The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Celebs who engage IN OTHER VOCATIONS

    Kehinde OLULEYE

     

    Actors, artistes, On Air Personalities (OAPs) and athletes are some of the most diverse investors and side hustlers that you are likely to come across. Piracy, our poor economy and the general disposition of most people to be entertained for free are some of the reasons artistes look beyond the screen for extra income and athletes also look beyond the field.

    From fashion labels, drink shops to night club businesses, quite a number of our beloved celebs and Nollywood A-listers are using their spare time away from the camera, film locations, sporting fields, television and radio studios to make the extra buck while also building successful careers in their first love.

    One major advantage that these celebs have over other side hustlers and entrepreneurs is that, unlike their lesser-known contemporaries on the screen, in sports and politics, their visibility and popularity can always come handy as a useful marketing tool.

    With strong social media presence, they come across as likeable, familiar and trustworthy; the masses feel like they know them better and are already friends with them. With a penchant for attention and widespread name recognition, celebrities have a unique advantage in business, where simply getting noticed is the first step towards a successful business venture.

    Some of the best known celeb entrepreneurs and business persons include Dr Kola Oyewo , Sola Sofudo, Mikel Obi, Genevieve Nnaji, Wiz Kid, Yemi Alade, Burna boy, 2Face Idibia, DBanj, Chika Ike, , Yul Edochie, Agbani Darego, Rugged Man, AY Makun and others. We are sure that the number of celebs with side businesses is likely to become bigger and bigger as we go on.

    Read also: Male Nollywood celebrities unmarried at 40 and above

     

    Wiz Kid (Starboy Jersey)

    Popular Nigerian artiste, Wizkid, launched his jersey line in collaboration with international sportswear brand, NIKE, in 2018 and Amsterdam-based menswear brand Daily Paper in 2019. His line includes a limited edition collection of special clothings and accessories.

     

    Burna Boy (Space Puff cereal)

    In 2018, Nigerian Afro singer, songwriter and rave of the moment, Burna Boy, successfully launched his limited edition Space Puff Cereal during his sold-out concert at the O2 Brixton Academy in London. The limit cereal has only 50 of its kind in the world.

     

    Dr Kola Oyewo (lecturer)

    Veteran Nigerian actor, dramatist and scholar, Dr. Kola Oyewo, in 1996, joined the services of Obafemi Awolowo University, where he rose to the rank of senior lecturer before retiring in September 2011. After his retirement from the Obafemi Awolowo University, he joined the services of Redeemer’s University, where he served as Head of the Department of Dramatic Art. He is currently working at Elizade University Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, as a performing arts lecturer.

     

    Emmanuel Emenike (E-29 Records)

    Sources say ex-Eagles striker,Emmanuel Emenike, is a very wise investor with hands in several economic pies. Emenike also owns E-29 Records and he has been deeply investing in real estate.

     

    Genevieve Nnaji (St Genevieve clothing brand)

    Gorgeous Nollywood actress, producer, and director, Genevieve Nnaji, has a clothing line, St Genevieve, a clothing line named after her very famous name. It was launched in 2014.

     

    Yemi Alade (The Yemi Alade Collection-Jewellery line)

    Beautiful from whatever angle you look at her, Yemi Alade, sexy, smart and highly talented Nigerian Afropop singer and songwriter is one of Nigeria’s best musical ‘ambassadors’.  Yemi Alade, in partnership with an online jewellery retailer, Bland2Glam, launched jewellery collection in 2015.

     

    2Face Idibia (Night clubs)

    Innocent Idibia, fondly called 2Baba by fans, owns two very successful night clubs in Lagos and has his hands in other pies apart from producing music.

     

    Ruggedman (20th September Wears)

    Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, known professionally as Ruggedman, is a Nigerian rapper and UN peace ambassador. Ruggedman launched his clothing line, which produces sporty shirts and footwear in 2016.

     

    AY ( MVP night club)

    AY is one of the most enterprising and talked-about celebrity CEOs in Nigeria, from the A.Y show to A.Y’s Crib. In 2014, he diversified into an unusual line of business, something different from what he has always done, to set up the first non-smoking nightclub in Lagos, MVP in 2014.

     

    Agbani Darego (AD by Agbani Darego)

    Beautiful 31-year-old  ex-beauty queen has moved on to greater heights after winning the Miss World Beauty pageant in 2001. She has been a model for several local and international fashion brands and in 2014, she launched her own denim range called AD by Agbani Darego, offering jeans, dresses, sunglasses and bags.

     

    DBanj (Koko garri)

    The Nigerian international music superstar is quite business savvy. Apart from founding DB Records, Dbanj also dabbled into reality shows and has investment in agriculture. He is said to own, among others, a garri processing plant.

     

    Annie Idibia (Be Olive Hair collections)

    The gorgeous Annie Idibia is not merely the better half of Nigeria’s R n B superstar, Tu Face Idibia. Annie, an actress, also runs Be Olive Hair collections where she sells human hair. She also runs a salon located in Atlanta, USA, BeOlive Hair Studio.

     

    Yul Edochie (Politics & Film Academy)

    Actor and politician is an efficient businessman, along with being a great actor and politician.  He has a film academy which goes by the name Yul Edochie Academy.

     

    Rita Dominic (BK Unique Hair)

    In addition to films, the bold and beautiful Rita Dominic is a businesswoman.  She owns BK Unique Hair, which was launched in 2016.

     

    Mike Obi (Transport & record label business)

    Apart from the transport company run by his father in Jos, Nigerian professional footballer,John Mikel Obi, who plays as a midfielder for Turkish club, Trabzonspor, also bankrolls the record label, MMM record.

     

    Sola Fosudo (lecturer)

    Veteran Nollywood prolific dramatist, scholar, critic, film actor and director, Sola  Fosudo, is the head of the Department of Theatre Art, Lagos State University and the university’s Director of Information.

  • I WAS YOUNG AND NAIVE, SAYS PADITA AGU ON FAILED MARRIAGE

    HAVING promised to share an unknown part of her life story, Nollywood actress, Padita Agu, put up a 25-minute Instagram video on Wednesday where she spoke on her three year old failed marriage.

    The video which is also on YouTube had the title, “How I married my ex-husband the first day I met him.”

    Padita narrated how she got married to her ex-husband the very first day they met after maintaining a long distance relationship over the phone.

    According to her, she met her ex-husband at a friend’s house. She had gone to the friend’s house to console her and this friend later called to tell her that the man who was in her house when she came visiting, was interested in her and wanted her number.

    Padita who was in a relationship at the time, said she turned down her friend’s request to speak with the man. Her friend pressured her so much and she gave in to her friend’s request and decided to speak with the man. At the time they spoke, the man was living outside the country. After much communication via phone, they started to talk about marriage. It was in one of their many conversations that he sold her an idea that she says she regrets till date.

    Read Also: Girls, beware of sexually-active unmarried friends!

     

    The actress revealed that the idea was for them to meet at a registry and get married immediately and if either realise they do not want it anymore, as quietly as they did it, they would just go and undo it.

    Coming after the post, which she already pleaded not to be criticise but shown love, for she was naïve at that time said she was overwhelmed by the outpour of love and support from followers and colleagues.

    “Wow!!! I am overwhelmed with love at your response, love and support. I mean I wanted it, but I wasn’t sure you’ll give it. This ordeal happened almost 15yrs ago and I have lived with it. I was so ashamed and embarrassed to talk about it, for fear of people calling me STUPID.

    “But it hit me when I came across few out of many young ladies already in and about to dive into the same mistake I made, and then I realized my shame is not worth lives wasting. So I spoke up damning the backlash. But you all shocked me instead. The out pour of love and support.”

  • VIVA to open 4K screen cinema in Lagos

    By Gboyega Alaka

     

    FAST-GROWING cinema chain, VIVA Cinemas,  is set to open its latest cinema in Lagos at the Ikeja Bus Terminal before the end of November.

    Currently operating in five sites across Ilorin, Ibadan, Ota and Enugu, and boasting of over 20% market share in the industry, VIVA Cinemas uses a 4K cinema projectors to achieve clear picture and sound clarity in 2D and 3D.

    The outfit, which has since inception in 2015, gained quite a reputation for its quality service, will be offering an amazing mix of experiences designed to treat cinema lovers to a variety of Nollywood, Hollywood and Bollywood blockbuster movies.

    Following a brief demo of the tech-advanced projector to a select media audience in Lagos recently, VIVA CEO, Heri Ntimizi explained that: “On a bigger screen, the 4K image is simply better, so much so that some people who’ve witnessed a long-distance shot rendered in 4K have mistaken it for glasses-free 3D! The larger the screen, the more 4K is required due to the inevitable pixel enlargement. At VIVA Cinemas, we like to ensure definition is maintained and at a minimal viewing cost.”

    Read Also: Mokalik ranks number one at cinemas

     

    He added that “Aside the movie experience within our screens, our teams across our cinemas are committed to creating thrilling entertainment & leisure destinations that teleport our visitors from their everyday lives into an extraordinary world of magic.”

    For a 16:9 ratio, 4K contains almost four times the pixels of HD. This means a clearer, more detailed image. The higher pixel count also allows for closer viewing by the audience without loss in quality of the content on the screen.

    Aside the technology aspects, Head of Operations, Inuagbor Abbass hinted that, “in addition to your regular popcorn and drinks, VIVA is bringing on innovative customer service, client sensitivity and affordability.”

  • ‘Kpali’ starring Ini Dima-Okojie, Nkem Owoh, others set for December release

    VZHUN Films, a leading production company has announced a feature film entitled ‘Kpali’ featuring a line-up of top Nollywood actors including Nkem ‘Osuofia’ Owoh, Linda Ejiofor, Ini Dima-Okojie, Kunle Remi and Gloria Anozie-Young. Kpali is set for release in cinemas on December 20.

    Produced by Emem Ema, the suspense-filled movie is being released in collaboration with Genesis Pictures. Shot in different locations in Lagos and London, the movie was directed by Ladi Johnson.

    The story unfolds around Amaka, a Nigerian professional who works in an investment bank in London. Life throws her a curve ball as her UK employer suddenly has to trim its workforce and she may lose her job. It gets complicated as her Work Visa is about to expire. In a twist, Amaka’s employer gives her a lifeline to win a big account with a Lagos-based, Nigerian company. She must head to Nigeria with a colleague of hers on this desperate mission. But there is a caveat, the deal must be wrapped up in 30 Days or else she loses everything.

    Read Also: Nkechi Blessing shoots new movie ‘Torera’

     

    According to the Executive Producer, Abhulime Ehiagwina, who has ‘Kpali’ as his first foray into film business, the movie offers a gripping story that a large spectrum of movie goers can relate to irrespective of gender and age.

    Ehiagwina said: “My team and I are very pleased to present this work to viewing public after many months of lensing both in Nigeria and London. ‘Kpali’ highlights a blend of Nigerian and English cultures amplified by an array of talents and a quality cinematic delivery. The story will further enrich the conversation about Nigerian immigrants in search of greener pastures.”

    Producer, Emem Ema, who is the head-honcho of Vzhun Films expressed her excitement to present the movie.

    “From the standpoint of a producer, it was really exciting to see first-hand the deep connection between the actors and their roles on this project,” she said.

    “It was a pretty intense production and we can’t wait to bring this remarkable experience to movie fans across Nigeria this December.”

  • THE NIGERIA’S 2020 OSCAR ENTRY ‘LION HEART’ DISQUALIFICATION

    Dear Victor,

    SO good to hear from you. I hope all is well.

    Yes, there were a lot of stories about the Lion heart situation.  My first reaction was – why do people take the Oscars so seriously?

    It is a very artificial system that rarely results in the best movies or performances being recognized.  The people who vote are not really experts on film, just people from the industry.

    The obvious reason is that there is a financial benefit to winning an Oscar.

    This means that people have done some very improper things over the years to attempt to influence voters.  Miramax (Harvey Weinstein) was notorious for spending millions of dollars to influence voters and then billing all those expenses to the movies – destroying the profits of many movies.

    My second thought was, Lionheart was incredibly boring – why does Nigeria want this to be the film that represents them?  I really didn’t like the movie, and I am sure that many other films from Nigeria would be more worthy.

    Regarding the language issue, it is an artificial set of rules that is bound to hurt films from English-speaking countries.  I am sure that New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries have felt like the rules were not fair to their local films.  Clearly Lionheart does not qualify in the foreign film Oscar category based on the stated rules. 

    Regarding the language issue, it is an artificial set of rules that is bound to hurt films from English-speaking countries.

    I am sure that New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries have felt like the rules were not fair to their local films.  Clearly Lionheart does not qualify in the foreign film Oscar category based on the stated rules.

    The Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences is probably not the best place to have a debate about the negative impact of colonialism.  That is a very important topic that is not discussed enough, so if this gets people to talk about it, then that’s good, but I honestly don’t understand the argument.

    The film is in English.  A private organization (the Academy) gives away some awards based on a set of arbitrary rules.  If people don’t like the rules, they don’t have to participate – let them compete for the Golden Lion, Silver Bear or Palme d’Or if they like the rules of those competitions better.

    The argument from Ava is that the category should allow films in each country’s national language even if that language is English.

    Read Also: Most Unforgettable Oscar Dresses

     

    So, Lord of the Rings (New Zealand), James Bond Films (UK) and big budget features shot in Canada would all compete in the international feature category.  Then everyone would complain that it isn’t fair for a $150 million studio movie is competing in the category.

    Ava is a member of the Academy, so hopefully she will try to get the rules changed, but I would like to see what she thinks the qualifications for the category should be.  If English was the language imposed by a colonial power, then it’s okay, but if it is the native language of the country, then it’s not.

    That would disqualify England, but not Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

    There are many battles that need to be fought to right historic wrongs, but I don’t think this is one of them.

    Nigerians already have many festival like AMAA, iREP, AFRIF, Gospel Film Festival, Abuja International film festival, YOMAFA, ZUMA etc. that gives award and recognitions to filmmakers .

    I actually think that we have too many festivals already.  I think having a world-class film festival in Lagos would be great, but that is very difficult and costly to produce.

    I saw a presentation last week by the head of the NFVCB, despite the growing number of screens, box office for all but a few local films is still very low in dollar terms.  They were trying to convince people that Nigeria is potentially a strong market for films, but, to be honest, it just isn’t at this point.

    From the hundreds of films produced in Nigeria every year, it appears that very few make money, and those make money because Netflix buys them or they have special deals with the distribution companies, who compromise alot of stuff  for them.

    To the disadvantage of other films.  Some filmmakers receive sponsorship and hold VIP screenings. I do hope  to know how much revenue they make on VOD?  Do not think VOD or TV will ever provide any substantial revenue?  I think Nigeria needs to start using film quotas to encourage cinemas to play local movies more.

    Am looking forward to a day the NFCVB, NFC, NCC, CBN, Ministry of information and culture, Ministry of Youth will sponsor our film festivals, so that our best films can screened outside Nigeria.

    Charity begins at Home.

    –Faranpojo Olaitan, CEO/ Festival Director, Gospel film festival

  • Emeka Mba to deliver 2019 COSON lecture

    THE former Director-General of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Mr. Emeka Mba, will deliver the 2019 COSON Lecture will hold on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the COSON House Arena in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The lecture is one of the key events of the biennial COSON Week.

    With more than 27 years’ experience in media, entertainment and technology, as well as regulatory policy management, Mba, who was also a former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, currently heads Questech Media, a specialized media and entertainment consulting practice. He was also Managing Director of Phillips Media Entertainment Ltd and was the Regulatory Affairs Manager for MultiChoice Nigeria, for eight and a half years.

    “No one in Nigeria has the depth of hands-on experience that Mr. Emeka Mba has with respect to creative content and the management of rights,” said COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, on the choice of Mr. Mba for the 2019 COSON Lecture.

    Read Also: Banky W supports 2baba on COSON audit

     

    “He is brilliant. I am looking forward to a very exciting 2019 COSON Lecture.”

    The inaugural COSON lecture in 2013 was delivered by Prof Helge Ronning, Chairman, Norwegian Copyright Development Association (NORCODE) with His Excellency, Mr. Rolf Ree, Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria as Guest of Honour. The 2015 COSON Lecture was delivered by Prof. Bankole Sodipo with His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as guest of honour and legal luminary, Prince Bola Ajibola, as special guest. The last COSON Lecture in 2017 was delivered by the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, one-time Deputy Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Chairman of the lecture was the nation’s guru of Intellectual property law, Prof Egerton Uvieghara.

  • My battles with randy, gay lecturers

    Prof. Edward Olorunsola Olanipekun was recently appointed the eighth Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU). In this interview with ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, the professor of Industrial Chemistry speaks on his plans for the 37-year-old institution, the challenges ahead and why some projects are delayed, among other issues.

     

    What was your biggest challenge when you assumed duty as the Vice Chancellor of EKSU?

    The greatest challenge was that the university is largely non-residential. This is not a good thing for any 21st Century institution that aims to be world class. Besides, there is no staff quarters on the campus. Even the Vice Chancellor’s Lodge is non-existent. However, we shall soon have a befitting VC Lodge.

     

    ‘My challenge is that sexually abused students are too scared to speak up’

     

    Two, we have genuine investors desirous of partnering with us. So, we will be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with some of them. Interestingly, there is an investor willing to provide accommodation for at least 5,000 students on campus. He has assured us that the project would be ready in a year. I have the proposal and the drawing. As soon as I go through it, we shall invite them for a meeting.

    You seem to be very concerned about lodging for principal officers and students…

    As scholars, living on campus has many advantages. I have a study room in my personal house. However, once it comes to real research, you cannot compare such study room with the amount of research you will carry out in an academic environment. For instance, I am a professor of Chemistry. There are certain experiments one might need to carry out for 14 hours non-stop. That’s the essence of undertaking such experiment in an academic environment.

    As regards accommodation, it is a pity that once it is about 4 pm, this university becomes virtually empty. I am believing in God that within a year, we are going to change the face of this institution.

    Considering that EKSU has a population of over 24,000 students, don’t you think a hostel accommodating only 5000 students is like a drop in the ocean?

    Do not forget that this is the starting point. If we can have at least 5000 students on campus, this will automatically change the face of EKSU. Not up to 200 students and no staff member lives on campus. Another investor came here to provide hostel accommodation for about 200 students, but I disagreed that we will only accommodate an investor providing hostel accommodation for no fewer than 2000. Our plan is that new and final year students should stay on campus. Thereafter, we can extend to other levels as facilities increase.

    We also saw generators littering the corridors of some offices. That shows there is a challenge of power, right?

    Your observation is in order. However, let me say some investors have also shown interest to erect power plant for us. We have two of them and we hope to enter into an agreement with them within the next few weeks. Interestingly, their investment will not cost the university a dime. They will be providing the services just like a DisCo (distribution company) and we will just be paying. One of the investors told me it would take just three months’ gestational period to have 24-hour power supply on the campus. Once everything is fine-tuned, they immediately mobilise equipment to site.

     

    There was a video on the social media about one of our lecturers in alleged sexual misconduct. You know the outcome of that matter. That tells you and others the direction this administration is heading. But let me tell you that my challenge is that some of the (victimised) students are scared to speak up.

     

    A university runs on committee system. Much as I would have loved certain things executed at my speed, respect must be accorded due process; so this might delay some of the projects.

    Is it true that your administration inherited huge outstanding bills?

    It is correct. However, let me thank our Visitor (Ekiti State) Governor (Kayode) Fayemi. Without him, our College of Medicine would have, perhaps, become history by now. That college (of Medicine) took off years back but was abolished at a point. The same situation would have repeated itself but for the governor’s kind intervention. Thankfully, EKSU has produced its first set of medical doctors and all thanks to him.

    We are about to have our accreditation next (this) week, and the governor has also assisted us financially. As someone from the academia, he understands the modus operandi of the university system. It is on record that during his (Fayemi) first term in office, he gave this university millions of naira which were used to complement funds from intervening agencies. Unfortunately, not a single penny has come to the university since he left.

    Let me tell you that the governor has also approved almost N1 billion as capital vote for this university; and it will be released any moment from now. We actually inherited a number of unsettled bills, but since the governor came on board, he has been releasing our subvention as and when due.

    Are there ways the university’s leadership has been reciprocating the government’s gesture?

    We have been cutting our coat according to available resources. We are trying to be prudent as well as block all forms of financial haemorrhage in the system. We have introduced what I can described as austerity measures. I want to thank the workers across board for showing a great deal of understanding, especially on some tough measures we have introduced in order to conserve resources.

    Did you have a blueprint before assuming the leadership?

    I have not yet put my vision in black and white. I hope to do that before the year runs out. Nonetheless, my vision is to propel EKSU as a 21st Century institution that is globally competitive. The institution shall be dedicated to cutting-edge research and training of entrepreneurial-minded graduates. I want a university that would be less-dependent on subvention; to make EKSU one of the foremost universities on the continent, with international recognition.

    As an insider, what are the gaps you noticed in terms of indiscipline among the staff and students?

    Let me first acknowledge that no system all over the world is perfect. Nevertheless, I want to say that our staff and students are people anybody can be proud of any time. The university is still owing them and they could have used that opportunity to frustrate this interview. They have shown us understanding and given me a great deal of support since I assumed office. Above all, they are committed to realising the dreams and vision of this new administration.

    But that will not take away the fact that indiscipline still exists…

    I agree with you. There are pockets of issues here and there, but they know I’m not a pretender. Any moment from now, we shall erect a billboard at the entrance of EKSU to warn everybody not to run foul of the rules. Secondly, we are going to install a centrally-controlled complaint box where students and workers can drop their complaints. This administration will not tolerate any staff or students found to have contravened the law of the university. We will not be afraid to implement the decision taken by any disciplinary committee in respect of infractions, however high or low such a person is.

    We do hear of allegations of sexual harassment and other misconducts in EKSU. Can your administration handle them?

    There was a video on the social media about one of our lecturers in alleged sexual misconduct. You know the outcome of that matter. That tells you and others the direction this administration is heading. But let me tell you that my challenge is that some of the (victimised) students are scared to speak up.

    But students will remain voiceless because we all know that in most universities in Nigeria, the system does not protect them…

    That might be right anyway. But there is another case of sexual harassment we have just set up a committee to look into. We are awaiting the report of that committee. Nonetheless, what we often realise is that majority of students are afraid. Based on my antecedents, I won’t tolerate indiscipline. I have said it at various fora that whoever violates any of the rules will face the music.

    Last week, an NGO visited me, supposedly to partner with EKSU on gender-based violence (GBV). I took its proposal to the management

  • When the media is endangered

    Sir: Human right activist Femi Falana SAN, on Thursday, November 7, asserted that political forces within the country are preparing grounds to launch a third term campaign ahead of the 2023 presidential election. The plan, he alleged includes an already activated process of oppressing the media in order to whittle down their influence.

    While that assertion remains unsubstantiated, the respected SAN is very much on point about ongoing assault on the country’s media. Analysis by pressattack.ng reveals that the highest number of aggression on the media in Nigeria since 1985 was witnessed under the current administration with 2018 and 2019 witnessing 58 and 61 attacks respectively.  This ranges from going physical with reporters (189), equipment searches and seizures (9), equipment or property damage (17), arrests (60), denial of access (21) threats (44) and harassment (12).

    It is worrisome that the trend of arbitrarily attacking the media for paying the dues to their profession is becoming norm. The growing list of journalists, bloggers and people who stand up for human rights that have been arrested, harassed and intimidated by the authorities, and those facing trumped charges and baseless accusation is leaving behind a pattern too strong to be ignored.

    Whenever the media is being assaulted, pens will strike, voices will yell and the airwaves will tremble, then everything will quell until another media assault happens and the circle will start over again. This is the reflex in most world countries where Journalism is under threat.

    Read Also: Perils of social media, fake news

     

    If this status quo is allowed to persist, the consequence is that we shall on the one hand lose voices for the voiceless, and on the other hand murder the ambition of aspiring journalists, which may lead to their dearth in a world where role of the media as an ultimate defender of democracy is increasingly being reinforced.

    It is a good thing that the International Festival of Freedom of Expression and Press (FILEP) has issued a communiqué urging African governments to put in place deliberate policies aimed at protecting journalists, but the media profession is becoming too sensitive for its discipline to be left in the hands of routine state authority.

    Members of the 4th estate should push for a law that will empower organized media courts to determine the guilt of its practitioners’, subject to its laws and code of ethics and to decide upon punishment where defendant is found guilty. This will at least immunize the media from state sanctioned attacks under the guise of disciplinary action, otherwise, like the proverbial tortoise said “if we allow the lion to eat the sheep today, he will still go hungry tomorrow and we don’t know the next amongst us to be eaten.”

     

    • Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, Bayero University Kano.

  • BOS: Beyond mere title repudiation

    By Alade Fawole

     

    Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu made it known recently that he had decided to forsake the title of “Your Excellency”, a title he had been addressed by since his inauguration on May 29. He would rather be referred to simply as “Mr. Governor.” His rejection of this grandiose and immoderate title, and embrace of simplicity, would appear to have stemmed from his deep and profound conviction, according to him, that “Only God, the Almighty, the Creator, the Protector is the Most Excellent” and “No man can share His eternal qualities.” He is entitled to his philosophical convictions, as well as his desire to stand out from the crowd. No one can seriously disagree with his assertion that no mortal man should arrogate to himself qualities that belong only to the Almighty God!

    Truth be told, he is neither the first nor the only one to distance himself from such pompous, extravagant and undeserved reverential titles. Two contemporary examples will suffice. Before him were Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, who opted to be addressed as “Ogbeni”, and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State who goes by the title “Arakunrin”. It is difficult to know whether they went beyond the mere repudiation of honorific title to bring substantive and lasting alteration to how states are governed. This, by the way, is not an assessment of their tenure. It is about governor who, unlike the duo’s purely symbolic and stylistic adoption of new appellations has actually provided a deep philosophical justification for his abhorrence of veneration.

    True humility should not be a rare commodity in governance. In June 2016, Ann LePage, the wife of Governor Paul LePage of Maine, (USA) had to take a summer part-time job as a waitress at the local McSeagull’s restaurant. It was not a publicity stunt or a side show. It was to augment her husband’s meager $70,000 annual salary, and to save money to purchase a brand new Toyota Rav4 SUV. Is it even conceivable that “Her Excellency”, the First Lady of any state in Nigeria, would stoop low to take a job, any job for that matter, much less as a restaurant waitress, when her husband, “His Excellency”, has the keys to the state’s exchequer in his pocket? Perish the thought!

    Chief Obafemi Awolowo as premier of Western Region from 1954 to 1960 never lived in official quarters but in his private residence at Oke-Bola in Ibadan, drove his own personal car and therefore totally abstained from any form of ostentation. He strictly followed his own admonition that public officials must refuse to succumb to a life of ostentation at public expense that they cannot afford in private life. This discipline permeated the entire public service of the region throughout his premiership such that by 4pm every working day, all official vehicles, except those on journeys and essential services, were back in the vehicle pool at the secretariat in Ibadan after dropping off government officials. No one kept an official vehicle overnight, unlike today’s practice where state commissioners and other senior government appointees keep fleets of publicly owned vehicles and even make away with them at the expiration of their appointment. Whatever happened to discipline and decency in public office?

    As Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council under the Yakubu Gowon regime (1967-1972), in an era when profligacy was the order of the day, Chief Awolowo lived in his Park Lane residence, Apapa, and according to General Yakubu Gowon, always brought to the office the water he would drink while at work. He saw no reason for wastage: office was for serious work, not hedonistic indulgence. General Gowon once narrated the extreme difficulty of getting Chief Awolowo to shift slightly his rigid philosophical stand and approve some little money for snacks and water for both the Supreme Military Council and the Federal Executive Council meetings. With such discipline and prudent economic management, Nigeria was able to fight a three-year civil war without borrowing a penny!

    Awolowo’s protégées emulated his Spartan lifestyle in office. Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Second Republic Governor (1979-1983) of the same Lagos State that Babajide Sanwo-Olu is governing today, was unpretentious in his repudiation of ostentation and extravagance: lived in his personal house and rode his own Toyota Crown as official car, and as servant-leader accomplished more in just four years than many governors. Other Awolowo followers (Adekunle Ajasin in Ondo State, Ambrose Alli in Bendel State, Bisi Onabanjo in Ogun State, and Bola Ige in Oyo State) through Spartan discipline, excelled in office during the Second Republic. Why then should servant-leadership become such a rare phenomenon in contemporary Nigeria?

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    Governor Sanwo-Olu has this cloud of witnesses around him to show that disciplined and focused leadership usually performs better when stripped of needless encumbrances. In my view, for him to make serious impacts beyond the cosmetic, Sanwo-Olu must go the whole hog, the whole nine yards, as Americans are wont to say, by actually consciously reducing wastage, cutting ostentation and the extravagance that have become part of governance, make governance lean, mean and efficient. This may include severe reduction in the needlessly huge size of gubernatorial entourages; deliberate asphyxiation of the conspicuous consumption of public resources in the state house where all manner of party and political hangers-on go to feed and drink freely at public expense; cutting down the number of aides, most of which have no serious relevance to governmental efficiency and performance; and reduce any extravagant expenditure for the First Lady. Actually, the practice should be for the wives of elected public officials to raise funds for their pet projects rather than raid the public treasury.

    It should be remarked that under the original three regions (North, East and West up till 1963), each of the respective regional premiers functioned with a dozen ministers and a handful of advisers and yet they performed vastly more than all of today’s 36 state governors and their thousands of commissioners and advisers put together are doing. It is by prudent management, discipline, focus and hard work that the governor can also set good examples for other governors to emulate. Lagos State, unquestionably the richest state in Nigeria and the sixth largest economy in Africa, can, under Sanwo-Olu and in spite of its immense economic capabilities, set good example by running a lean, disciplined and efficient government for the rest of the nation. That is when government can fix roads, repair old and provide new infrastructure, improve education and healthcare services, provide adequate security and improve the general wellbeing of the people. His good example will help put to shame those hedonistic governors whose extremely poor states depend on monthly handouts from Abuja but whose sybaritic excesses pauperize their peoples. I take this position because there is no state governor in Nigeria that is a poor man. I may not know Governor Sanwo-Olu’s personal financial worth but he is comfortable enough to live a decent life in and out of office. Mr. Governor, you have started on the right track but do not relent. I urge you to take the other necessary incremental steps to be truly different and re-establish the template for good governance that Chief Awolowo perfected in the Western Region and Alhaji Jakande exemplified as Lagos State governor.

     

    ‘Lagos State, unquestionably the richest state in Nigeria and the sixth largest economy in Africa, can, under Sanwo-Olu and in spite of its immense economic capabilities, set good example by running a lean, disciplined and efficient government for the rest of the nation’

     

    • Prof Fawole writes from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

  • Nigeria’s political parties and their leaders

    Sir: Events occurring everyday show the growing misunderstanding sometimes violent disagreement between top politicians and their national leadership. In an ideal democratic setting this should not be strange. But in our environment where raw power and privilege supersede democratic order and process, the consequences and results can be alarming and unsettling. Our current experience, with the possible exception of the old Western Region, has no precedence in Nigeria.

    Let us go back a bit. In 1959 to 1979, the Action Group (A.G) by whatever name it was called ruled the West, with Akintola and Awolowo variously in charge. At some time in this long period, the two leaders held sway in Lagos –as leader of opposition and at Ibadan as premier. Because of the personal and oriental differences between the two leaders, both party and government achieved little cohesion and unity.

    On the other hand, the North under Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa achieved a reasonable level of understanding and unity. No ‘outsiders’ penetrated government machinery nor was there any open revolt until the coups destroyed the government and political institutions. The party, Northern People’s Congress (NPC) was effectively in power.

    In like manner, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and Mike Okpara’s joint leadership of the eastern bloc worked in near –perfect harmony throughout their tenure either in the East or Azikwe as ceremonial Head of State in Lagos.

    Now today the picture is different throughout Nigeria. We now have instances where village or local chapters of political parties meet casually at beer parlors and remove national chairman of their party for reasons you cannot fathom. Discipline as we knew it has disappeared from the political space.

    But the punishment and the price are high. Just consider the muddle and the result of the intra-party discord in Rivers State. Port Harcourt experienced unprecedented turmoil during the last federal, presidential and governorship elections where one party was disqualified or rather, through squabbles and unreasonable positions taken by local party chiefs, a party disqualified itself from participating in vital election processes.

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    The same dilemma was faced by the party in Zamfara and some other parts of Nigeria where otherwise popular individuals were disqualified from taking part in national elections to the dismay of many political observers. This negative game is playing itself out in Edo State now. The issues confronting the Edo APC ,the state governor and the national chairman of the party are as ridiculous as any one can imagine .What is funny is that the national leadership of the party is looking on as if the whole world around them is quiet and serene . Yes, the heavens may not fall whatever the result of the infighting, but the APC will sooner realize that by these problems its coverage and acceptance is being eroded in many parts of the country.

    What are the solutions? The party leadership, the NWC level to the executives at states should stop their pretense and move to assuage injured nerves, attempt to heal local wounds and restore discipline, supremacy and cohesion. It is time those leaders calling the shots from Abuja realize they are not the loved ones they think their supporters back home hold them. They also wish they could be there, not at the back woods. The Abuja landlords have a duty to cultivate, not trample those they left behind at the grassroots. But would they accept?

    The bitterness and enmity among politicians even of the same group or party reflects the poverty level of our society. It is do or die, chop and I chop. The question is for how long shall we gravitate at this low level of humanity?

     

    • Asiwaju Deji Fasuan MON, JP

    Ado Ekiti.