The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Needed: Efficient infrastructure for agro export

    Needed: Efficient infrastructure for agro export

    Nigerian agricultural sector is expanding to increase its presence in international markets. To realise this, the sector needs to improve its transport and logistics systems, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Globally, efficient, low-cost trade logistics is recognised as an essential factor in agro export competitiveness. Local and international markets are demanding more quality services in all areas, including transportation of  agro exports.

    Against this backdrop, Nigeria’s capacity to move and connect exporters with international markets around the world is still low.   It ranked 91 in the Index of Trade Logistics Performance (LPI) of the World Bank.

    The  congestion on roads, at airports and aseaports, high logistics costs, inadequate infrastructure, distorted logistics service markets, and fragmented governance hamper freight, further eroding the nation’s  competitive edge.

    For experts, improving Nigeria’s logistics performance provides an opportunity to increase its world market share in agro exports, expand into new markets, and diversify its agriculture into high-value products. Thus far, Nigeria has not managed to achieve significant gains.

    For instance, transporting fresh produce  in excellent condition till they arrive on the consumer’s table or importer’s destination has not been easy.

    With fertile agricultural land and a large pool of human resources, the  Southwest and Eastern region’s competitive advantages for agro industry have enabled  the expansion of one of the nation’s important segments. The regions  have some of the top producers of fresh fruits and vegetables. This presents an opportunity for farmers and entrepreneurs, in and around the regions, to boost agro-exports.

    Despite this, the segment has lagged behind in reaching its full potentia due to insufficient logistics networks.

    Considering  enormous trade prospect offered by the regions, the  Director-General, African Centre for Supply Chain  (ACSC ) Dr. Obiora Madu, noted that the nation’s congested transportation and often unsophisticated logistics systems imposed high costs on the economy. He stressed that making the system efficient, can significantly optimise its connectivity, business environment, and competitiveness.

    According to him, efficient logistics has become one of the main drivers for global trade competitiveness and export growth and diversification.

    Madu noted that the expected growth in agriculture and export markets also called for increased attention to logistical efficiencies at the ports and other transportation modes.

    According to him, reforms and investments for better transport and logistics will yield substantial economic benefits and strengthen its competitive advantage.

    In February, ACSC held a round table, where the Lagos logistics ring was highlighted as a major port nerve that spans through Apapa-Iganmu-Orile-Mile-Tin Can-Apapa.

    Speakers at the event were  the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dr. Muda Yusuf; Director, Consumer Affairs, Nigeria Shippers Council, Chief Cajethan Agu; and Chairman, Presidential Taskforce on Apapa, Hon. Kayode Opeifa, among others.

    They advocated for a functional logistics hub that would deal with complex transportation flows,while it must lower cargo waiting and movement times.

    Agro cargo airports 

    For Obiora, what Nigeria needs is an airport-based temperature-controlled facility for processing and storage of agro products. He sees airports as a large gateway for the movement of agro products.

    For stakeholders, the  establishment of agro airports would be a milestone in the development of a cool logistics corridor for the export of fruit, vegetables and other perishables.

    In line with this, Ogun  government is constructing an agro-cargo airport. The Governor, Dapo Abiodun,  said the agro-cargo airport project, conceptualised by the Gbenga Daniel administration in 2007, had lots of potential in the overall development of the state in particular and the country in general.

    Abiodun noted that what Ogun was yearning for was an airport that would support its massive agro development potential.

    Also, the construction of Ekiti Agro-Allied Cargo Airport in Ekiti State has begun. This is after the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, handed over the site to the main contractor, CCECC Nigeria Limited. During the site handover,  Fayemi described the project, which mainly entailed the construction of 3.2 kilometres runway, as a promise made and kept for the development of the state.

    According to him,  the construction of the airport’s runway pavement would be completed within 15 months, in line with the timeline agreed with the contractors.

    One facet of the efforts to improve agro supply chain across the country  is the expansion of  warehousing and storage capacity for commodities.

    Since Nigeria is one of the largest  exporters of leading  agro commodities, a consultant to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, is urging for the establishment  of more facilities for  storage and  export of a wide range of agricultural produce.

    He said the Federal Government should support the establishment of a freight network to boost agricultural and fisheries exports.

    He noted that the government needs to rollout a freight export service network, aimed at re-establishing global supply chains and accelerate exports of agricultural and fisheries exports to key overseas markets. In many contexts, he noted that  lack of infrastructure, investment and proper knowledge pose a major challenge to smooth logistics processes.

  • Beyond Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order

    Beyond Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order

    By Festus Eriye

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has begun life as chief executive of Nigeria’s most prosperous state with comforting surefootedness. If morning shows the day, then there are plenty of reasons for Lagosians to be hopeful that this unruly, sprawling city can somehow be made liveable.

    On his first day at work, while some were taking new wives and sacking democratically elected local government chairmen like military despots, he signed an Executive Order outlining the six major areas on which his administration would focus.

    Under the acronym ‘THEMES’, he outlined a plan of action that put the challenge of tackling traffic and environmental problems up top. Lagos, to put it mildly, is a very dirty city that urgently needs a clean-up.

    It is also notorious for its gridlock. Not much has changed since Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang about the infamous traffic jam at Ojuelegba in the 70s. From decade to decade since then, administrations have come and gone with the confusion being replicated in different areas of the city.

    From Maza-Maza to Mile 2 to Kirkiri to Apapa, from Oshodi to Ikeja and Agege, from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, the hapless denizens of the city have come to accept that half their lives would be spent in some ‘Hold-up’ or ‘Go-slow’.

    A terrible situation was made worse by the massive construction of the last two years of the Akinwumi Ambode administration, coupled with the government’s capitulation over enforcement of its own rules regulating the activities of commercial motorcyclists.

    Today, travelling on most Lagos roads is a hellish experience where, if you manage to avoid crushing the ‘okada’ darting in front of you without warning, you are most likely to be careening into some crater that has been left unattended for ages.

    To compound matters, there is the human aspect which no governor has been able to crack. On most of the city’s streets people are a law unto themselves. Very few obey basic rules. Driving against traffic is par the course on any given day. If you stop at the traffic light when it turns red, you are the crazy one! Lawlessness on the road has become cultural; it’s the way we roll in Lagos.

    Another depressing angle is that those supposed to enforce the law, have become willing enablers of the madness. Traffic officers and other security agents encourage unruly commercial buses to clog up choke points, they turn a blind eye to offences especially where there is some financial benefit to them.

    Indeed, for most of these officers the disorderliness is profitable. Unfortunately, they are the very ones expected to implement the governor’s call to orderliness! I can just imagine their enthusiastic embrace of the task!

    It is nice to see the governor, putting traffic management, road improvement and environmental issues, at the top of his agenda. In the last few days I have noticed officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), policemen and soldiers moving traffic along at some of the most notorious problem spots.

    However, while Sanwo-Olu’s efforts are commendable, my worry is about sustainability. How long will his zeal last? Lagos roads and road users need to be tamed. These are people used to a culture of impunity; many have come to believe that you can get away with murder – if not scot free, then at least for a fee.

    They are not going to swiftly repent of their ways and methods just because the new governor waved an Executive Order under their noses. When no one is watching or present to enforce the rules, they quickly revert to type.

    The governor and his team can build the best roads and bridges, if they don’t get the people to embrace a new culture on the road, nothing will change.

    Sanwo-Olu has to project to a people who have become addicted to lawlessness that he would be unrelenting in enforcing the laws as they concern road use and the environment. He has had the seemingly obligatory photo-op arresting some danfo driver driving against traffic. Everyone’s done it: Babatunde Fashola nabbed an army colonel, Ambode bagged a commercial bus driver. He cannot stop there.

    It would be a bitter disappointment if the promising enthusiasm and zeal of these early days is allowed to dissipate – returning us to the chaotic and ungovernable Lagos we have become used to, and resigned to as our lot.

    • This article was first published in The Nation on June 9, 2019.

     

  • Battle for Agu-Awka Government House

    Battle for Agu-Awka Government House

    By Raymond Mordi, Deputy Political Editor

    This year’s governorship election in Anambra State is expected to be keenly contested by the three major parties in the state; the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Anambra has undoubtedly been a battleground for the three parties, following the registration of the APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2013 and the election would not be an exception.

    The battle for the Agu Awka Government House, the Anambra State seat of government, has already commenced. Since INEC released the timetable for the election, the APC and the PDP particularly have been talking tough; boasting that they would take over the state, while the ruling party has been reiterating that it is has done enough in the last 16 years to warrant victory once again in November.

    But, for Governor Willie Obiano, who is in his second term, choosing a successor from the ruling party to step into his shoes would constitute a challenge. Being the only state in the country that is controlled by APGA, Obiano would want to ensure that he picks a candidate that will sustain the legacy in the state, to prevent the party from going into extinction. Any political party with visionary leadership would engineer a good succession plan for the growth and stability of the state.

    Before Obi took over power on March 17, 2006, on the platform of APGA through a court judgment that sacked Ngige, who was elected on the PDP platform, political stability had been an issue in Anambra. Ngige who stoutly resisted the attempt to manipulate him by the Uba brothers who were the godfathers that held Anambra by the jugular spent only three years in office before he was kicked out by the Supreme Court. His predecessor, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuji (popularly known as Odera) served a single term of four years.

    Against this background,  Governor Obiano would want to anoint a candidate that would protest his interest when he vacates office in less than a year. He would not want a repeat of what transpired between him and his predecessor in office, former Governor Peter Obi who played a major role in his emergence as governor in 2013; a development that compelled Obi to abandon the party whose growth he helped to nurture as governor for eight years and join the PDP. Obiano, therefore, has a herculean task on his hands.

    The APC has never hidden its desire to take over the state, which incidentally was where the party first tested its might in an election immediately after it was registered in 2013. Against all odds, the current Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who was the party’s candidate in that election, put up a good fight. Though he came third in the contest, behind Governor Obiano, the candidate of the APGA and Tony Nwoye, was the flag bearer of the PDP, he succeeded in registering the party in the minds of the people of Anambra.

    Ngige, the old warhorse from Alor, Idemili South Local Government, did not contest the last governorship in 2017, but he was the rallying point of Nwoye’s campaign to govern the state on the platform of the APC that year. The APC performed slightly better in 2017, with Nwoye garnering 98,752 votes and coming second, after APGA’s Obiano who won the election convincingly with 234,071 votes.

    The APC could have done better in 2013 and 2017, given the calibre of candidates it fielded in the two elections. But, the problem the party had then was that it had not been fully embraced by the people of Anambra, partly because it was relatively new at the time and also because it was largely regarded then as a party that is not meant for the Igbo.

    Today, the APC seems to be more entrenched in Anambra, like elsewhere in the Southeast. Compared to previous elections in 2013 and 2017, the party appears more desperate to capture Anambra this time. Whether its growing popularity would be enough to win the November governorship election is another matter. This would depend on other factors such as its choice of flag bearer.

    Though the PDP does not have the problem of acceptability, it has faced a different challenge in its bid to regain power in the state. The starting point for the party would be choosing a candidate in an atmosphere that is free from rancour. Even after the party lost power to the APC in 2015, the Southsouth and the Southeast geo-political zones have remained the last strongholds of the former ruling party at rue centre, whose popularity has waned considerably in the Southwest and many parts of the North. In Anambra State particularly, the opposition party remains popular, going by the result of the last general elections.

    Nevertheless, since it lost power in the state to the APGA, 16 years ago, it has found it difficult to muscle enough support to reclaim the governorship seat. The PDP’s biggest undoing in both 2013 and 2017 was the division and internal wrangling within the fold. The party went into the two elections on the heels of a rancorous governorship primary. As a result, during the election proper, many so-called PDP chieftains openly engaged in anti-party activities.

    Is the PDP going to conduct its governorship primary differently this time around? That is the question confronting the party, as preparations towards the November governorship election gathers momentum.

    Overall, some of the factors that will influence the outcome of the November 6 governorship contest are the reach of the various political godfathers that will have an interest in who emerges winner, power rotation or zoning, the candidates’ financial war chest and ‘federal might’ or 2023 political calculations.

    Anambra politics is the case study for godfatherism in Nigerian politics. Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, the state has witnessed some ugly trends, as political actors and their estranged political godfathers are always in contention for control of the state resources. For each electoral cycle, there is a godfather. The political brawl began with former Governor Mbadinuju and Emeka Offor. It was the fall out between Mbadinuju and his “godfather” and other power brokers that prevented him from getting a second term. The trend continued with the emergence of Ngige as governor. A serious crisis ensued when his political godfather, Chris Uba (a member of the PDP Board of Trustees and brother of Senator Andy Uba), sought to compel Ngige to fulfil a pre-election “contract” between them. Ngige broke ranks with his political godfather, following an unsuccessful attempt to have him removed from office on July 10, 2003, through a fabricated letter of resignation. An election tribunal led by Justice Nabaruma, on August 2005, nullified Ngige’s victory.

    Obi also became governor with the support of the late Emeka Ojukwu. Obi’s successor, Obiano and the former governor were friends before they joined politics; they served together on the board of Fidelity Bank Plc. As Obi rounded off his second term, he brought Obiano back to the country and campaigned for him to become governor. But, they later fell apart after the elections.

    Power-rotation or zoning has emerged as a major factor in Anambra politics. Zoning became entrenched in Anambra politics when Obi while rounding off his tenure in office, insisted that power must shift to Anambra North, which had not tasted power then since the creation of the state in 1991. It was initially dismissed by his political opponents as a non-issue, but after Obi successfully transferred power to a candidate from Anambra North, many stakeholders began to see the issue differently. Going by the rotation arrangement that has subsisted over the years, it is the turn of Anambra South to produce Obiano’s successor. But, opinions are divided over zoning in this year election.

    Another factor is the amount of money available to each candidate to campaign. This factor cannot be over-emphasised with the popularity vote-buying is assuming in Nigerian elections in recent times. Incidentally, many of the aspirants vying for the ticket of the APC and the PDP are people with deep pockets that can bankroll the election.

    Besides, the long walk to 2023 has begun and the permutations for the next presidential elections is expected to cast a long shadow on the Anambra State governorship election, as well as those of Ekiti and Osun states scheduled to hold next year.

  • Exploring Emeka Ojukwu’s soft side

    Exploring Emeka Ojukwu’s soft side

    By Olukorede Yishau

    Sometimes in 2016, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike touched his wife’s chin at a dinner for movie stars. She held his hand. Softly. His dim eyes gazed into her eyes. She gazed at him too. They were sitting on red seats with a touch of royalty.

    Other guests, especially the movie stars who were the reason for the event, became spectators – momentarily. And they had an eyeful.

    His Excellency and his wife Justice Suzette were ready to shock all who may have thought the public display of affection would end at the mere holding of hands. Wike planted a French kiss on his wife. She responded sharply. Their eyes were closed as they savoured the sudden flight to dreamland.

    It was a short scene that ended before many could train their eyes on it. But it perhaps painted His Excellency – who is considered stiff and some could have vowed was incapable of such an open display of love – in another light.

    Like Wike, the name Emeka Ojukwu conjures imagery far from soft. On October 1, a film focusing on the life of the late ex-Biafran leader is likely to be premiered. The film is not concerned about Ojukwu the warlord, its headache is Ojukwu, the ladies’ man, the party enthusiast and lover of music.

    The Ojukwu filmmaker Onyeka Nwelue wants to reveal to us in his ‘Other Side of History’ is poles apart from the one we met in Ojukwu’s ‘Because I am Involved’. For a man who lived in Nnewi, Zungeru, Lagos, London, Aburi, Ahiala, Enugu, Yamoussoukro and Bingerville, ‘Because I am Involved’ fell short of the juicy details the public was expecting.

    Zungeru, a town now in Niger State, was the capital of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 to 1916. Frederick Lugard, a Colonial administrator, chose the town as the capital of Northern Nigeria over Jebba and Lokoja because of its central location. The British established a market, military barracks, hospital, among other things in Zungeru. Seven years after Zungeru became a capital city, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu was born. Years later, even though Zungeru was no longer the capital, it still held a lot of promises. Ojukwu, an Igboman from Nnewi, made it home and from there he operated a transport business, which soon made him Nigeria’s first millionaire. He gave birth to his first son, Emeka, in this town on November 4, 1933. He was 24.

    By the time Emeka, who later became the head of state of the defunct Biafran Republic, was to start school, his father shoved him to Lagos. In 1944, he was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher who was humiliating a black woman at King’s College in Lagos, an event that generated widespread coverage in local newspapers.

    London was his next port of call. It is the city where he was educated and also died. At 13, his father sent him overseas to study in the UK, first at Epsom College and later at Lincoln College, Oxford University, where he earned a Master’s degree in history. He returned to colonial Nigeria in 1956.

    On return from London, Enugu was where he came. There he joined the civil service in defunct Eastern Nigeria as an Administrative Officer at Udi. In 1957, within months of working with the colonial civil service, he left and joined the military as the second university graduate to join the army.

    He later led the Igbo into a long-drawn battle with Nigeria after the senseless pogrom in the North. When it was glaring that the secession battle had failed, he delegated instructions to his second-in-command, Philip Effiong, and went into exile for 13 years in Cote d’Ivoire. There, he stayed in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Cote d’Ivoire and home town of his host, the late President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who named it the federal capital in 1983. Yamoussoukro is also the site of what is claimed to be the largest Christian place of worship on Earth: The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, consecrated by Pope John Paul II on 10 September 1990.

    Ojukwu also stayed in Bingerville, the old capital of Cote d’Ivoire. While in Cote d’Ivoire, he worked as a supplier of granite to construction sites. He returned to Nigeria following a pardon and lived the better part of his life in Enugu after his exile years. But shortly after returning, he was in Nnewi to take a chieftaincy title, the Ikemba. Nnewi, the second-largest city in Anambra State, was his hometown.

    Foremost British writer Frederick Forsyth wrote two books on the late Biafran leader: ‘The Biafra Story: The Making of an African Legend’, an account of the war first published in 1969, and ‘Emeka’, a biography of the late Biafran head of state published in 1982.

    Unlike books and other stuff earlier done on Ojukwu, Nwelue’s film is going to focus on his life between 1954 and 1960. It is going to depict him “frolicking with different women and throwing parties for his friends, inviting highlife originator, E.T Mensah, from Ghana to play for him and Bobby Benson, singing at his birthday party”. The locations include Nigeria, Ghana, the US and Canada.

    The film is said to have been inspired by Uduma Kalu’s 2012 article titled “Ojukwu: Sexcapades of the Biafran leader”.

    “He has all it takes to attract any woman. He is from a wealthy family and was educated in Oxford. His voice is poetry and could spin women’s heads. It is said that he combines romantic poetry with love letters and deploys very soothing words for his women. No woman can resist Emeka’s aura and oratory,” said a statement by the filmmaker.

    Emeka is going to be played by Greg Ojefua. Chika Anyanwu will play Sir Louis Ojukwu. Makinde Adeniran will depict Wole Soyinka, Emeka Darlington will act as Chinua Achebe, Hero Daniels plays Chris Okigbo, Emeka Okoye plays Olusegun Obasanjo, Ugo Stevenson plays Philip Effiong, Jammal Ibrahim plays Yakubu Gowon and Emelie Obodoakor will appear as JP Clark.

    ‘Other Side of History’ is based on a screenplay by Nwelue and Odega Shawa. The film is produced by Lorenzo Menakaya for Blues & Hills Pictures Ltd.

  • No longer a monument of shame

    No longer a monument of shame

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan used the phrase, monument of shame, in 2015 to describe the abandoned Tower Hotel project in Bayelsa State.
    At the time Jonathan used the description, the project was over nine years old. It is still at the same level of abandonment to date. The permanent office complex of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State took 25 years to complete, writes MIKE ODIEGWU

    The project was in limbo for 25 years. The circumstances that surrounded the abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) permanent headquarters were typical reflections of the leadership gap and managerial loopholes that had led to the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta. The development lends credence to the claims in some quarters that the Niger Delta people are the major cause of the problems in the region.

    Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio, who coordinated the completion of the project gave embarrassing details of its abandonment.

    Akpabio recalled his first visit to the project site in 2019. He said he was told that he was the only government official that had visited the project site. None of the managers of NDDC had thought of inspecting the project site much less initiating a process to complete it. It was never part of their plans.

    The minister said he met the project site in a terrible condition. The land was mashy and the entire area was covered by vegetation. He could not bear the shame and he cried out to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said:  “The road to completion of the over N16 billion NDDC office edifice started when I visited the building in 2019 and learnt that the project commenced 25 years ago in 1996.

    “After the visit, I briefed President Buhari and told him that we can make the building the focal achievement in his effort to reposition NDDC.

    “Immediately, President Buhari graciously approved and work commenced on the building as part of his commitment and passion to the people of Niger Delta.

    “The completion and inauguration of the building shows that government can work only if it has the right determination and focus.”

    Akpabio said the cost of completing the building did not include furnishing adding that he would still meet with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to approve a contract for the furnishing of the complex.

    He lambasted past administration and NDDC boards, which kept paying N300m annual rent instead of completing the complex.

    He said it was also unfortunate that for over 15 years NDDC’s old office was not connected to the National Grid because there were rackets involved in diesel supply to generators..

    He said: “We discovered that all that was needed to connect the building to the national grid was a mere N16 million.”

    The complex is a masterpiece comprising 13-storey main office of the commission and other buildings designed to accommodate a hospital, banking hall, conference hall and restaurant.

    The inauguration attracted important leaders from the region and across the country. Officials of the Federal Government, federal and state lawmakers as well as captains of industries and contractors attended the occasion.

    The Interim Administrator, NDDC, Effiong Akwa, said the project suffered untold delyas, financial frustrations and technical challenges under 17 chief executive officers of NDDC before he was appointed an administrator in 2020.

    He said: “In the intervening years, we have had 17 other chief executive officers before my appointment as interim administrator in the year 2020. In those intervening years, this project suffered untold delays, financial frustrations and technical challenges.

    “It was a period when more projects were abandoned in Niger Delta than were completed and commissioned. It is imperative on me to humbly convey to President Muhammadu Buhari a depth of gratitude of members of the Niger Delta Development Commission and the good people of this great region.

    “Mr. President has great love for the Niger Delta region. In a demonstration of remarkable political will Mr. President initiated three major policies that impacted on the speedy completion of this project. ”

    The President in his virtual address said the inauguration marked an important milestone in the history of his administration’s efforts to make NDDC realise its mandate in the region. He said the building project, which started in 1996, went through series of redesigns and amendments but was later abandoned.

    He, however, said his administration reactivated the project and completed it commending the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs for providing the required leadership that led to the completion of the project.

    Buhari said his government embarked on holistic reforms of the NDDC, returned the supervision of the commission to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and ordered a forensic audit of the NDDC to ensure that money released to the commission commensurate with projects and programmes.

    He said the commission should channel money it hitherto paid as rents to other productive ventures in the region.

    The President ordered Akpabio to cut the tapes on his behalf and unveil the project’s plaque saying it had been handed over to the people for present and future uses.

    Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who spoke on behalf of Niger Delta governors, commended Buhari and the federal government for completing and inaugurating the project. Uzodimma said stakeholders were not satisfied with the performance of NDDC since its establishment 2000 despite receiving N946.19bn in 18 years.

    Though he said nobody could write off NDDC as a total failure, the financial scandals and corruption allegations that recently rocked the commission eroded some of its achievements.

    He said: “I wish to express my gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and the federal government of Nigeria for the realisation of the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission. It took so long a time for this project to come to fruition almost two decades after the commission came to being by June 5th 2000.

    “The credit must go to our President who in his usual result-oriented manner had made this abandoned project a reality. This project was started and for whatever reason was abandoned for a very long time. But with the inauguration of this building, NDDC will seize to waste a staggering sum of N200m to N300m annually on rent. The money will now be channeled to other productive ventures.

    “We are aware why the NDDC was born. It was a direct response of the Federal Government to the agitation of the oil-producing communities and states for the establishment of an interventionist agency that will address the degradation in the area as well as tackle the infrastructural deficit because some stakeholders felt that the 13 per cent derivation funds may not adequately take care of the needs of oil-producing communities.”

    Uzodimma asked the NDDC to leverage on its new office complex to turn a new leaf in attitude, performance and general operations adding that the commission must prove to oil-bearing communities that it was ready to address its needs and fears. He said nine governors in the region were behind the government’s efforts to reposition the NDDC and make it responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

    But he said: “To achieve this, will require a little tinkering with the NDDC Act. It is my view that to address the kind of contract scandal that rocked the NDDC in the past and the concomitant allegations of corruption that followed, there is need for more involvement of the people in the affairs of the commission.

    “In this regard, the people should make inputs through town hall meetings thereafter NDDC should be mandated to adopt such inputs in its budget. The amended Act should make it mandatory for the commission to execute all the projects coming from the people of oil-bearing communities.

    “The communities should also be empowered by law to monitor contracts awarded for projects in their communities and to certify the satisfactory executions before final payments are made. I believe that this will greatly reduce sharp practices in the execution of NDDC contracts and it will also reduce corruption.

    “The suggested amendment which I call the NDDC Indigenous People Involvement Amendment Act is aimed at ensuring the participation of end users of the commission’s funds in the contract protocol to check corruption. It will go a long way in sanitising the system”.

    In their goodwill messages, the King of Twon Brass, Alfred Diette-Spiff, who spoke on behalf of tradition rulers and the chairmen of the two committees on  NDDC in the National Assembly, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo commended President Buhari for the project.

    While Buhari, Akpabio and Akwa, rose up to the challenge to turn the NDDC’s monument of shame into a world-class edifice, the people of Bayelsa believe that one day the abandoned Tower Hotel project will become a reality.

  • Lagos, Edo claim badminton titles

    Lagos, Edo claim badminton titles

    Lagos and Edo teams showed their class against the rest of the country to emerge champions in the men and women team event of badminton at the 20th National Sports Festival taking place in Benin City.

    It was the Edo ladies that claimed the first gold medal in badminton with the Deborah Ukeh Divine led team defeating their Ogun counterpart led by Nigeria’s female number one player, Dorcas Adesokan.

    It was an easy passage for the Edo team as they overpowered Delta state 2-0 in the semifinal, while Ogun defeated Kwara with the same margin in the second semifinal.

    However, Delta had to settle for the bronze medal after beating Kwara.

    Lagos’ duo of Anuolowapo Opeyori and Godwin Olufia showed their class against their Delta counterpart in the men’s team final with a 2-0 win to clinch the second gold medal for the state.

    They had on Monday defeated FCT Abuja 2-0 in the quarterfinal and went ahead to edge out Rivers in the semi-final.

    However, Head Coach of Lagos State Badminton Association, Maria Omonehin has said that Lagos is poised to dominate the badminton event in Edo.

  • ‘Compete fairly’

    ‘Compete fairly’

    The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa yesterday in Benin charged the state’s contingent at the ongoing National Sports Festival (NSF) to be good ambassadors and compete fairly.

    Aiyedatiwa, who gave the charge while addressing the contingent at their camp, urged the athletes and officials to abide by the rules of the game.

    “You should compete fairly with other participants at this festival.

    “I am optimistic that you will triumph, going by the preparation put in place by the athletes and the support given by the government.” The deputy governor commended the enthusiasm and high spirit exhibited by members of the contingent.

    He said they should remain focused and committed to their goals of winning medals for the state.

    “I advise you to be law-abiding, stay within the rules of the game and compete fairly and put in your best. I can see that you are in very high spirits and ready for the festival. I know you will do us proud and we will welcome you all back to Ondo State as heroes.”

    General Manager of the State Sports Council, Henry Babatunde, had earlier lauded Aiyedatiwa for finding time to visit the team in their camp in spite of his tight schedule.

    He noted that the visit would serve as a morale-booster for the state representatives, Babatunde assured that they would make the state proud at the competition.

  • Minister thumbs up COVID-19 compliance

    Minister thumbs up COVID-19 compliance

    Minister of Youths and Sports Development Sunday Dare has expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with COVID-19 protocols by athletes and officials participating in the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) in Benin.

    Dare said this yesterday in Benin shortly after he was conducted round the games village by University of Benin (UNIBEN) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami, in company of Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UNIBEN is the official camp for athletes and officials for the festival.

    “We are satisfied with the compliance with all COVID-19 protocols; we had a brief from the state COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr Andrew Obi, who told us that about 6, 500 athletes are around for the games.

    “COVID-19 test conducted shows about five persons confirmed for virus and they have been isolated and receiving treatment. This shows about 95 per cent success rate.”

    “We are satisfied, we got a lot of support from the Presidential Task Force and Nigeria Center for Disease Control, we are satisfied and don’t expect anything less.

    “As far as COVID 19 protocol is concerned the rules are set and we will not bend it for any state. All states must go through the established rules,” Dare said.

    On his part, Governor Obaseki, said that the athletes seemed to have settled in.

  • Cultural display heralds 20th National Sports Festival

    Cultural display heralds 20th National Sports Festival

    By Morakinyo Abodunrin

    The rich culture of Edo State was on display last night as the 20th National Sports Festival officially began in Benin City, the Edo state capital.

    Though the event was delayed due to downpour, it was all glitz and glamour as the show finally got off to an impressive start at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

    Also, Vice president Prof Yemi Osinbajo could not declare the festival open as his plane was diverted due to a storm.

    Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki disclosed the development while delivering his speech at the ceremony.

    Governor Obaseki said the Vice President was airborne to Benin airport but his plane ran into a heavy storm and had to be diverted.  Regarded as the heartbeat of the country, the host Edo put up a good show with music star Timi Dakolo anchoring the national anthem.

    The event also witnessed the mandatory march past parade by all the participating states and FCT while Governor Ifeanyi  Okowa stole the limelight as he led out Team Delta State amid pomp and ceremony of the occasion.

    Henry Agoma and Muhammed Baahir respectively took the oaths on behalf of the athletes and officials to compete with fair play.

    Meanwhile, Edo State Deputy Governor Comrade Phrank Shaibu who doubles as the Games. Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman, welcome athletes, officials and stakeholders to the state.

    On his part, Governor Godwin Obaseki challenged the athletes to put on superlative performances to set good examples for others to follow.

    The Games was eventually declared open by the Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, who praised the tenacity of Edo State and other stakeholders at ensuring the take-off of the event despite the numerous challenges occasioned by several postponement due to COVID-19.

    He described the festival as an avenue to discover budding talents and appealed to them to compete in an atmosphere of friendship.

    The 20th National Sports Festival will end on April 14.

  • Oba Elegushi marks anniversary with football, golf tournaments

    Oba Elegushi marks anniversary with football, golf tournaments

    One of the prominent monarchs in Lagos, Oba Saheed Elegushi of Ikate kingdom will be celebrating his birthday and eleventh year anniversary of his coronation with two sporting events.

    In a statement signed by the monarch’s special assistant on public affairs, Temitope Oyefeso, stated that a novelty football match, tagged ‘Elegushi Peace Cup’ will hold at the Campos mini stadium while the golf tournament will tee off at Ikoyi Golf course. The two-in-one event is scheduled to take place on Friday April 9, 2021.

    He added that the Elegushi Peace Cup has attracted individual personalities in the entertainment industry and matches have been drawn between the Nigeria movie industry to tackle their counterparts from music, while ex-footballers will slug it out with comedians.

    Some of the ex-internationals listed include Kanu Nwankwo, Tijani Babangida, Victor Ikpeba and Garba Lawal, while over 100 golfers from different clubs across the county have registered to participate at the maiden Golf tournament.

    Oba Elegushi is the 21st monarch of Ikate-Elegushi kingdom was born on April 10, 1976 and ascended the throne of his ancestors on April 27, 2010.