Author: The Nation

It was sea of heads weekend in Onitsha, Anambra State at the commemoration of the 20th coronation anniversary of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe as well as the 2022 Ofala Festival.

Special signatories were present to grace the ocasion, while others sent their representatives.

Among them were Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo, and his wife, Nonye; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) several national assembly and state assembly members, traditional and religious leaders.

Soludo congratulated Achebe for a successful celebration and his leadership roles in Anambra, South-East and Nigeria.

He described the monarch’s 20-year reign as a period of impactful leadership, stressing that he had made positive contributions to the development of Igbo land in his position as the Chairman of Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers, Anambra Council of Traditional rulers and as the Obi of Onitsha.

“I have come to appreciate your good deeds to Igboland. You have upheld the cultural identity of your people and an example to others in striking a good mix between the traditional institution and other community leaders for development,” he said.

Okowa, represented by a chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, described Onitsha and Asaba as good neighbours only divided by the River Niger.

He expressed satisfaction with the rich culture of Onitsha and called on Nigerians to help sustain their heritage.

Former Abia State Governor and Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Kalu, in his congratulatory message, described the monarch as a committed and patriotic statesman, who has passion for growth and development of the commercial city.

Extolling Achebe’s virtues, including his invaluable contributions to nation building through various platforms, Kalu called on leaders to emulate his outstanding leadership qualities.

He said, “The monarch has brought unprecedented development to his domain and environs. Ndigbo are proud of the landmark and giant strides of the paramount ruler.

“On behalf of the people of Abia North Senatorial district, I felicitate with the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, on the double celebration of his 20th coronation anniversary and the 2022 Ofala Festival.”

Immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, while felicitating with Igwe Achebe, said the monarch has reigned with relative peace and above all in good health.

He said, “He ensured innovative leadership of the Ancient Monarchy while not compromising its cultural values over the years.

“Igwe Achebe’s leadership, which extended beyond his immediate domain has brought a lot of respect to the position of Monarchy not only in Anambra State but the south East and indeed Eastern Nigeria.

“His commitment to the growth and development of political and cultural advancement has ensured the relevance of traditional institutions in the modern governance structure.

“Agbogidi has indeed developed a modern palace and ceremonial grounds with luxuriant green vegetation In line with Sustainable Development Goals.”

Meanwhile, the Obi of Onitsha, has lamented that except for the three years of the Civil War, Nigeria today appears to be in more dire strait than at any other time since Independence in 1960.

He said, “The biggest challenge of the nation today is insecurity, which has affected most parts of the country and disrupted every aspect of the nation’s public and private lives.

“The inability of farmers to harvest their crops due to the menace of terrorists as well as the conflicts between the farmers and herdsmen has been responsible for the food inflation being witnessed in the country.

“Nigeria’s external debts have grown by more than five folds since 2015 from $19.7 billion to $98.6 billion, while the scarcity of the United States dollars to meet private and corporate payment obligations has driven down the value of the Naira to about 30 per cent of its 2015 value, and some forecasters are predicting a rate of $1/N1000 by the end of the year.

“The current situation had created a huge sense of malaise in the ordinary citizen and provided the backdrop for the 2023 general elections.”

While praying for a peaceful, free and transparent election next year, he said the contest for the presidency would be between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the hitherto lesser known Labour Party ( LP), whose candidature is now being backed by the emerging Third Force Movement comprising mainly of the youthful generation.

According to the Royal father, the emergence of the Third Force Movement as a political pressure group is very likely to redefine politics and governance in the country irrespective of who eventually emerges as the president, adding, “The stakes are very high for the political parties and the nation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) announced that they have rescued two additional Chibok girls in Borno State.

The Theatre Commander of OPHK, Major General Christopher Musa disclosed this over the weekend in Maiduguri in a joint military operation review.

The Theatre Commander also disclosed that about 49 Boko Haram terrorists and ISWAP fighters were killed around Bama-Mandara-Damasak axis of Borno state.

He added all the two Chibok girls rescued were all carrying babies.

The neutralisations were made in the various joint patrols and ambushes against the terrorists in the last six weeks of counter-insurgency operations in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.

According to the Theatre Commander the troops of the theatre are fighting hard to restore peace in the region, while calling for the cooperation of communities and residents.

He attributed the challenges of the fight to difficult terrains which enables insurgents’ hideouts, adding that, the dry season also heightens the activities of terrorists attacks in the region.

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Maj. Gen. Musa said explained that in the last six weeks of military operations, troops identified and detonated 10 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the forest, Lake Chad region and Mandara Mountains.

“We however, lost nine soldiers, while 20 others were injured in the six-week counter-terrorism operations,” he said, stating that two each of the Civilian JTF were also killed and injured.

Besides, he added that two Chibok girls were also rescued along with two babies.

“Rejoice Sarki and Yana Pogu were rescued this month by the troops in the forest and mountains.

“There are 11 Chibok girls rescued in the 2022 joint operations,” he said, lamenting that 96 abducted school girls, are still in captivity of the terrorists.

Speaking on the continuous surrenders, he said: “The total number of surrendered terrorists along with their families stood at 81, 131,” noting that with their increased surrender to Army, another camp has been established to decongest the existing camps in Maiduguri metropolis.

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday depart Abuja for Seoul, South Korea to participate in the First World Bio Summit, 2022.

His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina said this to journalists on Saturday.

Jointly organised by the Government of the Republic of Korea and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the two-day summit (October 25-26) has as its theme: ‘The Future of Vaccine and Bio-Health.’

Nigeria was invited to the Summit based on her selection with five other African countries by WHO and the European Union (EU) during the last EU-African Summit in Brussels, Belgium in February this year for mRNA technology transfer and Global Training Hub for Bio-manufacturing of vaccines on the African continent.

Also expected to feature at the World Bio Summit are CEOs of global vaccine and Biologics companies who will share and shape ideas on the theme, given that, according to the organisers, “global health security profoundly depends on the innovation and development in the bio-industry.”

The partnership between the Republic of Korea and WHO, is therefore, to underscore not only the above historic truth, but also the need to launch international stage-efforts on the nature of creativity and innovation required to contain any future health pandemic.

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Buhari, who is expected to deliver a statement at the summit and meet separately with President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea, will also seek other ways of more effective partnerships that impact positively on the lives and safety of Nigerians during his other engagements and meetings while in Seoul.

Accompanying the Nigerian leader are: Governors Aminu Bello Masari and Abubakar Sani Bello of Katsina and Niger States; Geoffrey Onyeama, Osagie Ehanire and Adeniyi Adebayo, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment respectively; and Timipre Sylva, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources.

Others on the delegation are: Maj-Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno (Rtd), National Security Adviser; Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency; Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director-General, NAFDAC; Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General, NCDC; Bashir Jamoh, Director-General, NIMASA; Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, NiDCOM as well as other top government officials

Buhari is expected back home after the Summit.

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Nigeria has decried the recent spree of violence spreading in parts of the Republic of Chad, which has led to the death of not less than 50 persons with another 300 reported injured.

Reports said opposition political parties called for citizens’ protest against the Transitional Government led by General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to demand a fast-tracked transition to civil rule.

However, situation went out of hands on Thursday when armed forces reportedly cracked down on protesters, leading to killings in parts of the country, especially the capital city of N’Djamena.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Saturday, the Nigerian Special Envoy to the Lake Chad Basin Countries, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, called on both parties to cease action and return to the process of exploring dialogue in the interest of peace and security.

According to him, Nigeria is committed to the quest for the return to constitutional democracy, through a peaceful transition process.

“We received with great concern the distressing news of violent clashes resulting in multiple loss of lives, injuries and destruction of properties, following demonstrations that took place on 20th October, 2022 in N’Djamena and other cities.

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“We extend our condolences to the families of the bereaved and the Government and people of Chad for the avoidable and deplorable loss of lives. We also wish the injured speedy recovery.

“We call on all parties to exercise restraint, eschew violence and embrace dialogue as a means of resolving contentious national differences .

“We encourage the government and the people to build on all the efforts and achievements made during the first phase of the transition.

“This is in the interest of national reconciliation and the achievement of collective aspirations of all Chadians for good governance, justice, the rule of law and equitable, inclusive national development.

“The destiny, peace and prosperity of the peoples and member-states of the Lake Tchad Basin Commission are inextricably linked.

“As the Special Envoy, I wish to reassure of our continued support to Tchad in their quest for a peaceful transition to constitutional order through free, fair and credible elections,” the statement reads.

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Kebbi Governor Abubakar Bagudu has argued former Military President General Sani Abacha, achieved a lot for the country with little resources.

According to him, unlike today where the country’s reserve runs into billions and trillions, the former military President ruled at a time when Nigeria’s reserve was less than $750 million.

Despite this, he said Abacha worked so much in stabilising the economy, ensured steady exchange rate and security in the sub-region by funding Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

He spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the 2nd General Sani Abacha Colloquium, organised by the Centre for Political Research, Education and Development (CEPORED)

Bagudu said the late Military President achieved this through the use of home grown solutions.

Bagudu said the negative perception of the former President was mainly instigated by the west who were not comfortable with his policies of developing the country through home-grown efforts.

Bagudu said Abacha was a patriotic and courageous Nigerian who wanted the best for the country.

“By training, family background and zeal, he (Abacha) had a clear appreciation that each country is unique in its own way. There is no book that would tell you of how to grow your country like others have.

“He believed that despite Nigeria’s uniqueness, the country was part of a regional economic arrangement, the ECOMOG and Gen. Abacha were vigilantes about what was happening in the sub-region as well as Nigeria.

” He was foresighted in appreciating that security challenges elsewhere in Africa, particularly in the sub-region which would one day be security challenge in Nigeria if they are not handled which explains his enthusiastic support and funding for the ECOMOG and many West African countries.

“Sometimes leaders in addition to risk taking also encourage society by being courageous. To say Gen. Abacha was courageous is an understatement because on numerous occasions, aware of the dangers of his policies, he would still convince his ministers to do it. He was so patriotic, believed in Nigeria and believed that even if he lost his life in the service of Nigeria, so be it and indeed he lost his life in the service of Nigeria.

“But what went wrong? Why is it that Gen. Abacha is being misrepresented in history? This is very agonising for his family and all of us. Well it is because sometimes home grown solutions involve risk taking because you are exposing yourself to the judgement of others whom are competitors.

“Countries that are amazed at how much you are able to do with so little are eager to criticise, rivals who are influenced by other interests are eager to say you have done wrong or not done well.

“Our father is not alone in history among great men who have seen history being attempted to turn the tide wrongly against them but one has to draw inspiration from the experience.

“I want us to take solace in the fact that General Abacha gave his best to Nigeria and it was remarkable with little resources but he was able to stabilize the economy, reserves was less than $750 million and yet the exchange rate was steady. The military was functioning properly and the sub-region benefited from Nigeria.

The former Minister of Finance, who served under Abacha’s regime, Chief Anthony Ani, said they achieved economic success through the home-grown template.

He said: “As the former Minister of Finance who served under him, I can authoritatively talk about his economic successes with our home-grown template which our current distorted history cannot take away from him.

” In November 1993 when the Interim National Government (ING) was declared illegal, and Nigerians begged Abacha to take over and run the government, we found out that the country was running at an inflation rate of 87 per cent, there was a negative growth rate of -1.5 per cent, the country was in recession, the oil price was US $18 per barrel, the interest rates hovered around 25 per cent, exchange rate volatility leading to severe instability, our external reserve US $750 million barely sufficient for two weeks import.

“We were operating dedicated account system where we give crude oil for imports and services at a fixed amount, where the oil price was below this amount Nigeria will refund the difference but where the oil price exceeded the fixed amount the importer will retain the difference.

“We were running on huge budget deficit of about 8.5 per cent GDP. This would have risen to about 25 per cent if the mistakes we subsequently discovered were taken into consideration.

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“There was also a debt overhang of US $30 billion. We also observed import duties (7 per cent) levy was not paid to the treasury. There was inherent corruption in the Exchange Control Department where every remittance from Nigeria had to receive Exchange Control approval. With all these problems identified, we knew that we had a lot of mess to be cleansed in our country.

“Our very vibrant press deserves a pat on the back for excellently creating a smokescreen over the period in government of this fallen hero, who is not even deservedly allowed to rest in peace. May his soul rest in perfect peace and we wish the family, happy post humus 79th birthday.

“Five years later in 1998 with strict financial discipline, we were able to maintain stable exchange rate of ₦82 to US $1 throughout, and the Naira was internally convertible. We were out of recession within six months. Our external reserves went up to US $7.7 billion including Excess Crude Account of about US $3 billion. Inflation rate was reduced to 6.5 per cent. Interest rate stabilised at 16 per cent. There was free flow of Diaspora remittances.

“We established Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). We established the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP). We established Excess Crude Account. There were jobs, jobs and jobs through Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP).

,”We balanced our budgets and had surpluses. We did not borrow internally or externally. Nigeria Trust Fund was established. 13% Derivation was introduced. We provided funds (about US $500 million) for the completion of Ajaokuta Steel Project.

Former Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, who was the keynote speaker said it was unfortunate the country was losing its culture to Western influences.

He said the only way the country would move forward is if it looks inward to get solutions to its problems.

He said Nigeria cannot get the solution to its problems abroad.

He suggested that the country shut its borders to focus on developing the potentials its has within.

He said relying on other countries has put the country in bondage.

Former Chief Security Officer to Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, also described the former military man as a patriotic Nigerian.

He said Abacha believed strongly in love for God and Country.

He said it was unfortunate that the proper history about the kind of man Abacha truly was distorted.

He said foreign influences working with certain Nigerians fought Abacha and refused to eulogized him for his efforts and having history properly documented.

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Infrastructure and equipment worth millions have been destroyed while thousands of jobs are being threatened in various companies in Harbor-Bridge Head Industrial Layout, Onitsha, Anambra State following flood disaster that ravaged the area.

National President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Otunba Francis Meshioye stated fhis while visiting the layout in the commercial city to ascertain the level of damage done on factories in the area by the flood disaster.

Harbor Bridge Head Industrial Layout, which is on the bank of River Niger in Onitsha, plays host to numerous top level manufacturing companies in the Southeast.

Meshioye, who commiserated with the State Government over several deaths recorded in the deluge, as well as his members and others whose facilities were affected, urged Federal Government to explore Public Private Partnership (PPP) windows in finding lasting solutions to the perennial flood disaster.

He said: “There are many options the Federal Government has in finding lasting solutions to this challenge which include short term, long term and permanent solutions to this crisis. But most important is the urgent but permanent option.

“The Federal Government must consider private public arrangement in dredging of the two major rivers in Nigeria and construction of dams that will mitigate the impact when excess water is released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

“In the interim, however, we as an association will look at the immediate causes of the flood, look at the impacts on infrastructure and equipment and suggest solution to state and Federal governments on what must be done to alleviate the sufferings of local manufacturers here who have suffered heavy losses.”

Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States Chapter, Lady Ada Chukwudozie expressed fears that the deluge would continue to shrink the business ecosystem for companies on the bank of the River Niger.

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She said, “The Harbor-Bridge Head Industrial Layout is a major manufacturing cluster in Nigeria with over 50 companies and factories that have created jobs in thousands and invested massively in infrastructure, wealth creation, security, improving the living standards and in other areas of corporate social responsibilities in their host communities.

“Unfortunately, the layout and the Southeast region have suffered economic disruptions, ocasioned by insecurity and incessant sit-at-home orders in the region, which has reduced production capacity and business activities in the harbor.

“This flood disaster in particular is regretably avoidable as a flood of the same magnitude had taken place over ten years ago. The 2012 deluge should provide all stakeholders involved the opportunity and lessons to avert future disasters of this nature.

Speaking on behalf of the affected companies, Executive Chairman of Pokobros Group West Africa Limited, Chief Paul Okonkwor blamed Federal Government for allowing the disaster to become a regular occurrence.

He described as unreasonable allocation of billion of naira for flood relief interventions when such resources could be channeled towards finding lasting solution to the disaster.

“Government’s unresponsiveness to such situations will continue to lead to huge capital flight from the country as local manufacturers continue to look for countries with better business climates and discouraging foreign investors,” he argued.

Also speaking, Chairman, Dozzy Group, Chief Dan Chukwudozie expressed confidence that wider conversation would be initiated to address the flood disaster in the country with the visit of the leadership of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

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