SUNDAY 10TH MARCH 2024

Ooni, Onaiyekan Back Calls for Nigeria’s Return to Parliamentary System of Govt

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Emeritus Catholic Bishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, have expressed support for the push by 60 members of the House of Representatives for the return of Nigeria to a parliamentary system of government.

The monarch and the cleric made their positions known yesterday on separate occasions in Abuja.

Ooni made his position known while addressing a delegation of lawmakers led by the House Minority Leader, Hon Kingsley Chinda and Hon Abdulsamad Dasuki who visited him in Abuja at the weekend.

The lawmakers visited the monarch to solicit his counsel,

blessings, and support for the three proposed bills which seek to restructure elections at local, state, and federal levels.

The bills are: Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1115); Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1116) and; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1117).

Oba Ogunwusi commended the lawmakers, saying that there was a need to create healthy competition among the six geopolitical zones in the country.

He added that the parliamentary system would effectively unlock and harness the country’s huge natural and human resources for effective development.

He described the current

presidential system as accidental, regretting that the parliamentary system of government practised after the independence was shortlived because of military incursion which toppled democracy.

The monarch said, “It’s a mistake of the past that people are saying it’s the northern people that are holding it, they want to. It’s a lie, if the people see data of what is in the north now, I am very sure they would be the ones that will say let us do that thing now.

“Some people call it restructuring, some people call it true federalism, some people call it devolution of powers, all in all, it is the same thing.

“The white elephant, we don’t want to talk about it. It has got to the time unless we want another

problem for us in this country. We have got to the wall but you have made a name for yourselves,” Ooni explained.

Speaking on the issue, Onaiyekan, also threw his weight behind the parliamentary system of government, saying that it was time for Nigeria to change to a system of governance that would reduce corruption and bring government closer to the people.

Onaiyekan stated this during the weekend at a policy dialogue on the new governance structure for Nigeria, organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (ASSPT), in Abuja.

“It is time for a change. One thing is definitely sure, we cannot continue the way we are going.

“If we decide to retain the system we have now, it must change the

way it is practiced.

“If the easiest way to change is to change the system, then let’s go ahead and change the system to parliamentary, with all its advantages and disadvantages,” he added.

According to him, anything that will bring the government closer to the people, and reduce discretion for stealing and corruption will be good for the nation.

“My understanding is that the parliamentary system is built in such a way that it will not be so easy to steal such humongous sums of money, and misuse of our natural resources legally.

“The problem of this nation is that government people are stealing legally, they don’t even feel that they are stealing.

“According to my own

RATTLED BY ABDUCTIONS, NORTH-WEST GOVS UNITE AGAINST TERRORISTS

Persons (IDPs) abducted at Wurge community in Ngala LGA, Borno State by a group of armed ISWAP terrorists as well as the school children kidnapped at Government Secondary School (GSS), Kuriga in Gwagwada District, Chikun LGA of Kaduna State, by a group of bandits.

This is coming as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said it is unacceptable that Nigerian children will not be allowed to learn in a secure environment because of the activities of criminals.

Obi charged the “relevant authorities to put no stone unturned and ensure that children go to school and learn in a conducive atmosphere and citizens worship their creator and go about their businesses without hindrance.”

The Kaduna State Government has however debunked the allegation that it hired a private negotiator to facilitate the release of the 287 school children abducted by bandits in the state on Thursday, just as the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have both condemned the abductions of the schoolchildren, calling on security forces to adopt more effective strategies to end banditry and terrorism ravaging communities.

Speaking yesterday at the graduation ceremony of 2,600 operatives of Sokoto State Community Guards Corps (SSCGC) in Sokoto, the state capital, which was attended by the North-west governors, the Chairman of the North-west Governors’ Forum and Governor of Katsina State, Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, stated that they have united against terrorists who are terrorising the zone.

Radda stated that the governors in the region had resolved to work together as a force to clear the region of terrorists.

“We have resolved to work together as a team, despite political differences, to save our people from the menace of insecurity,” he added.

“In the fight against banditry, there are no divisions such as All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), but only a unified North-west.”

He stressed that the well-being and progress of the region were the main concerns of the current leadership in the region.

Radda noted that with the launching of the community protection guards in Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states, the remaining states of Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, and Kaduna would follow suit.

In his speech, Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, expressed

appreciation for the successful screening and training of the community guards to address insecurity in the state.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ending banditry in the state and improving infrastructural developments.

On their part the Governors of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, and his colleagues in Benue and Plateau states, Caleb Mutfwang and Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia said terrorists do not discriminate in their operation, hence the need to collectively unite against them.

They urged President Bola Tinubu to deploy state resources in fighting insecurity.

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III, lauded the governors for their commitment to tackling insecurity in their domain.

He noted that those who kill others in the name of going to paradise will never see God, stressing that God will never support shedding innocent blood.

He enjoined governments and security agencies to investigate the immediate and remote causes of

insecurity to enable them to find lasting solutions to it.

The eight governors of Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Benue, Bauchi, Katsina, Plateau states, and the Deputy Governor of Jigawa State attended the event.

Bandits Kidnap Scores of Students in Sokoto

Community

Meanwhile, bandits have kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students in the Gidan Bakuso area of Gada LGA of Sokoto State.

The incident, according to sources, took place at about 1a.m yesterday at the school premises.

Confirming the unfortunate incident, the proprietor of the school, Mallam Liman Abubakar, said, "They invaded the town around 1a.m., shot one person, and abducted a woman in the process.

"As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they

understanding, if you take more than you deserve, you have stolen.’’

Onaiyekan cited the provision of pension for governors, saying it was not fair after being well paid to be legally entitled to houses, cars, and other things, while a retired police officer goes home with a meagre sum as pension.

He also said that restructuring, not constitutional amendment, will save Nigeria.

The Cardinal said that the Nigerian Constitution has consistently failed to provide a clear framework for governance and religious affairs, resulting in confusion and inefficiency within the governance system. He also advocated for the decentralisation of power to allow for effective governance and decision-making at the local level.

kidnapped many of them.

"We have so far counted 15 who are missing and we are still searching for more," he said Also confirming the incident, a member, representing Gada-East constituency at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dauda,

Continued on page 61

IN A SHOW OF MAGNANIMITY, TINUBU ORDERS CUSTOMS TO RETURN CONFISCATED FOOD ITEMS TO OWNERS

Tinubu had decided to exercise his power not in accordance with the law, “but according to the feelings of magnanimity that he has for Nigeria”.

Adeniyi said: “In doing so, he has directed that those food items that were going out of the country that have been seized in various border areas should be returned to the owners on the condition that those goods would be sold in the Nigerian markets.

“So, we will be monitoring you to know if there is a violation of this. Those food items will be returned, and it is a directive that we will pass them back into the Nigerian markets,” Adeniyi added.

He explained that Nigeria was in an emergency food situation, adding that the customs will continue to take proactive measures to tackle the exportation of food items to curb food insufficiency in the country. The customs boss said the nation has an Export Prohibition Act that proscribed the exportation of food items such as maize, millet, yam, beans, and sorghum, adding that the law would be reviewed when the nation is self-sufficient.

He added that the Nigeria Customs Service would continue to ensure that foods that are produced in the country remain and are consumed by Nigerians to tame food inflation.

Adeniyi said: “We know that there are markets around our borders and we know that not all of them are targeted at taking goods across the borders. We will continue to monitor and ensure that food that is produced in Nigeria remains and is consumed in Nigeria.

"This is because we are in a period of national emergency that has to do with food insufficiency and this is why we must collectively work together to assist the government to enforce the various laws that prohibit the exportation of food items at this time.

"There is an Export Prohibition Act, which currently disallows the exportation of food items like

maize, rice beams, yam, millet, and sorghum. Food security is very, very important. If our people are hungry, they can be lured into certain criminal activities,” he added.

He, therefore, urged the residents of the border communities to assist the government in implementing the various rules that prohibit the export of food items and other essential commodities.

During the visit, Adeniyi paid homage to former President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura country home.

The Customs boss also visited the Emir of Daura, Dr. Faruk Umar Faruk, and some border stations in Katsina State.

LEADERS, FRIENDS, FAMILY BID WIGWES FAREWELL AS BANKING ICON, WIFE, SON, LAID TO REST

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

It was a sober moment yesterday as Nigerians from all walks of life and foreigners gathered at Isiokpo community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State as the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Holdings, Mr. Herbert Wigwe; his wife, Chizoba, and their 29-year-old son, Chizzy, were laid to rest in a private cemetery located within the premises of the Wigwe University.

The trio of Herbert, Chizoba, and Chizzy Wigwe, alongside former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), Abimbola Ogunbanjo, as well as two pilots, died in the Airbus Helicopter EC 130B4 with registration number N130CZ, which crashed near Halloran Springs, California, United States, on February 8, 2024.

While the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio described the late banking guru as a global citizen and iconic figure, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State promised to immortalise him and also sustain his Wigwe University.

On his part, a former Governor of Sokoto State and member of the National Assembly representing Sokoto South, Senator Aminu Tambuwal noted that Wigwe left a lasting legacy.

By 9.30am yesterday, dignitaries were well seated at the Lion of Judah Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Isiokpo community, awaiting the arrival

of the remains of the deceased.

Immediately the remains of Herbert, his wife, and son arrived at the church premises in three ambulances, followed by a convoy and musical band group, at about 11: 08am, everybody at the venue of the service wore a mournful look.

Some were sighted crying profusely, lamenting the great loss to the country.

Prominent dignitaries at the event include Senate President, Senator Akpabio; Governors Fubara (Rivers), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Alex Otti (Abia), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Eno Umo (Akwa Ibom); President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi; Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; Co-Founder of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Atedo Peterside; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economy, Olawale Edun; former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; and former Governor of Sokoto State, Tambuwal.

Others include: Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyeagwu; Group Chief Executive Officer of Guarantee Trust Holding Plc, Segun Agbaje; Chairman of Access Bank, Paul Usoro (SAN); former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; former Delta State governor, James

Ibori; former Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; former Rivers State governor, Celestine Omehia, among others.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Senator Akpabio, who spoke on behalf of the federal government and the National Assembly, described Herbert Wigwe as a global citizen and iconic figure who invested heavily in lives and fed many people across the globe.

Akpabio also described the late Wigwe as a great mentor, saying that he mentored a lot of younger people.

The Senate President added that the late banking icon was a serious role model to the future generation "that you can build from nothing and get greatness and with hard work you can achieve greatness."

Akpabio said: "The university he has left behind was because of his passion for education. He helped and educated a lot of people. As I said, so many are enshrined in his heart because he sent so many to educational citadels across the world. Leaving this education for us, the university is not just for Nigerians but the entire global community."

Speaking further, Akpabio described Wigwe as a global banker, who left a legacy in education that he will be remembered for in years to come.

He said: "Is not how long you lived but how well and the impact. Here was a young man who left so much impact that generations unborn; he gave food to so many

people in Nigeria and globally. Many countries in Africa, in Dubai, other places, he was in China, he did a lot.

"He put food on the table of so many people in the world. So, I regarded him as a 'Global Citizen,’ an icon of the world that we have lost. Unfortunately, he died together with his wife and first son," Akpabio added.

Describing the incident that led to the death of the business guru as a tragedy, the Senate President said: "I pray Nigeria should never witness this again, and may it never happen to any family. If only you were close to him, you could understand the energy, the vivaciousness that Nigeria has lost. Herbert Wigwe was a great man; he was a friend to all - a man who smiles without question, who touches lives without asking."

According to Akpabio, "Sometimes God gives signs that say those that God loves most, he takes them young. He was doing everything in a hurry. You see the fantastic structure for his retirement home for his family in Lagos, even the beautiful university - one of the best in the whole of West Africa, that he has concluded."

He continued: "For all of us who are mortal, this death is very painful. We are not going to cry in one day alone; we will cry for so many days. When you remember the fact that his heir, Chizzy, was already an iconic figure, a talented young man, highly educated from the best university, prepared to take over the empire from his father, and yet he is no

more, you will cry.

“When you think that the wife who could have been here to mourn with us joined him, then you will cry.

Then you will ask yourself, just like Governor Fubara said, what is the struggle all about?" Akpabio queried.

Earlier in his speech, the governor of Rivers State, Fubara, assured that the state government will immortalise the late Herbert, adding that the state will ensure the success of the Wigwe University, which he noted was the only investment attached to the name of the financial guru.

The governor expressed the need for people to impact society, especially in the lives of the needy, adding that life is a journey that will someday get to its destination.

Governor Fubara said: "I have this question always in my mind. What is life all about? Yesterday night, we sang a hymn saying 'Fading away from the sun in the morning', and I concluded that life is not the one million years that we lived, but even if we spend an hour, let the hour be impactful. He has made a great contribution to humanity."

Fubara lamented: "Here lies our brother, his wife, son. Everyone has come to celebrate them; it means even in the short period that he lived; he lived an impactful life.

"The next question had to do with our political class: What is all this trouble all about? You want to kill, you want to bury, what is it all about? This is a man, not a politician; he

PAYING LAST RESPECTS…

Goldman Sachs Predicts Appreciation of Naira to N1,200 Per Dollar in 12 Months

Says Nigeria turning the corner amid FX crisis, hails policy reforms Calls for further tightening of rates

James Emejo in Abuja

Goldman Sachs has predicted that the naira will appreciate to N1,200 per dollar within the next 12 months.

The global investment banker, which stated this in its report dated March 7, 2024, added that the local currency looked cheap on a Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) basis in a historical context.

Further justifying its forecast, it stated that the account surplus, which stood at +3.5 per cent of GDP in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023

is expected to increase above +5.0 per cent on the recent FX moves and associated import compression.

“We thus see reason for the naira to be undervalued, and we see it appreciating to N1,200 within the next 12 months,” the firm added.

The report, however, stated that monetary authority had not “tightened policy appropriately to attract the capital inflows required to ease fiscal and external financing constraints”.

It pointed out that the country is finally emerging from a period of monetary policy transition

characterised by an absence of a credible policy anchor and deeply negative real interest rates, adding that this had implied a volatile and sharp depreciation of the local currency in recent months and a cumulative 60-70 per cent weakening over the past nine months.

Godman Sachs noted that the policy shift that is catalysed by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) bill auction last week that brought effective interest rates to 27 per cent remained tentative, given the new team's limited track

record and ex-ante real rates that are now positive.

It however argued that the policy shift still did not compare favourably to elsewhere, notably Egypt.

Nonetheless, it said given a combination of positive real rates, limited capital inflows, and evidence of a shift to a more orthodox policy set-up, “we think that Nigeria is turning the corner following its recent currency crisis”.

The report said: “These developments have prompted us to shift to a constructive outlook for the naira, which our FX strategists

Over Six Million Nigerians Displaced by Insecurity, Disasters, Says FG

Katsina

The National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has said that over 6.1 million Nigerians were displaced by insecurity and natural disasters.

The NCFRMI’s Federal Commissioner, Alhaji Tijjani Aliyu, disclosed this during a visit to Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State at the weekend in Katsina.

According to him, as of 2022, the commission had about three million displaced persons, “but with floods and other natural disasters, we now have an additional 100 per cent of such displaced people.”

He explained: “Today, I can authoritatively say that we have not less than 6.1 million Nigerians displaced out of their homes.

“What do we do if all of them

cannot go back, how do we fend for them? Can the government continue to feed them, providing them succour?

“Absolutely not possible, we have to find a way to teach these individuals trades, give them skills, so that at the end of the day, they can be on their own,” he said.

Aliyu disclosed the commission’s intention to construct three wellfurnished skills acquisition centres across the Northeast, from the 2024/2025 budget.

He said the essence of the visit was to distribute food items to about 700 displaced people in the state.

“Before today, the commission has been putting its efforts to ensure that these people were not left in an undignified way. Their children have received educational training funds from us.

“About 120 of them were trained,

and also about 70 of their mothers were given some small starter packs to improve their living standard,” he said.

Aliyu said the commission also identified the problem of water in the IDP camp but immediately intervened by providing a solarpowered borehole.

“We have also built settlement cities in IDPs for those who may not want to go back to their ancestral homes, and Katsina is one of the beneficiaries,” he said.

The NCFRMI boss said the commission also intended to enroll the IDPs in a health insurance scheme to take care of their health challenges.

Responding, Governor Radda commended the commission’s gesture, describing it as a collective responsibility of both the state and the federal government to ensure the welfare and well-being of the IDPs.

He said the state had recently witnessed a lot of security challenges, especially in eight frontline local government councils of the state.

The governor lamented that the worst affected areas were the food baskets of the state, adding that most of the communities were displaced.

Radda, however, noted with satisfaction that with the inauguration of the Katsina Security Watch Corps (SWC), the security situation had improved.

While pleading for more collaboration with neighbouring states, the governor expressed optimism that with the recent deployment of additional security operatives by the federal government, criminals would not be given breathing space.

The federal commissioner later led other officials to flag off the distribution of food items to the IDPs.

LEADERS, FRIENDS, FAMILY BID WIGWES FAREWELL AS BANKING ICON, WIFE, SON, LAID TO REST

made his money through us - our investment. He has the world in his hand; he controlled even the political class but today, with all the powers financially, couldn't control life,” the governor said.

Speaking further, Fubara said Wigwe’s death had prompted him to question his fellow political class on why they are struggling for power more than making impacts on the lives of the people.

“This one has to do with the political class; what are all these struggles all about? You want to kill, you want to bury, what is it all about?” he queried.

Governor Fubara however

thanked his counterpart in Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“I felt a bit unhappy because he (Sanwo-Olu) took a shine; he's been very supportive of the programme right from the beginning, throughout the programme in Lagos and he is not even a Rivers man. It will not be complete if I do not mention Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his support," Fubara added.

Fubara assured that: "We as a state, which by the special grace of God that I represent, I am the host, nobody can take that away from me. I want to say that our brother has finished his

work, though shortly. We, as a government, will do everything with the Wigwe Foundation to immortalise one thing that has his name, which is Wigwe University.

"We will do everything within our power to make sure that the dream will continue to live just as he had planned it. It is a difficult situation for many of us. It is affecting me; I am an in-law here. We must do everything to keep the name of our brother," the governor said.

"At this critical time, it is not the crowd here that will console you; the only person that will give you everlasting consolation is God and God will that gap for you," he added.

Speaking to THISDAY at the event, Tambuwal, said Herbert left a lasting legacy.

"Herbert Wigwe was someone who was at his prime, doing his best and giving his best to the financial service of Nigeria. But we cannot question God. It was his time; the Almighty God had called upon him; he had answered the call.

"Our consolation is that he did very well and has left a very lasting legacy."

At the end of the church service which ended at about 2.pm, the remains of the Wigwes were laid to rest at the premises of the Wigwe University.

expect to appreciate to N1,200 vs. the dollar in 12 months.

“We think the Naira looks cheap on a REER basis in a historical context. Added to this, the current account surplus was +3.5 per cent of GDP in 2023 Q3, and we expect it to increase above +5.0 per cent on the recent FX moves and associated import compression. We thus see the reason for the naira to be undervalued, and we see it appreciating to N1,200 within the next 12 months.

“In addition, we advocate for a bull-steepening of the Eurobond curve, as external liquidity concerns diminish. That said, the policy steps implemented to date are only a first step in the right direction, and we think more follow-through is required to achieve a durable macro stabilisation.”

The report further observed that an incomplete monetary policy transition had undermined the

Naira in recent months, adding that the most notable change to the economic policy announced by President Bola Tinubu in his inauguration speech was to the conduct of monetary policy which he described as needing a "thorough house cleaning.”

It said, “Following the dismissal of the previous CBN governor, who had presided during former President Buhari's two terms in office, Tinubu appointed new leadership at the CBN in September 2023 that signaled a shift to a more orthodox policy set-up.

“While we think the new team's communication - including guidance for a transition to inflation targeting and flexible exchange rate, greater transparency, and a more arms-length relationship with the fiscal authorities - was welcome, it was not accompanied by sufficient policy actions until last week,” the report added.

Shettima: Tinubu Has Interest of Nigerians at Heart

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has implored Nigerians to be patient with the President Bola Tinubu-led government, saying the president has very beautiful plans to improve the living conditions of the citizenry.

According to him, while leadership is about showing empathy and support for the people, President Tinubu has the interest of Nigerians at heart.

Shettima gave the assurance yesterday in Kafur, Katsina State when he flagged off an empowerment scheme sponsored by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters, Hon Ibrahim Masari.

He said the Nigerian government under President Tinubu has beautiful plans for improving the living conditions of the citizens.

Shettima said: "The President is quite thrilled by the show of support and empathy by Hon Ibrahim Kabiru Masari. Leadership is all about showing empathy and support to the people. The President has the people of this great nation at heart.

"I am here to reassure the people of Katsina and by extension the Northwest that there are very beautiful plans for the people," he said.

The vice president also declared that the restoration of peace in areas

where there are security challenges is of paramount importance to President Tinubu.

While lauding the empowerment scheme he flagged off, Shettima commended Masari for extending the gesture to his people, even as he called on "well-meaning individuals to emulate Hon. Ibrahim Masari, who is a lover of his people".

He acknowledged that God is the giver of power, expressing optimism that the All Progressives Congress (APC) "shall continue to govern Katsina State because of the achievements of the current and previous administrations in the state."

Also speaking at the event, Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, commended Masari for bankrolling the empowerment scheme, adding that both chambers of the National Assembly are happy with what the presidential aide has done.

"He has done something unique and I call on other political appointees to emulate this gesture because times are hard and this is the right time to give such support to the people," the lawmaker stated.

On his part, Chairman of the Northern Governors' Forum and Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, who spoke on behalf of his counterparts, appreciated the donor for coming to the aid of his constituents.

EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE…

Things Getting Worse Under Tinubu, Say Northern Senators

Senate denies budget padding by executive

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Federal lawmakers under the aegis of Northern Senators’ Forum have lamented the current hardship in the country and declared that things were going worse since President Bola Tinubu took over on May 29 last year.

The Chairman of the NSF, Senator Abdul Ningi, a Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) member from Bauchi Central Senatorial District, stated this in an interview with the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) Hausa Service, monitored in Abuja yesterday.

Ningi said the northern senators have hired consultants to scrutinise the 2024 national budget, which he alleged was padded by about N3 trillion by the executive arm of government.

But in a swift reaction, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, described as untrue, allegations of budget padding, levelled against the executive arm of government.

He said: "Based on my opinion, the government hasn't performed to our expectations.

"Things are getting worse compared to when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took the leadership of the country.

"I think President Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn't even understand this country and he didn't understand the difficulties of ruling a country like Nigeria.

"Probably, he has his thinking of what governance is, but I don't blame him so much because when he was campaigning for the seat, there was no agreement or promise between him and the people.

"People were just blinded and voted for him because he supported former President Muhammadu Buhari when he was contesting.

"Some even voted for him because he is a Muslim, as such he needed their vote on whether he can or cannot do the right thing for the country.

"But the most painful thing is that northerners stood for him and did all they could to bring him to

Umahi Threatens to Revoke Multibillion Naira Road Contracts in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, yesterday threatened to terminate the multi-billion-naira Ologbo axis reconstruction of the dilapidated Benin-Sapele Highway if the contractors, Levant Construction Company, failed to comply strictly with the scope and specification of the work.

The enraged minister who expressed dissatisfaction at the scope and pace of work, subsequently ordered the ministry's supervising engineers to issue a warning letter to the contractors on Monday.

He warned that should they fail to do the right job after 14 days, he would personally terminate the job.

Umahi, who was on an inspection tour of work done on federal roads, was received by officials of the Federal Ministry Works in Benin City and that of the Edo State Ministry of Roads and Bridges.

After inspecting the Benin-Ologbo axis, the former Ebonyi State governor lamented that contractors in the country were playing politics with

Nigerians and warned that he would not tolerate such practice as minister.

"By Monday, give them a warning letter to start permanent work and if they don’t start, give them 14 days’ notice of termination. We paid multi-billion naira for this job and we have seen that a lot of contractors in this country are just playing politics with us and we have emphasised this severally.

“We will pay mobilisation fee to a contractor; we will never pay variation on price (VOP) for that amount we have paid and that is the problem with Levant and after 14 days of notice of termination I will come and terminate the job myself.

“You cannot do this kind of job in your country; it can only happen in Africa. You can’t collect our money and be misbehaving like this. It is a big shame; look at how people are suffering everywhere and we should be happy clapping for you.

I have had more than 10 meetings with them on this job. If anything goes wrong, they will be calling the president," Umahi added.

power, but unfortunately, there was no agreement between them and the president on what should be done to the North and the Northerners.

"Especially taking into consideration the importance and significant projects that North has been yearning and aspiring to get for a long time.

"For example, the Ajaokuta project, the Mambilla power project, the dredging of river Niger and other notable projects.

"What mostly disturbs my sleep is that we had a budget in 2013 and 2014 in which we earmarked billions of Naira but it was neglected by President Goodluck Jonathan; when President Buhari came, we thought it was one of the projects he would pay attention to.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't possible for over eight years. Even road construction like Kano-Abuja is not yet completed, as if it was cursed by someone, despite the road being the soul of our travelers in the North.

"These so-called leaders they forced on us, were not voted for by us. They brought religious issues, and ethnic and tribal issues into the process.

"They used propaganda, saying that no Hausa/Fulani would be trusted to lead the opposition because there would be no peace.

"If you look at it from this scenario,

the majority of those in opposition are from the North-east and the North-west.”

Ningi said the northern senators have hired consultants to scrutinise the 2024 national budget which he alleged was padded by about N3trn by the executive arm of government.

He said, "This is true, for the past three months, we have engaged consultants to review the budget for us.

“We are supposed to sit with the Senate President to inform him about what we have observed.

"We want to show him what we have seen in the budget that is not acceptable; we will not accept them and we don't want the country to continue spending money on those things.

"Apart from what the National Assembly did on the floor, there was another budget that was done underground, which we didn't know.

"The new things we have discovered in the budget were not known to us. We haven't seen them in the budget that was debated and considered on the floor of the National Assembly.

"For example, it was said that there was a budget of N28 trillion but what was passed was N25 trillion. So, there is N3 trillion on top.

“We are to meet the president. We will talk to him about the Mambilla power project, Ajaokuta and the River Niger dredging. We will talk to him about the Niger Republic. Recently, they said they will construct a dam, this is not good for us.

"The action taken by ECOWAS has affected the relationship between Nigeria and Niger. There was an agreement that they would not construct a dam so that the Kainji Dam would be intact and we would give them electricity in return.

"Over one billion US dollars was spent on Mambilla, BBC has reported. Where is that money? Who collected the money? We need to know and see what can be done.

"This Mambilla is like the future of the North. Every part of the country has what it holds as a symbol that will save them in the future.

"One of our weaknesses in the North is that we don't love ourselves and our region so much that we don't care about the future.

Ningi said the northern senators are still addressing the issue of transferring some departments of federal agencies to Lagos

On the insecurity challenges in the North, Ningi lamented that the situation was getting worse.

He said, "These security challenges

are happening in the North. There is nowhere in the South where someone will be abducted and spend seven days in custody of the abductors.

"Look at Katsina, Zamfara, and Benue. I am even afraid that one day we will wake up and see that a state like Zamfara has been taken away from the country. It is possible going by what is happening," he stated.

No Budget Padding, Says Senate Spokesperson

However, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adaramodu, has described as untrue, allegations of budget padding, levelled against the executive arm of government.

Adaramodu, who spoke with THISDAY in Abuja last night, said:

"There is no budget padding as far as the Senate and the National Assembly are concerned

"The National budget is a public document, which expressly stated the expected revenue and the expenditure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"The Senate under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio is not aware of any varied execution of the 2024 appropriation mandate, as approved.

ECOWAS Engages Third-party Mediators to Reintegrate Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has disclosed that arrangements are in place to resolve differences with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger by enlisting the help of third-party mediators.

The regional body had recently lifted sanctions imposed on the three junta-led nations, citing “humanitarian considerations” among other reasons.

ECOWAS had also called on the countries to return to the regional bloc.

Speaking on the development on Friday, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said there is a

need to deploy additional measures to encourage them to remain in the bloc.

“There are various engagements also going on, not only by ECOWAS but by third parties and all that for all of us to find common ground with these countries.

“We are just waiting for the three member states, who I must repeat, are all important members of ECOWAS.

“And without them, it is going to be more difficult to deal with many of the challenges facing the region.

“You know, terrorism, the whole issue of the Sahel, what is happening there, and our collective goal in terms of free movement of people and all that.

“With the sanctions that were imposed, we saw the indirect impact of them on ordinary people who trade across borders,” Musah explained.

The ECOWAS commissioner also expressed fears over the threat of transnational terrorism, saying it poses a “clear and present danger” to member countries.

“Initially confined to certain countries in the Sahel (Mali and Niger) and the Lake Chad Basin (Nigeria), terrorist attacks have multiplied and spread to other countries (Burkina Faso and Mali) and are now a real threat to coastal countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo),” Musah said.

“The number of fatalities, those maimed, displaced, and those

who have lost livelihoods and educational opportunities has been the subject of conflicting figures.

“Yet all the figures are indicative of the pain and suffering that insecurity continues to inflict on the people, particularly in the Sahelian member states,” he added.

Musah said in 2023, more than 3,500 incidents of terror attacks were recorded in the ECOWAS region.

The ECOWAS commissioner said the sub-regional bloc had taken measures to curb acts of terror.

“As ECOWAS, our proposal is to integrate the various initiatives into the regional plan of action and use them as specialised operational tools of the regional mechanism,” he said.

CONGRATULATIONS…

Nigeria Sells N10.31tn Crude Oil in Three Months, Total Export Grows By 20.8%

Nigeria exported crude oil valued at N10.31 trillion in the three months spanning October to December 2023, as the commodity again took the lion’s share of the country’s total worth of goods shipped outside its shores.

Accounting for a huge chunk of 81 per cent of the total exports during the period, foreign trade data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, indicated that the value of crude oil taken out of the country in the three months under review, also grew by 20.80 per cent.

In comparison, in the previous quarter (Q3), crude oil shipped out of Nigeria was N8.53 trillion, while Q2 was N4.91 trillion, an increase in value of 109.91 per cent between the two periods.

For years, Nigeria’s total crude oil production had steadily declined as a result of waning investment, vandalism as well as massive theft in the Niger Delta.

In the third quarter of 2022, the federal government decided to pick up the gauntlet when crude production fell to almost 900,000 barrels per day, recruiting local security groups into the pipeline’s surveillance programme.

Also, there has been substantial increase in Nigeria’s oil rigs count, hitting almost 30 in recent times, indicating a rise in upstream

operations in the oil and gas industry.

After months of steady rise in output, in January, for the first time in years, Nigeria’s crude oil production, excluding condensates, climbed to 1.42 million barrels per day, following the same growth trajectory.

Besides, there are already indications that when the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) releases the production data for February, the country would have met or exceeded its 1.5 million bpd renegotiated quota with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Q3, 2023.

“The value of crude oil exports in Q4, 2023 stood at N10,310.70 billion indicating an increase of 20.80 per cent compared to the value recorded in Q3, 2023 (N8,535.61 billion) and increased by 109.91 per cent when compared to the same period in 2022 (N4,911.92 billion).

“The value of other oil products exports in Q4, 2023 was N1,287.65 billion; this showed an increase of 13.61 per cent and by 79.98 per cent when compared to the value recorded in Q3, 2023 (N1,133.42 billion) and the value in the fourth quarter of 2022 (N715.45 billion) respectively,” the NBS report showed.

But Nigeria’s performance in the solid minerals sector

continued to lag during the period under consideration, yielding just N58.92 billion, though it was an improvement of 6.43 per cent compared to the previous quarter.

“The value of solid minerals imports in the fourth quarter of 2023 stood at N58.92 billion. This value was 6.43 per cent higher than the value recorded in Q3, 2023 (N55.36 billion) and 72.68 per cent higher than the value recorded in Q4, 2022 (N34.12 billion).”

Further analysis of Q4 trade by partners showed that the top five export destinations in the quarter were the Netherlands, with N1,910.47 billion or 15.05 per cent; India with N1,101.47 billion or 8.68 per cent, and Spain with N1,030.09 billion or 8.11 per cent.

Also listed were: Canada with N907.64 billion or 7.15 per cent; France with N799.77 billion or 6.30 per cent of total exports, while altogether, exports to the top five countries amounted to 45.29 per cent of the total value of exports.

“The largest exported product in the fourth quarter of 2023 was petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude was valued at N10,310.70 billion, representing 81.23 per cent.

“This was followed by natural gas, with N1,015.84 billion accounting for 8.00 per cent, and

urea, whether or not in aqueous solution, with N251.90 billion or 1.98 per cent of total exports,” the report added. But overall, during the fourth quarter of 2023, Nigeria’s total trade stood at N26,801.95 billion. Exports were valued at

N12,693.62 billion while imports amounted to N14,108.33 billion.

On an annual basis, total trade was N71,880.01 billion, of which imports amounted to N35,917.62 billion, and exports were recorded at N35,962.39 billion.

Total exports in the quarter

under review increased by 22.68 per cent when compared to the amount recorded in the third quarter of 2023, which was N10,346.60 billion as well as by 99.60 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022, which was N6,359.61 billion.

Nigeria Ranks 10th in Africa’s Most Unsafe Countries for Women

Festus Akanbi

Amidst the unabating incidence of armed conflicts in the country, the global Women Peace and Security Index at the weekend ranked Nigeria 10th on the list of Africa’s most unsafe countries for women.

On the list of the Women Peace and Security Index 2023, the Central African Republic (CAR) ranks number one while DR Congo and South Sudan rank second and third, respectively.

In the ranking, Burundi, Eswatini, and Somalia came fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, while Niger, Sudan, Chad, and Nigeria followed in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth positions, respectively.

On the other hand, Seychelles tops the list of African states deemed safe, while Cape Verde, South Africa, Mauritius, Tunisia, Rwanda, Botswana, Tanzania, Ghana, and Sao Tome and Principe followed

in that order.

On the global scene, Nigeria ranks 16th worst country out of 177 nations of the world in terms of the status of women, according to the 2023 Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index report.

The WPS Index report, which was launched last week in New York, captures 13 indicators, including education, employment, laws, and organised violence, classified under three dimensions: inclusion, justice, and security.

According to the report, all the bottom 20 countries, including Nigeria, have experienced armed conflicts between 2021 and 2022, noting that 2022 is the deadliest year on record for conflict-related deaths since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

allegedly responsible for more than 25 per cent of the PVTW events in the country.

In Nigeria, women’s representation in the National Assembly fell by 19 per cent in 2023, attributed largely to growing political violence against women in the country that inhibited women’s candidacy.

The report also attributed the decline in women’s representation in the National Assembly in 2023 to growing political violence against women in Nigeria.

The WPS index classified maternal mortality as another important metric of justice for women capturing both the quality of healthcare systems and their degree of gender discrimination.

Overall, the index noted that the countries under the fragile states group have the highest average maternal mortality ratio, at 539.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa, at 506.9.

Obasanjo’s Ex-aide

Tinubu Cannot Resuscitate Economy Without Bringing Buhari's Ministers to Account, Says

Former Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Research, Dr. Umar Ardo, has said that there cannot be any economic resuscitation in the country without bringing in the ministers and other aides of former President Muhammadu Buhari to account for their tenure in office.

In a statement he issued yesterday, Ardo who was also a close associate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said Nigerians should know in whose interest the over $72 billion debts incurred under former President Buhari were incurred.

He explained that Nigerians must know how such loans impacted the economy.

Ardo who was also the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Adamawa State in the last general election, said that no matter what President Tinubu does in terms of resuscitating the economy, the foundation will remain faulty.

"There can be no resuscitating of the Nigerian economy by Tinubu's administration without first bringing the previous Buhari regime to account for certain fundamental actions occasioned by it that are central to the current economic downturn.

"These include the depleting of the nation’s foreign reserves; the incurring of huge debts, running to $72 billion; the printing of trillions of naira; and the prima facie obscene embezzling of public funds by its key functionaries. With suffocating debts, interests, servicing and payments,” he said.

Ardo explained that these fundamental issues combined to create the economic and social collapse of the country.

He said, "if President Tinubu is to resuscitate the economy, he must first have to deal with these fundamentals.

"Are we going to continue servicing the interests and paying

back these debts? Of course, we are. But why? Were these debts incurred in the interest and for the benefit of the Nigerian economy?

"If yes, then why have they drawn us into this messy economic situation? Obviously, something fundamentally wrong happened either in the loans’ terms, in the usage of the facilities, or both.

"Whatever it is, the Tinubu regime must have to find out and resolve the defects if it must fix the economy and build a solid future for the country. And the only way to do it is to bring the Buhari government to account for these fundamentals,” Ardo added.

Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland lead the 2023 rankings as the top five countries to live as a woman, while Afghanistan, Yemen, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan are the worst five countries on the index.

In the 2023 index, Nigeria ranked 162 out of 177 countries in terms of women’s inclusion, justice, and security, a decline from the 2021/2022 edition where Nigeria ranked 130 of 170 countries.

Meanwhile, the new Index introduced a new Political Violence Targeting Women (PVTW) indicator within the security dimension, showing that Nigeria is among the five countries with the most PVTW events in 2022.

Other countries are Mexico, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar.

The report shows that Nigeria had the third-highest number of PVTW events (194), most of them perpetrated by anonymous armed groups and identity militias, such as the Zamfara and Katsina communal militias, who were

The five countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios—South Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Guinea-Bissau—are all classified as fragile states.

According to the report, the factors contributing to the high maternal mortality ratio in SubSaharan Africa include child marriage and limited access to contraception and reproductive health education. It said these factors drive up adolescent fertility rates of 100 births per 1,000 girls.

It noted that young girls are more vulnerable to pregnancyrelated complications and have less agency over healthcare decisions, compounding their risk of maternal mortality.

In January this year, Nigeria and some other African nations were identified as “dangerous” countries to visit, according to a report.

Herbert Wigwe, Wife, Son Go Home in a Blaze of Glory

Yesterday marked a sombre yet poignant day as former CEO of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, his cherished wife, Chizoba and beloved son, Chizi were laid to rest. Their departure leaves behind a void that echoes with memories of love, laughter, and cherished moments, writes

The air hung heavy with grief as friends, family, the high and the mighty in the Nigerian political scenes, captains of the industry and loved ones gathered yesterday at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpo, Rivers State, at the sombre funeral service for Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba, and their son Chizi.

Tears flowed freely, mingling with the rain that gently fell from the overcast sky, as mourners struggled to come to terms with the tragic loss of such beloved souls.

The church echoed with soft sobs and whispers of sorrow as memories of happier times filled the hearts of those present. The pews were filled with a sense of emptiness, a void left behind by the untimely departure of three precious lives.

Faces etched with sadness and disbelief sought solace in each other’s presence, clinging to the memories of Herbert’s infectious laughter, Chizoba’s warm embrace, and Chizi’s playful spirit. Their absence loomed large, casting a shadow over the hearts of all who knew them.

As the service progressed, the weight of reality settled in, each word spoken a reminder of the irreplaceable loss felt by the community. Yet, amidst the sorrow, there was also a sense of unity, a shared understanding that in their memories, Herbert, Chizoba, and Chizi would forever live on.

In the quiet moments of reflection, as the final farewells were spoken, the collective grief enveloped the congregation, binding them together in a bond forged by love and loss. And though the pain of their absence would linger long after the service ended, the legacy of their lives would continue to shine brightly in the hearts of all who were touched by their presence.

Their lives were tragically cut short on Friday, February 9, 2024, in a devastating helicopter crash in California, USA that has left the nation and wider African continent in shock and mourning.

Days of Mourning, Outpouring of Tributes

For the Nigerian business community, where Herbert shone like a star, it was a month of mourning. The degree of the loss manifested in the outpouring of emotions and condolences by business leaders and members of the political class that had dealings with the former Access Holdings helmsman.

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote described Herbert Wigwe as a devoted friend, mentee, and supporter. “He is a pillar of support and strength for me and my family. He supported me as the company grew, and he is part of the success story. Herbert’s wise counsel was central to the growth of the Dangote Group. I will forever cherish his friendship, and I owe him a debt of gratitude. Herbert’s courage was second to none, and he was never short of anything. We share a common principle of perseverance, which is a secret to success,” Dangote said.

On his part, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede,

who was Herbert Wigwe’s closest friend and business partner emotionally spoke of his philanthropy and dedication to Africa’s progress: “People who did not know him before now learnt about his philanthropy and learnt that Africa is still capable of producing outstanding individuals. Herbert was committed to building an African continent. Herbert was very concerned about the nation’s state, and he knew time was not on the side of Nigeria and Africa. We have now realised that tomorrow is today.”

A Visionary Leader

Vice-president Kashim Shettima, in a lyrical eulogy, described the late Wigwe as an early bloomer who transformed the Nigerian banking industry, recalling his visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to his community.

The vice president in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha said, “Herbert left us in winter before the season of bloom. Spring was just about to arrive at his last location, the United States when the Lord called for him.

“Spring is not the symbol of Herbert’s bloom; his journey was defined by peculiar seasons. He bloomed long before his co-travellers.

Shettima also lamented the tragic loss of Wigwe’s wife, son, and others, describing the loss as collective grief felt by many and a “fading fragrance

Continued on page 19

HERBERT WIGWE, WIFE, SON GO HOME IN A BLAZE OF GLORY

as a flame of fire and has left behind unquenchable sparks.

“One might wonder why Herbert is described as fearless. He was more than just a CEO. He was a visionary whose foresight propelled Access Bank Holdings to unprecedented heights.

“His strategic acumen and relentless pursuit of excellence transformed challenges into opportunities and inspired those around him not only to dream but to reach for greatness.

In celebrating him as the fearless one, we honour a man whose courage knew no bounds.

“Herbert fearlessly charted new paths embraced change, and championed progress, leaving indelible marks on the sands of time. Even those who did not like his guts cherished his glittering accomplishments. Beyond his professional endeavours, Herbert’s integrity, humility, and compassion touched the lives of countless individuals and groups,” Alaibe said.

An Extra-ordinary Father

In her tributes, one of the daughters of the deceased, Tochi Wigwe recalled how her father nurtured her in the act of public speaking, she said, “I used to tell my father that I hated public speaking and he tried to convince me that he hated it as well. But it’s just something he had to do so I’m going to try my best to be fearless,” Tochi said on stage, flanked by several of her friends.

“In this moment, for the first time, your words resonate deeply within me. I no longer want to tilt my head and squint my eyes in confusion. You were simply extraordinary,” she added.

Reliable Friend

To demonstrate Herbert’s larger heart, a former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, in a tribute said Herbert was a friend to turn to in times of trouble.

“I was thinking I would die and leave Herbert. We have all heard about him, about his loyalty,” he said in an emotionally laden voice.

He recalled how the late banker stood by his side all through his travails after being deposed as Emir of Kano by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

According to Sanusi, Herbert assured him of his unflinching support and loyalty.

To match words with action, Lamido said Herbert provided a plane for him

at the tarmac in Kano to convey him to Lagos.

“When I had problems in Kano, I called him about six months before I was told to leave Kano. I said to him, ‘Herbert I know you are doing all your best to solve all these problems, but I am convinced that this is what is going to happen.

“He said to me, ‘Your Highness, don’t worry. Whatever happens, don’t worry. We are here for you.’ On the day I heard on the radio that I was dethroned, I called him and said I wanted to come to Lagos.

“The announcement was made about 9 am, by noon Herbert had a plane at the tarmac in Kano. The plan then was to take me into exile for many years. I put my family on that plane and sent them to Lagos, with no phone calls. Herbert received them and put them in a hotel.

A Beacon of Excellence, Resilience

In his tributes Chairman Platform Petroleum Ltd, Dumo Lulu-Briggs

wrote:, Herbert stood as a beacon of excellence and resilience, his life a symphony of boldness and unyielding spirit that inspired us to embrace our fears and transcend them. His dedication to crafting a legacy of distinction shines brightly through the institutions he nurtured- Access Holdings Plc, Wigwe University, and a constellation of others, each a testament to his visionary pursuit of greatness.

There is no doubt, that Nigeria and Africa will indeed miss Herbert, his wife and his son.

TRIAL OF GBAJABIAMILA

The Chief of Staff is on the right track, argues ABDUL-GANIYU OLATUNJI OWOLABI

udging from how he has continued to work tirelessly despite the coordinated attacks on him, it is best to say that Tinubu, and former Speaker of the

thick skin to his critics.

While President Tinubu and his team cannot feign ignorance of the Herculean task ahead of them, they may be pardoned if they them as they work to put the country back on track.

The Nigerian public is distraught because the economy is almost prostrate. The inflation rate remains perpetually high, and there is slow growth, high prices, and staggering an opportunity for some elements within the functionaries in bad light.

Gbajabiamila seems to be high on the Presently, no one else has been worst hit than him. He is one person who has been furiously bashed by some angry mob of scandal.

His name was dragged into the

Ikoyi property from Kuru when he was still They claimed his bargaining chip in corrupt exchange was to ensure that Kuru retained after almost nine years in office.

There was also the allegation that during ministerial appointments, Gbajabiamila purportedly enriched himself by trading ‘juicy’ ministerial positions, boards, and agencies for kickbacks in the region of impossible amounts. Gbajabiamila was again in the eye of the storm when allegation Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and

The allegation was escalated by a letter

Some persons took it further by alleging that Gbajabiamila, Edu, and the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, pocketed

of bashing from social media users, who like wild fire, Gbajabiamila once again came under attack when he stated at the launch of a book by a former Minister of Works, Mr. media has become a societal menace and must be regulated.”

He called for the regulation of social media usage in line with global best practices, but it did not go down well with his traducers, many of whom are actually social media bullies, hiding behind their keyboards to cause humongous damage to persons of interests.

These special breed Nigerians cried foul. They claimed his suggestion on social agenda to gag the press, impede free speech, criticism. But that is not necessarily so. A lot unregulated social space.

The reasons for the attacks on Gbajabiamila are not far-fetched. He is the chief of staff to the President of Nigeria. It is a high-ranking office that manages the office of the president, and thereby attracts attacks as much as commendation, almost in equal

proportions.

and outside the ruling party.

For instance, the allegation that he was trading appointments to the highest bidder was traceable to some of the president’s supporters, who didn’t get picked for some of the appointments.

But in politics, just as in sports, not don’t take it kindly. They often fight back and in the process, resort to blackmail to square up.

imaginary scandal is far from being true, they still wouldn’t mind spreading it just to put the ruling party in bad light because the more aspersions are cast on a high office such administration is discredited.

Nothing will better buttress the fact President Tinubu understands what Gbajabiamila is contending with than when

campaigns of calumny and insinuations should stop. The buck stops here. If I make a mistake, I’m ready to own up to it, and we’re all joining hands to fight corruption, and we want to enforce the law along with you,” the president said.

Toeing Tinubu’s path and also asserting his confidence in Gbajabiamila’s integrity, his successor as Speaker, House of described as “baseless” allegations of

He condemned the growing angry campaigns against Gbajabiamila on the social media, saying they were “deliberate dissemination of false and misleading information with the intent to harm the

“These campaigns often target political opponents, seeking to undermine their credibility, integrity, and public trust,” the speaker added.

He tasked security agencies to diligently Gbajabiamila and urged Nigerians to await

knowing that they are lies. Another factor that has kept him unperturbed is that President Tinubu knows him well enough. “The president and his team know the challenges ahead of them. They want to see a new Nigeria emerging,” said a source. Although silence is not always golden, the best way to actually keep one’s accusers permanently results.

Owolabi writes from Lagos

PAUL A. OBI celebrates Sonex Oguike, a maestro of Afro Jazz

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE CHIEF

“Classical music gives musicians a kick. But African music gives everyone a kick.”

- Fela Anikulapo Kuti

In an era where Nigeria is shining as Nigerian artists holding forth front and centre at the Grammys and Afrobeat tunes are the staple of musical beats around the worldextending some thumps - up to a maestro will not be out of place. In arts and music, Nigeria straddles along as a giant that the country is and remains so. Arts, and music in particular remains a remarkable soother minds behind such lofty artistic roles also appropriately accord them their dues. It is for these reasons that we often who often comfort our souls and bodies. Such artistic or musical heroes could be global, national or regional icons within a high and lift our souls in many ways. With their mastery of arts and sounds, they ushered us to the eclipse of inaccessible - a heroic maestro, who with all intent and purposes, can be described as extraordinary and legendary. Sonex Oguike, by all measure is a Nigerian Afro his artistic world, his talents and menthol

With his arts and sounds, Oguike and meanings. He has both the charm and chasm that could untie the toughest and roughest moods and edges. His musical journey, like most global stars was likewise nourished and fertilised in the church. For Oguike, as a member of of Imo State, his tutelage into the realm of rhythm and sounds began. Oguike recalled with nostalgia how the church and the ecclesiastical hymns of the his experiences. According to him, “I was equally a chorister and pianist in St. Mary the church. The experience I gained in the choir kick started my musical experience.” He further explained that sensing his musical talent, and realising the impact to consider showbiz as a turf. “When I realized that what I had was good enough to share with the world, I started writing

in 1983-1984,” he said.

Professionally, from rallying his Orlu people with his melodious tunes, to scaling up artistic and musical productions with his Musicraft Studio in Owerri, to paying tribute to the late Igbo Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi; Oguike and his orchestra see society as a bedrock of edges that littered the world. Oguike to; he warms himself to any amiable door that slits itself open.

As a gift to the Igbo nation and a cultural disciple that he is to Nigeria and the world, Sonex Oguike is today known of-arts. From Umuigbo, Achangulu,

Nsegbu Uwa, Netelum Egwu, Anya Ahuha La, to Anya Ga Ahuha, Oguike has appended his signature not just on music as art; but also as a quintessential contributor to the Igbo folklore. By the Orlu cultural history, Oguike has crafted a niche for himself far more as a musical critic who the people beckon on

Added to that, Oguike has also been a good cultural Ambassador for Nigeria, taking his artistic and musical displays to Malaysia, United States, United Kingdom, Ghana among other instance, Oguike left a footprint with his song, Orlu Amaka N’ Malaysia. His performance in that Asian country is still being reckoned with till date. In US, he repeated similar feat such that, he has continued to play for many Igbo Unions around the world. With arts and music, Oguike adds to the cultural milieu of orientalism that is best known and associated with Imo State in the world of oriental music.

Indisputably, he remains a cultural artists of repute. To his credit. Oguike

Baba, among others. In the course of his Greg Nze, Pascal Uche, Ada Onuoha, Unaegbu, and that of his beautiful His journey throughout his musical career will somehow remain a timeless beckon of hope and faith, where artistic craft has a dependable place in society.

With Oguike, his life, times and music; that a child with a colourless start can rise up to become a cultural behemoth others to follow. Despite witnessing the

being, from business, photography, arts and to music, Oguike remains a maestro. Born on 10th March 1962 in Umuaka, State, he celebrates his birthday today with style and grandeur, embodying the pinnacle of arts, culture, music and

Obi

Editor,

YET ANOTHER MASS ABDUCTION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

The

authorities could do more to secure the schools, and the future of the nation

Just about four weeks to the 10th anniversary of the mass abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, motorcycle riding gunmen last Thursday repeated the feat in Kuriga, Kaduna State, triggering an outrage. The victims of the latest attack are 287 school children, some as young as eight years old. Some staff were also seized in broad daylight at the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga and marched into the forest. Thereafter, the aggrieved villagers pleaded with the visiting Kaduna Governor Uba Sani and security officials to ensure the release of their children in an abduction blamed on the failure of intelligence and sluggish security response.

In recent years, repeated attacks on schools have created a fear that is affecting the attitude to education across the country. Why should parents send their wards to school when there is no guarantee that they would return?

Besides, when schools are under attack and students/pupils become targets, according to Manuel Fotaine, a senior UNICEF official, “not only are their lives shattered, but the future of the nation is also stolen.” Therefore, concerns repeatedly expressed by relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over growing attacks on schoolchildren in Nigeria should be taken seriously by the federal government.

Kankara by gunmen on motorbikes two years later in 2020. While all the boys were reportedly freed, five of the Dapchi girls did not make it back alive. In the latter controversial deal for freedom brokered by the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, a Christian girl (Leah Sharibu) was left behind reportedly on account of her faith. She is still in captivity.

Even in Kaduna State alone, at least 140 students were kidnapped by armed men from a private secondary school in 2021. The incident came months after around 20 students from a private university in Chikun’s Kasarami village were abducted by gunmen, five of whom were killed after a ransom deadline was not met. Even the earlier attack on Buni Yadi, Yobe State where about 50 students were murdered in February 2014 was designed to instill fear in the minds of children and their teachers and to discourage the parents from sending their wards to school.

The killings, abductions of staff and students and the destruction of school structures have impacted on students’ enrolment and attendance, besides creating classrooms without teachers in many northern states

Coming shortly after more than 200 people, mostly women and children, were abducted by terrorists from an internally displaced persons camp in Borno State, a worried Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has lamented that the Kuriga incident “further underscores the fragile state of security in the nation.” Indeed, both attacks are a reminder of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. The abduction in Chikun is one of the largest school kidnappings since Chibok in Borno State when 276 schoolgirls were seized in 2014, prompting an international outrage. The fact that students/pupils have since been routinely abducted in several other attacks on schools by gunmen seems to have normalised this most heinous crime.

Between then and now, more than 2000 students have been abducted and some of them were released only after paying handsome ransoms. Many have also died in the process. For instance, some 110 schoolgirls were abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018 while some 300 schoolboys were seized in

Repeated attacks on schools by Boko Haram and other terror affiliates have claimed the lives of thousands of teachers while many others were displaced. The killings, abductions of staff and students and the destruction of school structures have impacted on students’ enrolment and attendance, besides creating classrooms without teachers in many northern states. The spate of violence has prompted many to look out for ways of safeguarding students and teachers from physical threats and generally making the schools safe for study.

The Safe School Initiative launched in 2014 after the Chibok kidnap was meant to counter the growing attacks on the right to education and to build community security groups to promote safe zones for education, consisting of teachers, parents, police and community leaders. Endorsed by the federal government in May 2015, the Safe School Initiative, with the support of national and international organisations, has developed several measures to rebuild schools and provide improved security for schools, particularly in the north. But it how effective the measures are.

All indicators suggest the threat is not about to making them easy targets. The authorities must do more to stem the attack on education in Nigeria.

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LETTERS

CELEBRATING THE RESILIENCE OF NIGERIAN WOMEN

Nigeria is grappling with skyrocketing inflation.Priceshavenowreachedunprecedented levels, with essential goods, particularly food, almost doubling in the past year.

Amidst this challenging landscape is the Nigerian woman. It’s the women who are bearing the brunt of this economic turmoil. It is the women who are at the forefront, tirelessly working to hold their families together. Every Nigerian woman deserves a medal and bag of rice this season.

On International Women’s Day (IWD) in March we must spare a thought for the Nigerian woman. Globally, IWD is a day when people worldwide come together to envision and advocate for a gender-equal world, devoid of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. This year, it should be a great time to remember the Nigerian woman.

To my mind, IWD 2024 served as a poignant reminder of the incredible resilience and strength

displayed by Nigerian women in the face of adversity. Despite the overwhelming pressures of inflation, they have continued to navigate through the storm, employing ingenious strategies to ensure the well-being of their families.

At the heart of every household, women are the pillars of strength, the silent heroes who work tirelessly to stretch every naira and kobo to its limit. They meticulously plan meals, scour markets for the best deals, and ingeniously repurpose resources to make ends meet. Their resourcefulness and unwavering determination are commendable, serving as a beacon of hope amidst economic uncertainty.

While Nigerian women have proven their resilience time and again, they must now receive the support and empowerment they deserve, especially during these trying times. We must look at immediate and long-term initiatives to empower and uplift Nigerian women.

The best place to start today is social interventions. By social interventions, I’m thinking of immediate and orderly distribution of food items, particularly nutritious ones, to women in need. This can involve establishing and or funding existing food banks or community kitchens that provide essential food items to women facing food insecurity. Additionally, educational programs on nutrition and cooking could accompany these initiatives to empower women to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.

His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos, was in the news recently about plans to engage the services of canteens locally known as “mama put” to feed between 1,000 to 1,500 residents daily in each of the LGAs of the state. It is time to put that plan to work. It must prioritize women.

Secondly, access to funds and grants is pivotal in providing Nigerian women with the

financial resources to start businesses, expand existing ventures, or invest in education and training. Government and non-governmental organisations can play a crucial role in facilitating access to these opportunities by implementing targeted funding schemes and grant programs specifically designed to support women entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Providing women with access to microfinance and credit facilities can enable them to invest in income-generating activities or cope with unexpected expenses. By facilitating access to grants and affordable credit, women can seize opportunities for economic advancement and weather financial shocks more effectively.

Deposit Money Banks (MDB), microfinance institutions and fintechs must now move beyond rhetoric.

FADEKEMI OLUMIDE-ALUKO

Shaped by Confidence, Faith

In an industry that largely favours the youth, Fadekemi Olumide-Aluko defied expectations by embracing her late-career start at the age of 50. She tells Vanessa Obioha that she views her journey as a mission to positively influence women in society, recognising the transformative power of her newfound identity.

Women have so Much More Within Themselves than they Think

It began with an itch. Not the type that prompts you to scratch at insect bites, leaving behind marks on your skin. No, this was a more intense irritation, demanding a deep dive into the soul to dig up answers to some of life’s biggest questions. Fadekemi OlumideAluko, a lawyer and educationist was plagued by this soul-searching sting in her 40s. Introspectively, she found herself reflecting on questions like what her potential was and if she had fulfilled them. She also spent considerable time examining her own thoughts and feelings on what she really wanted to do and the things that make her happy.

To be sure, Olumide-Aluko is a multifaceted individual with an impressive array of accomplishments. As a corporate lawyer, she specialises in legal mediation, particularly in the oil and gas field. Her expertise extends to education, where she has garnered acclaim for her insights into child and adult education, school governance, and educational leadership, with her work published in international journals such as the Journal of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management.

Beyond her legal and educational pursuits, Olumide-Aluko is a talented poet and writer, with her verses gracing anthologies and literary platforms. Notably, her poem ‘The Night Nurse’ earned her the distinction of being the sole African shortlisted for the Hammond House UK International Poetry Prize in 2020, published in the poetry anthology ‘Survival.’ Also, she has authored a children’s creative writing revision handbook titled ‘Rules for Writing Champions’ and an inspirational book aimed at teenage girls titled ‘Pearls for My Daughter.’

Olumide-Aluko is deeply committed to philanthropy as the founder of the ‘Together We Can’ charity initiative. Through this initiative, she has spearheaded numerous impactful development projects and endowments in underserved areas of Lagos, focusing on education and children’s welfare.

Despite her myriad achievements, Olumide-Aluko couldn’t shake the feeling that something essential was missing from her life.

“I realised that most of the dreams I had growing up I had let them slip because I was just focusing on survival,” she reflected one lovely Sunday afternoon at the Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi. Among these dreams was a deep-seated desire for a career in the performing arts.

Her passion for storytelling had been ingrained in her since childhood. “We’re that kind of family that gathered around and the elders would tell us stories. And those stories were things we fantasised about, they haunted our imaginations and you learn so much from them. So much wisdom is gleaned from the stories.”

Some of these stories shaped her worldview. For instance, her father’s vivid accounts of his experiences as a surgeon in the army during the Biafran War left an indelible mark on her. She recalled how he regaled her and her siblings the harrowing moments of removing bullets from wounded soldiers’ brains amidst the chaos of flying bullets overhead.

Equally compelling was the tale of her great-grandmother’s narrow escape from being burned alive with her husband, the Obong of Calabar. Her grandmother from Itsekiri also played a pivotal role in her upbringing, imparting not only culinary skills but also cultural wisdom. She lovingly remembered learning to cook Banga soup from her, the first soup she ever made.

With these rich and diverse stories woven into the fabric of her upbringing, it was only natural for Olumide-Aluko to feel a pull towards the performing arts. Yet, despite this inclination, she found herself at a loss

Olumide-Aluko on how to pursue this passion.

Providence, however, intervened through the owners of Proud African Roots production company, Bola and Patrick Edwards. At the time, Olumide-Aluko was overseeing a nursery and junior primary school where the couple provided music and arts training to her students. She proposed the idea of a summer school where children would create a film. The couple embraced the idea and developed the film ‘Falana,’ centred around a female protagonist.

As the project unfolded, OlumideAluko found herself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight. She was tasked with performing a song for the film’s finale. Little did she know, this performance would be the catalyst for a new chapter in her life. Impressed by her talent and creative vision, Bola approached her with praise and encouragement, urging her to consider pursuing a career in acting.

“I told her it’s as if you read my mind. It’s something I have always wanted to do but I just felt it’s too late now, I’m in my 40s.”

Bola however encouraged her and urged her to go for an audition for a production at Terra Kulture.

“Reluctantly, I went for the audition. The director was blown away and asked if I knew Taiwo Ajai-Lycett. I told him I have always admired her. And he said I reminded him of her.”

Despite the director’s compliments, Olumide-Aluko still had doubts about pursuing a career as a thespian at her age. However, the director was undeterred and began listing names of individuals who had embarked on successful acting careers later in life.

for the one that will not work and aggrandise it in our mind and it becomes the story, meanwhile, it is a lie from the devil.”

Eventually, Olumide-Aluko made the difficult decision to leave her position at the school, knowing she couldn’t give her best while pursuing her acting career. Despite the pain of losing her, the school accepted her resignation gracefully and continued to offer unwavering support for her endeavours.

“Acts like that renew my faith in humanity and people. Of course, there would still be people who would have looked at that and asked what am I looking for at that age. I was 50. I had a good job.”

Since starring as Fatimah in ‘Covenant,’ Olumide-Aluko has participated in various television productions, including ‘Refuge,’ an Africa Magic original and ‘Flawsome’ Season 2.

For her, acting has been empowering, as she considered herself lucky to be given the opportunity to connect with humans that ordinarily would not have access to otherwise.

“I love opportunities where we can find commonality in each other as human beings, as women, as people living in the 21st century. There’s so much we have in common, even our struggles.”

In an industry that often favours youth, Olumide-Aluko has defied expectations by embracing her late-career start. She views her journey as a mission to positively influence women in society, recognising the transformative power of her newfound identity.

Her perspective on fame is enlightening. Unlike many, she doesn’t chase celebrity status blindly. With the wisdom of age, she understands the historical patterns of fame, acknowledging its potential to lead to either peace or destruction. To her, fame is a double-edged sword, and she navigates its complexities with caution and introspection.

“You can use your fame to solve social problems and make a difference in people’s lives. Fame can also destroy you if you begin to associate your core identity with it because it is a flickering thing. It’s not real in the sense of concrete and tangible. It is a conglomeration of imaginations, admiration, aspirations, and even jealousy; all sorts of emotions rolled up into this nebulous shiny thing.”

That pivotal encounter nine years ago marked the beginning of OlumideAluko’s journey as a stage performer. ‘She gradually started attending TV and film auditions, refusing to be discouraged by setbacks. Her unwavering persistence and resilience eventually paid off when she received a call from Zuri24 Media in 2022, offering her a role in an upcoming production.

This opportunity was particularly significant as it marked her second audition with the renowned production outfit, known for its captivating and award-winning drama series such as ‘Battleground.’ This time around, she had gotten a callback, but faced a dilemma: she was juggling a demanding full-time job as the principal of a secondary school with 600 students and overseeing a staff of about 120 members.

“So in my mind, the probability that it would work was very low. As soon as I told them, they too wondered why I came for the audition.”

Suggesting a two-day on-set schedule initially met resistance, but a week later, Zuri24 Media accepted, recognising her indispensable talent for the role. However, securing permission from her employer for the time off posed another challenge.

“The first reaction I got from them was that my passion for the creative arts was all over me. They encouraged me to go for it and that they were solidly behind me. They became my first group of fans. Even the parents of the students.” With that note of encouragement, every doubt she harboured vanished.

“I think we are our worst enemy mentally as women. We would always look

Expanding on her perspective, OlumideAluko emphasises the importance of celebrities being mindful of their influence on society. While she acknowledged the value of showcasing beauty on social media platforms, she advocates for using beauty as a tool for positive impact. She strongly disapproves of female celebrities who objectify themselves, emphasising the detrimental effects of perpetuating such behaviour. To her, beauty should be celebrated and leveraged for meaningful contributions to society, rather than being reduced to mere objectification.

“If you rely heavily on beauty, you become an object. And that is what I never want to be as a woman or as a celebrity because beauty will fade. And after it fades, who are you, what are you? It still goes back to your value and identity.”

On a broader scale, Olumide-Aluko is deeply concerned about the struggles faced by women in society. She observes that women often view themselves solely through the perspectives of others – as daughters, wives, or mothers. While acknowledging the significance of these roles, she encourages women to also prioritise self-discovery and self-expression.

“Women have so much more within themselves than they think. I always tell my mentees to leave outside the box, look inside the box and begin to utilise what is in there. What is in there alone can change the world.”

To amplify her message, she has been intentional about her public image and decisions, starting with her appearance. Her choice to wear dreadlocks, which she has been cultivating for over five years, is not merely stylistic but also ideological. It represents the embrace of her African roots and a rejection of conforming to Western beauty standards. She advocates for Nollywood to celebrate and embrace diverse African hairstyles in films, symbolising pride in one’s heritage and identity.

As Olumide-Aluko embraces her life as an actor, she has remained mindful of the role that faith has played in her journey recognising it as the driving force behind her progress. Looking ahead, she

HighLife

From Lagos to Paris: The Doings of Jim Ovia

Greatness is oftentimes a matter of accumulation. It is a drop joining another, then becoming a trickle, a stream, a rampaging river, and finally a colossal wave over a measureless sea. This is the method individuals like Jim Ovia, founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, employ to achieve greatness. Even now, Ovia’s stream of influence in Africa has grown and is gradually becoming a raging torrent across continents.

Thinking up new ways to expand Zenith Bank cannot be easy. For an institution that is considered the most profitable in Nigeria, Zenith has reached a peak that others can only envisage. Yet, Ovia has not thrown in the towel or decided to retire. He is still considering new vistas to which he would introduce his Zenith Bank.

France is the latest on Ovia’s list. Back in 2023, there was widely circulated news that Ovia had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Government. Having settled all conditions, Ovia would be allowed to establish a subsidiary of his Zenith Bank in Paris, France. This subsidiary would be Zenith’s first in the European Union (EU), indicating the institution’s growing influence.

Based on recent reports, Ovia is at the cusp of finalising the agreements of the MoU and obtaining the official operating licence. Although he is yet to receive it, Ovia is confident enough to have obtained a lease for the subsidiary’s offices in Paris.

A meticulous businessman, Ovia does not take a step until he is confident that it would shift the landscape in his favour. This is why Zenith Bank stands tall over its peers in Nigeria, as distinct from them as an eagle is from domestic poultry. It is also why spectators deem Ovia’s dream to have Zenith Bank still dazzling after a thousand years of operation to be taking shape.

While he achieved greatness long ago, it is only a matter of how much of it he wants to reveal to the public.

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

A New Chapter for Rotimi Amaechi

Human life is like a line of interlinked chains, each one locked into the other. For Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and immediate past Minister of Transportation, the latest link in his life implies a brilliant future. His political past may have suggested an insignificant end but Amaechi remained resilient.

It is not a rumour that Amaechi has been called to the bar. The clean-shaven Amaechi was among the 4,412 new lawyers who were recently admitted into the Nigerian Bar. Once a bullish figure, the political giant has gained wings with his new career. Additionally, considering the escapades of the past, Amaechi may have gotten just what he needs to climb back into Nigeria’s elite circles.

Always one for maximising opportunities, the former transport

minister occupied a sizable part of the limelight with his achievement. At 58, he may not have been the oldest among the lawyers, but he is definitely the most high-profile.

Amaechi used to sit near the stools of political power in Nigeria. Before the 2023 presidential election, he amassed a huge following in his bid to be Nigeria’s president. Even though he was kicked out of the competition during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, he did well for himself but eventually faded from public view.

Perhaps he walks a different path from the administration under President Bola Tinubu, but Amaechi has not been rumoured to be on any appointment list. This report of his bar calling is the biggest thing he has done since his presidential aspiration melted into the shadows.

This signals a new chapter for Amaechi, one perhaps that will include courtrooms and lawyerly possibilities.

What’s Governor Ododo’s Real Age?

Mathematics is not the easiest subject. For the people of Kogi State, this is the latest stumbling block and cause for concern as social media users drag them regarding the age of their governor, Ahmed Ododo. Perhaps the rules of logic have changed or Ododo is an exception. It may also be that someone is lying, but that is up to truth-seekers to find out.

Governor Ododo’s age is currently causing a lot of disputes online. Believed to be 42 years old, checks indicate that Ododo allegedly completed his primary school education in at most five miraculous years. But what does that mean except that he is a genius?

Online databases, for example, Wikipedia, report Ododo’s birth year as 1982. However, it has also been alleged that he completed primary education by 1987. Simple subtraction gives the difference in years as five, implying that he breezed through his primary levels

in these short years.

But how old does a child need to be before they can be admitted into a primary school back then? Perhaps Ododo was admitted at age three and spent a total of two years in school, or at age two and spent a total of three years in school; or even at age one and spent a total of four years in school. Which of these is the most reasonable? Only Ododo knows.

Maybe there is a less fantastical explanation for Ododo’s primary school years. Maybe, as some have started to allege, there was no primary school education at all or 42 is only his ‘football age.’ Only the future can tell what implications await him because of these inconsistencies.

Currently, questions about Ododo’s age are the latest to be thrown at the people of the Confluence State. With rumours about Ododo worshipping his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, to the neglect of the people’s welfare, he is not the state’s favourite at the moment.

New Waves After Wigwe at France-Nigeria Business Council

As is the case with the sea where new waves must replace the old to keep the water world alive, so it is with the corporate world. Following the passing of the former Group CEO of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his old friend and business partner, Aigboje AigImoukhuede is set to cover for him at the France-Nigeria Business Council. Wigwe’s absence really does leave myriad gaps in the corporate world.

The France-Nigeria Business Council is regrouping. Formerly headed by Wigwe, the council has had to install Aig-Imoukhuede temporarily until a Chairman is elected in May 2024. In the meantime, Aig-Imoukhuede has to continue where Wigwe stopped, just like in the old times.

The France-Nigeria Business Council is one of the strongest alliances in the country. Formed by the French and Nigerian governments and very influential businessmen from both countries, the council aims at maximising corporate relations between the two nations. At its inception in 2021, BUA Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, was elected Chairman of the Council and he

helped strengthen the business relations between the two nations.

Wigwe took over from Rabiu in May 2023, vowing to continue where Rabiu stopped. His inauguration was celebrated by both the French and Nigerian governments, who were equally confident in Wigwe’s business aptitude and ingenuity. After all, he had proved himself with Access Holdings, resulting in soaring expectations of him.

Unfortunately, Wigwe’s passing on February 9, 2024, collapsed all these expectations. Perhaps thinking to sustain his distinctive business outlook, the France-Nigeria Business Council had Wigwe’s old business pal, AigImoukhuede, occupy the Chairman’s role temporarily.

Wigwe and Aig-Imoukhuede are responsible for Access Bank’s resurgence in 2002. The pair purchased the bank and made it one of Nigeria’s top five banking institutions in a matter of 15 years. This indicates that AigImoukhuede understands Wigwe well enough to continue in his place as the Chairman of the France-Nigeria Business Council.

Sanwo-Olu Stepping in Sports with Lagos STARS

Excellence has a roundabout aspect, even in the face of a narrow subject of expertise. Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is qualified to be used as an example of an excellent man of the people. Ticking all the boxes, Sanwo-Olu has now jumped onto the train of sports, leading Lagosians in a campaign of nationwide domination.

In the past, Lagos experienced development in virtually every sector, from transportation to education and resource management. One area that appeared to be slightly left out in comparison was sports, validating the popular belief that Sanwo-Olu is all brain and no fun. But this narrative is changing with the recent developments in the sector.

According to reports, the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) has taken charge of the situation of sports and youth development. Currently, it has kickstarted its Lagos STARS initiative, short for Sports Talents and Athletes Redefining Success (STARS). With this initiative, the commission will identify and appreciate the contribution of athletes in the state,

Princess Odu: New Troubles for Aiyedatiwa as New Variables are Added to the Mix

Alliances are not only strong because they comprise at least two parties or entities. They are also powerful when they are formed at just the right time. For Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, this is not the best time for an alliance to form against his gubernatorial ambitions. With new changes to the dynamics, his odds of victory fluctuate more intensely.

The latest significant change to the established gubernatorial dynamic in Ondo is the decision of one of the aspirants to join another. The retreating aspirant in question is Princess Oladunni Odu, the former Secretary to the State Government and gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The gaining aspirant is Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

Before now, Odu had posed a significant threat to other aspirants, especially Governor Aiyedatiwa, with

her “Iwajowa Political Group.” Being a former top official of the state, she wields considerable influence over grassroots loyalty, especially among the womenfolk. It was consequently surprising when Odu announced her decision to jump ship and join Ibrahim in his gubernatorial quest.

Presently, Odu has already directed her followers to gather under Ibrahim’s “Aseyori Group” umbrella, ready to support him at any time. With the APC primary scheduled for April and Odu’s actions coming just a month before, other aspirants are in trouble and must now develop measures to protect their interests and ambitions.

Although no one is exactly sure why Odu decided to disintegrate her flag and throw her weight behind Ibrahim, Ibrahim is now recognised as a tiger with wings. Adding in Odu’s antagonistic relationship with Governor Aiyedatiwa, the latter’s chances of retaining the seat have

using that as an avenue to develop more talents.

This idea of Sanwo-Olu is expected to prompt a turnaround in the management of sports talents in Lagos. It also gives stakeholders a firm handle on where to invest resources for the direct building up of young Lagosians, potentially opening up opportunities to revive and revolutionise the state’s sports ecosystem.

Perhaps the best thing about Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos STARS initiative is that it covers everyone, from the talented youth with little access to the world to coaches with innovative ideas to train these youths. With the STARS program, the sports community will grow interactive, adapting to the demands of the times, and contributing to Lagos’ development.

Sanwo-Olu deserves all the praise he is getting. With the STARS initiative, the bespectacled governor has closed the only gap in his administrative armour, thereby winning the hearts of Lagosians lock, stock, and barrel.

Odu

plummeted noticeably.

The lines have been redrawn in Ondo and Princess Odu has taken her final side. Senator Ibrahim is getting more and more compatible with the number-one office in the state.

Bitter Betty: Stylishly Calls Out ‘Batterer’ Aiyedatiwa

Human life is short. Like a candle swaying in the wind, the light soon fades and all meaning is lost. The briefness of life makes it all the more worthwhile, an understanding that netizens are accusing former Ondo State First Lady, Betty Akeredolu, of lacking. But what does this matter in the face of death, pain, and the threat of impending political irrelevance?

The passing of former Ondo governor, Rotimi Aker edolu, broke open a flood of tears across Ni geria. People who knew him intimately cried their eyes out, calling him grand names in hopes of recalling his soul and spirit. Oddly, his wife, Lady Betty, is more accepting of his departure, demonstrating the distinct sense of maturity that the departed political giant loved her for.

Lady Betty eulogised her late husband with a written tribute. In the poetic eulogy, she informed Akeredolu that his departure is painful and

Tunji-Ojo: Returning to Prestige

The path of prestige is illustrious, one requiring the accumulation of providence’s favours. Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is back on the path. Broadcasting his next moves for his ministry, Tunji-Ojo has already recovered a large fraction of his reputation among Nigerians, indicating how well he knows the people’s hearts.

Social media is gradually stacking compliment leaflets that would be mailed to Tunji-Ojo. Reacting to the Interior Minister’s latest plans to revolutionise passport production in Nigeria, netizens are quickly setting aside allegations of Tunji-Ojo’s excessiveness, cuddling up to him as they sing his praises and echo the words of President Bola Tinubu.

President Tinubu recently elevated Tunji-Ojo as a model civil servant in Nigeria. According to him, the Interior Minister’s dedication to the obligations of his office is evidence that there are still credible public servants around. Initially assumed to be Tinubu’s attempt to mend Tunji-Ojo’s reputation, netizens dug deep into the minister’s plans for Nigerians and found nothing to criticise.

continues to be painful, but she will settle her heart on how much love he let her experience.

And while readers would still be sniffing in pity, the former First Lady’s tribute took a sharper turn. She noted that many people never understood why the late governor loved her so deeply, especially because he is a Yoruba man while she is an Igbo woman. She also referred to men that beat their wives, and get away with it because they are not in civilised climes and are governors.

Netizens have linked Betty’s wife-beater-governor reference to Akeredolu’s successor and former deputy, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. A group had previously accused Aiyedatiwa of beating his wife during his time as Ondo deputy governor. That has become a means through which the governor’s rivals deflate his balloons.

Clearly, Betty was not willing to miss the chance to take a shot at Aiyedatiwa

Among these plans, the most audacious and agreeable is the decision to explore the local production of passports. Believed to have contacted necessary institutions to research and validate his assumptions, Tunji-Ojo’s decision, if it goes according to plan, will change everything.

Readers would recall that TunjiOjo’s issue with Dr. Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, almost sunk his reputation as a man of integrity. However, Tunji-Ojo’s brilliant strides in office led Nigerians to listen to his explanations instead of simply calling for his head.

With these new plans underway to produce passports locally, TunjiOjo is returning to the good books of many. Perhaps, before the end of the first half of 2024, he will once again be the darling of Nigerians at home and abroad. It happened before when he fixed the issues of slow passport issuance and filtered Nigeria’s correctional centres.

It will soon be the glory days for Tunji-Ojo. As he returns to the path of prestige, great things are expected of him.

Aliko Dangote: His Tears, Our Pain

Aliko Dangote is but a mythical character. He has joined the pantheon of Nigerians who have legendary stories around them.

Like the story of Thunder Balogun “fire ring” a shot that passed through the belly of an unfortunate chap. Like Da Rochas who was said to dry clean his suits in England. Like Awolowo whom you could see sitting on the moon if you looked up in the sky and like Fela’s mum who would hear you talk about her if you put your back to the wall while speaking.

Dangote with his wealth and tremendous goodwill has broken into the pantheons of immortals. A lot has been said and is still being said about his powers. His wealth threw him up as a superhuman

SEGUN AGBAJE: WHAT A MAN

I have never had the good fortune of meeting this “bobo” and all I know about him is from stories that get bandied about him in town. Based on these stories, I had built a “bad boy” image around him. Oh, Segun is this, oh Segun is that, Edgar, you dared to yab Segun, you are toast. He never forgets he is Machiavellian and he frowns too much.

Then he went on stage to deliver a tribute at Herbert’s Night of Tributes and he slammed it. He gave one of the most inspiring tributes of the evening. His style was flowery but incipiently deep. He wove a fine tale that leaned heavily on humour with the right dose of sarcasm while tingeing it with self-deprecating anecdotes.

It was such a lovely delivery that it lifted the spirit in the hall while also showing us another side of Herbert that some of us didn’t personally know.

For me, the most exciting part of the speech was how all three of them – himself, Herbert and Aigboje were all sent to Harvard. As he introduced the speech, he paused for a nanosecond and deadpanned – wrong move. The import of that statement was not lost on the crowd as they all laughed and then he continued: “We all came back but Aigboje and Herbert now had bigger

who had no iota of blood in him. He is that superhero who was so rich, that he ‘can buy Nigeria’ as one denizen claimed at the newspaper stand near Onipanu in Shomolu.

But last Monday, at the Night of Tributes for Herbert Wigwe, we saw a broken man. As he walked towards the podium, his shoulders slouched, his head bowed to the ground, all I could feel was pity and a very strong urge to go hug him and say “Remember you are Aliko Dangote, the man that is richer than Nigeria.”

As he spoke that cool evening, you could see the humanity in him. His voice quaked, his demeanour solemn and his visage so sad. He was giving

a tribute to a man who decided to fall from the sky and change the trajectory of history.

The hall was filled up with “his people” and we all just sat there in gloom as Alhaji attempted to be a man. At some point, he cackled and broke down and Aigboje had to take to the stage to give him strength. We felt his pain and indeed Nigerians also felt pain as he spoke. Dangote may never be the same again was what was on my mind. This Herbert had made it such that we all now are crying much more than the bereaved, and Dangote personified our full grief that night at Eko Hotel.

dreams for themselves hence their leaving.” He ended that narrative with a very wicked punchline: “Thankfully I stayed.”

“We competed but remained friends,” was the next line as GTB and Access Bank fought in the marketplace for market share. He regaled us with stories on the streets, the struggle to build huge financial behemoths, the stress on themselves and relationships but ended it all by showing us that in the thick of things, the friendly bond still stayed to the very end.

At some point, he too broke down but immediately regained composure as he concluded one of the very best eulogies of the night. Well done my brother. God will protect us all.

TOKUNBO AWOLOWO-DOSUNMU

TRULY HER FATHER’S DAUGHTER

Recently, I saw first-hand what a female child can do. Dr. (Mrs.) Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu shut down the political and financial communities by dragging almost every prominent Nigerian to the Intercontinental Hotel for the Chief Obafemi Awolowo Leadership Prize. The award went to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the bowtie-wearing President of the AfDB who has been severally celebrated all over for his numerous contributions globally.

Mummy had invited me to the event on one of my numerous visits to her in Ikenne, trying to plug ‘Awo the Musical.’ We are taking the play to the UK but not before we do a showing in Ikenne, their hometown and this meant discussing and strategising with her. It was at one of those visits that she invited me to the event. Everybody was there o, from Chief Emeka Anyaoku to Chief Obasanjo who had just marked his 87th birthday the previous day, to very prominent traditional leaders like the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Bichi and the Olu of Warri.

Vice President Kashim Shettima was there o. I saw him on the screen from the back where I sat. It was a grand occasion as clips from Chief Awolowo’s life were screened on the giant scenes and speaker after speaker stood up to eulogise the man and his unparalleled vision. The event was more than grand, the huge hall contained a distinguished audience which also included foreign heads of state and other international dignities. Then I got hungry and I asked one very beautiful usher, “Please will they give us food?” And she said “I doubt,” and I said to myself, we have to leave now, we have come and we have seen, it was a beautiful ceremony.

I took my leave, ran away with the giant keepsakes that they gave us and ended up at the very elegant Natives Restaurant in Lekki for a freshly prepared bowl of afang and pounded yam. Kai, almost fainted.

But after eating, I started to think. That was a girl child, keeping her father’s memory and legacy alive in such a big way. The second thing that crept through my mind again was how the Vice President of Nigeria and other top leaders who attended, felt when they were hit with the selflessness of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

My people, knowing these ones very well, they would just … Mbok fill in the gaps yourself. I don tire for Nigeria. Thank you.

JOSEPH WAYAS: MUCH ADO ABOUT A LEGACY

This was a very flamboyant politician who was the Senate President in the Second Republic. He used to look so ebullient and handsome. His side grey beards stood him out as a very elegant aristocrat. Then he died. He died in 2021 in faraway London and the then government of the Cross River State where he hailed from was reported to have released the princely sum of N200 million to cover his burial expenses.

But somehow, I have just seen reports that the family owes the morgue

about N120 million in back-end maintenance fees for the body.

The family is now said to be in a dilemma on how they can pay off this debt and bring back his body to be buried in his homeland.

Why they didn’t bring back his body much earlier beats me. They must have been going through the usual internal bickering on who gets what, thereby forgetting the most important thing which is how to respectfully honour their patriarch.

Now the shame is on the family if what I am reading is true. A very shameful thing to do to be in debt over the corpse of a very prominent Nigerian like Joe Wayas. There is no other way to put it than to state very clearly how disappointed and embarrassed we are about the treatment meted out to this Nigerian who gave so much to the country by his family.

No more to add, before they come and fight me; you know how Nigerians can usually lose the plot and be distracted with mundane things instead of facing the main issue.

Be waiting, you will soon see a rejoinder to this write-up and even worse, a lawyer will now write to me and say, “Mr. Duke, on page 19 of your column, you had…” Na so e dey be, instead of them concentrating on efforts at removing this family shame, na me they will be chasing now.

Since 2021? This is more than a shame, it’s a disgrace.

ERIC UMEOFIA: IN DEFENCE OF FREE SPEECH

I don’t know where we are on this matter so I have to tread softly.

Anyway, I stumbled on an ARISE TV programme where a beautiful young female Nigerian named Chioma was in tears as she narrated her ordeal in the hands of this big chief who sells tomato paste.

Apparently, she had gone on Facebook to pass a comment on “too much sugar” in this paste and concluded by saying that “this is how they k….. people.”

Chief died. Oh my God, he must have screamed. My work for 40 years and this girl who didn’t marry as a virgin was now coming to destroy it? Oh, my 3,000 workers, my labour, my chieftaincy title, everything this girl wants to spoil.

You know how these big chiefs do. Just picture Chief Zebrudaya complete with bad English and you will see the scenario when the post was brought to the chief in his living room as he was quaffing down palm wine after a full bowl of “ofe onugbu” prepared by his beautiful wife.

Something must be done and pronto, Chioma was arrested and moved to Abuja. It took the Federal Consumer Protection agency to free her but then again, I hear the chief was now threatening to slam a N5 billion civil case against her if she did not apologise.

My people, I have spoken to so many people who should know about this matter — police, lawyers, consumer rights activists and they all concluded that this is broad daylight bullying by this chief. So, is the chief telling us that if he was Buhari or Tinubu who faces all sorts of attacks daily, he would have thrown capital punishment on us?

See, Tinubu is the most vilified in Nigeria today and the man is taking it in his strides, let alone a “common” you wey someone yab your tomato paste, you don run go call IG, call US Marines and even call

Amotekun to come and fight for you. Then you cannot also be like the cola beverages that we used to “kill” every day even up to the point of using it as an experiment to wash the toilet or crack the car windscreen. Have you ever seen the videos of people listing how many sugars are in a bottle of cola beverage? Have they gone to arrest anybody or gone on an emotional rant on TV with sweat coming out of every pore on their head?

My brother chief, there are some things you should leave for the experts. If you do not have PR experts or brand custodians, then you come and let me recommend some for you so that they will know how to manage things like this instead of worsening your matter with all this public bumbling that you are doing. Even the Chief of Army Staff whom I personally have been abusing since they kidnapped General Duru has

AIGBOJE AIG-IMOUKHUEDE: A FRIEND OF ALL SEASONS

I am very sure that Herbert in his last moments would have looked across at his ever-beautiful wife and with a last smile said “Don’t worry, Aig will take care of everything.”

For me and in all of these, it’s the bond of friendship that has really caught my attention. These two, Aig and Herbert, from all the tributes that were said and from all we know about them, had built a super tight bond that was almost spiritual and which lasted to the very end.

For over 30 years, they had been together, sharing their dreams, and visions, facing challenges together, winning together and emerging as two of the most influential bankers of all time.

The story of Aigboje and Herbert is a story of perseverance, bold engagement and an entwining of two souls into a huge force that variously impacted not only Nigeria but the world.

At the venue of the event, an Access Bank staff member slithered to me and in a very low voice said, “Edgar, I hope Aig will not break down, he has been the ones consoling us, cheering us up and leading the push.

He has been very very strong since all of these happened.”

I smiled and walked away looking for food only for me to now see the footage of Aigboje finally losing it during his own turn to speak. With friends like Aigboje in your corner, you can go to bed with both eyes closed. His has not been a pyrrhic friendship. A friendship that we are all used to, the kind that would backstab, and take advantage of your vulnerabilities even while still smiling with you and sharing a plate of Afang with you. This wasn’t the friendship they both shared.

Aigboje has been more than a friend in this saga. He has stood like a man, gave strength and courage to others, led the push to perfectly honour his fallen brother and has been the arrowhead of all that needs to be done to not only give Herbert, his wife and son a befitting burial but to also immortalise them in glory. Well done sir, but I pray you can find time in all of these to just lock yourself in a room and just cry!!!. Just cry my guy and it will be alright. God will give you strength.

not sent military police to come and carry me and give me frog jump o. Na you wey person just yab your tomato paste, see as you dey cry. Mbok, patience, strategy and detachment are the buzzwords for you going forward. If you don’t understand, call me and I go teach you.

Kai! Tolerance is needed.

YEMI EDUN: THE ‘DIPLOMAT’ IN THE HOUSE

My bowler hat-wearing friend, the ever-brilliant Yemi Edun, has just written a book on Nigeria’s High Commission in the UK. The book is titled ‘Number One Mission.’ According to Yemi, he was pushed to write this book as a result of the historical antecedents of the High Commission and also as a result of the unique positioning it has in the lives of the many Nigerians who live and work in the UK.

In writing this very beautiful book, he took advantage of the intimate relationships he has had with the staff of the High Commission to better understand the role and mission of the commission, especially as it concerns the lives of Nigerians.

Yemi is a well-respected UK-based real estate guru with a huge network within the financial sector of Nigeria and with the political and economic elites. His clear understanding of the cultural ethos that makes up Nigeria on both sides of the Atlantic put him in a perfect position to curate the information that is in the book. He launched the book at the posh Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island and the quality of people that came out was a strong testament to his reach and influence.

The other day, he presented the book to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was very excited at having a copy. The book is a must-have not only for Nigerians in the UK but for every Nigerian who is really ignorant of the roles these Embassies and High Commissions play in our national development.

I have a copy and have read it and I must say that Yemi did a very good job on the book. Well done, my brother.

MR IBU’S TURBULENT PASSING

This end was inevitable. Nigerians have over the years been inundated with the intrigues, scandals and totally embarrassing ethos as displayed by this wonderful actor’s immediate family. It was all tales of lies, greed, illicit sex and selfishness all these while the man was struggling for his life.

Mr. Ibu was a gifted actor who brought so much joy and happiness to Nigerian homes through the way he depicted his characters. So, it was not surprising when Nigerians threw up over N100 million in a public frenzy as we all satruggled to save his life.

Then the scandal erupted which now led to the reported arrest of some members of his family. All these distractions would have hastened his passing I am sure, and today Nigeria has lost an all-important figure. May God keep his soul and receive his gentle soul in his bosom. Thank you

KATE HENSHAW’S BREAKING NEWS

The news of the passing of this delightful actress’s mother hit the waves just as I was about going to press last weekend.

Let me too send my heartfelt condolences to one of Nigeria’s most enduring creative personalities.

Pele oo my dear.

Shina Peller’s Waggish Political Ideology

“Those whose kernels were cracked by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.”Chinua Achebe

This popular Igbo proverb encapsulates the political story of Hon. Shina Peller, a former member of Representatives. For a good scriptwriter, his story will not only make an interesting read but also a box office success.

Why would it be that interesting? His is a story of a man whose power was thrust upon him on a silver platter but blew it up for his overinflated ego and insatiability.

Since he defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), tongues have been wagging about the former lawmaker’s political ideology.

In the wake of this recent development, it is said that the move has further confirmed his desperation for power and political relevance. This, indeed, has given his compatriots cause to confirm that an average Nigerian politician is capable of spewing surprises.

In the views of many, his action reeks of desperation for power, political relevance and lack of clearcut ideology.

Peller, a former member of the House of Representatives who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in 2019 to represent Iseyin/ Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency, left the party in 2023 to secure the Oyo North Senatorial ticket of the Accord Party. But he lost the general election to the candidate of the APC, Fatai Buhari. Since his loss in the senatorial election, he has been bitter and petulant.

Many political pundits believe that perhaps if he had yielded to the advice of some of his friends, he wouldn’t be biting his finger in regret today. The man, whose name is synonymous with the nightclub business, would later embrace politics with the assistance of his godfather, the late governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi. The Iseyin-born entertainer cum politician was quite lucky as he found his way to the green chamber of the National Assembly in his first attempt at the poll, a feat some of his contemporaries spent years searching for with no positive result.

Nightlife Icon, Ken Calebs-Olumese, Bags Lifetime Award

When former United States President, Abraham Lincoln said that “Real honours are not given to those fond of receiving from society, but are reserved for those who gave their all to the people,” he may have had the nightlife icon, Ken Calebs-Olumese in mind.

Recently, the organisers of the prestigious Silverbird Man of the Year Awards decorated the Guvnor of the Niteshift Coliseum with the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.

At the exclusive event held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, CalebsOlumese was honoured for his exceptional achievements, contributions and leadership in shaping the entertainment landscape in Nigeria and Africa. It was a big night for the more relaxed dandy old man who was obviously overwhelmed by the prestigious honour bestowed on him by the Ben Murray Bruce-led Silverbird Group.

Olumese has logged in almost 40 years as a

super nightlife entrepreneur. Indeed, the Edo Stateborn magnate helped to transform the Nigerian entertainment industry through his landmark showbiz endeavours and programs, supporting talents, businesses and economies.

Even as a retired nightlife mogul, he enjoys going to nightclubs. Though it was his place of work, it became a second home.

Olumese doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Seeing people happy and having a good time made him happy. An extrovert, he is a fair but firm man who introduced strictness in his business, meticulous about the kind of personality he allows into his club.

Calebs-Olumese’s Coliseum became a fabled success in an era of big, brassy nightclubs. The club was a favourite of classy folks, top businessmen, corporate titans, top professionals and tourists. He had a reputation for breathing life into already faltering nightlife in the country by adding lush decorations and handpicked and carefully blended

shows.

Calebs-Olumese — who will be 80 on May 27 this year — made his dreams come true, and the Nigerian people over the decades benefited from it. Hence the Lifetime Achievement Award was well deserved.

Oil Mogul, Abdulrazaq Kutepa’s Dazzling Strides

Abdulrazaq Kutepa is among the very few high-flying Nigeria’s business leaders who have etched their footprints on the sands of time. As a successful banker, oil magnate, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Kutepa had garnered experiences on his multifaceted routes in life.

His ascendancy in the business firmament of Nigeria in the last two decades has been like a fairytale adventure. While in the cutthroat terrain of the ever-changing ecosystem of Nigerian banking, Kutepa successfully rode the tides of the industry. In 1998, when he began his entrepreneurial journey with the establishment of Waltersmith Group, with a focus on many economic areas such as manufacturing, real estate, hospitality, agriculture, and upstream and midstream oil and gas, not a few were full of optimism of his success.

Indeed, his Waltersmith has quietly risen like a phoenix and gradually transformed into a viable energy firm that may be on the Nigerian Stock Exchange soon.

The debonair Kogi-born billionaire impresses his name in eternity with his dazzling strides. Waltersmith Petroman Oil

Super Cop, Tunji Disu as the Pride of Police Force

It is an undisputed fact that one of the greatest appointments so far carried out by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun is appointing Tunji Disu as the Commissioner of Police in charge of River State Police Command.

Many who have followed the story of the super cop would definitely agree that Rivers could not have asked for a better Police Commissioner.

Indeed, since he took over the reins of policing the state in June 2023, he has taken his duties with the seriousness, officious dedication and total commitment that it deserves. He has been a thorn in the flesh of the undisciplined elements in the state, while also ensuring peace and security of lives in the state.

Without any shadow of a doubt, it is evident that he shares in the vision of the IGP and the state governor - to stamp out crimes from the state. In no time, he has dealt a sucker punch to the criminals in the state while he has recorded unprecedented success as the crime in the state reduced to the barest minimum.

He has showcased his bravery, gallantry and heroism, thereby warming himself into the hearts of many. With these successes, he has become one of the most popular cops in the country, while also rebuilding the confidence of the citizens in the police force by projecting the image of the force that has been battered in the past.

The super cop is not only about fighting crime, he has also shown that he is compassionate about the plight of his fellow citizens.

On February 14, the CP commemorated this year’s St Valentine Day’s celebration when he hosted 200 widows of late police officers to a love feast, reassuring them that they are not forgotten and that they are cherished. The widows were feted as well as stocked with food palliatives and money.

He also expressed the readiness of the state police command to always honour the wives of the late police officers at all times, considering the roles their late husbands played in the fight for a better Rivers while alive.

Limited, an indigenous upstream oil and gas company he co-founded, operates the Ibigwe field in the Oil Mining Lease, OML 16 in Imo State, which was acquired through a competitive bid in 2004. Waltersmith successfully began commercial exports from Ibigwe field in 2008, growing peak production to 7,000 barrels per day, (bpd).

In 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the company’s 5000bpd modular refinery in Imo State. The refinery contributes almost 300 million litres of refined products annually. With the additional award of the Assa marginal field to Waltersmith in 2021, the modular refinery is being expanded to have a refining capacity of 40,000bpd.

But Kutepa is not stopping at oil and gas projects alone. His Waltersmith company is also diversifying into power generation and has procured a 300 megawatts power generation licence. Similarly, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, (UNIDO), Kutepa’s organisation is developing an industrial and innovation park.

Nasiru Danu Takes Philanthropy to New Heights

philosophy of Nasiru Danu, the Dan Amana Dutse.

For the businessman, he seems to eat and breathe kindness. The business mogul is a quiet and humble gentleman who does a lot for his people without fanfare. He could pass arguably as one of the most charitable billionaires around as his flame of philanthropy appears inextinguishable. He has been unrelenting in his drive and determination to bring succour to the suffering masses without fear or favour and has been doing so for years in many states across the northern region and beyond. He believes God blessed him with wealth to bless the poor in return.

Danu has made an annual tradition of giving to the less privileged during the Ramadan season. In a celebration that emphasises devotion and sacrifice as the highest of all virtues, the money bag doesn’t see

it as a drain of his resources to open his barns and feed the hungry.

As usual, this year’s Ramadan is no exception, a source revealed that the business mogul doled out trailer loads of food items and cash to the needy in his hometown Dutse, Jigawa State. This food donation, according to a source, will be a continuous act throughout the Ramadan period.

“This will last for the next 30 days of Ramadan. It is necessary, especially at this period when food items are almost out of reach for the poor,’’ our source stated.

The billionaire is a household name in the northern region. A detribalised Nigerian who has an unprecedented track record in business spanning over a decade with interests mainly in oil and gas, agriculture and construction. Likeable and suave, Danu has been reputed for his early start and interest in business.

With Sight Set on Priority Projects, Sodangi Takes over at National Gallery

With the recent resumption of a new director general, the National Gallery of Art seems set to stir back to life. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes

University, Industry and Development Diplomacy: The Case of Achievers University, Owo

Societal ills in Nigeria began to feature in political governance as from 1967. As explained by Professor J. S. Cookey in the Report of the Political Bureau in 1987, ‘corruption began twenty years ago.’ If the statement was made in 1987, twenty years ago cannot but mean 1967. Thus, in 1967-2023, Government has been fighting societal indiscipline but to no avail.

When General Muhammadu Buhari was military Head of State, he came up with the policy of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). It failed. When he was elected in 2015, he said corruption and societal indiscipline would be thrown into the garbage of history. The contrary was the case. Corruption was raised to a higher level. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), Buhari’s Ministers are reported to be refunding quietly their ill-gotten funds. This simply means that leaders in Nigeria are bad. They have no good personality and are not well trained. This largely explains why Nigeria has been able to have economic growth but without development. It is against this background that the vision, the mission, the prescribed solution, and the academic staff retreat of the Achievers University, Owo (AUO) is particularly relevant in investigating and explicating the recidivist insecurity and non-development in Nigeria.

Put interrogatively, how do we explain the unending kidnapping of school children and other innocent people? Is it true that the exportation of food from Nigeria to Niger Republic is aimed at making life more difficult for Nigeria in order to strengthen animosity against PBAT? Is the inclement situation deliberately provoked to undermine the administration of PBAT? Is the situation a reflection of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s prescription that there will never be any lasting peace in Nigeria until Nigeria is divided into Muslim North and Christian South? Is it because the governor and the governed are poorly trained? Where is the integrity and leadership personality of Nigeria’s leaders? What is the essence of university education in the growth and development of Nigeria? What is the extent of importance of the industry in nation-building? And perhaps more interestingly, what is the solution of the Achievers University, Owo, a private university, to Nigeria’s current dilemma?

AUO’s Vision

In consonance with the vision and mission of the AUO, a 2-Day Academic Retreat, entitled “Teaching and Learning in Achievers University: Towards the Realisation of its Vision,’ was held on Monday, 4th and Tuesday 5th, March 2024 at the Isa Pantami Computer Based Test Centre of the university. The retreat was the second in the series. The first was held in 2008 at the defunct Owena Motels, Akure. Environmental conditionings have not allowed a second retreat to have taken place since then. In spite of this, the vision of the AUO has compelled a second retreat at this point in time.

In other words, why is the AUO accepting to undertake what is unwanted and considered to be a herculean task in recent times? AUO vision so compels. For instance, the Nigerian Private University Games (NPUGA) was last held in 2017. Since then, the games have been challenged by many problems and could not be organised. But Dr Ayorinde made it clear that there is no success or achievement that does not first begin with mountainous obstacles. It is the determination to remove the obstacles, sustain the efforts until a lasting solution is found, that prompts success to emerge. He argued that there is the need to breathe a new life into the NPUGA. This is the philosophy behind his readiness to play host to the 2024 edition of the NPUGA, which has been tagged Achievers 2024. It is the same philosophy that is driving the conduct and management of AUO affairs. Seeking to be the best in Africa and the world cannot but be an uphill task. Nigeria needs university graduates with this type of philosophy in order to overcome the teething problems in the Nigeria of today. This is why the explication of the AUO’s vision and the organisation of a 2-day Academic retreat are important for the purposes of further research inquiry.

“As declared, the AUO management wants to have the best university in Africa. This is the immediate vision. It also wants to be one of the best universities in the world. This is the long-term vision. And perhaps most importantly, the AUO commits itself to producing ‘a total person, morally sound, properly educated and entrepreneurially oriented, and who would be useful to himself and to the society.’

Interpreted differently and interrogatively, why is it that we do not have total persons in the Nigeria of today? Where are the Nigerians who not only are morally sound, but also properly educated and can fit into the position of leadership in the country? How do we explain the fact that in April 2014, Chibok school girls were kidnapped, and again, in March 2024, the bandits kidnapped more than 280 pupils and teachers of the Government Secondary School and LEA primary school in Kaduna? Are the boko haramists still in the government of PBAT again? President Goodluck Jonathan publicly told Nigerians that there were Boko Haram elements in his government. Under President Buhari, his successor, Boko Haram insurgency had a low profile. Under PBAT, the insurgency profile has become higher. In this regard, how do we reconcile the conflict of interest between the order of PBAT, who instructed that all the kidnappers be fished out and dealt with appropriately and the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State acting to the contrary and opting to negotiate

Unlike university, an industry refers to economic activity involving with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories. Industry is generally defined as ‘group of manufacturers or businesses that produce a particular kind of goods and services.’ One common factor between a university and an industry is the fact that they are both a centre for socioeconomic activities. The nexus between them and diplomacy is the issue of skills which is required in all the cases. Diplomatic skills, which covers various capabilities, like interpersonal communication. Effective leadership, public speaking, are required in various endeavours in the university and industry, are required in the conduct and management of relationships and various activities aimed at growth and development. It is against this background that the Achievers University organised its 2nd Academic staff Retreat on

with the assailants? Is this not a case of a negative work-flow?

The first working paper at the AUO’s academic staff retreat was on “Workflow Management and Communications: the Challenge of Being the Best in a University of Achievement. It was presented by Professor Bola A. Akinterinwa, who raised the issue of backward workflow as a major obstacle to educational development and nation-building. Work-flow is of two types: Sequential and Parallel. Sequential work-flows involve a series of steps, which are followed one after the other until completion of the task. Rules are often adopted to drive the work-flow step-by-step. On the contrary, parallel work-flow involves a series of steps that can be tackled. Regardless of the typology of work-flow and regardless of the types of workflow systems, the work-flow is about automation, about collective approach to achieving success, about promoting greater effectiveness and productivity and preventing any obstacle to progress, and most significantly, and about fast-tracking the completion of every step taken to advance the vision of an organisation, or business, or university.

The point to note here is the challenge of backward work-flow, that is, while efforts are being made by some people, backward work-flows are unnecessarily preventing the free flow of efforts at progress. It is precisely this issue of obstacles to the spirit of work-flow that constitutes the source of the concerns of the founder and Pro-Chancellor of the AUO, Hon. Dr. Olabode Oluwasola Ayorinde. As he noted in his keynote address, his dream of a university is not simply to have a university in Owo, but also to ensure that the university also gives ‘the people a pride of a place… where students are well nurtured in the fear of God and well prepared for life’s challenges.’ The Pro-Chancellor, who is also an astute politician and erudite academic, promoted last week as Associate Professor, with effect from 2021, at the Nasarawa State University, wants the AUO to be driven by ‘Information Communication Technology where all staff and students are taught to be computer literate within the first year of their joining the university.’

And most importantly, Associate Professor Ayorinde wants his AUO to be a special terra cognita of new research areas and ‘hallmark of academic activities. In his thinking and dream, the AUO should, in all ramifications, be ‘second to none in Africa.’ While appreciating the commitment and support of most AUO members of staff, of which there are 166 full time academic staff and more than 100 Associate and Part time members, Honourable Ayorinde underscored the need to be aware of the implications of backward work-flow and the need to avoid it. This was the essence of his message to the retreat. As he explained it to the retreat, ‘many of you have keyed into the (AUO) vision. Without you and your inputs we would not have gotten this far. We would have moved faster, if all of you had been so cooperative. You will agree with me that if a single finger in the body of man is aching, the entire body will not function properly.’

This is another way of explaining the situation of Nigeria where political governance has become very problematic, and where insecurity has become the hallmark of political, economic, and cultural governance. Educational value means nothing in Nigeria of today. True, entrepreneurial education can be emphasised and made compulsory at all levels of educational development in Nigeria. But more interestingly, why is the AUO seeking to be one of the best universities in the world and the best of the bests in the world in the long run? What does being the best university require? At the level of the AUO’s mission and vision, the university wants to provide the enabling physical environment, provide the enabling academic environment, graduate competent and quality graduates who would be self-reliant, highly productive and globally relevant in every sphere of human endeavour. The pursuit of the vision of the university, like those of many other universities, is taking place in a very dynamic world, in fact, in a changing globalising world.

AUO and Development Diplomacy

Education policy in Nigeria is largely characterised by myopia, especially by unnecessarily refusing to accept that graduates of both private and public universities will work in the same political, economic and cultural environments in the country. Consequently, opting to fund only public institutions to the detriment of the private ones, cannot be in the national interest of Nigeria. The ideal thing should have been to encourage privatepublic collaboration on a yearly basis in the area of research and development. Government ignores the dynamic nature of the educational environment of the world.

In the words of the Acting Vice Chancellor of the AUO, Professor Omolola Oladunni Irinoye, a Professor of Nursing Science, ‘education in the 21st century makes high and different demands from educators because of paradigm shift in the nature and change of learners, demography of learners, highly technology-moderated world and the learning environment. The shifts in all aspects of our lives – social, economic, environmental and even political atmosphere - are redefining the structure, the administration and expectations of education and educators.’ In this regard, what should be the way forward for Nigeria and particularly for the AUO which wants to be a leader of leaders, particularly in the area of e-learning and teaching?

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IN THE ARENA

A Plea for Nigerian Soldiers’ Welfare

The recent revelation of the poor wages and other meagre welfare packages paid to Nigerian soldiers speaks volumes about the country’s treatment of its citizens, particularly those who risk their lives to ensure the safety of the population, Wale Igbintade writes

Given the economic hardship currently being faced by Nigerians, an increasing number of Nigerian soldiers are expressing their displeasure over the failure of the federal government to pay the ₦35,000 wage award to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal as promised.

President Bola Tinubu, after announcing the removal of the petrol subsidy, had said the ₦35,000 wage award alongside the payment of a 40 per cent special salary increase to workers would help cushion the efforts of high transport costs amid the rising cost of food and other commodities. But soldiers said nothing had been paid to them.

Femi Adegboyega joined the Nigerian Army about 17 years ago. He was among the first set of soldiers deployed from different parts of the country to combat the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State. Despite sleeping in the bushes as well as classrooms, with his operational allowances unpaid on several occasions, he remained in the military and is currently helping the country to combat armed separatist terrorists in the South-east.

“After losing many of our colleagues to attacks in Maiduguri, some of my friends left the Army. But I still remain to prove the love I have for my fatherland,” he told HumAngle.

“People keep leaving the military because of lack of adequate welfare, and it appears that isn’t going to change. People even get punished for talking to the press and expressing their displeasure publicly,” he reportedly alleged.

Indeed, it was reported recently that a soldier was locked up for exposing the welfare challenges troops are subjected to at the frontlines. Soldiers allege that the Official Secret Act of 1962, is often used to punish their colleagues who speak to the press about their poor condition of service on the ground that they leak information and official secrets, against the provisions of the Act.

The law prohibits government workers from transmitting classified matter to a person not authorised on behalf of the government to transmit it. Section 7 of the Act provides for penalties as punitive as 14 years imprisonment for whoever breaches the law.

Adegboyega had spent the last 16 months

on the frontlines combating terrorism without compensation.

Now, he and many other soldiers have turned to beggars, soliciting funds from friends and strangers while other soldiers are forced to indulge in nefarious and illegal activities to meet their personal and family needs.

Last December, a soldier stationed in Borno State expressed his frustration at his inability to visit his family due to the transport fare that he claimed was higher than his salary.

In a viral video that circulated on social media, the soldier expressed his dismay at being unable to reunite with his family after a year of service in the trenches.

He said: “The Nigerian Army gave me a pass to go and see my family as I had spent one year in Maiduguri. As I left the bush, I reached the park and they told me that from here to my town is N35,000. I calculated it; going home and coming back is N70,000 and my salary that I was paid this month was N50,000. I don’t have any option again; I’m going back to the bush.”

The soldier was said to have been promptly arrested and detained. As of the time of writing, he had reportedly been moved to the military Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) underground cell in Abuja, waiting to be court-martialed.

The outcry over the poor remuneration of soldiers has fuelled criticisms against the unequal treatment of Nigerians serving the country in different capacities.

Critics noted that while the ruling political class allocate humongous salaries, allowances and other benefits to themselves, soldiers who put their lives at risk for the citizens to sleep peacefully are not well catered for.

In a recent interview on national TV, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, lamented that some Nigerian soldiers earned below N50,000 monthly and called for a review.

“My soldiers collect less than

N50,000 as salary in a month. We all know the situation on the ground. My appeal is for them to have a salary worthy of the work they are doing. We deserve to have that so that it can encourage them to want to do more,” the CDS reportedly said.

He also decried the meagre N1,200 per day paid to officers and soldiers as allowances for being on the field to confront terrorists and others.

These stark revelations by the General have led analysts to conclude that the current wage structure in the military presents a scary scenario. They wondered how a soldier would earn N50,000 per month in a country where a bag of rice currently costs almost N100,000. When a soldier on the frontline gets home after such a long time, he will be expected to pick up the bills accumulated by the family while also taking care of himself or herself, including attending to health challenges.

This is why those who spoke to THISDAY concluded that it is depressing that the wages soldiers earn are not even enough to pay for their transport fare to visit their families from the war fronts. Unless the country seems to suggest that soldiers are not meant to raise families, this horrible wage structure must be addressed without delay.

The fact is that poor pay is not limited to the military alone. It also applies to the police. Recently, there was outrage when the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun doled cheques of ridiculous and paltry sum of N1.5million to the families of the personnel who were killed in the line duty. Those who expressed concerns, wondered what a meagre sum of N1.5million can do for a family of an officer who had served for five or more years?

Given that Nigerian soldiers are putting their lives on the line defending the country, the current wage structure which can only engender poverty has to be reviewed immediately.

They certainly deserve better treatment. There must be a salary review for the security services so that they can do their best for the country.

Members of the ruling group must go beyond self-enrichment and prioritise the wellbeing of Nigerians by ensuring fair and sustainable wages for workers.

POLITICAL NOTES Who’s Heating up the Polity with Coup Rumours?

Last week, it was the turn of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, to restate the commitment of the Nigerian military to defend Nigeria’s democracy, declaring that the military does not have any intention to truncate on the ongoing civilian rule.

Speaking at a seminar on career planning and management organised by the Army Headquarters, in Abuja, Lagbaja said the military has come to terms withthecountry’schoiceofdemocracyasthepreferred system of governance.

HesaidtheNigerianArmywouldcontinuetodefend theconstitutionandnotsuspenditforwhateverreason, adding that it was the duty of “our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution.”

The COAS was apparently responding to rumours

of imaginary coups being spread by the enemies of democracy.

Recall that last month, shortly after he inaugurated the main entrance of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army and OfficersTransit Accommodation, at the Division Headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, had assured that the Nigerian military would continue to defend and protect democracy in the country.

His assurance came after some unpatriotic individuals called for a military takeover, like what was obtained recently in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic following the hardship in the country.

Inthelastonemonth,hunger,povertyandeconomic hardshiphaveintensified,ignitingprotestsandlooting in many parts of the country. These are added to the serious security challenges facing the country which

have prevented many people from travelling by road.

While the assurances by the military chiefs are needed especially by the political class, it is high time scaremongers stopped heating up the polity with baseless rumours about coups.

The heating up of the polity with rumours of coups and the military’s constant reassurance portray Nigeria’s democracy as unstable. This is enough to scare away potential investors.

Neither the armies nor the citizens of developed countries discuss coups.

Instead of constantly heating up the polity with coup rumours and reassurances, the military should ensure that they put in place every available barrier against coup in Nigeria. Those who make frivolous comments or reports about coups should also be invited by security agencies for questioning.

Like Chibok Girls, Like Kuriga School Children

Ejiofor Alike and John Shiklam report that reminiscent of the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 276 Chibok school girls by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State, last Thursday’s abduction of 287 school children in Kaduna State by bandits has sent ominous signals that the federal government and its security architecture have not learnt lessons that could stop the incessant attacks on schools by bandits

In what appeared as a sad reminder of the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 276 Chibok school girls in Borno Sate, bandits last Thursday abducted 287 school children in Kaduna State.

The terrorists invaded LEA Primary and Government Secondary School (GSS), Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State and abducted 287 school children, in what could be described as the highest mass abduction in the state.

Critics of Vice President Kashim Shettima had argued that his alleged complacence as the then Governor of Borno State led to the abduction of the Chibok school girls.

A letter sent by the then Supervising Minister of Education and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike to Shettima on March 12, 2014, requesting him to relocate Senior School Certificate Examination candidates of Federal Unity Schools to Maiduguri, the state capital, was allegedly ignored by the state government.

Wike had at the time, expressed fears over security challenges, noting also that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council of Nigeria (NECO) had also expressed concerns as well.

A month after, on April 14, Boko Haram terrorists hit Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, and abducted the 276 female students from their dormitory in the middle of the night.

With the local and international outcry that greeted the incident, coupled with the embarrassment it caused Nigeria globally, many had thought that the federal government and its security architecture would not only rescue the girls but also nip similar incidents in the bud.

But nearly 10 years after the Chibok incident, not only that close to 100 of the girls have remained in captivity, bandits have continued to carry out similar raids on schools in the northern parts of the country and abduct children for ransom.

The case of Kaduna State is more shocking as the state has become one of the most insecure in the country despite having the largest concentration of military formations, police and other security installations, and also not having borders with any neighbouring country.

Last Thursday’s abduction was about the fourth time bandits attacked schools in the state and kidnapped a large number of people for ransom.

On March 11, 2021, 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry, Afaka- Kaduna, were abducted

when bandits invaded the school in the middle of the night.

On April 20, 2021, 23 students of Greenfield University which was formerly located along the Kaduna-Abuja Road, were abducted when bandits attacked the institution.

Also on July 5, 2021, bandits broke into Baptist Bethel High School, Kaduna, and made away with 121 students.

Despite the huge budgets for defence and security by successive administrations, the terrorists have remained bold and daring in their attacks on schools and security agencies.

Though the security forces have been relentless in the fight against the terrorists with success stories recorded by the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force, the bandits have remained unrelenting in their assaults on Nigerians.

One of the success stories was the recent killing of Boderi Isyaku, a notorious bandit leader responsible for the kidnapping of 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation and the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna in 2021, alongside his gang members.

Isyaku and his gang were said to be responsible for the kidnapping of high-profile individuals and mass abduction of people in Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara states.

But the military’s exploits have not discouraged these terrorists.

While the Chibok incident took place in the middle of the night, the perpetrators of the latest Kuriga incident were bolder and more daring because, according to one of the school teachers, Sani Abdullahi, the incident occurred in broad daylight, at about 8.30am after the morning assembly.

Abdullahi narrated how the bandits, said to be about 100 in number, stormed the school and abducted pupils and students alongside their teachers, when the Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, visited the community on Thursday evening to sympathise with the people over the incident.

According to him, 187 students of the GSS and 125 pupils from the primary school were missing. However, the bandits freed 21 of the pupils because of their tender ages while four others escaped and returned home, bringing the number of missing children to 287.

NOTES FOR FILE

Abdullahi said he was in the Acting Principal’s office to sign the staff register when the Acting Principal suddenly drew his attention to a large number of bandits who had already surrounded the school.

“Then, the bandits ordered us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them because they were many.

“So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people. I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community.

“Immediately our vigilante and personnel of Kaduna Vigilante Service (KADVS) followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed. The bandits killed one of the vigilantes,” he explained.

Addressing the community at the palace of the District Head of Kuriga, Alhaji Lawal Abdullahi, the governor said President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, have been briefed about the incident, adding that efforts were being made to deploy security forces to rescue the children.

“I will make a strong case to the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff for the establishment of a Military Base in Kuriga to strengthen security in the area”, the governor added.

The governor maintained that the incident has reinforced his support for the establishment of state police.

The governor argued that, “with State Police, there will be a standing Police Force in Kuriga drawn from members of the community who understand the terrain, the people and the issues at play,” the governor said.

Reacting to the abduction of the students on his X handle, President Tinubu said he had directed security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of the abominable acts.

“Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered.

“I sympathise with the families of the victims, and assure them that they would soon be reunited with their loved ones”, the president wrote on his X handle.

It is a shame and international embarrassment to Nigeria that bandits can abduct over 200 school children in the country without any trace.

The president and the governors should stop this tradition of sending sympathy messages to victims of attacks and secure lives and property of Nigerians, which is the primary responsibility of the government.

Umahi on a Redemptive Mission

Though it is one side of the bridge that has so far been completed, there is no doubt that anybody who regularly plies theThird Mainland Bridge will appreciate the level of work ongoing on the bridge and give credit to President Bola Tinubu and his Minister ofWorks, Senator Dave Umahi.

Already, what one can hear from some of the peoplewhoaresingingUmahi’spraisesandmakingreferencestohisimmediatepredecessor,Mr. Babatunde Fashola is: “Saul has killed thousands of men. David has killed tens of thousands.”

Many may not like his style, and the highhandedness with which he ruled Ebonyi State as governor but in his new position as Minister of Works, he is definitely on a redemptive mission to obliterate his negative past.

Immediately he was appointed the works minister,Umahi,aftertouringsomefederalroads

across the country, lamented their deplorable state.Inoneinstance,hesaidsomeoftheroads no longer had just potholes but boreholes.The Third Mainland Bridge was not an exception.

He also expressed deep concern over the state of road projects in the country and the staggering N14 trillion debts inherited by Tinubu’s administration.

After a tour of federal roads in Lagos in particular, a state Fashola had governed for eight years and represented for another eight years at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Umahi expressed deep concern over the poor conditions of almost all the critical bridges in the state.

Briefing the media after an on-the-spot assessment of the Third Mainland Bridge, the minister had said: “Almost all the bridges in Lagos are having problems.”

BeforeFasholaleftoffice,theLagos-IbadanExpressway which was a legacy project of the Muhammadu Buhari’s government, was not completed after he had supervised it for eight years.

Even the Third Mainland Bridge he frequently worked on was left littered with terrible potholes.

Major roads such as the Benin-Auchi Highway, Abuja-KadunaExpressway,Ibadan-IleshaExpressway,Abuja-Lokoja Expressway,Benin-WarriExpressway,Enugu-PortHarcourt Expressway, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, or Calabar-Itu Road, East-West Road, Ninth Miile-Obollo Afor-Makurdi Road and many others were left in deplorable states.

As Lagos State governor, Fashola was a celebrated achiever. But many believe that his performance during the eight years he spent at the federal level was unimpressive and uninspiring.

It is hoped that Umahi will replicate the wonderful work he is doing on the Third Mainland Bridge on other roads across the country.

End of the Road for Philip Shaibu?

With the impeachment notice served on the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu by the state House of Assembly, there are indications that his removal is imminent, Juliet Akoje writes

When reports emerged that the Edo State House of Assembly had commenced impeachment proceedings against the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, many analysts knew that it was time for him to go after a long-drawn battle with his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguo- barueghian (PDP Ovia North-East 1), who announced the impeachment notice during plenary, said a petition dated March 5 and contained two breaches and infractions committed by Shaibu, was signed by 21 out of the 24 members of the state’s legislature. He further stated that the petition was based on two grounds: Perjury and the revelation of government secrets.

Aiguobarueghian noted that the number of members who signed the petition was higher than two-thirds required by the constitution.

Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku (PDP-Owan-West), who acknowledged receipt of the petition, directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on the deputy governor. He also gave the deputy governor seven days to respond to the notice of impeachment.

Shaibu was a strong political ally of Governor Godwin Obaseki. In the build-up to the 2020 governorship election in the state, both men had formed what many perceived as an unbreakable alliance. Together, they confronted the onslaught of the then National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole to emerge victorious as governor and deputy governor, respectively.

Signs of friction however surfaced when Shaibu showed interest in succeeding his boss in the upcoming governorship election. Obaseki felt Shaibu’s true intention was to undermine his authority.

It was alleged that Shaibu did not formally inform his boss of his intention before embarking on consultations over his ambition.

The governor was also said to have appealed to his associates who were interested in the governorship race to focus more on ensuring that the administration finished well and strong, a decision Shaibu ignored.

Since the feud began, the governor has stripped his deputy of state responsibilities he had once controlled such as revenue supervision and sports administration in the state.

The feud even led to the deputy governor being kicked out of his office from the Government House, to a different location at No. 7 Dennis Osadebe Avenue, formerly meant for the state Public Procurement Office.

At the beginning of the year, the crisis between the two shifted to the 2024 budget of the state with the office of the deputy governor receiving a paltry N300 million as compared to billions received in the past. This was seen as an attempt to strangulate him.

In his recent television interview, Shaibu attributed his fallout with Obaseki to his ambition to succeed him.

The deputy governor said Obaseki is not happy that he is not supporting his preferred candidate. He added that he had made several efforts to mend the relationship with the governor to no avail.

“He has not been happy that I’m not supporting his candidate. It is my right to contest in an election and I’m exercising that right. And he has done a lot of negative things. It doesn’t really matter, I

Many analysts have suggested that the most prudent way out for him would be to promptly submit his resignation letter, rather than subject himself to the humiliation of impeachment

see it as politics.

“I’ve made up my mind to always respect the office of the governor, and I’ll continue to respect the office of the governor till the end, whether as deputy or any other thing. So the relationship is not cordial, I can tell you that. It’s not from my own end, it’s from his own end because I have made attempts to bridge the gap, but he doesn’t allow it,” Shaibu said.

“I have called him and he doesn’t pick up, even in public functions. I greet him, but he doesn’t answer me, because I have made up my mind that I must exercise my right. We’ve never had any differences, the only difference we have is ‘why are you contesting?’”

However, Obaseki in his reaction, accused him of disloyalty and planning to overthrow him because of his desperation to become the next governor of the state.

According to him, Shaibu had gone to Abuja and was boasting about his connections there, stating that he had people in the National Assembly who were supportive of him. Shaibu alleg-

edly indicated that if he couldn’t secure the ticket in the PDP, he knew what to do, implying that he had a sinister plan. The governor noted that he stayed quiet during this time, assuming they were on the same page. However, he admitted that what struck him was when he inaugurated the House of Assembly and they were about to elect officers.

“He was in Abuja; he came back that day. I am the chief security officer of this state. I get any information I need. But I have that responsibility to keep quiet and use the information properly.

“My deputy called the leader in APC, telling him that during the elections the next day, particularly the election of the Speaker of the House of Assembly that he has five members who are loyal to him and that he would like the seven members of APC to work with his five members of PDP to produce the next speaker.

“As far as I am concerned, that was not working in our common interest. Why would the deputy governor seek to have another speakership candidate outside what the governor wants? Are we working together? That was when I knew we had a problem. That the deputy governor has become so desperate to take over,” Obaseki explained.

Last Saturday, the deputy governor said he had been receiving impeachment

threats over his involvement in the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He noted that he would not be deterred, insisting that contesting the Edo governorship election is his constitutional right.

On February 22, Shaibu was declared winner of a factional governorship primary election that was reportedly held at his residence in Benin City, the state capital, while Asue Ighodalo was also announced winner of another PDP primary exercise which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.

Ighodalo, the preferred candidate of Obaseki is the flagbearer recognised by the PDP national leadership.

However, the deputy governor has consistently faulted the primary that produced Ighodalo, saying that it was organised by the state party executive instead of the national executive of the party. He claimed that members of the state executive and the governor are supporters of Ighodalo and therefore were not going to conduct an unbiased election.

He maintained that he is the authentic candidate of the PDP, and warned that failure by the party to accept him as its candidate in the state governorship election will spell doom for the party in the state.

“PDP has a date with history; delegates have spoken that they want Shaibu and I can bet you that the other eight aspirants will support Shaibu if the party backs him. If the party decides to join us in court to argue for Ighodalo then PDP winning Edo State for PDP will be shaky because Asue will not be accepted by the people,” Shaibu said.

From the series of interviews by Shaibu lately, sometimes disparaging Obaseki, many had concluded that he would not survive the political gang-up that is ahead, especially since the governor was now determined to cut him to size and clip his political wings.

Many analysts have suggested that the most prudent way out for him would be to promptly submit his resignation letter, rather than subject himself to the humiliation of impeachment.

Land of Unfinished Business

Amongthepantheonoftoday’spolitical godlings, perhaps Senate President Mr. Godswill Akpabio is the epitome of the spirit of the times. An embodiment of power and delusion, Akpabio’s pronouncements on the state of the nation resonate with echoes of emptiness and grand hallucinations. The impression is that of a man who is either deliberately out to misinform or is so thoroughly intoxicated by the aroma of supreme power that he mistakes his own delusions for portrayals of reality. For some reason, he probably thinks that his elevated office and the grand toga of Senate President will glorify whatever nonsense he mouths on national affairs. A typical man for all seasons as characterized by my friend Segun Adeniyi a few weeks back, Akpabio will stop at nothing in his serial adulations of Tinubu and his government. After over six months in office, most people would expect that the nation’s number three citizen should have fulfilled his gratitude obligations to President Tinubu for elevating him to dizzying heights. But not Akpabio. He is intent on usurping the role of the Minister of Information or the nabobs that are crawling around the corridors of Aso Rock Villa to natter endlessly and be paid for it.

A few weeks ago, Akpabio was variously quoted asclaimingthattheFederalGovernmenthasdoled out a frightening N30 billion a piece to each of our 36 governors and the Minister of the FCT. He was forced to disown the naked falsehood by some sensible governors. Just last Thursday, Mr. Akpabio was at it again. He was quoted as waxing lyrical on how insecurity has receded and declined under the Tinubu administration. Meanwhile, he was in attendance barely a fortnight ago when insecurity forced his principal to summon a meeting of all governors and security chiefs to initiate moves towards the introduction of state police. The terrorists and bandits heard Akpabio this time. On the same day, they struck in Kaduna State. They attacked a school and carted away over 287 children and their teachers including the head teacher of the school. The world has heard it.

A day earlier, Boko Haram or ISWAP or both struck an IDP in Borno state.They took away over 100 inmates mostly women and destroyed some of the new buildings erected by humanitarian agencies to house the displaced persons. On the same day as the Borno attack, inter militia violence in Benue state claimed 30 lives. Just last Friday, the terrorists struck again in Kaduna state. Gunmen attacked a mosque during Friday prayersandkilledanumberofworshippers.Noone knows what further acts of brazen insecurity will be visited on our hapless people any time. So much for Akpabio’s delusionary and self- ingratiating propaganda.

But this piece is not about the Akpabios of this world.Itisaboutamuchmorefundamentaltrouble with government and governance in Nigeria. From the forests of our recurrent troubles, an unsettling reality has unfolded. It is a simple observable problem.Hardlydoesoursuccessivegovernments achieve closure on any national problem. Be it insecurity, economic disaster or the scourge of ever increasing poverty or terrorism, no job ever seemstogetcompletedbygovernmentinNigeria. Everything remains an unfinished business which is carried over to subsequent years or handed over to the next administration. Isolated troubles even graduate into permanent features of public life as to acquire separate charges and allocations in our annual budgets.We now make annual budgetary provisions for insecurity, poverty alleviation, cybercrimes, new forms of corruption and even for combating self inflicted economic disasters .

Year in, year out, our troubles regenerate , multiply and assume lives of their own. Nothing ever gets resolved nor does any task get completed. The Nigerian state never puts anything behind it in order to face new challenges. Nothing bad comes here and ever goes away again. Everything that afflicts us becomes an endemic ailment and we add it to our ever expanding basket of troubles and vocabulary of abnormality. We budget for bad things and assume them as part of a new normal that grows by the day. The pile heaps on the heads of our helpless and hapless citizenry. Our economy hardly ever improves. Our GDP growth rate never remains on a rise for more than two quarters. Our exchange rate has steadily worsenedforovertwodecades.Ourpovertyindex rises every year as more and more people enroll

in the poverty republic. Even more people exit the miserable middle class as they lose jobs and living standards. Familiar places become more dangerous with the years as rail rolling stock and passenger coaches are routinely stopped by bandits and ransacked for captives to be held for ransom. In this place, nothing ever improves neither does a government declared emergency beenknowntoend.EveryNigerianpublicbusiness remains forever unfinished.

Soon enough, new government positions are created, even new ministries spring up and an industryofsortsisborninhonouroftheunfinished businesses of state. Take poverty alleviation and the empowerment of the under privileged. Nigeria as the new Poverty Capital of the World has necessitated a whole gamut of government actions to address poverty. From the onset of the Buhari government, a department sprang up first in the office of the Vice president with varying nomenclature. Then it was yanked out of the VP’s office and granted independent full ministerial status. Humanitarian Affairs. National Emergency Relief Agency. Poverty Alleviation, any group of names.

Soon enough, new ways of dispensing government money in pursuit of these maladies emerged. Cash transfers to the poor. N-Power. Palliatives. Helicopter Money. In a nation of too many illiterate people, it is easy to come up with target figures of people whose lives will be made better by these new phantom schemes- cash transfersrelieffor15million,20million,25million families of individuals. Just name a figure. No questions asked about the relationship of these arbitrary numbers to the mass of impoverished humanity. Some agencies of government speak of households, others prefer individuals and yet others opt in other wild directions. Some want to assist traders withTrader Money, Artisan Money, Vulcanizer Support etc. In spite of these diverse epithets, nothing changes. Poverty as the poet said, “stands there like an elephant, huge and unmoved”.

In one recent instance, a new Minister was placed in charge of one of these schemes for

taken place all over the country. No one knows how many children have been adducted from school dormitories and hurled into slavery or sadistic ‘marriages’ to jihadists and nasty zealots. Many have died unnecessary death either in the hands of sundry gunmen or badly trained security personnel. Yet many more have been abducted, kidnapped and ransoms totalling billions of Naira paid. Children have lost their parents to enemies they cannot recognize just as parents and husbands have watched their children or wives abused before their very eyes.

TheworldhascometobrandNigeriaasapermanently unsafe and insecure place. In furtherance of thisbrandidentity,ourcitizenshavebeenbranded, our passport held in permanent disdainful suspicion with our citizens subjected to all manner of indignities at airports and land borders across the world. Of course the global arms business has benefitted from our permanent insecurity status. The United States, Turkey, China and all manner of black market arms dealers around the world have benefitted from our institutionalized insecurity. We have , for the past decade or more, been buying all manner of instruments of war to combat what is widely regarded as an internal security problem. We now need sophisticated fighter jets, helicopter gunships and all classes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to suppress bandits,terroristsandcommunitybasedcommon criminals. No one cares to ask about the human rightsimplicationsofusingdisproportionateforce to discourage common criminals from disturbing the peace. “War is war. All is fair in war”, I can hear the arms merchants and their Nigerian agents chant in unison.

The recent spate of insecurity incidents has come at a time when most Nigerians thought that the critical emergency of the hour is the epidemic of hunger and government inflicted hardship ravaging the country. That in itself is manifesting in hitherto unimagined ways. In the various theatres of the hardship war, new forms of anarchic trends are being witnessed. Destitutes and children have taken to way -laying and looting trucks in transit especially those loaded with food items. Private and government warehouses are being breached and ransacked. In Abia state, a hungry man has reportedly shot dead his teenage son for ‘eating the only food left in the house’. In Lagos, two children have reportedly been sold in exchange for some bags of rice.

which a ministry had been created. Before our very eyes, the elegant new Minister had ordered over half a billion Naira of government cash to be paid into her friend’s private bank account. Her friend had become a government ATM through whom beneficiaries of government poverty alleviation in a number of states would be paid! Her patrons and principals were embarrassed that she did not spend enough time to learn the trade before swooping! She lost her job within weeks of being sworn in. Investigations are still ongoing and may be completed on the eve of the 2027 elections, just in time for her to rejoin the re-election campaign trail!

Similarly, a Buhari era Minister of Humanitarian Affairs has reportedly been called in to explain how N37 billion of the poverty alleviation money entrusted in her care developed wings. Reports indicate that a few billions of the unaccounted funds have been returned to the EFCC. Again, investigations are said to be ongoing. In a situation where the reality of poverty has also become a business, government is not likely to be in a hurry to either scrub the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs or take it off the budget. Poverty alleviation is likely to remain an unfinished business for a long time. Insecurity is easily the most entrenched area of our culture of unfinished national business. For more than 12 years, insecurity has come to occupy a central place in the language of our social and political discourse as a nation. Our insecurity has created its own industrial momentum of unfinished business. In the absence of a formal war, our entire security and military apparatus has become embroiled in the last ten years or more in combating forms of insecurity in all of our 36 states and the FCT. Countless prison breaks have

There needs to be a way out of these multiple crises. The upshot of all this is to challenge our government to call this anomaly of multiple crises its rightful name. Are we in a war or at peace? Does any of our troubles have an end in sight? Why must we consecrate transient problems that other nations put out in months into permanent conditions?

Government needs to summon up the courage tobecomepragmaticandunconventional.Government must attach a deadline to its exertions in the various areas of the troubles that afflict us. Our security forces now need to give all bandits, terrorists, armed agents, non- state actors and trouble makers a deadline to surrender beyond which deadline they qualify as enemy combatants with full consequences. On the economy, I guess it is time that the government of the day gathers the nation’s best economic brains in one room with a simple task: come up with workable solutions to rescue our economy within a 12 month window.

ItisalsotimetodissolvetheMinistryofHumanitarian Affairs and other related poverty enabled government efforts. They are enriching a few opportunists and deepening the poverty of the majority. Poverty was not created by any ministry. It was created and widened by a succession of bad inhumane governments presided over by politicians.Ourpovertyandeconomiccalamityare the products of the politics of bad table manners: eating too much when the majority are starving! Therefore, all those who have held executive political positions from local government to federal level since 1999 should voluntarily let us know how much they are willing to “lend” to the Central Bank in both Naira and foreign exchange within the next three months to help us revamp the economy. That is probably all the money we need to revamp the economy. No need for World Bank or IMF loans. No need to go camp in hand to Qatar, Saudi Arabia or UAE. We shall repay our politicians the ‘soft loan’ within an agreed time frame for as long as the loan amount can be justified as legitimate income in their period of public service.

Again, Tinubu Orders Security Agencies to Rescue Kaduna School Children

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

President Bola Tinubu has again given a marching order to security agencies to ensure the immediate rescue of pupils and teachers abducted at the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School in Kuriga, Kaduna State.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this yesterday in Kaduna during a meeting with the state Governor, Senator Uba Sani and the security agencies and other

stakeholders, including traditional rulers and some affected parents from Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Speaking at the meeting, Shettima said all hands were on deck to ensure that all the abducted persons were safely recovered, adding that efforts were being made to ensure an end to such menace. He noted that the President was personally pained by the unfortunate incident, assuring however he is equal to the task of securing the country.

"I am here at the behest of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, to empathise, to solidarise with the government and people of Kaduna over the sad incident of the kidnapping of our school kids. The President was personally pained by what happened and he has instructed the security agencies to leave no stone unturned until we return our kids to their parents.

"He (President) is in regular contact with the governor of Kaduna State. Today, so far, he has spoken with the governor four times; he

has spoken with me three times about the rescue of the kids.

"But as rightly captured by His Excellency, discretion is better. I will align with His Excellency and appeal to our friends in the media. You are all stakeholders in the Nigeria project; let us be very selective in our choice of reporting for the interest of our kids who are not currently with us.

"Once again, on behalf of my principal, President Tinubu, please, accept our heartfelt sympathy over the travails that have befallen our

people. Be rest assured that the President is equal to the tasks. The very essence of the existence of government is to secure the lives and property of the citizenry.

"He has tasked the entire security architecture in the country to go all out and get our kids back safely," he explained.

Shettima, however, commended the media and solicited their continued support, saying, "our friends from the media, we have come a long way and we will go a long way with you together.

RATTLED BY ABDUCTIONS, NORTH-WEST GOVS UNITE AGAINST TERRORISTS

said he received a call from the village around 2 a.m that they were invaded by bandits.

"I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies and I am sure they are doing something about it,” Dauda said.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa'i, said the command has deployed a team to ascertain the real situation.

“We have mobilised our men to ascertain what actually happened; I can assure you that we are on top of the situation. I will brief you on it," he added.

FG Vows to Rescue Abducted Women, School Children in Borno, Kaduna

Reacting to the recent mass abductions in Borno and Kaduna states in a statement issued yesterday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammad Idris, described the abductions as utterly unacceptable and against all the fundamental values of humanity.

"While extending heartfelt sympathies to the families and communities affected by this distressing event, the President has directed security agencies to swiftly ensure the safe return of all abducted persons and the arrest

of the perpetrators.

"The government will spare no effort in our pursuit of justice for the victims and in our determination to hold perpetrators of such heinous acts accountable to the full extent of the law," Idris explained.

Abduction of Schoolchildren

Unacceptable, Obi Insists

Also reacting to the abduction of schoolchildren in Kaduna, the presidential candidate of the LP in the 2023 general election, Obi, has said it was unacceptable that Nigerian children would not be allowed to learn in a secure environment because of the activities of criminals.

According to a statement by the Chief Spokesperson of the Obi/ Datti Campaign Organisation, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, the LP presidential candidate wrote on his X handle platform: “Just yesterday, I was lamenting the horrible spate of killings, terror attacks, and abductions in the country, while calling for more concerted efforts to combat the menace.

Obi said the attacks, and abductions in Kaduna State were curious because the state has the

highest number of military and other security institutions in the country.

“While every effort should be directed towards the safe release of the children, better security measures need to be implemented to avoid future occurrences.

“Insecurity has continued to bear down on every sector of our national existence, its negative impact on education will be more devastating for the nation.

“We are already contending with an army of over 18 million out-of-school children, arising from the closure of schools due to insecurity. Further attacks on schools will only aggravate these numbers, drive more children into the streets, and add to the insecurity situation of the country,” Obi added.

ACF Calls for Effective Strategies to End Terrorism

Meanwhile, the ACF has called on security forces to adopt more effective strategies to end banditry and terrorism ravaging communities.

In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, the forum condemned Thursday’s abduction of 287 school

HARD LESSONS FOR TINUBU ON TOUGH REFORMS

Tinubu’s two reforms—or more rightly their manner of implementation—cannot be divorced from the worsening economic indicators and the growing hardship in the country, despite the clever attempts by some in the government to create distractions and scapegoats. But as the pains expand without any respite in sight, Tinubu’s avid praise-singers of just a few months ago have, in a manner of speaking, changed their mouths. Those who just yesterday saluted his audacity are now accusing him of being whimsical. Some of his ardent supporters are wavering, and the opposition to him is spreading beyond the legacies of the fractious elections of a year ago. One of the signature reforms has been paused, and sensibly so. The other reform also stands the risk of unravelling. Tinubu and his inner team must be wondering how things fell apart, and so quickly. This is not a turn not foretold. In at least two separate interventions on this page in the early days of the reforms (‘Tinubu: Looking Beyond Initial Adulation’, published on 18th June 2023; ‘Need to Risk-proof Nigeria’s Fragile Reforms’, published on 2nd July 2023), I submitted that hard reforms must be handled with tact, that not much store should be placed on early adulations (given the reality of the ‘Hail-Ceasar, NailCeasar’ phenomenon), that reliefs for the poorest of the poor should be frontloaded or swiftly sorted out, and that the reforms should be underpinned by a sound and clearly communicated strategy.

On 18th June 2023, I wrote: “… no honeymoon lasts forever. Initial surprise and excitement will fade, especially as short-term gains may not outweigh lingering and additional

pains. Tinubu needs to anticipate this phase and stay ahead of the curve… As Tinubu enjoys the praises, he needs to speed up action on how to cushion the attendant pains of the reforms and impose greater clarity on these policies.” I elaborated further on 2nd July 2023: “Reforms, especially the contentious types, can be fragile. They need careful nurturing, protection even, to yield results and in the desired quantum. Reforms are rarely painless and the gains may be late or elusive. When the definite pains of change linger, the promise of a brighter future is hardly strong enough to checkmate pushbacks. Unravelling is likely to follow, at greater cost to the society. This is a probability that should keep reformers and reform advocates constantly awake.

“President Tinubu has been drenched in praises, including from unusual quarters… He has been described as audacious and sagacious. He should soak in the adulation, but should not get carried away. As I mentioned in my last piece on this page, public adulation (both domestic and external) can be fickle. Besides, announcing a removal or suspension is not all there is to reforms. What has happened at best is a good start. But then, reform is not a sprint. It is a marathon. So, after starting out well, President Tinubu needs a robust plan that will see him through the tortuous and sometimes lonely and slippery terrain to podium success. He needs a comprehensive reform strategy.”

I am tempted to use the title of the latest album by an Afrobeats artiste, but gloating is of no utility in this instance. It is important to get this clear: I think the two reforms are

important and necessary. Spending $10 billion on petrol subsidy in one year, as we did in 2022, is simply not sensible nor sustainable. The arbitrage-ridden multiple exchange rates were also a disincentive to capital flows and investment, which our floundering economy badly needed. So, I supported the two reforms, and I still support them. However, this is my point of departure: it is possible to do the right thing in a wrong way or/and in the wrong order. This is the central problem with the Tinubu reforms.

The first hard lesson for Tinubu is that while courage is very important for undertaking tough reforms, courage is simply not enough. There is no substitute for a well-thought-out and thoughtfullyimplemented reform strategy. When Tinubu decreed the end of petrol subsidy, it was assumed that he had a robust and comprehensive plan that anticipated all the channels through which Nigerians, especially the poor, would be immediately impacted and reasonable ways to mitigate the pains. It was also assumed that he and his team had thought through all the scenarios and how the different parts connected and that they had put in place risk-mitigation plans, including if there would be circuit breakers in case the price of crude oil doubled or tripled. More than nine months after, we are still discussing the content and the implementation of the relief package.

But more disturbingly, we are back to status quo ante on petrol subsidy, and in a disorderly fashion. After regular increases in pump prices of petrol, both the Presidency and the national oil company announced a stay on further increment. Contrary to President Tinubu’s declaration,

children and their teachers in LEA Primary School and Government Secondary, Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The statement signed by the spokesman of the forum, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted children to their parents unharmed.

The forum also called for a regional multi-pronged strategy against terrorists operating in all contagious states.

"In these regards, the security forces should never dither or stay on the course of plain ineptitude and ineffectiveness that characterise the current strategy to contain and stamp out terrorism throughout the country," Muhammad-Baba said.

It urged the federal government to "go beyond perfunctory directives to the security forces to rescue the abducted students.”

Abductions Violate Pupils’ Right to Education, NEF Laments

On its part, NEF has lamented that the abductions violated pupils’ right to education.

According to NEF, the recent attack and mass abductions have

the reality is that petrol subsidy is back. NNPCL has gone back to being the sole importer of petrol, as it is the only entity with the capacity to accommodate unbudgeted subsidy. We are back to the spot where petrol sells for considerably cheaper in Nigeria than in our neighbouring countries and to the opacity of subsidy management, and we all know what both developments mean. We don’t have official figures of the current size of the petrol subsidy, but it is conceivable that it is considerable, probably higher than it was preTinubu’s declaration at Eagle Square. The second hard lesson for Tinubu is the place of sequencing in reforms. To be sure, there is a school of thought that canvasses for ripping off all the bandages and bringing on all the pains to address all the ailments. But even if we stay with that analogy, there is a limit to how much pain the human body can tolerate. The same with the body polity. Removing petrol subsidy (with or without a plan) is a massive shock on its own. Layering that with a currency float multiplied and compounded the shock in a country that still imports almost all its refined petroleum products and where constant Naira depreciation would further and constantly shoot up prices of imported items, including prices of refined petroleum products.

Petrol subsidy is back precisely because the Naira was floated, not because of even a major increase in the price of crude oil (imagine if that happens too). Higher prices of petrol and diesel (which is not paused and now sells for about N1600 per litre in Abuja) have translated to higher transportation costs and higher food prices, the two items that our large army of poor people spend most of their incomes on. The

You are our friends, you are our contemporaries, you are our brothers".

Speaking earlier, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Sani, thanked the President for his concern and the efforts being made to rescue the victims.

He confirmed that President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima and the security agencies have been working closely with the Kaduna State government since the unfortunate incident happened.

children in Borno State last week.

once again brought to the forefront the grave security challenges facing Northern Nigeria.

The forum, in a statement released yesterday in Kaduna by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, NEF lamented that the abduction of schoolchildren has now become a common occurrence in Northern Nigeria, posing a serious threat to education in the region.

The forum emphasised the need for a collaborative effort between the government, security agencies, and local communities to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians. The statement added: “This reprehensible act not only violates the fundamental rights of these innocent children to education but also instills fear and anxiety among parents and educators.”

Boko Haram Kidnapped over 400 People in Borno, Amnesty International Alleges

In a related development, Amnesty International (AI) has raised the alarm that Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 400 people, including women and

rapid depreciation of the Naira has led to sharp and consistent increase in the prices of imported items (in a country that imports a lot, including intermediate goods and farm inputs). Prices of other things, including locally produced food items, logically moved in tandem on account of inflation expectation, rising cost of production and expected value exchange. All these came together to produce the worst cost of living crisis in recent memory, a crisis that has almost pushed the country to the edge.

This may be a counterfactual, but things wouldn’t have taken this sour turn if Tinubu had adopted a gradualist and better phased approach. He could have allowed the country to fully absorb the shocks of petrol subsidy removal before embarking what clearly is an open-ended devaluation of the national currency. And even with that, the CBN could have started with eliminating the many official exchange rates, then moved on to a gradual and orderly devaluation. But we went for the big bang of a free float possibly to please investors. We need the investors and their investments no doubt, but we don’t have to set our country on fire for them.

The third hard lesson is that tough reforms should not be implemented on mere hope and assumptions. It is now apparent that we floated the Naira without full knowledge of the true state of our external reserves and without sorting out needed forex liquidity. We also acted on the hope that direct and portfolio investors would flood into Nigeria and that development partners, international financial institutions, and deep-pocket countries that have been urging us

According to AI, the victims were Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from Babban Sansani, Zulum, and Arabic IDP camps in Gamboru Ngala, Borno State.

However, the Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, said on Thursday that the government was yet to ascertain the actual number of the abducted persons.

The mass kidnap occurred in the same week that terrorists abducted about 287 pupils from a public school in Kaduna State.

While reacting to the incidents in a statement at the weekend, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, called on the federal government to secure the safe release of over 687 people abducted by gunmen in the two states.

It took a swipe at the Nigerian government over its perceived failure to end the continuous attacks by gunmen across the country.

It argued that the latest incident has exposed the current administration as having no plan to end the spate of violence and attacks by armed groups.

Amnesty International said in its statement that over 400 persons were kidnapped in Borno.

to undertake difficult reforms would reward us with the needed support. But the investors hesitated and the so-called partners started speaking in tongues. The president has visited three highly liquid petrostates, but no one has supported us with the required forex supply yet.

We are taking a humbling lesson in geo-politics, as we now realise that our size and self-perception do not necessarily put us on the same strategic footing of Egypt and Turkey to the Arab petrostates or of Israel and Ukraine to the US and other western powers. We are on our own, the more reason we should have managed our affairs more properly in the first instance. We are also getting to learn the hard way that we are competing with others for investors’ funds. The overarching lesson here is to realise that no one owes us anything, and we should anchor difficult and potentially destabilising reforms on what we are sure of or what we have secured, rather than on mere hope. As is often said, hope is not a strategy. It is not too late to return to first principles. The Tinubu flagship reforms should have been preceded by comprehensive reform strategies, including robust implementation plans and communication strategies. A skilful and agile reform team should also have been in place not only to lead the implementation but also to ensure proper coordination (which is coming off as one of the weakest points of this administration). There is a lot to learn from the initial missteps, if we are open to learning. There is still a major opportunity to put the reforms of stronger footing. Even this late in the day, it is not too late to go back to the building blocks.

THEY MAKE THEIR WORLD SO HARD (I)

(BVN). We were threatened again that our accounts would be blocked if we did not obey the order. We queued in the sun and under the rain to get the BVN. We gave our mothers’ maiden names again, in addition to the very invasive capturing of our biometrics — something done only to criminal suspects and foreigners in advanced societies.

Most of us survived the BVN badgering but those who didn’t had to suffer the severe inconvenience for months. We were still catching our breath when we were ordered to register for NIN — my fourth example — otherwise we would not be able to get a passport or write university entrance exams. We queued up again, come rain or shine, to do the “needful”. Registration centres became like police checkpoints where extortion is the means of value exchange, if you know what I mean. There were people who spent days and weeks trying to register. But the registration was not enough — there was another one called “verification” which also provided a sweet opening for more extortion.

The fifth instance was the instruction to link NIN to our phone lines in 2021 — when COVID-19 was still killing people. Otherwise, our lines would be barred. Old, young, elderly and sick people had no other option than to flood the registration centres again. Ordinarily, if you already have a NIN, there should be a very easy way to add your number since all your details have already been captured by both the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which manages NIN, and the telcos. It should be as simple as going to a portal to do the linking. Interestingly, or luckily, NIMC eventually came up with an app to make life easier, and I can remember registering all my lines via the app.

Not so fast: the sixth instance was coming. That was when I got a message from my telco to link my NIN to my line by February 29, 2024 or I would face the consequences. I was baffled. What happened to the “linking” of 2021? Has it expired? Thinking I was smart, I quickly opened my NIMC app. Alas, I could no longer access my linked numbers. It kept

KURIGA KIDNAPPINGS

The spate of abductions in northern Nigeria in the past few days is very frightening. Nearly 300 school children were abducted from Kuriga, Kaduna state, on Thursday — a sad reminder of the Chibok kidnappings of 2014. Someone asked if this and other incidents are not co-ordinated or if the economic hardship is instigating an upsurge in criminal activities. As expected, some politicians are seizing the opportunity to play politics, as we saw with the Chibok abductions. Whatever the case may be, President Tinubu must realise that securing the country is his primary responsibility and no excuse is acceptable. We want to see action and results, not rhetoric or blame-trading. Urgent.

telling me “unauthorised access”. I went to another menu and finally saw my linked numbers — but my main line had disappeared. I clicked the “add number” button and was told a one-time password (OTP) had been sent to me. I am still waiting for the great OTP — after trying my luck a million times since February. I now do it for fun.

Now, wait for the seventh instance. I got a mail from my bank that I should add my NIN to my account, otherwise what happened in 1979 would repeat itself (if you don’t know the Okey Bakassi joke, accept my sympathy). This is the mystery: my account has a BVN, and it was from this BVN that my NIN was generated (well, that was what the NIMC lady that registered me for NIN said).

If my NIN was indeed generated from my BVN, why do I have to link my NIN again? Comically, all the banks that said we could link our NIN via their internet banking platforms were only “using us to play”. There is no such menu or portal or function or button on their sites. After checking for three banks, I gave up.

The good news is that I decided to spend a whole day going from bank to bank to link my NIN so that nobody would stop me from accessing my bank account for no fault of mine. The bank officer who attended to me at my first port of call said my line was linked to many accounts, so I should change my phone number, otherwise he would not be able to link my NIN. I wanted to treat it as a joke but he was not laughing. I stood my ground. He buckled. I thereafter went to my telco to re-link my NIN. I was No. 225 on the queue. I’m not joking. I met many sad and tired Nigerians who had spent hours on the queue. I felt nothing but pity for them. This is what Nigeria does to its citizens all the time.

When I was done re-linking my NIN to my mobile line, I headed for the second bank to obey the latest CBN directive. The security guy at the main gate approached me to find out what I was looking for. I said I wanted to do the needful. He

said it was past 4pm and the bank had closed. That was when I realised I had lost my sense of time. Hungry and frustrated, I drove straight home wondering why Nigeria routinely does this kind of thing to its citizens. It is an annual punishment. The philosophy of our policymakers seems to be: why make life easier when it can be complicated? I can bet that there is more in the offing. Soon, we may be asked to link our BVNs to our driving licences.

Even though I sound as if I am angry or bitter or sad, the truth is that it is the poor and lowly people I really feel for. I am an employer. I can somehow afford to burn one day going from one bank to the other to link NIN and all that, but millions of Nigerians do not enjoy that luxury. Their lives depend on daily earnings. They are not asking government for contracts. They are not asking government to pay them welfare support. All they want to do is work with their own hands to feed themselves. But that is not good enough for the policymakers. There must be a new directive to disrupt their lives and send them on unsettling errands that can be done on a smart phone. Millions of lines were cut off.

By the way, I have nothing against BVN or NIN — or linking the national ID to our phone lines. I need to be clear about that. I am cool with whatever measures the government wants to take to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, money laundering and other crimes. The authorities owe us the duty of making our country safe and secure — and we, the citizens, have the duty of supporting and co-operating with them. But must they make life this miserable for us in the process? Robert Nesta Marley, the reggae legend, captured it in these lines: ‘They made their world so hard/ Every day we got to keep on fighting.’ If you drink ordinary water in Nigeria, you will need to use a toothpick.

The wickedness of our policymakers does not have any limit. They woke up one day in 2022 and

And Four Other Things…

ANOTHER ORONSAYE

Another week, another agency. Since President Tinubu “ordered” the implementation of the Oronsaye Report to cut the size of federal bodies, the National Assembly has kickstarted the process of establishing more. It was Peace Corps in week one. In week two, it was the National Tax Crimes and Oversight Commission — the function well performed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). This is a clear indication of the quality of thinking in certain circles and a disturbing confirmation of a lack of purpose. At this rate, we may need to set up another Oronsaye Committee to rationalise the new agencies and commissions being created after Tinubu’s directive. Dissonance.

POWER PLAY

Chief Bayo Adelabu, minister of power, spat fire on Wednesday over the dire power situation in the country. He “summoned” the chief executives of distribution companies (DisCos) and threatened to revoke their licences. He said despite all efforts to improve generation, “Certain distribution companies are failing to adequately distribute the power supplied by TCN (the transmission company).” I am a bit baffled. Is it possible to hold back power that is already on the grid? Where will the DisCos keep it? I understand that Adelabu is under pressure because of public criticism, but he needs to be calming down to be able to understand the sector before issuing threats.

Complicated.

SUNSET AT NOON: HERBERT WIGWE (1966 – 2024)

and central African regions.

In their days running Access Bank, Aigboje and Herbert earned reputations as taskmasters. (Aigboje describes it, in his 2021 memoir, as “our fabled work ethic”). Critics saw them as willing to go to any lengths to achieve whatever they sought. The landmark takeover of Intercontinental Bank in 2011—which tripled their customer base—was believed to be a hostile, even ruthless, one. Not uncommon allegations, admittedly, at that level of performance. Similarly, the merger repositioned the Nigerian banking sector on the African continent as the combined entity had the potential of ranking amongst Africa’s top 10 banks according to The Bankers’ Magazine’s review of top African banks.

Ironically, Herbert’s most telling impact was not just about the mergers and acquisitions or about his corporate conquests. It was not in the number of businesses or branches in his fledging conglomerate. When Access Bank bought Diamond Bank in 2018, the resulting entity became the biggest lender in Africa by customer base. It means that the bank lent to more people and entities than any other financial institution on the continent. It also meant that the bank became a leading provider of capital to the private sector, particularly MSMEs in the continent.

Selling the PFA to Herbert was an easy decision for me. We had grown it to the point where I was convinced that we needed an institutional investor that could drive the business effectively to compete against Stanbic IBTC. There were more than 10 suitors out of which I zeroed down to only 2, Access and GTB. During his tribute on Wednesday night, Segun Agbaje mentioned that Herbert was his friend and at the same time, his competitor, he meant every word of that. Segun also wanted to buy the same PFA. He pleaded with me not to sell to Herbert, but Herbert won at the end. Herbert assured me that

he could compete against Stanbic. He was emphatic that he would enter the market with at least N1 trillion assets under management. He was able to quickly achieve this by acquiring First Guarantee Pensions and Sigma Pensions in quick succession, Herbert was in too much of a hurry to grow any business organically, his preference was for mergers and acquisitions (Buy then Build). He then set his sights on Premium Pensions, the second largest in the industry. We both worked relentlessly on this, my assignment was to engage the two major blocks in Premium Pensions. When the infighting in Premium got messy, Herbert quickly turned his sights in the direction of ARM Pensions and engaged his friend Deji Alli and the rest is history. In a couple of months, he was able to enter the industry with assets under management of over N2 trillion. Vintage Herbert.

Much has also been said about Herbert’s state-ofthe-art university in his Isiokpo hometown. In truth, the university is no ordinary one. Like all things Herbert, the institution has grand visions to close Africa’s skills gap in finance and technology, and ultimately to help shape Africa’s future.

Again, just like everything else that Herbert conceived and executed, the University was neither a whim nor a product of purposeless ambition. He got me involved in this project as well, my specific assignment was to get the license out from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The executive secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed was a member of the board of trustees of The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) which I chaired. The university bears the mark of an important part of Herbert’s bigger vision. The institution is a product of the HOW (Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe) Foundation, which he founded in 2016 to support health, education, and capacities of young people. The university, billed as the first Ivy League institution in Africa, came straight out of

decreed that they were going to re-colour naira to “fight corruption”. After sadistically making sure there wasn’t enough cash in circulation, they confiscated the old notes from us until the Supreme Court came to the rescue. They ensured electronic channels did not work well so that bank transfers would be tough. People died in the process. According to authoritative rumours, the policy was to stop Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from winning the presidential poll. The lives and livelihoods of millions of Nigerians were ruined. The Nigerian economy was mutilated. And Tinubu still became president.

The way government has handled SIM registration, BVN and NIN shows the poverty of thinking, the abject lack of rigour, in policymaking in our dearly beloved country. Someone comes up with a proposal and says “Oga, better dey for you o” and it becomes a policy with discomfiting deadlines. The idea will not be tested, the decisionmakers will not think through it and the financial or human costs are never considered. All they want to do is make money, even if the economy will be ruined in the process. Why must anybody go physically to a bank or a telco to link their NIN when all the details have already been captured on a system that we spent millions of dollars to build? Why? I would like to be a fly on the wall when some of these heartless policies are being discussed. I would like to know if there is any sane human being in the room who highlights the impact of these directives and orders on Nigerians. I have this funny feeling that most people in power are facing the same direction. Maybe those who have contrary opinions often decide to shut up so that they would not lose their positions or get branded as renegades. I do not know. I am just guessing. But I wish that policymakers would stop treating Nigerians like goats. Life does not have to be this hard over things that can be simplified with the help of common sense. As if things are not hard enough.

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Have you heard the latest? A forensic analyst told an FCT high court on Thursday that the documents used to request the payment of $6.2 million for unnamed foreign election observers were forged. Mr Bamaiyi Meriga, the forensic analyst, confirmed earlier claims by Boss Mustapha, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), that President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter and signature were forged. Fellow Nigerians, I always claim that “I have seen it all” but there is definitely still more to unfold about how rotten our Nigeria is. You mean $6.2 million could be so easily taken out of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) without due diligence such as checks and confirmations? Wonderful.

the foundation’s five-year strategic plan to provide quality education and shape the future of education in the continent. This may sound very idealistic. But then who would have put their money on Herbert and his partner taking a small bank that ranked outside the top fifty in the country and turned it into the biggest lender on the continent?

The objective of the university, not surprisingly, is to build expertise of Africans in finance and technology. It is very obvious, therefore, that the university’s goal and outlook synch almost seamlessly with Herbert’s triple passions in finance, technology and human capacity.

In itself, The Wigwe Foundation is another testimonial of a life driven by not one, but multiple visions, each amplifying the essence of the other. In just five years, the foundation had trained dozens of Nigerian doctors abroad, funded the education of thousands of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria, and supported the operations of health facilities.

From his banking legend to the other sectors in which he has affected society and broken the boundaries of possibilities, Herbert has operated like a human force perpetually on the move, pausing only to conceive another vision after attaining the last one. It is almost inevitable that only death would have placed a limit on the heights that Herbert was bound to attain. He was in a hurry to get so many things done, like he knew he had limited time on this earth.

Up to the time of his death, Herbert was still very actively pursuing his visions, doing deals, and setting personal targets. In January, just weeks before his death, Herbert’s Access Bank announced a deal to acquire Uganda-based Finance Trust Bank, the seventh bank it would be acquiring within a short time. The full take-over was scheduled to happen in June, just four months from the time of his death. Earlier in the year, he had wanted to put ATMs at a chain of filling stations in Cameroon, but the owner

had refused. In her tribute, Iyabo Soji-Okusanya said that shortly after Herbert’s death, she told her colleagues that instead of sitting down to mourn, Herbert would wish them to keep working, cutting deals. They went back to work and tried to revive the deal, this time, the owner accepted, he said he could not deny Access Bank this after the tragic occurrence of Herbert’s death. In death, Herbert was still closing deals for the bank. He had also planned to take up mentoring of the students at the Wigwe University, scheduled to start operation in September this year.

Herbert was a very generous man, HRH Khalifa Sanusi in his tribute on Wednesday spoke glowingly about his generosity, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) also spoke of his immense generosity during his tribute. He supported several worthy causes at home and abroad.

Given the timing of his death, one would be tempted to say that these plans belonged on the list of his unfinished business. But knowing him as we do, it is hard to imagine that Herbert envisioned and planned for everything except the fate of his legacy. It is also hard to mourn Herbert like we do regular people, however tragic his death was. There is just too much to celebrate and reflect, even for someone who died at such a relatively young and vibrant age. The only service we can do to his memory is to continue to reflect on what we can learn from his life of relentless aspirations and serial triumphs. After listening to all the tributes, I would like us to emulate that of his friend, partner, and brother Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who asked us to clap for Herbert for 10 minutes during the evening of tributes. I hereby call on all Nigerians to pause and clap for Herbert Wigwe for an extraordinary life of remarkable achievements, Adios, Dear Friend and Brother.

Limited,

Akpabio Faces Backlash for Attacking Fubara at Funeral of Wigwes

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere has criticized the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio for purportedly launching a political attack on Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State during yesterday’s burial of the late Chief Executive

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The agrarian community of Ubune-Ivbiaro in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State on Friday was thrown into mourning as gunmen suspected to be herdsmen killed a middle-aged man, Mr. Danjuma Emokpaire in his farm.

Residents of the community who spoke on the phone said the deceased was attacked by the armed men while he was about to leave the farm after the day’s work.

The residents, who said they saw the victim going to the farm on Friday, added that he said he was going to the farm to plant yam seedlings.

Officer of Access Bank Holdings, Herbert Wigwe; his wife, Chizoba and first son, Chizzy.

Referring to the struggles by politicians to grab power, Governor Fubara, while delivering his tribute at the burial said, “What’s all these struggles about? You want to kill, bury, what’s it all about?”

Responding to the governor, Akpabio said, “What’s the struggle about? I will answer you. In 2006, I wanted to be

One of the residents disclosed that they became worried in the early morning on Saturday when the deceased was not seen at home.

According to him, “Yesterday evening (Friday ), there was heavy rainfall till late night, so people couldn’t know whether he returned from the farm or not.

“But this morning (Saturday ), he was not seen around. This prompted some persons to go to his house and found it locked from the front.

“So, we have to mobilise and go to the farm to search him. Unfortunately, behold what was seen was unexpected.

Parents Seek Tinubu’s Help for Nigerian Scholars in Russia

Amidst the growing frustration of Nigerian scholars in Russia, some of their parents at the weekend appealed to President Bola Tinubu to wade into the circumstances responsible for the delay in the payment of the monthly allowance running to nine months to the students in various cities in Russia.

The scholars are under the Bilateral Education Agreement, which is being run by the Federal Scholarship Board (FDB).

The students are entitled to a monthly allowance from the Nigerian and Russian governments. While the host country is meeting

its obligations which cover tuition and accommodation, allowance from the Nigerian government which is meant to cover feeding and other upkeeps have not been paid since June 2023.

Speaking to our correspondent, a source at the Nigerian Scholarship Board, who volunteered information on the condition of anonymity disclosed that the payment of the eightmonth allowance had been prepared and forwarded to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)which is the last stage for disbursement.

deputy governor. The then deputy governor invited me and said this office has no money. There’s nothing in it. I don’t know why you still insist on removing me from here and taking over “So, a woman who went with me said ‘your excellency, then don’t wait for impeachment, just resign if there’s nothing in it. And I said ‘it’s true; that’s why I want it. You’re too big for it’. So, Mr Fubara if there’s nothing in the struggle. don’t struggle.”

Reacting to Akpabio’s comments, Ugochinyere, who

represents Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State, in a statement, described Akpabio’s utterance as childish and unnecessary.

He wondered why the Senate President would decide to turn a sad moment when family, friends are mourning such tragic losses to political jamboree.

He stated that Governor Fubara had never had issues with Akpabio, recalling that although a PDP governor, Fubara urged federal lawmakers-elect from the state to vote for Akpabio as Senate president

in the 10th National Assembly. Ugochinyere further recalled that Fubara supporting Akpabio is to advance “national interest.”

The lawmaker said this is not the first time Akpabio is meddling in opposition politics, adding that the opposition won’t continue to tolerate it.

He said: “The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio should stop meddling in opposition politics.

Last month Akpabio at a function in the Tai Local Government area of the state asked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike to look for someone from Ogoni extrac-

tion to succeed state governor, Siminialayi Fubara in 2027.

“Today, he’s responding to a remark by the Governor that has nothing to do with him. The opposition is urging the Senate president to be mindful of his utterances. How can he turn the burial of late Access Bank CEO, Herbert Wigwe, wife and first son, such a sad moment, to a political attack? It’s disappointing. That’s political recklessness taken too far. We the opposition parties won’t tolerate such utterances anymore if it continues,” he explained.

Sacked Plateau PDP Lawmakers Head to Supreme Court

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The 16 sacked Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the Plateau State House of Assembly have approached the Supreme Court on the matter following the dismissal of the application for the review of the judgment of the Court of Appeal that sacked them from the assembly.

The lawmakers described the Appeal Court’s decision as a temporary setback.

Speaking to THISDAY on the matter, the former member representing Jos South constituency in the assembly, Hon Dalyop Fom said their counsel had applied to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and also written

to the President of the Court of Appeal to set up a five-man panel for a review of the application as provided for by the law, but while they were still waiting to get a response from the Appeal Court President, the case was slated for review at the court under a three-man panel.

He said: “But getting to the court, our counsel, Chief. Garuba Pwul (SAN) met that it was a three-man panel, so he disagreed and refused to make any presentation to the panel because it was not properly constituted as it was supposed to be a five-man panel and not a three-man panel.

“The three-man panel on the other hand insisted that the case should be heard, but our counsel

also refused, insisting that until a five-man panel was constituted according to law he could not make any presentation. So, the judges angrily went ahead to dismiss the case because they said our counsel was wasting their time. So, as far as we are concerned, our application for review has not been attended to.

“I want to clearly state here that the application for review was not dismissed because it lacks merit as reported by a section of the media; in fact, it has not even been presented before any panel. They also awarded a fine of N8 million each to the 16 lawmakers making a total of N128 million. But we have approached the Supreme

Court on the matter because we believe the review panel must be properly constituted before our application can be taken.”

He said that there is an order restraining the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon, Gabriel Dewan from swearing in the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers with Certificates of Return that were given to them following the Court of Appeal ruling, adding that they cannot be sworn-in until the case is determined by the court.

The 16 lawmakers had approached the Court of Appeal to review its judgment based on a later judgment of the Supreme Court and possibly reverse its earlier judgment that sacked them.

SNEPCo MD, Elohor Aiboni Wins Energy Personality Award

Ejiofor Alike

The Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), Elohor Aboni has won the ‘2023 Energy Personality Award’ at the just-concluded 2024 edition of the Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.

Elohor recorded the highest number of online votes in that category from industry

participants ahead of the summit. “I’m humbled by this recognition of my modest contributions to the oil and gas industry,” an elated but surprised Elohor said, as she was conferred with the award at the gala dinner and award night. “It is a tribute to the support and collaboration of Shell management and my colleagues as we work

to deliver value to Nigeria and other stakeholders from SNEPCo’s deep-water operations.”

A chemical engineer by background, Elohor has blazed the trail in the oil and gas industry since joining Shell in 2002. Among other roles, she served in production operations, project and asset management as well as operations readiness and assurance.

She also managed third-party interface across several Shell assets in Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Elohor was named Managing Director of SNEPCo in 2021, the first female in the top job. Under her leadership, SNEPCo has continued to break new grounds at Bonga, Nigeria’s first deep-water production. Bonga, which began production in 2005, achieved a 1-billion-barrel oil export mark in February 2023.

Sunday 10 March,

Price: N500

Northern Senators to Tinubu

“I think Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn’t even understand this country and he didn’t understand the difficulties of ruling a country like Nigeria. Probably, he has his thinking of what governance is, but I don’t blame him so much because when he was campaigning for the seat, there was no agreement or promise between him and the people” – Northern senators lamenting that things are going worse since President Tinubu took over on May 29 last year.

SIMON KOLAWOLE

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805

They Make Their World So Hard (I)

Three weeks ago, maybe even four, I got a message from my mobile phone company asking me to re-register my line and link it to the national identification number, aka NIN, else I would be barred. I murmured to myself: “Here we go again!” How many times will I link my line to NIN? I scampered down memory lane and disgust overpowered me. It seems some people in government wake up every day asking themselves: what more can we do today to destabilise and demoralise Nigerians? It appears they are never at peace until they inflict disruption and discomfort on millions of Nigerians through obnoxious policies and directives. That is their understanding of imagination and innovation.

In this article, I will give seven instances on this

NCC Boss, Umar Danbatta biometric enrolment epidemic. First, in 2010, we were directed by the Nigerian Communications

Commission (NCC) to register our SIM cards. I went to a centre close to my estate to give my mother’s maiden name to some random individual eating noodles under an umbrella by the roadside. It felt so uncomfortable. Months later, I was informed by my telco that I was yet to register and that my line would be barred. I was perplexed. I called a friend at the NCC and he said my telco was bluffing. As it turned out, the data captured by the roadside noodle eaters could not be integrated into the telcos’ systems because of compatibility issues. The entire NCC registration exercise was null. We wasted millions of dollars on the contracts and never heard anything about it again — but is it not Nigeria? We simply moved to the next level — my second instance — when the NCC issued another directive that all SIM cards must be registered by

2015. This time around, I went to the airconditioned office of my service provider and felt more comfortable telling them my mother’s maiden name. It worked this time as nobody threatened to cut off my line again. But when my sister, at the point of death in a Kano hospital in September 2015, desperately said “I want to talk to my brother”, her line had been barred, albeit it was registered. She died without being able to talk to me. Till today, I still live with the trauma of wondering what she wanted to tell me. It pains me I would never know — not because she disobeyed the directive to register her line but because of our sloppy system. We had hardly calmed down with SIM registration when we were asked to get a bank verification number

Continued on page 62

Sunset at Noon: Herbert Wigwe (1966 – 2024)

for the gift of Herbert in the first instance to his family and friends, his staff at Access Holdings and for his extraordinary accomplishments, for his energy and drive, his vision and mission, passion and compassion, his industry, and his humanity.

And so it was for Herbert, the sun set at noon.

I wrote most of this tribute while on the flight back from China to attend Herbert’s funeral. My mood had shifted from the initial shock and devastation to that of grieving and a deep sense of loss of a friend who had become my brother. To that of thanksgiving to the Almighty,

Yet the tributes have hardly relented and have only grown more intense as time has passed. It is almost like the kind of treatment reserved for kings and statesmen. Except, one can say that, for Herbert, the subject of our grief was the de-facto Prince of the banking industry, and he was a man who did extraordinary things with the ordinary things that he found in his life’s path.

Herbert had the audacity to dream. He dreamt

big and made it happen.

Herbert and I were friends but not particularly close until he decided it was time to conquer the Pensions Industry. He reached out to me through our mutual friend – Nduka Obaigbena with the intention of acquiring my PFA. What started as a pure business relationship, deepened into a close friendship. He was regularly in my house, if I was in Lagos, I would call him and his response was “you dey house, I dey come”, and he would always be coming from Aliko’s house (so I can understand Aliko’s tears and deep sense of loss).

He was a financial whiz kid, indeed a colossus, who straddled the financial services industry, redefining it

in his own unique way. Herbert has been described as a “visionary”. Literally, he and Aigboje set out with a vision to make Access Bank one of the top banks in Nigeria. They took over a bank of very modest reputation and swiftly turned it into a formidable national financial services behemoth and is now transforming into a global conglomerate. Not satisfied with turning Access Bank into one of the top five banks in the country, they then set out to make the bank one of the top banks in Africa by 2027. Already, by January 2024, Access Bank had acquired six banks across western, southern,

Continued on page 62

Hard Lessons for Tinubu on Tough Reforms

President Bola Tinubu delivered probably one of the most consequential adlibs in the history of presidential inaugurations. “The fuel subsidy is gone!” he thundered on 29th May 2023 at the Eagle Square in Abuja, totally off-script, and reportedly catching even his closest advisers by surprise. In the same speech, he foreshadowed another major reform. “The Central Bank must work towards a unified exchange rate,” he intoned. By 14th June 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

obliged: it floated the Naira. On the days that Tinubu’s two signature reforms took effect, the price of petrol jumped by at least 195% and the national currency tumbled by 38% in the official market. Both forces—and the attendant pain points—were unleashed within Tinubu’s two weeks in office. This was quite a plucky thing to do by a president elected with a mere 36.61% of the total votes cast, the slimmest slice of votes secured by a Nigerian president since 1979 when late President Shehu Shagari was elected with just 33.77% of the total votes in our first, and still the

most keenly contested, presidential election. For his daring take-off, Tinubu was largely hailed, not assailed. There was opposition, no doubt, but it was muted. The media, international investment advisors and development partners heaped generous praises on the ‘audacious’ and ‘reformist’ president. A reputable international news agency even lionised him as Baba-Go-Fast. Within nine months, the picture has changed. The forces that Tinubu set in motion have put households and businesses under intense stress. Companies, especially small businesses, are taking severe hits, with more than a few

skipping town or going under, and with grave implication for jobs, prosperity, and social order. The majority of Nigerians are struggling to feed themselves and their families as food prices keep rising, ominously in a country that has been struggling with food security for a while and where citizens, on the average, spend 59% of their incomes on food alone. There have been a few protests about high food prices and even a few sporadic attacks on warehouses and trucks harbouring food items.

Continued on page 61