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  • The ‘new improved’ Pantami

    The ‘new improved’ Pantami

    By Tunji Adegboyega

    What President Muhammadu Buhari has thrown his weight behind Dr. Isa Pantami, his Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, against the tide of public opinion (that the minister resigns or gets fired, in view of his dangerous past utterances which bother on religious fanaticism) should not come as a surprise to anyone who has studied the modus operandi of the Buhari administration in the about six years of the man’s second coming. Indeed, Nigerians should be grateful to the president for even coming out with a position on the issue barely two weeks after it hit the headlines.  Usually, mum is the word on such matters from the government. Recall how long it took him to react to the call for the sack of the immediate past service chiefs, among other examples.

    Minister Pantami I never knew from Adam. But, something struck me a few months back, when he came up with unrealistic deadline for Nigerians to have their National Identity Numbers (NIN) linked to their phone lines, lest they got yanked off from telephone subscriber database. Really, this is the way to go if we must improve security in the country. NIN is not peculiar to Nigeria. But the timing was wrong and we made this clear to the minister who did not appear swayed by the arguments put forward for extension, at least initially.

    Asking Nigerians to get NIN under the then existing process was a recipe for disaster. Indeed, the process ran contrary to the government’s admonition to Nigerians to maintain social distancing as a result of the second wave of the coronavirus which was ravaging some countries, including Nigeria, at the time. Yet, Minister Pantami stuck to his gun. Not even the chaotic scenes of hapless Nigerians at the various National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) offices nationwide (in flagrant violation of the social distancing protocol) in both the print media and on television could convince the minister for long that the deadline be jettisoned until a better time, or the process be liberalised by allowing major telephone companies to be involved in the exercise, as was later done.

    I did not know where Minister Pantami got the temerity to come up with such a directive which ran counter to the wish of the government that appointed him, in the circumstance. Obviously, he must be one of those cabinet members with whom his boss is well pleased and whose word was law, of sort. It would appear the minister himself realised this and probably did not mind flaunting it. Again, how the minister had expected over 170 or so million Nigerians to meet the deadlines he set for NIN enrollment and linkage with SIM cards (a task that successive federal governments failed to achieve in 40 years, in less than two months), was baffling.

    I had all the while been feeling somehow about what manner of man would pursue an exercise so dogmatically, despite the huge risks involved; risks that the very government the minister is serving so acknowledged. Something kept telling me something that I really cannot explain until Patami’s past began to haunt him.

    I have no problem about how anybody manages his religious life. I do not even care about what religion anyone may decide to practice because I have always believed this is a personal affair. The same way I don’t care a hoot if someone is a religious fanatic because religious fanaticism is not peculiar to any religion. I care less about all of these and probably more, provided that other person understands that where his freedom to practice his religion stops, others’ begins.

    But there is everything wrong when someone who had eulogised terrorism, al-Quaeda and all is a top-ranking minister in a country that has been having issues defeating terrorism for over a decade. To say that he has repented is begging the issue. Yes, he may have repented, and he might not have. We do not have a way of verifying the veracity of his claim; the white man is yet to invent a machine that could test for such repentance. So, it is his word against those who researched into his past to exhume what the minister would never have wished was exhumed. That was probably why he threatened the Daily Independent that first published the story alleging that he was on America’s terror watchlist. This, no doubt, is overboard.

    But a truly repentant minister would not have threatened the newspaper the way Pantami did. Rather, he would simply have told the paper and any other person or institution that cares to listen what he told those who cleared him for ministerial appointment, in spite of that ugly past, that warranted  the waiver they gave him, i.e. that he has repented.

    The initial questions that came to mind when the story broke were, one: was the minister not screened by the State Security Service (SSS) before his name was forwarded to the senate for ministerial confirmation? If the SSS missed detecting the past about the then ministerial nominee, how did Pantami pass the senate screening? Possible answers were that both institutions were either derelict in their duties or they did their job but the government ignored their recommendations.

    But, if the report in The Punch edition of April 22 is anything to go by, then, the Buhari government is to blame for insisting on its choice of Pantami. The report, titled “Pantami was imam when ATBU Muslim community issued fatwa, killed my son in a mosque – Prof” even introduced a new dimension into the story, which naturally should compound the minister’s troubles.

    What was in the public domain before The Punch story was about religious fanatism. But the newspaper’s story alleged something much more serious. According to the paper, Pantami was the chief Imam of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) mosque in Bauchi State in December, 2004, when the son of a former lecturer of Industrial Chemistry at Kaduna State University, Prof. Samuel Achi, was strangled to death. The 24-year-old man was a 400 Level student of Architecture at ATBU. He was alleged by some Muslim students then of circulating a tract with blasphemous content. A fatwa was then pronounced on him, consequent upon which he was strangled to death. The father, Prof Achi, said his son was then the leader of the students fellowship of the Evangelical Church Winning All Ministry. He denied that the tract his son distributed contained blasphemous content. “…It was from the night of December 8 to the early hours of December 9 that it happened. From the fact that I had… from the confirmed information that I had, he was not stoned. He was actually strangled inside the mosque. His body was discovered outside the university mosque”, the father said.

    Without doubt, this story has opened a Pandora’s box that should interest the security agents. Could such a thing have happened in a Nigerian university which is supposed to be a citadel of learning and civilisation? And in this 21st century? Which of our laws give people the right to kill in the name of religion? Pantami has not personally reacted to the story. But one Uwa Suleiman, one of his aides reportedly told The Punch that “The allegations are not true” adding “Do your research but the allegations are not true.”

    I am not saying they are true or not yet. But then, the security agencies must wade in at this point. Unless the story is concocted, it is not only Pantami who has a case to answer. Even the then university authorities owe the world an explanation on how they handled the alleged murder.

    Mercifully, the same Punch story provided what could be a clue on whether the secret service did not do due diligence before clearing Pantami. According to the paper, a former Assistant Director with the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, said the secret police screened the ministerial nominee before his confirmation in 2019. But then, the powers-that-be ignored the report chronicling some of the allegations of religious fanaticism against him. Apparently, he had to be picked because he is the only member of the Federal Executive Council from Gombe State. Another evidence of Nigeria’s skewed federal character principle and lopsided federalism! The same applies to the senate confirmation which, oftentimes is a non-event due to political party considerations or camaraderie (otherwise known as ‘bow and go’).

    How the President Buhari administration could have found such a person suitable for appointment not only as minister of the federal republic, but one handling a sensitive portfolio of supervising the country’s database, tells volumes about the government’s sense of fairness and judgement. The country might be in trouble because we do not know how many other ‘repentant’ Pantamis the Buhari government harbours. This is quite unfortunate.

    Since it was the government that insisted on the choice of Pantami (even against security report, at least as reported without official denial up till the time of filing this column), it is incumbent that the government had to come up with an epistle to defend its choice.

    Without doubt, there could be people who are not happy about some of the minister’s activities, particularly with regard to data charges and would therefore stop at nothing to “cancel” him (to use the government’s exact word). For me, all of this would have amounted to nothing without what Pantami said in the past. Moreover, even when he said those things, he was already an adult. It is good that even the government admitted that what he said was wrong then and even now. The only snag is that he has apologised and that should suffice.

    It is only that we are usually in a hurry to gloss over issues in this country. It is debatable whether the minister can be exonerated over what he said, in a court of law, despite his so called apology. Perhaps the only defence that could avail is that he never said those things, a thing the minister is not claiming in this instance. After all, there had been instances where our courts had ruled against some people, including eminent Nigerians who claimed to have integrity, based on their antecedents. Not based on apologies they tendered.

    Be that as it may, the Federal Government should not stop at threatening to expose the ICT companies that tried to induce editors to run a smear campaign against the minister. That is unacceptable, even if we must admit there is no way a lizard can penetrate a wall if there are no openings on the wall.

    All said, the government would have done well to limit its reaction to the Pantami issue. It should have saved us thinking about a past we are now remembering with nostalgia. It should stop getting on our nerves by reminding us that it is in the course of bettering our lot that it is attracting or amassing enemies. We knew what our lives were like when it took over in 2015. The average Nigerian knows what life is like today.

    We can only hope a day would not come that we would lament the Buhari government’s decision on this issue. May “had we known” never be our collective portion on this matter. Amen. But, there is nothing personal or sinister in it. The fears of those that are afraid are not unfounded, given the centrality of the minister’s portfolio to our safety and collective security.

     

  • If marriage certificate were driver’s license?

    If marriage certificate were driver’s license?

    By Tunji Olaopa

    As my children and I concretize plans to celebrate my wife who will clock 60 years of age about a month’s time, my reflective mind has been running riot on our thirty-four years friendship and marriage, and the whole marriage institution itself. While a Minister of God in the marriage ministry will admonish us at the event to celebrate Lola, and while I write a befitting tribute, hereafter, to celebrate this woman who excels in her calling as a wife and mother, I thought to contribute to discourse on the subject of marriage with this piece.

    Marriage is a most interesting phenomenon at various levels of reflection. At a superficial level, it is the coming together of two people who claim to love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together in companionship and procreation. (I will not even attempt to enter into the monogamy-polygamy, or homosexual-heterosexual discourse.) Even at this seemingly superficial level, marriage is still very interesting. It speaks to the willing (or unwilling) capacity of two individuals, already shaped by cultural, religious, social and psychological backgrounds, to stay together and build a home that will have some sort of impact, good or bad, on the society. At this level, that a marriage succeeds become something of a miracle of fundamental compromise.

    But it is more than a superficial conjoining of two individuals. The three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Islam and Christianity—places a whole theological significance on marriage as a divine relationship instituted by God Himself. And such divine arrangement is meant to recreate the divine breath and image in all the families instituted through marriages. Philosophically, Aristotle himself saw the fundamental significance of the family as the nodal unit of the polity. Indeed, the family serves as the microcosm of the state. Human beings have a telos or end which commences from the family and follows a natural trajectory that culminates in the emergence of the political community. From these two perspectives, marriage becomes a fundamental point of reflecting about humanity and its capacity for reformation and progress. Friedrich Nietzsche, the mercurial German philosopher known for his misogyny, once remarked quite cogently: “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”

    The tone of my reflection in this piece was instigated by a WhatsApp video that I saw recently. A woman smilingly delivered a verdict: “Honestly, if marriage certificate can expire like driver’s license, walahi, most men will not renew it.” I was immediately intrigued at several levels. First, this is a judgment delivered by a woman. And that makes the bias obviously clear: men are the ones eager to opt out of an unsuccessful marriage. But then, it seems to me we can transpose the statement. Most women would also not want to renew the marriage certificate. And for obvious reasons, one of which is that marriage is not always what it seems. Let me allow Groucho Marx, the American comedian put it in better words: “Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?” There is a fallacy of equivocation here, but it serves our purpose. Marriage is a social institution but it is also often a structural embodiment of all that is wrong between two individuals, like a mental institution where those involved are struggling to get out! And the woman’s statement becomes all the more poignant because it seems to have been made with the knowledge of the Christian injunction about the inviolability of the marriage contract. I definitely will renew my marriage contract, if it were like a driver’s license. Indeed, I am certain that my wife and I will have the renewal on automatic!

    That marital certainty, unfortunately, is the exception for most people. And the issue goes beyond a gender red-herring, like whether it is the women or the men who would likely not renew the certificate. Marriage, being a social institution, is confronted by the vagaries of social existence. And such vagaries are multiplied and complicated by existence within a postcolonial society like Nigeria where most marriages bear the brunt of underdevelopment. In another video, a man narrated the challenge an entrepreneur had in relating with his fiancée and managing his busy schedule of growing the business and attending classes. He could not even make an allowance for visiting his fiancée’s family on a Sunday. And then the narrator asked: “Let’s be pragmatic: which is easier to replace—your business or your fiancée?” The video was not long enough to render an answer, but none is needed. The man asked a rhetorical question which, it would seem, is being answered in many tragic ways, given the divorce rates in Nigeria.

    The pressure of living and making the most of one’s existence in Nigeria is pressuring the vitality of most marriages. And it makes for a most serious hypothesis: the divorce rate of a postcolonial society like Nigeria is directly proportional to its underdevelopment. In this regard, you can wonder at the role that a patriarchal mindset plays in the determination of the success of a home. This question takes me back to the verdict delivered by the woman in the WhatsApp video. Consider a home where a man insists that his wife should not work (supposedly that taking care of the home is a full-time career). Outside of the possibility that the husband is a Dangote, in what circumstance would the man being the sole breadwinner satisfy the deep financial requirements of the home? Further: this raises the issue in the second video about whether the house will not be in a jeopardy if the husband is so full of work that he ultimately neglects the other components of his conjugal responsibilities, especially the psychological ones compatible with the need for companionship. And lastly, how does stopping your wife from working enable her to fulfil her fundamental human rights to self-realization (if that self-realization is conceived in terms of pursuing a career)?

    Marriages often encode sexism. I suspect it is such a sexist attitude that makes a man insists his wife stays home to take care of the house and rear the children. I arrive at the fundamental issue of the type of values that ought to undergird such a deep relationship framework like marriage and the family. The question of value reiterates the Aristotelian conviction about the role that a family ought to play in the foundation of a polity. And this speaks to the type of values that ought to be the core around which parents lived their lives and train their children. But then, how are such values to be mediated or moderated given the enveloping social anomie that defines existence in postcolonial Nigeria? I am wondering, for instance, at the role that the social media has started playing in the value education of an average Nigerian child. Àsà, the songstress, once asked: “who is responsible for what we teach our children? Is it the internet or the stars on television?” And in the same lyric of “Fire on the Mountain,” little Lucy turns sixteen, “and like the movie she’s been seeing/she has a lover in her daddy/She can’t tell nobody till she makes the evening news.”

    In Àsà’s song, we see the abdication of parental roles to the internet and the social media. And that might be either that the parents are too indulgent or they are too busy to inculcate in their children the requisite values that the internet is too democratized to indicate. The home and the family are supposed to serve as an intergenerational continuum that convey value orientation from the older to the younger generation. Imagine that such a home is meant to convey the values undergirding the omolúwàbí character—truthfulness, generosity, honesty, reliability, respectability, civic decency, and many more. Once we note that the internet is a landmine of value dissonance, then we immediately see the deep subtext Àsà is communicating in the song. We then see how a man who wants to win all the bread can unwittingly damage the home. Or more precisely, we see how career parents can hand over the training of their children to social media.

    And what does it take to successfully lead a family? I have decided to ask this question outside of what ought to be an antecedent question of who should lead the family. This is because sustaining a marriage and raising a good family goes beyond any patriarchal ego-chasing. Sound leadership in this sense is collective leadership that draws the man and the wife and their children into a mutual association for reciprocal benefits. When a marriage fails, it becomes difficult to pass an evidenced judgement on why it failed. In some cases, it will be suicidal for an abused woman to think of renewing the marriage certificate. But then, a man can also have cogent reasons for wanting to make the last marriage the last. Ultimately, divorce is a kind of failure, however we look at it. And it often leaves the children floundering in lovelessness and acrimony. But then, there are also many homes that are filled with anger and hatred and bitterness where the parents are unable to opt out. In such homes, there is still the possibility of renewal and rebirth, while a divorced person should have learnt a few lessons and insights that could make the next marriage a success.

    In the final analysis, the polity is the logical and most immediate recipient of either dysfunctional or successful marriages, families and homes. When the woman linked marriage certificate to a driver’s license, she had no idea that she had made a critical link about the relationship between the family and the state. So, the same way a bad driver will kill is the same way a bad marriage will damage a nation.

    • Retired Federal Permanent Secretary & Directing Staff, National Institute For Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos tolaopa2003@gmail.com
  • ‘Ndigbo are united for next elections’

    ‘Ndigbo are united for next elections’

    Solomon Ogbonna Aguene is the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, he talks about Ndigbo speaking with one voice on the 2023 elections, empowerment, building a cordial relationship with host communities, support from Lagos State Governor, Jide Sanwo-Olu; and the challenges of uniting Igbo leaders for a better future. Excerpts

    The 2023 is around the corner, what plans do you have for the presidency?

    I would say that official comments on the issue of Nigeria’s presidency should be left to our National President, Professor George Obiozor. He will be working with the government and traditional rulers on the position of Ndigbo. So, whoever emerges is the person we are going to support. Some of the things we are going to look at include if the person is coming to stay for eight years or four years. The discussion will look at all tribes, irrespective of where he is coming from or which party emerges.  So, the assignment has been given to our national leader by all Igbo sons and daughters. They made that decision and we must abide with that decision.

    So, you are saying that Igbo’s will speak with one voice this time around?

    Yes. And if it is what is going to give us the unity that we have been clamoring for, then all hands should be on deck to push it. This is because this has been the problem in the past and we have gotten a leader who has Igbo interest at heart. I must say that leadership is by the principles that you believe in. It is not just about speaking big words or grammar. It is basically about the interest that you have for your people, as well as your personal beliefs. So, whatever he says will be the decision of the people.

    Are you very close to him?

    Yes. When I won the election in 2018 as the President of Ndigbo Lagos State, Professor Obiozor and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe were in the frontline. They accompanied me to visit the Oba of Lagos as a key stakeholder on one of the key points for my leadership. This was to reconcile Ndigbo and the host community in Lagos State. This is important, especially when you do a flashback to the 2015 election and some of the incisive words that were credited to the Oba of Lagos. So, that visit brought a lot of progress between us and our host community.

    I know him very well; he doesn’t talk much but he carries everyone along. He is a man of the people; he doesn’t segregate at all. So, he is the right man and he is capable.

    What are some of the achievements you have recorded during your tenure?

    The first achievement was that immediately I won the election; before I was inaugurated, I gave the organisation a Secretariat in Lagos.

    One other thing that I was passionate about was uniting our leaders. There was no unity among the traditional rulers here for about 21 years. So, I had to bring them together and appoint Eze Ndigbo General in Lagos; that is Goddy Ohazulike. I now set up a council of Eze’s proper and we appointed a Chairman of Eze’s in Council in Lagos with other executives.

    During the campaign of Governor Sanwoolu, we used the platform to bring all the Ezes in Lagos together which culminated in the hosting of the governor. We also gave him a chieftaincy title during his campaign. It was after I united Ndi Eze that we were able to give Governor Sanwoolu the title of Ugo Chinyere Eze of Ndigbo.

    What does this mean?

    The biggest bird, Eagle, that has no enemy. It can live anywhere. It can fly, stay on the ground. So, that title means a lot to Ndigbo and whoever they give the title to. So, that unity I brought to the traditional rulers is what inspired the title they gave to Sanwo-olu. Also, I was the first Ohanaeze chairman to set up the elders’ council that would be looking into what is happening to Ohanaeze, especially when we have disputes; they would come in as elders to make sure that things are in order. After that, I brought our industrious sons into Ohanaeze community because they saw Ohanaeze members as jobless people.

    So, we tried to make Ohanaeze what it was supposed to be. Today, every other Igbo association is under Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

    How would you assess the Lagos State Governor?

    He has never disappointed us. I am so proud and happy that we gave him all our support. To make it good, we should continue to support him because he has shown that arm of friendship to Ndigbo; that we are one irrespective of tribe. As far as you are in Lagos, you are a Lagosian and that is what Sanwoolu knows. He does not want to know where you come from. There may be some acts that may come from advisers which is normal but talking to him as a person, I can tell you that he is a real born again Christian. He consults God in everything, especially the way he handled #EndSars.

    Talking about EndSars, our youths are agitated, what advise do you have for them?

    Yes, even the governor has told them that the patient dog eats the fattest bone. Remember that Rome was not built in a day. You cannot destroy a house today and build it again the same day. So, they are working underground to make sure that the youths, who are the

    pride of every nation, are taken care of; to make sure that we don’t have youths as jobless graduates. He is doing very well.

    Let’s talk about the Southeast security challenge that is ongoing?

    There are people who should be held responsible for not doing their jobs. If they are doing it; we have community police, community vigilante and others. So, it is important to hold the people who are in charge of security responsible for the damage. The Chief of Staff,

    Inspector General of Police and leaders in the security network should put the necessary things in place, scrutinise those who are doing things that are suspicious.

  • Plateau PDP crisis: All issues would be fully resolved soon –Hassan

    Plateau PDP crisis: All issues would be fully resolved soon –Hassan

    Kolade Adeyemi in Jos reports on the account of the Chairman of the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Chris Adukuchili Hassan, on the party’s efforts to resolve its internal crisis and recapture the seat of power in the state

    The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed hope that the crisis that has threatened the party in the state would soon be fully resolved.

    This is even as it accused the state governor, Simon Bako Lalong, of selling the birthright of Plateau people, particularly, in the appointment of members and officials of Federal Government Boards.

    The state chairman of the opposition party, Hon. Chris Adukuchili Hassan, while revealing what the party was doing to reclaim power come 2023 said they have been sensitising the people and trying to make them understand that, “the only political party that fits the people of Plateau is the PDP because it was founded by the Plateau people and it is the only party that promotes the Plateau spirit and struggle irrespective of tribal or religious affiliation.”

    He added, “the people on their own, have already realised that their greatest mistake was voting the APC into power and have made up their minds against a party that has brought them untold hardship; a party that has made them slaves in their own land.”

    On the PDP crisis in the state, the Chairman said a reconciliatory committee has been set up about six months ago for those that are aggrieved to ventilate their minds.

    “They have actually come and we have listened to them. The party at the national level has equally set up a reconciliation and strategic committee headed by Senator Bukola Saraki.

    “The committee is traversing the length and breadth of the country to ensure reconciliation amongst aggrieved members,” he said.

    He added that, “the PDP crisis was not only peculiar to Plateau but the country at large and that it was an indication that the party is the best amongst equals, stressing that people struggle to get the best and nothing less.

    “The people have realised that the PDP is the best and the only party that can take Nigeria out of the current quagmire to the Promised Land.

    “That is why there is an influx of people to the party. You don’t see that kind of influx to any other party not even the ruling APC.

    “Very soon, our issues would be resolved. As it is at the moment, we have attained 85 per cent in resolving our issues and I assure you that in few weeks to come all issues would be fully resolved.”

    Hassan also pointedly accused Governor Lalong of consciously relegating the interest of Plateau people to the background.

    According to him, “Governor Lalong has forgotten the Plateau spirit and struggle of the founding fathers of the state.”

    The PDP Chairman, while speaking to reporters in his office, noted that, “Plateau State is completely missing in the political power equation in the current All Progressive Congress (APC)’s government.”

    He alleged that Lalong’s position as the Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, “has also not yielded any positive result to Plateau as its people cannot be said to have benefited from any capital project from the Federal Government or have they been considered by way of appointment into key northern institutions established to serve as binding instruments of all the people that constitute the region.

    “What we are seeing today on the Plateau is surprising because every state has a struggle.

    “Our struggle is to promote unity and to bring about development. Our founding fathers pursued this cause. They were accommodative and that is why you have almost every tribe on the Plateau making the state a miniature Nigeria.

    “Successive governments have keyed into and followed the cause of our founding fathers. But what we are seeing on the Plateau today is surprising.

    “It seems the government of the day has completely forgotten the Plateau struggle. It’s like the present government has forgotten the ideals of our founding fathers.”

    He also vowed that, “the PDP would never relent in pursuing the Plateau heritage and struggle of our founding fathers. For whatever you do in life, you want to keep records on the sands of time.

    “For any person that is privileged to be in government, any person that is privileged to be anywhere in life, would want to keep records on the sands of time.

    “What record has the APC government kept? What do they want to be remembered for? Let the people consider this and juxtapose it with the performances of previous administrations, most especially during the PDP era and they would appreciate the PDP.

    “This is a state that had the National Chairman of the ruling party; this is a state that had six ambassadors; this is a state you could see preponderance of capital projects, this is a state that was proud of Chairmen of Federal Boards and Parastatals and so on.

    “But today, can you tell me of one Plateau man that is a Chairman of any Federal Board? None. The PDP government also opened up, created and built projects to the admiration of many.

    “Today, nothing is happening. But what we are saying is that even if you can’t initiate and build new projects, why can’t you maintain the old ones?

    Hassan wondered why, “in just a few months, capital projects were initiated and executed in some states other than Plateau in spite of the fact that its governor is the Chairman of NGF. In less than three months, the federal government built and upgraded the Kaduna Airport to international standard.

    “The Jos Airport is as old as any other airport in the country. If you look at the landmass, it can be of international status and it’s the reason why during our time, we wanted to open up the airport to an agro terminal so that at least, we can be exporting our farm produce.

    “Since the APC came into power, renovation of the airport has not been possible six years after signing the contract for the exercise,” he said

  • Anambra 2021: Aspirants play religious card

    Anambra 2021: Aspirants play religious card

    As aspirants in this year’s Anambra State’s Governorship Election perfect their strategies to win their parties’ tickets, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that Christian denomination has become a major factor to determine acceptability, hence aspirants’ ploys to be seen as lovers of all denominations

    IF you are a governorship aspirant for this year’s elections in Anambra State and a week passes without your name or your picture being associated with at least one religious activity or with a well-known priest, analysts would likely conclude that you are not a serious aspirant ready to win the forthcoming elections.

    This is because it is widely believed today that the influence of Christianity or more specifically, the role of Christian denominations in the outcome of Anambra 2021 governorship elections would be much more than it has ever been in the political history of the Southeast state.

    Accusing the Catholic faith of dominating the politics of the state, Anglicans and members of the Pentecostal denominations have demanded to be allowed to produce the next governor of the state.

    Bishop Emma C Obiorah of the Life of Faith Gospel Assembly, Nkwelle Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State is one of the earliest priests this year to confirm that the age-long battle between the Catholics and the Anglicans with the Pentecostals would be re-enacted in this year’s election. He gave the confirmation when he openly condemned the dominance of the Catholic Church in the provision of the governors of Anambra State, calling on the other denominations to unite and effect change.

    Obiora made the call during the Christo Feast anniversary celebration of his Church earlier this year, an event that attracted many politicians.

    He said: “Everybody keeps complaining that President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC government are not doing well, what have you done in your own area like this state?

    “I’m calling on Anglicans, Pentecostals and other Charismatic groups to come together to support who will take us to the Promised Land.

    “There are people today who believe the wealth of Anambra State is their own. Anambra is not a private enterprise; any government that is not of God will collapse.”

    “One group cannot continue to rule our state. A particular denomination feels they own the state and that is not of God.”

    “We want to unite to fight that, it is injustice and unholy in the state. I train politicians. We should embrace the word of God,” he said.

    Explaining why the different Christian denominations seem to disagree over the political leadership of the state, Mr. Kingsley Udochuku, a Public Affairs commentator in Awka, told The Nation that “the Catholics, who are obviously in the majority have not been fair to the rest of Anambra indigenes. Yes, they are in the majority, but is it not shameful that a state like Anambra, which is almost 100 percent Christian, will still segregate on religious ground? My take is that if we see ourselves as brothers and sisters; if we fail to vote on the basis of Catholicism, Anglicanism or Pentecostalism, there is nowhere we will consistently produce only governors that are members of the Catholic faith. The polity will not also be so hot.”

    Over the years, Anambra State has been described as “the hotbed of denominational politics in the southeast.” Although Chinwoke Mbadinuju, a Pentecostal, was elected the governor of the state in 1999, most of his successors, Chris Ngige, Peter Obi and Willy Obiano, are Catholics.  Senator Andy Uba and Virgi Etiaba, whose tenures turned out to be very brief, were however Anglicans.

    But some analysts actually blamed Mbadinuju’s failure to be re-elected in 2003 on the denominational politics in the state. They said he was not re-elected mainly because he was a Pentecostal.

    Even the former governor himself suggested this much in an interview he granted a national newspaper on July 11, 2011, when he said “Yes, there are plenty of religious sentiments in Anambra politics… In the whole of Nigeria, it is ethnic sentiments and religious too, but in Anambra State, it is between Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Pentecostals. It was much of that reason I was not allowed to contest second term. The Catholics believed it was their time and Peter Obi was chosen,” Mbadinuju was quoted as saying then.

    Also, in a recent article, entitled, “Healing the religious divide in Anambra …,” Barrister Cosmas Anyabolu said:  “The age-long dichotomies and mistrust between Catholics, on one hand, and the Anglicans and Protestants on the other, were made worse by the disposition, actions, and leadership style of the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano. He is a Catholic, and his administration engaged in several feuds with the Anglicans. Many of these were unnecessary, avoidable, and unfortunate and could easily be interpreted, given the power construct, as repression and marginalisation.

    “During Willie Obiano’s tenure, the cries emanating from the Anglican divide became alarming. When one takes a closer look at the diversity of his appointees, his cabinet’s composition, social interactions, and body language, one cannot blame the Anglicans for feeling the way they do. It is essential to mention that Obiano’s immediate predecessors, Chris Ngige and Peter Obi, were both Catholics and that their administrations did not experience this level of division between Catholics and Anglicans.

    “These previous governors were more sensitive to the diversity and default sentiments of Ndi Anambra. By his actions and inactions, Chief Obiano has made the denominational divide a principal talking point in this political season.

    The Catholic-Anglican-Pentecostal divide runs deep, and while the contention for Agu Awka is on, the talk about the denominational divide will be gaining momentum. The denominations are not showing signs of coming to the roundtable and deciding for a rotational candidacy like the politicians have done with senatorial zone rotation. As the politics of 2021 heats up, politicians will seek to divide, using different bases to do so, as long as they perceive that the divisions favour them. Unfortunately, church denomination is one of such artificial divisions weak politicians will try to capitalize on to gain traction,” he said.

    As the aspirants prepare for this year’s elections, we observed that they are doing their best to be constantly associated with all the big denominations.

    Already, the Anglican Church has not hid its desire to produce the next governor of the state. The Nation however learnt that the call within the leadership of the Communion dates back to 2019 when the Church Strategic Committee for the Election of Indigenous Bishop of Nnewi Diocese formally lamented that none of the church members had become the governor of the state, saying that for equity, justice and fairness, an Anglican governor should be produced in the forthcoming 2021 governorship election.

    But as Udochuku further explained, “it is not only the Anglicans that are anxious to produce Governor Obiano’s successor; the Pentecostals are today seen as an important bloc in-between the Anglicans and the Catholics. If they align with any of the big two, the table may tilt. This is why we see the aspirants today attending all Church public activities and seeking to be in the good books of popular priests.”

    Observers are keen to see how far religion or this game of ‘denominationism’ will go in determining who will succeed Governor Willie Obiano in Anambra State.

  • 2023: Why APC crisis is festering in Akwa Ibom

    2023: Why APC crisis is festering in Akwa Ibom

    The internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State is not abating, rather, party sources claim it is festering. Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan, examines the reasons for the division within the party.

    As the dates for the 2023 general elections draw nearer, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom appears to be losing the battle to put its house in order. As we speak, the party is sharply divided into two factions with chieftains and members of the party pitching their tents behind either of the two main gladiators in what has now become a fierce battle for the control of the party in the South-south state currently governed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    While one of the warring camps is under the firm control of former governor and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the other group is backing the current secretary of the party’s caretaker committee at the national level, John Akpanudoedehe, also a former senator. On both sides of the divide are prominent chieftains of the embattled party, struggling to outdo one another in the struggle to garner support for their chosen leader.

    Checks by The Nation revealed that Senator Akpanudoedehe nurses a gubernatorial ambition for 2023 on the platform of the APC. “He is yet to officially declare his intention, largely because of his current assignment at the national secretariat of the party. But it is common knowledge within the party and across the state that Udoedehe is planning to run for governor of Akwa Ibom in 2023,” a source told our correspondent during the week.

    Meanwhile sources within the party said Akpabio, a former governor of the state, acclaimed to have widespread political contacts within and outside the APC, is not hiding his reservation for the party secretary’s gubernatorial quest. This, we learnt, has pitched supporters of the two politicians in different camps within the party. “Akpabio will not support Akpanudoedehe’s governorship ambition for reasons known to him and he is not hiding it. Akpanudoedehe wants the APC ticket by all means.  That is why we have two camps in Akwa Ibom APC,’ a party source said.

    It was also gathered that the heightening tension within the party may not be unconnected with the politics of the next presidential election, especially the struggle for the 2023 APC presidential ticket. According to checks by The Nation, there are indications that the two gladiators may have pitched tents with different aspirants in the struggle for the ruling party’s presidential ticket. Consequently, the race to win the state for their preferred aspirants is already playing out.

    “Both Udoedehe and Akpabio are unrepentant in the conviction that the next president must come from the southern part of the country. But it appears that is the only similarity they share on the matter. While one is an avowed supporter of a presidential hopeful from the southwest, the other has been fraternizing with another APC chieftain from the South-south who is also being rumoured to nurse presidential ambition,” our source explained.

     

    The issues

    Former military governor of Ogun and Rivers states, Group Captain Sam Ewang (retd), who is also a chieftain of the APC in Akwa-Ibom State, while explaining the state of the party, alleged that 2023 politics, as well as external influences are responsible for the crisis rocking the opposition party in the state. According to him, some prominent chieftains of the party in the state are playing the scripts being dictated by some interested persons from outside the state.

    “I want to repeat that some of the gladiators here are servants of someone outside the state who wants to be in charge of the South-south and also Nigeria. These people have become servants to him. They have been bought and pocketed. That is why they want to ensure that the entire APC in Akwa Ibom is subject to him. And they think Godswill Akpabio is a problem because Akpabio will always say no to what their master wants. That is the whole problem of the APC here,” he said.

    But another chieftain of the party in the state, Obong Luke Edem, said the problem with the party is the refusal of Akpabio and his supporters to respect the decision of the majority of APC members in Akwa Ibom State. The party leader from Itu said the majority chieftains and members of the party have made it clear that they will not want to have the former governor as leader of the party in the state. This, according to him, is being contested by Akpabio and his “very few supporters within the party.

    “Let me make it very clear that every right-thinking person in the party across the state wouldn’t allow Akpabio to superintend over them. Majority chieftains and members of the party have made it clear that they do not want him as leader of the party in the state. Yes he is a minister and the most senior political office holder in the state, but the owners of the party have on many occasions insisted he cannot lead the party. That is the decision he is refusing to abide with and that is why he and his cohorts are troubling the party,” he claimed.

    But as the crisis festers, more individuals and groups within the party are voicing their concerns. One of such is the Centre for APC Volunteers (APCV) based in Uyo, the state capital. The group called on the warring factions to subsume their personal interests in preference for the overall good of the party. According to the APCV, the lingering crisis in the Akwa Ibom chapter is the handiwork of organised centrifugal forces who are only interested in capturing power in 2023.

    This was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary-General of the group, Nse Kierian Okon, titled: Akwa Ibom APC Crisis: Let the masquerades come clean. The group expressed fear at the turn of events in the APC and predicted that the crisis in Akwa Ibom state, if not curtailed, may debar the party from performing well at subsequent elections in the state. The group also warned of possible violence arising from the crisis.

    While urging the warring factions to sheath their swords and come to dialogue in the interest of the party, the group expressed sadness that the hope of the people of the state that the ruling PDP will be ousted in 2023 may be dashed. It then called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leadership of the party to “put partisan interest and the race for 2023 aside, and promptly intervene in the festering crisis.” This, the group said, is the only way to save APC in Akwa Ibom State.

     

     

    Leadership tussle

    The crisis further degenerated recently when some chieftains and members of the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the APC publicly rejected Akpabio as the leader of the party while describing as null and void the earlier proclamation of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs as leader of the party. The group, made up largely of Udoedehe’s loyalists, argued that by law, the state chairman is the head of the party caucus in the state.

    Akpabio had earlier been declared the leader of the party in the state at a stakeholders’ forum. Chaired by Ewang, the forum had many prominent party chieftains in attendance. Participant at the forum had said the choice of the Minister as leader, is natural. Many speakers at the meeting recalled that by the practice within the ruling party, Akpabio, as the most senior political office holder, should lead the party, in the absence of an APC governor. Few days later, the decision was reverted at another stakeholders meeting in Uyo.

    In the communique issued after the meeting and obtained by our correspondent, stakeholders “endorsed the decision of the State Executive Committee (SEC) to declare as a nullity the unilateral proclamation and announcement of Sen. Godswill Akpabio as the State Party Leader of APC in gross violation of the party’s constitution in the unauthorised and illegal stakeholders meeting of Sunday, March 28, 2021. That the party hereby reminds every member and the general public that the State Chairman (or Caretaker Chairman as applicable here) is the Chairman of the State Caucus as provided for in Article 12.9 Sub (i) of the party Constitution (October 2014 As Amended) and remains the Party Leader in the State until further notice”.

    National Caretaker Secretary of the APC, John Akpanuodehe, Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Authority, Obong Umana Okon Umana, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC, Efiong Akwa and Ewang, among others, attended the meeting. Akpabio, who was absent at the meeting, sent a letter of apology but failed to give details of why he failed to attend.

    But Ewang was to later discredit the resolutions of the meeting and insist that Akpabio remains the leader of the party in the state as earlier announced. “They called for a stakeholders meeting and I went. When I went they allowed many people to speak and when I wanted to speak they didn’t allow me. And in annoyance, I decided to leave the venue of the meeting. Despite all that they said to condemn what I did and all that, and they didn’t allow me to respond, to tell them why I did what I did, I just stormed out of the meeting.

    “And it was an open invitation for stakeholders and I got an invitation too. Some of them were making accusations, saying all manner of things. They even attacked the sole Administrator because he told them the truth that there was no appropriate APC registration of candidates and revalidation in the state. And when I stood up and said I must speak, they refused so I stormed out,” Ewang, who called on the national leadership of the party to intervene in the crisis, said.

    The party’s candidate for Uyo Senatorial District in the last general elections, Elder Bassey Etim, described the move to reject Akpabio as condemnable. He said: I know they are trying to dent the image of Godswill Akpabio. The Caretaker Committee Chairman kept repeating that the meeting where Akpabio was endorsed the leader of the party in the state was illegal. How can a meeting convened by a personality like Group Captain Sam Ewang ( Rtd), a member of the Board of Trustees of the party be illegal? So I personally condemn what transpired.”

    But the state caretaker committee dismissed all the allegations, insisting that Ewang and others erred in their declaration of Akpabio as leader of the party. The party also said there is no iota of truth in the claim that there were factions in the party and urged its leaders holding appointive positions to work for the interest and unity of the APC.

  • Is Nigeria the next Iraq?

    Is Nigeria the next Iraq?

    By Tina Ramirez

    Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is poised to become the third largest in the world by 2050. Based on this fact alone, one would think that the country is humming and purring.

    But, in fact, Nigeria is teetering on the edge of becoming the next, bad version of Iraq. In Nigeria, conflict – bloody conflict – is normal, with religious and ethnic differences firmly serving as the recurrent flashpoints for violence that are feeding the regional instability across West Africa.

    It’s a conflict that bears troublesome similarities to the sectarian battle in Iraq that has dominated, or one could say plagued, US foreign policy since this century began. The stakes are high for Nigeria. And, by default, for the African continent and the United States.

    Recall 2009. The notorious “Underwear Bomber” – a 23-year-old, Nigerian male, who boarded a plane bound for Michigan on Christmas Day with enough explosives in his underwear to take the lives of the 289 people, who were on that plane. Thankfully, in our post 9-11 world, he was caught before the crime was perpetrated and 289 lives were saved.

    In recent years, the terrorist group Boko Haram, which literally means “against western education”, arose in the northern states and has slaughtered more than 20,000 innocent victims, displaced at least two million Nigerians, and kidnapped more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls – a move that afforded them international notoriety.

    If this all sounds horrific, it’s because it is. The unnecessary violence and bloodshed in Nigeria is symptomatic of an intensified religious conflict. And, it is worthy of our attention now – not later. As mentioned before, Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa.

    In fact, the rise of Nigeria’s population growth mirrors its ascending influence in global economic markets and geopolitical affairs. It is now sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy and constitutes roughly 75% of the West African regional economy.

    Suffice it to say that a failure of government in Nigeria – sprinkled with an act of terrorism here and there – would have humungous ripple effects across the continent, not to mention regional global ramifications.

    Domestically, instability in Nigeria would also be damning, given our energy and oil interests – Nigeria is currently one of the top 7 crude oil suppliers to the U.S.

    The Underwear Bomber and Boko Haram incidents provide just a taste of what’s to come alongside of an unstable and further radicalized Nigeria.

    We can’t allow Nigeria, our ally, to further spiral into becoming a springboard for terrorism. The question now becomes, what, then, is to be done?

    The Bush and Obama administrations’ approaches to quelling violence in Iraq warrants a revaluation of how the global community combats religious conflict.

    While the United States invested trillions of dollars to stabilize Iraq, there is little to show for it but a continued infiltration of terrorism, flow of impoverished refugees, and economic devastation. This is not acceptable.

    Recognizing that the root cause of religious discrimination and violence is intolerance – and understanding that money isn’t a panacea for ending conflict – means shifting gears and exploring new tactics to resolve conflicts in Iraq, Nigeria, or you-name-the-hotbed.

    As a result, and in direct response to what was not happening in countries like Iraq and Nigeria, I formed a training program – Hardwired Global – that was not focused on money as a Band-Aid, but rather on helping local leaders de-escalate and mitigate conflict.

    Specifically, we train leaders to respond to the rise of extremists who brutally targeted minority faith communities and wiped out all dissenting voices.

    What we are seeing on a daily basis is transformative. Communities that previously had attacked one another, now gather together to overcome their fears and begin the hard work of ensuring that each would have their religious freedom and dignity respected by the government.

    They risk their lives to stand in defense of one another, recognizing that if they do not, they will all end up dead at the hands of the terrorist group who made no room for religious freedom. And in the midst of accelerated religious and ethnic tensions across northern Nigeria, Hardwired brought Muslim and Christian lawyers together for the first time to discover how to stand in one another’s defense.

    As one of our recent Nigerian trainees described, “The initiative of Hardwired is to make this country great, to have peace within the community, and also to practice your religion without discrimination. We believe everybody has a right to thinking or conscience, to practice whatever he wishes as his own religion… I want a better society, I want a better country for Nigeria and the world at large.”

    At Hardwired, we have learned that empathy is a greatly undervalued conflict resolution tool in shifting public opinion towards embracing ethnic and religious differences as a pillar of a just society. But the rush to support the symptom through humanitarian aid rather than address root causes has already proven to increase dependence on military solutions.

    Many aid organizations attempt to cultivate empathy in order to seek out kumbaya exercises where we rush to find the similarities in fractured societies. While these exercises might feel good, they are just moments and don’t resolve the underlying, base issues.

    Empathy is most powerful when used to build a shared trust in a society that is invested in protecting pluralism and embracing religious and ethnic differences, rather than glossing over them.

    In Nigeria, Hardwired is putting these lessons into practice. And, we are finding that acknowledgment and acceptance of their differences is leading to greater security, economic prosperity, and a more diverse social fabric.

    The alternative – doing nothing and ignoring the religious dimension of the conflict – will ultimately exacerbate the destabilization of Nigeria’s fragile democracy. Let’s not let indifference result in Nigeria become the next Iraq.

    • Tina Ramirez is founder and president of Hardwired, a non-governmental and nonprofit human rights organization with Special Consultative Status at the United Nations. She has worked for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the U.S. Congress. She authored Iraq: Hope in the Midst of Darkness (2017) and was a contributing author and editor of Human Rights in the United States: A Dictionary and Documents (2010 and 2017).
  • Islamic cleric offers scholarships to two sexual abuse victims

    Islamic cleric offers scholarships to two sexual abuse victims

    By Gboyega Alaka

    A popular Islamic cleric, philanthropist, business and estate mogul, and founder, Sebilu Nnajat TV, Sheikh Hammed Olanrewaju Alfulaany, has offered scholarships to two under-aged victims of sexually abused girls, aged 14 and 16, who were sexually molested by their parents.

    The victims, Ayomide Rachael Johnson, and Motunrayo Ogunsanwo, were allegedly sexually assaulted by their fathers in Meiran and Epe areas of Lagos respectively before they were rescued by Lady of Africa Foundation, a women empowerment NGO.

    The organisation reported the matter to the police, who swiftly moved in and arrested the suspects. The cases are presently in court.

    The Cleric was approached by the Founder and National Coordinator of the Foundation, Princess Oluwabukola Fasuyi, to assist the victims in furthering their education. Since their case became public knowledge, the victims have been under the care of the Foundation.

    Upon hearing the plights of the victims, the business mogul offered to sponsor their education up to University level and promised to take care of their feeding and daily expenses.

    The elated Princess Bukola Fasuyi expressed gratitude to the cleric for coming to the aid of the victims, and urged other philanthropists to follow suit by coming to the aid of the foundation in providing succour to the needy.

    Apart from the victims, the business mogul also offered scholarships to a 22-year-old, Barakat Hassan and her 24-year old sister, Azeezat, who were abandoned by their mother for 22 years, after she packed out of her matrimonial home.

    The siblings situation became worse after the death of their father, as they had no one to take care of them.

    Barakat lost her sight in the process, placing a heavy burden on her sister to fend for her, as well as herself.

    Their plight was brought to the attention of the philanthropist, who offered to foot the medical bill of Barakat, which runs into millions of naira. Barakat is currently receiving medical attention in one of the top hospitals in Lagos.

    The two sisters have also been offered accommodation by the philanthropist and they are on the verge of being enrolled in school.

    While eulogising the philanthropic gesture of Sheikh Alfulaany, Princess Fasuyi said the philanthropist has demonstrated there should be no religious or ethnic biases when it comes to helping the needy,  adding such gestures should be emulated by every Nigerian.

    She called on International community, government and well-to-do Nigerians to emulate Sheikh Olanrewaju Hammed Alfulaany in his philanthropic gesture as well as come to the aid of Lady of Africa Foundation in its quest to give back to the society.

  • My posture as foremost critic earned me mandate to run –New Lagos Country Club president

    My posture as foremost critic earned me mandate to run –New Lagos Country Club president

    Newly elected president of the elitist Lagos Country Club, Arc. Funmi Bamkole, in this interview with Daniel Adeleye, speaks on winning the election, the challenges so far and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the club’s funding.

    Congratulations on your election as the new President of Lagos Country Club. What’s the feeling like?

    So far, I will say it’s been fulfilling. I have been a member of the club for about 27 years. So attaining the position of president is like pinnacle of my participation in the club. Lagos Country Club is a diverse club full of interesting people and being at the helm of affairs has been very interesting. Of course there are challenges but we are happy that in our normal community way, we have evolved how to resolve issues.

    What inspired you to contest the number one position of the club?

    Like I said, I’ve been a member of the club for almost three decades. And I’m one of those you’d call a strong critic. I was always sought-after to give advice or suggestions on how things could be done or improved upon. So when the election for the office came, a number of people actually came to me to say, ‘Since you know how to criticise, the position is now open. Why don’t you come and try your luck and let’s see what you can make of it. And judging by my record of participation over the years in other smaller positions of service, I felt I was in a position to render service. Literally, we were inspired to come on with the hope of improving on the past performances of the club.

    Since assumption of office, what has been your greatest challenge?

    We met a number of disciplinary issues on ground that threatened to rock the very fabric of the club; but we thank God that the management council under our leadership has been able to manage them as family affairs. Unlike other clubs, our members do not go to court to litigate over club matters.

    Of course we are all aware of the pandemic, which has restricted our activities significantly. We have had to congregate outside and maintain social distancing. And that has automatically limited how we socialise and interact with one another.

    You are, first, managing director of a construction company, Holdman & Dot Nigeria Limited; how do you combine running that organisation with a club like Lagos Country Club?

    You know, at a certain level, you have to multi-task. The presidency of this club is not full-time management. My responsibility is more to ensure that every other person does what they are supposed to do. As a management council, we are collective. The sectional committees, the administrative staff, the managers and likewise in my office I have staff members. So we rely on each other to get things done. In fact, aside the two offices you mentioned, I have other interests which I also superintend. But I ensure that we act collectively in all the interests. In Country Club for instance, the chairmen of sections are doing well; the portfolio officers are doing well. The club management staff are doing their works very well.

    What really drives you?

    My challenge is that I cannot see something wrong and close my eyes. I’ve been like that all my life. Each time there are complaints, I got up and did something about it. If I think I can make a difference, I believe it’s better I tried to make that difference rather than just complain about it. That has been my guide.

    There is a widespread belief that only people with deep pockets win elections in Lagos Country Club. How true is this?

    Well, I don’t know about that; but one thing about this club is that you cannot get more than one vote from a member. There is no room for malpractice of any sort. So every vote you have is earned. Our members are so strict that you cannot put a wool over their eyes. Practically everything that went for my election was donated. We run very low budget election and we are lucky to clinch victory because we called it People’s Movement.

    What has been the economic implication of the pandemic on Lagos Country Club?

    Yes, it has affected us so much in respect of fund generation. As the saying goes, nothing can be done without money. Even in terms of annual contributions, the pandemic has affected the club, because some of our members have stopped coming and they are not paying. But yet we have to continue to pay salary and fulfill other financial obligations. So we are greatly challenged by the pandemic. Also, because we are a private club, most of the things we do come from sponsorship; and for the fact that we closed down both social and sporting activities due to the COVID, that has closed the door of sponsorship and blocked inflow in that regard. But again we are hopeful that very soon the pandemic will go away and life will come back to normal. I’m very optimistic that hospitality industry will also bounce back pretty much after the pandemic. Apart from Lagos Country Club, my business revolves around the hospitality industry; so I am optimistic the industry will bounce back well.

    Can you tell us how much the club has lost to the pandemic?

    In terms of attendance, we are averaging about 30-40 percent of our total attendance pre-COVID. That itself poses a big loss. If we have 30 or 40 percent attendance, that means we only have that amount of subscription intake. Going round the club now, you will meet only few people; whereas at closing hours, we used to struggle to get through the door. Talking of actual figure, we have not done any calculation yet; but I can tell you that in terms of sponsorship, we must have lost up to a hundred million naira to the pandemic this year. And that is at the Centre. At the sections too, we have ten sections; and if you quantify that each of them has lost five million naira, that means we are looking at about 150 million naira altogether lost in sponsorship this year.

  • From banking to catering, success story of 31-year-old

    From banking to catering, success story of 31-year-old

    Following eight years of working in the bank, Bukola Popoola took the brave decision to go into catering. Just three years after, she shares her steady success story with Gboyega Alaka

    A food vendor and caterer, Bukola Popoola has said transitioning to catering from being a banker remains one of the best decisions she ever made.

    Sharing her success story in an interview with The Nation, Popoola said she became a food vendor after eight years in the banking industry.

    “The transition was not an easy one, but God has helped me thus far. I have so many supportive bosses and colleagues who took it upon themselves to do status adverts for me.

    “Though I did not leave banking voluntarily; I was among those that were disengaged after their job contractas expired three years ago. The good thing, however, is that as a food vendor, I have been able to take ownership of my life, take decisions on my own and I am also an employer of labour to the glory of God.

    “Income from the job also meets my needs adequately.”

    A mother of two, Popoola, 31, said it took the help of God and dedication, as well as integrity and consistency on her part to achieve the level of success she has attained in the three years since she ventured.

    “I started my food business from running market errands, which I termed, ‘Market Runs.’ Then I used to help busy career women to navigate home, office, family, career, business well without having to affect their lives.

    “My task was to make life easy for my female clients by helping them source groceries and healthy foodstuffs for their kitchens. Sometimes, I even go as far as helping them to do 75 per cent of their cooking by boiling or frying their meat or fish.”

    For her very busy clients, the caterer said she offers complete package of making purchases and cooking meals that could last them a whole month.

    She added, “My being educated has also enhanced my business – I have a Second-class upper degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan. It has made me to have in-depth knowledge of the internet, thereby making it easy for me to capture my target customers. In addition, I run an online food catering business leveraging on technology.”

    Popoola said the tremendous support of her spouse has also aided her immeasurably.

    “Everyone has an in-built talent; all you need is to discover it and zoom into action.

    “While waiting for your dream job, please learn a trade you have passion for because you will eventually need it,” Popoola said.

    She advised that youths need not continue waiting for white collar jobs; rather, she said they should encourage themselves, be resilient, hardworking, and patient.