THEWILL NEWSPAPER, February 25, 2024

Abimbola Craig wears different hats. One of them is Tiwa, the lead character in Skinny Girl in Transit She also produces in the hit show, has produced the reality TV show Real Housewives of Lagos, and has been in other projects like Sugar Rush and Glamour Girls (the 2022 remake). Whichever way you look at it, Abimbola Craig is a hardworking woman who aims for perfection in anything with her name attached. Perhaps it’s the fact that she grew up on shows like Tales by Moonlight, but for her, her work must have a moral ending. One impactful story she has told was Fractured, a short story starring Eku Edewor and the late Karibi Fubara about a couple having difficulty conceiving. While society tends to blame the wife, in this case, the husband spoke out, saying he was the one with a low sperm count.

When it comes to finding a balance between her public persona and private life, Craig firmly believes in controlling your narrative. She says that whatever you see out there about her, she allows. Read more about Abimbola Craig on pages 8 to 10.

This week, our fashion pages share some insight into how to mix prints. You’ll find that on pages 4 and 5, where we give six simple guidelines to enable you to mix print like a pro.

The face and neck have over 57 muscles, yet we don’t exercise them regularly. Face yoga is becoming popular to combat signs of ageing, but what other exercises could help with your complexion and other signs of ageing? We discuss these on the beauty page.

Don’t forget to click on the instructions below the QR codes on page 16 to access our playlist. You’ll love the music selection.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

COVER

AS INEC FALTERS: Political Parties Flout Campaign Expenditure Law

Investigation has revealed that political parties have acted in breach of the law in almost every election cycle with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) looking the other way. This is especially so as it relates to campaign expenditure as the law mandates political parties to submit, within six months after elections, their financial reports showing the donations and expenditure on every election in fulfilment of provisions of the Electoral Act.

For doing what ought to be an annual ritual by political parties after every election, the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, which publicly released its expenditure for the 2023 General Election last week, predictably attracted wide media coverage and some personal attacks on the social media, to boot.

By last week’s release of its campaign and election spending, the Obi/Datti campaign organisation has once again raised the burning issue of accountability and due process on election spending by almost all the political parties and their presidential, governorship, federal and state legislative candidates that have been participating in elections since the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

According to Aisha Yesufu, Chairman of the FundRaising Team for the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign

Organisation, the organisation received N595.9 million from Nigerians and spent N774,5 million on litigation. The meeting of the campaign organisation was chaired by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi.

According to Yesufu, the breakdown is as follows: N575, 976,994.00 from a donation of N800, 000, 000.00 from Obi. It spent N268, 374, 330.00 for campaign materials; N16,422,866.00 on media. Others are N10,808,948.00 for election promotion materials; N324,381,700.00 on polling unit agents; N1,750, 544.00 on bank charges; N477,000.00 on administrative charges; N744,500,000.00 on legal expenses; N28,500,000.00 on campaign and election activities. The balance is N19, 238, 395.00.

Even so, the report is coming more than the stipulated six months after the election as required by law.

“As a body determined to inject sanity into our polity, we will continue in the right direction by ensuring that we transparently account for these funds,” Tanko Yinusa, chief spokesperson for the campaign committee said afterwards.

Considering the role of political parties as agents of mobilisation, aggregation of interests and resolution of

conflicts at the centre of power in a multi-party democracy, “injecting sanity into the polity, “ through due process and transparent conduct would certainly be on the plate of political parties.

But how far have the political parties faced and passed this integrity test since the dawn of democracy in 1999?

The answer, according to the investigation, is blowing in the wind.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

For one, the law mandates political parties to submit their financial reports showing the donations and expenditure on every election in fulfilment of provisions of the Electoral Act.

The legal charge is based on the fact that political parties all over the world source funds for their electioneering through contributions from members, supporters, patrons, donations and corporate entities.

According to provisions of the 2022 amendment to the Electoral Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in May, the limit for campaign spending for elections into the different offices was increased from what used to

COVER

...Parties Flout Campaign Expenditure Law

obtain in the 2010 amended Electoral Act.

Whereas Section 91 of the 2010 Amended Act stipulated a N1 billion ceiling for presidential elections in Section 91 of the 2010 amended Act, Section 88 of the new law raised it to N5 billion. Similarly, the spending limits on the governorship and National Assembly elections were raised from N200 million, N40 million and N10 million to N1 billion, N100 million and N70 million, respectively.

However, Section 92 (3) of the 2020 Electoral Act (as amended) says, “Election expenses of a political party shall be submitted to the Commission in a separate audited return within 6 months after an election and such return shall be signed by the political party’s auditor’s and countersigned by the Chairman of the party and be supported with a sworn affidavit by the signatories as to the correctness of its contents.”

Basically, the Electoral Act requires political parties to submit their financial statements within six months after an election, while the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, must publish the audited reports in at least three national newspapers.

In all, there are three financial reports that political parties are expected by law to submit to INEC. They are the election contributions report, which must be submitted three months after election results have been announced; election expenses report, to be submitted six months after election day and annual report by political parties.

HOW POLITICAL PARTIES ARE COMPLYING WITH THE PROVISIONS

Investigation however shows that political parties have acted in breach of the law in almost every election cycle with the INEC looking the other way.

When he spoke to THEWILL on this issue last Thursday, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, could only say that many political parties have submitted their reports to the Commission.

Contacted, all the four major political parties whose presidential candidates won public acceptance as the results showed in the 2023 general election votes- PDP, APC, LP, NNPP-, failed to respond to enquiries. Their spokespersons refused to answer phone calls.

Nonetheless, findings show that since the first election in 1999 when only three political parties – the PDP, All Peoples Party, ANP and Alliance for Democracy- participated, progressively 20, 25, 20, 14 and 73, 18 political parties were on the ballots in the 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, 2023 presidential elections.

Reports also showed that out of the 18 political parties that participated in the 2023 general election, only one party, the Action Democratic Party, ADP, has managed to comply with the relevant provisions in full by submitting its expenditure within the 6 months window. According to its document submitted to the INEC on 30 May 2019, the party said it spent a total of N95 million (N95,388,417) on the 2019 general elections.

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, New Nigeria People Party, NNPP, African Democratic Congress ,ADC, African Action Congress, AAC, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Accord, Action Alliance, AA, Peoples Redemption Party , PRP, Action Peoples Party, APP, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Young Progressives Party, YPP, Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Action Peoples Party, APP, Action Democratic Party, ADP, Zenith Progressives Alliance, ZPA, National Rescue Movement, NRM, and Boot Party which have been participating in the elections since 2019, have acted in breach of the law.

Only eight out of the 18 registered political parties submitted their annual report for 2015, while only the ADC, ADP and LP submitted their annual reports for 2019.

Accord, AA, ADC, ADP, LP, APGA, APC, PDP and NNPP submitted the report in 2015.

What this means is that the parties have been reluctant to submit the full complement of the required reports as stipulated by law. They do so in segments and still face no sanctions from the INEC.

INEC YET TO ACT

The reluctance of the parties to follow due process has been condoned by the INEC for no reason other than laxity and indulgence.

“INEC has been failing in its oversight function of the political parties and so the parties have been getting away with the failure to submit comprehensive reports of their activities,” Law teacher and political analyst, Dr Sam Amadi, said on National Television last Thursday.

Amadi argued that INEC’ s failure to sanction the parties shows that Commission “is not interested in obeying even its own rules.”

For example, PDP and the APC reportedly submitted their reports for the 2015 general poll very late. The PDP, which was the ruling party at the time, claimed that it spent N4.8 billion on the presidential poll. The audit report shows that the APC spent N2.9 billion on election expenses for the 2015 general election.

Even though the APC and the PDP reports came years behind schedule, INEC has also refused to publish the Executive Summary of External Auditor Report on The Account of Political Parties for the Year 2015/2016.

According to reports, the Commission claimed that its reports are with professional audit firms appointed by INEC to ascertain that the financial statements comply with generally accepted accounting principles.

The APC report was audited by Mai-Alheri and Co, while the then-ruling PDP report was audited by Paul Akinade Adebimpe and Co.

“In the report, the APC generated only N604.5 million in 2015, but spent N2.9 billion, leaving a deficit of N2.3 billion. On the other hand, the PDP earned only N799 million in 2015, but spent N9.53 billion on the presidential campaign, leaving a deficit of N8.7 billion.

Three years after the 2019 general election and on the eve of the 2023 general poll, what the Commission’s Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, could only do was to remind the parties to publish their expenditures for the 2019 general election. This was clearly in defiance of the new Electoral Act

Mostly, the party's income, according to the report, was derived from the sale of nomination forms and donations/ gifts. Its nomination forms generated N329.5 million, and donations and gifts brought in N275 million.

The generated funds were, however, spent on administration, election, repairs and maintenance, welfare and financial charges.

Administrative cost was put at N296.3 million, N2.6 billion on the election, N56.5 million on repairs and maintenance, N485,800 on welfare and N15.4 million on financial charges, for a grand total of N2,952,924,250.

Sadly, the report also shows that salaries and wages for the period under review gulped N25,709,165, while the party paid N28,887,500 for audit and professional fees.

The APC reported that it had a surplus of N2,348,426,793 in the audited report, while its depreciation for the year 2015 was N44,198,934.

The report also shows that the party’s surplus (deficit) after depreciation is N2,392,625,727.

Three years after the 2019 general election and on the eve of the 2023 general poll, what the Commission’s Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, could only do was to remind the parties to publish their expenditures for the 2019 general election. This was clearly in defiance of the new Electoral Act.

INEC, through tracking and monitoring, established that the APC spent N4.6 billion (N4,620,144,784), while the PDP spent N3.3 billion (N3,282,206,642) during the last presidential election on billboards, print media advertisements, electronic media advertisements and coverage (musical performances) during the 2019 poll. In clear violation of the rules of the game, however, the Commission opted not to publish its report on a national newspaper.

This shows that INEC is yet to conform with Section 15(c) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

The section stipulates that the Commission “shall arrange for the annual examination and auditing of the funds and accounts of political parties, and publish a report on such examination and audit for public information.”

Section 89 (8) of the new Electoral Act says, “The Commission shall make available for public inspection during regular business hours at its headquarters and state offices the audited returns of the political parties required by subsection (3) which shall include the names, addresses, occupation, and amount contributed by each contributor to a party.”

Also, Section 89 (3) stipulates that “Election expenses of a political party shall be submitted to the Commission in a separate audited return within six months after the election and such return shall be signed by the political party’s auditors and countersigned by the chairman of the party and be supported by a sworn affidavit by the signatories as to the correctness of its contents.”

UNIMPLEMENTED FINES

According to the law, any political party that contravenes subsection (3) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 and in the case of failure to submit an accurate audited return within the stipulated period, the court may impose a maximum penalty of N200,000 per day on any party for the period after the return was due until it is submitted to the Commission.

The Electoral Act also says any political party that incurs election expenses beyond the limit set in Subsection (2) commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 and forfeiture of the amount by which the expenses exceed the limit set by the Commission.

Tinubu, Governors, Others Bid Akeredolu Farewell

President Bola Tinubu on Friday led state governors, members of the National Assembly and other dignitaries to the final burial ceremony of former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, in Owo.

THEWILL reports that also present at the event was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume and the governors of Ekiti, Osun, Enugu, Bayelsa, Kwara, Benue, Lagos, Anambra, Ogun, Oyo and Delta States.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, chieftains of the party and other dignitaries were also present at the funeral filled with grief, which was held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Imola, Owo, In his sermon titled “The Brevity of Life”, the Bishop of Ikwerre and Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, Anglican Communion, Rev. Blessing Enyindah, said, “Life is short, meaningless and vanity without God.”

Enyindah emphasised the transient nature of life and the importance of making a meaningful impact while on earth. He compared human life to a shadow that vanishes like a vapour and urged all politicians present to see to the hardship that Nigerians are facing.

The Bishop, quoting from Psalm 39 vs 4-5, urged attendees to reflect on their legacy and the significance of their actions. Enyindah highlighted the impactful contributions of Akeredolu to Ondo State and his dedicated service to the Anglican Church.

He called for the protection of Akeredolu’s legacy and for the government to continue with the projects he initiated but could not complete.

Speaking at the event, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria had lost a man who left an “indomitable legacy of national service.”

Tinubu said it was not a day to mourn, but a remembrance and celebration of life, to God and humanity, of Akeredolu, who served humanity to the best of his ability.

”Seasons come and seasons go, today is a day of remembrance, a day of celebration of life, to God and humanity, today is a day to pay our respect", he said.

Also speaking at the church service, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa appreciated all dignitaries present to pay their last respects to his late principal.

Aiyedatiwa described his former principal as a great man, who would be remembered for his voice on national issues like the rule of law and good governance.

The nation's aviation industry may witness yet another strike if the Federal Government and unions fail to reach a common front over issues bordering on TSA. Already, the leadership of the various unions in the sector are set to meet next week in Lagos to deliberate on specific action to take to stop the imposition of a 50 percent deduction from some of the aviation agencies’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)

On their part, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) have warned that the aviation unions may be compelled to embark on an industrial action to force the withdrawal of the agencies from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Speaking in his welcome address at the National Executive Council ‘Ibadan 2024’ with the theme, ‘Challenges of Labour Unions In A Depressing Economy: Aviation Sector

In View,’ the President of ATSSSAN, Barr Ahmadu Illitrus, disclosed that the general-secretaries of the major unions in the sector in Nigeria had been mandated to meet next week to deliberate on the issue and give a feedback to the presidents of their unions.

The TSA, which was introduced on October 15, 2022, commenced with 25 percent deductions from all revenuegenerating agencies of the Federal Government, including four agencies in the aviation sector.

But, a few months later, the government increased it to 40 percent, while President Bola Tinubu in January 2024 increased the deductions to 50 percent.

Iliitrus said that the new regime had commenced and feared this may have dire consequences on the agencies.

The four aviation agencies affected by the TSA policy are the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).

Illitrus insisted that the agencies were not revenuegenerating organisations and wondered why they should be treated as such.

He also warned that if the deductions from the agencies are not stopped, it may affect the forthcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) security audit.

The Independent Electoral Commission has released reports of the 2023 General Election. The report emphasises the role of technological advancement, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), in enhancing electoral integrity and reducing electoral fraud. Other aspects covered in the report include logistics, security arrangements, staff recruitment and training, inclusivity measures and the electoral framework.

INEC in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, explained that advanced technology will address public concerns about the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

The statement however noted, "In keeping with our tradition over the last four electoral cycles and our commitment to transparency, we are pleased to announce the release of the official INEC report on the 2023 General Election.

"This comprehensive 526-page document, structured into 13 chapters and enhanced with 60 tables, 14 boxes and 10 graphs, offers an in-depth analysis of the election’s key processes, achievements and challenges, alongside valuable lessons learned.

"The Report showcases the election’s unparalleled diversity in party representation, demonstrating significant democratic progress.

“This election saw four political parties winning gubernatorial races, seven parties winning senatorial seats, eight in federal constituencies and nine in State legislatures, illustrating a broad shift in political representation across Nigeria.” the statement read.

The report published on its website on Friday, said the conduct of a BVAS functionality mock accreditation exercise on the eve of the election, enabled the Commission to test-run the system ahead of the 2023 General Election.

"It is important to highlight some key pre-2023 general election activities. First, there was the conduct of Off-Cycle, Bye-Elections and Re-run Elections between August 2019 and July 2022, to fill executive and legislative positions in 145 constituencies nationwide.

“Second, there was the challenge, from December 2019 to late 2020, of conducting some of these elections in the context of the global COVID-19 Pandemic that tasked the Commission to develop a policy on conducting elections within the prevailing atmosphere of the pandemic and develop innovations to meet the public safety difficulties in line with advisories by national and global health authorities.

EDO 2024: PDP, APC, LP, Kick off Battle For Osadebe House

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, recently informed all the 18 registered political parties in the country that Saturday February 24, 2024 would be the deadline date for the completion of primary election of their governorship candidates ahead of the upcoming September 21 governorship poll in Edo State.

As if by agreement, all of them scheduled their primary elections for last Thursday and Friday, leaving a one-day window to meet the Commission’s deadline. In reality, however, the parties, particularly the governing Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC and the Labour Party had to battle internal crises before holding their primary elections.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, which had organised its election a week before the deadline date found itself scrambling for space after controversy trailed the Saturday, February 17 election conducted under the chairmanship of the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma.

The governor had announced House of Representatives member, Dennis Idahosa, winner with 40,505 votes, while the collation of result was still ongoing. Infuriated by this impunity, other aspirants, particularly Senator Monday Okpebholo who was leading the pack,according to figures announced by the Returning Officer, Stanley Ugboaja, protested against Uzodinma’s verdict.

Sources said President Bola Tinubu was miffed at the information about the election fiasco and asked for a repeat of the primary with fairness and transparency.

Faced with a presidential marching order amid a divided house, the Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje led-National Working Committee, NCW, which had earlier congratulated Idahosa made a U-turn and scheduled another primary.

Like the APC, the governing Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party had their own headaches too. PDP went into the primary election a divided house, following the lingering supremacy battle between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu. The Labour Party managed to overcome a serious crisis due to the arrest and detention of its National Chairman, Julius Abure in Benin-City, the Edo State capital over allegations of conspiracy and murder on the Wednesday, February 20th date scheduled for the primary election. On top of that was the disquiet in the party caused by the petition to INEC by an aspirant, Olumide Akpata, who accused the party of foot dragging over the organisation of its primary.

Mr Akpata, a former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, made four allegations in his petition, to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

According to the former NBA President, the security agencies were unaware of the party’s congress and primaries; there was

“As if by agreement, all of them scheduled their primary elections for last Thursday and Friday, leaving a one-day window to meet the Commission’s deadline. In reality, however, the parties, particularly the governing Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC and the Labour Party had to battle internal crises before holding their primary elections

...Kick off Battle For Osadebe House

lack of information and transparency regarding the primary election leading to a mass departure of aspirants from the party; there was a complete blackout of information on the venues for the 192 ward congress scheduled to hold on 20th February, 2024; and the party had failed to publish the specific guidelines detailing a step-by-step process governing the ward congress and primaries.

National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifo and his state chapter counterpart, Comrade Sam Uroupa, however, described the allegations as inaccurate and explained that the party was pulling all the stops to overcome its challenges and hold the primary, which it eventually did on Friday afternoon.

PDP

In the end, the PDP held its election at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. At the end of the one-sided election, Barr Asue Ighodalo emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the September 21, polls.

Zamfara State Governor and returning officer of the election, Dauda Lawal, who declared Ighodalo winner of the primary, said Ighodalo secured 577 votes to defeat other aspirants in the race.

Ighodalo, according to the released results, beat his absent but closest runner-up, Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, as well as Anslem Ojezua, Mr Felix Akhabue, Mr Martin Uhomoibhi, Hajia Hadizat Umoru, Mr Osaro Onaiwu and Mr Arthur Esene to win the ticket of the PDP for the off-season September 2024 governorship election.

Spotting a heavy presence of police and other security operatives, the primaries were held under the supervision of representatives of the party’s National Working Committee NWC and monitored by INEC officials.

Two aspirants, Barr. Omosede Igbinedion stepped down for Ighodalo, while Hon. Ogbeide Ihama announced his withdrawal from the contest before voting commenced.

The results as announced after counting by the Electoral Committee, are as follows

Anslem Ojezua 0, Felix Akhabue 0, Philip Shuabu. 1, Amb. Martins. 0, Barr. Esene. 0, Asue. Ighodalo 577; Omosede Iginedia stepped down for Ighodalo. Ogbeide Ihama withdrew. 6 votes were recorded as voided.

In a dramatic turn of events, Edo Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu was declared the party candidate in a parallel primary conducted by his faction of PDP.

The parallel governorship primary, which was reportedly held at Shaibu’s residence in Benin, had Bartholomew Moses as the Returning Officer. He said the Deputy Governor won the exercise with over 301 votes in an election he was the only candidate.

Ighodalo said at his acceptance speech: “I am only a tool in this process and I promise you all I will be a good tool. By the grace of God, Edo State will move from where Governor Obaseki stopped,”

Background

Mr Asue Ighodalo is a consummate lawyer, successful business person and corporate guru. He is a founding partner of Banwo and Ighodalo, a leading Nigerian corporate and commercial law firm. His core areas of practice are Corporate Finance, Project Finance, Securities and Capital Markets, Energy and Natural Resources, and Mergers and Acquisitions.

He was until recently, Chairman of the Board of Nigeria Breweries Plc and Sterling Bank

Academic Qualifications: He hold a B.Sc Economics, University of Ibadan; LL.B (Hons) London School of Economics and Political Science 1984; BL., Nigerian Law School, 1985. He hails from Ewohinmi in Esan South East Local Government Area in Edo Central Senatorial Zone.

APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the senator representing Edo Central in the National Assembly, as the winner of its rerun governorship primary election for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

“Akpata comes from Edo South Senatorial zone, which also had a senator representing the zone at the National Assembly on the platform of Labour Party, a big plus for the governorship candidate. Senator Okpebholo, represents Edo South at the National Assembly. Ighodalo has the backing of Governor Obaseki, the chairmen of the 18 local government areas and the party’s machinery. With the relative strength of their structures, the three candidates face a grueling battle royale for Osadebe House on September 21, 2024

The APC, last Thursday, held a fresh direct primary election across the 192 wards in the 18 local government areas of Edo State after it declared last Saturday, February 17 shadow election inconclusive.

Nine aspirants contested the election after three aspirants, including Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, former Deputy Governor, Lucky Imasuen, and a former permanent secretary, Earnest Afolabi Umakhihe, withdrew from the governorship race. Others included Professor Osariemhem Osunbor, ex-Minister of State for Budget, Clem Agba and Anamero Dekeri.

Earlier, the APC had mandated a seven-man Governorship

Primary Election Committee chaired by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to supervise the direct primary election. He failed, having manipulated figures in favour of House of Representatives member, Dennis Idahosa on the bidding of Senator Adams Oshiomhole. This led to protest and the National Working Committee, NCW, whose National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje had congratulated the Idahosa, made a U-turn and declared the primary election inconclusive.

The party, however, replaced Uzodimma with Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, who supervised the fresh primary election through Thursday night to Friday morning.

Declaring the results of the shadow election on Friday, at the collation centre, Lushville Hotel and Suites, Gapiona Avenue, Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin City, Otu said Okpekholo polled 12,433 votes to defeat his closest rival, the lawmaker representing Ovia constituency in the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, who scored 6,541 votes. Okpebholo told THEWILL: “I look at Edo State as a backward state. The crucial thing now is for somebody who has a peopleoriented background to develop the state. With me, there will be a change for the good.”

Background

Okpebholo hails from Irrua in Esan Central Local Government also in Edo Central Senatorial zone like Ighodalo. His biodata says: “Okpebholo, whose name also coincides with his Okpebholo ancestry, was popularly nicknamed Akpakomisa from childhood because of his survival of the tough times occasioned by the numerous water borne disease at that time.”

LP

Mr Akpata emerged winner of the governorship primary election of the Labour Party, conducted on Friday afternoon. The Returning Officer for the election and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu, declared Akpata as the winner after collating the results.

Emetu said the former NBA President polled 316 votes to emerge the winner of the exercise.

Akpata said after his victory: “My interest is for the People of Edo State. And what I find out in politics and governance in Nigeria today is that the people have been taken out of the equation. Nobody cares about the people.”

Background:

Olumide Akpata hails from Edo South Senatorial zone. He is the first Non-Seniour Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, to assume the office of the president of the NBA and also first NBA president to get married while in office to Osayomon Michelle Ogbebor, a lawyer, in 2022.

He is also a senior partner and the Head of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group at Templars law firm in Nigeria. He had his early education in Warri, Delta State before proceeding to King’s College, Lagos for his secondary education. He later proceeded to the University of Benin, Edo State where he obtained a Bachelor degree in law and was called to the bar after graduation.

Akpata began his legal career in Delta State under the mentorship of Dr. Mudiaga Odje, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, one of the most experienced litigators of his time.

In 1996, Akpata moved to Lagos where he formed a law firm, Templars with his cousin, Oghogho Akpata. He is currently a senior partner and Head of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group of Templars.

Battle Ahead

Between the politician, Senator Okpebholo and the two technocrats, Ighodalo and Akpata, an exciting three-horse race has kicked off. Akpata comes from Edo South Senatorial zone, which also had a senator representing the zone at the National Assembly on the platform of Labour Party, a big plus for the governorship candidate. Senator Okpebholo, represents Edo South at the National Assembly. Ighodalo has the backing of Governor Obaseki, the chairmen of the 18 local government areas and the party’s machinery. With the relative strength of their structures, the three candidates face a grueling battle royale for Osadebe House on September 21, 2024.

INEC Report Explains Why IReV Failed to Upload 2023 Presidential Election Results

One year after it conducted the February 25, 2023 general election which results were the subject of intense public debates and litigation until january 19, 2024 when the Supreme Court gave the last verdict on the series of election petitions brought before it, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Friday unveiled a 526-page 2023 general election report on the poll.

The reports showed a detailed explanation on a very sensitive area that called to question the integrity of the Commission: why it failed to fulfil its promise that Nigerians could view in real-time the result of the presidential elections on the INEC results viewing portal (IReV) during the 25 february, 2023 presidential elections.

Acknowledging in the post-election report that the failure to upload polling unit results of the presidential election to IReV in real-time at the close of polls on Saturday 25 February 2023 key impacted on the public perception of the election “and elicited widespread commentary”, the Commission, gave explanation on this shortcoming.

“By and large, the glitch experienced in uploading the scanned images of polling unit presidential election result sheets on 25th February 2023 was due to the inherent complexity within the system, which was difficult to anticipate and mitigate,” the report said.

IReV Challenge

Before the conduct of the elections, INEC officials were all over the media circuit promising Nigerians that it would upload the election results to the IReV portal in real-time for the public to watch in the comfort of their homes.

Informed ahead of time, Nigerians naturally felt disappointment that the Commission failed to upload results of the presidential poll onto the irev which accepted results of the national assembly elections held on the same day.

This failure caused a huge integrity problem for the Commission as this major setback was to form a basis for the presidential candidates of the major political parties of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party, LP, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, to challenge the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Even so, INEC blamed the problem on a technical glitch while former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed blamed cyberattack, during a visit to the United States of America.

Report Explains Why IReV Failed

In the report, the Commission underscored the pivotal role of technological advancement particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation system, BVAS in boosting electoral integrity and reducing fraud and explained that it only started receiving complaints from presiding officers at polling units at about 4 p.m. when voting ended that attempts to upload the result sheets of the presidential elections were failing.

In its response, the commission said it asked field officers for the details of the error in order to trace the origin, source, scale and magnitude.

It then engaged in a troubleshooting process, which led it to find out that the errors were caused by an application due to problems “relating to configuration, permissions, or failure to create or access application resources correctly.”

“Further interrogation of the election result modules indicated that the system is encountering an unexpected

“

while the uploads for the national assembly elections succeeded as the application was able to identify the respective state and build the folder hierarchy for the results organisation process for the election, attempts to upload the presidential election results sheets, which does not belong to or mapped to any state on the database, failed

configuration problem in mapping the presidential election results uploaded into the system to the participating polling units,” the report said, adding that, “each senatorial district and Federal Constituency election on the database was mapped to their respective states.”

It further stated that, “while the uploads for the national assembly elections succeeded as the application was able to identify the respective state and build the folder hierarchy for the results organisation process for the election, attempts to upload the presidential election results sheets, which does not belong to or mapped to any state on the database, failed.”

“Instead, it returned a HTTP server error response. This failure is attributable to the inability of the application to create and build a folder structure to organise the uploaded images of the result sheets of the presidential election.”

According to the Commission, it eventually succeeded to make a headway by creating and using “Hotfixes” to resolve the HTTP error on the system “and the first presidential election result sheet was successfully uploaded at 8.55pm on the 25th of february 2023.”

Frustrated, many of the field officers who had worked late into the day started leaving their polling units and switched off the election monitoring devices, particularly the bvas machines having failed to successfully upload results.

On this, the report said, “the commission had to reach out to the POS of affected areas to switch on their systems and ensure internet connectivity for the uploads to continue. this accounted for the delay, with some of the results coming in the next day.”

Conclusion

In the light of these shortcomings, the commission reported that it has learnt its lessons and made the necessary corrections on the IReV.

It said it had,” taken additional steps to build more resilience and undertaken additional checks to ensure the stability and optimal operation and performance of the irev portal. Other measures are additional quality assurance checks that are now done to complement the end-to-end testing of the entire result upload ecosystem before the conduct of any election.”

After it acknowledged the foregoing shortcomings, the commission still insisted that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election was credible and there was no cause for alarm. It based this conclusion on the fact that the relevant stakeholders such as the political party agents, security personnel and election observers had access to the results from the polling units which significantly corroborated results that were subsequently uploaded on its IReV portal.

Reactions

The report has however attracted comments by players at the election. foremost among them is LP Presidential Campaign Organisation. Spokesperson for the group, Tanko Yinusa dismissed the report as “medicine after death.”

He said, “ here we are, the report of inec that the irev refused to function or results not uploaded is false. Considering the fact that there were three elections that happened on that day, the federal house of representatives, the senate, and the results were uploaded and there was no issue. Why must there be an issue with regards to the presidential election.? so, totally for us there is disdain for the people and (INEC) is trying to promote indecency.”

For the chairman of the Nigerian civil society situation room, a coalition of 70 Civil Society Organisations that monitored the general election, Clement Nwankwo, the commission’s report has not addressed the major issues with the 2023 election.

He said, “Looking at inec's explanation, we still have a long way to go in conducting our elections. First, it took a long time for this explanation to come. What the civil society is calling for is an independent audit of what happened in the 2023 elections and unless we do that, the 2027 election will be marred by issues of general accountability that marred the 2023 polls.”

Imperative For Ethno-religious Integration And Cooperation in Nigeria

The need for ethno-religious integration and cooperation has become increasingly vital for the progress and development of our dear nation, Nigeria. With a diverse population comprising various ethnic and religious groups, Nigeria possesses a wealth of cultural richness and talent, yet it has often been plagued by mutual antagonism and competition for dominance.

The diverse population of Nigeria brings a myriad of perspectives, skills, and experiences that can be harnessed for the benefit of the entire nation. When individuals from different ethnic and religious backgrounds come together, they create an environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. This is evident in the success stories of collaborations between the Yoruba and Igbo communities, which have given rise to exceptional artists, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

The realm of music serves as a prime example of the success that can be achieved through ethno-religious integration. Artists such as Phyno and Olamide, who have combined their talents and musical styles, have produced chart-topping hits that resonate with audiences across Nigeria. Similarly, the accomplishments of Davido, born to a Yoruba-Igbo union and married to Chioma, highlight the power of cross-ethnic collaboration. The likes of Mohbad, Chike, and Yemi Alade, who represent the fusion of different ethnic backgrounds, further demonstrate the immense potential that can be unlocked through integration.

For far too long, historical divisions, political manipulations, and stereotyping have perpetuated mutual antagonism between ethnic groups. This animosity has hindered progress and prevented Nigerians from realizing their full potential. Now is the time for Nigerians to recognize and address this issue. Integration, cooperation, and unity are far more powerful and advantageous than divisive competition.

“Factors such as socioeconomic disparities, political instability, unemployment, substance abuse, and weak social structures contribute to the prevalence of crime in Nigeria. These underlying influences must be addressed to effectively combat criminal behavior

In order to build a more unified Nigeria, it is essential to prioritize integration over antagonism. Collaborations and partnerships between different ethnic and religious groups must be celebrated and encouraged. By transcending divisive tendencies, Nigerians can create a stronger, more resilient nation capable of tackling social, economic, and political challenges.

Cooperation should be valued over competition in Nigeria. Nigerians need to recognize that joining forces with individuals from diverse backgrounds can lead to remarkable achievements. By pooling resources, ideas, and talents, ethnic and religious communities can address the issues that have hindered national progress for far too long.

The urgent need for ethno-religious cooperation and integration in Nigeria cannot be overstated. Successful collaborations, exemplified by artists like Phyno, Olamide, Davido, and others, highlight the potential

that exists when Nigerians embrace their diversity and work together. It is time to set aside mutual antagonism, choose integration over division, and prioritize cooperation for the greater good. By doing so, Nigerians can build a more united, prosperous, and resilient nation. Only through the strength of unity can Nigeria tap into its vast potential and thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.

Nigeria: Shifting Mindsets, Celebrating Resilience and Embracing Unity

The statement that Nigeria is a "crime scene" or a Crime – denotes a place where unlawful activities have occurred and are perhaps occurring so frequently that they define the environment. These sorts of statements are not only extremely derogatory but totally unacceptable and deeply troubling. It is essential to understand that criminal behavior is not exclusive to any particular nation, including Nigeria. Rather, crime is an intrinsic part of human nature, present in societies across the globe.

Factors such as socio-economic disparities, political instability, unemployment, substance abuse, and weak social structures contribute to the prevalence of crime in Nigeria. These underlying influences must be addressed to effectively combat criminal behavior.

Deep spiritual enlightenment holds great potential in restraining criminal tendencies. By promoting empathy, compassion, and moral values, spiritual practices can serve as deterrents against criminal actions. Encouraging individuals to engage in spiritual pursuits, fostering a sense of community, and promoting ethical education can contribute to a society that rejects criminality.

However, spiritual enlightenment alone is not sufficient. Law enforcement and temporal coercion are necessary to curb crime. The Nigerian government must invest in well-equipped law enforcement agencies, adequate training for officers, and effective implementation of laws. A fair and efficient judicial system is also imperative to discourage criminal behavior and provide justice to victims.

Socio-economic reforms are vital in addressing the root causes of crime. Creating job opportunities, promoting economic growth, improving healthcare and education systems, and reducing inequality can uplift marginalized communities and decrease the allure of criminal activities. By providing individuals with meaningful alternatives, crime rates can be effectively minimized.

It is crucial to create awareness and shatter stereotypes surrounding crime in Nigeria. Labeling an entire nation or its citizens as inherently criminal is unfair and perpetuates misconceptions. Crime is a global phenomenon, and by understanding its complexities, societies can work together to encourage positive transformation and reduce crime rates.

In conclusion, it is deeply troubling to label Nigeria as a crime. Crime is an intrinsic part of human nature and exists in societies worldwide. Addressing the underlying factors, promoting spiritual enlightenment, enforcing the law, implementing socio-economic reforms, and debunking stereotypes can significantly contribute to reducing crime rates and fostering a safer society in Nigeria.

Isimi

•Isimi, FNIA, is the Lead Convener of the National Integration Group

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

A very sad development it is, in a country that has almost everything in abundance, natural and human resources, for the citizens to be queuing up in the hot sun, in some instances being whipped into line, just for a small bag of rice as if they were in a refugee camp. Things were not even as bad as we have now during the COVID-19 years when frustrated Nigerians had to break into government warehouses for palliatives that were being hoarded

Rice

igerians on Friday trooped out enmasse to the Nigerian Customs office in Yaba, Lagos to try their luck in the latest ''lucky dip'' in town as they struggled, though with a N10,000 fee, to pick a bag of 25kg rice as the biting hunger in the country gets more real.

Breaking the borders and barriers of ethnicity and tribal sentiments that are sadly creating a big bridge among Nigerians, the Customs ''rice bazaar'' is an indication that Nigerians are really hungry as both bloody civilians and even uniformed men struggled to have a pice of the action.

A very sad development it is, in a country that has almost everything in abundance, natural and human resources, for the citizens to be queuing up in the hot sun, in some instances being whipped into line, just for a small bag of rice as if they were in a refugee camp. Things were not even as bad as we have now during the COVID-19 years when frustrated Nigerians had to break into government warehouses for palliatives that were being hoarded.

Definitely, the Federal Government can no longer pretend that all is well in the polity or that the real pains and hardships most Nigerians are going through now are mere propaganda being orchestrated by the opposition. The opposition as we all know, would not be so mischievous and callous to the extent of creating food scarcity for the commodities that are not really there and available in the first instance.

Except in a few cases and in just a few states, the so-called palliatives promised by the government to mitigate the suffering of the people have become mere political rhetorics and propaganda to deceive rather than help out hungry Nigerians. Our selfish leaders and political office holders would rather choose to settle themselves first with billions of Naira on expensive and imported luxury vehicles and mouth-watering monetary bonuses rather than face the real problems on ground.

The ordinary and vulnerable Nigerians are given the crumbs from the table of the privileged in the guise of palliatives that never get delivered to those they are meant for just as another bazaar and ''give-aways' have started across the states while the federal government is just about starting its own cash transfer to the so-called vulnerable Nigerians with the same discredited national register that was used to defraud Nigerians by officials of the immediate past administration.

Instead of encouraging national productivity and creation of genuine wealth through good policies that would make manufacturing industries thrive, the government continues to encourage idleness and creating dependants on government continued largesse that is turning most people into beggars as manufacturers continue to wind down operations as result of hike in tariffs on imported raw materials.

A visit to the nation's seaports will reveal large cargo and consignments being abandoned by importers who

could not afford to clear their goods as a result of high and prohibitive tariffs. The impact of the desertion at the ports would soon be felt in the country when current supplies run out in a couple of months. Yet the Nigeria Customs Service keeps making money for the Federal Government to share with itchy-fingered officials continue to loot while the masses suffer the brunt.

All the promises made over three months ago are still on papers as hunger bites harder in the land. Security challenges have made farmers to abandon their farms as killer herdsmen continue to wreak havocs in hitherto food baskets across the country just as hoarders, in a few instances, are cashing out big time on the misfortunes of the majority.

Unfortunately, the food scarcity would not go if the government does not intensify efforts to face the real cause squarely and immediately too. A hungry man, they say, is an angry man and Nigerians should not be surprised when the real protests start as there is definitely a limit to human resilience. Why should bandits continue to wreak untold havocs in our our farmlands and the few food items we can muster together are being smuggled out to their countries of origin? Double calamity and great insult to our collective psyche, no doubt!

We therefore call on the authorities to rise to the occasion and save Nigerians from becoming refugees in their homes, begging for food, in a land so rich in agricultural resources as the current suffering is already getting out of hand. A stitch in time, as they say, saves nine.

What Should we Tell The President?

There is a seeming lack of policy coordination in reform implementation which is neither new nor surprising. Public policy coordination has remained an age-old issue in government and a fundamental problem for efficient service delivery in public administration and policy.

The President Bola Tinubu and his team are probably overwhelmed. This is a price they must pay for embarking on a journey of reforms without sufficient diagnostic assessment, consultation, adequate preparation and enough ideas of the final destination.

The ‘bad’ news is that the journey has only just begun. First, the storm is always after, not before reform implementation.

THE PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU AND HIS TEAM ARE PROBABLY OVERWHELMED. THIS IS A PRICE THEY MUST PAY FOR EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY OF REFORMS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT, CONSULTATION, ADEQUATE PREPARATION AND ENOUGH IDEAS OF THE FINAL DESTINATION

Second, market-based reforms come in a carefully prepared package, which must be unpacked before the full benefits to the economy begin to manifest.

For the complete ‘package’, one would expect more of these market-based reform measures in the coming days and weeks, including cost-reflective electricity tariffs, right-sizing of government, privatisation of State-owned Enterprises (SoEs) and, possibly, budget cuts designed to ‘discipline aggregate demand’ etc.

Here are five options to table before the President:

Roll back the reforms? I doubt if this will find any favour with Mr. President. Reform rollback, so early in the day, will send conflicting signals to prospective investors and reduce their appetite to take risks and invest capital. This is certainly a no-no. This isn’t an option. Not recommended.

Go ahead with reforms full throttle? Those around the President and reform enthusiasts from afar would nudge him on. After all, first, the government is already celebrating that the initial reforms rolled out are beginning to pay off as Nigeria’s fiscal space gets bigger. States and Local Governments are swimming in cash! Second, the benefits of market-based reforms take time to manifest. It is a ‘longterm thing’ they will argue. Mr. President, they will say, ‘Unless you go whole hog, the reform benefits will be lost’. But as Keynes would argue, ‘the long run is a misleading guide to current affairs….in the

long run, we are all dead’. Unleashing relentless waves of reforms is not politically expedient. Mr. President should be more circumspect.

Review the reforms to make ‘adjustments’ based on new realities. I have always believed that all reforms must be subject to periodic reviews. Policymakers must pause, between ‘episodes’ of reforms, and reflect and update the situation based on new ideas and information generated from the assessment.

A review of the new FX management policy. Perhaps a managed or ‘dirty float’ as opposed to the current free or ‘clean float’ will be a more attractive option. Currently, more than 40% of all countries use some sort of managed floating regime. Mercifully, the transition from free to managed float can be seamless, without pain.

On fuel subsidy, it will be unthinkable to journey back to the opaque regime of yesterday with so much scope for arbitrariness and corruption. However, we must accept the inevitability of subsidy which should be seen as part of a robust social protection programme. What we then need is a framework for social protection that provides for what activities to subsidise, how much to spend on subsidy, who should benefit and how the subsidy should be administered. We can easily agree to provide up to XXX amount on fuel subsidy…beyond which the public must bear the burden.

Go ahead with the reforms but improve the government's handling of negative reform outcomes. The truth is that the palliatives being administered aren’t working at all because the government is not applying the balm where it pains most. Yet, implementing transformative interventions – not palliatives – to mitigate the risks associated with market-based reforms is key to sustainable outcomes. The interventions must go beyond conditional cash transfers – which, in any case, have been tainted by several corruption allegations. The government must focus on Programmes for enhancing incomes and jobs through asset creation, fiscal inclusion, human capital development and rural infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance. So, should we suggest the following?

The reform agenda must be re-calibrated to be consistent with new realities and grounded in realism and compassion. The agenda must seek to protect the economy against a much deeper crisis by preventing business collapse; it must offer genuine support to the poor and vulnerable and provide immediate comfort and security to enable them to navigate the stormy seas.

In collaboration with the states, the government should set up a Special Purpose Fund – defunct PTF-styled – for the utilisation of all monies saved from subsidy removal in building infrastructure in education, health and the empowerment of women and youth.

Going forward: Mr President needs to set up a war room immediately, under the direction of the Vice President. Ad hoc committees and emergency meetings with Governors won’t solve any problems. The war room will monitor reforms and reform fallouts, and keep up with shifting priorities and difficult circumstances.

Aketi as I Knew Him: Lawyer And a Professional in Politics

Ihad met Aketi very early in my legal career. I didn't have the privilege of meeting him before I was called to bar and as a lawyer. I first encountered him as young lawyer when he contested and was elected Publicity Secretary of the bar. From thence I admired him from a distance. He was boisterous and damn down to earth. Within a few months thereafter, I was to get close to Aketi and from there we began the journey as friends as well as egbon and aburo.

Our relationship further blossomed in 2006 when we were both involved in the campaign to elect Olisa Agbakoba, SAN as President of the NBA in Port Harcourt. Like Aketi, I stood on the conviction that we needed a fire brand and activist like Agbakoba to lead the bar at the time. This was against the sentiments of our southwest forum that believed we should support one of us.

Aketi stood on the conviction that it should be what was best for the bar at that time and period of our very nascent democracy after several years and decades of military rule and on the background of our pro-democracy struggles for the actualisation of June 12 mandate. Both Olisa and Aketi were deeply involved in that struggle as I was.

I recall that in one of our meetings, when reminded that supporting Olisa Agbakoba against a Southwest candidate might work against him in his own future aspiration, Aketi had replied by saying that his own aspiration could be subjugated and sacrificed in the interest of what he considered to be the best for the bar at the time.

At the election, Aketi not only supported Olisa, he did so openly and courageously and stood with him all through the voting process. Olisa won the election and was elected as President of Nigerian Bar Association. Aketi was to succeed him in 2008, having been elected unopposed.

I was elected a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2007 and Aketi was there for me as NBA President. He was not just supportive but appointed me as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association perhaps as the first serving legislator to ever be so appointed. I served Aketi diligently as a NEC member.

I take the liberty here to tell one of the two stories in peacemaking that Aketi made. In 2010, in the buildup to the 2011 general election, there was tension in Lagos as to whether the then incumbent governor was going to be nominated for a second term in office. It was indeed tense in Lagos then. I took the initiative to call Aketi to intervene. He told me that he was not a politician and wouldn't get involved in politics. At this time, he didn't know that he too was close to joining us in the clean waters of politics. Aketi was in Yola, and I took a flight to meet him there, appealed to him to come to Lagos and mediate. Reluctantly he agreed and promised that he will do so.

Aketi flew from Yola to Lagos , checked into Eko Hotel and invited 2 other colleagues who are also SANs to visit our leader. As I was told, on getting to his presence, Aketi went flat and dobale pleading that the governor be returned. That is Aketi the peacemaker.

Aketi was down-to-earth and said it as it is. He was pragmatic, yet humorous and result oriented. An example of Aketi's pragmatism was displayed in the quest to have a benefiting National Secretariat of the Nigerian Bar Association. A committee was set up for that purpose. At one of our NEC meetings,

whilst discussing the issue, one of our colleagues had gotten up to speak and suggested that we set up a "Special Purpose Vehicle" to build the Secretariat. In response Aketi said and I quote as much as I can remember: "I don't know about any vehicle, whether Peugeot, Toyota or Volkswagen, all I want is to build a befitting secretariat for NBA, so use any vehicle you like, just get the building going" That was Aketi the pragmatic humorist. The building was eventually built and the skyscraper stands tall and named after him in Abuja. I also don't know which vehicle they eventually used. It may have been a Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce because the structure is opulent.

I RECALL THAT IN ONE OF OUR MEETINGS, WHEN REMINDED THAT SUPPORTING OLISA AGBAKOBA AGAINST A SOUTHWEST CANDIDATE MIGHT WORK AGAINST HIM IN HIS OWN FUTURE ASPIRATION, AKETI HAD REPLIED BY SAYING THAT HIS OWN ASPIRATION COULD BE SUBJUGATED AND SACRIFICED IN THE INTEREST OF WHAT HE CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST FOR THE BAR AT THE TIME

When I met Aketi in Yola to intervene in Lagos, little did he know that he too was going to be on the ballot as a gubernatorial candidate in his home state within 2 years of telling me he was not a politician.

I recall a late night in Lagos when I sauntered into Lagos House in 2011 to see the governor and I met him with Aketi. We played and gisted only for him to call me later to ask if I knew why he was in Lagos House. Of course I didn't. He said to me that they had sent emissaries to him to come and contest the governorship of Ondo State. You could guess what my response was. He joined the fray and didn't make it at the first attempt. He moved on in his practice and kept an eye on politics.

He was to play a leading role in the formation of APC. And then came 2015 elections after President Buhari had been nominated as the candidate of APC and a Campaign Council formed and inaugurated. Aketi was Director, Field Operations and he immediately nominated me as Secretary and we set to work. He asked me to identify good heads to join us, which I did. Before then I had co- formed a support group called *Buhari for Nigeria* where Aketi and his wife, Betty were members and he proudly identified and worked hard for the electoral victory of PMB.

PH Refinery:

Senate Probe Joke Resonates as February Ends

Another month, February 2024, comes to an end this week without the embattled Port Harcourt Refinery starting production. This is two months after the Federal Government had repeatedly assured Nigerians that the unending-repairs of the refinery would end in December 2023.

THEWILL also recalls that the Senate on October 24, 2023 constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate all contracts estimated at over N11.35 trillion awarded for the rehabilitation of the four moribund refineries in the country.

This followed a motion brought by Senator Sunday Karimu on the unending repairs of the nation’s refineries despite the huge resources invested in fixing them.

While presenting his motion, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) averred that from 2010 till date, the Nigerian Government had spent N11.35 trillion on contracts to rehabilitate the four refineries, but they were still unproductive.

Senator Karimu noted that between 2010 to date, Nigeria was estimated to have spent well over N11.35 trillion on the renovation of the refineries, yet they remained unproductive.

In graphic details, the lawmaker said, “Despite the moribund state of the four refineries, the operating costs of these refineries between 2010 and 2020 is estimated at N4.8 trillion Naira. The refineries are estimated to make a cumulative loss of N1.64 trillion, within four years.”

He added, “We are concerned that the Federal Government of Nigeria has carried out rehabilitation projects in Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) over a period of seven (7) years from 20132019 at an estimated cost of N12,161,237,811.61. In addition, on the 18th March 2021, a rehabilitation contract was executed between

Continues on page 33

FIRS: Non-Oil Revenue

Projected to Hit N20trn on Aggressive Tax Reforms

NNIGERIA NON-OIL EXPORTS 2015-2022 ($’bn)

igeria’s non-oil revenue, known for its tardy, clay-footed performance in previous years, has recorded exponential growth in the post-COVID-19 period. Data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) showed that the nation’s non-oil revenue soared from N6.4 trillion in 2021 to N12.37 trillion in 2023, representing an increase of 93.2 percent. Before then, it had dipped from N5.3 trillion in 2019 to N4.9 trillion in 2020; crawled up to N6.4 trillion in 2021, before sprouting into a record peak of N10.1 trillion in 2021 to hit the all-time high of N12.3 trillion in 2023.

Behind this massive transformation is the aggressive policies of the FIRS which saw the revenue agency fire from all cylinders at a time the nation’s oil fortune had begun to dwindle considerably.

The oil revenue decline was due to a combination of extraneous factors such as volatile energy prices at the international oil market, and severe domestic distortions emanating from unyielding corruption, mismanagement and oil theft.

Although initial strategic policies such as the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) and the digitalisation of the tax clearance process set the pace, the nation’s revenue agency has maintained a continued tempo in the transformation of its operations to achieve optimum results.

VAIDS is a time-limited opportunity for taxpayers to voluntarily regularise and remediate their tax status with respect to previous tax periods that the taxpayer had been in default by making a full, fair, complete, honest and verifiable declaration of their assets and income. It waived the stipulated penalties against non-compliance and allowed tax payers to structure their liabilities for better compliance.

The former Executive Chairman of FIRS, Babatunde Fowler, disclosed that the federal government recovered about N30 billion from individuals

and corporate establishments through the VAIDS tax amnesty scheme.

According to him, 90 percent of the amount was collected by the FIRS, while the remaining 10 percent was recovered by the states. Mr Fowler, who was also the chairman of the Joint Tax Board, stated that the national taxpayers’ database increased from 14 million in 2016 to over 19 million in 2018. He expressed optimism that the number would translate into a positive growth in the country’s Tax Revenue to GDP ratio.

“The VAIDS policy was a watershed in the annals of the nation’s tax history. It provided a platform for FIRS and the state revenue agencies to build upon and expand their tax base while their tax revenue soared,” said Macaulay Akamikor, a tax expert.

Akamikor noted that the continued reforms by the FIRS to enhance tax revenue through the introduction of cutting-edge technology and capacity building programmes was based on the huge success of the VAIDS initiative. According to him, this gave the FIRS the confidence to project high revenue targets every year and that is why the story is now different from what it used to be concerning the non-oil revenue stream.

Stressing on the importance of growing non-oil revenues to tackle Nigeria’s chronic financial distress, the Budget Office said, non-oil revenues are more stable and sustainable sources than oil revenues.

The budget office noted in its 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper. that Nigeria’s oil revenues remained low even with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act largely due to PMS subsidy, oil theft, low investment, and generally weak management of the sector.

“These factors have resulted in a decline in oil revenues, putting pressure

BUSINESS WEEKLY

...Non-Oil Revenue Projected to Hit N20trn on Aggressive Tax Reforms

on the government’s finances and widening the budget deficit, the budget office said.

Behind this massive transformation is the aggressive policies of the FIRS which saw the revenue agency fire from all cylinders at a time the nation’s oil fortune had begun to dwindle considerably

This appears the focus of the current executive chairman, FIRS, Zacch Adedeji who disclosed in January that FIRS collected N12.3 trillion non-oil revenue in 2023 which accounted for a 74 percent of the FIRS tax performance for that year.

Speaking on revenue generation in 2023 during a management retreat organized by the agency last January, Adedeji said the agency’s revenue collection increased by over N2 trillion compared to a target of N10.17 trillion that the service had in 2022.

Adedeji, who attributed the increase to the impressive performance of the non-oil sector, said revenue from that sector increased by 54 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. Breaking down the N12.37 trillion tax revenue, he said the oil sector generated N3.17 trillion (25.6 percent) and the non-oil sector contributed N9.2 trillion (74.4 percent).

Speaking on the target for 2024, Adedeji said the agency aimed for a tax revenue of N19.4 trillion. According to him, the strategy for reaching the target is to develop proactive engagement by establishing regular communication.

“We will provide customised and efficient services that address the unique needs of large taxpayers and key sector contributors,’ he said.

THEWILL’s findings showed that the FIRS is determined to improve service delivery, expand tax net and enhance compliance measures by improving enforcement activities in line with relevant laws, and increase collaboration with strategic stakeholders. This provides for what some stakeholders call paying tax joyfully.

Reacting to the feasibility of the N19.4 trillion revenue target, Adedeji said FIRS must provide an effective tax collection system that departs from the old order. And this is imbibed by the sub-nationals whose tax segments of their internally generated revenues, IGR, has been on the increase in recent years.

The FIRS boss announced that the Service is not essentially a revenue-generating agency, stressing, “If we go with the plan to rejuvenate the economy, the goal is to tax prosperity and not poverty. Our duty is to have that viable structure to aid effective collection and development. So the focus is to improve tax collection effectiveness without increasing tax.”

The transformation of Nigeria’s tax ecosystem shown in the FIRS's policy on taxing the informal sector, which Adedeji said aims to move the informal sector to become formal, is a welcome strategy.

“Our focus is actually to bring the informal sector to the formal sector. How do we bring all these vocational skills, how do we get them registered, and we put them in such a way that the government can actually deal with them and make them formal?” Adedeji said. “So the focus should not be to go and tax the informal sector. The focus would be that we move from the informal sector to the formal sector by registering them, improving their skill and we can then tax them.”

*Continues online at www. thewillnews.com

...Senate Probe Joke Resonates as February Ends

NNPC/PHRC and Tenenimont SPA at a Lump Sum of $1,397,000,000.00, about N75 billion naira amidst global public criticism, no result has been achieved. “Phase 1 of the Project is expected to be completed in 28 Months after the contract, Phase 2 within 24 months and Phase 3 within 44 months of execution. Despite this, the Port Harcourt Refinery remains a money pit.

“Going by projections and representations from NNPCL the renovation works ought to be completed and operations of the Refinery commenced by June 2023. Senator Karimu expressed further concern that in a bid to revitalise the Warri Refinery, the Federal Government injected huge public funds into revamping the facility to the tune of over N28, 219, 110, 067.10 between 2014 and 2019.”

The Senate, consequently, constituted a 7-member ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter and to submit their findings to the upper legislative chamber within four weeks – November 21, 2023. Four months thereafter, no words have come from the lawmakers on the outcome of the probe.

THEWILL had, also, reported the concerns raised by stakeholders and industry experts over the Senate’s legislative frivolities called probe.

An oil and gas business practitioner, Engr Canice Benjamin, advised the upper legislative chamber to settle down and enjoy their new SUV cars gifted by the Federal Government instead of embarking on a “public, dance of shame”. Engr Benjamin recalled that the Senate had engaged in countless probes of the oil and gas industry as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) without producing any concrete result that can be identified as problem-solving.

Mr Rufai Oseni, a presenter on the Arise Television News ‘The Morning Show’, described the exercise as one that will end the way of the notorious Senate probes of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Only recently, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, during a tour of the facility, disclosed that the refinery would resume full production “soon”.

According to her, the refinery will produce two million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, and 2.2 million litres of diesel per day upon resuming operations.

“The old plant would begin with 54,000 barrels per day, which would produce two million litres of PMS and 2.2 million litres of diesel per day, while the new plant which is currently going through its last phase of completion would also begin production before the end of the year. The combined capacity of the two plants, when fully on stream, would produce 10 million litres of PMS per day, according to NNPCL.

While Nigerians were still expecting the outcome of the Senate probe of the refinery repairs, the federal lawmakers on February 20, disclosed that the upper legislative chamber had resolved to probe how the N30 trillion Ways and Means loans of the Central Bank of Nigeria was obtained and spent by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ways and Means is a loan facility through which the CBN finances the government's budget shortfalls.

CBN Restructures Operations of BDCs, Fixes N2bn Share Capital For Tier-1 License

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is mulling an increase in the share capital of Bureau De Change (BDC) operators to N2 billion and N500 million for Tier 1 and Tier 2 licenses respectively. It was previously N35 million for a general licence.

This was contained in the draft “Revised Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for Bureau De Change Operations in Nigeria” published by the apex bank.

The new guidelines contain several new changes to the guidelines for BDC operations in the country. If endorsed, the new guidelines will be effective at a date decided by the CBN.

Minimum Capital: Under the minimum capital requirements, the central bank is introducing a two-tier license for BDC operators in the country.

“A Tier 1 BDC is authorized to operate on a national basis can open branches and may appoint franchisees, subject to the approval of the CBN.

A Tier 1 BDC (which is the franchisor) shall exercise supervisory oversight over its franchisees. All franchisees shall adopt their franchisor’s name, branding, technology platform, and rendition requirements.

A Tier 2 BDC is authorized to operate only in one state or the FCT. It may have up to three locations – a head office and two branches, subject to approval of the CBN. It is not permitted to appoint franchisees.”

Under Tier 1 operators are expected to have N2 billion as minimum share capital while also depositing a Mandatory Caution Deposit of N200 million.

The application and license fee is also N1 million and N5 million respectively.

Under Tier 2 operators are expected to have N500 million as minimum share capital while depositing a Mandatory Caution Deposit of N50 million.

The application and license fee are also N250,000 and N2 million respectively.

The apex bank also stated that the prescribed minimum capital of BDCs and any subsequent capital injection shall be subject to verification by the CBN.

Also, BDC licences are renewable annually subject to compliance with laws and regulations applicable to BDCs and the payment of the non-refundable annual licence renewal fee, which is N5 million for Tier 1 operators and N1 million for Tier 2.

NCC to Deploy Digital Technology in Regulating Telecom Industry – Maida

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has said that the Commission will, at all times, be acting within the law that set it up to regulate the telecommunication industry in the country.

According to Maida, the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 is clear enough on what is expected of the stakeholders in the industry, hence the need for all to act within the ambit of the law. While speaking at a forum held recently in Abuja, the NCC boss said: “Compliance is another driver we will focus on. As a regulator that is empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003, we have the power to hold our licensees to their obligations.

“We have laid down obligations for our licensees to meet and we will ensure they uphold those obligations.”

Dr. Maida, however, said that the onus now fell on the NCC, as the regulators, to be up and doing, adding that “this will require more work on the part of we the regulators.”

To meet up, he disclosed that the NCC will make use of digital technology as it is being practised in the advanced countries of the world.

“So, we will be deploying digitalization to enable us to work efficiently. For instance, we are working toward renewing licences digitally,” he said.

Dr. Maida said he believes in the marketing parlance that consumers are kings, and to this end, he revealed that the NCC will also be looking at the issues being raised by consumers across the country so that their grievances would be adequately taken care of for them to enjoy value for their money.

“As the regulator, we are going to be stepping in to see what the common issues that consumers are complaining about and what operators are doing about them so that we can hold everybody along the value chain accountable.

MTN Nigeria Unveils Africa’s First AI Powered Chatbot

MTN Nigeria has said it has successfully integrated OpenAI on the MTN Zigi Chatbot. in alignment with our core belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life,

This heralds a groundbreaking standard for artificial intelligence-driven customer service in Africa, MTN said in a statement.

In partnership with Microsoft and Chatbot service delivery provider, Superbo, the MTN Zigi Chatbot, powered by (mirroring) ChatGPT version 3.5, is currently operational and actively serving customers.

The successful integration of OpenAI onto the MTN Zigi Chatbot has ushered in an era of enhanced customer experiences where customers can now benefit from swift responses, accurate information, and a seamlessly interactive experience, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence..

It added that “This achievement has resulted in a remarkable increase in customer satisfaction ratings, as evidenced by the impressive results observed throughout extensive trials and testing phases.”

*Continues online at www. thewillnews.com

NMDPRA Undertakes Pre-commissioning Tour of AP’s Upgraded Terminal

Ardova Plc's (AP) newly upgraded terminal in Ijora, Lagos, is set to commence operations in March 2024. Mr. AbdulWasiu Sowami, the Group Executive Chairman of Ardova Plc stated this during the precommissioning tour of the facility by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) led by Engr. Farouk Ahmed, the Authority Chief Executive.

The upgrade includes a newly built 24,000 metric tonnes LPG facility. The facility is fully propane rated and the largest in West Africa. It consists of a 1.6KM 10-inch jetty line connecting the facility to the NPSC jetty in Apapa, intank and in-line blending capabilities as well as other supporting infrastructure that can throughput about 700,000 MT per annum which is more than 50% of the nation’s current LPG demand.

Engr. Farouk Ahmed, The Authority Chief Executive, NMDPRA said “I am very impressed with this project, and I commend Ardova Plc for following all the due process. From the beginning, the Company involved NMDPRA as a regulator, and we are glad to see that the progress on the project has been very efficient.

The Company has put the requisite safety measures in place to ensure safe operation. The automation of the facility will help increase efficiency in what is already the largest LPG Storage facility in West Africa. From the regulatory perspective, I can assure you, we are enablers of investment. We are here to encourage you in meeting the deadlines of delivering this project because the nation is waiting for it.”

Mr. Sowami highlighted the project’s strategic significance for LPG supply security as well as price stability stating that “this terminal when combined with our existing 6,000 metric tonnes LPG terminal in Oghara brings our total capacity to 30,000 metric tonnes.

“This gives us the required flexibility to receive propane, butane or even mixed LPG from local sources efficiently and blend in our facility to meet the local standards in addition to any quantity we may import”

Also, the MD of Ardova Plc, Moshood Olajide noted that “the LPG Facility is part of a total upgrade of our Apapa Terminal which will see us increase the storage and loading capacities across all products. As part of the upgrade, we also built a new 52 million litres PMS storage infrastructure as well as a fully reticulated 15 million litres water hydrant system for the entire terminal. This upgrade is geared towards accelerating our growth as a market leader in the delivery of energy in Nigeria.

L-R: Senior Program Officer for Agriculture Transformation Strategy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Dr Steve Prager; Senior Program Officer, Agriculture, Nigeria, BGMF, Dr Audu Grema; Associate Partner, Sahel Consulting, Mr Chinedu Agbara and the Senior Staff Associate and Officer of Research at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Ms Amanda Grossi, during the inauguration of the Building Agricultural Systems Resilience through Effective Early Warning System in Nigeria, on February 21, 2024.

NLNG, LCCI Seek Business Community Collaboration on Promoting Respiratory Technologies For Newborns

The NLNG Limited (NLNG) and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on have called for increased collaboration between the business community and the science and research sector in Nigeria to close the gaps in meeting sustainable development goals, especially in reducing neonatal mortality.

The call was made to the business community at the public presentation of the winning work of

The Nigeria Prize for Science (2023). The work, by Professor Hippolite Amadi, focuses on three (3) technological innovations aimed at saving the lives of neonates by making the delivery of oxygen cheap and easy.

The presentation was organised in collaboration with LCCI.

In his remarks, Mr Odeh said a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023 ranked Nigeria as the country with the second highest number of maternal, neonatal and child deaths worldwide, adding that Nigeria stands the risk of normalising neonatal mortality if nothing is done to stop it.

“The groundbreaking innovations of Professor Amadi, as recognised by The Nigeria Prize for Science, are not merely a step forward for our nation but a beacon of hope for the countless newborn lives that hang in the balance.

“We cannot afford to let the cries of our newborns fade into the background of our daily lives. The urgency to combat neonatal mortality is a solemn duty to safeguard the future of our nation’s children, and we must answer that call with unwavering determination and immediate, decisive measures.

“NLNG is very proud of Professor Amadi’s discoveries through The Nigeria Prize for Science. Our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria is the core of the prize, and we believe strongly that the 2023 winning entry speaks in unambiguous terms as one of the ways we can achieve this vision. NLNG remains committed to the prize and will not relent in finding solutions to the nation’s development issues,” he stated.

The LCCI Director-General, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, stated in his address that the business interactive forum provided a unique opportunity for the Nigerian business community to learn from Professor Amadi’s work. He said that if Nigeria, given its natural endowments, is to successfully transform its economy and achieve significant growth, science and technology and its integration into the socioeconomic development process must be accorded the highest priority.

“It is important to note the recognition of Professor Amadi’s work in the field of newborn and child healthcare, which was selected from over a hundred entries. The work is not only based on how it can significantly advance neonatal care in Nigeria but also on how it can improve access and reduce neonatal care costs.

We urge the government to provide targeted funding toward the local production of healthcare and pharmaceutical devices, as this will help reduce the burden of foreign exchange spent on importing most of our healthcare needs in Nigeria. Several lessons can be drawn from this achievement regarding our daily business and personal life,” he said.

He applauded NLNG, the prize sponsor, for being one of the best-run public-private partnerships that has consistently contributed to the Nigerian economy through dividends and taxes. In his presentation, Professor Amadi stated the prize has helped the expansion of his research project in Nigeria which has led to the creation of additional advanced respiratory devices for neonates operable by nurses and local practitioners.

The Nigeria Prize for Science is a $100,000 award sponsored by NLNG to promote innovations in science and technology that will solve age-long problems and drive development in Nigeria.

FG, Afreximbank Sign $1bn MoU For Healthcare Dev’t

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the development of Nigeria’s healthcare sector under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC).

The partnership seeks to support the establishment of world-class medical and health facilities and increase domestic manufacturing of essential pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, biologics and medical consumables, through a $1billion Healthcare Value Chain Programme.

The MoU was signed at the maiden African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) Africa Health Forum, themed: “Historical Journey and Mission of AMCE,” in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AMCE is a healthcare development project driven by Afreximbank and King’s College London, aimed to provide world class healthcare across the continent.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the initiative will unlock the health ecosystem through the $1billion healthcare value chain programme.

The Minister also said that through the programme, the nation will increase domestic production of essential pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, medical consumables and devices.

In his welcome remarks, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Prof Benedict Oramah, said the partnership will also reduce outbound medical tourism by elevating the quality and accessibility of healthcare services within Nigeria.

He disclosed that the project entails developing and operationalising a world-class multispecialty 500-bed hospital facility to serve the entire African continent, focusing on three core non-communicable diseases namely, Oncology, Haematology and Cardiology.

“The AMCE Abuja is being implemented in partnership with leading global institutions, namely Kings College Hospital, London, the University of Wisconsin Teaching Hospital, USA, and the Christies Hospital, Manchester.

“The facility will serve as a leading centre for research and development in medicine and clinical services, offer residency, training and observership placement programmes to physicians and medical students from Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

“It will also serve as the largest and most diverse biobank in West Africa, enabling it to attract global and pan-African partnerships as well as a reference facility for all Nigerian and regional hospitals in Africa.

“When operational, the facility will tackle the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, capital flight and brain drain of qualified medical personnel; create approximately 3,000 jobs during its construction and operational phases

“It will provide prompt, lifesaving detection and management of serious diseases delivered to over 200,000 patients in Nigeria and a further 150,000 patients from other African countries within its first five years of operation, and promote intra-regional trade in medical services and strengthen supply chains in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors,” he explained.

Monologue on Survival Amidst Nigeria’s Declining Economic Fortune

How can you describe Nigeria's economy at the moment?

Nigeria is in a serious economic crisis, with mass poverty, hyperinflation, high income inequality, stagflation (high unemployment, underemployment and rising cost of living), balance of payment problems, shrinking economy, high level of corruption and insecurity.

But we were told before the 2023 presidential election, that irrespective of who wins - Tinubu, Atiku or Peter Obi will be pro-market reformers, and be good for the economy and better than Buhari?

Yes I said so, but I think I underestimated the level of rot Buhari’s government would have caused. The JP Morgan report on Nigeria last year and the report from the probe panel on the CBN exposed a lot of things which we did not know before. The correct estimate of our external reserve was about $3.7bn as against the $33bn the CBN was reporting, the difference was made up of borrowed funds from international banks, and local Nigerian Banks.

So the CBN was doing cosmetic financial reporting?

Absolutely yes. Furthermore, the CBN had printed too much new money for the Buhari government. Broad money supply (M2) was N19 trn as at 2015 when Goodluck Jonathan left government, Buhari’s government printed new money, increasing the total money stock to N53 trn before he left.

But that is quantitative easing, do other governments including the most developed nations of the United States and UK do that?

Yes, other nations do it, but they spend it in promoting income redistribution and channel the funds to the poor vulnerable members of the public like what happened during covid 19 when households in these developed nations where given free money to cushion the effects of economic hardship. They also did so during the global financial crisis of 2008 to bail out banks and other “too big to fail financial institutions."

Why the hyperinflation?

The CBN devalued the naira from N462 under Buhari to over N1,500 today. Black market rate also devalued from N760 levels under Buhari to over N1,700 today. So it is normal that the price of all imported goods would have doubled as well. Local producers will likewise double the prices of their commodities to keep up with the rising costs of doing business in the economy.

Why the perpetual devaluation of the Naira even when the FG had borrowed over $10bn last year which was expected to be used to stabilize the naira?

Politicians themselves no longer have confidence in the naira. There is no serious fight against

The CBN left its traditional role of monetary policy management, to start lending like the commercial banks to friends of government in the name of intervention funds

Sadly, in the case of Nigeria, the new money created is stolen and used to empower supporters of the government. The CBN left its traditional role of monetary policy management, to start lending like the commercial banks to friends of government in the name of intervention funds. Billions were given to proxy corporate entities at as low as 2%-6% per annum without any impact on the economy. These companies used such funds to buy up the scarce US dollars or lend back to the same Federal Government by buying FGN bonds and treasury bills at attractive interest rates.

So why the mass poverty despite the economic reforms from Tinubu?

Economics has a national income equation Y (National Income) = C (Consumer Expenditure by Households) +I (Firms and Business investment expenditure) + G (Government Expenditure) + Import – Export. The Government needed more from its pie of the national income, so removed fuel subsidy, and deregulated the FX market removing huge money from the C & I and enlarging the pie of Government (G).

For example, before subsidy removal, the Government shared roughly N650 bn in one month between the Federal, State and Local Government. Since the removal, they now share over N 1 trn each month. So the monthly allocation to the Federal, state and local government. Households Consumers (C) and Firms had to pay for this difference.

Since government revenue has increased without an increase in salaries of civil servants, we should see more development in the form of social infrastructure, but that is not the case in Nigeria. The increased revenue of the government has created more money for politicians to steal.

the world bank, IMF and ADB and steal it. Where they print money and steal it. Where politicians are richer than business men. Where prosperity is determined by how close you are to the government in power.

There is dignity in Labour in the developed nations of Europe, and North America. A cleaner or driver in the UK can earn GBP 2,000 a month while the MBA graduate or PhD holder from Oxford may just be earning GBP 5,000 per month. There is no wide income inequality, therefore there is no problem of insecurity.

Contrast with Nigeria where some people earn as much as N5,000,000 per month (Politicians earn far higher) while so many University graduates cannot earn the basic minimum wage of N33,000.00. Where they lobby and pay bribes to get a level 8 civil service job, with a salary that can only afford a bag of rice.

Question: What is your advice to the government?

Learn from Europe, we are all better off, when everyone is well-

corruption by this government. So their increased monthly loots are used to buy up all available dollars from the black market. People with stolen funds will buy the dollar at any exchange rate.

So what is your advice for the common man in the face of this economic crisis?

Cut your cost down, live far below your means so you can accumulate capital. Capital accumulation is the only escape route from the vicious circle of poverty that has engulfed Nigeria. If you can’t accumulate capital, you will remain poor.

Keeping money in the bank is the most stupid thing to do in hyperinflation. Buy real assets like lands, buildings, gold or precious metals. You could also buy up grains like rice, maize, oil and other commodities that you can store and release to the market when the economy returns to equilibrium.

Buy dollars and always keep at least 20-30% of your savings in US dollars just like the Nigerian Banks. The Banks and the government are the winners from this economic crisis. The Banks made so much money because they kept a large portion of their reserves in dollars; act like them. If you can still JAPA, travel abroad before it is too late. Go and earn your own FX from the global community (rather than wait for the government to sell crude, then you buy FX from the Government).

You used to be a critic of JAPA, what has changed?

Nigeria is no longer relevant in the global economics of today and its share from the global prosperity cake will continue to shrink in the foreseeable future due to bad leadership.

Why stay in a country where the leaders borrow money from

off. Put in place social safety nets that will reduce the level of income inequality in Nigeria.

Negotiate with the oil majors to increase our daily crude oil output from 1.4mbpd to at least 2.0mbpd. It is so sad that Nigeria cannot meet up with its OPEC quota when some other OPEC members cheat to sell more than their approved output. Oil theft must be blocked.

Call back the trillions of Naira given to private businesses as intervention funds during the tenor of Buhari. If these funds have been converted to FX, sell the FX and recover such funds. This alone is capable of reducing inflation and the FX crises.

Fight corruption with all seriousness. See what we have been recovering from Abacha since 1998 from the globe, I think many of our leaders in Nigeria did something similar. Abacha was just a scapegoat because he died and was hated by so many for his atrocities. The difference between the Abacha era and now is that looting of public funds has been democratized, it now takes place at the Federal, State and Local government levels. All these past politicians can be encouraged to invest their past loot in Nigeria.

Address Insecurity: The decision to introduce state police is a step in the right direction. However, the root cause of insecurity which is the impoverishment of the masses must be addressed. Special tribunals should be set up to address kidnapping with capacity to dispense judgement within 6 months.

•Dr Uzum is a practising stockbroker

Learning Helpers: Changing Lives, Improving Outcomes For Children With Disabilities

Succour is surely on the way for children with special needs and those whose learning abilities in school are being affected due to one form of disability or the other in the country, and their parents as well, as United States - based Special Education specialist, Dr. Olabimpe Abayomi - Ige, unfolds her plans to extend the services of her organisation, Learning Helpers, to Nigeria.

It was an emotional engagement with a select group of Nigerian journalists, Monday, 19 February 2024, as United States - based Special Education specialist and CEO, Learning Helpers LLC, Dr. Olabimpe Abayomi - Ige, could not hold back her feelings during a virtual meeting organised to unfold her plans for the country of her birth.

Speaking about her plans to bring succour to children with special needs and disabilities, as well as their parents, the Pennsylvania-based teacher and Special Education Compliance Monitor, who is also a Lead at a Magnet School, one of the best schools in the U.S., said: "It's a bit emotional for me this morning to have this opportunity to present to my own people.. I have been doing this for many years but this is the first time I will be talking to my own people virtually in Nigeria.''

Citing a 2021 UNICEF data which estimates that about 240 million children worldwide have a form of disability or the other that negatively impacts their learning in school, she noted that children with disabilities are left behind by their non-disabled peers globally.

Dr. Abayomi-Ige, who has put in more than 25 years of experience in Special Education with focus on autism, specific learning disabilities (dyslexia and co.), health impairment (ADHD, ADD, emotional disturbance and others, therefore revealed that : ''My desire is to bring awareness and support to parents, caregivers, government parastatals, schools and teachers of children that may need special education support based on their unique needs and how we can be resourceful to the Nigerian environment.''

Describing Special Education as ''specially- designed instruction,'' Dr. Abayomi-Ige maintained that in the United States, ''it is at no cost to the parents to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.''

Special Education, according to her, includes ''instructions conducted in the classroom, at home, hospitals and other settings, adding, ''It also includes instruction in physical

“I was at the Heart of Gold in Surulere for a whole month with my son, teaching and helping the children. It was then I discovered how children with disabilities in Nigeria are deprived of knowledge and learning because we still follow the ''welfare model'' whereby we just feed and house them and we've turned it into a charity thing. Like when somebody is having a birthday party, they go there with food and gifts, without even considering that these kids could actually go to school, and can even do better with themselves

was created solely to meet the educational needs of children and adults who find learning particularly difficult due to disabilities, language barriers (English Learners), and other reasons so that they too, can achieve their highest potential in life.

"We are educational consultants who work to help one child, one family at a time, targeting the unique needs of each child and their parents through individualised programming that will meet the educational needs of each child or adult.

''Part of our focus is parent education so that parents of children with disabilities are equipped with the knowledge they need so that they can become the best advocates for their children through our parent empowerment programmes.

"Our company is dedicated to changing lives and improving outcomes for all children with disabilities. By providing individualised education in the form of tutoring, interventions, and parent support. And provisions of other valuable resources that will make it possible for these student population to achieve maximally and for them to become responsible citizens as adults.''

On the methods used to achieve desired goals, Dr. Abayomi-Ige, who disclosed that her doctoral dissertation was actually on analysis of Lagos State Special Education Policy as Compared to that of the United States of America (a two-part study, comparative study and policy analysis), said: "We approach teaching and learning from each other's zone of proximal development..., meaning that before you teach a child, you must be sure that the child is ready for learning.

education, speech and language pathology services or any other related services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, hearing therapy and a host of others depending on the unique needs of a child.''

She explained that in the United States, the IDEA law governs Special Education and there are 13 categories of disabilities covered by the law .These disabilities, according to her, are Autism Spectrum Disorder,(ASD), Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disabilities, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopaedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability (Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia etc), Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment, including Blindness.

"These are the 13 disabilities categories under which a child would qualify for Special Education in our public schools,'' she said, even as she stressed that ''special education covers from age zero to 21 depending on the individual needs of the child.''

Speaking further on the plans of her organisation for Nigeria, Dr. Abayomi-Ige said, "Learning Helpers is a company that

''We believe in mastery learning, which allows students to learn at their own pace with no learning gaps and with the ultimate goal of teaching them how to become lifelong self-directed learners. This means that when we teach you something, we teach you to master that thing. That's how we teach and that's what makes our methods unique,'' adding ''Students learn challenging skills and master them without forgetting the skills they learned from us.''

On those who can benefit from the services of Learning Helpers, Dr. Abayomi-Ige, who is a member of many professional bodies including the American Academic of Special Education Teachers (AASEP), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Council for Learning Disabilities, International Dyslexia Association, Pennsylvania Dyslexia Association and the International Association For Special Educations, listed parents, guardians, teachers, caregivers, school administrators, education stakeholders, corporations, NGOs, children and adults as those that can benefit from the services offered by her organisation.

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Our Clients Were to Blame For Allegations Made Against us – Bamidele And Tolu

In this no holds barred interview, Bamidele and Tolu Onalaja speak with IVORY UKONU about the issues they have had to deal with in recent times in their real estate company, RevolutionPlus, their 20-year-old love story and the dynamics, intricacies of running a business as a couple. Excerpts:

RevolutionPlus has been in the news more times than necessary for allegedly failing to fulfill your part of contractual obligations on the issue of land sale. Why is this so?

TO: The only reason why it seems that RevolutionPlus is always in the news for one negative thing or the other is because we embarked on a vision for affordable housing. We are perhaps the only real estate company that sells land to people who don't have anything to lose. Most real estate companies don't operate in the space we operate in and as such they are not susceptible to drama.

Till date, the people who paid the developer of the house that collapsed about two years ago in Ikoyi, Lagos, in thousands of dollars, are yet to go online to shout that they paid the man and now their money has been lost. None of them want any form of exposure.

We bought a property in 2016 for N40 million, till today, they have still not given us the house. They sold the house to us for N30 million and later asked us to pay more. I did not go online to start shouting that I have not been given the property that I paid for.

I am not the only one affected. None of us that paid that company has been given our property, but no one has come online to start shouting. The nature and the calibre of the clients one deals with in this industry goes a long way to determine how things play out, should there be an issue. We dealt with the lowest of the lowest both within and outside Nigeria and when you deal with such people, one should expect all kinds of shenanigans.

We were once advised to exit the affordable market we play in. People were of the opinion that our company had grown bigger than what we were doing and its attendant troubles. But we felt that we needed to fulfill our vision of affordable homes rather than the high-end market. If everyone sells to the rich, who will help the poor? We did not know that we signed up for our brand to be dragged mercilessly.

Some years later, I began to regret why we didn't take that advice. But I am happy we achieved our aim and people who could ordinarily not have been able to afford their own property are now property owners. These people bought land for less than a million and they were given installment payment plans spreading across two or three years. We gave them allocation papers without them paying fully. If you call them now to complete payment, they will ignore you because they have the upper hand.

We have not been able to recover millions of naira spent doing 'goodwill' for giving allocation papers without them completing payment. The funny thing is that RevolutionPlus isn't the only company going through this. What we are allegedly being accused of is nothing compared to what other real estate firms are going through. But you do not get to hear about their own issues because those firms do not deal with the lowest of the lowest, they deal with clients who have reputations to protect.

BO: Many of our clients do not understand the process of land purchase. After you pay for land, you have to do survey yourself. Otherwise, you are as good as not having purchased any land. So, they make an initial deposit of N250,000 and do not pay for the survey, which is N350,000. There are other fees to be paid like developmental fees and the rest. They are very much aware of this, but they will deposit the N250,000 and then disappear only to reappear in five years and be asking for the same land. We used our money to do surveys for them all in the name of 'let's help the poor to become landlords.'

Are these processes not stated in the contract documents they sign at the initial stage of payment?

BO: Of course, these things are stated there. We give them receipts, contract of sales, etc. But these people don't read and because these fees were not included with the cost of the land that created the issue we

started facing.

So why not change your tactics and avoid these issues in its entirety?

TO: We changed tactics twice when we noticed this. We changed our terms and conditions and even added a penalty for default in payment. The new contract document has very stringent conditions. All the people accusing us unjustly are the ones who bought lands in 2017. None of those who bought land from us in 2021/2022 has any issue with us because the fees for survey, development, etc, are now added to the initial money you pay. So you are paying for land and paying the fees for other things. If you are doing an installment payment plan, we are following you bumper to bumper. If you default in payment, you are surcharged, that is if the land is still available. Otherwise, you will be moved to another location where land is still available.

BO: Today, you can no longer get a plot of land from us at N1 million. It is either N4 million or N5 million. Other fees that we had allowed clients to handle in the past, which they defaulted on, are now inclusive. And you must pay fully to the last kobo before we give you allocation papers.

In real estate, there is no master of all. Despite having over 500 active members under me as the Chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association in Lagos, I do not know it all. The dynamics is such that one keeps learning every day and we keep working on our structure.

You fell out with one of your ambassadors, Toyin Abraham, after she called you out on social media for allegedly failing to fulfill your side of a contract. What is the true situation of things?

Ironically, of all the ambassadors we signed on, Toyin was the closest to us. We try to keep things with our ambassadors professional, but with her, we broke protocol and took her in like a sister. No ambassador, present or past, knows where we live, but she knew our home and had free access to it. So, when she began that drama on social media that people were calling her out over RevolutionPlus not meeting their obligations allegedly, I said to her, you cannot be a people pleaser and want to go far. And that is what she is.

TO: We do not have any problems with our ambassadors. fact, RevolutionPlus started ambassadorship thing in the real estate industry. We have a cordial relationship with our former and current ambassadors. Our first ambassador was the late Madam Rachael Oniga. We played a very significant role in her life and even during her burial activities, one would think she was a family member. After that, we signed on singer Adekunle Kosoko, aka Adekunle Gold. Thereafter we signed on Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola; skit maker, Samuel Perry, aka Broda Shaggy and Nollywood actress, Omoni Oboli. Actress Toyin Abraham allowed herself to be used against the company.

You have to be known for what you stand for. So, if someone calls your father a thief, are you going to be doubting if your father is actually a thief or not? Despite knowing me to my house, I expected her to have a level of trust in me, my husband and the company she was representing. If perhaps, there was a miscommunication somewhere as an ambassador and she wasn't clear about some things, all she needed to do was to ask for clarifications, but she didn't. I think she has realised her mistakes.

How did both of you start working together?

BO: I was working with a telephone company which I later left and then

joined a mortgage bank where I worked for 13 years, while she was working with a multinational company. When I wanted to resign to set up RevolutionPlus, I was scared but my wife encouraged me to go ahead and pursue my dreams. We prayed over the decision and I went ahead to resign. The rest, as they say, is history. Two years after RevolutionPlus started, she resigned from her job and joined me.

TO: The business was already getting big. It started in a small place before we moved to a two-bedroom office space and now our current location. So seeing how it was growing in leaps and bounds, he felt my input would be needed to make the business take proper shape.

At that time, I had grown in the organisation I was working with to become the chief operating officer.

So, I was very well versed in how to properly run an organization. I was on the management team of the firm at a very young age. He felt my wealth of experience would be better appreciated when I help him grow the business. The business could not pay me at that time, but he saw the great potential of the company and the prospective future of what is ours. I had no choice but to resign and join him. I handled the operations and administrative arm of the company, while he took charge of the projects arm. While he is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, I am the Group Executive Director.

How do you both manage office dynamics as a couple?

BO: I give the order around the office, but she is the boss. She sometimes encroaches on my department. She is the one in charge of operations, but sometimes she likes to do things her own way. Like if I want things done in a certain way, she may disagree and do it her own way, but, in the end, it always turns out well. That is why I say that I give the orders, but she is the boss. She would rather come to my office if she doesn't agree with anything I say than to challenge me openly. TO: There is no need to challenge him openly. I have studied my husband very well and know the right time to approach him if I am not comfortable with his decision and to get what I want. That is why as women, we must learn the art of emotional intelligence. I am more detailed, but the staff can take things to him, and it will easily fly because he won't pay as much attention to details as I would.

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

refused to give us.

I am wired to see the errors in a document brought before me, first. That is how I have been trained over time. And so, in that regard, he defers to me. Even if I am not in the country, he would insist that documents be sent to me by mail to look over first before any action is taken. I never used to interfere in projects which he used to handle alone, but because of his soft nature coupled with how busy he got over time, I had to start keeping an eye on that department, so we don't have lapses.

I am a better money manager which he knows, so he allows me to handle the finances of the office. Because he has tested me over time, he is comfortable leaving any amount of money with me because I am not the typical woman who will spend all her money buying irrelevant things because her husband is comfortable. I am a contented woman. I am not lousy with money. I don't impress anyone; I just do me. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and we balance it out. This has worked for us.

Did you at any time have doubts about the business succeeding at the initial stage?

BO: Yes, I did because we started the company with zero kobo. I resigned from the bank, broke. At the initial stage, we would wake up in the middle of the night to pray and cry because there was no money to even feed the children. I remember vividly that even my pastors at some point helped to pay my children's school fees. But that is where resilience and consistency is very important. We didn't give up. We started our first project at Mowe/Ofada in Ogun State, in a very thick forest. But today, it is a beautiful and sprawling estate. When we started the estate, there was no money to pay the people who claim ownership of land (omo oniles), to even do surveys of the land, the basic things required to start marketing the project. But we had an arrangement with them, to erect our signboard when they sight a prospective client. One day, the Holy Spirit ministered to me to approach an uncle in-law who was the provost of the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos. He followed us to the bushy land which had only a footpath. He ended up buying an acre of land for about N3.5 million. That was what gave birth to RevolutionPlus.

Apart from prayers, what other thing would you say has kept RevolutionPlus going?

TO: Like he said, consistency in the midst of daunting challenges. There was a particular year we wanted to start a project in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. We needed about N25 million, but had only N5 million which the omo oniles were not ready to collect. They were requesting a minimum of N20 million. We tried to collect a loan of N10 million, but the banks

“

The only reason why it seems RevolutionPlus is always in the news for one negative thing or the other is because we embarked on a vision for affordable housing. We are about the only real estate company that sold land to people who don't have anything to lose. Most real estate companies don't operate in the space we operate in and as such are not susceptible to drama. The nature and the calibre of the clients one deals with in this industry goes a long way to determine how things play out should there be an issue. We dealt with the lowest of the lowest both within and outside Nigeria and when you deal with such people, one should expect all kinds of shenanigans

I approached a friend who introduced us to a money lender. We had to drop our cars as collateral. This was in 2016. There was no uber at that time. So, public transportation was the way to go. We used the money to start the project. That was when we hit our major breakthrough. It was from that project that we began to make mega deals. Another thing that has taken us this far is discipline. We do not live beyond our means; we live per time. Apart from the time we wanted to take a loan of N10 million, we never attempted it again. Instead, we kept ploughing back profits into the business. We learnt how to live by delayed gratification. I remember that people would mock us to change our cars and we would tell them there was nothing wrong with the cars as long as they were able to carry us from point A to point B. We had our priorities and we waited till the appropriate time to change our cars. We were also focused and never gave up even when we had great challenges and kept on surmounting them.

What would you say has been your greatest achievement since founding RevolutionPlus?

BO: The fact that we have successfully run the company for 10 years. We plan to keep running the company for another 10 years. I tell everyone that in as much as God gave me the opportunity to found this company, I do not want it to be a one-man business. RevolutionPlus has evolved into a group of companies spanning hospitality, confectionery, etc. The real estate arm expanded into the United States, Dallas, Texas specifically. We are planning to move to Atlanta now.

TO: This company started with a vision, which is 'Affordable Housing' and this is because according to my husband, he sees low-income people work so hard for so many years but are unable to own their own homes. He wanted people who never dreamt of owning a home to own one. So, the target market for RevolutionPlus' from day one was the low-income earners, market men and women. He has been able to achieve that vision because today, over 11,000 people, both home and abroad, have at least a plot of land bought from RevolutionPlus. I am talking about people who have been allocated lands in our various estates. Most of them bought the land for less than a million naira and some have built on it and currently live in their own homes.

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How long have you both been married?

TO: It will be 20 years in October.

How did you both meet, what is your love story?

TO: We met at Ikeja, Lagos. I had just completed National Youth Service in 2003. While waiting to get employed, I was helping out my aunty in her shop, which was situated at the market around the vicinity of Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State. She was the Iya Oloja of the market and requested I help her man the shop as she had to embark on a pilgrimage with the Lagos State government. That was where I met my husband. He was the marketing director of a telephone company located in Ikeja. My aunty was his prospective client and he had approached her shop to do a follow up when he saw me there. I was reading a book, 'Join the Chariot' by Reverend Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy and that got him interested as he was a member of the Ikeja branch of the church while I was a member at the Onike, Yaba, Lagos branch. So, we got talking and one thing led to another. He would later get me a job in his company. When the relationship blossomed and he got promoted, I left to work elsewhere and shortly after, we got married.

What was the attraction that got you both to settle for each other?

TO: I didn't go by looks or what he had at that time. I chose him because he knew where he was headed in life. He was focused and selfless. He is still selfless. Until I met him, I had never met anyone as selfless as he was. I noticed that he wasn't selfless to me alone; it was a part of him as he was also selfless to the people around him. So it wasn't like he was trying to impress me at the early stage while trying to woo me. So, I thought, if someone can be this selfless, loves God and is focused, then this is someone I should settle down with. A lot of my friends and even my younger male siblings thought he wasn't rich, didn't have a car, couldn't possibly take care of me and therefore could not understand why it had to be him. Ironically, I had a lot of admirers that wanted me at the time he was wooing me. They had cars. As a matter of fact, he met one of my admirers when he came to visit me at work. The admirer was to take me home and my husband had to tag along and was dropped off at his bus stop while I was driven home. The same admirer couldn't understand why I didn't end up with him.

BO: I was attracted to her because of her love for God. She loves God and is passionate about the things of God. She was not just a bench warmer, she was also at that time, a senior leader in the church. Apart from being a beautiful woman, she is a very smart person, very calculated. She is as selfless as I am, she cooks well too and to top it all, she is a lover girl. She loves love and she tries to choke me with love. She had all the traits I wanted in a woman. That is not to say I didn't have other girlfriends at the time we met, I had. But she trumped them in several departments.

How do you both handle challenges when they arise in your marriage?

BO: In so many ways. We pray a lot because we are a Christian family. We pray together every morning. Also, if I offend my wife, I do not allow it.

What challenge comes to mind that really tested your marriage and in what ways did you overcome it?

TO: Most of the challenges we have had have been from women or attacks on our company. Nothing moves me. And I have also come to realise that when you are married to a successful man, you must be ready because it comes with a price.

If you marry a man that is poor, you really have no issues to contend with but once the man is in the limelight, even people that were not looking in his direction before would focus their attention on him. Your prayer points then increases.

Of course, you will pray for your man to be successful but when he becomes successful, you have to double your prayer points because the man will become exposed to so many things, so many distractions. So I know this, and I am ever ready.

Some people come to gossip about my husband to me, about someone he is allegedly dating or where he has been they think he shouldn't be or that he has a baby mama somewhere, or that he allegedly bought a car for a girl etc. There is nothing I have not heard. In fact, one lady came to tell me about a supposed friend of mine pimping girls for my husband and I said, "congratulations to the pimp and the 'pimpee'''. The one who came with the tale was shocked and disappointed, that was all I had to say.

She was upset at my response and demeanour when I should be the one getting upset. I have developed thick skin; I do not listen to side talks. Maybe if I did, that could have affected our marriage. I know my husband doesn't joke with me. I am practically in charge of my home

“Some people come to gossip about my husband to me, about someone he is allegedly dating, or where he has been they think he shouldn't be or that he has a baby mama somewhere, or that he allegedly bought a car for a girl etc. There is nothing I have not heard. I have developed thick skin; I do not listen to side talks. Maybe if I did, that could have affected our marriage. I know my husband doesn't joke with me. I am practically in charge of my home and everything we own as a couple, so what else would I now be bothering myself for, over some tale about some lady. I always tell women that the success of their home lies in their hands, if they want to be listening to side talks, the ball lies in their court

and everything we own as a couple. So, what else would I now be bothering myself for, over some tale about some lady? As far as I am concerned, such ladies just come to waste their time. When they are done, they will vanish.

I always tell women that the success of their home lies in their hands, if they want to be listening to side talks, the ball lies in their court. So on that note, there is no challenge big enough that has tested our marriage.

What are your love languages?

TB: In many ways. I am a lover girl, I do the loving without even knowing. I buy him gifts, I give him tons of attention, I am always very supportive, 100 per cent. I always have my husband's back. I am daring and bold, he is easy going and so I am always there like a rock of Gibraltar to prevent anyone from taking advantage of his softness. I am his number one cheerleader.

BO: Taking her out, buying her gifts. Although my wife loves gifts, she is not the typical wife of a successful man who likes to buy expensive gifts. She is not demanding. Most of the designer accessories she has, I buy them for her. She would never use that kind of money to buy such things for herself despite having the money. She loves attention which I give her lavishly. I can't be too busy for my wife and children. Every landmark event in their lives, I am always present to celebrate it with them.

How are you able to strike a balance as a mother, co-founder and wife?

TO: It is not easy but I do my best. The children are in Ame to linger till the next day. I ensure we thrash it out on the bed. Sometimes I have to throw in a few gifts to assuage her feelings. She hardly offends me, I am the one who offends her the most. The only way she offends me is when she tries to go against my orders in the office. For instance, if she doesn't agree with what I say and she tries to argue it, I tell her to just sit still.rica, so I always shuttle between Nigeria and the US to give them the needed attention. At the same time, I ensure that my husband is also not lacking the wifey attention. And I also ensure that I give the business the attention that it requires.

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

IBIJOKE SANWO-OLU BEATS 4 OTHERS TO CLINCH AIWRA AWARD

First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has trounced four other First Ladies to clinch the African Iconic Women Recognition Awards (AIWRA) 2024. Sanwo-Olu won with 1,525 votes in the voting award with her closest rival, the First Lady of Yobe State, Hajia Hafsat Kollere Buni, trailing with 811 votes. Also, First Lady of Bayelsa, Gloria Diri; her Nasarawa State counterpart, Hajia Silifat Abdullahi A. Sule, and wife of Kwara State governor, Olufolake AbdulRasaq, garnered 576, 456 and 321 votes, respectively.

The AIWRA is organised by Face of Democracy Nigeria (FDN) and is designed to recognise outstanding women who have made significant contributions and achieved notable success in their respective fields. They are female individuals who have broken barriers, challenged societal norms, and inspired others with their achievements. These women often become symbols of empowerment, representing strength, resilience, and the ability to overcome obstacles. They have made groundbreaking discoveries, achieved remarkable milestones, or fought for social justice and equality. They serve as role models and inspire generations to come by leaving a lasting impact on society and paving the way for others to follow. A date for the conferment of the award is yet to be announced.

Continued from page 38

Much Ado About Siju Iluyomade's Ill-Timed 60th Birthday Party

Unknown to them, she was planning the mother of all parties which would keep Victoria Island, Lagos on lock down. Well Siju who is a partner in the law firm of Iluyomade and Iluyomade and Co succeeded in not only keeping Victoria Island on lock down, the party is still being talked about almost a week after the grand celebration.

The party, which had all the trappings of class and luxury, had in attendance people from all walks of life. Some of those present were industrialists, Samuel Adedoyin and wife; Razak Okoya and wife; chairperson Nigeria in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM; Abike Dabiri; former minister for industry, Nike Akande; All Progressives Congress, APC, women leader, Jumoke Okoya-Thomas; former deputy governors of Lagos State, Sarah Sosan and Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire; Ekua Abudu; Bola Shagaya; Bola Awolowo; Ituah Ighodalo; Ify Nwakwesi; former first lady of Ekiti State, Bisi Fayemi; wife of the deputy governor of Lagos State, Oluremi Hamzat; Bisi Olatilo; Kenny St Brown; former Imo State first lasy, Nkechi Okocha; Erelu Abiola Dosunmu; Elizabeth Ebi; Onari Duke; Stella Okolie; Ronke Sokefun; former MD First Bank of Nigeria, Bisi Onasanya; Bintu Tinubu etc. The trio of Tony Elumelu, chairman of UBA; Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Fidelity Bank MD and Bola Adesola, senior vice-chairman Standard Chartered Bank Group were the only bank chiefs in attendance.

Similarly, Ghandi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomoso and Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Abisogun II, the Oniru of Iruland were the only traditional rulers in attendance. Oba Olaoye's presence may not be unconnected to his being a former pastor in RCCG.

While some believe there is nothing wrong with throwing a party to celebrate a landmark age, others believe there is everything wrong with the timing of the party. And their reason is not farfetched.

A very important and influential member of the parish pastored by the Iluyomades, Herbert Wigwe, the Group CEO of Access Holdings had died a most horrible death alongside his wife and first son. The trio alongside Bimbo Ogunbanjo, the Group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, died in a helicopter crash that caught fire on impact in the United States, meaning they were burnt to death. A week after their death, Pastor Iluyomade was on the pulpit, close to tears as he eulogised the late Wigwe while reeling out how he was a major financier of the church and the crucial roles he played before, during and after the building of the church's 12 floor Trinity Town which cost billions of naira. He ended his eulogy by saying that Wigwe's life challenged him as a pastor. The tears had hardly dried up when barely a week after, they decided to throw away decency and hold a hedonistic birthday party.

BIMBO OLOYEDE TO RAISE N100M FOR ANTI-CANCER CAMPAIGN IN CELEBRATION OF 70TH BIRTHDAY

Continued from page 38

revealing that she had a fruitful discussion about the welfare of Nigerian workers. She added that Nigerian workers are one of the priorities of Tinubu who told her that he will not play politics with their lives. While there was nothing wrong with what she claimed they discussed, her message however got lost on her audience who were more interested in two things. First, her opening statement was that she had the 'privilege' of meeting her boss. For a cabinet member who should make it top priority to give updates to her boss on a regular basis on what she is doing in the ministry to help him achieve his aim to make Nigeria a working country, one wonders if she really does give her boss updates. She joins her colleagues to attend the weekly ministerial briefings presided by her boss in Aso Rock. So what does she really do at those briefings?

Ministerial briefings! That is what the meetings are called. When she said she was privileged to meet him, was that really their first-time of meeting?

such deliberations and who mediates to prevent the labour unions from going on industrial strikes when they threaten to? Isn't that her job?

IAlso, Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, chose to stay away for obvious reasons. However, his wife ably represented him at both the church service and reception. There were two dress codes for the party. One was the exclusive green and pink lace and another green and pink ankara fabric with headgear to match. The day started out with a thanksgiving service at the Trinity Tower in Victoria Island. Tony Rapu, a former pastor in RCCG, now general overseer of This Present House gave the sermon. This was followed by a grand reception party at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites. Over eight humongous cakes were on display. Some were placed in the main halls of the Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites where the party took place and a few others on display at the entrance of the hall where there was a photo booth manned by celebrity photographer, Kelechi Amadi-Obi.

Four masters of ceremony took turns to steer proceedings at the party including comedian, Atunyota Aleluya Akpobome aka Alibaba and ARISE TV anchor, Ayo Mairo Ese. There were also several musicians contracted to keep guests on their feet. Many have expressed mixed feelings about the party.

The party, as earlier stated, didn't take place on the day Siju clocked 60 but over a month after. Critics believe that if she could wait five weeks to celebrate after clocking the landmark age, surely, she could have waited another month at least, to celebrate rather than portray herself as unfeeling. They are also of the opinion that if she was so pressed to do the party, then she could have had the decency to at least tone down the line up of activities. To them, throwing the party was nothing short of callous, the height of insensitivity. This is also not considering the current state of the nation. Then there was the choice of musicians. Many didn't fail to criticize the presence of highlife singer, Chinedu Okoli aka Flavour n'Abania, wondering why she preferred a raunchy artist over gospel musicians. And Flavour who was bare chested did what he knows how to do best. He invited the celebrant to the dance floor, calling her 'Siju baby' while rolling his waist.

As the wife of a gospel minister, many were of the opinion that in exercising her prerogatives she could have been mindful of the position she occupies and the unintended and collateral impacts of her choices. Ordinary church members can get away with such revelry but the 'mother' of a parish as big as City of David and overseeing other parishes cannot. They expected her to have embodied and espoused the best values and not inadvertently become a promoter of youthful adventurousness in an already lascivious Christian community. Some others also quarreled with her choice of dress, accessories and makeup. Although she was fully covered, they were of the opinion that she looked like an overly dressed futuristic mannequin and all that she had on was nothing but sheer vanity.

n a bold measure to support the fight against the scourge of cancer, ace broadcaster, Bimbo Oloyede, is set to raise N100 million for the treatment of cancer and also to aid in development of research in battling the ailment in commemoration of her seventieth birthday coming up on March 15, 2023. Oloyede said the task of raising N100 million is personal to her and her family as they had been a victim in the past, winning and losing the fight against cancer. She noted that a board of trustees has been formed under the Lifeline Advocacy and Development Initiative tasked with the job of raising the fund and managing its disbursement and accountability, under the name: Lifeline Advocacy and Development Initiative is Fidelity Bank Account No 5601206418. The Board of Trustee members according to the broadcaster who has put fifty years into the profession include Dr Christopher Kolade CON, Mrs Busola Talabi, ED Legal Globacom/director Julius Berger Plc; Dr Sola Momoh, vice chairman, Channels Media Group; Dr Raymond Kuti, MD/CEO Prisms Healthcare Ltd; Kingsley James, CEO IDCL Nigeria and herself, Mrs Bimbo Oloyede as the cocoordinator of LADI Lifeline Initiative.

Again, who presides over the meetings between the federal government and the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Trade Union Congress, (TUC)?

Isn't that under her purview? Who gives her boss feedback after

Shameful much? Besides her opening statement, Minister Onyejeocha's style of dressing was 'indecent' for lack of a better word. While her pants, turtleneck blouse and tweed blazer looked modest, she made sure to display her Louis Vuitton scarf and Gucci belt as loudly as possible, like an upstart who has just come into money. Her choice of accessory as a public servant who receives her salary from taxpayers' money, in an era where inflation has hit the roof and millions are grappling with eating three decent square meals daily, was to say the least, insensitive. The same politicians who preach for the masses who work hard with nothing to show for it, to wear made-inNigeria products, to stay hungry as they take them to the 'promised land,' are the same ones displaying with obscenity, foreign brands bought with dollar and further boosting the American currency, while the Naira continues to have an uncontrolled free fall. It is okay to not blame her for the economic challenge the country is passing through, but it is certainly not ok for her to lack emotional intelligence.

Development.

Adebija who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Finsbury and Bromley was presented with the award at a special ceremony held recently in Lagos. He was lauded for his track record of excellent service to the community, to the Nigeria Police Force as well as his consistency in supporting the Force over the years as a technocrat and business leader, especially through

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Bolanle Patience Ambode Celebrates

at 60

olanle Ambode, a former First Lady recently waltzed into the 60s club. The day started for her on a thanksgiving note, She was treated to a surprise worship session in her home, organised family, ably supported by her husband, Akinwunmi

in the corporate world with over two decades experience, Adebija who is a multi-disciplinary administrator, technocrat and business leader, has also served as director-general and chief executive of several international bilateral chambers of commerce, including the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce.

For anyone who may have either physically watched the NFL Championship, otherwise known as the US Superbowl on Sunday February 11 or tuned in to watch the game, they couldn't have missed the inspiring two-minute commercial titled 'Born To Play' which played during the game's half time.

The commercial, which is a new campaign for Super Bowl LVIII, is a powerful ode to the diverse and inclusive spirit of the international game of football. The commercial celebrates the growth of football around the globe and promotes increased opportunity to the sport for anyone who dreams of playing. Shot in Ghana, it opened in a traditional Ghanaian home with a young football fanatic itching to get outdoors to play the game, imagining

thanks to God for sparing the landmark age. She would later throw a party, with everything done in

that was held earlier in

Lagos socialite, Debo Odutola pulled out all the stops this past weekend to give her son, Nazir EdwinBrown, a befitting wedding party when he tied the knot with his lover, Maimuna Abdulsalam. Many of her

Yinka Alayesori serenaded the celebrant, her husband and guests with gospel tunes from her repertoire. Quite a number of serving Lagos politicians, except former Governor Ambode’s predecessor who is also the immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and his wife Abimbola, avoided the party. A graduate of Physics/ Mathematics from the Lagos State University (LASU), with a Masters degree (MSc) in Public Administration Mrs Ambode currently runs a thriving confectionary business and is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Rehoboth Chops and Confectioneries Limited, known for its popular Rehoboth bread in Lagos.

DEBO ODUTOLA THROWS LAVISH WEDDING PARTY FOR SON

fellow socialites, including Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State first lady and Abimbola Fashola, a former first lady of the State, turned up for the astute businesswoman. The reception took place at La Madison Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos. Odutola ensured nothing was spared to give her guests the best time ever at the party. A Princess by birth, Odutola is into the production and sale of luxury items, like bespoke handbags. She is the Creative Brand Director of TPS Luxury Ltd and her clientele reads like the who is who on the social, business, political and professional scene. A graduate of Political Science and Law. Unapologetically Nigerian, her luxury and timeless pieces are named exclusively after notable Nigerian women. Odutola also has her tentacles spread into the real estate business.

Meet Andrew Dosunmu, The Nigerian Inspiring The World

himself in an intense football game through the city on his way to school – alongside NFL's prominent players. The journey led the young fan to an NFL camp, where he witnessed others training to one day play at the highest levels of the game.

Inspired by a speech given to NFL hopefuls at a football camp hosted by British-Nigerian former NFL player-pioneer and twotime Superbowl champion, Osi Umenyiora, a younger sibling to Lagos socialite, Okwudili Umenyiora, the story mirrors the

NFL and Osi's collective mission to encourage and offer youth around the world the life-changing experience and opportunity to play at the highest levels of the game. The commercial was directed by Andrew Dosunmu, a Nigerian photographer and film maker who came to prominence in the United States after traversing England and France. Dosunmu to his credit has directed music videos for various acclaimed artists

including Isaac Hayes, Angie Stone, Common, Tracy Chapman, Wyclef Jean, Kelis, Aaron Neville, Talib Kweli, and Maxwell. He started out as a design assistant for Yves Saint Laurent before pivoting to do work for magazines like 'i-D', 'Paper', 'Vibe', and 'The Face.'

It was while working at Yves Saint Laurent, that Andrew steeped himself in fashion history while also self-educating himself at the extensive art and photography libraries of the Centre Pompidou. He has made a name for himself as a film maker and directed the 2011 drama film, 'Restless City,' which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. His next film, 'Mother of George', also premiered at Sundance in 2013, and was the closing night selection for Maryland Film Festival in 2013.

Fatal Crashes: Blaming Man, Machine or Nature?

When airplanes explode midair or plummet down to earth in a spiraling inferno before disintegrating into a thousand pieces, investigators look out for possible causes: an inattentive or exhausted pilot, an act of terrorism, an electrical or mechanical fault or freak weather. THEWILL examines some notable crashes resulting in untimely deaths of famous people. Michael Jimoh reports…

The first recorded human tragedy of crash-landing to earth from the sky is the much known myth of Icarus son of Daedalus. An inventor and resourceful Greek, Daedalus was imprisoned along with his son by King Minos of Crete in a tower above his palace. Ever the ingenious fellow, Daedalus coupled together birds wings (from the ones that flew near them in the fortress) and wax (from the candles they used in their cell) so he can escape with his son from the high altitude confinement.

Older, wiser and more experienced, Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the Sun otherwise he will de-gravitate. Younger, inexperienced and more excitable, his son does exactly the opposite. The intense heat from the Sun melts the wax on his wings and so Icarus plunges down to death from above.

More than two thousand years after and with more refined versions far surpassing Daedalus’ cruder invention, men and machine flying high in the sky still plummet down to earth now and then with the same tragic result.

Though safer than road transportation, according to available records, aircraft crashes often make loud headlines anywhere in the world, especially those involving wealthy and famous people. Erstwhile CEO of Access Holdings Herbert Wigwe and his son Chizi were never at any time before 9 February incarcerated by royalty. For one, Wigwe himself was royalty in the banking sector in Nigeria with millions of depositors literally at his mercy as MD of Access Bank.

Unlike Daedalus and Icarus, Wigwe and son were not fleeing from the wrath of a vengeful monarch. Along with his wife Doreen, MD of Craneburg Construction, a friend and former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, they were out to enjoy themselves at a major Super Bowl match - annual league championship of the American National Football League. With a crew of two, they flew in an Airbus Helicopter EC130B4.

Like Daedalus who was a superstar inventor in his day, Wigwe was riding high on the crest of his banking career and clearly one of the wealthiest bankers in Nigeria with a net worth of between $65.2 million and $680 million. So, putting down some princely sum to watch the game from a private suit with family, friends and staff would have been nothing to him. But he never got to the venue let alone watch the game. What happened is pretty much known by now. The banker, his wife, son, Ogunbanjo and crew perished in the chopper they were travelling in near a border town between California and Nevada.

Though a full report of the crash is expected any time from now, initial investigations by US National Transportation Safety Board has shown that the crash could have been avoided if the chopper had not taken off in the first place. At least, that is the view of Robert Clifford an American aviation lawyer and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices in Chicago. “The crash of a helicopter that killed six people including a top Nigerian banker and his family along the California-Nevada border Saturday night immediately

“

Though a full report of the crash is expected any time from now, initial investigations by US National Transportation Safety Board has shown that the crash could have been avoided if the chopper had not taken off in the first place

Machine or Nature?

strikes one as a tragedy that may have been avoided given the known weather conditions at that time,” Clifford wrote in his office’s website.

According to witnesses on the ground, the crash was most likely caused by inclement weather, some of them saying there was “wintry mix” weather conditions, including “rain” when the chopper went down. The crash sent seismic shock waves down the spine of many Nigerians from the presidency on down. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the unexpected death of Wigwe as “an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension.”

The business elite, politicians and sundry professionals in Nigeria have been similarly grief-stricken, mourning the tragic death of a respected entrepreneur and philanthropist overseeing a vast business empire within and outside Nigeria. In his tribute, President Emmanuel Macron of France described Wigwe as a “humanistic and talented entrepreneur.” He also praised Wigwe for his efforts in strengthening “the relationship between France and Nigeria through his leadership of the French-Nigeria Business Council.”

To former Minister of Health Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, Wigwe’s sudden death was nothing short of losing a gem. “Herbert was one of our children, and we say to ourselves in him, a star was born, and that star developed into a gem,” Adelusi-Adeluyi said in his condolence message. “And now we are witnessing a situation that the star that was born that has turned into a gem that is gone.”

Though not in the banking sector, Professor Pius Adesanmi of the Institute of African Studies Carlton University in Ottawa Canada was another prominent Nigerian whose untimely demise Nigerians and the rest of the world received with shocked disbelief. A confirmed star among a constellation of world class intellectuals, Adesanmi was among 157 passengers and eight crew members who died in an Ethiopian Airlines jet en route Nairobi from Addis Ababa.

After taking off, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed near Bishoftu, a town 62 kilometres away from the Ethiopian capital. Investigations showed one, two, three or so brand of the aircraft in question was prone to accidents, leading to the manufacturers recalling those already in the fleet of some airlines or purchased by some countries, notably China.

Reminiscing on the late Nigerian professor’s tragic end, Pauline Rankin, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton University said: “He worked tirelessly to build the Institute of African Studies, to share his boundless passion for African literature and to connect with and support students. He was a scholar and teacher of the highest calibre who leaves a deep imprint on Carleton."

President and Vice Chancellor of the institution BenoitAntoine Bacon paid Adesanmi a deserving tribute. “He really was a global thinker...a lot of people found strength in the work that he was doing. There's no question that his passing, his sudden death is a crippling loss for the Institute [and] for Carleton,” adding that Adesanmi wasn’t afraid to fight for what he believed in. “He was on the ground doing things, making the world better and he inspired a lot of people in our community and internationally. One of our most brilliant minds.”

Kobe Bryant was certainly one of the most gifted players on the basketball court when he died in a chopper crash in January 2020 with Gianna, his 13-year-old daughter. In the crash were three generations: Gianna’s basketball teammate, Alyssa Altobeli, also 13, her mother Kerri and John Altobeli, father and basketball coach. Another teammate of Gianna Payton Chester and mother Sarah also died and the pilot Ara Zobayan.

At the time, much of the world was on lockdown because COVID-19 was decimating populations by their thousands in record time. Still, the helicopter crash of the basketball star, his family and friends evoked a sense of loss and grief reserved for role models and exceptional individuals plucked too early by the cruel hands of fate. Despite the ravaging Corona virus, Bryant’s death was something of a peculiar tragedy to Americans and the world in general.

“I’ve never seen the Icarus story as a lesson about the limitations of humans. I see it as a lesson about the limitations of wax as an adhesive

POTUS Donald Trump described the death of the occupants of the chopper as “terrible news.”

To former President Barack Obama (a basketball aficionado himself) “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”

Though it happened a good 15 years before Obama’s pronouncement of “unthinkable day” for the surviving Bryant family, some families in Nigeria felt the same loss when Sosoliso Airlines Flight1145 (SO1145/OSL1145 crashed and burst into flames at Port Harcourt International Airport on 10 December 2005. A McDonnell Douglas DC9-32, the flight departed Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja earlier in the day with 110 passengers and crew. All but seven of those on board died instantly with only two survivors after medical care in a hospital.

Among the casualties were Pastor Bimbo Odukoya of Fountain of Life Church Lagos and dozens of students of Loyola Jesuit College in the Federal Capital Territory. Mostly between 12 and 16 in age, the students were returning to Port Harcourt for the Christmas holiday when the plane

crashed. An American and French volunteers of Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders were among the dead.

According to investigations by the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau, the cause of the crash was pilot error “the pilot's decision to keep descending on the airport even though the aircraft had passed the minimum decision altitude. The pilots decided to go-around while they were in wind shear condition. This decision was also too late as they still had not configured the aircraft for a go-around and their altitude was already too low.”

Three months before on 22 October, another flight operated by Bellview Airlines had crashed soon after taking off from Domestic Airport in Lagos. Bellview Airlines Flight 210 was en route Abuja when it lost contact with the Control Tower in Lagos and then plunged into the forest at Lisa a village in nearby Ogun state. All 117 people on board died.

Death of wealthy and famous people in air crashes anywhere in the world isn’t such a novel occurrence. One of the most tragic in history involved no less a world citizen than Dag Hammarskjöld who was second SecretaryGeneral of the U.N. 15 other people died with the Swedish diplomat in the fatal crash while on a peace mission to the Congo on 18 September 1961 in a United Nations DC-. There were rumours of assassination of the Sec-Gen by a combined team of American, British and Belgian forces. Eyewitness accounts insist they saw a smaller plane trailing the aircraft Hammarskjöld rode in, fired at it and then flew off in the opposite direction when the UN DC-6 jet began to decelerate. But a commission of inquiry by the British blamed the crash on pilot error.

Pilot error was clearly not the cause of the crash involving onetime strongman of Pakistan President Muhammad Ziaul-Haq. With the sort of absolute powers favoured by old school military dictators such as Augusto Pinochet (“No blade of grass moves in Chile without my ordering it”) the sixth president of Pakistan ruled his country with a stern hand. His subjects both feared and adored him, the West (read America) was more circumspect but befriended him nonetheless. On 17 August 1988, grim news made the rounds that Zia-ul-Haq had died in a plane crash, a helicopter C-130. Among the passengers were his close assistant Akhtar Abdur Rehman, Arnold Lewis Raphel an American diplomat. The chief of the U.S. military mission in Pakistan Brigadier General Herbert M. Wassom was also in the plane.

Conspiracy theorists rooted for a plot against the Pakistani president in which he was clearly rubbed out. But eyewitness accounts of the crash recalled that the plane began to pitch "in an up-and-down motion" while flying low shortly after takeoff before going into a "near-vertical dive" and then “plunged from the sky and struck the ground with such force that it was blown to pieces exploding on impact, killing all on board.”

There have been dozens more reported crashes involving the famous and the rich, the not so rich and those in between in nearly all parts of the world. Warned against taking to the skies because of stormy weather at night back in mid July 1999, publisher of George magazine and only son of President John F. Kennedy, John Kennedy Jr. perished in an aircraft with his wife, Carolyn Bessette and sister-in-law Lauryn Bessette. The plane crashed off Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean.

Cause of accident? Kennedy was a victim of “spatial disorientation” because “light conditions were such that all basic landmarks were obscured, making visual flight challenging,” NTSB said of its investigation at the time.

Which brings up the question of man, machine or nature as the cause of aircraft crashes. In some cases, man has been at fault just as machines themselves prone to performing like jumping fleas on a whim. The weather has equally been culpable, too, as in the chopper accident in which Wigwe and co travelled. Still, it might do aviators and flyers well to remember what Randall Munroe, an American engineer, cartoonist and author, said of man’s first attempt at soaring above in the sky. “I’ve never seen the Icarus story as a lesson about the limitations of humans. I see it as a lesson about the limitations of wax as an adhesive.”

Aina, Iwobi: Need to Tackle Cyberbullying in Our Football

“The beautiful game has always reflected both the sublime skill and bitter ugliness we as human beings exhibit

When Sebastian Haller slotted the matchwinning goal past Nigeria's heroic goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali in the AFCON final last month, the heavily defensive Super Eagles side that had kept opponents from scoring in four of seven matches in Ivory Coast bowed out in heartbreaking yet proud fashion. Yet, for some unfortunate players, a far uglier aftermath was about to unfold off the pitch.

Fast forward only a month later, and disturbing revelations have now emerged of vile targeted harassment and cyberbullying aimed at Ola Aina and Alex Iwobi, two of Nigeria's AFCON finalists. While fans back home came to terms with a crushing loss to hosts Ivory Coast after leading until the 62nd minute, the online mobs were just warming up their keyboards.

Detailed by Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo over the previous weekend, a purported Nigerian supporter allegedly messaged Nottingham Forest full-back Ola Aina stating that they hoped he died over his perceived error in losing an individual duel to Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra during the final. Any form of death wish directed to a national team representative should instinctively appal all who hear off it. Still, the reported

context made it staggeringly worse.

Here was a player who had given his all during a month-long sojourn for his country, forsaking club commitments with the struggling English Premier League side Forest to help Nigeria's dreams of a historic fourth AFCON triumph come true. Let us reflect on Aina's selfless contributions. Deployed initially as a wingback to provide attacking width, he created promising chances before being shifted to left centre-back to shore up a creaking defence, seamlessly adapting to a new role under immense pressure.

Does this sound like a player who deserved such sickening abuse bordering on criminal offence? Does losing an individual duel, where his Ivorian opponent produced a piece of attacking brilliance to send an inviting cross, warrant supposed fans wishing death upon him? Such disproportionate toxicity simply fails the barest tests of logic.

Yet in the parallel universe of faceless social media, the most basic pillars of human decency collapse for some. Hiding behind a cloak of anonymity, the vile cyberbully evidently felt emboldened enough to send an unconscionable message. Would they have expressed the same threat to Aina's face in the bowels of the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan? The likelihoods are vanishingly small. Online toxicity is too easily spread while offline restraints are self-regulated by real world norms.

Perhaps they expected no reply or their accounts had messaged enough Nigerian players over the years to blur into a single mass. Yet, to Aina and other targets, each loaded message lands like a hammer blow - evidence of

...Tackle Cyberbullying in Our Football

a “supporter” wishing death just for losing a duel speaks to the depths online mobs will sink.

Still, Aina’s experience is far from isolated, speaking to a worrying pattern emerging. Cast minds back to the previous AFCON, and then emerging goalkeeper Maduka Okoye similarly faced volumes of vicious posts stating he should never play for Nigeria again following errors after the AFCON exit against Tunisia. A player representing his beloved country on the biggest continental stage then decides his mental health requires withdrawing indefinitely from national selection.

We cannot let faceless cowardly mobs deprive a nation of talented rising stars. The promise of more foreign-born Nigeria's players switching nationalities to represent Nigeria, as the current case with Arthur Okonkwo, a 22-year-old goalkeeper on loan at Wrexham from Arsenal, can be bungled with such occurrences. What promising player would willingly step forward seeing the torrents of horrific hate some undeservingly endure for simply losing football matches? It tears at the implicit bond connecting fans, players and the national jersey they share such passion for.

Alex Iwobi’s response offers another solemn warning sign – forced to erase his social media presence after targeted ethnic-charged harassment. A platform that should bridge fans and players instead provoked such unbearable toxicity he understandably cut off nearly all of his digital ties. If unchecked, who knows how many diverse diaspora talents with rich backgrounds spanning continents may reconsider pledging international allegiance when abuse awaits for perceived poor performances. How did Iwobi's familial link with his uncle Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha become the business of fans who ought to be celebrating the commitment he showed representing the green and white.

We must remind ourselves that behind each highprofile case lies a human being with mental health

and relationships to protect outside the boundaries of the pitch. Every individual deals with extreme criticism differently and has their personal limits. When violence and death wishes enter the discourse over a leisure pastime, it is mightily obvious that something has gone horribly wrong. This brings us back

uncovered as teaching moments. Fan communities have to be involved by self-policing and shouting down the worst impulses seeking misery behind others' misfortune.

Yet, collective cultural shifts protecting the attacked may prove most impactful. We urgently need open dialogues on healthier expressions of high-passion fandom, distinguishing soul-destroying abuse from factbased analysis. Passion does not excuse causing others' psychological trauma. Support should not blind us from respectful critiques. In the bleakest cases like those reported, legal consequences should potentially apply.

root question - how should the relevant institutions address an issue growing more sinister annually and protect both players and the game?

Governing bodies ought to take stronger stances enforcing codes of conduct for supporters and threatening sanctions for defaulting supporters. Social platforms facilitating anonymous viral spread of hatred must invest far more developing guardrails and identity checks protecting users. Media voices should consistently highlight reprehensible cases when

However, preventing the breeding ground for psychotic death wishes over football results needs early intervention. Coaches must emphasise players' humanity in pre-tournament media briefings. Captains should record messages explaining dire emotional impacts to true fans. Governing bodies can also launch annual awareness drives keeping supporters' worst instincts in check. There are options like these and others to exploit if the collective will

The time for action is now before another bright young talent ships off their career in despair. Nigeria boasts boundless skill bubbling up from grassroots dust, but they deserve to chase childhood dreams free from living nightmares in front of screens. The seeds are there for fan cultures celebrating players for the pride they bring during careers inevitably filled with ups and downs.

State Governors Must Wake up to Their Poverty Alleviation Responsibilities

unveiling initiatives aimed at alleviating hardship facing citizens. In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun arranged distribution of rice, garri and beans to vulnerable residents. Over 20,000 10kg bags of rice have been shared by the Kwara State government to identified citizens.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom sponsored a bill to establish a bulk state food purchasing agency to supply affordable food. Governor of Benue State, Fr. Hyacinth Alia provided fertilisers to farmers to improve food production. He also arranged to pay exam fees for secondary school leavers sitting critical national examinations. In Borno State, Governor Babagana Zulum distributed cash and food to over 70,000 vulnerable persons impacted by insurgents.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has announced that he has sponsored a bill currently before the State House of Assembly aimed at addressing the cost of living crisis experienced by the people. The bill proposes the establishment of the State Bulk Purchasing Agency to make staple food items more affordable. According to Governor Eno, the agency will purchase food items in bulk to en-

sure their availability at relatively lower prices, with a commitment to transparency in the process.

These actions reinforce that beyond the federal government, governors also play a pivotal role in implementing policies that directly uplift resident's welfare. While some are rising to the task with impactful interventions, every governor needs to make citizen's wellbeing the pivot of their administration. They must leverage their proximity to directly address pressing basic needs confronting ordinary Nigerians.

The sporadic unrests in parts of the country linked to the economic crisis portend grave danger. If left unchecked and unaddressed, the seething frustrations among citizens may degenerate into violent agitations beyond what security forces can contain. Though the prognosis looks dire, this crisis equally presents an opportunity for governments at all levels to change the narrative by executing strategic interventions that deliver prosperity to long-suffering citizens. Our leaders must be guided by the timeless words that where there is a will, there is always a way.

Rather than soundtracks of marching mobs spitting venom online without accountability, imagine choruses of young fans joyfully chanting their newest rising star's name. Nigeria’s football environment could cultivate inspiration rather than breed destruction amongst its supporter base. Positivity must be harnessed to drown out performative toxicity, with the next generation role models celebrated instead of hounded.

The beautiful game has always reflected both the sublime skill and bitter ugliness we as human beings exhibit. Yet, Africa's giants should never have to shrink from the spotlight out of self preservation rather than bask joyfully within it. The bonds uniting fans and footballers should raise spirits, not crush souls. While past horrors cannot be undone, urgent collective intervention may steer the ship towards safer waters where camaraderie defeats toxicity for online fan cultures. Nigeria boasts enviable talent production pipelines that deserve support structures insulating against vile bullying.

The possibility of talented prospects severed from ever representing their nation over online psychos should no longer linger. Dedicated players giving their all when called upon should feel appreciated support through good times and bad.

Rather than shards of broken dreams and death wishes staining football discourse, we collectively have an opportunity to shift cultures where passion breeds inspiration not destruction. The solutions exist if moral willpower aligns. Nigeria's standout stars stepping onto fields thousands of miles away deserve to know a nation stands firmly behind them.

State Governors Must Wake up to Their Poverty Alleviation Responsibilities

There is no denying the fact that Nigeria is in the throes of a biting cost of living crisis that continues to drive more citizens into poverty and economic deprivation. While there have been numerous economic upheavals in the country's history, few can compare to the current economic quagmire that threatens the survival and livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.

The origins of this crisis are multifaceted, with a complex interplay between various economic indices. However, three major factors stand out as the key drivers of this economic mess. First is the growing dependence on imports for virtually all essential commodities, from petroleum products to basic food items. Successive governments have failed to diversify the economy and boost local production capacity. This over-reliance on imports implies that any slight volatility in the value of the Naira leads to immediate shocks on prices of essential commodities.

Secondly, the runaway inflation rate continues to severely erode purchasing power for average Nigerians. As of January 2024, inflation rate peaked at 29.90%, the highest level since November 2005. This effectively means that whatever little income people earn is barely enough to purchase the same quantity of goods. From transportation to healthcare and food, Nigerians have to spend more to access the same or even lower quality essential goods and services.

The third factor exacerbating this crisis is the free fall of the Naira. With the currency exchanging at well over N1,600 to a US Dollar in the parallel market and slightly less at the official rates, imported items become near-luxuries that only a few Nigerians can afford. From machinery to raw materials, the weakened Naira makes imports exorbitantly expensive. Ultimately, manufacturers and other businesses transfer the high costs to final consumers in the form of higher prices.

The impact of these factors on the majority of Nigerians is catastrophic. As at 2022, over 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 per cent of the population, were multidimensionally poor, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This means that they lack access to essential basic needs like healthcare, education, and decent standards of living. This figure will have multiplied recently as it is estimated that millions of Nigerians live below the poverty line of $1.90 per day. These figures depict a nation entrapped in economic deprivation.

proper meals per day. Prices of staples like rice, garri, beans and yam have gone completely out of reach for average families. There are disturbing stories of families going for days without a proper meal. The rate of malnutrition is rising, subjecting the majority to preventable illnesses at the same time when drug prices are through the roof. Access to decent hous-

turing is indispensable at this point. The president must rally stakeholders, harness ideas and swiftly activate interventions.

Yet, beyond Abuja, state governors cannot abscond from culpability. With increased federal allocations and more powers, they are better positioned to directly boost economic activities within their states and make life better for people living under their jurisdiction. But majority of our state governors have no capacity to govern their domains effectively and productively. This is where it gets even more frustrating for all of us. Why are these governors not using the acres of arable lands within their domains for massive food production? Why aren’t they producing food directly or going into a PPP arrangement?

While few governors have initiated commendable programmes to ease the burden on people in their states, majority seem oblivious of the economic trauma ravaging households within their boundaries. Instead, they are often expending monies on needless and wasteful trips abroad to satisfy their unquenchable thirst for luxuries.

This gross dereliction of duty is reckless and appalling.

In Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stands out for unveiling impactful responses to cushion residents from the economic crisis. He announced a 25% reduction in all public transportation fees, including for the BRT buses, trains and ferry services. This immediately eases the commute burden for millions. He also introduced flexible three-day work weeks for civil servants from grade level 1-14. This helps them save on cost on transport and decongests the roads.

ing is also increasingly elusive, with many dwelling in slums and other inhospitable environments. Clearly, the solemn duty to rescue citizens from this worsening crisis lies with the government at all levels. The President bears immediate responsibility for formulating and implementing sound economic policies that can help stabilise the economy. There is a compelling need to address issues like rising inflation, unstable exchange rates and over-reliance on imports. Focused investment in boosting local production especially in agriculture and manufac-

Additionally, his administration is providing direct food palliatives to over 300,000 vulnerable households across the state. Relief packages with items like rice, garri, beans and other staples are being distributed. To crash food prices, the governor opened up 42 new neighbourhood markets which open for business every Sunday. By increasing supply, citizens access affordable foodstuffs. The state feeds between 1000 to 1500 people daily in supervised soup kitchens in every local council area for the first 30 to 60 days.

These policies cushion the economic blows on millions of Lagos residents. Other governors are also

Millions of households can no longer afford two Continues on Page 47

The sporadic unrests in parts of the country linked to the economic crisis portend grave danger. If left unchecked and unaddressed, the seething frustrations among citizens may degenerate into violent agitations beyond what security forces can contain