The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Wike was wrong to call me a thief, says Baziah

    Wike was wrong to call me a thief, says Baziah

    In this interview with Mike Odiegwu, a former two-time member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Dr. John Baziah, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) responds to some remarks made against him by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, whose administration he served as a Commissioner, Chieftaincy Affairs.

     

    GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike was so emphatic when he recently branded you, “a thief” who pilfered kola meant for traditional rulers. Did you do it?

    It’s easy to know when a man is saying the truth or lying. What he’s talking about is a pre-election matter, in respect of Goodluck Jonathan. Wike wasn’t governor before Goodluck Jonathan as President. So, when he knew I was a thief as he alleges, why would he then make me Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs?

    As a governor that office comes with authority, responsibility. It comes with carriage in the way you talk. You don’t talk carelessly.

    Are you denying money given to you was found pilfered?

    What happened was when Goodluck Jonathan wanted reelection as President at that time, religous leaders were called. Chiefs were also called. It was at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

    He held a press conference and those of us in his campaign committee had a big bus that conveyed all of us as a team. Now when this money Wike is talking about was given to me, two sets, not one as he’s suggesting; I didn’t know how much. I was asked to give to religous organisations and give to chiefs.

    I went to the leader of the religious organisations. I went to him and said take; I was asked to give this to you. He said I should give it to his secretary, a lady that was behind him. I gave it to the lady and that was done.

    What about the share for traditional rulers?

    The governor was lying to people that the Chairman of Council of Chiefs then was the one who called him that they can’t find the kola. That’s a lie. The Chairman of the Council of Chiefs then was King Ginuwa. I call him Papa. That’s my father. I am a member, Tai Council of Chiefs and Elders. I was Secretary of the electoral body that made King Ginuwa the Gbenemene of Tai.

    King Ginuwa was not there because he was not even supporting the governor. Because we couldn’t find him, I went to one of us and asked what we would do with this money, since we can’t find the king? He said, John, you keep this money since Ginuwa is not here, later we will give it to them. It was a campaign period. I called my driver who came with the car, the bus he (Wike) gave me. I gave the bag of money to that driver, not knowing how much, couldn’t have opened it, didn’t open it; never even knew it was dollars.

    The driver left while I joined the big bus. For three days running I didn’t even remember that money. I was in the village, campaigning when they called. I told them I was in the village campaigning for him. That the money was with my driver in Port Harcourt, and that I was going to come. I came to Port Harcourt, called my driver. He brought the money. I innocently, not even looking at it, thinking it was the same way I gave to him, I handed it over to them. It was when they now said they removed some money that I went after my driver. I was mad at him. I forced that young man; he returned some of the money. I think somehow, all he couldn’t return was between three to five hundred dollars. Otherwise he returned what he had taken.

    Now I challenge the governor to state how much was 80 percent of the money he was talking about? What my driver returned was about $4500 or there about. I sacked the driver on the spot after he brought the money. I then wrote a resignation letter. To me if my driver I had confidence in would pilfer money given to him, I am accountable because the money was given to me. The bulk stops at my table. I was his boss so I should take responsibility. The honourable thing to do was resign from the campaign organisation as chairman of my LGA and member of the state campaign body.

    We are talking about 2015, before I was made commissioner. That’s why I say the governor should think well because if he thinks well, he should know what he’s telling people is that he knew I was a thief but made me commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs. He tore my resignation letter and declared I must continue as a member of the campaign organisation. That was what happened.

    The governor said Emma Okah slapped you over the cause of the pilfered money. Are you denying that?

    Of course Emma Okah was the one who said the money was not complete, but to have slapped me, he cannot. If he raised his hand, I would have slapped him there. Emma Okah came, rushing towards me, but look at my size and Okah. Do I look like someone Okah could have slapped?

    He refused my resignation from the campaign council because he knows my electoral value, but today he is claiming I don’t have electoral value. Was he the one that came to Tai; to Chief Bari Mpigi’s house? For about four hours in that election, there were shootings all through. So who tackled that? He went to Tai. We won and I was taken to the tribunal. So if I was insignificant would they take me to the tribunal? In the first place, is it his place to determine who is significant or not? It is God’s to determine. Was he significant yesterday?

    The governor said at one time you owed a debt of 40,000 Euros and he had to pay?

    What happened was that he said I married my wife and I took her to America. He doesn’t know about me. My wife’s parents are from Nigeria, my own village, but they were born and brought up in America. My wife is an American citizen; my children the same. I married my wife in America. I didn’t marry her here and send her to America.

    So why did I borrow this money he’s talking about? I was bringing my son, Bariga. I bring my children to school here in Nigeria. I believe in Nigeria. I don’t do big man. So, once they (my children) finish middle school, I bring them here, into boarding till when it’s time for them to go to the university; then they can go back. Let me also tell you, secondary school (high or middle school in the US) is free over there, but I take the pains of bringing them here, so they know they are Nigerians. So Bariga was going to come here. I was having some expectations. I haven’t been paid in Shell where I did some jobs.

    So, I met someone, who I thought was my friend. I didn’t know they were going to make a political issue out of this. Now I know they are the people who will set people up. I told this person, my son just arrived and I need to pay his school fees of N700, 000 at Brookstone in Port Harcourt here, owned by a Senator that’s with us. The records are there.

    He gave me 4000 Euros which became N960, 000 when I changed it. I paid 700,000 and was left with N260, 000. My son was admitted. The person I collected the money from told me I should well return the money in same Euro currency he gave me. When I hadn’t got enough money as I was expecting, I went to him to say, I will pay you 2000 Euros first, then by next payment, I will complete the money.

    So I gave him 2000 Euros. Not quite two weeks after, my name was announced as Commissioner by Wike. After that the lender came demanding his money. I told him to hold on, I have not been paid. I wasn’t paid for six months when I started with Wike as commissioner. After a while, a senator called me and told me the lender said I owed him 60,000 Euros.

    The senator said he was shocked and asked him where he got that kind of money from; and was I buying a house or does he know how much 60,000 Euros was? I explained all that transpired to the senator who rightly felt my story would be credible, that how would he give me 60,000 Euros for my child’s school fees? At that stage you know that some people were made to do some dirty job politically.

    The lender wasn’t the governor’s friend. He wasn’t at that level that he could meet the governor. Even his commissioners, do they meet him? Except he wants you, can they finish the EXCO meeting and meet him. All the time I worked with him, I couldn’t see him except he invited me over. So, how did the lender come to see him? It was because they knew what they were up to. Next thing, the lender was there, and he (Wike) said I should come. I came; the former Secretary to the Government was there to bear me witness.

    He said the lender said it was no longer 60,000 Euros but now 40,000 I owed him. I explained to the governor that I didn’t owe him that kind of money. What I owe him was 2000 Euros out of 4000 Euros I initially took from him. The governor said he must pay the money; I said no don’t pay.

    When I left his office, the first thing I did was to go to the Chambers of the former Attorney General, Aguma, where I sued the lender, asking the lawyers to take him to court.

    The lender, then realising he was in a fix, went to the governor again and the governor directed that I take that matter out of court. I said why, this man is about stealing money. I have the records. He shouted me down. Those in Aguma’s chambers who filed the suit are still there to confirm. That was how the Attorney-General was asked to direct his chambers to stop that case.

    Then he said he gave him 40,000 Euros. In the first place if I was the one owing that money and he wanted to pay, was it not me he should give that money for me to give to the person I owed?

    So why would the governor call you a thief?

    The question should be why does the governor call anyone who leaves him a thief? He didn’t just call me a thief. He called Hon Michahel West a thief too. So for as long as you are with him, you are not a thief. The minute you disagree with him politically, then you are a thief.

    What is the bone of contention if he’s wrongly accusing you?

    What is happening is that the party (Rivers PDP) is no longer what it used to be. I was in PDP, former Governor Peter Odili was there. I was in the State House of Assembly. He said I was nobody but for eight solid years, everybody felt my presence in the House. There were key contributions I made that are on record.

    So, the party is not like it used to be. It wasn’t owned by one man, but as we speak today, the party is Wike, Wike is PDP. And what he’s trying to do in the state, he’s trying to do to the whole of Nigeria and to all other state governors. Of course they won’t take that from him. We have some very cerebral people as governors.

    Are you inferring that Wike is the problem of PDP currently?

    You are seeing him having problems everywhere. He was abusing all his fellow governors. How would you disrespect a man of equal status? He woke up and said all the governors in PDP were not thinking about interest of the people. They were thinking about selfish interests.

    But you left the PDP and moved into a Rivers APC that has remained opaque in self-destruct for so long. How wise is such a move?

    I don’t share that impression. I tell you, very strong people learn from their mistakes. If you have a good success story without having failed before, then you have a problem. To be a very successful person, you must have made some mistakes, learnt from those and you grow. Right now, I believe Rivers APC has seen enough. And some insiders were used to creating some of those issues.

    The stakeholders should have known better. One of the things we would do, as I have come, is to ensure we have one big family, everyone coming together. And no one can do it alone. I am a team player. Let’s think first about the state, first about the people and push back our personal interests. Once we have that unity of purpose and think well about our people, I see APC coming out stronger, better in Rivers.

    I assure you that we will bring a credible person, a visionary leader that would lead this state in 2023. In short, the disintegration they are talking about, right now, is festering in their own party (PDP). People are taking them to court. There was some ruling in Owerri, Imo recently. So how is he sure that his party is intact? The good thing about APC right now is that everything has been dissolved. So you are coming anew. Nobody has any right to sue anybody right now. Who are you suing? Are you suing the person that is no longer in office?

    But Igo Aguma is still laying claims

    People can put up actions, lay claims, but who do you sue? You have nobody to sue. If you are suing people, it is that party that was there before that you can refer. There are times that time alone takes everything off.

  • APC civil war: Who will blink first?

    APC civil war: Who will blink first?

    Opposing factions in Rivers State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) have refused all entreaties to work together, leading to confusion arising from parallel executive councils at the grassroots, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu

     

    WHEN the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 8, 2020, dissolved all the party’s administrative structures across the country and ordered inauguration of caretaker committees to replace them, some observers of Rivers State thought the crisis that has trailed Rivers APC since 2015 would fizzle out naturally.

    They were wrong, for the NEC’s decision to appoint Isaac Ogbobula as the leader of the caretaker committee did not go down well with the Aguma faction. So, instead of abating, the crisis deepened further last weekend when the faction of the party, led by Igo Aguma, inaugurated parallel executive committees, arguing that the NEC’s decision to dissolve state committees was not applicable to Rivers State.

    Inaugurating his parallel local government and ward caretaker committees in all the 23 local government areas of the state, Aguma reminded all that on June 9, 2020, the court declared him the APC caretaker committee chairman of the APC. He also said he had continued to adhere to the dictates of the judgement.

    At the end of the brief ceremony, he charged the local government caretaker committees to go back to their various wards and reconcile all aggrieved members of the party.

    He maintained that the APC had no structures in Rivers State apart from the state Caretaker Committee led by him, which, he reminded whoever cares to hear, was empowered by the court to lead the party.

    He also argued that since the party still has unresolved cases up to the Supreme Court, it would be wrong for anybody except the judiciary to determine the leadership of the APC in the state.

    Confusion, fear at grassroots

    Explaining the confusion that has arisen as a result of the development, Mr. Solomon Ukpoma, a political analyst in Port Harcourt told The Nation on Friday that “the battle is still between former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe.  It is unfortunate that as the leaders, Amaechi and Abe, continue to fight rough, the crisis in the Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to deepen. Go to all the 23 local government areas and you will be sorry for the inability of APC national leadership to reconcile Amaechi and Abe. APC members at the grassroots are confused and afraid as they do not know who to follow or what will become of the party and the members.

    “I visited three local government areas last week and everywhere, you will see two factions of APC working against one another. It remains to be seen how a party that hopes to beat the ruling PDP in future elections would continue this way.”

    Speaking while inaugurating his parallel executives, Aguma regretted that the face-off is deepening at a time another important grassroots election is around the corner. He said: “Sadly, another local government election in Rivers State is around the corner, scheduled to hold in April 2021, yet the party that should be playing formidable opposition is enmeshed in a crisis and put on the war path by known dissidents because of the selfish political interest of one man”, he said.

    It would be recalled that the reconstituted committee, led by Ogbobula, recently suspended Aguma’s faction over alleged anti-party activities. According to Ogbobula, the party recommended the affected persons for expulsion. He explained that “the step was geared towards moving the party forward.”

    An ally of one of the major stakeholders in the Rivers State APC, who supports the Ogbobula leadership, was quoted recently as saying that “the caretaker committee owes its existence to the whims and caprices of the appointing authority. What I mean is if the party’s executive at the national level or at the state level appoints any committee under any circumstance, the lifespan of that committee depends on the appointing authority. They can appoint you and tell you that the appointment has ended.”

    The party leader, an activist added: “there is no provision in the party’s constitution or in the Nigerian constitution that stipulates a specific duration for a caretaker committee. The only argument Aguma and his people have is that the Rivers State High Court, under Justice Omerije, ruled that he is the right person to be the caretaker chairman of APC in Rivers, but the NWC appointed Ogbobula, who later went to appeal and got an order that the status quo be maintained. And the status quo is that he (Ogbobula) is the committee chairman. That is the situation we were in until about a week ago when the NEC, the highest decision-making body of the party, met and decided that all caretaker committees in all the states should be dissolved.

    “And in their wisdom, the NEC decided to reappoint most of those who were dissolved. What that means is that the new committee has a new tenure, a new lifeline. So, anybody that existed before or had issues before, all those issues have been swept away by that singular action. Therefore, the existence of a caretaker committee nationwide in APC is a fresh mandate, which is from NEC and nobody can argue with that. So, for somebody of the old order, who has been swept away, his tenure has gone with time. Ogbobula is on a fresh mandate, not the one he contested with Aguma in court,” he said.

    Search for Peace

    Aware of the likely effect of the face-off on the fortunes of the APC in the forthcoming local government election in 2021 and in the future major elections, concerned elders and stakeholders have been suing for peace.

    One of the leaders that have openly pleaded for peace is Prince Tonye Princewill, a former governorship candidate under Action Congress (ACN). Explaining how the face-off would be resolved, Princewill recently told newsmen; “The only beneficiary in this whole thing is PDP. Aguma is my friend and Amaechi is my brother, friend and leader. Peace is still possible even if it is an awkward one. When both sides realise this, some of us will still be here to clean up the mess. Till then, I stand on existing protocol.”

    Before this, some groups involved in the prolonged battle have openly sued for peace. One of such groups is the leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), loyal to Magnus Abe, who this year openly pushed for peace and unity in the Rivers State chapter of the party.

    They made the plea as stakeholders drawn from the 23 local government areas of Rivers State. They made the plea in a communiqué issued at the end of their yearly meeting in the various headquarters of the councils in the state.

    Signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, Sam Oburu, the communiqué condemned what it described as “the continuous political feud, which has kept the party where it is, even after the 2019 general election, with no APC member holding an elective position in the state.”

    According to the group, “the party would have participated in the general election if the state and national leaders had followed the right steps during the congresses.

    Oburu, in the communique, said: “While it recognises the challenges occasioned by the non-participation of the party in the last general election, which made it impossible for the party to hold any elective position in the state, the situation has not affected the massive support and patronage the party enjoys at the grassroots.

    “APC in the state is in solidarity with thousands of members of the party who went to court to have their rights to participate in a free, fair and credible congress enforced and stand firmly to the judgment of the Supreme Court on the matter which asked the party to revert to status quo.

    “The stakeholders therefore, condemn in very strong and terms, the unending political feuds that have bedevilled and characterised the party in the state due to the unchecked absolution and undemocratic practices exhibited by a supposed leadership of the party in the state.”

    The group also “frowned at the impurity and lack of respect for the rule of law by the said leadership. The stakeholders urge the perpetrator(s) of the Rivers crisis whose stock in trade is the promotion of undemocratic values to desist forthwith and embrace democratic best practices that will help to restore the lost glory of the party in Rivers State.”

    Who will blink first?

    As the contending factions hold on to their arguments, concerned observers and party members at the grassroots are pleading to leaders outside Rivers State to step in and save the party in the state.

    But as Ukpoma told The Nation, the question today is who will blink first? “We all know there is no serious problem in Rivers APC. The primary problem is  pride. Since March this year, many important elders and leaders have made genuine efforts to reconcile the feuding parties. But because of pride, they gave impossible conditions and made unrealisable demands. This is both unfortunate unlike reasonable politicians. Politics thrives on the principle of give and take. You can’t plan to win all the time and expect peace and progress. The leaders must agree to make sacrifices. But who will blink first?”

  • Tearing up another heart

    Tearing up another heart

    Yetunde Oladehinde

     

    WHO needs a heart, when a heart can be broken. That is the love zone puzzle. If you have gone through an emotional somersault before, you become wary of the antics in the arena. Fantasies? Forget it!  Love, victims would tell you is for only dreamers and hearts fresh from the emotional farm. For old timers, you can take a flashback down memory lane and compare notes.

    It is the time of life when we all imagine that love was this invincible and you just want everything to flow without thinking about the consequence of your action or inaction.

    Just while you are putting up all the emotional defence to make thing work forever, ensuring that what you have can be equated to the bulletproof force that is immune to outside influence, impervious to evil and capable of overcoming all obstacles.

    Unfortunately, many do not stay too long on the emotional island. As soon as they settle down to the beauty of love and the affection that comes with it, they realise that there is competition within. Other hearts are jostling for positions and at the end of the emotional struggle, the winner takes it all. Folarin is a victim and somehow he still has not got himself back. What happened? The poor heart suddenly discovered that his fiancée was sleeping with his best friend. That was not all. The saddest part of the discovery was that she started cheating on him barely three weeks after they met.

    The smart girl was dating both of them simultaneously and his friend knew all along. He was the only one who was in the dark until that bubble was ruptured, never to be restored again.

    Truth of the matter here is that love can be stupid. Many do so many things they do not even understand and remain a fool for love. Many times, the signs are actually there, but we may choose to ignore them because of some genuine or selfish reasons.

    This is a change of attitude, outlook and habits that can point to the fact that something is going on. Of course, there are times when the other person is consistent and there are no clues at all. Another case with young loving heart comes to mind here.

    Dotun is a ladies’ man. They just can’t resist him, and for a while, his friends thought he was never going to settle down with a single babe. “I thought so too and most times, I was always afraid that I may not be able to stick to a particular babe forever.”

    About a year ago, he met Omowunmi at a party and from that moment, he just could not take his eyes and heart away from this beauty. It wasn’t just her beauty alone. There was something magnetic about the way she talked, laughed and just everything about her”.

    Now that he had found love, everything that he did tilted in her favour and direction. To impress the angel of his life, Dotun began to make arrangements for a grand wedding. One of the biggest steps was a new house, but he did not tell Omowunmi because he wanted it to be a surprise. Everything required must be in place before he brings her to the place.

    One Saturday morning, the guy who made the furniture wanted to come and deliver them. Dotun went with them very early in the morning and while they were moving the furniture in, her dear Omowunmi stepped out of the flat downstairs scantily dressed, his neighbour, James, also stepped out in his pyjamas. They talked for a few minutes and in a short while, they started cuddling one another.

    Wait a minute! This is for real. The girl he finally gave his heart to was fooling him, and this bitch was not in love with him.  She didn’t see Dotun and he decided to record the love proceedings. It was all over, but, of course, he would need this evidence to prove that he was not looking for an excuse, just because he wants to ditch her for another babe.

    Love can be really naughty, but again, you can’t judge a heart based on your criteria for emotion. Who you fall in love with, how you access the heart in question and your rationale for keeping or dumping something you crave for can only be best understood by no one, but you.

    To avoid being in an emotional scam, you must understand your spouse’s feeling and if the attention is for you or for another. If your partner has been making elaborate excuses for not meeting you or spending time with you, then there is great cause for alarm. In addition, if the heart that you really love has been ignoring your calls and messages, then there is fire on the emotional mountain.

    The foundation for a thriving, growing, mutually supportive relationship is being separate, yet connected. In co-dependent relationships, each person sacrifices part of him or herself , compromising the relationship as a whole. The differences between you and your partner are not negatives. You don’t need a relationship with someone who shares all of your interests and views. We may sometimes fear that these differences are incompatibilities, but in fact, they’re often what keep a relationship exciting and full of good fire.

  • Guys can be virgins till their wedding night! (II)

    Guys can be virgins till their wedding night! (II)

    DEAR Ma, although I’m a boy, I love the articles you write and can’t wait to read them every Saturday! May God bless and reward you!

    Kunle

     

    Dear Aunty Temilolu,

    100% truth, I am a living witness of your massive preaching on sexual purity! Since I made a covenant with God to remain chaste till my wedding night, God has transformed my life in all ramification with great blessings and happiness. You know how hard it is for a graduate even with good results and skills to get a good job in Nigeria least of all an undergraduate. I am a student working in a reputable company in Nigeria. I got the job in my 4th year during my I.T. immediately after making a vow to God that no man would touch me again till my wedding night. I’m currently in my 5th year in the university doing well in the company, performing excellently well in my academics and above all supporting my parents financially! People often ask how I’m able to joggle working and studying but I tell you God has been my strength and made it so easy for me. I have not lacked anything since I made that vow of celibacy till marriage. People love, admire and respect me a lot, my physical beauty increases daily with more wisdom and knowledge added to it ma! I can’t say all here but I’m trying to prove your assertions on sexual purity are VERY CORRECT! God is so merciful to mankind if we can stay committed to Him. May God bless you beyond your wildest dreams and continue to use you for humanity till Jesus comes! I love you ma!

     

    Miss Chizoba

    Awww…my sweet Chi…I’m so touched by your testimony! May you remain blessed forever more! The God whom you choose to follow will never disappoint you in Jesus name!

     

    My very dear brothers,

    I’d like you to Google search the 1st part of this article. Believe me, if only you could brace up and dare to stand out of the pack of immoral youth scattered all over the world, you would be pleasantly surprised at how your life and destiny would suddenly receive an upsurge! The transformation and glory would be so glaring such that people would not stop asking you what happened. I know what I’m talking about! Perhaps I should convince you more. Here are some reasons you should abstain from every ungodly sex including masturbation, pornography, homosexuality, bestiality etc.

    1. Freedom from unwanted pregnancy/Abortion, STDs, Multiple Heartbreaks/depression etc.
    2. Freedom from transference of spirits from multiple sex partners which disintegrates and pollutes one’s life and could actually destroy it.
    3. Freedom from ungodly soul ties which could redesign your life.
    4. Freedom from choice of an entirely wrong or inappropriate marriage partner.
    5. Freedom from satanic diversion of your priceless virtues/what God has deposited in you to make you comfortable/shine in life.
    6. Sexual Purity illuminates your soul and makes you Spiritually-Intelligent.
    7. Sexual Purity could make you exceptionally brilliant because your soul is carrying a huge dose of God who knows all things.
    8. Sexual Purity attracts goodness into your life because you are not bombarded by demons which flow from one sexual partner to the other.
    9. Sexual Purity helps you retain spiritual strength needed to confront life’s battles and navigate your way through!
    10. Sexual Purity makes you a power generator and too hot for the devil to handle!

    And most importantly- righteousness exalts while sin is a reproach! You just never can tell the type of destiny you carry and what it would require to manifest. Imagine if biblical Joseph had danced to Mrs. Potiphar’s tune, would he have become a prime minister in a foreign land at age 30 even after he was sold into slavery? Who knows what your sexual purity could fetch you? Just like Chizoba mentioned above, God is so merciful, there’s nothing He can’t do for whoever has a change of heart and besides believe me, if you preserve your virginity till marriage, You’re preserving your life and armoring yourself for an uncertain future!

    If you have long been engaging in premarital sex and you are reading, it would be in your best interest to become a Secondary Virgin i.e. abstain from sex till you get married. You will be amazed at what could become of your life if you totally abstain and let God flush you and give you a spiritual over-hauling! Mark my words; you will experience a rebirth that will shock even you as your spirit would shine like sparkling crystal! I shall give you a few steps on how to go about this next Sunday God-willing!

     

    I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowo Temilolu.

  • HENRY ANAEGE: Watching my father fail and succeed inspired me

    HENRY ANAEGE: Watching my father fail and succeed inspired me

    Henry S. Anaege is a licensed Real estate professional in the United States with a great passion for African real estate. He went on to become a broker/managing partner in a real estate development start up that grew into multi billionaire company in Africa in a short span of 3 years an accomplishment that he is most proud of.

    Tenacious and highly optimistic, He strongly believes in philanthropy, African heritage and the course to changing the narrative/ perception of Nigerians in diaspora about Nigeria and Africa at large through innovative business ideas and leveraging technology.

    In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, the certified International and Luxury Real Estate expert with Bachelors degree in Linguistics from the University of Lagos takes you into his world, achievements, inspiration and touching lives.

    WHAT inspired your interest in the Real Estate Business?

    My father was a serial entrepreneur, watching him fail and succeed in various business ventures gave me an early exposure to entrepreneurship. However, I got into real estate because I wanted a business that allows me to help people and spend more time with my loved ones. Real estate is flexible in nature and one of the surest path to creating financial freedom which in turn enables me to empower those in need through education and empowerment programs. This is done in different ways especially in the Western African communities with very high levels of poverty and lack of basic amenities.

    What has been your experience working in Diaspora?

    It has been a wonderful experience doing real estate in the United States. I must say that  it’s a lot different from what’s obtainable back home in Nigeria. There are structures, more favorable government policies and assistance.

    Nevertheless, I strongly believe that with the new government’s interest in the real estate sector especially in Lagos state which is our primary market area for now, there will be massive changes coming soon.

    Let’s compare the experience outside the country with what we have in Nigeria?

    I will rather not compare because you can only compare what is similar but in this case the difference is glaring and unless something tangible is done in the sector back home as the current government is promising, then it will take even a longer time to begin to compare.

    The major problem in the Nigerian Real Estate Sector is lack of structure and little government presence. If this must change, the government will have to play a huge role to aid the growth as the current progress thus far is driven by private sector. This is heavily threatened by the numerous infrastructural challenges and government inactions limiting external investors from coming into the sector.

     Tell us about some of the memorable moments in your life and career?

    My life and career hasn’t been all smooth, I have experienced huge setbacks and disappointments just like most entrepreneurs do but one thing for sure is each set back or disappointment comes with an equal opportunity for greater heights. One of my memorable experiences is joining an African real estate start up and growing it into a multibillionaire company in a short span of 3 years.

    What are some of the challenges?

    Like every other sector it has challenges that must be tackled. I would therefore say that the African real estate sector is lacking hugely in terms of technological infrastructures amongst other things.

    What advice do you have for young people who want to come into the profession?

    It is a very interesting sector and I would advice young people who want to come into the sector to be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”

    Tell us about your role models, people you admire?

    I have a lot of people I admire in the real estate and business world. I admire my late father Chief Alphonsus Anaege, Tony Elumelu Group Chaiman UBA, Grant Cardone (American Real Estate mogul) MR Jay Morrison, Robert Kayasoki, Femi Otedola and many more.

    What are some of the principles that guide what you do?

    For the principles that guide what I do, I always put God first in whatever I do, then my family comes next and then my business.

    What are some of the things that you wouldli ke to do in future?

    I will like to open a real estate school ,this will provide a great opportunity for proper education for those aspiring to go into the real estate sector.

    SOHANA Homes will be lunching in the near future as we are looking to join forces with  other amazing developers in the construction side of things to bridge the housing deficit.

    In addition, we are also working towards doing more charitable outreach through the SOHANA Care platform.

    If you had to advise Nigeria Youths who are angry and frustrated with the system, what would you tell them?

    I will use this powerful quote that I strongly believe in to advise them to stay on track. It says: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” –attributed to Thomas Jefferson.

  • BOSUN ADEWALE: I am happy saving the lives of strangers

    BOSUN ADEWALE: I am happy saving the lives of strangers

    Bosun is an Entrepreneur. Founder of Exclusive Gems a luxury Jewelry brand, and Lagos gift shop.She is the publisher of the first series of the ‘The Complete Woman Inspirational Planner 2021’. A unique planner explicitly designed to inspire and challenge the Nigerian woman to achieve her set goals. Bosun Adewale is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife. She is also an alumna of The Lagos Business school.

    An advocate for Nation building, she founded The Guardians of Hope Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports indigent accident and emergency victims on Lagos roads. She spends most Friday evenings getting streetwalkers off the streets, and by the Grace of God, she has been able to get a good number back on their feet.

    In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, the amazon who is married to Kola Adewale, owner and founder of The Place restaurants takes you into her world,

    CAN tell us about your background and upbringing?

    For my primary education, I attended Command Children School, Ojo then moved on to Mayflower Secondary school Ikenne in Ogun state. I attended The Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, where I studied Philosophy. I had a brief stint in the banking industry before joining my husband at The Place.

    What inspired your deep commitment to impacting society through your Guardians of Hope NGO and others?

    It was my quest of contributing my quota to my community when I chanced on our first beneficiary, a man named Moses Asuquo at LASUTH. I realised that some patients admitted to the hospital lose their lives because they cannot afford medical bills as little as N 1000. My encounter with a family who lost a loved one because they could not afford 1500 for tetanus injection was particularly traumatising for me. We all have a part to play.

    How did Guardians of hope started what have been the impact so far? What level do you plan to take this to?

    Guardians of Hope didn’t start as a foundation from the beginning. I was just passionate about helping the needy and ensuring that families get the needed help that they desire. As the vision grew more significant, we registered it as a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and invited people with like minds who came on board to support the initiative.

    We are happy to be involved with saving the lives of strangers. Because we intervene mostly in Accidents and emergencies, a lot of our beneficiaries are brought in unconscious. We become their family. We are the ones the doctors call when they need to pay for drugs, surgeries and whatever else is required.

    There are so many government hospitals around the country and families who need help with getting their loved ones back on their feet. The plan is to reach out to as many accidents and emergency victims in these hospitals who cannot afford to pay their bills.

    Gender equality and balance is a topical issue, what are your thoughts about it?

    Every gender, whether male or female has the right to equal opportunities and access to matters in all the institutions of the society, be it religion, economy, education, culture, and polity.

    However, many organisations and political groups across the globe structurally exclude minority and marginalised groups. As a result, representation and participation of women and young people in leadership remain low.

    The private sector and government parastatals should aim to contribute to the active participation of all groups in society and the equal distribution of power and influence between women and men, regardless of their age, gender, religion, or ethnic background.

    You just became an author, please can you tell us the process that inspired this and what you hope to achieve with it?

    God inspired this planner; I cannot take credit for that. During the lockdown, I was asking God for what to do with all the free time that I have, and the idea came to me.

    One of the challenges facing the modern woman today is Time Management. So many women say they wish they had more than 24 hours in a day. Life is busy. So many things contend for our attention. If women don’t learn to be deliberate about our time management, we will find that we are unable to achieve our set goals.

    That, in a nutshell, is the story of The Complete Woman Inspirational Planner 2021. The first indigenous planner specifically designed to inspire the Nigerian woman to achieve her dreams.

    TCWIP is an inspirational one-year goal-setting journal which is strategically planned to be an extraordinary personal organiser with step by step guide that will enable the user to achieve their set goals.

    Some of its unique features include inspiring personal stories shared by 12 amazing Nigerian women, the monthly financial planner, weekly meal planner, habit tracker, weekly self-assessment reviews and quotes to motivate the user through the month.

    What are the plans for its release and how accessible will it be for everyone?

    The planner was released in September and has since been selling fast. I love the fact that many women are beginning to see time management as something they should own. For updates, readers can visit our our Instagram page and send us a DM on @tcwip. The planner is now available at bookstores.

    As an entrepreneur, what was your first business attempt and what memories does it hold for you?

    My first business attempt was in my Uni days. I would leave Ife to come to Balogun market to get jewellery for sales. The business was profitable because students love to look good.

    Now achieving work-life balance is quite challenging, as a career woman and mother, how do you ensure that personal, spousal and motherhood responsibilities is well catered for?

    Honestly, I don’t think there can ever be a balance. You just plan your time, do what you can, outsource the rest. I give 100% to each item on my todo per time. For example, I may plan to spend 15 mins playing car race with my son. I will ensure he has my full attention all that time.

    So, how do you refuel the engine, how do you unwind?

    I regularly take out time to be with myself. Just go away for a few days, rest, feed my spirit and of course my body with good food that I didn’t have to make.

    As a woman of style, what are your fashion fetish and must-haves?

    I’ll say my lip balm. I don’t like chapped lips

    Who are the people that has had the most significant influence in moulding and shaping you?

    My late step Dad, Mr Oludayo Salako. He was a good man. He was very upright and instilled in us the importance of honesty. He was so easy to talk to, there was absolutely nothing I could not discuss with him.

  • Yuletide Beach outfits

    Yuletide Beach outfits

    Kehinde Oluleye

     

    OTHER than a cute bikini or one-piece item, what outfit do you wear to the beach?  As we all know, the festive season is a great period set aside for picnics and beach parties by family and friends.

    Whether you are going to the seashore for a family get-together, date or spending time with the girls, you are better off planning your beach outings ahead of time.

    So, what should you wear to the beach this season? There are comfortable, adorable, festive, and super cute outfits that you can put together with very little effort! If you are looking for the hottest clothings for the beach, something special and simple that fits, then the crop top, sunglasses, embellished raffia bags, bikinis, print shirts, sarong skirts, big hats, prints knickers, hoop earrings, bangles and flip-flops, flats or thong sandals are the things to go for.

    Complement your beach outfits with a casual hat and a cute bag. For those who are afraid to reveal certain parts of their body, there’s no longer a need to be worried about baring your body on the beach when you have the swim trunks, kimono jacket and short denim skirt. And if you are not flowing with the rhyme, check out the pictures below, after all pictures don’t lie!

  • OLA AINA: How Scott Parker turned us into winning side

    OLA AINA: How Scott Parker turned us into winning side

    Nigeria and Fulham right back Ola Aina has been talking about his brilliant left-footer screamer that sealed a 2-0 win over West Brom. It was his first English Premiership goal and the victory marked Fulham’s first in the season. The goal was also picked as the best strike for the month of November.

    Fulham has been struggling this season condemned to relegation zone until the win catapulted them out. This is followed by elating 2-1 away win over Leicester and home draw with champions Liverpool.

    Special on the November Goal of the Month, Aina says: “It was a good strike from me. The ball came to my left and I felt very comfortable to strike hard and that’s it. Since my young age I’ve been working on it to ensure that when an opportunity comes I can also use my left leg very well and achieve good result. When the ball came to my left leg, it seems more natural to me to strike with it even though I am a right footer because I’ve been working hard on it. It seems a natural thing for me to do. That is what happened so that when a ball comes to my left foot I can strike it well. At that particular time there was no other way so I just have to take it. It’s something that I’ve been working on ever since I can remember. It is like a natural thing to me and I’ve been doing it in training.”

    Aina says the goal and win is also a massive boost for the team. “It is our first win of the season and it was good for the team’s spirit. It lifted our spirit. It was really good and we just trying to build upon that. The players are always confident. They are always confident in what they can do.”

    Aina, a former Chelsea academy graduate, also has something good to say about Fulham manager Scott Parker. He credits Parker with kick-starting the turnaround.

    ‘He has been great, keeping the belief within the camp and he always tells us that he believes in each and every one of us, believes in our ability and what we can achieve,’ he told the Evening Standard.

    Fulham had gone six games without victory prior to the 2-0 win at Craven Cottage, secured thanks to a header from Bobby Decordova-Reid and Aina’s left-footed shot from distance – his first Premier League goal.

    The Nigeria international admits it was a relief for the hosts to climb out of the relegation zone with a crucial win at the seventh time of asking.

    ‘It was massive,’ he said. ‘Everyone knows it has been a tough start to the season and to get the three points and the clean sheet, those things are very important.

    ‘You have to work hard at that, keep training and putting in the effort. What we did against West Brom should be the minimum. We were up against Leicester and Liverpool, hopefully, we can kick on from here and keep improving.’

    Aina started his career at Fulham’s west London neighbours Chelsea, where the full-back played a key role in back-to-back FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League titles.

    But he left in search of greater first-team opportunities when he was loaned to Hull City and then Torino in Serie A, who made his spell permanent for £8.9million after a promising first season in Italy.

    He returned to England when he joined Fulham on a season-long loan this summer and has started their last four Premier League games.

    Aina admits that it was their finest display since earning promotion, with debutant defender Joachim Andersen helping secure a first clean sheet of the season, too, and Aina says that, after the relief of getting their first win, such a performance must be the minimum expectation going forward.

    “It was massive,” Aina says. “Everyone knows it has been a tough start to the season and to get the three points and the clean sheet, those things are very important.

    “We dug in and really showed some resilience, it is an amazing feeling. It is a long season, the team and I have to take every game as it comes.

    Parker says it was a relief to finally have the pressure of a winless run end and praised his squad for their desire to improve, something Aina says is driven by the manager himself.

    “He has been great, keeping the belief within the camp and he always tells us that he believes in each and everyone of us, believes in our ability and what we can achieve,” Aina said.

    “He has been very positive with us — where we lack, he lets us know, and where we do well, he lets us know. He is a very truthful guy and he has been great.”

    The full-back, who signed on loan with an option to buy from Torino the day before the season started, has had to wait to establish himself in the Premier League, but is now living out his dream at Craven Cottage.

    “It is always special getting your first Premier League goal,” he says. “It has been a long time since I made my League debut.

    “I am just glad that the goal came and I was able to help the team with it.

    “It is a dream to play in the Premier League and score, and get games in the Premier League. When I left Chelsea, it was kick-starting a career for myself.”

    Coming to Fulham, he said was a straight thing. The fact is that his parents lives close to Fulham training ground and he could sneak back to for a quick bite. “”I always wanted to come back and play in the Premier League. I am just happy that I am making it a reality. Joining Fulham was an easy decision to make. It was a straightforward decision because I am close to the Premiership. I know many people here and they are like my friends. My family lived close to the training ground and I could pop in and eat some good food after training. I know that part of London very well. I am really big on family and that played a big part in my decision,” adds Aina.

     

    Shoe Size: Trainer: 8.5, Boot: 9
    Take Away: Chinese Fried Rice
    Musical: Musical movies
    Super Power: I will fly
    Football Hero: David Beckman
    Best advice: Try to be the happiest

    One thing that annoys you most: Things that I know I could do properly but failed to do it well.

    Drink of choice: Strawberry
    If not football: Painting and photography
    Movie: American Gangster

  • US Presidential Transition: Samson Agonistes Trump

    US Presidential Transition: Samson Agonistes Trump

    By Tiko Okoye

     

    PRESIDENT Donald Trump has practically set aside any semblance of governance as he continues to hunker down in the White House – amidst tantrums and meetings with conspiracy theorists pushing him, like the biblical King Rehoboam, to abuse the power of his office.

    White House adviser Peter Navarro has urged President Donald Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to smoke out details of how Democrats stole his election victory before inauguration day, in order to stop Biden from taking the oath of office as “an illegal and illegitimate president.”

    Steve Banon, who was sacked from his post as senior advisor, was recently seen visiting the White House. He later told the press corps that he “impressed it on the president to immediately appoint special prosecutor for election fraud and voter fraud because they are two different things entirely.”

    Two days to the date he was asked to step aside from his post, Attorney-General William Barr gave a rare press interview, where he emphatically stated that the election is very credible and that there is no need to appoint a special prosecutor. Observers believe he was simply trying to provide a basis for his successor, Jeffrey Rosen, to successively resist pressures in this regard from Trump in order to fast-track his confirmation, but would be able to say ‘No’ to a rampaging Trump?

    On his own part, Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.), jailed for lying to Congress, and recently pardoned by President Trump, bragged that Trump could use “military capabilities” to grind out a different set of results in the swing states by suspending the Constitution under martial law and deploying military personnel to conduct a fresh election in each battleground state. “People out there talk about martial law like it’s something we’ve never done (before),” he gushed, “(but) martial law has been instituted 64 times!” Really? Fascism being freely bandied about in the hallowed office of a US president? Richard Nixon must be turning in his grave for allowing himself to be shooed out of office just for wiretapping the Watergate Hotel Democrats held their national convention in late 1971!

    Flynn’s kite was immediately shot down by the military top brass. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Chief of Army Staff Gen. James McConville issued a joint press statement in which they unequivocally emphasized that, “There is no role for the US military in determining the outcome of an American election.”

    White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany revealed on Fox News that there is every likelihood that Congress would decide to ratify the GOP-coordinated “alternate electors” in the swing states, thereby overruling the Electoral College and throwing the election to Trump.

    And as if taking his cue from McEnany, Mo Brooks, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Alabama immediately pledged to object to the counting of electoral college votes when Congress reconvenes on January 6, 2021. All it would take to trigger a vote in both chambers of Congress is the support of one senator. And Tommy Tuberville, a Republican Senator-elect also from Alabama, has publicly declared that he would support Brooks’ motion. While tweeting that Tuberville is “a great champion and man of courage,” Trump asked more senators to join him to overturn the official election result, even as he equally urged hundreds of thousands of his supporters to turn up for a march on Capitol Hill when Congress reconvenes.

    But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who only recently acknowledged Biden’s victory, would be hoping that Tuberville and his co-travellers have a change of heart, otherwise the motion would be defeated on the floor; but not before needlessly portraying both the GOP as a divided house and Senate Republicans as being anti-Trump. Trump’s dangerous machinations are raising serious doubts about the future of the Republican Party as the battle for its soul post-2020 promises to be a very bruising one between political survival and dominance.

    President Richard Nixon had defiantly clung to his post in the first two years of the Watergate scandal that was tearing the Republican Party and the nation apart. On August 7, 1974, three top GOP leaders in Congress – Sen. Barry Goldwater (AZ), Sen. Hugh Scott (PA) and Rep. John Rhodes (AZ) – paid him a solemn visit at the White House and declared: “Mr. President, it is time for you to exit office in the interest of the nation and the Republican Party.” Nixon announced his resignation the very next day!

    Unfortunately, Trump has remade the Republican Party after his own image and turned party leaders into ‘house boys’ on his way to becoming more of a cult leader in the mould of Adolf Hitler. The Republican base is strictly loyal to him and not the party establishment; plus he has a firewall in Congressmen who see more harm to their political careers in opposing him than supporting him, no matter what he says or does. No one was surprised when Trump tweeted a response to McConnell’s congratulatory message to Biden: “Stay with me or there would be no Republican Party”!

    Not too long ago, the Trump legal team publicly disowned Sidney Powell after she floated fantastical conspiracy theories linking late Venezuelan Head of State Hugo Chavez, some ‘disloyal’ Republicans and the CIA with ‘malfunctioning’ voting machines – fables that even members of the Trump inner caucus considered too wild! But Trump is reportedly mulling over appointing her a special counsel for voter fraud – recall Navarro’s forewarning on Fox News! He subsequently tried to douse rising tension in the polity after the plot was leaked to the New York Times by tweeting “Martial law = Fake News,” but many attribute his volte-face partly to the leakage and partly to the strong rebuff by the military when the kite was first publicly flown.

    Trump still has a joker up his sleeves. The Supreme Court – in a 6-3 split decision along ideological lines – voted to give him a few days’ respite to implement his determination to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 census that would establish the numbers to be used to decide the reapportionment of Representatives among the states as well as the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funds.

    It is generally believed that the policy is primarily targeted at blue states such as California and New York with extra-large proportions of the popular and Electoral College votes; they stand to lose big time in terms of House seats and federal funding. Still, red states like Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and Texas with relatively high numbers of undocumented immigrants could equally suffer.

    Two major factors are providing the oxygen Trump needs to continue to rain on Biden’s parade. The first is the solid support of Evangelicals. Many leading members went the extra mile of prophesying Trump’s election win, and must remain in cahoots with him in his increasingly mindboggling attempts to retain power in order to save themselves from ridicule. The mindless adulation can only be reversed if and when Evangelicals finally realise that the man who pleases God is not the self-righteous ‘talker’ in Luke 18:9-12, but the humble ‘doer’ in Matthew 25:34-40.

    The second factor is the docility of the Biden team. The harsh reality of being excluded from the pantheon of second-term presidents – a revered class that includes the likes of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and George W. Bush that he condescendingly considers as inferior to him, has caused Trump to – as the popular American idiom goes – lose it! Show me a man willing to cut his nose in order to spite his face and I’ll show you a mentally deranged individual.

    In every democracy where due process and the rule of law are enthroned, every losing candidate is allowed to have his day in the courts. But the dispute comes to an end whenever the highest court pronounces a judgement. Trump, who still has an opportunity to mark his last days in office with a victory lap vis-à-vis the game-changing Covid-19 vaccines his warp-speed project crystallised, is pitiably turning his back on age-long processes and conventions and resorting to self-help – the very hallmark of a Hobbesian State! His sole obsession is seeking to stop Biden from being sworn in at any cost!

    “No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it,” averred 32nd US President Franklin Roosevelt. “There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. There can be no reasoning with an incendiary bomb” – which is what Trump has become. If Biden fails to very proactively checkmate his bullying antics, a vengeful and ruthless Trump won’t hesitate for a moment to – very much like the biblical Samson – bring down the roof on all his perceived enemies who ‘conspired’ to deny him a second term, including the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic, Democrats, erstwhile GOP allies such as Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp and Republican Secretaries of State in the swing states who certified Biden’s wins, among many others!

     

    • Tiko Okoye is a Boston University Hubert Humphrey Fellow and wrote in from Abuja (08054103468 – SMS only)

  • Looking back on 2020 with sense of optimism toward 2021  

    Looking back on 2020 with sense of optimism toward 2021  

     Mary Beth Leonard  

     

    I WAS proud to arrive in Nigeria and begin my third ambassadorial posting last November.  2020 will long be remembered as the year of the pandemic COVID-19, and we will look back and honor the lives of the more than 1.5 million people worldwide who lost their lives to this vicious pandemic.  2020 also marked 60 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Nigeria, and much has been accomplished over the course of that time as democracy and a free and open business environment continue to grow.  Allow me to provide a bit more detail about accomplishments achieved with our Nigerian partners.

    The international community came together in times of a health crisis.  Over 60 members of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria – from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), USAID, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – stood side by side with Nigerian counterparts at the National Center for Disease Control, Presidential Task Force and Nigerian military to strategize, plan, and effectively implement treatment of Nigerian citizens over the past nine months.  In 2020, the United States provided more than $73 million in assistance for the COVID-19 response. This includes the delivery of 200 ventilators pledged during a conversation between Presidents Buhari and Trump in April, epidemiological COVID detection surveys, technical assistance, and service plans.

    I whole-heartedly congratulated Nigeria in August for attaining a wild polio virus-free status and recognized that no country could have achieved this great feat without the support of its partners. This effort, buttressed by the Centers for Disease Control and USAID investments of approximately $220 million dollars combined over the last eight years, demonstrated the dynamism of state and local activities to strengthen surveillance, join in polio campaigns, create polio outbreak response plans, and encourage routine immunization.

    The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) enrolled its one millionth Nigerian patient this year.   Our team has been engaged in a year-long surge activity that is now enrolling 6,000 new patients per week across the country.  The National AIDS Indicator Survey (NAIIS) armed us with the data we needed to target the disease more effectively.  We are doing just that with our partners at the Nigerian AIDS Control Agency, state governors, health commissioners, and State AIDS Control Agencies, and the Ministry of Health.  Together, we are identifying patients, providing them life-saving treatment, and suppressing their viral loads to levels which can no longer transmit the disease.  We are within reach of an AIDS free generation after twenty years of sustained commitment.

    Two-way trade between our great nations has expanded to a value of over $9 billion.  The United States is proud to be one of the largest foreign investors in Nigeria.  Programs offered through our Foreign Commercial and Agricultural Services, like Prosper Africa and the West African Trade Hub, will continue to facilitate business that benefits both our countries.  During a U.S. Chamber of Commerce December, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy shared that Nigeria’s digital economy contributed more than 17 percent to the national GDP in 2020.  Broadband penetration increased by 10 percent this year and as more Nigerians engage in secure and reliable online banking and retail, small and medium enterprises will be able to expand their online platforms and services.  The United States actively supports the expansion of internet infrastructure in Nigeria, with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency this year providing over $3.6 million in project preparation assistance aimed at expanding reliable broadband connectivity to thousands of Nigerians.  In 2021, we expect to see additional opportunities to reduce the digital divide.  President Buhari recently signed the U.S.-Nigeria Open Skies agreement that will permit increased aviation links, generating new two-way trade and commercial opportunities.  With the right policy environment, these trends will lead to even greater business and employment opportunities in 2021.

    The United States is a steadfast supporter of Nigerian democracy.  Nigerian youth mobilized and brought international attention to police abuse and successfully called for police reforms.  We will seek opportunities in 2021 to contribute technical assistance in the national and state-level efforts to follow-through on #EndSARS commitments. In November, we welcomed Counselor Brechbühl’s delegation who came to raise U.S. government concerns about ongoing violence in Nigeria, human rights, and religious freedom, and to enhance U.S.-Nigerian cooperation in preventing atrocities./  This past year we encouraged all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and security services, to make significant improvements to electoral processes.  We congratulate INEC and the Nigerian people for the credible and largely peaceful Edo and Ondo State elections where voters felt their votes counted.  We support public monitoring groups, such as YIAGA, to build public confidence in election results.  Moving forward, the United States will continue to consider consequences – including visa restrictions – for individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process or for organizing election-related violence.

    Finally, no country can advance the well-being of its people without peace and security.  Our ongoing U.S. security cooperation programs with Nigeria include equipment sales, grants, education, and training programs.  Countering Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain top priorities for both of our nations.  Maritime security cooperation, through joint exercises such as Obangame Express, demonstrate the strength of our partnership to end piracy and encourage economic activity in the Gulf of Guinea.

    We look forward to Nigeria hosting the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission in 2021.  The Commission remains a premiere platform of engagement for our governments to expand cooperation and advance shared goals, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, development, good governance, and security cooperation.

    With our 60 years young relationship, there is much to look forward to in 2021.  We wish the Nigerian people quality moments with loved ones over the holidays, and time to rejuvenate the spirit as we welcome a new year of engagement and partnership.

     

    • Leonard is United States Ambassador to Nigeria