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Emefiele Suspends CBN Deputy Governor, 4 Others
Anayo Okolie
In a hard-line decision, a
deputy governor of Central
Bank of Nigeria and four
deputy directors have been
suspended by the apex bank
Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele,
for failing to follow financial
regulations and due process,
leading to the scamming of
the bank by fraudsters.
THISDAY gathered last night
that the suspended Deputy
Governor, Financial System
Surveillance, Joseph Nnanna,
responded to some spam emails
without first cross-checking
the authenticity of the mails
and following CBN stringent
payment
process
before
authorising the release of funds
when the governor and several
senior officials of the bank were
on a flight to China last month.
The names of the affected
deputy directors could not be
ascertained but they include
the deputy director in charge
of payment, the deputy director
trade and exchange department,
and the deputy director in the
office of the governor, who
heeded Nnanna’s directive
to pay when they themselves
ought to know CBN’s payment
due process.
THISDAY gathered that
$441,000 was initially lost to
the scammers. $251,000 was
however blocked and recovered,
leaving a balance of $190,000,
which had already been cashed
by the fraudsters.
Two of the scammers were
however caught in Dubai,
United Arab Emirate and are
currently being questioned by
investigators.
From their modus operandi,
the scammers apparently timed
the execution of the fraud to take
place when the CBN governor
and other deputy governors were
out of the country.
Emefiele was said to have
wielded the big stick by
suspending the affected top
Continued on page 6
As Power Generation Hits 3,118MW, Water Level, Gas Supply Still Major Challenges... Page 10
Sunday 13 March, 2016
Vol 21. No 7627
N300
www.thisdaylive.com
TR
UT H
& RE A S O
N
South Moves to Take PDP
Chairmanship, North Disagrees
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Attempts by the Peoples
Democratic Party to reinvent
itself as a formidable platform
continued to reverberate across
the country at the weekend as
members braced for the May
21 national convention, which
promises tough decisions that
could strengthen or further
weaken the erstwhile ruling
party.
National officers who would
run the affairs of the party
for the next four years will
be elected at the convention.
And interests in the various
geopolitical zones are trying
to position themselves well
for the coveted post of national
chairman, with those from the
South making the strongest
moves.
THISDAY learnt that many
influential stakeholders of
PDP are favourably disposed
to zoning the seat of national
chairman to the South. This is
in view of the fact that the party
is likely to zone its presidential
position to the North in 2019, as
recommended by the Senator
Ike Ekweremadu- led 2015
post-election panel.
But some members from
the northern zones argue that
taking the headship of the party
away from the North, where
PDP controls only two of the
19 states, to the South would
portray PDP as a southern
party. They also insist that
the proposed emergence of
the presidential candidate of the
party from the North would not
really affect the chairmanship
post, as the chairman would be
on the last lap of his tenure at
the time of the 2019 presidential
primaries.
With five of its six states
under PDP control, Southsouth, the zone of Bayelsa-born
former president, Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan, who lost to President
Muhammadu Buhari at the last
general election, currently has
the highest number of PDP
governors. Those disposed to
zoning the chairmanship to
South-south say apart from
representing the loudest voice
for the party at present, the zone
also provides the biggest funding
for the party.
South-south man and PDP
deputy national chairman,
Chief Uche Secondus, who had
been serving as acting national
chairman, last month handed
Continued on page 6
First
Civilian
Governor
of Delta,
Felix Ibru,
Dies at 80
Okowa, Uduaghan,
others mourn
Abimbola Akosile in Lagos and
Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
A
The one-time Senator of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria,
passed on in the early hours
of yesterday at Reddington
Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos,
at the age of 80.
His death was confirmed by
an unnamed senior member
of the Ibru family, who also
disclosed that the remains of
Continued on page 6
Olorogun Felix Ibru
WEEKLY PULL-OUT
13.03.2016
GLITZ, EMOTIONS AND
SURPRISES OF THE AMVCA
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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • MARCH 13, 2016
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4
5
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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R
PAGE SIX
Kachikwu Begins Talks with CBN on Marketers’Forex Requests
Says current situation wearing down NNPC’s capacity
Chineme Okafor in Abuja
Minister of State for Petroleum
Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu,
yesterday disclosed that he had
initiated consultations with the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
to help major oil marketers in
Nigeria access foreign exchange
to import petrol.
Disclosing this during a
monitoring tour of petrol
stations
within
Abuja
metropolis, the minister said
the move would help ease
the burden of access to forex
which reportedly hampers the
ability of marketers to bring
petrol into the country.
His tour was sequel to the
resurgence of fuel queues at
filling stations due to scarcity
of petrol in all parts of the
country.
The minister said already,
the situation was beginning to
wear down the capacity of the
Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) to meet
the country’s fuel consumption
which is officially put at 40
million litres per day.
Noting that NNPC is
currently the sole importer
and supplier of petrol in
the country, he expressed
hopes that the lingering fuel
scarcity and queues at filling
stations would ease off within
two days as the corporation
had massively increased the
trucking of petrol to depots and
filling stations in the country.
In December 2015 when the
country experienced a bout of
petrol scarcity, oil marketers
had alleged that federal
government’s policy on forex
restriction was responsible for
their inability to import petrol,
hence the scarcity.
But Kachikwu said yesterday
that, “God willing, we will see
this through and under one
or two days, we should be
clear and we are looking at
long term.
“We are working very
collaboratively with the Central
Bank now to try and look at
long term solutions to the
majors so that they themselves
can begin to go back and bring
in their own products, and so
apologies again to Nigerians,
nobody wants to see this.”
Commenting further on the
lingering scarcity, Kachikwu
said: “we have enough coming
in. Obviously the three days of
strike hit us very badly but we
are flogging again an average
of over 300 trucks into Abuja. It
is going to take a bit of a while
for the queues to clear off and
we are hoping that between
tomorrow and the next one,
two days, the queues will all
disappear.”
“We are continuing to pump
in, a lot of our stations are
open 24 hours a day. Long
term obviously, we have got
to systemically look at how
you prepare this nation in
circumstances where there
are emergencies and you are
able to respond.”
He said he would initiate a
long-term solution to curb the
menace of products scarcity in
the country, but did not give
details of the planned solution.
Pleading with Nigerians to
bear with the government,
Kachikwu said, “We are
obviously not getting it as
well as we should. Again, I
apologise to Nigerians for all
the pains, nobody wants to
see people spend up to two
hours on fuel queues.
“The president is very
bothered about this, and if
there is anything that bothers
him, it is the sight of people
waiting for fuel but we are
doing everything we can, the
NNPC is taking the whole
nation on its shoulders.”
“Whilst majors are really not
bringing in products, we are
working on long-term solutions
so they now begin to go back to
importation lanes and be able to
service their own outlets rather
than us servicing them and
servicing everybody because
it is a lot of wear and tear on
our capability status.”
members are still keeping secret,
the North is not left out of the
struggle. Party insiders say there
is a groundswell of opinion in
the North that the region should
retain the national chairmanship
post, currently held by Sheriff
from the North-east, to give the
people a sense of belonging and
curtail a growing impression
that PDP is a southern party.
The North-east states of
Gombe and Taraba are the only
PDP states in the North, but
many in the North think that
retaining the post of national
chairman there may isolate the
other zones in the region, giving
Buhari and his All Progressives
Congress unfettered hold on the
North.
PDP had during its 69th
National Executive Committee
meeting on Monday in Abuja
approved the timetable for
its congresses and national
convention. The congresses
will commence on April 23
and culminate in the national
convention, scheduled to hold
on May 21 in Port Harcourt.
The NEC also approved the
setting up of four special
committees to prepare for the
national convention, namely, the
National Convention Committee,
Reconciliation
Committee,
Zoning Committee, and Finance
Committee.
The crucial field of struggle at
the moment ahead of the national
convention, findings reveal, is the
convention committees, which
are expected to play a key role
in the emergence of the new
national officers. The convention
and zoning committees are being
considered as most strategic,
fuelling a frantic struggle to fill
the two committees. The party
is said to be in a state of great
agitation over the modalities
for choosing members of the
committees.
But nearly every prominent
leader of PDP is playing his
cards close to his chest on the
zoning matter. The deputy senate
president, Ekweremadu, said in
a statement on Friday by his
special adviser on media, Mr.
Uche Anichukwu, that there was
not secret zoning arrangement,
stressing that the party would
announce its zoning plan at an
appropriate time.
The statement added, “The
PDP will soon convene a meeting
of the relevant stakeholders and
organs of the party as stipulated
by our constitution to come
up with a clear zoning of the
national offices of the party in
a transparent, democratic, and
fair manner.”
SOUTH MOVES TO TAKE PDP CHAIRMANSHIP, NORTH DISAGREES
over to Borno State Governor,
Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
following his ratification as
substantive chairman. Some
party leaders feel the zone
that is providing the strongest
pillar of support for PDP
should be compensated with
the chairmanship post.
South-east has the second
highest number of PDP
governors, with three of the
zone’s five states controlled
by the party. Party members
there, too, are struggling for the
national chairmanship post. Two
former national chairmen of the
party – Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo
and Chief Vincent Ogbulafor
– are from the South-east.
The South-west is also
making out a strong case for
the chairmanship. The argument
here is that the zone, which has
two PDP governors, has never
produced a national chairman of
the party since 1999. Besides, the
chairman of the PDP Governors
Forum, Governor Olusegun
Mimiko of Ondo State, and the
man currently regarded as the
loudest voice of the party in the
South, Ekiti State Governor Ayo
Fayose, are from the South-west.
But sources within the party say
power struggle between the two
most prominent leaders of PDP
in the South-west may cost the
zone the coveted position.
Though, the scrambling to
secure the chair of the leading
opposition party is more
intense in the South for the
obvious reason of the zoning
arrangement, which PDP
FIRST CIVILIAN GOVERNOR OF DELTA, FELIX IBRU, DIES AT 80
the former senator had been
deposited in the morgue.
Ibru, who was a renowned
architect and business tycoon,
was said to have died shortly
after returning from London
where he had been receiving
medical attention.
Ibru, who was elected
governor of Delta State in
1992 under the platform of
the defunct Social Democratic
Party (SDP) before his tenure
was terminated by the military
regime of General Sani Abacha,
held the position of President
General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU).
Delta State Governor, Dr
Ifeanyi Okowa, in a condolence
message to the Ibru Family over
the death of former governor,
described him as a patriot and
political icon.
Okowa urged the entire
Ibru family to take solace in
the fact that he led a glorious
and fulfilled life of service to
humanity.
He noted that Ibru governed
Delta State at a time the young
state had numerous teething
problems but piloted its affairs
with patriotic zeal and rare
equanimity.
Okowa, in a statement by
his Chief Press Secretary, Mr
Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, "said
the late Senator Ibru was “a
patriot and political icon who
led the state in her embryonic
stage."
The governor said, "Senator
Ibru will be missed by all whose
lives he has touched in many
diverse ways in his very fulfilled
and achievements-laden life."
He described Senator Ibru
as a renowned politician, businessman and a highly revered
octogenarian and among the
very special people who made
very significant and indelible
contributions to their countries
and humanity.
Describing his death as “the
exit of a legend,” Okowa said
he joined his family, friends,
associates, and fans across the
world “in giving thanks to God
Almighty for his glorious life of
service to Delta State, Nigeria
and mankind at large.".
He said, "Senator Ibru's
“life-long dedication and
indefatigable commitment to
serving the people of Delta
State as well as the Urhobos
worldwide where he served
them meritoriously as Senator
and as President of the Urhobo
Progress Union (UPU) will be
sorely missed."
He, however, assured the Ibru
family that the former governor
would always be celebrated and
honoured by all and sundry in
Nigeria "for his unblemished
service and exemplary career
which had inspired others to
take up a life of selfless service
to humanity."
Okowa’s predecessor, former
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan,
in his reaction to Ibru’s death,
said he lived an unblemished,
rewarding life worth emulating.
Uduaghan said: “Though it is
saddening to lose a patriot like
Chief Ibru, we are comforted
by the fact that he set the stage
for the new Delta as the first
civilian governor of the state.
Even though his regime was
truncated, he was an unrepentant patriot who as Senator of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria
worked tirelessly to ensure that
the unity of the country was
non-negotiable.
“I recall with nostalgia, his
role and fatherly interventions in
our peace agenda as President
General of the Urhobo Progressive Union where he brought to
bear his characteristic humility.
“Though a sad loss, we are
comforted that he left a legacy
that would stand the test of
time. He will be remembered for
his principled and irrepressible
position on issues of national
importance. I commiserate with
the Ibru Family, especially the
patriarch, Olorogun Michael
Ibru, and pray the Almighty
God will give them the fortitude
to bear this great loss.”
Also reacting to his death, the
Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)
said the news of the transition
of the former governor, came
to his kith and kin in Urhobo
Nation as "a rude shock".
Speaking with THISDAY last
night, the public relations officer
(PRO) of the Interim Committee of the UPU, Chief Josiah
Ntekume, said, "A good heart
has stopped beating; a good soul
ascended to Heaven. We part
with our beloved former P-G of
UPU, first executive governor
of Delta State, Olorogun Felix
Ibru in pain. May God grant
the family the fortitude to bear
the irreparable loss."
Similarly, right activist and
former governorship aspirant,
Dr Otive Igbuzor, described
Ibru's passing as "very painful and a great blow to Delta
State and Urhobo Nation in
particular."
Born on December 7, 1935
at Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli
North local government area
of Delta State to Chief Peter
Epete Ibru and Chief (Mrs.)
Janet Omotogor Ibru, he was
the second of seven children.
After his secondary school
education at Igbobi College, he
proceeded to the Nottingham
School of Architecture in
England where he qualified
as an architect in 1962.
While a student in Nottingham, he was elected the first
Black President of the British
Council with responsibility for
Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire,
Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
As a result, he was presented
to Queen Elizabeth II and his
Prince Philip, the Duke of
Edinburgh at a ceremony in
Buckingham Palace in 1960.
Shortly after his qualification as an architect in 1962,
he worked briefly with the
Jewish Agency SOCHNUT,
on various projects relating to
farm settlements (kibbutzim and
moshavim) and prefabricated
buildings in Jerusalem and
Haifa.
He later enrolled at the
Technion – Israel Institute of
Technology for post-graduate
studies and qualified with an
MSc (Arch) in 1963. He returned
to Nigeria at the end of that year
and took up an appointment
with the Federal Ministry of
Education as the first resident
Lecturer in Architecture at the
Yaba College of Technology.
Ibru established an architectural firm, Roye Ibru
Associates, which, in 1971,
went into partnership with
Alan Vaughan-Richards and
Associates to establish the
firm of Ibru Vaughan-Richards
and Associates (Planning
Partnership). As one of the
two principal partners of the
firm, late Ibru was involved in
the design and supervision of
more than 40 projects across
the country.
They include: University of
Lagos Sports Centre, Oguta
Lake Resort, The Diette-Spiff
Civic Centre, Port Harcourt,
Office extension for Elf Nig.
Ltd. Victoria Island, Lagos
University master plan, New
Layout Market, Port Harcourt,
Mile 3 Diobu Market, Port
Harcourt, Sheraton Lagos Hotel
& Towers, Ikeja, University of
Benin sports centre, University
of Benin Master plan, Faculty
of Science buildings, University
of Benin & Ogun State, Ogun
State Polytechnic Master plan.
As consultant to Ibru Prefabs
Limited he was responsible for
the design and supervision of
several Geodesic Domes of
various dimensions in many
parts of the country.
EMEFIELE SUSPENDS CBN DEPUTY
GOVERNOR, 4 OTHERS
officials because the CBN has
laid-down procedures for the
release of funds, none of which
was followed in this particular
case.
Sources within the bank
said following the incident,
the governor had warned that
henceforth any such infraction
would be summarily dealt with.
A statement posted on CBN
website only stated that the bank
had uncovered and aborted
fraud without giving details.
The four-paragraph CBN
statement signed by the
Ag.
Director,
Corporate
Communications,
Isaac
Okoroafor, and titled, ‘CBN
Uncovers and Aborts Fraud,’
reads: “A highly sophisticated
plot to defraud the Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN) by some
criminal minded elements has
been uncovered and aborted
by the bank.
“Although
preliminary
investigations so far have
not revealed any accomplices
within the CBN, management
has decided to place all key
personnel involved in the
transaction on suspension.
“This is to ensure a full and
unfettered investigation.
“This incidence has been
reported to relevant authorities.
The CBN wishes to assure the
general public that the security
of the bank remains intact.”
Hackers have been on the
prowl lately breaching accounts
of banks around the world.
Recently, hackers breached
Bangladesh Bank's systems
and attempted to steal nearly
$1 billion from its account at the
Federal Reserve Bank of New
York. Though a typo error by the
hackers aborted their $1billion
heist, they however netted more
than $80 million before the cyber
heist was uncovered.
The hackers appeared to
have stolen Bangladesh Bank's
credentials for the SWIFT
messaging system, which banks
around the world use for secure
financial communication.
They then bombarded the
Federal Reserve Bank of New
York with about three dozen
requests to move money from
the Bangladesh Bank's account
there to entities in the Philippines
and Sri Lanka.
Four requests to transfer a
total of about $81 million to the
Philippines went through, but
a fifth, for $20 million, to a Sri
Lankan non-profit organisation
was held up because the hackers
misspelled the name of the NGO,
Shalika Foundation, prompting
a routing bank, Deutsche Bank,
to seek clarification from the
Bangladesh central bank, which
stopped the transaction.
7
RC 103022
8
MARCH 13, 2016 • T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R
SUNDAY COMMENT
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA
Email [email protected]
RIVERS OF BLOOD!
The security agencies should move in urgently as the nation can ill-afford another bloodbath in Rivers State
W
idespread violence and killings
are once again on the rise in Rivers
State. The killing of Franklyn Obi
highlights the agonising quandary
for the state. Some criminals recently
invaded the home of the All Peoples
Congress (APC) Ward 4 Chairman
in Ogba/Egbema in Ndoni local
council and murdered him, his wife and son. Thereafter,
they left with the severed head of the politician. No reasons were given for the brutal act. The murder of Ofinijite
Amachree, another APC chieftain shortly after, was a
continuation of that gory ritual. Amachree was killed and
his body reportedly set ablaze in Buguma, Akoku Toru
local council. “In the
last two weeks, over
30 APC members have
been killed in different
parts of Rivers State,”
lamented Dr. Dakuku
Peterside, the APC governorship candidate in
the last election. “We are
tired of this bloodbath.”
But the violence is all
embracing.The Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),
the ruling party in the
state, is also counting
its losses. Its chairman
in Obite, one Isaac
Chinedu, and another
party colleague named
Chinedu Saidey, were
reportedly killed same
day. And then there are
reports of some political
actors being buried
alive by a militant
leader.
Since all the killings are coming ahead of the rerun
legislative (national and state) elections in the state
scheduled for the coming weekend, it is safe to conclude
that they are politically motivated. But the worry really
is that the security agencies do not seem to be on top
of the situation. Frantic appeals for calm made by the
state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, seemed unheeded.
We therefore call on the relevant authorities to move in
quickly not only to arrest the drift but also to apprehend
those who are disturbing the peace of the state and
bring them to book.
There is need for
a review of the
remunerations
and other perks
of public office
holders in our
country. Perhaps
we will begin to
see a reduction
in politically
motivated
killings if and
when the fat
allowances
attached to the
elective offices
are slashed
considerably
Letters to the Editor
S
ince the inception of this
present administration,
many things have changed.
It started with the total war
against the brutal Boko
Haram insurgents who instilled fears
in the mind of Nigerians through daily
bombing of our places of worshipping,
markets, motor parks, etc. Prior to his
coming on board, the insurgents had
occupied many villages and towns. The
North-eastern states became no go area
while numbers of internally displaced
people surged. What Nigerians see now
is a different story. Our once brave but
demoralised armies have been properly
equipped to combat the dreaded group
with relatively ease. The presidential
committee on arms procurement on
I
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
TO SEND EMAIL: first [email protected]
ncidentally, what is happening in Rivers State was a
replay of the orchestrated regime of violence in the
build-up to last year’s general elections. Even though
the elections were relatively peaceful across the
country, the National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) reckoned that about 100 people were killed in
the state. Unfortunately, there were no reports that anybody was ever punished for such crimes; and perhaps
the reason for the prevailing culture of impunity.
But we are concerned that some people could resort to
killing in the name of politics, especially when there is
really no evidence that the interest of the downtrodden
(often used as cannon fodder in this violence) is being
served.
What is particularly worrying is that this “end justifies
the means” approach that defines political engagement
in Rivers State today has over the years provided the
incentive and motivation for politicians and power
seekers to believe that all is fair and acceptable, including cold-blooded murder of their opponents. Yet the sad
irony of all these killings is that up to date the police
have not successfully prosecuted and brought conviction
against any of those suspected to be involved.
There is no doubt that it is this failure of the authorities that has directly encouraged further commission of
such crimes. It is also very clear that with eyes to the
enormous spoils of office attached to the nation’s political positions from the presidency to local councillorship,
many of our politicians would do anything in order to
ensure easy ride at the polls.
As we have canvassed in the past, there is need for a
review of the remunerations and other perks of public
office holders in our country. Perhaps we will begin to
see a reduction in politically motivated killings if and
when the fat allowances attached to the elective offices
are slashed considerably. When people realise that public
office is no longer an avenue to “share the booty” but to
render service, the tendency to seek election at all costs
will be minimised.
However, since Rivers State has become a classic
case of how quickly order can yield place to anarchy, it
is time for the relevant authorities to move in. A time
was when the state was peaceful and was rendered
unattractive for cultists, militants and hoodlums. Now,
these criminal elements are being armed and mobilised
to serve political ends. We call on all the stakeholders to
work towards restoring peace and security in the state.
And such efforts must begin immediately such that
this weekend’s election does not bring with it another
harvest of deaths.
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.
THE BUHARI NIGERIANS FAIL TO K NOW
the last administration did a great job as
many highly placed individuals were
fingered to have engaged in looting
security funds. The funds meant for
the procurement of arms and other
military gadgets were diverted and
channelled into political campaigns.
Dasukigate has remained fresh
in the mind of Nigerians. Also worth
mentioning is how the Buhari-led
government takes the war against
corruption seriously. The Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) has been making arrest of
former top government officials who
fed fat from the government coffers. In
spite of several appeals from religious,
traditional and political leaders that
Mr President should embrace plea
bargain and soft pedal on the war
against corruption, his body language
shows otherwise. This is Buhari
Nigerians forget so soon. During his
days as military head of state, Buhari
tried and jailed many Second Republic
politicians who were indicted for graft.
History, indeed is repeating itself but
this time under democratic dispensation. The only problem he repeatedly
said to have been hampering his war
against corruption is the judiciary
and compromised judges who are
outrightly out subvert justice. This
is to say Mr President has inherited
a corrupt judiciary that encourages
abuse of office. With the zeal, passion
and commitment of the present
administration to clean the rot dotting
our public service, the corrupt judges
must go in other to pave the way for
more competent and committed ones.
There is hue and cry surrounding Buhari’s frequent travels. Mr
President should not give a damn
because his trips are for the good of
the country. Garba Shehu, spokesman
to Mr President, has highlighted the
benefits Nigerians are to derive from
trips, among others: direct foreign
investment, global cooperation on war
against terrorism and corruption. As
a focused and resilient leader, Buhari
will never jettison what he believes
is for the good of the country. That is
why the wailing wailers can neither
distract nor stop him from pursuing
policies that will better the lives of the
ordinary people.
In recent times, the dollar price
has shot up in the parallel market.
This made several economists to
call for devaluation of the naira. Mr
President did not only refuse to heed
their advice but also rejected the idea.
Nigeria is an import- dependent
country where even toothpick is
imported. The repercussions are there
for everybody to see as most of our local industries have collapsed. In order
to stimulate and enhance the economy
and create jobs, the government has to
restrict importation of some items.
Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua,
Federal Ministry of Women
Affairs and Social Development,
Abuja
9
10
SUNDAYNEWS
News Editor Abimbola Akosile
E-mail: [email protected], 08023117639 (sms only)
Northern CAN Warns
against Abduction, Forceful
Conversion of Christian Girls
John Shiklam inKaduna
MONEY
MEN
L-R: World richest man and Chairman of tech giant, Microsoft, Bill Gates, and Chairman, Forte Oil Plc, Femi Otedola at a private dinner hosted
by Gates in London, UK...recently
As Power Generation Hits 3,118MW, Water
Level, Gas Supply Still Major Challenges
Electricity power generation yesterday increased to 3,118 megawatts
(MW) from a low of 1,580 MW,
some days ago. But low water levels
and gas supply issues may hinder
it from returning to the level of
between 4,500MW and 5,000MW,
at which it stood before the drop.
The Nigerian Gas Company
(NGC), a gas transportation subsidiary of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),
which supplies gas from two major
gas plants at Utorogu and Oredo
to link power plants some weeks
back, noted that gas supplies from
the plants had gone down considerably due to repair works.
NGC then stated that the repair
works would take a while and
be completed by March 9. The
3,118MW daily generation report
of the Nigeria System Operators
thus suggests that capacity is being
clawed back.
However, some of the power
sector sources who spoke to THISDAY on this development stated
that while power generation has
gradually picked up following
the completion of the pigging
work on critical gas stations in the
south, supplies from the country’s
hydro power plants up North may
remain low and continue to impact
supply.
The reasons offered by the
sources were that even with the
completion of the pigging of the gas
pipelines, which was scheduled
for completion on March 9 and
gas perhaps getting to the thermal
power plants, the low water levels
at the two hydro dams, Kainji and
Shiroro are still considerable issues
to deal with. They also averred that
although Nigeria gets about 80 per
cent of its entire power supply from
gas plants, the hydro plants have
often helped to bridge capacity
shortfalls whenever there are issues
from the gas power plants.
Reported incidences of pipeline
bursts have also gone unabated in
the South, the federal government
in its explanation for the drop in
power supply, acknowledged that
the development was impacting
generation.
According to the sources, who
spoke anonymously, Shiroro for
example was down last week.
THISDAY, however, could not
confirm its status at the moment.
No doubt, this development
would also continue to affect
businesses and homes across the
country. Only last week, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
(MAN) complained of the huge
cost its members incur in powering
their manufacturing plants.
Similarly, residential consumers
across the country have continued
to complain of decrepit supplies to
them. Their complaints, THISDAY
also learnt, included exorbitant
estimated charges by the Distribution Companies (Discos) as well
as disregard for their metering
plans as approved by the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission
(NERC).
Another anomaly which THISDAY gathered from the industry
sources is that the continued delay
by the government in reconstituting a new board of commissioners
for the NERC was hugely impacting the sector.
Whilethetenureofthelastcommissioners of the NERC ended in
December 2015, the government is
yet to appoint new commissioners
for the regulator, three months after.
This development is contrary
to the Electric Power Sector Reform
(EPSR) Act 2005, which states that
there shall not be a vacuum in the
appointment of commissioners for
the NERC.
According to Section 34 (1) of
the Act, the president is expected
to appoint seven persons as commissioners for the regulator, while
Section 35 (5) states that their reappointment for another term or
fresh appointments must be made
before the expiry of their term of
office.
Military Kills over 50 Boko Haram
Terrorists, Cattle Rustlers
• Intensifies ground clearance, aerial bombardment
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The Nigerian military involved
in the ongoing Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency
(CT COIN) operations in the
North-east, have killed over 50
members of the Boko Haram
Terrorists (BHT) group in Borno
State, and as well as cattle rustlers
in four states of the North-west,
within the last 48 hours.
The Director of Army Public
Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, said the military achieved
this feat following reliable information on the presence of some
BHT in parts of Borno State.
According to Usman, troops
of 113 Battalion conducted a
fighting patrol to Dunga general
area on Thursday during which
they discovered and destroyed
a Boko Haram terrorists’ camp
at Alajeri village in Guzamala
Local Government Area (LGA)
of Borno State.
In the operation, he said, the
troops killed 40 Boko Haram
terrorists and captured one
General Purpose Machine Gun
(GPMG), a Rocket Propelled
Grenade 7 (RPG 7), six AK-47
rifles, and two Fabrique Nationale rifles.
He listed other items recovered to include 10 magazines,
188 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO)
ammunition and 64 rounds of
7.62mm (Special) ammunition.
“Other items recovered by the
troops included three mobile
phones, six copies of Holy Quran
and 20 Motorcycles,” he stated.
He noted that the “operations
to clear all known Boko Haram
terrorists camps and hideouts
are ongoing as troops remain
committed to the clearance and
apprehension of the BHT in the
country.”
In a related development,
Usman said troops have further
consolidated the successes so far
recorded in the clearance operations of the remnants of the Boko
Haram insurgents, especially in
the Kekeno axis of Borno State.
He said: “The troops of 7
Brigade Quick Reaction Force on
a routine fighting patrol had an
encounter with members of the
Boko Haram moving on three
motorcycles along Kekeno axis
linking Dabam Masara.
“During the pursuit, troops
killed two BHT and recovered
2 AK-47 rifles, three motorcycles
and one tear gas from the terrorists. Other items recovered
include four mobile telephone
handsets, assorted sizes of
bathroom slippers, food flasks,
plastic cups, amongst others.”
The Army Spokesman
recalled that these same troops
yesterday killed a wanted Boko
Haram kingpin who is on serial
95 on the first Nigerian Army
wanted list of 100 BHT leaders.
In the same vein, he said,
troops of 118 Task Force Battalion of 7 Brigade, also encountered BHT at Ma’ala Village in
Kukawa Local Government
Area of Borno State. During the
encounter, he said, the troops
killed one Boko Haram terrorist and captured another alive.
“They also rescued a 3-year-old
girl from the terrorists,” he stated.
In Zamfara State, he said
the troops killed four rustlers,
wounded 16, arrested 3 and
destroyed seven of their camps.
He confirmed that the troops
also recovered 486 livestock, two
machetes, three AK-47 rifles and
four AK-47 rifle magazines from
the criminals.
“In Katsina State, the troops
killed 5 rustlers, arrested two of
them and destroyed 5 camps.
They also recovered an AK-47
rifle, four locally manufactured
guns and 12 machetes. The
troops also recovered 116
livestock from the rustlers. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers
sustained injury and is receiving
to treatment,” he stated.
Christians in the 19 Northern
States and the Federal Capital
Territory ( FCT) under the
umbrella of Northern States
Christian Association of Nigeria (Northern CAN), yesterday
warned Emirs against the persistent abduction of Christian
girls who are forcefully converted to Islam and forcefully
married. Newly-elected chairman of the association, Rev.
Yakubu Pam gave the warning
in Kaduna at a news conference
after his election weekend.
Pam, a former chairman
of the Plateau State Chapter of
the CAN also faulted Nigeria’s
membership of the Coalition of
Islamic Countries against terrorism, saying that the government needs to assure Nigerian
Christians that they would not
be victims in the event that the
ISIS terrorists attack Nigeria
for being a member of such a
group.
While condemning the
rampant abduction of Christian
girls, Pam said it was high time
traditional rulers in the region,
especially those that harbour
Christian minors in their palaces stopped such wicked acts.
He urged security operatives to live up to their expectation of protecting lives and
property of Christians in the
north by also insuring that
those who abduct other people’s
daughters and marry them are
arrested and prosecuted.
Pam further expressed
concern over invasion of many
communities in the North
Central by armed bandits suspected to be Fulani herdsmen,
especially the killings in communities in Nasarawa, Benue
states and other Christian areas
in the region.
“Another issue that came up
for deliberation is the kidnapping of our daughters. Historically, the issue has been on
ground. We have suffered with
this here in northern Nigeria.
“The church is really concerned and we are pleading
with the government if they can
put every leadership on alert,
particularly, our traditional
leaders and security agencies
so that they can control such
an ugly issue that has been
taken place here in the north.
“These are the two things
that we really discussed and
people were really happy
with the new executive of the
association”, Pam said, and
called on states and federal
governments to be proactive
in tackling these crises rocking communities in the north
central zone.
One Injured, 15 Rescued in
Fresh Lagos Boat Mishap
The National Emergency
Management
Agency
(NEMA) yesterday confirmed
that one person was injured as
15 others were rescued from a
wooden boat which capsized
at Grinaldi Port near Tin Can
Island, Apapa, Lagos.
The confirmation was contained in a statement by the
Public Relations Officer of the
agency, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye,
and made available to newsmen in Lagos. According to
the statement, the incident was
caused by a bigger boat which
destabilised the wooden boat.
“A wooden boat capsized
at Grinaldi Port close to Tin
Can Flyover Bridge, Coconut
Bus Stop, Apapa, with 15
passengers on board. All passengers were rescued alive
and only the driver of the boat
sustained injury,” it stated.
It said the incident occurred at about 8.30 p.m. on
Friday and that those rescued
had gone to their different
destinations. Farinloye told
the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) that the injured driver
refused to be treated, opting to
treat himself in a private hospital. He said Marine Police
and other stakeholders were
still investigating the cause of
the accident.
RCCG City of Praise Festival
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of Praise, Town
PlanningWay,Ilupeju,Lagos,hasconcludedarrangementtoholdafestival
of songs, which would be an intense worship to God Almighty. Called
BarakShachah,WorshipUnscripted,thecelebration,whichisthesecond
edition, promises to be super-charged as spirit-filled minstrels usher the
faithful into the presence of the Almighty God. The popular ministers
of God, who would offer their sacrifices of praise unto the Glorious King
at the event, scheduled for Sunday April 10, at 3 pm prompt include
Evang. Dr. Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, Efe Nathan, Tosin Bee, Mairo Ese,
CovenantChristianCentreChoir(C4),LagosCityChorale.Thecelebration,
organised by The Global Aesthetics in conjunction with RCCG City of
Praise, will be anchored by Ayo Thompson (OAP at Nigeria Info and
Cool TV) and Big Bolaji.
IrokoPlus Rebrands on Star Times
AspartofplanstorepositionforimprovedNollywoodentertainmentfor
subscribers,premiumNollywoodtelevisionchannelonStarTimesPayTV,
irokoPlushasbeenofficiallyre-launchedasirokoWorld.Thepopularchannel has also appointed multi-award winning actress and producer, Funke
Akindele popularly known as ‘Jenifa’ as its brand ambassador. At a recent
media event in Ikeja, Lagos, irokoWorld made the new announcements
and officially unveiled the star actress as the new face of the brand, who
will promote the entertainment channel and endear it more to subscribers on StarTimes and other Nigerians through various engagements,
includingscreeningpopularFunkeAkindeleblockbustermovies,visitsto
customercentresandcitytours,amongstotherlinedupactivities.
11
NEWS
TELECOMS
PARLEY
L-R: Chief of Staff to Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, Nigerian Communications Commission, Usman
Mallah; Director Human Capital & Infrastructure Group, NCC, Mrs. Maryam Bayi; Admin Manager, West
African Telecoms Regulatory Assembly, Sele Pokima; Executive Vice Chairman/CEO,NCC, Prof Umar
Danbatta; Executive Secretary, WATRA Alh. Maman Laminou, and Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Tony
Ojobo, when WATRA officials paid a courtesy visit to the EVC in Abuja...recently
HIGH-LEVEL
SUPPORT
L-R: Wife of the Speaker House of Representatives, Hajia Gimbia Yakubu Dogara; the new couple, Mr. Gambo
HassanandwifeFumi,andtheSpeaker,RtHon.YakubuDogaraattheweddingoftheSpeaker’snephew,Gambo,
held in Abuja...yesterday
PHOTO:JuliusAtoi
FG Releases New Education Census Figure
• US expresses concern over North-east
Paul Obi, Kasim Sumaina and
Bukola Eshun in Abuja
The federal government has
released new census on the
status of education in Nigeria,
indicating some progress as
well as concerns in some of the
critical areas of the sector.
This came as the United
States government expressed
deep concern over poor indicators and performance from the
North-east geo-political zone
where Boko Haram insurgency
has taken a toll on the region.
The release of the new
Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) showed that the
number of rural female without
any form of schooling in the
country was put at 49 per cent,
while male was at 45 per cent.
Urban female without any level
of education stood 22 per cent,
male 19 per cent. Urban male
with tertiary education was at
33 per cent, while female was 22
per cent.
The figures showed a reduction in the number of rural
females with education. In 2013,
where the survey was merged
with the National Demographic
and Health Survey (NDHS) rural female without any form of
education stood at 53.5 per cent,
showing a reduction of about
4 per cent; also, the number for
urban females with tertiary education increased by 12 per cent.
Further, figures from the
North East geo-political zone
appears to have worsened
compared with 2013 due to the
increasing cases of Boko Haram
insurgency.
Speaking at the launch of
NEDS, Chairman of National
Population Commission (NPC)
Chief Eze Duruiheoma, SAN
explained that “the survey is
meant to provide policy makers
with accurate and timely data
to formulate courses of action
designed to increase enrollment,
attendance and learning and to
achieve Nigeria’s Universal Basic
Education Commission (UBEC)
and Education for all (EFA) goals
for the children of school age.
“It is also meant to provide
a substantial amount of the
household-based
education
data needed in Nigeria. The
outcome of the survey will
inform programming that will
improve levels of student enrollment and attendance, as well
as facilitate equitable access to
quality schooling for all children
in Nigeria.”
Duruiheoma stated that “the
conduct of the NEDS marks
another major step by the National Population Commission
to respond to the national imperative of providing adequate
and relevant data for national
planning, particularly in the
education sector.
“The highlights of the 2015
include the primary school
attendance over time showing
improvement and gender gap
eliminated, UBE improves
the transition from primary to
secondary education, improvement in percentage of children
in school that can read by class
2010-2015. “
Director Nigeria Mission,
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Michael Harvey explained
that the data is very essential
to planning and strategising in
the education sector in order to
attain great feats.
He said: “I challenge you
to give particular attention to
the data from the states of the
northeast, which will be critical
in helping formulate policies for
rebuilding the sector.
“USAID has also provided
small matching grants to communities, parent-teacher associations, and non-governmental
organisations to rehabilitate
schools and prioritise community needs.”
He explained that the project cost “$4.9 million” adding:
“It is a big effort because it
wasn’t first national survey
but it is also 36 states and the
first and it was a big effort and
involving a lot of people and I
am really proud of it.”
Deploy Science Tech to Defeat Terrorism,
Restiveness, Buhari Urges African Nations
Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari
has urged African nations to
embrace Science, Technology
and Innovations (STIs), to defeat
terrorism, social restiveness,
poverty, hunger, illiteracy and
underdevelopment across the
continent.
According to him, it is only
through the deployment of STIs
that Africa countries can efficiently exploit its huge natural
resources and thereby create
jobs, wealth and reduce both
poverty and human suffering.
The disclosure was made
by the Minister of Science
and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, by his Chief Press
Secretary, Mr. Taye Akinyemi,
weekend in Abuja.
Onu, the statement added
represented the president in a
three-day World Conference
on the deployment Science and
Technology for Africa’s Development, in Dakar, Senegal.
The minister urged African
nations to see science and
technology as an important
instrument to stimulate human
development and progress in
the concerted effort to minimise
human suffering, reduce levels
of poverty, conflict and strife,
social restiveness, terrorism and
environmental
degradation
cross the continent.
According to him, it is only
when the continent of Africa
embrace science and technology that the face of hunger, illiteracy and under-development
associated with it can be
eradicated, adding that it would
help nations across Africa in the
efficient exploitation of its huge
natural resources.
To demonstrate its commitment to these objectives, the
minister stated that Nigeria
has commenced the utilisation
of science and technology in
its effort to unlock the door to
FG to Stabilise Price of Rice by April
The Federal Government
said yesterday that it would
stabilise the price of rice from
April to make it affordable to
everybody in the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Chief Audu Ogbeh, made
this known while declar-
ing open the 2016 National
wheat farmers field day
in Alkamawa village in
Bunkure Local Government
of Kano state.
Ogbeh said the stability
of price of rice would be very
viable due to its demand and
affordability to the people
from April. He said the
boosting of wheat production and other cereals had
become necessary to reduce
over dependence on importation, according to a News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
report. The minister added
that over 300, 000 hectares
prosperity and defeat hunger,
disease and illiteracy.
This is possible, according to
him, because the mighty pyramids of Egypt, the great walls
of Zimbabwe and the beautiful
artistic works of Igboukwu, Ife
and Benin demonstrated the applications of science technology
and innovation.
The minister stressed that
Nigeria will continue to utilise
“the key of science and technology to unlock the door of
progress, defeat hunger, disease
and illiteracy for the common
good. We are resolved to bridge
gaps that divide and strengthen
bonds that unite.”
of land in wheat producing
states would be dedicated
to boost wheat production.
“The government will continue to support farmers to
encourage agricultural activity, enhance food security
and employment generation
in the country,” he said.
Buhari’ll Invest Heavily in Critical
Infrastructure, Says Odigie-Oyegun
Anayo Okolie
The National Chairman of
the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has reaffirmed the party’s
commitment to invest in critical
infrastructure like energy, rail
and roads to drive the country’s
development as demonstrated
in the party’s first budget.
Odigie-Oyegun, who stated
at a recent stakeholders party’s
meeting in United Kingdom,
disclosed that insidious corruption and the near collapse of the
oil price have severely restricted
the party from immediate
delivery of electoral promises.
According to him, the
party, under President Buhari,
remains resolute in tackling
Nigeria’s infrastructural deficits
and other economic problems.
He urged the British government to continue to support
the Buhari administration in
fighting corruption which he
described as the main cause
of infrastructural deficit in the
country.
Others at meeting were
members of APC across the
United Kingdom, the party’s
representatives from the Scandinavia and the invited British
guests.
The event, chaired by Mr.
Richard Fuller, member of the
British Parliament for Bedford
and Kempton, and the Vice
Chair, All Parties Parliamentary
Group (APPG), Nigeria, Mr.
Martin Brown, a former senior
parliamentary aide, was, however, the first meeting organised
under the chairmanship of Dr.
Philip Idaewor.
Brown, who spoke on
financial corruption and infrastructural development, listed
some of the worthy efforts of
the Buhari administration in
fighting corruption.
Kwara Elders Endorse FG’s
Fight against Corruption
Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Elders Committee in Kwara
state have disclosed that the
ongoing prosecution of highly
placed individuals in the country
by the federal government was a
strong signal to the international
community that corruption and
indiscipline would no longer be
condoned in the country again.
In a statement issued by the
committee in Ilorin, Kwara state
capital yesterday signed by Alhaji Abdulrahman Gold (Kwara
central), Chief Yekeen Obalowu
(Kwara South) and Hon. Ezekiel
Kolo (Kwara North) the elders
advised those facing trial over
corruption charges to allow courts
to do their work instead of making
frivolous comment about their
prosecution.
The elders also said, “inspite of
pressures from several quarters,
President Buhari has remained
true to his promise to rid the country of corruption, no matter whose
ox is gored.
For the first time in this country,
we are witnessing a genuine, systematic approach to anti-graft war.
APC Ex-Senatorial Candidate,
Olofin, Dies in Auto Crash
Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti
The Senatorial Candidate
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti Central
Senatorial District during
the 2015 general polls in Ekiti
State, Amb. Gbenga Olofin, is
dead.
Olofin died in a ghastly
motor accident along OwoBenin road at about 5.30pm
yesterday, while returning
to his base in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State. He was said to
have been travelling alone in
his Pathfinder Jeep when the
accident happened.
His remains, according to
an impeccable source, had
been deposited at the morgue
of Gabriel Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.
The deceased was in Ekiti
for continuation of his political career, where he received
some decampees from PDP
in his country home into APC
on behalf of the State Working
Committee on Thursday.
12
NEWS
AMBASSADOR
JENIFA
CHANGE
OF BATON
R-L: Head of Legal & Distribution, iROKO, Uloma Onuma; Star actress, Funke Akindele aka Jenifa;
L-R: Former Managing Director, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Umar Munir Abubakar,
handing over documents of office to the Ag. Managing Director, NSITF, Ismail Agaka, at a brief ceremony in Abuja…recently
Marketing Director, StarTimes, Dare Kafar, and Public Relations Manager, StarTimes, Mr. Israel Bolaji, at the unveiling of Funke Akindele as the iROKOWorld Ambassador in Ikeja, Lagos...recently
Lai Mohammed Justifies Buhari’s
Frequent Oversea Trips
Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
has said President Muhamadu
Buhari’s frequent trips abroad,
especially to the oil producing
nations became imperative
because of the urgent need to
rally support for the stability of
the global oil prices and also to
attract Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) into the country.
While justifying the need
to stabilise the prices of crude
oil, which will help prop up the
country’s currency, he stressed
that the president has been
spending countless times outside the country lobbying and
rallying round to find solution to
the crash in oil prices.
“The is why the president cannot stay here”, he said. According
to him, “staying here in Nigeria
is like an army general who in
the face of war remains in the
bunker.”
Mohammed who made the
disclosure while fielding questions from a radio station weekend in Abuja, said the fact that
the present administration being
led by Buhari is still managing to
drive the economy is a credit on
its side.
He berated critics of the administration as mischief makers,
adding that “the economic situation has become completely out
of the control of government as
the global economic meltdown is
having a negative spiral effect on
the economy”. He said Nigeria
cannot determine the price of
crude or gas.
“That is why the president
has been spending countless
times lobbying and rallying
other oil exporting countries on
how to stabilise the oil prices and
how to attract other investments
into the country.”
Asked on Nigeria’s recent
move to partner the Islamic Organisation, he said: “I think that
we should not be too finicky on
who offers to partner you in fighting terrorism, after all we went to
the US, we went to France, we
went to the United Nations (UN),
and in each of these countries we
received collaboration either in
terms of sharing experiences intelligence, training of our people
or giving us equipment.
“If the Islamic organisation
says that they want to partner
us in fighting terrorism, I do not
think that we should read any religious colouration or meanings
to it. Don’t let us forget that many
of them are facing the same problem that we have they are facing
insurgencies the Maghreb and
the Middle East are presently facing insurgencies and so they say
they are going to partner us in
fighting terrorism is not the same
thing as Islamic country.”
Group to Tour 20 Countries in Support of Buhari
Paul Obi in Abuja
Following the slide in President
Muhammadu Buhari’s approval rating in recent times, a group,
the Nigeria Rebirth Project is
to tour 20 countries to drum
up support for the president’s
programmes and policies.
The project is being spearheaded by the Sahelian Centre
for Leadership and Development, Ministry of Information
and Culture, National Gallery
of Arts and Office of the Wife of
the President, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari who also doubled
as the Grand Patron of the
group.
The move is also geared
towards reaching out to Nige-
rians across the 36 States of the
federation and the FCT. The
decision to engage Nigerian
diaspora abroad and citizens at
home came on the heels of low
approval rating of the president
across a broad spectrum of
Nigerians.
A survey conducted in February this year by Governance
Advancement Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN) revealed that more
Nigerians have become more
disenchanted with the president
and the administration, scoring
Buhari low on economy, jobs
and electricity. The figures of the
survey showed that the president’s rating dropped from 63.4
per cent to 32.8 per cent.
But speaking to journalists
in Abuja, National Coordinator,
Nigeria Rebirth Project, Isaac
Balami said the aim of the
project was to rejuvenate “commitment towards the unity of
Nigeria, leading in birthing the
Nigerian dream and raising a
new breed of Nigerians that will
sustain the country.”
He explained that “we shall
be embarking on a G20 -36 global tour, which is a diplomatic
mission to 20 strategic countries
across the continents of the globe
and the 36 states in Nigeria. The
20 countries include; Dubai,
Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco,
China, India, Singapore, United
Kingdom, France, Germany,
Brazil, Canada, USA, Senegal,
Ghana and Kenya.”
Balami who was accompanied by the Director General of
the Sahelian Centre for Leadership and Development, Ibrahim
Bello Daudu and another official
of the centre, Muazu Magaji
stated that “the tour is mobilise
Nigerians everywhere to commit to the achievement” of the
Nigerian government.
The project also included
some art works to showcase the
unity of Nigeria and support
for the Buhari’s administration
in line with his political and
economic agenda. The project
will be officially launched by the
Wife of the President, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday,
this week.
Controversy Dogs Invasion of Ekiti Assembly by Security Operatives
Segun James
Controversy has continued
to dog the invasion of the
Ekiti State House of Assembly as opinions are divided
on the action along party
lines.
To the Lagos state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief
Tunji Shelle the action will
send a wrong signal to the
people that politicians are
incapable of governance and
this may truncate the political state of the nation.
“The invasion of the Ekiti
Assembly is very sad and
unfortunate. It portends
great danger for our polity
and nascent democracy. It
is not acceptable and if
not nipped in the bud can
truncate the delicate socioeconomic and political state
of the nation. The action is
inappropriate and to say the
least highly undemocratic. It
is uncalled for at this point
in time in the history of the
country.”
But a chieftain of the
All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Bayelsa state, Chief
Nathan Egba disagreed
with the position of Shelle.
He stressed that the PDP
was crying foul because a
state governed by the party
is involved, adding that in
recent past, the party would
have justified such action as
legitimate.
To him, the DSS of today
is different from that of some
years ago when it was used
to “bully” the opposition or
political enemies into submission. Egba recalled that it
was the former DSS that was
used to intimidate members
of the Bayelsa State House
of Assembly (BYSA) to impeach Governor Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha in 2005.
Rivers Calls on Buhari to
Caution Amaechi
Rivers State Government has
urged President Muhammadu
Buhari to call the Minister of
Transportation, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, to order.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and
Communication, Dr. Austin
Tam-George, in a statement he
personally signed and made
available to THISDAY, alleged
that Amaechi was fuelling the
prolonged crisis in the state.
Tam-George, who also faulted Amaechi’s statement during
a recent interview on AIT
where he (Amaechi) alleged
that Mrs. Goodluck Jonathan
and Governor Nyesom Wike
brought cultism to Rivers State
for election purposes, called
on the people of Rivers State
to be vigilant and to resist any
attempt by Amaechi and APC
to rig the legislative polls slated
for March 19.
According to him, investigations by the Rivers State Police
Command have shown again,
that the killings witnessed in
some areas of the state were as
a result of retributive attacks
launched by rival cult gangs
battling for supremacy.
And in each case, TamGeorge said the Rivers State
Police Command working
with the State Government, has
made arrests, and obtained vital
intelligence from gang leaders
in custody. There is a prosecutorial process already underway
for those implicated in these
criminal activities.
Non-oil Revenue: Declare
Emergency in Mining
Sector, Buhari Urged
Sunday Okobi
The management of NASAMAN Mining Company
Limited, an indigenous mining
firm, has called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to declare
an emergency in the nation’s
mining sector as a practical
demonstration of its seriousness
to revitalise the non-oil sector to
improve the revenue base of the
economy.
NASAMAN Chairman, Prince
Mamman Ali, stated this in
Abuja recently when his management team received an award
by the Institute of Management
Consultants (IMC), according to
a statement issued yesterday by
Communication Assistant, Goshem Media Nigeria, Mr. Kelvin
Gods’will Musa.
In the entourage were the
company’s Executive Director,
Foreign Relations, Alhaji Ahmed
Shehu Yar’Adua, and the Executive Director, Legal Services,
Abba Mohammed who equally
bagged awards of Fellow of the
Institute respectively in recognition of their outstanding professional standing and corporate
governance excellence.
Ali, the statement added,
expressed confidence that
whenever the president declares
an emergency in the sector,
it would instantly send the
right signal to the international
investing community about
federal government’s seriousness
in turning around the fortunes of
the sector towards harnessing its
full potentials which he said was
long overdue.
The NASAMAN boss also
called on the government to
follow up the declaration with
the provision of a mining intervention fund as a mechanism
to give practical expression to
its intention to boost non-oil
revenue accruable to the government to implement its major
programmes in this year’s budget currently before the National
Assembly. According to him, investors are anxiously waiting for
government’s budgetary policy
direction as a means of determining the direction of their capital.,
pointing out that investors are
more attracted to where there
is concrete and genuine institutional safeguard to their investment as well as minimise their
cost and maximise their profit.
He pointed out that a presidential
declaration of an emergency in
the sector would go a long way in
boosting the chances of success of
the president’s current economic
diplomacy.
13
Dogara Launches Discount card for
Students, Youth Corps Members
Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
The Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Yakubu
Dogara would soon launch a
discount card designed to subsidise expenses on goods and
services for Nigerian students
and youth corps members.
Targeted at about 23 million
youth, the Nigerian Students
and Youth Corpers Discount
Card (NSYDC), an initiative of
a private firm, Bridge Concept,
has already received the endorsement of the Committee
of Vice Chancellors and the National Association of Nigerian
Students (NANS).
In partnership with hundreds of goods and services
providers, bearers of the card
would receive different ranges
of discounts, a practice which is
common across the world,
One of the drivers of the
concept, and a former member
of the House, Hon. Bimbo
Daramola told THISDAY that
it became necessary to come
up with the concept in the face
of prevailing economic realities
in the country.
“The effect of our current economic realities on
our youths is harsh, so it is
our responsibility to look for
safety nets to shield them from
crimes and criminality. While
doing that, we should not lose
focus on how to empower
the students and youth corps
members to keep from deviant
behaviours.”
“That was what brought
the idea of the online discount
platform. We already have
partners from all sectors of the
economy, from hospitality to
tourism and others, whereby
any of our subscribers will enjoy a discount from the goods
and services he or she is seeking to enjoy,” Daramola added.
About 35,000 partners
including students and corners
are already benefitting from
the service in the Federal
Capital Territory, with plans
to extend to other parts of the
country almost immediately
after the launch.
“Though it is new and first
of its kind in Nigeria but it has
been in existence in Europe
and Americas for more than 3
decades. These are some of the
privileges enjoyed by students
and other youth groups in Europe and Americas that makes
it appear like their society is
extra perfect,” he added.
Intensive efforts are however being made to ensure that
the concept is not abused or
exposed to fraud.
Pirate Attack: Navy Arrests Alleged Accomplice, Releases Vessel
Chiemelie Ezeobi
Exactly three weeks after the
Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS)
Okpabana accosted and arrested
six pirates who had hijacked
an oil vessel, MT Maximum,
operatives of NNS Beecroft have
arrested a possible accomplice of
the gang members.
Although the identity of the
accomplice was yet to unveiled,
THISDAY gathered that investigations are ongoing, which
would provide more insight as
the operations of the pirates.
This is just as the Navy handed over the recovered oil vessel to
a representative of the company,
Super Maritime Nigeria, Limited,
along with the 18-crew members.
The Commanding Officer,
NNS Beecroft, Commodore
Abraham Adaji, did the
handover yesterday at the
naval dockyard, Victoria Island,
Lagos. Also handed over to the
company were 18 international
passports, 28 international seamen passports, 16 yellow fever
cards, three medical Lakers and
one notebook.
On the fate of the six pirates
who are still in navy custody,
Adaji said investigations were
ongoing, adding that they would
be handed over to the Lagos State
Police Command for prosecution.
He said, the suspects arrested
would be prosecuted accordingly and the ship owners have
undertaken to present crew
members to come and testify if
they are required in the course of
investigation.
While receiving the vessel,
the Managing Director of Super
Maritime Nigeria Limited, Mr.
Rene Von Loenen, commended
the navy for the quick rescue of
crew and recovery of the vessel.
Recall that the navy arrested
the six pirates, of Ghanaian and
Nigerian nationalities, after a gun
exchange with naval forces that
left one of the pirates dead.
The Pirates had hijacked the
oil vessel, laden with 4,700 tonnes
of diesel fuel, off the Coast of
NEWS
2017: APC Vows to
Take over Anambra
Anayo Okolie
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Anambra state
chapter has vowed to take over
Anambra Government House
in the forthcoming 2017 governorship election in the state.
The chairman of the party
in the state, Mr. Emeka Ibe,
who disclosed this in Anambra
shortly after receiving the keys
of the Party’s local government
office, procured, furnished and
donated by the immediate past
member of the House of Representatives, Hon Afam Ogene,
said the party has rolled out
programme for membership
mobilisation across the state.
He commended Hon.
Ogene for procuring such a
gigantic building for the party’s
use as local government secretariat and called on all other
stalwarts of the party in the
state to emulate the ex-federal
lawmaker.
According to him, all aggrieved members would be
reconciled while new members
would be admitted into the
party fold.
Handing over the key of the
APC local government office to
the state chairman, Ogene said
the gesture was to provide a
conducive environment for the
party leadership and members
to function effectively in the
area aimed at giving the party a
formal address.
JAMB Extends UTME to March 19
Uchechukwu Nnaike
The Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board (JAMB)
said it has extended the examination date for this year’s
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
to March 19, to enable candidates that had issues with
their online registration to sit
for the examination.
The board had earlier
announced that the examination, which commenced at
designated centres across the
country on February 27, will
last for 10 days, but the protests by the affected students
prompted the examination
body to adjust.
According to the board’s
spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the affected candidates
complained that they had
initiated their registration process, but could not complete
it at the close of registration
due to system failure so the
board was directed to allow
14
SUNDAYNEWS
BOOST
FOR POLICE
SHOWCASING FIFTY
L-R: Group Head Essential Services, NatanelFlorens Ltd, Mr. Remi Ojuile; DPO Ogudu Division, CSP L-R: Kemi Lala-Akinyanju, Iretiola Doyle, Mo Abudu, Olajumoke Orisaguna, and Omoni Oboli, during the
Abdullahi Malah Geidam, and Group Head Shared Services, Mr. Yussuff Suleiman-Onibo, at the
company’s presentation of Police rotating beacons to Ogudu Police division, Lagos...recently
special screening of the film ‘Fifty’ to commemorate the International Women’s Day in Lagos...recently
PHOTO: Yomi Akinyele
Despite Concerns over Credit
Facilities, Manufacturing Sector
Records 6.93% Growth in Q4 2015
James Emejo in Abuja
The manufacturing sector of
the economy recorded a growth
of 6.93 per cent in the fourth
quarter of last year amid lack of
significant credit advance from
the banking sector.
The growth was 2.13 per cent
higher than the 4.80 per cent
which was recorded in the third
quarter of the year, according to
the National Bureau of Statistics
(NBS).
There has been increasing
concern over the reluctance by
commercial banks to advance
significant credit to the real sector
which is critical to resuscitating
economic activities as oil revenues to government continue
to decline due to the falling price
of oil.
At the last monetary policy
committee (MPC) meeting of
January 2016, the CBN governor,
Mr. Godwin Emefiele noted
that though Net domestic credit
(NDC) grew by 12.13 per cent, it
remained below the provisional
benchmark of 29.30 per cent for
2015 while growth in aggregate
credit reflected mainly growth
in credit to the Federal Government by 151.56 per cent in
December 2015 compared with
145.74 per cent in the corresponding period of 2014.
Nevertheless, the apex bank
had initiated a number of plans
to increase lending to the real
sector; hence, the recent growth
in the manufacturing sector,
which had hitherto being on a
decline may be unconnected
with recent interventions in the
sector.
However, according to the
fourth quarter GDP estimates
released recently by the statistical
agency, the sector contributed
9.09 per cent to Nominal GDP
in Q4 2015 quarter, though lower
than the 9.11 per cent recorded
in the corresponding period of
2014, and 9.67 per cent in the third
quarter of 2015.
It further noted that real GDP
growth of the manufacturing
sector slowed by 13.09 per cent to
0.38 per cent (year-on-year) from
13.47 per cent growth recorded
in fourth Quarter of 2014.
Growthwashowever2.13per
cent higher than rates recorded
in Q3 2015 while on a quarter-onquarter basis, the sector slowed
on the margin by -0.03 per cent
with oil refining and Motor
vehicle and Assembly weighing
on the sector manufacturing.
Notably, the manufacturing
sector recorded a nominal year
on year growth of 2.43 per cent
in the period under review. This
was 28.63 per cent lower than
the 31.06 per cent growth rate
recorded in the corresponding
quarter of 2014, and 1.02 per cent
lower than the growth rate of
3.46 per cent recorded in Q3.
Quarter–on-Quarter,
the
sector grew by 51.5 per cent. The
contribution of electricity, gas,
steam and air conditioning supply to Nominal GDP was 0.71
per cent in the Fourth Quarter
of 2015 lower marginally when
compared to the contribution
made in the corresponding
quarter of 2014 recorded at 0.74
per cent.
The NBS said:”In real terms,
the sector grew by 1.20 per cent
in the Fourth Quarter of 2015,
1.61 per cent points lower than
the corresponding period in
2014, and lower than the Third
Quarter 2015 growth rate, which
stood at 2.14 per cent. Quarteron-Quarter, the sector grew by
51.67 per cent.
“The
contribution
of
Electricity, Gas, Steam and
Air Conditioning Supply to
real GDP was 0.51 per cent
in the fourth quarter of 2015,
roughly unchanged from
the Fourth Quarter of 2014 ,
and slightly higher than the
contribution of 0.34 per cent in
the Third Quarter of 2015.”
NDLEA Uncovers $2bn Illicit Drug Operation in Asaba
The National Drug law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has
discovered a super laboratory for
the illicit production of methamphetamine in Asaba, Delta State;
that is capable of churning out
drugs worth at least $2 billion.
The laboratory, which was
detected by the Special Enforcement Team (SET) of the NDLEA
and is said to harbour a production process that is very technical
and sophisticated, is the first
super laboratory discovered in
the country. Similar to the ones
found in Mexico, in terms of
size, it has a capacity to produce
between 3,000kg to 4,000kg of
methamphetamine per production cycle. In Asia, the street value
of 1 kg of methamphetamine
can be as high as $600,000.
The suspects behind the
laboratory have been arrested
and were paraded at a press
briefing held at the Agency’s
National Headquarters in Lagos,
yesterday.
Those arrested include four
Nigerians believed to be joint
owners of the laboratory and
four Mexicans, who are methamphetamine
production
experts hired and brought
into the country as technical
partners. The suspects include:
Chief Chibi Aruh, William Ejike
Agusi, Umolu Kosisochukwu
and Umolu Chuwkuemeka.
The technical experts from
Mexico are: Cervantos Madrid
Jose Bruno, Rivas Ruiz Pastiano,
Castillo Barraza Cristobal, and
Partida Gonzalez.
At the press briefing,
Chairman of the NDLEA, Col.
Muhammad Mustapha, noted
that the discovery of a superlaboratory should be a cause of
fresh worries, in the nation’s fight
against illegal narcotics.
“It is worrisome because the
rise of super-laboratories will put
Nigerian on the global spotlight
in methamphetamine production,” he said.
Nigeria’s Poor Infrastructure Threatens Public Safety, NSE Warns
A 2015 year-end report of the status of Nigeria’s infrastructure by
the Nigerian Society of Engineers
(NSE) has said that the country’s
poor infrastructure base constitutesadangertopublicsafety.The
report: ‘Nigerian Infrastructure
Report Card 2015’ is published for
the first time by the NSE. It was
presented to reporters weekend
in Abuja by the President of NSE,
Otis Anyaejo, who also briefed re-
porters on other national issues as
they relate to engineering practice
in the country.
According to Anyaeji, the final
outcome of the report was based
on inputs from professional
engineers and other stakeholders
across the country. He said an
aggregation of inputs of these
professionals scored the country’s
infrastructure quite low with an
“E” pass mark.
The “E” pass mark, he explained amounted to a 2.08 out
of the overall five points on which
the assessment was based. “This
means that the present condition
of our national infrastructure
across all sectors is a threat to
public safety. Our score card is
modelled on international best
practice,” Anyaeji said.
He noted that the report card
was one of the ways the NSE
evaluates the country’s development of its infrastructure, adding
that a two years grace gap is often
allowed for the government to
reflect and adopt the recommendations in it.
According to him: “We want
the report card to be a monitoring
and reporting tool for citizens
and a critical companion guide
to policy makers in prioritising
solutions to our national infrastructure delivery challenges.”
Anyaeji disclosed that the
electric power, transportation,
water, health, education, oil and
gas, housing, tourism, emergency
response as well as security and
law were amongst the country’s
key sectors which their infrastructure base were assessed.
Foundation Asks British House
of Lords to Support IDPs
Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
A Nigerian non-governmental
organisation, Jose Foundation
has appealed to the House of
Lords in the United Kingdom
to help in finding succour for
the over 2 million people living
in camps in the North East as
Internal Displaced Persons.
The IDPs had to flee their
homes following deadly invasion and attacks by Boko Haram
insurgents.
Addressing members of
the House of Lords in the UK,
the President of the foundation,
Martins Abhulimhen told the
Lordships that President Muhammadu Buhari had provided
an enabling environment for
help to reach the IDP.
He said: “Jose Foundation, being unable to participate actively
in ameliorating the effects of the
war against insurgency, due to
being ill equipped to fight against
insurgency, has began to find
relevancebecausethetenmonths
old government of President
Muhammadu Buhari has been
able to repeal the insurgents and
create safe camps for internally
displaced people, a majority of
whom are children. We now can
show our zeal as it is safe to work
in such camps.”
“The internally displaced
people are part of what I have
come here to sensitise your Lordships about. For the first time in
the history of Nigeria, we have a
discipline, corrupt free leadership
under the impeccable person of
President Muhammadu Buhari,
which without any doubt will
make our tasks a lot easier.
“Donations are bound to
reach the people it is meant for. We
at Jose Foundation are partnering
Save the Children organisation
UK, Nepal Child Rescue foundation, the Wellbeing Foundation
and a host of other like-minded
non-governmental organisations
to help the Nigerian government
ease this burden and end this crisis and humanitarian catastrophe.
EFCC to Arraign Ex-Head of
Service, Oransaye on Tuesday
Bassey Inyang in Calabar and
Adebiyi Adedapo in Abuja
The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), will
on Tuesday, March 15, arraign a
former Head of the Civil Service of
the Federation (HoS) Mr. Stephen
Oronsaye, before Justice O. Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) High Court, sitting in Abuja
on fresh two counts of corruption
and obtaining by false pretence.
The fresh charge followed the
completion of investigation by the
anti-graft agency on evidence that
the former top bureaucrat allegedly abused his position as chair
of the Presidential Committee on
the Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) to fraudulently obtain a total
sum of N190 million, being part
of the N240 million grant which
the Committee received from the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
The grant, investigation revealed, was allegedly paid into an
accountinAccessBankoperatedby
Oronsaye without the knowledge
of other Committee members and
he proceeded to invest the funds for
personal gains.
The charge reads; “Stephen
Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr. Steve Oronsaye
on or about 12th June, 2013 at Abuja
within the jurisdiction of the High
Court of the Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman
of the Presidential Committee on
Financial Action Task Force and
in such capacity entrusted with
certain property to wit: the sum of
N90,000,000.00 committed Breach
ofTrustinrespectofthesaidsumby
converting it to your personal use
through the investment of the said
sum of N90,000,000.00 in Access
Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a
tenor of 90 days at 9.0% interest rate
in violation of the extant financial
regulations.
“Stephen Oronsaye a.k.a. Mr.
Steve Oronsaye on or about 30th
December, 2014 at Abuja within the
jurisdiction of the High Court of the
Federal Capital Territory whilst being the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action
Task Force and in such capacity
entrusted with certain property to
wit: the sum of N100,000,000.00
committed Breach of Trust in
respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through
the investment of the said sum of
N90,000,000.00 in Access Bank Plc’s
Bankers Acceptance for a tenor of
90 days at 12.0% interest rate each
in violation of the extant financial
regulations.”
15
16
THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • MARCH 13, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
Beyond Femi Fani-Kayode’s ‘Sad Case of Ese Oruru’: The
Biogenesis or Abiogenesis of Truth and a New Nigeria?
F
emi Fani-Kayode (FFK) was formerly a Minister
of Aviation in Nigeria and a descendant of the seasoned politician and statesman, alias ‘Fani Power.’
Miss Ese Oruru is the 14-year old girl abducted
by Yunusa Dahiru, 18 years old, from her home
in Yenagoa in the South-south and taken to Kano.
She is already pregnant for him. The attitude of the
many commentators angered FFK and prompted
him to write on ‘the Sad Case of Ese Oruru’ (ThisDay, March 6, 2016,
p.92).
FFK raised in his article the question of ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ in
the face of ‘perpetuation of wickedness and injustice in this country
among the ruling elite.’ As he put it, ‘evidently we live in a strange
country where evil is, at best, ignored and swept under the carpet
and, at worst, openly justified. We live in a country where those
that expose such abominations and that speak truth are shunned,
discredited, demonized, hated, despised and, more often than not,
threatened with physical violence, persecution, intimidation, arrest,
criminal investigation and civil litigation. That is the price we pay
for speaking the truth and exposing evil in Nigeria.’
FFK also has it that ‘anyone can get away with anything [provided] they belong to a particular circle and class and [provided] they
have money and power. And it is because they have money and
power and they have powerful friends in government and in the
political class that they feel that they can silence, crush, kill, abduct,
cripple, ruin, sue and jail anybody that tests their will and crosses
them or that dares to expose the truth about their blood-chilling and
perverse ways. That is the reality of Nigeria and it is a sad and sorry
one.’
On reading Fani-Kayode’s article, I was immediately confronted
with four challenges deriving from some novels and my own
experience. First, I remember James Ngugi’s Weep Not Child. Why is
Fani-Kayode trying to weep? One possible answer derivable from
his article is the perception of conspiracy of wickedness on the part
of the generality of the Nigerian people. They easily acquiesce to
cruelty and societal ills. Second, the article reminds of Alan Paton’s
Cry My Beloved Country. While James Ngugi does not want people,
particularly the children, to weep or cry, Alan Paton advocates the
contrary: crying. But why will people not cry and cry out strongly in
the face of visible atrocities and silence over them? When I consider
my experience as a former Chief Executive at the Nigerian Institute
of International Affairs (NIIA) and ponder over what those who
were precisely required to ‘govern’ as a Council or to ‘supervise’ as
a Ministry [are doing], I prefer not to weep and cry but to go along
with Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd. For me,
weeping and crying are manifestations of failure. They do not solve
problems.
Consequently, when Fani-Kayode talks about the ‘Sad Case of
Ese Oruru’ he is simply seeking an end to the sadness and anyone
who wants a better Nigeria ought to commend his courage, and
particularly the integrity and knowledge inherent in it. For, as noted
by Dr. Samuel Johnson in his Rasselas, ‘integrity without knowledge
is weak and useless and knowledge without integrity is dangerous
and dreadful.’ The challenge in this case is when someone is not
weak and still has integrity in addition, and yet, the people do not
bother, what should one do?
Thomas Henry Huxley, in his Science and Education, says that
the only medicine for suffering, crime, and all the other woes of
mankind is wisdom. In this regard, Baltassar Gracian argues that
self-reflection is the school of wisdom. In fact, while Ecclesiast I
in the Holy Bible advises that it is better to hear the rebuke of the
wise than for a man to hear the songs of fools, Epicharmus posits
in his book, Fabulœ Incertœ, that the wise man must be wise before,
not after, the event. This is why, before Nigeria is put on the path
of irreversible self-destruction and crisis of legitimacy, there is the
need to be wise first, because Harold Last, on 21st July 1993, has also
noted that there was a class of intellectuals who had the chance to
speak out against injustices and yet remain silent and by so doing
contribute to the moral paralysis and intellectual barrenness that
grips the affluent world (Daily Sketch, July 21, 1993).
Beyond the Story of the Sad Case
There are more saddening cases than that of Ese Oruru. Some are
contained in Professor Gabriel Olakunle Olusanya’s, The Memoirs
of a Disillusioned Patriot. If you are not sure about yesterday, what
about today? At the NIIA, a Director of Research and Studies, Prof.
Ogaba Danjuma Oche, summoned candidates being considered for
possible promotion to the grade of substantive professorship to his
office and not only told them that the Director General was about
to send their papers abroad for assessment contrary to practice,
but also revealed the particulars of the possible assessors. The
normal and standard practice before I took over as Director General
was to send assessment papers to whoever has the professional
competence in the relevant disciplines regardless of the location of
the assessors: in Nigeria or abroad. The attention of the Governing
Council was drawn to the fact that Professor Oche had breached
the sacrosanct principle of confidentiality. In fact, the Council
turned its eyes away and later linked up directly with the assessors
in the wrong belief that the DG could not justify the conditions for
assessment or has fabricated his own conditions. In the context of
the Public Service Regulations, breach of confidentiality and Oath
of Secrecy constitutes a serious misconduct which is sanctionable
by dismissal if proven (vide Sections 030401 and 030402 (i) on
‘unauthorised disclosure of official information’ and paragraph (n)
on Oath of Secrecy).
VIE
INTERNATIONALE
with
Bola A. Akinterinwa
Telephone : 0807-688-2846
e-mail: [email protected]
Fani-Kayode
The Director of Administration and Finance, Ms. Agatha Elochi
Ude, was officially queried for falsifying promotion examination
results in favour of some candidates who did not pass. She was
also queried for removing all the queries (issued before and during
my tenure) in her file. This act, again, is contrary to Sections 030402
(a) on falsification of records; Section 030402 on suppression
of records; and Section 030402 (c) on withholding of files. The
attention of Council was drawn to it but the Council was silent on
the matter.
The case of the NIIA official quarters on Victoria Island, Lagos,
is another issue. Following government’s Monetisation Policy
of 2004, Management, in implementation of the policy, asked
all the occupants to pay N480,000 per annum or N40,000 (forty
thousand naira per month) for a 4-bedroom flat, plus a standard
self-contained Boys Quarters and two parking slots. The occupants petitioned to the Council, after more than three years of
compliance, that the rental charge was too much. It is from this
payment of N40,000 monthly rent that all social bills, gardener,
security, waste disposal, etc, are paid by the Management. But the
occupants want free accommodation contrary to the requirements
of the government’s policy.
A related problem is that some of the occupants rented their
Boys Quarters for between N300,000 and N350,000 per annum,
contrary to extant regulations. In the letters of allocation of the
flats, sub-letting of any part is considered an act of gross or serious
misconduct which is punishable by dismissal from the service of
the NIIA. The Council’s reaction was to advise that a six-month
quit notice be given to their illegal tenants. The occupants, in fact,
never complied before I left the Institute.
More interestingly, Council simply rejected government’s policy
of monetisation and replaced it with the policy of pay on the basis
of “capacity” or “as you earn.”
True, the Council queried me: that I exceeded my approval limit
and that the Council was not involved in the award of a contract
for the building of an International Conference Center in the
Institute. In the strong belief that I never exceeded my approval
limit and had followed the due process, I have been asking, to no
avail, for a governmental probe of all my activities, contractual and
academic, and particularly the variously incited petitions against
me. It is conspiracy of silence again.
Even the report of a Panel of Investigation, which I set up in
the face of inaction of the Supervisory Authority and in which
representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Public
Service Commission, Head of Service, Department of State
Service, etc, actively participated, was set aside by the Supervisory
Authority, because of partisanship and impact of influence
politics. The report indicted the directors and the petitioners. My
question remains, if all petitions written against me were sent to
the Supervisory Authority, why were they not investigated? For
more than one year of petitioning, the best the Council could do
was to “note” the petitions but was not able to determine who was
right or wrong.
In fact, during demonstrations against me, I was called a thief.
The Director of Library and Documentation Services, Mrs. Stella
Abimbola Dada (SAD), led the thief-allegation group. When the
allegations were reported to the Lion Building for investigation
and prosecution, the Lion Building, never cooperated. Associate
Research Professor Fred Aja Agwu reported me to the Bar Beach
Police Station, complaining that he had not only received telephone
messages in which his life was threatened but that the only suspect
responsible was me. I knew about the report through a copy of his
letter sent to the Supervisory Authority through me. On that same
day, I submitted myself to the Bar Beach Police without waiting
for their invitation. All the investigations in the past five months
to ascertain the ownership of the phone used and extent of my
involvement have been to no avail. The explanation offered me is
that the telephone service provider had not responded to police
enquiries.
And, perhaps, worst still, the endpoint is that, at the level of the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), I was directed
to hand over to the Most Senior Director, with the explicit insinuation that there were petitions against me. I complied but protested
against the insinuation, because I did not hand over because of
any petition but because my tenure had come to an end. It cannot
but be most unfortunate for a SGF to have taken decisions without
investigating the petitions that informed it. Government is preaching the gospel of anti-corruption and anti-societal ills but the very
Supervisory Authority who should be in the fore-front is, of course,
the main nursery for aiding and abetting serious acts of misconduct
in the NIIA. This is not only why Nigeria’s foreign policy cannot
benefit from serious intellectual inputs and, particularly, why the
NIIA is now on the path of neglect-induced destruction.
For instance, special signages procured with government funds
and installed in different places to honour some of the Founding
Fathers and Directors-General of the NIIA have been removed,
if not destroyed. This is quite sad because the signages are for the
Louis Mbanefo Rotunda, Foyer Russel Aliyu Dikko, Lawrence
Fabunmi Banquet Hall, Sir Kashim Ibrahim Library, Bolaji
Akinyemi Auditorium. They removed them in the belief that they
can destroy the truth. Akinterinwa’s legacy is indestructible.
Additionally, I remodelled the existing Annex Building to
accommodate an International Conference Center (ICC) for the
Institute, and enable greater visibility of the NIIA in the comity of
global research institutions. SAD within her six-week tenure tried
to convert the international conference centre into offices, forgetting
the need for fund generation for research and financial solvency.
More unfortunately, however, restructuring of the conference
centre does not remove the fact of who built it. Removing the
signages does not obliterate the fact that General Yakubu Gowon
commissioned them and the naming of the different places after
those who gave birth to the Nigerian Institute of International
Affairs and sustained it.
Why seek the underdevelopment of the NIIA?
FFK has already provided some of the reasons. And most
unfortunately again, Dr. Efem Ubi threw caution to the wind
last week Wednesday and acted ad libitum: she gave my wife an
unprovoked, undeserved and unbefitting slap on the face. With his
wife, they tore my wife’s dress. The matter was referred to the Bar
Beach Police Station which has also referred the case to the court.
Even though Dr. Ubi and his wife were docked and granted bail,
the aftermath of the governance by Council and the supervision by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is nothing more than the increasing
acts of serious misconduct in the Institute.
Truth-promotion: Biogenetical or Abiogenetical
Approach?
Nigeria’s future cannot be great if the foundation is built on
untruth. Only truth can exalt a nation, as the Bible says. But how do
we develop on the basis of truth? Do we go the way of biogenesis
or abiogenesis? Biogenesis is the doctrine that life can only be
generated from living things only, while abiogenesis has it that life
is generated from non-living matter, especially from putrid and
decomposing organic matter. In the context of truth promotion as
basis of a new and greater Nigeria, should emphasis be placed on
rebuilding the character of the current living politicians, leaders
and elite in general? Do we focus on the primary school generation
or should it be on the rottenness of the polity in the belief that
something good can still come out of it?
Biogenesis implies that there are good living human beings
while abiogenesis does not so imply. Put differently, can the looters,
armed robwbers, arsonists, Boko Haramists, economic saboteurs,
be counted upon in building a new Nigeria? Do we need a new
generation of people who will not be required to feed on the old
food of corruption but on living or dead plants?
If Nigeria is to achieve greatness and survive, there will be need
to create a voluntary Association for the Defence of the Truth
(AFDT), not necessarily to take any concrete action in defence of
any individual but simply to ensure the establishment of truth for
posterity and as basis for national security and development. Many
diplomatists have been recalled from posts and some unduly
retired because of crooked allegations which are known to be
unfounded. Yet truth of it is covered up. This should not be so.
FFK should, therefore, direct more of his energies to the formation of an association for truth at the level of the people. This should
be different from a governmental truth commission. Any approach
that will enable a greater and united Nigeria, and especially
determine whether the attitude of political leaders is traceable to
biogenesis or abiogenesis, should be adopted. But there should be
no conspiracy of silence in the face of manifest injustice.
17
internAtionAl/NEWS
Zuma’sVisit and New Frontiers of
Nigeria - South Africa Relations
U
pon emergence from the defunct Apartheid
regime in 1990, South Africa enjoyed a healthy
relationship with Nigeria largely in recognition
of the various roles she played in the liberation
movement in South Africa in particular and
the Southern Africa in general.
From her special status as a member of the
Frontline States, the Nigerian government
committed enormous financial, human and material resources
to support the liberation struggles. Nigerian workers and tertiary
students contributed at least N2 each through the National
Action Committee Against Apartheid (NACAP) to provide the
much needed funds to the South African liberation movements,
especially the African National Congress (ANC). Nigeria accepted scores of freedom fighters on asylum and extended lavish
scholarship grants to young South African blacks who were
denied educational opportunities to study in Nigerian Colleges
and Universities.
On the international scene, Nigeria stood firmly to mobilize
fellow African countries and international opinion against the
racist regime in South Africa. The country’s efforts coupled with
the militant struggles of the ANC and other groups eventually led
to the collapse of Apartheid and the emergence of an all inclusive
and democratic dispensation in South Africa, which started with
the release from prison in 1990, of Nelson Mandela, the symbol of
the struggle who had been incarcerated for about 27 years.
Fresh from the Apartheid dispensation, South Africa and
Nigeria regarded each other as strategic partners on the African
continent. This partnership raised real hope for Africa’s renaissance, progress and development. The cordial ties between the
two countries made it possible for South African businesses
to enter the Nigerian economy. The number of South African
investors in Nigeria has since increased to over 150, the number
since the return of democracy in the country in 1999. Of the
South African businesses, the telecoms giant MTN, Stanbic Bank,
Standard Chattered Bank and DSTV stand out as market leaders
in their various segments of the economy.
On the other hand, Nigerian professionals and technocrats
equally poured into the South African economy to beef up the
gaps which existed in indigenous African expertise. An estimated
one million Nigerians live in South Africa even though most
of them are residing without formal documents and therefore,
not on the data base of both the Nigerian High Commission in
Pretoria nor the South African Immigration authorities.
In the last three or four years however, relations between the
two countries took a nosedive. The Xenophobic attacks targeted
at non-South Africans particularly Nigerians sent a wrong
signal that Nigerians were no longer wanted in South Africa.
The attacks which erupted mostly in cities led to loss of lives
and the destruction of businesses and investments owned by
Nigerians in that country. Then came the seizing of $9.3million of
Nigerian money meant for purchase of arms through the black
market to fight insurgency at a time the Western Countries were
reluctant to supply arms to the Nigerian government to fight the
Boko Haram terrorists. The recent N1trillion fine imposed by
the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on MTN
The volume of trade between the two countries stood at about
$30billion in 2015 with the balance of trade more favourable to
South Africa. In sum total, the relationship had between the two
had moved from cooperation to competition.
It is against this background that President Zuma’s visit came
at the most auspicious time to arrest the growing suspicion and
subtle tension which is capable of undermining the high level of
with
achievements recorded in the bilateral relations between the two
countries.
Cletus Akwaya, Ph.D
It is a credit to President Zuma that he made success of the visit.
His decision to address the National Assembly was strategy in
e-mail: [email protected] soliciting the understanding of the legislators who in the wake
of Xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa in 2014
and 2015 weighed hostile measures including the withdrawal of
the MTN License and the suspension of South African countries
operating in Nigeria. President Zuma’s speech to the National
Assembly brought to the fore the very important issue of Nigeria’s
contribution to the end of Apartheid, which forms the historical
basis for the two countries to co-exist on the continent as “brothers” and not competitors for continental influence.
President Buhari equally took advantage of the visit to advance
Nigeria’s interests by seeking bilateral cooperation in certain
critical areas of the economy like power generation, solid minerals
development and agriculture, all of which South Africa has some
advantage over Nigeria.
The visit by President Zuma has surely provided fresh impetus
for improved relations between the two leading countries in Africa
South of the Sahara.
The decision to raise the headship of the Nigeria-South Africa
Joint Commission to the level of Heads of State instead of the Vice
Presidents as was the case since inception of the Commission, is a
President Zuma and President Muhammadu Buhari, during the visit
welcome development as it would make decision making faster.
of President of South Africa accompany to the National assembly
However, the Commission needs to have a functional Secretariat,
headed by officials of Ambassadorial ranks which should meet on
a quarterly basis to do the necessary ground work on all matters of
for alleged violation of operational guidelines appeared to have
interest for approval of the Heads of States of the two countries.
worsened the relations between the two countries.
If there were doubts about the security of investment for South
The downwards slide in the relations between the two
African companies, President Zuma’s visit and the assurances ofcountries was influenced by a number of factors. On the South
fered by the Nigerian President for safety of South African capital
African side, young South Africans who came of age after the
including the resolution of the N1trillion fine against MTN should
collapse of Apartheid do not have an accurate historical account
serve as an elixir to increased South African investment in Nigeria
of the contributions of Nigeria to the liberation of South Africa
especially in the areas of agriculture and solid minerals, where the
and therefore, see no reason for a special relationship between the
Federal Government is focusing to diversify the economy from oil.
two countries. Such young South Africans therefore, envy and
Another area of attention is air travel between the two countries.
indeed accuse Nigerians resident in South Africa of dominating
South African Airways should without further delay increase its
the economy and thereby taking their jobs. In reality however,
flight frequency to accommodate daily flights to Abuja, the capital
most Nigerians in South Africa are either self employed or are
city, while Nigerian flight frequencies operated by private Airlines
employers of labour through the knowledge-based and other
should be increased to cover major South African cities apart from
small businesses they establish.
Johannesburg like Durban and Cape Coast .
On the Nigerian side, the growing continental influence of
South Africa should also revisit its visa policy to Nigeria by
South Africa, which has become a kind of counter weight to
relaxing the stringent conditions including the duration of the
Nigeria on the continent is a situation many Nigerians loathe.
visas. Anew visa policy between the two countries should
This situation is exacerbated by the dominance of South African
consider issuance of visas to travellers on arrival.
businesses in the Nigerian economy to the detriment of their
Finally, there is need for both countries to educate their citizens
Nigerian competitors.
on the benefits of African brotherhood in the spirit of African
And until 2014 when Nigeria rebased her GDP, South Africa
integration and a more assured future of the continent.
was regarded as Africa’s largest economy.
WORLD
PANORAMA
South Sudan: Women Raped ‘as Reward for Fighters’
M
ilitias allied to the South
Sudanese army have
been allowed to rape
women in lieu of wages
while fighting rebels, a
UN report says.
Investigators found
that 1,300 women had
been raped last year in oil-rich Unity State
alone, it said.
The army operated a “scorched earth” policy
to deliberately target civilians for killing and
rape, which amounted to war crimes, the UN
said.
The government denies its army targeted
civilians but says it is investigating.
According to the UN report, militias operated
under a “do what you can and take what you
can” agreement that allowed them to rape and
abduct women and girls as a form of payment.
They also raided cattle and stole personal
property, it added.
The scale and type of sexual violence
committed in South Sudan constitute some of
the most horrendous human rights abuses in
the world, UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said
• One woman said she had watched her
South Sudan’s army has been accused of suffocating more than 60 people
15-year-old daughter being raped by 10 soldiers
after her husband was killed
• Another said she had been stripped naked
and raped by five soldiers in front of her
children on the roadside
• Witnesses told investigators that several
women had been abducted and held in sexual
slavery as “wives” for soldiers in the barracks
• Young-looking women were specifically
targeted and raped by about ten men, one
witness said. In some cases, those who tried to
resist or even looked at their rapists were killed,
she added
The UN said government forces and allied
militias had gang-raped girls and cut civilians
to pieces. It also accused opposition fighters of
committing human rights abuses.
Image copyright AFP Image caption More
than two million people have been displaced
by the fighting
President Salva Kiir’s spokesman, Ateng
Wek Ateng, told the BBC there were no militias
fighting on the government side.
The investigators had relied on anti-government elements as South Sudanese soldiers
only fought people in uniforms, not civilians,
Mr Ateng told the BBC’s Focus on Africa radio
programme. While the government disputed
the report, he added, the allegations it contained
were “too serious to ignore” and the government would take appropriate action.
In a separate report, Amnesty International
said more than 60 men and boys had been
suffocated in a shipping container by government forces.
Courtesy www.bbc.co.uk
18
MARCH 13, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
OPINION
Enemies of Progress
Chris Ngwodo argues that restructuring the NNPC to operate efficiently is in the national interest
C
hinua Achebe was once asked why his novels did
not feature a clear manichaean divide between the
oppressors and the oppressed or between good
proletarian heroes and evil bourgeois fat cats. He
replied, “if you create a class situation in which
your hero comes completely heroic, never tells a
lie, knows all the correct answers, is faultless and
the oppressor is a hundred per cent villain with
no redeeming features whatsoever and the people, of course, are
angelic…there is no cynicism among them, then you create a kind
of world which has no contact with the world I know. And I say,
no, this world is not true. Therefore if I pretend that it is true, I am
dishonest.”
In other words, the narrative of a public order divided
between angelic masses and demonic patricians is unrealistic.
In Nigeria, it is outrightly bogus, and it is intellectually fraudulent to pretend otherwise. We live in a realm in which the line
between oppressor and oppressed is blurred.
In response to the government’s restructuring of the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation, the Petroleum and Natural
Gas Senior Staff Association (Pengassan) and National Union
of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (Nupeng) – who are
not shareholders but employees, promptly embarked on an
unannounced strike claiming that they had not been “carried
along.” The NNPC, a conglomerate of labyrinthine dimensions,
has long operated as a state within a state – culturally secretive,
typically unaccountable, mostly unaudited, unprofitable and
uncompetitive compared to other state-owned oil companies. It
seems as much a cult as it is a corporation.
Restructuring the NNPC to operate accountably, efficiently,
and profitably, is entirely in the national interest. At this point, it
is not even clear that the administration’s announced measures
(so far) go far enough in this direction. Certainly, Emmanuel
Ibe Kachikwu’s insistence that the restructuring will not cost
anyone their jobs seems rather suspect. It is inconceivable that
the NNPC could be so dysfunctional and graft-ridden and
none of its employees are culpable. But at least, the administration is starting on a path that should lead to a healthier NNPC.
The unions’ snap reaction to the new measures apparently
before they had even understood them telegraphed their fear of
losing the benefits they enjoy in a broken system.
It is not only oil sector unions that obstruct reform. The
National Union of Teachers has opposed performance-based
evaluations for teachers in public schools apparently because
it believes that teachers employed at public expense should be
steadily promoted through the ranks regardless of their actual
performance even as the terminal decay of the public education
system deepens. In 2006, Oby Ezekwesili’s ambitious reform of
decrepit and mismanaged unity schools to make them more
efficient was also stalled by unions which falsely claimed that the
schools were going to be “privatised” as though privatisation is a
mortal sin.
We must understand the psychology that drives this form of
labour action. There are forces which profiteer from the pervasive
dysfunction of the public sector. Rent-seeking has infected both
politics and civil society, and has poisoned the wells of activism.
Labour agitations are aimed at securing the employees of an
ineffective bureaucracy. It never questions the anti-meritocratic
basis of public sector recruitment.
In their defence, labour unionists privately (and at times,
publicly) argue that they live in a reality in which federal legisla-
The unions’ snap reaction
to the new measures apparently before they had
even understood them telegraphed their fear of losing
the benefits they enjoy in a
broken system
tors pocket in excess of a hundred times the national GDP.
Simultaneously, the spectacle of criminally neglected pensioners reduced to begging for their entitlements (which are often
remorselessly pillaged) and dying while waiting offers an
enduring object lesson on the need for civil servants to acquire
social security for life by any means necessary, including
paralysing the entire country by industrial action. Public
sector unions use strikes to negotiate for their own share of
the national cake. Thus, the language of industrial disputes is
often militant with striking workers inclined to extract every
concession without compromise. Patriotism rarely neuters the
pangs of self-interest.
Neo-marxist mythology defines the working class as a
morally flawless category. We drape the “masses” in the
robes of long-suffering sainthood and idealise their heroic
unions as the forces of proletarian light ranged against the
dark forces of bourgeois decadence. Achebe rejected this
simplistic formulation and so should we. Nigeria’s famously
tardy government employees are far from blameless in the
dilapidation of the public sector. The labour leadership is part
of the establishment and their followers are, for the most part,
enthusiastic accomplices in the campaign to preserve the status
quo. Contrary to the assertion of labour populists, the worker
is not always right. More frequently than not, the unions will
be on the wrong side of the battles over public sector reform
that are certain to occur in the coming days.
Labour obstructionism is driven by the instinctive perpetuation of privilege and the notion that the civil service is a
welfare system that should perpetually accommodate all
employees including the redundant, the inept and the corrupt.
When the Buhari administration faces the inevitable necessity
of streamlining a bloated, corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy,
there will be yet more obstructionism by unionists seeking to
safeguard their sinecures. The administration must present
its case intelligently in the court of public opinion. It must
show how the interests of the unions (and their allies) pale
in comparison to the overall interests of 160 million people.
We will have to determine at what point the strike option,
especially by those in critical sectors, ceases to be legitimate
activism and becomes economic sabotage.
–– Ngwodo is a writer, consultant and analyst
Investor Relations in A Depressed Economy
Building up trust with investors is perhaps most important during a downturn, argues Oluwapelumi Joseph
“When written in Chinese, the word
‘crisis’ is composed of two characters.
One represents danger and the other
opportunity.” - John F. Kennedy
W
hile the current economy is not in
a crisis, it is definitely not a rosy
outlook for economic agents due to the
intersection of economic and sociopolitical undercurrents. This is where
the distinction between operational
performance and market perception
is critical, as perception can distort
reality in the short-term, at least. Consequently, listed
companies whose valuations and shareholder wealth are
subject to market whims need to have a holistic approach
to communication through proper messaging around
financial, operational and business performance that
engenders trust in the company.
Dealing with these issues is best served by the unique
skill set of investor relations. According to the Investor
Relations Society (UK), investor relations can be described as the communication of information and insight
between a company and the investment community.
This process enables a full appreciation of the company’s
business activities, strategy and prospects and allows the
market to make an informed judgment about the fair
value and appropriate ownership of a company.
Typically, companies tend to be keen on communicating with stakeholders when business is on upswing, the
thinking being ‘if we can get people to notice how well
we are doing now, they will support and invest in us,
which in turn will lead to us doing even better’. This
line of thinking while valid in a majority of situations is
not a one-size-fits-all answer. Investor relations should
not only be seen as a means of showing off achievement
in good times, but also as a means of carrying the
investment stakeholders along, keeping them up to
date on the good and the not-so-pleasant by continuing
to explain the fundamentals of the business and not
getting distracted by the noise in the market. Also, the
rationale behind certain activities need to be properly
communicated and the message defined, to ensure that
market participants have faith in the company’s grasp
of the issues requiring management attention.
Despite being recognised as Africa’s largest economy
after the GDP rebasing in 2014, Nigeria’s economy
suffered a significant downturn in 2015. Social unrest
and political uncertainty linked to the 2015 general
elections meant that investors stayed on the sidelines
amplified by record low oil prices, which has led to a
very challenging operating environment for banks and
businesses in the real economy. The naira’s continued
divergence in value between the Central Bank’s foreign
exchange rate and the autonomous market creates
speculative opportunities and more importantly, pain
for import-dependent input manufacturers.
Now more than ever before investors require
clarity, even those who are not financially savvy, will
critique the current economy and realise that company
performance will suffer. They may tolerate disappointing performance, but they would not forgive poor
transparency and disclosure even if it meets minimum
statutory requirements. Building up trust with investors is perhaps most important during a downturn,
it is important to get “ahead of the story” as this
provides an opportunity to control the narrative. This
is where investor relations steps in.
In practice, investor relations covers a wide spectrum
of activities ranging from press releases to conference
calls culminating with perception reports. Conference
calls provide the market and investors an opportunity
to understand a company’s management report; a
detailed breakdown of its quarterly results as well as
forward, or projected, earnings. The calls also provide
an opportunity for analysts to ask questions on areas
of performance where they require more clarity from
the company’s management regarding how it intends
to respond and manage headwinds. For instance, a
major factor underpinning the economic downturn is
the fall in oil prices as a lot of banks in Nigeria have
very high exposure to the oil & gas sector. Another
issue is the impact of weakening naira in the parallel
market on companies’ ability to import essential
supplies that they cannot source locally. A conference
call allows analysts to ask management about this
exposure and how they intend to mitigate its impact
on performance. Ideally, conference calls should be
held quarterly.
Perception surveys offer companies the opportunity
to receive anonymous feedback from the analysts
community on their decisions and results. Depending
on the questioning on the survey, management can
get an idea as to how the market views their strengths
and weaknesses where potential opportunities lie
and any challenges that they may not have foreseen
themselves. The importance of identifying strengths
and weaknesses becomes most apparent in a slowing
or contracting economy where the flight to safety in
asset classes becomes paramount.
Listed companies rely greatly on perception, which
needs to be framed from within. A skilled investor
relations team is just as vital as an astute public
relations team, just a lot more specialised. Along with
the executive management team, investor relations
specialists can help sustain the market’s interest in a
company. In addition, they communicate with shareholders and the investing public, attracting a pipeline
of new investors and sell-side research coverage –
while helping to manage regulatory and liability risk.
Companies cannot afford to lie low while they
wait for the current turmoil to abate, those who do
not prioritise carrying investors along in the current
economic climate will find it even harder to convince
investor’s once the storm has blown over. They have
to choose between hiding from the crisis or in the
spirit of the late John F. Kennedy take advantage of
the market opportunities that it represents. Only those
who chose the latter through engagement and clearlydefined communications can expect to weather the
storm to their advantage.
–– Joseph is a consultant on the investor relations
team where he manages several blue-chip client
relationships on strategy and implementation
19
LETTERS
M
Ese Oruru And Policing in Nigeria
arch 6 is
the day set
aside all over
the world
to celebrate
our mothers and every
potential mothers. And so
in that sense every woman
irrespective of her age or
marital status is a mother.
It is a day to celebrate these
unique creatures of God
who may be our biological
mothers, sisters, wives,
friends, co-workers, samefaith members or business
partners. Incidentally, it is
the same day that the Lord
has given us a clear inspiration to address the issue of
girl-child abduction saga
that is currently trending in
the Nigerian society in the
last couple of weeks.
Apart from the criminal
and the ‘wholesale’ or
massive abduction of about
276 Chibok secondary
school girls in April 14, 2014
in the North-eastern part
of Nigeria by the Islamic
insurgents – Boko Haram
T
Ese Oruru
and with no certainty of
their whereabouts or the
possibility of their rescue
(except with the grace of
God), another girl-child
abduction saga that has
generated so much furore
and national discourse was
that of Ese Oruru – a 14year- old girl of Delta State
origin that was abducted
from Yenogoa in Bayelsa
State by one Yunusa. She
was allegedly taken to Kano
State, got ‘converted’ to
Islam and married off to her
suspected abductor/lover.
And by the time the evervibrant Nigerian press blew
off the cover over the case
and Ese got rescued and
reunited with her parents,
the girl was reportedly five
months pregnant.
As Ese Oruru’s abduction
saga was unfolding, another
related case of another 14
or 15- year- old Benue girl
named Patience Paul was
leaked online. This other
episode also took place last
year -2015 when the girl
was taken to Sokoto and
ended up being converted
to Islam and married
off after she was reportedly taken to the Sultan of
Sokoto’s palace. The father
of the girl -Mr. Adaji Paul,
an indigene of Ochobo in
Ohimini local government
area of Benue State, revealed
that his daughter had been
missing since August 12,
2015. But thanks be to God
that Patience has been
rescued at the intervention
of the Sokoto State governor
and those who had a hand
in her abduction have all
been arrested and are at
the Sokoto State Criminal
OGUN INSTITUTE AS A METAPHOR
he diamond
anniversary of the
Social Development
Institute (Shasha),
Iperu literally caught
me flat-footed. The news clip
on the Ogun State Television
(OGTV) somewhat jarred me.
The human lenses that beheld
the ruins of this college should
have been part of the historic
60th celebrations. It was a brisk
moment of self-flagellation.
This imagery extract from
one of the works of Wole
Soyinka is most fitting for this
exercise: “Usually one sees
them in still photos – images of dying cattle in a land
overtaken by drought, now
landmarked by carcasses and
skeletons, withered shrub and
dry water holes. Occasionally
however, the cine-camera takes
charge, lingers over a calf that
is reduced to nothing but skin
stretched over a cage of ribs,
and the final contractions of
emaciated muscles. Flies settle
and crawl over what remains
of moisture on the prostrate
beast, mostly around the eyes,
ears and nostrils. It makes
a feeble attempt to lift itself,
scuffing dirt with the sides of
its hooves, then settles back on
its side, immobile. Its enlarged
eyes stare blankly into the
lens. This disproportioned
frame with extended ribs
sinks slowly into immobility.
At some point, you know the
calf is doomed, its life slowly
ebbing into the sands. The lens
lifts towards the desiccated
horizon, rises directly upwards
to reveal a cloud of swooping
vultures, suspended, circling,
blotting out the pitiless sun.”
This allegory of “dying
cattle” could perspicuously
substitute for the narration
of this author in 2013 after
the visit of the Ogun State
governor, Senator Ibikunle
Amosun, to the institution that
had sunk into atrophy due
to decades of neglect: “...Just
picture structures abandoned
in the bush for decades or
that have lost their innocence
to wars or some natural
disasters... The termite-infested
hall - the best of the buildings - the (high) table and
chairs standing grudgingly on
legs that had lost their souls
to the rage of termites, the
pock-marked asbestos ceiling,
windows without covers, roof
threatening to collapse at the
slightest fury of the elements...”
What made that visit by
the governor in June 2013
more poignant was that there
were actually some students
in that school – doing what
then? Studying? Were they
up to a hundred at the time?
The sight was most affecting
as one took time to know
the mission of those hapless
youths in what might pass for
a deserted jungle.
It was not totally an overcast
day, and nothing had really
forewarned the governor and
his small entourage on how
the day might turn out to be
when the convoy left the state
capital after noon and pulled
up about an hour later at the
Social Development Institute
(Shasha), Iperu, a college
established on February 20,
1956 by the government
of Western Region, led by
Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to
offer leadership training to
community leaders, traditional
rulers and politicians. It offers
certificate and diploma in
Social Works and Social
Development to youths in
affiliation with the Olabisi
Onabanjo University.
After a tour of the college,
the governor was downcast.
Although he managed to
lighten up the shoe-string
cultural display of the students, it was evident that the
mind of the state’s helmsman
had been taken up in some
cogitations – the ramifications
of his mission to rebuild
Ogun State, knowing full well
that Shasha was just one of
the thousands of institutions
across the state that had paid
the heavy price of decades
of neglect - the Nigerian
factor - not just in education
but health, agriculture, etc. The
journey from Iperu to Lagos
afterwards was expectedly
sombre and I fantasised the
governor retiring to his bed by
1 a.m. or thereabouts mulling
the ‘sight of the day’ over,
imagining the number of such
scenes of regression yet to be
identified in addition to the
thousands already known, in
the face of scarce resources of
the state.
Efforts had to be redoubled
in the renovation of existing
schools while building new
ones in order to expand access
to education. Any new school
built that does not factor in the
age we are is not worth it. So
the state government had to
be futuristic in the design of its
new schools, a template that
can now be imitated by any
individual, group or future
governments. Indeed, in every
new project embarked upon
by the Amosun administration in every sector of the
state’s economy, compliance
with the 21st century was an
article of faith. Reclaiming
the state is not a work of one,
two, three or four terms. As
one observed then, “Even if
you devote the entire yearly
budget to education alone and
consecutively for 10 years, you
will still be left with one or
two dilapidated buildings.”
But the journey of a thousand
miles begins with a step.
What is of moment now is
that the pace and tempo of the
ongoing development must
not abate... At the end of that
enervating tour of Shasha,
the governor promised to
rehabilitate the institution. Did
I hear some heckling? Such
promises were not new to
the school; they heard them
for decades. But to the glory
of God, it was a renovated
institution that celebrated its
60th anniversary last week
Wednesday. You only need
to request from the state
television station the video
clip of the college when the
governor visited in 2013.
Indeed, as I watched the
news flash of the 60th, the
state’s officials that sat on the
high table, in the very space
that the governor was received
in 2013, it was evident that
from the ashes of neglect, a
bright future had emerged
for the students of Social
Development Institute, Iperu. I
congratulate the students and
staff of Shasha and laud the
state governor for fulfilling
his pledge to the premier
institution.
––Opeyemi Soyombo,
Abeokuta
Investigation Department
(CID).
Our concerns here is
not just about the possible
culpability of the Emir of
Kano and the Sultan of
Sokoto in the two respective
cases, but the inability or
the unwillingness of the
Nigerian Police to perform
its constitutional duty which
it abdicated and left at the
discretion of the Islamic
police force like Hisba instituted by Kano and Sokoto
State governments within a
federal republic. In the two
cases, the two girls involved
are minors who are deemed
not capable of taking crucial
decisions as to issues of
marriage or religion for
themselves without parental
guidance or consent. Also
the victims are christians.
The paramount question here is: why should
the police force left the
cases to be determined
by state-governments’
established religious police
or sharia law enforcement
agents? Are these religious
police establishments more
powerful in Northern
Nigeria than the Nigerian
police force where matters
that concern christians
are involved? Is Nigeria
running two systems of
policing that are parallel to
each other?
Funny enough, the voices
of some human rights
advocates as regards issues
of child abuse/molestation
or woman advocacy
activists have remained
silent on these trending
girl-child abduction saga.
But we thank God that the
Nigerian media have not
let the society down. We
give kudos to our press
which has measured up in
performing their assigned
constitutional roles in these
matters. It is now left for the
other arms of government
especially the executive and
the judiciary to play their
own parts. While the press
may expose shady deals or
questionable characters in
the society, the powers to
arrest, prosecute and punish
the suspected culprits or
suspects rest squarely on
the executive, the judiciary
or their designated agencies.
The shame of the 219
Chibok school girls who are
yet to be rescued from their
captors since April 2014 is
yet to leave us as a nation
with good conscience.
Should we therefore allow
some gullible individuals
in our midst to continue
to dent our image further
in the name of suspected
forced conversion or sheer
lust?
As if these were not
enough some criminals last
week went to a high-brow
private secondary school,
Babington Macaulay
Junior Seminary (BMJS) in
Ikorodu, Lagos State where
they reportedly kidnapped
three female students and
placed a whopping sum
of N300m ransom on their
heads. But glory be to
God, these girls have been
rescued by the Lagos State
Police Command in an
operation led by its commissioner –Fatai Owoseni.
For how long should we
as a people continue to
treat our womenfolk with
so much disrespect and
disdain?
– Gbemiga Olakunle,
JP General Secretary,
National Prayer Movement
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS’ ACADEMIC REGALIA
I
t is repulsive to observe
that the University of
Lagos changed the
universally acknowledged convocation
regalia, specifically the
convocation cap, ostensibly
to conform to the culture of
the immediate environment.
The change of the convocation cap signified the futile
efforts at nationbuilding
and national integration.
Such globally- acknowledged and admired pattern
of ceremonial convocation
adornments should not have
been subjected to ethnic
chauvinism; one of the factors that subjected Nigeria’s
insurmountable and
crippling socio-economic
challenges to be perceived as
patently cursed. Education
originated from the civilised
nations of the world which
led to the gradual dumping
of conservative and primitive
ways of doing things for a
universally admired ways.
The bane of nationbuilding and national
integration in Nigeria
stemmed from manipulations of good policies, laws
and recommendations of
political reform conferences
to reinvent true federalism
by ethnic and religious
chauvinists. True federalism
would enable the disparate
ethnic groups to articulate
their visions and value
systems in line with their
respective world view. The
failure to restructure the
country has placed it at
the brink of a failed state,
in spite of the enormous
mineral resources which
could have been harnessed
and judiciously deployed for
socio-economic growth and
development in the nooks
and crannies of the country.
It is very unfortunate
that the Nigeria Universities
Commission (NUC) glossed
over the ethnic chauvinism
behind the redesigning
the universally admired academic cap to reflect Yoruba
culture by the authority of
University of Lagos. The
NUC should direct the
university to revert to the
normal convocation cap
immediately to prevent
the leadership of other
universities sited in other
ethnic groups all over the
country from redesigning
their cap and even the
gown to reflect the so-called
“rich culture” of the ethnic
groups. Failure to sanction
Unilag will make other
universities to ‘culturalise’
their convocation regalia.
For instance, Northern
muslim states will resort
to their long cap and hijab
for women [they had even
tried it by suggesting that
lawyers would be putting
on caftan and cap for
the courts. It took fierce
resistance of the NBA to
suppress the craze]; Benue
State will go for their blue
strip costume, south-eastern
states will put on their cap
[not Ozo title red cap and
Chief Victor Umeh’s long
cap with eagle feathers];
Akwa Ibom will put on the
boat-like cap, Cross River,
Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo
States respectively will have
theirs to showcase their
supposed “rich cultural
heritage”.
It is the madness in
rationalising the obviously
conservative and archaic
ways of life and dress code
of Africans as “rich cultural heritage” that led the
authority of the University
of Lagos into degrading the
universally acknowledged
and beautiful matriculation
and convocation cap as if
other ethnic groups do not
have theirs.
Polycarp Onwubiko,
Awka, Anambra State.
20
21
T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •MARCH 13, 2016
BUSINESS
Editor Festus Akanbi
QUICK TAKES
Oil Price Jumps
OilpricesjumpedonFridaysupported
by fresh investment and a weaker
dollar, which makes fuel cheaper for
importers using other currencies,
but analysts warned that a stronger
price rally was premature as a global
glut remained in place.
UScrudefuturesCLc1weretradingat
$38.64 a barrel at 0749 GMT, up 80
cents and over 2 percent from their
last close. Traders said reports that
commodity merchant Gunvor was the
latest company to export U.S. sweet
crude also supported WTI prices.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at
$40.70 a barrel, up 65 cents. May
WTI’s discount to May Brent has narrowed to 51 cents a barrel on Friday
from$1.23abarrelonTuesday.Traders
said that much of the oil price support
came from the Chinese Yuan hitting
its highest level in 2016 on Friday,
reflecting a global weakening of the
dollar against other major currencies.
The greenback already fell sharply on
Thursday following easing measures
announced by the European Central
Bank. “It’s all happening against the
background of a very big move in the
euro last night... (with the) big jump in
the euro/dollar last night requiring a
compensating move in the Yuan,” said
Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at
CMC Markets.
MTN Offers $1.5bn
Fine Settlement
A textile market in Lagos... Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the economy to pick up
Analysts Predict Gloomier
Economic Outlook for Q1
Rebound possible in second quarter
Kunle Aderinokun
Despite the recent rebound of
crude oil prices at the international
market, analysts have painted a
gloomier economic outlook for the
first quarter of this year, forecasting
a weak growth rate for the economy.
By their analyses, the trajectory
of weak economic growth, trending
from 2015, the fourth quarter of which
witnessed a gross domestic product
(GDP) growth rate, slowing to 2.11
per cent (year-on-year) from 2.8 per
cent of the previous quarter, would
continue because oil prices would
be southward notwithstanding the
current recovery.
The National Bureau of Statistics
last Tuesday announced that GDP
grew by 2.11 per cent (year-on-year),
in real terms, in the fourth quarter of
2015. This, it explained, was lower by
0.73 percentage points from growth
recorded in the preceding quarter
and also lower by 3.83 percentage
points from growth recorded in the
corresponding quarter of 2014.
In nominal terms, the value of the
economy was put at N25.9 trillion
for Q4 2015 and N94.1 trillion for the
entire year 2015. The growth numbers
came way below expectations and
are the lowest since 2011 (post GDP
rebasing era).
Analysts at Eczellon Capital posited
that growth would likely weaken in
the first quarter of this year.
According to them, “the prospect
for the Nigerian economy in the first
quarter of 2016 remains blurry. We
expect GDP growth to come in lower
ECONOMY
than the 2.11 per cent achieved in
Q4 2015.”
They attributed “record low oil
prices at the beginning of the year and
oil production challenges witnessed
so far in the year,” adding “similarly,
the foreign exchange crisis coupled
with rising inflation and the inability
of some states to meet their salary
obligations should depress consumer
demand further and thus, weaken
the non-oil segment of the economy.”
The analysts however “expect a
gradual rebound in economic activities in Q2 2016 largely on the back
of the start of the implementation
of the 2016 budget, which should
spur economic activities in targeted
sectors.”
They were of the opinion that
“the actions and inactions of the
economic managers have further
worsened the Nigerian case. “A
case in point is the fixation of the
official exchange rate by the apex
bank which has severely impaired
investors’ confidence in the Nigerian
economy. Similarly, the various
administrative tools deployed by the
bank were reactionary and unstable
which further eroded confidence in
the apex bank’s handling of the foreign exchange crisis. These inevitably
created a vacuum in the nation’s FX
markets and heightened uncertainties
which in turn impaired investment
and growth of the Nigerian economy
in recent quarters.
Going forward, the Eczellon
Capital analysts, suggested that,
“as the Monetary Policy Committee
(MPC) of the CBN sits on the 21st and
22nd of March, it is imperative for
the Committee and the apex bank to
provide guidance on the management
of the nation’s currency.”
“In our view, this should entail the
development of a roadmap that would
allow for flexibility in the pricing of the
naira, preferably through a managed
floating system. Added to this would
be the need for adequate support from
the fiscal authorities to complement
monetary policies. This support has
largely been absent in recent times. This
would invariably attract the needed
investment into the country and set
Expect a gradual
rebound in economic
activities in Q2 2016
largely on the back
of the start of the
implementation of the
2016 budget
the economy on a sustainable growth
path,” they added.
Analysts at Dunn Loren Merrifield,
who hold the same view with the
Eczellon Capital analysts on the GDP
growth rate, stated that, “given the
weak economic outlook induced by
softening oil prices, the possibility
of further contraction in domestic
conditions are major concerns for
economic growth in the short term.”
“Whilst we anticipate a recovery
in GDP growth in the current fiscal
year, we state that elevated risk to
this outlook abounds. We however
expect that the non-oil sector will
continue to be the key driver of
growth in 2016.”
The analysts were however of the
belief that “the expected increase in
government expenditure will buffer
to an extent the negative impact of
the decline in consumer spending
on selected sectors” acknowledging
“the government’s commitment to
stimulate the growth of key sectors of
the economy through the introduction
of initiatives aimed at increasing fiscal
revenues coupled with a stimulant
approach based on injections of more
efficiently collected revenues and
blocking of leakages.”
But they concluded: “ Though we
note that the main macroeconomic
objective of the Federal Government
is to improve national output through
the use of a government expenditureled growth strategy during the
fiscal year, we revise our average
growth projection downwards to
c.3.0 per cent – 3.5 per cent for 2016.
Current economic realities point to
the fact that there is an urgent need
to spur economic growth through
complementary fiscal and monetary
policies.”
Similarly, echoing the same position
as the others, analysts at FBNQuest
posited that, “if oil output is flattish,
we see growth in Q1 at no more
than 2.0 per cent year on year .
Benefits from the projected sharp
rise in capital spending in the FGN’s
budget proposals will not really be
felt until half year 2016.”
SouthAfricantelecomsfirmMTNGroup
hasoffered$1.5billiontosettleamuch
larger fine from Nigerian regulators
for missing a deadline to disconnect
unregistered SIM card users, a document seen by Reuters shows.
Africa’sbiggestmobilephonegrouphas
been in talks with Nigerian authorities
tohavethe$3.9billionpenaltyreduced
and last month made a “good faith”
payment of $250 million towards a
settlement. In a letter to the Nigerian
governmentfromMTN’slawyer,former
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the
company proposed a 300 billion naira
($1.5 billion) settlement to be paid
throughacombinationofgovernment
bond purchases, cash installments
and network access to the Nigerian
government. Holder said in the letter,
dated Feb. 24, the offer “ultimately is
in the best interest of the FGN (Federal Government of Nigeria) and MTN
Nigeria.” Johannesburg-based MTN
said on Friday talks with the Nigerian
government were ongoing.
More Management
Changes in NNPC
Nigeria’s state oil company, the main
revenueearnerinAfrica’sbiggestcrude
producer, has appointed more senior
managers in a continued overhaul of
the firm, it said on Friday.
The announcement comes a day after
unionsendedastriketoprotestagainst
governmentplanstorestructuretheNigerianNationalPetroleumCorporation
(NNPC)whichwillbesplitintoupstream,
downstream, gas power marketing,
refinerygroups,andventuresdivisions.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who
took office last May, has prioritised
overhauling Nigeria’s oil sector, which
accountsforaround90percentofforeign earnings, in an effort to improve
efficiency while cracking down on
corruption.NNPCsaidithadappointed
seven group executive directors who
will report to its head Emmanuel Ibe
Kachikwu, who was appointed by Buhari last year along with other senior
managers to lead corporate reforms.
More than 40 other managers
have been appointed, seconded or
redeployed into key positions, the
statement said.
22
BUSINESS/CAPITAL MARKET
Onyema: Reaping the
Benefit of Hardwork
The re-appointment of Mr. Oscar N. Onyema as the chief executive officer of
the Nigeria Stock Exchange by the National Council of the exchange, is a vote
of confidence on him and may have been a reward for meritorious contribution
by him and his team to the development of the bourse in his first term at the
helm, writes Kunle Aderinokun
O
n Tuesday, February 23, 2016,
the Nigerian Stock Exchange
announced that its Chief
Executive Officer, Mr Oscar
N. Onyema, will be serving a
second term of five years at the
bourse. This announcement was
well received by the industry and even beyond.
A testimony to Onyema’s strong performance at
the exchange.
On assumption of the role of CEO in April 2011,
Onyema developed the strategic plan to transform
the exchange into a globally competitive brand
by stabilising and professionalising the exchange.
Onyema led the execution of the exchange’s
transformation strategy which resulted in over
365 per cent increase in surplus, and 40 per cent
increase in NSE Group balance sheet size for the
period. He has transitioned this strategy into a
five year growth plan, 2015 to 2019 which will
see the exchange increase the number of new
listings across five asset classes; increase order
flow in the five asset classes; and operate a fair
and orderly market based on just and equitable
principles.
The President, National Council of NSE, Mr.
Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, had this to say: “Mr.
Onyema’s tenure as CEO of the NSE is marked by
outstanding achievements. The council is confident
that he can continue the exchange’s trajectory
of transformation, innovation and marketplace
recognition by implementing its business strategies
which he has been instrumental in developing.
The leadership qualities that he has demonstrated
in his first term as CEO, in the face of such an
intense and challenging operating environment,
have been exemplary. The council believes that
his vision and passion will ensure the exchange
remains a force to be reckoned with in Africa
and beyond.”
Responding to the renewal, Onyema said: “I
am honoured to remain with The Nigerian Stock
Exchange and to continue to lead our dedicated
staff as we strive to achieve the exchange’s vision.
I am grateful to the council for the opportunity to
continue such an important work. While there is still
much to be accomplished, the support shown by the
capital market community has been inspirational,
and I look forward to working with the entire
eco-system to meet our objectives.”
Technology-driven Efficiency
As the world moves towards digitization of most
services, the NSE must have realised the future
of driving efficiency, liquidity, market structure
will be helped with a robust technology platform
when it launched X-GEN. This launch, was not
only a historic milestone for the capital market but
equally reinforced Nigeria’s position as a regional
financial hub. As noted by a market analyst, “The
delivery of the new age technology serves as a
testimony that the NSE has succeeded in achieving
one of its key goals of providing 21st century
technologies to support the growth of the Nigerian
capital market.”
The X-GEN trading platform came with a number
of leading technologies, including NASDAQ OMX’s
XStream matching engine. The platform helps
the NSE and its technical partners to develop
a flexible and robust X-GEN Market Database
from scratch thereby supporting trading of cash
equities, bonds, ETFs and derivatives.
The new platform has offered wider access to
real time data, improved market transparency
and governance. In addition, it has enabled many
and integration of global best practices across its
operations. It is a member of the International
Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO),
Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, the
SIIA’s Financial Information Services Division (FISD)
and the Inter-market Surveillance Group (ISG). The
Exchange is a founding member and executive
committee member of the African Securities
Exchanges Association (ASEA).
The importance of corporate governance to the
international community is very high. On November
12, 2014, the NSE launched a Corporate Governance
Rating System (CGRS) for listed companies. The
system is robust rating system for listed companies
and has become a requirement for companies to
be admitted to the premium board.
Onyema
other initiatives such as the running of the Financial
Information Exchange (FIX) protocol version 5,
creation of a retail trading app, deployment of
a robust and functional website with real time
data amongst others. The trading engine was a
bold statement to the domestic and international
investors that the bourse under the leadership
of Onyema is dedicated to operating a high
performance, low latency, robust, scalable and
flexible marketplace.
Building Global Competiveness
In a chat with THISDAY earlier this year, Onyema
offered an insight that his vision from the outset was
set on taking the NSE brand to the global space.
He had said: “I have garnered global experience
across four leading exchanges in North America
and Nigeria, which has adequately prepared me
for developing our market to compete globally.
A clear understanding of market structure, and
attention to detail, which thinking strategically are
some of the skills that have worked well for me”.
It was then not surprising that today, the NSE
has joined a global league of exchanges that are
well rated by international investing community.
The bourse became a full member in the World
Federation of Exchanges (the “WFE”), the trade
association for the operators of regulated financial
exchanges on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. With this
feat, NSE became the third African stock exchange
to be granted full Federation membership status.
The NSE also belongs to other international and
regional organisations that promote the development
Mr. Onyema’s (current)
tenure as CEO of the NSE
is marked by outstanding
achievements. The
council is confident
that he can continue the
exchange’s trajectory
of transformation,
innovation and
marketplace recognition
by implementing its
business strategies which
he has been instrumental in
developing. The leadership
qualities that he has
demonstrated in his first
term as CEO, in the face
of such an intense and
challenging operating
environment, have been
exemplary
Sustainable Stakes
The NSE recognises its crucial role in supporting
economic growth by providing an efficient and
sustainable capital market. In 2013, the NSE took
a bold step towards the actualisation of its sustainability programme by establishing a CSR Unit and
the institution of a CSR strategy. This unveiling
was part of the overall corporate transformation
agenda of the bourse led by Onyema.
The Nigerian Stock Exchange leverages its unique
position as one of the leading exchanges in Africa,
to promote sustainability along the four key impact
areas of Marketplace, its platform for promoting
market-based approach to Environmental, Social
and Governance (ESG) imperatives; Community,
where it makes contributions to positively impact
lives; Workplace, through which it facilitates diversity,
wellbeing and harness the talent and skills of its
people; and the Environment as it focuses on
reducing the Exchange’s environmental impact.
To demonstrate its commitment to increased
disclosure, expanded stakeholder engagement and
thought leadership on sustainability as a key aspect
of its business strategy, the Exchange published
its first Sustainability Report titled ‘Connecting
Nigeria to the world through a Sustainable Capital
Market’ in July 13, 2015. The report aligns with
the Exchange’s Corporate Social Responsibility
framework that covers the four key impact areas.
The NSE took its sustainability efforts further by
organising the inaugural Nigerian Capital Market
Sustainability Conference on Friday, November
13, 2015. The conference according to the NSE
was aimed at engaging key stakeholders to obtain
views on the current and future state of sustainable practices in the capital market. Participants
deliberated on likely sustainability indicators and
provided recommendations for “The Nigerian
Capital Market Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines”
which will help companies embrace sustainability
reporting.
Local and International Recognition
It has been a win-win situation for Onyema and
the exchange as these achievements continue to
receive local and international recognition. Forbes
Magazine named him one of the 10 most powerful
men in Africa. A recognition, he described as
“very humbling experience to have received such a
personal recognition by Forbes. However, it would
not have been possible without the great team at
The Nigerian Stock exchange, who are making
significant contributions to the development of
the Nigerian capital market and Africa at large.
I thank them for their uncommon dedication to
duty. My gratitude also goes out to other various
stakeholders – my council, dealing member firms,
media to mention a few”
23
BUSINESS/CAPITAL MARKET/PERSPECTIVE
Onyema: Reaping the Benefit of Hardwork
In 2015 alone, the exchange was the recipient
of a total of four awards under the leadership
of Onyema. The NSE was presented with the
“Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award” at
the 2015 African Business Awards in New York.
The award recognises NSE’s efforts in promoting
sustainability and corporate social responsibility
in the capital market. The awards further proves
NSE’s achievements in ‘adopting the highest levels
of international standards’ this past year, as it is
also part of its corporate policies.
Earlier in 2015, the NSE bagged the “African
Regulator of the year award” at the 6th African
Business Leadership Awards in London. According
to the organizers of the award, African Leadership
magazine, UK, this award is being conferred on
The Nigerian Stock Exchange for its effective
regulatory policies and programs implemented
across national, regional and international levels
which has encouraged actions beyond compliance
with applicable laws.
“We at African Leadership Magazine UK, recognise
your efforts in enhancing stakeholder’s engagement
while contributing to the growth of the National
and Regional brand through practical impact on
the people. Your unflinching passion for creating
a reliable, efficient and an adaptable exchange hub
in Africa cannot be overemphasised”.
The NSE received the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s “Award for promoting best
practice reporting and corporate disclosure”. The
objective of the annual awards according to the
Director General of LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, is
to recognise, celebrate and promote private and
public institutions that have exhibited the core
values of best business practices, growth through
innovations, business sustainability and have
impacted the society positively.
The NSE was also named the Financial Institution
of the year by the Oil & Gas Year (TOGY) Nigeria.
This award was conferred on the NSE in recognition of its first-ever dual listing with the London
Cont’d from Pg. 22
Africa’s capital markets he was elected President of
African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA)
in November 2014, demonstrating recognition and
acceptance within the African region; and Chairman of West African Capital Markets Integration
Council (WACMIC) for 2013 -2015, demonstrating
sub-regional pull and influence.
Challenges for the Next Five Years
For Onyema’s second tenure, he and his team
will need to address the slow rate of growth on
the equities side. As at March 8, 2016, the ASI
has lost 10.08 per cent. Though the dip was
negatively impacted by global commodity prices,
slumping oil prices, dollar to naira exchange rate
amongst others. Liquidity of the exchange should
also be looked into and with increased listing of
multinationals in oil & gas, technology, privatised
power companies etc., this can be easily achieved.
He must also ensure that the ongoing demutualisation of the exchange is completed to ensure that
the bourse can even do more in face of emerging
local competition along some of its product offering.
Nigeria Stock Exchange, building, Lagos
Stock Exchange through the $500 million Initial
Public Offering (IPO) of Nigerian independent
hydrocarbons company Seplat Petroleum Plc.
The listing was the largest European IPO of an
exploration and production company since the
2008 financial crisis.
In recognition of his tremendous role in the
development of the Nigerian capital market,
Onyema was also awarded the Most Innovative
CEO of the Year.
The award was presented at the inauguration ceremony of the 9th President of the Abuja
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mines &
Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), held at the Sheraton
Hotel, Abuja on January 21, 2014. He was also
presented with a Special Commendation Award
by the US Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, July
25, 2015 in London, United Kingdom (UK).
In recognition of his contributions to Nigeria’s
economic development and transformation of
Conclusion
The renewed term of Oscar is a welcome
development even as he has accepted to do more.
One can only expect that the new tenure will
offer Onyema the opportunity to help take the
market to a higher level within the next five years.
Onyema holds a Bachelor Degree in Computer
Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, Nigeria; MBA, Finance & Investments, Baruch
College, New York; Advanced Management
Program, Harvard Business School, Boston.
Onyema has represented the NSE on several
boards and Government bodies including PENCOM,
FMDQ OTC Plc, Central Securities Clearing System
Plc (CSCS), Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan
Implementation Council (CAMMIC), World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on
Future of Financing and Capital, amongst others.
Use of Technology is the Real Ghost Buster
James Soyombo
T
he recent revelation that the
BVN has been successfully
used by the Ministry of Finance to clear out over 23,000
fraudulent salary recipients
from the various Federal
payrolls with the potential
saving of N25 Billion a year is a highly welcome
one. The number is actually not too surprising
given that the Federal Government employs
over one million public servants across the
36 states. In fact, it is almost certain that
more are yet to be discovered.
Over the years, there have been constant
stories about ghost workers in Nigeria and
indeed in most emerging economies. We have
never really been able to find a solution. Whilst
not an expert in ghost workers, those who
have managed large payrolls understand
that there are various ways these so-called
ghost workers can emerge and this is why the
broad term “ghost worker “can be misleading
because there are different types of ghost.
The first category is the deliberate fraudulent
insertions of non-existent persons into payrolls.
This is often the work of syndicates who
work with staff in the payroll departments
and banks to perfect the practice. It is an
organised operation, which entails the
creation of fake identities used specifically
for the purpose of the fraud. These entries
will typically use very common names, so
in the western nations it will be surnames
like Smith and Jones. In Nigeria, there will
undoubtedly be many, Lawals, Ahmeds,
Sanusis, Obis and Mohammeds. Using such
commonly occurring surnames allows them
to be easily confused with real persons and
effectively concealed within large payrolls.
These cases usually prove to be the hardest to
detect and very difficult to arrest and prosecute
perpetrators because the real person does not
exist. Often the best approach is to try and
trace the insiders within the organisations
or to track the ringleaders.
The second category may not be fraudulent
but are still treated as “’ghosts’’. These are
staff that have died or have resigned and
their names are not removed from the payroll.
This is usually the function of inefficient
management in the payroll offices and lack
of regular checks that allow such payments
to continue undetected. Money can continue
to accrue in the accounts of dead persons and
can usually be recovered from the estate of
the deceased. Sometimes families deliberately
fail to notify of deaths as this often triggers
the cessation of payments.
The final category are errors and other duplicates that occur where people are transferred
to other departments and their names are not
removed from the original payroll so, they are
paid double salary. Such staff are dishonest,
in that they are knowingly receiving double
payment but tend to keep silent until the
matter is detected. In these cases, disciplinary
action can and should be taken and funds
can be readily recovered. Catching these types
of entries under a manual system can be an
arduous task and thus the need for technology.
There is no doubt the BVN exercise would
have uncovered many of these.
The beautiful thing about technology is
that it just keeps improving. I can still recall
when The Nokia 3310 was “The phone”. The
simple ability to send sms messages was an
amazing innovation but there is absolutely
no comparison with today’s smart phones,
which seem to be able to do almost anything.
Those who doubt the ability of technology to
catch up with anyone and any scam should
be advised to proceed with caution. Thus the
introduction by the Ministry of Finance of
BVN into the payroll enrolment meant that
biometric data that had already been captured
by the banks could be used to enrol staff
rather than requiring their physical presence
was guaranteed to be a success. The BVN
could also be used to identify those receiving
multiple salaries, funds paid into inactive
accounts and other irregularities.
The existence of over 23,000 regular monthly
payments by the Federal Government to
people who are not staff or who in some
cases do not exist is a shameful indictment
of a public service system that has allowed
it to be compromised. It is also a reflection of
a value system in Nigeria that is constantly
looking to obtain something for nothing to
get ahead. The labour unions have cried out
that the announcements made have portrayed
them in a bad light but the truth is people
Kemi Adeosun
receiving salary when they are not working
or not existing portrays the entire nation in
a bad light.
The Ministry has said that its focus is to
plug the leakages so that funds can be made
available for much needed projects under the
2016 budget and this is commendable. The
2016 budget is being partially debt funded.
It is therefore essential to fix all the leakages
otherwise there is a risk that the money borrowed ends up in the hands of fraudsters,
living large whilst expecting a monthly alert
that the whole nation will pay for.
If the BVN system has worked as well
as it should have, there should be some
money trapped in accounts that became
dormant as a result of BVN, which can be
recovered by Government. Only the bravest
or the most foolish fraudsters would have
presented themselves for a biometric capture
to be linked to a false name, so most would
have abandoned those accounts and salary
payments should have been accumulating
there.
The Minister’s team must recover this
money. No matter how small the amount,
taken together they will reduce the amount
we need to borrow and will send a message
to the fraudsters.
Whist the announced saving of over N2.2
Bn per month is good news financially; it is
a stark reminder of the level of leakage that
must be addressed to restore our economy.
With the current economic challenges, most
state governments are leaving the monthly
FAAC meetings with significantly less than
N2billion to run an entire state. The idea that a
handful of people were able to get their hands
on this much money is very worrying indeed.
It is enough to complete the refurbishment
of numerous roads, schools and hospitals. It
is enough to provide jobs for many of the
throngs of young unemployed, genuine job
seekers who are actually prepared to work. It
is important that those who are behind this
scam must be fished out and made to pay…
if, of course, they can be found. Clearly
there must have been some collusion within
the Ministry of Finance staff and others in
the various Ministries as well as staff in the
banks for this to occur on such a large scale
and for so long. Those banks into whose
accounts this money was being paid must
support the effort to weed out those responsible
within their own organisations. Doing so,
will strengthen the entire system.
Going forward, it is clear that the Federal
Government needs to improve the way it
manages its staff. Do they no longer do
head count checks? Are there no attendance
registers or biometric recording systems? As
the Federal Government moves more staff
to this centrally run IPPIS system, ultimate
responsibility for staff management and costs
must still remain with each Ministry. If this is
not done, then there will be no incentive for
leaders of agencies to undertake regular checks.
Also there must be deadlines to notify staff
deaths, staff absence or payment errors. In
most large companies, staff belong to divisions
and locations and each leader must certify
the staff under his control before monthly
payment is made. If this was being done then
this problem would have been solved long
ago, saving the nation billions. The heads of
those agencies should now be made financially
responsible for money lost if they fail to have
proper records of, and checks on their staff.
– Soyombo is an Abuja-based public
sector analyst.
24
SUNDAY INTERVIEW
Balogun
KELVIN BALOGUN
Despite Current Economic Crisis, We
Look Ahead for Future Opportunities
The Coca Cola Company, an age-long brand and household name in the non-alcoholic beverages sector of the economy, recently made a strategic decision to spread its tentacles across other
segments of the market by acquiring 40 per cent equity shareholding in Chi Limited, a leader in
the juice and dairy products market. The President, Central, East and West Africa of The Coca
Cola Company, Kelvin Balogun, shares with Kunle Aderinokun, the essence of the deal as well
as gives insights on the operations of the company across Africa, and Nigeria in particular
C
oca Cola recently signed an
agreement with Chi for the
acquisition of 40 per cent
equity shareholding in the
latter. What is the takeaway
from the deal?
TGI is the investment holding company
of Chi Limited and Coca Cola has just
signed a binding agreement to acquire an
initial minority stake of 40 percent in Chi
Limited. The take away from this is that it
creates a strategic relationship between two
beverage industry leaders in Nigeria with
complementary categories. When you talk
about of The Coca-Cola Company in Nigeria,
you think of soft drinks, sparkling, and water
brand. When you think of Chi, you think of
Caprisone, you also think of value-added
dairy and yoghurt and milk products. So,
when these two companies come together
in partnership, you have complementary
beverage categories in a single portfolio.
And that is very exciting when you think
about where Nigeria is at today and the
opportunity that is available to us.
How is Coca Cola’s operation in Africa?
Now, Coca-Cola needs very little introduction
as you know. You are familiar with us as a
Nigerian company, but the truth is that we
have very pervasive African footprint. We
are in virtually every country in Africa. In
one of my previous roles, I was able to take
Coca-Cola to Somalia which was the only
country we didn’t have bottling operation.
Coca-Cola embodies belief in Africa even
before the concept becomes commonly accepted and part of our footprint is production
capacity right across the continent. We have
about 145 bottling plants on this continent.
We have over 70,000 system employees,
of which 5,000 before the partnership in
Nigeria. In my region, that is Central East
and West Africa, we sell to over 700 million
consumers, all across Africa over 1 billion
consumers. We sell through 1.5million to 1.6
million distributors and retailers. When you
think in terms of the economic impact our
company has in any country we operate in,
it is always significant. We are invariably
among largest employers of labour in the
countries we operate in.
How much has Coca Cola invested
in Africa?
We have been investing in Africa well
before it became fashionable to do so for
more than 80 years, building plants, supply chain, distribution system and we are
accelerating that investing going forward.
Our chairman made a global commitment,
between 2010 and 2020, we will invest $17
billion in Africa. This gives you an idea
of how we have seen the continent over
the years and how we will continue to see
the continent. And it is not just investing
in the commercial infrastructure alone, but
as you are aware, we have a very strong
Cont’d on Pg. 25
25
SUNDAY INTERVIEW
Balogun: Despite Current Economic Crisis, We Look Ahead for Future Opportunities
ability agenda. We have a number of flagship
programmes. One of them is 5by20 initiative,
which is a global commitment we made to
enable the empowerment of 5 million women
through our value chain by 2020 and Nigeria
is a critical piece in this initiative. We also
have another programme called Replenish
Africa Initiative (RAIN), which is our banner
programme in ensuring people have access
to clean water. Our commitment is to give 2
million people access to safe water by 2015
and we delivered against that and have
expanded the target to 6 million by 2020.
And we also have programmes around
sustainable agriculture which is our effort to
backwardly integrate. There is a programme we
just ran in East Africa called Project Nurture,
where we doubled the income of 5000 fruit
farmers. So when you think about it, very
pervasive, in the commercial sense and also
in the sustainability arena and that also flows
to Nigeria, the leading producer of sparkling,
the leading producer of water and we have
some of the world’s biggest brands here.
How do you see Nigeria as a market?
Most times, when people think about
Nigeria, they tend to think in terms of some
of the short term challenges the country is
experiencing such as the current issues of
exchange rate and devaluation. But the truth
is that the country’s market fundamentals
are really strong and very positive. This is
Africa’s largest market and population. Up
until last year, one of Africa’s fastest growing
economies, highly urbanised with significant
concentration of population in urban centres,
which means they are highly accessible. By
African standards, high literacy rate, very
young population, early adopters of technology. We have one of the highest mobile
penetrations of about 60 percent and with
significant level of spending. We have one
of Africa’s largest middle class and high net
worth individuals. When you look beyond
some of the short-term challenges that we
have, you see a very exciting market – one of
the most exciting in emerging market regions.
This is what really draws us in this partnership that we formed with Chi Limited where
we bring our complementary portfolios and
skills and knowhow to bear against what
we believe will be an exciting market going
into the future.
How do you see the partnership between
Coca Cola and Chi?
It is an exciting partnership. The DNA
of this organisation is the innovation, cost
effective manufacturing platform, the extremely
motivated and highly experienced and capable
people working for this wonderful organization
and the fact that they have built an amazing
brand in Nigeria. If you put that right next
to Coca-Cola’s deep innovation pipeline, our
global skill brands, our knowhow in marketing, our knowhow in building commercial
infrastructure, I think you will see a really
powerful union that gives a lot of synergy
we will be leveraging on not just locally but
wherever the opportunities are going into
the future.
What really attracted Coca-Cola to Chi?
I think is a wonderful opportunity for our
complementary capabilities to enable both
organisations to be a lot stronger. When you
think about it, Coca-Cola is in sparkling, in
water and in juice, but they are many categories
in non-alcoholic beverage landscape that we
are not in. In the fast growing value-added
dairy, Chi is the market leader.
So, this is an opportunity for us to cover
a wider portfolio through our partnership
than we currently do. This actually works
for them and for us. And we also think in
terms of what they bring. When you are
looking at business going into the future you
need to think in terms of the skills you need
to assess those opportunities.
They have been very experienced, they
bring a value-added brand in value-added
dairy, and we bring a very deep pipeline
of global brand that we can avail to them,
global supply chain that we can avail to
them and further strengthen them as we
go forward. So, when you look at it, there is
a lot that we can build. The only category we
overlap today is in juices but as you know
Balogun
the beverage category that we can access
are far more than that.
What is the shareholding structure
like in Chi?
Chi has two shareholders now after the
transaction. 60 percent of Chi is owned by
TGI Group and 40 percent is owned by The
Coca-Cola Company. And when you look
at that relative equity position in Chi you
realize we (Coca-Cola) are the minority
Going forward, what are the operational
terms and conditions?
What we have done by this transaction is
to take an equity position along with TGI
Chi Limited. But essentially the operation
still continues unimpeded. It just gives us
an opportunity to leverage the strength of
this organization and for us to avail to them
some of the strengths of our organization.
According to you, in 3 years you are
going to acquire 100 per cent, what are
you looking at when it is 100 per cent?
Would there still be Chi? Or we are
going to have Coca-Cola Chi?
We have a journey to follow and it is a
journey that has really been formed on the
back of the opportunity we see. There is a
mutual desire for both organisations to go
into the future, learn from the market, work
together to explore that opportunity. There
is still a lot out there that we can assess,
it’s too early to speculate about what that
journey is going to look like or how it is
going to evolve.
You talked about Coca-Cola investing
$17 billion in Africa within 10 years
(2010 – 2020). What portion of this
investment will be in Nigeria and in
what area?
We’ve been investing strongly in Nigeria over
the years. We have over 13 plants across the
country. Virtually in all geo-political regions,
we have very extensive distribution network
nationwide and in the last 5 years, we have
made significant investments to upgrade the
capability of our operations in the different
plants and distribution centers.
So we have invested significantly, but the
figure you’ve raised relates to all of Africa
between 2010 and 2010. I cannot right now tell
you what the exact percentage of what will
come to Nigeria, but as you know Nigeria
represents one of our largest markets and
fastest growing markets on the continent and
one of our most exciting, so without giving
your specific numbers, you can imagine that
a significant proportion of that is going to
come to Nigeria.
How is the foreign exchange policy of
the federal government affecting your
business?
The key is to look beyond the cycle. I have
worked in many African countries and you
Most times, when people
think about Nigeria, they
tend to think in terms of
some of the short term
challenges the country
is experiencing such
as the current issues
of exchange rate and
devaluation. But the
truth is that the country’s
market fundamentals
are really strong and
very positive. This is
Africa’s largest market
and popuation. Up until
last year, one of Africa’s
fastest growing economies,
highly urbanised with
significant concentration
of population in urban
centres, which means they
are highly accessible. By
African standards, high
literacy rate, very young
population, early adopters
of technology
will see the economic ups and downs, but
what has always been the character of The
Coca-Cola Company is to look beyond those
cycles. That is why we have been here in
Africa for over 80 years, and in Nigeria for
over 65 years and have invested significantly
in leaving a footprint across the continent
without exception. That mindset is what propels
us to look beyond the forex and commodity
issues that may emerge. We look forward
into the future to see the opportunities ahead.
Recently NBC was delisted from the
Stock Exchange. Are you looking at going
back to the Stock Exchange?
It won’t be fair to comment on behalf of
NBC as you know. The current position is that
they are not listed on the stock exchange. The
board of NBC has made a strategic decision
to run their operation as a private company
and I wouldn’t want to speculate on what
they would want to do.
How do you see the Nigerian regulatory
environment?
Nigeria has always been a very exciting
environment, not without challenges. But over
the last 65 years that we have operated here,
we have formed great partnership with the
government, the regulators, our suppliers
and our retail partners in building a very
successful business. We believe that we can
continue to do so going into the future.
Now, the regulatory environment like every
part of Nigerian environment is evolving. I
wouldn’t say it’s perfect. But they have been
supportive of the business we have built so
far. And I believe that in partnership they
can be supportive of the business aspirations
we have going into the future.
What is The Coca-Cola Company CSR
like?
We focus on water, women and wellbeing. That’s our sustainability agenda and
we revolve our efforts around a number of
flagship programmes. In Africa we have the
Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), which
is our commitment to bring portable water
to 6 million Africans by 2020. For women,
we have our 5by20 initiative, which is a
global commitment to enable the economic
empowerment of 5 million women through
our value chain by 2020. We are also investing
in the environment, education and youth
development. All of these programmes are
applicable in Nigeria as well.
26
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Stakeholders Identify Sectors
Requiring Immediate Reform
As the Federal Government prepares to midwife improvement in the country’s business
space and improve ease of doing business, stakeholders in the economy bare their minds
on areas they believe require quick intervention by government, writes Olaseni Durojaiye
W
ith its repeated
poor ranking on
the ease of doing
business index of
a few international
rating agencies
especially when
compared with the performances of less
endowed African countries on same
index, players in the Nigerian economy
have repeatedly called on governments
at various levels to initiate policies and
reforms that will improve the business
operating environment. The call, it will
be recalled reverberated all through the
last Nigerian Economic Summit during
which some of the discussants identified
some areas in need of urgent reforms and
various types of government interventions.
In what seemed a reflection of what
operators in the nation’s economy have
repeatedly lamented, between quarter four
of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, at
least three international rating agencies
have ranked Nigeria behind less endowed
African countries.
Besides, some of the rating organisations
also identified a couple of sectors that if
reformed will trigger growth, improve
ease of doing business in the country and
catapult the country into the list of top
100 countries to do business in the world.
Of course, the advantages of such growth
and rating on the country’s economy and
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) cannot be
underestimated.
Recent Ratings
Before the last ratings by the World
Bank Group, assessing agencies that has
rated the country’s business environment
include Rand Merchant Bank’s (RMB)
‘Where to Invest in Africa 2015-2016
report’; “World Bank ease of Doing Business
Report”, “Heritage Foundation’s Index of
Economic Freedom,” “World Economic
Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness
Report” and “Transparency International’s
Corruption Perception Index” which the
RMB’s rating relied on.
It will be recalled that the RMB where
to invest in Africa report placed Nigeria
fifth behind South Africa, Egypt, Morocco
and Ghana. Interestingly, while South
Africa continued to maintain its lead as
the most attractive investment destination
on the continent, Nigeria on the other
hand slumped to fifth position as Egypt,
Morocco and Ghana leapfrogged Africa’s
largest economy.
The report finds Rwanda, Ghana and
Zambia to be standout countries based
on continued improvements via reforms
and accelerated growth. It also notes that
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda
collectively are large and attractive adding
that the notable North African economies
are Tunisia and Morocco.
According to a Lagos-based economist
Oye Makinde, “it speaks volume that it
is the same Kenya that Nigeria is now
trying to study and perhaps model its
reforms after.” Makinde was reacting to
reports credited to a Presidency source in
which the source was quoted as saying
“We’re looking keenly at the example of
Kenya, which climbed 21 places on the
ranking between 2014 and 2015 simply by
focusing on a number of critical reforms
ranging from access to electricity, to access
to finance for businesses and property
registration procedures.”
The RMB assessment rated countries
from most to least attractive investment
Business activities on broad street, Lagos Island
destinations. Scores are based on: market
size, as measured by GDP at purchasing
power parity: the market growth rate, as
reflected in the International Monetary
Fund’s forecast of real GDP growth; and
an operating environment index, which
looks at economic freedom, corruption,
efficiency and business friendliness.
The World Bank Group Ease of Doing
Business which is the latest of the rating
agencies to release its report rank Nigeria
169 among 189 countries that were assessed.
The 2016 edition which was released in
February showed Kenya jumping from
129th in the previous report to 108, moving
up 21 places.
The report also showed that between
2010 and 2015, Rwanda went from 98th to
62nd on the ranking. It further showed that
Zambia broke into the top 100 in 2011 and
has remained within the range since then.
According to authors of the reports, World
Bank Group, “the Economies are ranked on
their ease of doing business, from 1–189.
A high ease of doing business ranking
means the regulatory environment is more
conducive to the starting and operation of
a local firm. The rankings are determined
by sorting the aggregate distance to frontier
scores on 10 topics, each consisting of several
indicators, giving equal weight to each
topic. The rankings for all economies are
benchmarked to June 2015.
To arrive at the rating, the rating agency
evaluated individual country’s performances
in the areas of starting a business, getting
electricity, paying taxes, trading across
borders, dealing with construction permits,
protecting minority investments, and getting
credits.
While Nigeria was rated 139 in the Starting
a Business category, it was rated 181 in
the Paying Taxes and Registering Property
categories. The report went ahead to rate
Nigeria 143 in the Trading across Borders
enforcing Contracts categories. However,
the country fell within the top 100 as it
was rated 59 in the Getting Credit category.
Federal Government’s Intervention
Apparently miffed by the repeated poor
rating of the country’s business environment
and perhaps in response to various calls
from different segments of the economy, the
Federal Government appeared prepared to
arrest and intervene in the economy and
help improve the economic space. This
explained the setting up of a presidential
level initiative to address the country’s
consistently poor global Competitiveness
and Ease of Doing Business indices.
The initiative which is being championed
by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and
Investment (MITI) will be headed by the
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo
and will have the Minister of Industry,
President,
Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria
(MAN), Dr. Frank
Jacobs, and the Director
General, Lagos Chamber
of Commerce and
Industry (LCCI), Muda
Yusuf, are in agreement
that infrastructure,
policy reform and access
to finance are three
key areas where urgent
government intervention
is needed
Trade and Investments, Dr. Okey Enelamah,
as vice chairman. It is expected to be an
inter-ministerial committee to facilitate
cooperation across the ministries.
The committee, according to media
reports will also have substantial private
sector input in terms of membership and
will be saddled with resolving challenges
inhibiting against industrialization, cross
border trade as well as local and foreign
investments.
Stakeholders Reactions
The planned quick intervention by
the Federal Government has received
a welcome nod from a cross section of
operators in the economy as responses to
THISDAY enquiries revealed with some
of the respondents highlighting areas in
need of urgent intervention by government.
Speaking with THISDAY in an interview,
President, Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Jacobs, and the
Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf,
were in agreement that Infrastructure, policy
reform and access to finance are three key
areas where urgent government intervention
is needed. In calling for a reform of the
entire spectrum of the oil and gas industry,
Yusuf noted that “government’s hold on
that sector is too much” adding that it is
affecting efficiency.”
On his part, Dr. Jacobs called for a reintroduction of export Expansion Grant
(EEG). According to him doing so will serve
as incentive to non-oil exporters adding
that the drop in oil price has reinforced
the need to diversify the economy which
will in-turn increase non-oil exports.
According to Yusuf, “The issue of improving the economic environment and
ease of doing business in the country can
be categorised into three, the short term,
medium term and long term. Regarding
what can be done immediately from an
economist perspective, I will say it is power
situation, policy reform in the oil and gas
27
BUSINESS/ENERGY
Stakeholders Identify Sectors Requiring Immediate Reform
sector and issues of logistics.
“There has to be a model that will make
power generation and distribution work
well than what we have now. Every other
thing rides on the back of power; if that
is done other services can then pick up.
Again, there is the need for policy reform
in the oil and gas sector. As it is at the
moment government’s hold on the sector
is too much and it is affecting efficiency in
the sector and, the kind of value that the
sector can bring as well as the amount of
jobs that the sector can deliver,” he stated.
Continuing, Yusuf added: “Issues of
logistics also require government’s urgent
intervention. Nigeria is a large country, to
take advantage of our size our transportation
system needs to be affordable and efficient;
cost of transportation is impeding domestic
economic integration. Government should
look at the road and rail transportation
as a way to address issues of logistics,
if this is done other services including
agriculture and manufacturing can move
easily within the country. The way it is now,
cost of transportation is too high and it is
making the business environment rather
unfriendly,” he stressed.
In his own submission, Jacobs who said
infrastructure to include power, roads
and rail system, agreed with Yusuf on
the need for government to improve on
power generation and distribution, as well
as work on road and rail transportation
to ease movement of goods and services
around the country.
According to him, “cost of finance is
another area where government needs
to intervene. Interest rate which currently
hovers around 25 per cent does not help
business.
Government can help to make it come
down to as low as five per cent by enacting
a policy in that direction; if that is done,
it will help business, including small and
medium scale enterprises and large scale
manufacturers to grow.”
Speaking further, he stated that, “there is
need for a deliberate policy to encourage
non-oil export. The fall in oil price and the
country’s current forex challenge has further
reinforced the need to encourage non-oil
exports. Government should revisit the
issue of Export Expansion Grant which was
suspended by the previous government.
If this is done it will serve as incentive
for people to want to export, this would
Jacobs
boost foreign exchange earnings for the
country as well,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of
Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Laoye
Jaiyeola, insisted that improving ease of
doing business in the country required a
concerted effort among the different tiers
of government and the legislators. While
noting that Nigeria’s ranking is not good
both on the World Bank Group’s ease of
doing business and the World Economic
Index, he harped on the issue of multiple
taxation.
He also noted that it was encouraging that
Yusuf
the National Assembly has also indicated
interest in helping to improve the ease of
doing business in the country.
Jacobs aligned with Jaiyeola on the
problem that multiple taxation pose to
business operating in the country.
According to him, “another issue is
multiple taxations; government needs to
harmonise taxation among the three tiers of
government. As it is, if you are delivering
goods from one state to another, you will
end up paying in all the local governments
that you pass through.
This doesn’t help business to grow in
any way. Government can ensure that
what you pay in one local government
covers for all others that the goods pass
through,” he posited.
Besides the issue of multiple taxations,
Jaiyeola also noted the complexities in
registering properties adding that in Lagos,
people pay to multiple government agencies
to register property and wondered, “Why
can’t I pay it once and the various agencies
share it among themselves.” Incidentally,
it is one of the yardsticks by which the
World Bank Group Ease of Doing Business
index arrived at its ranking.
Tackling Unemployment through Outsourcing
Tunde Bodunrin
I
t is no longer news that Nigerian
economy is going through tough
challenges this period which have
led to the increase in the level
of unemployment and frustrations for both businesses and
individuals. No thanks to the
nation’s dwindling revenue as a result
of the plummeting crude oil price at the
international market and the seeming
unending falling value of the nation’s
currency.
But Mr Olusoji Oyawoye, the MD/CEO of
Resource Intermediaries Ltd (RIL), believes
the unemployment situation in the country
could be ameliorated even in this difficult
period if both the private and public sectors
partner with outsourcing firms.
RIL is one of the leading outsourcing firms
in the country that has carved a niche for
itself within the outsourcing world and it
has been in existence since 2006.
Oyawoye in a recent chat with journalist
noted that areas of interests like manufacturing, Data Management, Customer
Support, IT Support functions must be
identified to ensure the smooth success
of this partnership. He explained that the
bulk of this responsibility lies not only on
the outsourcing professionals but also on
their ability to prove beyond reasonable
doubt that outsourcing is a solution provider
for unemployment.
“They will need to maintain account-
Oyawoye
ability, ensure performance, guarantee
results and adhere to public service values,
while government will need to create an
enabling environment for foreign and local
investors”
He maintained that where there are lot
of investors and, outsourcing partners are
contracted, the cost of manufacturing and
production will drop on the long run and
this will make the product more available
and at a cheaper rate in the market adding
that this will encourage the unemployed
to go into entrepreneurship as goods will
be readily available and affordable.
Oyawoye, who is also the chairman of
Policy & Strategy Committee of the As-
sociation of Outsourcing Professionals of
Nigeria (AOPN), expressed optimism on
the future of outsourcing in Nigeria. He
stated tha Nigeria has a unique opportunity
to achieve her full potential. “The time to
strategize and align corporate strategy to
leverage on new possibilities from the policies
of the new government is now. Whichever
way government policy direction heads,
Nigeria is in dire need for economic growth
through massively improved productive
capacity and employment generation”
Enumerating the significances of outsourcing to any economy, the RIL CEO said that
outsourcing helps build better business,
stronger economies and a more prosperous
way of life. He described outsourcing as
no longer just about cost saving but a
strategic tool that may power the twentyfirst century economy; and Nigeria as an
emerging market should not be passive
in this global transformation.
“It can increase productivity and competitiveness in multiple folds as leaders can
no longer afford to view outsourcing as a
mere business tactic; it is now essential to
remaining competitive on the world stage”
Commenting on how public sector outsourcing performance will be in the public
interest, Oyawoye assured that public sector
outsourcing will definitely provide more
jobs for the citizens of Nigeria which can
be monitored and beneficial to both the
citizens and government.
Oyawoye while mentioning some of the
countries that have successfully adopted
public outsourcing to include the US,
UK, Canada, India, Hong-Kong, Japan
and Singapore, said it has worked to
their benefit because services are better
delivered and managed, though there are
regulations and close monitoring from the
government. “Outsourcing increased in the
western world from 1970 to 2002, the U.S.
economy boomed. It service jobs increased
from 47 million to 107 million, and per
capita income rose from $12,543 to $22,851”.
“The Nigerian public sector outsourcing
has proved to be one sure way of improving
public service delivery, increasing effectiveness and efficiency. This can be attributed
to selection of vendors based essentially
on quality of service to be supplied”
Though meeting outsourcing objectives
depend on the extent to which recommendations are adhered to, Oyawoye
advised that it should be considered
above personal interest if it must work
adding there must be regular monitoring
and evaluation of vendors’ performance
to ensure that the standard continues to
improve, and performance criteria must
be properly specified.
He also said there should be adequate
and proper sensitization of some key public
officers because they are key drivers of
government outsourcing initiatives for
achievement of objectives. They should
be enlightened on the need for transparency and accountability in public service.
There should also be continuous public
enlightenment by the Bureau of Public
Sector Reform through its publications
on government reforms and outsourcing.
28
BUSINESS/ENERGY
Hope Rekindles as Oil Prices Rally
Over the past 18 months, crude oil prices have fallen to below $30 per barrel
from their apex of above $110/b. They however recently began to notch up
some gains and only last week got up to $39/b. Nigeria, which benchmarked
her budget at $38/b would hope that such positive price movement continues
into the near future, writes Chineme Okafor
I
n a pulsating show, global crude
oil prices last week recovered some
of their margins and finally beat
Nigeria’s budgetary benchmark to
trade at above $38 per barrel.
Although too early to jubilate,
news of the price recovery gave
a bit of optimism to authorities in Nigeria
that perhaps, the country may after all
gain some advantages in financing its
expenditure proposal in its 2016 budget.
Against major criticisms, Nigeria in
December 2015, pegged the prices of oil
in her budget proposal to $38/b when
the actual market price was $34/b and
even though the Minister for Budget and
National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma,
stated that the price benchmark would have
no impact on the budget, the realities far
outweigh the assumptions.
Again, the price rush also reinforced
Nigeria’s spirited drive to get other oil
producers to the negotiation table to try and
find solutions to the prices slide. But even
at that, the country through its Minister of
State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Kachikwu
Ibe, still holds its expectations in check,
as well, close to its chest.
It was in the same week of the price
gains that Kachikwu, who had majorly
chaperoned the price diplomacy with key
oil producing countries of the Organisation
of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran, as well as
non-OPEC producers like Russia, announced
that producers would as much appreciate
the possibility of a $50/b situation if it
ever gets to that level.
He admitted the humility of producers
to invisibility of the price direction, and
added that with the competitive production
numbers and environment, it would be
pretty difficult to see a dramatic rise in
price.
More so, Kachikwu explained that it was
a difficult situation for Nigeria, hence the
continuous shuttling to meet other producers.
“I don’t need to tell you about the price
of oil despite the shuttle diplomacy here
and there. It is still very challenging but
at least, we are inching up and for the
first time we are beginning to have both
the Saudis and the Russians come back
on the table.
“When I started that whole move, I was
very criticised and told that it would not
hold but I am happy that over the last few
weeks we see that everybody has bought
into that and we are beginning to see prices
inch up very slowly,” Kachikwu said, while
speaking at the annual Oloibiri Lecture
Series in Abuja.
He hinted that notwithstanding the
minimal gains in prices, he intended to
continue to push other producers to commit
to a solution to the price dilemma. He
announced then that a new meeting was
in the offing.
“But hopefully, if the meeting that we are
scheduling to happen in Russia between
the OPEC and non-OPEC members happen about the 20th of March, we should
see some dramatic movements and we
are not likely going to see the prices of
many years ago.
“I think we are very humbled today to
accept that if we hit the price of $50 we
will be celebrating and that is the target
that we have,” he stated.
Why Nigeria Desperately Desires
Positive Price Movements
Kachikwu painted a picture of what Nigeria
was going through in the current situation
One of Nigeria’s refineries
and why it desperately needs a change.
According to him, “what this has done
for countries like Nigeria that depends
almost totally on oil revenues is that we
are going through the most difficult times
in the history of this country and so when
you see changes in our ability to sometimes
meet salaries in some states, it has become
very major issue and we are working very
hard to get the best value chain under the
circumstances.”
Kachikwu at the last World Economic
Forum in Davos was clear about his
expectations that oil prices would rise to
$40/b by the end of the year.
He had said: “Oil prices could get worse
in the short-term, but the second half of
this year holds more promise.”
The minister did not hide his desire to
see prices pick up and therefore continued
to engage relevant stakeholders to buoy
this desire.
With Nigeria’s precarious oil revenue
profile - the country had been hit hard
by the falling prices of oil, Kachikwu
spoke out, against Qatar’s desire that
production levels long adopted by OPEC
be kept untouched. Parts of his request
which Iran has also refused to accept had
been a call on production cuts by fellow
producing members of the OPEC and other
non-OPEC countries like Russia.
He advocated that at least such cut should
be targeted at shrinking the supply glut,
squeezing out the US producers and shoring
up prices. He was firmly supported by
Venezuela, another country in the same
revenue shoes with Nigeria.
A Mild Hope of Recovery Perhaps
But then, oil prices, which began to rise
above $38/b (after both a Venezuela-led
advocacy and Nigeria’s have resulted in
a proposal to freeze production outputs)
closed at about $41/b on Kachikwu’s
Minister for Budget and National Planning,
Udoma Udo Udoma
disclosure of the news that oil producers
are planning to work together to reduce
excess supply in the market.
Saudi Arabia , OPEC’s biggest producer,
and Russia, OPEC’s long term non-member
ally, had agreed to a production freeze
which Iran don’t seem to welcome on the
ground that it had some catching up to
do with the rest of the producers who
produced while it was on the fringes of
sanction.
The plan by Russia and Saudi Arabia to
freeze output at January production levels,
is expected to be discussed further at the
March 20 meeting which Kachikwu spoke
about.
Followed by an industry report from the
American Petroleum Institute, which showed
a surprise drop in U.S. inventories by 3.3
million barrels, the March 20 meeting in
Moscow could further buoy the positive
price movement.
Also, the U.S. Energy Information
Administration data that showed a much
larger-than-expected drawdown in gasoline stocks last week, suggested a robust
energy demand in the U.S, hence the 4.5
million barrels decline in gasoline stocks
outweighed the 3.9 million barrels growth
in crude inventories.
Yet industry experts consider this to
be somewhat a little premature. In their
analysis, these experts say that a rally back
northward in prices may not be a real
deal now especially when extant market
fundamentals are considered.
For example, OPEC in its February monthly
oil market report stated that ongoing excess
supply, the weakening Chinese economy
and lower seasonal heating demand have
continued to weigh heavy on the market,
making price movements to rather remain
at a depressing level.
Moreover, OPEC noted that swelling
crude and product inventories have also
sustained their pressure on the difficulties
oil prices currently face.
Some other experts also described the
price movement as ephemeral, adding that
it may not stay up for long.
According to them, the movement may not
be far from the speculations that abound in
the market, and which are mostly represented
by what they described as non-physical
barrels.
However, Bill Smith, chief investment
officer and senior portfolio manager at
Battery Park Capital, told news agency,
CNBC, that while some investors could
be predicting that market expectations
for oil at $50 a barrel might be too fast,
and too soon, the energy sector will find
equilibrium by the second quarter of 2016.
29
BUSINESS/ENERGY
Achieving PIB’s Objectives through
NNPC’s Reorganisation
The recent reorganisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC), erroneously tagged as ‘unbundling’ by the organised labour will
no doubt help to achieve some of the objectives set out in the nine-year-old
Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to make Nigeria realise full benefits from her
enormous hydrocarbon resources, Ejiofor Alike reports
A
Backgroud
landmark pronouncement by
the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu,
at the recent 25th Annual
Oloibiri Lecture Series and
Energy Forum (OLEF) of
the Society of Petroleum
Engineers, Nigerian Council, was a plan
by the Federal Government to overhaul the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC).
Before the then Military Government
came up with the idea of setting up a
national oil company in 1971, the only
benefit derived by Nigeria from crude
oil production was through tax collection
from Shell, Chevron, Agip, Mobil and other
international oil companies (IOCs) as the
federal government had no company that
was involved in drilling crude oil.
The Petroleum Profits Tax Act 1959 (PPTA),
which was one of the pioneer legislations
enacted by the government for the oil and
gas industry, empowered the government
to impose tax on the profits of companies
that were involved in petroleum operations.
The promulgation of Decree No 18 of 1971,
which established the Nigerian National
Oil Corporation (NNOC), was the first
bold move by the government to set up
a state-run oil company to compete with
the IOCs. The new legislation by General
Yakubu Gowon’s government empowered
the NNOC to engage in oil exploration and
“in all other activities associated with the
petroleum industry.”
On April 1, 1977, what is regarded today as
NNPC was established by the promulgation
of Decree No. 33.
This decree merged the Ministry of
Petroleum Resources and NNOC to form
NNPC, which was charged with the “overall
control of the oil industry.” The new decree
also saddled NNPC with all the functions
that were performed by NNOC including,
“exploitation, production, transportation,
processing of oil, refining, and marketing
of crude oil and its refined derivatives”.
By the establishment of NNPC, the
government had wanted it to be a viable
oil company operating under commercial
terms as a world class national oil firm in
the mould of Saudi’s Aramco, Malaysia’s
Petronas and Brazil’s Petrobras.
However, over the years, NNPC is believed
to have failed to realise its mandate as a
national oil company as it lost focus, combining regulatory functions with formulating
policies, in addition to its role as an operator
in the oil and gas industry.
This largely accounted for the enactment
of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which
among other objectives, seeks to break up
the state-run company into many companies,
which will be incorporated as independent
entities.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
had on April 24, 2000, set up the Oil and
Gas Reform Implementation Committee
(OGIC), headed by his then Honorary
Special Adviser on Energy and Strategic
Matters, the late Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, to
carry out the first comprehensive reform
of the oil and gas industry.
Obasanjo left office before he could
implement the National Oil and Gas Policy
(NOGP) report that was submitted by the
Lukman’s committee.
The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
Underneath these
companies, we have
a collective of 20
companies on the whole,
where we had about 16
before, so only about four
are new introductions.
So it is not so much the
size and we have not split
NNPC into 30 companies,
but there are four major
divisional groups
the change and I am happy that we are
gaining the cooperation of people within
the industry because that is the only way
we can guarantee sustainable career paths
for those in the industry,” he added.
Buhari
reconstituted a new committee, also headed
by Lukman, on September 7, 2007.
Lukman’s new committee, which submitted
its report on August 3, 2008, was mandated
to “transform the broad provisions in the
NOGP into functional institutional structures
that are legal and practical for the effective
management of the oil and gas sector in
Nigeria”.
The PIB, which also seeks to replace about
16 obsolete legislative and administrative
instruments in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry
and transform them into a single law, emerged
from the report of these two committees.
Unfortunately, exactly eight years after the
bill was submitted to the National Assembly,
the reform bill has not been signed into law
because of the politics associated with the fiscal
regime and other controversial provisions,
which law makers could not resolve.
If PIB had been passed as it was, the federal
government would have divested 30 per cent
of its shareholding and sell the shares on the
Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), according
to the provision of the reform legislation.
Kachikwu’s new option
In the absence of the passage of the PIB,
Kachikwu told oil industry operators at the
Oloibiri Lecture Series that the structural
overhaul would see NNPC broken into
five major operational zones and about
30 independent companies with their chief
executive officers given measurable targets
to achieve.
“The effect of that would be to quite
frankly unbundle the huge company into
four to five main operational zones: the
upstream, downstream, midstream, refining
and of course every other company that
is trending to the venture group,” he said.
“But what is more important is that at
the same time, we are also unbundling
the subsets of these companies to about
30 independent companies with their own
managing directors and so titles like group
executive directors which you have been
used to in the last 30 years will disappear
and in place of that, you are going to have
chief executive officers.”
The minister explained that people who
would get the job of heading the new companies would have to take responsibilities
for the titles they would be assigned.
According to him, “They have to mean
something, they are not administrative
roles. So, at the end of the day, a CEO of
an upstream company must deliver me
upstream results and we are very focused
on that.
“Along those chains, we are doing very
dramatic things within the sector to bring
President Buhari’s approval
Few days after Kachikwu made the
pronouncement, President Muhammadu
Buhari approved the restructuring of the
corporation into seven new divisions, according to a media briefing by the minister.
He explained that under the new structure,
NNPC will have five core new divisions
comprising the upstream, downstream,
refining group, gas and power, as well as
the ventures’ groups. The other two, he
said, are finance and services groups.
He said the restructuring was the only
opportunity available to the NNPC to become
productive again, adding that employees
of the corporation would have to work to
earn their wages going forward.
Kachikwu pointed out that nothing much
had changed with the unbundling except
for the distribution of subsidiary companies
of the corporation that would further be
restructured into direct management of the
new divisions.
He named some of the heads of the
new divisions to include Mr. Bello Rabiu,
who would take charge as the head of the
upstream company; Mr. Henry Ikem-Obi,
who would head the downstream company;
Mr. Anibor Kragho as the head of refining
group; Mr. Saidu Mohammed as head of
gas and power market; and Babatunde
Adeniran as head of the ventures’ groups.
Isiaka Abdul Rasaq is the chief financial
officer, while the deputy managing director of
the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG),
Mr. Isa Inuwa, is now to head the corporate
services unit of NNPC.
He listed some of the subsidiaries under the
divisions to include Upstream: the Nigerian
Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)
and Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL);
30
BUSINESS/ENERGY/ PERSPECTIVE
Achieving PIB’s Objectives through NNPC’s Reorganisation
Downstream Retail: Nigerian Product Marketing Company (NPMC), which was formerly
PPMC, (NPSC); Gas and Power: Nigerian
Gas Pipeline and Transportation Company
(NGPTC), Nigerian Gas Marketing Company
(NGMC), and gas and power investment; and
the Refineries: Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Kaduna Refining
and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), and
Port Harcourt Refining and Petrochemical
Company (PHRC). The ventures’ company
includes medicals, property, pensions, shipping, and wheel insurance.
Kachikwu said: “The president has approved the final phase of the restructuring
of the NNPC, under that phase it is not
so much different from what we have
now but we have restructured ourselves
into four key business components: the
upstream, which is what you used to call
the Exploration and Production (E&P), the
downstream, which is what you called the
Commercial and Investment (C&I), the gas
power market, which is basically a pullout
from the E&P, the refinery group, which is
basically the three refineries, and of course
the ventures, which is every other small
company here and there that did not have
a sense of direction.
“Underneath these companies, we have
a collective of 20 companies on the whole,
where we had about 16 before, so only
about four are new introductions. So it is
not so much the size and we have not split
NNPC into 30 companies, but there are
“The group is going to become more
nimble,” he added.
Kachikwu
President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese
four major divisional groups.
“Four or five are business focused, while
others provide services. Beneath these five
that are business-geared are the companies
that are there. For example, with PPMC,
we have taken the pipeline and depots unit
and put them into a different company so
that somebody focuses on that, while PPMC
deals with the marketing of products.”
However, unlike what was proposed in the
PIB where the entities will be autonomous,
Kachikwu stated that all the created units
still report to the Group Managing Director
of NNPC, adding that the whole idea is
to focus everybody that it is no longer an
administrative but business role.
House, Labour Kick
Responding to the protest by the labour
unions and the concern raised by the
House of Representatives on the legality
of the reform, Kachikwu, in his defence,
insisted that NNPC has not been broken
up or unbundled as erroneously reported.
He said what the president approved was
the restructuring of the corporation, adding
that there was nothing wrong with it as
long as it was done within the confines
of the law.
“NNPC has not been unbundled or
broken up. It remains the same entity but
with different units internally for enhanced
efficiency and profitability. Besides, the NNPC
Act allows for the restructuring of NNPC,”
he added.
Oil workers under the aegis of the
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and
the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural
Gas (NUPENG) workers had embarked on
strike action after Kachikwu announced
President Buhari’s approval.
But barely 24 hours later, the unions
suspended the action after negotiation with
the government and resolved to support
the restructuring of the state-run oil firm.
If vigorously implemented, it is expected
that the restructuring will achieve some of
the objectives of the PIB.
Redefining the Nation’s Business Environment
Mohammed I sa
A
t its inception in June
2015, the 8th Senate under
the leadership of Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki
left no one in doubt about
its determination to use
its constitutional mandate
to stop the business as usual syndrome and
move the country forward. Based on that
firm resolve, the Senate fashioned out a well
thought out, detailed plan and cohesive
legislative agenda for renewed national
cohesion and development.
It is in fulfillment of the objective of
the agenda that the Senate President in
November 2015 initiated a discussion with
development partners, professional bodies
like the Nigeria Bar Associations (NBA) and
the academia. The result was the formation
of a committee of experts charged with the
responsibility of providing a framework for
holistic review and improvements of legislations and policies affecting business, so as to
create a better business enabling environment,
leading to increased and sustained private
sector development and investment in the
country.
The legislative effort paid off when on
February 29, 2016, the committee of experts,
supported by Department for International
Development (DFID) with the strong participation of Nigerian Economic Support Group
(NESG) presented its detailed report to the
Senate President.
Presenting the168-page report titled,
“Comprehensive Review of the Institutional
Regulatory, Legislative and Associated Instruments Affecting Businesses in Nigeria,” the
Team Leader, Prof. Paul Idornigie (SAN),
identified eight reform bills currently pending
before the National Assembly as of priority
importance to doing business and overall
private sector participation in Nigeria.
According to Idornigie, “even if no
other recommendation in this report is
implemented, the enactment of these Bills will
be the major achievement of the 8th National
Assembly.”
The bills are Federal Competition and
Consumer Protection Bill 2015, Federal
Roads Authority Bill 2015, National Inland
Waterways Authority Bill 2015, National
Roads Funds Bill 2015, National Transport
Commission 2015, Nigerian Ports and
Harbours Authority Bill 2015, Nigeria Postal
Commission Bill 2015 and Nigeria Railway
Authority Bill 2015.
The team, he said, also reviewed 54 Acts
and 50 Bills pending before the National
Assembly, and rated them in order of priority
to help the legislature focus more on areas
that require urgent intervention.
Some of the recommendations by
the experts were; passage of the reform
bills, establishment of federal legislative
clearinghouse, access to finance and property,
establishment of a national legislative forum,
improving commercial dispute resolution and
simplifying the payment of taxes.
The report further recommended that
the leadership of the Senate and House of
Representatives should collaborate to ensure
proper coordination and implementation. It
urged the Constitution Review Committee of
the two chambers to take into consideration
“ constitutional challenges highlighted by
the report, especially that of Land Use Act
vesting the entire property in and control of
all minerals, mineral oils and natural gas in
the Federal Government, the jurisdiction of
the Federal High Court and that of the Tax
Appeal Tribunal and other matters that are in
the Exclusive Legislative List - for example,
railways”. The recommendation, they noted,
will lead to the consequential repeal of the
Petroleum Act, the Mines and Minerals Act,
amongst others.
Receiving the report, an elated Saraki said
the present economic challenge facing the
country presents an opportunity for her
leaders to show leadership, courage and
ingenuity.
The nation, he said should use the present
economic situation to set the stage for a postoil era in which the private sector will steer
the ship of the economy while government
provides the enabling environment.
“The National Assembly through our
legislative agenda seized on the moment to
chart a new course for the nation’s economy.
The legislative agenda we have adopted is
one framed largely around good governance,
accountability, opening up of the economy
for greater investment, ease of doing business
and security of lives and property”, he said.
He added that the 8th National Assembly
would give priority to the amendment of
obsolete laws, noting that, “ without these
laws, the Executive will be handicapped
to drive the economy. This is part of the
executive-legislative collaboration to move the
nation forward.”
While urging the Executive to ensure full
implementation of such laws when they
Saraki
are eventually passed, the Senate President
assured them that the relevant committees
would be empowered to ensure effective
oversight on such laws.
Saraki said the collaboration with the
private sectors, development partners, professional groups, like the Nigeria Bar Association
(NBA), as well as the academia in the
on-going process to review laws affecting doing business will give birth to a new business
environment that will boost the economy,
solve the problem of unemployment, curb
social vices and restore the nation’s values
and pride.
He stressed that the Senate and the House
of Representatives are on the same page with
President Muhammed Buhari’s policy on
diversification of economy, “our President
has laid out a vision to fully diversify the
economy beyond oil and has been committed
to the actualisation of the project.
“The overarching objective of the agenda
targets private sector investment and business
development as a major plank of the plan.
This is because of our belief in the ingenuity,
creativity, entrepreneurship of our people,
and that in order to to create jobs, give our
people better opportunities, the private sector
remains our best option.
“This is at the heart of the clamour for
diversification; from agriculture business
support, to credit, economic reform bills, to
MSMEs, taxation, conflict resolution, regulatory reform bills, our agenda is firmly rooted
on increased participation, diversification and
capital formation”. Saraki assured.
The report, he said will in few weeks from
now at a special economic and business
environment roundtable, be subjected to
further interrogation, validates its conclusion
and get the buy-in of key stakeholders in
the business environment, so that its final
outcome will leapfrog the nation’s economy
into the first 20 word economies.
In his remarks, Chairman, Nigerian
Economic Summit Group (NESG), Bukar
Kyari, who represented the private sector,
commended the initiative of the Senate
President in involving all the stakeholders in
the preparation of the report. He said “the
collaboration marks a significant milestone
in the nation’s democracy, as this is the first
time in the history of the National Assembly
that NESG and other stakeholders would be
engaged to provide a roadmap that will assist
the legislature in carrying out its activities.”
The report noted the poor rating of Nigeria
in “Doing Business Report” survey by the
Word Bank, a situation the committee of
experts described as “worrisome, extremely
poor and in need of urgent reform.”
In his comment, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who was
represented by Hon. Tijjani Yusuf lamented
the non-optimal utilisation of specialised
courts, such as Investment and Security
Tribunal (IST), Industrial Courts amongst
others for business dispute resolutions and
called for concerted efforts to make those
courts function effectively.
In their separate contributions, Deputy
Senate President, Ike Ekweramadu and
Senate Leader, Ali Ndume commended
the committee of experts for the report and
expressed confidence that the identified
priority bills will make the Senate achieve the
goal of its legislative agenda.
Though Nigeria as a nation is not in short
of such reports in the past, what makes
this one different is its inclusive nature, the
determination of the Senate President to
give the legislature a new direction and the
commitment of President Buhari to bring
about change on how things are being done
in Nigeria.
–Isa is Special Assistant to the Senate
President on Public Affairs
31
NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS
NAHCO AVIANCE PLC- Increase in sales cost
and financial charges impedes potentially
stronger growth in profitability
N
igerian Aviation Handling
Company PLC (Nahco
Aviance) is a product of
the Nigerian Enterprise
Promotion Decree,
starting operations
in April 1979 with the
commissioning of the
Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos. The Company has
over 25 years of experience in crew/
passenger transportation service
delivery and continues to enjoy
unhindered access to all areas of
the airport which offers them the
opportunity to serve airlines better,
whilst providing comprehensive
insurance for the vehicles as well as
Passenger Liability Policy for the crew/
passengers.
Initially, the Federal Government,
through the Federal Airports Authority
of Nigeria (FAAN) owned 60% of the
company’s equity while four foreign
airlines namely; Air France, British
Airways, Sabena and Lufthansa shared
the remaining 40%. Following the
completion of a privatisation process,
which saw the 60% government
ownership divested to the Nigerian
public, the Company entered into
a strategic global alliance through
its membership of Aviance, an
international alliance of 9 reputable
airport service providers operating
from 112 stations in 17 countries and The
International Air Cargo Association
(TIACA).
INCREASE IN COST OF SALES ERODES
GROSS PROFIT
For the nine-months period ended
September 2015, Nahco Aviance
grew turnover by 4.91% to N6.32
billion in September 2014 from N6.02
billion in March 2014. The Company’s
performance shows notable growth
in business activity of passenger
handling, cargo handling and equipment
rental & maintenance. Further insight
reveals that the Company’s core
business of Air craft handling, Cargo
Handling, Passenger handling and Crew
transportation continues to account for
a large percentage of earnings.
Cost of sales however grew
significantly to N4.15 billion from N3.76
billion over the period; representing a
change of 10.21%. Expectedly, due to the
significant growth in cost of sales, gross
profit declined to N2.17 billion in 2015
from N2.26 billion in 2014 representing a
modest decline of 3.94%.
REDUCTION IN OPERATIONAL
EXPENSES ADVANCES PROFITABILITY
The Company’s distribution and
administrative expenses declined by
15.50% to N1.61 billion September 2015
from N1.86 billion in the corresponding
period of 2014. This was in spite of an
IN THE SHORT-TERM,
ESCALATING FINANCE
COSTS WILL CONTINUE
TO HAMPER GROWTH
UNTIL THE COMPANY
SUCCESSFULLY
CURTAILS COSTS TO
ATTRACT INVESTORS.
THEREFORE, WE
PROJECT REVENUE
OF N7.90 BILLION
AND NET INCOME
OF N692.63M
RESPECTIVELY FOR
THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 2015
GOVERNMENTTO EXPAND EXPORT
IN THE COUNTRY
Nahco Aviance, in partnership with The
Nigerian Export Promotion Council
(NEPC), the Nigerian Agricultural
Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the
Lagos State Government, came
together to address the challenges
facing the export of horticulture
products, fresh and processed food
items from Nigeria, by assessing
the various ways the Company’s
operations could help to facilitate the
bodies’ efforts at expanding Nigerian
export of foods towards meeting the
growing demands of European Union
and The United States of America’s
markets for fresh and processed food
items from Nigeria.
In addition, the Company’s
management further announced
that its aviance’s Free Trade Zone’s
soon to commence operations will be
an impetus to exportation of goods
in the country. Also mentioned was
the business potentials that this
partnership is expected to bring as
80% of Nahco Aviance’s total revenue
is from cargo imports and ancillary
services while cargo export services
amount to well below 10% of the
Company’s total revenue.
increase in staff strength and purchase
of utility vehicles to distribute cargoes
within the airports and around the
Federation. Other income however
declined significantly by 48.60% to
N297m in September 2015 from N578m
in September 2014 as the Company
derived income from disposal of
obsolete assets during the period.
However, despite the aforementioned
increase in total operating expenses,
operating profit for the period grew by
a significant 40.16% to N560m from
N400m in the corresponding period of
2014.
In addition, the Company’s financial
charges increased to N162m in
September 2015 from N149m in
the corresponding period of 2014;
indicating a growth of 8.50%. As
a result of the increase in financial
charges, the Company recorded a
decline of 16.04% in profit before
tax to N696m in 2015 from N828m in
2014. However, a significant decline of
23.88% in taxation expense to N176m
in September 2015 from N231m in
September 2014 could not prevent a
decrease of 13.01% in profit after tax to
N519m in the period under review, from
N597m over the period.
SETTING SAFETY STANDARDS
WITH RECENT EU VALIDATION
RECOGNITION
After meeting the entire requirement
for safety and security validation,
the company became the first
ground handling company in Nigeria
to be IATA Safety Audit for Ground
Operations (ISAGO) certified, first to
operate an IATA approved Authorized
Training Centre (ATC) and the only
ground handling company member
of Association of African Training
Organization (AATO). The Company
stands to gain a drastic reduction
in the cost of acquiring their ACC3
validation which is a requirement for
EU bound flights.
These achievements have made
Nahco Aviance the ground handler
of choice for major airlines operating
from Nigeria to the European Union
by reducing significantly the cost of
conducting air cargo or mail carrier
operating into the Union from a third
Country Airport (ACC3).
The certifications have also further
proven that the Company can
compete with its international
counterpart through the delivery of
global best practices with security
and safety standards comparable
with developed countries. This has
also revealed Nahco Aviance’s proven
leadership and pace-setting roles in
West Africa.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH
WE MAINTAIN OUR HOLD
Valuation Metrics 11-March-16
Recommendation
HOLD
Target Price (N)
4.31
Current Price (N)
4.10
Market Cap (N'm)
7,114
Outstanding Shares (m)
1,624
Rolling EPS
0.30
Rolling PE Ratio
14.60
Forward PE
9.70
Forward EPS (N)
0.43
Source: BGL Research
Q3 September 2015 Unaudited Results
Turnover (N'm)
6,316
Profit Before Tax (N'm)
695
Profit After Tax (N'm)
519
Pre-tax Margin (%)
8.22
Audited Year End 2014 Results
Turnover (N'm)
8,133
769
568
Pre-tax Margin (%)
9.46
Shareholding Information
Shareholders
% Holding
% Holding
British Airways
10.7%
Air France
5.8%
Lufthansa Commercial Holding
GMBH
6.8%
Rosehill Group Limited
Others
9.5%
67.2%
1,624
RECOMMENDATION
In the long-term, growth in profitability
for Nahco Aviance would depend
largely on the resulting effects of
facilities upgrade, expansion initiatives
and increase in handling charges.
We expect the initiatives to result in
enhanced efficiency with potential
growth in core business activities,
revenue and profitability.
However, in the short-term, escalating
finance costs will continue to hamper
growth until the Company successfully
curtails costs to attract investors.
Therefore, we project revenue of N7.90
billion and net income of N692.63m
respectively for the year ended
December 2015; leading to a forward
earnings per share (EPS) of N0.43.
Using the PE method of valuation, we
arrive at a 3-month target price of N4.13
and thereby recommend a HOLD on
the shares of Nahco Aviance.
32
NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS
WAPIC INSURANCE PLC: Profitability
stimulated by increased operating
income and income from associates
W
APIC Insurance
Plc (WAPIC)
showed an
impressive
performance
across board
in its recently
released financial
statement for the full year 2016. Its
increase in operational efficiency leads
to remarkable growth in profitability and
other financial indicators despite macroeconomic headwind faced during the
financial period. The Company’s results
for the period of 2015 showed a complete
turnaround and significant improvement
in performance, as both gross premium
income and net income grew quite
considerably, despite stiff competition
for underwriting and a number of
operational bumps during the period.
WAPIC Insurance is a composite
insurance company with operations
in both the life and non-life insurance
businesses. WAPIC Insurance Plc one
of Nigeria’s oldest and most capitalized
insurance companies, formerly known
as Intercontinental WAPIC is now a
subsidiary of Access Bank Plc following
the bank’s acquisition of the insurance
company’s former parent company,
Intercontinental Bank Plc. The company
offers a wide range of insurance products
and services, and boasts of solid industry
know-how having been in operations for
over five (5) decades. WAPIC Insurance
currently operates two subsidiaries;
WAPIC Life Assurance Limited and
WAPIC Insurance (Ghana) Limited.
The Company appointed Mr. Bode
Ojeniyi, the Deputy Managing Director as
its interim CEO during the 2015 financial
year upon the resignation of Mr. Ashish
Desai, as Managing Director in 28th July,
2015.
GROSS PREMIUM IMPACTS
POSITIVELY ON NET UNDERWRITING
INCOME
In the full year ended, December 2015,
WAPIC Insurance recorded a substantial
increase in gross premium written of
36.45% to N7.1 billion compared to
N5.2 billion recorded in the full year
2014. It attained the feat despite stiff
competition in the Nigerian insurance
sector with regards to the sales of
various insurance packages and
products. The significant growth in gross
premium was driven by significant rise of
30.71% in gross premium income to N6.15
billion from N4.7 billion in December
2014. However, reinsurance expenses
also grew by a sizable 18.27% to N2.21
billion from N1.87 billion recorded in the
same period of 2014.
Despite sizable increase in reinsurance
expenses, robust growth in gross
premium income resulted into
WAPIC HAS PUTIN
PLACE AN ADMIRABLE
STRUCTURE IN TERMS
OF REGULATORY
COMPLIANCE,
CUSTOMERACQUISITION
AND RETENTION AND
CAPACITY BUILDING
TOTAKE ADVANTAGE
OFTHE IDENTIFIED
OPPORTUNITIES IN
THE SECTOR. THE
STRONG CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PUTIN
PLACE BYTHE COMPANY
ALSO PROVIDE AN
ATTRACTION TO
INVESTORS
substantial growth of 38.90% in net
premium income to N3.94 billion from
N2.84 billion year on year. The company’s
fee and commission income also increased
considerable by 32.89% to N429.8m in 2015
from N323m in 2014; leading to an additional
growth of 0.61% to 38.29% increase in net
underwriting income for the full year ended
December 2015 to N4.37 billion from N3.16
billion recorded in the full year 2014.
UNDERWRITING PROFIT GREW NOTABLY
DESPITE RISE IN UNDERWRITING
EXPENSES
Arguably, due to strong risk management
practices, the Company’s claims expenses
increased massively by 100.04% to N2.18
billion in December 2015 from N1.09 billion
in 2014 while claims expenses recoverable
also increased momentously by 493.68%
to N544m from N91.7m over the same
period. Expectedly, net claims expenses also
increased by 63.87% to N1.63 billion from
N997m in the full year 2014. On the other
hand, underwriting expenses increased by
27.9% to N1.23 billion from N960.8m over
the period.
However, due to the significant rise in
claims expenses and claims expenses
recoverable, total underwriting expenses
grew significantly by 56.82% to N2.89
billion in December 2015 from N1.84 billion in
December 2014. Despite higher expenses,
the company’s underwriting profit grew
notably to N1.48 billion from N1.315 billion
realized in the 2014; reflecting a change of
12.3%.
The key drivers of the underwriting
performance were increased premium
income and comparative reduction in
net claims expenses which emphasizes
the Company’s increased efficiency of
underwriting risk selection.
ROBUST BOTTOM-LINE EARNINGS ON
THE BACK OF INCREASED OPERATING
INCOME AND SHARE OF PROFIT FROM
ASSOCIATES
In 2015, the Company recorded an increase
of 12.81% in operating expenses to N3.47
billion from N3.07 billion recorded in the
full year of 2014. This increase was due
to expenses incurred in maintenance of
branches to meet with standard operations,
and creation of new branches to further
deepen the WAPIC brand and product chain.
However, increase in operating expenses
had little impact on profitability as
operating income rose by an extraordinary
1442.08% to N903m from N58.5m
recorded for 2014 full year. Hence, with
the combination of N764m as profit from
associates to operating income, profit
before tax (PBT) showed an outstanding
2747.20% increase to N1.67 billion from
N58m in the full year 2014. Net income after
tax deductions increased substantially by
447.81% to N1.3 billion in the full year 2015
from N236.8m recoded in the same period
of 2014.
A.M. BEST ‘B’ RATING FURTHER
TESTAMENT OF THE COMPANY’S
STRENGTH
WAPIC Insurance Plc retains the ‘B’ rating
for financial strength given by a leading
global insurance rating agency, A.M. Best.
The rating, which was an affirmation of
the company’s financial strength, was
also reinforced by an Issuer Strength
Rating (ISR) of “BB-” which was credited
to the insurer. This puts the company in
the exclusive league of Nigerian insurance
companies to be graded by a credit rating
agency. A.M. Best, one of the leading global
insurance rating agencies is based in the
United Stated and while WAPIC is the third
company in the industry to attain such.
BUY RECOMMENDATION MAINTAINED
The Company which aims to emerge
as one of the top twenty financial
services institutions in Nigeria by 2019
experienced some gains resulting from
on-going business model restructuring and
transformation of the services channels
embarked upon to reposition the group.
The potential for growth in the insurance
sector in Nigeria remains considerably
high. WAPIC has put in place an admirable
structure in terms of regulatory compliance,
customer acquisition and retention and
capacity building to take advantage of the
identified opportunities in the sector. The
strong corporate governance put in place
Valuation Metrics 11-Mar-16
Recommendation
BUY
Target Price (N)
0.78
Current Price (N)
0.50
Market Cap (N'm)
6,691.36
13,382.74
EPS (N)
0.10
PE Ratio
5.16
Forward EPS
0.13
Forward PE
3.82
FYE December 2015 Audited Results
Gross Premium Income (N'm)
7,100.7
1,667.7
1,297
Pre-tax Margin (%)
23.49
FYE December 2014 Audited Results
Gross Premium Income (N'm)
5,204
59
237
Pre-tax Margin (%)
1.13
Shareholders
Holding (%)
Reunion Energy Limited
Strategic Alliance Investment
Ltd
Blakeney GPIII Ltd
Public Float
21.00
7.00
14.00
58.00
13,382.74
Source: BGL Research, Company Information
by the company also provide an attraction to
investors.
We make a revenue projection of N7.96
billion and a net income N1.75 billion for the
full year of December 2016. Our valuation
indicates that WAPIC appears to be
undervalued. Therefore, using an Industry
average price to book value of 0.74 consisting
of peer insurance companies (Mansard,
Custodian & Allied Insurance, AIICO and
Continental Re) in comparison to WAPIC’s
book value per share and price multiples price to earnings, price to book value based
on the company’s current performance and
the use of the Sustainable Growth Rate, we
arrive at a 12-month target price of N0.78
of each share of WAPIC Insurance Plc over
the next six months. Since this represents a
significant upside potential of 55.62% on the
stock, we place a BUY recommendation on
WAPIC Insurance Plc.
33
TRAVEL
Okukor, Ori Olokun and the Import
of Nigeria’s Stolen Artefacts
Edited by Demola Ojo
The recent row over the rightful location of a Benin bronze cockerel, which until last
week stood in the hall of a Cambridge University college, has again brought to the
fore the calls for repatriation of stolen artefacts, writes Demola Ojo
The Okukor Benin Bronze cockerel in Jesus College Cambridge
D
uring the week, the
Jesus College of the
Cambridge University
in England bowed to
pressure from its
students and removed a
bronze cockerel from its
dining hall after protests that the looted
sculpture celebrated a colonial past.
The cockerel known as the ‘Okukor’
was taken from Benin City in Nigeria
during a British naval expedition in 1897
to avenge the deaths of nine officers
killed during a trade dispute between the
Oba of Benin and Britain.
Britain sent a force of 500 men to
destroy the city, with one eye-witness
describing how the British troops turned
their newly manufactured Maxim machine guns on the local defenders, who
fell from the trees ‘like nuts’.
After ten days of fierce fighting, the
British burnt down the palace and looted
the royal treasures: delicate ivory carvings
and magnificent copper alloy sculptures
and plaques - now known as the Benin
Bronzes were carted away.
After the sacking of Benin, the bronzes
were taken by the British to pay for the
expedition. The Foreign and Common-
wealth Office sold them off, and around
900 ended up in the world’s greatest
museums, including the British Museum,
which has one of the largest sets.
One of the sculptures, the bronze
cockerel known as Okukor, ended up
at Jesus College after it was donated by
Captain George William Neville, a former
British Army officer whose son had been
a student there. The gift was fitting; the
cockerel is the mascot of the college, after
the surname of its founder, Bishop John
Alcock.
The sculpture in question depicts a
proud, strong animal - an embodiment
of power. Though its value is not clear
because so few bronzes have been sold
recently, in 1989 a bronze memorial head
from Benin was auctioned at Christie’s in
London for more than £1 million.
The Benin Bronzes are a set of
artworks created by the Edo people for
centuries starting from the 13th Century
to celebrate the Benin Kingdom. When
colonialists first discovered the pieces
adorning the Oba’s royal palace, they
were amazed that such incredible artwork
could be created by people so ‘primitive’.
When the Benin Bronzes first arrived in
Europe, they transformed the way people
Ori Olokun Ife Head at the British Museum
saw Africa. Europeans were surprised that
Africans — a people whom they assumed
to be backward — could make such
refined artwork, as is clear from the words
of Charles Hercules Read, a curator from
the British Museum, who secured the
collection.
“It need scarcely be said that at the first
sight of these remarkable works of art,
we were at once astounded at such an
unexpected find, and puzzled to account
for so highly developed an art among a
race so entirely barbarous.”
Today they remain some of the most
celebrated artworks to emerge from Africa,
but much like Greece’s Elgin Marbles,
they are mired in controversy due to
the circumstances in which they were
acquired.
Estimates point to as few as fifty
pieces still remaining in Nigeria although
approximately 2,400 pieces are held in
European and American collections. The
two largest collections of Benin Bronzes
are located in the Ethnological Museum
of Berlin and in the British Museum in
London.
Jesus College said that it would consider
repatriating the Okukor to Nigeria. The
college said on Wednesday that its rightful
location was a complex matter requiring
further discussion.
For many however, the ‘rightful location’
of these artefacts is back home in Nigeria.
One of them is renowned Nobel laureate,
Prof Wole Soyinka. Soyinka has spent
years canvassing for the repatriation of
artefacts back to Nigeria and even took
matters into his own hands at a point.
In 1978, he was made aware of the
existence of a bronze head in a private
collection in Brazil – similar to the
disputed ‘Ori Olokun’ discovered by the
famous German archaeologist Leo Frobenius in 1910, which now stood in the Ife
Museum, but of far greater quality.
In his memoir “You Must Set Forth
at Dawn” (2007), Soyinka recalls how,
in a spirit of cultural duty, and with the
knowledge of the Nigerian authorities, he
mounted a “guerrilla raid” with a group
of friends, stealing the object from the
apartment in question in near-farcical
circumstances, and removing it to the
Senegalese capital Dakar, where experts
proclaimed it genuine.
Suspicious, however, of the lightness of
the object, Soyinka examined it further to
find the letters “BM” stamped on the back:
34
TRAVEL
Transcorp Hilton Abuja Named 2015
Hilton Brand Awards Winner
Stories by Demola Ojo
T
ranscorp Hilton Abuja has
been recognized as 2015 Hilton Hotels & Resorts Brand
Award winner. The hotel was
honored with the awards of
2015 Director of Sales, 2015
Sales Team of the Year and
2015 Best Tactical Marketing Campaign for
Middle East & Africa (MEA), awarded by
Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand.
“We are delighted to be recognized and
honoured for our outstanding accomplishments by Hilton Hotels & Resorts,”
said Etienne Gailliez, general manager,
Transcorp Hilton Abuja. “The awards are
dedicated to the hotel’s team and our
owning company for their consistent
support of our efforts at delivering the
highest levels of quality service to our
guests. I trust the awards will inspire all
our team members to continue the drive
for excellence.’’
“I am proud of the great performance
of our team at Transcorp Hilton Abuja and
I join them to celebrate the achievement”,
said Valentine Ozigbo, MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc, the owners of Transcorp
Hilton Abuja. “I am glad that the efforts
of the team are recognized by discerning
travellers and the Hilton brand.’’
The recognition from Hilton Hotels &
Resorts arrived on the heels of the hotel
winning the highest honor given by
TripAdvisor, the 2016 TripAdvisor Travel-
L-R: MD/CEO Transcorp Hotels Plc, Valentine Ozigbo; PR & Marketing Manager, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Shola Adeyemo; PR Executive, Transcorp
Hilton Abuja, Ijeoma Osuji; Director of Business Development, Trancsorp Hilton Abuja, Ahmed AbdelGhaffar; and General Manager, Transcorp
Hilton Abuja, Etienne Gailliez at a reception hosted to celebrate the awards in Abuja on Tuesday
lers’ Choice™ awards for Hotels, ranking
first out of 64 hotels in Abuja based on
the reviews and opinions of global travel
community.
Kayode Olabode won the prize for 2015
Director of Sales as he was adjudged
to best represent the Hilton Worldwide
values of Hospitality, Integrity, Leadership,
Teamwork, Ownership and Now. The
hotel’s Marketing Team won the prize for
2015 Best Tactical Marketing Campaign to
Drive Revenue for its best use of multi-
channel marketing campaign during the
last Ramadan and Eid.
The annual Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Brand Awards celebrates the outstanding
achievements by hotels and individuals
around the world.
Curio Makes African Debut at MMIA
H
ilton Worldwide has
reached an agreement
with Quits Hospitality
Ltd to open its first
property under the
Curio – A Collection
by Hilton brand in
Africa. The Legend Hotel is expected to
ope later this year and will be located at
Lagos Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Nigeria.
The Legend Hotel, which will be
located within the airport boundaries,
will feature 54 guest rooms, including
eight suites. Travellers will benefit
from the hotel’s unrivalled proximity
to the international airport terminal,
as well as exclusive facilities for private
jet and corporate jet passengers of
ExecuJet – which will allow passengers
same-building access to the arrivals and
departures services of this private aviation
company.
Launched in June 2014, the Curio
collection is a global set of remarkable
upscale and luxury hotels hand-picked
for their unique character and personality;
each one a part of the city they call
home. By partnering with Hilton, these
one-of-a-kind hotels benefit from the
proven track record and quality synonymous with Hilton without redefining the
individualistic spirit of the hotel. Global
destinations available to travellers now
include more than 80 properties open
or in various stages of development,
including Germany, the U.S., Jamaica and
Argentina.
“Curio is a great opportunity for investors looking to benefit from the performance advantage and smart innovations
of Hilton, whilst retaining the individual
character and identity of their hotel,” said,
Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president
of development Europe, Middle East &
Africa for Hilton Worldwide. “Our growth
Okukor, Ori Olokun and the Import of Nigeria’s Stolen Artefacts
it was a British Museum replica, once
sold in the museum’s shop. Soyinka then
declared the British Museum’s head to be
the real ‘Ori Olokun’.
The head Soyinka refers to in the
British Museum is known as the Ife
Head. It is one of eighteen copper alloy
sculptures that were unearthed in 1938
at the Wumonije Compound in Ife. It is
dated back to the 13th Century, before
any European contact had taken place
with the local population. The realism and
sophisticated craftsmanship of the objects
challenged Western conceptions of African
art at the time. A year after its finding,
the Ife Head was taken to the British
Museum.
As recently as two weeks ago, the
recovery of these artefacts formed the
main thrust of Soyinka’s address at the
Ooni of Ife’s Palace during the declaration
of Ife as a Tourism Zone by the 51st Ooni,
Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojajaj II).
Soyinka who was represented by
Professor Wale Adeniran said “…Another
matter close to my heart and which I
suggest Kabiyesi accords attention, is the
retrieval of Ife antiquities and art objects
illegally carted away to foreign lands
especially the Ori Olokun.
“In this regard, we must be ready to
ensure that we are not given replicas
in place of the original, and to assist in
this enterprise, some names have been
strategy across the continent continues at
a fast pace, with more than fifty percent
of our development pipeline currently
under construction – opening up new
destinations for travellers to Africa.”
A new build property, The Legend
Hotel will offer guests stylish interiors,
and reflect the unique personality of
Nigeria’s capital city, with the centre
of Lagos located approximately 22
kilometres from the property. Guests
will be able to enjoy three upscale dining
options, including VIP dining facilities and
two bars. There will also be more than
158 square metres of events space, split
across three meeting rooms.
Bronze head of Queen Idia on display at
the British Museum
13th Century Obalafon Head at the British Museum
suggested that Kabiyesi could constitute
to undertake this task that will be multiracial and multi-national in scope.”
Some of the names mentioned by the
Nobel laureate include former SecretaryGeneral of the Commonwealth Emeka
Anyaoku, former Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Koffi Annan, a
distinguished Africanist at the Yale University, Henry Leegate, Professor Bolanle
Awe, Prof Oyayi, Mr Edison Arantes
do Nascimento a.k.a. Pele of Brazil and
representatives of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Soyinka, in further declaration of his
support for Ife being declared a Tourism
Zone, reminisced about “the golden days
of 1970’s” when the then University of Ife
used to organise Ife Festival of the Arts.
According to him, the university - now
Obafemi Awolowo University in its
current incarnation - has a major role
to play in sustaining research into the
history of Ile-Ife. “In this regard, we have
to bring back the programme of the study
of archaeology at the undergraduate and
post graduate levels.
“ A lot of archaeological excavations still
need to be undertaken that will reveal
further information about the ancient
civilisation of Ile-Ife.” He encouraged “…
sons of Ile-Ife, Yoruba and the Diaspora”
to endow a chair on Archaeology at the
university.
At a time when the Nigerian government is seeking options to diversify
the Nigerian economy and reduce its
dependence on petroleum products, “selling culture” as Prof Pat Utomi describes
it, has been put forward as a rewarding
enterprise. Gaining possession of lost
national treasures is one of the planks this
can be built on.
As Prof Soyinka noted in his address,
when these artefacts have been returned,
they will encourage an “endless procession
of pilgrims and tourists” to converge from
far and near.
A
WEEKLY PULL-OUT
13.03.2016
GLITZ, EMOTIONS AND
T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • MARCH 13, 2016
36
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A party of AMVCA 2016 recipients with representatives of the organisers
GLITZ, EMOTIONS AND
Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha report that the 2016 Africa Magic
Viewers Choice Awards, AMVCA, was a spectacle of glitz, emotions and bewilderment
highlighted by a stream of tears dumb struck winners
N
ot too long ago, a
compact call card
holder became
one of the most
sought after objects
on the Nigerian
entertainment scene.
The little box containing access pass
into what is steadily emerging as one
of the most glamorous events in AfricaAfrica Magic Viewers Choice Awards,
AMVCA, the continental reward and
appreciation platform for the movie
industry, became an item many were
willing to give an arm and a leg for.
Almost every discourse revolved on
or gravitated towards the AMVCA. You
were believed to be with the in-crowd
if you had an invite. What section of
the Eko Hotels and Suites Convention
Centre venue you would be seated did
not matter. The pertinent issue was to
get inside the hall, first and witness the
show first hand. Not minding that it was
going to be broadcast live on all eight
Africa Magic channels on DStv and
GOtv, many who did not have an invite
still came to the venue hoping against
hope that they could have access. But the
organizers deliberately made it a scarce
commodity, perhaps to increase the
profile of the event as the Oscars of the
African film industry.
At the venue, everyone clutched the
little black box with pride. Many would
later find out that there were two cards;
one, for the awards. There was another
for the after party. The AMVCA came in
both raucous and silent whispers. But
first, let’s start from the beginning. There
did not seem to be enough of both cards.
Access to the after party appeared to be
restricted.
The award kicked off on a very
glamorous note. Expectedly, when
practitioners in the film industry gather
to celebrate their works, they do so with
incredible glam. The fourth edition of
the AMVCA sponsored by Amstel Malta
was no less different. Being capped the
biggest platform to celebrate the creative
industry on the continent, it was not
unexpected to see the red carpet oozing
with so much glitz and glamour from
celebrities and wannabes.
From start to finish, the organisers
did a brilliant job in retaining its stylish
and prestigious reputation. As Nigeria
or Africa cannot lay claim to inventing
award ceremonies, the effort to copy
America’s Hollywood and the goingson on the E! Channel was palpable.
Right from the red carpet where Eku
Edewor, Ozzy Agu, Uti Nwachukwu
and Helen Paul besieged the celebrities
with pleasant and sometimes, nerveracking questions in front of the camera,
to a studio where the local fashion
police either thumbed-down or highfived the celebrities for their dress
sense, it was a glittering spectacle that
fascinated everyone observing trends
and emerging fashion designers in the
industry. Notable Nigerian fashion
designers like Ejiro Amos Tafiri, Ayo
Van Elmar, Mudi Africa, Luxol and Mai
Atafo took the lead.
In a true E! style, all the redcarpet presenters communicated
simultaneously without a glitch, and
not one action was missed by the
cameras. The lobby all the way to the
main hall was also red-carpeted. Inside,
the main hall was demarcated with
curtains in such a way that on one side,
guests mingled and gossiped as they
clinked their glasses in a meet-and-greet
session that preceded the main. The
hall exuded panache with the smoky
lighting mood and the award stage built
in a continuum of glitz. It was domeshaped with three entrances while the
background screens displayed nominees
and winners for most of the night.
Perhaps, the most important
takeaway from the awards was the
ability of the organizers to keep to time.
There was no room for the peculiar
Nigerian time to rear its ugly head. At
exactly the scheduled time of broadcast
(4pm for red carpet and 7pm for the
show), the event took off.
Opening the event was a troupe
of dancers known as Star Act Dance
Company dressed in a white and
gold attire similar to the South African
Zulu tribe. They thrilled the audience
with their different moves. The crowd
was astonished when one of the male
dancers carried out an amazing backflip, jumping as high as eight feet in the
air over three rows of his colleagues.
37
COVER
Yemi Alade digging it with her dancers
Winners at the AMVCA
Genevive Nnaji (m) with her co-producers
Flavour doing his thing on stage
It was an astonishing feat that got
everyone clapping.
IK Osakioduwa returned as the
male host of the award. This time, he
was in a different company. Replacing
Zimbabwean-born Vimbai was the
South African TV host Minnie Dhlamini
who made quite an impression when
she greeted the audience in Igbo.
Opening the award was a video
speech by the CEO of MNet Africa,
Yolisa Phahle, who was seated in the
crowd. In the video, she urged the
guests as well as the million of viewers
watching the event on the DStv and
GOtv platforms to patronise homegrown films while reiterating the
company’s commitment to support the
creative industry. Her speech was brief
and to the point
The first award of the night ‘Best Art
Director’ was presented by Ghanaian
actor Chris Attoh to Frank Raja Arase
for the movie ‘The Refugees’. It was
followed by the award for the ‘Best
TV series’ won by Ariyike Oladipo
for ‘Daddy’s Girls’. Ariyike’s speech
was within the allotted two minutes, a
trait that the host IK commended and
advised subsequent winners to emulate.
In retrospect, it was a subtle hint to the
winners that long acceptance speech
would not be tolerated at the show.
Stanlee Ohikhuare was the first to get
the bite when he received his award for
the Best Lighting Designer for the movie
‘Common Man’. At first, the audience
thought it was a technical glitch, as
Stanlee continued to talk and gesticulate
to himself. To the audience who could
not hear him, he looked like a deaf and
dumb person trying to communicate.
Unknown to him, he’d been cut off even
while he continued talking. By the time
two or three winners suffered similar
fate, it dawned on everyone that brevity
was the watchword at the awards. By
the time Folarin Falana, better known as
Falz the Bad Guy won his first AMVCA
as the Best Actor in Comedy Series for
his role in Jenifa’s Diary, he couldn’t help
but joke about the brevity and quickly
made his speech. It seemed that the
organisers noticed the inconvenience
the tact caused and decided to let the
winners speak to their heart’s content.
This year’s awards although wellpaced and packaged beautifully lacked
all the theatrical surprises of last year.
There was no OC Ukeje and IK singing,
‘Shoki’ from the crowd. Rather, Yemi
Alade, South African soul singer Zonke
and Flavour whose girlfriend Anna
Banner was somewhere in the crowd
cheering him alongside a friend were the
only musical performances of the night.
However, what it lacked in musical
entertainment, it provided in form of
comedy.
During commercial breaks,
comedians were brought on stage to
provide comic relief. There was the
Ugandan, Patrick Idringi whose stage
name is Salvador who gave Nigerian
comedians a run for their money. Where
the Nigerians failed to put the audience
in stitches with their recycled jokes,
Salvador and South African Thomas
Gumede delivered loads of fresh and
thought provoking jokes. Salvador, for
instance insisted on being welcome on
stage with fanfare deserving of a star.
The host and audience grudgingly
obliged him with a benefit of the doubt,
but by the time he left the stage, they
were reeling with laughter, wishing
he could continue. He left a good
impression as a major highlight on a
night that he easily shone with brilliance.
Gumede could also not be forgotten
taking a swipe at a white man in
the audience. The spontaneity of his
EXPECTEDLY, WHEN
PRACTITIONERS IN
THE FILM INDUSTRY
GATHER TO
CELEBRATE THEIR
WORKS, THEY DO SO
WITH INCREDIBLE
GLAM. THE FOURTH
EDITION OF THE
AMVCA SPONSORED
BY AMSTEL MALTA
WAS NO LESS
DIFFERENT. BEING
CAPPED THE
BIGGEST PLATFORM
TO CELEBRATE THE
CREATIVE INDUSTRY
ON THE CONTINENT,
IT WAS NOT
UNEXPECTED TO SEE
THE RED CARPET
OOZING WITH SO
MUCH GLITZ AND
GLAMOUR FROM
CELEBRITIES AND
WANNABES
Oscar diversity joke at the white man
whom he said looked uncomfortable
because he was in the midst of black
people endeared him to the crowd.
However, unlike Chris Rock who used
a monologue to slightly placate his
brethren at the 88th Academy Awards
held recently, Gumede lauded the
African film industry before switching
to a series of jokes revolving on criminal
acts in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
Other comical relief were provided
by comedians who doubled as
presenters like Mr. Ibu, Chigurl, Kunle
Idowu (Frank Donga) and Helen Paul.
Besides the entertainment angle of
the show, there was no social media
interaction, even though the hosts
repeatedly urged the viewers and
audience to tweet with the hashtag
AMVCA2016. Perhaps, it was due to the
poor network reception at the venue.
As the show continued, it entered
a season of ubiquitous emotions.
First-timers couldn’t suppress their
excitement and at times were too excited
to find the right words to express their
feelings. For instance, when the spotlight
shone on Malawi for taking home their
first AMVCA trophy in the regional
category ‘Best Movie-Southern Africa’,
the winner Joyce Mhango Chavula
whose movie ‘Lilongwe’ won the
award seized the moment to preach
Jesus Christ on stage. While it was a
dream come true for Elizabeth Michael
whose movie ‘Mapenzi’ was the Best
Movie in East Africa, she said she’d
been dreaming of the moment since
she was five years old. There was also
Uche Nancy who won the Best Costume
Designer for the movie ‘Dry’ who was
utterly speechless.
Folarin Falana who came into
spotlight with his comedy skits was
happily joined by Funke ‘Jennifer’
38
CoveR
Adesua Etomi
Akindele as he collected his award for
Best Actor in a Comedy. A similar scene
was reenacted with Paul Igwe whose
cooking show Usekwu Igbo won the
Best Indigenous Language TV seriesIgbo. The presenter of the show joyfully
ran on stage to hug him.
For Daniel K. Daniel, winning
the Best Actor in a Drama category
that had big names like Majid Michel
left him stunned. Unable to express
himself very well, he rounded off with a
strong ‘Thank you’ but his counterpart
Adesua Etomi (Best Actress) seemed
very controlled and delivered a very
precise speech. Both winners also went
home with luxury packages from Dubai
Tourism.
Winner of ‘Best Supporting Actor’
Sambassa Nzeribe, touched every heart
in the hall when he disclosed that he
was an orphan whose education was
supported by the women of St. Mary’s
Catholic Church who offered him
scholarship to study Creative Arts at the
University of Lagos.
Winner of the ‘Best Documentary’,
Remi Vaughan Richards, dedicated her
award to the artistes who never lived to
see the documentary ‘Faaji Agba’.
Kemi Lala Akindoju couldn’t believe
her ears when she was announced the
Trailblazer Act of the Year. The award
came with a GS5 SUV from GAC
Motors. While doing a roll call of all her
friends and supporters amidst tears, she
made a slip when she suggested that the
organisers lied to her about the award.
Does this mean that the winners were
given a tip before the main show?
However, veteran actress Bukky
Ajayi who was wheeled onto the stage
to receive her Legendary Award evoked
so much emotion. Overwhelmed by the
standing ovation, she broke down in
tears but quickly recovered to appreciate
the gesture.
“I just want to say to all of you, my
friends even my male friends, thank
you. There are people I might have
offended, please forgive me.”
She controlled the tears again and
continued: “I wish I can stand up, but I
will fall down if I stand up, and you all
are standing for me?”
Another loud applause erupted in
the hall before she signed out with a
Bukky Ajayi
peace sign. Sadiq Daba who was also a
recipient of same award was absent.
For some unknown reasons, the
host IK seemed to be wary of the
tension in the hall as he repeatedly
asked the Thespians to support one
another irrespective of their misgivings.
Unfortunately, they paid no heed to
his pleas. This could be clearly seen
when old-timers like Charles Novia
and Genevieve Nnaji were called as
nominees. The crowd showed less
enthusiasm compared to the rousing
reception for the new kids on the block.
Apparently, there was a gang up against
the old generation of Thespians in the
hall. Perhaps, this was what Charles
Novia referred to in his piece ‘The Bleh
and Boom of the AMVCA.’ Novia
sensed the risk faced by the old-timers in
the industry for a voting award like the
AMVCAs. Apparently, the days of past
glory are over as the new generation is
leveraging on every medium possible
to increase their fan base. However,
disgruntled voices were heard when
Usekwu Igbo won the award for the
Best Indigenous TV series in Igbo. Not
a few argued that a cooking show did
not deserve to win in a category meant
for TV drama series. Same opinion was
reiterated when Genevieve Nnaji’s film
‘Road to Yesterday’ won the award for
Best West African movie. There was no
show of enthusiasm, rather there was
bewilderment in the audience.
Apart from the wide generational
gap at the awards, the deliberate or
unconscious omission of some of the
known names who passed on during
the roll of honour didn’t settle well with
many in the audience.
The issue of diversity of the awards
was raised during the press conference.
Non-Nigerians urged the organisers to
reach out to other parts of the continent
to ensure full participation. But this
could hardly be an issue on a night that
featured presenters from Kenya and
Tanzania, comedians from Uganda and
South Africa and a South African singer
among others. However, the organizers
promised to do their best not only in
training but in making sure that other
African countries have an opportunity to
host the show.
The big winners of the night were
Stephanie Linus’ ‘Dry’ which won
Best Overall Movie, Best Costume
Designer and Best Sound Editor. The
producer who took home an SUV from
GAC Motors seized the opportunity
to campaign against VVF. She was
joined on stage by the 12 year-old girl
who played a prominent role in the
film. Linus said she believed the award
came to her because her film opened a
discussion on a subject that was hardly
approached.
Ayanda also stole the spotlight in the
categories ‘Best Make-up Artiste’ and
‘Best Writer in TV Series’. Other winners
included ‘Tell me Sweet Something’.
This year, there were 83 projects
submitted by 114 nominees. See the full
list of the winners below.
WINNERS
BEST OVERALL MOVIE (AFRICA)
DRY
STEPHANIE LINUS
BEST WRITER OF A MOVIE/TV
SERIES
Ayanda
TRISH MALONE
BEST COSTUME
DRY
UCHE NANCY
BEST MAKEUP
Ayanda
LOUIZA CAROLE
BEST LIGHTING
COMMON MAN
STANLEY OHIKHUARE
BEST DIRECTOR
TELL ME SWEET SOMETHING
AKIN OMOTOSHO
BEST PICTURE EDITOR
Rebecca
SHIRLEY FRIMPONG - MANSO
FOLARIN FALANA
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA (MOVIE/
TV SERIES)
DANIEL K. DANIEL
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
(MOVIE/TV SERIES)
FUNKE AKINDELE
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
(MOVIE/TV SERIES)
ADESUA ETOMI
BEST MOVIE - SOUTHERN AFRICA
JOYCE MHANGO CHAVULA
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
SAMBASSA NZERIBE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
(MOVIE/TV SERIES)
TUNBOSUN AIYEDIHIN
BEST SHORTFILM OR ONLINE
VIDEO
OLUSEYI AMUWA
BEST DOCUMENTARY
FAAJI AGBA
REMI VAUGHAN - RICHARDS
BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE
MOVIE/TV SERIES - YORUBA
ABIODUN JIMOH AND JUMOKE
ODETOLA
BEST ART DIRECTOR (MOVIE/TV
SERIES)
THE REFUGEES
FRANK RAJA ARASE
Best Movie - West Africa (Drama/
Comedy)
CHINNY ONWUGBENU, GENVIEVE
NNAJI, CHICHI NWOKO
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER
TELL ME SWEET SOMETHING
PAUL MICHAELSON
MOVIE/TV SERIES- IGBO
PAUL IGWE
BEST SOUND EDITOR (MOVIE/TV
SERIES)
DRY
MARQUEX JOSE GUILLERMO
MOVIE/TV SERIES - HAUSA
SALISU BALARABE
BEST TELEVISION SERIES
ARIYIKE OLADIPO
MOVIE/TV SERIES - SWAHILI
JOSEPHAT LUKAZA
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY (MOVIE/
TV SERIES)
BEST MOVIE - EAST AFRICA
ELIZABETH MICHAEL
39
ENCOUNTER
‘That Kid Down the Road May Be
Nigeria’s Next President’
Ben Murray-Bruce had prior to his birthday stopped by at New York on his way to Los
Angeles for a chat with Nduka Nwosu. He spoke on a number of issues including his
encounter with great men and how each had influenced his life
I
t is a fitting narrative that the
global brand Silverbird Group
runs a vibrant studio in Los
Angeles in the US. Dream Magic
Studios parades two stations
and live television shows. The man
at the helm of affairs expectedly is
Jareth Murray Bruce, a musician and
the second child of Senator Ben Murray Bruce. Dream Magic had earlier
bought its first studio from Larry
Flint, built a second studio while trying to set up a production business.
Back home and among other
business interests under the group
is the cinema chain managed by
executive director Jonathan Murray
Bruce the first son of the Senator.
Indeed the Silverbird Group will
remain a case study of a successful
family business beginning with the
Domino Stores currently chaired by
Michael Murray Bruce. As Philomena
Hammond (nee Murray Bruce)
would put it, the direct descendants
of William Mully Murray Bruce have
all at one time or the other worked at
Domino to earn their pocket monies.
While Port Harcourt based real estate
magnate Francis Murray Bruce as
a young man resigned his lucrative
job to assist his father grow Domino,
Michael returned from his American
sojourn to boost the quality of the
work staff while Ben, the young and
vibrant turk of the clan, could not
make meaning from selling soap and
Bournvita, quoting Philomena again.
So he floated Silverbird hoping he
would be a famous publisher starting
with the defunct Silverbird magazine.
That in itself is history but we know
what he eventually made of that
brand name over the years.
With Silverbird, Guy and Roy are
leading the grandchildren of William
to chart a new course, and as the
famous writer would say, those paths
that have never been travelled or
more appropriately that route that is
less charted.
There was William whose two
ancestries back in Scotland and
the waterside section of the Delta
Region, thrive on common sense with
a business savvy that leans on the
Scriptural miracle of wine and bread.
Taken a little further is the Jewish
philosophy of minimum inputs and
maximum returns. It is an attribute of
common sense that when a son listens
to the several admonitions of a father,
he would go places. Indeed this child
Ben has wined and dined with many
a President, great men and women
with clean hands.
So it was that on a fine summer
morning when the legendary
patriarch was taking his son Benjamin
to school something caught his
attention and he wanted to share
what to most common folks of the
neighborhood could have been
a façade, to others a symmetry
of everyday life. For William the
collage registered effectively on the
human canvas where the passage of
imageries translates to lessons that
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce
guide good decision making and
judgement of events around us. The
young boy Benjamin took a deep note
of the observation and stored it away
in memory lane.
Says Murray Bruce: “My father
used to drive me to school Our Lady
of Apostles Yaba; one day he looked
out through the door and said: ‘Ben:
look at that kid over there. He only
has his pants and bag on his way to
school. Never be mean to any human
being.” I said yes papa. He said: ‘You
see that kid over there, that kid could
be the next President of Nigeria.
Never disrespect any human being.’
Now we know who was a very good
friend and still is to a former shoeless
pupil who bought the tenancy at Aso
Rock for six years!
William Mully Murray Bruce,
a devoted Rotarian, according to
his son made friends with his staff
especially those he called regular
people. As a governorship candidate
his advisers were the everyday people
who show up for work and are proud
doing their jobs. Members of his
kitchen cabinet included drivers, his
body guards at Silverbird, waiters at
restaurants, His argument resonates
with the man on the street, the people
he wants to change their lives and not
the scientists, donor agencies and rich
people who would stay at a talk shop
to discuss statistics and demography.
“I will talk to the poor man
on how to fix the problem in the
ghetto, not a rich man. That is my
philosophy.”
But that is politics and the
patriarch was known for his business
sense, not politics. While Murray
Bruce inherited the business sense
from his father Pa William who
passed on in 1996, the political side of
his DNA comes from his ancestors on
the Scottish and Welsh side. Needless
to say his entry into the Niger Delta
region opened the way for the
grandfather and father of William
Mully Murray Bruce into the region.
While Ben has conquered two
territories, his father settled for one,
an inheritance he passed on to his
children with common sense as the
underlying philosophy. The value of
money has helped build a thriving
business empire, which the patriarch
lived to witness. As his own way of
saying thank you dad, Murray Bruce
bought a Rolls Royce for him only
to hit a brick wall until after much
persuasion
How about a jet as an additional
toy to such vanities as limousines
long abandoned for beauty queens,
yachts and jetties as well as mansions
of delight, all the elements at Vanity
Fair? He shrugs it off, reminding you
he wears simple clothes and watches
and would only consider a Silverbird
Airlnes if the prospects are viable.
Viability for Murray Bruce means the
inputs must yield expected returns in
minimum time. He hardly discusses
his ornament of delight in the public
space but talking about his wife
Evelyn, Murray Bruce had this to say:
“I am very fortunate to marry
a woman who is no different from
members of my family. She comes
from a very humble background.
When I met her I was 19 and I
wanted to know a little bit more
about her and her family. A lot of
people make mistakes when they get
married. They get into dysfunctional
relationships. So I wanted to see
her mum, I wanted to see her dad.
She took me to a small town called
Valdosta in Southern Georgia, 12
miles from Northern Florida and I
went to her home, small house and a
big farm that has been with the family
for 300, 400 years, it goes back to
slavery.
“I saw the way they lived and I
saw the respect the mother had for
the father and the father had for the
mother. I saw the way all the children
were raised, so similar to the way my
family, the way my father and my
mother raised us. It’s a big family,
beautiful children, all happy, living
together as one. When you want to
get married, you don’t get married to
someone with a dysfunctional family
because it could work; if doesn’t work
you have a problem.
“So I met her, I met the family, got
married and I’m still married, almost
forty years. The point is, marriage is
not something you do by mistake or
by accident. You plan it and I planned
it to perfection and I’m happy. She is a
wonderful woman, beautiful woman,
always been with me. When I was 19
I said to myself when I become an old
man, will this woman look after me?
“When the kids are born will she
look after the children? In my mind
at 19 I said yes I proposed to her at
19, got married, almost 40 years later
we are still married, she still looks
after me and the children. Yes, I think
I got that right. With three wonderful
kids-Jonathan, Jareth, Jasmine who is
running a Master’s programme and
the last a boy, Murray Bruce whose
best friends are children says: “I am
happy the way I am and I am very
grateful to God.”
Along the way Murray Bruce
has met an array of statesmen
home and abroad and each has had
a tremendous influence on him
including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
whom he worked for and lived
with in Aso Rock and Goodluck
Jonathan.
As a child he was influenced by
Chief Obafemi Awolowo who taught
him the beauty in fiscal discipline
while Obasanjo’s low profile
governance in his first incarnation
as Head of State reminded him of
his father. Muhammad Ali is his role
model of a black man who preached
love and oneness and the greatness of
the black race just like Martin Luther
King (Jnr).
40
Onoshe
[email protected]
Nwabuikwu
The Award-winning Women
from the AMVCAs
AMVCA 2016 WINNERS:
•Best Art Director – Frank Rajah (The
Refugees)
•Best Television Series – Ariyike Oladipo
(Daddy’s Girls)
•Best Makeup Artist in a Movie or Series
– Louiza Calore for Ayanda
•Best Short Film or Online Video –
Oluseyi Amuwafo (A Day With Death)
•Best Writer for Movie and TV series –
Trish Malone (Ayanda)
•Best Lighting Designer (Movies/TV) –
Stanley Ohikhuare (Common Man)
•Best Cinematographer – Paul
Michaelson (Tell Me Sweet Something)
•Best Sound Editor – Jose Guillermo
(Dry)
•Best Picture Editor – Shirley FrimpongManso (Rebecca)
•Best Costume Designer – Uche Nancy
(Dry)
Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu flanked by winners at the AMVCA 2016
I
want to mark the annual
International Women’s Day
(March 8) by celebrating
the women who won at
the Africa Magic Viewers
Choice Awards, AMVCA 2016.
On one hand, there are those
who won in categories reserved
for women. Then there are those
who beat other women and men
to come tops.
So let’s hear it for Adesua
Etomi who emerged Best Actress
in Drama/TV series (Falling);
Funke Akindele Best Actress
in a Comedy for her role in TV
series, Jenifa’s Diary; Tunbosun
Aiyedihin as Best Supporting
Actress in Before 30.
Then there are those women
who won across board: Ariyike
Oladipo won the Best Television
Series Award for ‘Daddy’s
Girls’. Uche Nancy as the Best
Costume Designer for the film
‘Dry’. Jumoke Odetola was half
of the winning team for the Best
Indigenous Movie/TV Series
(Yoruba)-Binta Ofege. Kemi
‘Lala’ Akindoju won the Trail
Blazer Award complete with a
brand new car. Remi Vaughan’s
‘Faaji Agba’ clinched the Best
Documentary Award. Bukki
Zainab Ajayi was given the
AMVCA 2016 Industry Merit
Award (alongside Sadiq Daba).
The powerful trio of Genevieve
Nnaji, Chinny Onwugbenu and
Chichi Nwoko clinched the
award for the Best Movie (West
Africa) for their film ‘Road to
Yesterday.’
And the award for the Best
Overall Movie in Africa went
to Stephanie Linus for Dry. By
the way, Dry won two other
awards: Best Sound and Best
Costume. And so, if we had to
pick the overall winner for this
International Women’s Day
edition, that crown would go
to Stephanie Okereke Linus,
actress, director/producer.
Still on the 2016 edition of
the AMVCA, there were other
women achievers responsible for
the success of the event. There is
Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Regional
Director (West Africa) MNET
and Yolisa Phahle, MNET’s
chief executive officer.
AMVCA 2016: View from
the Inside
I attended the AMVCA 2016
which held at the Eko Hotel,
Lagos on Saturday March 5.
I’m not going to bore you with
all the celebrity sightings or
rehash the awards. I assume by
now you’ve had your fill of the
AMVCAs? Quite significantly,
this was my first time of
watching the awards first hand.
Usually, I catch all the fun from
the comfort of my living room.
Both do have their advantages.
I was mostly impressed by
the fact that the awards did
not drag. For about two hours,
from 7-9 pm-ish, all the awards
had been presented. In that
same time, guests had been
thoroughly entertained with
music, dance and comedy. I
imagine even those watching
from the comfort of their living
rooms would have appreciated
the fact that the ceremony
didn’t drag on forever. Host
IK Osakioduwa along with
first time host Minnie Dlamini
helped to move the event.
It was also nice to see some
stars up close. This can be good
or not so good depending on
what you are expecting. Seeing
some of the pictures from
this year ’s AMVCAs, I have
to say some people are very
photogenic. Up close, not all
the dresses, hair styles or even
suits were as glamorous. But
then conversely, quite a few
actresses/actors looked better in
real life.
Spot The Teleprompter
No one needed to be told
award presenters were reading
from something or somewhere.
Each time a presenter got on
stage, they stared away into
space. So, the audience naturally
moved their eyes away from the
presenters in search of what or
where they were reading from.
And some presenters made it
rather too obvious they weren’t
speaking from their hearts.
Undeserving Award
Winners?
For some reason I’m in a
celebratory mood. So, I won’t rain
on anyone’s parade. The AMVCAs
are largely determined by votes
from viewers. Although in the
first instance, viewers have to be
presented with a list of nominees
to choose from. Some people have
a problem with this. Bearing in
mind that even if an academic
Faculty of Judges was instituted,
there would still be people not
happy with the outcome.
However, there’s a point to
be made about nominees who
pushed hard to win. If there
were an award for this, it would
go to Daniel K. Daniel (DKD)
who won as Best Actor in a
Soldier ’s Story. He campaigned
hard thanks to @Nollywood
Tweets on Twitter. Some
nominees in the same category
may have thought campaigning
for votes was beneath them.
In any case, if something’s
important to you, what’s the
virtue in being coy? It’s the
same way, participants in the TV
reality show Big Brother Africa
used to go to great lengths to
deny having a ‘ game plan’.
Sounding like broken records,
they all wanted the viewers
to think they were just ‘being
themselves’. You want to win
$300, 000 and you don’t have a
game plan?
Well, as for DKD, his efforts
paid off handsomely on the
night.
•Best Local Language Movie/TV
Series (Swahili) – Single Mtambalike
(Kitendawali)
•Best Indigenous Movie/TV Series
(Hausa) – Salisu Balarabe (Dandi Kowa)
•Best Indigenous Movie/TV Series
(Yoruba) – Abiodun Jimoh and Jumoke
Odetola-(Binta Ofege)
•Best Indigenous Movie/TV Series (Igbo)
– Paul Igwe (Usekwu Igbo)
•Best Documentary – Remi Vaughan
(Faaji Agba)
•Best Supporting Actor In A Movie –
Sambassa Nzeriba (A Soldier’s Story)
•Best Supporting Actress – Tunbosun
Aiyedihin (Before 30)
•Best Actor In A Comedy – Folarin ‘Falz
The Bahd Guy’ Falana (Jenifa’s Diary)
•Best Actress In A Comedy – Funke
Akindele (Jenifa’s Diary)
•Trail Blazer Award – Kemi ‘Lala’
Akindoju
•AMVCA 2016 Industry Merit Award –
Bukky Ajayi and SadiqDaba
•Best Movie (Southern Africa) – Joyce
Chavura – (Lilongwe)
•Best Movie (East Africa) – Elizabeth
Michael – Mapenzi
•Best Movie (West Africa) – Genevieve
Nnaji, Chinny Onwugbenu and Chichi
Nwoko – Road to Yesterday.
•Best Actress In A Movie/Drama/TV
Series – Adesua Etomi (Falling)
•Best Actor In A Movie/Drama/TV Series
– Daniel K. Daniel (A Soldier’s Story)
•The Best Director – Akin Omotosho (Tell
Me Sweet Something)
•Best Overall Movie (Africa)- Dry by
Stephanie Linus
65
EVENT
Group Celebrates with Children Centre
Celebration time at the children centre
Bimbo Akosile
T
he Lagos State Children’s
Centre, an obscure orphanage
home located in the heart of
Idi-Araba area of Lagos State,
was recently aroused from
its slumber on February 13, Valentine’s
eve.
Indeed, the purpose-built orphanage
housing over 300 children wore a radiant and festive look as the employees of
Oando Marketing Plc, a subsidiary of
Oando Plc, Africa’s largest indigenous
energy solutions providers, came
visiting on a corporate philanthropy
mission.
Although, the children of the orphanage were no strangers to corporate
visitations, the visit by the over 50
employees of Oando, was remarkable.
Unlike others before it, the team led by
the amiable Chief Operating Officer of
the oil marketing giant, Mrs. Olaposi
Williams prepared to felicitate with the
children in the spirit of the Valentine
season.
Although the august visitors came
a day ahead of St. Valentine day, they
nonetheless made the children at the
orphanage happy, with their collective
gesture and expression of humanity.
The children, who perhaps may not
often receive such display of affection,
were all gaily attired, radiating joy in
the specially-made Ankara uniform that
added colour and grandeur to the day’s
celebration.
Not only that, the care givers of the
home were also beautifully attired as
they worn smiles on their faces to show
how grateful they were for the Oando
gesture. The festive mood was infectious as the school premises took on the
characteristic Oando brand colours of
white, red and blue. Protective canopies
were erected to shield the children from
the scorching heat as the event took
different swings.
It was glamour and fun as the children
were engaged in dancing competitions,
quiz and several other games. The
children were entertained and thrilled
with rib-cracking jokes and riddles. It
was indeed a day to remember as the
children actively participated in general
dancing session with all members of
Oando Marketing team for over one
hour.
Speaking at the occasion shortly
after a rigorous jig on the dance floor,
the Chief Operating Officer said her
company was motivated to embark on
the celebration with the Home as part of
corporate philanthropy.
“It is in the spirit of corporate giving,
which is just a slice of a bigger corporate
social responsibility initiative, that we
are leveraging during this season of
giving brought on by Valentine – the
season of Love,” she remarked.
Commenting on the choice of the
orphanage, Williams said the Children’s
Centre was less well-known than other
popular ones around in the state, but
observed that yet it was in need of
support.
Before this initiative, O-Gas has
embarked on other CSR projects like the
Our O-Gas Switch Campaign and the
NYSC cooking competition. Williams
said: “Our O-Gas Switch campaign is a
corporate social responsibility initiative
which enables us to provide burners
and cylinders to those who currently
used naked flames powered by dirty
fuels to cook.”
Noting that O-Gas will continue to
initiate corporate social responsibility on every Valentine Day, the Chief
Operating Officer said the exercise
would in future be spread to other parts
of the country.
While the care-givers of the home
were presented with gas burners and giant O-Gas Cylinders, the children were
given gift items and other mementoes.
The company has also pledged to continue to follow up on the programme
and progress of the home so that the
home will not be alienated from the
general public.
Nostalgia as Aminu Takes a Bow, Bemoans Laxity at ELTC
A
torrent of encomiums and
applause flowed freely at the
inauguration of a six-man
executive council to pilot the affairs of Estate Tennis Club, Oke-Afa Isolo,
Lagos in 2016/2017 as its President Alhaji
Lanre Aminu bowed out gracefully after
serving the club for a record two-term
tenure. And expectedly, members of the
club including past presidents, former
office holders, committee chairmen,
patrons and captains of sports sections
were among the audience that filled the
clubs Upper Terrace venue of the yearly
general meeting.
Aminu dressed in a flowing Babanriga
and light grey traditional cap, was deftly
in his element while presenting a report
card which was tagged “My Pact with
History: The transformation of Estate
Tennis Club and my account of stewardship. Aminu said, “I have a pact with
history to present records of our transformational leadership for the period
under review in fulfillment of the oath of
office that I had sworn to uphold when
I was elected for a second term in 2014. I
sincerely appreciate my executive council
members and the entire committee
chairmen and members for their support,
loyalty and commitment in moving our
club forward. The modest achievements
and the pace we have set would not have
been possible without you making the
choice to contribute your quota”
Since his surprise election four years
ago, Alhaji Aminu, a brand communica-
The new President of Estate Tennis Club, Deacon Segun Longe being decorated by his predecessor, Alhaji
Lanre Aminu
tions expert and advertising practitioner
has electrified and confounded the club
and Jakande Estate Community in roughly
equal measures, he has launched Estate
Tennis Club on a reform path- through
the establishment of Youth Academy and
Youth Sports Clinic as part of efforts to
discover and groom young talents under
the “Catch Them Young” sports development initiative.
As “a man of destiny”, his sobriquet
while in office, Aminu’s reform campaign
was anchored on nurturing the club to
excellence through uncompromising
standard, innovation, accountability and
resourceful management.
The new executive council led by Dea-
con Segun Longe and members Bimbo
Arigbabuwo (VP), Ademola Agboluaje
(Dir. of Finance) Gamel O. Gborjoh (Dir.
of Socials), Jimi Ogunmokun (Dir. of
Sports) Alhaji Abdulrazak Lawal (Dir.
of Club Services) was later sworn in at a
brief ceremony conducted by ELTC legal
adviser, Barrister Kola Adebayo. Deacon
Longe, after being decorated with
the insignia of office by Alhaji Aminu
expressed profound appreciation “for
giving me the honour to serve you for
the 2016/2017. I concede the fact that the
immediate past President Alhaji Lanre
Aminu has done very well in the area of
infrastructure development and transformation of our club”.
66
enteRtAinMent
witH nseobong okon-ekong
08114495324, [email protected]
Gidi Culture Festival Goes Live at Eko Atlantic City
T
he Lagos urban
culture and music
festival, better
known as the Gidi
Music Festival is
set to hold its third
season. And like last year,
it returns to the exclusive
environ of Eko Atlantic City.
This time it is being supported
by other stakeholders like
Redbull, Mikano, Heineken,
Hyperia and the Lagos State
Government. So far, only
the first edition was held at
Elegushi Beach.
Show producer, Chinedu
Okeke and his team at Eclipse
Entertainment have promised
an affordable and accessible
event that keeps to world class
standard. He also said the
event this year will be bigger
and better for its ambition
to put Africa on one stage,
using Lagos, Nigeria as the
melting pot. For this reaon,
there will be a strong presence
of Nigerian headline acts,
performing with other up and
coming talents.
Apart from the music, there
will be beach soccer and volley
ball contests which will be
MORE MUSIC RETURNS WITH
SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 AND S7
EDGE
Nigerian musicians who also
double as Samsung Ambassadors
like Reminisce and Banky W are
warming for more promotional
events that would task their creative
faculty following a recent announcement from Samsung Electronics
West Africa that its latest flagship
phones in its long line of Galaxy
devices in Nigeria. The smartphones
on offer are the alluring Galaxy S7
and S7 Edge available in 32GB with
expandable memory slot of 200 GB.
Emmanouil Revmatas, Director of
Information Technology and Mobile,
Samsung, said that Galaxy S7 and
Galaxy S7 Edge represent the new
galaxy of unlimited possibilities.
“Samsung did not just redefine these
devices but also re-imagined what
they could do based on the feedback
from the people who use them, and
what they need most from the devices. Our customers are the inspiration
for any innovation. These devices do
not only look great but feel great as
well and comfortable to hold. They
are sleeker with smoother edges and
lines,” added Revmatas.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were
first unveiled on February 21st at the
Samsung Unpacked event held at
the Mobile World Congress (MWC),
Barcelona, Spain. The Galaxy S7 has
a 5.1-inch display screen, while the
Galaxy S7 edge has a 5.5-inch screen.
Both devices have support for microSD cards augmenting their 32GB
of internal storage, as well as IP68
water and dust resistance feature,
which allow for submersion in up to
1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes
at a time. The S7’s waterproofing
includes sealed ports, so there are no
fussy port covers over the USB ports
or headphone jacks.
Even though the S7 series do
not have removable batteries, they
come with longer lasting batteries to
keep users going all day long. The
Gidi Fest 2016 Artist Line Up
headed by celebrity captains
and the food market will open
all day, serviced by between 20
and 30 vendors. The Festival
holds on March 26, with live
music from Africa’s best
artistes such as Davido, Tiwa
Savage, Timaya, Phyno and
Yemi Alade. Opening acts on
the day are Adekunle Gold and
Small Doctor.
Hosts for Gidi Fest 2016
include MTV Base VJ’s,
Nomuzi from South Africa and
S7 comes with 3,000mAh battery,
while the S7 edge has 3,600mAh
battery. One of the new features is
the always-on display where notifications, time, date or personalised
screen are permanently shown on the
screen even when the phone is off.
This feature does not significantly
impact the battery life as it uses just
one percent of the battery power per
hour. Also, both phones retain Samsung’s adaptive fast-charging and
fast wireless charging features.
Nigeria’s, Ehiz, alongside City
FM OAP, Sensei Uche. DJ Obi
and DJ Kaywise will be spinning
pulsating dance music from the
decks.
The foreign artistes on the
bill include Ricky Rick, KO who
used to be known as Teargas
and the Ghanaian artiste,
Manifest.
Ngozi Nkwoji, brand manager
for Heineken and Strongbow
Apple Cider from the stable
of Nigerian Breweries used
Magic premieres Hush, a tale of
fashion, politics and ambition which
follows different members of high
society as they collide.
The story of Hush revolves around
Bem and Arinola, power-players
in fashion and politics respectively.
Bem, played by Richard Mofe-Damijo, is one of Africa’s biggest designers
based in Lagos State, Nigeria, and
Arinola, played by Thelma Okodu-
“THE PRICE IS RIGHT” GAME
SHOW COMES TO NIGERIA
FremantleMedia International
(FMI) and Genesis Studios have
announced a partnership to bring
a local version of the classic game
show format; The Price is Right, to
Nigeria. The deal will see Genesis
Studios produce three series of the
show, taking the total number of
adaptations of the format to 41 versions worldwide.
The US version of The Price is
Right is the most successful gameshow in television history. The
format features contestants as they
are invited to take to the stage and
use their shopping knowledge in
a bid to guess the correct price of
everyday objects. With a charismatic
host, an electric atmosphere, crazy
games and life changing prizes up
for grabs, The Price is Right is a game
of non-stop excitement.
Olatunbosun Olaegbe, Managing Director of Genesis Studios
explained that the nation has been
looking for a world class game show
that would engage and entertain the
entire family. “ The Price is Right
is the perfect format for us and
we know it will be a big success in
Nigeria,” he said.
HUSH TELENOVELA COMES TO
AFRICA MAGIC
On tApril 4, viewers across Africa
will welcome a new and exciting
telenovella to their screens as Africa
Cast of Hush
the opportunity to unveil
Heineken’s ‘Live Your Music’
campaign
The Heineken ‘Live
Your Music’ campaign is
a celebration of music
experiences that makes people
feel more alive - experiences
tailored at giving passionate
music lovers and ‘live-rs’
the opportunity to live the
power of their music in more
accessible and affordable
ways.
wa, is one of the state’s fastest rising
politicians. The intrigue begins when
Bem proposes marriage to Arinola,
an action that sets in motion a chain
of events propelled by the secrets
in their respective lives, secrets that
run through the backrooms of secret
societies, the corridors of the judiciary and on social media.
Hush follows in the stead of Africa
Magic’s recently concluded and
67
ENTERTAINMENT
BUKKY WRIGHT’S SON, OJJAY MAKES MUSIC DEBUT
T
here is a good chance
that you know his
mother, Bukky
Wright. The popular
Nigerian actress is proud to
present her son, Olugbenga
Amu-Wright who recently
launched a career in music
on her platform, Wright
Media International.
Olugbenga who has
chosen the moniker, Ojjay
Wright was unveiled at
the last Best of Nollywood
Awards in Akure, Ondo
State.
At the listening party
of his latest single, ‘265
Kritical’ which is his second
single, Ojjay revealed that
he had to take his destiny in
his hands after some of the
existing record companies
kept him waiting for too
long. His first single ‘Hello’
was released in Houston,
Texas in June 2015.
The 22 year-old who is
a graduate of Biological
Sciences from Rutgers
University in the United
States of America said his
first venture into music in
2012 was truncated by his
parents who insisted that
they would only support
highly popular Nigerian telenovella,
Hotel Majestic, and promises to
keep viewers entertained with its
themes of love, power, high-society,
betrayal and intrigue. The telenovella explores the precarious and
delicate weaving between seemingly
disparate worlds which co-exist
in Lagos, each possessing its own
eco-system based on interconnecting,
seamless interaction, secret alliances
and loyalty.
“There’s a co-dependency of
which not all players are aware.
Sometimes this is a healthy relationship, often times not. The cast of
Hush is stellar and the show marks
a return to television for a number
of renowned actors and actresses.
All these factors make for exciting
viewing and we can’t wait for our
viewers from all over Africa to tune
in,” Mba-Uzoukwu added.
Hush premieres on April 4th, 2016,
on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv
channel 151). The telenovella which
will air weeknights at 9pm CAT,
stars Richard Mofe Damijo, Thelma
Okoduwa, Olu Jacobs, Baj Adebule,
Rotimi Adelegan and Meg Otanwa,
and will air weeknights at 9pm CAT.
WIVES ON STRIKE PREMIERES
Wives On Strike is a comedy
movie starring, Julius Agwu, Uche
Jombo, Chioma Akpotha, Ufuoma
McDermott, Kehinde Bankole, Kalu
Ikeagwu, and Kenneth Okonkwo.
The movie which would debute
in Nigerian cinemas on t April 8 is
about a group of market women who
decided to take matters into their
own hands against their husbands
in a bid to stir them into standing up
for a young girl whom they wanted
to protect from the wishes of her own
father.
The women, who hilariously interpret their roles, set a series of events
in motion to give the movie many
moments of laughter without miss-
him on the condition that
he completes his university
education.
Having kept his part of the
bargain, Ojjay has secured the
support of his parents. At the
ing a beat on the reason for everyone
to know why they are on strike.
In the last two years, Omoni’s
movies ‘Being Mrs Elliot’ and ‘The
First Lady’ have raked in over N50
million, while Omoni’s talent as an
actress continues to be much sought
after. She has featured in back-to
-back box office hits such as ‘Fifty’,
‘Anchor Baby,’ and ‘Figurine’.
Her impressive ecords at the
cinema has earned her the sobriquet
‘Queen of the box-office’ In the past
five years, Omoni’s gross box office
earning has risen to about N168 000
000 with cumulative figures from
‘Figurine’, ‘Anchor Baby’, ‘Being
Mrs Elliot’, ‘The First Lady’ and
‘Fifty.’ With this, she is ahead of
Genevieve Nnaji’s box office earnings from ‘Tango With Me’, ‘Half of
a Yellow Sun’, ‘Ije’, ‘Mirror Boy’ and
‘Road To Yesterday’ which is slightly
over N140 million.
Moses Babatope, the COO of
FilmOne, the distribution company
in charge of the movie said, Omoni
may have set her own box office hat-
rick with three of her self-produced
movies.
‘In Nigeria, only one producer has
the honour of three box office hit with
his three movies. From the look of
things, Omoni’s new movie, ‘Wives on
Strike’ which is in cinema from April 8
will make her join that exclusive list’.
Speaking further, Moses said
Omoni’s last movie, ‘The First Lady’
saved the day for the whole industry
last year. ‘Before The First Lady’ came
to cinema, almost all Nollywood
movies released last year performed
abysmally except one. The First
Lady re-established trust in Nigerian
movies at the cinemas and further
helped subsequent movies released to
do well’.
He further asked those who love
comedy to go and see the movie, ‘if
you love comedy with a little slant on
issues, you will love ‘Wives on Strike’
he concluded.
“FEAR THE WALKING DEAD” ON
AMC
AMC has released an exclusive
moment, he has embarked
on a vigorous promotion
of ‘265 Kritical’ and ‘Marry
You’. Both tracks are
produced by Eben Jazzy.
According to Ojjay, he
has devised the strategy of
giving the market what they
want until he becomes an
established name. His main
concern now is to be able
to step into the studio and
deliver. ‘People say I do not
have a distinct sound of my
own. It does not matter. The
artistes on Mavins Records
and Five Star Music sound
alike. What do you have to
say to that?”
In order to create
awareness for his arrival
on the music scene, Ojjay
has instituted the ‘Onyinye
Search’ to promote the
track ‘Marry You’. “I am
looking for a girl who will
blow my mind. She will be
compensated with a oneon-one meeting with me,
and iPhone and appearance
in two of my videos. The
other strategy to promote
my brand is a dance and
lyric competition in which
you record yourself and
friends singing.”
interview with the Executive
Producer and Showrunner, Dave
Erickson who made possible “Fear
the Walking Dead” (#FearTWD),
the companion series to the global
hit “The Walking Dead.”
Discussing the dramatic development of the series and some of the
new season’s ocean-set scenes,
Erickson’s insights into the Mexicobased production are revealed
alongside the drama’s brand ne
Executive produced by showrunner Dave Erickson, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert, “Fear the
Walking Dead” stars Kim Dickens
as Madison, Cliff Curtis as Travis,
Frank Dillane as Nick, Alycia
Debnam-Carey as Alicia, Ruben
Blades as Daniel, Mercedes Mason
as Ofelia, Lorenzo James Henrie
as Chris and Colman Domingo
as Strand. The series from AMC
Studios is currently in production
on season two in Mexico at Baja
Studios, home to some of the greatest ocean-set films in recent years.
“Fear the Walking Dead” will air its
second season of 15 episodes in two
parts, beginning with the first seven
episodes starting in April with the
remaining eight episodes airing
later in 2016.
Season one, which achieved
record-breaking performance
worldwide including the highestrated first season of any series
in U.S. cable history, ended with
Madison, Travis and their extended
family taking temporary shelter in
Strand’s gated estate overlooking
the Pacific Ocean. As civil unrest
continues to grow and the dead
take over Los Angeles, Strand
prepares to escape to “Abigail,” his
large yacht moored offshore.
Viewers can catch up with a
marathon of season one starting on
April 10 leading into the season two
premiere episode on April.11
68
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Hello to the Wachowski Sisters
Vanessa Obioha
I
n 2012, Larry Wachowski who
co-directed the action thriller ‘Matrix’
shocked the world with his transition from male to female. He is to be
addressed as Lana Wachowski.
Four years later, his brother Andy is
toeing the same path. Andy now Lily
revealed his new identity in a Chicago
newspaper, Windy City Times. Titled ‘Sex
Change Shocker-Wachowski Brothers now
Sisters’, the 48 year-old film-maker said that
he decided to make the revelation himself
after a journalist tried to coerce him into an
interview. Known for keeping their private
lives out of the public radar, the news came
as a real shocker to many. Lily also said that
his wife and family are very supportive of
his decision. They now join former athlete
Caitlyn Jenner in promoting the LGBT
community.
TRIBUTES ROLL IN FOR BEATLES
PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN
Another music heavyweight George
Martin was snatched by the cold hands of
death on Tuesday. Nicknamed the ‘Fifth
Beatle’ his music career spanned seven
decades and he is popular for producing
most of the Beatles classics. The band
members Paul McCartney- who described
him as a second father- and Ringo Starr
have paid tributes to the man who made
them famous. Other celebrities who have
paid tributes to the legendary producer
include Lenny Kravitz, Josh Groban, Sean
Ono Lennon, Cat Stevens, Roger Moore
among others.
Martin was born to a carpenter in North
London. Much of the Beatles career is owed
to the musical genius who transformed the
band to a world celebrity status. He also
wrote film scores and worked with various
artistes including Celine Dion, Sting and
Elton John. Roger Moore in his tribute
praised Martins for making his first Bond
Film sound brilliant. He was an Oboist.
Adam Levine and Behati
If he quits, he will join the list of judges like
Usher, Shakira, who left the show.
Fans will definitely miss the singer and
probably the question that will be asked
after his departure will be if there will ever
be another Adam Levine at ‘The Voice’?
WILL ERIN ANDREWS BE PAID?
BETTE MIDLER AND KIM
KARDASHIAN
Earlier this week, famous singer Bette
Midler and celebrity Kim Kardashian went
for each other’s jugular in a series of tweets.
The twitfight started when Kim K out of
boredom posted a nude selfie of her with
only censored bars covering the sacred
parts online. Midler who appears to be
nauseated by the act tweeted jokingly “If
Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve
never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow
the camera.”
Kim responded by accusing Midler of
impersonating someone else just to be close
to her. Other celebrities also joined in the
twitfight which culminated with Midler
challenging Kim to use her nude selfie for a
charity cause.
HULK HOGAN’S SEX VIDEO CASE
GETS MESSIER
The ongoing suit between pro wrestler
Hulk Hogan and an online news platform
Gawker keeps getting messier as both
parties attempt to justify their actions. In
2012, the website Gawker published a sex
video of Hogan in a steamy session with his
friend’s wife. The
Editor-In-Chief Albert James Daulerio
found the information newsworthy. But on
Wednesday in court, Daulerio’s journalism ethics were questioned when he was
asked where he drew the line in publishing
celebrity sex tapes. He easily answered that
he won’t publish that of minors.
While arguments ensued on the invasion of privacy by the media to increase
popularity, Daulerio defended his action by
accusing the wrestler of making his sex life
a topic in every interview.
Hulk Hogan
George Martin
Hogan’s attorneys hope to win the jury to
his side, citing about seven million eyes saw
an intimate act that was very private.
HARD TIMES FOR PAWN STARS
‘CHUMLEE’
After spending a night in jail for a sexual
assault allegation, Pawn Stars star Austin
Russell popularly known as Chumlee is yet
to get a breather. The reality TV character
was arrested on Wednesday over following
a sexual assault allegation. He was released
on Thursday morning after posting a $62,
000 bail Right now, there are about 20 more
charges against the 33 year-old star which
include possession of firearms. His buddy
on the show Rick Harrison in a statement
said he and his team are ready to help
Russell in this difficult time.
WHO WILL REPLACE ADAM
LEVINE?
There are speculations that singer Adam
Levine, one of the long-time judges in
the music reality show ‘The Voice’ will
be taking a bow soon. Levine’s decision
is reportedly influenced by his desire to
embrace fatherhood. A source told Life &
Style Magazine that the 36 year-old singer
had always wanted to start a family with
his wife Behati Prisloo. The couple tied the
knots in 2014.
The Maroon 5 vocalist has been a staple
at the TV series and known for his sarcastic
remarks and spinning his famous red chair.
It seems likely not. After being convicted
of stalking sportscaster Erin Andrews and
ordered to pay $27 million charges to her
earlier this week, Michael David Barrett
has no means of paying her. The accused is
currently living in his father’s basement in
Portland. The father Francis told reporters
that his son would be unable to pay the
judgment.
Barett was found guilty of stalking the
Fox correspondent after he uploaded
nude videos of her on the internet in 2008.
Although, he claimed the videos made Andrews famous, Andrews said she suffered
emotional abuse because of his actions.
LINDSAY LOHAN IS ENGAGED
In an exclusive interview with The Sun,
the child star revealed that she is engaged to
Russian businessman Egor Tarabasov. They
met last summer. She also told the paper
about the one-time One Direction’s singer
Harry Styles came into her hotel room.
It was awkward then and still awkward
now. Her sister had been mad at her for not
grabbing the opportunity then but Lohan
is very happy where she is today. Lohan’s
new Beau is a 22 year-old Russian heir to a
business empire in Yeltsin land.
JOAN RIVERS PERSONAL ITEMS
TO BE AUCTIONED IN JUNE
According to reports, the late entertainer’s jewellery, paintings, designer gowns
from her penthouse in New York will be
auctioned in June. Her daughter Melissa
made the announcement on Tuesday. She
said that over 200 items belonging to her
mother will be auctioned online on June
16 and a live auction on June 22. Proceeds
from the auction will be sent to ‘God’s Love
we Deliver’ and ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind’
organisations.
CHARLIE SHEEN TO STAR IN 9/11
INDIE FILM
Fresh from his HIV drama saga, the ‘Two
and a Half Men’ star will make a screen
comeback in the new Hollywood thriller,
‘Nine Eleven’. He would be co-starring
with Whoopi Goldberg, Luiz Guzman,
Olga Fonda and Wood Harris.
Sheen is currently on set shooting.
Directed by Martin Guigui, Nine Eleven
revolves around five individuals trapped
in an elevator in the World Trade Center
during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
and their struggle to survive.
AGAIN, JANET JACKSON
POSTPONES TOUR
For the second time, singer Janet Jackson
postpones her UK tour which was due
to start at the end of March. This time she
attributes the postponement to ‘scheduling’ issues.
Last December, the singer had to
postpone her ‘Unbreakable’ tour due to
an undisclosed ailment. Although she
constantly denied that she does not have
cancer, there are speculations that the singer
may have the deadly disease. No new dates
have been scheduled for the concert.
SETH ROLLINS REPORTEDLY
TRAINING IN-RING
After suffering a knee injury last November, Rollins is reportedly working out in
the ring with extra caution on his knee. The
superstar was estimated to return to the
ring in 6-9 months time. Before his injury,
the wrestler dominated the WWE ring
with his infamous wins. He was the major
sellout in the Shield and ‘what’s best for
business’ for the COO Triple H and his wife
Stephanie McMahon.
TEAM LANA HEADS TO
WRESTLEMANIA
In an interesting twist of event, Lana,
Bulgarian Rusev’s long-time escort will be
challenging Team Bella in WrestleMania
next month. For some unknown reason,
Lana has been stirring trouble for Brie Bella
who is likely to retire after WrestleMania.
Now that the two will be slugging it out
in the ring, the question that begs for an
answer is will the match be the opening
chapter of a new phase in Lana’s life or just
a one-off thing?
69
EVENT
In Suru L’ere, Okwo Shines
with a Peerless Cast
Cast of Suru L’ere
Vanessa Obioha
A
gain, that bubbling neighbourhood on the Lagos
Mainland, Surulere gets
another round of media
attention. This time around
through the motion picture and this
is both instructive and deserving, as
Surulere has the distinction of providing the launch pad for Nollywood.
The Audrey Silva Company’s (TASC)
recent flick Suru L’ere (Patience Pays)
is anything but boring. Even if the title
is generic, director Mildred Okwo
applied her creative skills in telling
a refreshingly funny narrative that
clearly depicts the ‘get rich quickly’
syndrome among youths in our society.
The romantic comedy revolved round
a young chap whose pursuit for wealth
was fuelled by a chanced meeting of
mistaken identity with a young ambitious indolent lady.
The drama opened with the lead character Seun Ajayi in an abandoned state
of sleep in a noticeably chaotic office.
Papers and clothes strewn on the floor,
an incessant ringing mobile device, and
of course, a half-clothed Ajayi snoozing
on the floor.
From there, the director meticulously
navigates her audience through the
well-woven plot, from the outright
ridiculousness of Arinze (Seun Ajayi) to
the complicated delusions of grandeur
of Brume (Gregory Ojefua), the story
exudes hilarity in all forms.
Known for her usual style of using
comedy to address social values and
issues, like she did in her first TASC
debut ‘The Meeting’, Okwo drew
indelible strokes with this storyline. On
one hand, it brings a strange familiarity to the screens: a horrible boss like
Brume- a kind many will not want to
work with- and the struggles of Arinze
his employee to meet up with his
incessant demands as well escape the
snares of poverty. On the other hand, it
mirrors the present social and economic
landscape of the country: bureaucracy
in workplaces and the vivid imagery of
poverty.
It is against this backdrop that Okwo
accepted the script from Richard Odilu.
In all its fictitious fabric, Odilu’s story
carries an element of reality. The writer
revealed during a press screening that
Arinze is a fictional representation
of his struggles as young man while
Brume, the mean boss is an encounter of
a friend in his work place.
Well seasoned with domestic comedy,
Suru L’ere in a nutshell introduced a
new kind of rom-com that is unpopular
in our film industry. For instance, the
scene where Arinze had to memorise
his boss’ lunch order by reciting it
endlessly and even coining a nursery
rhyme in order to avoid the wrath of his
conceited boss.
The dialogues are sprinkled with new
and catchy lines that will quickly register in your mind or if you have time, jot
on your mobile device or notepad. The
language is a fluid mix of English and
indigenous language, although some of
the characters struggled in delivering
the right accents.
However, the trump card for Okwo
in this movie is her peerless cast who
wore their characters like a second skin.
From old to new faces, Okwo takes
the pleasure in casting her characters
in never-seen-before roles. Imagine
renowned actress Rita Dominic playing
the role of an Akara seller. In fact, her
swearing line to the debt-ridden Arinze
‘Arinze, if you no carry my N1,0000
come back, na thunder go fire you’ is
now a memorable line thrown at the
actor.
Lala Akindoju stepped up her game
by playing a double role as the grumpy
old landlady and the admirable BeautyBeverly Naya’s rival- in office.
Beverly Naya who played the female
lead as Omosigho had a tough call playing the rich city girl and adjusting her
choice of words to deliver the expected
sassiness. Her American accent was not
helpful at all. It made her acting a bit too
stressful. Nevertheless, she was able to
convince her audience with her gestures
and facial expressions. What’s more,
her ability to build a chemistry between
her and Ajayi endeared her character to
the audience.
AMVCA best actor Tope Tedela who
confessed that he had been longing to
work with the director found himself
playing a very complicated role: a
metrosexual.
“I used to think that the director
doesn’t like me. I see her at functions
and try to strike a conversation but
somehow got ignored. So I was quite
surprised when I got her call to play
this role,” he said.
It wasn’t an easy one for the actor
who had played the role of a gangster,
cheating husband and others in movies. For this particular flick, he found
himself researching and rehearsing to
the point he was ridiculed by his folks.
At the end of the day, it paid out for
him as he made his character Kyle-Stevens Adedoyin likeable irrespective of
his condescending mannerisms.
Ojefua is one character that delivers his role with accurate precision.
His bulk form, baritone voice fits his
abusive role perfectly. As the annoying and horrible boss, Brume, Ojefua
align his character with Hollywood
stars who have played similar roles
like Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey.
He made life terrible for Arinze and
insensitive to his employees needs.
It is difficult to hate him as he has a
way of dominating the screen with
his robust expletives vocabulary and
facial expressions.
The new Nollywood star Eyinna
Nwigwe is hilarious in his role as a delusional drug shop owner, Godstime
who fancies himself as a pharmacist if
not a medical doctor.
“To be honest,” he said, “I didn’t see
this coming. It’s quite tricky and exciting. The director called me and the one
thing that struck me was that every
true talent wants to be pushed beyond
what they are used to. Like humans,
we are sociable, you conquer one level,
you want to move to another. She was
surprised that I would take the challenge. I immersed myself into the role
because these are experiences I have
lived through. I’m interactive. Immediately I saw three characters in my
head that I have encountered growing
up: my mum’s ex-mechanic, a neighbour
in my village and the Hollywood actor
Terry Crews. I was comfortable doing
what I like from those three angles.”
Perhaps, Okwo’s biggest risk is casting
a complete tyro for her lead character.
Seun Ajayi’s name before Suru L’ere
hardly rings a bell. His first encounter
with Okwo was in an audition for another project. Interestingly, Okwo found
in him a rare gem that needs polishing.
Her experiment with him on this particular flick paid out handsomely well
eventually.
Ajayi brought to the screen an irresistible charm that turned on like electric
kettle. His expressions mostly silly and
comical easily cracks one’s ribs and when
it seems his naivety is getting too comfortable, he switches on to his romantic
side that evokes mostly a lovingly pity
for his adorable character. He is one
character that easily matches the images
of the viewer; recognisable and appealing in a non-cloying manner. Although
he admitted that he had to beg his friends
to teach him Ibo language, he however
made a lasting impression which blurred
his deficiency in the language.
With this singular flick, Okwo scored
a major hit as a director whose keen eyes
are steadily scouting and grooming new
talents in the industry. Albeit, Suru L’ere
in all its funny antics delivers a strong
message about the virtue ‘Patience’.
assistant editor nseobong okon-ekong
senior correspondent funke olaode
CONTRIBUTORS
vanessa obioha, temilolu okeowo, kelechi nduka
THISDAY ON SUNDAY
editor adetokunbo adedoja
deputy editors festus akanbi, vincent obia
STUDIO
art director ochi ogbuaku jnr
THISDAY NEWSPAPERS
editor-in-chief & chairman nduka obaigbena
managing director eniola bello
deputy managing director kayode komolafe
70
ARTS &
REVIEW
A
PUBLICATION
OKUKOR AND THE CAMPAIGN
FOR LOOTED TREASURES...
PAGE 77
13.03.2016
SO WHAT’S NEXT,
MISTER JUNKMAN?
Junkman of Afrika
EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ [email protected]
72
ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS
SO WHAT’S NEXT, M
The planned resuscitation of the now defunct Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things should excite a
section of the local art public. But the Junkman would do well to lead his audience to new frontiers, argues
Okechukwu Uwaezuoke
One of Junkman’s installations at the Museum of Awkward Things
H
ere, perception is
everything! Still, that
inevitable eerie feeling
persists. Standing on
a gangplank amidst
weird forms does
something to a sensitive visitor: it makes
his imagination begin to play tricks on
him. The myriad of forms – human,
animal and mythically grotesque –are
contrived from discarded rusty
metals, rags, decaying pieces of wood,
soda or lager beer cans and tops and
strips from old car tyres, among a
miscellany of other things. But in
this enclosure, they represent the
physically-tangible thought-forms
of the artist. Each of these grotesque
contraptions seems to demand for the
bemused visitor’s attention...
This scene: the interior of the Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things. It
is really a repurposed lock-up store
in a shopping centre along the Lekki
Expressway in Lagos. The artist,
Dil Humphrey-Umezulike – better
known in art circles as Dilomprizulike
and calls himself the Junkman of Afrika
–holds court here as the lord of the manor.
Or better still as a prophet from the biblical times.
Flip over to the present. The museum
has long ceased to exist in Lagos. This was
after it had been shifted to what could be
deemed its permanent site in the Lagos
outskirts community of Ajah. Curiously,
it has reincarnated in a space at the Oriel
Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno, Wales.
Meanwhile, the artist – who has been
recognised by the UK-based newspaper
The Independent as one of Africa’s 50
greatest cultural figures – hopes to visit
Lagos in April. “I’m flexing to reopen the
Junkyard project,” he announces.
Indeed, his artistic practice and credo
are woven around this Junkyard project.
In other words, there would be no Junkman without the Junkyard Museum of
Awkward Things. In this space, he seeks
to breathe life into found objects and
creates a special realm of existence for
them. This endeavour could somewhat be
likened to the political self-determination
of the downtrodden. Objects that have
been cast aside and left at the mercy
of the elements now have a decent
shelter. Previously deemed worthless,
they are currently valued as art. Even
as un-presentable and un-burnished
as they might still appear, they are
presented as “museum pieces”.
Also, ecology enthusiasts would
also hail the artist’s solo efforts at
ridding the environments of non-biodegradable detritus. The Junkman,
through his art practice, takes a
swipe at a consumerist society, whose
values are as fleeting as products
they discard. According to the
US-based Professor of Art history,
Sylvester Ogbechie, “The Junkman’s
interrogation of urban detritus is an
increasingly sophisticated response to
the obverse of globalisation’s allure,
its ever-expanding legacy of industrial
and consumerist waste. Unlike most
artists with an apocalyptic vision, The
Junkman seems to predict that social
order is at risk not from some vast
technological mishap (say a nuclear
mushroom cloud) but that we simply
risk being undone by waste. An
organism dies when it can no longer
separate itself from its own waste. The
Junkman confronts polite society with
the messy fact of its reliance on profligate wastage. His work is increasingly
topical and accomplished.”
Topical it is, no doubt. Yet, it’s been
a while since the artist, who then
sported large dreadlocks, has graced
the Lagos exhibition circuit with his
presence. If his installations are easily
recognisable, it is because of their
unique mixed media compositions. An
example is “Waitin’ for Bus”, one of
his exhibits at an Africa Remix show in
the UK.
Perhaps, one of his classic installations is “Wear and Tear”. He describes
it “as a concept”, which “attempts
to expose the often overlooked and
underrated elements of the AfricanUrban communal life which largely
influence it.”
“The alienated situation of the
African in his own society becomes
73
ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS
MISTER JUNKMAN?
Waiting for Bus by Dilomprizulike
tragic,” he continues. “There is a struggle inside him,
a consciousness of living with the complications of
an imposed civilisation. He can no longer go back
to pick up the fragments of his father’s shattered
culture; neither is he equipped enough to keep pace
with the white man’s world.”
Then, there are also his performances, which are
no less engaging. A quick dissolve to sometime in the
not-too-distant past. The venue is the former GoetheInstitut’s creek-side premises along Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The Junkman is
standing before a seemingly attentive audience as
“Professor Junk”. Using a chalkboard, he explains
what looks like a mathematical equation meant
to denote the society’s decadent values. Another
performance, “Who wan’ Visa”, is a commentary on
the hellish experience Nigerians face while applying
for an American visa.
Really, the performances are no more than complements to his installation pieces. One of the earliest
of these alluding to an orange seller was one of the
events at the opening of the Junkyard Museum in
Lagos, which drew the venerable Ghanaian-born
University of Nigeria, Nsukka-based conceptual
artist, Professor El Anatsui.
The Junkman’s narrative art takes a swipe at the
decadence of Africa’s moral fabric. He blames the
governments for their ineptitude and mocks the
people for their gullibility. Among his kindred souls
in the continent, he arguably stands out as the most
cerebral and the most acerbic. So far, his renown has
earned him invitations to 2006 edition of the Dakar
Biennale and the third Guangzhou Triennial in
China in 2008, among other events. In 2010, he contrived what he called “Busy Street” for the Herzliya
Museum of Contemporary Art in Israel from local
rubbish to reflect Israel’s consumer society.
The 56-year-old’s artistic pedigree has since
dwarfed his academic credentials: a BA degree in Art
from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an MFA
from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Several
One of the installations by Dilomprizulike
workshops and residencies have further burnished
his profile.
Being away for so long from the local contemporary Nigerian art scene has undoubtedly hurt
his renown. For among the younger generation of
artists, there are several to whom his name fails to
ring a bell. Even among those he once regaled with
his installations and performances, there are probably
a few who still vividly recall his themes. This is one
good reason why he needs his planned resuscitation
of the Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things.
Yet, beyond what he has always been known for,
his devotees would probably be drooling for something new.
74
ARTS & REVIEW\\ART-LOGUE
A Mu’azu Mohammed Sani’s Work from the Splash Suite
SANI’S VESTIGES OF SOCIAL
AND COLOURFUL RHYTHMS
Agwu Enekwachi
T
he Katsina State-born artist became attracted to art
early in life. “I just realised I could draw things on paper or on walls and this fascinated me,” he enthuses.
Sani’s young and restless creative mind found the
illustrations contained in a popular dictionary in use
at the time a ready inspiration. He would copy the
Michael West Dictionary illustrations on pieces of
paper.
“I was enjoying myself,” says the 1983 First Class graduate of Fine
Arts (Zaria Art School), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. By the time
young Sani gained admission to Government Secondary School
Zaria (Now Alhudahuda College), his vision of art metamorphosed
with the contacts he had with his first art teacher popularly called
Shehu Artist. “He inspired us by allowing us to see his portrait
works. Soon I was doing my own portraits through his tutelage and
encouragement,” says Mu’azu whose earliest works were portraits
of family members, friends and notable members of the society.
Mu’azu’s creativity began to flower during his undergraduate
days in the early 80s. In 1982, he discovered a unique style of painting
which involved splashing of colours. This technique well explored
by Mu’azu enabled his quest for self-expression find definition. The
simple aesthetics the splashing technique provided offered him
the vehicle to communicate essences. Did Jackson Pollock’s style
of action painting provide a spark for Sani? He says “I didn’t even
know about the existence of a Jackson Pollock at the time. It was later
that I began to know about him and I realised that we share similar
technique of execution though with our own individual differences
in voices and bias.”
The quest to find meanings in the happenings around him led to
the interrogation of the social situations around Northern Nigeria in
the 90’s resulting in the production of some of his most insightful and
perhaps controversial works. The recurrent ethno-religious crisis in
the 90’s provided the stimuli for the collages that became the artist’s
offering to mitigate the volatility of the time.
“In 1994, there was this episode of religious crisis in Zaria, when
it subsided, I took my car and went round the whole of the city and
looking at the damages, most of the churches including one of the
oldest churches in the northern part of the country in Wusasa were
burnt down. So, I made a painting titled ‘The Cross Refuses to Burn’,
The entire work was predominantly grey and black with so much
smoke in the composition and the cross was captured in brilliant
colours and most of them were tilting as if they will fall but they are
not falling.
“In the late 80’s I made a commentary on the ‘Ango Must Go’ riot
in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The police came in and there was
shooting. Aparticular girl died in the process in front of her hostel,
she was shot from the back. After the crisis died down, I went about
collecting tear gas canisters and bullet shells which I used to create
a work of art titled ‘The Black Friday’. What provoked that work of
art was the girl’s innocence. She had been sick and did not know that
there was riot. She had gone to use the toilet, and was even asking
what was going on. As she made her way back to her hostel room,
she was hit by the bullet from the back. It was an artwork that moved
several people to tears.”
Once, Mu’azu’s painting had to be taken down from an exhibition
over the vehemence that greeted the message. In another instance,
the entire exhibition was suspended over an attack on his work. He
recalls: “The work titled royal Evil” was a commentary on the way
some traditional rulers were behaving at the time; they allowed corrupt politicians to have undue influence on them. They would dance
to any regime just to secure their positions. Even if you have a terror as
commander-in-Chief, they will support him”.
In 1994 Sani’s most controversial work titled “In the Grave”
exploited the sometimes tense, precarious and gravely costly relationships between the two major religions in the country to make commentary on what seemed like peace of the graveyard. Created after
the religious crisis of 1994 in Zaria, the work “In the Grave” sought to
preach tolerance and understanding between adherents of Christianity and Islam constantly confronted by divisive religious fanaticism.
The collage work is a composition accommodating the cross and the
minaret with the symbolic messages of ‘I love Prophet Mohammed”
and ‘I love Jesus Christ’ on pendants. During the exhibition at the
Kashim Ibrahim Library in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, “a fanatic
entered the library and the work attracted him, so he started shouting
and attacking the work. The venue was shut down because there was
so much tension; it took some time for the controversy to be resolved.’
For Sani Mu’azu Moh., the subject of peaceful coexistence among
religions in Nigeria has provided the impetus for the creation of
some of his deepest and notable works of art ever.
The socio-religious themes in Mu’azu’s works are a part of his
world which he reveals, “I am a very peaceful person, a proud
Muslim and a liberal person. My wife was a Christian and she
practiced her religion until the time she died. My conclusion is that
despite our differences, we can still live peacefully.”
With the progression of his creative journey, Mu’azu’s latest
body of work interrogates the rhythms of life through contrasting
celebratory nuances of performance and colours registered on the
canvas. Mu’azu takes us back again to his world of saying so much
with so little. This time his canvas becomes an arena where footprints
connect a series of fleeting ephemeral activities to a present bouquet
of colours and life.
Assembling huge canvases, Mu’azu would invite Nigerian traditional and contemporary Nigerian dancers whose feet are stained
with acrylic colours to leave imprints as paintings. The beauty of this
style is the colourful courses the ephemeral performance leaves on
the canvas which merge floatingly to form compositions representing interpretations of music. The visual and spatial movements
of painting and performance intersect on the canvases to create a
stimulating visual experience.
Amajor plank of Mu’azu’s recent suit is the Swange repertoire,
defined by sensuous rhythmic movements. Swange dance of
Nigeria’s Tiv tribe is one of the most iconic traditional dances in the
country. Dressed in their achromatic costumes, the Swange dancers
leave several hundreds of multi-coloured footprints as suspended
symphonies of sounds that hang on after a dance performance. The
canvases therefore become receptors and conservatory of rhythms
and colours.
The refreshing thing about Mu’azu’s artistic commentaries is
that they scratch the old skin that we have grown used to in other
to reveal truths. Relieving these moments offers one the passport
to Mu’azu’s guiding thoughts: “I do paint other subjects such as
durbar, landscape, but when I look at such works, they don’t make
serious statements, I don’t paint because I feel people want to buy
my works.” For him, great works must be able to stir up conversations through which change can occur.
-Enekwachi writes from Enugu
75
ARTS & REVIEW\\DRAMA
MORALS FROM
MAYBE TOMORROW
Yinka Olatunbosun
I
n a 45-minute drama written by Soji Cole,
a pocket of audience inside Freedom Park,
Lagos at the just concluded Lagos Theatre
Festival watched keenly as the dialogue
flowed between the two characters on stage.
The mood of the play is predominantly
confrontational as both actors, Charles
Etubiebi and Simi Hassan engaged in a
vocal battle to save his one’s neck from the blame
game. The play titled, Maybe Tomorrow, opened
with the monk meditating before he was joined
by the police officer. It’s a 21st century morality
play that questions the role each one of them had
played in history. The monk in the play represents the ruled while the police officer symbolizes the ruler.
The two-hander technique in Maybe Tomorrow
is similar to the type prominently used in South
African plays where apartheid is a recurring
thematic preoccupation of the playwrights. For
instance, Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema and
Barney Simon collectively wrote one of the best
satires of the apartheid period, Woza Albert!
where the two actors had to play several roles
of the average black South Africans. However,
emphasis is laid on dialogue in Maybe Tomorrow
as there was no music interlude, dance or mime.
At the end of the play, both actors switched their
costumes, a visual role-playing technique to
bring resolution to the conflict of the drama.
The director, Leke Gbolade spoke on the few
adjustments made to the script to sustain the
audience’s interest in a light-set, almost zero prop
production.
“We started the rehearsal three weeks ago,” he
disclosed. “As you can see, it has just two characters. Basically, it is about being able to create
something out of the script. We used the script
as a manual, chopped off what we didn’t see as
necessary and eventually come up with our own
interpretation of the play. It is not the entire play.
The policeman represents authority or power.
The monk represents the masses. The uniform of
the monk is a symbol of servitude. So, the characters represent the rulers and the ruled.”
Like Athol Fugard’s 1993 drama, Playland which
serves a tool for reconciliation and reorientation
A scene from Maybe Tomorrow
in post-apartheid South Africa, Cole’s Maybe
Tomorrow fosters similar spirit as the audience
can see better through the theatre lens that sometimes one needs to trade shoes to understand the
circumstances that affect human behaviour at a
particular place or time. The director seemed to
concur with this understanding as he added that
the drama is not focused on blaming either the
ruler or the ruled.
“We are not trying to judge anybody,” he said.
“Today, you might be the president. Tomorrow,
you may not be. We need to understand ourselves
and ask for forgiveness. We need to go back to the
past and reconcile with all that we have done in
the past. Without doing that, we are in trouble.”
The producer of the play, Sola Adenugba who
is the brain behind “Live Theatre on Sunday”,
a monthly series of stage productions in Lagos,
revealed the reason why his productions will be
taking a different outlook this year.
“The next production is titled The Hiss. It is
written by J.P. Clark. It is the story of Nigeria told
through the common people. It is going to be
staged during the Easter holidays that is Good
Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. It will
be done in multiple venues. We are looking at
Freedom Park, Terra Kulture, Chevron Recreational Centre, the Lagos Country Club and Alliance
Française, Ikeja.”
When asked why he had stopped the free
monthly shows at Ikeja, he cited the economic
factor as one of the reasons.
“Since we started Live Theatre on Sundays, we
have been doing our plays for free every month.
This year, we realise that growth is important
and that we have to change. 2-cast plays are easy
to produce in terms of affordability and cast. But
it stretches the actor. The onus is on the two of
them to make the play as interesting as possible
through their resources such as their voice and
body. It is also about the economy of the nation.
We are in the era of optimising resources. We
want more people to see our play. Hence we are
doing plays that are easy to take around. In the
past, we have always been in Ikeja. We want to
cover Lagos. We don’t want to be known with only
one venue. We want to reach Lagos Island, Epe,
Ikeja. We intend to tour with the play. Our next
venue will likely be Calabar.”
MUSICAL
Crew members of the Sister Act production
Sister Act Arrives
in Nigeria
Yinka Olatunbosun and Ugo Aliogo
One of the most commercially successful musicals
of the 90s, Sister Act is donning a new garment,
made of theatrical fabrics and all. That was news
from South Africa as the Waterfront Theatre School
resident in Cape Town will be staging a theatre
performance while training young talents in Nigeria.
Since April 2011, the Sister Act movie had run its
course on Broadway Theatre and had received five
Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. With
the renewed interest in musical shows in Nigeria,
Sister Act finally arrives here.
The Managing Director, Colours in Africa, Dr Soji
Akinkugbe is one man to thank for that. For one, he
had always nursed the ambition of contributing to
the growth and development of the Nigeria theatre
having been influenced largely by the likes of Duro
Ladipo, Hubert Ogunde and the legendary Afrobeat
musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Consequently, he built and sustained friendship
with a group of theatre artists at the Waterfront
Theatre School who are passionate about developing
the robust skills in Nigerian Theatre.
Between November and December 2016, Akinkugbe in collaboration with the Waterfront Theatre
School and 2wice as Nice will be presenting a musical
performance of “Sister Act” and it will be one of the
longest running shows that had ever been witnessed
in Nigeria. The all-Nigerian cast production will be
trained while technical skills will be obtained from
the travelling theatre team. Although the duration is
not certain yet, the organisers are working around a
period of two weeks for the massive production.
“The theatre is a dynamic way of encountering a
performance than a film,” revealed Akinkugbe at a
press briefing held in Lagos. “I have always nursed
the ambition of being able to bring one of the big
musical performances to the country, but I was quite
emphatic that I needed a Nigerian cast. The country
can be a challenging market to sell from the standpoint of perception and ignorance.
“It is difficult to sell, so over the last few it has time
taken me time to find a technical suitable partner.
We do have the skills which can be trained but we
do not have the technical skills. We do not have the
technical equipment and the proper stage. The only
ones we have in Lagos are the National Theatre and
the University of Lagos, but they are in moribund
conditions.”
Akinkugbe who is the Executive Director of the
project spoke on the production and what to expect
from the award winning director, Garth Tavares
as well as the international theatre artist, Genna
Galloway. “We are working with the Delia Sainsburyled Waterfront Theatre School which trains young
people and bring them for the market, so I was very
much interested in working with a developmental
organisation whose core business is training. For
us, this is going to be a learning process. I’m very
confident in a Nigerian cast; ultimately we will have
a Nigerian technical team. So, to work with the team,
we will have understudied for all the major roles, the
music director, the director, the choreographer and
the costumier. After six to ten shows, the basic skills
would have been transferred to competent Nigerians.
We also look forward to working with them in South
Africa when they are organising shows.”
76
ARTS & REVIEW\\ART-LOGUE
ONE SHOW, ONE CITY
Yinka Olatunbosun
T
oday, the paths of Lagos
creatives and Corporate
Lagos will meet at the
Heritage Place at the
crossroad at Lugard
Avenue and Alfred
Rewane Ikoyi where the
pop-art exhibition is set
for public viewing. That’s the pulse
felt at a press briefing organised
by Indigo Arya, a brand company
wrapped with the umbrella of creative consultancy, visual communication and creative problem-solving.
The show features 18 artists namely
Andrew Esiebo, August Udoh,
Tom Sateer, Obi Somto, Tolani Alli,
Emmanuel Ogabi, Aham Ibeleme,
Moses Oghagbon, Dennis Osadebe,
Damilola Opedun, Dipo Doherty,
Tuni Barlow, Elizabeth Ofili, Collyde
Prime, Osa7, Femi Arogundade, Ada
Umeofia and Addie Mak. They are
bound by the same theme, “Lagos:
Living and Working”.
The Creative Director, Itohan Barlow, dropped some hints around the
one-day show which will be preceded
by a private viewing on Saturday
March 12 at the same venue.
“This is our first exhibition,” she
began. “We also have Mydrim Gallery
which will be bringing in a collection
of art works from younger artists. We
are creating a dynamic event. There
will be live music, artists’ talk and
more. We have a couple of installations and art works specifically
around the theme, ‘Living and Working’. It is not just going to focus on
the content but the various artists we
are featuring. They all live and work
in Lagos. We thought this will be a
great platform to celebrate them and
the works they are doing. Many of the
photographs had been published in
international journals and so we think
it is a great opportunity to celebrate
their works on the Nigerian soil.”
Barlow has worked in London and
Lagos but seemed to be very much
intrigued by the emerging art forms
that are spawned by the new crop
of artists. For her, the show is about
creating a platform for artists in
Africa’s most populous city to reach
a new audience in a new way. To
this end, a section of the exhibition
will also be curated by Mydrim Gallery with works from their collection of young artists. Ultimately, it
will be a unique encounter between
the two influential socio-economic
groups defining the direction of
the economic scene in Lagos, that
is, business leaders and dynamic
young up and coming professionals
and creative.
While reflecting on the modernday influences in contemporary art,
Barlow observed that the game of
art is changing in our creative space.
“In modern art, we have Damien
Hirst,” she said. “He is a fantastic
icon who really thinks outside the
box. In Nigeria, we are becoming
more open to art not just the traditional forms.”
Many contemporary artists have
managed to stir controversies with
their pieces as reported by foreign
media. This time, Barlow’s interest
is to stir up interest in and patronage of contemporary Nigerian art.
“The company is focused on
delivering creative events which
will encourage more people to get
involved in art patronage. We chose
to do it here at Heritage Place because it is the first environmentally
certified commercial building in
Lagos. It is finished with fantastic
standards.”
This initiative is supported by
Samsung, Power Horse, Pulse.ng,
Avandis Consulting, Petrolex Oil
and Gas, Uber, Artnigeria.com and
Genevieve magazine.
ALL RISE FOR THE LAGOS THEATRE FESTIVAL
Yinka Olatunbosun
The buzz had been on the airwaves and
social media about the third edition of the
Lagos Theatre Festival organised by the
British Council, Lagos. Six venues were
selected for this simultaneous shows but
the Freedom Park, Broad Street was the
melting pot of all theatre art enthusiasts
at the Grand Opening. With or without
a formal invitation, culture journalists
flocked the Freedom Park just in time to
hear the Lagos State Commissioner for
Tourism, Arts and Culture, Folarin Coker
declare the festival open.
“The festival presents an opportunity
to promote and showcase the talents and
creativity of our great country in line with
our administration’s resolve to create a
year-round programme of our culture,
entertainment and tourist attracting
event across the length and breadth of
the state,” he said.
“I am pleased to see that the festival
has grown to 40 productions and over
100 hundred shows. Similarly to our
vision with One Lagos Fiesta in December,
extended to five administrative districts,
the festival is taking place at multiple
venues across the Lagos Island and
Mainland. In line with this administration’s vision to create opportunities and
platforms for the enjoyment of arts and
culture, not just for a small minority of
Lagos population but in the subsequent
years, we will like to see an extension from
Agege to Epe, to Badagry and Ikorodu.”
He reiterated the commitment of the
state in exploring the potential of arts in
national orientation and development.
“We will find ways to work with the British Council to see how we can achieve this.
I am keen to see how we can use creativity
and talents we have in addressing some of
the challenges we have in the mega city.
I look forward to watching some of the
shows in the next few days and I hope you
invite others,” he continued.
The ball was set rolling with a rousing
Yoruba rap performance by Pelumibaba
which was followed by the sweet serenades from Isaac Geralds, a top eight
finalist at the music reality show, Project
Fame West Africa. Isaac, whose soul and
swing delivery held the audience in awe
relived the spirit of valentine with his
smash hit love song, “Fall in Love’’. He
sang and talked to female members of the
Pelumi Baba, the opening act in performance
audience. They, in turn, were so captivated and unwilling to leave the venue for
the next show that was produced by Lala
Akindoju.
77
THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER •MARCH 13, 2016
ARTS & REVIEW\\CONTROVERSY
OKUKOR AND THE CAMPAIGN
FOR LOOTED TREASURES
Benin-bronze Cockerel
Okechukwu Uwaezuoke
I
t was sometime in the year 1897.
A 1, 200-strong British punitive
expedition force under Admiral
Sir Henry Rawson had just struck
and a once proud West African
Kingdom of Benin laid in ruins,
as it licked its wounds. Rawson’s
troops were responding to a
humiliating defeat suffered by a previous British invasion force under Acting
Consul General James Philips. One of
the aftermaths of that invasion was the
looting of much of the kingdom’s art,
their subsequent relocation to Britain.
Among these was a bronze cockerel,
called “Okukor”, which had long stood
in the hall of a Cambridge college
until its removal following calls from
students for it to be repatriated. The
cockerel was said to have been bequeathed to Cambridge’s Jesus College
in 1930 by an army captain, George
William Neville, who was a student of
the college.
Apparently, the university had
bowed to pressure from the students on
Tuesday that the statue be taken down
from the Jesus College hall. The university also agreed that discussions to
decide its future should get under way.
And this includes possible repatriation
to Nigeria. But then, the discussions
became complex when the issue of the
bronze statues rightful ownership came
up.
Indeed, the bronze cockerel’s repatriation was what the college students’
union had asked for last month when
it approved a motion on the subject. It
was a Ghanaian student, Amatey Doku,
who opened the debate on the bronze
cockerel, arguing that it was stolen
during the 1897 punitive expedition in
reprisal for the killing of British traders,
which left the Benin Kingdom in ruins
and 3,000 pieces of its art stolen. Doku
had proposed that the college not only
hold a repatriation ceremony with a
view to returning the work, but also
commission a new work to replace it.
His motion was seconded by a
Nigerian student, Ore Ogunbiyi, who
told the meeting: “We spoke to a bronze
repatriation expert who said that grown
men cried after the return of pieces in
2014.”
In its response, the college had in a
statement issued through Cambridge
University said: “Jesus College
acknowledges the contribution made
by students in raising the important
but complex question of the rightful
location of its Benin bronze, in response
to which it has permanently removed
the ‘Okukor’ from its hall. The college
commits to work actively with the wider
university and to commit resources to
new initiatives with Nigerian heritage
and museum authorities to discuss
and determine the best future for the
Okukor, including the question of
repatriation.”
The bronze cockerel’s symbolic
importance to the college is based on the
fact that its coat of arms features three
black cockerels with red combs and
wattles. But its original emblem was the
five wounds of Jesus. But because it had
become a symbol of rebellions protesting at the suppression of monasteries
in the 16th century, it was reportedly
replaced in 1575 by a shield with the
personal coat of arms of John Alcock, the
Bishop of Ely and its founder, featuring
black cockerels and ten crowns.
A Benin bronze appreciation committee has already reached out to the
Nigerian government, whose support
for the proposal to repatriate the cockerel, it supposed, should be taken for
granted. “Okukor” is not the only of the
several other Benin artefacts it wants
back to its shores. Nigeria had famously
and previously called for the return of
the mask depicting Benin’s Queen Idia
at the height of her reign in the 19th century. The mask, whose replica became
the second Festival of Black and African
Arts and Culture (FESTAC’77) symbol,
has its original ivory masterpiece in a
British Museum.
The fate of “Okukor” reignites the
debate on the fate of several priceless
bronze or ivory artefacts carted away
from the ancient kingdom by Portuguese and British colonialists, which
today litter museums in Britain, France
and America.
While there had been no official
response from the Information and
Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, when
efforts were made to contact him on
“Okukor’s” possible repatriation, the
Nigerian government’s stance on the issue has always been clear. It has repeatedly called for the repatriation of all the
Benin bronzes, which it claims as part
of its cultural heritage. This was only
being echoed in the words of the Edo
State Commissioner for Information
and Orientation, Kassim Afegbua, who
advised those who carted away Benin
artefacts to return them. “When one of
the descendants of the colonialist, Dr
Adrain Mark-Walker visited Benin City
in 2014, they returned one of the stolen
artefacts and reacting to the gesture, the
governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said that
was a good first step and urged others
who are in possession of the other stolen
items of the Edo ancestry to follow suit,”
he recalled.
The “Okukor” debate echoes the
Rhodes Must Fall campaign in Oxford
aimed at removing a statue of the
Victorian colonialist Cecil Rhodes from
the frontage of Oriel College of Oxford
University. But in the case of Oriel
College, the students’ demands were
turned down. Oriel had at first offered
a lengthy consultation over the statue’s
future and applied for permission to
remove a separate plaque in his honour.
But this decision had to be reversed after widespread criticism that its actions
amounted to rewriting history.
The hornets’ nest of campaigns for the
repatriation of other cultural artefacts
had long been stirred. Among these
were the call for the return of the Elgin
Marbles to Greece from the British
Museum, a similar call by Egypt for
the return of the Rosetta stone, which
has hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek
inscriptions in it and is believed to hold
the key to deciphering hieroglyphics
and Egypt’s past and India’s call for the
return of Koh-i-Noor diamond, which
was seized by the British Empire’s East
India Company as one of the spoils of
war.
Other notable similar campaigns
are: the Egypt-driven campaign for the
return of the Nefertiti Bust by a German foundation, which sees it as “the
ambassador of Egypt in Berlin”; the
call by Turkey’s aggressive campaign
to reclaim its antiquities (including the
Old Fisherman from Aphrodisias and
Sion Treasure) from the world’s largest
museums including the Met, the Louvre
and the Pergamon; the campaign by the
Iraqi government to reclaim the Iraqi
Jewish artefacts looted during the USled 2003 invasion and the demand by
the Chinese government for the return
of its imperial treasures by the British
Museum.
78
ARTS & REVIEW\\DRAMA
A cross-section of distinguished guests at the command performance of Irobi’s play
IROBI’S PLAY FOR A ROYAL TREAT
Greg Mbajiorgu
I
t was Friday, February 19. The University
of Nigeria, Nsukka’s New Arts Theatre
was thrice capacity-filled. The event was
the tertiary institution’s 45th convocation
drama. This grand convocation cultural
night, which featured Esiaba Irobi’s The
Colour of Rusting Gold, was unique in so
many ways.
First, it was a command performance packaged as a reception highlight for the Ooni of Ife,
Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, who is also the
newly invested Chancellor of the university. Also,
the double-pronged theatrical ceremony, which
celebrated both the visit of the Chancellor and
the works and life of Irobi, the doyen of Nsukka
school of drama, was preceded by an opening glee
performed by the Ooni’s griots and praise-singers
to the delight of the special audience eagerly
awaiting the arrival of His Majesty into the Arts
Theatre. Adeafening ovation heralded the arrival
of the Ooni to the venue.
The occasion was also planned and conceived
to commemorate the life and works of the doyen
of Nsukka School of Drama-the late Esiaba Irobi.
Irobi was a prolific playwright and poet with
a frightening and fascinating harvest of highly
remarkable classics of literary works. His published and frequently produced plays includes:
Nwokedi, Hangmen Also Die, Cemetery Road, Put out
the House Lights, What Songs Do Mosquitoes Sing,
Fronded Circle, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and
most recently, Sycorax. His collection of published
poems includes: Inflorescence, Cotyledons and
Why I Don’t like Philip Larkin. Professor Irobi,
a theatre professor at Ohio University, Athens,
was on sabbatical leave from his job at the Freie
Universitat, Berlin, Germany when he took ill
on the May 29, 2010 and died at the age of 49.
His classical play, Cemetery Road clinched the
Nigeria LNG-endowed prize for literature in 2010.
But, unfortunately, he died before the date of the
conferment of the prestigious award.
Irobi’s The Colour of Rusting Gold – directed by
Greg Mbajiorgu and Ikechukwu Erojikwe – was
performed by the staff and students of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies of the university.
The Colour of Rusting Gold is a drama on corruption
and dilemma of the contemporary man as he
strives for moral rectitude. The play is a marriage of
tradition and modernity but the copious appearance of tradition in the play is a veneer to explore
the issue of morality, integrity and honour in the
face of money politics. Thus the play captures in all
ramifications the place of sound judgment and lore
of our traditional belief and value system.
It opens in the shrine of the great herbalist Otagburuagu. Boldly inscribed on the wall in the far end
of the stage is “Herbalist Otagburuagu Specialist in
Madness, Rain Making and Barrenness. A Trial Will
Convince You, 080336664191”. This notice takes us
into the soul of the man we are about to encounter.
The performance opens on a very serene note with
the auditorium in pitch darkness and the orchestra
intoning a call and response chant. This ends
abruptly, then the flute filters in which is followed
intermittently by the Ikolo and the Ogene, which
ebbs off slowly as the dirge “Ihe dike Mere Moo”
is rendered at the same time with the lights clearly
indicating that it is early morning. Lights reveal two
figures; Otagburuagu and Ogidi on stage, one on a
bamboo bed the other on a mat on the floor.
Otagburuagu was played by Daniel Chibuko
a graduate of theatre and film studies, who chose
to be part of the production due to his love for the
theatre on the one hand and Irobi on the other. His
interpretation of the role elicited commendations
from many including Prof. Chimalu Nwankwo,
Irobi’s teacher who flew in from the US to see the
production. “This is the best showing of The Colour
of Rusting Gold I have seen so far,” he said.
The second movement also resumed on a high
tone and pace, Nnenna the pregnant woman
played by Sandra Chioma Samuel engages Alika
(Christian Nwokocha) in a funny but thought
provoking conversation which is suddenly
interrupted by the distinct voice of Ngasi played by
Cindy Anene Ezeugwu, a lecturer in the department of Theatre and Film Studies, who rattled
the audience with her melancholic lamentation
which flows thus “I’m the unlucky woman, who
wanted to blow her nose but blew out her eyes,
I stretched my hands to pick my eyes but broke
my hands…” Ezeugwu held the audience spell
bound during her entire appearance, even more
magical was the epic sensation which her sudden
entrance from the right aisle of the auditorium
created. Her enactment enchanted the audience
so much that they started asking if she was the
real Ngasi and Oriakanjonauchichi’s mother. She
was so alive in the role that she got some members
of the audience to shed tears. The appearance of
Ngasi and Oriakanjo brought a sober mood to the
performance. Empathy was drawn to the characters of Ngasi and Oriakanjo (the lunatic) which
was played by Justin Anakwe a final year student,
Anakwe’s performance needs to be experienced
because words cannot paint how the young man
was able to interpret the role of the mad man so
well. As the movement progressed Nnanimgaebi (Ugochukwu Frank) and Nketa (Stella Offor)
enter with sharp and angry movements which
changed the mood of the play. Nanimgaebi’s
entrance changes everything, his movement,
speech variations, gestures and delivery took
the play to another dimension. As the audience
began to get excited, Oriakanjonuchichi attacks
and holds Nketa captive, Nnanimgaebi’s
attempts to rescue her become futile as Oriakanjo
seizes the gun which he wants to use to rescue
Nketa. From then on the performance blazingly
x-rayed the problems of our present society- for
example, the mad man and the gun, the lawless
nature of the corrupt politician, the helpless
pregnant woman who was not allowed to see
the dibia due the selfish attitude of the corrupt
politician. The story goes on.
Nnanimgaebi in his bid to hold onto parliamentary power tries to blackmail Otagburuagu
to kill his opponent, unfortunately this backfires
and Nnanimgaebi falls into the pit he dug for
another. From there the walls of Otagburuagu’s
soul begin to crack. The great dibia, the human
tiger with four eyes enters the level of psychosis.
His conscience has been smeared with blood,
the blood of the innocent child and that of
Nanimgaebi. Unfortunately, Ogidi steals the
money, which Otagburuagu refers to as blood
money, the very money that Nanimgaebi left
in his shrine after the oath swearing before
Ahanjoku, he is immediately murdered by
Otagburuagu. Subsequently, he moves ahead
to kill Oriankanjo with the belief that he saw
everything. Sadly, his friends and fellow
members of the Osuagwu cult, apprehends
him. Kevin Omah who played Ijere in the play,
though a minor character, transported the
audience from the physical world to the spiritual
plane, Oma’s deep rooted interpretation and
research of the role brought in metaphysical and
esoteric aesthetics into the performance, Ogene
Ugochukwu Ugwu and Okaaomee Lambert
Abbah arrive but realize that they cannot defeat
Otagburuagu on their own, thus they send for
Mmaju the female Osuagwu whose magical
and metaphysical appearance rescued the situation. Mmaju’s exhilarating and exotic display
of supernaturalism thrilled the audience beyond
words. Nkechi Udensi who starred as Mmaju
made extra effort to add colour to the role. She is
dexterous and skillful as an actress. Her delivery
which was filled with ritual essence and grandeur
was further heightened by the mystifying make-up
and costume. Otagburuagu is defeated, his taproot
unearthed, his medicine pot discovered. The other
dibia’s destroy Otagburagu’s shrine amidst a soul
touching dirge. The infusion of dance, ritual music,
chants and spectacle into the play by the directors’
helped to entice and mesmerize the audience from
the beginning of the play to the end. Making it
possible for them to go home reflecting on the very
message contained in the production brochure “it
is our expectation that our special audience for this
year’s convocation drama will go home with the
following question: Why must we allow our great
nation, Nigeria, which we cherish even more than
Gold to rust in our age and time”?
The technical elements of the play: sound, lights,
set and orchestra were effectively employed except
for few glitches resulting from poor funding of the
production.
Although most of our distinguished guests
could not hide their feelings that the performance
was well executed, it is pertinent to note that the
theatre architecture and its accoutrements cry out
for urgent attention. The Nsukka theatre is far from
being an ideal example of what a modern theatre
building should look like. The stage is narrow, the
auditorium lacks modern seats and facilities, there
is no cooling system in the theatre, no conveniences,
and no ergonomics. However, it is delightful to
mention that the president of the University Alumni
Association, Chief Andrew Oru, has promised to
help in the renovation and re-equipping of the arts
theatre. This, he said, is in his priority list of problems
to solve because “… the Arts Theatre is a strategic
building, a place where we say welcome to distinguished visitors to the university with dramatic
offerings”. Nevertheless, I must frankly state that
these technical and structural short comings did not
quite undermine this year’s convocation production
as such, because the superlative performance of
the actors and actresses diminished most of these
shortcomings.
Having impressed the Vice-Chancellor and all our
distinguished convocation guests and uplifted the
image of the university through this singular theatrical outing, we sincerely hope that the UNN Alumni
Association will not allow next year’s convocation
drama to be staged in a poor theatrical arrangement.
- Mbajiorgu, a NURESDEF Laureate, is a
Senior Lecturer at the Department ofTheatre
and Film Studies of the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka.
79
CICERO
Editor Vincent Obia
IN THE ARENA
The Presidential Inquest into the
Pogrom by Herdsmen in Benue
Amid a multitude of inquiries, which previous governments lacked the political will to implement, only a
sincere commitment by President Muhammadu Buhari to ending the impunity of the marauders through
effective law enforcement and realistic legislation would make a difference. Vincent Obia writes
E
very now and again the bloody spectacle
flares up even with greater intensity. The
predictability and scale of the carnage
wrecked on indigenous communities by
the herdsmen depict them like a spectre
always returning to haunt the locals. The
sheer success of their murderous operations
tend to demonstrate an unwavering force
of complicity between the assailants and those paid by the
state to keep society safe from such terrorist atrocities.
But President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped in with
a promise to end the vicious trend. Buhari must device
sincere law enforcement strategies and legislations to end
the futile bloodletting.
The president has ordered an investigation into the
clashes between herdsmen and indigenes of communities
in Benue State. This followed the incident about a fortnight
ago, when Fulani herdsmen, backed by mercenary fighters,
invaded several communities in Agatu Local Government
Area of the state, killing more than 300 natives.
“We will conduct an investigation to know exactly what
happened; the only way to bring an end to the violence
once and for all is to look beyond one incident and ascertain exactly what factors are behind the conflicts,”Buhari
said in a statement signed by his special assistant on media
and publicity, Garba Shehu.“Once the investigations are
concluded, we will act immediately to address the root of
the problem.”
There is a multitude of unimplemented reports on the
fratricidal struggles between herders and indigenous
peoples of the Middle Belt, particularly, in Plateau State,
which has witnessed the bloodiest skirmishes. Five commissions and panels investigated and submitted reports on
the ethno-religious crisis in Plateau State between 1994
and 2010, but none of the recommendations has been applied to the tragedy that has claimed thousands of lives in
the past four decades. They are the Justice Aribiton Fiberesima Commission of Inquiry into the April 12, 1994 clash
in Jos Metropolis, Justice Niki Tobi Judicial Commission of
Inquiry into the Civil Disturbances in Jos and its Environs
in September 2001, Prince Bola Ajibola Commission of
Inquiry into the November 2008 crisis, General Emmanuel
Abisoye Panel of Inquiry of 2009, and the Solomon Lar
Presidential Administrative Panel in 2010.
Buhari’s inquest into the Benue killings would not be
particularly interesting if the president had not shown
himself as a passionate defender of Fulani interests.
Himself a cattle breeder, the president is reported to be the
Life Patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association,
the pan-Fulani herders’ union. In a well-known – though,
widely criticised – incident on October 13, 2000, Buhari
had led a powerful team of his kinsmen to the then Oyo
State Governor Lam Adesina to protest the alleged killing
of Fulani cattle rearers. The allegation turned out to be
a false alarm, and Buhari was roundly condemned for
engaging in blind ethnic patriotism not befitting a former
Head of State.
Buhari must rise above all emotional pressures and
take a dispassionate view of the crisis involving Fulani
P O L I T I CA L N OT E S
[email protected] 08093845329
pastoralists and indigenous communities in Benue State.
The president must device appropriate and workable
strategies to end the crisis, not only in Benue State, but
also throughout the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria
where clashes between Fulani herders and natives have
become a regular occurrence.
Suggestions have been made for the banning of the current conflict-prone system of moving animals from place
to place in search of food and water, and its replacement
with the establishment of ranches, where animals would
be fed with hay and other modern feeds. This suggestion
does not seem to have found favour with Buhari. He told
a delegation from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
in January that a plan to map out grazing areas would
soon be presented to the Nigerian Governors Forum as a
temporary solution, until cattle owners are persuaded to
adopt other means of rearing their cattle.
But Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Audu Ogbeh, was quoted as saying penultimate Thursday
in Abuja that the federal government was planning to
send a bill to the National Assembly for a law that would
prohibit herdsmen from allowing their cattle to roam and
graze in communities and farmlands. Noting that many
of the violent herdsmen were from the neighbouring
countries, Ogbeh said “massive hectares of grasses for the
consumption of cattle,”imported from Brazil were being
grown, some of which would be ready in three months.
There is no doubt that the archaic pastoralist system
urgently needs changing if Nigeria is to overcome the
frequent clashes between herdsmen and indigenous
populations, which have laid waste to many communities.
The setting up of ranches remains the most feasible option.
Kogi Assembly and Reps Takeover
T
House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara
All in all, the murderous
invasion of communities by
herdsmen, like it happened
in Agatu, is a mainly security issue. Those in charge of
security in areas where these
things happen should be held
to account for the lapses that
allow hundreds of people to be
slaughtered in cold blood. The
Nigerian government must be
alive to its primary responsibility of protecting the citizens
against attack and danger.
But then, certain happenings
since the Agatu massacre seem
to send the wrong signals to
the citizens about the government’s commitment to their
security.
As the whole world watched
and waited to see how passionately interested the president
was in addressing the Agatu
killings, the latest in a protracted menace of massacres by
Fulani herdsmen, leaders of the
latter came out with comments that seemed like an open
claim and rationalisation of the carnage. At a meeting on
March 3 in Makurdi, organised by Police Inspector General
Solomon Arase, spokesman of the Fulani community in
Benue State, Ado Boderi, alleged that it was the killing
of about 10, 000 cattle belonging to his members by the
people of Agatu that sparked the bloody crisis. The meeting, which was presided over by the IGP, had in attendance
officials of the Benue State government, chiefs and major
stakeholders of Agatu, and Fulani leaders from both Benue
and Nasarawa states.
It is hard to understand how the alleged killing or theft
of cows can justify the taking of human lives, and on such
a massive scale. Sadly, such indirect rationalisations have
almost always followed killings, like the one in Agatu, by
cattle rearers, with the security agencies seeming virtually
helpless.
As if to compound the situation, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Paul Yakadi, disclosed some days after
the massacre in Agatu Local Government Area that Fulani
herdsmen, armed with sophisticated weapons, and their
cows had occupied the deserted parts of the council area,
where the carnage took place. This style of occupation,
which seems to follow a similar pattern as previous invasions by herdsmen, has fuelled allegations that the original
intention of the marauders that sacked Agatu communities
was to grab their rich agricultural land for grazing. Clearly,
there are many reasons to doubt the federal government’s
commitment to a permanent solution to the bloody confrontations between cattle breeders and local communities.
Only a sincere and passionate implementation of popular
solutions to the problem can remove the doubts.
he House of Representatives on Wednesday took
over the functions of
the Kogi State House
of Assembly following
the degeneration of the
disagreements provoked
by the impeachment of the Speaker,
Mr. Momoh Jimoh-Lawal. It was an
appropriate intervention to preserve
the reputation and sanctity of the
Assembly and democracy, generally.
But the lower chamber should put
necessary machinery in place to
quickly resolve the issues so that
the state legislators can return to
their statutory duties.
Any attempt to allow the situation
to linger would defeat the purpose
of the National Assembly’s intervention.
The Kogi State House of Assembly
members, too, must endeavour to
cooperate in the efforts to resolve
the crisis in the state legislature.
– Vincent Obia
80
CICERO/INTERVIEW
Abubakar
Abubakar: I Inherited
N16m from My Predecessor
Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar is the Governor of Jigawa State. Abubakar last week addressed
select journalists in an extensive engagement that offered him opportunity to speak, for the first time,
on the state that was handed over to him by former Governor Sule Lamido, his resolve to complete
the projects of the previous administration, the huge debt burden he inherited, how he worked with opposition party chairmen at local government level and what the state is doing to address the issue of
girl-child education. Gboyega Akinsanmi was there
Y
ou assumed office last
year against all tides.
Since you came into
office, what has your
administration been
doing differently from
the administration of
former Governor Sule
Lamido?
Since we came into office, we have
managed to shrink spending. The
budget for Government House has
shrunk by 70 percent. Hospitability spending and virtually all other
expenditures of the state have shrunk.
Contrary to what used to happen in
the state when some people used to
charter flight amounting up to N20million every month, we do not charter
today. We do not spend close to one
quarter of that amount. I came from the
private sector. I know for us to change
the situation of our people, you have
to change the economic dynamics of
the state. If you check our internally
generated revenue (IGR) profile, we are
generating little or nothing. It is nothing
to write home about. Hence we are
making effort to change the unfortunate
situation. We are trying to change the
economic dynamics of Jigawa State by
creating a sustainable environment for
businesses. We believe the only way to
do this is through agriculture where we
have comparative advantage. We have
invited Dangote who is doing massive
rice production in a part of the state.
There are others, who are into tomato
production. We also believe in empowering people, but the structure we
inherited is not sustainable. Our major
focus is to create local economy that
will in the near future support the state.
Oil has no future; prices will continue
to fall. New technologies are coming
up and will always ensure that oil is
not sustainable. We are also looking at
enhancing our IGR through taxation.
We must ensure that necessary taxes
are collected and properly remitted to
government coffers. Before now, many
people defrauded the state.
Critics have faulted your programmes and projects on many
grounds. Since you assumed office,
how has opposition parties been
cooperating with your administra-
The education
of girl-child is
completely free
in Jigawa State.
It is completely
free from nursery
to university. In
addition, we have
some classes, where
we bring every
girl-child and train
them. We set up
these classes to
enable us access
the parent of these
students
tion?
Well, it will interest you to know that
I am the only governor who still left
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
chairmen of local governments in their
positions. About 25 of them, chairmen
and two caretaker committee chairmen,
we inherited from the past administration. When I came in, I told them to
continue with their work contrary to the
expectation of even members of the opposition. Again, I am the only governor
that has not accused my predecessor of
embezzlement. There may be allegations
here and there, but you cannot say
somebody stole when there is no proof
of the allegation. Unless the law court
declares someone guilty, you cannot
do so on the basis of hear-say. Also,
I inherited N16million only from my
predecessor. We met huge liabilities. I
inherited N16million from my predecessor with too many works in progress in
a shrinking economy and in a shrinking
oil prices. I have continued with the
projects on ground. I am not the kind
of person who believes in initiating
new projects and abandoning the ones
that were started by my predecessor.
81
CICERO/INTERVIEW
• ABUBAKAR: I INHERITED N16M FROM MY PREDECESSOR • Continued from Pg. 80
Considering the spate of terrorist
attacks in the North, how do you
intend to ensure security of life and
properties?
The issue of security is basically
federal. What the state can do is to
support the security agencies. We have
been supporting them. We have very
good relationship with traditional rulers.
And our information system with
the traditional rulers is superb. The
traditional rulers report to the security
agencies any new person that come into
their territories. You should have asked
whether it is by miracle or chance that
Jigawa, surrounded by Yobe on one
hand, Bauchi on other side and Niger
Republic on the top, and we remain
peaceful. I do not know what to say
really. We are doing so well in security.
We are also investing so much on
security.
We are working for the good of our
state and our people. I rather complete
the projects and let somebody take
the credit rather than lose the people’s
money or allow the resources to waste.
You said you inherited almost an
empty treasury. With the sharp drop
in monthly allocation, how have you
been meeting up with payment of
workers’ salaries?
Jigawa is a civil service state; once
salaries are not paid, the groundnut
seller in town will quickly feel it. We
have continued to pay salaries despite
the shrinking resources. What we did as
soon as we came into office was to plug
some holes through which people were
siphoning money from government.
Through the biometric exercise we
conducted, a lot of ghost workers were
discovered. It means that some people
were making themselves rich every
month by collecting salaries of workers
that did not exist. We have been able
to block that. The state government
supported some local governments last
month to the tune of N226 million for
them to pay salaries; that’s to show you
how bad the situation is. A lot of my
colleagues can’t even pay salaries, so we
still consider ourselves lucky to be able
to do so.
Before we arrived here, people said
the only place where life exists in
Jigawa State was Dutse. How do you
intend to extend this life to other
part of the state?
That is not true. In 27 headquarters
of local councils, we have streets. We
have roads. We have businesses. In fact,
there is more businesses in Hadejia than
Dutse. It is not true. Because we are not
blowing our trumpet? There is a lot of
misinformation. Some people said he
never stayed in the state. Contrary to
what some people said, I am the only
one that come to the office at about
9:05 a.m. except I am not in the state.
Whenever I am in the state, I come to
the office 9:05 a.m. daily.
There has been issues around the
goat programme this administration
put in place for widow in the state.
Critics have attacked the programme
and described it as a misplaced
priority. What actually informed this
initiative?
It is because people do not understand how to solve problems. This has
been done in other climes. Personally, I
have tried empowerment programmes
in other vocations. The programmes
have not been as successful as the goat
programme. But it is a kind of prestige
to give our people loan. For people who
are into sowing, you gave the sowing
machine. That is perfect model. But you
gave out 20 or more sowing machines.
Nobody will be able to make N100 from
it. But the goat programme is good. In
many countries, it has proved very successful. We recorded 70 percent success
in the goat programme we did. We put
monitoring and evaluation mechanism
in place to measure the impact of the
programme. If you evaluate all empowerment programmes in this country,
you discover that the success rate is
less than 20 percent. Some beneficiaries
sell the empowerment materials given
to them the same day they collect it
because it cannot sustain them.
Critics have raised another issue
that you have abandoned all the
programmes and projects of last
administration. In this light, what is
the status of Dutse Airport?
That is not true. I am the only governor in this political dispensation that
met the Chairmen of Local Government
Areas elected on the platform of Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and worked
with them until the expiration of their
terms. I am also the only governor that
continued totally the projects that the
previous administration started. But
Abubakar
what I do not subscribe to is a situation
whereby the state government will pay
for 60 passengers three days a week.
The last administration was paying
N27, 000 per passenger. And it paid for
60 passengers for three days a week to
support traffic development. And this
traffic development has been in existence for over one year. How can you
develop a route for over one year and
cannot sustain the route? Despite this,
you continue taking the public funds
to sustain the airline so that people will
say aircraft is landing in Dutse. All the
projects in the airport are going on. The
lighting is going on. Other projects are
being executed in the airport. Sincerely,
the work is going on in the airport.
If the planes are no longer landing,
what are you going to do with the
airport?
That is a good question. But planes
are landing. But my administration is
not supporting the idea of using taxpayers’ money to subsidise route. The
route has been there for more than one
year. And the route is not developing.
Sometimes, the plane will bring only
one passenger and the state government
had to pay for 60 passengers three times
a week. That is what has been happening. All the shout is about the subsidy. I
did not stop any plane from taking off
from the airport. The airport is active.
Even last week, Alhaji Aliko Dangote
landed there. A lot of people are coming
and going through the airport. We do
all our airlifting from the airport. We
intend to airlift all our pilgrims this year
through the airport. But when there
is no traffic, I cannot create one. I do
not see the magic that will lead traffic
by subsidizing an airline just for it to
come to Dutse and go. The question
is: this can come back. But first, we
have to develop the economic activities
that warrant the movement of people?
Unless we create businesses or develop
some tourist attractions that create air
traffic, then we can go back and start
developing air traffic. I will not allow
the airport to deteriorate. It has been
built already. I will not allow it to waste
away. But certainly, I cannot spend public funds to support an airline that bring
only one or two passengers into Dutse.
Even in Hadejia, they have choice either
to come here or go to Kano. But most
of us are already married to Kano. We
have one or two brothers or sisters
there. What we intend to do with the
airport is to create economic activities
that will develop air traffic. If that
happens, there is possibility to continue,
even if it will take another six month to
pursue traffic development programme.
Second, we are discussing cargo export
with DHL. We have already sent people
to Kenya to find out how best we can
achieve this. Third, there is already a
proposal on aviation school. We are also
looking into different things we do with
the airport.
Beyond the above, what is the plan
of your administration to industrialise Jigawa State considering the
potential of the state to produce
tomato, rice or sorghum in large
quantity?
After Kano, the second factory of
Aliko Dangote will be in Jigawa for
tomato processing. We have decided
to allocate 500 hectares for tomato
production. But right now, we have 200
hectares for this purpose. We also have
farmers, who have started cultivation on
200 hectares. Already, the state government is subsidising the transportation of
tomato to Dangote’s tomato processing
factory in Kano. This will enable us to
learn how to produce and understudy
the best practice. At this initial stage, it
will not be difficult for farmers to transport what they produce to the Dangote
tomato processing factory because the
state government has subsidised transport. Already, the farmers have collected
the seeds. Aside, they have attended
training and are now working hand-inhand with Dangote Tomato Processing
Factory. We are putting in a request for
a portion of land for tomato production.
Finally, we are doing that with sorghum
and others. Even sorghum, we are
discussing with Cadbury to see how
we can package the whole value chain.
We will bring in extension workers and
provide them with certified seeds, farm
implement, fertilizers and training on
credit. That is why I said we are trying
to do what will move our administration forward.
For all the programmes you have
outlined, security is central. But you
have not discussed security agenda.
In your remark, you said you
never accused your predecessor of
corruption and stealing. Are you
saying there was no incident of
stealing and corruption under the
previous administration?
I said I have not accused my predecessor of stealing. I have to establish
facts before I can make such allegations.
I have not accused him because there is
no proof, though there are allegations.
But the court has to prove that he was
involved in the acts of corruption and
stealing. Actually, there are allegations,
but the court has to rule that they are
complicit. All these people say they are
thieves. It is not the gutter language that
we should use. Even though they are
thieves, the court has to prove it. That is
why I have not accused him.
The Northern State Governors’
Forum decided to borrow from the
Islamic Bank. When eventually
accessed, what specific areas do the
northern states plan to inject the
facilities?
Every state in the North decided
what area they would want to use the
loan for. In Jigawa, I inherited a discussion from the Islamic Development
Bank with respect to a facility of $232
million. It is meant for infrastructure
development. For us to really grow our
agricultural sector, we need to develop
out infrastructure and the road networks that will help the farmers. That
was what I inherited. First of all, we
are not in a hurry to collect money. We
have to evaluate our situation first. It is
too low for every person now knowing
that we are barely surviving. After due
evaluation, we can then arrange our
loan based on what is coming in so that
we can service easily. We are all rushing
for the loan because it is almost interestfree. I know different states want to
use the loans for income-generation
activities. For instance, we discussed
about the development of solar power
generation. It is highly capital-intensive
project. But in the long run, it will pay
back.
The early marriage of girl-child is
still a critical issue in the North at
large. It is indeed prevalent in all
parts of the northern states. What
is your administration doing to
promote the education of girl-child?
The education of girl-child is
completely free in Jigawa State. It
is completely free from nursery to
university. In addition, we have some
classes, where we bring every girlchild and train them. We set up these
classes to enable us access the parent
of these students. Sometimes, the parents have some economic challenges
and as a result children are given out
at early age. We are training them
as a strategy to access these families
gradually so that their daughters will
go to schools. Most of them do not
even go to school because of tuition.
But we have taken it off.
82
CICERO/REPORT
Unending Crisis in Anambra PDP
Anayo Okolie writes on the crisis in the Anambra State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed
Oguebego
he January 29 Supreme Court judgement was supposed to put an end to
the prolonged crisis bedevilling the
Anambra State chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party. But the joy of the recognised Ejike Oguebego faction of the
party, which the judgement favoured,
was put on hold.
Before the general election last year, Oguebego
and Emakayi were both laying claim to the party’s
state chairmanship. But the Federal High Court
ruled that the Oguebego-led executive was the only
constitutionally recognised faction.
ments on the leadership of the party, urged the INEC
chairman to do the right thing in accordance with the
oaths of office he took to the effect that he would do
“the right thing to all manners of people according to
law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”
Uche added that should the INEC chairman be in
doubt as to the implications of its refusal to issue its
candidates their certificates of return, it had attached
the ruling of the presiding justice of the Supreme
Court on the day the issue of clarification of the apex
court judgement was rested, Justice Nwali Sylvester
Ngwuta, to guide him.
The eight-paragraph ruling signed by Justice
Ngwuta specifically read: “The judgement of this
court delivered on January 29, 2016 does not require
any interpretation. This court allowed the appeal and
set aside the judgement of the court below, which had
set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court in
favour of the appellants. The said judgement of the
Federal High Court was restored.
“In any case, the reliefs sought in the motion did
not relate to or emanate from the judgement of this
court delivered on 29th January, 2016 in appeal no
37/2015. When the Federal High Court granted the
Confusion
plaintiffs (now appellants) reliefs, the 2nd respondent
But INEC claimed that the January 29 judgement
was confusing and decided to approach the Supreme (INEC) did not seek interpretation of the judgement
of the high court before it published the list submitCourt for clarification. Ruling on an application filed
ted to it by the appellants as the candidates in the
by INEC seeking clarification and consequences of
2015 general election for the National Assembly.
the judgement, Okoro held that the judgement by its
“The respondents then appealed to the court below
ordinary meaning did not need to be subjected to any
and the said court set aside the judgement of the
clarification.
Federal High Court. The 2nd respondent (INEC) did
Uche said the ruling had cleared the way for
not seek interpretation of the judgement of the court
his clients to benefit from the judgement delivered
below before it withdrew the appellants’ list, which
on January 29. He said when the Federal High
it had earlier published on the order of the Federal
Court gave the ruling on the issue, INEC complied
High Court.
immediately without seeking for clarification and
“Why would the same 2nd respondent, now
when the Court of Appeal over turned the decision
applicant (INEC), ask for interpretation of the judgeof the Federal High Court, the same electoral body
ment that merely allowed the appeal which set aside
complied with the appellate court’s decision without
the judgement of the Court of Appeal and restored
seeking for any clarification.
the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered
“I am surprised that the same INEC has found
in favour of the appellants (now respondents in the
it difficult to act on the Supreme Court decision of
motion?)
January 29 the way it acted on the decisions of the
“There is nothing to interpret in the judgement
Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal,” Uche
of this court. If the 2nd respondent (now applicant)
said.
INEC had never denied the fact that it removed the needs interpretation, it is the restored judgement of
names of candidates sent to it by the recognised PDP the Federal High Court that it should interpret and
not the judgement of this court, which restored same.
leadership in Anambra State because of the judgeFrom the above and the fuller reasons in the lead
ment of the Court of Appeal, which judgement has
ruling, I also strike out the application for want of
now been set aside by the Supreme Court.
jurisdiction.”
The Oguebego-led PDP, who accused INEC of
Nigerians are watching with keen interest to see
being biased against the candidates it lawfully forhow INEC would resolve the prolong tussle.
warded to it in the execution of various court judge-
T
Judgement
Justice H.A. Ngajiwa of the Federal High Court
had in a judgement in the suit FHC/PH/CS/2013
(now FHC/AWK/CS/247/2013), delivered on September 12, 2013, affirmed Oguebego and members
of his team as constituting the authentic executive
committee of the PDP in Anambra State.
The judge refused the prayer by the plaintiffs
asking the court to recognise a former state chairman
of the party, Ken Emekayi, and some others as the
authentic PDP executive in Anambra State.
But in defiance to the order made by Ngajiwa
directing INEC and the PDP to only “recognise and
deal” with only the Oguebego-led executive, the PDP
went ahead to set up a caretaker committee, which
organised primaries that submitted the list containing
the names of Senator Andy Uba and Senator Stella
Odua, the sacked Senator Uche Ekwunife, and rest of
the legislators as its candidates.
INEC obeyed the order and published the names
of candidates that emerged winners in the primary
election conducted by Oguebego and monitored
INEC. But weeks later, the Court of Appeal in Abuja
set aside the Federal High Court judgement and
affirmed the Emekayi’s faction of the state executive
committee.
Oguebego and another member of his state executive committee, Chuks Okoye, appealed against the
judgement. PDP, INEC and another member of the
party in the state, Chukwudi Okasia, were joined in
the suit as respondents.
A five-man panel of the Supreme Court, led by
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, unanimously affirmed an
earlier verdict delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu
of the Federal High Court in Abuja on December
15, 2014, which had affirmed the Oguebego-led
executive committee of the party, along with the
primaries conducted by it, and its list of candidates
that emerged from the exercise.
Ruling in favour of Oguebego on January 29, Justice
John Okoro, who read the lead judgement of the apex
court, upturned the verdict of the appeal court on
the grounds that its decision was based “on a wrong
appreciation of the claim of the appellants before the
trial Federal High Court.”
Okoro ruled, “Having resolved all the five issues in
favour of the appellants, I hold that there is merit in
this appeal, which is hereby allowed. The judgement
of the Court of Appeal is hereby set aside.
“The order of the Federal High Court I Suit No
FHC/PH/CS/2013 now Suit No FHC/AWK/
CS/247/2013), recognising the Ejike Oguebego-led
Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party,
Anambra State chapter is still subsisting until it is set
aside by another court.
“I hereby award costs of N100, 000 against the first
and third respondents in favour of the appellants.”
According to Mr. Chris Uche, counsel to Oguebego,
“The Supreme Court judgement has effectively
restored the list of candidates upheld by the Federal
High Court.”
Yakubu
83
CICERO/REPORT
L-R: Saraki, Dogara, Adamawa State Governor Bindo Jibrilla, Zuma and Buhari
Nigeria-South Africa Relations:
Beyond the Rhetoric
The recent visit by South African President Jacob Zuma to Nigeria may be indicative of the warming diplomatic ties betweenthetwocountriesbutnotareflectionoftherelationsbetweencitizensofbothcountries,writesDamilola Oyedele
P
resident Jacob Zuma’s visit to Nigeria
was accompanied with all the pomp and
pageantry deserving of a President of one
of the largest economies on the African
continent, but the question on the lips of
many Nigerian citizens was, “ what is he
doing here?” Those who feel that way
cannot be blamed so much.
Where the relationship between the governments of
South Africa and Nigeria may seem friendly, the relationship between the citizens of both countries leaves much
to be desired. This may not be unconnected with the
general posture of the South African government, which
many diplomats believe pay lip service to continental
integration. This is hinged on the fact that the visa policy
of South Africa towards other Africans remain one of the
most hostile on the continent.
The bilateral relations were however not supposed to be
that way owing to the fact that the rest of Africa, gingered
by Nigeria in 1976, worked for the emancipation of South
Africa from the apartheid regime.
Friction between both Countries
Many Nigerians would recall the denial of entry and
instant deportation of 125 Nigerians by the S/African immigration authorities in 2012 for not being in possession of
yellow cards, even though Nigeria did not have a yellow
fever epidemic. Unconfirmed reports had it that a serving
member of the Nigerian National Assembly was among
those deported. The country remained unapologetic until
Nigeria commenced deportation of its citizens, including
businessmen, and was reportedly set to commence an
enquiry into the activities of South African businesses in
Nigeria.
Interestingly, while about 120 South African firms are
well established in Nigeria such as MTN, DSTV and
others, just a few Nigerian firms have been able to find
root in South Africa. Businesses accuse the South African
government of deliberate frustrations of investors from
other African nations.
Also the constant xenophobic attacks that occur in the
country, where Nigerians and their thriving businesses
have been targeted for looting, leaves an ugly stamp on
the bilateral relations. The constant attacks are blamed on
the government who other Africans, including President
Mugabe of Zimbabwe, have criticised for downplaying
the role that the rest of the continent played in the
liberation of the country.
It is necessary however to acknowledge that the
unscrupulous activities of some Nigerian citizens residing
in South Africa have projected an extremely negative
image of Nigerians, through their involvement in drug
trafficking, fraud, and other immoralities. This group
have carried out nefarious activities to the extent that the
Nigerian passport is looked down upon while the bearer
is treated with scorn and suspicion.
It was also believed that the rebasing of Nigerian
economy as the continent’s largest economy did not go
down well with many South Africans (who hitherto held
the position) who in turn criticised the Jacob Zuma led
government for allowing the economy go downhill.
Though both countries sit on the African Union Peace
and Security Council, they hold divergent views on many
continental issues such as Libya during the planned ouster
of Moammer Ghadafi by the Allied Forces, and Cote
d’Ivoire following Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to hand over
power after losing elections.
The relations further worsened under the last administration where South African authorities siezed and held
on to $9 million allegedly smuggled into the country to
purchase arms from the black market in the fight against
Boko Haram. The death of almost a hundred of its citizens
at the collapsed Synagogue Church in Lagos further
embittered many of its people towards Nigerians.
Strengthening ties
A major achievement of the Binational Commission
(BNC) which was established in 2009 was the waiver for
visas for diplomats from both countries. It has however
not been able to negotiate succour in the visa policy of
South African towards ordinary Nigerians. Since its establishment, eight sessions had been held, and 34 agreements
and Memorandum of Understanding had been signed.
It has also helped in boosting the business ties between
both nations, whose gain, sadly is one sided. Several
frosty issues are also handled before they degenerate.
Despite this, both countries seem to hold different views
on continental issues, a development experts believe may
not be too good for the development of Africa. It was in
a bid to strengthen relations between both countries that
President, Zuma accepted an invitation from President
Buhari to visit Nigeria.
Zuma Addresses Nigerian Parliament
The last time a Joint Session of the Nigerian Senate and
House of Representatives was addressed by a foreign
leader was in 2000 when United States President Bill
Clinton was accorded the honour.
Accompanied by President Muhammadu Buhari on
Tuesday, the visiting leader recalled the enormous roles
Nigeria played in anti-apartheid struggle as he paid tribute to the late Head of State, Gen. Murtala Mohammed,
whose address, he said, gingered continental support and
resistance to apartheid in the then Organisation of African
Unity (OAU) in 1976.
“From the mid-70s, Nigeria and its people also hosted
some of the exiled freedom fighters from South Africa,
with numbers increasing after the Soweto Student Uprising in 1976,” Zuma recalled.
For him, both countries as the two largest economies
on the continent, must complement each other and forge
strong partnerships to facilitate accelerated economic
growth and prosperity among Africans and ensure
continental integration.
Nonetheless, there is room for greater business to
business engagements particularly in the areas Nigeria has
identified as potential growth sectors, he said.
“These include the diversification of the economy,
namely electricity generation and supply, agriculture
and agro-processing, tourism development including the
hospitality sector, mining, banking, infrastructure development, aviation, manufacturing and the automotive sector.
We must strive for the diversification of our economies, so
as to cast the net wide enough to create more job opportunities for our people, to improve their living conditions
and grow our economies through domestic resources in
the first instance,” he added.
Zuma’s words were nice, but as Speaker Yakubu
Dogara puts it, the hospitality of Nigerians to South
African businesses and its citizens should be reciprocated.
“We…seek that this brotherhood between our leaders
translates to good relations between citizens of both
countries and it is only then that both countries can speak
to true integration of our peoples in the interest of our
continent,” Dogara said.
84
CICERO/ISSUE
Chairman, Taraba State Traditional Council, Aku Uka of Wukari
Ishaku
Ishaku and the Challenge
of Peace, Security
Wole Ayodele, in Jalingo, reports on the efforts of the Taraba State governor to ensure peace in the state
T
o keen watchers and followers of events
in Taraba State, the recent suspension of
four district and three village heads by
the governor, Mr. Darius Ishaku, would
finally bring to an end the altercation
between Senators Emmanuel Bwacha
and Yusuf A. Yusuf, both representing
the state in the National Assembly.
Announcing the suspension of the chiefs, the state
government stated that they had been allocating and
selling lands and residencies of internally displaced
persons to migrants who relocated to Taraba from
other states, particularly, the northern states.
The affected chiefs, who were suspended for three
months, according to the statement from the state
government, are the district heads of Kungana, Takalafiya, Maihula and Tella as well as the village heads
of Sabon Dale, Sandirde and Taka all in Bakundi and
Gassol chiefdoms in Bali and Gassol local government
areas.
According to the governor, the action of the chiefs
constitute serious security threat to the state, as it is
capable of sabotaging the current peace efforts of the
administration, which is aimed at restoring peace to
the troubled areas of the state so that the internally
displaced persons can return to their homes.
Altercation
Prior to their suspension, Bwacha, who represents
Taraba South senatorial district in the Senate, had
raised an alarm on the floor of the Senate over the
influx of strange people into the state, most of whom
he disclosed were being ferried into the state in
truckloads and buses. Bwacha, who is equally the
deputy minority leader in the Senate, called on security
agencies to investigate the development and take
proactive measures to prevent any escalation of the
already volatile security situation in the state.
But Bwacha’s counterpart, Yusuf, representing Taraba
Central senatorial district, countered and alleged
Bwacha was just crying wolf. To Yusuf, there was no
basis for the alarm. He urged the Senate and security
agencies to disregard Bwacha’s alarm, stressing that he
has been informed by the state Commissioner of Police
that there is no such influx into the state. But it was
an assertion that was later debunked by the CP, Mr
Shaaba Alkali.
Reacting to the controversy, Alkali revealed that
the state police command had intercepted several
truckloads of strange people, who were asked to return
to where they were coming from after being screened
at the police headquarters. The police commissioner,
however, noted that the migrants were not Boko
Haram members but just fleeing states that had come
under intense attack by the military in a renewed bid
to flush out the insurgents. He urged the senators
to leave him out of their politics, saying he is not a
politician but a professional police officer.
Justification
But justifying the suspension of the chiefs, Ishaku
revealed that his decision was based on security report
available to him that the affected chiefs had embarked
on indiscriminate selling of lands belonging to persons
displaced by internal crisis in the state. He specifically
accused the chiefs of encouraging the influx of migrants
from other North-east and North-west states into the
state by allocating to them land belonging to IDPs, who
are mainly Tiv, with the primary aim of preventing
them from returning to their homes.
“The actions of the chiefs have become very worrisome given that my administration has been battling
to resettle the IDPs and promote peaceful coexistence
among the people of the state and I cannot fold my
hands and watch this trend continue,” the governor
warned. “This development has given rise to a spate
of arm robbery, cattle rustling, kidnapping and other
criminal activities in the state.”
Kidnapping
Meanwhile, not a few residents and stakeholders
in the state have drawn a link between the massive
influx of the strange persons and the recent increase in
criminal activities in the state, particularly, kidnappings
being witnessed across some local government areas of
the state.
First to be kidnapped recently was Hajia Beli Manu,
mother of the state deputy governor, Alhaji Haruna
Manu, who was kidnapped from her residence at
Mutum Biyu in Gassol Local Government Area on
February 8. Her abductors were said to have stormed
her house in a convoy of motorcycles about 11.30pm
and shot sporadically into the air, killing one person in
the process. She was eventually released 24 24 hours
later after her family, reportedly, paid an undisclosed
sum of money as ransom. Though, the police authorities stated that no ransom was paid before her release.
Less than five days after Hajia Manu’s kidnap,
specifically on February 14, another high profile
indigene of the state, 78-year-old Mallam Umaru
Audu, father of a prominent politician, Alhaji Umaru
Bibinu, was kidnapped from his residence at Bibinu
village, Donga local government of the state. Audu
was eventually released by his abductors after the
payment of an undisclosed sum ransom. The kidnappers initially demanded N10 million.
Similarly, on March 1, a retired officer of the
Department of State Security, Mr Hosea Danjuma,
was kidnapped at his residence in Baissa, headquarters of Kurmi Local Government Area about 1.45am
by unknown gunmen. Danjuma, who last worked
in Badagry before retiring in 2015, was later released
after three days in the abductors’ custody following
the alleged payment of N5 million to his abductors.
The security authorities maintained that no ransom
was paid.
Besides kidnappings, there has been a sharp
increase in the rate of armed robbery, car snatching
and theft as well as cattle rustling particularly in the
south and central senatorial districts in recent times.
Accusation
To confirm and corroborate security reports that
the increased spate of criminal activities may not be
unconnected with the recent influx of people to the
state, a Fulani group, Tabbital Pulaaku International,
has accused Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association
in Taraba of conniving with other Fulanis from other
states to massively move into Taraba and cause disaffection among communities in the state. Chairman
of Tabbital Pulaaku International, Bello Baminjani,
who stated this in Jalingo while fielding questions
from newsmen when he led members of his group
on a courtesy call on Ishaku, accused Miyetti Allah
Association of not working for the well-being of
its members, but working to advance their selfish
interests.
Bello alleged that Miyetti Allah in Taraba were conniving with other Fulanis from other states to cause
disaffection among communities in Taraba, saying
Tabbital Pulaaku International, which is known for
peace, cannot identify with such dubious activities of
Miyetti Allah in Taraba.
With the proactive measures taken by the governor,
which have raised the hope for peace among communities in the state, many are optimistic that the
protracted ethno-religious crisis as well as the rising
criminal activities across the state would soon be
brought to an end.
85
CICERO/TRIBUTE
Celebrating Jang at 72
In this piece, Seriki Adinoyi pays tribute to Senator Jonah David Jang as he turns 72
F
ormer Governor of Plateau State and Senator of the
Federal Republic, Jonah David Jang, today turned 72.
It is a matter of joy for his family and friends to praise
the Lord for his grace on the life of this distinguished
and extraordinary gentleman.
Jang is reputed not just for the richness of his
itinerary while he was governor, but also for his rare
courage and the constancy in his conviction and
political choices, which have remained unchanged even when they
contradict the main stream opinion and fashion.
He is, first of all, a model of rectitude in his personal relationships; in
most of his dealings, he is straightforward, candid, direct, and resolute.
Many have attributed this to his military background. He is also
absolutely reliable; he never dissembled, never recant his words. He
is human - concerned with other people’s interests, sympathetic and
compassionate, discreet and understanding. When he thanks you for
something, you have no doubt that he really meant it. He will also not
thank you when you don’t deserve it.
Without making him sound like a fanatic, for he is not, he gives
everything he has to anything in which he believes and he’s involved.
His enthusiasm is contagious. If there is a single personal characteristic
that has set him apart, it is an inordinate, probing, insatiable curiositywanting to get reasons why justice should not be served equally to all
parties. He continually seeks the why and the how; the reasons and
the motivations behind everything. These become a way of life, which
constitute not only a fountain of knowledge and feeling, but also a
pursuit of excellence. Wisdom, they say begins in wonder. That is Jang.
His government was tagged as ‘stingy’ because he sought to know
what every fund he was going to release was meant for. But this
attribute contributed to the reason his was very prudent in spending,
as all the officials that worked with him knew that they would be
required to give account for every fund released to them.
In politics, an endeavour where egos regularly outpace dedication,
his career was shaped by the abrasive action between his steely sense
of the right as he saw it and the politician’s inclination to temporise.
Jang has stood firm, not forgetting the people, never abandoning his
dedication to their needs. He has not lost faith in the dream of what
Nigeria, and particularly Plateau might be.
These rare characteristics, rather than endear him to many have
unfortunately pitched people that have failed to cope with such
straightforwardness against him. But for those that understand him,
he is a treasure. He tends to think ahead of others; so, his suggestions
may somewhat not be accepted immediately because many do not see
what he has seen ahead of them.
Sometimes not too long ago, Jang had held a position on the need
for the establishment of state police, arguing that such will bring policing closer to the people to address the myriad attacks on communities.
But he was vehemently resisted and dismissed. He was thought to
have ulterior motives of using the police to fight his perceived enemies.
The then Police Inspector General thought Jang aimed to reduce his
enormous powers. A few years later, nearly every governor and indeed
Jang
every Nigerian saw reason for the same state police and began to
clamour for it. And when the Federal Government was still reluctant
about it, nearly all the states began to establish their private security
outfits to tackle their internal security challenges, including the famous
Civilian JTF that played vital role in the Boko Haram challenges in
Borno State.
A recent one was his stance on the use of electronic card readers for
the 2015 elections. He had foreseen the many failures of the cards, and
had warned that many Nigerians may be disenfranchised. He even
threatened to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to court when nearly half of the population of voters in Plateau
State did not get the card and were going to be disenfranchised. He
suggested then that INEC look into others ways of accrediting voters,
but the commission refused.
In the aftermath, everyone saw the many failures of the electronic
card system of voting, and indeed how it marred the elections. The
Supreme Court also had reasons to dismiss cases brought before it on
the basis of the use of the cards because it was not part of the constitution. If INEC had listened, perhaps some of the problems would have
been averted.
In 2008, Jang had cried out that foreign mercenaries in military
uniforms were imported with dangerous weapons to fight in Jos
during the mayhem that followed local government elections in the
state. He complained that Nigerian borders were too porous. Many
did not believe. The mercenaries eventually wiped out communities
in Plateau State under the guise of being Fulani herdsmen. When
they were done with Plateau, they proceeded to neighbouring states
of Taraba, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and now Benue; with over 300 lives
recently wiped out in Agatu. And may be if heed was given to his
cry and the border properly guarded the menace of Boko Haram that
spread across the nation like fire could have been averted or at least
reduced.
Jang’s heart is big and it works overtime, but it is tenderer than any
heart found among men of power. It is easily pierced by the tragedy
and misfortunes of others, but it possesses marvelous powers of
recuperation. When the Plateau voters rejected his choice for them in
the 2015 elections, it was an open wound for a few moments. But then
he gathered himself and began to climb out of defeat.
Like it was in the past, many didn’t see why he made the choice
for them; many became beclouded by ethnic and zonal politics that
they didn’t see why Plateau should be given a leader like Mr Gyang
Pwajok, who possessed the intellectual capacity and the will to serve
the state. But in years to come Plateau people will again understand.
His landmarks as military Governor of Benue and Old Gongola
States are still there today as testimonies to his selfless services to the
people; reason delegations were sent to felicitate with him when he
celebrated his 70th Birthday in 2014. He is still a friend to the states up
till today.
Jang may be 72 today, but he is young and vibrant at heart. He
understands well why so many young people today, observing the
contrast between their ideals and the reality around them, tend to
turn away in discouragement and alienation. By the contagion of his
confidence in democracy and love for the ancient Greeks that invented
democracy, he will always encourage young people to stay involved in
the political process – a reason for his choice in the 2015 governorship
election in Plateau. Like the ancient Greeks, he has contempt for those
who refuse to participate in the political process. He appreciates the fact
that while democracy creates inefficiencies that are expensive for society,
the alternative in the long term are much more expensive and deadly.
Those who know him, have worked with him, love him and have
been inspired by him, are far better men for that association. In the
words of Shakespeare, “the advantage of living is not measured by
length but by use; some men have lived long, and lived little. Attend to
it while you are in it. It lies in your will, not in number of years, for you
to have lived enough.”
Let all men dedicate their lives - be they long or short touching the
lives of others.
That is a value Jang has imbibed.
Finally, we ask not that a man be a hero, but only that he be
everything that makes a man. Jonah David Jang is such a man. He has
made a difference and cannot be forgotten, not on a special occasion
as this. May your days be long and your strength increase. Like
the Biblical Caleb, as your strength was while you vibrantly served
Gongola, Benue, and Plateau states, so it is now, and even more as you
serve the Nation at the National Assembly. You are a worthy Nigerian.
Happy Birthday Baba!
FelixOmobude:ACompassionatePastorandLeaderat70
Nnimmo Bassey
E
veryone who knows Dr Felix
Ilaweagbon Omobude, the
President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and General
Superintendent of Gospel Light
International Ministries, would
agree that he is a man of deep
wisdom and insight. He is a
man routinely acknowledged for his integrity
and who never leaves you in doubt about
what he stands for.
Birthdays are major milestones in the life
of humans and for this reason these dates are
marked and celebrated. Omobude is not open
to celebrating his birthdays, but as he clocks
six scores and ten years on the 14th day of
March 2016 it is essential that we reflect on a
worthy life and pay tribute to an inspiring and
true Man of God.
In the foreword to one of Omobude’s books,
Flaming Fire (1993), Dr Mike Okonkwo, the
Bishop of TREM, said this of him: “At this time
when there is a quest for reality rather than the
shadow, when showmanship in ministry is
fast crumbling, Dr Felix Omobude is a proven
man of God and a voice to our generation.”
That was true over two decades ago and we
can say without doubt that it is even more so
today.
I was drawn to Omobude by his preaching
on television in the early 1990s. Till date, the
incisive biblical teachings presented in current
socio-political contexts, and the rich mix
of subjects that emerge from his preaching
remain very inspiring. Indeed, at times after
hearing him preach one feels like it is time to
fashion whips and overturn the tables of the
money changers in the houses of God and in
political offices. Besides the clear Bible-based
substance of his preaching, Omobude is a
psalmist who has composed many worship
songs. He is also a poet, with his poetry
emerging from his choice of words and by the
iterative presentation of core concepts in his
messages. Needless to say that after more than
two decades of sitting to learn at his feet, one
craves for more!
From his book, Flaming Fire, we learn that
Omobude’s passion for evangelism and
missions took root in him from his early days
as a Christian and under the pastoral oversight
of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, then
head of Church of God Mission International.
Hear him: “I immediately began to work
in the church first as an usher and later as the
leader of the young people on evangelism and
street meetings. Thereafter, I had the privilege
of attending the church’s local Bible School for
nine weeks. From then I started going as an
advance team to wherever my pastor wanted
to hold a crusade.
“In 1973 I went in the company of two
military personnel who were also Christians.
We had spent days praying and fasting for
this meeting. God moved in that crusade with
signs and miracles. We came back from that
crusade giving thanks to God. My association
with those two other soldiers gave birth to the
Soldiers of Christ Evangelistic group in the
Church of God Mission then. I led this group
for many years.”
IN THE BUSH FOR THE LEPERS: Troubled
by the dehumanising situation of lepers begging on the Benin – Lagos and Benin – Sapele
highways in early 1997, Omobude set up the
Life Lift International as the humanitarian arm
of Gospel Light International Ministries. Since
its establishment, the Life Lift International has
remained active in supporting the needy and
has made an indelible mark on the lives of the
target people as well as on the wider society.
Life Lift worked to encourage the lepers and
ex-lepers to either return home to be reintegrated into their families or to return to the
camps provided for them by the government
at various locations in the country. With Ossiomo specialist hospital/leprosarium being
the nearest to Benin City, that has received
regular attention from Life Lift, including by
provision of scholarships and through the
renovation of a block of living quarters for four
families, construction of kitchen blocks and
sanitary facilities as well as the reconstruction
and upgrading of a Chest Ward building
recently completed with the support of T. Y.
Danjuma Foundation.
In its relief efforts, Life Lift has responded
to disasters within and outside Nigeria. Help
was sent to victims of fire outbreak at Aviara
1 Community in Edo State where over 100
houses were gutted and the Jesse pipeline fire
of 1998 that killed about 1000 persons and left
many others injured. Life Lift also sent relief
to Odi Community in Bayelsa State after their
town was levelled by the military in November 1999 with over 2800 casualties. Omobude
personally visited these disaster zones, giving
hope, offering comfort and praying for the
wounded and the bereaved. Life Lift also sent
relief to earthquake victims in Haiti (2010) as
well as contributing relief in the case of the
Fukushima tsunami/nuclear accident in Japan
in March 2011.
MISSIONS: As already noted, Omobude
is passionate for missions and this can also
be seen in his academic pursuits. Although
he has an electrical engineering background,
his doctoral dissertation at the San Antonio
Theological Seminary, United States of
America, was on the subject, Mission to the
Third World. Omobude believes strongly that
education is the major key for the emancipation of man. Little wonder that the Gospel
Light International Ministries, besides the
church arm, New Covenant Gospel Church,
runs educational institutions ranging from
the kindergarten to the tertiary institution, the
Lighthouse Polytechnic
As we reflect on Omobude’s 70th birthday
anniversary, the words of Dr Carl Conely,
President, LifeLink International and of Faith
Community Churches International, USA, in
the foreword to Omobude’s book, Whose Son
Are You (2007), says it all: “Dr Omobude is the
perfect example of a faithful son and a loving,
nurturing father. Multitudes of ministers in
Nigeria and around the world look to him
as a father and are quick to obey his loving
direction.
He gives himself wholeheartedly to the
success of his children. I know of no other man
who more fully models spiritual fatherhood.”
86
CICERO/TRIBUTE
The Painful Death of James Ocholi
Paul Obi
A
lthough Shakespeare
had posited that
“Golden lads and girls
all must, as chimney sweepers come to dust”,
understanding the
mystery behind death
itself remain troublesome and a terrible task to handle. Yet,
the death of Minister of State for Labour
and Employment, Ocholi Enojo James
(SAN) has subconsciously rekindled
the nation’s grief mood. A mood filled
with pain, unanswered questions and
uncertainty. His death, if anything, was
brutal and sharp, piercing even toughen
hearts.
The great loss of Ocholi, his wife,
Blessing, and son, Joshua goes beyond
mere devastation. It cuts deep into his
immediate family, Kogi State and leaves
a chilling effect on the government and
his party, the APC. In reflection, Ochili’s
enigma and sagacity in leadership had
a sharp contradiction to the present day
wrong - headed propaganda that has
taken toll on our national life. It is not
surprising therefore that notwithstanding his enormous contribution to
facilitating the merger of APC and its
subsequent victory at national and states
elections, he preferred to be a behind the - scene strategist.
Such style formed the fulcrum and
basics of his daily life. He had a carriage
that was simple, embracing and receptive to different shades of human life.
It was this persona that kept him afloat
throughout his lifetime and endeared
him to many.
His rise to fame didn’t come easy.
Ocholi lost his father at an early age.
Still, he doggedly fought to rise to
the top. For those who knew him, his
background as a self-provider did not
deter him from extending a helping
hand to the needy and downtrodden.
He was a legal luminary per excellence and a community mobilizer with
exceptional and visionary leadership
skill. He was a graduate of the Nigeria
Law School in 1986, holds (LLB) Hons
from the University of Jos, Plateau State
in 1985. Until his expedition into politics
he was the Principal Partner and head
of Chambers, Ocholi James (SAN) &
Associates, and had his pupilage in the
law firm of Richard Efa & Co. (Calabar)
and D.D. Abutu & Co. (Idah). A Legal
adviser and solicitor to government,
parastatals, financial institutions and
corporate bodies, Ocholi was a member
of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA),
and reputable international negotiator
with experience in litigation in civil and
admiralty matters, election petitions,
criminal and commercial cases. He
operated at various helms of affairs
ranging from the private sector, to the
academics, legal and political arenas,
serving as the Pro-Chancellor and
Chairman of Council, Salem University,
Chairman, Disciplinary Committee
Nigeria Bar Association, General
Secretary, Nigeria Bar Association Lokoja
Chapter, Kogi State, National Secretary,
Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship
International, including Chairman,
Constitution and INEC Compliance
Committee of Merger Committee of All
Progressive Congress, Deputy National
Legal Adviser, All Progressive Congress
(APC), amongst others.
He was a motivational leader drawn
to selfless service to his community,
state and nation without showing off or
throwing around how mighty he was.
He was also a man with integrity and
high acumen. These exceptional qualities
endeared him to the people of Kogi State
and propelled them to elect him as the
flagbearer of Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC) in Kogi State 2011 governorship election. Politically, Ocholi was
Ocholi
more than an Iroko in Kogi politics.
At his residence in Abuja, where
mourning has continued, many
described him as a colossus. Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo explained
that within government and the party,
Ocholi was highly regarded. “We have
lost someone we held in high esteem.
It is incredible that this happened. My
brother was learned and spiritual, your
memory will live on and will be source
of pride and joy to us all,” Osinbajo
stressed.
Minister of Labour and Employment,
Sen. Chris Ngige, while eulogising the
late Ocholi said he was able to bring
some drastic changes as the minister of
state. Ngige told journalists that Ocholi
“brought his wealth of experience to
bear in the discharge of his responsibilities as the Honourable Minister of
State in the ministry as evident in the
complementary role he played in the
on-going efforts at resolving industrial
crisis in the Oil and Gas including the
Health Sector.”
Instructively, appraising Ocholi’s contributions in various strata of his life will
be inexhaustible. Rather, his departure
has rekindle several leadership questions
of Nigeria’s ruling elite. Ocholi’s surviving son, Aaron, while mourning the
death of his dad, mother and brother
had assured the nation that all hope was
not lost. He said: “We are not hopeless,
we are really proud of the man he was.
We continue to pray to God to comfort
us. We will not feel dejected.”
Such assurance of hope coming from
the chief mourner can only be sustained
by the country and government that
his father died serving. By fixing
infrastructure and enacting operational
laws that will prevent reoccurrence of
such accident that terminated the lives
of the Ochilis. The Ocholis did not die
at home in their sleep. Granted, death is
inevitable, but the manner with which
lives are lost on Nigerian roads is yet to
receive the required attention in order
to arrest the ugly trend. Late last month,
four Catholic Reverend Sisters travelling
from Kakwagom, Boki along Ogoja
- Ikom road, Cross River State were
killed by a truck trying to overtake their
vehicle. The same fate also befell the
Catholic Church one week later when
about five seminarians travelling from
Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State to Enugu
died due to road accident. As the nation
was thrown into mourning last Sunday,
a member of the Bring Back Our Girls
Group, Ms Mubaraka Sani, also died as
a result of an accident that Sunday on
the same Abuja - Kaduna road.
For years, Abuja - Kaduna road,
Enugu - Onitsha road, Ogoja - Ikom
- Calabar, Benin - Ore roads ceased
to be roads. They became death trap.
Coincidentally, it was the same Abuja Kaduna road that killed Chief Sunday
Awoniyi, a fellow indigene of Kogi State
like Ocholi and a national leader. Yet,
government has blatantly ignored the
bad road.
The Federal Road Safety Commission
(FRSC) is also not left out. Nigeria till
date does not have rules governing
speed limits nor are there posted signs
on highways stipulating speed limits.
Even with Nigeria recording one of the
highest road accidents in the world,
not much has been done to solve the
problem.
In conclusion, as Nigerians mourn the
late Ocholis, their death should instead
be a wake up call for government to
stand up to its responsibilities. The best
way to immortalise the Ocholis might
not be by holding vigils, visitation and
rendering posthumous tributes. It is
in identifying the problems and challenges that led to their deaths. Holding
valedictory ceremonies may also not
be the magic wand, it is in responding
to challenges put forward by the death
of the Ocholis and other millions of
Nigerians who have died through road
accidents.
87
PERSPECTIVE
Curtailing Nigeria’s Centrifugal Forces
Femi Adepoju
I
n recent months, the renewed agitation
for a sovereign state of Biafra by segments
of the South-East youth population has
dominated public discourse, with many
pointing out the political motivations
of such crisis following the outcome of
the 2015 general election. On the other
hand, leaders of thought in the Niger
Delta geopolitical zone are currently accusing the
Nigerian military of seeking to wipe out villages
in the guise of hunting down pipeline vandals,
saying it was a northern ploy to harass the people
of the zone. Against this backdrop, the summit
organised last week by the Ondo State government at the International Cultural and Events
Centre (Dome), Akure, signposts the dilemma of
Nigerian nationhood in many significant ways.
Among other issues, it brought out the continued
resonance of ethnic cleavages that have dogged
Nigerian nationhood since the First Republic.
Discussants at the summit were Former
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief
Emeka Anyaoku; immediate past Information
Minister, Mr Labaran Maku, Senator Ben Bruce,
Senator Shehu Sani; Afenifere spokesman, Mr
Yinka Odumakin; former Labour Party chairman, Chief Dan Iwuanyanwu and a public policy
analyst , Miss Nda Kato.
The summit had in attendance more than 5,000
participants including the Ondo State governor
and members of the state executive council, as
well as former governors of the state; the speaker
of the state House of Assembly, Barrister Jumoke
Akinjide and the state Chief Judge, Justice
Olaseinde Kumuyi, as well as heads of security
agencies in the state. It also featured a former
governor of Ondo State, Chief Bamidele Olumilua; Afenifere chieftains, Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr
Amos Akingba and Senator Femi Okurounmu;
the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian National Summit Group, Mr Tony Uranta; national
president of the National Conscience Party (NCP),
Dr Yunusa Tanko, among others.
R-L: Former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and Former Information Minister, Labaran Maku, at the Symposium titled: “Curtailing Nigeria’s Centrifugal Forces” in commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Ondo State
and 7th Anniversary of Mimiko’s government,at the International Events Centre (The Dome), in Akure...recently
“Somebody said the Chibok girls will never be
freed. I can tell you that the Chibok girls will be
freed and they are alive. All that needs to be
done is to explore other options. Negotiation is still
possible. We have reached a point whereby we
need to do things differently, as governments over
the years just promise to diversify the economy
but do nothing. After 40 years of partying with oil
resources, we have come to our senses and as a
country we are now living in a moment of truth
and a day of reckoning. Our solution is not in UK,
USA or Saudi Arabia.
able, although he felt that refusing to devalue the
naira amounted to playing the ostrich, adding
that corruption was currently fighting the country
rather than the other way round. “The fact is
what we are doing right now is that we are
fighting corruption on one hand and promoting
corruption on the other hand. If today someone
walks into the CBN and the CBN gives him $1
billion, and say he should go and use it to trade,
it would not make any sense to go and do any
business, at the gate of CBN, he can make over
N2 billion profit. That is what we are saying when
we fix it at N199 and it is going for N400 in the
black market. We should allow the naira to find
Inequality and political planlessness
Senator Bruce, while highlighting the inequali- its level. What we are doing presently is hurting
ties in the country, noted that Boko Haram and the the economy.”
Deploring the declaration made by President
agitation for an independent Biafra were traceable
The key issues: Boko Haram
to the inability of the majority of Nigerians to feed Buhari in Egypt that those who had foreign taste
In his keynote address on the occasion, Anyashould look elsewhere to fund it, Odumakin
oku noted that Nigeria was plagued by extremely themselves. The country, he contended, could not
declared: “The plane that took the president to
develop when the leaders make promises they
violent groups such as Boko Haram and Fulani
Egypt was not made in Nigeria. The parts of that
cannot fulfill. “The problem of Nigeria is the
herdsmen, and not so violent groups such as
plane were not made in Nigeria. Everything that
leadership, except Governor Mimiko. We are the
the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and the
was budgeted for in Aso Rock this year are not
problem. After we have rigged election, we go on
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign
TV and say that power belongs to God; don’t chal- made in Nigeria. The vehicles that they are riding
State of Biafra and its splinter movement, the
in the villa are made abroad. We should stop this
Indigenous People of Biafra, because government lenge this election. The leaders of Nigeria do not
corruption where we think we can peg the naira
over the years had failed to restructure the nation live in Nigeria; they live in Dubai. Their children
at N199, while the naira is on a free fall. You are
don’t go to school in Nigeria. As long as our
along the path of federalism. “Restructuring
only encouraging corruption.”
leaders make promises they cannot keep, Nigeria
the present government by adopting a true
His conclusion: “Nigeria should either devolve
can never develop. As long as our leaders don’t
federalism will go a long way in enabling us to
understand our population explosion problem, we or it will dissolve.”
achieve speedy development and the political
cannot develop. By the turn of the century, Nigeria
stability which would reduce the enablement of
centrifugal forces in Nigeria,” he counselled, while will be more populous than China, India and
The national question
also opposing the devaluation of the naira, which America. If you cannot feed the people in Nigeria
Labaran Maku, in his own contribution, joined
today, how are you going to feed 1.5 billion people the earlier speakers in celebrating the programmes
he said would cause a rise in inflation.
in less than 100 years?”
However, Senator Shehu Sani, while agreeof the Mimiko administration in various sectors,
The media mogul insisted that the issue of
ing with Anyaoku’s analysis of the Nigerian
pointing out that they exemplified the true spirit
condition, objected to the categorisation of Fulani Boko Haram and the struggle in the South-South, of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who he said
South-East and any part of the country were
herdsmen with Boko Haram, saying that it
lifted the Yoruba above any other ethnic nationalamounted to criminalising an entire ethnic group. all about hunger and the distribution of wealth.
ity on the African continent. He said: “Yoruba
According to him, “Less than one per cent of
He said the climatic factors that make the Fulani
have gone ahead of Nigeria. They are collectively
herdsmen to migrate to the South with their cattle Nigerians consume more than 80 per cent of the
the most educated ethnic group on the African
country’s resources and then you come on TV and continent.”
ought to be properly understood.
say let us pray. Pray for what?
“I think what we need to see clearly is that, of
Pointing out that there was still much to
“We must change our value system. First
all the forces identified, there was none attached
celebrate in Nigeria despite its various shortcomof all you have to ask yourself if you are a
to an ethnic group beside the herdsmen. It is
ings, Maku noted: “Some people say Nigeria has
Nigerian. Do you eat Nigerian food? Do you fly
wrong to say an Igbo hard drug pusher or an
problem because it was founded through crisis.
your carrier? We must change the whole federal
Igbo armed robber or a Yoruba yahoo yahoo or
But which country was founded by lovemaking?
system to reflect commonsense. There are only
an Ijaw oil thief.”
Even in our weakness, we have given strength
The senator and human rights activist recalled two kinds of people in this world: producers and
to other African countries. Coups are no longer
consumers. You must produce. In Nigeria, people
that he had tried to find an alternative means of
popular in West Africa because Nigeria has
lead the government rather the other way round.
addressing the insurgency and took the risk of
moved away from coups.”
God distributed intelligence equally among all the
reaching out to the insurgents and initiating a
He however observed that Nigerians needed
process of dialogue about three to four times, but peoples of the world; leaders put us in this mess
to debate the basis of the country’s unity, saying
because it benefits us. Everybody is talking about
it was sabotaged by those who were benefiting
that the debate about Nigerian nationhood was
state police but they forget that before 1966, we
from the bloodshed. He added: “ It is normally
very crucial, and that the problem of Nigeria was
not possible to see an insurgent group that is not had Native Authority Police. Now the Federal
not all about poverty. He noted that politicians
Government takes 50 per cent of the resources
more than 2000 or 3000 to prove so impossible
continue to invest in centrifugal issues to
and starves the states. We must change the whole
for a nation of more than 170 million people
undermine development and recalled the sacrifice
federal system to reflect what makes sense,” he
to crush, a nation like ours with a reputable
of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who
contended.
armed forces that had performed creditably
he noted told him personally that his choice
well in peacekeeping missions across Africa. He
of Professor Attahiru Jega as chairman of the
expressed hope that Buhari would degrade the
Independent National Electoral Commission
Economic crisis
capacity of Boko Haram to carry out attacks.
was motivated by the need to avoid any form
Odumakin, in his own contribution, aligned
Referring to a recent statement by former
with Anyaoku’s comments by pointing out that the of influence from his government. The former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, Sani declared:
Information Minister however lamented that the
menace of Fulani herdsmen had become intoler-
gains recorded by the electoral commission under
Jega were fast being eroded, while also berating the
attitude of the political class in deploying foreign
exchange to holidays outside the country.
Maku stated: “Mobutu Sese Seko said he could
not fail in an election that he organised. Today, we
are seeing a different electoral scale. What Buhari
needs to do is to unite the nation behind him. If
we engage in recrimination, then that moment of
glory is lost. I’ve never been abroad since 1999; I
spend my holidays in my village.”
The roots of Nigeria’s feet of clay
Dan Iwuanyanwu, in his own contribution,
pointed out that he had been party-less for a year
and would therefore speak from the heart. He
said: “The struggle for power at the centre is
like life and death. This is so because there is
so much concentration of power at the centre.
Unfortunately, there has never been a single
leader since independence who has selflessly and
patriotically worked for the people of Nigeria. I
stand to be corrected. At Independence, Nigeria
had a quasi-federal system and revenue allocation
at that time was 50 per cent. This enabled the
various regions to explore and exploit their
comparative advantages to the benefits of the
component parts of Nigeria.”
It was at this period, he recalled, that Eastern
Nigeria was recorded as the fastest growing
economy in Africa. He added that with the
advent of the military, however, the states
became virtual beggars, running to the Federal
Government for allocations. Hear him: “The
general discontent of those who have been
short-changed has contributed significantly to the
inability to build a nation out of the numerous
nation states that make up Nigeria, The situation
has so degenerated that, given the option, the
majority of ethnic groups will opt to exit from
Nigeria. That is the truth. I don’t have to garnish
it. Mediocre people were foisted on Nigeria
in the name of federal quota. We should not
compromise our first 11.”
To the former LP boss, Nigerian military’s
tinkering with Nigeria’s quasi-federal structure
inherited at Independence worsened the
country’s problems. “There are governors who
have no idea what they are supposed to do. We
must go back to the report of the 2014 National
Conference. Pastor Tunde Bakare, Yinka Odumakin and I articulated the massive reconstruction
of the North-East that President Buhari has now
adopted. It is not ideal to take just one aspect
of the report and leave others,” he said. On
Governor Mimiko’s stewardship, he said: “I have
visited virtually all the 36 states of the federation
and I stand to be corrected: there is no state in
Nigeria that has what we have here. Don’t bring
in a stranger. You may throw me away but don’t
throw this advice away. You don’t have to try any
new thing.”
(See concluding part
on www.thisdaylive.com)
––Adepoju wrote from Akure
88
PERSPECTIVE
Nigerian Universities: Global
Ranking and Critical Reform Issues
Tunji Olaopa
T
he idea of the global ranking
of universities has become
a veritable means by which
we assess the performance
of various universities
across the continent. It is
no longer news that most
African universities struggle
to make some visible showing in the
forefronts of the ranking. For instance,
in the Times Higher Education 2014-2015
world university ranking, European,
Asian and mostly United States’ universities occupied the first 100 slots. Africa
made its first appearance through the
University of Cape Town, South Africa, at
number 124, followed by the University
of Witwatersrand, another South African
institution at slot 251. Out of 400 universities, no Nigerian universities, federal, state
and private made the list. In the January
2016 edition of the Webometric ranking of
universities, University of Ibadan was first
in Nigeria, 16th in Africa and 1296th in the
world. Obafemi Awolowo came in at 35th
in Africa and 2119th in the world.
We often mostly deride the ranking
as being unrepresentative and loaded
against African institutions. The argument
usually goes that such global assessments,
for instance, Transparency International’s
Corruption Index, fails to take into consideration the contextual realities on ground
in the issues at stake. Thus, ranking
African universities does more harm than
good because these institutions are made
to compete on academic standards that fail
the text of comparative adequacy. However,
any improvement in positioning is often
celebrated and flashed across multiple
media spaces. The University of Ibadan
website celebrates this webometric ranking
as the first in Nigeria. No one, however,
can grudge the premier university its
celebratory moment.
Ranking of all kinds measures specific
performance metrics that statistically
outline how a university is perceived as a
center of learning and research. There are
several lessons to learn from what we see
and where we are on the ranking lists. The
first such lesson is essentially symbolic.
And it symbolizes national degradation.
In other words, we learn through these
rankings the value we place, as a state, on
educational matter, compared to, say, the
United States which conspicuously dominates the rankings, whatever the standards
of assessment.
Apart from the national economy, education constitutes a significant component
of national development which no nation
can ever hope to toy with without dire
consequences that goes beyond a mere
downgrading on any ranking framework.
It is in this sense that Nigeria needs to
look beyond lamenting or celebrating any
ranking improvement or slump. Noel
Castree once remarked, ‘Education is
political.’ What is seriously missing from
that fundamental statement is a huge and
bold exclamation mark to press home the
significance of, in this case, higher education to the national development of any
state. In fact, the human condition, as far
as I am concerned, is made more palatable
because human beings have, over the
years, developed a learning trajectory that
imposes knowledge on human limitations. It is in this sense that universities,
for instance, constitute one of the most
important discoveries of mankind.
If higher education constitutes a serious phenomenon that ensures human
survival, at the level of the nation-state, it
fundamentally becomes an institutional
representation of national discovery of
knowledge, and its utilization for development and progress. We can hypothesize
that the extent to which a nation-state
Olaopa
can function in developmental terms is
conditional on its significant human capital
(SHC) which is determined by the state
of its higher education. There is therefore
no nation that can assuredly rise above
the quality of its own SHC or its higher
education objective. In the third world,
and especially in Africa and particularly
in Nigeria, the truth of the disconnection
between the SHC and national development is brought home forcefully and
unfortunately.
For instance, demographic data demonstrates that Nigerians all around the globe
constitute one of the highest achieving
immigrant groups in the world, and the
achievements cut across all areas of human
endeavours—space technology, education,
science, art, healthcare, politics, etc. Yet, this
high feat of optimization and productive
innovation has not been transplanted to
the Nigerian development dynamics as
instigation for national progress. Nigerian
universities can hardly be regarded as sites
of optimization and productive innovation.
In actually fact, they represent one sad
index of our underdevelopment, especially
in terms of governance, research outputs
and relevant curricular dynamics. It is
doubtful that Nigeria will ever produce
another Nobel Laureate, groomed within
the Nigerian university environment.
This is because while the universities that
produce the Nobel Laureates do so in
the context of cutting-edge research that
are defined by the capacity to transform
national developmental dynamics, Nigerian
universities are grievously dissociated from
Nigeria’s developmental efforts.
While the global community is vast
transforming into a knowledge society,
Nigeria appears to be standing right at
the margin of significant happenings in
academic context. Francis Bacon gave
the world the fundamental thought that
knowledge equals power. And that power
translates into the capacity higher education has to induce development. Education
is a badge of development. Higher
education particularly represents a nation’s
window into the global flow of ideas,
dynamics, strategies, paradigms and best
practices. Higher educational institutions
facilitate the process by which insights
are adopted, adapted, domesticated and
calibrated for optimal national rejuvenation. But, at the conceptual level, it seems
that Nigeria’s educational system is defined
more as ‘tertiary’ than as ‘higher’ education. Tertiary education is distinguished
by certification as a meal ticket; higher
education is defined by research, discovery
and innovation. And these three indices,
in all truth, cannot be said to define any
Nigerian university today. I doubt this
should raise any eyebrow, except from
sentimental patriots.
But not even a sentimental patriot can
deny our educational deficits: (i) Widespread indiscipline among both lectures
and students; (ii) Declining research
productivity and pedagogy; (iii) Lack
of technical skills and knowledge of
curriculum development and innovation
and among lecturers across disciplines;
(iv) Falling academic and moral standards;
(v) Lack of institutional mechanism to
deal effectively with the quantitative
and qualitative dimension of knowledge
and to sustain relevant reforms within
exponential explosion of knowledge; (vi)
Corruption, arrogance and abuse of power
among the leadership and governance
of university; (vii) Underfunding of the
university; (viii) Irrelevant and obsolete
curricula; (ix) Governance deficit and
disconnect among major stakeholder and
university authority. This dampening list
can be multiplied ad nauseam. A critical
peep into the 2006 Educational Sector
Analysis will somehow leave a perspective
reader deeply depressed.
Essentially, Nigeria’s tertiary educational system measures transformatory
knowledge by the numbers of certificate a
person is able to amass. This debilitating
but ingrained culture ensures that we have
quite a number of PhDs and educated
people who lack the competences that
a developmental state requires to move
beyond development rhetoric. Let me
reiterate this with a terrible joke I received
sometimes ago on my WhatsApp: A
group of Nigerian lecturers were on a trip.
Immediately they boarded the plane, the
captain announced that the plane they will
be flying is a product of their students. At
this announcement, many of them grew
very frightened and disembarked immediately, except one. When asked why he
remained seated, he said: ‘I have no reason
to fear the plane crashing out of the sky. If
what we taught the students is anything
to go by, this plane will not even leave
the ground.’ If the existing critical mass
of capacities in Nigeria cannot fly a plane,
make pencils, build bridges or process
early warning systems in case of disaster
management, then how far away are we
from achieving a knowledge society?
With these deficits, it is certain Nigeria
is not ready to create a university of the
future that rides on the knowledge revolution to facilitate qualitative development
dynamics. Those who hold the future, I
dare say, are those who are willing to take
the risk of researching it. Over five decades
since independence and it seems we have
hardly moved forward to any point of
radical rehabilitation. On the contrary, we
seem to be compounding our own human
capital deficit. But then, lamentation does
not solve any problem; reform does. And
Nigeria’s salvage point rests on unequivocal institutional reform. There are three
focal points which assiduously undermine
our educational effort today—governance
framework, curricular dynamics and
research philosophy. And these three
also, fortunately constitute critical reform
frameworks for ensuring a radical transition from tertiary to higher education.
Governance, it seems to me, is key
here. It is the steering mechanism that
calibrates curricular and research directions. Governance issues range from the
excessive oversight of tertiary education
that ensures that the delivery of education
is terribly fragmented beyond measure, to
the mute issue of corruption in university
governance across Nigeria. To quote an
erstwhile vice chancellor of the University
of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro,
governance, as a reform locus, would actuate the following reform questions: (a) How
can the institution build the best leadership
team? (b) What are the vision and mission
statements, and what are the specific goals
that the university is seeking to achieve? (c)
In what niches(s) will it pursue excellence
in teaching and research? (d) What is the
likely cost of the proposed qualitative
leap, and how is it giving to be funded?
(g) How will success be measured? What
monitoring systems, outcome indicators,
and accountability mechanisms will be
used?
Apart from ensuring institutional
stability in the midst of global and national multiplicity of contested ideological,
economic cultural and political contexts
from where the university must derive its
objectives and direction, the responsibility
of a morally responsible, administratively
competent and intellectually savvy governance team in any Nigerian university is to
facilitate networks in terms of research and
teaching. This will be a network of different universities in Nigeria conjoined by
research similarities. For instance, universities in the North could be associated with
a research initiative that studies Islam,
nomadic education, Sahel agriculture and
desertification. Universities in the South
could network around the oil economy,
militancy, ethnic minorities issues, ecological issues like erosion, industrial studies,
agriculture, mineral resources, urbanisation, and many other issues.
What, for instance, makes the California
Institute of Technology (CALTECH) the
best school in the world in terms of global
ranking? It is the combination of all these
factors. But most especially, there is an
academic-industry institutionalised partnership which ensures that research is backed
by solid intelligence that grounds it in real
developmental issues. The MIT-Silicon
Valley experiment provides a template of
the way for the universities of the future
to go. The Ibadan School of Government
and Public Policy becomes, in this regard,
a timely framework which can serve
as a fulcrum for public-private research
initiative that could jumpstart the research
networks collaborations of the future. To
arrive at this point of global reckoning
requires paying significant attention to four
reform exigencies: (a) rethinking the idea of
university autonomy away from a policing
and micro-managing to a facilitative approach that significantly enables university
governance and regulatory system; (b) the
need for due care and sophistication in the
quality of people appointed by governments into university governing councils;
(c) the urgent need for a theory-practice
mix in university staffing of faculties; and
(d) designation of universities as centres of
excellence based on strategic consideration
of their comparative advantage.
Higher education, through the harnessing of the significant human capital (SHC),
constitutes Nigeria’s optimization window
into global and national relevance. It is
the engine room for socioeconomic fast
tracking. But the first condition for such
a rapid progress is to ensure that the
fish does not get rotten from the head.
Governance becomes our litmus reform
test. The issue of the global ranking of
Nigerian universities would really be a
foregone conclusion once these universities
are serving the developmental purposes
Nigeria requires of them. In other words,
rather than agitating about the ranking,
let us declare a state of emergency on our
universities.
––(Being lecture delivered by Dr.
Tunji Olaopa, Executive Vice Chairman
Ibadan School of Government and
Public Policy (ISGPP), at an event organized by the Department of Political
Science, Babcock University in honour
of its immediate past Vice Chancellor,
Professor Kayode Makinde, recently)
89
PERSPECTIVE
Buhari’s Exchange Rate Policy:The Fragility of Goodness
P
Nimi Wariboko
resident Buhari has refused to
give an inch in his rock-solid
determination not to devalue
the naira. Unsurprisingly,
this has earned him critical
opprobrium among professional neoclassical economists
and others knowledgeable in
the links between exchange policy and economic growth and corruption. This much was
revealed in his recent Al Jazeera interview and
discussions among many Nigerians. To many
the president’s foreign exchange policy does not
make economic sense. But is that really true? Let
me offer a perspective that will shed some light
on the sense and sensibility of the president’s
“stubbornness” with regard to devaluation.
Before I do that I would like to state upfront
that if I were the president or his minister of
finance I would take the easy and tested neoclassical economic approach to the management
of the Nigerian economy. It could deliver quick
results and boost the confidence of investors,
within and without. Having said all this, I would
like to add by saying there is a path to robust
national economic development through the
president’s intransigent exchange rate policy.
Alas, it is an arduous path. I am not sure if the
president (one-term or two) or Nigerians have the
time and patience for the road he has chosen to
bear sufficient dividends.
This is not his only problem. The main challenge in my thinking is that the kind of exchange
rate policy Buhari’s government has decided to
pursue requires a more comprehensive policy
framework to uplift our national economy than
has been presented so far. I have not heard the
president’s men and women articulate such a
multi-edged policy regime, which will be largely
market-driven, integrally endogenous, and
patently patriotic. The economic minds in Buhari
government may think they are on a good path
to economic Eldorado, but the path will prove
to be very fragile if they do not immediately
forge and implement a robust set of policies
and programs undergirded by a well thoughtthrough social philosophy. It is within such a
cohort of policies and programs that his current
exchange rate policy makes eminent sense.
Buhari
Buhari’s exchange rate policy makes good sense
in this four-pronged national financial management framework. It is one that pursues value
integrity, value solidarity, and value subsidiarity as
my late friend economist Ashikiwe Adione-Egom
would put it. By this he meant that the currency,
financial, commodity, and industrial markets must
be consciously linked and administered to yield
endogenous growth.
First, it is not enough to reject the devaluation of
the naira while it is depreciating in the currency
market. There must be economic policies that are
in place to give value integrity and constancy to
the national currency. Second, the government
needs to find a way to mobilize savings through
its monetary and financial policies and distribute
such via the market to industries to aid long-term
investment.
If the Buhari government and CBN want to
continue with their current exchange rate policy,
then they need to have monetary and financial
policy regimes that will be in financial solidarity
with Nigeria’s development. Solidarity implies
that the monetary system is channeling medium
to long-term savings instruments at low interest
rates to the industrial markets to grow local
content in manufacturing and spur endogenous
development.
If the government and its CBN governor
cannot show us how the financial system is
(or will be) solidly connected and committed
to the industrial and productive sectors of our
nation, then, I am afraid, all the current talk
about endogenous development will amount
to underperformance. Frankly, this is why I
maintain that the path the president has chosen is
a fragile one—nonetheless, workable. Not that his
nationalistic approach cannot lead the economy
to prosperity; the problem is that the amount of
work required to get us there is daunting. Besides,
the president would need experts who are not
only trained in orthodox neoclassical economics,
but also in heterodox economic theories.
The third major policy focus will be the
development of a network of regional commodity
exchanges that will channel commodities to the
industrial and consumer markets even as they
provide better decision-making information
for farmers and merchants and enable them to
efficiently buy and sell their goods. Of course, for
these regional commodity exchanges to work
we have to also develop a system of commodity
banking.
Now, we have come to the final arm of the
four-pronged approach to the kind of patriotic
national economic management that Buhari is
gesturing to but have not yet fully articulated. The
president needs to put in place policies that will
enable and empower people to use the resources
available to them in their regions, states, and rural
areas to create jobs for themselves. Nigeria’s ability
to generate this kind of endogenous economic
development that will accent value subsidiarity
depends on sound (and patriotic) currency and
financial markets.
Egom would put it this way: A goodly operating currency and financial market reticulates
jobs to all economic regions, spreads industries
around, and encourages productive activities
from bottom-up. Such currency and financial
markets do not encourage economic activities to
be concentrated at cities and urban centers when
they could be best carried out in rural areas.
Besides, economic activities are not to be allocated
in the cities or urban areas to the detriment of
rural regions.
Buhari has high patriotic hopes for our country
but his policy of rejecting the devaluation of the
naira at this time in order to spur endogenous
development may not enable him to quickly
realize his lofty dreams within the current
parameters of our national monetary-financial
systems, which are oriented towards the outside
world. The monetary-financial systems of our
economy are not resource-conserving and are
hostile to endogenous economic development.
They cannot usher in a robust environment
that can create and sustain symmetry and
evenness in the distributing growth, jobs,
goods, and services across the sectors and
regions of country. The monetary systems have
not wedded the financial circulation of money
(savings in the banks and stock exchanges) to
industrial circulation (money-capital financing
production, industries, commodity exchanges,
and long-term development projects). All
these will need to change if the president is to
succeed in his chosen challenging course.
President Buhari has made a clear choice
about the kind of national currency management style he wants to use. His choice is
not atavistic or unthinkable as many of our
so-called experts have argued. His problem lies
elsewhere and it is threefold. First, he is gesturing to a drastic change of economic direction
and orientation that the nation may not be
ready for at this time. At least, the government
and APC have not sufficiently prepared the
citizens for it. Second, his economic savants
and strategic communication experts have
not been able to clearly articulate the robust
policy framework within which the “stubborn”
exchange rate policy sits. Third, the government
has not articulated the kind of social philosophy
and social-justice vision that will energize
Nigerians towards the economic future he
is frantically gesturing to. As long as this set
of challenges remains whatever goodness he
intends with his exchange rate policy is at best
very fragile.
What I have done in this essay is not perfect,
but it serves to nudge President Buhari’s ideas
and reflexes towards a systematic economic
framework in order to reduce the fragility of
goodness in his exchange rate policy.
-Wariboko is the Walter G. Muelder
professor of social ethics at Boston
University with specialization in economic
ethics.
Rescued School Girls and Governance in Lagos
A
Niyi Anibaba
t the time the al-Qaeda outlaw
Osama bin Laden was killed
by a special assault team of
the United States military in
Abbottabad, Pakistan in May
2011, pundits suggested that
were Presidential election to
be held in the US ahead of the
scheduled date in 2012, President Barack Obama,
under whose watch the Jihadist was nailed,
would easily have secures reelection.
Pollsters returned the verdict that although such
economic issues as marginal job losses, poverty
and oil prices fluctuation were trending as likely
voting determinants, Obama’s major feat on
the security front would clinch massive popular
support for him and his Democratic Party.
This turned out to be prophetic because more
than a year later at the poll,America’s first black
president was reelected, a strong influencing
factor being the role he played in taming insecurity
ascribed to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist activities
against US territory and the country’s global
interests.
When keen observers also take a critical look
at the security situation in Lagos State under
the administration of GovernorAkinwunmi
Ambode, they can’t but conclude that indeed he
has made a difference that is turning out to be a
game changer. It would absolutely count for him
when he seeks reelection as it did for Obama,
according to observers.
He has tackled insecurity in Lagos such that as
the day follows the night, arrests invariably follow
the perpetuation of a crime. We are at the stage
where committing felony would be unattractive
to the criminally minded.
Now, the background to this observation is the
abduction and rescue of the three female students
of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School
(BMJSS) at Ikorodu on the outskirts of Lagos.
It took place at an in auspicious time: the state
government was battling a seasonal feud between
two factions of the Road Transport Workers Union
at Oshodi that had temporarily arrested social and
economic activities in the community; communal
violence had also broken out in the denselypopulated area of Ketu Mile 12 market, claiming
several lives, destroying properties running into
hundreds of millions of Naira and injuring scores
of residents. It lasted for days and led finally to the
closure of the popular market.
While all these lasted, GovernorAmbode
shuttled between these hot spots and security
outposts. But some scoffed at him and his government on the issue of the students abduction.
On Wednesday March 2, 2016, one leading
national newspaper wrote: “Despite the fact that
the students were kidnapped on Monday night
and the information had been widely circulated
neither the Lagos State governor Mr.Akinwunmi
Ambode, nor his representatives had visited the
school as of 8pm on Tuesday. The state government had also yet to make a statement on the
abduction.”
Many went on to liken the BMJSS development
to the tragic Chibok girls tale that saw the kidnap
of more than 200 students in 2014. They have not
been rescued since.
But it was a short-lived comparison because the
entire arsenal of the security apparatusAmbode
had been assembling was scrambled into action.
It delivered the expected result as the girls were
rescued some six days after their captivity. The
Police arrested the culprits and retrieved the
valuable information while also recovering lethal
weapons from the suspects. Such was the success
of the operation that no ransom was paid to the
kidnappers.
Hear what EmmanuelArigidi, one of the
suspected kidnappers of the Ikorodu school girls
said about the level of security in the state: “I know
that security in Lagos State is now tight and I was
telling others that there was no way we would get
away with this kind of job considering the level
of security in the state. When I told them that we
should end the assignment, other members of the
gang threatened to kill me and then I took Canoe to
run away”.
The school population and parents of the victims
as well as the generality of the society in Lagos and
Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief and hailing the
security architecture that has offered such salutary
conclusion to what was unfolding as one abduction
too many following the unresolved Chibok riddle.
But really, this pleasant outcome was not a
surprise to those who have monitoredAmbode’s
unprecedented contribution to a highly motivated
and efficient police in the state. His administration
has given a hefty crime-tackling equipment worth
about N4.765b to the Force. These include three
helicopters, two gun boats, 55 Ford Ranger vans,
100 4-door salon cars, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser
pickups, Isuzu trucks and 115 Power bikes. In tow
are 15Armored Personnel Carriers,APC, bullet
proof vests, helmets along with Improved Insurance and Death Benefit Schemes for officers. In the
offing is the installation of Close Circuit Camera TV
Coverage for Lagos and more equipments to assist
security agencies in effectively doing their job. Even
then, the Light Up Lagos Project that has seen all
the nooks and cranny of the state with street lights is
also designed to compliments the efforts of security
agencies.
Ambode says this is “In conformity with the
overall policy thrust of (the) administration built
on a tripod… Security, Job Opportunities and
Improved Infrastructure.” It is the synergy of
technology, intelligence work and political will
at play.
Agovernment with this mindset is the objective of the ideal state, where government’s sole
occupation is to cater for the all-round welfare of
the people, through securing them against antisocial elements and the economic vicissitudes of
life. Economic and social enterprise with political
activities and the development of the citizen
can only take place where there is security and a
body language in government that suggests that
crime would not go undetected, unprevented
or unpunished. This is the primary aspiration
of government, whether they are in Khaki or in
politicians’Agbada.
The safe return of the BMJSS girls has delivered two take-aways: Lagos with its burgeoning
population of more than 20 million people is safe
for business, leisure and habitation; secondly
it has a government which, as it partners with
the Police, does not take tax payers money and
security fund for granted.
Just as the governor said on the day the girls
were rescued, : “Let me warn that the State
Government will not tolerate kidnapping or any
forms of crime in the State. Our position is clear
and unambiguous, Lagos state has the capacity
and the will to go after every form of crime
and criminality in order to safeguard lives and
property in the state”, it is becoming increasingly
clear that anyone who doubts the government
resolve to protect the state, would have himself to
blame.And at a time when cynicism has been on
the rise with the continued missing of the Chibok
girls, observers are quick to remind Nigerians
that with the right leadership-like the one that
was demonstrated in Lagos in the past week by
the governor-the country can still get it right.
––Anibaba, an economist, wrote in from
Gbagada.
90
PERSPECTIVE
Eskor Toyo and the Struggle of the Working Peoples
Edwin Madunagu
I
ntroductory Statements: Range of
Eskor Toyo’s Revolutionary Engagements
On Monday, September 20, 2010,
Comrade Professor Eskor Toyo made
what may turn out to be, on further
historical assessment, his last major
outing as a revolutionary Marxist
Public Intellectual in Nigeria. On that
occasion he delivered the Nigerian Golden
Jubilee Independence Lecture titled Project
Nigeria: The journey so far. The event was
hosted by this institution’s Department
of History and International Studies, and
chaired by Professor Okon Edet Uya. Both
men are now late.
The 59-page lecture was Eskor Toyo at
his intellectual and ideological best, a long
journey through the colonial, postcolonial
and neocolonial stages of our national
history. It was radical, categorical, unflattering, but passionately patriotic. The verdict
which was also the conclusion was sad,
very sad for a man who had been active
politically for more than 60 years. But it was
straight-forward: The journey had barely
begun, or put more charitably, the journey
had been grounded near the very beginning.
Beyond this, however, the conclusion was
a call on radical patriots, the working and
toiling peoples and, above all, the working
class to rise and save the nation by freeing
themselves. The working and toiling masses
cannot save the nation as slaves, and yet they
are the vanguard of the people that can save
the nation. It is a historical paradox. But a
paradox that can be broken through struggle.
And Comrade Eskor Toyo believed till his
last breadth that Nigeria can still be saved. So
do the comrades he left behind.
Two days immediately preceding the
lecture, that is on Saturday, September 18
and Sunday, September 19, 2010, Comrade
Professor Eskor Toyo attended a National Executive Meeting of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) here in Calabar. You
know the battle the union was then waging
for the nation, for the education system and
for its members. The battle is still raging even
as I speak. Comrade Eskor had been an activist member of ASUU since its creation in 1978
and a father-figure Trustee of the union since
1983. Beyond this Comrade Eskor had been a
leading partisan of ASUU’s predecessors and
teachers’ unions generally as far back as the
colonial era and the First Republic.
Just hours after the lecture of September
20, 2010, a very long lecture, which if I
remember well, he delivered standing
or partly standing, Eskor Toyo, then an
81-year old war-horse, entered a meeting
of Nigeria’s Revolutionary Left, also here
in Calabar. The main item on the agenda of
that meeting, in fact the sole item, was one
of the most difficult and contentious issues
in the contemporary history of Nigeria’s
Revolutionary Left: namely, party formation.
The “bone of contention”, as they say, is not
whether, in principle, a party of the working
peoples is necessary or not; not what it will
do or should do or can do when formed.
The “bone of contention” was about its
timing and pre-conditions, and above all, its
character, including whether it should be a
mass party or a vanguard party. In short, the
party’s strategy and foundational statement
to the working class and the nation
Eskor Toyo’s position, not by any means
an isolated position, was for a party that
could and should be formed immediately, a
Toyo
revolutionary socialist party that would be
strong and flexible enough to decide whether
to take part in electoral contest or not and,
above all, a party that would be undissolvable by any form of bourgeois rule – from
variants of military dictatorship to variants
of civilian democracy. It could be called a
Socialist Party or a Working People’s Party or
a Labour Party or even a Communist Party.
Historically and theoretically the differences
between Left parties formed under these
names do not reside in the names themselves,
but in their programmes, rules and strategies. The meeting of the night of Monday,
September 20, 2010, though turbulent as
expected, moved the debate a couple of steps
forward. And the party, the Socialist Party of
Nigeria (SPN), was indeed proclaimed before
Comrade Eskor waved us goodbye.
The following day, Tuesday September 21,
2010, Comrade Professor Eskor Toyo held a
one-on-one meeting with me at his residence.
He had whispered to me the day before that
he would like to see me. The meeting turned
into a lecture, an extension of the previous
day’s public lecture and the vanguard
meeting following it. The only difference
was that the extension was delivered to me
alone, with no one even within earshot.
Eskor Toyo spoke to me continuously for
about 90 minutes – sometimes in whispers,
sitting down, at other times standing up and
shouting. I shall presently return to what he
was saying.
Thus, for a period of four days – from
Saturday, September 18 to Tuesday, September 21, 2010, Comrade Professor Eskor
Toyo engaged various segments of the
population – the working class and middle
strata, the academic community and its hosts
But Comrade Eskor Eskor Toyo was indeed
an outstanding and exceptional Marxist and
Revolutionary Socialist. His commitment
to the ultimate elimination and oppression
from the face of the Earth – through struggle
– never wavered; and his faith in the Working
Class and Working People as vanguard
agencies for that elimination never declined
and hostesses and the Revolutionary Left – at
various levels – but for the same strategic,
passionate and all-consuming objective, a
single objective: Workers’ Power, Popular
Democracy and Socialism.
What I have just done is simply a selection
of an extended weekend from a life of continuous struggle and study, of scholarship, of
dedication, of sacrifice, of radical patriotism,
of mass mobilization, education and organization, of revolutionary commitment and
intransigence spanning over 60 years.
Eskor Toyo – Edwin Madunagu Meeting of September 21, 2010: Critique of
the Nigerian Left
Eskor Toyo’s lecture to me at his residence
was not a criticism of the Nigerian state or
the Nigerian government. That criticism is
assumed as background in every meeting
of the Revolutionary Left. We are experts in
radical and wholistic criticism of this oppressive and sadistic system. Eskor’s insistence
was that we should not stop there. As the
young Marx said: “The weapon of criticism
should be replaced or, at least, accompanied
by the criticism of the weapon” Comrade
Eskor’s lecture to me was, rather, a critique
of the Nigerian Left: The tragic failure of
Nigerian socialists, over time, to offer the
type of liberating leadership that the longsuffering, but struggling, working and toiling
masses of Nigeria needed and, from time to
time, demanded, in various ways; the failure
of Nigerian socialists to form and sustain a
revolutionary socialist party; factionalism
and sectarianism; confusing utopianism with
Marxism; confusing social democracy with
socialism; intellectual laziness and political
cowardice; inordinate leadership ambitions;
anarchist attitudes to democracy, “democratic centralism” and majority decisions; and
almost chronic inability of Nigerian socialists
to recognize “revolutionary moments”.
For Eskor Toyo, one of the most tragic and
painful demonstrations of the last weakness
in contemporary history of Nigeria was
the failure to channel the working class-led
popular protests under General Abacha to
remove the military dictator from power
because, according to our departed comrade,
Abacha presided over the most isolated
government in Nigeria since independence.
Comrade Eskor Toyo made no mention of
the situation in the country then. In particular
he did not mention the preparations for the
2011 general elections. He made no mention
of it because his attitude to it – which I shared
– was clear. That attitude, once verbalized by
an ASUU official, can be described like this:
Suppose armed robbers in Nigeria – including the “willing” and “not-so-willing” – are
persuaded to accept free, fair and credible
elections in their ranks, how does that
solve the problem of armed robbery in the
country? This was not an argument against
participation in electoral politics; but it was a
strong statement both on maximum realistic
expectation which we could allow ourselves
to entertain and on participation in electoral
contests in which the working and toiling
masses and their parties are essentially
absent as a distinct and independent force.
Eskor Toyo did not also raise the triple
subject of imperialism, neocolonialism and
independence. His position, shared by the
Socialist Movement, had been re-stated in
the lecture he delivered the previous day,
and that is: “The distinction between selfgovernment and sovereignty, on the one
hand, and independence, on the other, is like
the sociological distinction between authority and power. Authority refers to right;
power refers to capacity. In the same way,
self-government, autonomy and sovereignty
refers to the right to take one’s decisions
whereas independence means the capacity
to be really free from the power of other . .
. To use autonomy or self-rule to proceed
to independence, a country needs leaders
who value independence and know what it
entails”.
Eskor Toyo spoke to me directly as a
revolutionary comrade and, through me, to
Left tendencies identified with me. Eskor
Toyo, we should note, recognized the
inevitability of tendencies in the Labour and
Socialist Movement, but abhorred factionalism in a Left organization once it has been
formed and proclaimed above ground or
underground. I shall return to this point.
Clarifications in the sense of Eskor
Toyo: Capitalism, Socialism,
Working class, Working People, the People
and Exploitation
The subject of this lecture is: Eskor Toyo
and the struggle of the working peoples:
Workers’ Power, Popular Democracy,
Socialism. For a fairer understanding and appreciation of Eskor Toyo’s life-long struggle
summarized in these phrases, six particular
concepts that are objectively, historically
and logically related, require brief clarifications – not academic definitions – here. These
are Capitalism, Socialism, Working Class,
Working People, the People and Exploitation.
The irony here is that these clarifications
are necessary not just for, or even primarily for, the working people or the young
ones – students and youths – but also for
the educated elite. As late as 2011, I watched
Comrade Eskor Toyo engage a University
teacher in Social Sciences on whether Nigeria
is a capitalist country or not! What Eskor
Toyo – and his comrades – had to engage was
often as elementary as this
A country is not capitalist only when the
majority of enterprises therein are organized
capitalistically, says Eskor Toyo in one of
his unpublished books, What Is Socialism?
“Neither is a country capitalist only when
the majority of persons engaged in moneymaking activity are capitalist. A country is
called capitalist when the firms organized
capitalistically, however few they may be,
determine the direction of development
of the economy and the society. And they
determine the direction when the political
system is organized in their favour”.
In his book, Wage Freeze in Nigeria written
about 35 years ago, Eskor Toyo had the
working class and students in mind when he
defined exploitation in simple but heuristic
terms: “When in a society a certain group of
people – call them A – occupies a position of
political, economic or cultural privileges or
advantages over another group – call them
B – such that the people in A are able to enjoy
an accretion of wealth or income to them that
originate from the effort of those in B, then
A is said to be in a position of exploiter of
B”. That was Eskor Toyo: He formulated his
theses and propositions in such a way that
91
PERSPECTIVE
• Eskor Toyo and ThE sTrugglE of ThE Working PEoPlEs • Continued from Page 90
you must stand and fight or vanish, not run
away.
Socialism is a new democracy, says Eskor
Toyo. In fact, to Eskor Toyo, capitalism is
an impediment to democracy. Comrade
Professor Biodun Jeyifo, first President of
ASUU, underlined this insistence by Eskor
Toyo in his immediate tribute when he learnt
of the latter’s death. In a private hand-written
communication to me some years ago, Eskor
Toyo urged Marxists to go back to the basics,
namely, that “socialism is a new democracy
based on social, that is, non-private ownership of the means of production and distribution of income according to social needs
and work only – that is, to the exclusion of
any other principle. It is a regime where
exploitation based on the private ownership
of the means of production and distribution is abolished”. Advocates of socialism
must never lose sight of, or stray from, this
foundation.
In The working class and the Nigerian
crisis, a highly polemical but scholarly
work written in 1965 during the crisis that
eventually led to the first coups and the civil
war, Comrade Eskor Toyo described the
working class as the “vanguard of the toiling
people as a whole”. He gave the following
substantiation: “In the first place, workers
are organized for democracy in their trade
unions, and the trade unions are a powerful
instrument of struggle; secondly, workers
are better educated than the peasant and
petit-bourgeois fractions of the poor and
toiling masses, and therefore have, and
can have, a better understanding of public
affairs; thirdly, workers are more disciplined,
for they live their daily lives through office,
workshop or factory discipline the type of
which neither the peasants nor the poor
urban bourgeois groups know”.
In the fourth place, “workers can unite
more easily on the national level since the
major establishments employing them are
national in character; in the fifth place, workers can move easily into action as a class since
owing to the grossly uneven development of
the Nigerian economy, the working class is
concentrated in few urban centres which are
fairly well linked together by communication
networks; by comparison the peasants are
scattered in thousands of clans, villages and
isolated petty semi-urban centres throughout
the country. In the sixth place, workers have
an effective weapon in the strike, especially
the general strike, and of the use of the last
weapon the Nigerian working class is a past
master”.
Eskor Toyo wrote this more than 50 years
ago when he was about 36 years old, a
holder of Bachelor’s degree in Economics
by correspondence and a school teacher and
principal. The thesis requires only minimal
revisions today.
Comrade Professor Eskor Toyo presented
a paper he titled Labour Movement and
Advance to Democracy in Nigeria to the
seminar on Civil Society and Consolidation
of Democracy in Nigeria organized by the
Institute of Public Policy and Administration
of this University in 2000. In that paper he
explained that the term “working people
embraces all those whose principal sources
of means of livelihood are work rather than
property income or any other privileged
income like perquites of office. Such people
are wage workers, peasants or small farmers, salaried personnel, artisans or small
businessmen and women, and self-employed
professionals”. He insists that the core class
basis of a socialist movement is the wage
workers; but he also explains that the “socialist movement aims at the re-organisation
of the society as a whole with the working
people – not the wage workers alone – as
the owners of the means of production and
distribution”.
Re-organisation of society as a whole
around a new class core, the working class
core – that is what socialism is, in the sense of
Eskor Toyo. And in our sense, also.
Comrade Eskor Toyo also provides
a simple but ideological and heuristic
definition of the concept of “the people” or
“the common people” which is frequently
employed in Marxist and socialist politics.
The concept can be distilled into three stands:
economic, social and political. Economically the “people” or the “common people”
means those people who do not exploit other
people, but are themselves exploited; socially
it means those who stand at the lowest point
of the social ladder; and politically it means
those who are completely excluded in the
governance of their country. To this I add,
invoking Karl Marx, that the people are
those who are victims not of particular social
injustices, but of injustice in general; people
who cannot therefore liberate themselves
without liberating society as a whole.
As a footnote -and to assist young researchers - I may insert here that I consider the
Identification and Classification of Social
Classes and Historical Materialism, that is,
the Marxist Theory of History, as two areas
where Eskor Toyo made the most significant
contributions to Marxism.
In the early days of the recent wave of
capitalist triumphalism and imperialist
proclamation of the death of socialism or
communism, Comrade Professor Eskor Toyo
repeatedly dialogued with the working class
and students, in particular, on a very simple
subject: the various ways in which the term
socialism is used, and can be used. In the first
place, socialism may be used to mean the
“idea of a modern exploitation-free society”.
Secondly, it may be used to mean the “movement (that is, organisations and groups)
advocating such a society”. And thirdly, it
may be used to refer to “the system that was
actually being built” by some countries. The
triumphalists deliberately mix up the various
senses. We must re-possess the distinctions.
Beyond this, it is important to distinguish
between a movement and organisations of
the movement and between organisations
of a movement and the leaderships of these
organisations. Once you are able to do these
simple analyses, you require only a long view
of history and interest in what is happening
before your very eyes to see the great deception of the triumphalists.
Our position, the position of the Socialist
Movement of Nigeria on this global question
can be re-stated before the world: If this
planet Earth must be reprieved from selfdestruction, if this common homeland must
be saved for humanity, the present oppressive
and irrational system called Capitalism
must be dismantled and replaced – through
struggle - with a rational and exploitation-free
system that has gone by the name Socialism
for more than 200 years. This replacement
is a long and arduous task that has within
its articulation the means of self-criticism,
self-correction and self-renewal.
Eskor Toyo: A Revolutionary-at-large
Eskor Toyo was an itinerant revolutionary,
a revolutionary – at-large, moving from South
to North, East to West, campaigning for Workers’ Power, Popular Democracy, Socialism. He
moved by the cheapest public transportation,
passing the nights with comrades or in the
cheapest hotels, eating proletarian food. He
was a roving and tireless teacher, ambassador
and campaigner of the working class and its
allies, including students and youths. To the
best of my knowledge Eskor Toyo did not
miss a single Workers’ May Day rally and did
not fail to address any of such rallies from the
time I myself entered the movement more
than 40 years ago – until he was struck down
by a succession of strokes from mid-2012.
There is no trade union, no federation of
labour, no popular – democratic formation,
no anti-staquo group with progressive
outlook in Nigeria that Eskor had not
addressed more than once in Congress or
in Special Conference. He was actively and
prominently involved in popular-democratic
mass protests as well as in organized workers’
strikes. He participated in struggles where
big grammar is used as well as in struggles
where the state is simultaneously held on
the throat and on the testicles. He was found
above ground where the mood and power of
the masses are tested and demonstrated as
well as underground where the revolutionary
machine rooms are located. A leader of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
said that Eskor Toyo lived his life for ASUU
from a particular date to the end of his life. I
added that, in fact, Eskor lived his life for the
working class of Nigeria and its movement
throughout his conscious political life.
Theory and Politics of Eskor Toyo
When Comrade Professor Eskor Toyo died
as the sun went down and disappeared on
Monday, December 7, 2015, I returned to the
Archives holding his works and works on
Toyo
him. What I found amazed me although I
placed them there. Before me was a massive
collection -dating from early 1960s to just two
years ago – made up of books, pamphlets,
academic papers, intellectual disquisitions,
mobilisational papers, public lectures, articles,
essays and extended interviews in newspapers
and journals, quasi-lecture notes, study notes,
personal communications, political disputations, party programmes, internal party
memoranda, scores and scores of unpublished
manuscripts, etc. Truly intimidated, I simply
took away just one document: my 1994 tribute,
In praise of Eskor Toyo, which was published
in my Guardian column of July 28, 1994. I read
that tribute which I wrote 21 years before his
death again and again, and concluded that I, in
fact, had nothing substantive to edit, nothing
substantive to subtract, but accounts of more
revolutionary work to add.
Eskor Toyo, a professor of Economics, is an
accomplished Marxist intellectual and one of
the best the world has produced since World
War II. He became a leading theoretician and
partisan of the working class in Nigeria long
before he read for higher academic degrees
and became a university teacher. He was a
unique organic intellectual of the working class
of Nigeria in the sense of Antonio Gramsci. I
confirmed this again to myself on February
6, 2016 when I re-visited and listened to his
Larger Family at Oron.
With a long experience as a teacher and
administrator in post-primary schools in the
West, in the East and in the North of Nigeria,
rising to a school principal, and with goundings in economics, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, the natural sciences,
mathematics and logic, and with practical
involvement in proletarian politics spanning
about 62 years, Eskor Toyo comes forth as
a very valued teacher, even when engaged
in polemics against an opponent within or
outside the movement.
Eskor Toyo was in Marxist politics what Zik
was in bourgeois politics: first class polemicist,
merciless and total. He dealt with an opponent
as if asking him or her to shut up for ever.
Some indeed shut up, others said “for where?”
He was rigorous, but lucid; prolific, but
uniformly deep and serious. He was a captivating speaker, an orator. His command and
deployment of the English Language greatly
assisted his presentations. Like Karl Marx and
Vladimir Lenin, he returned his readers, over
and over again, to the fundamentals and like
Rosa Luxembourg and Leon Trotsky he took
them through broad historical sweeps. Eskor
rises to his best, to his most passionate level
when defending Socialism, Marxism and the
Working Class.
The range, quantity and quality of Eskor
Toyo’s academic and political works are,
indeed, prodigious. He has authored enough
books, papers, monographs, essays, articles,
lectures and speeches to occupy a research
institute of theoretical and applied Marxism.
For introduction to the Marxism of Eskor
Toyo, a researcher may refer to three of his
books: The Working Class and the Nigerian
Crisis (1965); The Working Class and the Third
Republic (1986) and Crisis and Democracy
in Nigeria (Comments on the Transition
From the Babangida Regime) (1994), as well
as his articles and essays in the Mass Line
(1973-1977) and (1987-1990). The first of these
books is an analysis and critique of proletarian
politics in Nigeria between 1960 and 1965 and,
in particular, the 1964 General Strike – together
with the events preceding and following it.
In that General Strike Comrade Eskor Toyo
was a participant, a mobiliser, an organizer, a
chronicler, an ideologue and a theoretician.
Again, as a footnote, I can say that Eskor
Toyo would have opposed the concept of
The Marxism of Eskor Toyo in the sharpest
language. I would, however, have insisted.
That is the type of argument which only
history can resolve.
Eskor Toyo had been actively involved in
organised working class struggles, and in
trade union and socialist politics since the
formation of the Nigerian National Federation
of Labour (NNFL) in 1948. He was a leading
member of the United Working Peoples Party
(UWPP) (1953), Nigerian Youth Congress
(1960), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT),
Socialist Workers’ and Farmers’ Party –SWAFP
(1963), Nigerian Labour Party (1964), Nigerian
Afro-Asian Solidarity Organization – NAASO
(1967), Movement for People’s Democracy
(1974), Calabar Group of Socialists (1977),the
People’s Redemption Party (1979), Academic
Staff Union of Universities - ASUU (1978/79),
Directorate for Literacy (1987),the Nigerian
Socialist Alliance (1989), the Labour Party
(1989) and most recently, the Socialist Party of
Nigeria (SPN). He was an editor of the Marxist
journal, Mass Line during its first appearance
(1970-1977) and the editor during its second
appearance (1987-1990). A revolutionary
group, Mass Line - Collective crystallized
around the journal in the 1980s and early
1990s. The Calabar Group of Socialists, the
Directorate for Literacy and the Mass Line
Collective, as well as Democratic Action
Committee (DACOM) - all working-class
formations - played a prominent role in the
campaign, election, and the subsequent Bassey
Ekpo Bassey-led Calabar Municipal Administration of 1988-1989.
Although Eskor Toyo has nice words for
several of his predecessors and contemporaries, he singled out Michael Imoudu for
special praise. If he had any hero at all, I suspect it will be Imoudu. In a private discussion
with me (and I think this has been repeated
in at least one open meeting), he said that the
Nigerian Labour Movement has produced
only one exemplary proletarian politician,
namely, Imoudu. He singled out Imoudu for
his proletarian and mass-line (as against petitbourgeois and sectarian) approach to working
class politics.
To explain the struggle between the various
factions of Nigeria’s ruling classes, Eskor
Toyo takes us back to the concept of primitive
capitalist accumulation which he defines as
the “sum total of economic and associated
social processes by which a capitalist class
emerges and matures in a country”. He
insists: “Unless one understands the essence,
processes, contradictions, historical pressures
and cultural emanations of primitive capitalist
accumulation in Nigeria, one cannot make
headway in understanding her politics.”
“It is not enough to be political scientists”,
he continues. “It is not enough to recognize
that Nigeria has ethnic groups, is a neocolony
and is underdeveloped, or even that she is
ruled by a bourgeois class with unspecified
character ….” Eskor Toyo is convinced that
if one does not understand that the military
coups and other political convulsions that
have shaken Nigeria since independence are
crises of the politics of primitive accumulation
in a neo-colonial and multi-ethnic national
setting”, his or her analyses and advice - either
to the government or to the opposition – will
be useless.
(See concluding part
on www.thisdaylive.com)
-Being the text of the lecture presented
by Dr. Madunagu at the funeral ceremony
of renowned Marxist scholar, Eskor Toyo,
in Calabar last week
92
PERSPECTIVE
X-raying Mu’azu’s Legacies at Wadata Plaza (II)
Tony Amadi
F
ormer PDP National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu
Adamu Mu’azu was very concerned about the
economic challenge of nation building and always
wanted PDP governors to show more than enough
concern about the economy. While serving as
chairman of the party, he made sure that the political
economy of Nigeria and its thirty six states was taken
seriously by the chief executives of the states. Eight
years as governor of Bauchi opened his eyes to the agricultural
potential of the entire country and ensured that he invested enough
time in searching for the best way to increase the yield of his largely
agrarian population because he knew that over dependence on oil
was very precarious for the future economic position of the state.
During the 2015 elections one of his favourite campaign tools
was the dry farming programme of the previous government.
Wherever he spoke he stressed the need to farm all year round and
stressed that the government’s attachment of high importance to the
project was crucial to the survival of the nation. He went as far as
challenging fellow politicians to come and debate with him on the
economy. Sadly no one took his challenge.
Rather than listen to his words of wisdom, politicians on both
sides of the divide accussed him of not doing enough to reelect the
then commander in chief. But not many knew the undercurrents
going on behind the scene. Although he was party chairman and
was to be in charge of the presidential campaign council, campaign
funding was vested elsewhere. He had little or no part in the day
to day running of the campaign. Yet he was expected to bear
the brunt of criticism against the party and the direction of the
campaign.
The campaign spokesperson came on board without the former
Chairman’s endorsement just as he abhorred the horrendous
speeches at the campaign grounds where some eminent speakers
rather than talk about issues would instead pour invectives on
political opponents. Even the press releases coming out of the
campaign council media team was even more catastrophic in
the sense that instead of tackling the many misdemeanors of the
opposition at the time were rather more interested in vituperations
that would add no positive mileage to the fortunes of the then
ruling party. Too much time and space was devoted to issues of
certificates or no certificate when the minds of voters were already
made up to support the new commander in chief’s quest to rule
Nigeria.
The whole enterprise was like shooting yourself on the foot
and shattering the metatarsal in the process. According to eminent
Mu’azu
columnist and a founding father of Newswatch magazine, Mr.
Ray Ekpu, while commenting in an article entitled “The PDP’s
new Sheriff” recently, he said: “In Communication, the credibility
of the messenger affects the credibility of the message”. Ekpu was
commenting on the PDP Campaign Council choice of spokesman
who had savagely taken the former President to the cleaners, yet
became the voice of his campaign for reelection as president with a
huge war chest that even the party chairman had no input.
The spokesman had described the former president as one who
“prides himself on his weakness and incompetence and whose love
of false prophets and strange women knows no bounds and has
no end. A President who has abdicated his responsibility, destroyed
his own political party, divided his own country….abandoned his
own people, brought ridicule to his own faith, cowers before his
own officials, scorns the international community and breaks his
solemn oath to protect and defend the Nigerian people”. Yet when
the job offer came, he had no qualms to pounce on it.
Ekpu concluded his x-ray of the spokesman and asked how the
party thought “the man was going to deliver a credible message in
Jonathan’s favour after rubbishing him. Of course, the APC utilizing
the services of a master propagandist, Lai Mohammed, put a sharp
knife on the throat of the PDP and Jonathan and sliced it”.
The situation now is not to worry about the past because
mistakes have been made and the future is what everyone on both
sides should now face. Faced with economic doom threatening to
engulf us unless something is done quickly, the need to debate the
economic direction of the country before and during campaigns
among the candidates for the presidency in the future cannot be
over emphasized. Nigerians deserve to know the direction that
presidential candidates are driving the economy of the country.
The economic prosperity of Nigerians should henceforth be the
political battleground for anyone who wants to emerge as Nigerian
president in future. This is because the economic future of the
country cannot be left in the hands of insensitive politicians whose
only interest is how to rape the economy and bring the nation
down.
It was the reason that the former Chairman Mu’azu wanted
a thorough debate during the last presidential elections on the
economy. He had wanted those making promises to win votes to
check the economic situation of the country before making election
promises. He warned at the time that it was necessary to subject
to rigorous scrutiny the promises politicians were making to the
people to win their votes, especially promises whose financial
quantification cannot add up.
At the time that politicians were making grandiose promises, it
was clear to all that oil prices were plunging to unexpectedly low
figures, and the federation account was depleting and payment of
salaries was being delayed or owed to workers for some months.
Even now with the benevolent intent of the current President to
cushion the effect of hardship on state government workers, many
states are still owing staff wages of more than 12 months while the
governors fly around in chartered jets.
Nigerians should now work out how best to choose their
leaders. Everyone now agree that the problem of the country is
the dearth of good leaders. While nostalgic memories of Mu’azu’s
time as PDP National Chairman still pervade in Wadata House,
it is clear that the future of the party still remain doubtful as those
running the party now are determined not to give room for any
new set of leaders to come in.
The example of Mu’azu’s resignation is a big legacy on its
own and unless those who are at the helm do not want to quit,
especially as their time is up, the party will continue to flounder
and the blame game will continue to run its course until the right
thing is done.
–––Amadi is a veteran journalist and author of ‘The
making of the PDP’
Ayade: Where the Critics Got It Wrong
R
Tony Undiandeye
ecently, the social media and
other media platforms have
been awash with propaganda aimed at distorting
and tarnishing the image of
the Governor, Prof. (Sen.) Ben
Ayade and suppress the good
work he is doing in Cross
River State.
A few days ago, a chieftain of the APC
and a senior Lawyer, Barr. Okoi Obono Obla,
procured a space on the AIT Television platform, Kakaki, to lampoon the governor on the
travails of some defectors from the PDP to the
APC. He centered his allegation of persecution
on Hon. Paul Adah, Prince Goddy Jeddy Agba
and Barr. Vena Ikem. He also claimed that the
governor was working hard and desperate
to defect to the APC- and that the governor
will not be admitted to the party, APC. Others
have criticized the appointments made by the
governor, particularly, the enlarged Executive
Council membership.
Barr. Obono Obla particularly got it wrong.
The personalities he mentioned in his interview are from Obudu, the same Local Government Area with the governor. They cannot
pose any threat to the governor’s ambition in
any form to warrant persecution. The events
culminating to Mr. Vena Ikem’s declaration
as a wanted person by the Nigerian Police are
unfortunate. But to locate his travails on the
Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade is simply a prank
to galvanize public sympathy and raise his
stakes in the new party which he has defected
to. The governor has absolutely nothing to do
with his Police or charges preferred against
him in the court. After all, it was Governor
Ayade who used his public goodwill and office
to award the first contract for the supply of
refuse bins amounting to over One Hundred
and Twenty-Five Million Naira to him upon
assumption of office as governor of Cross
River State on 29th of May, 2015. The contract
was awarded on the 30th of May, 2015.
It is wicked and very ridiculous to associate
the criminal attack on Hon. Paul Adah’s house
with the office and person of Prof. Ben Ayade.
While the incident is regrettable, the governor
has nothing whatsoever to gain by orchestrating a threat to the life of such a cherished
brother of his, who he has appointed his
brother of the same parents, Mr. Richard
Adah, and his in-law, Mr. Christopher Ikposhi
(Mr. Ikposhi is married to Hon. Paul’s elder
sister of the same parents) into very sensitive
positions in his government.
Does it not sound absurd to say that the
Governor harbours any animosity against
Hon. Paul Adah?
The friendship between Prince Goddy
Jeddy Agba and His Excellency, Prof (Sen.) Ben
Ayade has a history. This is the reason why
Prince Jeddy Agba found it easy and convenient to quickly reconcile himself and moved
on to work with the Governor to actualize the
Northern Cross River ambition of producing a
governor in 2015. It is by-standers and political
merchants that are creating an impression
of a gulf between this two great friends and
brothers from Obudu. Prince Jeddy Agba is a
statesman and, I believe it will be condescending for him to generate crisis that would
distract his friend and brother in office. He is
also well vested with the political sensitivities
of the state and would not nurse any ambition that will threaten the governor’s 2019
ambition. His defection to APC is for personal
reasons and also to give an image of protection
to some defectors to APC who have become
spent forces.
Apart from their being recycled in government over the years, they cannot do much to
tilt the balance of electoral fortunes in Obudu
and Cross River State. Without any equivocation, Cross River State remains a PDP State.
The governor is a leading PDP member in
the state and has no ambitions to defect from
PDP to APC. It is smart economic sense and
of benefit for a governor in opposition who
intends to achieve much for his people and
state, to cultivate a beneficial working relation-
ship with the President of his country.
This is what the governor has established.
It is this special relationship the governor has
with the President, Muhamadu Buhari, that is
being mismanaged and misconstrued as an
indication of his desire to defect to APC.
Supposing, the governor actually has any
intention to defect to the APC, can any of these
persons stop him from doing so? None of
them has the clout and the right connection to
stop the governor if that is his desire. Remember, the governor is not a neophyte in the game
of politics. He has excellent credentials in
every endeavor he has ventured. Reputed to
have the highest number of bills ever in the life
of the Senate of the Federal Republic. Wellconnected and deeply loved by his people of
Cross River State, he has the ground command
to alter any electoral dynamics in the state.
He is a very dedicated and focused professional who understands when and how
politics is played.
He is presently occupied with bringing the
dividends of democracy to the people of Cross
River State. For the avoidance of doubt, Ayade
is the Leader of PDP in Cross River State and
he remains so.
His policy of running an all-inclusive
government by expanding the opportunities
for more people to participate in government
has been consistently criticized and largely
misunderstood, especially, during this period
of economic down-turn. The simplest explanation we can give is that during recession or
depression, many people become despondent
and require some form of cushioning to
overcome the hardship within which period,
programmes are activated by government to
restore the economic fortunes. The governor
has concluded income redistribution matrix to
accommodate the number of appointees. This
means that rather than a few families benefitting, greater number of families would now
be able to meet their most pressing obligations
such as payment of children school fees, take
care of their medicals and put food on their
tables. It is important to note that the number
of appointments made, will not substantially
affect other sectorial development needs of
the administration. Ayade is well known for
his resourcefulness, strategic planning and
successful implementation of programmes. It
is his determination and commitment to see
Cross River State re-emerge as one of the leading industrialized, most developed state with
a happy citizenry. This he hopes to achieve
through the following programmes: raising
the standard of education both qualitatively
and quantitatively, creating employment for
the teeming unemployed youths, widows
and disabled citizens of the state; provision of
access to adequate and affordable health care
services at the primary, secondary and tertiary
levels; industrialization of the state through
public private partnership model; upgrading
and mitigating in the infrastructural deficit,
through Urban Road maintenance, construction of Deep Sea Port and Super Highway;
social and economic security for the vulnerable poor segment of our society through
housing scheme, medical and education
rebirth; establishment of Cross River Microfinance Bank to facilitate easy access to cash for
small scale entrepreneurs; establishment of
Cross River State Food Bank; construction of
modular Power Sub-Stations to augment the
existing power infrastructural deficit across
the state; and expanding and supporting
Agricultural investment in areas of Livestock,
Fisheries, Rice, Cassava, Cocoa, Sugar-Cane
and Plantain farming.
These and many more are the development
programmes Governor Ayade has for Cross
River State - and progress is being made
steadily. However, more mystified than
critical, is the fact that even when progress is
made, the opposition seem to disbelieve and
label it something else. This is arising perhaps
from the fact that the governor has become a
compelling figure for daring the areas where
others cannot venture.
- Chief Undiandeye is Senior Special
Adviser to the governor on Public Affairs
93
PERSPECTIVE
Fallacies of Ortom’s Probe Panel Report
Gabriel Suswam
W
ere it not for the much vaunted
view that silence could imply
consent, this would have been a
perfect time to be silent till the
D-day in court. However, due
to pressure from my supporters,
I will reluctantly venture some
measured response to the Justice
Elizabeth Kpojime Judicial Commission of Inquiry,
which in its haste to do the hatchet job of destroying
my political career with a negative brush, fouled
all the rules of fairness, decency and modesty with
speculations, half-truths, near lies, outright falsehood and fertile conjectures.
The report, which Governor Samuel Ortom has
already gazetted in a White Paper, recommended
that some officials during my tenure, corporate
bodies and I, should refund N107 billion and in
addition, barred me from holding public office. To
say the least, the report does not reflect reality and
confirms the notion that it was aimed at achieving a
predetermined end. Anyway, what would one have
expected from a body empaneled with card carrying
members of his political party, the All Progressives
Congress?
The methodology adopted by the commission to
ferret evidence was not only forcible but tumbles
from the incongruous as seen in page 4 that, “Following the poor response from the public, especially
the MDAs, the commission held an interactive
session with heads of MDAs in the state. At the
session, a template was given to each MDA to guide
in the preparation of the required memoranda.” This
is a fair admission of tele-guiding information for a
predetermined outcome, which flies in the face of
procedure. Why would the public and MDAs spurn
a panel set up by a sitting governor if it was in their
interest and not glaringly a witch-hunt?
Is it not laughable that such a commission would
recommend the refund of funds used in administering the state? Where in the history of governance is a
validly elected head of government asked to refund
funds expended on development and running of the
administration? The simple conclusion is that it was
an odious job meant to get at me and some references to the report and the white paper will suffice.
The language of the report is at best inchoate, facts
were deliberately jumbled, names of the people like
Ortom cunningly omitted from list of beneficiaries
of some of the programmes, and completed projects
that were handed over and are currently in use by
Ortom are listed for refund of the funds for their
execution. This is a real theatre of the absurd.
In its haste to indict, the commission painted a
gory picture of infrastructural decay and abandoned
projects and nothing could be farther from the truth,
as we built roads in every nook and cranny of the
state of which space constrains their being listed
here. They cut across roads, water, electricity, educational, and even security. Like is common, however,
we did not complete all the projects we started;
some are at various levels of completion, which puts
a lie to the decay narrative.
Some companies, like Benue Breweries, Agro
Millers, and Yuteco Foods Ltd., were sold by previous administrations. In the case of Benue Breweries,
85 per cent was sold by the Akume administration
and no trace of the proceeds could be found; it is
the remaining 15 per cent that I sold and reinvested
the proceeds in Katsina-Ala Yam Flour Mill, which
had started test production by the time we handed
over that has become an issue. On Agro Millers,
it was sold to Technoplex by Akume and he later
repurchased same with all liabilities, including
money borrowed by Technoplex from NERFUND.
Unable to repay the loan, the company was placed
on receivership and actually sold by the court. The
balance of the proceeds was paid during my tenure
into government treasury. Yuteco Foods was equally
placed under receivership before I became governor.
Benue Hotels was leased to a private company to
arrest the rot we met it in when I assumed office.
Taraku Mills was also placed on receivership by
the time we assumed office due to debts incurred
by Akume administration for the company. To save
Taraku Mills, we leased out Growrich Limited for
N300 million out of which we used over N200
million to defray the loans from Bank of Agriculture
taken by the Akume administration to import Soya
Beans from Brazil and saved the company from
receivership
The disingenuous omission of Ben Plastic Company, which we leased to Ortom before he became
governor, smacks of deliberate amnesia by the
Ortom
Kpojime commission. The same deliberate omission
also happened with the omission of Oracle Farms
belonging to Ortom, which benefitted from the N1
billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Loan Scheme,
but the report insinuated that I gave the loans to
my relations. This same pattern was also exhibited
on the issue of purchase of vehicles for Governor,
Deputy Governor elect and their wives. Rather than
report they were bought in April 2015, and were
later handed over to Ortom, the commission dated
it 2012 instead of 2015 to exclude him. But the truth
is that 10 Toyota Land Cruisers and six escort Pick
up vans were purchased and handed over to him
publicly as protocol requires. One of the Jeeps was
given to a former governor of the state and one to
my deputy, yet it is part of the N214, 809,000 the
commission said I should refund. If it was worth
its salt, it should have named and shamed all. All
proceeds to the state from its investments were
appropriated as revenue and adroitly expended on
governance.
On allegations of expending unappropriated funds,
it was only in its haste to indict their targets that
it did not notice the appropriation laws as well as
the supplementary appropriations. The commission
listed N10.9 billion as proceeds from sale or lease of
government companies, N14.2 billion Sure-P funds,
N18 billion Bonds proceeds, N35 billion logistics
fund for security surveillance, and N5.8 billion
cost of running government. The Sure-P fund was
coming piecemeal and monthly and, therefore, used
to execute the different schemes where 8,500 unemployed youths and women were paid stipends and
in other schemes, buses were purchased and handed
out to beneficiaries to operate. Local government
portion of the funds were disbursed through the
Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) of which
I had no control and asking me to refund money for
schemes executed at the state and local government
levels smacks of importunity.
Part of the contradictions which smacks of the
confused state of the commission was the issue of
the N18 billion bonds. Two bonds were issued, N13
billion and N5 billion, which proceeds were used to
fund infrastructural projects, but the commission alleged the N13 billion, which was the first bond, was
diverted and embezzled; yet in pages 87 – 88, the
white paper said Mr. Oklobia and I should refund
N911, 820,226.50 being the unaccounted balance of
the N13 billion, which means it was expended and
accounted for but it asks for its refund. That is the
confused state of the document. The second N5 billion bond was floated but by the time the proceeds
came, we had accessed facility from the bank to pay
salaries and the bank seized the proceeds to defray
the facility earlier owed and these are documented
transactions. The commission is asking me to pay
N914 million cost of processing the bond, which is
laughable, knowing full well that fees are payable
for such transactions to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Nigerian Stock Exchange
upfront, in addition to publicity, meetings, travels
and other related activities to issue bonds. If not
for the predetermined end of the commission, all
the facts needed to see how funds of the state were
applied are in our audited accounts submitted to the
state Assembly.
On alleged illegal deduction from local government account for payment to Ashi Foods, how can I,
not being an officer of the food company, be asked
to refund money paid to a corporate organisation?
On the sale of government stocks under BIPC
management, I would refrain from commenting on
it since it is a case already filed by the EFCC against
me and commenting on it would be subjudice.
Some other orders for refund include monies
allegedly shared by the Head of Service to civil
servants for election. If such happened, when did
vicariousity begin to apply to criminality? How am I
involved in that to be asked to refund such money?
The same line runs through the entire document,
like where someone was said to have given money
to another person on my behalf, where such person
allegedly denied knowledge of such, yet the commission ordered I should pay back the money. Also,
the commission said N77, 340,000 was distributed by
the Secretary to the State Government for the 2015
general elections and after acknowledging that such
money was distributed, asked me to refund same
even when I was not associated with the transaction,
if it took place.
The N161 million case the white paper said was
given to GTB Bank staff in tranches for deposit in
accounts of a Bureau de Change is one of the most
ridiculous of the recommendations. Names were
mentioned and the amount known and with the use
of BVN, such transactions could have been tracked
to see if there was any link to me? Such other funny
recommendations, like asking for the refund of
monies used to conduct local government elections,
run Government House and logistic surveillance for
security even when herdsmen attacks took place in
several local government areas, including Makurdi,
the state capital, and we had to engage the security
agencies and fund their operations to secure the
state, yet the Kpojime commission said I should
refund the money used to secure the state; one
wonders what I was elected to do.
In the recommendations, one sees the intention
and, therefore, should not bother to be incensed by
the comedy of errors or how can in a Christian community, money expended for Christmas gifts is being
asked to be refunded? Even purchases like the Land
Cruiser for the Chief of Staff that was appropriated
and bought, the commission is asking for the refund;
even handling charges for cash withdrawals by the
Accountant General of the state is listed as funds to
be refunded, so the document is just not worth the
paper it is written on. On ecological funds, it said
the money was diverted but did not say who did
and when because it is obvious to them that it is
money accruing over a period of time and, therefore,
not the way they stated.
On the N1 billion paid to CGGC Projects
Limited handling the Igbor-Ikpa-Wannune road, the
contractor mobilised to site, did appreciable work
and was still on site when we left office and the
Commissioner for Works who ran against Ortom as
a running mate and I are being asked to refund the
money?
The Aper Aku stadium turn around was approved
by the State Executive Council and the contract
executed and the commission is asking me to refund
the cost, which is N164 million. The same for the
Makurdi Ultra-Modern market, which had been
completed, shops allocated, yet I am asked to refund
the money. The Greater Makurdi water works also
falls into this category; the contract of N6.2 billion
was approved by the Exco, the amount appropriated
and contract awarded and executed, yet I am asked
to refund the money used for it. Funnier still, the
commission said it traced N2 billion reimbursement
by the federal government to the state to an account
in Ministry of Water Resources but could not say
how it was expended, very laughable.
Babcock Electrical project led to the lighting of
over 150 communities in Benue State in our rural
electrification project but Ortom wants me to refund
the money used for rural electrification. So what
is it that I did as governor that I am not being
asked to refund the money for? Should this piece
of document be seen as something one should take
seriously? Please, judge for yourself.
–– Suswam is former governor of Benue State
94
GAVEL TO GAVEL
Edited by Vincent Obia
Ondo Assembly: Disquieted by
Leadership High-handedness
The foiled attempt to impeach the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House
of Assembly has not only created cracks among members of the Assembly but may also
affect the Executive-Legislature relationship in the Sunshine State, writes James Sowole
T
he relative peace and cordial relationship between
the Legislature and Executive arm of government
since the coming on board of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko
Administration in 2009 was last Tuesday put to test
with the impeachment notice signed by 18 out of 26
members of the Ondo State House ofAssembly and
slammed on the Speaker, Hon Jumoke Akindele,
and her deputy, Hon Fatai Olotu.
The action of some aggrieved lawmakers marked the second
major crisis that rocked the Assembly after the December 31,
2014 boycott of the House plenary meant for the presentation
of the 2014 Appropriation Bill by Mimiko. The boycott of the
sitting was adduced as one of the factors that worked against
the desire of returning to the Assembly of many of those that
boycotted the December 2014 sitting.
The absence of open confrontation between the House leadership and members even after the resolution of that particular
Executive-Legislature face off was not enough to conclude that
all lawmakers were comfortable with the management of the
affairs of the Assembly.
However, the fact that many members of the House particularly those elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) won their election due to the intervention and deep
involvement of Mimiko and some members of his executive
made many of them to continue endure situation of things in
the House
The lawmakers had been enduring the situation because of the
belief that any revolt against the leadership of the House may be
considered as a revolt against the governor. The belief of many
in the state was that the House had become an appendage of the
Executive while the leadership was being castigated.
To the governor, the cordial relationship among the three
arms of government was not because the executive dominated
other arms unduly, but was brought about by the maturity of the
leadership of these arms and the openness with which he had
been running the affairs of the state. At every opportunity, the
governor had never hidden the fact that he had been enjoying
the cooperation of other arms of government.
However, the current economic situation in the country, which
had led to many unfulfilled expectations, pitched the lawmakers of the Eight Assembly against the House leadership as they
interpreted the relationship with the executive as a weakness
on the part of the head of the legislative arm.
The lawmakers had been complaining of lack of official vehicles,
denial of allowances and other benefits which they ought to use
to serve their constituencies. According to many of them, going
to their constituencies had been very difficult because they lack
the resources to meet many of the requests of the people that
elected them to the House and which they said would work
against their future political careers.
The bubble burst on Tuesday, March 8, when the news filtered in
around 10.00pm that the speaker who is representing Okitipupa
II Constituency and her deputy, Fatai Olotu, of Akoko North
East Constituency had been impeached.
The news generated a lot of questions not only from the State
Government side but even members of the public. Some of the
questions raised include: Where was the sitting of the House held?
At what time of the day did the sitting hold? Who presided over
the meeting? Who among the lawmakers attended the meeting?
Discussion commenced immediately on the social media
when it was disclosed that out of the 18 members that signed
the impeachment document, only four were elected on the
platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) with only one
APC lawmaker standing aloof. The remaining were those elected
on the platform of the PDP.
The action of the lawmaker generated suspicion as it was the
belief of many people that though the complaints were against
the leadership of the House, the ultimate target was the governor
because it was already being rumoured that the leadership of the
APC were already discussing with some lawmakers and some
of the commissioners in the cabinet. So, a popular cliché on the
situation on social media, facebook, in particular, was ‘on rugbo
bo’ meaning, “it is roaring, trouble is looming”
Again, the identities of some of the signatories to the impeachment document generated another controversy that bothered
on whether the matter actually emanated from the lawmakers.
Those who signed the impeachment paper were Arowele
Ayodeji ( Owo 1), Iroju Ogundeji ( Odigbo 1), Olusola Oluyede
(Ose), Akindiose Olusiji ( Ondo East), Akintimehin I Tuyi
Governor Mimiko presenting 2016 appropriation bill to the speaker
(Idanre) and Akinruntan Abayomi (Ilaje 1).
Other signatories were Fajolu Abimbola ( Ileoluji –Okeigbo),
Araoyinbo Olugbenga (Akoko North East), OlusegunAjimotokin
(Irele), Jamiu Suleiman Maito ( AKoko North West 1), Felemu
Olusegun ( Akoko South West II). Coker Adeniyi Malachi ( Ilaje
II) Towase O Kuti ( Akoko South East) and Kazeem MOS
(Akoko South West 1
The remaining signatories were Obadiah Vincent ( Ese Odo),
Ade Adeniyi (Ondo West 1) Olamide George ( Akure North)
and Mukaila Musa ( Owo II).
The aggrieved lawmakers accused the speaker of high handedness, lack of vision and inability to represent them well before
the executive saying that she had turned the Legislative arm of
Government to the stooge of the Executive.
The lawmakers subsequently announced Hon Iroju Ogundeji
of Odigbo I Constituency and Hon Ayo Arowele of Owo I as the
new Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.
Since there were insinuations that the ultimate target of the
impeachment plot was the governor, the appearance of some
signatures on the impeachment document came as a surprise
not only to people in government but those who knew their
political antecedents. It was being said that many of them cannot on their own win councillorship position in their wards not
to talk of wining the real election that Mimiko personally put
everything into.
On the other hand, it was the position of many people that the
governor had no choice than to ensure that his party (PDP) had
the majority in the Assembly in view of the situation of things
after the announcement of the 2015 Presidential and the National
Assembly Elections, which favoured the opposition APC.
By the following day, neither the Executive nor the Legislature
was comfortable again with the development in the Assembly
while members of the public including opposition party members
were waiting for what would follow.
To avoid being caught napping, police and other security
agencies beefed up security at the State House of Assembly
located on Igbatoro Road, searched vehicles entering into the
Assembly Complex and also confirmed identities of people going
into their offices.
While security men were watching events as they were unfolding
within the Assembly premises, the lawmakers were summoned
to the Government House for a meeting by the governor.
Though, the meeting which lasted for about five hours was
held behind closed door, a source said the aggrieved legislators
agreed to let peace reign after much assurances from the governor
to intervene and address all issues raised by the lawmakers.
The decision of the Assembly, which came less than 24 hours
after 18 out of the 26 member House announced the impeachment of the speaker, and her deputy, was conveyed at a press
briefing addressed by the Chairman of the House Committee
on Information, Hon Olamide George.
Addressing journalists at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the
Governor’s Office, George, who was representing the Akure
North Constituency and one of the legislators that signed the
impeachment notice, said sizeable members had agreed to allow
the status quo ante to remain.
Flanked by the lawmaker representing Ondo East Constituency,
Hon Siji Akindiose, George read a five paragraph press statement
and departed the hall without entertaining any question from
journalists.
He said: On Tuesday, 8th of March, 2006, sizeable number
of Ondo State House of Assembly met on some burning issues
touching on the leadership of the House.
“Before the plenary today, Wednesday 9th March, 2016,
members at a larger and official gathering met to review the
situation and consequently resolved to allow the status quo ante
on the leadership of the Ondo State House of Assembly as at 7th
March 2016 to remain.
“The House of Assembly remains united, cohesive and alive
to its constitutional responsibilities.
“The issue of leadership of the House is an internal affairs and
has been treated as such”.
The 18 lawmakers had in the impeachment notice alleged the
Speaker of high handedness, lack of vision and her inability to
fight for the interest of members as some of the reasons for her
impeachment.
Though, there was no doubt that the immediate issue was
resolved going by the fact that the House sitting where the 2016
Appropriation Bill was passed into law was presided over by
Akindele and without any rancour but it was generally believed
by many that there were still unresolved issues that may soon
begin to unfold.
According to some people, the fact that such an action was
taken in the first instance showed that things were not the same
and cannot be the same within the House because suspicion
game has started.
95
GAVEL TO GAVEL
Tension in Edo Assembly as Speaker
Refuses to Swear in Legislator
The refusal of the Edo State House of Assembly Speaker to swear in Sylvanus Peters Eruaga
of the Peoples Democratic Party as a member of the Assembly, despite an order of the
appellate court, raises political anxiety in the state. Adibe Emenyonu, in Benin City, writes
S
peaker of the Edo state House ofAssembly, Mr. Victor
Edoror, may be the first speaker of a legislature in
Nigeria to go to prison for contempt of court. This
follows his refusal to swear in Mr. Sylvanus Peters
Eruaga of the Peoples Democratic Party, who was
declared as winner of the Etsako West II State Constituency elections held in April last year.
The Contest
Eruaga had contested the state assembly election last year
against the All Progressives Congress candidate, Dr. Gowan
Yakubu Marighu. At the end of the exercise, the APC candidate
was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral
Commission.
Not satisfied with INEC’s declaration, Eruaga approached
the Election Petitions Tribunal in Benin City in a petition NO.
EPT/ED/NSHA/HA/08/2015, asking that he be declared the
winner of that election because the APC candidate was not duly
nominated in that the party failed to comply with Section 85(1)
of the Electoral Act, meaning that no valid candidate was validly
presented by the APC.
Ruling
However, in its judgement on October 22 last year, the threeman election tribunal chaired by Justice M. A. Adegbole, with
Justices S. M. C. Uruguay-Onyenosoh and J. M. Ijohor as members,
ordered outright cancellation of the election and directed INEC
to conduct a fresh election within 90 days from the day of the
judgement.
According to the judgement read by Adegbole, “The issue
of weight to be attached to such a document as this in our view
does not arise. Under cross examination, with respect exhibit V,
the testimony of RW7 was thoroughly discredited and Exhibit
V was also discredited by Exhibit A.
“Not having complied with the provisions of the Guidelines
Exhibit W, Exhibit A’s competence has been scaled or witted
down. From all we have elucidated above, Exhibit V is hereby
discountenanced as being spurious and unreliable and this tribunal
places no reliance on it. Consequently Exhibit A is rendered irrelevant as you cannot put something on nothing and expect it
to stand. Exhibit A has its life wire on Exhibit V and if Exhibit V
does not exit then there cannot be a rescheduling.”
The tribunal chairman continued, “Having placed no reliance
on Exhibit V, it is accordingly expunged as not being useful to
this tribunal. Issue No. 1 we hold has been established by the
petitioner.
“In the final analysis, the consequence of noncompliance with
the Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act is that no valid candidate
was presented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest
the State House of Assembly election held on the 11th April 2015
in Edo State for Etsako West Constituency 11 against the other
parties’ candidates, including the petitioner. The APC cannot
present a substitute at this stage.
“Consequently, the election into the State House ofAssembly in
Etsako West Constituency II is hereby nullified. The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) is hereby ordered to conduct
fresh election into the State House of Assembly Etsako West
Constituency II within 90 days from today. This is our judgment.”
Edo Assembly in session
refusal to swear in Eruaga. More so as he and the governor are
from the same constituency, PDP reasoned that Oshiomhole might
have been the one who instructed Edoror to frustrate Eruaga. The
governor is said to be uncomfortable with the situation where
someone from an opposition party is representing him in the
Assembly.
When Eruaga applied to the Assembly to be sworn in, a lot
of obstacles were placed on his path. First, was when Eruaga
wrote to the speaker attaching all the documents, including the
code of Conduct Bureau slip, to confirm he had completed the
requirements, and the Certificate of Return from INEC. The
speaker, allegedly, objected, telling him to route his application
through the Clerk.
When that was done, Edoror turned around to say that the file
had been forwarded to the governor.
Before that could be settled, Edoror alleged that the Certificate
of Return issued by INEC was under investigation; that he was
going to send the Clerk to Abuja to ascertain the authenticity
of the certificate issued by INEC in Benin City and duly signed
by the INEC national chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu.
Appeal
Still unsatisfied, Eruaga through his counsel, Dele Igbinedion Esq.,
headed for the Court ofAppeal in suit NO. CA/B/EPT/343/2015
asking the court to declare him the winner of the election since the
APC candidate was not duly nominated by his party, as attested
to by the tribunal. Apart from that, the PDP candidate prayed
the appeal court to quash the judgement of National and State
Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Edo State as
earlier delivered.
Against this backdrop, the appellate court decided to give justice
to Eruaga in a judgement delivered by Justice T.N. Orji-Abadua
on December 19, 2015. The judge ruled, “The provisions of Section
85(1) of the Electoral Act is a nullity, therefore, all the votes cast
for the 1st Respondent and the 6th Respondent are all wasted
votes and ought not to have been countenanced. The only votes
to be reckoned with are the votes cast for the Appellant and the
other political parties and their respective candidates.
“Consequently, the appellant with 4001 votes, which remain
the highest valid votes cast in the election, is hereby declared
and returned as the lawful winner of the election held on the
11th April, 2015 for Etsako West Constituency II for Edo State
House of Assembly. The Independent National Electoral Commission is hereby ordered to withdraw the Certificate of Return
issued to the 1st respondent and forthwith issue to the appellant
a Certificate if Return.”
short as all efforts to get sworn in as a member of the state Assembly were rebuffed by Edoror who claimed that the Certificate
of Return issued by INEC was fake.
Edoror did not stop at that. He applied to the appeal court
for an injunction restraining Eruaga from presenting himself to
the speaker for the purpose of being sworn in. The application
was, however, withdrawn by J.I. Odibeli of Ken Mozia chambers
when the case came up for hearing on February 24.
Edoror hatched yet another plot. This time, he was alleged to
have told Eruaga the reasons he refused to swear him in. One of
the reasons, according to THISDAY findings, was that there were
several petitions against Eruaga from his constituency, which
he was required to clear before his swearing in. Secondly, the
speaker, allegedly, said his hands were tied.
Controversy
With this pronouncement by Justice Orji-Abadua of the Court
of Appeal, Eruaga went home happy. However, his joy was cut
Governor’s Involvement
The opposition PDP viewed Edoror’s second reason to mean
that Governor Adams Oshiomhole had a hand in the speaker’s
Edoror
Contempt
The entire episode, THISDAY was informed, worsened on
January 11, when an industrial trainee working in the office of
the speaker was alleged to have been beaten on his orders. The
offense of the IT staff was that he signed the court documents
from Eruaga’s counsel to the speaker and the clerk of the house.
To further demonstrate his partisanship in the whole issue,
Edoror was alleged to have ordered the beating of a Court Bailiff
and a staff of Dele Igbinedion chambers who came to the Assembly premises to deliver Form 48 Notice of Consequences
of Disobedience of Court order served on him and the Clerk,
Lawson Ugiagbe from the Court of Appeal.
The speaker has, however, denied the allegations. He called
a press briefing where he denied either ordering or physically
assaulting the court bailiff and staff of Igbinedion chambers.
Having exhausted all legal means to compel the Edo Assembly
speaker to swear him in, Eruaga and his counsel have devised
another means.
According to Igbinedion, since the Assembly had devised a
means of not accepting court orders, “we have decided once again
to approached the court to serve the Form 48 and all other court
processes, including the subsequent Form 49 by publication in
three national dailies and such publication by law will be deemed
as properly served.”
He said the Form 49 was for the respondents to come to court to
show cause why they should not be committed to prison. “Once
they can satisfactorily explain to the court why they will not be
imprisoned or if they are unable to explain to the satisfaction of
the court, we will make the order to them to be committed to
prison for refusing to swear in Eruaga.”
96
EVENT
F
inal burial rites were held in honour
of Late Mrs. Dorothy Omolara
Anthony, a distinguished businesswoman, who died recently in Lagos.
A church service was held at Holy Cross
Cathedral Church in Lagos and reception at
GreenParkinVictoriaIsland,Lagos. Hereare
some of the personalities at the occassion.
Photos: Mubo Peters
L-R: Daughter of the deceased, Sena Anthony; Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; grand-daughter of the deceased,
Mrs. Mofe Eromosele, her husband, Mr. Patrick Eromosele
L-R: Former Governor Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and Mr. Gbolly Osibodu.
L-R: Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, and friend.
L-R: Former Minister for State Petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia(SAN), and wife, Awuneba
L-R: Mr. Philip Asiodu and wife, Jumoke
L-R: Former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engr. Funso Kupolokun, and Group Managing
Director Oando Oil, Mr. Wale Tinubu
L-R: Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas and Mr. Oba Otudeko.
L-R: Mrs. Mary Inegbese and husband, Mike
L-R: Mrs. Modupe Sagoe and Senator Daisy Danjuma
97
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MARCH 13, 2016
EVENT
L-R: Mr. Wale Babalakin (SAN); former Supreme Court Justice, Mr. George Oguntade (rtd) and wife, Modupe
L-R: Mr. Bimbo Ogunbanjo; Otunba Toyin Akomolafe and Mr. Gbenga Oyebode
L-R:Former deputy Governor Lagos State, Kofo Bucknor Akerele and Mrs. Operal Benson
L-R: Mr. Oluyomi Macgregor; Dr. John Abebe and Mr. Abiola Sappor
L-R: Dr. Osato Giwa-Osagie and Prof. Boni Ogedengbe
L-R: Prince Adesuyi Hastrup and his wife, Princess Vicky Hastrup
L-R: Mr. Steve Omojafor; Mr. Olurotimi Williams and Mr. Tunde Adelaja
L-R: Managing director Brittania-U Nigeria Ltd, Mrs.Uju Ifejika and Former First Lady Lagos
State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola.
L-R: Mrs. Toks Adeola and Mrs. Modupe Adelaja
L-R: Mrs. Derin Osoba and Mrs. Derin Disu
L-R: Mrs. Lanre Ojora and Mrs. Foluke Abdul Razaq
98
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MARCH 13, 2016
IMAGES
99
100
SUNDAYSPORTS
Edited by Demola Ojo
FA Cup: Ighalo’s Watford Confronts
Arsenal for Place in Semis
A
rsene Wenger hopes
to have defensive
duo Gabriel and Per
Mertesacker available
for Arsenal’s FA Cup
quarter-final clash
at home to Watford
today as they prepare
to confront Super Eagle’s striker Odion
Ighalo. The holders eased into the last
eight with a 4-0 fifth-round replay
victory at Hull on Tuesday, although
the game was marred by a number
of injuries sustained to key personnel.
Meanwhile, Watford manager
Quique Sanchez Flores has late decisions to make on Craig Cathcart and
Jose Manuel Jurado ahead of the game.
The pair have been suffering from calf
injuries and are being monitored.
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is out and
could face a month on the sidelines
with a thigh injury sustained at the KC
Stadium. Jack Wilshere (leg), Tomas
Rosicky (thigh), Petr Cech (calf), Santi
Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
(both knee) are all still missing.
For Watford, Flores has ruled out
Miguel Britos (hamstring) for the tie
and Joel Ekstrand (also hamstring)
remains on the sidelines.
But the Spaniard confirmed Costel
Pantilimon would continue in goal for
the FA Cup after playing well against
Nottingham Forest and Leeds in the
earlier rounds.
Arsenal have won four of their FA
Ighalo
Lukaku Ends Chelsea’s FA Cup Dreams
Romelu Lukaku scored two goals, one
demonstrating strength and rare skill, to
knock his old side Chelsea out of the FA Cup
2-0 in a dramatic quarter-final featuring two
sendings-off yesterday.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa was shown
the red card, following Lukaku’s five-minute
double, for a second booking as he retaliated
with face-to-face aggression after being
fouled by Gareth Barry.
Barry was then given a second yellow card
three minutes from time but Lukaku, sold
by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
to Everton for 28 million pounds ($40.28 million) two years ago, had already put victory
beyond doubt.
With a replay looking likely, Lukaku
conjured up a goal from nowhere, muscling
past two defenders on the left flank,
powering into the box and, after some nifty
footwork, firing a left-foot shot into the
corner. It ended Premier League champions
Chelsea’s chances of any silverware at the
end of another wretched week that also saw
them crash out of the Champions League
against Paris St Germain.
And it meant caretaker manager Guus
Hiddink, who won the FA Cup seven years
ago in his previous stand-in spell at Stamford Bridge, had failed in his bid to repeat
the achievement following the dismissal of
Mourinho in December.
Oliseh to Face House Sports
Committee this Week
Former Super Eagles coach Sunday
Oliseh is to face the sports committee of
the House of Representatives to state his
side of his shock resignation, officials have
disclosed.
Oliseh quit as coach just a month to two
crucial AFCON qualifiers against Egypt,
citing lack of support from his employers,
the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as
well as several violations of the contract he
signed in July 2015. He will most certainly
restate his very difficult working conditions
while he was in charge of the Super Eagles.
NFF officials are unhappy with Oliseh’s
appearance before the country’s law
makers, saying it is a major distraction as
they are preparing to face Egypt later this
month.
FA CUP RESULTS & FIXTURES
Reading
Everton
Oliseh
0-2
2-0
2:30pm Arsenal Vs
5:00pm Man United Vs
Crystal Palace
Chelsea
Watford
West Ham
Cup meetings with Watford (L1), including their last meeting in the third
round en route to winning the trophy
in 2002. However, Watford’s solitary
win in the competition over Arsenal
came the last time they met in north
London (3-1 in the 1987 quarter-final).
Arsene Wenger’s side have won 15
consecutive rounds of the FA Cup. The
record is 16, which the Gunners jointly
hold. The Gunners are unbeaten in
their last 21 all-Premier League home
FA Cup ties (W15 D6). Their last such
defeat came against Leeds in 1997.
Quique Sanchez Flores’ side have
failed to score in each of their last three
games in all competitions, since their
FA Cup fifth-round win over Leeds.
Later in the evening, Manchester
United will be looking to make it
five home wins in a row when they
welcome West Ham United to Old
Trafford for the day’s second FA Cup
quarter-final.
Although their form has been strong
at home, Louis van Gaal’s men go into
this clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat
to Liverpool in the Europa League - a
game in which they had just one shot
on target.
West Ham, who last won the FA Cup
in 1980, are enjoying a fine spell of
form under Slaven Bilic, winning their
last four games in all competitions.
Juan Mata will miss the game with
through suspension but Jesse Lingard
returns having served a ban in the
Europa League clash with Liverpool,
while Adnan Januzaj and Timothy
Fosu-Mensah are available having
been ineligible for Thursday’s match.
Wayne Rooney (knee), Luke Shaw
(leg), Ashley Young (groin/pelvis)
and Will Keane (groin) remain absent, but Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones
and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson are
nearing returns.
West Ham can welcome back Enner
Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey
O’Brien. Valencia has recovered from
a sprained ankle, Moses is fit after a
quad injury and O’Brien has shaken
off hamstring trouble.
This is the ninth time these sides
have been drawn in the FA Cup - the
previous eight have alternated between
West Ham progressing twice and
United progressing twice.
The Red Devils have progressed the
last two times they’ve faced West Ham
in the FA Cup, meaning West Ham
would go through if the sequence was
to continue.
The Hammers are winless in their
last nine trips to Old Trafford in all
competitions (D1 L8), since Carlos
Tevez’s strike kept them in the Premier
League on the final day of the 2006/07
season.
Manchester United have lost their
last two FA Cup home games against
fellow Premier League sides, both by
a 2-1 scoreline (Swansea in 2014 and
Arsenal in 2015)
Benitez Has Relegation Break
Clause in Newcastle Contract
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has
confirmed that he has a break clause in his
contract should they be relegated from the
Premier League this season. The Magpies are
second-bottom, one point from safety with 10
games left.
When asked about the clause, the Spaniard,
55, said: “Some people can see this as special,
but it’s normal. I am trying to stay in the
Premier League and if I have a compromise for
the future, it’s because I am convinced that we
will do well. I want to stay.”
Benitez, who was appointed on Friday after
the sacking of Steve McClaren, believes he has
enough quality to survive in the top flight.
“I am convinced we will [stay up],” he said
on Saturday in his first news conference as
Newcastle boss. I am here because I believe
these players are good enough.”
Benitez hailed the “positive atmosphere”
he found at St James’ Park and praised the
squad for their attitude in training. “At the first
moment, we wanted to train,” he said. “Credit
to the players on their day off - they wanted to
train. It was a great atmosphere.”
His first game in charge is tomorrow’s
Premier League trip to leaders Leicester.
The former Liverpool boss revealed he had
already sought advice on the club from Newcastle greats Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley,
who is the club’s under-21 coach. “They know
the city and the fans - the passion,” he said.
Supersport to Televise Nigerian
Golf Stars’ Exploits
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Exciting highlights of Nigerian professional golfers, Oche Odoh and Kingsley
Oparaku in the first two series of West
Africa Golf Tour (WAGT) have begun to
be relayed on Supersport from Friday.
The edited coverage, a collaboration to
promote golf in Nigeria, will enable the
public experience for the first time a TV
coverage focusing exclusively on professional golfers from Nigeria and the rest
of West Africa.
The duration of each highlight is for
one hour and the event is scheduled to
be broadcast for seven days on different
channels of Supersport.
Odoh and Oparaku won eight days
apart in Abuja and Ilara-Mokin after
holding off fierce challengers from
Ghana and Cameroon. Odoh’s remarkable victory in Abuja, when he turned
a four shots deficit into victory against
Ghanaians Vincent Torgah and Emos
Korblah in play off, is a must see performance for golf fans.
The player caught fire in the closing
stage and famously holed out for par
from the fringe of the 18th green to
stretch the contest into extra holes. He
won the tournament after his Ghanaian
adversaries dropped shots on the 18th,
the first sudden death hole.
Last Sunday was Oparaku’s turn to
win his first title since he turned professional 15 years ago. The player, who is a
member of MENA Tour of United Arab
Emirates, led Torgah by one shot after 54
holes.
But following a momentary blip that
saw Torgah reach the summit, he took
charge with birdies at holes 6, 9 and 11.
He sank a long par putt on the 18th for a
level par 288 victory as compatriot Odoh
trailed by three shots, while Mvondo
Ebela Desire of Cameroon, Kamilu Bako
of Nigeria and Torgah tied for third at 3
over par.
101
High Life
WITH LANRE ALFRED
08076885752, [email protected]
...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous
Lagos: All the Governor’s Men
L
ike the fabled musketeers,
they never said ‘farewell’
when the road darkened.
Rather, they girded their
loins and steeled their spirit to
brave the long haul with their
friend, brother and co-traveler
in Lagos’ political wild lands.
Eventually, their loyalty paid
off and Akinwumi Ambode
emerged as governor, Lagos
State. Predictably, Governor
Ambode has chosen to reward
loyalty, comradeship and merit
in his modern day quartet of
the legendary musketeers, thus
Bunmi Ariyo, Adeniji Kazeem,
Ademola Abass and Deji Williams
have emerged as the most
powerful and influential figures
on his watch as number one
citizen of Lagos State. Governor
Ambode, according to HighLife
findings, is particularly impressed
that the foundation stones for
balanced success which include
honesty, character, integrity, love
and loyalty are clearly evident in
his four friends and henchmen.
Therefore, he keeps them
extremely close to him so that
they could continue to serve
him in running the government,
behind the scene. As a result,
the quartet currently enjoy
the attention and respect of
the governor and are highly
influential in his government that
they determine who sees the
governor and who does business
with him. Bunmi Ariyo, though
publicity shy, is gathered to be
the main man with a decade of
service as Personal Assistant
(P.A) to Governor Ambode since
his days in Lagos State Civil
Service. Adeniji Kazeem, he
is one of Governor Ambode’s
closest confidants. Adeniji has
served with Ambode for a long
while even before he became
governor hence it was hardly
surprising that the latter decided
to appoint him as the Attorney
General for Lagos State. Dr.
Ademola Abass is another man
in Ambode’s government that is
highly placed by the governor. The
Professor of Law with specialty
in International Law is the guy
through which everything is
signed out for approval. He also
has the ears of the governor and
has remained loyal to him.
mother follows her online
communication and that of
her siblings. Recently, she
claimed that her mother had
been stalking her on the
internet.
As the beautiful mother of
two puts it in an Instagram
missive, “Dear Mother, it is
quite creepy when you stalk
me on every social media.
Wetin you wan see? This is
from all of us (since they
are too scared to speak up).
Can‘t even post pictures
with guys in peace anymore.
Mother thinks anyone is the
one. She commented on my
brother ’s post, asking, “Who
is she?” Apparently advising
her mother to get a life,
the Awka Etiti born former
model ended the post with
“Abigail, please please face
your work eh!”
Adaeze Yobo and mum
DEAR MOTHER, GET A LIFE!
ADAEZE YOBO DISSES MOM ON
INSTAGRAM
A nosy mother in the
end, attracts the spite of her
loved ones; like a tiresome,
hairy hog, forever trampling
the mounds and drawing the
ire of the peasant farmer.
This perhaps explains
Adaeze Yobo’s undisguised
beef with her mother,
Abigail. The former Most
Beautiful Girl in Nigeria
(2008) is unhappy with her
mother for her unhealthy
interest in her marriage and
that of her siblings. Married
to international soccer star,
Joseph Yobo, Adaeze is
unhappy with the way her
TIED TO DADDY’S STRINGS!
LADI ADEBUTU SEEKS
FATHER’S BLESSING FOR OGUN
GOVERNORSHIP SEAT
A bull has the greatest
influence on its own
dunghill. In the same vein,
a covetous politician seeks
power where his name and
his deeds excite the loudest
cheer. Little wonder Ladi
Adebutu, the son of Chief
Kessington Adebutu, carves
his path to power aided
by the blade of a sturdy
benefactor. Among the
ruling class of Ogun state
in particular, many believe
that the governorship
position should be held
by a candidate who is man
enough to dig a fresh fount,
not the one who continually
Akinwunmi Ambode
Ladi Adebutu
draws from estuaries dug by
his father.
Although we are still
in 2016, the quest for the
2019 general elections has
already begun as politicians
and men with ambition
are secretly and openly
declaring their intentions.
Hon. Ladi Adebutu, son of
popular billionaire, Chief
Kensington Adebutu, is one
of such men. Ladi intends
to contest the governorship
election in Ogun state come
2019. Already, Ladi has a
contender for the post in
Senator Kashamu Buruji. The
two lawmakers representing
Ogun state at the National
Assembly intend to govern
the state come 2019. Even
though they belong to the
same party and they both
hail from the same area in
the Ijebu axis of the state,
Ladi and Kashamu are not
ready to back down for
each other. While Kashamu
is banking on his wide
influence in the politics of
the state, Ladi is banking
on the wealth of his father
as well as the support of
former governor of the state,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel,
who is a strong associate of
Chief Kensington Adebutu.
Though the Adebutus are
known to be from Iperu,
in Remo area of the state,
it was gathered that Ladi
would be flying his ticket
from Odogbolu, since the
zoning formula won’t favour
Iperu Remo in 2019. Pundits
however believe that despite
Ladi’s present status as the
Chairman, House Committee
on Rural Development, he
does not have the guts and
outstanding track record to
lead a sophisticated state
like Ogun. He reportedly
depends on the clout and
wealth of his father to
actualise his ambition. That
is why the political power
blocs in the state are wary
of throwing their weight
behind him. They do not like
the way he brags about the
wealth of his father, “That is
a major put-off,” according
to a highly placed politician
in the state.
SEGUN FOWORA TO GIVE FATHER
A FUNERAL TO REMEMBER
Nobody ever makes a
lovely corpse but when he
was alive. Segun Fowora’s
father characterized the
essence of loveliness and
102
HIGHLIFE
Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, Beware of Fair-weather Friends!
•As new UBA boss becomes the darling of all
K
ennedy Uzoka
has climbed to
the top of the
greasy pole; like
a Bengali bride,
he has become the object
of lust and high affection
of every element and
juggernaut prowling the
cutthroat halls of the
United Bank of Africa
(UBA), They are milling
around him and singing his
praises to high heavens.
Everybody wishes to
befriend the new UBA MD
designate.
Suddenly, Uzoka has
become the darling
of everyone. The very
gentle and reserved
dude attracts UBA power
blocs to himself as the
pollen nectar attracts
butterflies. He has become
the toast of many favourseekers and bootlickers
who feel their lot would be
bettered by patronising
the new UBA boss. When
he eventually becomes
substantive MD/CEO
of UBA later this year,
there are fears that the
new UBA boss may find
it extremely difficult to
separate his true friends
from fair-weather friends.
Uzoka was appointed as
MD designate of the bank
to replace Philip Oduoza
who will be stepping down
soon, having occupied
the post for six years or
thereabouts. At a recent
function in Lagos, Uzoka
had to contend with a
mammoth crowd as several
dignitaries struggled to
collect his phone number
or business card. As the
case always is in this part
of the world, we heard that
a committee of friends is
already finalising plans
to throw a party for the
man of the moment. Uzoka
just needs to know that
such gestures from the
so-called ‘well-wishers’
always come with some
attendant favours.
funeral for his late father,
Pa Eric Ademola Fowora,
the Fesogbade of Ikija Ijebu,
on April 14, in Ijebu-Ode.
Until he died at 86, Otunba
Ademola Fowora was a wellknown Engineer who bagged
his electrical engineering
degree in 1955 from the
University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow. Since he graduated
he worked on many notable
electrical projects and has
been part of the designs of
many Engineering systems
Segun Fowora
more. Pa Eric Fowora could
not witness his funeral;
nobody ever does. And
if, somehow, he earned a
sneak peek, no one could
know what he thought of
it. All those flowers and all
those wishes; the pageant
train and wreath of sorrows
unhesitatingly cast for a
full life coming to a close.
The wistful wishes and
pomp of homage probably
elicited from his soul, the
hapless tribute of a sigh
and perhaps a gleeful tear.
But whatever feelings his
funeral ceremony evoked
in his heart, the father of
Segun, would no doubt
find little or nothing to
fault about the farewell rite
given him by his children.
Now that he has passed
on, Segun, the estranged
husband of Senator Gbemi
Saraki, would fight the
battle of his life never to let
go, the wonderful, sweet
memories bequeathed to
him by his father. In few
weeks, Segun will give what
is in all respects, a befitting
IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH
KEMI OLUNLOYO?
INTRIGUES AS FORMER
GOVERNOR’S DAUGHTER CALLS
HER FATHER MONSTER AND
OCCULTIST
Kennedy Uzoka
according to several of her
fans and critics in the social
media space. Outspoken
and unapologetically blunt,
Kemi’s demeanor, many a
time has attracted flak and
virulent criticism from folks
who can’t stomach it. Her
critics have even accused
her of being mentally
unstable in time past. The
controversial native of
Ibadan, Oyo State, is in the
news again following her
recent revelation that her
father is an occultist. Kemi
who has engaged virtually
every member of her family
in a verbal war of sort,
particularly when she thinks
they have exceeded their
bounds, has redirected her
caustic tongue this time
around, to her father. In a
free podcast, Kemi recently
claimed that her father, who
had been a recipient of her
praise various times in the
past, is an occultist. In the
podcast, Kemi spoke about
rituals, people dying and
Kemi Oluloyo
It is her rational banter
which mostly frightens us
in a mad woman but does
stark, raving mad actually
describe Kemi Omololu
Olunloyo? The daughter of
former Oyo State governor,
Victor Omololu Olunloyo,
seems to suffer from a
greater sort of affliction,
John Fashanu and gilfriend
a whole lot of unprintable
things that no sane person
should ever say or reveal
about his or her father. Kemi
hinted at her announcement
in a press release. Not a
few people have described
her latest revelation as
another antic from her bag
of tricks but many more are
saying she may be unstable.
Whatever the case, Kemi
certainly deserves the
prayers and support of her
friends, family and virulent
critics. This is no doubt
beyond a publicity stunt.
Something is wrong with
Kemi Olunloyo.
JOHN FASHANU FALLS IN LOVE
WITH TV GIRL RACHEL BAKAM
EX-SOCCER STAR MADLY IN LOVE
WITH BROADCASTER
Again, John Fashanu
has fallen for the lure of
supple thighs, ample busts
and dazzling eyes. As you
read, the serial divorcee
and estranged husband of
Abigail, ex-Super Eagles
103
HIGHLIFE
Alex Otti Bounces Back
•Former Diamond Bank GMD explores hospitality
sector following failed gubernatorial bid
O
ne of the lessons
from the Darwinian
world is that the
excellence of an
organism’s nervous
system helps determine
its ability to sense change
and adapt to it, thereby
surviving or thriving even
in the worst conditions. In
the same vein, Alex Otti’s
knack for thinking on his
feet and plying a visionary
course may be described as
suitable for the times. But
recently, the former Group
Managing Director (GMD)
of Diamond Bank goofed by
wading into the murky waters
of Nigerian politics. Had he
known that his foray into the
political wilderness of Abia
state would be unsuccessful,
he would have beaten a
retreat early enough. More
importantly, he wouldn’t
have resigned his lucrative
position as GMD of the bank
in pursuit of his political
ambition. It would be recalled
that his tenure as Diamond
Bank’s GMD was recently
described as “the brightest
years of Diamond Bank’s 24
year-history.” On the wings of
such complimentary reviews,
Otti yearned to replicate
his sterling achievements
in politics too; he desired
to become Governor of Abia
state but he lost.
Today, Otti has counted
his losses and moved on.
Although many people in Abia
believes he has the power
to rescue the state from the
doldrums of decay, Otti has
decided to take his chances
elsewhere. Having failed in
his mission to rescue Abia,
he is investing in the luxury
hotel business. His luxury
hotel, the Morning Side
Suites, has been described as
one of the most fascinating
and inspiring establishments
in the country’s hospitality
sector. Located at Teslim
Alias close, Victoria Island,
Lagos, the five-star hotel
which gulped resources
running into millions of naira,
has been giving other hotels
in Lagos a good run for their
money. Though the hotel
is owned by Dr. Alex Otti,
and managed by Fahrenheit
Hospitality Group, Anselm
Tabansi is its Managing
Director.
defender, Joseph Yobo’s
mother-in-law, is singing
the song of the merry man
and pliant maiden. He is
belting the notes of the
moping mum whose heart is
heavy and whose soul is sad.
Fashanu, ex-international
soccer star, is singing the
melody that conquers the
heart of the soldier whose
glance was glum, who
sipped no soup, and who
craved no crumb, because
he pines for the love of a
maiden. Fashanu is in love,
in the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT); they even
embark on trips together
and anchor television shows
together. It would be
recalled that Fashanu and
Abigail separated when their
love turned sour; things
got awry between the two
and they broke up over
allegations of infidelity.
WITH OCHOLI’S DEATH, FEAR
GRIPS MINISTERS
Terror is the fiercest
emissary of death. It is
James Ocholi
for the umpteenth time, and
the object of his affection
is none other but ravishing
broadcaster, Rachel Bakam.
Nobody knows where or how
they got together but the
lovebirds, who both reside in
Abuja, are currently painting
the town red with their love.
They look inseparable as
they attend events together
what the grim reaper sends
to cow the most valiant of
men just before it delivers
its masterstroke of anguish
and interminable torment.
This perhaps informed the
mad scramble for life by
late James Ocholi’s peers.
Soon after the death of the
former Minister of State for
Labour and Employment
Alex Otti
in a gory accident, his
colleagues in President
Muhammadu Buhari’s
cabinet have started running
helter-skelter, in search
of spiritual protection.
Like starved greyhounds
jostling for mouthfuls of
fetish sacrifices placed at
communal crossroads. And
the reason is not far-fetched.
Ocholi’s demise occurred
few months after a Nigerian
pastor predicted the death of
a top minister in President
Buhari’s cabinet. The
pastor made the prediction
during the Yuletide, when
many pastors seeking to
make a name, reveal their
prophecies for the new year.
When the pastor made
the prediction, many people
dismissed it as the desperate
antic of a pastor seeking
cheap publicity and acclaim;
ministers in the presidential
cabinet scoffed at him
calling him a charlatan.
However, immediately James
Ocholi died in an auto crash
along with his wife and
first son, President Buhari’s
ministers became jittery.
Immediately, they believed
that the Ocholis’ death is a
fulfillment of the pastor ’s
grim prediction for 2016.
Highlife findings revealed
certain prominent ministers
in the presidential cabinet
are now consulting senior
pastors in the country, as
you read, for prayers for
their safety at work and at
home.
WHITHER THE ‘FIRST LADIES’ OF
BANKING?
Like wilted roses, the
wives of certain bank chiefs
have faded in charm and
grandeur. Just as the droopy
rose fades off the green
meadow, these powerful
women have virtually faded
off the social scene. Despite
their past acclaim, these
beautiful wives of top bank
MDs have disappeared
from the social scene
thus prompting questions
about their whereabouts.
Prominent members of the
pack: Elizabeth Atuche,
Ebele Mike-Chukwu, Kate
Nwosu, Tolu Akingbola,
Dudun Peterside, Omotayo
Akinfenwa, Adenike JacobAjekigbe, Ayoade AdebisiOmoyeni and Amaka
Mbonu were notable for
their capacities to assert
themselves and impose
their worth in the global
stratosphere while their
husbands held sway in the
banking sector. It is indeed
shocking that these society
ladies cum party freaks who
bestrode Nigeria’s social
scene like diehard amazons
could suddenly fade away
from the limelight. No more
do they cruise about town in
exotic cars with customized
plate numbers. No more do
they traverse European cities
like Amsterdam, Brussels
and Berlin while they make
London their second home.
And no more do they excite
enviable eulogies from
various local musicians.
These former ‘first ladies’
of banking, like snow men
at sunrise, are no longer
the darlings of high society.
Loyalty and acclaim are
indeed transient.
TR
Sunday March 13, 2016
UT H
& RE A S O
N
Price: N300
MISSILE
Lai Mohammed to NNPC Unions
“Finally, the unfortunate strike by the unions at the NNPC over the restructuring
of the Corporation shut down the Itarogun Power Station, the biggest in the
country. Due to these factors, only 13 out of 24 power stations in the country
are currently functioning. It is this same kind of unsavoury situation that has
affected fuel supply and subjected Nigerians to hardship.”
– Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, blaming the current power
situation on sabotage and vandalisation.
SIMONKOLAWOLE
SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!
[email protected], sms: 0805 500 1961
Shall We Tell The President?
I
f I may quickly say this, I was not really
a fan of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari until I
read his interview in TheNEWS magazine
sometime in 1994 — nine years after he
was overthrown in a coup by General
Ibrahim Babangida. Questioned on the things
he got wrong as military head of state, Buhari
replied candidly (and I paraphrase): “We made
mistakes, but they were genuine mistakes... we
were in a hurry to change Nigeria.” That instantly
won me over. His perceived highhandedness was
not for personal profit; it was in desperation to
reform Nigerians. In one sentence, I saw honesty,
I saw patriotism and I saw authenticity. I became
his disciple from a distance.
I started dreaming of a Buhari presidency
precisely in 1998. I can’t remember everything
now, but I was then the Features Editor of
THISDAY. Mr. Victor Ifijeh, then the Editor, drew
my attention to a public lecture on leadership
by Buhari and asked me to write a “Man in the
News” feature on him for the Friday Review
section. After going through Buhari’s speech,
whose details I cannot now recollect (which
means I’m finally getting old), I convinced myself
that this was the kind of leader Nigeria badly
needed. I started praying that one day, Buhari
would lead Nigeria again. The inimitable Gen.
Sani Abacha was the head of state then.
I would later get close to Buhari. I sized him
up at close quarters and made my conclusions.
One, he is very passionate about the progress
of Nigeria. He believes that the country can be
far better than this. Two, he believes the major
problem obstructing our progress is leadership
deficiency. In an interview I had with him in
March 2001, he complained about the growing
lawlessness in the land under President Olusegun
Obasanjo’s leadership, concluding: “Instead of
the dog wagging the tail, it is the tail that is
wagging the dog.” Three, he told me in May
2009 that Nigeria had been ruled by “leaders
without conscience”, and that was why we had
not developed “despite all our resources”.
I saw in Buhari a leader who would not spend
his days in office feathering his nest. I saw a
leader who would not condone stealing of public
funds. I saw in him a strong personality who
would take a decision and stand by it, not being
tossed by every wind of doctrine. However,
unlike most of the modern-day Buhari fans, I was
very much aware of his limitations. I knew he
would be highly constrained by his worldview.
I worried about his economic philosophy. I also
worried about his likely choice of core team
members. Above all, I knew his handling of the
Nigerian situation as a military man was not
replicable in a democracy. I was quite realistic.
In truth, I was not expecting magic in the event
of him becoming president. I did not expect
him to change Nigeria and Nigerians in four
years, much less in 10 months. It so happened
that in 2015, after three failed attempts, Buhari
became the choice presidential candidate. The
anti-Jonathan movement found a ready symbol
of change in Buhari. They quickly created him
in the image they wanted: a flawless magician,
the ultimate messiah. I was very worried for
Buhari at some point. For instance, on January
25, 2015 — more than two months before he
won the election — I did foresee trouble in an
article with the title: “Buhari and the Burden
of Expectations.”
Buhari
I wrote: “To be honest, I don’t know whether
to rejoice or sympathise with Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari anytime I read all the sweet comments
about him on social media — especially on Twitter.
I don’t know any presidential candidate who
has been so idolised in recent times — which is
an excellent accolade any politician will gladly
take. On the one hand, it is good for him. He
will not be complaining at all. No politician will
complain about such good fortune, especially with
only a few weeks to an election. On the other
hand, my God! The expectations are sky-high.
Incredible. From what I am reading, Buhari is
expected to perform nothing short of magic
in Aso Rock...”
I am, therefore, not surprised by the increasing
murmurings and grumblings against Buhari
in less than 10 months. A country perpetually
reliant on fuel imports, littered with bad roads
and sick hospitals, living in darkness, churning
out illiterates as graduates — let’s face it: the
turn-around maintenance of Nigeria will take
longer than 10 months. I’ve always told my
friends no president can transform Nigeria in four
years or even eight years. The most important
thing, I keep emphasising, is to have patriotic
and competent leadership taking us in the right
direction. That way, we would know that our
present sufferings are not worth comparing
with the glory ahead.
There is no proper
articulation so that we
can have an idea of how
they are linked and where
we are headed. There are
so many dots that are not
connecting. I have this
impression everybody is
just doing their own thing
without any overarching
strategy to connect these
dots
Having said that, however, I am really getting
worried about Buhari’s second coming. Yes, he
has confronted Boko Haram decisively. Although
the jury is still out, at least the soldiers are no
longer running away to Cameroon on “tactical
manoeuvre” or complaining about embezzled
allowances. For once, there is sustained seriousness
in the war on terror. Yes, Buhari has laid down
the marker in his anti-graft war, even if it is
not all-encompassing. At least, there is some
activity on that front. We could use a more
comprehensive strategy that includes moral
suasion as well as institutional and administrative
reforms, in addition to enforcement. Something
is happening all the same.
But I worry about Buhari’s speed and economic
philosophy. I admit that he met enormous
challenges on ground. Only a magician would
have killed all the cockroaches, mosquitoes and
rats within 10 months. The PDP brigade, still
hurting from their humiliation in the general
election, are trying to force the issue, trying to
brand Buhari as a failure already — yet their party
had 16 whole years to address power shortage,
dependence on fuel imports, infrastructural decay,
comatose healthcare and stunted education. They
wasted a golden opportunity. They are certainly
not in a good position to describe Buhari as
a failure before his first anniversary in office.
Nevertheless, I am very disturbed that Buhari
does not yet have an economic direction. Neither
is there an anchor. There is no clarity. What we
are getting are mixed messages, bits and pieces
here and there. I am hearing sweet statements and
poetic promises, a lot of rhymes and alliterations,
from APC leaders and ministers. There is no
proper articulation so that we can have an idea
of where we are headed. There are so many dots
that are not connecting. I have this impression
everybody is just doing their own thing without
any overarching strategy to connect these dots.
I can’t see coherence. I can’t see a roadmap. I
can’t see what to hold on to.
Agreed, Buhari is not an economist. But you
don’t have to be an economist to lead a nation
to prosperity. All you need is a damn good
economic team worth its onions. The team must
have an anchor. We are neck-deep in an economic
crisis and this requires emergency reaction. Even
though Buhari is a strong character who stands
by what he believes in, there must also be some
flexibility. Economic crises are better tackled
with a combination of antidotes. It is good
that Buhari is a patriot and an honest man. It
is good that Buhari means well. But meaning
well does not solve these problems. He must
also do well. The economy is in limbo, let’s be
honest about it.
Mr. President, it’s time to wake up and smell
the coffee. We need to see your development
blueprint. We want to understand your policies,
programmes and strategies. We want to see
the goals and the goalposts. Your party says
one thing today, you say another tomorrow.
That you met a mess on ground is the same
reason the majority of voters chose you. If they
wanted the mess to continue, they would have
maintained the status quo. And while we cannot
expect you to clear the mess in 10 months, we
need a mental picture of where you are taking
us. I have no doubt that you can turn out to
be the best Nigerian president ever, but where
is the beef?
And Four
Other Things...
BUHARI AND MTN
On Tuesday, when President Muhammadu Buhari accused MTN of “aiding”
the killing of 10,000 Nigerians by Boko
Haram, I shuddered a bit. The president
shouldn’t be making such public statements, I told myself. MTN clearly erred
by failing to register 5.1 million subscribers and many of us have condemned
the telecoms giant, but such a weighty
allegation coming from the president is
unnecessary — in my opinion. It is good
that there finally seems to be a headway
in the resolution of the issue, and I hope
a good lesson has been learnt by all
concerned, from operators to regulators.
Valuable.
NNPC CONFUSION
Kindly give me a call if you understand
what Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state
for petroleum resources, is up to. When
he became NNPC GMD last year, he
reduced the directorates to four, saying
we needed a “trim” organisation. Now
that he is minister, he has increased
them to seven “fat” units. He calls them
“independent” units, meaning they are...
erm... independent. Yet he says this is
not “unbundling”. Independent but not unbundled? Independent? And I understand
NNPC is fast becoming family business.
At this rate, Diezani Alison-Madueke,
former petroleum minister, may end up
as a saint in record time. Nigeria!
SEAT BELTS
One lesson to be learnt from Sunday’s
tragic accident that claimed the lives
of James Ocholi, minister of state for
labour, his wife and son, is that using
seat belts is advisable no matter where
you sit. Generally, only those on the front
seats use belts. There is also the issue
of overspeeding. Without excessive
speeding, many accidents would not
be fatal. Vehicles are easier to control
within reasonable speeding, although our
lawmakers are fighting to prevent the
introduction of speed limiters by FRSC.
Ocholi was such a lovely and lively man.
My heartfelt condolences to his young
family. Heart-rending.
MILES APART
Nigeria’s fault lines are easily magnified,
as we saw yet again in the Mile 12 market
crisis in Lagos. We were told a pregnant
Yoruba woman was knocked down by a
“Hausa” (probably not Hausa but a northerner or even Chadian) motorcyclist. In
a normal society, the first thing is to get
emergency treatment for the victim, not
to ask of the culprit’s ethnicity. (It could
well have been a Yoruba or Ibibio motorcyclist!) You then take the offender to the
police for the law to take its course. But
it ended up as Hausa vs Yoruba. Such a
primitive pattern. Senseless.
Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .
All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: [email protected], [email protected]. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929
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