged on the enthusiastic announcement of his status as a Nigerian backed by a mega Nigerian telecommunication brand, Globacom.

Anthony Joshua reveals the similarities between him and Glo. Some of these include the neversay-die, unlimited, can-do spirit of Globacom.

Celebrating the striking semblance, AJ said, “You need strength? Yeah, that comes from the hard knocks that life throws at us.And we are Nigerians,

we know all about that.�

He goes on to compare life challenges with boxing, saying “You don’t stay down, you’ve got to fight.

You have to dig deep to be a world champion�.

In another campaign, the trio of Juju maestro, King Sunny Ade, Bolaji Amusan popularly called “Mr. Latin� and Wale Akorede aka “Okunnu� are the prominent characters featured in the new sequel television commercial recently released by Globacom to promote its Glo Amebo offer that gives subscribers five times the value of recharge to call all networks.

The commercial begins with Madam Amebo, acted by the legendary Ibidun Allison, of the classic Village Headmaster fame, chatting with her daughter, acted by Yvonne Jegede, who is preparing for a party, saying, “Aso ebi ati awon golden accessories. Eso to bad!� (meaning: family party uniform complete with golden accessories) prompting her daughter to ask “Mummy is it not too early to be dressed up?�

Airtel Until few years ago, today’s Airtel brand was a controversial corporate entity. Or how best can one describe a brand that have changed name five times in the same market? From Econet to Vodacom, Vodacom to Vmobile, Vmobile to Celtel, Celtel to Zain and in 2010 came out with Airtel.

At the climax of the game, it got Nigerian thinking about how many times they have seen the telco change its identity (and management). There was a very fun guessing game analysts used to play back in the day – How long before Celtel/Zain/ Airtel changes its name again? Most times, the guesses were spot on; anything between two and three years was mostly accurate.

Fast forward to around November 2010, Zain clipped its wings and morphed into Airtel Nigeria.

The change was brought about by an acquisition where BhartiAirtel paid a hefty sum of $10.7 billion.

The rest as they say is history.

Though first to launch out with a hypothetical campaign theme ‘Your cellular network’ which ran for a short time, the brand’s creative advertising had encountered brand positioning challenges over the years. Not long after its launch, it changed its pay-offline to ‘inspired to change your world’.

Indeed, the vicissitudes of brand ownership and management has greatly impacted on the brand’s positioning.

Much as analysts would want to give the credit to effective management of the new owners, findings in the market in the last few years have confirmed that the brand began to appeal to more Nigerians the moment a new creative agency -Noah’s Ark clinched the creative account of the company.

On winning the creative brief of the Telco brand, the team was said to have gone to the drawing board to gauge the market and know what faces and concept would re-connect Nigerians with the ailing brand. This perhaps informed the recruitment of many known faces in the Nollywood who are already household names to fly their various campaign. Like a magic wand, the approach has not only unsettled the market but drawn more attention to Airtel and its numerous products.

For instance, the brand recently launched series two of its popular and highly rated Igboro TV campaign with a view to promoting its Smart Talk data offering package before its teeming subscribers.

The Smart Talk TVCs were launched in August last year to the network’s target with lots of excitements and talkability.

Airtel Smart Talk TVC featuring Bayo (Gabriel Afolayan) was in two parts. These are “Mr. Suspicious and “The Mechanic�.

Of course, there is a ‘Meet the in-laws’ which showcases many Nollywood stars as casts. The campaign demonstrates the power of mobile Internet as a phenomenon that enriches life and keeps everyone connected irrespective of age, class, tribe or gender.

To approach the youth segment of the market, the brand also unveils ‘Come Alive,’ which aims to attract Nigeria’s 70 per cent teeming youth population to its network.

As a result of all these, recognition and awards have been coming in the ways of the brand and its campaign. Since 2016, Airtel has revolutionised the marketing communications domain with creative, innovative and award-winning advertising campaigns, thereby deepening emotional bond with its numerous stakeholders.

At the 2019 ADVAN Award of Excellence, the Airtel team and its Agency, Noah’s Ark led by Lanre Adisa, CEO/Chief Creative Officer, were delighted as the Airtel brand, again, coasted home with the Gold plaque in the “Campaign of the Year� category for its outstanding campaigns. Last year, Airtel’s SmartRecharge advertising campaign was also adjudged the Campaign of the Year by the same ADVAN. 9mobile The launch of Etisalat in 2007 with its unified access licence was both daring and adventurous.

Notwithstanding the fierce competition already defining the GSM market, Etisalat launched out with its own controversial theme campaign: ‘0809uchoose campaign’.

The campaign was received with lots of excitement as it further heightened expectations amongst mobile phone subscribers. It (campaign) was said to have been aimed at reflecting unique lifestyles of subscribers with their phone numbers.

The strategy also worked for Etisalat as it got subscribers switching to its network within a record time. The brand later came up with another theme campaign:‘Nowyouaretalking’.Thisnewcampaign was seen as a direct affront on one of the earliest operators with the theme ‘We’ve got you talking’.

The introduction of this new theme campaign brought some controversies and attention to the brand, thereby allowing the populace to pay attention to the new GSM telephone brand in the market.

Since then, the brand has been operating largely within its limits and capabilities.

Etisalat’s launch into the market was handled by 141, a fourth-generation creative shop, while its PR brief was first handled by C&F before it was won by the Quadrant Company.

However, its fortune nosedived two years ago when the company ran into financial troubled waters, which necessitated a change of identity and management. Though things have been lulled for some months, indications have emerged that from March, this year, 9mobile may again give rival brands a run for their money.

As a build up to a fresh developmental plan, 9mobile sees the New Year as the ideal time to give its patrons the promise of a new beginning.

In setting a new goals and work towards achieving them, 9Mobile is extending the good feelings of the New Year by kicking off with series of promotions to strengthen bond with consumers.

The brand is telling Nigerians through the campaign that exciting times are here again for subscribers of 9mobile.

SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

BUSINESS INTERVIEW TIMIPRE SYLVA

How FG Plans to Remove Wasteful Fuel Subsidy Every year Nigeria spends whopping billions of naira subsidising premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, with its often criticised claim that it is protecting the common man from the likely burden of a free market price. However, the federal government has said it had not foreclosed the possibility of removing the subsidy on the product, as it has a plan around it. In an interview with Arise News, a sister broadcast station of THISDAY, on the sidelines of the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, gave a hint on the plan for the subsidy removal. He also spoke on other issues including Nigeria's position on climate change advocacy, the protracted Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), OPEC production cuts, the fate of NNPC in the PIB, amongst others. Peter Uzoho brings the excerpts:

W

hat are your expectations from this World Economic Forum?

Quite a lot, this is a forum where global policies are shaped and Nigeria needs to be here, if not the world will move on without you. That is why we have come. We have put our perspective on the table, and I think the world will begin to consider our perspective. One of those areas, if you ask me, is climate change. The world has been talking about climate change and movement to renewables, we cannot join that race as yet, because we have not attained our base load. We need to at least transit to gas before we join the race to renewables and we are putting that on the table for the world to understand and to know that they cannot expect us to join the race to renewables as yet.

The view of OPEC on climate change is that there can’t be a better environment and still there is use of fossil fuel as it were. Environmentalists say oil producing states are not listening. What are your thoughts on this?

It is not as if oil producers are not listening at all, what we are saying is that gas should be used as a transition from fuel. The argument is not really about renewables, it is about carbon emission.

Of course, gas produces lower carbon emission. So, we should try to transit to gas before we join the race to renewables.

The West have gotten there but we have not quite gotten there yet. If they are spending a trillion for example in Europe to subsidise renewables then we wonder why that kind of money is not being spent in places where the emissions are produced.

Now, looking at the oil prices and the dynamics especially with geopolitical hotspots sprouting every now and then, is OPEC likely to extend the additional cuts for the ďŹ rst quarter here?

Well, it is very likely. It is still premature for me to discuss that because we will go to Vienna in March and then we will take the decision. But we believe that the OPEC+ will hold, and if it holds, then the policies will also hold. And right now we don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t sustain the cuts.

Now, coming back home in Nigeria,

Sylva

some have said the PIB is dead, others say it is comatose. What do you say of this bill that has refused to see the light of day?

It is unfortunate that this bill has been in the process of passage for a long time now, but I can tell you authoritatively that we have come to the end of the waiting. We believe that by the middle of this year, the PIB will be passed. You know, the government today shares a good relationship with the legislature, we are working together, we are on the same page and there is a consensus that this bill needs to be passed now.

Now, environment activists are calling for an end to the oil subsidy.

The IMF has also said it is wasteful.

Why is it so difďŹ cult for Nigeria to take the bull by the horn on this issue?

Well, I will just say that the IMF has never always been right. We know that they have said that before; they took us to the path of Structural Adjustment Programme and you can see where we are now.

Definitely we believe that subsidy is something that is really draining the purse of the country, but right now, it is really not the best time for us to look at removal of subsidy, because it is going to put a lot of burden on the common man.

But we have found a way around it. We are trying to see how we can introduce a transitional fuel.

I mean, we want to move a lot of vehicles on Nigerian roads to gas, so that after a while people will not really bother so much about PMS, and then we can take out subsidy on PMS.

Will NNPC be privatised or not?

A fully-owned national oil company model is seen as outdated and not the efďŹ cient way. Why is Nigeria not budging on this?

In the PIB law, NNPC will be incorporated and the joint ventures (JVs) will also be incorporated so that they can go out there and get funds through their activities. It is not necessarily going to be privatised in a way people are looking at it, but it is going to be incorporated.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

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BUSINESS INTERVIEW ZAINAB AHMED

Nigeria’s Revenues Underperforming, Debt Service Obligation a Struggle The issue of Nigeria’s indebtedness and debt servicing is a recurring decimal in the economy. The borrowing spree of the present administration has even made it more topical in the life of the country. In faraway Davos, Switzerland, the venue of the 50th World Economic Forum, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, in an interview with Arise News, a sister broadcast station of THISDAY, admitted that the nation’s revenues were underperforming and as such, the debt service obligation has become a struggle for the federal government. Ahmed also spoke on the implementation of the finance bill, especially as it relates to tax reforms. Kunle Aderinokun presents the excerpts:

L

ooking at the agenda and sessions that you have attended at the World Economic Forum, what have been some of your initial impressions?

For me, what have been useful are the sessions that spoke to financial sustainability as well as financial inclusion.

We also have met with several groups including insurance companies and also some countries that we feel we can have good relationship with.

I met with the finance minister from Qatar and there was a multilateral meeting set up with the emirates. We had some meetings that are bilateral and some meetings I have sat down as a panelist to discuss issues around the growth of Africa. There is a new Africa growth platform that Nigeria was invited to and we discussed a lot of issues that are common to the Africa countries, but also a lot of opportunities that we have especially financial inclusion using Fintech and a lot of digital platforms to address public finance management and also provide more resources to majority of our people.

With regards to the Africa Growth Platform, you were invited to and some of the bilateral agreement that have the potentials to take place, what are your hopes for Nigeria future?

One hope that I am taking away from here is we have an opportunity to interact with the government of Qatar. They have a very large sovereign wealth fund that is interested in investing in Africa countries looking at Nigeria as an option.

So, we will follow up through very quickly by putting a team that including the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, the Trade Authority as well as the fiscal side to sit with them and discuss both green and brown projects. They have indicated interest in some certain areas of the economy, so we advance this talk quickly.

You have been associated with a phrase “Nigeria doesn’t have a debt problem, but indeed a revenue challenge�. Can you explain why we should not be saying that Nigeria has both debt and revenue challenges?

Nigeria has a revenue problem, not a debt problem. Our debt today is still just 19 per cent of our GDP, the World Bank and the IMF recommends that an economy the size of Nigeria needs to have borrowed up to 50 per cent of GDP, but we are only at 19 per cent. Why I call it a revenue problem is that our revenues are underperforming and debt service obligation is a struggle for us.

To address that, we are working to increase revenue but, we are also working to reduce our cost of borrowing by refinancing our older domestic loans that are quite expensive in term of rates and also expanding the tenure so that the debt payment obligations can become easier.

In the last three years, Nigeria has

Ahmed

not met its revenue target, what will be different in 2020. Are we putting all our hopes on the new tax bills?

All of the key ministries, department and agencies are working towards increasing every revenue aspect that they handle. Yes, we do have some hopes on the Finance Bill to the extent that we have increased VAT, which is more largely in favour of the states rather than the federal government, but the parliament has passed the production sharing amendment to the contract that will be seeing Nigeria realising as much as $1.5 billion.

Even though the finance bill has reduced taxes, in fact zero taxes for the smallest enterprises and reduced taxes from 30 per cent to 20 per cent, business that have turnover of between N25 to N100 million. We still believe that with these incentives, more businesses will do better and we will now be in the tax bracket that bring them to pay more taxes to the government.

What can you tell Nigerians to ensure well executed implementation of the tax reforms and how can the citizens be helped with orientation, automation and necessary support in paying these taxes as it is best practiced all over the world?

The Federal Inland Revenue Service Board

has just been inaugurated last week. They have kept the ground running, one of the things they have done even before the board was inaugurated is a review of the electronic platform that they have been using.

FIRS is fine-tuning its iTax as well other platforms they are using for the purpose of collection of tax.

For example, they have a process now that VAT collection is automated when you are paying for things like tickets, hotel services and in large supermarkets.

In the past, those payments that these outlets collect are remitted to the FIRS maybe like a month after, but now FIRS have a view of them because the process is now automated and they are able to know exactly what those outlets have collected.

We are planning to expand a lot of this automation to include payment of excise duties using electronic platforms.

How can we as Nigerians do better to attract Foreign Direct Investment Inows because the performance of FDI in the last few years haven’t been that good?

On the contrary, FDI performance has been good in Nigeria. In the last couple of months, we have seen some investors whose investments have matured and gone

out because they have better interest rates somewhere not because there is a problem in Nigeria.

And then, in the past three weeks we have also seen a turn that FDIs are also coming back and then again this is not unique to Nigeria. In every emerging country, we have FDIs coming in and then they go out when there is a better rate somewhere else.

With all the effort government is making, including showing positive results on the ease of doing business, providing a number of incentives, trying to now make tax payment easier for people and also automating tax collection, it’s good for business because business now have better predictability and they are able to plan well.

How can we improve our rating based on the ease of doing business in Nigeria?

The good story is that the movement is forward. The last measurement of Nigeria is 149. We’ve moved up to 131. There is a lot of effort to work in the states because the measurement cannot be just at the federal level alone.

So far, we have three states that are doing well and moving forward. We are working to improve the performance of the states so that they can do more and that will improve the ease of doing business rating.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

GLITZ FOCUS

The Gospel Saxophonist Who ElectriďŹ es And EdiďŹ es Souls Ajayi

PHOTO: Oluseun Smith

KUNLE AJAYI It was the monthly Breakthrough Service of RCCG Lagos Province 36 Headquarters located in Ajao Estate, Lagos, tagged, ‘Breakthrough 2020 with Praise’. The spiritual praise took a new dimension this season when the church pastorate invited the world-famous saxophonist, Pastor Kunle Ajayi, into its fold. It was an unforgettable moment as Ajayi used his talents to electrify and edify souls. Funke Olaode captures the joyous moment

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JANUARY 26, 2020 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

GLITZ FOCUS

Nigeria’s Spirit-filled Saxophonist

T

here were excitement and jubilation in the house. It was simultaneously electrifying and edifying. Like never seen before, the Sunday service was filled to the brim. The main auditorium, the gallery, and the adjacent spaces were not spared.

It was indeed the day the Lord has made.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 36 Headquarters located in Ajao Estate erupted with jubilation when on Sunday, January 19, 2020, it hosted its first monthly Breakthrough Service. The female choristers glowed in black gowns with purple berets and their male counterparts dazzled in purple blazers. Their sonorous voices reverberate from loudspeakers. It was a sight to behold.

It was an unusual Sunday in the RCCG Lagos Province 36, Jesus House Parish. It was a Sunday of many firsts. The First Sunday Breakthrough Service in the year 2020; the first Family Covenant service and the first time the world-famous saxophonist, Pastor Kunle Ajayi visited the house. Elders from various provinces were in attendance. It was a great family reunion.

Ajayi is an anointed man of God whose unique talent has taken him to the nook and cranny of the world in the company of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, popularly known as Daddy G.O. Preparations were in top gear as the day approached.

The Provincial Pastor of the church, Olaitan Olubiyi, the Parish Pastor, Dennis Johnson, and other committed men of God had deployed time and resources to make the day memorable.

The congregation was in high spirit waiting eagerly to be blessed as they danced joyfully to the music coming from the stable of the church’s choir. The moment everyone had been waiting for finally came. The sound of music heralded the long-awaited man of God, Kunle Ajayi into the auditorium. Humble-looking, calm and collected, he walked majestically blowing his saxophone as the church erupted in rapture.

The sounds coming from his saxophone were soul-lifting.

Conversant with his brand and style of music, the congregation was tagging along with the talented man of God as he churned out one tune after the other.

Decked in ash suit and matching shirt, for over 40 minutes Kunle Ajayi redefined how to praise God with a grateful

L-R -Chief Host, Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, guest Minister, Pastor Kunle Ajayi and Pastor (Mrs.) Olaitan Olubiyii during the service

heart.

At exactly 10:52 am, the chief host Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi mounted the pulpit. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he delivered a sermon titled, ‘Unlocking Your Breakthrough’. Giving biblical meaning of the word ‘breakthrough’, Olubiyi said, “It is the final strike that breaks the obstacles.”

Buttressing it with a Bible passage taken from Psalm 91:12. the scripture enjoined the congregation to see God as their refuge and fortress, but above all, they should trust in God only. Speaking further about the power in the word of the mouth, Olubiyi said, “There is a connection between what you say. Even the devil knows there is God. Therefore, what you say is important because the word of God is powerful, is alive and if you don’t speak the word of God he bears no fruit in your life.

“And when you are speaking the word of the Lord, it is your key to breakthrough. What you say is important concerning the direction your life goes in the year 2020.”

The man of God cited Mark 4:39 where Jesus arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” And in Luke 7:14, Jesus commanded a dead child to

arise and she rose from dead.

Olubiyi urged the congregation to embrace the word of God wholeheartedly and as a guide in all their endeavours.

He said, “When the business is going down; when things are not working the way it ought to work in your career, speak the word because your business has ears. As a child of God, once the word in your mouth goes out, it will not return without fulfilling its purpose. That is the word.

When you speak, have great expectations.

“When you feel pain in your body and whatever name they call it, remember that you have a God whose name is above every other name. It doesn’t matter what you are passing through because the enemies will come with sickness, and all sorts but there is God. In Phil. 2:11, it says God has given us a name which is above every other name. At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Brethren, when you are confronted with sickness remember the word. The Bible says, ‘By His stripes, we are healed.’ When you speak the word continuously the sickness will go. There is a God whose name never fails. Seek that God this year.”

Olubiyi also emphasized the power in praise and thanksgiving.

“In addition to speaking and believing in the word of God as the only deliverer in time of trouble, the second key to breakthrough is praise, worship, and thanksgiving. Above all, have faith and trust in God,” said the pastor.

Olubiyi noted that many Christians are constantly overwhelmed by fear. Fear of what to eat, career, family and what the future holds. He stated, “Don’t allow fear to overwhelm you because you are a child of God. You are not a slave to fear because the word of God says he has not given you the spirit of fear but of sound mind. Fear is the weapon that the enemy uses to disorganize his victims.”

Expatiating on that point, Olubiyi described ‘FEAR’ as “False Evidence Appearing Real”.

“It is not real,” he told the congregation. “When there is no food in the house and suddenly like Esau, you are panicking that you are going to die. Nobody dies of hunger because the Lord will feed and satisfy you. Even if there is anything you lack remember His words. Find out what God is saying about you, your children what matters is what God is saying about you.”

He concluded the sermon by admonishing his congregation to abide by the word of God, which is the only liberator from life’s travails.

˜ ˞ JANUARY 26, 2020

30

MARKET NEWS

Investors Advised to Invest through Collective Investment Schemes Goddy Egene TThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said it will continue to educate and enlighten Nigerians about the investment opportunities available in the market.

The acting Director General of SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk, who stated this, added

that advised potential investors to engage professionals who will guide them on relevant products to invest in. “In the past people just go to stockbrokers to buy stocks without having proper knowledge of what to buy but now we are encouraging people to go through the investment schemes. If you don’t know anything

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

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

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

about stocks go through collective investment schemes (CIS) and invest in different stocks so that professionals can manage your investments. If I am a welder for instance and I don’t know anything about investments, I can put my money there and professionals will manage it for me,� she added.

According to her, an investment does

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 23Jan-2020, unless otherwise stated.

not need much more to participate in the market “For instance, with the government bond, the minimum investable amount is N10,000 and you can buy in subsequent amounts of N1,000.

We have CIS, we have the stocks that you can buy through the stockbrokers and those you can invest in with as little as N5,000. So you don’t necessarily have

to have a lot of money to invest, all you need is to approach the stockbrokers.

They can open an account for you and whatever you have you can pay into the account and give instructions in what kind of investments you want to make.�

She said it is important for people to understand the workings of the capital market and not have the misconception

that they must have a lot of money before they can invest. “We have to disabuse our minds of it. I think that is what is leading people into putting money into Ponzi schemes and lose their money. So all you need to do is to go to SEC website see the list of capital market operators and approach one of them to open an account� she said.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.91 0.91 7.72% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.75% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.17% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.49 2.54 0.95% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 16.67 17.17 8.82% ARM Discovery Fund 367.99 379.09 6.52% ARM Ethical Fund 30.63 31.55 5.29% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.50% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 0.11 0.09 8.94% Paramount Equity Fund 13.12 13.28 4.51% Women's Investment Fund 116.16 117.24 5.23% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.88% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 107.58 108.20 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 112.13 112.93 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.55% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.96 0.97 3.88% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.35 1.35 1.49% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 6.02% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.99% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,175.46 1,176.96 1.13% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,310.08 1,311.15 1.47% FBN Balanced Fund 152.81 153.97 4.08% FBN Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.68 119.99 0.37% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.38 120.69 0.46% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 135.10 136.81 3.82% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.63% Legacy Debt Fund 3.67 3.67 0.50% Legacy Equity Fund 1.20 1.22 6.10% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.08 1.08 0.28% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,187.82 3,226.86 6.91% Coral Income Fund 3,098.23 3,098.23 13.03% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 8.60% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.78% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 120.62 121.03 12.02%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.19% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.28 2.31 5.68% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 11.63% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.57 146.07 16.64% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ďŹ ncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.23 1.25 5.62% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,106.62 1,106.62 0.77% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.57 10.68 15.53% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.85% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.42 1.44 15.98% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.33 12.42 9.25% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.00% PACAM Equity Fund 1.20 1.21 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.34 110.22 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 136.76 138.86 15.31% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 0.07% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 4.09% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.43% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 30944.38% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.89% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 5.75% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.73% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 6.96% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.43% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.25 1.27 3.89% United Capital Bond Fund 1.73 1.73 0.11% United Capital Equity Fund 0.74 0.75 4.77% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.47% United Capital Eurobond Fund 112.20 112.20 0.30% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.10 1.11 1.33% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.95 11.13 6.79% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.16 12.32 4.82% Zenith Income Fund 22.97 22.97 3.37% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.59%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.40 118.78 52.13

-64.85% -0.13% 0.15%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.98 104.58 80.28

10.08 106.83 81.76

14.53% 13.10% 8.88%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva GrifďŹ n 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.94 5.59 13.85 12.41 171.54

3.98 5.67 13.95 12.61 173.54

10.81% -5.33% 13.80% 19.30% -8.38%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.69

17.60%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

26.01.2020

SHOLA ALLYSON NIGERIA’S SONGSTRESS WITH VELVETY VOICE ASSISTANTEDITOROLUFUNKEOLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

32

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R JANUARY 26, 2020

COVER

SHOLA ALLYSON

Aligning Prestige And Power with Passion Her personality is enchanting. Her voice is sonorous. Her style signature is simple, stylish. Her style of music is soul-lifting and edifying. For 17 years, the voice of Shola Allyson, the Nigerian soul, folk song, gospel singer and voice coach has continued to reverberate and titillate. Her music is poetic, unique and evokes memories of folklore.

A woman of substance who has continued to redefine being a celebrity with an accomplished sense of simplicity.

Always in her signature turban with a flowing gown, Allyson represents power and prestige. Funke Olaode writes about her essence and development

Allyson

57

JANUARY 26, 2020 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

COVER

Using Music to Liberate Souls

F

or great women and men who have recorded extra ordinary achievements in their journey to stardom, there will always be a day with history. For Shola Allyson, her case isn’t different. She was thrown into the limelight after recording the soundtrack of a Yoruba movie, ‘Eji-Ewuro” and since then it has been a roller coaster for the Ikorodu-born singer.

Hers wasn’t a long walk to fame and fortune in the world of entertainment having discovered her talents at the age of 13 that music runs in her soul and body. This was in the late 80s.

Her self-discovery led her to superstars like Yinka Ayefele, the late Gbenga Adeboye, Pasuma, Obesere and Daddy Showkey as a back-up singer. An encounter with a man with a movie script whom she met in a bus changed her destiny as the hit album, ‘Eji Ewuro’, was birthed and opened her world. This was in 2003.

Over the last 17 years, Allyson has increased the tempo in the entertainment industry as Nigeria’s soul, folk song, gospel singer and voice coach. From 2003 to date, Allyson has been actively releasing hit songs such as Gbe Je F’ori (2005), Ire (2007) Im’oore (2009), Adun (2012), Imuse (2018 ) and her latest release, Iri (2019).

Born in Ikorodu, Lagos State over four decades ago, Allyson had her early education up to secondary education in Ikorodu before proceeding to Government Technical College, Agindingbi, Ikeja where she studied Business Studies and obtained NBTE Certificate.

Restless, ambitious and focused, Allyson’s initial educational background you may say did not align with her ambition or talent. Like a scholar thirsting for knowledge, she shoved her business certificate aside to pursue her destiny.

In 1997, she enrolled to study music at The Polytechnic, Ibadan where she obtained National Diploma and later a Higher National Diploma with Upper Credit Division in Music.

Mission accomplished, Allyson embraced her world of music wholeheartedly. Along the line, she fell in love with Toyin Obaniyi whom she met in the church choir. She got married and is blessed with three children.

Motherhood, wife, and career often work hand in hand with this talented singer; marriage has not prevented her spirit from soaring higher. With her supportive husband, the sky is her stepping stone.

Since her debut album, which was well-received, Allyson has continued to tantalize her fans and die-hard followers with deep and thoughtprovoking lyrics whether it’s folk or gospel songs.

At the Luli Concert 4.0, there were young, talented and gifted performers.

Their angelic voice (s) were captivating and at the same time edifying as they sat down quietly in their white apparels rendering melodious songs to the admiration of invited guests. The sound of organ humming was trailing their sonorous voice. They were a sight to behold. They were singers from Elberach Worship Ministry preparing for its annual concert. The Luli Concert 4.0 is a great platform where God uses talented and gifted artistes to His glory.

Allyson was one of the invited guests.

When you have a deeper understanding of your life you know whatever happens is pre-destined. If I didn’t go through all those things that I went through, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. Growing up I was a rejected child at a point. It is not a story that I want to dwell on. I have put it behind because God has been good. I went through different things at different stages of my life. I have since put it behind because my level has changed.”

Allyson

Here, she was among the crowd with her signature turban and a flowing gown. Like old wine, the Ikorodu-born songstress is getting better with age as her voice and songs (whether old or new) still command respect as her fans always crave for more. Over the last 17 years, The Polytechnic Ibadan trained singer’s music has gone through various transformations.

“We have used different names at different times. The bottom line is that when you are listening to my music, it is a piece of music that people listen to and be closer to God. People will be happy and go away. It is the time that we call worship.

“I do different genres of music.

There is stylistic music and lyrical music. When you say genre it can be gospel, hip-hop, and others. These days there are visions for everything.

Some people would tell you they are doing gospel and when you listen to the song, it sounds like a music Wizkid produced. We use the same style but different lyrics. It is the style that we call gospel music that people listen to and get closer to God.” Speaking on spirituality and music, she said, “A gospel singer must be born again.

“I can’t speak for others but myself.

Remember, gospel music is like a pathway that leads people to God and you cannot lead someone to God

when you have not embraced the Holy Spirit.”

Her music is poetic and unique which often evokes memories of folklore. The sonorous singer admits: “Well, one can get motivation from anywhere when composing music.

But in my case, my music is largely influenced by life experiences, my faith with God, my life journey. When you look at my music, you look at the idea of the kind of work I deal with.

The length and breadth of everything is that God is good and He is faithful.

Whatever comes your way do not lose hope and always keep your hope alive.”

She talks about how her life’s experience has influenced her music, saying: “If you are a child or you have a child and in his /her sub-consciousness he/she knows that ‘my mother loves me. And she knows it” she will have this sense of belonging. And she has this strong feeling of attainment that I will reach a greater height.

“After all, I have got my mother’s back and the sky seems to be her stepping stone. You know you have a system in place to get to wherever she wants to. But when you have a child who doesn’t belong here or there or born out of wedlock. Our Jesus Christ was born out of wedlock. Before it used to bother me then. But when you have an understanding of who God is and your personal understanding, there

are many things you will understand about your life.”

But Allyson knows her father now.

“I know my father and my mother,” she says.

“When you have a deeper understanding of your life you know whatever happens is pre-destined. If I didn’t go through all those things that I went through, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. Growing up I was a rejected child at a point. It is not a story that I want to dwell on. I have put it behind because God has been good. I went through different things at different stages of my life. I have since put it behind because my level has changed.”

It has been 17 years of fulfilment as a songstress and celebrity.

“Am I a celebrity?” she asks rhetorically.

“Well, I don’t define myself by what people define me. And I don’t consider myself one. Left for me, I want to live my life to honour God.” From the backwaters of Ikorodu where she was born to the entertainment industry where she found her destiny, Allyson prefers to stay modest.

“Being famous to me is relative. For me, I knew I was going to be a person of influence. And how I am going to achieve that is in the hands of God? For instance, if I don’t wear my gele, which is my trademark you probably may not recognize me. Because I don’t like all the attention,” she explains.

There was, however, a time in her life that she contemplated quitting music.

“There were moments I felt like quitting music when I was not making money,” Allyson acknowledges.

“When money was not coming well. I was like I am a learned person.

Let me dust my certificate and go and look for work. This is not peculiar to me; at every point in one’s life one will be at a crossroads whether to continue or to quit.”

Has money started flowing now?

And how rich is she?

“We thank God,” she replies.

Off the stage, who is Shola Allyson?

She says: “I am just me. I am just me. I am just like anybody. I want to live my life to honor God as simple as I can.”

Can she do without her trademark turban?

“That is my identity on stage but when I am off the stage you can hardly see me in a turban. The turban is gele nah! And the way I tie it makes it.

When I am working you will see me on it,” she states.

Allyson says further about life: “I think the older generation should be held responsible for that because they didn’t teach them to be tough. They didn’t let them have the strength of character. There is always this cliché: ‘I don’t want my children to go through what I went through.’ So children are pampered. In the process, they failed to instil the right value. Sometimes, you need to deprive children of certain things.

“It is just for them to know that this life is not a bed of roses. I do that to my children. I want them to know that faith aside, it is not every time that we have what we want. A situation whereby you give them everything they want they won’t even care about life. When these children get into life and life gets to them and they have to wait they get weak easily.”

58

SUNDAY JANUARY 26, 2020 •T H I S D AY

JANUARY 26, 2020˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

59

High Life ‘Media Topshot, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf ‘s Son Set to Wed’

Sarafa

D

on’t get it twisted, the Nigerian artiste and music sensation, D’Banj said, love is a beautiful thing. He had it right. Many a man has been known to trek across the fiery Sahara, many a man known to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, all in search of a heartthrob and life partner. Some find this treasure; others are not so lucky.

From all indications, Abdul Hamid Ayomide, son of Ogun state darling, Hajia Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, is one of the lucky few.

Did he cross an unforgiving landscape to find his heartthrob? He sure did!

Hamid, the bridegroom, is an IT Systems Administrator with an Investment Bank and a Masters degree holder from the prestigious Royal Holloway, University of London. He is from the indomitable families of the late Alhaji Suleiman Garba-Nuru of Chinade, Bauchi State, and of Hajia Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, a native of IperuRemo, Ogun State. The bride, a graduate of Business and Management from Brunel University is from the family of Sheikh Muhammed and Hajia Mariam Mansur-Williams of the Akinsemoyin Royal Family of Lagos.

Nobody can say that this is not an auspicious union of the young couple and their giant family trees. The Akinsemoyin Royal Family is a family of prestige, and is celebrated as the first royal dynasty of Lagos State. Take note that this is the Royal Family that effectively shuts down the city of Lagos when the annual event of Akinsemoyin Day is celebrated: religion, culture and tradition are commemorated in a weeklong celebration of the genealogy and dynasty that is reportedly older than the city itself. But that is only the family of the bride.

Abdul Hamid’s mother, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, is the award-winning media practitioner who has about 33 years of experience in Journalism and Marketing Communications and has remained a pacesetter in the Media.

The first woman sportscaster in Africa, former Head of Sponsorships in Globacom Ltd, former Director of Marketing at the American University of Nigeria & Honorary Special Adviser on Information to the Ogun State Governor; Hajia Modele is a quiet achiever and weighty personality while Hamid’s late father, Alhaji Suleiman Garba-Nuru, was an entrepreneur and much loved philanthropist who enjoyed a lot of goodwill during his lifetime.

Needless to say, this union is a promising bond for the two families.

According to reports, the wedding is slated to hold at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, on the 2nd of February.

Pomp and pageantry is expected to accompany this purple matrimony,

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

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

How Mike Adenuga, Globacom Won THISDAY Entrepreneur, Brand of the Decade Effortlessly, (Dr) Mike Adenuga Jnr, GCON, CSG, CLH, the chairman of telecommunications giant, Globacom, personifies the famous quote of Vince Lombardi that “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit.” Since Globacom entered the Nigerian communications field back in 2003, it has been cutting large swaths through the labyrinths of an otherwise impervious and volatile industry.

Yes, If Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. doesn’t strike you, at first sight, then possibly, he is a masterpiece of a man disguised as a blank canvas. The trillionaire businessman affects a flurry of beings curled into one: he is science, an art, a foundation of genius with dashes of brilliance brightening the creativity of his mind and soul, thus illumining the world. A product of pure intellect, vision and sheer enterprise, he can become any form he creates; he is a library of masterpieces, an intricate web of sensitivity and hope attuned in full measure to the world’s needs. This is a glimpse of who he truly is.

Dr. Adenuga does not only set high standards; he abides by the standards as a matter of exemplary leadership and integrity of character. Unlike the proverbial prophet who has no honour among his kith and kin, ‘the Spirit of Africa’ (as fondly called by his loyalists and admirers) has never gone through a year in the past two decades without winning one award or the other. For Dr. Adenuga and the Globacom brand, winning, indeed, seems engrained in their DNA. Likewise, 2019 has been an interesting year as the company has continued to grow in measures that surpass even its managers’ projections and it is not surprising that they are ending the year, typically, on a high note.

Last Monday, dignitaries gathered amid pomp and ceremony, to celebrate THISDAY Newspapers as it marked 25th year of robust journalism at the prestigious Eko Convention Centre, Lagos. The silver jubilee celebration, themed ‘A Gala Evening to Celebrate Africa’s Most Authoritative Media and Technology Group’, was witnessed by governors, both serving and former; captains of industry, technocrats and politicians. Thus in apparent homage to his citizenship of humanity and relentless strides at rewriting the African business narrative, the prestigious newspaper, THISDAY, honoured Dr. Mike Isola Adenuga the Entrepreneur of the Decade. It was an honour well deserved! Yes, Adenuga wears his entrepreneurial strength and savvy like a badge of honour, on his chest; shining it with sweat, as true virtuous men do. He stands tall, wading through odds with the courage of a knight and confidence of a champion.

Bella Adenuga-Disu & Hazida Bala-Usman

And unlike the proverbial warrior who lives to sing the song of his own deeds and derringdo, Adenuga remains impressively humble and immune to conceit, treading a rare path to acclaim thus, attracting honour in torrents, from home and abroad.

Interestingly, Globacom also clinched the Brand of the Decade Award. Organisers of the award said Globacom merited the award for being “the first telecommunications company in Nigeria to cover the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, with 4G LTE network services.”More than any other operator, Globacom has broken more grounds in the history of African mobile telephony from its early days of crashing SIM prices to introducing the Per Second Billing which the forerunners of GSM in Nigeria, MTN and ECONET (now Airtel) had coldheartedly informed Nigerians was an impracticable venture. Without a scintilla of doubt, Globacom had always defied market odds to delight Nigerians and the industry keeps showing its gratitude in different forms.

Interestingly, the company’s global preeminence was reconfirmed when it won in the telecommunication-mobile category at the prestigious 2019 World Branding Awards, the ultimate global brand recognition accolade

now in its 10th year, and which saw 318 brands from 41 countries named “Brand of the Year” in a glittering ceremony held on November 15 at the State Apartments of Kensington Palace, London. The brands were nominated by over 230,000 consumers across the globe.

Winners of the award are uniquely judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Seventy per cent of the scoring process comes from consumer votes. There can only be one winner in each category per country.

“The Awards are an acknowledgement to the tireless effort of the teams that build and maintain their brand presence in an everchanging market,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.

“To be a winner, a brand has shown that they have built themselves up to such a degree that they are placed amongst the best brands in the world,” added Julian Andersen, Managing Director, World Branding Forum. The awards are organised by the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing branding standards.

No doubt, the company has grown in leaps and bounds as the years pass by and each year sees it continue to navigate uncharted territories.

Life Begins at 50 for Minister of State for Labour and Employment

Kayemo

Amongst men and women of repute who have bravely shouldered the carving of time and tides, the life of Festus Keyamo is written with thick, bright, red, and cursive letters – all the better for equal admiration and envy. Aged two scores and a half now, Festus Keyamo’s life is a study suggestive of divine involvement and character.

Today, Festus Keyamo is a Nigerian lawyer (SAN), incisive critic, industrious columnist, and formidable human rights activist. He is also one of the peerless pillars of the cabinet of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. Vast of wit and resolute of vision, Keyamo’s contributions have reverberated across all the regions of Nigeria, as well as the media industry, and most other sectors of the economy where the interests of the people are core.

Born in Ughelli town in Delta State of Southern Nigeria, Festus Keyamo walked the path of adolescence and youth with the same resilience he has come to be known by.

Primary and secondary education acquired in Ughelli, Festus Keyamo went on to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, where he received a Bachelor of Law degree in 1992 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on December 1993.

Since then, Festus Keyamo has been rubbing the oil lamp of fortune, winning for himself the veneration and loyalty of friends and associates. That he began his legal career at the renowned Gani Fawehinmi’s Chambers

in Lagos State, (although he went on to establish his own, Festus Keyamo Chambers) is venerable indeed.

Keyamo has represented notable folks, sometimes with success, other times with defeat. From being counsel in hot political cases like Niger-Delta boss, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari’s trial for treasonable felony, and another, for the murder of Bola Ige, to being the lawyering focus of media-spicy rumpus for allegedly unfaithful pastors to popular artistic twins at odds with one another, Keyamo has made an indelible mark with his legal profession.

On to politics! Keyamo has lit upon the politico, as Minister of State for Niger Delta, and in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

All these have seen him celebrated and honoured by distinguished folks, including President Muhammadu Buhari – who at Keyamo’s 50th birthday lauded him for renewing the faith of elders in the younger generation by his conduct and sacrifices. Are these not reasons enough for anybody to be grateful to his maker? And Festus Keyamo sure is.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

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HIGHLIFE

Six Decades: All Set for Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s Birthday

AbdulRazaq

With Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s 60th birthday some days away, it flashes upon the vigilant

mind that he has a most interesting and engaging dossier.

Born on February 5, 1960, the man who is currently the governor of Kwara State is a progeny of Abdulganiyu F. Abdulrazaq (SAN), another great man who is prestigious for his station as the first lawyer from northern Nigeria. A Muslim, the governor is descended from the natives of the Oyo Kingdom – the part that is now Ilorin West local government, to be exact.

Notwithstanding, Governor Abdulrazaq is a fluent speaker of English and Hausa along with his indigenous Yoruba tongue.

Oscillating between Kaduna and Ilorin, Abdulrazaq was educated at the primary and secondary levels; so he is home-trained through and through.

As to tertiary education, his virtuosity in business and entrepreneurship remains a clear proof that he could have done well enough without it, and he has.

Thus, he has only drunk from cisterns of management and administration, without the experience and bore that protracted education never fails to supply.

At an early age, the young Abdulrazaq

already set his eyes on empire-building ventures and enterprises. That vision did not desert him, as he came into his own while carving his initials on the petroleum industry as a spirited oil mogul. In fact, at 31, he had founded Nigeria’s first indigenous oil and gas trading companies, NOPA Oil Services, as well as First Fuels, the first indigenous company to lift crude oil and petroleum products to the United States, Europe, and Asia.

With politics, Abdulrazaq’s fighting spirit saw him take gubernatorial loss after gubernatorial loss from 1999 until 2019 (when he eventually won the hearts of the Kwara people). A good 20 years in the making, his government is already making enough waves to fill up the history books. From scholarship grants, capital, and venture empowerment, to sportsmanship and tournament patronage, he is a darling to his people.

At 60, all is set to see Governor Abdulrazaq honoured and celebrated for his leadership, industry, humanitarianism, and philanthropy.

The End! Why So Manny Beaautiiful Ladies, Gentlem men Will Misss Billioonaire Taxxmann, Tundee Fowleer

Adeyeye

I

How is the Nigerian administrative system not like a game of chess?

Simple: the moves and checkmates cannot be anticipated, losses are set up to be grandly unpleasant for toppled contestants, and checkmates are a rattling episode for even the most uninterested onlooker. With Fowler left holding the short straw at the game windup, the tables of many folks have been positively rattled.

The news of the exit of Babatunde Fowler from the executive chairmanship of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was a gamechanger for numerous folks. Like the reverberation of any tidal wave, some have been buoyed up in excitement by this development, imagining treasures floating their way, while others – like Jonah – have been swallowed up by the whale of despair.

Tunde Fowler was the boss! In more ways than one, Fowler worked the engines of his regime to dispense sympathy and favour for many a lucky man and lady. A man very passionate

about the welfare of young people, Fowler is said to have fathered several of these, employing the vast resources at his disposal to make this young woman smile, and that gentleman gush with gratitude furnished mediums of shelter and transport close at hand.

To have been in his good graces! To have been in his good books! Even more unfortunate that although he was held in highest esteem for his benefaction and patronage, folks at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were not so moved. All the more noticeable since Fowler had allegedly already begun breaking fast with the EFCC while in office.

The most publicized of his involvement with EFCC centred around an alleged 2.1 billion which disappeared with the payment of duty tour allowances (DTA) to staff (about 40 senior and junior management staff of the FIRS, including the Director of Finance, Mr. M. Auta, who were all reportedly arrested in May of 2019).

All that bad rep about stealing

“The woods decay, the woods decay, and fall, the vapours weep their burthen to the ground, a man comes and tills the field and lies beneath, and after many, a summer dies the swan.� These are the words that British poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson employed in describing transience and death. For the Managing Director of THISDAY Newspaper Limited, Eniola Bello, a swan shall soon be laid on the tilled earth.

Only a few weeks ago, Eniola Bello, lost his mother, Madam Julianah Ibimawu Lawrence (nee Ibinoron) to death. Because mama died at the ripe old age of 86 and had seen the birth, growth, and progress of many a progeny, her passing will not have been received with too much bitterness.

Gratitude, instead, is the greater emotion for the transition of a woman who had lived so well.

Four score and six years old, and numerous lives are blessed for it. Born in the Odolu Kabba area of Kogi State on 18 August 1933, Mama Julianah combined the soft munificence of her kinfolk and unwavering devotion to family, community and every member of humanity privileged to cross paths with her.

The overarching theme of Mama Julianah’s profound life was her unerring belief in the goodness of folks. This mindset translated to memorable acts of selflessness, compassion, deliberate thoughtfulness, and indubitable kindness. First and foremost,

Celebration of Life: Eniola Bello Set to Give Mom a Befitting Burial

Bello

this is what will every memory of mama will evince.

In addition to a life primarily dedicated

End of the Road for Dayo Adeyeye?

Fowler

public funds – or associating with those who do – could not have been savoury for the former FIRS boss. Add that to his withdrawal from the seat and a spiral begins to crystallize. What his associates and supporters would feel! Tunde Fowler would surely be missed.

to others, Mama Julianah gave other lives to the world, among these Mr. Eniola Bello. Her other children are Mrs. Victoria Bosede Ogunbiyi, Commodore Ayo BelloOdofin (retd), Mrs. Olabisi SamVictor, and Mr. Olaofe Odofin. These have extended mama’s legacy with grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

Mama Julianah’s interment will be underway on 14 March 2020, with a commemoration service at the ECWA Church in Okebukun Quarters, Ayetoro Gbede, Kogi state. Furthermore, the reception ceremony will be held at Government Secondary School ground, still in Ayetoro Gbede.

With the vast number of lives touched by mama, folks of close and far relation – as well as friends – are expected to be present for her final sending off.

Meanwhile, politicians of renown, media executives, and eminent movers of corporate Nigeria will also be on ground to honour the Bellos. All of these are a testament to a life well lived.

n addition to forewarning Nigerian children on the difďŹ culties and narrow roads of Nigerian life, parents should begin to integrate the happenings in the Nigerian political sphere into their stories.

They should weave these yarns to inform their wards on the volatility and capriciousness of setting one’s sight on a seat of power, attaining that seat, and then managing to keep the buttocks seated. Politician Adedayo Clement Adeyeye is a case in study.

Analysts have taken to their textbooks and abacus on Dayo Adeyeye, all attempting to understand the travail of the Ikere-Ekiti-born prince. The remarks at the end of these political chronicles revolve around the question of whether this is the end of the road for Dayo Adeyeye, or whether his zealous political travail has been nothing but a misadventure.

From the recent ruling of the appeal court, the gap-toothed Prince Adeyeye lost his Ekiti-South Senatorial seat to his revolutionary opponent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs. Biodun Olujimi. This is perhaps the closest that Adeyeye (under the All Progressives Party platform) has come to satisfy his ambition for the Senate.

Considering that he is a recent member of the APC, things are deďŹ nitely not looking up.

Needless to say, the main actors with a role in the broken ambition of Adeyeye include his APC opponent, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, and the eccentric former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose. It was the latter who opposed Adeyeye the most when he sought the governorship ticket in the 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Olujimi only saw to it that he didn’t get the senatorial seat as well.

But Adeyeye’s aspirations have a long history. Particularly, he is alleged to have had his sights among the high seaters of the Nigerian politico since 1999. Allegedly, his friends and close associates have long since acquired a seat for themselves in the Senate and House of Representatives. Only two decades after, and he ďŹ nally got a shot at it, only to be invited to leave that ofďŹ ce.

Having abandoned PDP during his governorship aspiration, this loss of the Senate, in no small way, speaks volumes of future aspirations. If the two major political parties cannot afford Adeyeye his dreams, what gives, and what is to come?

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

61

HIGHLIFE

Revealed: How Former Bank MD Francis Atuche Bought IBB’s Lagos House to Start Hubmart Stores The success of a man is often seen in the best light when the full story is told. The briefest moments of indecision can show that a man only got lucky, while times of endurance – even amidst crisis and catastrophe – can indicate that such and such worked to get to where he is. Many people doubtlessly struck out Francis Atuche from their books when he was retired from his MD/CEO position, but do these poor folks know that he didn’t lose his business wizardry?

The first time the name Francis Atuche was on the lips of every highstatus Tom, Dick, and Jerry, it was to refer to a man who had risen to the zenith ranks of banking and believed to have exhausted his wide stockroom of genius in getting there. Thus, he wore the spotlight as the MD/CEO of Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank) for a while there. Later, however, he was shown the door – all thanks to the 56 billion scandal episode that was disgraceful and seemed to stain his repute.

However, his wizardry in business did not allow him to go rent a cabin overlooking the sea in some coconutdrinking island. Francis Atuche sank

his entire proficiency into his Hubmart Stores. This is a vast chain of shopping retail that offers different options to sustain A-Grade clients and customers, with choice locations and choicer product variety. At the moment, the venture is established firmly in the city of Lagos, but there are practical strategies in place to widen its scope to include the best spots in all the major cities of Nigeria.

This growing empire of an enterprise, unknown to many, started with Francis Atuche making a snap decision and making the most of available resources by buying off a multi-storeyed complex on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. This particular complex was originally the property of no less personality than Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (alias IBB), former military Head of State and kingmaker.

That is how Francis turned his lot with Hubmart stores, a retail chain that is currently providing first-rate international-standard franchise, with flourishing branches in Lekki, Omole, and GRA, Ikeja.

Agony of a Commissioner‌How Shula Adebolu Was Disgraced from Lagos Government Five months after she was sworn in as Lagos State Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Madam Shula has gone out in spectacular fashion. Apparently, the very executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has taken to shuffling the State Executive Committee. To borrow the term contained in the statement signed and released to the press by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor, several cabinet portfolios have been affected by this redeployment.

He that thinks he has wisdom, let him apply his heart to this conundrum: that the Shulamite woman – with no less renown than her Biblical namesake – has had her chair relocated from the Lagos State roundtable of executive government, only having acquired it five months ago.

To put things in clearer light, Mrs. Shullamite Olufunke Adebolu joined the Sanwo-Olu chariot with as much managerial ordnance as possible. A lawyer, Mrs. Adebolu was bringing on more than 22 years of proficiency and experience of Management consultancy.

The same portfolio had been a worthwhile advantage in her previous employments, particularly as Associate Director in PwC’s Advisory Services, overseeing the West Market Area Country Management Unit, and supporting the Office of the Regional Senior Partner.

In light of the redeployment, Mrs. Adebolu’s wealth of know and knowhow does not appear to fit the proviso of the new cabinet. According to the press release, her replacement is Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf – who was formerly the Commissioner for Home Affairs.

Although no reason was given for Mrs. Adebolu’s exit, there is a rumoured blemish to her appointment, in the form of the Greater Lagos event – which saw funds spent to the conspicuous absence of the invitees. But that is only a rumour. The press release only mentions new energy and vivacity as the

Adebolu

intended rationale for the reshuffle.

Meanwhile, aside Mrs. Adebolu and Mrs. Akinbile-Yusuf, others caught on the waves of the shuffling tide included Dr. Wale Ahmed (from Commissioner for Special Duties to Local Government and Community Affairs), Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke (from Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs to the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment), Prince Anofiu Elegushi and Architect Kabiru Ahmed (from Special Advisory Unit to the Ministries of Home Affairs and Waterfront Infrastructure, respectively).

The End! Why So Many Beautiful Ladies and Gentlemen will Miss Billionaire Taxman, Tunde Fowler How is the Nigerian administrative system not like a game of chess?

Simple: the moves and checkmates cannot be anticipated, losses are

Atuche

set up to be grandly unpleasant for toppled contestants, and checkmates are a rattling episode for even the most uninterested onlooker. With Fowler left holding the short straw at the game windup, the tables of many folks have been positively rattled.

The news of the exit of Babatunde Fowler from the executive chairmanship of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was a game changer for numerous folks. Like the reverberation of any tidal wave, some have been buoyed up in excitement by this development, imagining treasures floating their way, while others – like Jonah – have been swallowed up by the whale of despair.

Tunde Fowler was the boss! In more ways than one, Fowler worked the engines of his regime to dispense sympathy and favour for many a lucky man and lady. A man very passionate about the welfare of young people, Fowler is said to have fathered several of these, employing the vast resources at his disposal to make this young woman smile, and that gentleman gush with gratitude, furnished mediums of shelter and transport close at hand.

To have been in his good graces! To have been in his good books! Even more unfortunate that although he was held in highest esteem for his benefaction and patronage, folks at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were not so moved. All the more noticeable since Fowler had allegedly already begun breaking fast with the EFCC while in office.

The most publicised of his involvement with EFCC centred around an alleged 2.1 billion which disappeared with the payment of Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) to staff (about 40 senior and junior management staff of the FIRS, including the Director of Finance, Mr. M. Auta, who were all reportedly arrested in May of 2019).

All that bad rep about stealing public funds – or associating with those who do – cannot have been savoury for the former FIRS boss. Add that to his withdrawal from seat and a spiral begins to crystallise. What his associates and supporters would feel! Tunde Fowler would surely be missed.

Sillennt Warr Traaills Koggi Governnor Yahaya Belllo, Deputyy Eddward Onooja overr Apppoiintm mennts Political analysts must concede that Kogi State holds a special place in the standings of the Nigerian political chessboard. The workings of statecraft in the north-central state have always led many to tip the hat to the transcendent alleyways of power.

Even leaving aside the suspected metaphysical finger-writings on the wall, the current government has always given the media much buzz.

The most recent of this is an alleged silent war between Governor Yahaya Bello and Deputy Governor Edward Onoja. According to insiders, Bello inflexibly rejected the names Onoja recommended for key positions, after the governor unceremoniously cleared his cabinet, top and bottom drawers promptly cleaned out. In actuality, more shocking than the cleanout is the reported hostility between the duo.

A merry band like Mario and Luigi, Bello – from the Ebira tribe – and Onoja – from the Igala tribe – have been friends for as long as any onlooker can remember. Thick as thieves, as the saying goes, the intertribal siblings have been the envy of power in the confluence state. One to command, the other to execute, Bello and Onoja have taken large strides together, going from young voices in the struggle to frontline helmsmen.

Bello was declared governor after Prince Abubakar Audu died before the results were announced. James Faleke, the late Audu’s running mate, turned down the deputy governor role, leading to Simon Achuba coming on board as Bello’s deputy – allegedly on the recommendation of Onoja.

However, Achuba did not take well to being a figurehead, and the struggles led to a tumultuous impeachment process. Four years into the clichĂŠd eight years, Onoja came to replace Achuba as the deputy governor. This has been described as a masterstroke of genius on the part of Bello, who is from the purported 20% tribal minority. He had, some reported, gathered to his side the over 40% majority to which Onoja belongs.

In any case, barely a month after his re-election, Bello conducted the cabinet cleanout, rejected the Onojasponsored appointment list, and allegedly effectively began sidelining Onoja. Are Bello and Onoja going the way of Caesar and his Brutus? Et tu, Bello? Et tu, Onoja?

Is history being repeated? Is Onoja, like his predecessor, to expect an impeachment notice?

Wigwe

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

Í´Í°

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

Otunba Niyi Adebayo’s Late Brother Remembered Last Monday, family and close friends held a prayer session in memory of Dr. Adedapo Adebayo, who passed on, on January 20, 2010, in the United Kingdom.

As part of activities to mark the 10th year remembrance of the deceased, they visited his grave site at the Ikoyi Vaults and Gardens, Lagos to lay wreaths and pray for the repose of his soul.

The deceased, who was the fourth sons of the late Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo (retd), the first chief of staff of the Nigerian Army and former military governor of the defunct Western Region, died at 48, after a year-long battle with a terminal ailment.

Society Watch gathered that two months before his death, Adebayo had shown signs of remarkable recovery.

When he came home during the Yuletide season in 2009, his family and friends had heaved a sigh of relief and concluded that the worst was over.

However, on January 10, 2010, he was reported to have returned to England for another medical check-up when he suddenly took ill again.

On that fateful day, Adebayo was in the company of his wife, Lape; his elder sister, Nike Makinde; his brother, Niyi; his sister-in-Law, Angela, and his best friend, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, when he breathed his last at the Harley Street Clinic, London.

Born on 9 July, 1961 in England, Adebayo had his early education at the University of Lagos Staff School, Akoka and Igbobi College, both in Lagos. Thereafter, he proceeded to England for his higher education at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire and Bedford Tutorial College, Bedford.

Between 1981 and 1985, Adebayo attended Bedford College, University of London, where he obtained a degree in Biochemistry and Physiology.

Having observed his service year in 1985 in Nigeria, he returned to the United Kingdom and attended the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, where he qualified as a medical doctor in 1991.

Adebayo was a member of the Lagos Boat Club; and until his death, the secretary of the club.

He was married to Lape, the first daughter of the late Chief Bayo Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland and his wife, Erelu Abiodun, and the union was blessed with three boys.

Billionaire Femi Otedola Honoured As Philanthropist of the Decade It is just 26 days into the New Year.

Yet, recognition and honour have started coming the way of billionaire businessman and Chairman of Geregu Power Plc, Femi Otedola. Last Monday, the executive chairman, Geregu Power, was honoured with the ‘Philanthropist of the Decade Award’ at an event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ThisDay at the Eko Hotel and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos.

At the well-attended event, Otedola, while receiving the award, had used the opportunity to clear the air about his other passion, philanthropy and recent humongous donation of N5 billion to the Save The Children Foundation in November 2019 in Abuja.

Of course, he was not unaware of the reactions that trailed the donation. In fact, Otedola, also an art aficionado, regaled the distinguished audience with details of how his children were shocked when he made his intention known hours to the donation of the money to the foundation. Goaded by his love for his “innocent children�, he disclosed that he immediately deployed his philosophical wit, and also shared his deep understanding of what makes life meaningful and living worthwhile with them, in his effort to make them see reason with him.

According to him, he explained to his visibly shocked children that they would never go broke or hungry because he had tried as humanly possible to give them the greatest weapon against poverty: education.

By the time he ended his speech on the occasion, no one in the audience agreed less with him that it was a well-thought-out donation, one that gave him indescribable joy and great fulfillment.

It will be recalled that apart from the wondrous N5 billion-donation, Otedola in the past, had dazzled at the Augustine

Otedola

University’s Fundraising and Founders’ Day event held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos in 2018.

Then, he had pledged to donate a wellequipped Faculty of Engineering building to the institution, which would be worth over N 500 million.

The shrewd businessman, a few months later, fulfilled his promise, when he laid the sod of the building in the presence of the

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Most Reverend Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins and his mother, Lady Doja Otedola, among other notable personalities.

Last year alone, he invested millions of naira in charity, apart from other donations made to former Green Eagles player, Christian Chukwu, singer Majek Fashek and Nollywood actor, Sadiq Daba, among many others.

Also in 2019, he was named the biggest individual donor to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). Subsequently, he and some other donors were celebrated at an event, ‘Transformational Security’ and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu commended him for consistently intervening to improve the society.

Without a doubt, his act of generosity continues to shoot for the sky. He loves giving back to his society without blinking an eyelid.

However, he loathes people singing his praise over such acts of humaneness. He is not your kind of billionaire who calls for publicity over donations he makes. On his humanitarian gestures, he has been quoted as saying, “God has been so kind to me in life. I feel highly privileged. The only way I can show my gratitude to Him is to use my resources to support those who are underprivileged. “This I intend to do for the rest of my life.

In a world full of conflicts, diseases, calamities and inequality, we all need to show the milk of human kindness, to reach out and comfort the sick and give a helping hand to the weak. “A lot of people think when they die, they take their money with them, we’ll see. In my journey of life, I have taken the risk, I’ve done the chase, I’ve enjoyed the thrill and I have achieved success and recognition. What next?

You give it back!�

Oil Top Player, Otunba Funsho Lawal’s Success Secrets

Lawal

Successful people, they say, have two things on their lips: silence and smile. The smile, it is said, is to solve problems, while the silence is to avoid problems. Interestingly, both seem to be

the driving force and, perhaps the secret behind the success of Otunba Funsho Lawal, a top player in the oil sector.

One of the oft-quoted sayings by those who know him closely is that, if you are seeking an authentic information on the oil exploration business in Nigeria, you will be doing yourself a lot of good by consulting Lawal, who is the chairman of Sonegal Petroleum.

The Oyo State-born oil magnate, who many regard as an encyclopaedia of sorts in the sector, is the brains behind one of the most successful indigenous oil production companies in Nigeria.

He knows his onions, having been in the business for decades. Little wonder, he was president of the Petroleum Club, for many years. He is currently a member of board of trustees of the club.

Lawal, a former chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, apart from oil and gas, also has his hands in other sectors of the economy. Though he has been silent about his latest accomplishments, sources close to him revealed that 2019 was another good year for him, as his company, despite the uncertainty in the oil sector across the world, was able to stay above the waters.

Already, he has introduced several innovations into his business, which has placed it in the right position for greater opportunities. The well-travelled businessman has injected new organizational policy focus and targets for his various business interests.

The move, it was gathered, is aimed at ensuring efficiency and accountability in the operations of his company.

STB McCann’s Chairman, Steve Omojafor Celebrates at 74

Adebayo

A few days ago, Sir Steve Bamidele Omojafor, a marketing communication guru, turned 74.

The well-planned birthday celebrations, which held at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence, was graced by a number of leading lights in the advertising sector as well as titans of the corporate world in Nigeria. After an early morning Thanksgiving Mass with family members at the Catholic Church of the Assumption in Falomo, Ikoyi, a quiet evening reception followed at his Osborne Estate Phase ll Residence, also in Ikoyi.

It was top-class entertainment on a wide-expanse, water-front garden, with gospel singer and ace saxophonist Segun Oluwayomi leading the pack.

While the event lasted, Omojafor was full of appreciation to God and some individuals who had contributed in different ways to his success story.

Among friends and families in attendance were his wife Mojisola, siblings Mrs Fidelia Odeh and Mr Augustine Omojafor; partner, Senator Akin Odunsi and wife Adebimpe; long-standing friends Mr Abiodun Shobanjo, Rear-Admirals Toye Sode and Okanlawon Oni (retd) and their wives; Profs Adewale Oke, Frank Okoisor, Dapo and Toyin Ashiru; Mr Jimi Agbaje, Chief Victor Osibodu, Olori Titilola Akiolu, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, Mrs Tessy Ikimi, Chief Sena Anthony and members of the Metropolitan Club of Victoria Island.

The septuagenarian, who is the chairman of STB McCann, has been around for many years and many who have drunk from his fountain of knowledge are today ‘irokos’ in the nation’s thriving marketing communication industry. The advertising guru, who holds a degree in Mass Communication from

Steve Omojafor With Wife

the University of Lagos, is a fellow of the Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria (AAPN). He was at various times a sub-editor, Daily Times; group head, Client Service, Lintas Limited and co-founder of Rosabel Advertising.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Í°Í´ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

SOCIETY WATCH

Konga Boss, Nnamdi Ekeh Wow!

Ekeh

Nnamdi Ekeh, boss of Konga, Nigeria’s foremost e-commerce giant, has continued to impress with his brilliance and business acumen.

To say he is head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries is to put it mildly.

Since he became the CEO of the leading online business, he has made significant strides that have positioned the company as the clear leader in Nigeria’s highly competitive e-commerce market.

Society Watch gathered that apart from his business prowess, the high-flier, who will stop at nothing to fulfil his dreams, is also endowed with oratorial power.

Last weekend, he mesmerized his audience in a chat with Cable News Network (CNN) Marketplace Africa on the sidelines of the first Creative Africa Exchange held between January 16 and 18, 2020 in Kigali, Rwanda. The Konga CEO, who was one of the speakers at the event that brought together over 1,500 participants from 68 countries and over 250 exhibitors, showed that he is indeed a genius.

Sharing his thoughts on how Konga is creatively resolving the challenge of logistics, which has hobbled other players in the market, Ekeh noted that the company had relied on its deep understanding of the Nigerian terrain – a factor which he emphasised had distinguished Konga in the marketplace. “The starting point for us was identifying the problem. There is a huge problem in Nigeria, where the informal market is so huge, so massive; in fact, almost 98% of the market. This means that people don’t have access to quality products; they don’t have access to quality aftersales services,� he said.

Asked further by the CNN’s Eleni Giokos to talk about Konga’s expansion plans, Ekeh disclosed that the goal was to dominate Nigeria,

which the company had all but achieved, before expanding to other African countries.

He said: “Nigeria is one of the largest markets in Africa. We are looking at consolidating in Nigeria and ensuring our customers get the best services and then rolling out across Africa. If you are able to scale to the point where you can solve a lot of the problems in Nigeria, it makes it easy to take on other markets outside Nigeria.

Definitely, Nigeria is the focus for now.

That’s where we started and that’s where we hope to scale and once that is done, we can begin to expand to other African markets.’’ He disclosed that Konga currently boasts over 1000, adding that the figure would increase substantially with its growing network of Experience Stores all over the country.

An economics graduate of the University of Lancaster, young Ekeh also holds a certificate in International Business and Economics from Harvard. A savvy entrepreneur and online enthusiast, Ekeh’s mission is to ensure that Africa is not ignored during conversations on technology and innovation.

Also an alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS), he believes that the youth hold the key to unlock the full potential of the Nigerian economy and that the only industry that will provide her with this opportunity is IT and technology. With these feats, he is assuredly making his father, Leo Stan Ekeh, Zinox Group’s chairman, proud.

Kayode Ajulo’s Cherished Moment “A man who is diligent at his work shall stand before Kings and not mere men.�

If there is one man who typifies the above witty saying, it is Kayode Ajulo, Principal Partner, Kayode Ajulo and Co. Castle of Law. Ajulo, a rights activist, has made a name for himself as a legal practitioner of note largely due to his commitment to and diligence in his chosen profession. To some, he is a role model, while to some others, he is a voice to the voiceless and oppressed in the society.

Ajulo, also the founder of Egalitarian Mission Africa, once served in the committee constituted to broker peace between the federal government, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), among others.

Also, in recognition of his contributions in Yoruba land, the Baamofin of Akure land was decorated with the title of Mayegun

Aare Ona Kakanfo by the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams about a year ago.

Interestingly, Ajulo, in spite of the dust raised by the bestowment of the Mayegun of Yoruba land on the Fuji maestro, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, KWAM 1, by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, he simply doused it all by declaring there was no ground for rivalry between the two of them.

At the height of the controversy, he did not only clear the air about the differences between both titles, he also emphasized that the most important responsibility is for the title holders to ensure that Yoruba land is secure.

Just a few days ago, the former National Secretary of Labour Party, Ajulo, was a guest of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Asokoro, Abuja, where he was hosted to a dinner along other members of the legal team that represented the president in the lawsuits regarding his electoral victory. It was gathered that Buhari personally signed a letter in which he commended Ajulo for his contributions and professionalism.

Ajulo

Former Lagos Deputy Governor, Sarah Sosan’s Political Wilderness

Sosan

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Sarah Adebisi Sosan’s foray into politics seemed to have a divine seal.

This is because she shot into the spotlight not too long after she became a partisan politician.

At the outset, everything pointed to the fact that her political paths were laced with roses; and, indeed, her meteoric rise was applauded particularly by the womenfolk.

Not a few wished they were in her shoes during her glory days as Lagos number two citizen.

But before our eyes, there was a big rent in her flamboyant garb of politics. The unfortunate development was attributed to her loyalty to her boss, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, who is now the Minister of Works and Housing. She paid dearly for calling the bluff of the party’s leadership, while she pitched her tent with Fashola.

At the height of the fight for a second term ticket for Fashola, sources disclosed to Society Watch

that she stuck to her boss against the powers-that-be, led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Though Fashola secured the second term ticket, Sosan’s loyalty cost her, her flourishing political career along with others who reportedly worked against the party’s interest. Since then, the former deputy governor has been kept in the political wilderness and left in the cold.

However, a reliable source revealed that Sosan has refused to give up on her political ambition, as she is said to be eyeing an elective position.

It was gathered that she was making direct and indirect overtures to Tinubu and other powerful stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The source further revealed that she was also worming her way into the hearts of Lagos residents through her Sarah Adebisi Sosan Foundation as a vehicle to empower rural dwellers.

NIMASA Former Director, Lami Tumaka, Counts Blessings at 60 “Which of Allah’s blessings would I deny in my life from birth to date?�

Those were the words of Lami Tumaka, a ďŹ rst-rate strategic communications professional and former director of special duties (External Relations & Technical Cooperation), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), when she celebrated her 60th birthday and retirement from service penultimate week.

At the birthday celebrations graced by families, friends as well as well-wishers who eulogized her for her achievements, worthy deeds and kindness towards them in the past, Lami’s immeasurable joy was palpable. Until her retirement, she had worked in various departments, including Maritime Guards Command and Public Relations departments for 22 years.

A woman with a humane disposition and a track record of achievements in all her endeavours, her career growth was deďŹ ned by honesty, commitment and hard work.

The brainy woman is a recipient of the Maritime Media Woman of the Year in 2011 and 2012 as well as a recipient of a poll-driven Best Maritime Industry Public Relations OfďŹ cer Award, among others.

A multiple award-winner, Lami was said to have contributed in no small measure to the re-branding of NIMASA in particular and the entire maritime sector in general.

It was gathered that she worked with over ten directors-general from the pre-merger period of National Maritime Authority (NMA) with Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC), which gave birth to NIMASA.

Tumaka

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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 ˞ Ͱʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Supreme Court of ‘Icheoku�

Mbok, I hope some of us who still have our memories remember that hilarious courtroom drama called Icheoku? I hope I got the spelling right. It is looking like some people are beginning to look at our Supreme Court in that manner especially on the back of this their Imo declaration. Well, me I no be lawyer and I never see the judgment of which even if I see am, I still will not be able to make head or tail of it. But from a Shomolu man point of view, the judgment is looking like that Icheoku type thing o. I will not really say more until I see the judgment and send it to Big J, my former lawyer who is now a real estate agent to interpret it for me. But while I am waiting for that let me say something here. When the declaration came out, it was very close to the deadline for the submission

of this column. There was no time to better analyze the issue and subject it to the rigorous test I usually subject my topics to. So I decided to take the story from the angle of Ihedioha crying. Mbok, I have been writing this column for over three years now and I have never received so much public flak. I thank God they have not started putting my picture on the column o.

People would have stoned me o. Come and see abuse and railing on my phone.

Text messages, whatsapp, people calling me out and using words like ‘disappointed and shame’ on me. Me ke, na me do the judgment? Abi na me be Chief Justice of the Federation – that one that carry one kind bag come him swearing-in? In all the torrents, one text stood out. It was a female lawyer – see what she wrote to me ‘ Joseph Edgar,

I used to respect your views‌‌.. presently I am very disappointed after reading your column ‘ mbok, see prospective voter or worse still mother in law that I am losing because of this Supreme Court. Please my people in the court abi on the court better sit up.

The Supreme Court is the final bastion of justice I am sure you all know that.

I cannot be the one telling you that its credibility must remain sacrosanct and its impartiality in all issues be impeccable. People are beginning to see the court with one kind eye and it is not good. I have even heard people begin to say that even the famed interpreter in the ‘Icheokwu’ courtroom drama would never have interpreted the Imo State matter in this manner. It’s not good, let’s not ridicule our Supreme Court. It’s what we have left.

CHIEF EMEKA ANYAOKU – HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIR, I received the chat message early on Saturday morning – Duke of Shomolu, kindly join me in celebrations as I mark my 87th. You know these kinds of people are highly distinguished and not flimsy. They are not Amala people and when they invite you to a private occasion like this, that is meant for family and very close friends you begin to see yourself as a man of high integrity. So the next problem was what to wear. I was already carrying what is looking like dreadlocks and I am sure the Baba may not find it funny so I had to dress like a British gentleman going for afternoon tea with the Queen. So I summoned Chantal to help with the styling. Nothing to wear o. Everything was Kembe, torn jeans and shorts which would expose my ankle chain.

Kai, finally we settled for a nice black shirt my friend Chike Ireogbunam bought for me. He had told me he bought it in Italy but na Turkey the label wear- all na Europe. I come match am with one nice black pants and sweet shoes making me look like General Gowon when he went to marry his wife Victoria Gowon. The party was warm and tight. We no reach 15 people o and na Champagne and cake with small chops and everybody was speaking sweet, clean British English. So I respect myself. When they ask me question, I nod my head before they refuse me food. I met mummy, she was still so adorable and she took me on my writings. She says she is an avid reader and I was ohhh so humbled. I met the children the beautiful eldest child and the perfect gentleman son. Mummy introduced me to the Onosodes and I began to feel like a real man of character. This is the crowd I belong, people of integrity and decorum.

So I sat, cross my leg and hold my glass of Champagne and continue to speak less and nod my head since the British accent no dey. Chief Anyaoku remains especially

handsome at the age of 87 and still carries himself with the dignity and decorum of a perfect gentleman. I want to be like that when I grow up, I swear. I had fun and as I was leaving, I promised mummy that if I get invited again next year, I will come with some sweet and beautiful bowl of freshly made Afang complete with periwinkles and ‘ekwong’. Thanks for the invite sir, some of these things pass money. I am so grateful.

Ikoyi. No problem. Thank you so much, a wonderful couple.

Shasore

GBEMI SHASORE TO PARTNER AREMU You should meet this my madam and friend. She is energetic and very sweet.

The moment I met her, I made it a point of duty to make her my friend. These kinds of people rub off on you positively with the vibe they emit. So for the last one year, I have been actively ‘chasing’ her. Mbok, no be that kind chase o, you know Oga na erudite lawyer and historian. By the way, have you seen his documentary on Nigeria?

It was quite enlightening. Well, I reached out to her on my new project, Aremu which is an exciting depiction of the life and times of the Baba himself, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

I wanted her to play some role through her very influential Quramo Publishing outfit.

The meeting was held in her very beautiful home somewhere in Ikoyi and they gave me meat pie. You should taste it. I ate two before she came down. She was as elegant as usual and very receptive. The meeting went on very smoothly and in no time an agreement was reached. Quaramo will be supporting Aremu as sponsors not only that they would be handling the international leg of the historical play, making sure Nigerians in the diaspora and indeed the rest of the world in places like Jamaica, Uganda, Ghana and South Africa will see it. I was happy and just as I was about to hug her, Oga Supo jumped in – be like say he was behind the curtains o all along, he say Dukeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!, I say my lordddddddddddd !!!!. There shall be peace between the people of Shomolu and

TUNDE FAJEMIROKUN – A BELATED SHOUT OUT Some stars don’t shout. This my brother is a very powerful star that you will not find all over the place but is quietly doing things. He has emerged the managing director of one of Nigeria’s biggest insurance companies with staff strength in excess of 5,000 and estimated premium collected last year in excess of N35b but yet the man still dey take calls. Some funny people who are running one corner shop in Yaba or who are even serving other people will not be taking calls forming busy. There is nothing I have not seen in this Lagos that I have come.

Tunde is a perfect gentleman, cerebral and hard-working. You will be wondering why I am saying all these abi the man pay me or say I dey look for sponsorship for him hand?

Nothing o. I swear, I just like the guy. The way he accept me and the way, he will be saying – Duke, how is Shomolu. I like the sound of it. I will now invite him to Shomolu and he will be looking at me one kind. My plan is to organize a tour of this Shomolu for some of these people wey no dey climb third mainland except they are going to airport.

Well today, I just want to send a big shout out to my brother and to say well done so far.

OTUNBA OJORA – WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! Still on Chief Anyaoku’s party. As I was about to take my leave, Chief Ojora and his very elegant Erelu walked in and the cake fell from my mouth. This is real royalty o, not my yeye Duke of Shomolu title. These are people I used to see in the papers and television o. So now I am in the same room with them. I sat very far o, before I go and fart and get kicked out and was just looking at them with the side of my eyes. Otunba Ojora was still looking quite handsome

R-L Otunba Adekunle Ojora, Joseph Edgar and Erelu Ojora

Tanko

almost boyish. He was in one grey agbada looking very regal. Erelu on the other hand was majestic. She was very sweet looking and the English, kai you will think it’s Princess Diana speaking. All these people here today can speak o. Then it happened, Chief Emeka called me over and said, ‘ Otunba let me introduce you to the Duke of Shomolu‌ kai I almost wet my pants.

Everybody in the room looked up at me and for the first time I was ashamed that I had stopped combing my hair. Chief Anyaoku continued in his deep husky baritone voice the one he used to use to regal the Queen of England who I hear loves him so much ‌. Otunba this is the man who writes that wonderful column ,Loudwhispers, and talks a lot about afang.

Otunba had been reading the column too and was very happy to meet me. Confusion catch me, should I prostrate, should I kneel down, should I squat or should I just faint.

Mbok, I did all of the above in an awkward reverence to power and influence. Otunba asked that I sit between him and the Erelu and take picture – mbok editor allow me show people this picture so that they can believe me. So that is how a man born in Okuyiga street in Shomolu sat in-between the great and mercurial Otunba Ojora and the delectably sweet Erelu to take picture.

I was shaking like a leaf and could not breathe throughout. God is wonderful, I tell you. There is a reason why he is keeping me alive I tell you. Otunba says he will call me to come and tell him more about afang. I am waiting. Kai, thanks Chief Anyaoku, you did well.

JUNAID MOHAMMED AND HIS LAZYTALK There are some talks that you do not even reckon with. This kind of talk is just lazy talk borne out of nothing better to do.

So Emir of Kano asked to be Vice President under Osinbajo is the matter that we should be discussing when Boko Haram

Fajemirokun

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JANUARY 26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

LOUD WHISPERS

Bichi

Kayamo

is still ravaging and have just killed a CAN official? When inflation is now double digit and when our democratic institutions are dancing naked all over the place? How this kind of statement and people even get media attention used to baffle me. This kind of talk is beer parlor talk, it’s the talk you talk when you don’t want to pay for your beer so you keep regaling the audience with stories in the hope that the listeners will pity you and pay for your drink. Kai. But who is this Juniad Mohammed sef? Me I have not heard of him before this talk o, abi is he the one that used to change dollar for Eko Hotel? Mbok leave me.

was waiting for night to catch the next night bus to Uyo and from there into Cameroun where I will ask Paul Biya for asylum with 16 virgins. My people in the office report that the man has refused to go and that there was a police sticker on his bike. Real fear catch me by this time. So I continued to make calls, finally my phone rang with unknown number and I took it thinking it was the American ambassador calling to tell me to make my way to the warship on its way to Iran at Tin Can Island port. The man say, ‘Edgar na Mohammed, you see Musa I send dollar to you by mistake’.

I almost slap the man for phone. Kai, you see wetin heightened tension dey cause. What if I had fallen down from two-storey building window wetin DSS go talk? Abeg make una calm down, na beg.

DSS – YOU SEE WHAT YOU HAVE CAUSED? When someone will be saying calm down, you people will not hear. That is how you almost made me kill myself the other day. I was sitting jeje in my second floor office somewhere in Lagos (no be me go talk the area) when my colleague came upstairs to say, ‘sir, one Musa is downstairs looking for you’. I say, Musa? Musa from where? She say, ‘ I don’t know sir. My mind just went straight to the Sowore saga and much more recently the SIM card and 10 weeks matter. I say ok,’ I have died’. Today is today. I say they should go back and ask the man, who sent him. They came back and said from Mohammed. I say, my own don finish. DSS have finally come.

And my mother has been begging me o to stop yabbing people o. I say Mohammed? Musa?

Na their names be that o. I say please go back and tell them that Edgar is not in the office and have not been coming to the office. The man say he will wait. I start to shake, my manhood disappear. Me I no get all this Sowore mind o. I cannot enter anywhere and I don’t know any American senator that will write letter for me o. Duchess sef outside Shomolu, she no know anywhere o. Who will I call, who will I run to, who will I beg? Should I go down and just beg the man or should I strip naked and run away on the street so that I can claim madness in their office and they will send me to Yaba psychiatry and from there I can run to Etinan? So I went downstairs to peep.

The man wear that thing Northerners used to wear complete with the cap but he wear slippers. I say which kind DSS wear slippers to come arrest a whole Duke. I even want vex small. How can they send apprentice agent to come arrest me. That is disrespect na. But then again I fear and run back upstairs. That is how God just give me sense.

I open the window, climb out of the secondfloor office and jump on one fence and from there jump into another compound where I explain to the dog who was about to bite my penis that I am a fugitive of the state trying to get to Seme border. The dog being a PDP dog understand and let me pass. That was how I appear on Awolowo road after crawling through some gutter and hitching a fast bike to the nearest fast-food joint from where I set up operations base monitoring the office and making calls. I call my friend SP Aliyu, he had not heard anything but advised I should go and confront the man and that if he was DSS, he would show me ID Card. I say wrong advice, after he show me ID Card nko no be Golgotha be that. I

FESTUS KAYAMO –WHERE ISTHE CAKE? I called this my brother late in the evening when I heard it was his 50th. He did not pick ooo. I guessed he was in the other room so I relaxed. A few minutes later, he called back.

I hailed him oooooo. My lord, I screamed, I thought you were in the other room, he said for where… we laugh. I wished him a happy 50th and he wished me too. I was 50 last July.

Mr. Keyamo is my friend and I may not agree with some of his recent positions but I still believe he is one of the greatest patriots this country has yet produced, and that is why I asked my other friend Mudi to paint his picture on the wall of fame in his studios when he was made a SAN. Oga sir, continue, you are doing well. Happy birthday bro.

PROF.JAMESMOMOH–HOPENOPROBLEM? The Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission Prof James Momoh be like say he get small problem. Come and see the way the man jump on stage and be shouting, ‘I have a dream…… shebi when you have tried everything possible and he no work, you go dream am to work na. This level of embarrassment by a public official, I have not seen since the ‘oga on top saga’. The man was just shouting and prancing, talking like one that is possessed. He say he has a dream but I think it is nightmare he is having. Power failure remains our lot, pricing controversy, infrastructural decay, all sorts of avarice in the sector he is regulating and he is wearing monkey suit and shouting he has dream. Dream ko, dream ni. Please let his family come and take him to Yaba before na striptease we go see for his next show. Looks like the stress of the office is getting the better of him. Make he kuku retire before Nigeria problem do am in.

CHIEF IGNATIUS ODUNUKE’S KILLING – QUITE HORRIFIC Kai, it was my sister-in-law that dropped this story on our Whatsaap group and refrained from sending the accompanying video because it was too horrific. I asked her to send it to me privately and she did.

The suspects took the police to the forest they had dumped the body of the big Igbo businessman after chopping it into pieces.

This life is sad, when you can take a life in such a horrific manner for whatever reason,

Momoh

Odunuke

then you begin to see just how banal we have become as a society. This is so sad to say the least and I want to really thank the police for a job well done. Kai, Nigeria we hail thee.

political discuss continue to shape and guide my opinion. He is one unsung master of the Nigerian political milieu and his understanding is just so profound. If you doubt me, ask any question, let me send to him in Enugu and you will see his answer.

Well done the oracle in Enugu. Mbok what do we do with father Mbaka? Send your answer quick.

JAMES ETONIRUN - GREAT GUY This astute politician and a great man of God was my guy at the famed University of Ibadan. His contributions to Nigerian

RIGHT OF REPLY

YOUR ALARMIST COMMENTARY Dear Edgar, I read with some amusement your comment about my take on the level of hate and fake news being spewed out in Social Media. As a matter of approach, I generally ignore what is written about me because I abide with the philosophy that free speech is premised on the fact that light invariably overtakes darkness and that truth crowds out lies. Unless it is a matter in the domain of rational public conversation to affect choice, crucial to modernity I generally ignore, no matter how unsavoury.

Besides, I have little appetite for the kind of celebrity chat stuff these comments appeared in, and often ignore such pages until someone calls my attention to something. I am old style village boy unaffected by high society. This is probably the third time my attention has been called to your light banter regarding me. I intended to ignore it as with the previous ones.

I am troubled, however, that you have continued to reify a myth based on complete falsehood and fabrication about what happened at the APC primaries. If the records are not correct history may get incorrect input for its judgments.

I have written a book already on that matter and I am quite close to finishing the second volume. But too many are too lazy to read and get the facts. I hope you are not one of them.

For the avoidance of doubt, I did not go in the wrong direction or get sent in one on the day of the primaries, so please stop perpetuating that falsehood.

Here is a sequence of what happened.

Two nights before the primaries, I visited the former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, and he talked about attempts to move the venue of the primaries to Udu, near Warri. He offered those scheming that the benefit of his experience and warned that the APC Secretariat in Asaba will likely be burnt down before that was over. They hurriedly then brought the venue back to Asaba. His intervention with the Rector of the Institution originally rented for the purpose, helped with reinstatement of the original arrangement. I had told him I would not even give thought to going to a venue outside the state capital.

On the morning of the so-called Primaries, all the key stakeholders were contacted by phone to come to the Party Secretariat to meet with the committee led

by Major General Lawrence Onoja (Rtd)

who had arrived from Abuja to conduct primaries.

On my way to the APC Secretariat, we paused at the venue where dozens of busloads of our supporters lined up. I was in the company of Dr. Omano Edighije, currently a Special Adviser to Kaduna State Governor, and quite a few others.

At the Secretariat, we had a meeting which I recorded, and have both a video and audio documentation of, with the Committee and State party officials. All the Aspirants, except one, expressed views that most of the requirements for primaries had been violated. Onoja acknowledged that to be true and even at that moment could not show us the list of delegates which we should have received as we paid for the forms. All, including the Minister of State Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, expressed the view that since none of the guidelines were complied with, the primaries should be postponed. Onoja suggested we were not in the United States to expect for things to be done correctly (All fully recorded). I gave him a formal petition I had written that morning. He passed it to the Secretary who refused it. I joked that we were effectively witnessing a party in power in the so-called largest Democracy in Africa carry out 419 against its members in broad daylight.

Onoja suggested we proceed to the field.

Looking for things to be done right was theory and we were not in the classroom.

How could we in good conscience say the diplomat who said fraud was part of Nigeria’s National Character was wrong or that David Cameron’s fantastically corrupt country remarks were unfair, I said.

One aspirant supported that. He then threatened that anybody who dared to misbehave in the field will be shot.

Some who came with me suggested we go there and do battle since they seemed ready for violence. Others said there was no point in dignifying the shambolic process. Some actually stood in front of my car and said I would go nowhere.

I then held a press conference in front of the Party Secretariat expressing my outrage at the loss of a sense of shame and moral Authority to leadership when a Party 419s its own members. After that, I retired to a Hotel in Asaba. I do not see where you got this strange notion of being sent to the wrong place which you have persisted in repeating. Opinions are free and I respect everybody’s right to hold theirs, but let the facts, which are sacred, be correctly put.

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JANUARY 26, 2020 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

THEALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

Junaid Mohammed’s Echo Chamber and the Amotekun Civil War

R

ecently, the firebrand ex-Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, warned or threatened that Nigeria may experience another civil war if the Western Nigeria Security Network, better known as Amotekun, is allowed to go ahead.

His exact words were as follows: “This idea of Amotekun was an act of recklessness. Those who are at the forefront of the Amotekun, while in Abuja they are APC, but when they go back to their respective states, they are something else. So, it shows you that these people are actually unreliable. If care is not taken they will drag us into another civil war and I don’t believe the country can survive another civil war.”

With the way Nigeria is currently so polarised, politicians and pundits risk living in an echo chamber, which is an environment where they encounter only ideas and agenda that corroborate their preconceived notions, with the resultant effect that their opinion becomes crystallised and appears to them like the prevailing opinion, and other more reasonable alternative views, are not considered.

This, I fear, is what is happening to Junaid Mohammed. By raising the spectre of civil war, Dr. Mohammed perhaps hopes to frighten the Southwest into abandoning the self-defence idea of Amotekun.

But Dr. Junaid is ignorant. And terribly so. If you divide Nigeria into four quadrants of Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast, you will realise that we are already fighting several civil wars in Nigeria.

The chief of Army staff would want us to believe that Boko Haram and ISWAP have been defeated and that what we are seeing is the “last kick of a dying horse”. But the reality is far from that. Sadly, under General Buhari ‘there has been no progress in the war against Boko Haram’.

The above is not my opinion. It is the verdict of the Parliament of the European Union in a public resolution it made on January 16, 2020.

In the resolution, the EU stated that it: “Deplores that progress has stalled in the fight against Boko Haram, ISWAP and the increased occurrence and severity of suicide attacks and direct attacks against military positions.”

They are not alone. The Global Terrorism Index says that Nigeria is now more terrorised today than it was in 2015, with Boko Haram/ISWAP appearing to operate almost with ease in the Northeast quadrant of Nigeria. According to the index, Nigeria is now the world’s most terrorised nation and has two amongst the ten groups listed by the Global Terrorism Index as the world’s most deadly terror group (herdsmen and Boko Haram/ISWAP).

On Christmas Eve, an affiliate of Boko Haram killed 11 Christian captives in Borno, as its revenge for the deaths of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late leader of the Islamic State and Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir, its spokesman, who were killed in Syria in October.

On January 19, 2020, the media reported that Boko Haram killed at least 17 soldiers, and an unknown number abducted by the Islamic terror group, with large quantities of military hardware captured by the insurgents.

While this was going on, we read in the papers that the government of General Muhammadu Buhari is releasing so-called ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members in their thousands.

So, you have a group with a leadership structure and a fighting force killing our soldiers and taking prisoners. You have the government responding in kind and also taking prisoners. What is that? Is that not a war? It is called the war on terror. Okay, are we fighting foreigners? No. We are fighting bonafide Nigerian citizens who have taken arms against the state.

How is that not the textbook definition of a civil war?

Okay, let’s shift to the next quadrant: the Northwest. Bandits have taken over vast swathes of territory in the Northwest to the extent that the locals complain that they now pay tax to the bandits as well as approach them to provide judicial services when individuals have a dispute.

Bandits have killed thousands of Nigerian citizens, with the federal government seemingly unable to stop them. Police officers were killed and abducted in their tens in Zamfara by the bandits. The situation is so bad that in two separate incidents, General Buhari’s in-law, and the district head of his village, were abducted by these marauders.

The situation got so bad that the governor of Katsina state, Aminu Bello Masari, decided to ‘negotiate’ with bandits and arranged a meeting to appeal to them!

In neighbouring Zamfara state, the governor also negotiated with them and signed a treaty with these groups, which led to their being granted amnesty. You cannot blame the man. Bello Matawalle has shown prudence in governing Zamfara, but his hands are tied. These bandits have overwhelmed the police and resisted the armed forces.

So, where you have armed groups killing Nigerian citizens as well as law enforcement officials, to the extent that constituted authorities have to sign peace treaties with them, what do you call that?

Is that not the textbook definition of war?

The truth is that Dr. Junaid’s echo chamber has prevented him from smelling the coffee. All around him right there in Kano, we have evidence of the civil war now gripping Nigeria, and he is warning that Amotekun will cause a civil war.

Amotekun will not cause any civil war. Quite the contrary, Amotekun will stop the civil war from spreading to the Southwest.

Let me ask Dr. Junaid and Nigerians what progress has been made in the investigation into the killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the second daughter of the Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti by suspected herdsmen?

Have those who killed her been apprehended? No. Yet, the Bola Tinubu, who paid a condolence visit to Pa Reuben Fasoranti and said her death was God’s will and nothing could be done to prevent it, has now released a fence-sitting statement

on Amotekun, which serves only to protect his well-known Presidential ambition.

Well, Tinubu was wrong. It is not true that nothing could have been done to stop it. Amotekun has been precisely set up to stop the people of the Southwest from being killed one by one, with nothing being said or done, just so that Tinubu can be President. In January of 2017, the United States Congress cited Nigeria as “the most dangerous place for Christians in the world”, bar none.

What has changed since then? Nothing. The only change is that things are now much worse! Just last week, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Rev. Lawan Andimi, was beheaded by Boko Haram!

What are we to do? Are we to all wait until Boko Haram beheads all of us and do nothing because we want to please the likes of Junaid Mohammed?

In 2012, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Movement, called Junaid Mohammed an “expired politician”. I did not know why he said that at that time. But after reading his interview in the Guardian last week, the penny dropped for me. Expired products are detrimental to the health of both nations and individuals.

General TY Danjuma, a man who knows Nigeria better than Junaid Mohammed, warned citizens to defend themselves in 2018. His exact words were: “You must rise to protect yourselves from these people, if you depend on the Arm Forces to protect you, you will all die!”

Last month, he again warned the nation, and specifically the Southwest, not to underestimate the insecurity in Nigeria, saying among other things that, “In Yorubaland, everybody seems to have lost their voice, scared. And people appear not to care about what is happening. If I tell you what I know that is happening in Nigeria today, you will no longer sleep.”

The Southwest has listened to him. They want to sleep, and Amotekun will make them sleep. And if Junaid wants to lose sleep over that, he can donate his bed to an Internally Displaced Person camp in Borno. I am sure one of the millions of IDPs from Nigeria’s war on terror will be glad to have a bed to sleep on.

Reno’s Nuggets

Money is like a chicken. To enjoy a chicken, don’t kill it.

Instead, feed it and it will lay eggs. When it does, don’t eat all the eggs laid. Eat 1 or 2. Let the remaining eggs hatch into chicks, then feed them too. When they mature, eat 1 chicken and repeat the processes and you will have both eggs and chicken to eat.

But, no matter how hungry you are, don’t eat the initial chicken before it starts laying eggs. If you eat the initial chicken, you will be full today, but hungry tomorrow and forever. Wait for the chicken to lay eggs. That initial wait may make you hungry today, but tomorrow and forever, you will be full. Invest your money. Spend your only your profits! #FreeLeahSharibu #RenosNuggets

POLITY

Now that Saraki is Begging Kwara Govt Ahmed Ibrahim

I

n late December, the Kwara State government reclaimed a piece of land bordering the civil service clinic in Ilorin, the state capital. The Government said the land originally belonged to it and was meant for construction of state secretariat but was unlawfully allocated to one Asa Investment Limited, a firm owned by the late strongman of Kwara politics Senator Olusola Saraki, in 2005 when his son, Bukola Saraki, was the Governor.

Bukola Saraki, until 2019 the all-in-all of Kwara politics, objected. He said the Governor had crossed the line of decency. He hauled so much invective on the Governor who Saraki insisted had declared a war. The Government, having reclaimed the land, moved to clear the sheds on it in readiness for its use. The Sarakites went on overdrive, with Bukola’s sister and a minister, Gbemisola, also aligning with her brother. Riding on their media influence, they sold the lie that the government actually demolished an old people’s home — one big lie that was meant to portray the government in bad light. There was nothing like old people’s home anywhere in Ilorin. That place had sheds and a small bungalow used to store

political goods for followers of Saraki, male, female, old or young. Nobody ever lived there. Well, the lie was deliberately told to whip up sentiment.

Bragging to possess all the documents to lay claim to the land, Sarakites headed for the court. Government focused on its own narratives: this was a public property illegally given to a private firm without a dime paid to the government or any document validating the acquisition. Every other thing was baseless sentiment. Suddenly we heard of a 29-man committee set up to resolve the matter instead of the court. Findings have shown that the committee, peopled by very prominent elders from Ilorin, was at the behest of the Sarakites who in fact mobilised the media to its inaugural meeting.

That meeting didn’t achieve anything, as many of the elders understood the enormity of the issues and the moral burden placed on them. They diplomatically turned down the assignment. How would they resolve the issue without asking the Governor to release public property to a family? What precedent would they be setting for a state that is a victim of misrule and in-your-face arrogance, and is in a dire need of breaking free from its dark years? Besides, social listening revealed clearly that nine in every 10 Kwarans are

opposed to the government releasing the land under whatever guise. Contrary to the grandstanding of the Sarakites, the Kwara public know the truth about the land.

Last Thursday, a story broke that the Sarakites have written to seek out of court settlement with the government on the issue. They said they were acting pursuant to the court’s advice that the parties should settle out of court. Maybe. What nobody has said is that, contrary to the public chestbeating by the Sarakites, the only document they have filed before the court is that notorious letter of allocation of June 2005.

What happened to the Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy that Sarakites said they have on the land? If they have those documents, why didn’t they file same before the court after all the law today is that you must front-load the documents with which you plan to prosecute your case? No surprises.

It is clear from the above that the balance of power in this case heavily tilts in favour of the government. The government not only has the legal basis and moral stamina to reclaim the land, what it did was the best for the state at this time. It is a warning to everyone that power is transient and should not be abused. It was an abuse of power for

Bukola to have allocated public land to his father at the height of their controversial reign. It is also clear that Bukola Saraki overreached himself with his letter of threat to the Governor, knowing fully well that he lacks the moral or legal basis to invoke the principle of reciprocity in this delicate matter.

My personal take, as a Kwaran, is that the so-called out of court settlement must never jeopardise the interest of the state. In view of the baseless lies they have told to the world, the government’s delegation must demand that Saraki withdraw his threat to the Governor and apologise for misleading the public about the existence of an aged people’s home on that land. Gbemisola must also be told to withdraw her horrible lies that old women were shot at by some imaginary mercenaries. That is because there is no shred of evidence to support that unGodly lie. If they do so, among whatever conditions the government may have, the family can then be allowed to apply for another land that they must pay for. That is provided they still need any land for their political gathering which that place served.

We can’t continue to allow anybody to hold the public in contempt in pursuit of their selfish agenda.

––Ahmed writes from Ilorin.

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

CELEBRATING BUKAR USMAN AT 77 PAGE 69

26.01.2020

THISDAY AT25 AND ON GOESTHE BEAT… John Legend in performance

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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ARTS & REVIEW\\THISDAY AT 25

AND ON GOES THE BEAT...

Grammy Awards-winning American soul singer and pianist John Legend, alongside Nigerian-French singer Asa, headlined last Monday's THISDAY at 25 awards night, writes Yinka Olatunbosun

"I

thank you all for being here and for joining us in reshaping the African stories,” Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman and Editor-inChief of the THISDAY Media Group, ARISE News Channel and Africa focused style and culture magazine ARISE Magazine, told the audience. “I thought in addition to the 1250 visionaries who co-founded THISDAY, I should recognise our friends in the house. May I introduce the man from Ikenne home of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who at 92 is here with us.” This elicited uproarious side-talks from the audience.

Also in the audience was the elegant model and a lover of African brands, Naomi Campbell with a few members of the Nigerian political elite and ex-diplomats. Among the latter was the former Secretary-General of The Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku. Of course, among the newspaper publishers were The Guardian’s Maiden Ibru and the oldest serving journalist in Nigeria and founder of Vanguard newspapers, Prince Sam Amuka-Pemu.

The THISDAY logo, carved in jaw-dropping shimmering backdrop at the Eko Convention Centre stage that Monday, January 20 evening, resonates with a tradition of glamorous music shows. For those who had been a part of this journey in its first 25 years, THISDAY has always been an unparalleled trendsetter with premium music shows that had paraded world-class artists such as Beyonce, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Ciara and a host of others. Over 1000 visionaries who travelled down this spasmodic path to greatness with THISDAY were celebrated alongside distinguished Nigerians and institutions who were honoured at THISDAY Awards 2020.

The red carpet was in itself like a hall of fame with a roll call of staff, past and present, as the backdrop. Promised to be a night of amazing performances, the air was stiff with a tinge of suspense overlaid with an aura of sophistication.

Meanwhile, some former staff in diaspora have been posting congratulatory messages on the various social media platforms while assigning current staff who were present at the venue to take pictures of their names as it appeared on the list. Interestingly, some have memorised their numbers on that list which has been fondly christened by staff at newsroom banter as “THISDAY Book of Life.”

Gracefully, Obaigbena sat on the stage after addressing the audience who came in through the tastefully decorated walk way lined with earthy flowers and moderately-dimmed lights.

Not that anyone had expected any lacklustre performance from that stage, where classic rock and roll songs as well as ballads from the 70s emitted to serenade the guests, many of whom had been charmed by the persuasive waiters. Cheese, broccoli, salmon and finger foods had sat well with some while others at the upper gallery relished a buffet of African cuisine.

Then came Asa, one of Nigeria's biggest music exports to Europe, based in France. Clad in her white regal, silky drape atop her black top and jeggings, she sauntered in like the diva that she embodies. Asa’s ability to transport her audience through an orgasmic series of performances was heightened with the back up instrumentation for the rock-textured performance of “Preacher Man". The spiritual essence of the song was transmogrified into an amorous sung-poetry with the suggestive lyrics in the hook, “Need You Now”. With her defining hit track, “Jailer", she garnered sing-alongs from the audience, albeit largely distracted by the edibles. Her cosmopolitan band members dished out the reggae flavour for the song to contrast her near-melancholic delivery of a song with strong warning lines, “Fire on the Mountain”.

To the ohs and ahs of many, one of the comperes for the night, Charles Aniagolu of ARISE TV announced the presence of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony (EGOT) as well as the Golden-Globe award-winning singer-songwriter, John Legend. Born John Roger Stephens, Legend has a legendary music and advocacy portfolio. For starters, Legend is the first black man to have won EGOT, that is all-four most prestigious awards in the television, music, film and theatre history in America. In 2019, he was named the People's Sexiest Man Alive. Also, Legend is a world-renowned feminist and a fearless voice in the “Mute R Kelly" movement what with his solidarity with the survivors of the two decades of sexual abuse of minors alleged against the famed R&B singersongwriter, Robert Kelly, otherwise known as R.Kelly. Legend is committed to the fight against HIV/ AIDS , global peace and social justice.

That night, Legend, though the ladies’ man thrilled the male fans too. A handful of his fans gathered at the foot of the stage with mobile phones and cameras as he belted out song of his greatest hits such as, “Tonight,” “Green Light,” his debut single, “Used to Love You" amongst other medley of hits.

Donning a black-and-white tuxedo piece, everything seemed complete on the set and he brought glory to the THISDAY award night even with the absence of his collaborator on the SELMA movie soundtrack, Common.

As he dropped the microphone to sit behind the imposing piano, someone in the audience whispered repeatedly, “Ordinary People,” and Legend let his fingers run over the keyboard to produce a teasing chime for the anticipating fans. The opening notes for “Ordinary People” just puttered in, and the audience cheered knowing that he had heard from crowd.

Of course, the moment everyone was waiting for was his performance of the 2013 worldwide love anthem, “All of Me.” Legend struck a deal with the fans by inviting them to sing the song with him.

“You sound so beautiful,” Legend said to his varied-voiced fans who had become his newly formed choristers.

Meanwhile, as the news of his performance surfaced on the social media, fans’ reactions ranged from excitement to anger. The Lagos fans thought Legend should have publicised his arrival in Nigeria like American rappers, Cardi B and Future. But Legend only came for an exclusive party for THISDAY visionaries and awardees. Legend, while performing, promised to return to Nigeria as he basked in the heat of the warm reception. “I need a company right now,” he said through his slightly-laboured breathing, causing the wild girls to scream. A volumptous lady with a tight-fitting, deep plunge short dress climbed the stage and spun around with Legend, sharing the spotlight with the music virtuoso on the livestreamed event. The 'wow' moment came when Legend knelt before the young lady.

Legend wrapped up his performance with, “Green Light" which proved to be a proverbial parting song with the fast-paced hook, “I’m ready to go right now.”

Definitely, he had to return in time for his pre-Grammy rehearsals and performance in the US. Legend’s seamless performance at THISDAY awards 2020 was a confetti of his cultured artistry, creative vocals, bewitching lyrics explored by an indefatigable show organiser.

ASA

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ARTS & REVIEW\\TRIBUTE

CELEBRATING BUKAR USMAN AT 77 Khalid Imam "Without commitment you never start, without consistency you never finish... ease is the greater threat to progress than hardship" (Denzel Washington, October, 2018).

A

ccording to Tony Buzan, the author of "Mind Map Mastery" and an acclaimed brilliant motivational speaker, "Everybody has the potential for genius."

Why? This is largely, as he would allude, because the human brain has the breathtaking capacity to mysteriously and meticulously work faster than a super computer.

It is not hard to comprehend that what Tony Buzan seems to emphasise here is the fact that no one, yes, no individual, no matter one’s exceptional brilliance, has the complete monopoly of genius; and that accomplishment is also not a medal strictly reserved for the special ones or the few gifted minds one is stunningly marvelled by their seemingly remarkable superhuman exploits.

To properly comprehend Tony Buzan's thesis, one needs to clearly appreciate that everyone blessed with a healthy brain and stable mind has equal potential to display uncommon genius and/or marvellous success. Sure, it is not difficult to believe that the road to harness one's full potential to genius or achieve outstanding accomplishment is to discover oneself. This is to say, in life, self - awareness, more than any other thing, is one very critical success pathway - a smooth pathway leading one to the palace of brilliance and success. Therefore, there is no gainsaying the fact that self - awareness is one very fundamental life - changing factor that helps even animals to live a life of great genius and fascination. No close observer of the animals' distinct and wonderful lives would fail to be amazed by the great talent, wit and genius they often display while hunting for games or building a shelter against any harm visiting them.

For instance, even one with a faint knowledge of life in the animal kingdom can't fail to understand that the eagle is a very unique and most powerful bird for its sharp sight and great focus. From far distance, the eagle can spot a swimming fish inside the sea, and within a blink it would

Dr. Usman swoop and have it for lunch. A lion, although not the wisest or the biggest animal, still rules the animal kingdom for its unmatched bravery, uncommon discipline and exemplary attitude. A lion is fully aware of itself as the king in the jungle hence it only goes for a kill when hungry. This attitude and sense of pride earns the lion respect from all. The ants tiny as they are, are blessed with diligence and outstanding organisational capacity to slowly but steadily move a mountain while the tortoise and the fox often regarded as the most cunning if not the wisest animals too do demonstrate uncommon behaviours for humans to learn.

Even though, it is common knowledge that animals are not so endowed with super brain and other traits like humans, a careful study of their wonderful and mysterious lives stresses that all animals are aware of their special endowments, unique qualities and distinctive ways of life. Unarguably, a close observation at animals and their fascinating lives would help the wise among humans to easily discover oneself. To stress, one who discovers oneself is one whose understanding of oneself is like a rudder in the canoe of one's life. And since the human mind,

according to Tony Buzan, is broadly divided into two, the self-realised person is one whose brain is functionally at work, allowing its logical left side and its critical right side to be the captain of one's life. Therefore, it is important to admit that mind mapping helps one to sail through the sea of life because a mind properly mapped is like a train on a track.

This long background, if anything, invites the reader looking for one individual whose well mapped mind has succeeded in helping him to have his eyes on the long game of life as a role model, one should be happy to have my mentor, Dr. Bukar Usman. To be a person worthy of becoming a true leader or a mentor to a generation of young people, as Hillary Clinton would say, one must avoid persons notoriously known for dishing out "outright lies and incoherent dangerous ideas," or one struggling with "personal feuds". For sure, as Hillary Clinton would have re-echoed, an outright liar or intolerant snake ready to strike is not someone everyone in his right senses should trust or accept as a president, a captain or a mentor. And if one with adequate knowledge, stability of mind, great sense of direction and full understanding of all the responsibilities leadership places on him being

an elder statesman or a leader, is the readymade choice for a captain or a leader, for sure, my mentor, Dr. Bukar Usman, the president of the Dr. Bukar Usman Foundation who is also the president of the Nigerian Folklore Society is the perfect choice.

Dr. Bukar Usman, who turns 77 years last December, is a retired federal permanent secretary who served at the presidency with distinction largely for his selflessness and great love of his country. This well experienced administrator and soft-spoken septuagenarian son of Biu, a northeast ancient town in Borno state, has all the attributes of an eagle for his foresightedness and focus. He has the discipline and organisational prowess of an ant considering the remarkable success he, as a writer of over thirty books and the many lives his foundation has touched within its short lifespan. One would say Dr. Bukar Usman is an excellent model to emulate for anyone in search for a mentor who will be a guide teaching one to be diligent and to believe in oneself.

Soon after his retirement in 1999, he mind-mapped his way, and against all lures to derail him, he remains steady and dogged, resulting in bumper harvest of dozens of books from him. The books he authored cover topics such as history, culture, literature, security, media, international relations, African regional politics, national integration and good governance.

In short, Denzel Washington's perfect description of the path to success quoted in the epigraph to this piece aptly describes Dr. Bukar Usman. Here is a man who working with a handful of dedicated staff and resourceful research assistants, demonstrates that "without commitment you never start and without consistency you never finish."

True, his commitment and consistency helped to give birth to dozens and volumes of groundbreaking published well - researched books that only serious universities or research centers can produce.

Here is a man whose old age has not hindered him from pursuing his mappedout goals and achieving excellence simply because of his firm belief that "ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship." While rejoicing with my mentor, Dr. Bukar Usman, I pray to Allah to continue to strengthen him.

Oh Dr. Bukar Usman, may you age with grace as you enjoy your 77th birthday in good health.

––Khalid Imam, a teacher, a poet and the coordinator of All Poets Network, writes from Kano.

ENCOUNTER

THE CREATIVE FUSION OF SAMUEL KUGBIYI Solomon Obi

R

ight from his early formative years, Samuel Kugbiyi have always had an inclination for the arts. The 30-year-old Kogi State-born creative has always believed that arts and entertainment can influence culture and change the world.

His fascination for action movies and action characters such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal and superhero characters like Spiderman, Batman (whom he believed was more than a genius for achieving so much despite not having any superpowers), propelled him to take up acting at the early age of 7 during his primary school days.

This move was met with great admiration from his classmates, family, and friends, who loved his performances. It did not take long for his school to notice his talent, allowing him to express himself more. “I had my first big career exposure in primary 5, when my class went to present a drama on family and domestic issues at NTA Ilorin,” he recalls. To him, this was a great experience as he received favorable commendations from the staff at NTA Ilorin for his brilliant performance.

Another life-changing experience hap-

pened when he was in primary 6. His teacher gave a task to his class, mandating each student to get a gift for another, in preparation for the Valentine’s Day. In his words, he did not have much money on him to buy cards, so he decided to make handmade cards.

At the end of the exercise, his teacher called him out with five other boys because their works were the best. His teacher describing them, made some encouraging remarks which he holds dear till today . “These are the billionaires of their generation,” the teacher had said.

Over the years, he engaged in multiple endeavours to hone his skills in singing, writing, comedy and especially acting. This led to him achieving moderate success like becoming a choir conductor in his Catholic school in his second year in junior secondary school. He also wrote a hit novel with just 60 and 40 leaves exercise books that went viral in multiple schools and starting a comedy series.

But the icing on the cake for Kugbiyi was always acting. “I always knew I had a flair for acting and I realised during my NYSC that the entertainment industry has the potential to influence how people think and change cultures.”

The artist soon realised there was a need to create valuable content for entertainment, which eventually become part of the audience’s lifestyle. “I believe that God has given me the power to influence my generation and

it is up to me to use it for good or bad,” he said.

This realisation prompted him to create his own production company, SAK Productions but this feat did not come cheap to him, after several unsuccessful acting auditions and unyielding attempts at music. He then decided to create his own platform.

So far all seems to be heading in the right direction with three successful staged shows with the premiere play Tafiya Lafiya. Drawing inspiration from his greatest influence Tyler Perry, who he sees as a great visionary, he is assured that the best is yet to come and he only hopes to do better. “My desire is that SAK Production will influence fashion, music, people and be a force to be reckoned with in this generation.”

He could indeed be called a lone ranger, because he never really relied on the support of others to thrive. Yet, he deeply enjoys the support of his family, whose moral support he remains thankful for.

Kugbiyi hopes to tell more African stories to the world and showcase her rich culture, stage more plays, try his hand in short films, television series and own a magnificent production studio that will in the times to come would train the future generations, get more awards, nominations and leave a lasting legacy that will stand in the sands of times.

He currently resides in Abuja and he is happily married.

––Obi writes from Abuja.

Kugbiyi

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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CICERO

Editor:Olawale Olaleye Email:wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

Amotekun: When an Idea Assumes a Life of Its The Western Nigeria Security Network code-named ‘Operation Amotekun’ is just another idea, whose time has come, reckons Samuel Ajayi

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t a point, it was always a nightmare for people to do interstate commuting in the South Western part of the country. Traveling from Lagos to Osun, Ondo or Ekiti State would leave people with their hearts in their mouths. And the reason was not far-fetched: the fear of kidnapping and killing by marauding criminals, suspected to be herdsmen seemed to be the beginning of wisdom.

Mid last year, July 12, to be precise, Funke Olakunri, one of the daughters of Chief Reuben Fasoranti, a foremost leader of the Yoruba, and former commissioner in old Ondo State, was killed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

Till today, no one has been brought to book.

There have been other killings and abductions like that of the son of a former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. And still fresh in mind was the kidnapping of a former Minister of Finance and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae. One can go on and on.

It was therefore a major political as well as strategic masterstroke, when governors of the South-west states came up with the idea of the Operation Amotekun, a security initiative that was the brainchild of Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, his Ondo State counterpart, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, as well as that of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.

The idea was to bridge the gap between the job of conventional policing and security realities on the ground in the Southwest.

Akeredolu Credit be given to these governors, they have committed so much to the project in terms of logistics and manpower. When the initiative was launched on Tuesday January 7, there were already on the ground over a hundred and twenty operational vehicles as well as thousands of personnel who had been recruited.

It must be noted, however, that three of the Southwest governors – Lagos, Ogun and Osun – were not present at the launching of the security initiative, which fuelled suspicions that the initiative might be frustrated to the point of being abandoned.

But that does not seem to be the case going by the way people of the region as well as other regions especially, the Southeast and South-south, had bought into the idea. This has reinforced the thinking that ‘Operation Amotekun’ is perhaps an idea, whose time has come.

Prior to the launch, governors in the zone, who had hitherto been seen as trying to be politically correct by aligning with Abuja on critical issues, were put on their toes by the cries from the people of the zone, who wanted them to something about the security situation in the region.

The Agbekoya, a group of cultural as well as farming groups in the Southwest, had said they were waiting for the governors to request for personnel for the security outfit.

Also, leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, had also said late last year that his group was waiting for the governors so they could know the number they would contribute to the joint security outfit.

His words: “The present stage is that the group is awaiting the response of the governors so that we can know the number of personnel needed.”

Kayode Samuel, a former commissioner for information in Ogun State during the Gbenga Daniel administration, has this to say about the Amotekun Initiative: “The Yoruba say, bi iya o ba ti kari, kii to ko (when injustice has not been felt across, then, the time to act may not have come). That, perhaps, is the basis of the near unanimity amongst the Yoruba on the Amotekun initiative.

The Governors showed leadership by supporting the thinking process that was set off by the Dawn Commission.

The affront that banditry represented had reached every part of Yorubaland, so, no one needed to be preached to that it was time to act.”

Beyond politics, virtually every cultural and political leader in the region has thrown his or her weight behind the security initiative.

However, the initial stoic silence of a national leader of the ruling APC and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, had been a cause for concern with many insinuating that he was against the initiative for political reasons.

Besides, it was believed that it was no accident that three governors, believed to be his loyalists, did not attend the launch. But Tinubu, on Wednesday, last week, broke his silence on the initiative. Curiously, he was neither here nor there.

“The regional approach may undermine efficiency. There is no compelling logic why the same personnel providing security and informational assistance in Ado-Ekiti should be under the same functional and operational leadership as those providing assistance in Lekki or Akure.

“This will not lead to optimal leadership. The regional approach has only limited benefit with regard to the procure-

ment and maintenance of vehicles and communications equipment, because this vendor approach allows for economy of scale.”

On the other hand, he blamed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for declaring the initiative unconstitutional. He also said he should have called the governors for a meeting instead of condemning the initiative.

No matter what, the unprecedented consensus about Operation Amotekun among the Yoruba is an indication that it is an idea whose time has come. In fact, those who are against it could not voice it out. And no matter what, the governors deserve huge pat on the back.

Is the Amotekun idea all about politics? Maybe, but it is one that is being played with utmost patriotism. That is why the birth of Operation Amotekun has re-energised the call for a national conversation on the need for restructuring.

Ironically, this used to be the national anthem of key figures of the ruling party including Tinubu, when they were in opposition, but which they jettisoned when they got into power.

Amotekun seems to have suddenly re-opened the need for restructuring especially, with the Southeast and Southsouth mooting their own security outfit, whilst the North’s aversion to the idea has further heightened the belief that perhaps, Amotekun would serve as a catalyst for restructuring of the country.

Above all, with the successful outcome of Thursday’s meeting of the Southwest governors with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Malami, not only is Amotekun an idea, whose time has come, the initiative has finally come to stay.

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

Imo: Why PDP Must Seek a Review

S Ihedioha

ince the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, January 14, sacked former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, public reactions to the shocking the news has not abated. This, no doubt, informed the recent protests staged in the state and others in solidarity.

Importantly, however, was the call for a review of the case by stakeholders, who held that the judgment handed down by the apex court, was faulty on all counts. Although there are those, who had argued on whether or not the Supreme Court could review let alone reverse self, the example below suffices.

The late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, delivering the lead judgment in Adegoke Motors Ltd. v. Adesanya [1989] 13 NWLR (Pt.109) 250 at page 275A, considered the powers of the Supreme Court (as the final Court in the land) to review its earlier decisions.

“We are final not, because we are infallible, rather, we are infallible,

because we are final. Justices of this Court are human beings, capable of erring. It will certainly be shortsighted arrogance not to accept this obvious truth. It is also true that this Court can do inestimable good through its wise decisions.

“Similarly, the Court can do incalculable harm through its mistakes. When, therefore, it appears to learned counsel that any decision of this Court has been given per incuriam, such counsel should have the boldness and courage to ask that such a decision be overruled. This Court has the power to overrule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to persevere in error.”

The Imo governorship debacle, therefore, presents an opportunity to strengthen the constitution of the land as well as the justice system.

This is why the leadership of the opposition PDP and Ihedioha must, for the love of the country push for a review and as soon as possible.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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BRIEFINGNOTES …And Andimi Paid the Supreme Price Last week’s killing of Rev. Lawan Andimi, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Adamawa State, by the Boko Haram sect, has further exposed the need for a new and different approach to the security of the land, writes John Shiklam

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he news of the killing of Rev. LawanAndimi, Chairman of the ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika Local GovernmentArea ofAdamawa State, by Boko Haram insurgents, on Monday has since been greeted with outrage and condemnation across the board.

He was beheaded on Monday by the beastly terrorists and his killing was announced at a news conference by theAdamawa State chairman of CAN, Bishop Dami Mamza, in Yola on Tuesday.

Mamza said the insurgents had demanded for £200 million, rejecting the ransom of N50 million that was offered to them.

“Negations were still ongoing when they stopped calling. They were offered N50 million but they rejected it. They called his wife last week, informing her that they will be beheading him on Saturday (January 18) but somehow, they waited till Monday (January 20),” reports quoted Mamza as saying.

The CAN chairman also dismissed claims by security agencies, especially, the military that Boko Haram had been defeated, urging the federal government to tell Nigerians the truth.

He lamented the constant attacks on Christians in the country, citing the killing of Pastor Dennis Bagauri of the Lutheran Church in Mayo-Belwa,Adamawa State, by suspected kidnappers on Sunday.

Andimi’s murder is just one of the many horrific and barbaric killings being unleashed on Nigerians by the insurgents in the North East and armed bandits across the country.

On Christmas Eve, a faction of Boko Haram affiliated to the Islamic State (IS), killed 11 Christian abducted in Borno State, claiming that the killing of the Christians was done to avenge the deaths of the IS leader,Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and its spokesman,Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir, who were killed in Syria in October, 2019.

The Islamic State in WestAfrica Province (ISWAP) had earlier killed four abducted aid workers of theActionAgainst Hunger, an international non-government organisation.

While in captivity,Andimi had, in a video clip that went viral on the social media, appealed to theAdamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, to rescue him. “...I am appealing to fellow reverends particularly my President, Rev. Joel Billy, who is a strong man of love that he will do his best to speak with our governor and other necessary agents for my release...

“By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife, children, and colleagues and if the opportunity has not been granted, then, maybe it is the will of God. “All well-wishers and colleagues should be patient. Don’t cry, don’t worry but thank God for everything,”Andimi said in the video.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, by his Senior SpecialAssistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, condemned the killing and described it as cruel, inhuman and deliberately provocative.

He said the terrorists killed the clergyman while indicating their willingness to set him free by releasing him to third parties.

Condoling with the Christian community all over Nigeria, the government and people ofAdamawa State as well as the family of the deceased, Buhari said the terrorists would continue to pay a heavy price for their actions, as they would eventually be defeated.

He appealed to nations supporting the Boko Haram and the Islamic States in WestAfrica (ISWA) terrorist groups, whose only goal was to sow death, violence, and destruction in the sub-region, to end such support.

Also, in its reaction the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), described the killing as barbaric.

Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, in a statement in Jos, the state capital, said the forum remained united in supporting security agencies to put terrorism and all forms of criminality that threaten the unity of the country

Andimi along ethnic, religious or political lines in check.

President of CAN, Rev. SamsonAyokunle, said the leadership of the association and the Nigerian Church are deeply saddened with the gruesome murder ofAndimi.

The CAN President, in a statement, recalled the passionate appeal by the deceased to the leadership of his church and the federal government to come to his rescue.

He said the Church did everything within her power to secure the safe release of the pastor but it was not possible, because the church does not have the military power to do so.

“The church views the unabated kidnappings, extortions and killings of Christians and innocent Nigerians as shameful to the government, that each time it boasts that it has conquered Boko Haram.

“It is reprehensible and saddening that each time the government comes out to claim the defeat of the insurgency, more killings of our people are committed,” said CAN. He stated further that, “In the light of the current developments and the circumstantial facts surrounding the prevailing upsurge of attacks against the church, it will be difficult for us to believe that the federal government under President Buhari is not colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians in Nigeria bearing in mind the very questionable leadership of the security sector that has been skewed towards a religion and region.

“Is that lopsidedness not a cover up for the operation of the insurgency? If not, why couldn’t the well equipped security agents of Nigeria get this man rescued?”

CAN therefore called on federal government to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu and other victims in the Boko Haram and ISWAP captivity before it is too late.

In its reaction, the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for IslamicAffairs (NSCIA), condemned the killing of the pastor.

Head of Media and Communication of NSCIA,Aselemi Ibrahim, in a statement inAbuja, said the Islamic body was shocked over news of the killing ofAndimi.

“We condemn it in the strongest terms. It is barbaric, provocative and a flagship example of man’s inhumanity to man. The Council believes that Boko Haram is trying to make the country ungovern-

able and to incite Christians against Muslims in Nigeria.

“The Council hereby expresses her heart-felt condolences to the immediate family ofAndimi in particular and the leadership and members of the CAN, in general,” the statement said.

NSCIAurged CAN to be wary of the comments and statements it puts out in the public domain, so as not to play into the antics of the enemy.

“We should think through and be sure that our comments are in the interest of national peace, security and cohesion. We want to state unequivocally that we are committed to a united Nigeria, where everyone is protected and free to practice his/her religion without any encumbrances,” the Islamic body said.

It also called on the federal government and the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities of protection of lives and property.

Rev. Joseph Hayab, Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of CAN, in his comments, urged the federal government to take urgent and decisive action against the Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal elements that are making life unbearable for Nigerians.

He said the usual condemnation of these killings by government without any concrete action was not enough, adding that the news of the killing ofAndimi by Boko Haram has added to the sorrows, pains and suffering that the Church was facing in Northern Nigeria.

“This sad news is coming just a day after our dear President Buhari met with the British Prime Minister. What other evidence do those in authorities in Nigeria want from us to convince them that our members, pastors and fellow citizens are no longer safe?

“We have said condemnation of atrocities without any concrete action is not good enough. What we are hearing and seeing is increase in fear by our people. How do you expect a person living in fear to do something meaningful for himself and his country? We are praying for divine intervention since no one knows who is the next target,” Hayab said.

The killing ofAndimi has brought to the front burner the compelling need for states adopt strategies to protect the lives and property of their citizens, a responsibility the constitution places directly on the shoulders of the governors.

This is however imperative considering the increasing security challenges, occasioned by kidnappings, armed robbery and banditry across the country.

While criminals go about unleashing mayhem on the people with sophisticated weapons, security operatives go about arresting people, who are in possession of ordinary machetes and Dane gun in the name of recovering weapons.

It is the responsibility of states to protect and ensure the security of their citizens. If theAdamawa State government had initiated strategies to protect its citizens,Andimi would not have been abducted the way the terrorists did.

Unfortunately, even when communities adopt strategies to protect themselves, security agencies undermine them by arresting them for being in possession machetes and Dane guns while bandits, who carry sophisticated weapons go about with their deadly activities.

The security agencies have been doing their best, but they seemed to be overstretched and ill equipped, given the size and population of the country.

Governors of the Southwest have taken the bull by the horns by establishing a joint security outfit known as operationAmotekun, which many Nigerians see as the solution to insecurity, while others including the federal government are opposed to it.

The federal government must, in fact, stop seeing things from a parochial point of view and start looking at the larger picture about the security situation.

Security is a direct responsibility of state governors. The killing of Andimi should open end the controversy trailing the security outfit by the Southwest governors for the commencement of engaging discussions on the way forward.

NOTES FOR FILE

Coronavirus: Nothing Should Be Taken for Granted!

Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health

The federal government has since last week issued an alert about Coronavirus, a new viral infection currently threatening the health of the global social unit.

Coronavirus causes diseases in mammals and birds, including diarrhea in cows and pigs, and upper respiratory disease in chickens.

In humans, however, it causes rare but potentially lethal respiratory infections, although these are said to be mild, often. Yet, there are no vaccines or antiviral drugs that have been approved for prevention or treatment of it.

As a result, one of the ways to protect oneself has been identified as reducing the risk of infection by washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands and avoiding close contact with sick people.

To protect others especially, if one has cold-like symptoms, one of the first options is staying at home while sick, avoiding close contact with

others, covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when one coughs or sneezes, and then, throwing the tissue in the trash while washing one’s hands as well as cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces It’s important to note that there are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by human coronaviruses. But often, a lot of people with the illness are seen to recover without going through any treatment. Yet, certain things can be done to relieve your symptoms This includes taking pain and fever medications; using a room humidifier or taking a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough.

And for those that are mildly sick, they should drink plenty of liquids and stay at home to rest. Yet, for those concerned about their symptoms, it’s okay to see their healthcare provider.

Importantly, it’s instructive not to take anything for granted. With swirling lassa fever and cholera outbreaks in some parts of the country, it’s pertinent that everyone pays worthy attention to Coronavirus.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

CICERO/REPORT

Edo 2020: Can Obaseki Scale the Hurdles?

With the state of things in the Edo APC, it is yet to be seen how Governor Godwin Obaseki of the state plans to subdue opposition within to clinch the party’s ticket ahead of this years gubernatorial election, reports Adibe Emenyonu

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t is no longer news that the crisis in the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) is as a result of who occupies the Dennis Osadebey Avenue, the seat of power in the state.

Incidentally, the real fight is not between the two rival parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling APC. Rather, it is internal amongst top-notch members of the APC, which has since polarised the party.

Prominent among the gladiators is the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, while other members had also taken sides.

Already, three aspirants have lined up to take the governorship job from Obaseki. The first to indicate his interest is General Charles Airhiavbere.

There is the former deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, and, of course, Dr. Chris Ogiamwonyi.

All the three contested the ticket with Obaseki in 2016.

They are back in the trenches with the governor in a fiercer battle than they did four years ago.

Then, Obaseki was at advantage, because he had the backing of Oshiomhole, who even after imposing him on the party, also took him around the state for campaigns against the formidable Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, then candidate of the PDP but now back in APC. Unfortunately, today, the reverse is the case, because the pendulum is no longer swinging favourably towards the direction of Obaseki, having fallen out with his benefactor.

Due to the friction and bad blood between the godfather and the godson, the once acclaimed political mentor now prefer one of the three in place of his former protégé.

It is in recognition of this fact that Obaseki is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that he emerges candidate of the party against all odds.

First, the governor at every forum has said it categorically that his second term was not negotiable. At a meeting with Edo indigenes in Lagos, Obaseki said his focus was not on his reelection, because God has assured him of victory due to his achievements and commitment to serve the people of the state better.

The governor, who said his energy was geared towards developing the economy of Edo State, with the aim of making it the most prosperous in Nigeria in the next 30 years, added that before now, the state was bedeviled with lack of visionary leadership and shortage of resources.

Again, speaking when he received members of the Benin Unity League at Government House, Benin City recently, the governor reiterated that for him, second term is non-negotiable.

“I have said it clearly and I told my cabinet that second term for me is non-negotiable. I am demanding it, because I deserve it and I think I have earned it. We need to have it so we can continue what we are doing today,” he said.

Making a subtle reference to his estranged godfather, he said no individual can determine, who will become governor, adding that only God and the people can make the decision.

“I want to assure you that, this is a fight that we will prevail. We will fight and succeed. If anybody thinks I will back out, he must be daydreaming, because it is not my fight, it is about fight for the right thing and cause. I am not going to back off, because I know victory is sure.”

Continuing, Obaseki said nobody had accused him of implementing a wrong policy, adding that the accusations had been about not focusing on stomach infrastructure.

What may have given the Obaseki so much confidence is yet to be seen but one thing is clear and that is that there will be party ticket before the general election between contending party flag bearers. In the light of this, a lot of questions come to mind. One is how does he intend to win in a party that is so divided? As it is, APC even to the blind is divided. Will there be reconciliation before the party primaries is conducted? If there is no coming together of the warring faction, how does he intend to carry? Will he conduct a parallel Congress and if he did, which faction will the National leadership of the party recognize?

The answers to the above questions are probably a parallel congress. To achieve this, his faction led by Anselm Ojezua had set up a

39-man committee on January 4 for membership mobilisation Inaugurating the committee headed by a former member of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen. Ojezua charged them to embark on serious membership drive.

He named terms of reference for the committee to include serious membership drive, to identify and interact with notable persons across the state, who has shown genuine interest to join the party, and to develop a programme of action to receive them at all levels of engagements from the ward, local government and state level.

In addition to this is the endorsement by members before the actual primary election to elect the party candidate.

Another question begging for answer is what does he intend to do when he has categorically said Oshiomhole as the National chairman of the party has been suspended by his factional APC? With these pronouncements, it means whatever comes from that axis will not be recognised and accepted. And should this happen and Oshiomhole remained to preside over the affairs of the party, will he be pushed to defect to another political party to actualise his second term ambition with his acclaimed popularity among people of the state, who enjoy his policies and people oriented programmes?

Even more worrisome is the governor’s open romance with members of the opposition PDP to the extent that they appear to be the ones endorsing him for second term when in fact, their party has an array of aspirants lined up to contest in the primaries coming up in March this year.

The latest is the endorsement by Senator Daisy Danjuma, apart from the earlier backing by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin and Chief Tom Ikimi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, all of who are staunch members of the PDP. This has thus fueled speculations that the governor has since jumped ship and was merely waiting for an auspicious occasion to make a public and formal declaration for the PDP. But those who want his job appeared unperturbed. To demonstrate their resolve to deny themselves the ticket, the group of Dr. Pius Odubu, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere and Dr. Chris Ogiemwonyi last week held a press briefing.

In the briefing, Dr. Odubu, who spoke on behalf of others including their supporters, condemned what they described as needless crisis that had engulfed the party since the middle of 2018, and blamed it on the deliberate alienation of party leaders and members by Governor Obaseki, which they claimed they worked hard to install in 2016 through the wishes of Edo people.

Odubu, noted that the orgy of politically motivated violence, which swept through the state, during the period and targeted members of the party with opposing views from the state government, coupled with the attacks on the person of Oshiomhole and others perceived as threats to the second term ambition of Governor Obaseki, negated their collective desire for a party that is stable, virile and viable.

He argued that the inability of elected members of the legislative arm, all on the platform of the APC, to perform their responsibility of lawmaking for which they were elected since June 2019 is, “unprecedented and does not represent the progressive character of Edo people”.

The former deputy governor of Edo State, disclosed that the four of them and their supporters had passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the party at the state and national level, led by Col. David Imuse (rtd.), and Oshiomhole respectively.

They also commended the traditional institution in the state led by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, who took various steps to promote peace and unity while expressing their gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and other National leaders of the party for their insistence on party supremacy”. They also supported the party’s National Reconciliation Committee headed by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawn, which Obaseki has discredited as being partisanship but will only support the one led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Obaseki...can he see this through

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

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CICERO/REPORT

A Long Road to Peace in Rivers APC Concerned members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, last weekend, met in Port Harcourt, the state capital to deliberate on how to bring peace to the party. But their efforts appeared to be filled with landmines, writes Ernest Chinwo

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fforts by some stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State to reconcile the two major factions of the party appear doomed as the divisions in the party seems deeper than expected.

Last Sunday, the stakeholders, made up of former elected and appointed officers of the party, met at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt to begin talks on how to return peace to the party.

The party lost out completely in the 2019 general election due to internal wrangling as the Supreme Court declared that it could not field any candidate since it did not hold any congresses as required by law.

Efforts by one faction of the party to adopt the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) did not yield any positive results.

And after the elections, the party has still not found its footing as it continues to grapple with factions led by former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amachi, and the immediate past representative of Rivers South East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe. At the peace meeting in Hotel Presidential, the stakeholders expressed sadness that despite losing the right to field any candidate in the last general election, the party was still on the track of making more mistakes.

In attendance at the meeting were former members of the National Assembly, former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and former political appointees.

Convener of the meeting and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emmanuel Deeya, in his opening remarks, dismissed insinuations that they were being sponsored by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

Deeyah stated that the only way forward for the APC in the state was for the leaders of the party to go into dialogue first before talking about organising congress.

He said the caretaker committee set up by the national leadership of the party was unconstitutional as former elected lawmakers and political appointees were statutory members of the State Executive Council of the party.

Also addressing the stakeholders before they went into a closed session, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Igo Aguma, expressed regrets that there were efforts by some APC members in the state to scuttle moves to return peace to the party.

Aguma said: “The invitation to this meeting clearly stated that it is not a formal meeting of APC members.

The invitation cut across both factions of the APC in Rivers State.

“As conveners of this meeting, we have been trying our best to see how we can bring both factions of the party together. But, we are receiving the greatest uncooperation from our members, including the elders.”

Aguma said he went to court to stop the caretaker committee set up by the national secretariat of the party, because the party was threading the same path that led to the disqualification of the congresses of the party in 2019.

He said former elected National and State Assembly members as well as appointed officials of government were automatic members of the state executive of the party and the national secretariat was excluding them from the state executive.

“This is unacceptable and can be challenged tomorrow and that will return the party to the same fate it suffered in 2019,” he said.

Another former member of the House of Representatives representing Ikwerre Federal Constituency, Hon. Chidi Wihioka, was more direct in his submission, when he said the party, both in the state and at national levels, has not learnt from its mistakes.

“Generally, after the general election like this, the party ought to sit down, put everything together and members ask themselves questions. How did we fare in this last election, did we do well or not, and what are the problems we faced?

“We are human beings, was the problem caused by us or it was a slight mistake in the process of our planning or what? Nobody asked. And because they don’t ask these questions, this problem continues from one state to the other.

“Today, it is happening in Edo. Nobody is asking questions. Edo will finish; it will go to another state.

Until the party is able to sit down and members tell themselves the truth. And what is the truth? The truth is that the leadership of APC at the national level is

Amaechi and Abe.. worshipping money. If not, most of the things that happened to APC would not have happened.”

In the state, he blamed the crisis on the Leader of the Party, Amaechi, and the perception of the National Working Committee of the leader.

“In Rivers State, they believe that Chibuike Amaechi, Minister of transportation is the owner of even the air we breathe in Rivers State, which of course is not true.

Nobody at the national has come out to say, my friend, you are wrong. So those that are backing him don’t know that in terms of followership in Rivers State, he has nobody.

“Those hanging around him today are hanging around him, because they believe he has enough money.

So, they thought there is no job and there is no income, so they now believe that the only way they can get their problems solved is to hang around him and agree with him in everything he says, whether it’s true or not.”

But shortly after the open speeches the meeting went into a closed session and that was where the bubble burst. Tempers flared and there were nearly fisticuff between supporters of Amaechi and Abe. While the conveners of the meeting were able to restore calm and adjourn the meeting, the bad blood generated in the arguments lingered.

Addressing journalists after the deadlock, Deeya said the gathering was only an exploratory meeting and that considering the issues and personalities involved, there would be need for more meetings before a consensus would be reached.

But while he tried to play down the enormity of the disagreements, a chieftain of the party and former Commissioner for Agriculture under Amaechi, Emma Chinda, insisted that the meeting was neither in the interest of his former boss nor Abe. In a telephone interview, Chinda explained that the meeting was suddenly turned to a platform to insult Amaechi, pointing out that the argument became heated, because those in Amaechi’s faction of the party made moves to stop those trying to insult the leader of

the party in the state.

“The noise and argument you heard in the meeting today was because we do not believe in some of the positions being canvassed in the meeting. The positions being canvassed there will not serve the interest of those who they say are with the leader of the party (Chibuike Amaechi), which I am one. It does not serve the interest of those who they say are with Senator Magnus Abe. “Only those who convened the meeting will tell us the interest, which this meeting is to serve. Some of us said if they want to make peace in the party, the National Secretariat of the party must be a critical stakeholder, the leader of the party in the State (Amaechi) and Senator Magnus Abe must be a critical stakeholder.

“Suddenly, some people turned it to a meeting to insult the leader of the party, then we had to ask them to stop.

I joined them, but I cannot continue with such meeting again, because it cannot bring peace in anyway.

“Probably, the other thing that the conveners of the meeting need to tell us is who is behind this meeting financially; who is funding it? We are holding meeting at Presidential Hotel and those who are convening the meeting are staying in Presidential Hotel. Who is this person that is spending his money to bring peace in APC? “I am sure it is not Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi; I am sure it is not Senator Magnus Abe. They need to tell us who is funding this so-called peace in our party. So, some of us had to go there to try to put this position straight,” Chinda added.

He said though the party at the state level was desirous of peace, members should know the sponsors of such peace meetings.

But while the conveners of the meeting and indeed other stakeholders might make further moves to bring peace into the party, the road to peace is surely a long one, filled with landmines. It is therefore hoped that the APC would put its acts together and provide credible opposition in the state, given the present dispensation.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020 2019

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CICERO/TRIBUTE

Akande’s Leadership and His Strength of Convictions At 81, former Osun State governor, Chief Bisi AKande, remains an abiding lesson in leadership, writes Semiu Okanlawon

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or three good hours, last week, I sat at the lunch table with former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief AbdulKareem Adebisi Akande, at his country home, Ila in Osun.

Of course, it could not have been the lunch that kept us glued to the table for so long in company with many other eminent political figures, strategists and associates many of who had been part of Akande’s life for about four decades.

It was the occasion of his 81st birthday. And as usual, it was another day for political heavyweights to stream in to make the day a memorable one for this octogenarian Nigerian politician, whose place within the polity has remained revered.

As I sat with Baba, my mind flashed back to last year, when he turned 80. A much elderly friend of mine, who is based in the United Kingdom, Mr. Aderemi Idowu, had penned a piece titled “Akande: The Master Strategist is 80”.

In that piece, Idowu had brought out those attributes of selflessness, conviction and others, which should be the hallmarks of leadership.

How could a man who was a victim of General Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘wickedness’ be advocating for the man, who incarcerated him to become the president of Nigeria?

Quoting from the piece then, Idowu had written, “Akande’s fascination to Muhammadu Buhari becoming a civilian president was shared with me as far back as 2007 in London during one of our discussions. He said he would have preferred Buhari as the candidate of our party then, the Action Congress, but for those who were milling around the General and using him solely for their own selfish agenda. That revelation, to me, then was shocking.

“Buhari, why Buhari, the man, who incarcerated you for months? My instant reaction to him was, Buhari, a retired military dictator? Why Buhari? The rest is now history.

I am part of that history telling as I have written two whole books in support of this former military dictator, who is now a full-fledged Democrat. The takeaway of that encounter is: some people would sacrifice their personal loss and pain for the collective good of their country. That is Chief Bisi Akande for you.”

Idowu is not a die-hard fan of Buhari and Akande for nothing. He is just a die-hard advocate of good governance. His two books on Buhari – The GMB Phenomenon and Buharinomics: Economic Challenges, Pains and Gains in a First Term Presidency – are testimonies to his love for anything that would advance the fortunes of Nigeria and make his country of birth to be a place to be proud of.

Little wonder at the elaborate birthday colloquium in honour of Akande at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, President Muhammadu Buhari, when called upon to deliver his speech, simply stunned the huge audience by saying.

“I have no other speech to make here today on Chief Bisi Akande. If you want any speech from me, just pick up the article written by one Remi Idowu in some of Nigerian daily newspapers of today. I adopt that article as my speech.”

“In politics, historic and unexpected upheavals can deliver lessons rich in their variety and texture,” That was what I picked up from Daniel Carpenter, former boss of the Centre for American Political Studies, Harvard in his foreword to Thelda Skocpol’s book, Obama and the America’s Political Future.

And as I ruminate over this view of the Harvard school don, I could not but imagine the whole gamut of the “historic and unexpected upheavals” that have coloured Akande and his political life most especially, from the point he stepped in as the Governor of Osun in 1999.

Leadership, and its many challenges, the leader and the led, the directions visionary leaders would want to go and the directions the largely uninformed followership would want to follow, to me, are some of the complex, intriguing interplay of forces that have defined Nigeria’s politics and development for decades.

But where have these led us? In the case of Osun, within those three hours I spent with the former governor of the state, I pinched Baba severally; trying to cause an old man to go the memory lane to tell me some of the inside gist of those turbulent four years, when his determination for the good of the people was met with the stiff resistance of the old order.

I recall one of those actions that ignited fire in the state was his decision to review teachers’ employments in the state. He laughed over it again when he remembered how Osun schools then were over-staffed with teachers in Yoruba, Islamic Religion Knowledge, Christian Religion Knowledge, Physical and Health Education.

Akande...aging gracefully As the schools were over-staffed in these subjects, they were badly understaffed (and in many cases) not even staffed at all in core subjects such as Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and other subjects that were major requirements to produce future engineers, lawyers, Architects, medical doctors, Pharmacists and other related, allied professionals.

Of course, part of the sorry fallouts of that courageous decision were cases where a husband teaching Yoruba in one school and his wife teaching IRK in another were both caught in the firing lines created by that necessary pruning of the teaching personnel.

“There was no name they did not call me,” Akande told me looking back in what appeared a “no regrets” kind of reminiscences.

No doubt, the bureaucracy is one rigid establishment.

Luring those in that sector away from the old order is like getting Siamese twins life their lives apart. So, the entire room burst into a loud laugher, when Baba reminded us of how he went to Ibadan, asked his friend, a popular dealer in tyres the exact prices of different sizes of tyres for government vehicles.

Funny! Baba once also took sample of a school chair to a carpenter and asked how much it would cost to produce one. Same way he went about asking how much it would cost to build a block of classrooms against the hair-splitting prices being quoted by government contractors.

“I invited all the government contractors for a meeting and they all still mentioned their earlier quoted costs.

Then, I told them the price my government would construct each block. Then there was uproar in the hall.

I just told them whoever was interested should move to

one office and register the name of his company. They cursed me, called me names. But I had that strong conviction I was doing the right thing.”

Leadership without conviction, one must admit, would ultimately lead to failure.

As spokesman to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, not once did I come face-to-face with such threats as “the Akande treatment” especially in the build up to the re-election of 2014. Of course, after the interregnum of the Peoples Democratic Party years of almost eight years, during which a halt came to the revolution Akande brought to bear on that state, the Aregbesola phenomenon was the next most ‘stubborn’ government that Osun people would be confronted with.

Not a few concluded this was even a ‘crazier’ version of the Akande government. Each time I was confronted with the “Akande treatment” threat, I had a standard answer: “You merely denied Akande an opportunity of a second term in office; but you robbed yourselves of the grand clear pathway to the developments of your unborn generation.”

At 81, sharing moments with Baba Akande is like flipping through a leadership book. You encounter chapters upon chapters on the dilemma leaders face between the directions ordinary folks want to go as against where visionary leaders are convinced should be the right path.

This is why for me on the subject of leadership, I have had reason to return to John Maxwell over and over again for his concise definition, when he wrote: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

-Semiu Okanlawon, writer, publisher, media and political consultant, served in Osun as Special Adviser, Information and Strategy

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

SUNDAYINTERVIEW Peter Obi

Obi

Restructuring More Critical Than Igbo Presidency Former Anambra State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Peter Obi, last week, emerged Editors’ choice for the Governor of the Decade awards by THISDAY newspapers, as part of activities marking the company’s 25 years anniversary. Coming straight from a protest against the Supreme Court judgment on the Imo State governorship, he told Charles Ajunwa and Ahamefula Ogbu that having been a beneficiary of the judiciary, he was committed to saving it from anything that could tarnish its image. He also spoke on the anti-corruption fight of the present government, the need to save the country, criteria for accepting awards as well as placing emphasis on wealth creation as against wealth sharing. Excerpts:

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hy were you were involved in the protest against the Supreme Court decision on the Imo gubernatorial case?

Well, what you saw yesterday was a strictly a PDP party affair. The party felt that there was a need for a review of the judgment on Imo, because the outcome might have been as a result of wrong or mistaken information or materials. So, everybody felt there was a need for review and the party had a peaceful demonstration, that’s it.

I have always stated that the Nigerian judiciary remains the best institution, the best arm of the three arms of government in Nigeria.

As you know, nobody can talk about being a beneficiary of the judiciary than myself. That is why I have always defended them.

When people say that the judiciary is corrupt, I defend them and say they are not, because I got all the favourable judgments that I got from them without in any way trying to influence or

corrupt them. For this one, we all joined and I was happy to have participated to save that sector, because if anything goes wrong with that sector, then it is finished.

There is nothing with peaceful protest. In fact, it is one of the ingredients of democracy. Recall that during the time of President Goodluck Jonathan, those in power today protested several times against it (the government).

Are you hoping for a review and how is it going to happen knowing that the Supreme Court is the final arbiter in all cases?

Well, as you know, they will always tell you about Justice Oputa’s comment and judgment about the infallibility of human institutions including then judiciary. I can tell you that we are still hopeful. Based on available information, we are hoping that it will be looked into.

What was your initial reaction to that judgment?

Shock and disbelief! If this thing goes like this there will be no need for elections and you know I am somebody, who has always hammered at the process by which people come into office as being more fundamental than what they do afterwards.

The greatest problem of our democracy today is that the leadership recruitment process is weak; it is poor, so, it does not select or allow the best to be thrown up. I am not saying 100 per cent but you know I have always said it that once it is above 75 per cent, you can always generalise.

A process that throws up the least in us has to change, as it is part of our problems. In all the countries we are trying to emulate today, everything begins and ends with leadership and that leadership has a process. If you want to be anything there is a process. I can’t be a judge today, because I did not read Law in the university. Even if you graduate as a lawyer, you need some years to be qualified for the bench.

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SUNDAY INTERVIEW

t 3&4536$563*/( .03& $3*5*$"- 5)"/ *(#0 13&4*%&/$: t The death of process in our politics ensures we are recruiting people without knowing where they are coming from. I always like giving example with China. In that country, for example, before you come to national politics, you are expected to climb through the rungs and people will use your past capacity to gauge your future promise.

Talking about the foundation, PDP had the opportunity of correcting all those by way of the Electoral Act, because we discovered there are lacunas in the Electoral Act. Let me not go into the Electoral Act as that will draw me too deep into a lot of things. You saw yesterday when I made comments about President Jonathan, I said that if the Jonathan Presidency was not fair to all and allowed major ingredients of democracy to thrive, there is no way Adams Oshiomhole and I could have had the opportunity of second term, because people within his party were bent on taking over by all means possible but he said no, electoral Act or not. It depends, essentially, on the disposition of the person at the top.

What are your convictions that the Supreme Court might have a second look at the decision and arrive at a different decision on the Imo matter?

As far as I am concerned, the PDP has brought to the attention of all concerned, the insipient signs of what if not checked would bring a major setback to the country. As for what the Court shall ultimately do, it is not for me to decide or even guess, since I am not in their minds.

Between restructuring and an Igbo presidency, which one do you think is more needed and feasible?

Both are important in their own rights. Restructuring is however far more critical for the nation than who is the President. Once you talk about re-structuring, people think it is dividing the country; it is about allowing the country to exist as nation-states. When each region or area or whatever it is called is allowed to control what they have, they will effectively create their own wealth and manage same successfully.

It is about growth in the right direction. It is about justice and progress. It is about the various components of the country being able to deal with its own security, provision of its own facilities and improvement in sectors such as Agriculture and things will work.

Can’t you see even regions in Brazil doing advert on CNN telling people that it is the best region if you are coming to Brazil to invest, that’s what we are saying.

As for Eastern President, it is just to assure the Southeast that they are still part of Nigeria. The reason for enshrining Federal Character in our Constitution is for all the parts of the country to have a sense of belonging. Likewise, we are saying, let every component feel being part of the country. The Southeast has capable hands that can do the job. When we are talking about doing the job, it is not about people who can create wealth.

What is your response to the charge by the ruling party that actions and reactions by the PDP to the government could derail democracy?

A threat to democracy? I don’t believe that, which actions are they talking about? As a member of PDP, I’m saying we need to do more in the area of constructive engagement. A situation that advocates keeping silent in the face of obvious dangers is itself a Danger to democracy.

The purpose of opposition is to always show an alternative and that’s what we need to strengthen at all levels. When APC was in opposition they were actually raining abuses on the President and the country on daily basis. Today, PDP is not raining abuses on anybody but only pointing out obvious wrongs.

Has PDP as an opposition done enough to regain the confidence of Nigerians towards winning elections again in Nigeria?

Yes, we have been able to portray the party as national and explained what more we can do. But like I said earlier, we need to do more, to show an aggressive and workable alternative. Unfortunately, people are not at home with the present method of the government in APC, where there is a lot of intimidation, harassment such that people are directly asked to shut up.

Do you know how many people, each time I deliver a major, tell me to stop talking? Stop doing this and that. They say this after witnessing the use of the instrument of government to axe people unnecessarily? This shouldn’t be the case. Those in power should always remember that tomorrow they might no longer be.

Are you satisfied with the present fight against corruption?

Let me tell you, I have said it several times. If you have an accident and you are bleeding, when you go to the hospital what do they do first? To stop the bleeding, you don’t go looking for where the blood has spilled. My approach is, let’s stop the leakage, let everybody be satisfied with it and it is very easy to stop.

No country in the world is corrupt-free, not one but what they have done is that they have reduced it drastically, where it is no longer affecting their resources, thereby allowing them to concentrate more energy on creating a bigger wealth. What our government is doing is concentrating their energy on yesterday when the same bleeding is going on today and that is why I am saying let us stop the bleeding first.

Remember the point I made during the electioneering debate, that you don’t close a shop and go after a thief. If you close down your shop, by the time you come back, there will be more damage to goods, customers would have left, some goods expired and some reduced money.

What shop owners do throughout the world is looking for ways

to fortify the shops against criminals, by installing cameras and employing security by stopping further pillaging before looking for lost ones. You could see the trend: devoting more energy to today and tomorrow. This is my attitude to corruption.

For me, what we should be doing is fighting greed. There is a lot of greed in our country such that we always witness a situation, where people are to do a project of N100 million and they take half of the money. We have regrettably moved from five per cent to 10 per cent to 20 per cent and so on.

Do you have a template for fighting greed?

I implemented my template in Anambra State and the result was encouraging – direct payment of money to institutions that would use it. Let resources go directly to where it is supposed to be used.

Let me give you an example of what we did in education. We had about 1,000 primary schools, the Catholic Church owns about 450, and Anglican Church owns about 300 and the government about 250.

If we received 3 Billion from UBEC, we matched it with our own 3 Billion Naira, every two months we bring N1 billion and share it so that each school will get N1 million to spend on identified projects. By so doing, government was not awarding contracts but simply supervising its implementation. We made it a rule that no contractor would be owed more than 120 days after his certificate of completion.

No supplier should be owed. In fact, I used to call contractors that worked in Anambra State and tell them you are not working, because I have not seen your certificate; we are not paying you, because that means you are not on site. If you were, I would have seen your certificate.

When you do that and a man knows he is going to get his money in 120 days, he won’t give anybody money to collect his payment. I can go on and on. Not that we were perfect but we reduced it to the minimum, where it was of no effect on delivery.

We will always behave like human beings, because you can’t say as a human being you can’t make mistakes Assuming you were made the President of Nigeria, what would be your priority in the first six months?

I won’t say that because I haven’t made up my mind and I am not contesting to be President. My last outing was as a Vicepresidential candidate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that situation remains till today and you have to ask him that question. My priority would have been to advise him in what direction I think would be okay and he would have taken the best decisions for the good of the country.

As governor, your performance won you accolades for which you have been honoured. Looking back, were there things you would have done differently?

Like everything in life you wake up every morning and find out that there are things you could have done differently, but let me say we did our best and we are moving forward.

You are the Editors’ choice for ‘Governor of the Decade’ at the THISDAY awards, how do you feel about that?

Let me first of all say to you that I thank the founder, the management and all members of the THISDAY family for the honour and I do so for a number of reasons. I didn’t solicit for it; I didn’t know it was coming. I have always maintained that awards should

be bestowed on people when they have left office and have no patronage to dispense to anybody.

I am not saying getting an award while in office is bad, but it becomes more legitimate when one is out of office and no longer in any way to be of any value to the people, who gave you the award.

I recall when I was governor, four universities wrote me for conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees and I replied them that I didn’t want. So, were a lot of chieftaincy titles and other awards; I always maintained it should be left till I leave office, even the church on their own sought Papal kinghood for me. When I was approached on the Papal Knighthood, I insisted and told the Bishop that the investiture should be after I had left office.

Again, I have always insisted that any award you want to give me I want to know why you think I merited it; even gifts, if you give me a gift I want to know why you are giving me the gift and why I qualify for it, because I have seen instances, where those who were not working hard and not reading their books in school came first in exams.

So, I don’t want that. I want to be able to say this is why. In doing so, I also want people to also learn especially, younger ones, the purpose for which I achieved this so that they can learn and do the same thing.

Leadership is not about building skyscrapers or amassing awards.

As a Governor, People were writing me that they were giving me Mandela Leadership award in South Africa. For God’s sake, I have not done anything in South Africa and I don’t know what is in South Africa that they want to give me an award; Nkrumah award in Ghana, for God’s sake, how did the people in Ghana assess me in Anambra State? One is awarded this in Kenya and that in America; they do not make sense to me.

In my time, people will give you chieftaincy titles because you built a road for them, they want to award you this and that but that was what you were elected to do. Some who are not offering awards are telling you that when you build a road you should put your name on it and I told them it didn’t matter to me.

I was doing what I was doing and told the people I will do.

So, awards for me though some were inevitable and could not be stopped such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Award to us as the best State on immunisation. The award came with a $1million prize and we received.

But when you wake up and a university says we are giving you a PhD, for what? Even in the state university they wanted to confer an honorary doctorate on me, because I built everything in that university and I told them that was why I was elected and I did what I was supposed to do.

Are you satisfied with the reasons THISDAY gave for the award?

Yes I am. It further confirmed that THISDAY is a socially responsible and exemplary media outfit. So, for me, the reason I accepted the award is that it was coming years after I left office and THISDAY mentioned to me the reason why they are doing so and I am convinced that it was true. I had taken some in the past, for example, when Sun gave me “Man of the Year” Award, they told me it was because of my case that altered the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

What is happening today is that there are many people with titles and awards without any reason to show for it. It is not good

Continued on Pg. 78

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SUNDAY INTERVIEW

t 3&4536$563*/( .03& $3*5*$"- 5)"/ *(#0 13&4*%&/$: t Continued from Pg. 77 for society; it is hurting the society. You are criminalising the society, which is supposed to be built on role models showing examples of what they did to deserve it.

On the issue of education, they said it was because I moved the state to number one. The changes we made in the schools changed everything and the effects are still there till today. We were the only state that bought buses for all the secondary schools and they are verifiable, we had computers for every school, everything we did to change the fortunes of our education sector are still there and verifiable.

We had a school in Awka Etiti that you will think no one will enter there but if you go there now it is so neat and attractive. If you go to Oraukwu Grammar School, it’s the same thing. You can go on and on and see what we did in education.

They talked about being the best in terms of debt, you can see it; it is there. If you asked Abraham Nwankwo of Debt Management Office (DMO), during his send-forth in Abuja, he said the reason he made me the Chairman of the occasion was because I was the only governor, who never came to DMO office to ask for approval to borrow money, he is still alive to confirm.

I never borrowed so when THISDAY gave me an award for being the most prudent governor, I accepted it for the same reason I did not hesitate in accepting the “Governor of the Decade Award.”

They also cited massive infrastructure development. Remember that during my time, the Ministry of Works said Anambra had the best road network in the federation. The roads are still there and should ideally be maintained. When I became governor, my predecessor, Chris Ngige had done what I personally considered a good work in road network. It might not be everywhere but he did the critical roads.

He did the Nkpor-Nnobi Road and had started some critical roads in some areas like the Isseke-Awka Etiti. He awarded that contract to SETRACO and it was ongoing before I became governor. He also awarded Owerre Ezukala – Igboukwu, which again was ongoing to the same SETRACO. He awarded another one from Umuchu and there was another from Ide Ani-Otuocha. So, when I came in and realising that those roads were in the interest of the state, I continued the projects with the same contractors. Some people said terminate the contracts and re-award and I said what do you people mean?

The road is our road. I finished with RCC, the Otuocha Road and awarded them another one in a swampy area, which is Anam to Nmiata. I extended road networks to places people never believed roads would go – Ayamelum, Awka North, Orumba, everywhere.

When we came in you couldn’t come from Asaba to Onitsha, it would be like going from heaven to hell. We said no, we must re-create Onitsha. We worked with the federal government from Headbridge to Upper Iweka. The road has the longest flyover across Nkpor and Obosi bypass, because that place you can’t pass it for days.

We did all these such that if you enter Onitsha today you see 10-lane road, I don’t know of any other place in the South-east with 10-lane road and if you say you are giving me an award for that I will take it, because it is real. That place I named Ikemba Boulevard is still there and many others I can’t recall.

They said also that most surprisingly I left money and not only leaving money, but that I left money in foreign currency. They said they verified it because the banks are there. Recall that when I was leaving, I invited all the traditional rulers, the PGs, everybody, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dangote, the Bank MDs to my end of tenure report.

There and then, I would call the amount in a particular bank and all the MDs of those banks acknowledged. Diamond Bank MD, Dr. Alex Oti acknowledged that in Diamond Bank $50 million and N10 billion. Fidelity MD acknowledged $56 million, while Aig Imokhuede of Access Bank acknowledged $50 Million Dollars.

These people and the banks are still there. Should any of them say no, I am still here. So, you see why I accepted the award with happiness, because they have shown me empirical evidence why they took that decision and that might help other people, who might be in office today to learn and maybe when the award for the next decade will come, they will be eligible because, by then, I would no longer be eligible. So let those in office today do similar thing so they can win.

It is just like in football, before if you wanted to talk about a star you talk about Maradona but today it is Messi and Ronaldo, tomorrow it might be another person. So, that is what it is but you can see why Messi, Ronaldo or Maradona were chosen. Look at the William sisters – their father was someone who was just working and picking balls. See what the players were earning? He trained his children and they have excelled and become examples.

THISDAY also talked about my conduct in office. I have not gone out of my way trying to change my behaviour because I was the governor. My conduct mirrors the training I received from my family and the schools I attended.

It is because we live in a society, where bad behaviour has become one of the ingredients of being recognised that things are going wrong. If you go around with police and army pushing people, that shows you are powerful, you now come late in church when everybody is seated and go to the front, you are powerful and everybody will clap for you.

For me, as a leader, one of the most important aspects of leadership is the character and conduct of a leader. My three Cs for leadership is competence, capacity and character. Character is a very critical component especially, one’s public conduct.

I was governor in Anambra for eight years, never a day did I ask security agencies or anybody to lock anybody up, not one day and I tell those following me don’t push anybody, they are human beings; there are ways God gives us our own graces, so, don’t push people, because I want to pass.

A person in authority should bear in mind that children are looking up to him and learning from him. For example, as

governor, I visited every secondary school in Anambra, some twice, others thrice because those children want to see their governor, talk to him, and listen to him.

You go to the airport, here you see mothers and children wanting to board a flight, instead of making way for them, they push them away in order for me to pass. That is wrong. Pushing people or not pushing them does not deprive you of your office.

Would you like dedicating the award to anybody or an institution?

I dedicate the award to the people who worked with me to support our administration especially, our dead colleague, Mr. Emeka Nwankwu What actually inspired you to save money for your state?

If you go and read Ngozi-Iweala’s book, Fighting Corruption is Dangerous, you will see where she wrote about governors opposed to savings and she stated clearly that Peter Obi, Governor of Anambra State supported savings. Dr. Olusegun Aganga, former Minister of Finance, will tell you that Peter Obi was in the forefront of supporting Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

In fact, I met somebody I consider a wonderful Nigerian, Kehinde Sofola, SAN, shortly after I left office on BA on 17/01/16 London to Lagos and he said to me ‘you are a good man’. I said Sir how?

He said he was Adviser to the Minister on Sovereign Wealth Fund and that he remembered the day that they debated with governors whether we should do savings that I was the only person who was in support and insisted it must be done.

I did not need to be told about the importance of savings. Even in our individual lives and no matter how tough it is, we save for the rainy day. Further on this issue of savings, Anambra State today is trying to build airport and it is only possible on the strength of the money that I saved money.

How come water, which is one of the indices of development didn’t work in Anambra during your tenure and it was said you owed water employees salaries and pensions and refused to pay even with an arbitration order to do so?

Whatever is the case, water is a very key component of development and you can go about and ask, every secondary school in Anambra is provided with water. When I came we had issue of payment of people in Water Corporation. Before that, I want you to

go and read the law establishing the Water Corporation.

Like any other parastatal in government, each has its purpose of establishment and purpose for which it can work and create income, say ABS, for example, the law establishing them say they will broadcast and do certain things in order to earn money. In the case of Water Corporation, the law setting them up says they will provide water and the proceeds used to pay their salaries.

When I came, there had not been water anywhere for years. At that initial stage, I paid them but if you know me, I have an allergy for giving anyone money, if you are not producing anything, which is what people want here.

I formed a committee and said, let’s resuscitate the water scheme so at least we can provide water and earn some money even if it is not enough then, we can augment them with some money because you can’t just shut down your system and go home and complain of not being paid because that’s what happened.

Unfortunately, one of the commissioners who died in December would have attested that it was one of the most difficult moments for me in my life, I wish he were here, he would have told you.

When I started resuscitating the water, go to European Union, they will tell you that one of the purposes of working with them was in water area, providing water. We started resuscitating the water everywhere in Nimo, Nnewi, Agulu, medium water schemes, there was one in Awka to the extent that we awarded a contract for about N4 billion for resuscitating Onitsha Water Scheme to a South African company, which I paid mobilisation.

I was doing these to get things to work and they never worked.

We found out that some people didn’t want that to happen so they could continue this way. That is where I will stop, maybe they are right or I am wrong but I didn’t want to be paying people without providing services.

Those they claimed paid them, where is the water? I can see there is water in every secondary school in the state and look at my efforts, go to European Union and ask because they came to commission some of the water we resuscitated but those water are today not there.

How come a court of arbitration awarded them judgment and you still refused to pay?

I don’t want to say that, if arbitration awarded them and I refused to pay, what happened? It was a case where greedy people, an organised scam want to be taking money without doing their work.

If they have been paid today, the question is where is the water?

79

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

CICERO/REPORT

PDP leaders led by its national chairman, Uche Secondus protesting the Supreme Court decision. With him are former governor Peter Obi and Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe

Imo: What Next After the Protests?

Is it uhuru yet in Imo State? Amby Uneze asks

S

ince the January 14, 2020 controversial judgment of the Supreme Court, which sacked Chief Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and installed Senator Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Imo State governor, the centre has refused to hold not only in the state, but also throughout the country. There are serious agitations from different spheres of the country as people of diverse opinion and upbringing continue to criticise the justices of the Supreme Court for allegedly dishing out injustice.

The problem or peoples’ concern was not only that the PDP candidate was the victim of the judgment, but the manner in which the justices unmindfully threw caution and merit to the winds and gave “their” own type of ruling, which was alien to the Nigerian legal system.

Granted that the Apex Court is the final arbiter and deemed “infallible” even as it is generally regarded as the last hope of the common man, from the judgment, the same common man the courts are there to protect turned out to be the one being trampled upon with unpopular judgment.

One good thing about the whole issue is that the clamour for a judgment review transcends one political party. Indeed, some members of the very party that is enjoying the judgment are objective enough to find error in the very ruling. No wonder, a majority of Nigerians are protesting and speaking with one voice that the right thing needs to be done.

Ordinarily, court judgments especially, Supreme Court ruling are supposed to be sound and somewhat error-free, but when ruling is found to contain deliberate errors, then, the people would agitate for a review., so to far. It was not only in Imo State that people came out to protest, many parts of the country witnessed massive protests, condemning the apex court’s ruling on Ihedioha versus Uzodinma governorship matter.

Protesters, who were clad in black attires, bore placards with inscriptions like: ‘Reverse the injustice now’; ‘Ihedioha won landslide’ and ‘Tanko must go’, amongst others. They were also singing sorrowful songs to explain their agitations.

Not unexpectedly, the following day, supporters of Hope Uzodinma held their own protest in the state. State deputy chairman of the APC, Ugochukwu Nzekwe, said the supporters were on a solidarity rally to show that the people of the state were happy with Uzodinma as their new governor.

In the same vein, the Concerned Church Leaders Forum, which has as convener, Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu and co-convener, Bishop Chidi Oparaojiaku, said the general public and indeed Imo residents would like to know how the Supreme Court arrived at the decision, which seems to implant injustice.

Reading from a prepared text, Bishop Oparaojiaku said, “We are deeply worried at what will be the fate of future elections in Nigeria if the courts are allowed to use technicalities to subvert the will of the electorate. Any democracy where the people are made irrelevant in elections cannot be said to be a democracy.

The general public and especially Imo people will like to know how the Supreme Court arrived at the decision which implants injustice”. The clerics maintained that the Supreme Court judgment of January 14, 2020, runs counter to the facts on ground and

raises a lot of questions.

“It is recognisable that INEC declared accredited votes to be 832,743 but the total votes declared by the Supreme Court run in excess of 127, 209 votes. How come? It is not that Christian leaders hate the newly sworn-in Governor of Imo State, who is undoubtedly an Imo son, but the judgment has raised a lot of unanswered questions. “Where there is therefore any perceived act of injustice, we are morally authorised to speak out and question the modalities for the injustice.”

The statement added: “In view of the above, we join millions of Nigerians to call on the Supreme Court of Nigeria to review that judgment. While calling on the Supreme Court to do so, we urge Imo people and all interest groups to ensure that only the way of peace, maturity and godliness is employed in handling this sensitive matter. We have firm confidence and unflinching faith that the Almighty God, who is the Supreme Judge of all the earth has the final verdict in this matter.”

However, the Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, who claimed that he was speaking the minds of other Anglican bishops, described the ruling as “wicked and corrupt.”

According to him, “I am speaking the minds of most of the Bishops of the Anglican Church that we are very much discontented and very much in disagreement with the kangaroo judgment of the Supreme Court on what has happened in Imo State. We sincerely feel disappointed with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who has not got his facts correct and we feel that the judgment is wicked and corrupt,” he said.

He therefore called for the “immediate resignation of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammad,” saying “he is not qualified to head the nation’s judiciary.”

But Reverend Father Charles Osuji of the Catholic Diocese of Okigwe took exception to Archbishop Chukwuma’s comments, insisting that Uzodinma’s emergence was not only divine but one that has shown that there would be light at the end of the tunnel for all Imo indigenes.

In his reaction, a former governorship candidate in the state, Hon. Ike C. Ibe, observed that in seven and half short months, Ihedioha broke away from the past norms.

“He set the government on a strong trajectory, strengthened institutions of government, started building sustainable and durable roads, standardised pension process and payments, improved the morale and welfare of workers, trimmed down government size and pork barreled expenditures, lifted agricultural potential, elevated the status of ICT, education, health etc, improved and professionalised internal revenue gathering and budgeting etc”, he stated.

Not satisfied with the Supreme Court judgment on Imo governorship, Civil Society Organization (CSO), Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC) have advised the apex court to apply a judicial doctrine of necessity to review the judgment.

The CSO said judicial doctrine of necessity had become necessary on the judgment following the backlash it had attracted, while the Convener of CDNDC, Ariyo-Dare Atoye in Abuja said the Supreme Court judgment was erroneously premised on 388 polling units results, when indeed only 366 polling units’ results were admitted in the Tribunal before being expunged on very

solid grounds by both the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

“It is our candid submission that the Supreme Court is left with no other option than to review and reverse this anomaly, even if it means applying a Judicial Doctrine of Necessity (borrowing from the intervention of the National Assembly, when Nigeria was in a big fix)”.

Another group of legal experts under the aegis of Partners for Justice and Equity (PAJE) said the Supreme Court could decide to review the facts of the case with a view of ensuring that justice is not only done, however, seen to have been done.

In a statement issued after their meeting in Abuja on Thursday, PAJE, which is made up senior lawyers, also advised Ihedioha to make a formal approach to the Supreme Court through legal application for the apex court to look at the facts in issue once more.

The statement signed by Uwajiogu Ikeokwu Udemba, National Secretary of the group said, “There are several reasons for the Supreme Court to look at the case involving the March 2019 governorship election in Imo State with a view of ensuring that justice is given to those that deserve it. Because of time, we will only provide seven of the grounds as follows: “The sum total of votes added by Supreme Court exceeds accredited votes. This is in violation of Section 53 of Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) and Section 8 (b) of INEC Guideline for 2019 election. The Acceptance of Results from 388 polling units

by Supreme Court without certification is a violation of Section 89 (e) and (f) and 90 (c) of the Evidence Act 2011, which requires all public documents to be certified before it can be tendered in evidence.

“The results from the disputed 388 polling units were neither certified by INEC, who are the issuers of the document nor Police in whose custody they claimed the documents emanated.

“The Acceptance of Evidence of a Police Officer, who neither made the document nor knew anything about the document is in violation of Section 37, 38 and 126 of Evidence Act 2011,” the statement said.

Continuing, PAJE said, “The Acceptance of the 388 results by the Supreme without any evidence from polling agents or INEC officials is a clear departure from the existing judicial precedence on the proof of election results as established by Supreme Court in long lines of cases including most recently Atiku vs. Buhari, Alex Otti Vs. Ikpeazu.

“It is obvious that the Supreme Court relied only on the submission of Hope Uzodimma without any reference to the records of proceedings of the Tribunal/Court of Appeal or otherwise, it would have realised that even though Hope Uzodimma claimed 388 polling units, he only brought 366 polling units results yet the Supreme Court unilaterally credited him with results from 20 polling units that were not produced.

“The Supreme Court judgment was erroneously premised on 388 polling units results, when indeed only 366 polling units results were presented to the court. Who knows if the exclusion of the 20 added results could have, if not wipe out the margin, make it impossible for the APC candidate to make spread requirement?” It also pointed out that the Supreme Court should have ordered INEC to conduct election in the said 388 polling units since the margin of registered voters in those polling units are such that could affect the outcome of the election.

80

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Í°Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

with demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

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L

ast week started with dignitaries across the political, business and social spheres gathering in Lagos to celebrate THISDAY Newspapers as it marked 25 years of robust journalism.

Governors, both serving and former, captains of industry, technocrats, politicians across the political divide came together for the event which presented awards to 24 titans, and was also an opportunity to introduce Arise Play - Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first global streaming service - to the world.

The few movers and shakers who werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t at the THISDAY event were in London for the UK-Africa Investment Summ which saw $2.6 billion worth of investments committed to African businesses over the next two years from the UK governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development finance institution.

Both the THISDAY awards and the UKAfrica Investment Summit threw up talking points dissected on social media over the

course of the week.

While in the UK, President Muhammadu Buhari requested that the UK government investigate â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigerian fugitivesâ&#x20AC;? who â&#x20AC;&#x153;escaped to the UKâ&#x20AC;? amid corruption allegations.

A few days later, EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu, who was one of the prominent participants at the THISDAY, wondered why the UK would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;protecting herâ&#x20AC;? when there is enough evidence â&#x20AC;&#x153;to take her to courtâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know it is a financial crime investigation. It is a straight forward case. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have sufficient evidence to take her to court, bring her back. We have more than enough evidence to take her to court,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The relationship between Nigeria and its former colonial masters took another interesting dimension as 29 new Nigerian expressions hitherto alien to the native speakers of English wwere included in the Oxford English dictionary.

Meanwhile, while the Amotekun debate

JANUARY 26, 2020˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

81

SOCIALMEDIABITS rages on, there seems to be a truce in sight, with the Federal Government and Southwest governors speaking the same language.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo convened a meeting that had the Southwest governors behind the security initiative, the Attorney General of the Federation and the inspector General of Police in attendance. And Even though the AGF is adamant that the regional policing proposal is illegal, the statements after the meeting suggest that all parties are pulling in the same direction.

Addressing newsmen, Ondo State Governo, Rotimi Akeredolu said the meeting resolved to articulate a legal framework that will provide backing for the operations of the security outfit.

“All of us have agreed on the way forward,” Akeredolu said.

Boko Haram is still a menace, with the terrorists in the news for the murder of the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government area of Adamawa state, Lawan Andimi.

Andimi was abducted early January when the insurgents attacked Michika. They also killed a student of the University of Maiduguri, Ropvil Daciya Dalep, two weeks after he was abducted. In a chilling video circulating on the internet, Dalep was killed by a child soldier who shot him straight in the head.

It rankles even more then, that around the

same time, the military trumpeted the news that 608 repentant Boko Haram insurgents are currently undergoing De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) Programme by Operation Safe Corridor (OSC) at Malam-Sidi, Gombe State.

“From inception, we received 893 out of which 286 graduated and were returned to their respective states and countries for reintegration.’’

The questions on social media were; What happened to paying for their crimes? Why the special treatment afforded the terrorists?

Biko Haram is just one of the reasons why many Nigerians have given up on the country and seek greener pastures abroad, which in turn has prompted the US to imposw new visa restrictions on Nigerians, while also introducing new rules on “birth tourism” which many Nigerians have been known to engage in.

“The new restrictions would apply to travellers and immigrants from Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. The countries wouldn’t necessarily face blanket bans on travel to the US, but could have restrictions placed on specific types of visas, such as business or visitor visas,” administration officials said.

Nigeria could be on the list because it has a high rate of persons overstaying their visas with 15 per cenrt overstaing in 2018

82

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 26,2020

FROMTHECOURT

Ihedioha Under Pressure to Apply for Case Review The release of the judgment of the Supreme Court sacking Chief Emeka Ihedioha and replacing him with Hope Uzodinma as the governor of Imo State has given experts the opportunity to properly dissect the decision of the apex court, writes Davidson Iriekpen

T

welve days have passed since the Supreme Court sacked Chief Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and replaced him with Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Imo State. But the controversy trailing the judgment has refused to subside.

Last Monday and Tuesday, not only did the court’s decision spark off huge protests in Abuja and various state capitals in the five South-east states, where members of the PDP, their supporters and some pressure groups trooped into the streets in their large number to demand that the judgment be reversed, but political and legal experts have continued to ask questions, deriding the judgment as a great injustice and a slap on democracy.

What a majority of those protesting and analysing the judgment still cannot understand, is not only how a candidate who came fourth in the governorship election held on March 9, 2019, could be declared winner, this is why virtually everybody, who spoke during the protests alleged that the apex court, as presently constituted under Justice Tanko Ibrahim Muhammad, has become heavily compromised, lost its credibility and is now annexed to execute the agenda of the APC-led federal government against the Nigerian people.

They concluded that the judgment was not only a judicial heist, but also a provocative product of executive manipulation, which should not be allowed to stand.

They were further taken aback that the court would ignore the evidence and testimony of the agency responsible for the conduct of election in the country, INEC, and relied on that of the police.

INEC after the polls had declared Ihedioha winner Ihedioha...an opportunity to put the constitution to serious test with the highest number of 273,404 votes. The three other candidates coming behind him were credited confirmed by two concurrent judgments of both the tribunal and as follows: Uche Nwosu (AA) 190,364, Ifeanyi Araraume (APGA) the Court of Appeal and that the tradition is that the Supreme 114,676 and Hope Uzodinma (APC) 96,458.

Court hardly tampers with such decisions except it was found to But the Supreme Court in its unanimous judgment upturned the be perverse. “What was the evidence of perversity?” One of the victory and held that the concurrent judgments of the lower courts, analysts asked. which had upheld the election, erred in law when they excluded Attention was also drawn to other elections conducted by INEC votes totalling 213,295 from 388 polling units from the total scores at same date – the governorship and House of Assembly – with only the election, raising questions such as: Does the Supreme Court have one accreditation for the two elections and the APC did not win powers to formulate and allocate votes as election results? any of the 27 seats in the House of Assembly which were won as Were the results admitted for consideration by the Supreme follows: PDP won 13; AA won 8; APGA won six; APC won 0: Total Court certified by INEC as required by law or did Uzodinma call 27.

388 witnesses from the 388 polling units to speak on the results to This again has reaffirmed the salient question, how then did the obviate the principle of dumping, which the Supreme Court used Supreme Court arrive at its decision to allocate results to void a against the PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the last lawful governorship election and impose an unelected person as presidential appeal? governor?

Other questions are: Were the presiding officers and or party Those who spoke with THISDAY wondered how the Supreme agents of the 388 polling units called to testify by Uzodinma/APC, Court, which annulled Ihedioha’s victory, in a number of cases, the who were the petitioners? What are the figures from each of the latest and most celebrated being Atiku v Buhari & Ors, consistently various 388 polling units generated and allocated to Uzodinma/ decided that for a petitioner to succeed in an allegation of infraction APC by the Supreme Court? of any provision of the Electoral Act, especially one complaining Is the Supreme Court saying that all the votes from the alleged about malpractice, as in this case, wrongful exclusion of votes, the 388 polling units were for the APC alone in an election that was petitioner must call witnesses polling unit by polling unit. contested by over 70 candidates? Does the Nigerian Police have no Therefore, how many witnesses did Uzodinma/APC call from powers to organise elections in Nigeria? Can the results tendered by the 388 polling units from where the Supreme Court allocated votes a police officer be admitted in any court as exhibit, when he is not to him?

INEC officer?

They further contended that the results from the 388 polling units Most worrisome to some is that the votes analysis from the were rightfully rejected, in line with several decisions of the Supreme governorship election as at March 11, 2019, when the results were Court, by the tribunal and Court of Appeal as it was merely declared were as follows: Total Accredited Votes: 823,743; Total Valid dumped on the tribunal in a Ghana Must Go bag, by a policeman Votes: 739,485; Cancelled Votes: 25, 130; Total Valid Votes: 714,355. who had no mandate of the police to testify at the tribunal.

But at the Supreme Court, the total valid votes increased to They added that the tribunal did not even open the Ghana 950,952, which accounted for 127,209 votes in excess of total Must Go bags, as there was no basis to do so, wondering how the accredited votes of 823,743, raising the question: did the apex court Supreme Court opened the bag, counted the results and added sit in Abuja on January 14, 2020 to increase the total number of them to only the APC candidate. accredited votes in election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019?

What is more perplexing to them is the fact that INEC, whose Pundits wondered if there was any law that permits the Supreme Court or anyone else to unilaterally increase the total accredited votes duty it is to conduct election, produced a schedule of reasons why results were not produced from the 388 polling units but was by any margin after the accreditation and or the election? They want ignored. know where the apex court got the numbers to declare Uzodinma/ “None of the candidates or their counsel, except perhaps APC, APC from a paltry 96,456 votes over Ihedioha/PDP votes of 276,404.

In their estimation, even if all the excess accredited votes of 127,209 is aware of the number of votes scored by each party from the 388 polling units. The tribunal or Court of Appeal did not mention or manufactured by the Supreme Court were added to Uzodinma/ APC it will be 223,657 votes, still less than Ihedioha’s votes of 276,494 ascribe any figure from the units to any party in their decisions.

“In fact, in the cross-examination of the APC candidate, by 42,747 votes.

Uzodinma, he could not read any figure from the results. He said They also pointed out that the victory of Ihedioha/PDP was

that the figures were not clear. And so it beats our imagination where the Supreme Court conjured and manufactured the figures it used in declaring Uzodinma/ APC as duly elected,” revealed Sam Avuru.

He referred to case of Buhari v. INEC (2008), where the apex court decided that, “Weight can hardly be attached to a document tendered in evidence by a witness, who cannot or is not in a position to answer questions on the document.

One of such persons the law identifies is the one who did not make the document.

Such a person is adjudged in the eyes of the law as ignorant of the content of the document.”

It was argued further that if from the Certified True Copy of the evidence/ testimony of PW54, which the court relied upon to give its final judgment, there is no evidence of the votes scored in Exhibits PPP1 to PPP366, or PPP1 to 368 or 388, where did it get the 213,695 votes it added to the scores of Uzodinma? And from where did the it get the evidence that results from 388 polling units were excluded when PW54 testified that he brought only 366 or 368 Forms EC8As? Since DCP Rabiu Hussaini (PW54), tendered forms 366 and not 388, where did the apex court get the 213,695 votes it added to Uzodinma? Or did it merely copy the pleadings of Uzodinma and regarded it as evidence? It is trite in law that averment in pleadings or address of counsel cannot take the place of evidence.

From the 20 or 22 EC8As forms PW54 admitted that he omitted to tender at the tribunal from the 388 he was subpoenered to produce, how many votes did it contain for each candidate? What is the spread? These are questions the court must answer, since their judgment did not cover these issues but contained unbelievable gaps.

It is their view that the court relied only on the submission of Uzodinma without any reference to the records of proceedings of the tribunal/Court of Appeal or otherwise, it would have realised that even though Uzodinma claimed 388 polling units, he only dumped 366 discredited polling units results through the police, yet, the court unilaterally credited him with figures from the 388 units, which did not remove the 20 or even 22 polling units that were in fact not tendered before the tribunal.

They concluded that the court judgment was erroneously premised on the results of the 388 polling units, when indeed only 366 polling units’ results were admitted in the tribunal before being expunged on very solid grounds by both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

Many have also argued that Uzodinma was never the candidate of APC and was not a candidate of any party in the March 9 governorship election in Imo State based on the judgment of the same Supreme Court on December 20, 2019. They said Uche Nwosu was declared as the rightful candidate of APC and AA and that the APC couldn’t have produced two candidates in one election.

Based on the salient facts, which were ignored when the judgment was delivered, Ihedioha and PDP have been inundated with pressure to apply for a review of the case. While many think it would be a tall request, others feel otherwise.

While those who feel it is an impossible mission based their decisions on the recent judgment of the court, others referred to the decision of the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, also known as the Socrates of the apex court, who while delivering the lead judgment in Adegoke Motors Ltd. v. Adesanya (1989) 13 NWLR (Pt.109) 250 at page 275A, thus: “We are final not because we are infallible, rather, we are infallible, because we are final. Justices of this court are humanbeings, capable of erring. It will certainly be shortsighted arrogance not to accept this obvious truth. It is also true that this court can do inestimable good through its wise decisions.

“Similarly, the court can do incalculable harm through its mistakes.

When therefore it appears to learned counsel that any decision of this court has been given per incuriam, such counsel should have the boldness and courage to ask that such a decision be over-ruled.

This court has the power to overrule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to persevere in error.”

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺ͞, 2020

83

GAVEL

Editor: Olawale Olaleye SMS:08116759819 email:wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com

Of Tinubuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stand On Amotekun and Ekweremaduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bill on State Police Last Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nominal support of Operation Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network by a former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, might have reinforced the need for the National Assembly to reintroduce the Bill on multi-level policing. Deji Elumoye reports

A

s the National Assembly resumes from its six-week long Christmas and New Year break this Tuesday, one of the issues that will be up for debate by the federal legislators is the security situation in the country and moves being made at all levels of government to address the issue.

Of note is the recent launch of Operation Amotekun, a security initiative by the six states of Southwest, which generated a lot of controversies, when the federal government first declared it illegal, while groups like Afenifere as well as Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum lauded it and even enjoined the Southwest governors not to be distracted in the onerous task of securing the geo-political zone.

The latest reaction to the initiative came from a former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who called for dialogue between the federal government and the Southwest governors to resolve the grey areas.

Lending his support to the security outfit, Tinubu, whose position was largely considered politically ambiguous, recalled that similar outfit, the Neighbourhood Watch, was set up during his tenure as governor of Lagos between 1999 and 2007 to complement efforts of the Nigeria Police in combatting crime in the Centre of Excellence.

The former Lagos governor also revisited the need for the establishment of state police across the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six geo-political zones to address the security challenges facing the nation.

Just like Tinubu, a ranking member of the National Assembly, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, had in the past been consistent about the need for the creation of state police.

Ekweremadu, who has been a Senator in the last 17 years, had at various fora in the past spoken about the need for the establishment of state police to complement federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts towards stemming the security challenges facing the nation.

As Deputy Senate President in the Eighth Senate and while reacting to the June, 2018 rsacking of 11 Plateau State communities by suspected armed herdsmen resulting in the loss of over 100 lives, Ekweremadu, put the blame squarely on unitary policing, which he described as a misnomer in modern policing especially, federal states.

Contributing in 2018 during Senateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debate on the Plateau killings on the heels of another carnage in Zamfara, Ekweremadu, who had during an interactive session with Fulbright Scholars, Exchange Scholars, and Graduate Students in his maiden lecture as Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Social Sciences, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, a few days earlier, vowed to sponsor a Bill for the creation of state police in Nigeria.

He assured the Senate that â&#x20AC;&#x153;By tomorrow or next, a bill for state police shall be sponsored by me in this chamber.â&#x20AC;? The move received the blessing of the Senate, which mandated the Ekweremadu-led Committee on Constitution Review to come up with a constitution amendment bill for state police.

The Constitution Amendment Bill to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and Other RelatedMatters2018â&#x20AC;?sponsoredbyEkweremadu and 74 other members of the Committee on Constitution Review was consequently accorded First Reading in April, 2018.

What really are the provisions of the bill that was eventually shot down after the first reading?

The Bill, among others, sought to establish The Federal Police, State Police, National Police Service Commission, National Police Council, and State Police Service Commission for the states.

The Federal Police, according to the Bill, shall be responsible for the maintenance of public security, preservation of public order and se-

Tinubu

Lawan

Ekweremadu1

curity of persons and property throughout the federation to the extent provided for under the constitution or by anAct of the NationalAssembly.

The State Police, on the other hand, shall be organised and administered in accordance with such provisions as may be prescribed by a Law of the House of Assembly of a State, but subject to the framework and guidelines established by an Act of the National Assembly.

To address the fear of abuse expressed by opponents of State Police in the present dispensation, the Bill provides that the Commissioner of Police of a State shall be appointed by the Governor of the state on the advice of the National Police Service Commission, subject to confirmation of such appointment by the House of Assembly of the State and shall be in office for a period of five years only or until he attains a retirement age prescribed by law, whichever is earlier.

The Governor may give to the Commissioner of Police such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directives. However, where the Commissioner of Police feels that any order given is unlawful or contradicts general policing standards or practice, he may request that the matter be referred to the State Police Service Commission for review.

The decision of the State Police Service Commission shall be final and shall not be inquired into by any court.

Meanwhile, a Commissioner shall only be removed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the National Police Service Commission praying that he be so removed on any of: misconduct in the performance of his official duties; serious breach of policing standards; conviction of any offence by a court of law or tribunal, including administrative tribunals set up by the police authorities for internal disciplining of police officers.

It could be as a result of indictment by a judicial body or tribunal for corruption, fraud, embezzlement or other unacceptable conducts in office; bankruptcy; mental incapacity; and participation in political activities of any kind either within or outside the state, including sponsoring or giving aid to any political group of movement.

However, such removal shall be subject to approval by two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly of the State. Importantly, an Act of the National Assembly may prescribe a bi-annual certification review of the activities of State Police by the National Police Service Commission to ensure they meet up with approved national standards and guidelines of policing and their operations do not undermine national integrity,

promote ethnic, tribal or sectional agenda or marginalize any segment of the society within the state.

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) the Bill further stated, shall comprise a Chairman to be appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate, two members representing the National Human Rights Commission, one representative of the Public Complaints Commission and a representative of the organised Labour.

Also on board are six retired police officers not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police representing the geo-political zones (to be appointed by the President subject to confirmation of the Senate), a representative of the Nigerian Bar Association, a representative of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, and the Attorney General of each of the States of the Federation.

The NPSC shall be responsible for the appointment of persons to offices (other than office of the Inspector-General of Police) in the Federal Police; exercising disciplinary control over members of the Federal Police; recommending to the Governor of a State the appointment of the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police of the State Police based on a list submitted to it by the State Police Service Commission of the relevant state and subject to confirmation by the House of Assembly of the State It shall also be recommending to the Governor, the discipline and removal of the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police of the State Police; supervising the activities of the Federal Police and State Police to the extent provided for in this constitution or by an Act of the National Assembly; and prescribing standards for all police forces in the country in training, criminal intelligence data bases, forensic laboratories and render assistance to State Police in areas as may be requested by such State Police.

The Bill also seeks to create a State Police Service Commission, which shall comprise a Chairman to be appointed by the Governor subject to the confirmation of the State House of Assembly, a representative of the Federal Government to be appointed by the National Police Service Commission and two members (who must be indigenes of the respective State) to be appointed by the National Human Rights Commission.

On board is also a representative of the Public Complaints Commission, a representative of Labour, three retired police officers to be appointed by the Governor (one from each senatorial zone of the state subject to confirmation of the State House ofAssembly), a representative of the NBA(who must be a lawyer from the respective

state), and a representative of the NUJ. This manner of composition is expected to tame any possible excesses of a sitting governor. And theCommissionshallhavepowerstorecommend the appointment of a Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police to the National Police Service Commission.

Other responsibilities include the appointment, discipline, and removal of members of the state police below the rank ofAssistant Commissioner of Police as well as other functions and powers as may be specified either in the Constitution or a Law of the House of Assembly of a State.

However, in recommending the appointment of a Commissioner of Police, the Commission shall propose three qualified candidates to the National Police Service Commission. The Bill could, however, not make progress beyond the First Reading until the Eighth National Assembly expired. While some blamed it on limited time to undergo the cumbersome constitution amendment processes, other analysts were of the opinion that the body language of the Presidency and ruling party might not favour state police.

Ekweremadu had shortly before the expiration of the Eighth Senate last May emphasised that reintroducing the bill upon the inauguration of the Ninth Senate was one thing, a change of attitude and political will by â&#x20AC;&#x153;critical quartersâ&#x20AC;? was yet another. He regretted that there were still concerns â&#x20AC;&#x153;in some quartersâ&#x20AC;? ranging from funding to possible abuse, and misuse as regional militia, noting that most of the fears were already addressed by the State Police Bill, while the rest could further be addressed by legislation.

With the possibility of the Senate leadership announcing the membership of the SenateAd-hoc committee on Constitution Review this week, the coast will be clear for the amendments to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2020 to begin in earnest.

From indication, it is not unlikely that the State Police Bill may be reintroduced either by Ekweremadu or another ranking Senator, who was part of the 2018, botched exercise.

This much was confirmed at the weekend by a Southwest Senator, who exclaimed: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, we are looking at the reintroduction of the state police Bill once we are back at plenary, at least, we are all witnesses to recent security happenings across the country and the need to beef up security. This why the State Police Bill is being revisited and we are consulting with Senators of like minds with a view to getting the Bill through this time aroundâ&#x20AC;?.

Hopefully, the leadership of the Senate would provide the necessary platform for the Bill to fly. Time will definitely tell.

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TRIBUTE

Tribute to My Friend, Festus Keyamo at 50 Louis Odion

A

s he hits the golden jubilee milestone (on January 21), I couldn’t think of a better depiction of that biblical line, “a friend that sticks closer than a brother”.

Sure, the story of his extraordinary climb from the bottom to the zenith of his chosen career - law - is now public knowledge.

Without the proverbial silver spoon, without a godfather, Festus pulled himself uphill, earning the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on account of winning a number of landmark cases that have undoubtedly extended the frontiers of jurisprudence in Nigeria.

I was there when Festus started from Gani Fawehinmi’s Chambers about three decades ago. Back then, we would play boys’ pranks in his oneroom apartment a stone’s throw away from the work-place on weekends. I was there at the founding of National Conscience Party (NCP). I was there when Festus decided it was time to take a deep plunge into the world of uncertainty and left Gani at a tender age.

I was there when he took a leap of faith in 1995 by opening his own chambers in Anthony, Lagos. I was there as he started from the scratch. I witnessed him build, block by block, an enviable name through sheer hard-work, doggedness, fidelity to progressive values and fierce commitment to the pan-Nigerian cause.

I was there through all his struggles for a better society, from military regimes to civilian governments; all the arrests, detentions, charges, trials and acquittals. All those periods, surely and steadily, Festus etched his way into the

consciousness of Nigerians.

Overall, what easily marks him out in the crowd is the courage he summons in the defense or propagation of his convictions.

But professional life aside, one domain many may not yet be too acquainted about Festus is his character as a person. Beyond the public perception of a serious and difficult character, privately Festus likes to laugh, play and joke. He loves comedy. He doesn’t take himself so seriously as others do. He is perhaps, the thickest skin I have ever seen - once he is set on his course, nothing you throw at him bothers him or distracts him.

We have been friends for almost three decades. With Festus in your corner, I can attest that you don’t need any army, even under fire. He is a true friend in all weather - fair or foul. He was the best-man at my wedding (the second being Segun Adeniyi). He has acted the part all through the years.

Over the last two decades, I have had my own fair share of court cases - whether professional or personal. Out of instinctive solidarity, Festus has handled all my cases free of charge, and won almost all.

Indeed, he embodies loyalty in the true sense of the word. In all our years of intimate friendship, I can’t remember us ever quarreling, not even once. This is because Festus is never pretentious and is a true “Afenifere” at heart, never forgetting the son of who he is. On completion of his first mansion (Noah’s Ark) in Lagos some two decades ago, a room was allocated to me symbolically. When I built mine few years later, he was the coordinator at the house-warming.

On the occasion of his golden jubilee, I know Festus’ sun is only just rising in the service of our fatherland. I wish him longevity, more wisdom, prosperity and robust health.

Keyamo

Tribute to Late Foremost Nationalist, Respected Ibadan elder, Dr. Lekan Are Akin Oyedele

Y

ears back when I was transferred from Edo State to Ibadan as the Oyo State Correspondent of the Punch newspaper, the gut reaction of my ‘concerned’ colleagues was that I had been taken to Golgotha, a spot interpreted by the evangelists in Matthew 27:33 as “the place of the skull.” It was at Golgotha that the head of Jesus Christ was covered with crown of thorns; and given vinegar, mingled with gall, to drink as the denouement of his baptism of fire and crucifixion by the chief priests and elders of the Jews!

I was barraged with questions such as ‘who did you offend, why did they transfer you to Ibadan? Did you know this is the hometown of the owners of the Punch? Have you heard about Dr Lekan Are? The summary of the issues raised by these Afeniferes was that Ibadan, nay Oyo State, was a dreaded and demanding beat, which turned out to be a myth in my reckoning. Although, the tale momentarily got me stupefied, but I later took it in my stride.

I must confess that I had initially erroneously believed that the transfer could be punitive, given the boast of the media handlers of a former Edo State Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, to ‘deal with’ me. They had, without plausible reasons, dubbed me a pain because of what they termed my uncompromising stance in the reportage of issues and events in the state. The last straw that broke the camel’s back in my not too genial relationship with the state officials was my exclusive report published in the August 1, 2005 edition of the Punch, which detailed how the N1billion loan the state government sourced from the capital market in 2000 was frittered. The sprawling Iyekogba Housing Estate, for which the loan was collected, turned out to be a white elephant as it became home to reptiles and people of shady character five years after. (I doubt if successive administrations had revisited the project).

An insider had confided in me that a petition was actually written against me by the government alleging that I was being used by the opposition defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party to discredit the government. But, in 2008, I was vindicated when Justice Abdullahi Kafarati then of the Federal High Court, Enugu, found the ex-governor, with his Kiva Corporation Limited, guilty of soiling his hands with the patrimony of Edo people and was subsequently convicted. In a plea bargaining that saw him wriggled out of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s snare, Igbinedion was asked to pay N3.6m fine as an option for going to jail. Although the court equally asked him to refund N500m and forfeit three houses, the punishment was considered a slap on the wrist by commentators. The EFCC also kicked, pronouncing it as “scandalous,” while celebrated author, Prof Okey Ndibe, described the bargaining as a “ruse of law.”

Fast forward, I shook off the scaremongering about the rationale for my transfer, which in any way was a routine exercise in the newspaper, and settled down for business in Ibadan. In the second week of my arrival, I went to pay homage to Dr Lekan Are at

Are Kakanfo Inn, where he called the shot as the chairman. I was awestruck by his palpable bonhomie and pleasantry, which was at complete variance with the narratives about him. Moments after the courtesies, Baba launched into the trajectory of Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre, which, he said, he founded in 1988 to fill the void created by the dearth of standard hotels in Ibadan.

To maintain its pristine ambience and facilities, Dr Are told me he ensured that they were given periodic facelift and replacement as a rule. Baba was also punctilious in providing ancillary facilities to attain high standards for the hotel. I should not forget to add that he promptly introduced me to the then Managing Director of the hotel, Mr Ajah Bawa, whom he directed to ensure that I was given lunch before leaving. It was altogether an exhilarating experience that belied Dr Are’s demonization by those that I believed could not cope with his high standards, which I found to be sublime rather than extraordinary.

From what I gleaned from reliable sources about Dr Are back then, he loathes dishevelled appearance, dishonesty, lateness to any event he assigns you to cover and misrepresentation of his or any newsmaker’s views or slanted reportage. Furthermore, I learnt that you must arrive at venues of his assignments at least 15 to 30 minutes before the time specified. He does not suffer fools gladly and does not brook mediocrity or sloppiness. A stickler for panache, Dr Are wears his heart on his sleeve, because you always know where you are with him on any given matter. These were ideals he held dear to his heart and for which people could easily wormed their way into his affections.

In my close to five years of reporting for Punch in Ibadan, I

enjoyed a very robust father-son relationship with Dr Lekan Are. He once called me to bring my wife to his hotel to have dinner as a treat. He was a lesson in honesty, hard work, integrity, patriotism, respect for one’s wife (he hardly attended occasions without Mama, whom he lovingly referred to as Bisi, in tow) and devotion to a person’s birthplace. Dr Lekan Are was a venerated Ibadan elder, thrifty businessman, publisher, writer, educationist par excellence, welfarist, philanthropist and a man of sartorial elegance known for his signature onile gogoro (tall) cap.

By his departure, Ibadan has lost an eminent son who was committed to the advancement of its course, while the country has lost an astute business man and patriotic citizen who invested his wealth of experience as an agronomist, as well as his well-earned resources in the country.

Without equivocation, Dr Are put the welfare of his workers in the front burner judging by the free medical services extended to them, access to housing and car loans, as well as the payment of productivity bonus and 13th month salaries as a sole proprietor. He not only held annual get-together and long service award for workers that served for ten years and above, Baba instituted ‘Best Workers’ Award’ as an incentive for “dedication and detection of fraud.” Nothing more can attest to his affability other than the longevity of those in his employ. For instance, he retained the services of Bawa, the Indian MD of the hotel for 20 years before the gentleman relocated to his country. I also knew of Mrs Remi Ojo and Mr Emmanuel Umanah (then food and beverage manager) who were celebrated and given cash awards for clocking 20 years in the hotel as at 2007. As an icing on the cake, Dr Are gave Umanah a giant deep freezer at the 2007 event “for not falling sick for one day nor incurring medical expenses in 20 years!”

As the President of Ibadan Foundation, a non-governmental organization, Dr Are contributed hugely to an annual bursary award for indigent, but brilliant students of tertiary institutions and secondary schools of the state’s origin, as part of his philanthropic gestures. At the 9th edition of the award in 2008, 39 students were given N600,000, at a colorful ceremony held at Kakanfo Inn. A boardroom wizard, Dr Lekan Are’s was the longest-serving director on the board of Punch Nigeria Limited, where his sagacity contributed largely to the sustenance of the newspaper’s good fortune over the years. Indubitably, he also left an imprint on Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, which he superintended as general manager.

My thoughts and condolences are with Mama, Baba’s soul mate of several decades; the children and the bereaved extended family. Dr Lekan Are has left to be with his maker, but his footprints and legacy remain indelible on the sands of time.

Akin Oyedele, a former Chief Correspondent with the Punch newspaper, writes from Ibadan.

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NEWS XTRA FG to Award 19 Road Projects on Tax Credit Scheme

Â&#x2021; Claims 10 indigenous companies already applied Â&#x2021; 6D\V )LQDQFH $FW UHVSRQVH WR Ă&#x20AC;VFDO FULVLV Gboyega Akinsanmi Vice President Yemi Osibanjo yesterday disclosed that the federal government might award 19 road projects measuring 800 kilometres in 11 states across the six geo-political zones on the basis of its Investment Tax Credit Scheme.

Already, Osinbajo disclosed that 10 indigenous companies had applied to join Dangote group and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) in the Investment Tax Credit Scheme with a view to encouraging private sector investments in infrastructure.

Osinbajo, also, justified the 2019 Finance Act, noting that the legislation â&#x20AC;&#x153;is governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal response to the issues of limited revenue sources and the need to improve the business environment, especially for small and medium businesses.â&#x20AC;?

He disclosed this in a keynote address he delivered in Lagos yesterday at the Redeemerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Men Fellowship Conference on the theme â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Galvanized for Geometric Growth.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In the keynote, the vice president explained the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major infrastructure deficit across the federation.

He noted that the focus of the Buhari administration in the last few years â&#x20AC;&#x153;has been on investing in roads, rail, and power. We have a major road project going on in every state of the federation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the road projects scheduled for substantial completion in 2020/2021 include dualization of Suleja-Minna road, Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa/Bokani road, Nnewi-Oduma-Mpu (in Enugu)-Uburu (Ebonyi), YenagoaOkaki-Kolo-Nembe-Brass road, Bodo-Bonny road with a bridge across the Opobo channel, the rehabilitation and expansion of Lagos-Badagry expressway and Lagos-Ibadan expressway.â&#x20AC;?

Under the Investment Tax Credit Scheme, the vice president said 19 other road projects measuring about 800 kilometres â&#x20AC;&#x153;have been prioritised in 11 states across each of the six geo-political zones.â&#x20AC;?

He added that the road projects would be constructed by 10 local companies that had already applied to join Dangote group and NLNG in the Investment Tax Credit Scheme, thus encouraging private sector investments in infrastructure development.

Speaking on the 2019 Finance Act, the vice president said the legislation was governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal response to the issues of limited revenue sources and the need to improve the business environment, especially for small and medium businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Act has two main purposes with extremely beneficial effects on the Nigerian economy. It addresses the issue of domestic revenue mobilisation on which Nigeria has often paraded quite a low record. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, even while achieving this objective for the public sector, the Finance Act is calibrated to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria and actively foster private sector growth.â&#x20AC;?

Having instituted reforms covering critical sectors of the economy over the past four years, the vice president noted that Nigeria under the Buhari administration would make steady progress on the path of prosperity.

The vice president restated that the country had enormous potential, which would be realised, noting that much still needs to be done in the different sectors of the economy.

According to him, despite our challenges, Nigeria is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;last major open market. Like China and India, its population and economic size will enable economies of scale and attract international investment.

Osinbajo said reforms by the federal government had over the past few years spurred progress and attracted investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests across different sectors comprising agriculture, technology, tourism and entertainment, manufacturing amongst others.

Just this week, the vice president disclosed that the Spur Group, an IT company from China indicated that it would be establishing a computer hardware manufacturing plant in

Leah Sharibu Gives Birth in Captivity Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja A Christian girl, Leah Sharibu held in captivity by Boko Haram, terrorists was delivered of a baby boy, security sources said.

Reports from the security sources last night revealed that Leah was said to have given birth on Saturday morning.

However, a conflicting report claimed that Leah delivered a baby a few weeks ago following her forceful marriage to a top Boko Haram commander.

The report claimed that Leah, who refused to renounce her Christian faith, was forced to accept Islam before being married to a top commander of the terror group.

Leah was among dozens of girls seized from a school in Yobe State

by Boko Haram fighters two years ago. Leah made global headlines over her refusal to renounce her faith.

Leah was believed to have been forced to marry a top commander of Boko Haram.

Leah and 109 other girls aged between 11-19 years were abducted by the terrorists from Government Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State.

On February 19, 2018, 110 schoolgirls aged 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 years old were kidnapped by terrorist group, Boko Haram from the Government Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Science and Technical College (GGSTC).

Federal government had announced that 106 girls were returned after negotiations with the insurgents through third parties.

There were also claims that huge ransom payment was made before their release. Protests marches by human rights groups were held in different cities calling on government to set her free.

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) recently explained itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gradual approach to the issues of rescue of hostages in the North-east, saying it was cautious to ensure the safety of hostages.

Nigeria.

In the course of last year, he added that the Mara Group of Ashish Thakkar had also indicated that it would set up a manufacturing plant for Mara Phones in Nigeria.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kobo360, which was one of the start-ups in a group that I led to Silicon Valley in July 2018, aggregates end-to-end haulage operations and raised $30m in a Series A round led by Goldman Sachs and Nigerian commercial banks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Using technology, Kobo360 has made it possible for providers of haulage services to find cargoes for their trailers on return journeys, in effect halving the cost of transporting goods.â&#x20AC;?

He said the potential of the Nigerian economy â&#x20AC;&#x153;has also

been boosted by the Buhari administration through direct and indirect investments in agriculture, manufacturing, technology and creative industries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The story of increased rice production in Nigeria is well known, with production of paddy rice in 2019 estimated at 7.3 million metric tonnes compared to about 5 million metric tonnes in 2015. A little noticed phenomenon taking place in agriculture is the use of technology to attract crowd funding into the sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the huge interest in agriculture and the relative ease of investing through such platforms, we will see a huge increase in investment in agriculture and subsequent increases in agricultural output across the value chain.â&#x20AC;?

In the manufacturing sector, the vice president said all critical indices â&#x20AC;&#x153;have so far indicated significant improvements between 2018 and 2019. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This positive outlook for the manufacturing sector can be seen from the Leventis Group, which, for instance, continues to make substantial investments in the Nigerian manufacturing sector through its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Bottling Company and Beta Glass. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nigerian Bottling Company will soon be commissioning its Asejire Plant, which has taken a substantial part of a recent $500 million investment in Nigeria, while Beta Glass which makes the bottles for the pharmaceutical sector and for beverages like Coca-Cola and Star Beer, has invested another

$30 million to expand its furnace capacity.â&#x20AC;?

He said the technology sector â&#x20AC;&#x153;continues to hold out great promise.â&#x20AC;?

Citing recent industry reports, the vice president said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigerian start-ups attracted $122 million out of the $492 million in funding to the African start-up sector in 2019. Perhaps more compelling is the increasing use of e-payment channels within the economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The value of Point of Sale transactions is reported to have reached over N3.2 trillion in 2019 as compared to N2.3 trillion in 2018, an increase of 38 percent, while the volume also increased by 153 million transactions to a total of 438 transactions in 2019.â&#x20AC;?

WELCOME TO COAL CITY . . .

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (left) with the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa during the visit of some eminent Jurists in the country to the Government House, Enugu... yesterday.

Defend Democracy Despite Negative Influence of Security Forces, Wike Tells Nigerians Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on Nigerians to insist on defending their votes despite the devices of security forces working with anti-democratic forces to manipulate elections.

He gave the charge at the funeral service in honour of a governorship election agent of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ferry Gberegbe, who was allegedly murdered by FSARs Operatives at the Bori Collation Centre during the 2019 general election.

At the funeral service, Wike said Nigerians should not allow anti-democratic forces hijack the democratic process under any guise or under any influence in any part of the federation.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr Ferry Gberegbe did not die because of sickness. He did not die because he was doing something illegal. He died in defence of our votes. The only crime he committed was to defend our votes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is only in this part of the country that you defend your

votes and they say that you have committed an offence. Our friend and brother is gone, but he paid the price for democracy to survive in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He paid for democracy to survive in Rivers State. As for those of us who have that spirit, he has laid the foundation for the defence of democracy,â&#x20AC;? Wike noted.

Wike revealed that from Information available to him, the anti-democratic forces were still plotting against Rivers State ahead of the 2023 elections. He said no matter the plot, Rivers State would continue to defend her votes.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I heard someone say two days ago, somebody in China told somebody in Port Harcourt that what happened in Imo State, that is what they will do in 2023. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They said they would write results and the court will accept the results. Rivers State is a different state. If you write results, you face the consequences. I am not worried because these people are always boasting.

Corp Members Abducted in Akwa Ibom Senate Re-run Election Okon Bassey in Uyo Four members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were yesterday abducted with materials meant for the re-run elections in Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA), Akwa Ibom State.

Different sources told THISDAY that thugs of the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly abducted the corps members at unit 2, ward 11, Ikot Osum in Essien Udim.

One of the sources claimed that unarmed security operatives attached to the unit were watching helplessly as the hoodlums rushed the corps members and the election materials into waiting vehicle.

Similarly, according to the source, a female corps member was also abducted at unit 8, ward 11 of Ikot Akpabio village square. But she was promptly rescued and materials recovered by security operatives.

Despite few reported cases of disruption, THISDAY observed that the re-run election in Essien Udim Local Government Area was generally peaceful.

Dozens of hoodlums, who tried to hijack materials, were arrested and taken to the state police headquarters in Uyo. The re-run election was for the Senate, Federal House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly seats.

The APC had on Friday announced its withdrawal from the re-run election in the state. Security personnel were deployed to various voting points in the area.

Exceptional security presence was noticed at Independence High School, Ukana West, Essien Udim, the polling unit of the Niger Delta affairs minister, Chief Godswill Akpabio.

THISDAY gathered that despite the withdrawal of the APC from re-run election there was tension at Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polling unit as some people including journalists were stopped at the gate.

A photojournalist was wounded in an attempt to access the polling units. There was a general low turnout of voters for the rerun election.

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NEWS XTRA Stamp Duty: Senate Probes Alleged Non-Remittance of N20trn Collected By CBN

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate has commenced investigation into the alleged non-remittance into the Federation Account of N20 trillion stamp duty collected since the last five years by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Uba Sani, disclosed this at a session with journalists at the weekend.

He said that the committee

decided to probe the apex bank following petitions that the CBN allegedly failed to remit stamp duty totaling over N20 trillion collected from the commercial banks to the Federation Account since it was introduced in 2016.

He said the committee â&#x20AC;&#x153;is investigating the matter, but cautioned against potentially damaging comments on the issue,â&#x20AC;? saying it had received petitions on this allegation against the CBN and for the past six months we have been meticulously investigating

the matter.

He, however, said what the committee â&#x20AC;&#x153;has uncovered so far is not what some petitioners want Nigerians to believe,â&#x20AC;? thereby urging members of the public, especially critical stakeholders, not to be in a hurry to conclude that the CBN had actually erred.

Since the inauguration of his committee last year, the chairman of the committee said the alleged non- remittance of stamp duty by the CBN had been on the front burner and receiving requisite

attention at the committee level.

He added that the committee â&#x20AC;&#x153;has obtained records of other agencies of the Federal Government investigating or familiar with the matter apart from information sourced from the apex bank. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is much more complicated than what most Nigerians know.

However, what I can say for now is that from what we have been able to sieve out from documents available to us as well as the depositions we have taken, it is clear that so many forces are

MARKETING OGUN ABROAD..

Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun flanked by the Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo; his Commerce & Industry counterpart, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe; Senior Special Assistant on Commerce, Ms. Sola Arobieke; Consultant on Media, Mr. Lanre Alfred; Pradeep Pursnani, CEO of Konexa; Simon Meier, Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Impact of Konexa at an investment meeting in UK.

UNILAG College of Medicine Seeks Support from Alumni, Parents

Lagos Mulls Free Meals for Pupils in Public Schools

Tobi Soniyi

Segun James

The College of Medicine of the University of Lagos is seeking support from alumni, parents, and stakeholders, friends of the college, multinational organizations, organized private sector, foundations, philanthropic individuals and well-spirited Nigerians to support medical education.

A statement by the Provost who also doubles as Chairman, Organizing Committee of the second Medilag Alumni High Table/Fund Raising Dinner holding on Saturday, February 1 at Chai Tang Restaurant, Twin Waters, Okunde Bluewater Zone, Lekki, Lagos, Prof. F.E.A. Lesi, said lack of fund had hampered the institution from realising its vision.

Lesi said the dinner, an annual black tie event tailored to a continuous tradition similar to Oxford and Cambridge Ball, Harvard Alumni Dinner, or Trinity College Dublin Dinner, would he held to raise funds to support the college in its numerous projects.

According to him, the vision for the college is to become a world class, continental centre of innovation driven by the core values of excellence in research, learning and teaching using innovative curricula delivered in a conducive environment by sustaining and advancing the momentum of

previous provosts and building new bridges.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To achieve our objective, we want to resuscitate the high table dinner, which is going to be a black tie event. We plan that this will be the beginning of a continuous tradition similar to Oxford and Cambridge Ball, Harvard Alumni Dinner, or Trinity College Dublin Dinner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The college is using the high table dinner for a fundraising event as well using the alumni as a the driver to showcase our achievements and present our compendium brochure for projects soliciting for support from friends of the college, philanthropic individuals, parents, multinational corporations, foundations.â&#x20AC;?

The college was set up in 1962 by an act of parliament as a body corporate within the University of Lagos to train medical, dental and other allied health professionals in sustaining health care delivery in Nigeria.

In 1961, a former Minister of Health, Dr. M. A. Majekodunmi was instrumental in establishing the University of Lagos Medical School.

One of the visions of the college is to be a great centre of learning and scholarship and a training ground for men and women dedicated to the service of their fellow men and women, many of whom die daily for lack of adequate medical careâ&#x20AC;?.

The Lagos State Government at the weekend said it had concluded a five-day pilot school-feeding programme with a view to determining the possibility of implementing the programme in 1016 public primary schools statewide.

The state government, also, revealed that at least 11,836 pupils from 33 public primary schools in Lagos Island Government were fed during the pilot school feeding initiative tagged â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Snacks for Thought.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Mrs. Aderemi Adebowale gave the figure after concluding the pilot scheme on Friday, noting that the initiative was designed â&#x20AC;&#x153;to improve leaning and health status of pupils in the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public schools.â&#x20AC;?

The state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had unveiled the weeklong pilot scheme to assist pupils improve their academic performance and boost school enrolment in the state.

Implemented through the office of Civic Engagement, the initiative was targeted at motivating pupils to stay in class; learn with filled bellies; concentrate on their learning and avoid engaging in illicit acts.

After concluding the pilot scheme on Friday, the special

adviser said decision to embark on this pilot initiative was taken to assist parents that might not consider importance of balance diet for their children, making them go to school without been properly fed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is expected that when children learn with filled bellies, they will have more motivation to concentrate, stay in class and want to do more with their lives than fraud,â&#x20AC;? the special adviser said.

Adebowale said the programme â&#x20AC;&#x153;will definitely have a multiplier effects on the SanwoOlu administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s THEME agenda. It will promote access to quality education, which will eventually bring about generation of citizen that will uphold societal value and sustain the growth of Lagos State and Nigeria at large.â&#x20AC;?

She, however, expressed the state government profound appreciation â&#x20AC;&#x153;to all the volunteers who contributed to the success of the pilot scheme. From the foregoing you can all see that the program id actually worth the effort you all put into it.â&#x20AC;?

Also, at the pilot scheme, the Commissioner for Education in Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo commended the initiative and noted that it will have multiplier benefits in area of education, health, agriculture and nutrition.

confusing Nigerians on this issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the evidence contained in the plethora of documents the CBN has supplied to my committee, it can easily be deduced that the total stamp duty unremitted can not be over N20 trillion as being alleged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For one, from records available to us, the total deposit in the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria as of 2016 was only about N18 trillion; so how then can Stamp Duties alone be N21 trillion as being claimed by some petitioners?â&#x20AC;? the lawmaker queried.

He revealed that from records available to his committee, stamp duty collection commenced in January 2016 when the CBN issued the circular directing Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to commence imposition of stamp duty collection.

From the records the CBN and other agencies of the federal government â&#x20AC;&#x153;have supplied to the Senate Committee, he said it was glaring that the total number of transactions, including transactions excluded from stamp duty charge, from 2016 to November 2017 is about N518, 043, 467.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you do the simple arithmetic, the stamp duty on these transactions would have amounted to about N25.902 billion. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t also forget that savings accounts are exempted from payment of stamp duty by law, and these account for about 75 per cent of all bank

accounts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With all things considered, my committee believes that the sum remitted by banks to the Stamp Duty Collection Account with the CBN from inception in January 2016 would well be around N41 billion as of October 2019. But like I said, investigations are still on-going. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be rest assured that our conclusive findings would be made available to the public.

Nigerians deserve to know the whole truth,â&#x20AC;? the chairman of the committee explained.

On whether or not the N41 billion earned from stamp duty has been remitted to the Federation Account by the CBN, Sani emphasised that the committee â&#x20AC;&#x153;is not unaware of a number of court cases preventing the apex court from making the remittances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is exactly what I was trying to make you understand, this matter is more complex than the petitioners are making it seem.

For example, we have found out that the CBN is somewhat shackled and unable to make the remittances because of pending cases in court, particularly the one pending in the Supreme Court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do not want to give too much details on the matters that are in court, you can find out from either the CBN or parties in the matter.

But I believe the CBN is acting out of respect for the courts.â&#x20AC;?

P&ID, FG Differ on Court Ruling Tobi Soniyi Process and Industrial Development Limited (P & ID) yesterday said last Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ruling by the Commercial Court in the United Kingdom setting timeline for the hearing of an application by Nigeria to set aside an arbitral award against her was in its favour.

This, however is contrary to the position of the Federal Ministry of Justice. The company in a statement released yesterday said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This decision is another victory in favour of P&ID as it continues efforts to compel the Nigerian Government to comply with its legal obligations to pay damages to P&ID â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as has already been ordered by the English Court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ruling means that Nigeria must now justify its multi-year delay in challenging the Award at a special hearing to take place before this summer, failing which it will be barred from raising its allegations of fraud before the English Court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defeat in court comes after the English Court of Appeal on Monday rejected Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempts to delay its appeal by including claims of fraud. The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Flaux stated that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;misconceivedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;P&ID urges the Buhari Administration to abandon its ill-fated attempts to avoid its legal responsibilities through the sham EFCC investigation targeting innocents â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a campaign which Nigeria only launched in reaction to its previous defeats before the Tribunal and the English Court â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and instead,

accept the reality of the Arbitration Tribunal Award in favour of P&ID, and the decisions of the English Court.â&#x20AC;?

In July 2015, an expert tribunal in London, led by Lord Hoffmann, unanimously concluded that the Nigerian Government was liable for the government having repudiated the Gas Supply & Processing Agreement (GSPA) agreement with P&ID. In January 2017, the tribunal ordered the Nigerian Government to pay P&ID $6.6 billion in damages, plus interest that is accruing daily at a rate of over $1.2 million.

On August 16, 2019, the English Commercial Court granted permission for the enforcement of P&IDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arbitration award, against Nigerian assets in the U.K. On November 25, 2019, the English Court of Appeal rejected Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application for permission to appeal part of the enforcement decision of Mr Justice Butcher, with the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Flaux describing the main plank of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application as â&#x20AC;&#x153;totally without meritâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;hopelessâ&#x20AC;?.

On 20 January 2020, the English Court of Appeal rejected Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempts to delay its appeal of the 16 August 2019. The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Flaux stated that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application was â&#x20AC;&#x153;misconceivedâ&#x20AC;?.

However, Nigeria interpreted the ruling differently.

A statement by Dr. Umar Gwandu, SA Media and Public Relations (Office of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice), said the ruling on the timeline was taken at a scheduled Case Management Conference (CMC).

87

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 26, 2020

SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by: Demola Ojo email:Demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Serie A: In-form Ronaldo Leads Juventus to Napoli Kick-off: 8:45pm

O

ne of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures on the Serie A calendar will take place at the Stadio San Paolo this night as Napoli welcome Juventus.

The Italian champions are currently four points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the table, while Napoli sit down in 11th having endured a Napoli have finished second in Serie A in three of the last four seasons, while they have not ended a campaign in lower than sixth since 2009.

There is no question that it has been a tough 2019-20 campaign for the Naples club, though, with a record of six wins, six draws and eight defeats from 20 matches leaving them in 11th position in the table.

Now under the management of Gennaro Gattuso following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure, the Blues are 14 points off fourth-placed Roma, while they sit 27 points behind Juve heading into Sunday night’s contest.

Gattuso has lost four of his seven matches at the helm, including a 2-0 home defeat to Fiorentina last weekend. That said, they did progress in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night courtesy of a 1-0 home success over Lazio, which would have done their confidence no harm at all.

It is certainly a testing time for the club, but there is no question that they are capable of upsetting Juve this evening despite losing four of their last five league meetings with the reigning champions.

Juve made it five straight wins in all competitions by overcoming Roma in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday night. Cristiano Ronaldo was again on the scoresheet for the Old Lady, meaning that the Portugal international has netted 12 times in his last nine appearances for the club.

Maurizio Sarri’s side have not been without their problems this season, but five straight

Iheanacho Man of Match in Leicester’s FA Cup Win Kelechi Iheanacho was named man of the match in Leicester City’s Emirates FA Cup 1-0 win against Brenford.

Iheanacho scored the decisive goal in the fourth minute thanks to an assist from James Austin.

The Nigerian forward left-footed shot from inside the box beat goalkeeper Luke Daniels after he was teed up by the defender. Iheanacho beat Dennis Praet and Christain Fuchs to the award.

He has now scored nine goals in his nine FA Cup starts (5 goals for Leicester & 4 for Manchester City). The goal also increased the 23-year-old’s tally to seven and three assists in 12 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes this season.

Iheanacho (14) congratulated by team mates

Ronaldo (right) is in red-hot form with 12 goals in nince games for Juventus

league victories has put them in command at the top of the division.

Inter are still very much in the argument with a lot of football still to be played, but the Old Lady now have a four-point advantage at the summit and have picked up some big

results in recent weeks.

Indeed, they have beaten Roma and Parma 2-1 in their last two league matches, which were both huge victories when considering that Inter have drawn their last two against Atalanta and Lecce.

Napoli actually came from three goals behind in the reverse league match in Turin earlier this season to level the scores at 3-3, but a 92nd-minute own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly saw Sarri’s side claim all three points in spectacular fashion.

Valencia Humble Barca 2-0 Quique Setien suffered his first defeat as Barcelona manager as Valencia claimed their first home win over the Spanish champions since 2007.

The hosts broke the deadlock when Jordi Alba deflected Maxi Gomez’s powerful strike past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Gomez, who had a first-half penalty saved byTer Stegen,completed the scoring in the second half.

There were unsavoury scenes before the game as rival fans clashed outside the Mestalla Stadium.

Setien had enjoyed a good start to his Barca reign, guiding the club to victories over Granada in La Liga and UD Ibiza in the Copa del Rey round of 32.

The visitors were quick to gain a stranglehold on possession but were almost non-existent as an attacking force in the first half, withValencia enjoying the better of the early chances.

Los Che were gifted a golden opportunity to take the lead when Gerard Pique felled Gomez inside the penalty area, but the Uruguayan’s spotkick was superbly palmed to safety byTer Stegen.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper had to be on his toes moments later to parry another Gomez effort on to the woodwork, before tipping Kevin Gameiro’s follow-up past the post at full stretch.

Barcelona started the second half with greater purpose andAnsu Fati almost fashioned an open-

Mourinho Criticises Inter over Eriksen Transfer Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has criticised the timing of Inter Milan’s bid for midfielder Christian Eriksen.The Danish midfielder is set to travel to Italy next week to finalise a move.

Inter have been linked with Eriksen throughout January, but have not moved until late in the transfer window.

“Tottenham is the last one to blame for this situation,” said Mourinho, who also revealed that the club will make Giovani lo Celso’s loan move from Real Betis permanent this month.

Continuing on the subject of Eriksen,the Portuguese added:“I just want to say that this situation shouldn’t happen on 25 January.

“The only thing I can say is Eriksen, since I arrive, he is behaving in a very, very professional way, with me and the team.“But to be on 25 January in a situation like this is not nice.”

Eriksen was left out of Tottenham’s FA Cup fourth-round draw at Southampton yesterday, but

has been regularly involved during Mourinho’s time at the club despite the speculation surrounding the 27-year-old’s future.

The Dane,who said in June he was looking for a fresh challenge, is out of contract at the end of this season.

He came on as a second-half substitute during Wednesday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Norwich, but was booed by some fans who have been unhappy about the Dane’s supposed lack of commitment.

Argentina international Lo Celso, 23, joined Tottenham on loan last August, with Betis confirming to BBC Sport that the agreement includes an option to buy either in January or next summer. Spurs have taken up the option to buy in January.

“I think the boy is earning the decision,” said Mourinho.“ He is making it an easy decision for the club to execute the options.

“Incredible evolution since I arrived. By himself he made the decision that the club is going to execute the option.”

ing after combining well with Lionel Messi, but the teenager could only poke his shot wide of Jaume Domenech’s right-hand post.

Messi appeared eager to take matters into his own hands as the second half progressed, dragging a fierce low effort wide of the far post before heading off target from Antoine Griezmann’s delivery.

Gomez ended the visitors’hopes of a late revival with 13 minutes remaining, curling into the far corner after FerranTorres had broken clear down the right wing.

Former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista thought he had made it 3-0 late on, but the Brazilian’s volley was disallowed for an infringement inside the Barcelona box.

Second-placed Real Madrid can move three points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga if they win their game in hand at Real Valladolid today.

RESULTS FA CUP Brentford

0–1

Leicester

Burnley

1–2

Norwich

Southampton

1–1

T’West

Ham

0–1

West Brom

Hull City

1–2

Chelsea

1–1

Athletic Bilbao

LA LIGA Espanyol Valencia

2–0

Barcelona

Alaves

1–2

Villarreal

Sevilla

2–0

Granada

Sunday January 26, 2020

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N400

MISSILE

Rafsanjani on Corruption Perception Index “When the people go to hospital, they encounter corruption. When they encounter the police either on the road or at the police station, they encounter corruption.

“When students are seeking placements in tertiary institutions nationwide, they encounter corruption. When they go to process international passport or driver’s licence, they encounter corruption.”

– Transparency International contact person in Nigeria, Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani explaining the basis for Nigeria bad performance in TI's Corruption Perception Index.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

That Supreme Court Verdict on Imo

A

t the risk of exaggeration, I would say that the Supreme Court, on January 14, 2020, delivered its most controversial verdict yet in this democratic dispensation.

By ordering the sack of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo state and the installation of Senator Hope Uzodinma in his place, the apex court set tongues on fire. Protesters hit the streets, commentators spat venom and politicians cried blue murder over the verdict. The consensus among those opposed to the judgment is that the Supreme Court miscarried justice. President Muhammadu Buhari did not escape the missiles: he was accused of capturing Imo for APC as part of his “third term agenda”.

The first issue raised by commentators is that the Supreme Court declared a man who placed fourth as the winner. The figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the March 8, 2019 election had seen Ihedioha (PDP) declared winner with 273,404 votes, followed by Uche Nwosu (Action Alliance) who polled 190,364, Ifeanyi Ararume (All Progressives Grand Alliance) 114,676 and Uzodinma (APC) 96,458. The second issue is that with 213,695 votes now attributed to Uzodinma, the total number of votes cast came to 927,000 while accredited voters were only 823,743, which would suggest that there were more votes than voters.

Arising from this was a third issue raised by those opposed to the judgment: assuming indeed that Uzodinma’s votes in the 388 polling units that were excluded from collation were legitimate, how on earth could one candidate have scored all the votes in those units? This argument presumes that the 213,695 votes that the Supreme Court ordered should be added to Uzodinma’s tally from the disputed 388 polling units represented the entire votes cast in those units. If indeed this was the case, we can only assume that somebody sat down somewhere and played games on the calculator and probably on Microsoft Office Excel. Some primary school kid, maybe.

The fourth issue is that the same Supreme Court had previously decided in a case brought by Prince Madumere against Nwosu and APC that there was “double nomination” which violated the electoral laws. Nwosu, son-in-law to Owelle Rochas Okorocha, former Imo governor, had been nominated by a faction of APC as candidate before being picked again by AA as a result of internal crisis in APC. Having agreed with the high court and the appeal court in disqualifying Nwosu for double nomination, the Supreme Court was accused of contradicting itself by accepting Uzodinma as the candidate of the same APC. In their opinion, APC should have been disqualified too.

I could not comment on the judgment last week because I had not seen the full text as delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. It was a unanimous verdict. There was no dissent among the seven justices on the panel. Before reading the judgment, I had initial thoughts. Sure, a candidate who came fourth can become the winner if his excluded votes were added. That’s logical. Also, those saying votes cast were more than accredited voters made an assumption: that the accredited voters from the excluded 388 units were not excluded in the final tally

by INEC. Now, if you exclude result sheets from the 388 units, you automatically exclude the voters accredited there. That’s also logical.

Now that I have read and digested the

Justice Tanko Muhammad, CJN judgment, I can comment in a more informed way. What were the issues before the Supreme Court? Uzodinma’s lawyers made two arguments in trying to prove that both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal erred by throwing out their petition against Ihedioha. One, they argued that Ihedioha did not score the highest number of votes during the governorship election — because results from 388 units were excluded from collation

by INEC. Two, they argued that Ihedioha was, therefore, not the validly elected governor. If Uzodinma’s excluded votes were added, then he — not Ihedioha — would be the winner, they argued.

Note that they did not argue that election did not hold or that the election was violent or that the results were manipulated in those 388 units. They simply said election was held but the results were excluded at the ward collation level and this basically short-changed Uzodinma. In fact, they said election was held in the 27 local government areas, 305 wards and 3,523 polling units in Imo state, but that INEC cancelled results from 252 units and excluded those from 388 units without any reason. In these excluded units, they said Uzodinma scored 213,695 votes as against Ihedioha’s 1,903 (so it is obviously inaccurate to say Uzodinma got all the votes in the 388 units).

The Supreme Court dismissed Ihedioha’s claim of “double nomination” against APC which he had hoped would lead to the party’s disqualification, meaning Uzodinma would have had no leg to stand on. Kekere-Ekun said candidature is a pre-election matter and should have been originated at the high court.

She said it was different from Nwosu’s case and could not be introduced by Ihedioha at the apex court without a grant of leave to do so. She said the opening paragraph in the Madumere vs Nwosu & APC judgment made it clear that the Supreme Court dealt purely with Nwosu’s double nomination. It had nothing to do with Uzodinma’s candidature. Technical stuff.

On the 388 units, the Supreme Court said both the tribunal and the appeal court erred when they refused to accept the result sheets tendered

by Rabiu Hassaini, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) who supervised security during the election. The tribunal had ruled that Hassaini did not have the “competence and authority” to present the results. The result sheets (Forms EC8A) from 368 (not 388) units presented by Hassaini were first expunged but later admitted by the tribunal, which still went on to rule that the documents were not “certified”. The Supreme Court, however, said “duplicate originals” —

which the police are entitled to by law — do not need to be certified.

Kekere-Ekun agreed with the dissenting judgement in the appeal court delivered by Justice Frederick Oho who said having subpoenaed Hassaini through the inspector-general of police, the tribunal was wrong to question his “competence and authority” to testify. Oho had also asked why the tribunal subpoenaed Hassaini in the first place if it was not going to accept his testimony and how the tribunal would have felt if the DCP had disregarded the subpoena. The tribunal had also ruled that Hassaini did not prove any anomalies at the polling units but the Supreme Court said he did not have to prove any. In contention was the “unlawful” exclusion of 388 result sheets, not anomalies.

Ihedioha’s lawyers had argued that the results were forged, but the Supreme Court held that under the law of evidence, if you allege then you must prove beyond reasonable doubt.

Forgery is a criminal offence. The court said Ihedioha’s lawyers did not prove that the results were forged. The apex court further said the tribunal wrongfully placed the burden of proof on Uzodinma because it misconstrued the case.

Uzodinma was not alleging that voting was manipulated in 388 units. Rather, his contention was that election was held, he scored the highest votes but his votes were unlawfully excluded from collation. The Supreme Court agreed with Uzodinma that INEC was wrong.

What do I think? I must confess that INEC’s role in the whole thing left me dumbfounded.

Did INEC hold elections in the 388 units? By saying the results presented by the DCP were forged, INEC admitted that election indeed took place there. INEC said it would provide the authentic results. It never did. That would have allowed a comparison of the result sheets. Why did INEC exclude the results of 388 units from collation if voting actually took place? INEC never answered this question. By law, INEC can cancel results if there was violence or rigging.

INEC did not say it cancelled the results. INEC did not allege irregularity. It only disowned the 388 results without providing its own.

In my opinion, INEC basically fumbled. Many commentators have been blaming Ihedioha’s lawyers for not challenging the authenticity of the figures from the 388 units. It is believed that if they had done that convincingly, the Supreme Court would have thrown out Uzodinma’s appeal.

However, it is not as if Ihedioha’s lawyers did not try. But they did not provide the necessary evidence to dispute those results. And I will place the blame squarely at the doorstep of INEC, not Ihedioha’s lawyers. INEC claimed the 388 results were forged and promised to produce the authentic ones but failed to do so.

What evidence is the court supposed to work with? And to think INEC paid its lawyers!

Should the Supreme Court review its verdict based on Ihedioha’s argument that figures from some polling units are dubious? Since the apex court hardly reverses itself, the prospect appears bleak. The only ray of hope for Ihedioha, in my view, is if Uzodinma did not meet the constitutional requirement of spread — that is, having to score at least 25 percent of votes cast in two-thirds of the LGAs. INEC has not given us the data so we can’t say. If indeed Uzodinma did not meet this requirement, then INEC can ask the Supreme Court for a review so that a run-off can be organised between the top two candidates as stipulated in the constitution.

Otherwise, the case is dead.

And Four Other Things…

OPERATION AMOTEKUN The political question as to whether southwest states can set up a vigilante group, nicknamed Operation Amotekun, appears to have been resolved and now we can move on to the real matters of security. After a meeting between Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the six south-west states, it was agreed that things should be done properly and in order: make the necessary enabling laws and subject the security arrangement to the existing federal policing policy. The resolution would not be pleasing to the drama queens who quickly seized the opportunity to inflame ethnic and religious passion and beat drums of war. A leopard never changes its spots. Opportunists.

BOKO ‘HARM’ Boko Haram insurgents on Monday killed Rev Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government area, Adamawa state. That was very, very heartbreaking. On Christmas eve, the terrorists had killed 11 Christian captives in Borno state “to avenge the deaths” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late Islamic State leader, and Abul-Hasan AlMuhajir, their spokesman, who were killed by the US. The terrorists surely know how to score cheap points to put themselves on the front burner all the time. And they often strike deadly blows anytime the Nigerian government claims they have been defeated or degraded. Astounding.

LASSA FEAR The world may be currently more worried about the outbreak of the coronavirus, but we also have our own deadly virus killing people across Nigeria. The Lassa fever virus has resurfaced. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 398 suspected cases have been reported across the country this year alone. The death toll is now 24. The acute viral haemorrhagic fever, which is more prevalent during the dry season, is as deadly as Ebola. The virus is usually passed by rats through the excreta or urine. Human-to-human infection is only to be expected thereafter. It is hardly surprising that most of the victims are poor people living in unsanitary conditions.

Rattling.

‘KK IS OK’ Mr Kayode Komolafe, THISDAY deputy managing director and one of the few surviving socialists in town, clocked 60 yesterday. If you don’t know his story, you won’t appreciate this. In February 1984, he survived a car accident in which five persons, including the drunk driver, died on the stop.

He was unconscious for two weeks. A little over 10 years ago, he survived the fangs of death again on a flight to the UK. Pardon the ageless pun — but hitting the age of 60 is no child’s play. An intellectual, deep thinker and great servant of journalism, KK is my adorable critic and encourager. The Good Lord that has kept him alive to see his 60th birthday certainly has more in store for him.

Hurray!

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