Why MTN Will Rebound after N330 Billion Fine

Transcription

US: B'Haram’s Territorial Control Degraded, But Asymmetric Attacks Persist
Says more than 1,240 persons killed in terrorist assaults in 2015
Anayo Okolie
The United States Bureau of
Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism has
released its Country Reports
on Terrorism for 2015 with
an affirmation that the Boko
Haram terrorist sect had lost
considerable capacity to hold
territory, though it continued
to launch uncoordinated
attacks.
The report confirms President Muhammadu Buhari’s
oft-repeated assertion that
Level of interagency counterterrorism cooperation and information sharing limited
Boko Haram has been dealt
a devastating blow by the
Nigerian military, but the
group is yet to be completely
defeated.
The report identified
inadequate cooperation and
information sharing among
the security agencies involved
in the antiterrorism war as the
bane of the counterterrorism
operation. It said over 1, 240
persons were killed in terror
attacks in Nigeria last year.
“Regional military forces
made progress during 2015
in degrading the group’s territorial control, in particular
following the election of
Nigerian President Buhari,
but Boko Haram responded
by increasing its use of asymmetric attacks,” the report
said.
It added, “Bilateral and
multilateral efforts by these
regional military forces successfully challenged Boko
Haram’s hold on territory,
forcing it to abandon major
Afenifere Demands Official Release of June 12 Election Result... Page 8
Continued on page 8
Sunday 12 June, 2016
Vol 21. No 7718
N400
www.thisdaylive.com
TR
UT H
& RE A S O
N
Why MTN Will Rebound
after N330 Billion Fine
Kunle Aderinokun
With a reduced fine of N330
billion and a payment plan
staggered over a period of
three years, it will not be
long before telecoms giant,
MTN Nigeria, rebounds.
Reprieve came the way of
MTN on Friday when the
Nigeria Communications
Commission (NCC) slashed
its fine to N330 billion (less
than $1 billion) from initial
N1.04 trillion (which was
$5.2 billion at the time the
fine was imposed).
The reprieve came after
eight months of engaging
with the regulator over the
fine imposed on the telecoms giant for failing to
deactivate 5.2 million unregistered and improperly
registered SIM cards on its
network.
In the wake of the fine
imposition and as a conse-
quence of their action or inaction, three top executive
officers of MTN were forced
to resign, namely Sifiso Dabengwa , the Group CEO;
Mike Ikpoki, CEO of MTN
Nigeria; and Akinwale
Goodluck, Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs.
The company’s shares also
plunged by 5 per cent when
the news of the imposition
of the fine broke last year,
before gradually picking up
when the telecoms firm began to engage Nigerian authorities on way out.
With the adjustment of
the fine to N330 billion, at a
time of looming devaluation
of Naira and the prevailing
exchange rate of the Nigerian currency, MTN will be
paying less than 20 per cent
of the initial value of the
fine under terms of agreement which also discounted
the initial N50billion earlier
paid by MTN to the government.
The flexible payment plan
also gives MTN enough
breathing space, as it provides that the balance of
N280 billion would be made
in six tranches within a period of three years.
By the terms of agreement, MTN will pay N30
billion into NCC’s Treasury
Single Account (TSA) with
the Central Bank of Nige-
ria (CBN), 30 days from the
date of the agreement dated
June 10, 2016.
Other dates of payments
include: March 31, 2017,
(N30 billion); March 31,
2018, (N55 billion); December 31, 2018, (N55 billion);
March 31, 2019, (N55 billion) and the balance will
be on May 31, 2019, (N55
billion.)
Continued on page 8
A
HAPPY REUNION
L-R: Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu; Chairman, Board of Directors, Etisalat Nigeria and President, Kings College Old Boys Association, Mr.
Hakeem Bello-Osagie; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, at the business
KOLA OLASUPO
networking lunch by Kings College Old Boys Association, with theme: The 2016 Budget, in Lagos ...yesterday
WEEKLY PULL-OUT
12.06.2016
FEMI ODUGBEMI
A FILM MAKER AND
DOCUMENTARIAN
Cont’d on Pg. 58
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SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2016 T H I S D AY
T H I S D AY SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2016
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SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R
PAGE EIGHT
States Agree to New Conditions for Future Bailout Funds
Obinna Chima
A conditional Budget Support
Facility to provide financial
relief to state governments is
being finalised by the federal
government, the Ministry of
Finance has said.
A statement from the
Special Adviser Media to the
Minister of Finance, Mr. Festus
Akanbi, yesterday, explained
that the proposed facility,
aimed at providing support to
overcome the current financial
challenges faced by several
states, would be subject to
the states meeting a stringent
22-point reform agenda called
the Fiscal Sustainability Plan
(FSP).
The statement disclosed
that the FSP was unanimously
agreed by state governors
during the National Economic
Council meeting held on
May 19 and it encompasses
a framework of reform
measures including the
requirement to publish
audited financial statements
and budgets, biometric and
Bank Verification Number
(BVN) payroll review exercises
to sanitise payroll costs, as
well as limits on recurrent
expenditure levels.
Other conditions listed
include the requirement
that states set and meet
targets to enhance Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR), the
establishment of Efficiency
Units to reduce overhead costs,
privatisation of state-owned
enterprises, domestication of
the Fiscal Responsibility Act
and limitations on securing
further bank loans.
“On its part the federal
government has agreed to
develop IPSAS-compliant
software for states to use,
and to develop new bond
issuance guidelines to ease
access to the capital market
for states wishing to fund
developmental projects.
“Disbursements will be
conditional upon states
meeting
their
agreed
targets and will be subject
to monitoring and evaluation
by independent monitoring
agents. States that fail to meet
the agreed reform targets will
be excluded from further
funding.
“The FSP mirrors the public
financial management reforms
currently being pursued at
the federal government
level and is expected to set
the states on a path towards
long-term fiscal sustainability,”
the statement added.
Continuing, the statement
quoted the Minister of
Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to
have also explained that the
FSP represents an important
programme of reforms that
will develop best practice
financial management across
all tiers of government and
will improve transparency
and accountability.
“We are determined to
attain financial discipline
across government and
implementing the FSP at state
level will ensure alignment.
The focus on increasing
revenue, which is not limited
to conventional taxes, but
rather encourages states to
explore opportunities in areas
such as agriculture and solid
minerals, is in line with our
diversification objectives.
“The targets for cost
management and improved
efficiency will deliver value
for money and will yield
long term savings. Overall,
we believe that the survival of
state governments is essential
to the economic recovery
of Nigeria, specifically
their ability to meet salary
obligations,” she added.
In line with the federal
government’s resolve to
reflate economic activities
in the country, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had
last year disbursed a special
intervention fund totalling
N338 billion to 27 states in
the country. This was sequel
to President Muhammadu
Buhari’s approval of a
relief package designed to
enable states pay workers’
salaries and also salvage their
economic situation. Part of
the relief package then was
the CBN’s special intervention
fund to be offered to states
in the form of soft loans to
be accessed solely for the
purpose of paying the backlog
of salaries. The approval of the
special intervention fund was
sequel to the decision by the
National Economic Council
(NEC) at its meeting of June
29, 2015, requesting that the
CBN, in collaboration with
other stakeholders, should
appraise and consider ways
of liquidating outstanding
workers’ salaries owed by
state and local governments.
Afenifere Demands Official Release of June 12 Election Result
Gboyega Akinsanmi
The Afenifere Renewal
Group yesterday demanded
that the federal government
should officially release the
result of the June 12, 1993
Presidential Election acclaimed to have been won
by late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
The ARG, a pan-Yoruba
socio-political and economic
organisation, justified the
need to officially release the
election result because the
Official Secrets Act “can no
longer be binding on the
document.”
It made the demand in
a statement signed by its
National Chairman, Hon.
Olawale Oshun, to mark the
23rd anniversary of the June
12 election adjudged to be
the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, though it was
annulled by former Military
President, Gen. Ibrahim
Babangida.
In a one-page statement,
Oshun said President Muhammadu Buhari, as the
beneficiary of a ballot revolution that mostly mirrored
that of 1993, owed the citizens of Nigeria across the
geo-political divides the
duty of declassifying the
election result, particularly now that 23 years had
elapsed.
The group’s national
chairman explained that
the Official Secrets Act “can
no longer be binding on the
document. We believe this
will reverse the stigma occasioned by the foolish act of
canceling that election, adjudged to be the most peaceful in the history of Nigeria.”
He added that the official
release of the June 12 election result “will open up the
hypocrisy of military rule
and help project democracy
WHY MTN WILL REBOUND AFTER N330 BILLION FINE
With a profit of about
N200 billion in 2015, in one
and a half years, it is possible for the telco to settle the
fine from its profit without
significant adverse effects
on its balance sheet.
A cursory look at the financial statement of MTN
Nigeria, showed that in
2015, the company recorded
a profit after tax of N190 billion ($955 million) as at 31
December 2015.
Only last Friday, following the news of reduction
in the humongous fine, the
Group’s share climbed 13.18
per cent at the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange, South Africa, gaining 16.30 rands to
close at 140 rands, which is
the biggest gain since 2008.
Besides the company’s
high profitability profile,
industry analysts note that
MTN Nigeria has the prospect of even growing bigger
following its new business
frontiers with the 2.6 GHz
licence it got from NCC to
stream TV contents. The
MTN TV service, a digital
pay TV, which pilot launch
has already been done is expected to converge telecom-
munications, broadcasting
and media.
Analysts are of the opinion that with the new business model, it could recoup
monies lost to fines within
the shortest time possible.
Other aspects of the
agreement include that
MTN Nigeria would be
listed on the Nigeria Stock
Exchange (NSE) as soon as it
is commercially and legally
possible, and the tendering
of an apology in line with
the apology previously tendered in correspondences
relating to the matter to the
government of Nigeria and
Nigerians within the one
month of the execution of
the agreement.
However, the House of
Representatives Committee on Communications
has faulted the reduction of
the fine and summoned the
regulatory authority and
the Attorney General of the
Federation to appear before
it tomorrow.
But the view among industry analysts is that the
telecoms giant, in no time
would put the issue of the
fine behind it.
as a better form of governance. June 12 is no longer
a struggle but now an obligation. The people have
played their own part.
“It is now the obligation
of the beneficiaries of that
struggle to set the country
on a truly democratic path
by deliberately replacing
every stamp of military rule
on Nigeria’s nationhood, including the imposed governance structure and constitution, through democratic
rights and tenets.”
Oshun argued that there
“is no alternative way to
deepen democracy in Nigeria. Let nobody be deceived.
Until the federal government takes conscious steps
to restructure Nigeria, the
country will continue to
wobble from one crisis of
nationhood to another.
“To continue to ignore this
necessity is a tacit support
by elected officials for everything that transpired during
the military era and this is
why military rule has transited to ‘do or die’ politics
and citizens now believed
they have a right to take up
arms against their country.”
He thus called President
Buhari to see himself as
best poised “to help Nigeria
make this transition. This
can be his best legacy and
the starting point, we dare
say, is to release the June 12
presidential election result
and its winner appropriately
recognised and honoured.”
In a phone conversation
on Friday, Oshun lamented
that it was tragic that no
government “has given
Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June
12 election due recognition.
It is a common knowledge
that he won the election.
The records are still there as
proofs of Abiola’s electoral
victory.
“It is injustice, and the injustice will continue as long
as Abiola’s posthumous
victory is not recognised.
Buhari has opportunity to
recognise Abiola’s electoral
victory because sufficient
time has already passed.
The healing process of Nigeria will not have taken
this long time if this injustice
has been addressed. “This
therefore calls for the need
to look at the political structure of Nigeria. We need to
restructure Nigeria in a way
that devolves more powers
and responsibilities to the
sub-national governments,”
he said.
US: B'HARAM’S TERRITORIAL CONTROL
DEGRADED, BUT ASYMMETRIC ATTACKS PERSIST
COURTESY VISIT...
L-R: Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. Dave Umahi; Acting Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Waheed Olagunju; and the Executive
Director, Corporate Services, BoI, Mr. Tobin Jonathan, during the governors visit to the bank on business development and Industry,
in the state, in Abuja...yesterday
military-style campaigns and
revert back to the asymmetric
tactics seen in previous years.
Despite these setbacks,
Boko Haram withstood
and adapted to the military
offensives.
“The group carried out
kidnappings,
killings,
bombings (including with
child suicide bombers), and
attacks on civilian and military targets throughout the
Lake Chad Basin, resulting in
thousands of deaths, injuries,
and significant destruction
of property.”
The report stressed, “While
Nigeria and regional partners
have made progress in driving
Boko Haram from much of
the territory it held in northern Nigeria, the group kept
control over some territory
and maintained its ability to
carry out asymmetric attacks.”
On coordination of the
antiterrorism operations, the
report observed, “While the
counterterrorism activities of
these agencies and ministry
were ostensibly coordinated
by the Office of the National
Security Advisor (ONSA), the
level of interagency cooperation and information sharing
was limited.”
The reported also noted,
“Among the problems that
deterred or hindered more
effective law enforcement
and border security by the
Nigerian government were
a lack of coordination and
cooperation between Nigerian
security agencies; a lack of
biometrics collection systems
and the requisite databases;
corruption; misallocation of
resources; the slow pace of the
judicial system, including a
lack of timely arraignment of
suspected terrorist detainees;
and lack of sufficient training
for prosecutors and judges to
understand and carry out the
Terrorism (Prevention) Act of
2011 (as amended). “
9
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • JUNE 12, 2016
SUNDAY COMMENT
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA
Email [email protected]
RESTRUCTURING THE NIGERIAN FEDERATION
The restructuring of the Nigerian federation is long overdue
F
or about four years now, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, former Vice-President, has been
advocating the need to restructure the Nigerian
federation. He has seen no reason yet to change
his mind. In renewing that call at a recent book
presentation in Abuja, Atiku argued that the
present structure was a pointer to the tension
at the heart of the nation. “Agitations by many
right-thinking Nigerians call for a restructuring and a
renewal of our federation to make it less centralised, less
suffocating and less dictatorial in the affairs of our country’s
constituent units and localities,” he said.
Even though Atiku’s call has been consistent, especially
in recent years, it is not as if the idea he propounds is a
novel one. It nudges at the heart of millions of Nigerians
who are outraged by the present structure of the federation which has increasingly
become a recipe for uncertainty, insecurity and instability. It is therefore hardly
surprising that Atiku’s
thesis on federalism was
greeted with enthusiasm in
several quarters by critical
stakeholders who share
with him the view that our
country is not working.
Indeed, some eminent
Nigerians as well as
groups such as the panYoruba socio-cultural
group, “Afenifere” and the
pan–Igbo umbrella body,
the “Ohanaeze Ndigbo”
have endorsed the call. “We
have always preached what
would make every component to be free, proud, develop and be ready to innovate”
said ‘Afenifere’s Secretary General, Mr. Sehinde Arogbofa, while Chief Enwo Igariwey of Ohanaeze agreed:
“We have been calling for restructuring; we believe it is in
the best interest of the country.”
There is no denying the fact that Nigeria practices a
weird form of federalism that is not only antithetical
to growth and development, but also breeds needless
tension. It is federalism with highly unitary tendencies,
where almost all powers are concentrated at the centre
All factors
considered,
restructuring
the polity
so that our
country can
work for every
citizen while
fulfilling its
potential is an
issue we cannot
afford to be
complacent
about any
longer
whereas the federating units–the states and local governments–are reduced to mere appendages.
F
S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R
EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA
DEPUTY EDITORS VINCENT OBIA, FESTUS AKANBI
MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO
DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE
CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI
EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN
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, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU
GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA
DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA,
MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE
DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI
SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO
CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI
GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI
GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE
ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II
DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO
or the nation of its size and population, a local
government in Yenagoa in Bayelsa State or
Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State looks up to Abuja
for police protection. So also is the disabling
structure of the economy that the federal government collects a disproportionate amount of the revenue
accruing to the nation while the law prescribes an allocation formula designed more to encourage laziness instead
of productivity, equity, fairness and justice. The system
also allows for little or no accountability with waste and
needless duplications at practically all levels. Now, the
federal government is recruiting teachers for primary
schools that are under the control of local governments!
The overbearing powers at the centre make the contest
for the Nigeria’s president–perhaps the most powerful in
the world–a “do or die” affair. The power wielder uses his
position to dispense favours or ill–will to whomever he
pleases, the type that has helped to create many war zones
across the nation today.
However, like Atiku also rightly observed, the Nigerian variant of federalism was at the initial stage tolerable.
The federal system inherited at independence was one
which allowed the federating units to retain their autonomy to raise and retain revenues, promote development,
and conduct their affairs as they saw fit, while engaging in
healthy competition with one another. Now after 17 years
of democracy, the country is yet to wean itself of the large
doses of unitarism injected into the system by its military
rulers.
The latest effort to revisit the structure and make
it more accommodating came by way of the National
Political Conference organised by the President Jonathan
administration in 2014. Even when we had misgivings
about the motive of those who convened the conference
and its composition, some remarkable agreements were
nonetheless reached. But Jonathan’s successor, President
Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC) do not seem to be excited by it. The
president has indeed dismissed the report as fit only for
the archives.
Yet we believe that all factors considered, restructuring
the polity so that our country can work for every citizen
while fulfilling its potential is an issue we cannot afford
to be complacent about any longer.
TO SEND EMAIL: first [email protected]
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T
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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.
NIGERIA IN STATE OF UNCERTAINTIES
o say that the Nigerian state is
currently mired in economic
and political upheaval is an
understatement. One year
has gone since this administration was inaugurated. It has been
one year of economic woe which has left
Nigerians groaning in excruciating pains.
The lack of policy direction is a
pointer that this administration does
not know what to do with the political
power it is currently wielding. Personally, I do think there is more to this
than we can see with our naked eyes.
Remember 1984? That was the height
of Buhari’s first shot at power as the
military head of state. The economy was
so biting that his administration had
to adopt the famous austerity measure.
Fast forward to 2015, when Buhari came
back again to power after a hiatus of 30
one years.
The fate of the Nigeria’s economy
under this government is so gloomy
that measures have eluded the govern-
ment. Is this an ogbanje government?
The one that comes at interval to
torment the country and its people? So
far, this change administration has not
developed any blue print in respect of
any aspect of governance. So far, Buhari
is only working on the foundation and
initiative of the Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration. Some many want
examples to be cited. The recent one
is the removal of petroleum subsidy.
Jonathan’s economic team conceived
this idea as the only way to relieve
the economy of the heavy burden
weighing it down. The APC shouted
blue murder and when the price of
crude fell in the international market
under Jonathan, the APC insisted that
by simple economics, the pump price of
fuel should as well fall.
Today, APC is in power and the price
of oil in the international market has
fallen below what it was under Jonathan
and fuel is N 145 per litre. The claim
of the success of the troops fighting
insurgency in the North-East started
with the Jonathan administration. It
was Jonathan who built all the IDP
camps. The Almajiri schools he built as
a measure to prevent these Almajiris
from becoming easy tools in the hands
of these marauding terrorists have
been turned into camps under Buhari’s
administration.
There is no evidence that the troops
are using new weapons purchased
by this present government. The fight
against corruption is a ruse. Buhari
has no intention to fight corruption.
EFCC remains what it was during
Jonathan’s administration except that
its targets have changed. They go
only after those who worked with the
last administration. Does this tell you
anything about Buhari’s first coming in
1984? He went after those who worked
with Alhaji Shehu Shagari. This forced
the late musical maestro Fela Anikulapo
Kuti to sing this line:
“They say President Shagari he steal
na Shagari alone them go hold
What about de other presidents?”
The war against corruption must be
holistic. It should not have any political
undertone. This is where Buhari is
getting it wrong. He keeps blaming
his lack of success in governance to
the rot bequeathed on him by the
last administration. President Buhari
must be educated that the economic
downturn started with Jonathan’s
administration but the administration’s
economic team was able to manage
it that Nigerians did not feel the pang
even as the government was taking
the pains. But Buhari and his elusive
economic team have decided to shift the
pains to the Nigerian people because
they lack the clue on how to handle a
crashing economy.
Buhari has flagged off the cleaning
of Ogoniland and some political jobbers
may want to give him undue credit.
But let us give the devil his dues. It was
Jonathan’s administration that initiated
and approved the clean-up exercise.
Buhari is only implementing it. That is
how it should be, because government
is a continuum. But I wonder if this
will bring the needed peace in the land
particularly in the Niger Delta going
by the high handedness of President
Buhari and his very approach of
crushing every opposition by force.
Recently, many pro- Biafra agitators
were mulled down in Nkpor and
Onitsha by the army and other security
forces. Buhari has also threatened to
clip the growing wings of the rising
militant groups in the Niger Delta. One
thing history has taught us is that you
can never win peace by fighting a war.
The present government should note
that peaceful demonstration is allowed
in any democratic setting. Selfdetermination of the indigenous peoples
is a fundamental right and recognised
under international law.
––Chimezie Elemuo, Oginigba,
Port Harcourt
10
SUNDAYNEWS
News Editor Abimbola Akosile
E-mail: [email protected], 08023117639 (sms only)
L-R: Senior Fellow, Public Policy and Management, Alliance Manchester Business School, Dr. Nick Clifford; Head of Market Intelligence, NNPC, UK, Hauwa S Mshelia; Vice-Chancellor, IBB University,
Prof. Nasir Maiturare; Permanent Secretary, Office of Establishments and Training (Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions), Lagos State, Mrs. Folasade Ogunnaike; Sunday Editor, THISDAY
Newspaper, Tokunbo Adedoja; Managing Director, The Nation Newspaper, Victor Ifijeh; Sunday Editor, Vanguard Newspaper, Olajide Ajani; Special Adviser, Arts and Culture to Lagos State Governor,
Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola; Director, NNPC, UK, Dr. Kennie Obateru; CEO, Graceland, Olusegun Awokoya; Managing Director, THISDAY Newspaper, Eniola Bello; TEXEM CEO, Alim Abubakre; CEO, Greater
Washington, Adenike Awosan; and CEO, Zenith Insurance, Ebele Nwachukwu, at the Strategic Leadership for Superior Performance in Turbulent Times Programme at the Alliance Manchester Business
School, University of Manchester, UK...recently
Shuaibu Amodu, the Man Who Qualified
Nigeria for Two World Cups, Laid to Rest
Demola Ojo in Lagos and Adibe
Emenyonu in Benin City
Shuaibu Amodu, the only man
to have qualified Nigeria for two
World Cup finals, was laid to rest
amidst crying and wailing by
his family members and friends
yesterday evening. The remains
of the Nigeria Football Federation
Technical Director was committed
to Mother Earth at his residence in
Okpella, Etsako East local government area of Edo state.
Amodu, who coached the
Nigerian senior football team –the
SuperEagles-onfourdifferentoccasions, passed away early yesterday
morning in his sleep in Benin City,
Edo State, after complaining of chest
problems.
ThedeathoftheNigeriaFootball
Federation (NFF) Technical Director
comes just days after former Nigeria
coach and captain, Stephen Keshi,
passed away aged 54 in the same
city.
The late Amodu’s body was
lowered into the grave at about
5:07pm, after his body had earlier
been brought to Okpella from Stella
Obasanjo Hospital in Benin. At
about 12:30pm, he was brought
out from the inner chambers of his
house for internment.
Between the arrival of the body
and the interment, which lasted
about five hours, family members,
neighbours, journalists and residents of Okpella gathered in the late
Amodu’s compound discussing his
passage just four days after that of
Keshi. Some family members and
neighbours could not hold their
emotions as they cried and wailed
uncontrollably.
At about 4pm, mother of the
late Amodu, who had earlier been
taken to the palace of the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji A.Y.E.
Dirisu, came back to the compound
after she had been informed of her
son’s death.
A cousin of the deceased who is
also the Commissioner for Information in Edo State, Kazeem Afegbua,
said Amodu died in his sleep at
about 4am yesterday morning.
He said Amodu, who led prayers
before the family went to bed the
night before, only complained of
chest pain.
Afegbua said a doctor was
calledtothehousetocheckAmodu.
“Hewascheckedandcertifiedokay
and they all went to bed. He was
actually a BP patient and his BP last
night when the doctor checked was
140/100. The doctor only warned
him to stop fasting.
“After the prayers, he went to
bed but asked that he be woken at
4am to prepare for the fast. It was
around four they tried to wake him
to prepare for the Muslim fasting.
That was all. He didn’t wake up,”
Afegbua said.
Amodu, who began his coaching career with BCC Lions ofGboko
and also handled rivals El-Kanemi
Warriors of Maiduguri, is the most
decorated coach in Nigerian FA
Cup history, having won it in 1989,
1992, 1993 and 1994. He won the
Nigeria League and Cup double
in 1994, and won the Super Cup in
1989, 1993 and 1994. He also managed South African giants Orlando
Pirates between 1996 and 1997.
An NFF statement said:
“Amodu’s name was synonymous
with the Super Eagles. You can’t talk
about the history of Super Eagles
without Amodu getting prominent
chapters.” Amodu qualified the Super Eagles for the FIFA World Cup
in 2002 and 2010, but did not lead the
team to the finals. He also qualified
the Beach Soccer National Team for
the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World
Cup, but did not lead the team at the
finalsasherefusedtotraveltoBrazil.
“As Technical Director he was
known to be hypertensive, and
had rejected taking over the Super
Eagles coaching job in February on
this ground,” the NFF statement
revealed.
Amodu first shot to prominence
when he guided BCC Lions to win
the now-defunct African Cup Winners Cup in 1990. His team reached
the final of the same competition the
following year but lost to Zambian
side Power Dynamos 5-4 on aggregate in 1991.
Three years later Amodu
replaced Dutchman Clemens
Westerhof as Super Eagles coach
in 1994 and then led the reigning
African Champions to fourth place
at the 1995 King Fahd Cup (now
renamed Fifa Confederations Cup)
before his exit later that year. He
returned to manage the team again
from 1998-99, 2001-02 and 2008-2010.
Amodu helped the country
qualify for the 2002 World Cup in
Japan and South Korea and led
them to a third-place finish in the
2002 Nations Cup in Mali.
Under his stewardship, Nigeria
again qualified for the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa but Amodu
was sacked despite the team’s thirdplace finish at the 2010 Africa Cup of
Nations in Angola.
It was the second time he had
been removed from his post ahead
of a World Cup finals tournament -
Amodu was also fired ahead of the
2002 edition after Nigeria finished
third at the 2002 Nations Cup.
Before the observation of funeral
rites for Amodu, a special prayer,
led by Ustaz Ahmed Shehu, was
offered for the repose of his soul. In
his remarks, Ustaz Shehu described
thedeathofAmoduasagreatlossto
Okpella community, Etsako nation,
Edo State and the nation at large.
Members of the Nigerian football family including the Secretary
General of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi; chairman of the Edo Football
Association, Frank Ilaboya; Robinson Okosun and other football and
sports enthusiasts gathered at the
late Amodu’s residence to pay their
last respect.
Top officials of the Edo State government such as the late Amodu’s
cousin and Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation,
Prince Kassim Afegbua; CommissionerforEnvironment,ClemAgba,
and other notable personalities from
Afemai, also attended the burial.
Hundreds of residents of
Okpella were not left out as they
trooped out to honour one of their
foremost sons. The late soccer tactician was survived by his late wife,
Kuburat; seven children, mother,
brother and sisters.
Ambode Appoints 57 Sole
Administrators for LGs
• To swear Xin new appointees on Mon
Abimbola Akosile
Lagos
State Governor, Mr.
Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday
approved the appointment of new
sole administrators expected to
oversee the 20 Local Governments
and 37 Local Council Development
Areas (LCDAs) in the State.
In a statement issued yesterday
by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, Governor
Ambode would on Monday, June
13, swear-in the new appointees
at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House,
Ikeja.
Those to be sworn-in are: Ayeni
A. Babatunde; Adebayo Taoheed;
Adekunle Julius; Samuel Ojo; Jacob
Kent; Mrs. Bashorun Bolanle A.;
Gbenga Abiola; Olumide Olayomi;
Mrs. Yeyintola D. Agaba; Isa Abiola
Jubril; Yusuf Temitope; Alhaji Musa
Nasir A.; Ogunleye Gbolahon; Babatunde Adetunji; Olu Ogunniyi;
Sola Akande; Alhaji Wasiu Sanni;
Abiola Kolawole Esrom; Muyiwa
Okesanya and Shukura Okeowo.
Others are: William Lawanson;
Label Raji; Ibrahim Adigun; Mrs.
Samiat O. Raji; Segun Anifowoshe; Sherif Balogun; Ilelaboye
Rasaq; Mrs. Stella Kokumo;
Yinka Kazeem; Quadri Ganiu;
Princess Abiodun Elegushi; Mrs.
Doyin Y. Salami; Ms. Soikoya
Abimbola; Bolaji Adele Solomon;
Mrs. Animawun Adejumoke;
Shefiu O. Osinnuga; Adefuye
Bayo; Biodun Agbaje; Genesis N.
Williams; Engr. Biodun Taiwo;
Okinurudeen Bamidele; Gokef
Ona Olawale; Abdul Adewale;
Femi John; Sanya Oshijo; Ipaye N.
Adeleke; Hon. Tunde Alao; Are B.
Abiola; Samson Akerele Oloyede;
James Agboola; Princess Aderemi
Adebowale; Rotimi Ogunwuyi;
Olufemi Okedeyi; Rojaiye A.
Olayemi; Surakat O. Idogun; Emmanuel Aguda and Habib Aileru.
The statement added that the
57 sole administrators after being
sworn in would take charge of
their various councils pending
the conduct of elections at the
Councils.
Ambode had last Thursday
approved the immediate dissolution of Caretaker Committees following the resolution of the Lagos
State House of Assembly relieving
the Executive Secretaries of the 57
Local Governments Councils and
Local Council Development Areas
in the State of their responsibilities.
The Governor had also directed the Executive Secretaries to
hand over the reins of administration to the Head of Administration
in each of the Council Areas.
House C’ttee on Procurement Orders Post Procurement Audit of
Federal Housing Authority
Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
The House of Representatives
Committee on Public Procurement has ordered an audit into
the procurement processes of
the Federal Housing Authority
(FHA) between 2011 and 2015.
This is as it also opened
investigations into allegations
of fraudulent practices by the
interim Management and
Managing Director of FHA, Prof.
MohammedAl-Amin,following
a petition filed before the House
Committee on Public Petitions.
The interim Management
and Al-Amin are being accused
of violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007 concerning
renovation done on the headquarters of the FHA, construction
of two-bedroom flats in FHA
Estate, Lugbe, Abuja, and award
of construction contracts for water
tanks.
The team is also accused
of breaching public trust by
allocating to themselves and
their proxies, plots of land which
were designated as green areas
within Gwarimpa, converting
guest houses at Kado Estate
and Gwarinpa to personal use,
and renovation and eventual
fraudulent conversion of houses
designated for Staff Housing
Scheme to personal use.
In documents obtained
by THISDAY, other alleged
infractions include “unilateral
extension of tenure of the interim
management team without
obtaining presidential approval.”
(See concluding part
on www.thisdaylive.com)
11
NEWS
EMBRACING
AUTOMATION
R-L: Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu receiving a keynote address from the GM Imo and Abia Zenith Bank Plc. Mr. Gabriel Okenwa, during the inauguration of steering committee of Abia State automated and payroll management system in Umuahia...recently
AGRIC
BOOST
L-R: General Manager natnudO Foods, Toromade Francis; Group Managing Director, natnudO Foods,
Ayoola Oduntan; General Manager, Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Limited, Dr. Anand, and Marketing
Manager, natnudO Foods, Ophylia Ibekwe at the media tour of natnudO Foods Facility at Awe Oyo State...
recently
CAN Charges FG, Northern
Govs on Security of Christians
Seriki Adionyi
Following recent hostilities
against Christians across some
states in the North, the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) has charged the Federal
Government to do everything
to ensure that adequate security is provided for the lives
and properties of Christians in
the region.
Two Christians were gruesomely murdered in Kano
and Niger states for allegedly
blaspheming against Prophet
Mohammed, while another
was injured and beaten to
coma for eating during the
Ramadan fasting.
Against this backdrop,
the chairman of CAN in the
19 Northern states and the
Federal Capital territory, Rev.
Yakubu Pam, issued a statement in Jos yesterday, describing the circumstances under
which Mrs. Bridget Agbahime
and Methodus Chimaije
Emmanuel were killed under
religious guise in Kano and
Niger states respectively as
unfortunate, barbaric, and
unacceptable in Nigeria.
Pam also charged the
Northern Governors to brace
up to their responsibilities as
the chief security officers of
their respective states to provide adequate security measures to the lives and properties of Christians in their states,
insisting that all Nigerians
have equal rights to live in any
state of the federation irrespective of their religion, and to
carry out their businesses lawfully without anyone causing
harm to them.
He described the recent
ugly incidents in Kano and
Niger states as regrettable and
uncivilised that should not be
tolerated by people of goodwill
in the country.
According to him, “the
perpetrators of these evil acts
must be fished out with their
gangs and made to face the
full wrath of the law to serve as
deterrence to others.”
Pam also cautioned Northern Governors not to rush into
committing parts of lands for
grazing reserve or grazing
route for cattle herders without
going into proper consultation
with the land owners in their
respective states, noting that if
the land owners are not properly consulted such policy may
end up as counterproductive.
Calling for prayers for Nigeria, Pam said, “This period
in the history of this nation
calls for serious prayers and
understanding among the
diverse people of this country
for peace to reign in all parts of
the country.”
While commending the
federal government for accepting to go into dialogue with
the Niger Delta Avengers, the
cleric stressed that through
dialogue most of the crisis
rocking different parts of the
country could be resolved.
The cleric also urged the
security agencies to sustain efforts in the North-east to bring
the activities of Boko haram to
an end, so that the displaced
persons from the three states
of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
can return to their homes.
Listen to Nigerians on Way Forward, Obi of Onitsha Urges Buhari
Ademola Babalola in Ibadan
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe
Nnemeka Achebe, yesterday
said the solution to the myriad
problems besetting the nation
lie within the Nigerian people
themselves, and urged President
Muhammadu Buhari to listen to
the people.
Recalling President Buhari’s
recent statement that he has
confined the various recommendations of the 2014 national
political conference under the
Goodluck Jonathan administration to the archive, the monarch
said such posture may not be in
the best interest of the nation and
greater good of Nigerians in the
long run.
Obi spoke to reporters
after a reception organised in
his honour by Ibadan School of
Government and Public Policy
(ISGPP) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The ceremony was attended
by the Chairman of the group,
Prof. Akin Mabogunje; the
Executive Vice Chairman, Dr.
Tunji Olaopa, members of the
academic community and a host
of others.
The monarch said Nigeria
had for so long ignored problems
militating against its nationhood,
saying that solutions proffered
against them had always been
swept under the carpet, in veiled
reference to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s confab
report and the Jonathan admin-
istration’s 2014 conference.
He said although mistakes
were bound to happen, Nigeria
had always pretended that the
nationhood was a perfect arrangement because “we don’t
want to admit our mistakes.”
According to him, “One
point that we must not ignore is
that in any organisation, in the
lives of individuals, mistakes are
bound to happen. The purpose
of mistakes is for us to learn from
them, correct them and move
forward.
“But in our institutional
setting in Nigeria, there is the
tendency to pretend and ignore
our mistakes because we don’t
want to admit. We live in the
mistakes and they get worse.
And then, it takes a long time to
bring about change in our ways
and in looking for alternatives.”
The monarch said a commission set up by past government
had proffered solution to some
of the economic problems of Nigeria but the recommendations
were ignored.
“About a month ago, the
government announced that the
price of petrol had been partially
deregulated. Thirteen years ago,
I was the chairman of a commission of enquiry appointed
by the then president Olusegun
Obasanjo to look into the same
issue. We made a series of recommendations. One of them was to
deregulate the price of petrol and
save the country a lot of money.
FCT - VIO Secretly Returns Stolen Funds to EFCC, Investigation Reveals
Adebiyi Adedapo in Abuja
The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) has
extended its investigations and
recovery of stolen funds to the
Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) commonly referred
to as the Vehicle Inspection Office
(VIO) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
THISDAY gathered that senior
officials of DTRS are being investi-
gated by operatives at the national
headquarters of the EFCC over an
alleged conspiracy, stealing and
diversion of public funds.
According to sources, the investigation which commenced in
2015 yielded shocking revelations,
and affected officials have agreed
to refund the allegedly stolen
funds in order to shield them from
trial and public ridicule.
Affected officials have since
frequent the commission on
monthly basis. Although the
actual amount involved in the
fraud could not be ascertained at
the time to filing this report, affected officials agreed to pay back
the looted funds into government
coffers, with effect from December
2015.
EFCC had in a letter dated October 28, 2015, signed by the then
Head of Economic Governance,
Olufunke Adetayo-Ogunbode,
invited the DTRS officials for
questioning.
“The Commission is investi-
gating a case of conspiracy, stealing
and diversion of public funds in
which the need to seek clarifications from your office became
imperative. In view of the above,
you are kindly requested to inform
and release the above mentioned
official to attend an interview with
the undersigned through Mr.
Michael Wetkas on Monday 2nd
November 2015, at Block C, No
5 Formella Street, Off Ademola
Adetokunbo Crescent , Wuse II,
Abuja by 10:hours prompt.”
Falana: EFCC Secured 140
Convictions in Six Months
Gboyega Akinsanmi
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi
Falana at the weekend disclosed
that the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC)
secured 140 convictions in six
months, noting that the agency’s
culture of proper record-keeping
made it possible to secure the
convictions.
Likewise, Lagos State
Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi
Ambode has emphasised the
strategic significance of proper
record-keeping in fighting
corrupt practices; arresting
the growing trend on insecurity and ending the disturbing
spate on illicit trade in historical
artifacts in the country.
The duo made the remarks
at a public forum organised by
the Lagos State Records and
Archives Bureau (LASRAB)
at the Memorable Gathering
Event Centre, Alausa to mark
the 2016 International Archives
Day.
The forum featured Chairman of the Editorial Board of
the Nation Newspapers, Mr.
Sam Omatseye, Commissioner
for Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni,
LASRAD Director-General,
Mr. Biodun Onayele, and a
renowned archivist from the
University of Ibadan, Dr. Abiola
Abioye among others.
At the forum, the human
rights lawyer disclosed that
the anti-graft commission had
been able “to secure 140 convictions in the last six months. The
reason was that the agency has
records,” which, according to
him, helped its operatives in
their fight against corruption.
Troops Kill 10 Boko Haram
Terrorists, Arrest Two Others
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The Nigerian troops engaged in the
ongoing Operation Lafiya Dole, have
killed 10 Boko Haram terrorists and
apprehended two others during
recent clearance encounters in parts
of Borno State, North-east of the
country.
The Director of Army Public
Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday,
said the troops of 3 Battalion,
22 Task Force Brigade recorded
the success on Friday based on
some actionable intelligence and
information. Usman said the
military were informed that terrorist elements earlier dislodged
at Chukungudu and Hausari villages during recent clearance operations were migrating towards
Muska village in Gamboru Ngala
Local Government Area (LGA),
and conducted fighting patrol
operations in the general area.
“During the encounter, the
troops killed 10 Boko Haram
terrorists, captured two alive and
rescued a woman with her baby
that were held hostages by the
terrorists,” he stated.
He said the troops also recovered several equipment, arms
and ammunition that include six
AK-47 rifle magazines, 56 rounds
of 7.62m (Special) rounds of ammunitions, a bundle of detonating
cord, a manual on how to prepare
Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs), two rifle magazine pouches, a Techno IPad, a Nokia mobile
telephone handset and Gionee
mobile telephone handset.
Make Music Day Holds June 21
An entertainment firm, Showgear is set to organise a Make Music Day on June 21, 2016 for music lovers in Lagos. The Managing
Director, Showgear, Mr. Tayo Akinyemi, who stated this during a
press briefing in in Lagos, said the event seeks to promote music
and music education in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. “We are
passionate about music and you know Lagos is a city rich in musical culture and heritage. Music unites people and cuts across
cultural barriers, “he said. He also noted the occasion, which is a
multiple venue festival is an avenue where all can share their love
for music. Akinyemi, who hinted the event will be totally free is
aimed at celebrating everyone’s ability to make music as well as
appreciate and enjoy as many of genre of music on a free platform. He also pointed out it will provide opportunity for young
and upcoming artists to express their talents and also synergies
with professionals on a free platform.
12
NEWS
WATER
FOR ALL
BUDGET AT WORK
L-R: Chief Okongor Bachot; DSP Ndarake Neji (rtd); General Manager, British American Tobacco Nigerian Milling material laying for diversion at Km 98 + 300 at the rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion
Foundation (BATNF), Abimbola Okoya; Hon. Lawrence Takor; Chief Jumbo Takon, at the handover ceremony of
a Solar-powered borehole by BATN Foundation at Akparabong Community, Ikom Local Government Area, Cross
River State...recently
of Lagos-Ibadan Dual carriageway Section II (Shagamu-Ibadan) by Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Ltd in fulfillment of the commitment given to Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde
Fashola SAN that they would mobilise back to site latest by Monday
Gruesome Murder of Acting Chief
Registrar Unsettles Health Ministry
We’ll Bring Genuine Change
to Edo State, Says Ize-Iyamu
• Medical lab scientists task FG, Police to unmask killers
A leading governorship aspirant
under the platform of the Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP) in the
Edo State September 10 election,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has said
his desire to contest the election
is predicated on the change the
state desires and not based on
sloganeering or deceit.
He also said he had analysed
the challenges facing the state,
consulted widely across the 18 local government areas, and on the
basis of his party’s manifesto had
come up with a robust blueprint
to launch Edo State on the path
to sustainable prosperity and
holistic development.
The former Secretary to the
Edo State Government stated this
after picking his form recently in
Benin City to contest the election.
“Ours is a genuine roadmap
to transform our state from its
present unacceptable condition of underdevelopment to
an attractive state with vibrant
economy. The blueprint, codenamed SIMPLE Agenda, offers
Paul Obi in Abuja
The brutal murder of the acting
Chief Registrar of the Medical
Laboratory Science Council of
Nigeria (MLSCN), Mrs. Olufunke Omotuyi in the early hours
of last Wednesday appears to be
unsettling officials of the Federal
Ministry of Health in Abuja.
This might not be unconnected with the on-going squabbles
and supremacy battle going on
at the MLSCN, which even led
to the termination of the former
Chief Registrar’s appointment by
the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac
Adewole. Adewole was believed
to have instructed Omotuyi to
take over the leadership of the
council in an acting capacity even
before end of the tenure of the
former Chief Registrar. Further,
an injunction was also said to
have been issued by the National
Industrial Court (NIC) mandat-
ing the minister to ensure that the
status quo is maintained.
Omotuyi’s killing was said to
have occurred at about 4.00am
Wednesday, June 8, few hours to
the commencement of the World
Accreditation Day, an event she
was billed to chair in Abuja.
But addressing journalists
yesterday in Abuja, Association
of Medical Laboratory Scientists
of Nigeria (AMLSN) said the
federal government, particularly
the Nigerian Police, must do all
they can to ensure that the killers
are fished out.
AMLSN President, Toyosi Raheem told journalists that “Mrs.
Omotuyi was a very humble,
innocent and peaceful mother
and an astute medical laboratory
scientist. Omotuyi could hardly
harm a fly! It is unfortunate
that the life of this humble and
peaceful woman had been cut off
through this means.
“We appeal to the Nigerian
Police Force and other law enforcement agents to demonstrate
that the killing would not be
handled with kid gloves like
other previous killings. We
expect tangible outcome of the
investigations that will unravel
those responsible for this gruesome killing. This killing must
not be swept under the carpet,”
Raheem stressed.
The AMLSN President
“urged the Inspector General of
Police to ensure that strategies
that will lead to unraveling the
killers of Mrs. Omotuyi are deployed. This type of killing continues to attract negative publicity
to Nigeria: it can also scare away
investors and professionals in
the Diaspora from coming back
home to contribute their quota
to the development of Nigeria.
Those involved must therefore be
thoroughly investigated, arrested
and brought to book to serve as
deterrent”.
On insinuations about what
might have led to the murder
of Omotuyi, Raheem informed
journalists that “as professionals,
there shouldn’t be anything
that lead to loss of life. We never
imagine that that could lead to
the loss of life. The Police know
the various strategies to use. We
are trained to save lives, but not
to kill; we don’t know whether
professionals are involved.”
The AMLSN President
also ruled out the possibility of
victims whose laboratories have
been sealed to have targeted
Omotuyi, arguing that, “no lab
has been sealed since Omotuyi
took over; even if a lab has been
sealed, should that result to killing? We don’t want to limit the
work of the Police. Those who
have issues with sealing of labs
are only allowed to insist on
professional authority, that is to
challenge such in court, not to kill
the person,” Raheem said.
Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja
measurable commitments that
would be implemented with passion, single-mindedness, incisive
competence and experience”, he
stated.
Examining issues at stake in
the coming election, Ize-Iyamu
said any government that intends to bring real development
and prosperity to its citizens
must focus on comprehensive
and sustainable development
that encompasses several aspects
including improvement of
infrastructure, health, education,
human resource development,
job creation, industrialisation,
agriculture, security and improvement of municipal services
in the state.
According to him, “Unfortunately, over the past seven
years, Edo State has been denied
this best practice approach to
sustainable development. Rather,
the state government has been
obsessed with a single item,
road maintenance. It completely
neglected all other important
areas of the development crying
for attention.”
Accept FG’s Olive Branch, Tompolo
Implores Niger Delta Avengers
‘Ikpeazu Creating Optimum
Conditions for Investment in Abia’
• Soldiers still holding symbol of Egbesu shrine from Oporoza invasion
AnaidetotheAbiaStateGovernor,
Mr. Godwin Adindu, says Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has made
significant progress in achieving
his administration’s central objective of creating the best possible
environment for productivity in
the state. Adindu stated this last
week in Lagos during a briefing to
highlight the achievements of the
Ikpeazu government in the last
one year.
Adindu said Ikpeazu had
placed a high premium on provision of infrastructure and empowerment of the people to achieve
their full potential, stressing that
66 roads are being constructed by
the government across the state,
while 27 have been completed and
unveiled. He said development
of Aba, which is the commercial
nerve centre of the state, was central to the government’s economic
policy, “Aba captures the heart of
Abia and, indeed, Igboland.”
Adindu said the state government was establishing partnerships and training programmes
aimed at streamlining the indus-
Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Former leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger
Delta (MEND), Chief Government
Ekpemupolo, popularly called
Tompolo, has again appealed to
the members of emergent militant
group, the Niger Delta Avengers
(NDA), to accept the reported
Federal Government’s offer of
the dialogue option to resolve
the resurgence of militancy in
the oil-rich region.
He said the appeal had
become necessary because the
NDA members were inadvertently promoting the militarisation of the Niger Delta through
the series of bombing they were
carrying out in the area even
as fingers were being wrongly
pointed at him (Tompolo).
The passionate plea by
Ekpmupolo, who holds the
high-ranking traditional title of
Ibe-ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation,
was contained in a press state-
ment he personally signed and
e-mailed to THISDAY in Asaba.
Tompolo noted that the new
militant group has also unwittingly opened wide the door for
political jobbers and criminally
minded elements “within the
government circle”, who have
suddenly emerged as dubious
businessmen offering to arrange
fraudulent negotiated deals
between the government and
the militants.
He described the recent invasion of Ijaw kingdom of Gbaramatu by joint military operatives
as unprecedented, oppressive
and a sad reminder of similar
military invasion of the area in
2009 before the introduction of
the amnesty programme by the
Yar’Adua administration.
Tompolo, who has been in
hiding since being declared
wanted on February 11, 2016,
by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) in
connection with his alleged in-
volvement in a N45 billion fraud,
has continued to wield much
influence in the region with allegation in certain quarters that he
might know something about
the resurgence of militancy in
the Niger Delta.
He alluded much to this allegation in a similar appeal to the
NDA a fortnight ago when he
said his concerned reaction was
partly prompted by attempts
in certain quarters to link him
(Ekpemupolo) with the spate of
bombing of oil pipelines in Delta
and Bayelsa states for which the
NDA has claimed responsibility.
He nonetheless maintained
that he chose the option of a
press statement because he does
not know nor how to reach
members of the Niger Delta
Avengers. In the statement issued yesterday, Tompolo said,
“One thing you guys may not
be aware of, is that you have not
only succeeded in militarising
the Niger Delta region now,
but also succeeded in giving
birth to so many negotiators
and political jobbers within the
government circle, who are very
serious rumour peddlers in the
country now.”
He noted that the activities
of the militant group has also
thrown the lives of the people of
his native Gbaramatu Kingdom
in Warri South-west Local Government Area of Delta State into
confusion following the invasion
of their communities by military
personnel reportedly in search
of the militants and Tompolo.
“As for the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom, they have
not known peace since you
guys started the bombing of
oil facilities as they have been
harassed, intimidated, violated
and invaded on daily basis by
the Nigerian Military under the
guise of looking for members
of your group (Niger Delta
Avengers) and my humble self,
who they have criminally and
wickedly linked to the Niger
Delta Avengers.
Vincent Obia
try and ingenuity of the people
of the state to meet international
standard. To this end, he said,
some youths were recently sent to
Turkey for training to hone their
skills in clothing manufacturing.
On commerce, a major economic activity in the state, Adindu
said the government was reviewing all the markets in the state,
especially in Umuahia, the state
capital, and Aba, with the aim of
modernising them.
Adindu said the administration considered agriculture as particularly important. To underscore
this, the government has made it
compulsory for every commissioner and principal officer in the
state to own a far, he said. He disclosed that the government was
working with the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA) to develop a specimen of
cassava that can be turned into
cereals.
He said the government was
partnering private investors to
revive some key companies,
like Golden Guinea Breweries
and the International Glass
Industries in Aba.
13
14
NEWS
Working with Dangote is a
Privilege, Says Afreximbank
Crusoe Osagie
President of Afreximbank, Dr.
Benedict Oramah, has described
Aliko Dangote as an enigma that
is assiduously working towards the
unification, growth and development of the African continent.
Speakingduringthefacilitytour
of 650,000 bpd Dangote Refinery in
Lagos, Oramah commended the
group for significantly contributing
to the GDP of the African continent;
He said: “I do not have the
right vocabulary to describe how I
feel about what I have seen today.
Except to say that for us, the vision
we see in Aliko has been demonstrated in the projects that we see
today. The desire to change things
is one we share as an organisation
and as individuals and is clearly
demonstrated today. If I had any
doubt, if we should work with
Dangote Industries Limited, those
doubtswereerasedtoday.Itisinfact
a privilege. It is not only a privilege
but a duty to work with him. I hope
the relationship would grow from
strength to strength.”
Dangote Industries Limited last
week concluded plans to become
the latest corporate organisation
to join the African Export-Import
Bank (Afreximbank), as a class B
shareholder.
Afreximbank, is an International financial institution, headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, whose
primaryobjectiveistopromoteand
finance trade within the African
continent and trade between Africa
and other continents.
Welcoming the investment of
Dangote Group, Oramah stated
that the investment was “a strong
vote of confidence in the bank by,
arguably, the largest indigenous
corporate organisation in Africa.”
“The massive investment the
Dangote Group is making across
Africa makes it a partner of choice
in the delivery of our intra-African
trade strategy. Working with the
Dangote Group, we will build
supply chain financing across
Africa that could reach $1 billion
in the short term, promoting
intra-regional trade and growth
of Short and Medium Enterprises
and creating much needed jobs,”
Oramah said.
It was further revealed that the
Dangote Group completed the
process of acquiring equity in the
bank on May 30 this year with a
“substantial investment.”
President of Dangote Group
said: “I consider Afreximbank a
good vehicle for fostering regional
integration in Africa which aligns
with our vision and mission for
growth and development across
the continent.”
Afreximbank has four classes
of shareholders, divided into classes
A, B, C and D, which are made up
of a mix of African governments,
central banks, regional and sub-regional institutions, African private
investors, African and non-African
financial institutions, export credit
agencies and non-African private
investors.
A’Ibom Holds First Climate Change and Clean Energy Summit
Anayo Okolie
Akwa Ibom State Government
announced on Friday that it
had concluded plans to hold
the first Akwa Ibom Climate
Change and Clean Energy
Summit/Expo in Uyo, the state
capital. The summit, with the
theme, ‘Charting a roadmap
for sustainable environment
and creation of green jobs,’ will
take place from July 26 to 28.
This was announced during
a media chat in Lagos.
In his address at the event,
Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources,
Dr. Iniobong Essien, said the
state’s geographical location
and some human factors had
exposed the state to various
forms of environmental degradation. Iniobong, who was
represented by the special
representative to the gov-
ernor in Lagos, Mr. Samuel
Bassey, said the coastal and
riverine communities of the
state were worst hit by the
effects of climate change,
and some of them had been
forced to relocate to other
areas due to sea level rise and
excessive flooding.
Underscoring the economic importance of the
summit, which is meant
to proffer solutions to the
various
environmental
challenges facing the state,
Iniobong said, “It is a fact that
a conducive environment is a
major driver of industrialisation.”
Among those present at
the event were the representative of Covenant University,
Ota, a major partner in the
Akwa Ibom green project,
Prof. Samuel Wara, and a
consultant, Dr. Victor Fodeke.
SON Destroys Tyres, Cables
worth N5m in Enugu
Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
The Standards Organisation of
Nigeria (SON) yesterday in Enugu
warned manufacturers and importers of substandard products to
retrace their steps, vowing that anybody found to be dealing on such
products would not only have such
goods confiscated and destroyed
but would also face prosecution in
line with the laws.
The organisation spoke as it
destroyed tyres and cables worth
about five million naira in Enugu.
Theproductssaidtobesubstandard
were confiscated from markets in
the five states of the South-east geopolitical zone as well as Rivers and
Cross River states.
Speaking shortly after supervising the destruction of over 3,000
tyres of different sizes as well as rolls
of cables, the South-east Regional
Coordinator of the organisation,
Nwagbara Emeka said the agency
was worried over the influx of
sub-standard products into the
country, warning that importers
and distributors of such products
would have themselves to blame
once apprehended.
He said any imported product
without the Standards Organisation
of Nigeria Conformity Assessment
Programme (SONCAP), a certificate
of conformity to quality, would
be confiscated, while for products
manufactured in the country
without the Mandatory Conformity
Assessment Programme (MANCAP), a Nigeria Industrial Standard
Certification, would equally be
confiscated and destroyed.
Strike: Fayose Too Naive to
Govern Ekiti, APC Insists
Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti
The All Progressives Congress
(APC) stakeholders in Ekiti State,
yesterday urged Governor Ayodele Fayose to resign from government, following his declaration of
solidarity strike in support of the
industrial action embarked on by
workers in the state civil service.
The stakeholders said it smacks
of ignorance and naivete for Fayose
to allegedly mock the workers by
saying he had placed himself on
strike until the workers return to
work, describing this as an indication that he was tired of governance
and should resign his position.
The APC Chairman in the
State, Chief Jide Awe, Ex-Speaker
Femi Bamisile and a chieftain of
the party, Mr. Femi Aduloju, said
these at the weekend during the
party’s stakeholders’ meeting
held by all the 13 wards in Ado
Ekiti local government.
15
16
JUNE 12, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
OPINION
Ending Aids By 2030
T
There is need to do more to contain the scourge, argue Michel Sidibé and Isaac Adewole
he AIDS epidemic has defined the
global health agenda for an entire
generation. The first AIDS-related
deaths were diagnosed 35 years ago
and HIV rapidly became a global crisis.
The epidemic threatened all countries
and had the power to destabilise the
most vulnerable. By 2000, AIDS had
wiped out decades of development gains.
Today, many nations have taken great steps in
getting ahead of the virus. Nigeria, for example,
has reduced the number of new HIV infections
from 240, 000 in year 2010 to 190, 000 in 2015.
Estimated AIDS related deaths in the country
declined from 160, 000 in 2010 to 148, 000 in 2015
while new infections among children declined
by 20% between 2010 and 2015. HIV prevalence
among pregnant women also has declined by
48.3% from 2001 to 2014.
Life expectancy has risen in many of the most
severely affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa
as access to antiretroviral medicines has expanded and testing and prevention services have
been scaled up. Worldwide, there are now more
than 17 million people living with HIV accessing
antiretroviral medicines.
But as world leaders grapple with a growing
number of global concerns and threats, including
terrorism, massive displacement, climate change
and an uncertain economic outlook—it would be
a misstep to let up on the response to AIDS.
Here are three reasons why AIDS deserves
continued attention: One: to restore dignity,
health and hope to the people left behind in the
AIDS response. Two: to build robust and resilient
societies ready to face future health crises. Three:
to serve as a beacon for what can be achieved
through international solidarity and political will.
Our generation has been presented with an
opportunity that must not be thrown away. We
have the technology, medicines and tools to end
the AIDS epidemic by 2030, avoiding more than 17
million new HIV infections and saving almost 11
million lives.
But it won’t happen without sustained commitment, vision and leadership. There are major gaps
in the AIDS response and many barriers still stop
people accessing quality health care services.
Still around half of the 37 million people living
with HIV do not know they have the virus. AIDSrelated illnesses are the leading cause of death
among women of reproductive age globally and
the primary cause of death among adolescents in
Around half of the 37
million people living
with HIV do not know
they have the virus.
AIDS-related illnesses
are the leading cause of
death among women of
reproductive age globally
and the primary cause of
death among adolescents
in Africa
Africa.
Stigma and discrimination too often stop
people accessing health care, including HIV
prevention and treatment services that reduce
new infections and save lives. In some regions
of the world, the numbers of HIV infections are
actually increasing.
Last week, leaders gathered at the United
Nations in New York to agree on a new Political
Declaration on Ending AIDS. A key element will
be creating the conditions necessary to achieve
the UNAIDS 90-90-90 treatment target by 2020.
This calls for 90% of people living with HIV
to know their status, 90% of people who know
their HIV positive status to access antiretroviral
treatment and 90% of people on treatment to
have suppressed viral loads.
Meeting this treatment target will set the
world on course to ending the AIDS epidemic
by 2030. But bold leadership and stronger investment are required. By 2020, combined domestic
and international resources will need to increase
by about one third to peak at an estimated US$
26.2 billion to reach this target and realise the
vision of ending AIDS. A lack of investment
now will result in the epidemic being prolonged
indefinitely and that would be a false economy.
Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is a central
part of achieving the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals, the development agenda
that world leaders signed up to last September.
Global leaders must underpin this generation’s
commitment to ending AIDS and deliver on their
pledge to ensure healthy lives for all. AIDS is
not over yet but it can be.
––Sidibé is the UNAIDS Executive Director
and Under Secretary General of the United
Nations while Prof. Adewole is the Minister
of Health
Nigeria’s Comedy and Quest for National Identity
A
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu argues comedians should strive to satisfy the needs of Nigerians
well respected and accomplished
Nigerian comedian recently chided his
colleagues for being local champions
who are hardly marketable outside
the shores of Nigeria and Anglophone
West Africa. Global fame has eluded
his counterparts, he regretted, as a
result of the 90% reliance on Pidgin
English as the language of comical communication. The comedian clarified his understanding
of ‘global’ as being the western world, specifically
the United States and English speaking Europe.
South African comedians, he charged his Nigerian
colleagues, have been able to penetrate the high
walls of America and Europe’s stand-up comedy
business due to their ability to render jokes in the
sort of English embraced by these nations. For his
colleagues to make progress, he admonished, they
must leave behind the local pidgin language and
reach towards its more ‘refined’ counterpart.
In trying to understand the implications of the
comedian’s - no doubt – well intentioned advice
for the Nigerian comedy industry, the question
of a sense of self-pride, self-assurance, self-acceptance and collective sense of national identity of
Nigerians as a people comes to the fore. Along
that line, one realises that the comedian’s admonition can be located within the age- old conviction
of Africans that to make progress, they must
shun their authenticity in favour of Westernisation, often labelled modernisation. Since the days
of colonialism, Nigerians and Africans have been
striving to please, impress and catch up with the
white colonial masters.
If an average comedian has yet to make an
Oyibo roar with laughter in the Oyibo’s own
language and inside the Oyibo’s nation, then he is
not yet validated.
In more recent times however, Nigeria’s entertainment industry has been at the forefront of
trying to break free from this mental slavery;
this denigration of self and upholding of
the west as the ultimate audience. Nigerian
musicians are tapping into indigenous sounds
and dance steps to satisfy their audience. The
outstanding rate of innovation and creativity in
Nigeria’s music industry has stemmed mainly
from the promotion of indigenous languages
and sounds, and with Nigerian musicians are
steadily climbing global music charts. Africa’s
film industry- pioneered by Nollywood- with
its emphasis on telling the African story is also
making sure progress globally.
Success is not achieved by the desperate seeking of external approval; success comes with
the acknowledgement and appreciation of one’s
innate abilities, and the subsequent exploration
of one’s immediate environment to identify
potential and challenges that match such abilities. What occurs in such instance is a situation
where available resources when adequately
utilised, propels one to unimaginable success.
If one million Nigerians and Africans subscribe to a comedian’s YouTube channel or follow
him on social media because he makes them
laugh so hard, global success will be sure to
follow at the appropriate time, as the comedian
continues to improve his skills.
Of course, there is much to be gained by
Nigerian comedians aspiring towards becoming
multilingual in their acts. Indeed, every human being in search of progress should aspire
towards multilingualism. Scientific evidence has
established the fact that people who speak two
or more languages are more mentally and emotionally able to handle life – in short, they are
considered more intelligent in many ways – than
those who speak only one language.
But aspiring towards multilingualism should
not imply a denigration of one’s authenticity,
uniqueness and ingenuity as far as language
is concerned. Pidgin English is indigenously
Nigerian. It was birthed in Nigeria and the average Nigerian on the street understands pidgin
English almost as his own mother tongue. The
emphasis therefore, should be on meeting the
needs of almost 200 million Nigerians who want
to laugh at the jokes of stand-up comedians. If
pidgin language is the preferred language of
the Nigerian masses, why deny them of such
privilege in the name of seeking the applause of
America and English speaking Europe?
Since Independence in the 1960s, formerly
colonised African countries have been in a
desperate struggle to follow through the unfamiliar development models of their erstwhile
colonial masters. Very minimal success has been
achieved. However, countries that were previously colonised in Asia who have embraced or
sought to embrace authenticity have been able
to advance far beyond even their own imaginations.
Africans and Nigerians must now embrace
their own originality, to respect and have value
for their own knowledge and experiences, and
to learn to find fulfilment in growing within
their realities. Developed nations of the world
grew by looking inwards, by valuing their
people’s tastes, expectations and needs, and by
formulating policies, creating industries, and
carving out sectors that specifically address
such need.
The resulting excellence achieved during this
process attracted the attention of other nations
in search of growth. Nigeria and the rest of
Africa will likewise experience tremendous
leaps in advancement by searching for growth
and excellence within their borders, and by
investing in readily available resources.
@chikaforafrica
17
LETTERS
T
OGONILAND CLEAN – UP: HOPE FOR MINORITIES?
he clean-up campaign in response
to 2011 United
Nations Environment Programme,
(UNEP) report on Ogoniland
marked a potential shift from
the previous government’s
management of the issue of
the fragile ecosystem and
sustainable development
in the Niger- Delta and
it is indeed a remarkable
achievement in itself - a
product of an unprecedented
non - violent struggle by the
Ogoni people geared toward
redressing socio-economic
crimes by the Nigerian state
through the unwholesome
oil exploration activities by
Shell Petroleum Development
Company(SPDC).
Interestingly, after more
than five decades of oil
production in Nigeria, this
political symbolism for
environmental justice has
brought a new wave of hope
to Ogoniland and by extension the Niger Delta people,
yet it is still a somewhat
tempered optimism for the
minorities. President Buhari
is walking on an uncommon
Mohammed, Wike and Osinbajo
tight rope of balancing various
interests while aiming with
an eagle eye to fulfill his party
several ambitious change of
social engineering, which
include cracking down on
corruption and diversification
of the economy, amongst
others.
As laudable as the Ogoni
clean – up appears, the key
question remains: Does the
government at the centre have
the political and the moral
capital and indeed capability
to resolve the fundamental
issues of oil exploration and
exploitation that drove the
region into almost five decades
of under development and
environmental degradation?
Pointedly, the Niger Delta
serves as a host community to
Nigeria’s vast oil and infra-
structure of 30 oil fields, 5,284
wells, and 7,000 kilometres of
pipelines, 10 export terminals,
275 flow stations, 10 gas plants,
four refineries and a massive
liquefied natural gas (LPG)
sector. This perhaps underscores the strategic importance
of the region to national
development and the core
issues of authentic reconciliation should be pursued by
the federal government in line
with the new threat from the
Niger Delta Avengers with
a view to avoiding further
collateral damage and breach
of peace in the volatile region.
Indeed the Ogoni people
and Niger delta region have
often been read as an inevitable outcome of historically
warring people or portrayed
as militants, agitators,
extremists, secessionists, and
more recently economic
terrorist and criminal groups
in disagreement. Sadly, these
interpretations are simplistic
and misleading. For an
understanding of the historiography of the Ogoni struggle
and indeed the clean-up, it
is useful to start with July
30, 1958, the Willinks Com-
FIVE YEARS OF AMOSUN’S ADMINISTRATION
‘The pessimist complains
about the wind, the optimist expects it to change,
the leader adjusts the sails”
---John Maxwell
H
RM Oba
Adedotun Aremu
Gbadebo, the
Alake and the
Paramount ruler
of Egbaland, is not a man given to
frivolities. He doesn’t suffer fools
gladly either. As an ex-serviceman,
he still retains that Spartan
discipline which is a hallmark of
the military.
He traced the untold
reason behind the uncommon
transformation of Ogun State and
particularly, Abeokuta, the state
capital, to an 1830 AD divination
by an oracle. Oba Gbadebo
stunned participants of the
National Defence College, Course
23, Group 3 who had paid him
a visit in his palace sometimes in
2014 that “‘when this town was to
be founded in 1830 by Egbas, ... Ifa
oracle told them that when you
have the 10th Alake, Abeokuta
will change. So when I got here
in 2005 as the 10th Alake, in the
first six years, nothing changed
and I almost disbelieved the
oracle; not knowing that in 2011,
a government will come and put
into practice what was foretold by
the oracle....”
Oba Gbadebo ticks so many
boxes and is in a vintage position
to know. Historically, he is a
custodian of contemporary history
and tradition. Politically, he was
almost dethroned for daring to
advise the immediate past state
government to uplift the road
infrastructure of the state capital.
The monarch has good reasons
to be effusive. Abeokuta is now a
new city away from the massive
rustic village it was in the very
recent past. Indeed, many cities
in the state have experienced
transformation never seen in the
history of the 40-year-old state.
Although Governor
Ibikunle Amosun inherited huge
economic and social deficit on
assumption of office in 2011, he
was undaunted. He soldiered on
with uncommon zest, erecting
policies and programmes aimed
at positioning Ogun State among
the elite states in Nigeria.
He came with a blueprint
of where he wants the state to
be. Senator Amosun is always
quick to tell his audience that
“My plan is to make Ogun State
what New Jersey is to New York
(in USA). We intend to exploit
our proximity to Lagos to our
advantage”.
Although he might not have
fully attained the goal, Ogun is
well on course and the citizenry
are reaping the benefits. It was
the BusinessDay newspaper that
first announced the new status of
the state. The newspaper declared
Ogun State as the fastest growing
economy and first choice for
industrialists and entrepreneurs in
Nigeria. The state won an award
to that effect.
To the newspaper, Ogun State,
won the award “because it has
the highest number of businesses
established in its domain and
that the government has made
the environment more attractive
to investors. Ogun also has the
highest Gross Domestic Product
in the last one year....”
‘SecurityWatch’magazine
followed suit. It named
Governor Amosun as the most
security conscious governor in
West Africa.
If those were national and
regional recognitions, the report
of the World Bank, “Doing
Business in Nigeria 2014”, rates
Ogun as one of the top five states
in Nigeria “that made the biggest
strides towards the national
frontier of good practices”! The
biennial report was released in
october 2014.
This iconic feat by the government can be better appreciated
when juxtaposed with the situa-
tion of the state before the advent
of Senator Amosun. The World
Bank, in its 2008 and 2010 reports,
had ranked Ogun State among
the lowest overall performing
states in Nigeria in terms of ease
of doing business. Put bluntly,
doing business in Ogun State that
time was a high-risk venture!
But Senator Amosun confined
that to history. According to the
World Bank, “thanks to concerted
effort,…Ogun improved on three
of the four ‘Doing Business’
indicators benchmarked.” The
report observed further that in
Ogun State, “The construction
permitting system was radically overhauled, with the state
government ...decentralising the
approval system and set up a new
committee monitoring delays.
“Building permit applications
and payments can now be
made simultaneously in district
offices. Private professionals issue
environmental-impact assessments in accordance with the
conditions and templates set out
in a framework agreement.
“The digitalisation of the
property records by the state
bureau of lands also introduces
a refreshing edge into property
acquisition and documentation
in the state. The effect was the
‘Home Ownership Charter’
which, apart from the speed of
availability of property document,
slashed the fee payable on land
titles by as much as 70 per cent”,
the report noted.
But Ogun state didn’t just move
from zero to hero overnight.
It was the fallout of series of
strategic and deliberate actions.
For instance, before the advent of
Governor Amosun, security was
a big headache. Policemen were
largely incapacitated by lack of
requisite equipment and political
will to deal with criminality.
But the governor changed
all that. He invested heavily in
security equipment in a manner
never seen in the history of
Nigeria. In one fell swoop, the
state government imported 14high grade armoured personnel
carriers (APC) for the police.
The governor also bought 1000
AK-47 rifles, two million rounds
of ammunition, 500 bullet proof
vests, 500 bullet proof helmets as
well as 600 patrol vans fitted with
communication gadgets to ensure
mobility and presence of security
officers. The effect was that crime
statistics in the state plummeted
to the relief of residents as robbers
flee the state.
Political thuggery occasioned by
intolerance, also became history as
the governor allows constructive
criticism and liberalised the media
space for dissenting voices.
–Olusola Balogun, Abeokuta
mission report of the British
Colonial administration,
which inquired into the fears
of Nigerian minorities with a
view to assuaging them. One
of the major recommendations
of Sir Henry Willink Commission amongst others include:
“We suggest that constitutionally it would be necessary
to place on concurrent list a
new subject which might be
‘The Development of Special
Areas’. It would be open to
the Federal Government to
announce in the Gazette that
certain area has classified
as Special and from that
moment special plan for its
development would become a
Federal as well as a Regional
responsibility….” The ‘paradox
of plenty’ and ‘resource curse’
has been the bane of the
region since independence.
The Ogoni people under
MOSOP and the rest of the
Niger Delta initially tried to
address its grievances through
constitutional and political
means. However, the killing of
the Ogoni 13 and the hanging
of Ken Saro – Wiwa by treacherous military regime of Sanni
Abacha, the government failed
to pacify majority of Niger
Deltans, and instead a feeling
of disillusionment and lack of
trust in the political leadership
grew. Furthermore, instead of
accommodating the legitimate
grievances of the Niger
Deltans, the government in
connivance with the international oil companies and the
oil bloc buccaneers responded
by implementing a piecemeal
approach to conflict resolution
and more often than not a
draconian military intervention, which fuelled the splitter
groups across the region.
Despite several attempts
at peaceful resolution, no
political settlement was
found and under President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on
June 25, 2009 pursuant to
section 175 of the constitution
of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, a fragile peace deal
was brokered through the
Amnesty proclamation. It
should be noted that President
Yar’Adua acknowledged the
implicit failure of previous
governments to meet the
yearnings and aspirations of
the Niger Delta people which
has resulted in militancy and
unlawful means of agitation
by a section of the population
to draw attention to their
plight, thereby threatening
peace, security, good
governance and jeopardising
the economic well-being of the
nation.
While acknowledging that
criminality in the Niger Delta
should not be encouraged
under any circumstance,
particularly the destruction of
strategic national assets, it is
expedient that the government
of the Niger Delta states and
the centre must acknowledge
the tensions between peace
and justice and to recognise
that pragmatism and recent
development indicate that
justice cannot always claim
primacy in nation building
efforts. While impunity is
morally repugnant, sometimes
doing a deal with perpetrators
is unavoidable and indeed
necessary to prevent further
conflict and suffering in the
land. Going forward therefore,
I am inclined to insist that
conflict resolution mechanism
necessitates that all options
including the pursuit of full
amnesty without undue political colourations must be put
on the table. This insistence
ignores the very important
deterrence impact of military
option, which failed in the
past, let alone the fundamental
moral considerations and the
overbearing negative elite
sentiment on true federalism
as a critical building block for
resource nationalism.
––Samuel Akpobome
Orovwuje, founder,
Humanitarian Care for
Displaced Persons, Lagos.
BETWEEN MUHAMMAD ALI AND MIKE TYSON
M
uhammad
Ali, according
to many, was
the world’s
greatest boxer
ever! But was he? Greatness can
be defined as the quality of being
great; eminence or distinction.
Was he of eminence to
society? Was he distinct in
his craft? I sought to find out
myself.
When I was a little boy I
watched fights of Muhammad
Ali and never was impressed
because he seemed to
always take a beating and
then”miraculously” he would
knock-out the opponent. I
would shout “If he’s the greatest
he wouldn’t let them even
touch him!”
On the other hand I was
astonished anytime I saw Mike
Tyson fight. Brutal, straight to
the point!
So I decided to have this
argument with my Dad last
night with myself of the school
of thought that Iron Mike Tyson
should be the greatest.
Of course my dad looked at
me like I had lost my mind.
I recalled how Mike Tyson
took out opponents often in just
two-three rounds ferociously,
sometimes 40seconds; other
times under 90secs and how
boxers had little or no answer
to him.
Also how he went to a zoo
and saw a Gorilla threatening
people about from his cage, he
got angry entered the cage and
the Gorilla charged at him and
a few punches here and there,
the Gorilla screamed and ran
away in terror as if to say “who
be this?”
He was bad and mean. And
he knew it!
This is a quote he made after
knocking out Lou Savarese
in just 38seconds! “I’m the
best ever. I’m the most brutal
and vicious, the most ruthless
champion there has ever been.
There’s no one who can stop
me. Lennox is a conqueror?
No! I’m Alexander! He’s no
Alexander! I’m the best ever.
There’s never been anyone as
ruthless. I’m Sonny Liston. I’m
Jack Dempsey. There’s no one
like me. I’m from their cloth.
There is no one who can match
me. My style is impetuous, my
defence is impregnable, and I’m
just ferocious. I want your heart!
I want to eat his children!
Praise be to Allah!”
Whereas Muhammad Ali
had to dance around slugging
it out till the 7th-8th round most
times.
Almost always taking a
beating (as I earlier pointed
out) but somehow came out
successful with a knockout. (I
think this softened my dad’s
stance a bit.)
He said boxing is all about
style and grace.
Muhammad Ali had
style and grace and had an
accompanying big mouth. If he
said you were going down, you
would go down no matter who
you were I understood!
According to the Bleacher
Report Muhammad Ali’s
description of Sonny Liston
“smelling like a bear” and his
vow to “donate him to a zoo”
after he beat him has been
described as the greatest trash
talk line in sports history.
–– Morris Monye,
Lagos
18
THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 12, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
Nigeria and South African Deal and Development
of Visa Diplomacy as Basis of Citizen Diplomacy
G
radually but unconsciously though, emphasis
is being placed on the need for development of
citizen diplomacy as an approach to the management and conduct of Nigeria’s foreign relations.
On Wednesday, 8th June, 2016 SouthAfrican
High Commission inAbuja was reported to
have unveiled its plan to facilitate the processes of
issuance of visa to Nigerians.
In reaction to the many complaints by Nigerians not only about the
difficulties and the mistreatment they often go through in the South
African Commission, as well as the complaints similarly leveled
against the Nigerian High Commission in SouthAfrica, Mr. Lulu
Mnguni, SouthAfrica’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, has acknowledged that ‘there has been growing concerns from Nigeria and South
Africa on the issue of visas. There have been complaints by Nigerians
on how they are treated when seeking visas.’ In this regard, he made
two important points. First is that the SouthAfrican President ‘has
indicated that Nigeria and SouthAfrica need to intervene by making it
easier for our nationals to have visas to our two countries and we came
to an agreement that business people and frequent fliers between
SouthAfrica and Nigeria will qualify for long-term visas of two, three,
and five years’ (Daily Sun, June 9, 2016, p.13). This simply means,
in the eyes of Mr. Mnguni, that both countries ‘have totally moved
from political diplomacy to economic diplomacy and to promote this
economic diplomacy, there is need for smooth movement of people
between our two countries.’
The second important point is derived from the first. The High
Commissioner had it that ‘we need a friendship that resides with
our people. Nigeria and SouthAfrica need to criticize each other in a
constructive way. We need to look at how we can unplug some of the
irritants that have undermined our cohesion.’ Mr. Mnguni cannot
be more correct and patriotic. Objective criticisms help the development of objectivity of purpose in reactive foreign policy making.
Reactive foreign policy necessarily sends correct signals to whoever is
concerned or targeted.
One truth about Nigeria-SouthAfrican relations is that most of
the irritants in their bilateral ties are majorly created by SouthAfrica.
It is useful to recall the most critical one, which is the place of Nigeria
in SouthAfrica’s history of liberation as told since 1994 when the
obnoxious policy of apartheid was partly nipped in the bud. Both
the political and academic elite in SouthAfrica have consciously or
unconsciously ensured that the name ‘Nigeria’ does not appear in
official documents as a major anti-apartheid fighter. When official
speeches are made during public events, Nigeria is hardly recognized,
even at times at the level of preliminary protocol. In fact, is Nigeria
recognised in the teaching books on anti-apartheid struggle as one of
the Frontline States as officially recognized by the United Nations?
What about the unethical attitude of many SouthAfrican businessmen in Nigeria, especially the economic and security sabotage by
the MTN telecommunications. The MTN was required by Nigerian
regulation to ensure that all its subscribers are officially registered,
at least, for control and security but the MTN simply opted to
undermine the official regulation. In fact, on the specific issue of visa,
the SouthAfrican Commission authenticated visa applicants’ yellow
fever vaccination cards before issuance of visas and yet, at the point of
entry in SouthAfrica of the holders of the card, the same vaccination
cards were categorized as forged documents, thus giving Nigeria
and Nigerians underserved bad name. These actions prompted the
application of the rule of reciprocity by the Government of Nigeria
which should not have been.
The point being made here is that the efforts of both governments in
not only seeking to unplug the irritants but in also seeking to predicate
the friendly relationship on people-to-people cannot but be most
welcome. Citizen diplomacy is essentially about people-to-people
relationship. It is another acknowledged tract of diplomacy which is
generally used to complement official diplomacy. Even though Mr.
Mnguni equated economic diplomacy with citizen diplomacy, there
is no disputing the fact of his very good intention and his quest for
improved ties between his country and Nigeria.
Beyond Economic and Citizen Diplomacy
Economic diplomacy can be considered in terms of pursuit of
economic objectives. It can also be explicated in terms of development
or foreign policy tactics. The main thrusts of economic diplomacy
include the attraction of new flows of direct investment in order to
grow the economy and create wealth. In this regard, it is to enable
economic diplomacy to achieve its aims that the facilitation of issuance
of visa is also relevant. Thus, issuance of visa is nothing more than an
instrument or pillar of economic diplomacy.
On the contrary, citizen diplomacy is about the involvement of the
people of both countries in the management and conduct of nongovernmental affairs but which have implications for governmentto-government relations. Professional bodies, for instance, can be
required to relate with their counterparts in other countries on behalf
of the government but in an informal or officious form. We do agree
therefore with the SouthAfrican High Commissioner about the need
to specially promote people-to-people relationship, especially if there
is to be any concrete meaning to Thabo Mbeki’s quest forAfrican
Renaissance, as well asAfrican Union’s efforts at continental integration.
It is from this perspective that we believe that Nigeria and South
Africa should not only move from political diplomacy to economic
diplomacy but should also make strenuous efforts to move from
bilateral to a plurilateral or multilateral framework, by seeking to
VIE
INTERNATIONALE
devil. More so that she is the wife of Omowale Clinton, that is, another
Nigerian, and therefore, anAfrican by conferment, courtesies of Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo.
with
In the foreseeable future, politics in the US cannot but raise the
issue of arrogance or superiority between and amongstAmericans.
American proponents of equality, fairness and justice are very likely
to seek to show the whole world that the US still remains the world
leader and therefore will take all efforts to sustain the leadership. In
this regard, they are likely to give active support to Hilary Clinton
being the first woman rather than Donald Trump whose campaigns
are directly anti-America outside of the US.
Secondly, Hilary Clinton has an immigration policy thatAfrica
should support. She not only supported the 2007 plan of President
George W. Bush to normalise the irregular situation of some immigrants but which plan was eventually killed in the Senate, she
also supports President Barack Obama’s DACA(DeferredAction
for ChildhoodArrivals) and DAPA(DeferredAction for Parents
ofAmericans) programmes aimed at waiving the deportation of
children brought to the US or who are parents of lawful residents.
In fact, when elected, her agenda is expected to include the closure
of all private immigration detention facilities, as well as allow the
undocumented immigrants to buy into Obamacare.As Clinton put
it herself, there is the need ‘to makeAmerica once again a nation of
immigrants and a nation of laws’ and ‘to restoreAmerica’s standing
in the world… and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.’
These are problems that are also of concern to the people ofAfrica.
Thirdly, and perhaps most disturbingly, Hilary Clinton’s
foreign policy and social security questions are likely to also create
some irritants in her relations with the whole continent ofAfrica
because of their conflicting nature. For instance, she supports same sex
marriage and abortion. This policy disposition necessarily antagonizes the position of Nigeria, in particular, and mostAfrican countries,
in general. Same sex marriage is a criminal offence in Nigeria.
Again, even though she supports a two-state solution to the IsraeloPalestinian dispute, one issue that has always made all negotiations
for peace impossible, she also supports Jerusalem as ‘the eternal and
indivisible capital of Israel. She is on record to have supported the
legislation requiring the US government not only to identify Jerusalem as the capital but also to move US Embassy to Israel from TelAviv
to Jerusalem. Palestine also wants Jerusalem as its capital.
In this regard, US policy is not likely to be helpful to the quest for
peace in the region. Two operational words are noteworthy in her
statement: eternal and indivisible. The implication of these two
words cannot be far-fetched: US foreign policy under Hilary Clinton
will always oppose any attempt to divide Jerusalem into two for the
purposes of the two-state-solution. That is, for as long as the policy
disposition is sustained, the hostility of the US will remain, but not
necessarily until eternity.
Additionally, Hilary Clinton’s declaration of the South China Sea
as a ‘vitalAmerican interest’ has the potential to bring the US and the
Chinese into a deep-seated conflict, mainly because of the location
there of an island over which China and Japan are claiming sovereignty. Without doubt, the US supports the Japanese in this matter
even though records clearly show that the island originally belonged
to the Chinese, but attached following the defeat of China by Japan in
a war, but again recaptured by China, a testimonial to which the US
government is also on record to have given. China does not appear
to be prepared to seek any negotiation with anyone on the matter.
Consequently, should theAmericans try to challenge the legitimacy
of China over the territory or seek to control the South China Sea, a
situation of order and counter order amounting to an encounter and
disorder may not be ruled out.African countries will be required to
take side in this regard. This is where again Nigeria and SouthAfrica
will need to strengthen their strategic partnership in the defence of
African interest especially that the Chinese have told theAmericans
not to ‘recklessly practice militarism.’
Bola A. Akinterinwa
Telephone : 0807-688-2846
e-mail: [email protected]
President Zuma and President Buhari
coordinate their visa relationships with other countries like China and
the United States for one main reason: Hilary Clinton is very likely to
be the next President of the United States.As the first female President
of the currently most powerful country in the world, the implementation of the US foreign policy is likely to change. China is also likely to
be the successor to the United States as a super power from the look
of things. This simply means that there will be two main countries to
contend with in terms ofAfrica’s international relations in the near
future.
Since SouthAfrica and Nigeria are two main leaders amongst
Africa’s Big Five (the three others are Libya, Egypt andAlgeria), it
is therefore a desideratum for Nigeria and SouthAfrica to begin to
coordinate their policies at the level of both the United States and
China. In fact, Nigeria and SouthAfrica ought to actively support the
election of Hilary Clinton mainly because the emerging attitudinal
disposition of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is much
likely to be more hostile toAfrica than that of Hilary Clinton for one
major reason: racism.
Lewis Obi, in his “Trump is Ripe for Shaking” (Daily Sun, June 9,
2016, p.14), traced his racist attitude to 2009, ‘when Trump emerged
as the uncrowned head of the “birther” movement in the US, a white
racist vanguard dedicated to the de-legitimization of the Obama
presidency.’ The movement does not believe in any black person
becoming the president of the US. In other words, Lewis has it that
racism has been the main animating factor of Trump’s politics.And
true enough, Donald Trump, from his public campaign appearances,
has been presenting himself as a pathological racist. In one of his most
recent appearances, he reportedly described a US District Judge,
Gonzalo Curiel as a Mexican judge and also accused him of bias
against him (Trump) because of his ethnic heritage.
In this regard, even though millions ofAmericans in the Republican
Party might have voted for Donald Trump as their flag bearer,
majority ofAmericans are not likely or expected to vote him in as
American leader to succeed Barack Obama for obvious reasons.
Voting him in cannot but serve as a catalytic agent ofAmerican decline
in the management of world affairs. The era of racism or renewal of
obnoxious policies of segregation has already been thrown into the
dustbin of history. What makes the US great and source of inspiration
in international relations is its ethnic and cultural diversity. With a
racist inclination, allAmericans must expect unprecedented hostility,
even from their European allies.
To a great extent, it cannot be rightly argued thatAmericans are
increasingly becoming racist. However, if we do admit that an increasing number of them have now become racist by voting for Trump,
there is no way a country like Nigeria can be expected to accede to
policies for which she was internationally recognized to be against
and for which she was duly honoured and respected: anti-apartheid
policy. We therefore believe that the whole world, in spite of would-be
global political hypocrisies, is much likely to condemn the US under
Donald Trump. By so doing, the image of the good people ofAmerica
can only be tainted.
It is also important to note that the election of Donald trump cannot
but be an expression of God’s anger against the US, the consequences
of which will include sadness. Consequently, if Hilary Clinton and
Donald Trump were to be considered as two devils and we are
required to make a choice, it will be commonsensical to take the better
Issues and the Hilary Clinton Factor
Triangular Visa Diplomacy and Citizen Diplomacy
One important linkage between visa and citizen diplomacy is the
objective of regional integration for the purposes of economic growth
and development inAfrica. Citizen diplomacy is about people.
Movement of people from one country to another cannot be possible
without removing the immigration barriers through the issuance of
visas. The Nigerian-SouthAfrican entente on long duration visas for
business and frequent fliers is good but not good enough. The way
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo envisaged it when he was in power was
to have no visa issue for visitingAfricans to Nigeria if the visit is for a
short stay. This should be the new target of both Nigeria and South
African leaders.
Additionally, the privilege should not be restricted to government
officials or businessmen or frequent fliers. EveryAfrican must be
able to move freely withinAfrica. In the same vein, nothing should
be made difficult for anyAfrican seeking to travel to the US or China
or any other country for as long as he or she does not constitute a
security threat. This is why there is the need for a sort of special
visa diplomacy in which Nigeria and South Africa will provide
leadership for Africa and the US and China, on behalf of their
allies, will make the so-called free world truly free, by removing
all international obstacles to global migration. It is by so doing that
citizen diplomacy can be developed and that people-to-people
cooperation can also assist official diplomacy.
19
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾JUNE 12, 2016
BUSINESS
Editor Festus Akanbi
QUICK TAKES
IntegratedPowerProjects
The operational efficiency of the 10
power plants built under the National
Integrated Power Projects scheme is
being threatened by a debt of N99bn
owed the managers of the facilities.
According to the Niger Delta Power
HoldingCompany,theNIPPmanagers,
the total worth of electricity supplied
topowerdistributioncompaniesbythe
power plants, which has not been paid
for is N99bn.The Managing Director,
NDPHC, Mr. James Olotu, stated that
although the power distribution com≠
panies had distributed the electricity
generatedbytheNIPPstoconsumers,
the NIPP managers were still owed
close to N100bn. Olotu, who spoke
attheheadquartersofthe rminAbuja
while playing host to the Governor of
EnuguState,IfeanyiUgwuanyi,stated
thatthehugedebtburdenwasimpact≠
ing negatively on the operations of
the NIPPs. He urged the ministries,
departmentsandagenciesofalllevels
of government as well as individual
power consumers to cultivate the
culture of paying their electricity
bills so as to ensure the survival of
the sector.
Olotu said, ì It is imperative that for
you to keep the synergy between the
inputandtheoutputofpower,youneed
to be paid and this payment must be
made as and when due.
Boost For Housing
A Lagos market grapples with low patronage caused by rising prices of food stuffs
!"#$"%"&'$()*+,"#-./+
0$%)'("1$+2/13.&(.4+%1/+5'*
Kunle Aderinokun
Analysts at Dunn Loren Merrifield Asset
Management Ltd and FSDH Securities Ltd
have predicted a significant increase in
inflation for the month of May over the
position in April. They blame the increasing
rate of inflation on higher transport costs
due to the increase in the pump price of
petroleum motor spirit (PMS) and the effect
of the prevalent foreign exchange crisis.
For Dunn Loren Merrifield (DLM) ,
the consumer price index (CPI), which
measures inflation, is expected to shoot
up to 14.69 per cent in May from 13.72
per cent of the preceding, month while
FSDH put the figures at 15.58 per cent
for the same month.
According to the DLM analysts, “The
core inflation index captured by the ‘All
items less farm produce’ also rose by 13.35
per cent from 12.17 per cent in March 2016.
We estimate a significant rise in headline
inflation to 14.69 per cent year-on-year in
May 2016. This represents an increase of 97
basis points from 13.72 per cent recorded
in the preceding month.”
The headline inflation for May 2016 is
expected to be released by the National
Bureau of Statistics on the 18th of June 2016.
The analysts recalled that the headline
inflation rate for April 2016 increased to
13.72 per cent year-on-year from 12.77
per cent recorded in the previous month
largely driven by higher food prices and
lingering structural constraints with
spill over effect seen in electricity rates,
kerosene & premium motor spirit prices
and imported items amongst others. This,
ECONOMY
according to them, represents “the third
consecutive month of a faster increase
in the index and also the highest rate
recorded in over seven years. This was
attributed to faster increases across all
divisions which contribute to the index
with the exception of the restaurants and
hotels division which increased, albeit at
a slower pace for the third consecutive
month. “
In the same vein, the FSDH analysts
posited: “We also noticed increases in
Transport, Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas
& Other Fuels divisions between April and
May 2016. Our model indicates that the
price movements in the consumer goods
and services in May 2016 would increase
the CCPI to 198.31 points, representing
a month-on-month increase of 2.75 per
cent. We estimate that the increase in the
CCPI in May will produce an inflation
rate of 15.58 per cent.”
However, on a month-on-month basis,
the DLM analysts stated that, the pace
of price increase slowed considerably
to 1.60 per cent from 2.20 per cent in
March 2016.
“The food index was higher by 13.19
per cent up from the 12.74 per cent
recorded in the previous month due to
price increases in imported as well as
domestically produced foods (driven by
tighter food supplies) with the highest price
increases seen in fish, bread and cereals,
and vegetables groups. Similarly, the core
inflation index captured by the “All items
less farm produce” also rose by 13.35 per
cent from 12.17 per cent in March 2016.
We estimate a significant rise in headline
inflation to 14.69 per cent year-on-year in
May 2016. This represents an increase of
97bps from 13.72 per cent recorded in the
preceding month, “ they said.
Also, analysts FSDH noted that, “our
model shows a movement in the food
and core sub-index to 200.0points and
193.3points respectively in May 2016. This
translates into a food and core inflation of
Headline inflation rate for April 2016
increased to 13.72 per cent year-onyear from 12.77 per cent recorded in
the previous month largely driven
by higher food prices and lingering
structural constraints with spill
over effect seen in electricity rates,
kerosene & premium motor spirit
approximately 13.44 per cent and 14.24
per cent respectively. This in our view is
primarily driven by seasonal adjustments,
higher fuel prices, food supply shocks and
higher imported inflation. We re-iterate
that the underlying drivers of the upward
price movements are more structural in
nature and as such wouldn’t ease off until
these pressure points are addressed. We
also note the component of inflation which
is induced by exchange rate dynamics.
Hence, we believe that clarity on the
operation/modalities of the second tier
foreign exchange market is crucial to easing
some degree of inflationary pressures in
the months ahead.”
The FSDH analysts also stated that the
Food Price Index (FPI) that the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently
released showed that the FPI increased
for the fourth consecutive month. “The
Index was up in May by 2.12 per cent
compared with the revised value in April
as all the sub-indices increased except
the vegetable oils. The FAO Sugar Price
Index recorded a sharp rebound in May,
primarily driven by deteriorating crop
production prospects in India.
“The FAO Meat Price Index was up
2.05 per cent as prices for all categories
of meat were on the increase. The FAO
Cereal Price Index was up by 1.65 per
cent , largely on account of the sharp
increase in the price of maize. The price
of rice was also strengthened while wheat
prices were more modest. The FAO Dairy
Price Index was up by 0.44 per cent,
due to sustained international import
demand for whole milk powder and
butter,” the pointed out.
On the flip side, “ the FAO Vegetable
Oil Price Index fell by 1.84 per cent due
to less than expected import demand
for palm oil, combined with growing
export availabilities in Malaysia. Our
analysis indicates that the value of the
Naira remained stable at the inter-bank
market, while it depreciated at the parallel
market by 8.63 per cent to close at US$/
N351.00 from US$/N320.70 at the end of
May. The depreciation recorded at the
parallel market between the two months
under review further increased the prices
of imported consumer good prices in
the domestic market. The prices of most
of the food items that FSDH Research
monitored in May 2016 increased.”
he FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange
and the Nigeria Mortgage Re nance
Company Plc (NMRC) have signed a
memorandumofunderstanding(MoU)
thatwillfacilitatesourcingoflong≠ term
fundsfromthecapitalmarkettowards
the development of the mortgage in≠
dustry and ultimately bridge Nigeriaí s
housing de cit through the provision
of affordable housing nance. The
MoU, which was signed in Abuja,
came on the heels of the Regulatory
SupervisionCollaborationAgreement,
which FMDQ recently executed with
the National Pension Commission
(PenCom), towards enhanced and
efficient pension fund governance,
regulation and supervision. Speak≠
ing during the signing ceremony,
Prof. Charles Inyangete commended
FMDQforitsimmensecontributionto
the development of the Nigerian debt
capital market (DCM), noting that the
pact with theexchangedemonstrates
NMRCí scommitmenttodeepeningthe
DCM.
Flexible Forex Regime
The much≠ anticipated exible ex≠
change regime to be introduced by
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
is expected to result in an increased
allocation of investments by Pen≠
sion Fund Administrators (PFAs) in
the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
According to a report by Lagos≠ based
CSL Stockbrokers Limited, the stock
market would bene t positively from
theexpectedforexregime.ì Ourbelief
isthatPFAswillincreaseallocationsto
equities if the market starts to move
higherfollowingaclari cation,fromthe
Central Bank of Nigeria, on exchange
rate policies that assuages concerns
of foreign investors. Whether and
when this will happen remains the big
unknown. But if and when it does, the
equity market is likely to move rapidly
higher as pension funds reposition
themselves,î the report stated. Data
published by the National Pension
Commission (PenCom) showed that
pension fund allocations to equities
have fallen to multi≠ year lows in early
2016.Only8.6percentoftotalassets
were allocated to domestic equities in
March 2016, far lower than the peak
of 14.6 per cent in December 2013,
and also lower than the 2013≠ 2015
average allocation of 12.6 per cent.
20
BUSINESS/ENERGY
Workers at work in a Nigerian oil rig
A Move to Halt Dwindling
Oil Production
The federal government on Tuesday announced its plan to dialogue with militant
groups who have continued to blow up petroleum pipelines and disrupt crude oil
production in the Niger Delta. This move, if it sails through, would halt Nigeria’s
dwindling production volume, writes Chineme Okafor
T
he financial and operations
report of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
for the month of March has
shown that the country’s crude
oil production level is not in
a very good shape, owing to
renewed insurgency in the Niger Delta.
According to the report, Nigeria’s crude
oil production has dropped to its lowest
monthly level since April 2015.
While output in the report stood at 57.43
million barrels for March, or just over 1.8
million barrels a day, down by more than
3 per cent from the over 2 million barrels a
day that was recorded in the previous month,
recent production figures disclosed by the
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,
Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, showed that the country
now produces about 1.6 million barrels daily.
With this, Angola which produces an
average of 1.84 million barrels daily has
now overtaken Nigeria as the continent’s
largest crude exporter.
Propelled by vandalism, production has
gradually gone down with around 380,000
barrels per day of production shot in from a
February attack on a sub-sea export pipeline,
thus leading to deferral of all March oil
export cargoes.
In acknowledging the impacts of the drop in
production volume on the country’s economy,
the NNPC said the sudden resurgence of
militancy in the Delta was not a good omen
for the country.
The corporation’s call for a halt in the disruptions was then followed by the disclosure
by the federal government that it had set
up a committee to engage militant groups
who had continued to bomb oil production
facilities in the Niger Delta.
Kachikwu explained that the move was
aimed at halting the deadly attacks which
have made Nigeria’s oil production drop to
1.6 million barrels per day (mbpd).
He said the team to dialogue with the
militants will be coordinated by the Office
of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),
and it will include himself, the Minister
of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru; and
select thoughts leaders; kings and influential
individuals from the Niger Delta.
According to him, the government will
take its time to engage the militants to halt
their activities which has seen the country’s
oil production drop in volumes frequently.
“The president has appointed a team led
by the NSA and I serve in one of those, to
begin the process of a very intensive dialogue
with those caught in the middle of this,”
said Kachikwu.
He further stated: “I am sure that in the
ensuing one week the intensity of that dialogue
will wrap up.”
To allow for the dialogue, Kachikwu said:
“The NSA is going to be working with the
various arms of the armed forces to descale
the intensity of military intervention in the
area within a week or two so that dialogue
can take place.”
“We are making contacts with everybody
who is involved, the ones that we can identity,
through them, the ones that we can’t identify
so that there is a lot more inclusiveness in
this dialogue.
“Our prayer is that this works so that we
resort to dialogue rather than use of force,”
he added.
Speaking more on the character of people
who would be part of the dialogue, Kachikwu
said: “In terms of those on the committee,
the NSA, myself, the service chiefs, the list
itself is expanding as we put the final touches
in place.
“There will be obviously the minister of
the Niger Delta, we are also looking at an
integrated platform that involves representatives of the various communities who are
respected and have had experience in doing
this.”
The minister said: “Over the last two months
we have probably lost about 600,000 barrels
from various attacks of militants in the area.”
Hopes of production recovery
However, Kachikwu maintained the country
still produced between 1.5 and 1.6 million
barrels of oil per day even with the huge drop.
He also expressed hopes that the proposed
dialogue will end the production disruption.
This is even with reports that the arrowhead
of the disruptions, the Niger Delta Avengers
(NDA) have said they were not willing to
engage in such dialogue with the government.
“In terms of production, we are roughly
at about 1.5 million - 1.6 million barrels a
day, down from 2.2mbd which is the basis
of this year’s budget and if peace reigns,
obviously between now and August we will
be able to recover substantial portion of this
production so that the budget doesn’t suffer.
“We are making efforts to see how we
can get those barrels back but different
from getting the barrels back is getting the
minds and hearts of people. When citizens
are unhappy about something you need to
engage,” he added.
He further said in his appeals to the
militants: “My first appeal will be to my
brothers who are engaged in these acts of
protest to sheath the sword and dagger and
get back to the table so that we can have
conversation as Nigerians.
The minister noted: “There is no doubt that
over the very many decades of oil production
a lot of things that ought to be done in the
oil geographical environment may well not
have been fully done but not to forget that
quite a lot has also happened. The answer
to the issue will not be taking up of arms;
the federal government is committed to
continuing this dialogue.”
21
BUSINESS/MONEY
Delayed Forex Policy Guidelines
Unsettling Markets
Weeks after the last monetary policy committee meeting where it was announced that a flexible
forex policy had been adopted and the guidelines would be released after a few days, monetary
authorities are yet to roll out the new policy guidelines. The Bankers’ Committee at its meeting
last week has however assured the business community that the new framework being put
together would check the prevailing speculations in the forex market, writes Olaseni Durojaiye
A
s the euphoria that greeted
the announcement of a policy
shift in the foreign exchange
administration in the country
from a state-controlled regime
to one that leans towards
market-driven framework
ebb, despondency appear to be growing in its
place largely due to the continued delay in the
release of the guidelines for the new forex policy.
The CBN had announced the new regime on
May 24, upon the completion of its quarterly
Monetary Policy Meeting (MPC).
But a growing number of operators across sectors
are worried that the capital market and the
economy at large are feeling the brunt of the delay
in the release of the guidelines.
The delay, some insist, is causing the economy
to continue to “bleed” as it is denied the much
needed forex “inflow” from foreign investors, who
are waiting in the wings and eager to come into
the nation’s economy as soon as clear rules of
engagement are released.
Analysts who spoke to THISDAY reiterated
that the economy was in dire straits, pointing to
the indicators, which range from negative Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate, looming
recession, rising cost of goods and services, and
increasing unemployment rate, which was put at
12.1 per cent in March among others. They also
opined that the right forex policy was the compass
to navigate the economy out of the woods.
Interventions by CBN
Though the CBN has continually tinker with the
its forex policy, many operators and proponents of
a market-driven forex policy are not impressed just
as they continue to insist that the policies cannot
be said to have positively impacted the economy.
The measures so far adopted by the CBN include
fixing the exchange rate of the greenback at N197
to a dollar; excluding Bureau De Change and a
number of items from those allowed to access the
greenback from the official forex market. Others
were import substitution and inward integration
among others aimed at reducing over-reliance on
importation, especially against the backdrop of a
dwindling foreign reserves. However, all of the
measures have not visibly impacted the economy.
It is against the background that many observers
welcomed the announcement of a policy shift
by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on
24th May, 2016. Emefiele had disclosed while
addressing journalists after the completion of the
apex bank’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting
which held between 23rd and 24th May, 2016 that
the committee unanimously agreed to adopt a
flexible forex policy adding that “details of operation
of the market would be released by the Bank at
an appropriate time.”
However, more than two weeks after, operators across different sectors of the economy have
begun to lament the continued non-release of the
guidelines. This is as the capital market which
reacted positively has begun to recede in the wake
of the delay.
Possible Cause of the Delay
The delay expectedly has been generating discourse
among operators, stakeholders and analysts.
Speaking to THISDAY in a telephone interview,
Managing Director of APT Securities, Ahmed Garba
Kurfi, argued that the delay portrayed the CBN
as not prepared for the new policy. He argued
that the appropriate thing was for the policy to
become operational immediately it was announced.
According to him, the delay gives the impression
that the CBN was waiting for a third party to
conceptualise the policy framework. He argued
that two weeks were enough time to prepare
the details if it was being prepared by the CBN.
Trading activities on floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Also lamenting the delay, Lagos based economist
and research analyst, Rotimi Oyelere, noted that
“The delay is very worrisome. It has become
obvious that the apex bank has not decided on
how to run its flexible exchange rate policy before
announcing it,” Oyelere stated, adding that “MPC
ought to have pegged the rate ab initio before the
official announcement since expectation usually
welcomes any policy announcement.”
But analysts at Meristem Securities have a
different view. They argued that, “The CBN, at
the announcement of the intention to institute a
proposed forex exchange policy, did not give a
timeline to it, so it does not augur well to hold
them accountable for delay barely two weeks after
the MPC meeting. Although the MPC said the
framework was ready, it said, “Details of operation
of the market would be released by the bank
at an appropriate time.” Furthermore, if it was
something to be released shortly after the MPC
meeting, it would have been imminent from the
communication and that presupposes that it would
take a little more time to be operational. In addition,
given that the FX quagmire has subsisted for a
sufficiently long period of time, any proposed
solution must be optimal and comprehensive
with minimal downsides.
“While it is not a perfect solution, it should, to
a large extent, address most of the current and
potential FX challenges. This invariably requires
wide consultation with and buy-in from key
stakeholders, and this, of course, should take
time. We acknowledge the need to speed up
the process, but the quality of the solution has a
lot to do with its sustainability.”.
Also speaking on the delay, President of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr.
Frank Jacobs, appealed to the CBN Governor
Godwin Emefiele to expedite action on the release
of the guidelines arguing that the non-release is
causing serious hiccups in the economy.
He added that “I am aware of the challenges
of having to synchronize the different foreign
exchange windows currently in place (inter-bank,
autonomous and Bureau de Change markets), but
unless this is done, there would be confusion in
the economy. As I said earlier, I am aware that the
CBN is working hard to get the document ready.”
Implications of the Delay
Disturbed by the negatives that the delay has
caused, particularly in the Capital Market, operators
contended that the uncertainties surrounding the
current forex policy regime was fuelling a suboptimal performance of the market in recent days.
This is contrary to the euphoria that greeted the
announcement of the policy on May 24.
“The delay is causing the government to lose
revenue. Had the details been released before now
government would have been making money
from the sale of forex which would have been
sold at the new and higher rate as against the
current lower rate; especially now that all the
three tiers of government are lamenting that they
need money.
“Besides, this would have saved the capital
market. All the nose-diving in the capital market
is because the policy is not clear. Investors want
to be sure of how the policy will work before
bringing their money into the market. If investors
are clear on how to come in and get out, foreign
investments will come in and we’ll have more
foreign exchange to play with,” Kurfi insisted.
But, responding to questions bordering on the
implications of the delay, a note from analysts
at Meristem Securities stated thus: “There is an
increased level of uncertainty in the economy.
However, this uncertainty is not reflected in the
prices as the FX rate has been stable at NGN/
USD 350-355 range post the MPC meeting.”
In his own analysis, Oyelere contended that,
“The delay is eroding investors’ confidence that
was built around the intended policy. From what
has been reported and observed so far, the apex
bank is still consulting with stakeholders. This
trial-by-error policy administration is really getting
me concerned,” he maintained.
Speaking further, he added that ”In the short
term, the delay is denying the economy foreign
capital, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well
as Foreign Portfolio Investment (PFI) it ought to
have received. Foreign investors are in haste to
dispose their holdings of Nigeria equities and
debts instruments.
This will further reduce the value of the naira.
Going to the medium term, Nigeria government
proposed issuance of foreign denominated bonds
may witness low subscriptions as concerns over
claims gather momentum. Finally, using foreign
capital for funding critical infrastructure becomes
seemingly impossible,” he added.
Like operators in the capital market, operators in
the real sector are also ruing the delayed released
of details of the promised flexible forex policy.
THISDAY investigation revealed that planning
among manufacturers has become “problematic
and business projections may be dislocated.”
Speaking further on the impact of the delay on
the real sector, Jacobs stated that, “It is impacting
negatively on the manufacturing sector because we
already have a serious situation by the on-going
scarcity of forex and now there is confusion as
to the rates that would apply in the market.”
He added that, “The implications are that
there would be uncertainties in the operations
of manufacturing companies as planning would
be problematic and business projections may be
dislocated. On the other hand, this situation will
serve as a wake-up call for manufacturers and
investors to imbibe, very seriously, back-ward
integration and import substitution in their
manufacturing processes. Our industrialisation
should be resource-based.”
“The CBN should try to release the guidelines
soonest,” he urged.
Bankers’ Committee Intervenes.
Last week’s meeting of the Bankers’ Committee has
reassured Nigerians and the business community
that the policy framework being worked out in
consultations with stakeholders would check the
prevailing speculations in the forex market.
Explaining the delay in the relase of the framework,
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, United
Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza, said it
arose from the need to produce a comprehensive
and robust flexible exchange policy that would
address all exchange rate problems.
22
BUSINESS/LABOUR
Confronting the Rising
Wave of Job Losses
Within the last one year of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Nigerian
economy, Africa’s biggest economy, had experienced some difficult times. Companies
have resorted to retrenchment in order to stay afloat. But government is not living
things to chances, writes Paul Obi
O
ne of the promises of the
All Progressives Congress
(APC) with President
Muhammadu
Buhari
as the then flag bearer
was the pledge to create
more jobs for the teeming
unemployed population in the country. Being
the cardinal point of the administration, it is
not a surprise therefore, that much focus had
been given to government’s quest to provide
jobs. Yet, with these assurances, citizens who
had hoped for an Eldorado on jobs have had
their aspirations shattered when government
soft-pedaled on the implementation of the
N5,000 stipends for the unemployed. Also,
recruiting about 500,000 teachers and other
unskilled workers had protracted for so long,
with many complaining about the slow process.
How Economic Indices Betrayed Jobs
The job crisis didn’t just emerge from nowhere.
It was the (mis)calculations by government that
first exposed the economy to the current shock,
and thereafter, turbulence sets in. Analysts
believed that Buhari’s economic policies were
instrumental in dealing a big blow on the
economy. By placing restrictions on forex, less
than one month into office, the administration
distorted the nation’s circular flow of forex
and its advantages in international trade. It
restricted several economic pursuits that fuel
jobs and keep them intact.
Added to that, government’s decision to
withdraw public funds from banks also
contributed enormously in battering the
economy. Public funds domiciled in private
banks were part of banking resources for
generating profits, investment and part of
the capital pool to absorb economic shocks.
With the withdrawal of such funds, banks
could no longer face the economic recession.
The only leeway to cut cost was to resort
to retrenchment. Granted, there were cases
of abuse of such public funds in the last
administration, a gradual process in easing
out such public funds would have been more
helpful. Thus, the decision and process to
withdraw public funds was wobbly and even
inchoate, as banks were only left with the
option of retrenchment as the only survival
mechanism.
Retrenchment
As the economic downturn takes its toll
on the nation, many Nigerian workers have
been laid off from their work. According to
the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about
710,698 Nigerian workers have lost their jobs
during the last one year of President Buhari’s
administration. From the manufacturing,
tourism, service industry, oil sector to the
banking sector, job losses have continued
unabated.
The banking industry appears to be the
worst hit by the economic crisis, so also
has retrenchment been more severed in the
sector. At the last count, Zenith Bank has
laid off about 1,200 workers; Skye Bank, 175;
Diamond Bank, 400; Ecobank, 1040; Fidelity
Bank, 500 workers.
The retrenchment has also affected the
aviation sector with many losing their jobs
helplessly. With some airline operators leaving
the shores of Nigeria, job losses have also
skyrocketed.
The continued retrenchment of workers due
to the prevailing poor economic situation has
Applicants at a job recruitment exercise
had a spiral effect on the country as a whole,
with more difficulties in the months ahead.
Government Directive
While government has not been able to
come up with a definite remedy to the
current economic crisis, it has been quick to
issue directive in an attempt to stop mostly
banks from further sacking their workforce.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen.
Chris Ngige, in a statement ordering banks to
halt retrenchment of workers said: “Following
the high spate of petitions and complaints
from stakeholders in the Banking, Insurance
and Financial Institutions, I hereby direct the
suspension of the on-going retrenchment in the
sector pending the outcome of the conciliatory
meetings in the industry.
“This is as a result of the apprehension by
my office of the various disputes in the sector
in accordance and in compliance with the
provisions of the labour laws of Nigeria. This
decision is further predicated on the fact that
the continued retrenchment and redundancy
by the banks and other financial institutions
are jeopardising the outcome of the conciliatory
and mediatory processes being undertaken
by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“In this wise, all the retrenchment and
redundancy done in the last four months
and all proposed ones should be put on
hold, pending the outcome of the proposed
stakeholders’ summit for the Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions’ employers and
employees, slated for the first week of July,
2016. All parties are therefore advised in the
interest of industrial peace and harmony to
maintain the status-quo ante-belum.” Ngige
added that “by this directive also, the labour
unions should cease all picketing of banks
and financial institutions immediately.”
The order notwithstanding, banks were said
to have continued the retrenchment.
Ngige, again, in faraway Geneva, Switzerland
at the on-going International Labour Organisation (ILO) summit told reporters that “the
Federal Government gave the licences to the
banks to operate and if its directives are not
adhered to the licences will be withdrawn
if the need arises. We know what to do.
After all, the banks have the licences given
by the government. We know what to do.
They need to comply.
“Financial institutions need to negotiate. We
want them to maintain the status quo. As far
as I am the minister of labour I will protect the
interest of workers. They are the employers’
body and the people I am talking to are also
employers. If you are going to lay off there
is a way to declare redundancy, there is a
process. Section 20 of the labour Act says it.
You must call the unions and discuss with
them. You don’t just treat them as slaves in
their own country,’’ the minister said.
NECA’s Position
Contrarily, the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) challenged the
minister that government lacks the locus standi
to order banks not to sack workers even when
it is unavoidable.
NECA Director General, Segun Oshinowo,
who is also attending the Geneva summit told
journalists that “redundancy exercise is foisted
on employers on account of an unhealthy
economy and the dynamics of the business,
which often demands staff rationalisation.
The Voice of the Business reminded the
minister that it is part of the inalienable right
of an employer to determine the optimal staff
level it requires to sustain its operations’,
Oshinowo stated.
He explained that “the right to hire and fire
within the rules governing such employment
contract. Employers’ rights are Employers’
Prerogatives, which are not subject to ministerial
directives.” Oshinowo further held that “where
an employer has found it necessary to carry
out retrenchment, it would respect the laws
of the land and the laid down procedures for
redundancy”. He contended that “employers’
expectation from the Minister of Labour and
Employment is that he will work hand in
hand with other Government Ministries in
the establishment of the desired enabling
environment to ensure business sustainability,
competitiveness and job creation.”
Oshinowo, while passing a message to Ngige
maintained that “the Ministry of Labour and
Employment runs on the principle of tripartism,
which entails regular interactions with Trade
Unions as represented by NLC/TUC, the
employers as represented by NECA, and
government as represented by the Federal
Ministry of Labour and Employment. The
ministry is expected to respect the rights and
interests of employers and workers alike on
issues that relate to Labour and industrial
relations.”
He also tackled Ngige over his near-autocratic
tendencies and “the way and manner the
Minister has been running the affairs of the
ministry without respect to the prerogative and
rights of enterprise as employers of labour.”
Oshinowo went on to state that “for a long
time, employers have been advocating that the
ministry should be headed by a technocrat in
order to avoid the kind of disposition being
displayed by the minister which tends towards
“populism” and “partisanship” rather than
professionalism.”
The Centre Can No Longer Hold
As a way out, the already existing gulf
between government and the private sector
need to be bridged. Issuing out an authoritative
order to employers is not one of the ways of
doing that. It starts by fixing the fiscal and
monetary policies and rolling out stimulus.
To chart the path to sustainable growth
that keeps jobs secured, can be attained by
interventionist programmes.
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • MAY 29, 2016
23
INTERVIEW
Gupta: Despite Recession, Manufacturers
Must Value their Customers
The Marketing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Mr. Tarang Gupta, speaks
extensively about the iconic Peak Milk brand, the market conditions and economy,
among others in a media chat in Lagos. Abimbola Akosile captures his views
H
ow will you assess the
milk market in Nigeria,
given that many have
said that it is largely
untapped, do you share
this sentiment?
consumers trust Peak. It’s number one in
nutrition and taste. For an iconic brand,
integrity is very important. We’ll continue
to protect this trust.
Over the years, you have sustained
a brand strategy that positions Peak
Milk as a family brand... was that the
inspiration for your recent Mother’s
Day campaign and how well has
the campaign resonated with your
consumers?
There’s a huge opportunity for dairy
in Nigeria. And I also agree it’s largely
untapped. According to FAO, basis milk
equivalent (ME), average per capita global
milk consumption amounts to about 100
kg of milk/year; with significant variances
between markets/ countries. For example,
quoting FAO, per capita consumption in
Europe is in excess of 300kg of milk/ year
in comparison to some African and Asian
countries with less than 30kg.
In Nigeria, whilst market information
is not readily available, data suggests that
per capita consumption of milk is 8kg/
year. Milk consumption in Nigeria is low;
as such, it is expected that as the Nigerian
population grows followed by increased
Nigerians’ awareness and relevance on the
goodness of dairy and the overall market
competitiveness of dairy manufacturers,
dairy category will become more relevant.
Lastly, as the economy improves, population
pyramid experiences more dynamism - the
middle class is projected to increase; as such
the demand for milk is further stimulated.
While Peak is a family brand, the role
of the mother in ‘unselfishly’ helping other
members of the family reach for their Peak
cannot be denied. So our mothers’ day
campaign was to celebrate she who in
different ways supports the members of
her family (no matter the age) to realise
their dreams. And because she is so special,
Nigerians aligned with the campaign to
celebrate their mums.
Given the rise of the youth market
in Nigeria, have you been under any
pressure to tweak the message to reflect
trends therein?
What is your take on the current
state of the Nigerian economy in view
of the steep decline in global oil prices
and the economic challenges it has
triggered in the country?
Since Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges came to the fore, there have been
many opinions on how government and
private sector on the one hand and Nigerian
consumers on the other should address
it and likely tap the opportunities that it
brings.
Nigerians have become more enlightened
and as such are braced for tough times;
unfortunately, the economic recession being
experienced will take a while before the
country bounces back. Nigerians have
become pragmatic in their way of living
and are ‘protecting themselves’, by making
clear priorities which is happening across
categories. However, Nigerian consumers
are still demanding for same product
quality, they don’t want to be taken for
granted and ready to go with any brand
that meets their needs and thus this is the
time when manufacturers should value
their consumers and give them the value
they deserve.
Though the cost of business operations
are being challenged, organisations need
to be creative in terms of their business
models, so as to maintain their costs and
continue to provide value to consumers.
So, what marketing strategies have
your company developed to survive the
economic crunch?
To be honest, the current challenges in
Nigeria affect everyone - institutions and
society. And in most if not all companies we
have Harvard-trained marketers, economists
who have come up with several business
plans to help achieve sustainable competitive
edge. However, it’s less about the marketing
strategies but more about their relevance
to the consumers at this point in time and
how they are seamlessly executed.
Peak is an iconic brand that is truly
Nigerian. With over 60 years in the market,
the brand has shared the passion, happiness, successes, aspirations and fears of
Nigerians. Peak will continue to increase
its relevance amongst its consumers and
provide the value our beloved consumers
Gupta
deserve.
At a time like this, consumers usually feel
somehow neglected by their brands. Because
it is recession, consumers feel embarrassed
and it’s as if they are looked down on by
brands as all what consumers are offered
are promotions and discounts. In our own
case, however, we are here for consumers;
helping you in these difficult times. Peak
has been here with them for the last 60
years and will continue to support them
emotionally and functionally.
What is the general brand strategy
for the Peak milk brand and in what
ways have you been able to communicate
this to the consumers?
It’s our responsibility and passion to
stick with our consumers and continue to
provide value for them. We will continue
to engage our consumers by emotionally
connecting and rationally assuring with our
diverse portfolio to meet different needs of
our consumers. We will leverage different
and relevant touch points to engage our
consumers especially at the point of purchase.
Peak as a brand has a strong sense of
purpose of providing quality dairy nutrition
to help our consumers realise their full
potential and ‘Reach their Peak’. We will
stay consistent with our purpose.
In one word how would you describe
the Peak Milk brand?
Goodness (in every drop).
In the last two years we have seen a
lot of repositioning in the milk segment
especially from competitors. Does that
put a bit of pressure on you?
Increasing competition in any category
only benefits our consumers, because it
removes arrogance and starts to keep
consumers as the epicenter; which is why
we at Friesland Campina welcome this and
also realise the end benefit to our consumers
and category in general.
To us, it’s a great source of motivation.
Knowing that our competitors are making
efforts to win the mind and heart of our
consumers is what gets us out of bed every
morning to go out there and maintain our
leadership position. It helps to generate
new innovative ideas.
Last year Peak Milk turned 60 in
Nigeria. What has been your staying
power here, especially with regards
to marketing?
We are proud to have been building
strong families for generations. Peak 60th
Anniversary campaign was used to take
people back to where it all began. We
celebrated the brand’s birthday through
the power and beauty of our product.
Everyone has a direct relationship with the
brand; there’s always a Peak story. Hence,
we developed a 360-degree all year round
campaign that reminded consumers about
Peak’s heritage, and made them smile as
they reminisced about the good old days.
Looking into the future, we see one
that’s bright. Regarding our marketing
activities, it’s about telling the truth always.
Several consumer researches suggest that
To be honest, youths are an important
consumer segment - demographically
speaking - as any other target group Peak
is reaching out to. Teenagers as we know
them today are an important and distinct
part of the population. Young Nigerians
like their counterparts around the world
have suddenly become very conscious of
their own identity. Peak does not have to
be under any pressure. Young consumers
are part of the brand’s target market. And
you’ll agree to that.
Young people make valuable consumers because they influence the purchasing
decisions of their friends and families. In
addition to being consumers themselves,
teens can affect what the rest of the family
is/will do. If a product or brand is popular
with young people, it gains an image of being
“cool.” So, Peak is committed to reinforcing
its values with these audiences and building
affinity and sustainable relationship with
them.
What are your marketing projections
for the next five years?
Nigeria and Nigerians are leap frogging
and thus the marketing fraternity would
need to continuously stay ahead of the
curve. I would say that marketing in the
next five years would revolve around the
3 Ds. These include Digital: moving from
monologue to conversation, and being with
the consumer where ever he/she is; Decision:
Marketing decisions would become more
real time and thus agility would become
the name of the game.
We also have Diverse: Diversity would
be the name of the game. Consumers are
demanding more options and thus diversity
in portfolio and consumption. The consumer
segments between the millennial and the
rest will also become more diverse and
thus marketing activities of ‘one size fits
all’, will not work.
In your own assessment how big is
the milk market in Nigeria, and what
percentage of that market belongs to
Peak Milk?
Market estimate of total dairy market
which includes Infant and Toddler (IFT),
Dairy Based Beverages (DBB) and Ready
to Drink as at 2015 was about N470bn.
FrieslandCampina WAMCO - Peak has very
strong presence in IFT and DBB. In the
categories we exist, we are clearly number
1 in volume and value terms.
24
BUSINESS/CONSUMER
Turning Consumers’ Dreams to Reality
Abimbola Akosile writes about four lucky Nigerian subscribers and consumers
of StarTimes products, whose dreams were turned into reality when they emerged
lucky winners of a promo and ended up in New York, USA on an all-expense
paid trip to watch the National Basketball Association (NBA) players in action
I
t is not news that many Nigerian
consumers of various products have
always gotten the short end of the stick
when it comes to winning prizes in
promos by products’ companies.
There had been media reports where
consumers who were promised an allexpense paid trip to the United States if they
win the ultimate prizes in products promos,
were rail-roaded to South Africa some years
back, on the flimsy excuse that the winners
didn’t possess US visas. Ironically, the phone
manufacturer was supposed to help process
visa for the ‘unlucky’ winners.
These shady acts have turned many consumers
to cynics who avoid promos like the plague,
in the belief that the biggest prizes will never
be delivered to eventual winners.
Different Strokes
So it was a refreshing change when in
April, four Nigerian StarTimes subscribers
travelled to New York, USA and enjoyed the
company’s all-expense paid trips in fulfillment
of its promise, as part of the NBA All Access
Tour 2016 in conjunction with the National
Basketball Association in America.
The four lucky subscribers, who emerged
winners from among hundreds of others, were
Messrs. Akosile Afolabi, a mechanical engineer and
entrepreneur; Bode Oladunjoye, an educationist;
Ikujenyo Oladele, an IT consultant, and Boluwaji
Bamidele, a sports journalist.
The annual programme, which started off
with an online competition beginning from
February 25 through March, 2016 produced the
lucky StarTimes subscribers as winners of the
all-expense-paid trips to New York, USA who
watched and experienced American basketball
superstars live in action between April 8 and 12.
The winners visited different tourist spots
in New York and New Jersey, did city tours,
desert tour, and watched basketball games
between Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles
(LA) Lakers, etc.
Dreaming Subscribers
One of the winners, Bode Oladunjoye said
“The trip was all fun and memorable experience
for the four of us that represented Nigeria. We
had contingents from other countries like South
Africa, Argentina, Denmark, and Colombia.
“From the flight, there was no dull moment
because we had access to OnAir WiFi. When
we got New York we visited several memorable
locations like World Trade Centre, Central Park,
One World Observatory building (the tallest
building in US) and had a boat cruise that
took us to the Statue of Liberty.
“I always saw basketball as a minor sport
until I watched two matches live. I was also
privileged to take photographs with the NBA
players, even with some of their legends. The
live match between Toronto Raptures and New
York Knicks at Madison Square Garden was
fun and interesting.You can imagine watching
basketball in a VIP corner.
“The same experience goes to the second
match between Washington Wizard and Brooklyn
Nets. This trip gave me the opportunity to meet
different people with different cultures. We also
went to NBA store and we were given 20 per
cent off on any item bought from the store. All
thanks to StarTimes and the NBA”.
Also, according to Afolabi Akosile,“The journey
to represent StarTimes at the NBA All Access
Games in NewYork started prior to my embarking
on the journey with three other winners. It
was a blessing to be chosen among the lucky
winners to participate in the all-expenses paid
trip to the United States.
“I met Hall of Fame Basketball player from
New York Knicks who took group pictures with
us and also autograph gifts. The game for the
night was between Toronto Raptors and New
York Knicks. It was more than a game as this
was my first time of watching NBA basketball
L-R: Afolabi, Oladunjoye,Oladele and Bamidele
live with a full show in entertainment, basketball
skills and technology. Being part of NBA All
Access Tours gave me great insight to how the
game of basketball is held in high esteem in
America. I had the great opportunity of taking
pictures as well as autograph gifts with current
No 4 player Arron Afflalo of New York Knicks.
“We also took group pictures and autographs
of Brooklyn Nets player. It was a great time of
fun and exploration as planned by the NBA
not only to watch basketball games but also
to showcase the greatness of America. It was
five days of entertainment and live basketball
shows which I loved. I have to appreciate in
great measure StarTimes and their officials
for giving this wonderful opportunity to me.
I really encourage more Nigerians to watch
NBA channels on StarTimes and join next
year’s promo to qualify”, he added.
Positive Collaboration
StarTimes Public Relations Manager, Mr. Israel
Bolaji, said the All-Access Tour was designed
in collaboration with the NBA TV to reward
basketball-loving StarTimes subscribers with
a great opportunity to meet their heroes and
superstars in person and fulfill their dreams
of experiencing basketball in its full glamour
on the world’s biggest platform.
“This basketball trivia game is our response
to the demand of our subscribers for more
exciting sporting initiatives and everyone can
participate in the program; To be a winner, get
a StarTimes decoder if you don’t have it already.
Like StarTimes facebook page, post your pictures
and link to uploaded personal YouTube video
showing some basketball skills on StarTimes
website and get your friends and families to
like the video. Top 10 finalists will be selected
and 3 winners will emerge based on superior
skills and highest likes.”
“In 2014, StarTimes thought it necessary to
introduce a trivia campaign in collaboration
with NBA TV United States to give StarTimes
subscribers and basketball loving Nigerians the
opportunity to watch and experience live NBA
matches in the USA. Mr. Boluwaji Bamidele
and Chinedu Iroche emerged as winners and
travelled in 2015 to the USA.
Kafar added that“it was the collective desire
of StarTimes to bring sporting entertainments
to all Nigerians, especially our esteemed sports
loving subscribers. Whether it’s in the area of
basketball, football, tennis or boxing, we consider
it important bringing good sporting content to
our subscribers.”
The NBA TV channel is exclusively available
on the StarTimes (Channel 258, DTT) on Classic
and Unique bouquets, and channels 251 (SD
View) and 252 (HDView) both on DTH Dish TV.
NBA TV is an American sports-oriented
cable and satellite television network owned
by the National Basketball Association (NBA)
and operated by the Turner Broadcasting System
subsidiary of Time Warner. It is the oldest cable
network in North America to be owned or
controlled by a professional sports league, having
launched on March 17, 1999.
Dedicated to basketball, the network features
exhibition, regular season and playoff game
telecasts from the NBA and related professional
basketball leagues, as well as NBA-related
content including analysis programs, specials
and documentaries. The network also serves
as national broadcaster of the NBA D-League
and WNBA games.
Other sports channels also available on
StarTimes include ST Sports Life, ST World
Football, ST Sports Premium, ST Sports Arena,
ST Sports Focus, NTA Sport 24, Fox Sport 2,
Fox Sport, NBA TV, and MCS Sports.
StarTimes is the leading digital-TV operator in
Africa, covering 80 per cent of the continent’s
population with a massive distribution network
of 200 brand halls, 3,000 convenience stores and
5,000 distributors. StarTimes owns a featured
content platform, with 440 authorised channels consisting of news, movies, series, sports,
entertainment, children’s programmes, fashion,
religion etc.
25
BUSINESS/MARITIME
The Rising Call to Privatise Underperforming Maritime Agencies
Against the backdrop of renewed call to privatise some maritime institutions in the
country, Olaseni Durojaiye presents views of operators to the call and the attractiveness ratio of the institutions among investment experts
O
ne of the fallouts of Nigeria’s
reliance on oil over the years is,
no doubt, paying less attention
to other sectors with huge
revenue generation potential
and leaving the managers of
the sector to their whims. This has seen some
of them perform below level and failure to
contribute optimally to the commonwealth
of the nation.
The maritime sector in particular has been
attracting attention and concerns in recent time.
The attention shift to the sector appeared to
be due largely to the nosedive in the nation’s
revenue owing to slump in oil prices and
importance of the sector towards revenue
generation and economic growth. This is so
because while the boom lasted, the country’s
importation profile was massive so much that
some stakeholders tinkered with the idea of
making the country’s seaports the hub of the
sub-region.
Besides, in the light of finding solutions that
will shore up the nation’s depleting revenue,
some commentators described the sector as a
low-hanging fruit arguing that if well monitored,
the harvest therefrom will augment the lean
revenue accruing from oil sales. While that
is yet to be done, a couple of institutions in
the sector continue to court headline news
for the wrong reasons.
THISDAY investigation revealed that operators
in the sector have over time lamented lack
of professionalism and transparency in the
running of some of the institution that were
set up to drive growth in the maritime sector.
Some of the institutions in the sectors that have
received flaks from operators in the sector
include Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration Agency (NIMASA), National Inland
Waterways (NIWA), Nigeria Port Authority
(NPA) Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN)
among others.
THISDAY checks revealed that these institutions either singly or collectively, are guilty
of one or more of the complaints against
them which include lack of professionalism,
graft, transparency or under performance as
regards contribution to economic growth,
equity contributions to national wealth or
rent collection.
Though some commentators alleged that
the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has been
reduced to rent collector in the aftermath of the
concession of some port operations to private
companies, Managing Director of the government parastatal, Habib Abdullahi, however
in a recent interview told THISDAY that the
company was in the process of dedicating
some ports to export. In the light of calls for
the country to grow its export profile, analysts
have hailed the initiative.
In the case of NIMASA, some marine safety
operators told THISDAY that there is a breath
of fresh air into the agency since the change
of guard. However, findings revealed that
it will take some time before that changes
the perception of the agency as haven for
graft. That perception is not unconnected to
revelations in the court proceedings involving
one of the agency’s former director general
who is undergoing trial for graft.
Former President Obasanjo’s Call
The under-performance in the sector was
again reiterated by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo during the opening day of a two-day
Maritime Sector Stakeholders’ Conference which
held in Lagos during the week. Suggesting
solutions to make under-performing institutions work, Obasanjo reportedly canvassed
privatisation and mentioned the example of
the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG),
which he said had been making profits and
contribution to the economy since it was
An ocean -going vessel moors to a Nigerian port
privatised.
“The institutions that are important in the
country, which have not worked, we have
to make them work. We can use the Nigeria
Liquefied Natural Gas company as a model.
We should look into these areas and think
outside of the box. Until the Nigerian Maritime Safety Administration Agency became
a place where people stole money, nobody
knew much about it. Now everybody wants
to work there. Look at the National Inland
Waterways (NIWA), Maritime Academy of
Nigeria and the Nigerian Port Authority which
we tried to privatise. These are institutions
we can make to work,” he stated.
Stakeholders’ Reactions
Operators in the sector, some of who bear
the brunt of the lack of professionalism and
efficient running of the sector welcomed
President Obasanjo’s call for the institutions
to be privatised. A cross section of them
expressed their support for the call in different
interviews with THISDAY during the week.
While supporting the call to privatise
under-performing maritime institutions
they accused current managers of some of
the institutions of lackadaisical disposition
towards the management of their institution.
Another respondent added that privatisation
will usher in more professional and efficient
running of the institutions.
“I support the call to privatise non-performing
maritime institutions,” Vice President of Nigerian
Association of Freight Forwarders (NAGAF),
Fred Akokhia, said in a telephone interview,
adding that “running these institutions is not
rocket science; put them in private hands and
they’ll work professionally and efficiently.”
Another operator, Managing Director of SOLAS
Marine Limited, an operator in the safety on
sea subsector, Samson Okotete, also supported
the call. According to him “I believe it will
further sanitise the sector. Fine, we are seeing
some improvement in the operations of agency
like NIMASA in recent times, there is still
room for improvement. Privatisation will no
doubt improve service delivery and efficiency
level among others. Again, with privatisation,
the type of fraud case that a former director
general of the agency is accused of will not
repeat itself,” Okotete opined.
Speaking further Akokhia stressed that, “If
you put it in private hands, they know that
they have to make profits, they will run it far
more efficiently and professionally. If you look
at the gains of the concessions of some port
services to APM Terminal and others, then you
can imagine the gains that we would reap from
privatising the institutions. Even if we don’t
want to privatise now, we can commercialise
them. What we beg of government is to
provide them with the enabling environment
to operate,” he added.
Investment Experts’ Take
As support for privatisation of the institutions
swell among operators, it has emerged that some
of the institutions may be in line for some form
of tweaking. In response to THISDAY enquiry,
Head of Public Communications, Bureau of
Public Enterprise (BPE), Alex Okoh, clarified
that “NIMASA is not in our schedule and is
not for privatization due to the its functions. It
is a regulator of a sort.” He however pointed
out that, “NPA does certain activities that
may be considered for privatisation. Examples
are marine services which include pilotage
and towage. This is in addition to terminal
operations which are already concessioned
to private terminal operators. NPA as an
organisation will become technical once the
new port and harbor bill is passed.”
“National Inland Waterways Authority
(NIWA) is also for concession. Operations
of inland water way routes and management
of jetties will be concessioned to private sector.
Like NPA, NIWA will become sector technical
regulator when the new NIWA bill is passed,”
he added.
Even then, THISDAY findings further revealed
that if the current administration opted to
privatise any of the institutions, they will not
be short of interested investors even though
privatising the institutions will need a lot of
“clarity”.
An investment executive with CDC’s Africa
Fund, London, Gozie Chigbue, told THISDAY
that “it is an area that private investors will find
interesting but it requires a lot of clarity. There
are several organisations out there that has run
ports in other economies before, organisations
that have the competence and expertise in
maritime operations who will be willing to
invest. However, prospective investor would
want to know who ensures fair practice and
what role will government play post-privatisation
of a company like Nigerian Port Authority
among other concerns. They will also need a
lot of clarity in terms of regulation,” Chigue
explained.
Though he agreed that the sector will interest
investors, Managing Director of APT Securities,
Garba Kurfi, noted that privatisation was not
the best way. He argued that even with the
partial privatisation of the ports operations,
under the concessionaires, they have not fared
significantly better than when they were under
the full control of the NPA.
“Investors will be very interested in the
sector. But I don’t agree that the solution
is privatisation. Rather it is going public,
definitely not selling it to some individuals.
Government has done partial privatisation of
the port via concessions, but the operators of the
terminals have not demonstrated best practice
standard in professionalism and efficiency in
their operations,” he concluded.
26
BUSINESS/MARITIME
NIMASA Begins Fresh Moves
to Deliver on Core Mandate
Confronted with myriad problems that have left many indigenous shipping companies
comatose, the new Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, promises a new reform agenda that will open up
developments in the nation’s maritime industry. Francis Ugwoke writes
F
or the indigenous shipping industry,
there appears to be fresh hope.
This is so with the leadership of
the apex maritime agency, the
Nigerian Maritime Administration
and Safety Agency (NIMASA),
making strong moves to give the
organisation a new direction in its mandate. Apart
from making the territorial waters safe for vessels,
the major statutory role of NIMASA is to champion
indigenous shipping development from the three per
cent levy collected from ships trading in the country.
But the agency has over the years not performed
up to expectations, according to stakeholders. At
a recent stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, the Director
General, Dakuku Peterside, while acknowledging
that the agency appeared to have derailed, promised
a change for the better. This is coming on the heels
of lamentations by stakeholders about the failure
of the agency in executing its core mandate. The
stakeholders had voiced out their grievances on
how NIMASA’s failure has impacted negatively
on the industry. Many shipping companies have
remained comatose, notwithstanding the Cabotage
Shipping policy as well as the local content policy
that were introduced to assist their growth.
Issues Affecting Indigenous Growth
Over the years, there have been concerted efforts
by the federal government to ensure Nigerian
companies participate in shipping trade. With
the domination of the shipping trade by foreign
firms, the federal government in 1987 decided to
set up the National Maritime Authority (NMA
) to promote the development of indigenous
shipping companies. NMA about nine years ago
metamorphosed into NIMASA after its merger with
the Joint Maritime Industrial Labour (JOMALIC)
under a reform programme. The old NMA made
serious efforts to develop local shipping by introducing
the Cargo Sharing formula and Ship Acquisition and
Ship Building Fund (SASBF) but the two policies
were later suspended. Cargo sharing policy was
suspended as a result of abuse by some shipping
companies who collected the allocation and sold
them to foreign firms. On the other hand, SASBF
was suspended following failure of the beneficiaries
to pay back the loan. Many saw it as a national
cake. However, in continuation of its statutory
responsibility, the apex maritime agency came up
with the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF)
designed to correct the failure of SASBF. But the
fund has not been disbursed since it was established,
even though it was handed over to four banks to
administer. This has affected indigenous shipping
growth. Part of the CVFF was the Cabotage Shipping Policy, which was signed into law in 2003; it
was designed to boost operations of indigenous
shipping companies. Under the policy, cargoes
within the coastal waters are reserved for the local
shipping companies. The provisions of the law are
that no foreign vessel can engage in coastal trade,
including crew members, except with a waiver to
this effect. But this is not working as the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and oil
majors prefer to deal with foreign vessels instead
of using Nigerian-owned ships. This is despite the
local content policy. The argument from NNPC
over the years is that most of the local shipping
companies do not have the capacity for some of
the cargoes given to foreign firms, a claim that
has been denied by indigenous operators. There
are also hundreds of vessels operating illegally on
the territorial waters which NIMASA could not
stop even with the Cabotage Act.
At the forum organised by NIMASA, the stakeholders, one after the other informed Dakuku
some of their nightmares. They opined that the
new management of NIMASA must be ready to
address them as part of the way forward.
One of the participants and for the former Director
of corruption and not incompetence, adding “it
is the issue of brown envelopes”. Ogbuagu called
for more training of the surveyors.
NIMASA DG, Peterside Dakuku
General of NIMASA, Temisan Omatseye, was of
the view that there was nothing wrong with the
Cabotage Policy, but the enforcement. Omatseye
who is also the President of the African Ship-owners
Association (ASA) said no foreign ship is supposed
to operate in the nation’s waters the way it is now.
Noting that many of them do not operate with any
waiver, he called on the management of NIMASA
to demand the licences of the vessels currently
on the territorial waters and engaged in coastal
trade. According to him, many of the vessels would
flee if NIMASA moves to enforce the issue of
licence. Omatseye also observed that what was
in place now in NIMASA was the old structure
of NMA, adding that there is already a plan on
how NIMASA could be made better. He advised
the DG to look out for the Nzewu Report, which
according to him, would assist in repositioning
the industry. Many agreed with Omatseye on the
issue of enforcement of Cabotage Law as the way
out. Others were also of the view that what the
present management should do was to approach
the NNPC and oil major to talk to the officials on
the need to give jobs to local shipping companies.
The participants told the DG that acquiring vessels
could not be a problem if there were jobs. Other
participants called for the status of the CVFF, which
has been inactive since it was floated more than a
decade ago. They drew the attention of the agency
to the fact that CVFF was supposed to be used
in indigenous shipping development, considering
high cost of sourcing funds for ship acquisition
from commercial banks. Incidentally, the position
of the federal government as indicated by the
Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, is to
use the fund to establish a National Carrier in
partnership with private investors. Since the law
does not appear to encourage this, and considering
the threat by some operators to drag government
to court if this happens, the federal government is
looking for best options that are covered by the
law. A committee set up by Amaechi, THISDAY
gathered, is currently working on a report on how
best to set up a national carrier using the CVFF.
The idea by the government is that a National
Carrier will fill the gap created by the liquidation
of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL)
21 years ago. It will create employment for the
teeming population of Nigerians as well as address
the human capacity gap that the shipping industry
is suffering now.
On other statutory roles of NIMASA, the participants
pointed out the nightmare suffered by ships in
getting certification from NIMASA. One of the
participants, Emeka Ndu, criticised NIMASA for
subjecting ships to delays in getting certification from
surveyors when the same ships have certification
from other classification societies. He said the vessels
incurred a lot of costs as a result of such delays.
Other speakers advised NIMASA to leave out ships
bringing goods into the country since they have been
certified by international classification societies and
concentrate only on vessels operating in the coastal
waters. Noting the issue of poor capacity in the
area of certification, they called on the management
to embark on aggressive training for surveyors. A
former director with NIMASA, Oliver Ogbuagu,
said the issue with NIMASA certification was one
NIMASA’s Reform Agenda
In a mood to appease the stakeholders, who
were dominated by ship-owners, charterers, master
mariners, maritime consultants, among others, the
new DG raised their hope of giving NIMASA a
new direction in its statutory role of impacting
positively in the development of indigenous shipping. He assured the stakeholders that the agency
would embark on its core statutory mandate for the
development of the maritime industry. NIMASA,
he said, was on a mission of self-recovery towards
the actualisation of its core mandate for the benefit
of the nation’s maritime sector. He called on the
stakeholders to collaborate with the agency in order
to return the maritime industry to its pride of place
in the national economy. Dakuku disclosed that
the agency would come out with a Medium-term
Maritime Growth Strategy to cover the next three
years, assuring that the strategy would be stakeholder
driven, which has necessitated the organisation of
the forum. Pointing out that the agency was in the
process of a structural, cultural and performance
reforms, Dakuku said the focus of the agency’s
performance would no longer be measured by
how much revenue it derives but on how well it
can stimulate the necessary growth of the sector
for the benefit of indigenous operators and other
Nigerians.
He said:“Our performance will be service based
and not metric based, the focal point of which will
be to create the enabling environment to gainfully
engage as many stakeholders as possible with a
view to creating wealth and generating employment
for the overall good of the maritime industry and
the national economy”.
Part of the moves, the DG said, would be to
identify challenges and proffer solutions, adding that
the agency would welcome every kind of suggestion
that will assist it perform more than ever before
in its area of statutory obligations. He promised to
look at the structure of the agency and improve on
the work culture, vowing that under the present
dispensation, everyone in NIMASA must be made
to perform. He also expressed concern that NIMASA
has been doing things in the old ways, adding
that under the present administration, he would
bring about a change for the best. He appealed
to the stakeholders for cooperation, adding that
the strength of the agency was in the people it
serves. According to him, the current effort of the
management was to lift the maritime industry to
greater heights so as to make Nigeria the hub of
maritime trade in the West and Central African
sub-region. Noting that the agency appeared to have
derailed over the years, Dakuku said the present
administration would this time ensure that its core
mandate is achieved. The transformation of the
sector, he sounded optimistic, would attract more
business to the country. Shortly after the stakeholders’
forum, the top management staff of the agency
commenced a retreat to draw a roadmap for the
development of the maritime sector. The roadmap
is aimed at engendering a conducive atmosphere
for the growth and development of the maritime
industry. The retreat was to develop strategies that
would reposition NIMASA and indeed the maritime
sector and draw a Medium-term Growth Strategy
for the sector. The leadership of the agency focused
on five areas of critical importance for the sector.
They include survey, inspection and certification
transformation programme, security, emergency
and search and rescue transformation programme.
The agency, among others, is also looking at
capacity building initiatives, which entail growing
indigenous tonnage, ship building and human
capacity which have remained the concern of local
shipping companies over the years.
27
NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS
ACCESS BANK PLC –Strong earnings growth
enhanced by growth in non-interest income
A
ccess Bank Plc in
its audited financial
statement for the full
year 2015 recently
released showed an
impressive performance,
as it was able to grow
profitability and other
key financial indicators despite
operational challenges arising as a result
of regulatory challenges and macroeconomic headwind, majorly foreign
exchange difficulty faced during the
financial period.
The Bank has kept up with its
regular dividend payment, and has
recommended a total dividend payment
of N56.51 billion (on the basis of N0.55
per share) for every 50 kobo share.
INCREASE IN GROSS EARNINGS
LARGELY DRIVEN BY SIGNIFICANT
RISE IN TRADING INCOME
Gross earnings for full year 2015 grew
remarkably by 37.50% to N337.40
billion from N245.38 billion in the
corresponding year of 2014; driven
primarily by an extraordinary rise of
4599.53% in trading income. The
rise in trading income was due to
the enhancement in securities and
derivatives trading portfolio. Interest
income increased by 17.46% to N207.80
billion in December 2015 from N176.92
billion recorded in the corresponding
period of 2014; this was driven by
23% growth in income from loans
and advances. Interest expense rose
to N102.42 billion showing a 33.19%
increase year on year from N76.90 billion
due to increase in cost of customer
deposits.
Similarly, non-interest income as a result
of momentous improvement in net
gains from trading grew significantly
by 89.03% to N129.60 billion for the
full year 2015 from N68.46 billion
recorded in the same period of 2014.
Other key contributing factors include:
8.66% growth in fees and commission
income to N33.46 billion from N30.8
billion which resulted mainly from
increase in card-related commissions
and commission on foreign currency
denominated transactions on the back
of increased transaction and payment
volumes which rose grew notably by
69.02% and 41.42% respectively.
INCREASE IN OPERATING
EXPENSES CUSHIONED BY HIGHER
GROWTH IN TOTAL OPERATING
INCOME
The bank recorded a total operating
income of N220.61 billion for the full year
ended December 2015; representing an
increase of 40.70% year on year from
N156.79 billion in 2014.
On the other hand, total operating
expenses increased by 38.94%
year on year to N145.57 billion in
ALSO THE STRONG
LIQUIDITY POSITION
OF THE BANK
AND POTENTIAL
PROFITABILITY
FROM INCREASED
FOCUS ON LENDING
WOULD CUSHION THE
EFFECT OF CURRENT
WAVE OF MACROECONOMIC HEADWIND,
VARYING REGULATION
AND LIQUIDITY
WITHDRAWALS ON
THE PERFORMANCE
OF ACCESS BANK
December 2015 from N104.77 billion
reported in corresponding period of
2014. This stemmed from increased
staff strength to boost retail market
penetration, investment in brand
equity development, particularly in
the retail segment through increased
marketing activities and upgrade of IT
improvements to improve automation
of business processes and service
delivery to customers.
Profitability further impacted by
modest rise in taxation
Expectedly, profit before tax grew by
44.24% in December 2015 to N75.04
billion from N52.02 billion recorded in
the same period of 2014.
In addition, taxation expenses for the
period increased modestly by 2.35%
to N9.17 billion in December 2015 from
N8.96 million in the corresponding
period of 2014; hence, profit after tax
increased by a remarkable 53.27%
to N65.87 billion in the full year 2015
from N42.98 billion reported in the
corresponding period of 2014 despite
the current macro-economic headwind.
IMPROVEMENT IN ASSET POSITION
FOSTERED BY HIGH YIELD
INVESTMENTS
The bank’s total assets increased by
23.14% year to date to N2.59 trillion
as at December 2015 from N2.10
trillion as at December 2014. Further
analysis reveals that the growth in total
assets was largely driven by increased
investments in high-yield government
securities which grew by 100%; and
increase in total loans and advances
by 25.44% to N1.41 trillion from N1.12
trillion as at December 2014, despite
macro instability, regulatory headwinds
and political uncertainty witnessed
during the period under review.
On the other hand, the bank’s total
liabilities increased by 21.71% to
N2.22 trillion from N1.83 trillion
which was spurred by 15.53% rise in
customer deposit to N1.68 trillion as
at December 2015 from N1.45 trillion
as at December 2014, reflecting
continued implementation of the
Bank’s customer engagement strategy
and deposit mobilization initiatives.
Shareholders’ fund followed suit with a
significant 32.58% growth to close at
N367.80 billion as at December 2015
from N277.41 billion as at December
2014.
MODEST IMPROVEMENT IN
EFFICIENCY AND KEY RATIOS
After-tax return on average equity
(ROAE) increased to 20.42% as
at December 2015 from 16.5%
in corresponding period of 2014.
However, After-tax return on average
asset stood at 2.81%.
At 38%, the Bank’s liquidity ratio
remains above the minimum regulatory
requirements of 30% while capital
adequacy ratio stood strong at 19.5%,
well above the regulatory requirement
of 15%. In relation to assets quality,
Non-Performing loans declined to
N24.5 billion as at December 2015 from
N25.3 billion as at December 2014
which reflected in the non-performing
loan (NPL) ratio which dropped to
1.7% in December 2015 from 2.2% in
December 2014.
WE MAINTAIN OUR BUY
RECOMMENDATION
Despite the regulatory policies in the
banking sector which resulted in limited
income generation and high cost of
funds within the Nigerian financial
system and the rising impairment
charges due to exchange differentials,
we believe the Bank’s management
plan to reduce key expense lines
towards optimizing the Bank’s cost
profile, intensify low-cost deposit
generation and launch of innovative
products and loyalty schemes
that will boost transaction-related
commissions will lead to strengthened
income generation for its shareholders.
Also the strong liquidity position of
the Bank and potential profitability
Valuation Metrics 10-Jun-16
RATING
BUY
Target Price (N)
7.46
Current Price (N)
5.50
Outstanding Shares (m)
28,927
Market Cap (N'm)
159,103
EPS
2.28
PE Ratio
2.42x
Forward EPS
2.70
Forward PE Ratio
2.03x
Source: BGL Research
FYE December 2015 Audited Results
Turnover (N'm)
337,404
Profit Before Tax (N'm)
75,038
Profit After Tax (N'm)
Pre-tax Margin (%)
65,868
22.24%
Source: Company Report 2015, BGL Research
Turnover (N'm)
245,179
52,022
43,063
Pre-tax Margin (%)
21.20%
Shareholding Information
Shareholders
% Holding
Stanbic Nominees
14.79%
Blakeney GP
6.08%
Public Float
79.13%
28,927.97
from increased focus on lending would
cushion the effect of current wave of
macro-economic headwind, varying
regulation and liquidity withdrawals on
the performance of Access Bank.
The Banks top line performance
narrowly missed our projection
for the year modestly in FY 2015
but exceedingly beat our earnings
expectation. Considering the above,
we maintain our projected revenue of
N403.83 billion for the full year 2016 and
net income of N78.22 billion, leading to
an EPS of N2.70 for the year. Therefore,
using the combination of price to
earnings multiples, book value multiples
and dividend discount valuation models,
we arrived at a 12-month price target
of N7.46 per share, which translate
to a 35.58% upside potential on the
current price of Access Bank Plc
shares. We therefore maintain a BUY
recommendation on Access Bank Plc
shares.
28
NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS
Continental Re Plc: Profitability indicators surge
despite increased claims and operational expenses
C
ontinental Reinsurance
Plc (Continental Re) has
reinsurance operations
that span Nigeria,
Cameroon, and Kenya.
The company operates
Life Assurance and
Non-Life Reinsurance
businesses, and offers reinsurance
structuring and risk management
advisory services, technical support
services, product development support
services, and training and development
programs.The reinsurer underwrites
accident, energy, household, fire and
engineering, marine and aviation, motor
and liability, and oil and gas risks, among
others.
The company recently released its
full year results for the year ended
December 31st 2015, showing an
impressive performance, as the
company’s management was able to
grow key financial metrics despite some
operational bumps during the financial
year.
Consequently, the Insurance giant
has kept up with its regular dividend
payment, and has recommended a total
dividend payment of N1.24 billion (on the
basis of N0.12 per share) for every 50
kobo share, payable on the 29th of July
2016.
SIGNIFICANTGROWTH IN
INSURANCE PREMIUM REVENUE
For the full year ended December 2015,
Continental Re grew insurance premium
by 28.02% to N20.68 billion from N16.15
billion in the corresponding period of
2014.The company’s strict adherence to
prudent underwriting guidelines, which
successfully bolstered relationships
with existing and new clients, drove
the growth in premium income over
the period.The insurance company
continues to leverage on its trusted
brand, responsive service to clients, and
development of mutually beneficial
partnerships to deliver quality insurance
services to clients.
The company’s insurance premiums
ceded to retrocession increased by
26.80% to N2.48 billion in December
2015 from N1.96 billion in December
2014. However this increase did little
to affect the company’s net insurance
premium revenue as it increased to
N18.20 billion from N14.19 billion over
the period, reflecting a 28.19% change.
With respect to insurance benefits and
claims paid out, the reinsurer’s insurance
claims and loss adjustment expenses
for the period increased by 22.72% to
N9.04 billion from N7.40 billion in the
corresponding period of 2014.
However, insurance claims and loss
adjustment expenses recovered from
retrocession declined significantly
THERE ARE ALSO
PLANS TO ENTER THE
SOUTH AFRICAN AND
ANGOLAN MARKETS
WITHIN A FEW YEARS.
WE CONTEND THAT
AN EVEN MORE PANAFRICAN BUSINESS
STRUCTURE WILL
ALLOW THE REINSURER
GROWS PREMIUMS
MORE APPRECIABLY
AND AT THE SAME TIME
ENABLE IT REDUCE
RISK THROUGH
GEOGRAPHICAL
DIVERSIFICATION
and a positive foreign exchange gains to
N467.98m from a negative N391.50m,
a 19.15% rise in interest income to N1.12
billion from N940.44m and a 77.12% gain
on investment properties during the
financial year. Net income for the period
also followed suit with a momentous
150.53% increase to N2.14 billion from
N855.64m billion in December 2014;
ultimately translating to an increase of
150.43% in earnings per share from 8 kobo
in December 2014 to 21 kobo in December
2015.
Moreover, the aforementioned profit
figures would have been more, but for a
significant 73.60% rise in administrative
expenses to N993.90m in the year under
examination from N572.39m in the
corresponding period of 2014 and 104.15%
rise in impairment of financial assets to
N492.06m from N241.11m in 2014.
by 40.90% to N289.96m in December
2015 from N489.31m in December 2014.
Accordingly, net insurance benefits and
claims increased by 27.22% to N8.75 billion
from N6.88 billion over the period.
Underwriting expenses also grew by
24.20% to N7.39 billion in December 2015
from N5.95 billion in December 2014,
and thus contributed to the increase
in insurance benefits and underwriting
expenses over the period. Nevertheless
the significant increase in underwriting
expenses, underwriting profit grew by
50.33% to N2.06 billion in December 2015
from N1.37 billion in December 2014.
MODEST INCREASE IN RETURNS TO
SHAREHOLDERS
The company’s balance sheet shows slight
positive changes in total assets, net assets
and total liabilities, as at December 2015,
when compared to year ended December
2014.Total assets grew by 5.18% to N29.67
billion from N28.21 billion in December
2014.The key drivers of the company’s
total assets were a 55.23% increase in
fix assets to N1.13 billion from N726.72m,
7.64% increase in insurance receivables
to N7.26 billion from N6.74 billion and a
52.33% rise in retrocession assets to
N727.58m from N477.63m in December
2014.
In terms of obligations, the company’s
total liabilities shows a growth of 5.21%
(more than total assets) to N14.13 billion
in the year ended December 2015 from
N13.43 billion as at December 2014.The key
drivers of the increase in liabilities were
an increase of 2.75% in insurance contract
liabilities to N11.08 billion from N10.78
billion, 104.11% rise in other liabilities to
N1.09 billion from N535.10m and 13.72%
rise in deferred taxes to N72.91m from
N64.11m in December 2014. Expectedly,
the company’s net assets grew by a
modest 4.47% to N15.44 billion from
N14.78 billion year on year.
Moreover, with respect to returns,
the company’s return on equity (ROE)
improved to 13.88% from 5.78% while
return on assets (ROA) followed suit
accordingly to 7.22% from 3.03% in
December 2014.
PROFITABILITY MARKERS SURGE
DESPITE RISE IN EXPENSES
Pre-tax profits for the period ended
December 2015 increased by 83.68%
to N2.92 billion from N1.59 billion in the
12-months through December 2014.
The significant increase in profitability
was bolstered by a 69.41% rise in other
income to N598.89m from N353.46m
BUY RECOMMENDATION MAINTAINED
Continental Re currently has branches in
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya andTunisia,
and just recently setup a joint venture in
Gaborone, Botswana.There are also plans
to enter the South African and Angolan
markets within a few years. We contend
that an even more pan-African business
structure will allow the reinsurer grows
Valuation Metrics 10-Jun-16
RATING
BUY
Target Price (N)
1.24
Current Price (N)
1.03
Market Cap (N'm)
10,684
10,372
EPS (N)
0.21
PE
5.28x
Forward EPS (N)
0.23
Forward PE
4.77x
Source: BGL Research
Insurance Premium (N'm)
19,738
2,915
2,142
Pre-tax Margin (%)
10.85
Insurance Premium (N'm)
16,153
1,587
856
Pre-tax Margin (%)
9.83
Shareholding Information
Shareholders
Holding
% Holding
Cre Holdings Ltd
Stanbic Nom. Nig. Ltd
Public Float
50.62
5.76
43.62
Source: Company’s Annual Report, BGL Research
premiums more appreciably and at the
same time enable it reduce risk through
geographical diversification.
Taking into consideration the company’s
trend of consistent growth in gross
premium revenue and expansion initiatives,
we hereby project gross premium and net
income figures of N22.02 billion and N2.37
billion respectively for the full-year period
ended December 2016. Accordingly, we
arrive at a forward earnings per share (EPS)
of N0.23, and a forward price-to-earnings
(P/E) multiple of 4.77x.
Using a combination of the Net Assets
Valuation (NAV) and the relative P/E
valuation model, we forecast a weighted
12-month target price of N1.24, which
represents a 13.53% upside on the
current stock price. We maintain our BUY
recommendation on Continental Reinsurance Plc shares.
29
BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE
Practical Steps to Ensuring
Stable Power Supply
Uche Aneke
O
ne of the greatest gifts any
government can give to
Nigerians is stability of power
supply in the country. In spite
of the genuine attempts by
successive governments
and considerable amount
of money expended on the power sector to
resolve the electricity challenges in the Nigerian
Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), there is much
to be done to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
Stability of Power supply in Nigeria is
beyond partisan political interest. For this
single reason, the present administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari has elevated
the fulfillment of this expectation of Nigerians
to a top priority agenda. In addition to several
commendable steps, the Minister in charge of
Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde
Raji Fashola SAN recently delivered a public
lecture titled, “ Nigeria’s Electricity Challenge:
A Road Map for Change.” This Road Map is a
three–phase plan, comprising the provision of
incremental power, from which we will move
to attaining steady power, and to the final phase
of uninterrupted power in the country. This
is a lofty ambition and the audacity of this
administration to envision comprehensively
is admirable.
Regrettably, the resurgence of attacks on critical
oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta by the
Niger Delta Avengers poses serious constraint
to these efforts aimed at achieving stable power
supply. For instance, the new militant group
has within three weeks crippled oil and gas
supplies from major facilities belonging to the
Shell, Chevron, Agip and the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This worrisome
attack has within three months depleted the
nation’s electricity generation capacity from the
highest ever level of 5,074 MW, in February
2nd this year to just over 2000 MW presently.
More worrisome is the fact that the militants
are continuing with their attack on oil and
Fashola
gas pipelines signaling fresh hurdles for the
petroleum and power sectors.
Sometime ago, in my opinion column, in
one of the National Newspapers, I stated that
vandalism of gas pipelines has become an
albatross on the nation’s journey to deliver
stable power supply in the country. I went
further to recommend attitudinal orientation
as sure bet to addressing the problems. This
recommendation is based on the fact that it
is only when the mindset of the vandals is
changed to know that political agitation can be
pursued by others means rather by destruction
of national assets and power infrastructures.
The implication of continued destruction of
gas and power infrastructures is far reaching.
It is an invitation to absolute darkness in the
country. It is a danger to government’s Road
Map to resolving the myriad problems in NESI.
More importantly, it is a veritable source of
economic depletion and underdevelopment.
Every time an oil pipeline is damaged, oil
production decreases, so does the sale of crude
oil, and this means income accruing to the
Federation account is depleted and the three
tiers of governments suffer as a result.
Obviously this will negatively impact on
major power projects across the country,
and significantly on the on-going Federal
Government’s Amnesty programme which
former Niger Delta militants are benefitting
from. Recent statistics from the coordinating
agency reveal that apart from 30, 000 youths
being paid monthly stipend, 2,152 Niger Delta
Youths have been given full scholarship to
study in 32 higher institutions abroad across
five continents. The statement further states
that 2,723 youths from the region have been
given full scholarship to study in 32 Nigerian
Universities, while 76 of them graduated from
Novena University this year. Also on record
are a total of 728 beneficiaries who are in the
final year and expected to graduate this section.
With all these taken into account, common
sense dictates that it is in the collective interest
of the Niger Deltans that these renewed attacks
on oil and gas installations stop. In an appeal
for their immediate cessation , the Minister
of Power, Works and Housing recently stated
that it would be a decision that fosters national
development and a shared prosperity. He also
stated as follows, “However, I must emphasize
everybody who cares about our prosperity
must get involved in this conversation and
act positively to help to bring an end to the
unpatriotic actions of those who attack our oil
platforms and gas lines”.
In the face of the present danger and in its
resolve to ensure stability in power supply,
Government has begun the process of diversifying
the country’s Energy Mix and to a large extent
reduce the dependence on gas and the risk that
over- dependence on this power source poses to
the government’s plan for incremental, steady
and ultimately uninterrupted power. One of
these approaches is the Ministry of Power’s
effort to stimulate the use of solar power.
In this regard the Ministry recently approved
about 15 different solar projects to generate a
combined capacity of 1,286 MW of power. It
is also accelerating plans to complete Zungeru
hydro power plant, the kashimbilla hydro plant,
the Gurara hydro plant and to conclude the
procurement plan for the construction of the
Mambilla hydro plant.
Government also recently took steps to
strengthen the Distribution Companies in the
power sector. This is to enable them improve
service delivery and obtain financing to upgrade
their equipment, provide meters, and resolve
customer complaints. Part of this process is the
disbursement of additional N55 billion from
the N213 billion initiated by the Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN) to stabilize and enhance
market potentials of NESI. It is pertinent to
state that the fund is not a gift or cash donation but a loan support of a 10- year tenor
to cushion the financial and liquidity issues
which are hindering progress towards the
goal of incremental power.
There is also a partnership between the
United States government, under the aegis
of USAID and power Africa initiative on
one hand; and Nigeria’s power Distribution
companies ( DisCos) on the other . It is a
partnership through which $9 million will be
provided each year to improve the DisCos’
performance via embedded advisory support.
This is another big step towards achieving the
Road Map’s first phase of incremental power.
Although there are noticeable obstacles in
the nation’s journey toward achieving stability
in power supply, government appears to be
in the right direction in its efforts to offer the
seemingly elusive ideal of stable power supply
to the people.
The expectations of Nigerians will remain
unabated until this lofty dream is realized.
What is instructive this time is the strategy of
purpose with which the government is going
about its business.
–Aneke is general manager public affairs,
Nigerian Electricity Management Services
Agency (NEMSA) [email protected]
ECOWAS, Ecobank, Asky Airline, and Africa’s Integration
Victor Ariole
T
he success of Economic
Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) was highly
acknowledged at an intellectual
gathering in Libreville, Gabon.
It was also a moment to
acknowledge the leadership
of Nigeria in ECOWAS as against leadership in
other integration endeavours in East, Central
and South Africa. Hence, as ECOWAS just
ended its 49th session of the gathering of
Heads of State, Nigeria must push forward
for food sufficiency in the region and efficient
road/rail network while commending ASKY
for its initiatives in the air network.
We congregated in Libreville, Gabon from
15th to 20th May, brainstorming on how to
move forward the teaching and learning of
French in Africa. People from Southern Africa,
Eastern Africa, Central Africa and only two
of us from West Africa both Nigerians sat to
strategise on the way forward. Thanks to Agence
Universitaire De La Francophonie(AUF), the
only organ charged by all nations speaking
French in this world to make sure French
language compete favourably in all spheres
of knowledge with English - the only two
official languages of United Nations - even
though Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and Russians
stand as mere working languages of the UNN.
It was sort of paradox to have Nigerians
standing in for West Africa. It says of how
the two people had made great inroad in the
teaching and learning of French beyond the
shores of Nigeria, the most populous country
in Africa. The Assembly was like mini African
Union. It was co-chaired by Cameroon and
Rwanda, the most recalcitrant nations among
nations of Central and East Africa respectively.
In that congregation I observed, from my
discussion with people of all regions of Africa
that ECOWAS remains a great success in
Africa, and I do not hesitate in attributing
that to Nigeria and Togo. Cameroon, Chad,
Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic,
notwithstanding their belonging to the same
sub region, had to pay visa fees to be allowed
to enter Gabon. It is not so among nations and
citizens of ECOWAS. ECOWAS, championed
by Gowon and Eyadema in 1975 seems to
have set itself already on a steady state toward
breaking even and making profit for its citizens.
ECOBANK seems to be the financial
muscle needed and it had followed the part
of ECOWAS. ECOBANK is quoted in stock
exchanges in Africa – BRVM (Abidjan), NSE
(Lagos), Tunisia and Morocco. It has also
succeeded in bringing to life an Airline – ASKY.
Ethiopian airline is nurturing it to fruition and
it is welcome being both Africa. One wonders
why Nigeria fails to buy totally into it instead
of thinking of a National airline which is quite
anachronistic in this era of globalization and
collaborative ventures. (Just like I heard the
Minister of Communication talking about IT
universities in the six geopolitical zones as if
Nigeria owns any satellite in the space). ASKY
is a collaborative venture in which Ecobank has
stakes and Nigeria is also indirectly involved.
ASKY made me discover the Nigerian waste
and lousiness. A propeller aircraft (Bombardier) lifted us from MMIA Lagos to a highly
functional Gnasingbe Eyadema International
Airport in Tokoin, Lome within 25 minutes.
Lome Airport looks like a Turn-Key project.
The airport seemed to have been cargoed either
from Grantley Adams International Airport
in Bridgetown Barbados or from Casablanca
Morocco. I have seen both airports and they
look the same; that is to tell you that refineries
can even be cargoed anywhere and transplanted
as turnkey project if the political will is there.
Lome airport compete relatively and effectively
with Schipol in Amsterdam.
In Lome we boarded a real and standard
aircraft to Libreville. It took 1 hour 50minutes.
We hovered around Lome seaport for about
5minutes and from the window seat I sat I
observed about 60 cargos waiting to berth in
Lome seaport. I wondered what was happening to Nigerian Seaport if within that short
minutes I could observe such a scene, linking
to government revenue drive in a small Togo,
then Nigeria port authority operators needed
to sit up. As I was ruminating on the fate of
Nigeria’s economy, someone from Central
African Republic told me that Cameroon is
to them what Togo is to Niger, Chad and
Mali, landlocked countries. So, what is Nigeria
doing? To them it is difficult to depend on
Nigeria. However, I was surprised that ASKY
makes a stopover in Abuja to convey people
going to Ndjamena and even re routing those
going to far away Angola. Quite an African
venture!
In deed discussing with people from Chad,
Central African Republic and Congo, it seemed
a waste for Nigeria to have committed either
in dollar or naira 5billion for the rehabilitation
of Chad basin. The discussion was also an eye
opener into why Idris Deby should be made
to account for the Boko Haram phenomena
in Nigeria as well as other destabilizing factors in Africa. To the Cameroonians in that
congregation, there is more to Boko Haram
that meet the eyes. According to informed
people in Central African Republic, Deby
wants to rehabilitate Lake Chad passing
through Central African Republic to Congo
Basin without caring for the welfare of the
inhabitants such project would affect negatively.
We have heard Nigerian leaders talk of going
to Indian Ocean via Djibouti which is not
the case. Congo (Brazzaville) is vital to this
venture and there is where River Oubangui
which serves both RCA and Chad originates
in terms of its source just like River Niger
starts from Futa Jalon the home base of the
Fulanis far away Guinea (Conakry)
Note that for Deby to get on he must court
the friendship of RCA, Cameroon, Sudan and
Congo and who says Nigeria is not better at
doing that than looking unto Deby with his
heavy financial demand on Nigeria to do the
in-between business.
All the above are issues begging for right
integration in Africa the way ECOWAS, Ecobank
AND Asky are trying to do. Lake Chad is like
a metaphor of integration or disintegration
in Africa and Nigeria must be decisive in
dealing with that.
As we thank AUF, it must be noted that
the gathering was never intended for politics
though as concerned citizens of Africa we
must strive to make African Unity a task that
must be done.
- Victor C. Ariole is a professor of
French and Francophone African Studies
University of Lagos.
30
TRAVEL
Edited by Demola Ojo
The Lowdown on France’s Euro Host Cities
Demola Ojo
F
or the next few weeks,
France will be home to
Europe’s elite footballers
and millions of adoring fans
as the world’s most visited
country hosts the European
Championship across 10
cities.
For residents living in the city, life in
Paris has mostly returned to normal
since last year’s November 13 terrorist
attacks. However, the number of visitors
to the city, vital to its economy, has gone
down, and the effort to entice tourists
back has been hampered by a recent
wave of social unrest against proposed
changes to France’s employment law.
Interestingly though, this might be
the best time to experience summer in
France as a tourist, regardless of your interest in the world’s most popular sport
or not. This is because anyone planning
a holiday in France can find plenty of
good deals. This flies against the prevailing logic that the influx of sports fans
would drive prices up. The reverse is
the case. Millions of “traditional” tourists
are actually staying away during the
tournament.
The French authorities expect 2.5
million football fans from abroad to visit
during the 31 days of the tournament.
Yet during a “normal” summer, France
would expect to welcome at least that
many foreign visitors each week.
Euro 2016 is one reason tourists and
business travellers are staying away;
the perception is that flights, trains and
roads will be filled with football fans,
and that travel tickets will be either very
expensive or simply unobtainable.
Tom Jenkins, chief executive of the
European Tour Operators’ Association, is
a respected tourism voice in European
circles. He told The Independent: “There
is always a disparity between what
destinations hope for and what is
delivered, particularly as demand for
Paris will be sporadic.”
He warned that Euro 2016 would
prove “hugely disruptive, enormously
expensive and with benefits only
apparent to those directly involved, such
as ticket sellers, bars and match souvenir
salesmen.”
Jenkins said: “In general, the decision
to hold events such as these has no
tourism justification, neither in the short,
medium nor long term. It is a party: it
displaces normal business, and replaces
it with sports fans. They are there largely
because of the sport, not the destination.”
This means that as long as travellers
avoid match venues - which is easy
to do, given the size of the country extremely low fares are available.
The 51 matches of Euro 2016 are
spread across 10 French cities and
towns, from Lille in the north to Nice
in the south. Below is a low-down on
them. It isn’t too late to plan a visit to
one or more and experience the famed
French summer. If you’re there for the
football, it’s a great opportunity to see
more of the city.
Paris
Paris is the French capital, seat of
government known as the “City of
Light”. It’s France’s largest city with a
population of 2.3 million. It’s famed
for romance, museums, gastronomy,
architecture, the Eiffel Tower and other
landmarks.
Stadium: Parc des Princes; home
of French League One champion
Paris Saint-Germain; built on former
royal hunting ground; architect Roger
Taillibert’s distinctive concrete structure
opened in 1972; capacity expanded to
45,000 and renovated for Euro 2016.
Claim to fame: Engineer Gustave
Eiffel’s 324-meter (1,063-foot) tower
Nice is one of the host cities of Euro 2016
of wrought iron was the world’s tallest
man-made structure when it opened in
1889.
Local dish: With thousands of
restaurants, including 92 with coveted
stars in the famed Michelin Guide, Paris
promises culinary adventure for all tastes.
Saint-Denis
This is a multi-cultural northern suburb
of Paris. Forty two kings, 32 queens and
63 princes or princesses were laid to rest
on the site of its magnificent cathedral.
In 1793, four years after the French
Revolution, workmen crowbarred open
the coffins and tossed royal remains into
mass graves.
Stadium: Stade de France; capacity
80,000; built for 1998 World Cup; hosted
final where France beat Brazil 3-0.
Claim to fame: Stadium will host first
and last matches of Euro 2016.
Local dish: Saint-Denis’ market, open
three days a week and with 300 stands,
is a colorful riot of dishes, flavors and
ingredients.
Marseille
Marseille is a Mediterranean port and
France’s second-largest city after Paris
with a population of 864,000. It had a
foul reputation in the 1970s for “French
Connection” heroin-trafficking mafia.
The local team, Olympique de Marseille,
won the first edition of the Champions
League in 1993.
Stadium: Velodrome; built to host 1938
World Cup; capacity increased to 60,000
for 1998 World Cup; capacity further
increased to 67,000 and modernized
for Euro 2016; France’s second-largest
stadium, after Stade de France.
Claim to fame: Childhood home of
Zinedine Zidane , former star turned
coach of Real Madrid.
Local dish: “Bouillabaisse” stew made
with at least seven different varieties of
fish, served with garlic-flavored toasts
called “croutons” and “rouille” mayonnaise
with saffron.
Lyon
Lyon is France’s third-largest city with
509,000 people. It straddles the Rhone
river, in east-central France between the
Alps and Massif Central mountains. The
city was founded by the Romans and is a
UNESCO World Heritage site.
Stadium: Stade de Lyon; 59,000
capacity; newly built; opened in January;
replaced Gerland stadium, Olympique
Lyonnais’ home since 1950.
Claim to fame: Lyon won a Frenchrecord seven consecutive League One
titles from 2002-2008.
Local dish: “Quenelles ,” soft-dough
dumplings shaped using two spoons,
served with creamy sauce.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is home to a worldrenowned wine industry which traces
its roots back to Roman times. The
southwestern city of 248,000 people
straddles the Garonne River that flows
into the Atlantic. The city has stunning
architecture, with more protected buildings than any other French city outside
Paris.
Stadium: Stade de Bordeaux; newly
built; inaugurated May 2015; capacity 42,000; home of FC Girondins de
Bordeaux, which last won League One
in 2009.
Claim to fame: Wine industry produces
720 million bottles annually and says that
every second, 22 bottles of Bordeaux are
sold around the world.
Local dish: Fresh oysters from the 315
farms in pristine waters of the nearby
Arcachon basin, enjoyed with a squirt of
lemon or dash of red-wine vinegar.
Toulouse
With a population 466,000, Toulouse is
in France’s rugby-loving southwest and
home to France’s most successful rugby
union club, Stade Toulousain. Toulouse
Football Club is a three-time champion
of League Two but has never finished
higher than third in League One.
Stadium: Stadium de Toulouse; 33,000
capacity; built for 1938 World Cup;
extensively repaired after nearby chemical
factory exploded in 2001; renovations for
Euro 2016 completed in January.
Claim to fame: Headquarters of
aerospace giant Airbus .
Local dish: “Foie gras,” flavorsome pate
from the livers of force-fed geese.
Lille
Lille is France’s former industrial center
near its northern border with Belgium.
It has a population of 238,000 and was
a former garrison town besieged multiple times. It’s flea-market on the first
weekend of every September claims to
be Europe’s biggest, attracting 2 million
visitors.
Lille’s team — known as LOSC,
initials for Lille Olympique Sporting Club
— last won League One in 2011.
Stadium: Stade Pierre Mauroy; capacity
50,000; opened in 2012.
Claim to fame: Birthplace of Charles
de Gaulle , World War II leader who later
was president from 1958-1969.
Local dish: “Carbonade,” rich stew of
beef marinated and slow-cooked in beer.
Lens
A former coal-mining center, Lens is
the smallest Euro host. It’s stadium can
hold the town’s entire population of
32,000.
Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis; capacity 35,000; built by unemployed miners,
extensively rebuilt ahead of Euro 2016.
Claim to fame: Razed during World
War I and again severely damaged in
World War II.
Local dish: Pungent Maroilles cheese
extensively used in regional cuisine.
Nice
Nice is a pleasant vacation spot and
port on the French Riviera with a population of 346,000. Nice is the secondlargest French city on the Mediterranean
coast and the second-largest city in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region after
Marseille. Nice is about 8 miles (13 km)
from the principality of Monaco, and its
airport is a gateway to the principality as
well.
Stadium: Stade de Nice; 35,000
capacity; opened 2013. Stadium houses
National Museum of Sport.
Claim to fame: Vacation spot renowned
for pristine white beaches.
Local dish: Aptly named “Socca”
pancake made from chickpea flour.
Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne is a South-central city
of 175,000 and a former center of heavy
industry and mining. AS Saint-Etienne
was France’s dominant club from the
mid-1960s to mid-1970s, winning seven
League One titles and five French Cups
from 1967-1977.
Stadium: Stade Geoffroy Guichard;
capacity 42,000; opened in 1931; built on
old mine tunnels.
Claim to fame: Hasn’t won League
One since last title in 1981, with Michel
Platini in midfield.
Local dish: Grated potatoes mixed with
eggs and fried.
A
WEEKLY PULL-OUT
12.06.2016
FEMI ODUGBEMI
A FILM MAKER AND
DOCUMENTARIAN
Cont’d on Pg. 58
32
57
A short while ago, the Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja delivered judgment in the
last Election Petition brought against my election as Governor of Kogi State. A total of five Elections
Petitions were filed against us by various actors who also contested as Candidates or not, but failed
in those Elections. They canvassed many legal issues, some of which were confronting the Nigerian
Legal System for the first time. Lawyers on all sides found their professional ingenuity heavily tasked
as they sought to make sense of provisions the Electoral Act, 2010 and the various Electoral Guidelines
and Regulations in the light of the Constitution and extant Judicial Precedence. Punditry lost meaning
in the plethora of opinions canvassed in and out of court and in the news Media. The situation in
Kogi State, for a while was the focus of most discussions wherever politically knowledgeable persons
gathered to talk.
We are thankful indeed that the Tribunal, despite what must have been unbearable pressure from
many strong quarters stood her ground on the side of Justice. In a manner which every lover of
truth, Democracy and the Rule of Law will applaud, the Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal,
starting from Monday 6th June, 2016 and continuing through today the 10th, in very well considered
judgments, dismissed each and every one of those Petitions in its entirety and consistently upheld
my Election.
The grounds for the dismissal of each Petition were no different from our own honest beliefs from the
very onset. These beliefs were later canvassed in our legal submissions before the Tribunal. These
grounds include total and incurable lack of merit in the matters themselves, complete lack of locus
standi by the petitioners, gross abuse of the process of court, and most importantly, the indisputable
Truth of the matter. I am very glad the Tribunals made these points very clear so
that they are enshrined for our guidance and for posterity.
I welcomed these legal challenges because they afforded the Judiciary an opportunity to enquire into
and pronounce upon the validity or otherwise of the electoral processes that brought me into Office
as the 4th Executive Governor of Kogi State. Most importantly, it enabled the Judges to quell every
doubt as to my legitimacy to act in that capacity. That being the case, I owe a debt to all Kogites to
remain fair, but firm, in the discharge of my duties in that Office.
I must confess that the Petition by Honourable James Abiodun Faleke was a bit harder to come to
terms with because it came from within the ranks of our great Party, the All progressives Congress
(APC). It is never an easy task when a Leader finds himself in conflict with elements of his own
support group and I found it particularly hard to face off with fellow party men in the Press and in
Court.
Honourable James Faleke’s was a Petition that greatly polarized our Party at a time when we really
needed to act as one in order to survive the heavy blow dealt the APC in Kogi State by the sudden
and painful death of our leader, Prince Abubakar Audu. However it has also served the purpose of
giving every loyal member of our Party who may have had concerns about the legality of the events
that brought us into Office a definite answer from the Judiciary itself.
The Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal has proclaimed it loud and clear, five times this week for
emphasis, that Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello was validly elected and returned as the winner of the 2015
Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections, that his swearing-in as the 4th Executive Governor of Kogi State
was in accordance with the Law in all respects and that he is duly entitled to exercise the powers of
that office.
Without prejudice to the appellate processes and the rights of litigants to appropriate them in
deserving situations, any man of
peace and any loyal Party member should not require more than these judgments to consider himself
bound by law to cooperate with my Administration in the best interests of the Kogi State, and indeed
Nigeria.
It is therefore with a sober spirit that I address the great people of Kogi State today. I am sober
because, in a dispute between brothers of the same family, there cannot be a Winner and a Loser. In
this matter, I declare that there is neither Victor, nor Vanquished. There is only the Consolidation of
the New Direction Agenda which it has pleased God to unveil for Kogi State in this season, and under
my Administration. I enjoin all citizens of Kogi State to support our
journey in this New Direction.
It is my desire that Kogi State be United in purpose and action. In the days ahead, I will still continue
my peace building and
reconciliation efforts. I want to reiterate that there is room in the New Kogi for everyone to play a
positive role in moving it to a
greater height. I particularly reach out to the absentee members of the Kogi State House of Assembly
at this time, and urge them to return to their lawful duties.
Now that the courts have spoken and nothing remains for any law-abiding citizen but to respect the
judgment or appeal them if
unsatisfied, I am calling on all our people, whether in the APC, PDP, LP, APGA, PPA, etc who have
found themselves on one side or the other in the fallout from the last Gubernatorial Elections to put
aside all bitterness and rancor and join hands with us to develop Kogi State.
While I urge all our people to remain peaceful and law-abiding, I must also sound a serious note of
warning to any unruly element who may wish to use the failure of these petition or any other reason
for that matter, as a ruse to foment trouble anywhere within Kogi State have a rethink. The Security
Agencies are on Red Alert, and you can rest assured that all troublemakers will be apprehended, and
they will face full wrath of the law.
We are of course hoping that people will avoid futile litigiousness, especially appealing against these
clear and unambiguous judgment out of pride or ostentation. Still, even if people see themselves
compelled to appeal under pressure from whatever forces driving them, We trust that such people,
while trying their luck, can do so respecting the existing. That is the patriotic duty good citizenship.
My people, the New Direction Agency in Kogi State remains fully on course. Following the disposal of
these petition and with the road ahead now cleared of the distractions and obstacles they constituted
hitherto, I will formally unveil the full NEW DIRECTION BLUEPRINT in the coming week. The Blueprint
will provide an insight into how to make government work for our people in all indices of development
over next four years, and beyond.
Kogi State has all the potentials to become the preferred tourism and business destination in all
Hinterland of the Nation. The New Direction Blueprint, as promise during our Campaigns is a Marshall
plan, an actionable proposal for how we intend to activate those potentials. Beyond that is a template
for every enterprising individual willing to learn and act to identify a dream, pursue it and find fulfillment.
It is our roadmap to lifting at least One Million
Kogites out of the National Poverty Index over the tenure of this Administration.
Today, and as always, I celebrate the life and times of Prince Abubakar Audu, the 1st Executive
Governor of Kogi State. It is our
hope that those who want to lay claim to his legacy will at least develop the same heart for the groeth
and development of Kogi State that he demonstrated throughout his lifetime. We will continue to honor
him and recognize his contributions. It is against this backdrop that I immortalize our fallen hero by
naming Kogi State University after him (PRINCE ABUBAKAR UNIVERSITY) to this end, I will send an
executive Bill to the State House of Assembly for confirmation
We thank the Almighty God who has consistently proved Himself to be the Fountain and Origin of
the New Direction Agency. We continue to pray that He will find us willing instruments to execute this
Project for Kogi people and that He will see us to the successful end.
I congratulate all Kogites for our Victories at the Tribunal and thanks each and every one of you for your
abundant support and
cooperation.
One Kogi!
One Nigeria!
To God be the Glory.
Na God win o!!!
YAHAYA BELLO
EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR
KOGI STATE
June 10, 2016.
58
T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • JUNE 12, 2016
covEr
Femi Odugbemi
PHOTOS: Olayinka Oluwakuse
FEMI ODUGBEMI
A FILM MAKER AND
DOCUMENTARIAN
From the News Department of NTA Kaduna to agency producer in different
advertising companies, Femi Odugbemi has made defining contributions as content
producer for television and film in Nigeria. Nseobong Okon-Ekong had an
encounter with him on the sideline of the premiere of his current movie, Gidi Blues
T
he evening before the
premiere of his latest feature
film, Gidi Blues, at the
Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria
Island, Lagos some of his
friends who were in the thick
of making sure the function
went well brought up what they assumed
was a nice plan to make movie director,
Femi Odugbemi look the part. He allowed
them to go through the motion of explaining
how they had prepared different outfits that
he would wear during diverse parts of the
event. He was supposed to arrive and walk
the red carpet in one. He would then change
into another for the meet-and-greet period
of mingling, before settling into the one in
which he would see the movie in. Thanking
them for their kindness, he made light of this
very serious suggestion, insisting he would
appear in what has become his signature
shirt. The shirts have been made by the
same tailor for eight years.
Interestingly, these shirts have a strong
character and never cease to make an
impression when he appears in them. So
he has unwittingly made the tailor famous
around the world. Everywhere he goes; at
film festivals and other engagements, people
want his shirt and the order goes back to this
unassuming tailor in Lagos.
He wore one of the shirts, throughout
the event at Federal Palace!
For one who went to the United State of
America at an impressionable age of 15 to
study Film Production at the Montana State
University, it is surprising he turned a blind
eye to the fancy loom that is so apparent
in show business. For him, that would be
allowing himself to focus on the part of
show business that dwells on things that are
irrelevant. He would later joke that it could
be a part of Oke Igbo (his Ondo State root) in
his DNA.
Beyond the yarn, Odugbemi’s shirt
is a metaphor for his life. Like the shirt,
the man has strenght of character that is
easily recognisable. He is a man of strong
convictions who is neither afraid nor
ashamed to display his sincerity.
This is easily noticeable in the manner he
tells his stories. His new work, Gidi Blues,
which shows in cinemas across Nigeria
from June 24, fulfills, at once, his admiration
for Lagos and a desire to present the city in
a deserving garb to the rest of the world.
However, he also apportioned to himself the
important objective of making fundamental
statements that would evoke different
emotions in the audience.
Odugbemi did not want to make just
another film about Lagos. He sought to
capture the essential vibe that gives Lagos
its character. This uniqueness could be the
open market in Idumota where the rich and
the poor come looking for a bargain; you
will see people park a Mercedes Benz and
go into Idumota to negotiate to the last Naira
with someone who they could dash the
money to. Lagos demands you have to be
on top of your game. You have to be quick.
Anything can happen at any time. And it
usually does. This is Odugbemi’s Lagos.
He deliberately navigated away from
the often antiseptic portrayal of Lagos that
tries to sanitise the environment, in a way
that makes it lose its personality-with all the
beautiful houses and state-of-the-art cars.
While accepting that such scenarios exist,
he argued that they are not real and do not
essentially portray who we are.
Odugbemi’s Lagos love story is set in
places like Makoko and Idumota. Without
creating a pond of poverty, he still manages
to present a romantic and interesting
pictorial that is visually appealing and
remains a true rendition of Lagos. It shows
that the people in these spaces have pride.
They have ambitions. They are human.
They may not have money but they live.
Expectedly, Lagos has evolved from
what it used to be in his childhood. Lagos
has gone from being a city of five million to
a city of 20 million people. The resources are
stretched. The quality of life has changed.
“There is also a difference in where we have
59
COVER
Femi...in his trade mark shirt
gone. There is a consumptive atmosphere
now. We used to be more neighbourly.
We used to share more. We used to be
each other’s keeper. If your child was
misbehaving outside, your neighbour will
beat him and bring him home. We need to
recapture the essence of those days even
though times have changed. The way to
recapture it is to bring back those values
that never change. The values of hard work,
good neighbourliness, watching out for each
other and the values of parents being hands
on with their children.”
With Gidi Blues, part of his intention is
to trigger a desire in film makers to be more
authentic to the context of their stories by
portraying characters who are affected by
their environment. The clarion call from
Odugbemi is that ‘we must appreciate the
uniqueness in where we were born”. And he
thinks movies can serve as a tool to remind
us of our history and an appreciation for
our culture. He went back to his childhood
to illustrate how film can serve as a tool for
cultural diplomacy. “I used to go to Super
Cinema in Surulere. All we saw there were
Chinese and Indian films. They were not in
English. They weren’t even sub-titled. By the
time I was getting ready to go to secondary
school, I felt I had already known everything
about India. I knew how they dressed. I
knew what New Delhi looked like. I knew
what the policemen looked like. The films
marketed India. It was the same thing with
America and China.”
As the Number Two film producing
nation in the world, Odugbemi thinks
Nigeria should not be looking for
authentication and validation from foreign
markets. Nigerian movies, he said, should
be used to project the best out of the country
to satisfy the yearning among foreign
countries to learn more about Nigeria.
Coming at a time when his memory
as a feature film director appears to be on
Femi Odugbemi...directing
FOR ONE WHO
WENT TO THE
UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA AT AN
IMPRESSIONABLE
AGE OF 15 TO STUDY
FILM PRODUCTION
AT THE MONTANA
STATE UNIVERSITY,
IT IS SURPRISING HE
TURNED A BLIND EYE
TO THE FANCY LOOM
THAT IS SO APPARENT
IN SHOW BUSINESS.
FOR HIM, THAT
WOULD BE ALLOWING
HIMSELF TO FOCUS
ON THE PART OF
SHOW BUSINESS
THAT DWELLS ON
THINGS THAT ARE
IRRELEVANT. HE
WOULD LATER JOKE
THAT IT COULD BE A
PART OF OKE IGBO
(HIS ONDO STATE
ROOT) IN HIS DNA.
BEYOND THE YARN,
ODUGBEMI’S SHIRT
IS A METAPHOR
FOR HIS LIFE. HE IS
A MAN OF STRONG
CONVICTIONS
the wane and he is better known for his
work in the documentary genre, Odugbemi
was unperturbed about this identity. “I
don’t have a problem with being called
a documentarian. Documentaries are
powerful and very important. I am just
a film maker, but I began in feature and
short films. I only started making a lot of
documentaries in the last five years. It is
just that I have made a lot of them and they
have done well. There is no film making
culture that survives only on feature films
or fiction. It is a combination of both. It
is from documentary that big industries
nurture their young film makers. It is how
young people build, their creative signature.
Documentaries cause them to think, to plan,
to research issues they wish to address. It
is a place where you have to be fastidious.
Documentaries don’t start from answers.
They start from questions.”
Addressing the concern that he has
crossed over from the documentary to
features, he said a closer study of Gidi
Blues reveals his attempt to deal with a
lot of issues. Although, entertainment
is guaranteed, the film causes people to
think. “Gidi Blues gives you the same
issues that I would talk about normally (in
a documentary), but it is entertaining. The
subject matter is about love. I am using it to
connect with young people. I am using it
to have young people understand that you
don’t have to wait until you have money
before you can affect your environment.
The lead character, Nkem is a young lady
who is not relying on men for money.
She is making her own way. She becomes
an entrepreneur rather than looking for
work. She is looking to employ people
rather than being employed. She is ready
to contribute to the economy by creating
wealth. But you also have to understand
that her wealth is meaningless if she cannot
touch her environment. She understands
that we cannot all wait for government.
She understands what John F. Kennedy
said, “ask not what your country can do
for you, but what you can do for your
country.” She goes to Makoko and starts
to teach. She is a volunteer teacher. She
starts a book club. All these are metaphors
for this young generation. To contribute
to your environment, you can’t sit back
and blame government all the time. I am
hoping that message comes through. I have
another character who smokes and drinks
and gambles. He comes to bad end as well.
We can make one million feature films
and if they are all meaningless, we have no
impact.”
Like many good films, Gidi Blues has
multiple strands of narratives. Between
Akin and his mother, regardless of what
they are saying, there are several layers
and levels to their relationship. The mother
yearns for the boy to make something out
of his life. The film addresses the issue of
an increasing number of young men who
at between 30 and 35 years still sleep on the
couch and collect money from their parents.
They are still waiting for work instead of
being proactive. The movie also mirrors
the frustration of parents who have paid so
much money to train these children, but the
children can’t bring up initiatives to create
something.
“Right parenting means that you do
not stop being a parent. You are a guide.
Regardless of how the child is, you cannot
just lose him. You shape that child as a
contribution to the nation. When we give
up, we are guaranteed that child is a failure.
In the case of Akin, the mother never gave
up. The point I am trying to make with that
narrative is that this boy has been trained
in England. He is an Economist, but he is
waiting for the big job. The mother manages
to get him into a space where between the
mother and Nkem, he finds himself enough
60
covEr
Femi Odugbemi...making of Gidi Blues
to go into Idumota and get his hands dirty,
and work from the ground up and meet
with women who are selling on the streets.
He finds satisfaction. Not only does he now
succeed in making money for himself, he
contributes in a viable way to society. Also
look at the character of the Area Boy, he
changes the life of the guy. That is what is
possible when we don’t give up. Unless
you bring that culture of dignity in labour
back, we can’t deal with corruption at the
level that we are now. People are used to free
money. We have to start to rebuild from the
level of our young people.”
Gidi Blues also provided an avenue for
a couple of interventions in the Nigerian
movie industry that are important to
Odugbemi. One, he ensured the film was
populated by a good mix of experienced
and new actors. He did this deliberately
while looking out for ability to interpret
a role and a cast of people who want to
work together. In doing this, he was guided
by the understanding that film making is
collaborative. If this were true about people
he already knew, he definitely took a chance
with the fresh faces.
He explained his disposition. “I am not
from the school of film makers where we
all meet on the first day of the shoot. We
had rehearsals. We had casting. We have
been at this for almost six months. We
did not conceive it in five days and shoot
it in 10 days and call it a movie. It may
have been a performance, but something
is missing. What you create on Day One
when actors come together is chemistry.
I was looking for people not just to recite
dialogue for me. I was looking for people
to act. I wanted to be sure that the audience
would look at the mother and the son and
say they look like relatives. I wanted the
narratives and the current that were under
to be clear. You could tell that Akin and his
mother had been having this fight about
marrying or not marrying for very long. You
can see inflection of high and low in their
interaction. That comes from careful casting.
It comes also from having conversations
where the actors are able to understand that
ODUGBEMI HAS
TRAVERSED THE
NIGERIAN CREATIVE
SPACE FOR 25 YEARS.
FROM WORKING
IN THE NEWS
DEPARTMENT OF NTA
KADUNA TO STINTS AS
AGENCY PRODUCER
IN DIFFERENT
ADVERTISING
COMPANIES. HE
FINALLY SET UP SHOP,
BECOMING HIS OWN
BOSS AT DVWORX
STUDIOS, A PLATFORM
THAT ENABLED HIM
SERVE AS PRESIDENT
OF THE INDEPENDENT
TELEVISION
PRODUCERS
ASSOCIATION OF
NIGERIA, BETWEEN
2002 AND 2006.
ALTHOUGH, HE
CREATED GREAT
COMMERCIALS FOR
THE LIKES OF COCACOLA, MAGGI AND DID
MAJOR CORPORATE
DOCUMENTARIES,
MANY SEE HIS
DEFINING WORK
AS THE IREP
DOCUMENTARY FILM
FESTIVAL WHICH HE
STARTED SIX YEARS
AGO
there is a lot that you can gain from each
other. Look at what we were able to get with
Gideon (Okeke) acting with Bukky (Wright)
who has done many films. We also wanted
to make sure that Bukky would be generous
and collaborative with Gideon because there
is also an energy that Gideon brings that she
too needs. You can see that they exchange
energies. It took us a while to make sure
that Gideon could say ‘Maami’ not with
an Igbo accent, but like a Yoruba boy. That
is how I grew up. You don’t call her by her
name. You don’t call her mummy. You don’t
call her mum. We are Nigerians. I wanted
those cultural references to be in each of the
characters.
“I look at pastors today. Some of them
talk in real life like they are on the pulpit all
the time. I also wanted to show that religion
does not absolve you from responsibilities
of life. Hypocrisy of religion is one of the
reasons we are in this problem today.
We cannot have as many Christians and
Moslems and all these people who claim
to be religious in their numbers and have a
country like this unless all of us are not being
truthful to each other. That is the essence of
those characters. Their daughter exhibits
many gifts and they are proud. But you can
tell they don’t know this girl.”
Perhaps, out of the respect for
Odugbemi, a couple of important seasoned
actors took cameo roles. Their presence
brought an assuredness to the film. Jahman
Anikulapo was on the screen for 10 seconds.
Toyin Osinaike was the boatman. Steve
Ogundele was the doctor. Tina Mba also
took a small part. The director explained
why these big actors took cameo roles.
“It was also to tell these young people
that an actor is an actor. You do not always
have to be the leading man. If you find a
script you like, it is better for you to say one
line in it and be part of a great show than to
have 200 pages of dialogue in a shitty film.
I think our industry has to get to a place
where we have to pass something on. We
cannot keep complaining about the young
people, if we are not willing to engage them.
Musicians Aduke and Banky W also make
a cameo.”
Giving a chance to promising
professionals is a commitment Odugbemi
stands by. Having been a beneficiary of
similar gesture, he recalled that people like
Jimi Odumosu, Tony Ogunlana, Yori Folarin
and Ted Mukoro took him under their
wings. One of his proudest discoveries in
Gidi Blues is the Script Writer who he had
very kind and encouraging words for. “It is
very important that every matured artiste
should create a path for another artiste. It is
tough enough to be an artiste, to be a young
artiste is very tough. Opportunities are few
and far between. When you are excellent,
when you are striving to be the best, you
need opportunities more than you need
money. I was given opportunities. If they
could look at me in those days and say we
will let this guy try, I have a commitment
to all the young artistes I think have
potentials.”
Odugbemi has traversed the Nigerian
creative space for 25 years. From working
in the News Department of NTA Kaduna
to stints as agency producer in different
advertising companies. He finally set up
shop, becoming his own boss at DVWorx
Studios, a platform that enabled him serve
as President of the Independent Television
Producers Association of Nigeria, between
2002 and 2006. Although, he created
great commercials for the likes of CocaCola, Maggi and did major corporate
documentaries, many see his defining work
as the Irep Documentary Film Festival
which he started six years ago.
“There were no documentaries. My own
documentaries were travelling. I wanted
a festival locally. We needed to grow the
documentary culture. The young people
needed to have a voice to say something about
the African experience. We have done that for
six years. I am head judge for the AMVCA. I
have been head judge for the Ugandan film
festival for three years. I am head adviser for
Black Stars Film Festival in Ghana. I am part of
the Documentary Network Africa. I was the
founding producer of Tinsel. I do all kinds of
research work for foundations.”
High Life
61
with LANRE ALFRED
08076885752
...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous
Dailymail Special: DJ Cuppy and Temi
Otedola Emerge from Father’s Shadow
D
J Cuppy and Temi Otedola
are no hostages to fortune.
Despite their father, Femi
Otedola’s amazing wealth,
the beautiful daughters and
heiresses to a billion dollar fortune,
seek to prosper by their own merit.
Cuppy, 23, and Temi, 19, would
rather command the applause of
listening senates and succeed by
their own merit.
Wearing their beauty like a
satin bow, the sisters engage
in feverish pursuit of their
dreams, with the determination
of huntsmen seeking to catch
tiger cubs by trashing the tiger’s
lair. The heiresses to the Forte
Oil conglomerate, among others,
understand perfectly that in the
pursuit of their dreams, even if
their strength should fail them,
their boldness will deserve praise.
Cuppy and Temi are aware that in
great endeavours even to have
had the will is enough. Thus even
though they currently lead what
the Daily Mail of London describes
as a “jet-set lifestyle enjoying
all the trappings of wealth,” the
Otedola sisters are poised to seek
their fortune and sustain it, far
from the trappings of their father’s
affluence. Their recent interview
with the British newspaper, among
Uju Ifejika
BLOODY NOSE! OIL BARONESS,
UJU IFEJIKA, QUIETENS DOWN
The truth dawned on
Uju Ifejika like a twilight
of eternal damnation.
The boss of Brittania-U
Nigeria Limited, an oil
firm, practically lost her
wits and drowned in a
whirlpool of grief as the
Supreme Court ruled
against her firm, Brittainia
U, which requested earlier
that the apex court grant
an interlocutory injunction
requesting Chevron Nigeria
Limited (CNL) to stay
action on the transfer of
assets OML 52, 53 and 55 to
Amni, Seplat and Belema
other things, reveals the depth of
persona and quality of grooming
accorded them by their parents.
Unlike most silver spoon kids who
would rather feed off their parents’
fortune, Cuppy and Temi are freespirited and sensible enough to
know that the only way they could
earn the respect and adulation of
the world is to move out of their
father’s shadow.
To this end, Cuppy and Temi have
taken decisive steps to establish
themselves in their preferred
careers. Even though they will one
day inherit their father’s fortune,
worth an estimated £650million,
Cuppy wants to be a successful DJ
while Temi runs a successful stint
as a fashion blogger. The daughters
of one of Africa’s richest men are
simply not content being rich and
famous in their father’s shadow.
They want to “work hard to make
names for themselves in their own
right.” “I am scared of always being
his daughter and not getting past
that, for me that means not being
successful enough,” Cuppy reveals
on Channel 4 documentary, Lagos
to London, Britain’s New SuperRich. “I am still masked by my dad’s
success. If I didn’t try and make it
outside Nigeria I would be unhappy.”
oil respectively. Recently,
the Supreme Court Justices
sitting in Abuja ruled
against Brittania U. On
Friday, Chevron Nigeria
Limited formally handed
over the producing assets
in OMLs 53 and 55 to Seplat
Petroleum Development
Company Plc based on
the judgment. Prior to the
sale of the OMLs to Seplat
Plc, Uju had instituted
litigation against Chevron,
praying the court to stop the
company from selling the
OMLs to Seplat Plc. Uju had
been battling with Chevron
and Seplat Plc for almost
two years yet Chevron sold
the three oil blocks despite
pending litigations arising
from the disputes in the bid
process. Uju’s company, the
Brittania-U, reportedly won
the bid after due process but
Chevron suddenly changed
its mind and refused to
sell the assets to it and
instead sold it to Seplat
and two others. While
Seplat acquired Chevron’s
40 per cent stake in OML
53, OMLs 52 and 55 were
sold to AMNI International
Petroleum Development
Company and a Nigerian
special purpose vehicle,
Belema Oil Producing
Limited, respectively.
HOW PRISON TURNED
YESTERDAY’S TIN-GODS TO
TODAY’S COWARDS
•Powerful Men and woMen Turn
Otedola daughters
weaklings in efCC CusTody
Like a lion which died
of an ass’s kick, their
impotence did not catch
up with them until they
got caught. By the time
they gathered their wits,
Nigeria’s most powerful
men and women had
been reduced to minions
and cowards behind the
nation’s prison walls. At
the last count, prominent
men and women that
paraded themselves as
deities during the tenure
of former President
Goodluck Jonathan had
been ushered behind bars
for one grand felony or the
other - thanks to incumbent
Head of State, President
Muhammadu Buhari. There
is no gainsaying President
Buhari’s anti-corruption
campaign has ruffled more
than a few feathers. At the
president’s directive, the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC)
launched series of inquests
into embarrassing cases
of financial fraud and
theft committed by former
public officers, mostly excabinet members, business
and political associates
of former President
Jonathan. Although the
culprits screamed ‘witchhunt’ at the beginning of
President Buhari’s anticorruption fight, their
noise has since dwindled
to inaudible whispers
and plea for leniency.
Many of the suspects
have started returning
outrageous sums embezzled
from the public treasury
while the immediate past
administration was in
power. Those that are yet
to be prosecuted have
absconded from the country
to escape imminent jail
term. Those that are yet to
refund stolen money and
whose cases require the full
attention of the punitive and
corrective machinery of the
law are still in detention.
For the latter, life behind
bars has been enlightening.
Stripped of their power,
title, fame, material wealth
and freedom, these men
and women have been
reduced to nothing in the
eyes of the law and their
fellow inmates. However,
no sooner than they were
ushered behind bars, than
they lost their pride and
obnoxious ego. For the first
time ever, reality dawned on
them and they understood
the depth of their vanity.
RAINOIL BOSS, GABRIEL
OGBECHIE, CELEBRATES
50…. A FESTIVAL OF LIFE AND
SPECTACULAR RHYTHM
Bliss nestles in the heart
of Gabriel Ogbechie, the
ebullient MD of RainOil
as you read. Ogbechie is
no doubt an accomplished
business titan and magnate
Cont’d on pg. 62
62
HIGHLIFE
So Sad! Toke Makinwa Files for Divorce
•Beautiful Broadcaster Takes the
Sad Leap Soon After Estranged
Husband, Maje, Broke Her Heart
T
oke Makinwa
may wish that
mankind were
propagated
like trees. The
ravishing broadcaster
rues the cost of her
expensive marriage
thus her application
for divorce from Maje
Aiyida, her estranged
husband. There is no
gainsaying wedlock
exerted a damaging
cost on Toke; it caused
her severe emotional
woes thus causing
her to nurture jaded
views about love and
marriage. It will be
recalled that Toke
parted ways with
her fitness guru
husband soon after
she discovered that
he had impregnated
another woman.
Toke’s 18-month-old
marriage to Ayida hit
the rocks when the
latter impregnated his
longtime girlfriend,
Anita Solomon. The
controversial OAP
filed a petition for
decree of dissolution
of marriage at the
Lagos state High
Court over what
she considers
irreconcilable
differences between
her and Maje. This is
coming months after
their marriage crashed
following disclosure
by the presenter that
she was still going
through the break-up
process and that it
has been difficult for
her.
Gabriel Ogbechie
under whose tutelage
generations of successful
entrepreneurs may yet
prosper. Realising the
significance of his new age,
Ogbechie threw a lavish
party at the prestigious
Intercontinental hotel,
Lagos on the 28th of May.
There was a church service
at Daystar Christian centre
in the morning before the
high-octane dinner. While
Gabriel Ogbechie played
host to a stream of family,
friends, business associates,
the Intercontinental Hotel
pulsated with pomp and
glamour. The elaborate
event, which paraded top
politicians, society big wigs
and captains of industry,
was classy.
Yes, the colour theme
for the party was gold.
All the withered bouquet
crowns fell on trodden
ground. They sank into the
rug among the expensive
garbage of empty wine
bottles and champagne
corks. Memories of tipsy
and appreciative folks with
tired eyes, hoarse tenors and
weary legs evoke random
echoes of RainOil boss,
Gabriel Ifeanyi Ogbechie’s
classy 50th birthday bash.
At Gabriel’s party, every
guest was treated like a star.
The utter sophistication
of the venue which was
charmingly spruced-up by
magnificent decorations
and the guests glowing
finery further emphasised
the degree of attentiveness
to detail and diligence that
went into its preparation on
the part of the host and the
degree of meticulousness
that went into the guests’
preparation for the event
respectively.
Every guest was given the
royalty treatment; they were
all treated to the choicest
brands of champagne;
from Don-Perignon and
Cognac to Moet & Chandon.
Asides the assorted liquor,
beer and fruit juices, the
guests were also treated
to delicious meals and
dessert that sufficiently
wet their palates and sated
them. At the background, a
soulful medley of very old
and contemporary music
wafted from well-appointed
woofers causing the guests
to loosen up and ditch their
inhibitions to yield to the
beats as much as the music
moved them.
Toke and Maje
wife of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) national
leader and two-time
governor of Lagos, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, should have
been less confrontational
with words. Widely called
‘Lioness of Bourdillion’,
Senator Remi is well known
for her bluntness and
penchant to say it as it is no
matter whose ox is gored.
Recently, she accused the
Senate President, Bukola
Saraki, of demoting her
during senate proceedings.
Recently, the National
Assembly experienced
mild drama as Senator
Remi who is the Chairman,
Senate Committee on
Women Affairs, raised
the alarm that the Senate
President, Senator Bukola
Saraki, had ‘demoted’ her.
She challenged Saraki for
placing Senator Andy Uba
higher than her during
the adoption of votes and
proceedings of penultimate
Wednesday. She raised the
FROM LAGOS TO ROME...ERELU
ABIOLA DOSUNMU PLANS
GRAND 69TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
•LAgos princess shUts detrActors
Up With expensive bAsh
DRAMA QUEEN... STILL ON SEN.
REMI TINUBU’S PRICEY DIATRIBE
•Why Andy UbA is UnhAppy With her
The resonance of her
words cut through the
Senate like a Viking blade
set between the jaws of a
man. By the time Senator
Remi Tinubu was done with
her tirade, both her friends
and political foes, in the
Senate, were visibly miffed.
Many of them felt that the
issue when Saraki asked
her to second the motion by
Senator Uba, PDP, Anambra
South. Saraki had at the
commencement of that
day’s sitting asked Senator
Uba to move the motion for
the adoption of votes and
proceedings in consonance
with the tradition of the
Senate. Both Senator Tinubu
and Saraki are second timers
at the Upper Chamber as
they have been at the Senate
since 2011. When Senate
President Saraki asked
Senator Tinubu to second
Uba’s motion, she stood up,
protested it, saying “I am
protesting, I will second it
grudgingly, I won’t thank
you for demoting me, God is
here.” This didn’t go down
well with Andy, a billionaire
politician who feels that
Senator Remi ought to have
shown greater respect to
him. “I was a better Senator
than him even when we
were at the seventh Senate,”
she reportedly said.
Remi Tinubu
It is often said that if
you can actually count
your money, you are
not really a rich man.
Erelu Abiola Dosunmu
can’t actually count her
money. She is a very rich
woman. The business
magnate and princess of
a prestigious Lagos royal
clan is stupendously rich,
contrary to the claims of her
detractors. At the backdrop
of unpalatable rumours
of Erelu Abiola’s alleged
insolvency, the princess
of Nigeria’s coastal ‘City
of Excellence,’ Lagos, is
hardly broke. And to put
paid to malicious gossip
63
HIGHLIFE
At Last, Eno Olafisoye, Terry Waya Back Together
T
here was
probably a time
in Eno Olafisoye’s
youth when she
blossomed as a
tulip in full bloom. She
probably excited many a
poor lad’s passion with
her dazzling smile and
she may have also broken
many an admirer’s heart.
But that is expected of
any maiden in the throes
of adolescence and at the
threshold of womanhood.
However, it would have
taken more than the sheer
optimism of zero coming
up on a roulette wheel for
anyone to believe that
Eno Olafisoye would ever
go back to her ladies’
man baby daddy, the
diminutive businessman
Terry Waya. We recall,
with vivid accuracy, how
Eno swore on her life
to friends and family
members that Terry was
history after discovering
that like a leopard that can
hardly change its spots,
Terry can hardly change
his fast-paced lifestyle.
The quick-witted dude
must have perfected
the art of stunning his
conquests, leaving them
clamouring for an encore.
Interestingly, however,
after the initial lull and
subsequent severance
of ties, the lovers are
locking lips again and
knocking and entwining
knees again, even as you
read. While the going was
good with them, their
steamy relationship had
engendered speculations
of possible marriage. But
alas! Terry Wayas had a
terrible joker up his sleeve;
he chose to ditch Eno for
younger girls, maidens, to
be precise, whose promises
of bliss are no doubt more
endearing than anything
she had ever offered
him. Today, they are back
together for the sake of
their son perhaps.
Abiola Dosunmu
being peddled about her,
Erelu Abiola has decided to
celebrate her 69th birthday
in a grand way. Despite
the prevalent economic
depression and plunging
naira value, Erelu Abiola is
set to shame her detractors
and dispel the dreadful
news of bankruptcy that
they have been spreading
about her. Thus on Friday,
July 29, all roads will lead to
Rome in Italy. There, Erelu
Abiola will host friends
and family to a gala dinner
and reception at the Hotel
Russie, soon after a Holy
Mass is held in her honour
at The Basilica. The Lagos
princess plans to treat her
guests to the choicest liquor
and most delicious meals.
IF THE DEAD COULD TALK! HARD
TIMES FOR ALAMIEYESEIGHA’S
WIFE
•As Court of AppeAl Gives exGovernor’s WidoW the Boot from
disputed lAnd
Real tragedy never
abates. It goes on hopelessly
forever, multiplying like a
brood of sorrow and dark
shadows. In the household
of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha,
an ominous calm persists.
As the family of the former
governor of Bayelsa State
struggle through the
pangs of his sudden death,
a portentous incident
manifests with intolerable
ugliness; Margaret, the
widow of Alamieyeseigha,
is not in a good mood right
now. Margaret, widow of
former Bayelsa governor,
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha,
has suffered yet another
heartbreak. The former
first lady of Bayelsa fights
back the tears like a warrior
queen of a clan under
siege. Few months after her
husband’s death, the Court
of Appeal sitting in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, has
ordered the widow and her
family to vacate a piece of
land in the Ovom area of
the State. The judgment was
delivered by Justice Theresa
Ngolika Orji-Abadua in an
appeal instituted by Stodie
Ventures Limited against
Mr. Alamieyeseigha and
Margaret. The company first
sued Mr. Alamieyeseigha
and his wife at the State
High Court in 2011,
challenging their occupation
of the said land and seeking
to return it to its rightful
owner. It also asked the
court to restrain the former
governor and his wife, their
servants, and agents from
committing further acts
of trespass on the parcel
of land and demanded
N100 million damages for
trespass.
LOVE FINALLY! VIVIAN CHILOGHI
MARRIES JOHN SHITTU IN GRAND
STYLE
If like Jenni Murray,
ace British broadcaster,
Vivian Chiloghi considers
Eno Olafisoye
marriage “an insult,” she
would follow the advice
of the Briton that women
“shouldn’t touch it.” But
Vivian is no such idealist;
she is a realist, she is a
practical person – thus her
unending quest for true love
and a dependable man to
call her own. Finally, Vivian
Chiloghi has quit the mean,
fast streets of romance to
bask in the sweet essence
of love. Like a practiced
maiden eventually coming
to bloom just before her
rosebuds wilt from full
exploits, the Lagos socialite
has quit the dating circuit
to the advantage of Lagos
city’s young, desperate
spinsters. Before she quit the
Vivian Chiologhi and husband, Shittu
game to marry the love of
her life, John Shittu, Vivian
had a notable presence
in the coastal city’s high
society. But as she inched
a little bit over 50, Vivian
began to feel the pressure,
loneliness and cold comfort
of staying single hence she
earnestly sought the man
of her dreams. Luckily, she
met John Shittu and married
him. John Shittu is a great
guy. Ladies love him, guys
adore him, and wherever
he goes the ground literally
trembles. Vivian’s bosom
friends were at the wedding
ceremony and for the first
time in their lives, the rich,
single ones among them
began to yearn for marriage.
64
ENtErtaiNmENt
A
with NsEoboNg okoN-EkoNg
08114495324, [email protected]
Season of Entertainment in Ile Ife
recent concert in Ile Ife
continued the series of
variety entertainment
and leisure activities
which have become
the norm in the ancient
city since the ascension of the
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan
Ogunwusi Ojaja II to the throne. The
ancient town has continued to host
different culture related activities,
as the Ooni plays host to many of
the events and visitors.
The latest was a youth
forum organised by the Ooni in
conjunction with Motherland
Beckons, of which he is the grand
patron and Enuwa Palace. The event
was staged at the Amphitheatre of
the Obafemi Awolowo University
(OAU), Ile Ife.
With an impressive line-up of
Nigerian musical acts headlined
by artistes from Atunda
Entertainment, Tenstrings Music
Institute and Olamide Badoo,
who was the star entertainer
for the night, a large number of
youths from across the country
interacted with the students
and the university community
under a convivial and celebratory
environment till the next morning.
Before the musical performances,
pep talk by different personalities
were delivered on the occasion to
draw the attention of the youths
to their role in the society and the
need for them to embrace useful
schemes and empower themselves
for the task of nation building.
The Founder of Motherland
Beckons, Otunba Wanle
Akinboboye, who is also the
President of La Campagne
Tropicana Beach Resort and
consultant to the Ooni, admonished
ABUJA ENTERTAINMENT
SEMINAR BECKONS
This year’s Abuja Entertainment Seminar organised by 41Naija Entertainment is
billed to hold on June 18 at Sandralia Hotel,
Abuja. The event is expected to bring
together industry stakeholders, policy
makers, musicians, professionals from
private and public sector in an attempt to
help build a unifying structure, support
growing talents and open more opportunities for investment in the entertainment
industry.
The theme of this year’s seminar ‘Investing in Our Local Content and Growing
the Economy through Entertainment’ is
timely considering the current challenges
facing the Nigerian economy. The speakers
and panelists for this year include popular
producer and Vivace Records boss, Tee
Y Mix, President of Society of Nigeria
Theatre Artists (SONTA), Prof. Sunnie
Ododo, Director Public Affairs Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC),
Mr. Tony Ojobo, Business Executive &
Consultant, Paul Alaje, Mode 9, Paul Play
Dairo and many more.
The Minister of Information and Culture,
Lai Mohammed will be represented by
Deputy Director, Special Duties, Entertainment and Creative Services Department,
Mrs. Akudo-Nwosu.
Seminar Director, Mr. Victor Chase,
expressed the hope that this year the seminar will move the conversation beyond
rhetoric, and actually provide a platform
for individuals and companies doing great
stuff to come and show the world what
they are about.
He said: “This year’s sessions will be
Olo midan bata on showpiece
Anu, Lady Ekwe performing during the musical fiesta
the youths to adopt positive outlook
and shun all forms of criminality
but rather devote themselves to
acquiring skills and education that
would make them better persons
and contributors to the national
wealth.
Some of the musical acts that
enthralled the audience included
Adigun Olohun Iyo, the rising
star from the stable of Atunda
Entertainment. His velvet-voice
and stage craft got the audience
singing and dancing as he rendered
a soulful blend of contemporary juju
rhythm, laced with rap composed
in rich Yoruba idioms, proverbs and
innuendos.
Another starlet from Atunda
Entertainment that electrified
the night with her spectacular and
breathtaking performance was Olo
Omidan Bata, the first Nigerian
female bata drummer, who got a
standing ovation from the crowd,
as she entertained them with her
mastery of baba drumming, singing
ability, embellished with her wellchoreographed dancing skills and
acrobatic displays.
And then of course, Anu Lady
Ekwe, who is also the first acclaimed
Nigerian female Ekwe maestro,
who whipped the joyous crowd
into a frenzy with a stunning
performance, backed by her 15-man
dance ensemble and complemented
by a symphony of Iya Ilu (big drum),
Gangan (talking drums) and heavy
percussions.
The night’s offerings climaxed
with a box office performance by
Olamide Badoo, who was virtually
swooped on by the youths. He gave
them a lot to celebrate, as he took
them through most of his hit songs,
stoking their singing and gyrating
ferment.
more about what practitioners have done
in the past years, using case studies to
deliver presentations everyone can learn
from. All sessions and presentations will
also be accompanied by master-classes by
the visionaries plotting the future of the
industry.”
honoured Her Excellency, Hajia Turai
Yar’Adua, former First Lady as recipient of
the PILAS ‘Woman of the Year’ award.
The organisers stated that the honour
bestowed on Hajia Turai was not just for
being a wife and the supportive role she
played to her husband, late President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, but also as a
mother to the nation and a mentor to State
First Ladies in the period she served as
First lady of Nigeria.
It also stated that her pet project on
cancer eradication, which she initiated
while in office, marked a turning point in
the history of the health sector adding that
she was in the forefront in the clamour
for the inclusion of more women in
governance and which emboldened them
to earn respect in their various endeavors,
instead of demanding it.
These views were part of a statement by
the President of PILAS Awards, Mr. Paul
Odafe Utho.
The event which featured a paper
presentation by Mr. Patrick Okigbo III,
centred on Diversification of the Nigerian
Economy ‘Nigeria without oil - Focusing
on the Fundamentals’, examined how
we got here in the first place and recommended steps the nation can take to get out
of her over-dependence on oil.
Other recipients at the event included
Rt. Hon. Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate
President, Governors Olusegun Mimiko,
Okezie Ikpeazu, Hassan Dankwambo and
Nyesom Wike in the Government Level
Category.
In the Lifetime Integrity category were
Chief Anthony Anenih, Chief Edwin
Clark, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Dr. Alex
Ekwueme and Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
Others included Prophet TB Joshua, Pastor
Chris Ugoh, Senator Abiodun Olujimi,
Tony Elumelu, Folorunsho Alakija, Senator
Philips Aduda and Senator Danjuma
La’ah.
JUST NOT MARRIED RECORDS
HUGE SALES
For the fifth time in a row, the new film
by Judith Audu, ‘Just Not Married’ sold
out in cinemas. Premiered last month, the
film has continued to enjoy success in the
box office due to its riveting storyline and
cinematography.
The movie follows the story of a young
undergraduate Duke played by Stan Nze
who out of frustration invented a creative
way to make quick cash. He is able to
achieve his dreams through the help of
his friends Lati (Rotimi Salami) and Keji
(Judith Audu).
The actress, producer, and voice-over
artiste revealed that she was inspired
to produce the film by hustling lives of
youths in our society.
“Youths face challenging times, particularly in this era. It is not a secret that our
youths are highly creative and intelligent
but the main issue lies in where they channel their skills to,” she said.
Just Not Married is the first feature film
of the artiste. It was produced in collaboration with Blacreek Pictures and Asurf
Films.
PILAS CELEBRATES HAJIA TURAI
Organisers of the Patriots in Leadership and Service (PILAS) Awards have
MIXTA AFRICA TAKES WAKAA TO
LONDON
Turai Yar’Adua
Mixta Africa, Europe’s first-mover and
active player in the fast growing African
real estate sector, is sponsoring Wakaa,
the musical in London’s West end. This
was made known by the Head, Business
Development of its Nigerian subsidiary,
Mixta Nigeria, Mr. Tunji Osinulu at a joint
meeting with journalists facilitated by
Bolanle Austen Peters Productions (BAP)
and Mixta Africa.
Wakaa! The Musical is a play about the
trials, successes and experiences of young
65
ENTERTAINMENT
SAMSUNG COLLABORATES WITH RELE GALLERY
S
amsung Electronics West
Africa and contemporary
art space, Rele Gallery have
collaborated to present an
unprecedented culinary art and
photography exhibition as well
as online competition, with the
theme ‘What’s Cooking?’
The exhibition featured
the works of two prominent
photographers, Kelechi AmadiObi and Ade Asiko Okelarin, who
drew inspiration from Nigerian
cuisine created by three leading
chefs, Tiyan Alile, Ozoz Sokoh
(Kitchen Butterfly) and Dunni
Obata (Dooney’s Kitchen).
The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Smartphone was used to capture
the photographs showcased at
the exhibition.
The exhibition was preceded
by an online culinary art contest
which attracted over 300 entries
from across the country and
produced three winners who were
announced at a private viewing
event to mark the beginning of
the four-week exhibition at the
gallery in Lagos.
The Food Art competition
engaged talented Nigerians
from all over the country trying
their hands at culinary artistry
by creating an original work of
art using real food in line with
the exhibition theme. Entries
were uploaded by participants
on www.techmeetsart.ng, who
also stated what inspired their
food art. All entries were judged
by a reputable panel of chefs
and photographers based on
published guidelines.
L-R: Ms. Olajumoke Okikiolu, Chef Ozoz Sokoh; Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas; Chefs Tiyan Alile and Dunni Obata at a Private Viewing
to start off the Samsung and Rele Gallery’s #TechMeetsArtNG initiative ‘What’s Cooking’, a Culinary Art and Photography
Exhibition, at the Rele Gallery, Onikan, Lagos…recently
Managing Director, Samsung
Electronics West Africa, Mr.
Paul Lee, speaking at the event
which took place at Rele Gallery,
Onikan, Lagos, said “Technology
and art have had an unfamiliar
relationship over the years with
many people wondering what
the nature of this relationship
is. Art and technology derive
strength and inspiration from one
another. Hosting a competition
among chefs is logical as cooking
is also a form of art. With this
novelty, Samsung is rebooting
the relationship between art
graduates with varied background. A
wager between them after graduation has
a twist when the realities of life and the
folly of their choices hit them. The story
reveals the struggle and challenge young
people face in present day Africa and
abroad. Wakaa! The Musical takes you on
an emotional roller coaster and is a strong
satire of Nigeria’s politics.
According to Osinulu, Mixta Africa is
sponsoring Wakaa the musical because it is
an original African export. The plot typifies
the current reality of the typical African
youth who is looking for a way out of
Africa and failing to see the opportunities
that exist in here.
When BAP Productions expressed their
intention to take Wakaa the musical to
the global stage, it wasn’t difficult for us
to connect with: firstly, because we want
to support the arts but, most importantly,
because Mixta Africa is about harnessing
opportunities by building communities
across Africa.
He further went on to state: “Also, our
support of Wakaa on the London project
is well aligned with our strategy for the
diaspora market. As you know, the African
real estate sector currently offers huge
opportunities for investment: right from affordable homes to luxury homes. There is
a very strong African presence in London
and we want to use this medium to reach
out to them about the opportunities back
home.”
Osun state capital, Oshogbo where the
gospel of fun will be let loose.
Comedians billed to perform alongside
the host at the event tagged Sharing
Happiness Edition are Lepacious Bose,
Funnybone, MC Abbey and Omobaba to
mention a few. Top musical acts that include Reminisce, 9ce, Seriki and Quepeller
are among other wave making musicians
that will make the day a memorable one.
Also, funny actor, Sanyeri in conjunction
with actress Dayo Amusa are billed for
special appearance while DJ Lseven
and DJ Instinct will spice things up from
behind the wheel of steel.
GBENGA ADEYINKA HITS
OSHOGBO WITH LAUGHTER
THE FIRST LADY WINS AUDIENCE
CHOICE AWARD
The people of Oshogbo in Osun state
are in for fun and entertainment as
frontline comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka has
concluded arrangements to make today a
memorable one for them.
Through the stable of his long standing
and popular comedy show, Laffmatazz,
the English graduate, Adeyinka alongside
entertainers in music and comedy as well
as acting arm of the entertainment industry
are billed to storm Aurora event centre in
Gbenga Adeyinka
Nollywood’s acknowledged First Lady,
Omoni Oboli is on a winning streak.
Omoni has done nothing since the past six
months but wow audiences. Her Wives on
Strike made N51 million in 17 days of its
cinematic debut, with views by over 50,000
people across cinema houses in different
states of the federation.
And just when we were wondering if
the movie has had all its glory, we were
in for the greatest surprise when weeks
and technology by being a part of
exhibitions and initiatives that will
foster new collaborations across
both disciplines and industries.”
The special culinary delights
were brought into focus with
the use of Samsung Galaxy S7
edge Smartphone by renowned
photographers such as Kelechi
Amadi-Obi and Ade Okelarin (Asiko)
to capture Nigerian art food created
by all three distinguished chefs,
Revmatas explained.
“Rele Gallery is committed to
changing the way we consume;
navigate the world around us,
through art. As we’ve come to
discover food is much more
than something we eat, through
this project we highlight that
there is an art to cooking and
presenting it. For the first time
ever, Nigerian cuisine gets to
be documented as an art piece,
to inspire experimentation and
exploration of the possibilities.
Technology has once again
proved to be an important,
reliable partner in establishing
this narrative,” stated Adenrele
Sonariwo, Founder & Curator,
Rele Gallery.
after it ran into more than N60 million. More
than a month after its release into Nigerian
cinemas, ‘Wives on Strike’ tickets were still
selling out in cinemas.
Reports emerged from top cinemas in
Nigeria, which include Filmhouse Cinemas,
Surulere, Silverbird Cinema, Ikeja City
Mall, Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Lekki, and
Silverbird Cinema, Abuja, that Wives on
Strike kept selling; even with the presence
of Hollywood releases like ‘The Barber’s
Shop’, ‘The Huntsman’ and ‘Jungle Book’.
As if that was not enough, Omoni Oboli
got another honour in Paris, where her
movie, ‘The First Lady’, won the Audience
Choice Award at the just concluded Nollywood Week in Paris.
Brand PR Manager, NB Plc, explained
that the brand is proud of Yemi Blaq
because he represents Gulder’s ideals
of the “real man who is responsible,
hardworking, demonstrates leadership
and respect for others.”
Gulder, Vindah added, stands for
the ultimate sign of achievement,
masculinity, respect, self-assurance and
success and also a premium quality beer
for young success conscious men and
women
Blaq, who became a Gulder brand
ambassador last year, came into the
movie industry in 2005. He has featured
in over 250 films and he is seen as a hard
working movie producer and one of the
most famous in Nollywood.
Blaq was born and raised in a family
of four siblings in Ondo state, Nigeria
and grew up knowing he was going to
go into the arts. From his primary school
days, he got a lot of encouragement and
support. After he played the role of the
incorruptible judge in Olu Olagoke’s
‘The Incorruptible Judge’, his teacher
came home and said to his mum, “oh this
one is going to become an actor”. Since
then he has nurtured it up.
CELEBRATING YEMI BLAQ
Gulder, the premium lager beer has celebrated its ambassador, Mr. Yemi Olatunji,
better known as Yemi Blaq, who turned a
year older recently.
The birthday ceremony took place last
week with his colleagues, friends and
officials of Nigerian Breweries during the
Nollywood Beer Academy, sponsored by
Nigerian Breweries Plc, in Ibadan, Oyo
State. Edem Vindah, Corporate Media/
L-R: Gulder Ultimate Search Winner, Season VI, Mr. Uche Nwaezaapu and Yemi Blaq,
the celebrant, at the birthday bash in Ibadan, Oyo State…recently
66
ON THE COUCH
CHIEF PHILIP ASIODU (ECONOMIST)
I Was Never Bitter for Being Pushed Out of Service Early
Interviewed by Funke Olaode
Is it true to conclude that you are a
happy man?
Everything about me is by the grace of
God. The simple thing is just to look after
oneself.
Yoruba and a Southern pupil obviously
would choose Hausa. This was proposed
in 1975/76 which means by the end of
last century in 1999, many educated
Nigerians would have mother tongues,
the adopted language, which is English
and two other Nigerian languages.
How do you think a good
leadership can emerge in a situation
where everyone has lost hope in the
system?
It is a gradual process. Recently, when
I went to the presidency I had cause to
remind people that John F. Kennedy was
only president for two years and eight
months. America still remembers him
for what he did. Our people should look
at what they can do, concentrate on two
or three things and get it started. On the
issue of corruption for instance, quite a
few people have been arrested. I think
government should get the best lawyers
that can handle cases, conclude two or
three high profile cases with appropriate
punishment and send a message.
Once a message is sent that you cannot
continue to do things with impunity,
people will adjust. There were good
initiatives on agriculture under the last
administration of Adesina who is now
the President of the African Development
bank. If it can be sustained I can assure
you that within to three to five years, the
agro-allied sector will blossom.
inferiority complex.
Why are you so passionate about
the country?
Nigeria has been good to me. I am also
passionate about the black race. The black
man lost himself with the introduction
of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Before then
the human race was equal. I remember
when I was growing up I read about the
African resurgence with Nigeria at the
vanguard. I learnt when the Greeks first
encountered blacks, they didn’t think we
were inferior. And when the Portuguese
came to Benin, the roads in Benin were
wider though there were no tarred roads
then and they exchanged ambassadors.
This was going on until 1664 when
Atlantic Slave Trade was introduced that
led to the dehumanisation of Africans
and introduction of inferiority. And
since the Second World War, Africans
have continued to dance to the tune of
In your view, what do you think
could have been done differently
since you were once part of the
system?
I believe if the then Secretary to the
Federal Government, Abdulazeez Attah
who died in 1971 had lived a bit longer,
Nigeria would have been better. Before
his demise he used to lead a group of
Permanent Secretaries and the Head of
Service to the then Head of State, Gen.
Gowon; that he must do this and that
to get the country moving. With Attah’s
demise that vision also ended. Gen.
Gowon may argue but he listened.
Although there was civil war but we
got the country united, used the little
money we had without borrowing. If
Gowon had acted quicker to do what
his army people wanted, appoint civil/
military governance and avoid the
military coup of 1975, I believe that
civilian rule would have come before
1978 in a more controlled fashion. The
growth rate after the civil war (after
Gowon was removed) was 11.75 per
cent per annum and 10 more years of
that, Nigeria would have escaped from
poverty and be a first world country
today.
You mean you had progressive
proposals before the coup?
If Gowon had not been removed
by 1975 all the good proposed ideas
would have worked for this country. For
instance, people like me were pushing for
a language policy. If we had implemented
that it would have been by the time a
Northern pupil enters Junior Secondary
School 1 (JSS1), he/she would be asked to
choose one Southern language, which the
school would teach you to read and write.
Chances are that they would pick Ibo or
Were you bitter that you were
pushed out of service at a very young
age?
I am not bitter at all. I was probably
better off because by the time we were
pushed out, I was planning to retire
before the age of 45. I wanted 10 active
years in the private sector. I know of a
Malaysian leader who became Prime
Minister about the same time as Tafawa
Balewa in Nigeria. He stepped down
after five years and helped to sustain
transition into other governments.
If we had had a transition probably
we wouldn’t have the coup of 1966
and without that disastrous coup, we
wouldn’t have the civil war.
By now Nigeria would have been a better
place at worst like Indonesia but better than
that because Indonesia is an Island scattered
over 3 million square miles but Nigeria is
compact. We are blessed with iron ore, oil and
gas, lime stones, gem stones, gold, diamond,
energy, cold, solar energy. We have a unique
advantage where we are geographically:
3,500 miles to the markets of Europe and
America, and 11,000 miles to Asia. With good
leadership and consistency, Nigeria would be
in the first world in 20 years.
What lessons should we learn from
those experiences?
Having a good leadership at the helms of
our affairs is key. I pray that we have a great
leader. If all the past leaders (nationalists)
had agreed to work in unison and not form
regional parties like they did, we would
have had a more united country.
How do you relax?
At every age or stage of my life I have
lived a fulfilled life. When it is time to
play games, I play; time to dance, I dance.
I play golf occasionally. I read. l listen to
serious music and I am happy to engage
in discussion with younger ones who are
intellectually sound.
EVENT
Aisha Buhari Wins Special Woman Award
King Akan
assistant editor nseobong okon-ekong
senior correspondent funke olaode
correspondent vanessa obioha
designer ibirogba ibidapo
T
he wife of the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs.
Aisha Buhari, has emerged winner
of Women4Africa Awards Special
Woman Award. The event which held
on Saturday, May 21 at the Great Hall,
Kensington London was well attended by
dignitaries and the who-is-who in society.
Aisha Buhari, who was the Special Guest
of Honour, was ably represented by an
official delegation including Mrs. Florence
Ajimobi (Wife of the Governor of Oyo State),
Mrs. Rachel Umahi (Wife of the Governor of
Ebonyi State) and Mrs. Hajiya Asma’u Yari
(Wife of the Governor of Zamfara State). The
Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs
and the Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa
was also a notable attendee.
In its fifth year, Women4Africa is steadily
maintaining its dedication to celebrating and
CONTRIBUTORS
onoshe nwabuikwu, temilolu okeowo, kelechi nduka
THISDAY ON SUNDAY
editor adetokunbo adedoja
deputy editor vincent obia
L-R: Mrs. Hajiya Asma’u Yari (Wife of the Governor of Zamfara State), Mrs. Rachel Umahi (Wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State), Mrs Florence Ajimobi (Wife of the Governor of Oyo State) accepting the Special Woman
Award awarded to Aisha Buhari
empowering the African woman doing
extraordinary things. Since its inception in
2012, the organisation has kept its promise of
honouring women identified and nominated
by the public for their hard work, industry and
creativity via prestigious awards and honours.
Women4Africa awards attracts hundreds
of guests every especially the high and
mighty in society, which is a great sign that it
can only get bigger.
STUDIO
art director ochi ogbuaku jnr
THISDAY NEWSPAPERS
editor-in-chief & chairman nduka obaigbena
managing director eniola bello
deputy managing director kayode komolafe
ARTS &
REVIEW
A
PUBLICATION
ENUGU GOVERNOR COMMENDS
LIFE IN MY CITY TRUSTEES...
PAGE 70
12.06.2016
A TREAT IN GRANDMA
WURA’S THEATRE
WONDERLAND
Grandma Wura in performance
EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ [email protected]
68
ARTS & REVIEW\\DRAMA
A TREAT IN GRANDMA
THEATRE WONDERLA
A captivating Children’s Day drama presentation at the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos excites
Yinka Olatunbosun
“B
Grandma Wura on stage with the children
e careful what you
wish for”. This is a
saying that earned
more meaning on
the last Children’s
Day, set aside to
make the children
happy. As wished
and longed for, refreshments, outdoor
entertainment and storytelling arrived
right on schedule at the entrance B,
National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos where
children from various schools gathered
to enjoy the spectacular musical puppetry with the bespectacled Grandma
Wura (Bola Edwards) as the narrator.
Yes, children love stories and when told
beautifully, they are totally enthralled.
Titled Back to My Roots, the drama
seamlessly transported the children
from the present to the oral story-telling
tradition of the indigenous African
society before the advent of television
and mobile devices. The children
wanted excitement and they got served.
Those who sat on the front row had to be
pacified that it was not a scary show as
the characters arrived on stage and the
aisle in larger-than-life costumes that
shocked the young audience for good.
Grandma Wura, who swept the children
off their feet with her dancing steps and
her well-paced narration, told the story of a
young girl named Nkechi. She is a lazy one
who often grumbles whenever her mother
assigns her some household chores or on
errands. She cries, “Oh! How I wish I was an
ant” Little does she know that ants, that she
admires every day, are hard workers who
engage a lot in “heavy lifting” of cheese,
watermelon, food crumbs and the like.
Sometimes all Nkechi does is to abandon
her broom and prance around the house.
According to Grandma Wura, she just
“mumbled and rumbled’’.
One day, Nkechi’s wish comes true. She
becomes an ant. As soon as she realises
that being an ant is not about idle living,
she begins to wish for her former self. But
that is not to happen automatically. The ant
family seems too glad to have additional
hand in the daily work. But Nkechi tires
out very easily. Still, the maternal instinct in
Mother Ant offers support to Nkechi in an
unknown territory. Once, a monster attacks
the ant population, targeting the vulnerable
ones among them. Nkechi is caught by the
monster but quickly rescued by Mother Ant
who puts her own life on the line for the
young child-turned-ant. The death of Mother
Ant intensifies Nkechi’s agony and she
keeps wishing to gain her human life
back. Meanwhile, the entire villagers
take to the streets, combing the woods
in frantic search of the missing Nkechi.
Her mother grieves her loss amidst
throngs of consoling neighbours. Upon
her return to human life, Nkechi finds
herself back in an empty village which
has become deserted since everyone has
made a job of bringing her back. Eventually she reunites with her family.
One of the strengths of the play
production lies in its direct engagement
with the children. There were several
scenes, where actors communicated
directly with the children. One of such
was when the villagers went in search
of Nkechi. The air was rented with
children’s laughter and screams as
the villagers asked some of them for
Nkechi’s whereabouts. Also, attention
was paid to technical details as props
were built specifically for the characters.
The cheese, water melon and vegetables
looked so real that the children, at the
end of the play, wanted to have a taste.
Grandma Wura was not just a
bystander in the drama. She danced
energetically like most grandmothers
wouldn’t. Her diction is superb, almost like
the native speaker of the English language.
So it wasn’t just fun time for the children,
it was also an opportunity to learn proper
enunciation. It is less likely that they were
consciously learning that right inside
the packed hall filled with the aroma of
well-seasoned meal.
Embellishments such as drums, lighting
and make-up also added credit to the
colourful children’s theatre. It is instructive
to know that children’s theatre is a dying
tradition in many drama and theatre institutions in Nigeria. The late Funsho Alabi
was a famed storyteller whose television
series in the 80s held children spell-bound.
Ace storyteller and folkloric musician, Jimi
Solanke’s Storyland had more resonance
with the present generation because it
ruled the television in the 90s and children
always learnt moral lessons from every
episode. Although the art of story-telling
had taken different forms over the years,
children still get captivated when a real
life character speaks to them directly and
behavioural tendencies are often shaped
by what they see and hear.
Now what is quite disturbing is the
discovery that the Edwards’ theatre family
who are behind this cultural renaissance
69
THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 12, 2016
A WURA’S
AND
ARTS & REVIEW\\DRAMA
Nkechi and the Mother Ant
may not be getting the right support from the art institution. It was gathered from the director of the play, Israel
Eboh that the show was delayed for some hours just
because the management of the National Theatre Lagos
had refused to make the power generator set available
despite the fact that the facility along with the equipment
had been duly paid for. The excuse? The management
does not want to waste diesel. Eboh said the organisers
would protest against this poor service which they had
never received from other theatre venues such as the
MUSON centre, Lagos.
“Every hall is booked today and they decided not to
put on the generator,” said Eboh, as he expressed his
dissatisfaction over the attitude of the National theatre
management.
The director for the 40-cast production recounted how
this project was brought to life with painstakingly effort
to impart values rather than to explore for material gain.
“We had done some test runs in schools during the
assembly time,” he revealed. “We were doing it free.
Our plan is to reach more than 30 schools. We have gone
to schools for story telling aimed at inculcating values.
Last December, we decided to do what we call the story
theatre. Again, during Easter we had another perfor-
Nkechi in performance
mance but we used recorded music. Today, we have a live
orchestra.
“The only way for us to get back as a country is to create
a new generation. It is not about money. It is a movement.
We have not been able to pay the cast professionally but
we compensate them for their time and energy, including
the child actors.”
Patrick Edwards, one of the producers of Back to My
Roots’ story theatre also said that moral deficit in the
country has been the source of inspiration for the theatrical piece.
“We were driven by the situation in the country and
the need to deconstruct the negative things in the country,” he said. “In 20 years from now, we may not be doing
the same thing we are doing. The performance is actually
leadership training. It teaches teamwork, integrity and
other values lacking in the society. We have been working on this project for ten years. We have met professionals and done research. We have summoned courage to
overcome our challenges.”
Children from Arrows of God Orphanage Ajah and
Raco Child Orphanage and Homes, Ibeju Lekki were
part of the audience at the exciting story theatre production by Proud African Roots.
REEL LIFE
AS MOKOLO FLAGS
OFF IN DAKAR...
Okechukwu Uwaezuoke
N
o doubt: it is Africa’s film industry
most innovative projects in recent
memory. Mokolo Project has been on
the web for months now. Hence by the
time it was officially launched on May
31 at the Djoudj Hall of the Hotel Ngor
Diarama in Dakar, Senegal, it had already wormed
itself into the hearts of movie buffs across the
continent. Little wonder, therefore, it was overwhelmingly well received in the Dakarois culture
circuit.
Indeed, the aficionados at the high-octane
event were drawn from not only 13 countries from
across Africa, but also from among the continent’s
industry Pooh-Bahs and the partner countries like
France and Germany.
The attendees’ rapturous reception of Mokolo
can be summed up by the fact that they found
it multifaceted and innovative. Yet, some did
enthuse on the fact that it is a home-grown
endeavour. And there was a call from one of the
aficionados that the platform strengthens its VoD
aspect and be more inclusive by reaching out to
the Portuguese-speaking Africans as well.
Of course, there are still many to whom “Mokolo”
remains just another strange word. In a nutshell, it
is an online information portal on African cinema,
which offers more visibility to filmmakers and
their content. For the project’s initiators, this is a
means of promoting access to new technologies
among the film and audiovisual industry practitioners.
The Mokolo website offers a buffet of sleek and
easy services driven by online sharing of information and exchanges between African film actors,
which essentially operates in three platforms:
Mokolo TV, Mokolo Pro and mokolo.labs, whose
features seamlessly dovetail into each other. All it
takes for “Mokolizers”(as the end-users are called)
to get into any of the platforms is to sign in or
sign up either through email or any of their social
media accounts.
To effectively use the Mokolo TV and the Mokolo
Pro platforms henceforth, the users interact with
each other just as they would do in most social media sites. They could add a “mokolo” (an external
link accompanied by commentaries) and reviews
(which allow rating with a justifying comment to a
listing).
Mokolizers follow like-minded mokolizers or
films or even series or practitioners’ files.
And can also receive notifications of the activities on the monitored content. Thus with their
appetite whetted for more, they go on to carry out
other actions bordering on following files, notably
through changing, reporting, adding mokolos
or reviews as well as commentaries on the file’s
mokolos.
In addition to these, a Mokolizer space which
is complete with a dashboard to view settings,
modify and view notifications and suggestions
and dedicated to the one who uploads his activities on the platform and the activities of the one
being followed.
Already, several requests have been sent to the
Mokolo contact mail, applying to become moderators and, thus, helping to clean out contents
posted on the platform.
On the heels of its Dakar launch, Mokolo Project
is set to be presented to a Nigerian audience
within the Goethe-Institut premises at the Lagos
City Hall in Lagos Island sometime before the end
of this month.
Previously funded by the ACP-EU Fund and
the Goethe-Institut, its post-launch phase relies
on the support of its members and the German
Foreign Office.
Lancement
T
70
ARTS & REVIEW\\ART-LOGUE
Much Ado About Lagos @50
Yinka Olatunbosun
W
ENUGU GOVERNOR COMMENDS
LIFE IN MY CITY TRUSTEES
T
Kevin Ejiofor
he Enugu State governor, Ifeany Ugwuanyi,
recently received the
trustees of the Life In
My City Art Festival
(LIMCAF) in private
audience in his Lion
House office Enugu.
The trustees were led by their
Chairman Elder K. U. Kalu, a
former Chairman of Union Bank
and Managing Director Skoup
and included Chief Loretta Aniagolu a member of the Governor ’s
Economic Advisory Team and
Principal Partner, FIT Consult;
Dr. Obiora Anidi Chairman of the
State Council for Arts and Culture;
Ayo Adewunmi a Chief Lecturer
and Head, Department of Graphic
Design IMT and Art Director of the
Festival; Mr. Tayo Adenaike, CEO
Artsaels Ltd; Mr Chuka Orji son
and representative of the Founder
of Life In My City Chief Robert Orji
and Mr Kevin Ejiofor a former DG
FRCN and Executive Director of the
Festival.
The trustees briefed the governor
in full about the aims, objectives
and vision of the Festival which is
not just a youth empowerment project but also a burgeoning national
and international art and culture
tourism destination and therefore a
future source of significant contribution to the GDP of Enugu State
and Nigeria.
In a formal presentation Mr.
Ejiofor explained to His Excellency
that the 2016 edition would be the
10th Anniversary of the Festival at
which past winners and donors and
other specially invited prominent
guests were expected.
Governor Ugwuanyi also learned
that several of the past winners of
the Festival’s overall prize were
now significantly advancing their
careers in various ways after being
launched at earlier editions of the
festival including Mr. Olamide
Oresegun the Festival’s first overall
winner in 2007 at a time he was a
student at Yaba Polytechnic who
was recently featured on CNN and
Ngozi Omeje now a PhD student at
the University of Nigeria who also
later won the Nigerian Breweries
National Art Competition.
Mr. Ejiofor ’s presentation also
revealed that LIMCAF was now
seeking a working partnership
with the Institute of Management
and Technology Enugu, renowned
from its early years to date for its
great contribution to the development of young artists in visual arts
to become the intellectual home
of the Festival as it now seeks to
deepen and broaden its impact in
contemporary art in the Nigerian
and international art world.
On the whole He learned also
that Enugu State young artists have
won the overall prize at four of the
nine editions of the Festival so far.
The presentation showed that
on the whole, major prize winners
at the Festival to which entry is
limited to young artists below the
age of 35, have come from schools
and private studios in Lagos,
Enugu, Abuja, Auchi, Uyo, Ibadan,
Kaduna, and Port Harcourt among
others. The Festival has also hosted
some very high profile art personalities in its panels of judges including professors of art in premier
institutions in Nigeria and Africa,
internationally renowned gallery
operators, contemporary art scholars and promoters, high profile
studio artists and from Nigeria and
West Africa such as Jerry Buhari,
Chike Aniakor, Kunle Filani, Bisi
Silva, Frank Ugiomoh, Ayo Aina,
Muhammed Muazu, Tony Okpe,
Obiora Anidi, Nsikka Essien and
Jacob Jari.
There have also been academic
papers and other such contributions during some of the earlier
editions of the Festival by highly
learned academics including Pita
Ejiofor, Ola Oloidi, Chike Aniakor
and Chris Ikwuemesi, with external
support from Obiora Udechukwu,
Mor Faye (Senegal) and Akwele
Suma-Glory (Ghana) among others.
The Photo Africa contest for
young African photo artists under
35 years of age was added to the
Festival’s portfolio in 2012 and
has since attracted entries from
not less than eighteen African
countries with jurors drawn from
Nigeria, South Africa, Australia
including such renowned photography experts as Tam Fiofori,
Timipre Amah, James Iroha, Emeka
Egwuibe, Piere Duffour (France),
Margie Mac Clelland (Australia),
and John Fleetwood (South Africa).
But perhaps the most interesting
development in recent years is the
endowment of prizes by prominent
families, individuals and institutions including the Justice Anthony
Aniagolu prize, the Pius Okigbo
Prize, the Centre for Contemporary
Art prize, the Mfon Usoro Prize,
and the Thought Pyramid Art Gallery Prize among others.
At the end of a briefing His
Excellency Rt. Honourable Ifenanyi
Ugwuanyi, expressed delight with
what he had learned about the
Festival and the fact that such a
private initiative was active in the
State. He asked the Trustees to keep
him informed about the progress
of their preparations for the 2016
special anniversary edition which
is billed to come to a climax on
Saturday, October 29.
- Ejiofor is LIMCAF’s executive
director
hen it was reported that some members of the Eko Foundation had
kicked against the appointment of the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole
Soyinka as a co-chairman of the Lagos@50 planning committee,
it was quite disturbing for many reasons. For one, Soyinka is an
international figure and though his memoirs such as Ake: The
Years of Childhood and Isara: A Voyage Around Essay may have
presented him as an Egba man, he had been detribalised by his socio-political and
cultural legacies. History can testify.
One reason cited for that opposing view was that Soyinka is not a Lagos indigene. That claim was not only preposterous but reflective of the tribalistic nature
of our society. That opposing notion was quickly dismissed by the informed community of arts and culture in Lagos that this reporter engaged in an electronic
chat about the brewing controversy.
Apparently it is not over for the committee. That had been insinuations that
monetary expenditure earmarked for the celebration of Lagos at 50 has misappropriated by the committee. It had also been suggested that the celebrations
will run for a year, obviously with serious financial implications.
Soyinka, at a press briefing held at the Freedom Park, Lagos, debunked the
claim by the critics that funds provided by the Lagos State Government and other
corporate bodies at quarter on the expenses which has not been provided. Insisting that the scope of the festival is very wide but plans are quite ongoing to see
that all the necessary logistics are provided.
“It is a dangerous trend and a distortion to create a negative mood about the
celebration of Lagos@50. We are here to correct that misconception. Sponsors
of the paid advertorial want to cause disaffection between the state government
on the welfare of the workers with regard to the hard economic situation in the
country. So, it is tendentious when people do that kind of thing,” he remarked.
He maintained that the funds earmarked by the state government had not been
tampered with and that the committee has taken it upon itself to raise funds for
its assigned master plan of the festival.
“We are getting ready with those expectations on our part. It is going to be a
two-week long programme. Based on paper, everything is there. But the funds are
being awaited.”
INDUSTRY UPDATE
PMAN Set to Commence
Bar Coding
Yinka Olatunbosun
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) is halting piracy in its
tracks with the new measure to check the illegal download, sales and distribution
of works by its members. To this end, a compulsory bar-coding system of all musical
and film works released in Nigeria has commenced. Although the official date is yet
to be announced as at press time, the initiative is designed to protect the works,
creators, investors and ultimately, help in determining the contribution of music
into the annual GDP.
That was one of the highlights of the recently held meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of PMAN in Lagos where members from 24 states were present
to deliberate on sundry issues before the association.
As part of the association’s collective vision of reforming and repositioning the
Nigerian Music industry, the new anti-piracy strategy has been adopted after a
series of negotiations and discussions between PMAN and the Federal Ministry
of Information and Culture as well as the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC).
This bar-coding will provide a framework for holistic anti-piracy drive against the
backdrop of identifying piracy as an economic crime.
PMAN is also concerned about some unscrupulous members of its association
who are parading themselves as members and officials of the association, warning
them to desist from such practice.
“Julietta Ofuyeta is our chapter chairman in the F.C.T. while Zubby Enebeli is in
charge of Delta State. In Rivers State, Muma Gee is the authentic chairperson while
Chiaka Banton is our man in Akwa Ibom state respectively,’’ the PMAN Secretary
General, Kenny George declared.
From all indications, a National Delegates conference will be convened on October
4, where fresh elections into various offices of PMAN will take place.
In addition, the PMAN President, Pretty Okafor commended the Nigeria Police
for its efforts at pursuing and investigating petitions filed against those who are
involved in the illegal claim of landed properties belonging to the association.
PMAN urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to book in line with the
present administration fight against corruption.
A disciplinary committee for the association will soon be inaugurated to check the
activities of members who may have committed one form of anti-union activity or
the other while meting out the appropriate sanctions against such ones.
PMAN President, Okafor
71
CICERO
Editor Vincent Obia
IN THE ARENA
On the Rising Religious Intolerance
Governments and religious bodies in Nigeria should deliberately avoid and discourage acts capable of
hurting religious sentiments, and intensify efforts to encourage tolerance. Vincent Obia writes
I
t has been more than two weeks since a
74-year-old woman was murdered in Kano by
Muslim fanatics, and that savagery seems to
have provided the impetus for more religious
cruelties. Mrs Briget Agbaheme, a Christian and
trader at Kofar Wambai market, in Kano, was
on June 2 clubbed to death by irate youths who
accused her of blasphemy.
Five days later, on Tuesday, in Kaduna, a carpenter,
Mr. Francis Emmanuel, was almost lynched by some
Muslim youths in the Kakuri area of the metropolis
for failing to observe the Ramadan fast. Forty-oneyear-old Emmanuel was lucky to live to narrate his
ordeal, as some sympathetic neighbours intervened
and took him to the hospital. In pain on his hospital
bed, he told journalists, “I went to buy wood to do
some work. When I came back, I bought food to eat.
As I was eating, about six Hausa boys came and asked
me whether I was a Muslim or a Christian. I did not
answer them. They asked me, why was I not fasting
with them? I told them that I am not a Muslim.
“Before I knew it, one of them slapped me. As I
stood up, the rest came and surrounded me and started
attacking me with knives. I don’t know them. Nobody
could come to my aid because of the type of dangerous
knives they were carrying.
“They used cutlasses, scissors and knives on me
until I became unconscious. I don’t even know who
brought me to the hospital.”
Those alleged to be involved in these two incidents
are being prosecuted in court. But beyond that,
government at all levels in the affected areas need to
take deliberate actions to discourage intolerance in all
forms. As none of the two main religions, Islam and
Christianity, and, indeed, no religion in the country,
condones violence, implicitly or explicitly, religious
leaders must intensity efforts to preach the virtues of
tolerance, love, and coexistence – and be seen to be
doing so.
Religious leaders would be doing Nigeria no good
if they continue to tolerate in their congregations
persons who by their actions and utterances seek to
crush other people’s consciences and force them to
follow beliefs they do not trust. There is no doubt that
those who killed Agbaheme and attacked Emmanuel
were persons resident or close to the neighbourhoods
where the barbarisms were perpetrated. Those assailants were, certainly, close enough to be known
and identified by both neighbours and leaders of the
religion whose tenets they claimed to be upholding
within the localities.
A deliberate attempt by religious leaders to isolate
vicious tendencies committed in the name of religion
and those associated with them will go a long way in
preventing such inclinations and the tensions and
divisions they cause.
Government at all levels, too, must eschew actions
that tend towards religious imposition.
There is mounting tension in Osun State currently
after a judgement of the State High Court in favour
of the right of female pupils to wear hijab, an Islamic
headscarf, in public schools.
The Christian Association of Nigeria responded to
the verdict by directing all female Christian students
in both primary and secondary schools in the state to
wear their church garments to their various schools,
beginning from tomorrow.
The judgement was on a case instituted by the Osun
State Muslim Community against the state government over the right of female Muslim students in
public schools in the state to use hijab on their school
uniforms. But the preponderance of opinion in the
state is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola, a Muslim, has
encouraged the latest disagreement, which has further
increased tension between Christians and Muslims.
Religious pressures have been on the rise in Osun
State since Aregbesola assumed office in November
2010.
At the federal level, too, there is growing resentment
over an attempt by the National Assembly to pass a
bill seeking to increase the jurisdiction of the Sharia
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory and
Sharia Court of the states in relation to the criminal
justice system of the country. Many Christians see the
bill as an attempt to Islamise Nigeria.
On Tuesday in Abuja, hundreds of protesters,
comprising Muslims and Christians, under the aegis
of the Coalition of Civil Society and Faith Based
Organisations, marched to the National Assembly
to protest against the proposed law, which they said
was a recipe for disunity and conflicts that may lead to
violence.
The government and religious leaders have a
responsibility to lead the way in the efforts to enthrone religious and ethnic tolerance in the country.
They should teach and preach tolerance in word and
in deed.
Nigerians must learn to honour and respect one
another’s beliefs. They must always give those on the
other side of the religious divide the room to live in
accordance with their own beliefs.
P O L I T I CA L N OT E S
Kazaure’s Appeal to INEC to Increase Corpers’Allowances
T
Kazaure
he Director-general of National Youth Service Corps,
Brigadier-general Sule Kazaure,
on Thursday requested a
review of the Memorandum of
Understanding between NYSC
and the Independent National
Electoral Commission to reflect current
social and economic realities. Kazaure
said during a courtesy visit by the INEC
chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood,
that there was need to revise the MoU
to include provision of adequate security
for corps members who work as INEC’s
ad hoc staff during and after elections.
The NYSC director-general also called for
an upward review of the allowances and
insurance cover for corpers who take part
in election duties.
Kazaure’s call is a weak request regarding an issue that requires a strong formal
demand, but at least it is a step in the
right direction. Good remuneration and
insurance cover for NYSC members who
take incalculable risks to help in the
administration of elections across the
country is absolutely imperative. An increment in the payments is long overdue.
The federal government should urgently
consider this before the next elections.
– Vincent Obia
72
CICERO/JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY
June 12: Twenty-three Years After
It is 23 years today since the conduct of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, but it remains a
mystery to Nigerians why the milestone poll, which Chief Moshood Abiola was poised to win, was cancelled
by then military president Ibrahim Babangida. Gboyega Akinsanmi writes
T
oday marks the 23rd
anniversary of the June 12,
1993 presidential election.
Like previous anniversaries, pro-democracy actors
and civil society groups
will converge on Lagos
and other cities to discuss
the centrality of the annulment of that
election to the restoration of democratic rule in Nigeria. They would
make salient demands on the place of
the winner of the June 12, 1993 election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, in Nigeria’s
history.
Unresolved Mystery
Since the former military president,
General, Ibrahim Babangida, declared
the election annulled on June 23, 1993,
concerned actors and groups have
not stopped asking questions on the
reasons the process was cancelled.
Twenty-three years after, several issues
still remain unresolved on the June 12
election’s annulment.
In separate interviews with some key
actors, interrelated explanations were
offered for the annulment. The national
chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group,
Hon. Olawale Oshun, ascribed it first
to Babandiga’s selfish interest and,
also, to the conflicting interests of some
national leaders, whose intervention
on the restoration of the process could
have spared Nigeria the global consternation that followed the annulment.
In a national address he co-signed
with his National Security Adviser,
Gen. Aliyu Gusau, and the then Director of National War College, Brig-Gen.
David Mark, Babangida provided different grounds on which the National
Defence and Security Council based its
decision to cancel the electoral process
then adjudged to be the freest and
fairest in Nigeria’s electoral history.
Babangida’s Explanation
The real reason the Babangida regime
annulled the June 12, 1993 election
remains largely unknown. Even though
Babangida had explained in a national
address, his reasons were not credible
enough for the pro-democracy actors
and civil society groups to believe,
neither did Western diplomats, mainly
the then US Ambassador to Nigeria,
Dr. Walter Carrington, believe it.
Babangida first cited the 1992 presidential primaries, which he said, were
cancelled because the process “did not
meet the basic requirements of free and
fair election. The Armed Forces Ruling
Council (AFRC) had good reason to
cancel those primaries.”
For the same reason, Babangida said
the June 12 election was annulled because it was afflicted by the problems
that featured in the 1992 primaries.
Before the election, the former leader
said the ruling council had full knowledge of the bad signals pertaining “to
the enormous breach of the rules and
regulations of democratic elections.”
But because it was committed to the
August 27, 1993 handover deadline,
he claimed that the ruling council
“overlooked the reported breaches.
Unfortunately, the breaches continued
into the election…”
Aside, Babangida cited different
cases of alleged irregularities and
other acts of bad conduct against the
presidential candidates, though the
National Electoral Commission (NEC)
went ahead and cleared them. Also,
the former president noted that there
“were proofs as well as documented
Abiola
evidence of widespread use of money
during the party primaries as well as
the presidential election.
“These were the same bad conduct
for which the 1992 presidential primaries were cancelled. Evidence available
to government put the total amount
of money spent by the presidential
candidates as over N2.1 billion. The
use of money was again the major
source of undermining the electoral
process.” However, he said, the ruling
council overlooked the problems to
keep faith with its handover promise.
Besides the tremendous negative
use of money during the party
primaries and presidential elections,
Babangida said there “were moral
issues, which were also overlooked.
There were cases of documented and
confirmed conflict of interest between
the government and both presidential
aspirants, which would compromise
their positions, and responsibilities
were they to become president.”
The former president admitted that
the presidential election was generally
seen “to be free, fair and peaceful.
However, there was in fact a huge
array of election malpractices virtually
in all the states of the federation
before the actual voting began. There
were authenticated reports of the
election malpractices against party
agents, officials of the NEC and also
some members of the electorate.”
Babangida Faulted
Some pro-democracy activists, who
spoke with THISDAY at the weekend,
faulted Babangida’s explanations.
For them, Babangida’s reasons for
annulling the election are unfounded.
Prominent among the actors is the
former Director of Studies at the
Centre for Democratic Studies, Profes-
sor John Ayoade. Given his position,
Ayoade was largely involved in the
democratisation process, which led
to the creation of the then Social
Democratic Party (SDP) and National
Republican Convention (NRC).
Ayoade offered three interrelated
reasons, which according to him,
impelled the former president to
cancel the mandate of the people. He
first cited Babangida’s reluctance to
hand over power. Ayoade referred to
different statements of Babangida’s
aides at the time that there was no
vacancy in Aso Rock. He said the
former president “was not ready to
transit power.”
Ayoade cited Babangida’s responses
to media enquiries on two different
occasions on whether his transition
programme would stand. But on each
of the occasions, he said Babangida
was evasive. Rather than providing di-
73
CICERO/JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY
• June 12: TwenTy-Three years afTer •
rect answers to the enquiries, Ayoade
said Babangida simply retorted: “We
will not stay in the office a day longer
than necessary.”
The third reason, which the don
gave for the annulment was revealed
in some unguarded comments some
associates of Babangida made at
different times. Ayoade said, “Babangida did not expect the pattern of
the transition. His associates confirm
it. He actually wanted transition
from military to civilian government.
But according to his allies, nobody
planned the transition from the North
to the South.”
Apparently, Ayoade’s explanation
showed that Abiola’s electoral victory
was a real challenge to Babangida and
the ruling cabal then. His account was,
thus, a testimony to the explanation of
Oshun, who said Babangida was not
interested in relinquishing power. With
his few loyalists, he said, the former
president never planned “to transit
power. Rather Babangida planned
self-succession.”
Conflicting Interests
Different conflicting interests played
a central role in the June 12 election
annulment, according to Oshun.
Likewise, Ayoade disclosed that some
military henchmen insisted that Babangida “should transit power to Abiola.
The henchmen were not ready to leave
office. They were in high offices. Also,
they were largely northerners,” whose
interests were in conflict with that of
the military establishment.
It was on this ground that Oshun
said the military establishment was
not responsible for the annulment
of the process. During the June 12
struggle, Oshun explained, the military
was an institution operating on its
own. Babangida and his henchmen
had constituted themselves into
another institution. So, he said, only
few of his loyalists decided against the
mandate of the people.
Some prominent people were
alleged to be part of the cabal that
subverted the June 12, 1993 mandate.
They included the then Minister of
Communication, Brig.-Gen. David
Mark, National Security Adviser,
Gen. Aliyu Gusau, Field Commander
of ECOMOG Peacekeeping Force in
Liberia, Brig.-Gen. Adetunji Olurin,
and Commander of Federal Special
Guards, and Col. One Mohammed,
among others.
Even though the CDS gave Babangida a position paper on how to resolve
the post-election conflict, Ayoade said
Babangida and his associates did not
consider the paper. Rather, he said,
they went ahead with an unpopular
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami (left) and former Military President Ibrahim Babangida
General Sani Abacha (left) and Abiola
The real reason the
Babangida regime
annulled the June 12,
1993 election remains
largely unknown. Even
though Babangida had
explained in a national
address, his reasons
were not credible enough
for the pro-democracy
actors and civil society
groups to believe, neither
did Western diplomats,
mainly the then US
Ambassador to Nigeria,
Dr. Walter Carrington,
believe it
decision.
The politics of the June 12 elections
also involved a high-level intervention
by two former Heads of State. Oshun,
who was the Chief Whip in the
House of Representatives, disclosed
that the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, initiated the intervention then. He said the intervention
was meant “to end the political
impasse and ensure that Abiola was
installed.
“President Olusegun Obasanjo
was supposed to host the meeting of
retired senior military leaders. Buhari
had travelled to Otta, the venue of
the meeting. Gen. Alani Akinrinade
also travelled to Otta for the same
purpose. But for one reason or the
other, Obasanjo did not support the
June 12 election. Eventually, the Otta
meeting did not hold as originally
scheduled,” Oshun explained.
He explained that Obasanjo did
not support the June 12 election
because he was probably scheming
to be the Head of Interim National
Government, but Babangida eventu-
ally considered Chief Ernest Shonekan
to head the interim government.
He explained the role of Gen.
Shehu Yar’Adua. Initially, Oshun said,
Yar’Adua “supported June 12 election.
But after it was annulled, he thought it
would avail him chance to contest in a
fresh presidential election.”
Beyond all these reasons, Ayoade
observed that Babangida “has not
done justice for keeping to himself
the real reasons that culminated in the
annulment. All the reasons he gave in
a national address that annulled the
process were an afterthought. Exactly
23 years after the unpopular decision
was taken, he should have opened up
and told the country why the ruling
council actually subverted people’s
will.”
Immortalising Abiola
But Oshun lamented the failure of
successive governments to recognise
the significance of the June 12 election
in Nigeria’s political history. He said
it was tragic that no government “has
given due recognition to Abiola 23
years after. Abiola is late already. But
that does not take way the fact that he
won the election. The records are still
there that of the 30 states of the federation, he won in 19.”
He thus called on the Buhari
administration “to recognise the June
12 election and declare the result.
Buhari has opportunity to recognise
Abiola’s electoral victory. Sufficient
time has passed. It will address the
injustice already done. But injustice
will continue as long as the posthumous victory is not made.” He noted
that due recognition would mark the
healing of national ailments.
If Abiola had been accorded the
right place in Nigeria’s history, Oshun
argued that the healing process “will
not have been long. No election has
been credible in the country like the
June 12 election. Only Buhari’s election
was close to the June 12 election in
terms of credibility.”
Oshun advocated that a national
monument “be built to preserve the
sanctity of the June 12 election and its
winner.”
74
CICERO/REPORT
One Year After, Some Things Have Indeed
Changed… But Challenges Remain
Tobi Soniyi, in Abuja, reviews President Muhammadu Buhari’s one year in office
W
hen General Muhammadu Buhari
was sworn in as
president a year
ago, the people’s
expectations from
him were very
high. They are no
less high today.
While he was still battling in the euphoria of his success at the presidential
election, oil price suddenly collapsed.
That certainly was a development the
president did not prepare for. The
reality which dawned on the president
was that delivering on many of his
promises would be hard to come by. At
a time, Buhari wondered if he had not
been elected Nigeria’s president at the
wrong time.
The collapse of the oil price caused
panics in government and led to the
adoption of some not well thought out
policies. Even as these harsh economic
realities threaten to overshadow other
laudable accomplishments of the Buhari
administration, one cannot but admit
that some radical changes have indeed
taken place.
First, no one can deny the fact that
the war against Boko Haram has been
largely successful under Buhari. The
Armed Forces have been overhauled
and now have a sense of direction. This
is unlike what obtained in the past.
Today there is currently no Nigerian
territory under the control of Boko
Haram.
The president was able to bring back
hitherto military allies which saw the
United States and the United Kingdom
governments commit their resources
to the fight against the insurgents after
previously backing out of negotiations
with the previous administration.
His trips to neighbouring countries
show the resolve of the president to
push Boko Haram elements out of
existence by going for the jugular of
the group, cutting their arms, food
supply routes. Support has thus been
mobilized through the Multinational
Joint Task Force.
He also realigned Nigeria’s partnership with regional allies by embarking
on foreign visits which resulted in
bilateral and multilateral agreements to
tackle insecurity back home.
The fight against corruption which
was virtually non-existence before he
took power became centerpiece of
governance. While there have been
allegations of high-handedness in a few
cases, there is a general consensus on
the fact that the level of stealing that
took place prior to Buhari’s assumption
of office was unprecedented and that
the country could not continue like
that.
How did he do it? He provided the
needed leadership which is often absent
in the fight against corruption. When
Buhari provided the leadership, the anti
corruption agencies took notice. Even
the world took notice. The leadership
of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission was changed to give the
desired impetus to the fight against
corruption. The same EFCC staff who
were made redundant during the immediate past regime are the ones doing
very well now in the fight against
corruption: that is leadership. Ibrahim
Magu happened to share the same
passion with Buhari in this regard.
One of the reasons why the fight
against corruption has failed to
Buhari
achieve the desired result is that the
country has always adopted a reactive
approach. Buhari understood the fact
that to stop corruption, you have to
be proactive. In this wise, he adopted
the full implementation of the Treasury
Single Account to block leakages. The
TSA, though not an original idea of this
administration, was made a cornerstone
of this administration and the result
is there for all to see. Over N3 trillion
have been saved already and that is
huge.
Also by ensuring strict enforcement
of the Bank Verification Number,
government was able to eliminate ghost
workers while looters with multiple
accounts can no longer hide their loot
undetected. Ministries, Departments
and Agencies of government are now
being audited regularly to eliminate
corruption. Many civil servants no
longer have access to free funds. They
all agree that something has changed in
the way and manner funds are being
disbursed.
He is also pushing on with privatization of the power sector and also
looking for other ways to generate
power. Under his leadership, the
Federal Government agreed to a 50
million Euro (about (N11.15 billion)
loan agreement with French government for capacity-building and upgrade
of power training facilities in Nigeria.
Nigeria also signed a $237 million
agreement with World Bank to improve
power.
Buhari had also discussed initiatives
to bring solar power price down to
five US cents per kilowatt hour, (approximately N10) as against the price
of 17 US cents (N34) per KW/h tariff in
Nigeria fixed at privatisation by the last
government with a solar deployment
agreement soon to be signed.
Chinese Solar power manufacturers
had agreed with the Federal Government to set up solar panel manufacturing business in Nigeria.
Buhari had also signed agreement
with Chinese president to improve
Nigeria’s power infrastructure. Power
supply in February peaked at over
5000mw for the first time in recent time.
However, vandalism in the Niger
Delta has reversed some of the gains
recorded in the power sector.
The government has shown a higher
commitment to development of infrastructure. Over $6 billion in investment
was the fallout of the president’s state
visit to China.
Completion of the Kaduna-Abuja rail
line and the construction of the coastal
rail line linking major economic centres
of the South, South East and South West
cities will be executed from the Chinese
funding. At press time, contractors
were being mobilized to return to
construction sites, after they abandoned
construction of critical roads long before
the 2015 election.
As indicated in the 2016 budget, social
protection is another cornerstone of the
administration populist policy, although
it hasn’t been fully implemented due
to some delay in signing the budget.
Nevertheless, the groundwork is fully
in place as data are being collated by
the economic planning office of the Vice
President in conjunction with the World
Bank.
Upon assumption of office, the
president discovered that the rot in the
oil and gas sector was deeper than he
had imagined. Buhari was jolted by the
level of corruption in the sector. He
had since realized that the solution he
had in mind would not work. And
there would be no quick fix either.
Sooner than he expected, the nation was
hit with inadequate fuel supply. The
refineries which he had hoped would
complement importation were not
forthcoming.
In what one of his aides described as
a painful decision to take, the president
had to agree to an increase in pump
price of petroleum. He is hoping that
by making the refineries to work at
optimum capacity, Nigeria will reduce
dependency on importation.
Just recently the Kaduna Refinery
finally began production while the one
in Port Harcourt had begun production
after several years of zero production,
but for saboteurs and vandals, most of
the refineries would have been at over
90 per cent production as at today.
Since the coming of this administration, Buhari has maintained a clear
stance and policy on the rule of law
and separation of powers. So far, he
has allowed the judiciary to run its
affairs. He also hardly intervenes in the
affairs of the National Assembly even
though some members of his political
party wanted him to weigh in more in
the affairs of the legislature. Buhari has
rebuffed such pressure.
Nevertheless, challenges remain. Some of
his ministers are not pulling their weight
even though their appointment came late.
The government also needs to come out
with a clear policy on the volatile Niger
Delta.
Many analysts have also criticized the
president for making policy statements
when abroad. Some also would like to see
him talk more to Nigerians by explaining
his policies to them. Many of his ministers
are not good at explaining the government’s policies.
Unemployment remains at a critical
level. The government will have to declare
a state of emergency in the job sector as
lack of jobs pushes more able bodied
men and women into crimes. Except
many people are employed, growing the
economy will remain a challenge.
75
CICERO/ISSUE
New Hope Beckons for South-east PDP
Benjamin Nworie, in Abakaliki, examines the prospects of up-and-coming politicians, as PDP elects
foremost activist as zonal youth leader for South-east
T
here are many in Nigeria today
who believe that if the old
hands in the country’s politics
should bequeath power and
mantle of leadership to the
youths, the country would be
better for it. They say it is high
time youths started to be the
leaders of today – rather than the cliché-ridden
leaders of tomorrow. And they feel the major
problem facing Nigeria is the seemingly
habitual recycling of politicians and leaders.
The politics of the country has not actually
given youths the pride of place to inject new
innovations and ideas to governance and meet
up with contemporary demands in the society.
However, there seems to be light at the end of
the tunnel.
Affirmative Action
The former ruling Peoples Democratic Party
first came up with the concept of 35 per cent
female affirmative action in politics, as a way
of liberalising the political landscape by giving
more political opportunities to women to
participate actively in governance. The outcome
of that noble advocacy has further lent credence
to the fact that Nigeria’s lost glory may be
recovered if the country runs all-inclusive
governance. Pundits have also argued that
PDP’s failure at the last general election was
partly caused by youth restiveness occasioned
by lack of employment opportunities. Graduates have no jobs and no means of livelihood.
However, an indication has emerged that PDP
is on the path of self-recovery.
Youth Inclusiveness
In the South-east, PDP is seriously trying
to put its house in order, to reclaim Imo and
Anambra states. And to ensure that lofty dream
materialises, the party is earnestly recognising
the imperative of youth inclusiveness. This became evident with the election of the foremost
youth activist, Comrade Chidiebere Egwu, as
PDP’s South-east zonal youth leader at the just
Egwu, South East PDP zonal youth Leader
concluded zonal congress of the party.
Egwu became popular in politics after the
2015 general elections, when he led the youth
of the state to support PDP and ensure its
victory in virtually all the elections, especially
the governorship won by Mr. David Umahi,
against all odds. Umahi’s predecessor, Chief
Martin Elechi, had vowed that Umahi, who
was his deputy, would not succeed him. With
the crisis that erupted from Elechi’s permutation, Egwu’s political escapade exploded when
he dislodged and crippled the all-powerful
Ebonyi Youths Assembly. Prior to the election,
Ebonyi Youths Assembly was the backbone of
Elechi’s administration.
Whatever the youth assembly decided
was sacrosanct. So it became a nightmare to
overcome the powers of the frontiers and
leaders of the assembly to pave way for
Umahi’s election.
Without much affluence, Egwu was able to
muster courage to challenge the power brokers,
which enabled him to decimate the body,
and further formed Ebonyi Liberation Youths
Forum. Not minding that Elechi and promoters
of Ebonyi Youths Assembly were Egwu’s
townsmen, the Liberation Youths Forum fought
hard to install Umahi.
Umahi’s election was with many historical
impacts and lessons for humanity and politics
of Nigeria. It was the first time a deputy
governor challenged his boss to coast home to
victory.
However, during the harmonisation of the
last congresses of the PDP in the state based
on the guiding principles and arrangements
of the party in its elective positions, all hell
almost broke loose when Egwu was schemed
out of the position of state youth Leader. This
was a position he held during the last election.
But little did anybody know that Umahi was
planning big for him. Though at that point,
rumour and speculations were high that he
would be compensated with the state financial
secretary of the PDP.
At the zonal congress at Micheal Okpara
Square in Enugu, Egwu was elected as the
South-east zonal youth leader of PDP.
With his joviality and good human relations,
Egwu, according to insiders, would rally the
youth in the zone to project the image and
acceptance of the PDP to the Igbo nation.
Promise
The zonal youth leader said the youth of
the zone were strongly behind the resolutions reached at the Port Harcourt national
convention of the party, which appointed
former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed
Makarfi, as the acting national chairman of
the party. This was as the national secretariat
of the party finally reopened for business with
the withdrawal of the security men by the
Inspector-general of Police, Solomon Arase.
Egwu assured that the youth in the zone
would work harmoniously with Makarfi’s
administration to promote good governance
and democracy, which he said the party stood.
He stated that the major expectation of the PDP
leadership in the zone was to reclaim Imo and
Anambra states and also make sure that the
three PDP states of Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu
remained for the party. He further passed a vote
of confidence on Umahi, Enugu State Governor
Ugwuanyi, and his Abia State counterpart,
Ikpeazu.
The youth leader lauded the achievements
recorded by these governors, saying they have
placed PDP as the preferred party in the zone.
Egwu promised to embark on a serious
membership drive for the party that would
be rooted in true reconciliation for the purpose
of rebuilding and rebranding the party. He
disclosed his plans to empower 5, 000 youths
from the zone with different skills acquisition
programmes.
Egwu advised the youth to shun violence
and any other acts capable of endangering their
future.
Challenges
With the virtual death of the Labour Party
in Ebonyi State following its defeat at the last
general election and the internal crisis of the
All Progressives Congress in the state that has
led to the factionalisation of the party, the rise
of Progressives Peoples Alliance may pose a
danger for PDP.
Some stakeholders who are aggrieved by
the leadership crisis in APC and defectors from
the Labour Party have seen hope and haven in
PPA. An indication that PPA would be a party
to watch in the state emerged on June 6, after
its congress held at Ebonyi Hotel in Abakaliki.
The congress, which was adjudged credible and
peaceful, was presided over by the National
Organising Secretary of PPA, Jonah Abiodun,
that elected the state executives of the party.
The elected state chairman of PPA, Stephen
Ezeali, boasted that with the peaceful conduct
of the congresses of the party in the state,
there was hope that PPA would offer a better
platform for the development and growth of
the state and nation at large.
Umar, Saraki and the ‘Final Consequence’ Slip
Abu Quassim
T
he ongoing case of alleged false asset declaration
against Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola
Sarak,i has continued to throw up new issues,
some bordering on unprecedented drama.
Most of the times the actual dramatis personae
is not the defendant who by virtue of his position
as number three man in the country would
not be finding it funny that he is on trial not for
diverting any public funds into private pockets or short-changing
the government in any way, at least no evidence has been led by
the prosecution to that effect. Saraki is being charged with the
offence of not declaring some properties which he had acquired
a decade before coming into public office. The man who has
continued to amuse the audience in the Tribunal is the chairman,
Mr. Danladi Umar.
Mr. Umar who the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Maria
Aloma Mukhtar wrote about that he is not a judge and should
therefore not present, parade himself or be addressed as one has
been behaving in a strange manner as a presiding officer sitting
over a case. When he is not descending into the arena, engaging
in fierce exchange with the counsel to the defendant, he is
making comments that are not only irrelevant to the case but that
are damning and damaging to his person and the adjudicatory
institution that he is heading. Some other times, he is either
lavishing the court about personal details on his past relationship
with the lead counsel to the defendant, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN.
And when he is doing that he is laughing heartily and
obviously happy. Another moment, he is visibly enraged and
issuing threats at will.
He sometimes becomes loquacious, revealing details which
have the possibility of eroding the credibility of his adjudicatory
institution. It is in one of such moment that he revealed how he
was put under pressure in the case involving former Governor of
Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Who or which side in the case
put him under pressure he did not say. Another time, he started
reassuring the defence that he will do justice and as if he was in
the dock himself, he started struggling to prove he meant what
he said about giving justice. He read from a book of Hadith, the
saying and actions of Prophet Muhammed (SAW). Last Tuesday,
in a fit of fury, he canvassed the return of obnoxious Decree
2 which the military used to detain people without trial for a
minimum of six months, in the first instance. He said the Decree
was necessary despite the ‘unfortunate democratic period’ to deal
with journalists who wrote what he termed false report.
All these outbursts of the judge usually come at an unexpected
time. Either as the proceeding was beginning or at the end.
He acts the drama when it was needless and when he was
unprovoked.
Last Tuesday (June 7) was the height of these strange utterances
and actions by the Tribunal chair. The proceeding was just
beginning when Umar started complaining that the Defence was
taking too much time cross-examining the Prosecution Witness,
Michael Wetkas. He went on and on about how he would not
allow the delay and before he knew it, he made a major Freudian
slip in which he gave indication of how the Saraki case may end.
In what should be a preliminary remark before commencing
the proceeding, Umar said the Defence Counsel was taking too
much time to cross-examine the lead prosecution witness as a
delay tactic to avoid the ‘final consequence’ for his client.
The statement startled the entire tribunal and made Saraki’s
lead counsel, Agabi who is ordinarily a conservative pacifist,
always ready to accommodate the indiscretion of the tribunal
boss to jump up and ask Umar : “My Lord, what is the final
consequence?”.
Agabi then added that the statement by the Tribunal Chairman betrays the prejudice that his client has always been afraid
of. “My lord, it is this kind of statement that make us afraid of
prejudice. We are saying we are afraid. We are not afraid of you.
We are not afraid of the facts and the law. We believe these are
on our side. We are afraid of prejudice. This statement of ‘final
consequence’ is rather strengthening that fear”, he said.
Though Umar tried to retract his statement immediately, he
seemed to have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag and he
cannot really deny the worlds never came out. There are those
who believe that that statement signified what the bible meant
when it stated that “From the abundance of the heart, the mouth
speaketh”. This is also what an African proverb expressed by
saying ‘whatever a man has in mind in his sober and sane state
is what he says when he becomes drunk”. The CCT chairman’s
statement last Tuesday appeared to be the confirmation for Saraki
and his supporters who have consistently maintained that the
Senate President cannot get justice in the present case before the
CCT for as long as Umar is the presiding officer.
The implication of a person presiding in adjudication over a
case talking about a final consequence when the case is still in its
infancy means there is already a pre-determined outcome. The
prosecution said it has eight witnesses. It has only called the first
one, who though is tagged the star-witness. The defense is striving
to ensure that the sensational claims made during examination-inchief is dismissed and vitiated. However, the presiding chairman
is already talking of ‘final consequence’ which he said will not be
mitigated by any delay by the Defence.
One would have thought that until the Tribunal hears the final
addresses by both parties and then take its time to consider their
submissions in terms of the documentary evidence tendered
before it, the evidence adduced through examination-in-chief, cross
examination and re-examination, nobody can be talking of a final
consequence, not to be talking of whether these final consequence
can be mitigated by a supposed delay tactics.
Umar’s statement is merely revealing his bias. When I heard
him at the Tribunal making that statement. It reminds me of what
they say in Lagos that it is unethical for a policeman to arrest an
alleged offender and start telling him that he would not get out
of the case that would result from the matter. Is the policeman a
judge? And can the judge also determine before the conclusion of
a case what the final consequence of the case will be?
It is at this point that one must reconsider the statement by
Saraki when he was challenging the trial at the CCT in difference
courts and some people started accusing him of forum shopping.
The critics had concluded that he was doing so to evade justice
instead of frontally confronting the trial to prove his innocence.
The Senate President always maintained that he was not afraid of
the trial but that he was only afraid that with Danladi Umar as
Tribunal Chairman, he would not get justice.
The CCT is under the control of the office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Mr David Babachir Lawal, who is
betrothed to one of the antagonists in the APC battle for control.
Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
which co-ordinated the investigation on the Saraki case, provided
the bulk of the witnesses and the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacob, is the
agency that also holds the control lever on Umar as it is currently
prosecuting Umar’s Personal Assistant, Abdullahi, for bribery. So,
how can Umar be fair to Saraki? In fact, there is every reason for
him to be in a hurry to nail Saraki to save his own head. That is
why he is talking about what the ‘final consequence’ will be to a
defendant even at this stage of the case.
––Quassim writes from Abuja.
76
CICERO/INTERVIEW
Bamidele: Ekiti is in Need of Leadership
Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele contested the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State on the platform
of Labour Party, though unsuccessfully. Before his defeat in the country’s most controversial election, he had
served as national publicity secretary of Alliance for Democracy, Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, and later, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research in the seventh National Assembly. In this interview with Gboyega Akinsanmi, Bamidele speaks on the
reconciliatory process to reunite warring factions in the Ekiti State chapter of All Progressives Congress and
President Muhammadu Buhari’s anticorruption campaign, among other political issues. Excerpts.
W
hat actually happened
in Ekiti State in the
run-up to the 2014
governorship election?
I will not like to state
my personal opinion
about Ekiti election or
why some of us lost the
election to the Peoples Democratic Party. Unfortunately, we gave away that election. It was not that
we lost the election. In this case, I am referring to all
members of the progressive family in the state. We
were once known as the Alliance for Democracy,
the Action Congress, then Action Congress of
Nigeria, and, finally, All Progressives Congress. At
the time we were contesting the 2014 election, we
were known by different names. Some of us were
known as APC. Few were known as Labour Party.
Others were known as the Social Democratic Party.
For me, it was a whirlwind that did not blow
anyone any good. It was a major setback for the
people of Ekiti, who felt disappointed for so many
reasons. Today, I am happy to say that we are
going through a reconciliatory process. Our glory
is never falling. Our glory is rising. We are in that
process of rising again. One thing that has become
obvious is that no individual or group could do it
by himself. It has become obvious that our strength
is our unity. The only way we can best serve our
people is to come to the reality that it is no longer
about any individual or group. It is about our party.
It is about our people. It is about working together
to rescue our state and bring back the glory of Ekiti
from sabbatical. Apparently, the glory of Ekiti is on
sabbatical. I believe it calls for concerted efforts on
the part of every stakeholder to rescue Ekiti. I believe every stakeholder appreciates the fact that this
is the time to forgive. This is the time to embrace.
This is the time to appreciate the fact that it is no
longer about individual. It is about all of us as the
collective effort to rescue our people and the state.
It is one state that has been afflicted economically
and socially. There is no doubt about it. Ekiti State is
highly afflicted and begging for leadership. It must
also be a collective leadership. It is not a leadership
of any individual, how ever powerful. What we
need in Ekiti is a central leadership platform that
will call for a coalition of all those who mean well
within the political class and outside the political
class. This must also include sons and daughters of
Ekiti who constitute part of corporate Nigeria. The
Ekiti people that form part of corporate Nigeria
will come and contest. These people just want the
best for the best. Unfortunately, nobody is reaching
out to them. They do not know what is going on.
All they see is the political elite fighting among
themselves. Yet, they need to be involved. We
need a central leadership platform in the state. It
is through that, that we can make a different and
carry out the kind of intervention that we need. It
is not just about winning election and becoming
governor. It is also about running the economy of
the state. And it calls for intervention
The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is one year. How do you rate it
in terms of performance?
For the first time in the annals of democratic
experience, the votes of Nigerians counted successfully. I said successfully because the other time our
votes could have counted was when we had the
June 12, 1993 presidential election. Obviously, Nigerians voted for what would have been a change
that would have heralded late Chief M.K.O.
Abiola. But, unfortunately, it was annulled. Unlike
June 12, 1993, the votes of Nigerians counted with
the election of President Muhammadu Buhari. The
last 12 months have been a period of very serious
attempt to right a lot of wrongs. To my mind, this
is something that will take more than few months.
It is also something that will take concerted efforts
Bamidele
on the part of stakeholders that will cut across
those in the government. Beyond them, it requires
the concerted efforts of other stakeholders that
constitute bureaucracy and the judiciary. It will be
a highway to nowhere for any person to assume
that this is a change that can be brought about by
an individual. Of course, the president means well.
He has demonstrated zero tolerance to corruption.
I do not think anyone is left in doubt. Even at
that, it goes beyond his own personal desire. It is
something that will require the concerted efforts of
everybody. My concern is, to what extend are the
critical stakeholders involved in the change mantra.
But Buhari’s anticorruption campaign has
been faulted on many grounds…
For the anticorruption crusade to really succeed,
there is need for the buy-in of the judiciary. There
is need for the buy-in of the civil society. There
is need for the buy-in of the media as the fourth
estate of the realm. Beyond the media reporting
the incidents of people arrested or people returning
money or matters arising from the courtroom
based on prosecution by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft
agencies, to what extent the media itself as a bloc of
stakeholders has been made to buy into the vision
and drive that vision. To what extent the judiciary
has been brought into this vision. It goes beyond
a few government officials criticising the judiciary.
Of course, people may criticise the judiciary. The
judiciary is not immune to criticism, like any
other institution of government. To my mind, the
judiciary does not appear to be a bloc of stakeholders that can be said to have been made to buy into
Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.
But Nigerians have raised concerns about
alleged disobedience of court orders by the
Buhari administration in the course of the
anticorruption war. Do your share this
concern?
A lot of people are talking about the human
rights aspect. To begin with, I do not buy into
anti-corruption crusade being targeted at some
people, especially members of the opposition
parties. Who are the people in charge? It will not
matter which parties you belong to. I do not think
any suspect has been dragged to the court of law
on the basis of his membership of any political
party. People have been asked questions. Some
people are being asked questions on the basis of the
roles they played while they were in government.
Anyone who was directly involved in governance
and is before any of the law courts today must be
because those in government who were in charge
of public treasury have mentioned their names
as accomplices. When people begin to whip up
the sentiment that the anti-corruption crusade is
targeted at the Peoples Democratic Party it amuses
me because it is a kind of sentiment that is not
objective. That quickly explains why some people
today would rather defect from the PDP to the
APC. There are people that left the PDP because
they have reasons to do so. There are also some
people who need to do that because they have to
escape the radar of the current administration. That
is why we are still looking at it from the sentiment
that the anti-corruption crusade is being targeted
at the PDP. That should have no place in our own
assessment of the whole situation. To what extent
also can the president be accused of not respecting
human rights in the prosecution of anti-corruption
crusade? To what extent can the president be
accused of not observing the rule of law? These
are issues that need to be examined very critically.
There is no doubt that under any circumstance,
the rule of law must be followed. If we reduce
our courts to mere courtrooms that give orders
and no one follows, then we are encouraging
anarchy. That is why I think it is a very serious
allegation when people say the administration
is disrespecting court orders. That is why I think
we can’t just wake up one morning and begin to
accuse a government of not respecting the rule of
law. Definitely, that is not what is happening. It is in
the same way that the government officials can just
wake up and begin to criticise the judiciary. While
certain government officials accuse the judiciary of
frustrating the anti-corruption crusade, the judiciary
felt aggravated, betrayed and terribly bad about it. It
is in the same way people who mean well for this
country will also frown on attempts to project them
as people who do not believe in the rule of law or
as people who are trying to target certain parties in
the name of anticorruption crusade. The truth about
it is you expect to fight corruption and corruption
will not fight back. And in an attempt to fight back,
corruption will try to exploit the contradictions
within the system. For me, the major contradiction
within the system is that the administration
could have done more. And it is not late for the
administration. The administration needs to do
more in sitting down with the critical stakeholders.
Again, I identify them to include the judiciary, the
media and the civil society. You have to organise
the private sector. These are the critical stakeholders
that any government will need their buy-in to be
able to follow through any policy that is cogent
and compelling enough to be implemented to turn
an economy around and turn the social psyche of
the people of a country around and to be able to
establish a new culture.
We need to establish the culture of transparency,
accountability and sincerity in governance. Without
these stakeholders, you cannot achieve much.
Rather than accusing the president of not observing
the rule of law, the critical stakeholders should be
made to understand the vision of this administration as it relates to all of us to kill corruption, as
the president will say, before corruption kills us. It
is dangerous for everybody to allow this attempt
of corruption to fight back to succeed. Because if
it succeeds, it means that there will be no end to
corruption. And in the process, it will destroy what
looks like an embodiment of hope.
Nigeria’s economy has been experiencing
grave downturn in recent times. Does it
suggest the APC government’s lack of capacity
for effective economic management?
Whether we like it or not, things are hard.
Whether we like it or not, our economy is experiencing crisis. It has been a bubble for several years.
The economic problem we are talking about now
has been with us for a while. But in the past few
years, those who managed our economy had been
deceiving us by creating erroneous impressions
deliberately that our economy was in good shape.
In truth, our economy was right on the floor. Reality
has dawned on every person. Today, we have a
president who has been going around engaging the
international community on how we can revamp
our economy. Mr. President has not unduly boosted
the confidence of potential investors. Rather, he
has been presenting what has been happening.
However, critics have been faulting the president,
that he is creating a bad impression of Nigeria and
that he is going around the world telling everybody
that our economy is weak. They even argue that
such comments can destroy the confidence of the
investors. But the truth is that nobody wants to
invest in an economy whose fundamentals are not
established. Rather than making potential investors
run away, what Mr. President is doing will actually
encourage sincere investors. Every investor wants
to know the realities. There are even investors who
are interested in investing in a crisis economy. That
is what they prefer. But let us know the realities.
When any person is investing, the only difference is
how long it will take to recover. You take long time
investment decisions and draw plans based on the
truth of a situation that gives such investors peace
of mind. Most sincere investors around the world
are looking for such realities. When people make
it look as if it is wrong for the president to stand
up anywhere and say there are corrupt people in
Nigeria, where is the country in the world without
its share of corrupt people?
77
PERSPECTIVE
Traditional Institutions, Democracy and
Development: Role of Oba and His Citizens
Bamitale Omole
T
he traditional institutions in
Nigeria have gone through
thick and thin in the country’s
political history from the precolonial, through the colonial
and to the post-colonial eras. In
the words of Biodun Adediran:
“From the pre-colonial era, the
traditional institutions have been strengthened
and weakened, elevated and humiliated,
empowered and disempowered by emergent
political/ruling class”. Before the coming of
the Europeans, the traditional rulers held sway
not only as the recognized political rulers
of the states and kingdoms in Nigeria but
also as the custodians of the people’s history,
culture, religions and economy. The traditional
institutions in the pre-colonial Yorubaland had
all elements of modern governmental systems
and they perfectly suited the social, political
and economic situations of the era with the
overall goal of the welfare of the generality of
the people. The advent of colonial rule and the
imposition of Western styles of government not
only reduced the powers and relevance of the
traditional rulers but also made them subservient to their subjects the educated elite. Since
independence in 1960, the political statuses of
traditional rulers have gone from bad to worse
with far reaching consequences for governance
and administration in the country.
In the contemporary international system,
most nations strive to adopt democracy as their
official form of government. The reason for this
is no far-fetched. It has become crystal-clear
that democracy is not only the best form of
government but also the form of government
adopted by most of the developed/advanced
countries of the First World. In other words,
there appear to be a synergy between democracy and development in the contemporary
global system. To this end, majority of the
Third World countries of Africa and Asia are
currently striving to democratize their political
systems and institutions. However, most
African countries, including Nigeria, have not
been able to achieve sustainable democracy
and development because of certain obvious
reasons.
In Nigeria, one of the reasons for our inability
to achieve sustainable democracy and development is the failure to harness the traditional
political institutions. It has also been realized
that the failure of the key stakeholders in the
democratic process to play their expected roles
according to the rules of the game is a factor
in the democratic and developmental hurdles
in Nigeria. These are in addition to cultural
pluralism which “has militated and continues
to militate against the development of a homogenous monolithic cultural pattern to which all
Nigerians could be expected to conform”. For
democracy and development to be sustainable
in modern Nigeria, the key stakeholders like
the political parties, the politicians, the media,
the civil society groups, the electorates, the
general public and so on must be well-placed
and harnessed. However, the critical roles the
traditional political institutions could play in
democracy and development have not only
been unacknowledged but have also been
grossly under-estimated by their relegations
to the background in the current democratic
dispensations.
Against this background, this paper examines the roles of the traditional rulers and the
citizens in the democratic and developmental
strides in modern Nigeria with specific references to the stool of the Obas in Yorubaland.
The paper is divided into seven parts with the
first part introducing the thrust of the paper.
The second part gives brief clarifications of
basic concepts like traditional institution, democracy, development and Oba while the third
part historicizes the travails of the traditional
institutions from the pre-colonial period till
the contemporary post-colonial era. The fourth
part of the paper identifies some of the necessary credentials that must be possessed by the
several ways. Few of these definitions will suffice in the piece. Karl Popper defines democracy
as opportunity for the people to elect, control
and oust their leaders without the need for a
revolution in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny.
According to Pannock Roland, democracy
is the government by the people, where liberty, equality and fraternity are secured to the
greatest possible degree and in which human
capacities are developed to the utmost, by means
including free and full discussion of common
problems and interests. 12 In the words of
Schmitter and Karl, democracy is a system of
governance in which rulers are held accountable
for their actions in the public realm by citizens,
acting indirectly through the competition and
cooperation of their elected representatives.13
From the definitions cited above, one thing is
common to all of them. This is the centrality of
people, citizens or electorates as they are various
called. The message from this is that democracy
is people-cent red, anything short of this is not
democracy.
It is premised on the above elements that l define democracy in this piece as a governmental
arrangement established, nurtured and upheld
by the people for the benefit of the generality of
them and which they can remove or dismantle
at will if it fails to meet their intended benefits.
The power in a democracy should belong to
the people and they should be able to wield it
the way they wish through. Their votes and
voices. Where the people’s votes and voices are
not relevant and not reckoned with, then what
exists is not democracy but at best aristocracy or
autocracy. The essence of democracy is people’s
Welfare and well-being and it is fundamentally rooted in the proposition that the political
authority is anchored in the will of the people.
C. Development: The term development
Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu Alagbado (Agirilala Ogbenuotesoro II, the Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti connotes different things to different categories
of people –economists, psychologists, sociand communities before these people were
Oba who wants to be relevant in contemporary
ologists, political scientists, natural scientists,
brought together by the British colonial rulers
time while the fifth part discusses some of the
historians, capitalists, the masses and a host of
roles the Oba could play in the current efforts of in the establishment of Nigeria. For instance,
others. Is a many-sided process. in literal terms,
in modern Nigeria, the categories of traditional development describes process of changing and
democratize and develop. The sixth part looks
rulers include the Mai/Shehu of Borno, the
at the duties and responsibilities of the citizens
becoming larger, stronger or more impressive,
Habe and Emirs rulers in Hausaland, the Oba
in the democratic and developmental quests in
successful or advanced, or of causing somebody
in Yorubaland, the Attah in Igalaland, the Etsu or something to change in this way. The term
contemporary Nigeria. The last part concludes
in Nupeland, the Obi and Eze in igboland,
the paper by arguing that the citizens who are
development is used in this paper to mean
etc. These traditional rulers occupied and still
central to democratic sustainability are greatly
increased skill and capacity, greater freedom,
occupy important positions among the peoples creativity, self-discipline, responsibility and
influenced by the traditional institutions and
of pre-colonial and post-colonial Nigeria. Their material well-being of the generality of the
therefore the traditional institutions must be
positions were/are sanctioned by the tradiharnessed for positive contributions to demopeople. Development is more encompassing
tions, history and culture of their respective
cratic and developmental efforts rather than
than mere economic growth which indicates
peoples who hold them in high esteem and
being jettisoned, relegated to the background,
ordinary increase in the production of goods
reverence.
abused and disparaged.
and services in a country. Development is the
B. The Oba: in Yorubaland of modern
I.
Brief Definition of Concepts
process which results in the transformation
Nigeria and elsewhere in the word, the Oba
Four major concepts are central to this
of social-cultural, economic and political
is at the topmost hierarchy of the holders of
paper. There are the concepts of Traditional
structures in a manner which improves the
traditional power and authority. An Oba in
Institutions/Rulers, The Oba, Democracy and
capacity of the society to fulfill its aspirations.
Yoruba political system was/is ordained by
Development.
In order words, development refers to changes
the community’s spiritual/natural authorities, that result to positive benefits to the generality
A. Traditional Institutions/Rulers: Literally,
acceptable to and by the community as a role
tradition refers to age-long, old, customary and
of the citizens and other residents of a country/
model and unquestionable leader- ka bi e si. An community/town. It is the ability of a country/
established historic ways of doing something
Oba is not only a mere head of a kingdom but
while institution means a system or organizatown to improve the standard of living, security
he is Awokoise- role model; Oba ba le ileoba le
tion that has existed for a long time among a
and welfare of its people.
oko- ‘father of all’; IgbakejiOrisa- ‘second only to
particular group of people. Tradition refers to
II. The Oba in Yoruba Political History:
the gods’. He is generally seen, recognized and Between Tradition and Modernity, Continuity
custom or belief which is a long established
acknowledged as the custodian of the people’s and Change
action or pattern of behavior in a community
history and culture. A Yoruba Oba personifies
or among a group of people, often one that has
As an institution that has survived despite its
the kingdom and represents the reincarnation
been handed down from generations. Traditravails, the dynamism of the chieftaincy instituof the past ancestors of the community. The
tions presuppose body of customs i.e a body of
tion in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized.
words of an Oba were orders and their actions
long-established practices and beliefs viewed
Beyond attesting to its dynamism, the changing
were divine and sacred. Until the modern
as a set of values by a culture. Thus, traditional
role, power and perception of the institution in
period, they were hardly seen in public except
institutions are those social, economic or politidifferent dispensations are clear manifestations
during important traditional festivals and reli- of its resilience. Thus, from being at the centre of
cal organizations/bodies which derive their
gious celebrations. The Oba was/is assisted by authority in the pre-colonial period, traditional
power, legitimacy, influence and authority
a chain of traditional chiefs and loyalists who
from the traditions of a particular people. This
rulers have been empowered and disempowalso form important parts of the traditional
is why Max Weber has rightly categorized all
ered at different times, accommodated or
institution of government in Yorubaland.
types of authority into three legal/rational,
excluded, depending on the interests at stake
Democracy: Democracy is one of the most
traditional and charismatic. In the pre-colonial
and incorporated, manipulated, hoodwinked
difficult concepts to define in political history.
Africa, the set of people who control, direct and
or humiliated, depending on the dispensations,
This is why scholars often resort to its etymolsuperintend over traditional institutions are
circumstances or even the level or extent of
ogy from two Greek words: demos (the people) relationship between chieftaincy title holders
called traditional rulers and their subordinates
and kratein (to rule). It was in this etymological and leaders of modern government.
like provincial chiefs, princes, ward heads, etc.
sense that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President
Indeed, the power, authority and legitimacy of
- Being a paper presented at the Ikereof the United States (1861-1865) defines it
traditional rulers were derived from traditions.
Ekiti coronation lecture on recently by
This is why the African monarchs were and are popularly as government of the people, by the
Professor Omole, Vice-Chancellor Obapeople and for the people. Scholars of politics
still referred to as traditional rulers. From the
femi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
and political science as well as practitioners of
Nigerian view point, traditional rulers refer to
(See concluding part
politics (politicians) have defined democracy in
the set of rulers of the various Nigerian peoples
on www.thisdaylive.com)
78
PERSPECTIVE
Ekweremadu and Bi-Partisan Senate Leadership
Uche Anichukwu
P
resident Abraham Lincoln was bidding
for another term of office in the final
days of the American civil war in 1864.
He shocked the war-torn nation by dropping his Vice President and fellow Republican, Hannibal Hamlin, and chose
Andrew Johnson, a ‘War Democrat’ from
Tennessee, as his running mate.
American Historians adduce two major reasons
for this. The very bloody American civil war divided
the country between the Union (the US national
government and the 23 free states and five states at the
border that supported it) and the Confederate States
of America (11 states in the South that opposed the
Union). With victory over the Confederacy/South now
almost a fait accompli, Lincoln wanted to demonstrate
leniency and that all he was after was America’s unity,
not conquest and retribution.
A statesman, Lincoln was also thinking ahead about
the post-war reconstruction. A Southern Vice President
would serve as a foothold, Tennessee would serve as
a gateway to the South, while a Democrat would put
both parties on the same page in ending the war, in
reconstruction, and reintegration. Lincoln even went on
to temporarily rename Republican Party the National
Union Party for the purpose of that election.
Although the Nigerian 2015 presidential election was
not a war in the true sense of it, it bore quite some
semblance of it. The propaganda, the manipulation of
ethno-religious and sectional sentiments was just too
high. It turned citizens against one another, with a
great number fleeing to their regions. The tension was
palpable and choking, and Nigerians feared for the
worst.
Thank God for that singular patriotic congratulatory
phone call from former President Goodluck Jonathan to
President Muhammadu Buhari, which pulled Nigeria
from the brinks and deflated the ballooning trepidation.
Ordinarily, the greatest task before a post-2015
election Nigerian government (whether APC or PDP)
should have been to take immediate steps to reunite
Nigerians; to deploy the virtues of equal opportunity,
fair treatment, accommodation, and forgiveness (if
voting for a different party is indeed a sin) to enthrone
a higher order of patriotism, loyalty, and national
followership.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used the
National Unity Government to knit a fragmented
nation together at the dawn of the new democratic era.
A leading member of the opposition, Chief Bola Ige,
became the Minister of Power even though Obasanjo
performed poorly in the South West. Obasanjo/
PDP saw the overriding need to dilute the bad blood
brewed by the annulment of June 12 presidential
election and the ugly events that followed it. In 2011,
PDP also zoned the Speakership of the House of
Representatives to the South West despite performing
poorly there.
In comtemporary America, President Barrack Obama
has appointed at least 18 Republicans, including
Robert Gates (Secretary of Defence 2009-2011) and
John McHugh (Secretary of the Army), Chuck Hagel
(Secretary of Defence 2013-2015), Ben Bernanke (Chair-
A statesman, Lincoln was
also thinking ahead about
the post-war reconstruction.
A Southern Vice President
would serve as a foothold,
Tennessee would serve as
a gateway to the South,
while a Democrat would
put both parties on the
same page in ending the
war, in reconstruction, and
reintegration. Lincoln even
went on to temporarily
rename Republican Party
the National Union Party for
the purpose of that election
Ekweremadu and Saraki confering during a session
man of the Federal Reserve 2010-2014), and Jon
Huntsman Jr. (Ambassador to China 2009-2011) into
key positions.
The truth is that a country dies when it dies in the
hearts of her citizens. She dies slowly and painfully
when it evokes only indifference and indignation
among any section of the citizenry. As Senator
Ekweremadu has often pointed out, even before the
2015 polls, global experiences show that a people
who feel unjustly treated and alienated would never
be interested in peace or in contributing their quota
to national development. The resurgence of Biafra
consciousness in the South-East and South-South as
well as the rebirth of militancy in the Niger Delta
may well lay credence to this.
Now, whether it was by mere coincidence that
both the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola
Saraki, and his Deputy, Ekweremadu, were born
the same year (1962), one cannot tell. But their
emergence as presiding officers of the 8th Senate
was more like God going out of his way to do for
us that which we could not really sit down to do
for ourselves. After all, as it is often said, God is a
Nigerian.
Although the South-East and South-South regions
voted overwhelmingly for the PDP and rejected the
APC, their electoral choices do not make them less
Nigerian, and indeed an important part of Nigeria.
For one, oil revenue, the lifeblood of the nation flows
from their territories. Again, although it is now the
minority party, PDP still commands a strong representation that almost equals the numerical strength
of the ruling APC in the Senate.
Ekweremadu’s emergence, therefore, partly filled
a big hollow that could have occurred in running
a vast country like ours without the South-South/
South-East in any principal position. It also partly
solved the challenge of accommodating a potent
force like the PDP.
Unfortunately, for the bi-partisan Senate leadership, which Ekweremadu’s emergence created, the
sea has been anything but calm. Yet, the good thing
is that Saraki and Ekweremadu have so far jointly
and successfully waded through the stormy, muddy,
shark-infested political waters, charting a trajectory
for a more resourceful Senate in the past 365 days.
For Ekweremadu in particular, the past one year
has put paid to some outlandish lies, misconceptions, misgivings, and mischiefs peddled by
propagandists at his emergence.
First, it is common knowledge now that it is not
anathema to be elected a presiding officer from the
opposition/minority party as Section 50 of the 1999
Constitutions shows. It has additionally emerged
that even before Ekweremadu’s re-election, the APC
had earlier in the same June, produced the Speakers
of the Benue and Plateau Houses of Assembly even
as minority parties in both Assemblies. There was
also an antecedent in the 7th National Assembly.
Furthermore, Ekweremadu has shown that a
Deputy President of the Senate of the opposition
stock does not necessarily have to work against
President Buhari or and APC’s programmes- so long as
they are in Nigeria’s interest. The Saraki-Ekweremaduled Senate has so far given all needed cooporation
without necessarily being a rubber stamp. They have
even got the Senate to bend backwards on certain
matters, including the 2016 National Budget.
Additionally, the PDP Caucus in the National Assembly has proven itself a most responsible opposition; one
that understands that the Federal Government is one and
concerns itself with the welfare of Nigerians. Citizens
face the same challenges, irrespective of party affiliations.
There are currently no separate tomatoes markets or
foodstuff markets or exchange rates for those who voted
for Change and those who voted against it.
Ekweremadu declared in a recent interview: “As PDP,
we are Nigerians and we love Nigeria as well. We are
not going to hinge our return on the failure of the APC.
No. Certainly, we want APC to succeed. We would like
APC to succeed in the interest of Nigeria.”
Only recently, the PDP took the lead, even ahead
of the APC, in praying for Buhari’s quick recovery as
he embarked on London medical trip. Ekweremadu
who led the prayer at Wadata Plaza prayed in part:
“Father, you give power to whom you have chosen.
This your servant, General Buhari, you have made him
our President today. Father, may it please you to give
him good health. Whatever is afflicting him, father, we
are appealing to you to stretch your healing hands and
make him whole again”.
Ekweremadu has also shown a high level of neutrality
and patriotism expected of a presiding officer. The
high point was during the ministerial screening when
all PDP Senators, except Ekweremadu, stormed out of
the chamber to protest the decision of the Senate to go
ahead to screen former Governor Rotimi Amechi despite
indictment by a Rivers State panel over alleged corruption. As another PDP Senator later explained, it did not
necessarily mean that Ekweremadu was not on the same
page with his party, but he is a presiding officer of the
Senate, not that of the PDP.
Again, just as Ekweremadu’s total loyalty to Senator
David Mark enthroned unparalleled stability in the 6th
and 7th Senate, he has also shown unalloyed loyalty
to Senator Saraki. He has continued to weather the
storm with him and in the ongoing efforts to reconcile
contending interests within the Senate. In the ongoing
Code of Conduct Tribunal trial, Ekweremadu, along with
other Senators, have displayed courage and solidarity for
their President, standing staunchly together in defence of
the independence of the legislature.
Saraki, in his goodwill message to Ekweremadu on his
54th birthday in May, described his Deputy as “dependable, solid, and progressive”. This can indeed be rightly
deemed as Ekweremadu’s one-year report card.
Ekweremadu has truly shown that though tongues
and parties may differ, our national needs are virtually
the same, therefore, it behooves our political leaders,
across party lines, to fold their sleeves up and work
concertedly to lift the nation from her humongous
challenges. A man whose house is on fire does not go
chasing rats about.
––Anichukwu is SSA to Deputy Senate President
79
PERSPECTIVE
China’s Non-acceptance of South China
Sea Arbitration Justifiable and Lawful
R
Sun Baohong
ecently, the Philippines
unilaterally initiated and
obstinately pushed forward
with international arbitral
proceedings regarding
the dispute with China
in the South China Sea,
stirring up international
controversy. The Chinese government stands
firm on its position not to accept or participate
in the arbitration. As the Chinese ambassador,
I am obliged to elaborate on the legal basis for
China’s position and the truth of the matter to
clear up the confusion.
Unilateral arbitration
First, the unilateral initiation of arbitration
by the Philippines is a violation of the agreement with China and the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
UNCLOS explicitly stipulates that the state
party has the right to seek dispute settlement
of its own choice. Actually, China and the
Philippines have already reached agreement
in joint declaration, joint communique and
the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties
in the South China Sea (DOC) on resolving
relevant disputes in the South China Sea
through negotiations.
But the Philippines, without engaging in
any negotiations with China on any claims
in the arbitration, falsely claimed that it had
exhausted bilateral means, and unilaterally
initiated the arbitration. The behaviour of the
Philippines undermines the international
morality, international law and its basic principle Pacta sunt servanda (agreements must
be kept), as well as the purpose, authority and
integrity of UNCLOS.
Jurisdiction
Second, UNCLOS does not have jurisdiction over the disputes concerning territory
and maritime delimitation between China
and the Philippines. The Philippines’ requests
are, in essence, about territorial sovereignty
and maritime delimitation.
Territorial issues are subject to general
international law, not UNCLOS. With respect
to maritime delimitation, China’s declaration
on optional exceptions in accordance with
Article 298 of UNCLOS excludes disputes
concerning maritime delimitation from
compulsory dispute settlement procedures
provided for in UNCLOS- more than 30
countries have made similar declarations,
including four permanent members of the
UN Security Council except the US which has
not ratified UNCLOS.
China’s non-acceptance and nonparticipation in the arbitration conforms to
international laws, UNCLOS included.
The Arbitral Tribunal’s forceful handling of
the case and exercise of jurisdiction is willful
expansion and abuse of power in nature.
The acts of the Arbitral Tribunal violated
the provisions of UNCLOS and deviated
from the purpose of peaceful settlement of
international disputes.
Military muscles
Third, some countries from outside the
region, which are not the parties concerning
the South China Sea issue, out of their political
and military calculations and regardless of
the sovereignty, security and interests of littoral countries, flex military muscles, conduct
close-in reconnaissance and even go as far as
to send military vessels and aircraft into the
waters and airspace in neighbouring China’s
South China Sea islands.
Moreover, they instigate disputes among
the regional countries and support certain
countries in the region to magnify and
complicate the disputes to raise tensions in
the South China Sea for their own parochial
interests.
These irresponsible actions, which are
typical double standards, not only sabotage
the endeavour of the countries directly
concerned, including China, to resolve
disputes peacefully, but also pose threats to
Map show disputed areas
the consensus in DOC.
Countries outside the region should play a
constructive role in supporting our efforts in
maintaining peace and security in the South
China Sea rather than the other way round.
We are delighted that the 7th Ministerial
Meeting of China and Arab States Cooperation passed the Doha Declaration, which
stressed that Arab states support a peaceful
settlement of territorial and maritime
disputes between China and relevant
countries through friendly consultation and
negotiation based on bilateral agreements
and consensus among regional countries.
The right of sovereign states and signatory parties to UNCLOS to independently
choose the way to settle disputes in accordance with law must be respected.
President Xi Jinping
Sun Baohong
the freedom of navigation and overflight,
as well as peace and security in the South
China Sea. The root cause of the South China
Sea issue is the invasion and illegal occupation by certain countries of some islands and
reefs of China’s Nansha Islands. But China,
the biggest victim on the South China Sea
issue, has all along exercised great restraint
and committed itself to resolving disputes
through negotiations and consultations.
China supports and advocates the “dual
track” approach initiated by ASEAN Member States to handle the South China Sea
issue, i.e. while the relevant disputes are to be
resolved through negotiations and consultations between the states directly concerned
on the basis of respecting historical facts and
according to international law, China and
ASEAN Member States will work together
to maintain peace and stability in the South
China Sea. In recent years, maritime cooperation under DOC and the consultations
of the Code of Conduct in the South China
Sea (COC) is progressing through our joint
efforts.
The South China Sea has maintained
peace and stability on the whole and the freedom of navigation and overflight has never
seen any problems. During the presidency
of Gloria Arroyo, the Philippines conducted
cooperation on three-dimensional seismic
exploration with Vietnam and China in the
South China Sea.
China’s proposals
In the South China Sea issue, China’s proposal of “sovereignty belongs to China, shelve
disputes and pursue common development”
is feasible.
We believe that the regional countries have
the wisdom and capacity to resolve the South
China Sea issue properly. Recently, China’s
Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi. visited Brunei,
Cambodia and Laos and reached a four-point
consensus.
These are that “Disputes over some Nansha
islands and reefs are not an issue between
China and ASEAN, and should not affect
China-ASEAN relations;
The right enjoyed by sovereign states to
choose on their own ways to solve disputes
in line with the international law should be
respected, and an imposition of unilateral will
on others is opposed;
Disputes over territorial and maritime
rights and interests should be resolved
through dialogues and consultations by
parties directly concerned under Article 4 of
DOC;
China and ASEAN countries are able to
jointly maintain peace and stability in the
South China Sea through cooperation.”
China State Councillor, Mr. Yang Jiechi visited
Malaysia, and both sides agreed to settle
South China Sea-related issues through DOC
and to speed up the completion of COC.
Both China and ASEAN wish to reaffirm
Nansha Islands projects
Recently, China has conducted constructions on some islands and reefs of Nansha
Islands to improve the living and working
conditions of the Chinese staff stationed
there and provide public goods and services
to the regional countries. The facilities
built there, once completed, will be open to
regional countries for visits and use.
China also proposes to set up a cooperation mechanism for littoral countries in the
South China Sea to minimise differences
and expand common interests through
cooperation. China’s position on the South
China Sea issue is consistent and clear-cut.
We are committed to resolving the
disputes in a peaceful manner through
negotiations and consultations, to managing the disputes by establishing rules and
mechanisms, to seeking win-win outcome
through joint development and cooperation,
and to upholding freedom of navigation
and overflight, as well as peace and stability
in the South China Sea. It’s my firm belief
that China, with the increasing national
strength, will provide more public goods to
regional countries, play a more active role
in maintaining peace and security in the
South China Sea, and promote cooperation
among littoral states, as well as the regional
economic development.
The South China Sea arbitration initialled
by the Philippines is only a noise in the big
chapter of cooperation in the South China
Sea and will not hamper the expanding
collaboration between China and other
littoral states.
– Professor Sun Baohong, Chinese
Ambassador to Ghana, contributes
this article from Accra.
80
GAVEL TO GAVEL
Abia Assembly: Weathering
a Bipartisan Configuration
Edited by Vincent Obia
Emmanuel Ugwu, in Umuahia, looks at the colour and controversies of the bipartisan
composition of the 24-member Abia State House of Assembly, which now has nine opposition
APGA members, from an all- PDP Assembly before the last general election
W
ith a bipartisan composition, the sixth Abia
House of Assembly
commenced its legislative life on a tense
atmosphere. The bitterness that characterised
the 2015 general election in the state was yet to
dissolveatthetimetheAssemblywasinaugurated
on June 11 last year. It was further fuelled by the
strong presence of the main opposition party,
the All Progressives Grand Alliance, which gave
the ruling Peoples Democratic Party a run for
its money. It was the first time the opposition
was making its presence in the legislature felt
and in a big way.
The fifth session of Abia Assembly, which
expired in May last year, was 100 per cent PDP.
But at the end of the last governorship and House
ofAssemblypolls,APGApostedastrongshowing,
notching up 11 new lawmakers, thereby ending
PDP’s dominance of the 24-member legislature.
The ruling party was left with 13 makers.
Reversal
However, the configuration changed following
the tribunal judgements that made APGA lose
Aba North and Isuikwuato state constituencies.
The hand of PDP was further strengthened by its
new gains whileAPGA’s numerical strength was
eroded. With 15 lawmakers as against APGA’s
nine, the ruling party was just one seat less to
having two-third majority in the Assembly.
APGA lost Aba North when it was discovered
at the tribunal that its candidate that had won the
election possessed fake credentials while its only
female candidate, who was for the Isuikwuato
state constituency, was sacked at the appeal court
sitting in Owerri. For the APGAlawmakers that
survived the electoral battle and took their seats
in the Assembly, it was palpable trepidation, as
the image of the PDP was looming large since it
was in control of the Government House.
Gullibility
The naivety of the APGA lawmakers came
to the fore in July last year when the Assembly
approved the request by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to secure a N30 billion bank loan. APGA
lawmakers who at that time were 11 in number
all voted in the “unanimous resolution” giving
the governor the nod. But after the leadership of
theirpartyapparentlyscoldedthemforsheepishly
following their PDPcounterparts in approving the
loan deal without asking the needed questions,
the APGA lawmakers came back to shout blue
murder. They quickly withdrew their support for
the earlier resolution authorising the governor
to proceed with the loan arrangement. The then
Minority Leader, Hon. Abraham Oba, said the
opposition lawmakers were hoodwinked to
support the loan deal. He specifically alleged
that the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Martins
Azubuike, deliberately hid the details of the loan
from the lawmakers, hence they readily gave
their approval.
“We have been deceived by the Speaker.
He lied to us. And we are no longer part of the
approval,” Oba said at a press conference. He
added that the Speaker had told the lawmakers
that the proposed loan would be used for the
execution of infrastructural projects, including
dredging ofAba River.According to Oba, barely
48 hours after the resolution authorising the loan
was passed, they were shocked to learn that the
loan was actually not “a fresh borrowing,” but a
loan facility which the state government intended
to use in clearing accumulated debts hanging on
its neck. Oba said the new information on the
proposed loan at the disposal of the lawmakers
came about in media reports of a press briefing
by the governor’s Special Adviser on Economic
Affairs, Mr. Obinna Oriaku (now Commissioner
for Finance), who apparently contradicted what
the Speaker had told his fellow lawmakers
The opposition bravado cost Oba his post
as minority leader. He was also suspended
Abia House of Assmbly Complex
indefinitely. Unfortunately for the embattled
lawmaker, his APGA colleagues were not there
for him during his travails. Rather, the APGA
lawmakers while backing the removal of Oba
as minority leader and his indefinite suspension
from the Assembly were also jostling for who
would replace him as Minority Leader.
The mantle fell on Hon. Ikedi Ezekwesiri from
Umunneochi state constituency. He was a former
PDPlawmakerbutdefectedtoAPGAwhenhewas
denied a third term ticket. Since the replacement
of Oba, the seat of minority leader has become
a Russian roulette. Ezekwesiri has since given
way after the tribunal made him to go for rerun
election. His place was readily snapped up by
Hon. Chibuzo Solomon Okogbuo, representing
Bende south state constituency.
Weathering the Storm
To observers of the happenings in the sixthAbia
House of Assembly, the APGA imbroglio was
regarded as a fine recipe for crisis. It was, indeed,
expected that the Assembly would descend into
turbulent legislative life where the ruling party
and opposition lawmakers would constantly be
at daggers drawn. But one year on, the Speaker
said the legislature had calmly weathered the
storm and disappointed the doomsday prophets.
He said the sixth Abia Assembly had, indeed,
disappointed those that predicted and expected
a house of crisis where political differences
would hamper legislative process and impede
governance.
“We sat down and decided that it isAbia first,”
he said, adding that the two political parties on
which platform the lawmakers were elected
only served as vehicles that conveyed them to
the legislature and “we have left them behind.”
According to him, the sixthAbiaAssembly has
been able to manage its bipartisan composition
peacefully as “political parties are not factored
into our decisions because we consider how such
decisions would affect the people of Abia and
then our respective constituencies”. The Speaker
said APGAlawmakers were not regarded as opposition, adding, “I call it two parties working
for the progress of Abia.”
In presiding over the affairs of the bipartisan
Assembly, Azubuike said he was always at ease
because “the beauty of democracy is brought
out by opposition,” as the lawmakers always
deliberate on issues from every side of the prism.
“I want to report that the house is a very healthy
assembly,” he enthused.
Deputy Speaker, Hon Cosmos Ndukwe, corroborated this assertion, saying, “We are held
together by a common interest which cardinal
objective is to develop Abia and Abians in all
spheres of human life.” He added, “We have it at
thebackofourmindsthatrancour,mutualdistrust,
fanning the embers of disunity and legislative
rascality can only be counterproductive. We are
working harmoniously as one happy family.”
The Minority Leader did not disagree. He told
THISDAY, “We are working harmoniously in the
house.” Okogbue said though his party was in
the minority there was no intimidation by the
majority.
Common Interest
Some of the legislations, like the Public Private
Partnership and Investment Promotion Law, is
considered very critical in the effort to revamp the
Abia economy. In fact, the Speaker described it as
“one law we want to use to improve the economy
of the state.” He said this piece of legislation was
already yielding the desired dividends, as the
state government has leveraged on it to revive the
moribund industries, such as the Golden Guinea
Breweries Plc, Umuahia and International Glass
Industry, Aba.
Azubuike said the PPP law, which provides
opportunity for private sector investors to come
in and revive government-owned enterprises in
comatose, was expected to drive the revolution in
the agricultural sector of the state. Private sector
investors were already holding discussions with
the government to take over such agro-allied
enterprises and industries as palm plantations,
cocoa plantations, cashew plantations, Ogwe
Golden Chicken in Ukwa West, and the Oil Mills
atMbawsiinIsialaNgwaNorthlocalgovernment.
Other bills passed by the Assembly targeted
at enhancing the economic growth of the state
includeAbia State Board of Internal Revenue Law
(Amendment), Abia State Sand Excavation and
Quarry Sites Inspection, Registration, Loading
and Maintenance Law, andAbia State Marketing
Agency Law.
The lawmakers also focused on security in
their legislations, as investments and economic
growth would not flourish where insecurity
holds sway. The Abia State Security Fund Law
(Amendment) was intended to enhance security
in the state by involving the private sector in the
funding of security.
“The importance of this bill meant that we
didn’t record one dissenting voice as debate
concerning it raged in the house,” the deputy
speaker said. “Who does not know the essence
of such laws at a time our country is experiencing
the most agonising threat to security of lives and
property?”
Elaborating further on this law, the speaker
said it had been largely unimplemented hence
“we had to amend the law so that Abia people
can buy into it because security is everybody’s
business. And because it is very expensive there
was need for the private sector to contribute to
the security fund.” The speaker disclosed that
there were plans to procure equipment for tracking criminals and the project would be funded
through the security fund.
Accessibility
As representatives of the people, the sixthAbia
Assembly has in the last one year maintained a
close touch with the public. “The house has been
the people’s house,” Azubuike said, adding that
it has lived up to expectations by making sure
that every petition received from the public is
treated with the urgency deserved. He said all
petitions were looked into and proper directives
given “to the satisfaction” of those concerned.
The speaker said the Assembly carried the
people along by holding public hearings and
town hall meetings to give the people the opportunity to make inputs into legislations.
HealsosaidthattheAssemblyhadstrengthened
its oversight functions to ensure that MDAs utilise
their appropriations to serve the people well.And
to ensure that it not only barks but also bites, the
Assembly, according to the speaker, would set
up a legislative compliance committee to ensure
that resolutions adopted would be implemented
by the relevant MDAs.
Innovation
The sixth Assembly is not ossified in moving
with the time, as it has embraced modern communications platform in its legislative business.
The speaker said plans had been concluded to
introduce an innovation that would make it possible for members to contribute to debates in the
Assembly in absentia. To make this possible, he
said ICT equipment would be deployed soon
to enable the lawmakers to record 100 per cent
participation in the legislative business during plenary. With such ICT platform no member would
have an excuse for not making contributions to
deliberations of the Assembly, irrespective of the
distance that separates the absentee lawmaker
from the floor of the Assembly.
Its score card may look impressive but the sixth
Abia Assembly still has a lot to do in the task of
attaining a holistic development of the state. “We
have moved from where we started and it is still
work in progress,” the speaker said.
81
GAVEL TO GAVEL/INTERVIEW
Enoh: I’ve Remained Closely Involved
with My Constituency Since 1999
Senator John Owan Enoh is the senator for Cross River Central senatorial district and chairman,
Senate Committee on Finance. Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, Enoh has been
a lawmaker, making him one of the longest serving legislators in the country. He has also held the
chairmanship of both the finance and the appropriation committees of the House of Representatives.
Enoh turned 50 on June 4. In this interview with Paul Obi, Enoh speaks on his politics and the current
political and economic situation in Nigeria. Excerpts:
I
working with the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, the
Calabar-Ugep-Ikom-Ogoja-KatsinaAla road will receive maximum
attention in the 2017 appropriation.
At 50, how has life been for you?
turned 50 on June 4 and it is a golden birthday. I look back
at growing up from a little village, Agbokim Waterfalls,
made famous by the waterfalls that it has. Going through
school - the primary school through secondary to the
university to post-graduate and thereafter to having to
lecture and then taking a trip into politics and how long
I have been around. Through all these I feel I have been
blessed beyond measure. Everything that I have done in the
course of my several years, I think by God’s grace I have done
those things successfully well. I have been a passionate person,
very passionately committed to what I do. I have had cause to
mention elsewhere that after seven years of university lecturing,
when I resigned to run for office, my students were those that
received the first shock because of the kind of passion with which
I approached my job. They didn’t think that there was any other
job I was going to love better than lecturing. Unknown to them, I
had spent so much effort trying to get myself outside the shores
of the university. And since thereafter, first in 1998 during my
first election during the Abacha transition and fully in 1999 in
the Abdulsalami Abubakar transition up to the 2015 election,
the grace of God has remained tremendous.
What can the National Assembly do to ensure optimal
implementation of budgets by the executive?
What are the things that have struck you most in life?
In all my areas of engagement, the human being and the advancement of the human interest has remained the centrepiece
of my efforts. For me, there is about nothing else to live for than
to see how much you can add to the course of other people’s
lives. My earlier training in a Junior Seminary, it would seem,
continuous to play a very great role in this regard. In addition, I
studied sociology and it exposed me like never before to human
nature, understanding of human life, human society and I have
been pursuing the common good for society and for those that
I have had to work for, those that I have had to represent. In the
course of my politics, understanding human beings and human
society have remained cardinal in terms of everything I have
done. I have always told those who care to listen that I won’t
be anything today but for the benevolence of people and the
society that produced me and, therefore, having to continue to
serve society, having to continue to serve those that I represent
have remained a passion for me and have remained the most
fulfilling thing that I have come to find.
Politically, you seem to have so much goodwill. What
is behind this?
First, I will say it is God’s grace and I don’t take this for granted.
It is not because I possess anything extraordinary. I have also kept
things simple and ordinary in addition to remaining in close touch
with my constituency. Before I ran for Senate, I told a cross-section
of people that I was addressing that because of how involved I get
with those I represent, whether as a state assembly member with
10 wards or as member of the House of Reps where I represented
21 wards for 12 years, I remain close and very involved with my
constituency. So my greatest challenge when I wanted to run for
Senate was to ask myself vividly that with the Central senatorial
district of Cross River comprising 66 wards, will I be able to be
as equally involved in all the 66 wards as senator representing
the Central senatorial district or not. Once I answered this in the
affirmative I got going with my aspiration. So for me, remaining
in touch with my people remains key. Thus far as a senator I’ve
remained true to this. In addition, I have kept some habits constant,
I am one person who is noted within the length and breadth of
the people that I represent as one who takes his calls not minding
who the caller is and whether I have the callers number or not.
Added to this is the fact that I reply to all the messages that I get.
For majority of those that we represent they just want to know
that they are appreciated. The fact that a person who sends a
text in one local community gets a reply from the senator or an
elected member is very gratifying. You can pick my number on
the streets in my constituency.
In what specific ways have you touched the lives of your
people since you came into active politics?
I have spent all my years in politics in the legislature and you
can try to look at what and how I have affected my constituency
in terms of the essential role of a legislator. I identified very early
in my political career that I also had to do a little bit more than
what a lawmaker should do. If you go to Cross River today,
without being immodest, so many people will agree that the
politics of empowerment, the politics of intervention in people’s
constituencies was actually begun by me. I started very early in
making sure that once every year I did some kind of intervention
programme for my constituency and I started it right from when
Enoh
I was in the House of Assembly. I appreciated early that beyond
having to be a mouthpiece for my constituency, beyond having
to see what projects that I can attract, because sometimes due
to how bad budget implementation has been since the onset of
democracy, you can put projects in the budget in the course of one
year and the budget doesn’t get implemented, your constituency
does not have the benefit of what you have put in. You can thus
end up having nothing to show through your tenure. For me,
therefore, beyond what I can get the government to do for my
people, I reasoned there are things I can actually do for my people
through my own initiative. This was the philosophy underlying my
empowerment programmes. When I won election to the senate,
within my first few months of being in the senate, I pioneered
something else – going back to the constituency to go and tell
them thank you, to go and appreciate them for electing me into
the Senate. I did thank-you tours to all the local government areas
in my senatorial district. In the next couple of years, it is going to
become a common practice but when it does let’s not forget how
it started! Some months back, I organised a forum which I called
the second edition of Senator Owan Enoh Meets with Youths of
the senatorial district in which I invited a renowned career coach
and motivational speaker, Muyiwa Afolabi, to come and interface
with youths of my senatorial district.
It worries me a lot. The only thing is that before getting to see
what solutions can be done, you also need to look at what will be
the reason why a budget will not be implemented. One reason
could be the lack of will on the part of the executive to implement
the budget but the other and more profound reason is that every
budget remains an intention, a plan. That plan has two components
– the revenue side that talks about the expected revenue in the
course of the year and then the expenditure side in terms of what
the government actually intends to do. Unless government is able
to realise its projected revenue, there will always be a problem in
terms of budget implementation. For example the 2016 budget
was predicated on the fact that daily oil production is going to
be about 2.2 million barrels per day. In the last few weeks, there
have been reports related to the fact that the government of the
federation is losing about 800, 000 barrels per day. This means
that the expected volume of oil production per day is not being
met. And this is not even been covered by the market price of
crude where you can say for example that crude is now climbing
close to $50 whereas we budgeted for $38. You have to consider
for how long this has been in the course of 2016. We have spent
most of the year with lower oil prices. Thus, the impetus for the
inability of government to achieve a hundred per cent budget
implementation in 2016 is already being laid. What I am trying
to say is that try as we try, in spite of the will on the part of the
executive to implement the budget, if this shortfall continues then
there is going to be a challenge in terms of appropriate or proper
budget implementation. This will be different from when all the
revenues are realised and what you find is just irresponsibility
and an insufficient lack of will to want to implement the budget.
All these need to be taken together and highlighted in order to
be able to find out what possibly can be done.
What do you think is the way forward for PDP considering
its last controversial national convention and the crisis in
the party?
I think that after the various conventions that were held, whether
the Abuja convention or the Port Harcourt convention, the PDP
is at a point now that no matter how bad things were in the past,
with a setting up of a caretaker committee and the discussions that
are going on, only the best can be expected to come out. I believe,
for example, that the various contending forces are going to be
able to reconcile, are going to de-emphasise personal interest and
are going to look at the interest of the party and the interest of the
country. Because the PDP for now remains an alternative platform,
so everybody is committed, the outcome of the convention in
Port Harcourt and the fact that the convention did not go ahead
to hold an elective convention is an indication that the party was
sensitive to peoples’ concerns about the direction the party was
going. So I think that what is going to play out in the next couple
of days and weeks is only going to be an attempt to see how to
unify the PDP and get everybody who feels reasonably aggrieved
to get back to the PDP and resolve all common issues.
Despite having many people in prominent national posiWhat informed your decision to set up a diabetes foundations, Cross River State still seems to be grappling with
many avoidable development gaps, like bad road network tion to mark your 50th birthday?
I could have gone for anything else outside diabetes; I think
and many communities not linked to the national grid.
that the more important thing is the philosophy behind it. The
How can these challenges be overcome?
The challenges you have mentioned are more or less true. My
attitude is to consider them as work in progress. The sorry state
of our roads has remained so not for lack of efforts but for the fact
that the efforts have not yielded the positive results or the desired
impact. I have been very vocal about the fact that the worst state of
roads in our country is in Cross River. During the administration of
the former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, he did a lot
in terms of rural roads. Unfortunately, the major federal roads that
these roads were linked to remained in very bad state. So in Cross
River, rural communities enjoy good road network whereas the
major roads, which are the federal government roads, remain in
a state of disrepair. As chairman of committee on appropriation, I
worked with the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office as well
as my colleagues to make budgetary provisions for, particularly,
the Calabar-Ugep-Ikom-Ogoja-Katsina Ala road. But because of
the non-implementation of budget all that effort mattered little.
At some point, I worked with FERMA to see if I could get some
intervention done. Although, it was done in a few sections of the
road but the quality of the road failed very easily. The 2016 budget
captured the Calabar-Odukpani-Itu road and my hope is that
foundation can be on anything. I haven’t celebrated a birthday
before but I am looking on to turning 50. I said to myself I am
not a guy who would want to celebrate just for the fun of it and
that if I have to celebrate my 50th birthday, I must identify an
area of human need, human problem, and intervene as part of
my commitment to society. Especially because that commitment
remained at the top of my politics all this while; and so I thought
that turning 50 and looking at the grace of God upon my life, it
was important to come up with something that I can bequeath to
society; something that can add value. While all this was playing
up on my mind I got introduced to the idea of diabetes by a
young lawyer. Gradually this idea sunk in when I appreciated
how many diabetic cases I’ve had to deal with in the course of my
public office career. I’ve appreciated more and more people that
I have watched their health deteriorate, and very fast, due to this
ailment. And when I compare who I saw in them before the onset
of diabetes, I see the ravages of diabetes in them, it just made it
more imperative that this is where to go. A few months back, I
had a meeting with my local government staff and I tried to get
them to see how they can identify some diabetic cases. You will
be amazed at the huge number of cases that they are reporting.
82
GAVEL TO GAVEL/INTERVIEW
Mrakpor: We Won’t Take This Insult Lying Down
Hon. Onyemachi Mrakpor represents Aniocha North/Aniocha South/ Oshimili Federal
Consistency of Delta State in the House of Representatives. Mrakpor, who was allegedly
assaulted by the aides of the Controller General of Prisons at the gate of the National Assembly
complex, recently, tells Damilola Oyedele why justice must be done in the case. Excerpts:
H
ave you taken any
steps to seek redress
on the alleged assault
on you by the Prisons
Controller General’s
aides?
I have already sued for
N4.4 billion and the case has been assigned
to the Federal High Court, Kuje. We are
waiting for hearing date and notices have
been served. I have also visited the Inspector
General of Police to let him know that I was
a bit disappointed that the police, after about
one month, is yet to charge the case to court.
He was not also very happy about it and
immediately he sent for the CP in charge
of the FCT to find out what has been the
cause of the delay. I intend to follow this
case logically and constitutionally, too. So
when I checked back, the IG said he had had
briefing from the FCT commissioner, and
they were doing one or two administrative
things. There are certain rules guiding some
establishments in going to court, and so
they are waiting to hear from their legal
department on the best approach.
I just think that if this happened to me as a
member of the House of Representatives and
the persons concerned are treating me like
a nobody, it means that it is really horrible
for the Nigerian woman out there. I had
also wondered if I was as irresponsible as
the Deputy Controller General portrayed
that day, when he got down from his car
and started banging on my vehicle before
the Inspector came from the other side to
slap me. What would have happened if I
had also ordered my orderly who was in
the car, or if I had also jumped down and
ordered my orderly to slap the Deputy
Controller General back? My orderly was
armed; the Inspector of Prisons was armed.
Supposing I did not have some restraints, if I
had behaved like the man and our orderlies
went into gun exchange and somebody had
dropped dead, would it have taken one
month for the person to be arrested? So I
am still waiting for the police to charge the
case to court but, like I said, I have sued.
Has the Controller General of Prisons reached out to you personally in
any form of apology, even though he
apologised at the hearing?
No, I want us to get it right. The apology
that we heard from the Controller General
of Prisons, Ikpendu, that day was not an
apology to me per say. When he told the
hearing that he had confirmed that his men
assaulted me, a member asked him why he
did not verify that before going to press to
accuse me of lying. That was when he said
he was sorry. So he apologised for saying I
lied, and for saying the House lied before
confirming the assault. But since that day,
the day of the public hearing, nobody has
reached me. They didn’t bother about me;
they just think it is one bloody woman. But
I heard from my colleagues that they have
been going from one person to the other
reaching out to my colleagues, that they
should not allow the House report to see
the light of the day.
I appreciate the House; the House rose up
immediately to condemn the assault on my
person. But Nigerian Prisons should know
that beyond the House, I am a woman, I
have an identity, I am a married woman,
I am educated, I know what an insult is, I
know my rights. So beyond the House, God
standing by me, I can fight for myself and
fight for the Nigerian woman. In Nigeria we
are treated like second class, we are treated
like people less than human beings and most
times I cannot fathom why. The womb bore
the President, the womb bore the husband,
the womb bore the son, the womb bore the
brother, but it is disregarded as if she does
not have any meaning to the society.
At the hearing, there was argument
as to whether or not you were slapped
tions and to lay the report?
Two things delayed the report; one, the
major actor in the whole drama, Kangiwa
(Deputy Controller), decided to absent
himself on the day of the public hearing.
And thereafter he went threatening if the
House adopted that report without hearing
from him, he was going to sue.
And the House leadership decided that
the best thing to do was to pick another date
to hear him and that has been done. But
immediately after that we had a challenge of
the returned budget. Also the considerations
of House reports are presided over by the
deputy speaker, but he was also mandated to
head the budget harmonisation committee,
so he was engaged in that period.
Many would say as a Christian you
are expected to forgive and forget this
matter. How would you respond to that?
Mrakpor
or pushed. What exactly happened?
Yes, I was slapped but people consider slap
to be sideways or frontal. It was a ‘frontal’
slap in my face and my glasses fell. I had
wound down the glass, brought my head
out to look, because I was thinking there
was a dent on their vehicle and that was
when the Inspector came. So it was frontal
because it was my face that was directly to
his face, saying why are you banging on my
vehicle, and I just heard this gbam, “you
prostitute, don’t you know a convoy.” So
it was frontal on my glasses and that was
what the man, the sergeant at arms, was
trying to describe.
The only person that reached out to me
was the Inspector of Prisons who slapped
me, Idaa (SIP Odeh Idaa). A colleague of
mine who is his representative met me in
the chambers and said Idaa’s family came to
him, pleading because the House announced
that he should be sacked. And I said to my
colleague that I didn’t like that Idaa lied
there, at the hearing.
He said he was sorry that he lied because
he was scared. I said, well, if he has now
come to confirm that he actually slapped
me, he should go to the newspapers and say
he did it, and he went to two newspapers
and apologised.
I told my colleague that when that portion
of the House’s decision is to be debated,
I believe that whatever is due to Idaa is
also due to the man who sent Idaa. If the
man, Idaa, was seated in the vehicle until
the Deputy Controller General got down,
came to my vehicle, tried to forcefully pull
the driver out of the vehicle, banging on the
vehicle; it would have been somehow for
Idaa to just sit down and act like nothing
was happening.
Remember my orderly was harassed for
just sitting down, for not doing anything.
So it was the Deputy Controller General’s
action that made Idaa to come down from
his vehicle to slap me. So whatever recommendation is due Idaa should be applied to
the Deputy Controller. The Deputy Controller
General at his level is supposed to be more
civil and be able to control himself.
He is not a police officer, he is not the traffic
warden, it is not his office so he didn’t have
any reason whatsoever to come down to
do that. If he had anything to say, he had
an orderly in his car, he should have asked
the orderly to instruct the policemen at the
gate to inspect my vehicle, if he had any
suspicions about it.
Are you disappointed that it took
the House, where you are a member,
sometime to be done with the investiga-
No, I want us to get it
right. The apology that we
heard from the Controller
General of Prisons,
Ikpendu, that day was not
an apology to me per say.
When he told the hearing
that he had confirmed
that his men assaulted
me, a member asked him
why he did not verify that
before going to press to
accuse me of lying. That
was when he said he was
sorry
Yes, many have asked me that question,
they say, “You are a television evangelist,
you preach forgiveness, are you not going
to forgive?” and I say, yes, of course, I will.
There are two things about forgiveness; I
don’t bear grudges against any of them,
I have forgiven them. But what I need to
establish is that you don’t just treat somebody
like the person does not exist. I have been
treated like I do not exist and I want to let
them know that I do exist, that is basically
what I am driving at.
By the grace of God, I have been in active
politics since 1999, I have held different
positions and I have contested elections. I
have gone through the Delta State House
of Assembly for two terms and now I am
here. I have never, and I don’t subscribe
to having my people beat up somebody
but I am quick to pick up anybody who is
against me, have the police pick the person
up. I like to obey the law. If for whatever
reasons, maybe in the course of my contesting elections or suddenly you just pick at
me, I write a petition to the police, saying,
please, investigate this person. I don’t take
laws into my hands.
There was one issue in my community,
I quickly petitioned the police in the area
that was responsible. The police came in,
got the people arrested and after about one
or two weeks, they came back to say they
were sorry and that they were going to be
of good behaviour. I would have said, oh, I
am a lawmaker, everybody go, begin to beat
everybody you see on the street, I don’t want
to be lawless and I don’t like lawlessness.
So back to the question, yes, I have forgiven, but I don’t even know who I am
forgiving, nobody has asked me for forgiveness. So the man who came banging
on my vehicle, that assaulted me, called
me all sorts of names, the controller and
everybody, nobody has asked for forgiveness. Like I said, the Controller General,
Epkendu, asked the House for forgiveness
for saying that the House lied. So they are
two different things. From the moment we
finished with the public hearing they went
to their different ways, not even a phone
call. So the word of God says, “forgive those
who sinned against you so that your Father
would forgive you, so when you ask your
Father He would forgive you”.
If I sinned against you now and say oh
Lord, I have sinned against my sister, Lord,
forgive me, my sister, I am sorry. But if I
say to you, “who are you?” Somehow for
the benefit of others, you might just want
to say I am somebody. And I think that is
the stage where we are now.
This would be quiet discouraging for
so many women; tomorrow a woman is
coming back from the market and another
person decides to brutalise her.
She will just go home quietly saying, “if
they could slap a lawmaker and nothing
came out of it and nobody even told her
sorry, who am I?” So I need to correct that.
Women are dying in silence and it would
continue if we do not speak out like this.
83
NEWSXTRA
Appoints Ogbonna
INEC Urges Tribunal to Dismiss APC Ikpeazu
SSA on Arts and Tourism
Candidate’s Petition against Mark
Anayo Okolie
George Okoh in Makurdi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has
urged the National Assembly
Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, to dismiss the
petition filed by the defeated All
Progressives Congress (APC),
candidate at the last Benue South
senatorial rerun election, Mr.
Daniel Onjeh, on the ground that
it was time and status barred.
The APC candidate Onje is
challenging the victory of Senator David Mark of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), in the
February 20 rerun poll citing
electoral malpractices.
Addressing the Tribunal,
INEC through its counsel, Mr.
Johnson Usman maintained that
the petition failed to comply with
provisions of Paragraph 4(1) of
Wike is an Agent of Genuine
Development, Says Mark
Former Senate President, Senator
David Mark has commended
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom
Ezenwo Wike for using his
mandate to positively change
the developmental outlook of the
state.
Mark, who stated this while
commissioning the 8-kilometre
Ozuoba-Ogbogoro-Rumuolumeni road in Obio/Akpor Local
Government Area on Saturday,
also described Wike as agent of
“true change” who has improved
the living condition of the people
by the delivery of democracy
dividends.
Mark said: “so far, he has
governed well, now people are
beginning to see the results of the
promises that he made.
“He is not only keeping his
promises , he also has the welfare
of the people at heart. That is what
governance is all about. Those
who voted him are reaping in the
benefits of democracy.
“Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is a man of action who keeps to his words and
promises. I want to thank you for
keeping to your promises.’
Hesaid allthePDP Governors
have kept their promises, while
those who promised change to
Nigerians have failed to deliver.
“I am a great advocate of
change the change. Because what
brought APC to power is change.
Now we have seen that change
has not taken place. We have to
change that change now.”
the First Schedule of the Electiral
Act, 2010 as amended.
Relying further on the
provisions of 225(5) of the 1999
Constition, Usman argued that
since the petition was filed out
of time, it should be struck out
accordingly.
In his submission, counsel to
Mark, Mr. Ken Ikonne, who challenged an application by Daniel
Onjeh’s counsel, Adetunji Oso,
seeking a consolidated hearing
of all the motions tendered before
the tribunal maintained that the
court lacked the jurisdiction to
entertain the suit and should
dismiss it outrightly for being
filed out of time.
The PDP counsel, Chris
Alechenu, who aligned himself
with the argument that the suit
be dismissed since it was filed out
of time and status barred.
Universities in India Open 2016/17
Academic Year Admissions
Edusoft Associates, the leading
provider of university admission
services in the best universities in
India, has announced the opening
of the 2016/17 programme for
enrolment.
This is with a view to starting
classes in July/August of this year,
Mr. Badri Prasad, Chief Executive
Officer of Edusoft Associates Limited said.
With the increasing difficulties
in accessing foreign exchange and
high fees of schools in countries
that Nigerians have traditionally
looked up to for quality education,
seeking equally good alternatives
has become even more imperative,
he said. “Nigerians have realised
that they can actually study in
world class universities at a fraction
of the fees charged by schools in the
United Kingdom and the United
States. Since degrees acquired in
universities in India are at par with
schools in the UK and the US, we
have in the last three years seen an
upsurgeinthenumberofNigerians
studying in universities in India,”
Prasad disclosed.
Some of the major attractions
this year include the availability of
scholarship to select students, siblings’discountsinwhichonesibling
paysthefullfeeandtheotherreceiving huge discount on fees, transfer
of credits from schools in the UK
and the US to continue studying in
India at a fraction of the fees in the
previous school, including work
opportunities for post-graduate
students.
Abia State Governor, Okezie
Ikpeazu has named Mr. Kingsley
Ogbonna, popularly known as
Dauda, his Senior Special Adviser
on Arts and Tourism.
Ogbonna, who is among the
talented Nigerian actors is a Mass
Communication graduate from
Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra
State. The Comic-Actor hails from
Obingwa Local Government Area
of Abia State. Ogbonna said his
appointment as the Senior Special
Adviser on Arts and Tourism is a
call to service, which would give
him the opportunity to serve his
people.
According to him, “This
administration in Abia State under
Governor Ikpeazu is committed to
see that Abia State is repositioned fo
better, and I have just been called to
join the team to help the governor to
interpret his dreams for the state.
“It is a call to service, and I
will give my best. Those of us
who started what is known as
Nollywood and entertainment
in Nigeria today know that Aba
played a major role in production,
promotion and marketing of our
works, but suddenly and somehow,
Aba was no longer in the picture,
but Governor Ikpeazu is poised to
reverse the trend and we are here
to support him and make it work.”
Udi LGA Denies Fresh
Herdsmen Attack
Anayo Okolie
Udi Local Government Area of
Enugu State has denied media reports about tension in Akpakume/
NzeCommunityduetoinvasionby
Fulani herdsmen. Chairman of the
council, Dr. Hyacinth Ngwu, said in
a press statement yesterday that the
reports, which alleged protests in
the area over “persistent harassment
and attacks on the community by
suspected Fulani herdsmen,” were
surprising and misleading.
Ngwu said following the
recent killings by some herdsmen
at Nimbo, in Uzo-Uwani Local
Government Area of the state,
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had
put measures in place to avoid a
reoccurrence. He said the security
arrangement, which involved the
government and people of Enugu
State, the security agencies, and the
Fulani and Shuwa Arab herding
communities, was working, stressing that there is no cause for alarm.
Some of the measures, Ngwu
recalled, were the banning of
night grazing and movement of
cattle, compulsory payment for
farmlands destroyed by cattle and
cattle killed by locals, and regular
meetings by the stakeholders.
84
T H I S D AY, T H e S u n D AY n e w S pA p e r • JUNE 12, 2016
SUNDAYSPORTS
Edited by Demola Ojo
Nigerians Mourn Amodu
Wale Ajimotokan and Tobi Soniyi in Abuja, Yekini
Jimoh in Lokoja and Demola Ojo
N
igeria’s Vice President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was
among many personalities
who sent condolences to the
family of former Super Eagles
coach, Shuaibu Amodu, who
died yesterday morning.
Osinbajo said the nation was
shocked by Shaibu’s death.
He said: ”Coming just four days after the
death of former player and coach, Stephen Keshi,
Nigeria has lost yet another dedicated public
servant who worked tirelessly to bring honour
to our country. He led the national team to two
World Cup tournaments and answered the call to
serve as national coach on a number of occasions.
“Indeed his life was dedicated to finding and
grooming some of Nigeria’s best soccer talents
and providing them the leadership and guidance
that enabled them to excel.
“Shuaibu Amodu’s work as National Coach
of Nigeria’s national team brought gladness to
the nation and fulfillment to many. His legacy
is secured in the memories of Nigerians who
will forever recall the exploits his teams recorded
across the African continent and around the
world.
“His dutiful service spanned many years and
our country is grateful for his selflessness and
immense contributions. Though the nation is
pained at his death, we take solace in the joyful
memories he left behind.”
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State described
the demise of Amodu as a great loss to the
Nigerian football community, referring to the
ex-Super Eagles coach as a football genius who
contributed immensely to the development of
football not only in Nigeria, but Africa as a whole.
.”Few days after losing the ‘Big Boss’ Keshi to
the cold hands of death, we are again dazed by
the demise of a football genius with unblinking
commitment to the growth of the round leather
game in Nigeria and Africa.
“In his hey days as both a professional
footballer and coach, the late Amodu displayed
unparalleled professionalism, defending the
integrity and excellence of the Nigerian colours
with unmatched candour and desire. His death
is a blow to the football family around the world.”
Governor Bello described the late Amodu as a
cool-headed, intelligent and goal-getting tactician
who never got the high credit commensurate
with his great contributions to the development of
Nigerian football.
His words: “As a recurring decimal in Nigerian
football for decades, his judgements, commitment
and hunger for success was never in doubt.
The people of Kogi State wish to commiserate
with the family of the deceased, the people and
Government of Edo State as well as the Nigerian
Football Federation which the late tactician served
as Technical Director until his death.”
Also, former Senate President, Senator David
Mark has lamented the sudden death of Amodu.
Amodu
Senator Mark stated: “It’s devastating to hear
that Amodu Shuaibu passed on to the great
beyond. We were struggling to come to terms
with the death of Stephen Keshi only to be
confronted with yet another blow.
“Unarguably, Amodu was one of our best
football handlers both at the club level and
continental assignments. Over time, he demonstrated unwavering commitment and love for
country. He was a great patriot in the real sense
of the word.
“He was always handy even at very critical
moments. Honestly, Nigeria has lost one of her
best and fertile minds in football administration.
We shall miss his frank and professional disposition. We have lost a reliable and dependable
administrator.”
Senator Mark urged the NFF to immortalize
Amodu in recognition and appreciation of his
contributions to development of sports especially
soccer in Nigeria.
Meanwhile NFF president Amaju Pinnick
remarked: “This is another tragedy too many.
We are still talking about Keshi’s death, and now
Amodu is gone. I’m short of words.”
Amodu was approached to replace Sunday
Oliseh earlier this year as Super Eagles coach
but declined on health grounds, according to
the country’s football authority. Oliseh who
worked under Amodu as a player and coach
tweeted: “Waking up to another devastating
horrible news: Amodu Shuaibu, former coach
of Nigeria is proclaimed dead! First Keshi and
now this. God help us!”
that I should calm down.
“He said he would be in Okpella today. He
briefly said something about death because I
knew Stephen Keshi and I asked of him. He
said he (Keshi) had not been buried because
he was not a Muslim and that if he (Amodu)
died he would be buried immediately.
“He was not sick. He had not been fasting
in the last three years because of his health
condition and I don’t know why he decided
to fast this year. He was not particularly sick
apart from sickness associated with aging.
“Just two weeks ago, he called me personally and told me that I should work hard. He
said I should forget his name and fame. That
there is nothing in the world. That I should
just be hardworking.”
Meanwhile, a former coach of Nigeria’s
Golden Eaglets, Godwin Izilein, has described
Amodu’s death as a mystery to him. Izilein
who said he was with Amodu until at about
9pm Friday, said they had agreed to meet
again by 10 Saturday morning.
Weeping, Izilein said, “I don’t just know what
is happening anymore. We were together last
night and he complained of nothing. He was
hale and hearty. I got him a driver and he was
happy with it. I even went with him to the
commissioner of police office to sort out some
family issue last night.
“He only said he was hungry and I told him
to go home to eat while I go home. It was then
we agreed to meet again this morning with the
driver I got him.
“I was woken up this morning with a call
from his brother that they don’t know what
is happening to Amodu. I rushed to Central
Hospital and searched all the wards but found
him nowhere only for me to be told his lifeless
body was in the morgue of Stella Obasanjo
hospital.
“I am in a trance, Amodu was a great guy.
Seeing his body in the mortuary is a confirmation that he is gone. My greatest pain or fear
now is what is going to happen to the family,”
he cried.
...First Son, Close Friend Recount Last Moments
Adibe Emeyonu in Benin City
Abdul-Aziz Amodu, son of the late Shuaibu
Amodu, said he woke up to receive the news
of his father’s death on a day he planned to
depart for the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC).
Abdul-Aziz, 26, who is a graduate of the
Igbinedion University, Okada, added that he
last spoke with his father on Friday and that
the late Amodu “was not particularly sick”
before his death yesterday morning.
“I just woke up this morning (Saturday) and
saw someone rush to the house to say that
Shuaibu Amodu was dead. The person said I
should tell my uncle. I asked if the person was
talking about my father and he said yes; that it
happened this morning.
“My last conversation with my father was
yesterday (Friday) morning. I was supposed to
depart (for NYSC) this morning (Saturday), so
I called him over that. He didn’t pick my calls,
but he called back. He said he was busy and
• Born April 18, 1958 in Edo State.
• Played as Striker for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes.
His playing career ended after he broke his leg.
• Managed Shooting Stars, BCC Lions, El Kanemi
Warriors, Sharks FC and Orlando Pirates of South Africa.
• Most decorated coach in Nigerian FA Cup history,
having won it in 1989, 1992, 1993 and 1994. He also won
the Nigeria League and Cup double in 1994, and won
the Super Cup in 1989, 1993 and 1994.
• First managed the Nigerian national team in 1994,
replacing Clemens Westerhof. Led the team to the 1995
King Fahd Cup in Saudi Arabia.
• Managed the Nigerian national team from April
2001 to February 2002, where he led Nigeria to the
AFCON bronze medal at Mali 2002.
•Appointed Head Coach of the Nigerian national
side in April 2008, and was sacked February 2010 despite
reaching third place with the national side in the 2010
African Cup of Nations in Angola.
• Appointed Technical Director of Nigeria’s national
teams in May 2013.
• Named Technical Director of Bendel Insurance FC
in November 2013.
• Re-appointed Nigeria manager in October 2014,
replacing Stephen Keshi. It was his fourth spell in charge
of the country. Keshi returned to the role two weeks later
but was fired in July 2015 and Amodu took over the
Eagles again temporarily. Replaced by Sunday Oliseh on
a permanent basis later that month.
• Following the resignation of Oliseh, the NFF again,
appointed Amodu as the new interim coach of the
national team. The new coaching crew alongside Amodu
was made up of Salisu Ibrahim, Alloy Agu, Imama
Amakapabo and Kennedy Boboye.
85
SUNDAYSPORTS/
England, Russia Share Spoils in Marseille
R
ussia captain Vasili
Berezutski headed a
last-gasp leveller against
England yesterday to steal
a 1-1 draw in a European
Championship match in
Marseille, France, marred
by a third day of fan
violence.
England seemed to be heading for
victory when midfielder Eric Dier fired in
a 20 metre free kick past Russia’s veteran
goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. But three
minutes from the final whistle in the
Group B match, Joe Hart and his defence
took their eye off the ball. Berezutski rose
to meet a cross and sent a looping header
into the net.
England players walked off disconsolate while there was more violence in
the Stade Velodrome as fans left, adding
to the 31 injured in street battles in the
Marseille port district earlier.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Dier.
“We gave away a draw. We just didn’t
see it out the right way. We have to pick
ourselves up and go again.”
England manager Roy Hodgson
handed five Tottenham players their
major finals debut for the match, leaving
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy on the
bench.
England had to battle with the injurydepleted Russians to get ahead in the 77th
minute however. England won a free kick
on the edge of the area when Russian
left-back Georgi Shchennikov impeded
Spurs midfielder Dele Alli.
After Harry Kane’s dummy run, Gary
Cahill created a hole in the defensive wall
and Dier stepped up to fire into the top
corner of the net.
It was England’s first free kick goal in a
major tournament since David Beckham
scored against Ecuador in 2006.
But Russia refused
to throw in the
towel and when they
broke clear on the
left, Berezutski did
well to rise above
Danny Rose to leave
Hart, and England
stunned.
Russias last-gasp equaliser dropping in as England players watch in despair
Germany Open Euro Quest
against Ukraine
Turkey’s coach, Fatih Terim, oversaw a 2008 penalty win for Turkey over Croatia
Dark Horses Turkey, Croatia
Battle for Points in Paris
Turkey face Croatia as Euro 2016 Group D
gets underway at the Parc des Princes this afternoon. Both sides arrive at the tournament
in good form and will be looking to make a
winning start in Paris to boost their chances
of reaching the knockout stages.
Croatia are unbeaten since last September
and hit double figures in last Saturday’s 10-0
demolition of minnows San Marino.
A late surge saw Turkey win four of their
final five qualifying games to secure third
spot and book a place in a major tournament
for the first time in eight years.
Both sides are likely to go with one striker,
meaning this game could well be settled in
the middle of the park.
Croatia can boast the inclusion of experienced La Liga duo Luka Modric (Real
Madrid) and Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), who
have both shone on the international stage in
the past decade.
Rakitic, 28, said: “It is true that we have a
lot of years together. I was talking to Luka
and saying that it was time to do something
serious. This Euros will be the best quality in
recent years. We will do our best. We believe
in our team, we have a nice mix of old and
young players in big clubs.”
Turkey defeated Croatia on penalties in
the quarter-final in Euro 2008 before eventually going down 3-2 to Germany in the semis.
They were managed back then by Fatih
Terim, who returned to the national hotseat
for a second spell in 2013 and is determined
to repeat his previous success in France.
Terim told uefa.com: “Expectations are
always high when it comes to me, but I’m
used to it and have almost always lived up
to them. You need to take these tournaments
step by step. First, let’s get out of this group if
we can. Then, after surviving a group with
Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia, I feel
Turkey should climb much higher.”
Terim’s big selection dilemma is whether
to go with Cenk Tosun or Burak Yilmaz up
front in a one-man attack. Mario Mandzukic
of Juventus is likely to lead Croatia’s front
line.
Both sides arrive in France at full strength
so neither manager has any injury headaches.
This is Turkey and Croatia’s third encounter at the European Championships. Croatia
won 1-0 in the Euro 1996 group stages whilst
Turkey won on penalties in the quarter-finals
at Euro 2008 (1-1, 3-1 on pens).
Turkey have won none of their six games
against Croatia (D4 L2). They knocked them
out in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals but that
was after a penalty shoot-out.
Turkey are appearing in their fourth Euro,
with those four qualifications coming in
the last six tournaments. They had failed to
qualify for any of the previous nine European Championships.
Turkey have improved on their position
each year they have qualified for the European Championships. They were knocked
out in the group stages in 1996 before reaching the quarter-finals in 2000 and the semis
in 2008.
This is Croatia’s fifth appearance at the
European Championships. They have failed
to qualify for the tournament just once in
their history (2000).
In their four previous appearances Croatia have reached the quarter-finals twice;
however they finished third in the group
stage four years ago.
World Cup winners Germany commence
their bid to claim the European crown
against Ukraine this evening in Lille. The
Germans will be strong favourites to make a
winning start, although a growing injury list
is sure to raise Ukrainian hopes of an upset.
Defence is undoubtedly the weakest
link for manager Joachim Low going into
the game, with a huge question mark
surrounding the fitness of Mats Hummels
who is struggling to shake off a calf problem.
Antonio Rudiger would have been the ideal
replacement at centre half, although he tore
his cruciate ligaments in training last week
and will miss the entire tournament.
Germany didn’t exactly set their qualifying group alight, going down to surprise
defeats against Poland and the Republic of
Ireland.
That is bound to lift Ukraine’s confidence
and assistant coach Andriy Shevchenko
believes strong organisation could provide
the key to unlocking an unfamiliar looking
German back four.
He told Uefa.com: “Ukraine are a well
equipped and compact team. We have
developed a certain style, and our opponents
know it’s never easy against us.
“We do not concede many, we always play
with great commitment, and we have top
players like Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen
Konoplyanka. I think this side has a good
chance of getting through the group.”
Germany’s Hummels is set for a late
fitness test and will be replaced by either
Joshua Kimmich or Shkodran Mustafi if he
misses out. Meanwhile, Low must decide
RESULTS & FIXTURE
Switzerland
Wales
England
1-0
2-1
1-1
Turkey
Poland
Germany
v
v
v
Albania
Slovakia
Russia
Croatia 2pm
N/Ireland 5pm
Ukraine 8pm
whether to go with Mario Gomez or Mario
Gotze up front.
Germany are unbeaten against Ukraine,
winning two and drawing three. This is
Germany’s 12th Euros, more than any other
team. They have won it three times (1972,
1980, 1996), the most alongside Spain (1964,
2008, 2012).
Germany have won seven of their last
nine games in the European Championships, losing twice (2008 final v Spain &
2012 semi-final v Italy).
Low has taken charge of 11 games
as manager at the Euros, the joint-most
alongside Berti Vogts. He has led Germany
since 2006, the longest current tenure
among managers who made it to Euro 2016.
This is the Ukraine’s second appearance
at the European Championship finals.
However, it’s the first time they’ve qualified
for the tournament (they were co-hosts in
2012). Ukraine were knocked out in the
group stages in their only previous appearance at the Euros finals (2012). Shevchenko
is the only player so far to have scored for
Ukraine at the Euros (2 goals).
German players celebrating a goal during the Euro qualifiers
86
87
TR
Sunday June 12, 2016
UT H
& RE A S O
N
Price: N400
MISSILE
Amnesty International to FG
“These shootings, some of which amount to extra-judicial killings, must be
urgently and independently investigated and anyone suspected of criminal
responsibility must be brought to justice.”
– Country Director of Amnesty International (AI), Ambassador Mohammed Ibrahim,
condemning the shooting of members of theIPOB and MASSOB during a peaceful
protest to mark the anniversary of heroes of the defunct Biafra republic in Onitsha.
SIMONKOLAWOLE
SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!
[email protected], sms: 0805 500 1961
All’s Well That Ends Well
A
t the end of the day, President
Muhammadu Buhari appears
to be loosening up. He came to
power with a set of ideas, with
the best of intentions, undeniably
convinced that those ideas would help produce
the Nigeria of his dreams. But as ideas go,
they are not etched on the marble. As the beat
changes, you have to adjust your dancing steps.
You cannot be dancing reggae when the DJ
is playing blues. The best of leaders are those
who are rigid on principles and flexible on
methods. This has been my consistent message
to the president in the last one year. In recent
times, though, he has demonstrated that he
is no longer the rigid personality we thought
him to be.
I will give four examples: the impending
opening of a new forex window, the
“deregulation” of fuel pricing, the decision
to constructively engage with the Niger Delta
militants and the final settlement of the MTN
N1.04 trillion fine. I do not think that Buhari
is very happy with some of these concessions,
but when you have a bull in the china shop,
pragmatism is an option you do not want to
ignore. Fair enough, he has demonstrated that
though he is very tough, he is also flexible. He
has been battered locally and internationally for
his “archaic” policies, and while some of these
issues are highly ideological, he just needed
to shift ground.
Any moment from now, Mr. Godwin Emefiele,
governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),
will announce a new window for the trading
of forex. It will most likely be called the
autonomous foreign exchange market (AFEX),
and the rate will be determined by the forces
of demand and supply that operate in that
market. Essentially, exporters and investors
who detest the unsustainable official band of
N197-N199/$1 will be able to bring in their
funds through AFEX at a liberal rate. If all
goes well, there will now be more inflow of
forex, and the pressure on the black market
will reduce, meaning the naira will regain
some muscle.
It is not the ultimate solution to the forex crisis,
but that the government gave it a thought at
all suggests Buhari is finally accepting that the
current system is not working. There are two
other big issues to deal with concerning the
CBN rate: one, the three tiers of government
will continue to be short-changed as they share
oil revenue at the much lower exchange rate;
two, who will be entitled to buy at the CBN
rate? Emefiele must define “critical sectors”
unambiguously to all and sundry. Of course,
there is still the little matter of pent-up forex
demand that CBN has to deal with, especially
funds belonging to foreign airlines and investors.
When Buhari allowed the price of petrol
to be adjusted from N86:50 to N145, he also
shifted ground. He had always maintained
that there was no subsidy and he, like me,
believed Nigerians are entitled to cheaper
petrol — after all, it is nature’s gift to us. But
the reality is that the economy was going to
grind to a halt and socio-political unrest was a
real possibility if the fuel queues had continued.
By agreeing that the price should be adjusted
to allow marketers source forex from other
sources to import petrol, Buhari was only being
Buhari
realistic. All that is left now is to summon the
courage to properly deregulate the sector so
that we can move on with our lives.
Meanwhile, by choosing dialogue with the
Niger Delta militants, Buhari could avoid opening
up another battlefront. Pardon my language: the
militants are like a fly on the balls. The military
man in him would ordinarily not invite these
chaps to the negotiating table — he would
rather pummel them to surrender, especially
as the whole “renewed struggle” looks very
suspicious. But, as I would always say, the
military option could be costly and unpredictable.
Our economy is in dire straits and we need
to chase away the fox before we rebuke the
hen. It could be humiliating, I admit, but we
need all the peace we can buy for now. It is
not weakness; it is wisdom.
Finally, the news of the week is that MTN
and the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC) have kissed and made up. After eight
months of intense and tensed negotiations, the
N1.04 trillion fine imposed on the telecoms
giant for failing to disconnect unregistered
SIM cards has come down to N330 billion. As
“penance”, MTN will also list on the Nigerian
stock exchange so that ordinary Nigerians can
have a sip of the chilled juice. What’s more,
MTN has promised to be of good behaviour,
to abide by the code of corporate governance
for the telecommunications industry. NCC has,
in return, said: Go and sin no more, lest a
worse thing cometh unto thee.
Can we now move on? This has been a
teachable moment. What have I learnt? One, the
The best of leaders are
those who are rigid on
principles and flexible on
methods. This has been
my consistent message
to the president in the
last one year. Buhari
has demonstrated that
he is no longer the rigid
personality we thought
him to be
regulator can do more than bark in Nigeria — if
there is enough political backing. The NCC
uncharacteristically slammed the hammer on
the biggest operator in Nigeria, apparently
because there are new sheriffs in town. Until
now, operators merely got a slap on the wrist.
Two, there is no harm in negotiating your
way out of trouble. MTN initially took legal
action, obviously afraid of the December 31,
2015 payment deadline, but soon withdrew its
case and engaged the services of a mediator/
negotiator. A seemingly hopeless situation was
resolved.
Three, our leaders must learn to stand up
for us anywhere in the world. President Jacob
Zuma of South Africa came to put in a word
for his country’s biggest corporate ambassador.
Do our presidents do that for our companies?
When Globacom was having problems in Ghana
and Benin, we left them to their fate. We never
saw the prosperity of Globacom as prosperity
for Nigeria. Prosperity of MTN is prosperity
for South Africa, in Zuma’s eyes. We will never
stop arguing over the relationship between
the state and big business, but the problem
of the Nigerian is that we do not define our
interests in the larger world. We think the
world order is by accident.
The MTN issue stressed virtually everybody
— from NCC to Aso Rock to MTN in Nigeria
and South Africa. Many MTN top executives lost
their jobs. Government officials who advocated
pragmatism in the interest of the Nigerian
economy were blackmailed and accused of
collecting bribe. The impasse created so much
uncertainty that neither the government nor
MTN could plan with the fine. Because of the
uncertainty, MTN, one of the biggest spenders
in the Nigerian economy, found itself unable
to project its capital expenditure, unable to
consider sponsorships. Government was also
left wondering if the fine was indeed payable.
It has ended a win-win for all.
Although some Nigerians want more blood,
N330 billion looks like a reasonable compromise.
When everybody has the impression that you
are minting money, N330 billion will look like
chickenfeed. At some point, though, we have
to close the chapter and move on. We have
often accused MTN Nigeria of arrogance, but
throwing the baby away with the birth water
could hurt the Nigerian economy more than we
imagined. MTN is largely responsible for the
transmission backbone for ATM transactions,
to say nothing about jobs and the entire value
chain. It doesn’t mean they can do whatever
they like, but it also doesn’t mean we should
lynch them.
Above all, I am now more optimistic about
the success of Buhari than I was before his first
anniversary in office. I am aware that some
people are very desperate to see Buhari fail, as if
there is a trophy to be won for it. Nevertheless,
millions of Nigerians — even though hungry
and angry — still trust Buhari as the leader.
Added to his character, this trust is very vital to
his ability to deliver the goods. His reasonable
compromises will, in my opinion, work in our
favour. All I desire now is that Buhari should
improve on his human rights record — and be
more inclusive. His appointments are awfully
lopsided. Every part of Nigeria must have a
sense of belonging. Non-negotiable.
And Four
Other Things...
FAREWELL, AMODU
Death visited Nigerian football twice
within four days, cruelly claiming the
legendary Stephen Keshi, and coldly adding Shaibu Amodu, former Super Eagles’
coach. Amodu, who had an uneventful
playing career, was better known as the
coach who took BCC Lions of Gboko to
great heights. My first encounter with him
was in 1994. I used to write his name as
SHUAIBU but he told me it was SHAIBU.
Twice, he was asked to rescue Nigeria in
World Cup qualifiers, twice he got the job
done, and twice he was dumped thereafter. Constantly at war with the football
authorities — like Keshi — Amodu was
easily one of the most accomplished
Nigerian coaches ever. Unforgettable.
KANO KILLING
I’m very encouraged by the quick response
of the Muslim and Christian communities
to the murder of 74-year-old Bridget Agbahime in Kano for “blasphemy”. Governor
Abdullahi Ganduje rose up to the occasion, swiftly forging an understanding
between the communities to deescalate
tension. The suspects have now been
charged to court. The septuagenarian was
allegedly falsely accused, but even if she
actually insulted Prophet Mohammed,
Muslim clerics have said the criminals
masquerading as religious zealots are
not allowed to take the law into their own
hands. That, to me, is the message that
must be constantly preached to our hearing. Peace.
RAMADAN RANGERS
Meanwhile, in Kaduna, a carpenter, Francis Emmanuel, should be thanking his God
that he’s still alive. He was assaulted on
Wednesday by overzealous youths who
“caught” him eating lunch during Ramadan. But for little mercies, he would have
eaten his dinner in the great beyond. He
is not even a Muslim, so he is entitled to
a decent lunch. Even if he were a Muslim,
is it legal to brutalise anyone for not fasting? Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i has personally taken up the matter, sending a strong
signal that these criminalities in the name
of religion will not be pampered. Order.
REINSTATING STATISM
Hurray! The Nigerian National Shipping
Line (NNSL) is on its way back! According
to Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, the minister
of transportation, the federal government will soon establish a shipping line
“to ensure maximum exploitation of the
potentials in our maritime sector”. The
highly successful Nigerian Airways is already on its way back as the government
pursues the lucrative business of aviation
with vigour. Government may as well
set up a telco to compete with MTN and
co. Soon government may set up a pure
water company for the masses. It is a sign
of progress, right? Dirigisme.
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Why MTN Will Rebound after N330 Billion Fine

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