The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Four decades of a college and new visionary leadership

    His coming into office as the new Provost of Ogun State College of Health Technology Ilese Ijebu, on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, was with a determination to make a change in the 40-year old college and foremost tertiary institution in Ogun State. Dr. Abiodun Oladunjoye, a Ph.D holder in Environmental Care Management would not only make an exponential development but a systemic one as well.

    As parts of his efforts toward putting the college on the world map, he described the Ogun State College of Health Technology as a specialized institution of academic excellence and social development and promised to change the erroneous perception people have of the college as highlighted in a three- pillar mission of his administration.

    The major plank of the three-pillar mission is academic development, which has to do with the floating of new programmes and re-organisation of the existing ones like the X-ray, Medical Imaging, Social Work departments. The establishment of part -time programmes was a move in the right direction and first of its kind since the inception of the college in 1976. In addition to this, he focuses on the benchmark for shortlisting the candidates seeking admission into the college in order to ensure that quality and well trained students are produced for Nigerian health sector. He is of the opinion that though the health sector is very lucrative but highly sensitive, hence, the need to ensure quality personnel.

    Six months ago, a major breakthrough was recorded in the college with the accreditation of the Pharmacy Department by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, while several other programmes in the college were also recently accredited by both the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) among other professional bodies.

    One other major focus is the sustenance of affiliation with top universities in the country for the award of degrees for students wishing to transit to the university. Another most important mission of the new Provost is his commitment to staff welfarism; he concentrates so much on this because of his belief that no sector can thrive without the welfare of staffs and students. Salaries and other emoluments have been paid to date and this certainly will motivate staff morally and psychologically thus, making them to give their best in their various duty posts.

    His administration’s zero tolerance for cult-related activities were demonstrated with the improvement on surveillance and patrol on campus.

    The magic wand of Dr. Oladunjoye’s administration can be attested to in the area of infrastructural development as there are several on-going projects on campus like the construction of the X-ray and Medical Imaging building, construction of modern kitchen for the Nutrition and Dietetics department, an ultra-modern fitness and wellness center with state-of-the art equipment, facelift for male  and female hostels, construction of modern medical laboratory that will serve the college community as well as the general public to mention a few.

    Mission three is the establishment of the Management Information System (MIS) Centre; this has to do with ICT development which will enhance students’ online registration. Efforts are in top gear to launch the college’s portal- this focuses on the high speed internet and intranet connectivity, updating of the college website with increase bandwidth and facilities as well as multi-media resource centre, powered by digitalized automation system to enhance easy accessibility of course forms online.

    Dr Oladunjoye, an astute administrator par excellence has been working relentlessly in ensuring that the college is among the beneficiaries of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). Above all, his administration has ensured a systemic institution of a transparent and accountable financial management geared towards prudent management of resources, better work and learning environment for staff members and students as well as infrastructural development of the college.

     

    • Ayodele Alaga writes from Ilese, Ijebu Ode.
  • Edo poll: INEC, APC collaborate to rig – Adeyanju

    Edo poll: INEC, APC collaborate to rig – Adeyanju

    1. All Progressives Congress (APC) in collaboration with staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to subvert the electoral process for the September 10, 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State.

    2.  I am aware that the plan is to ensure card reader failure in certain areas, particularly Edo North Senatorial District (Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, Owan East & Akoko Edo) & some parts of Edo South Senatorial Districts. This would enable INEC staff in collaboration with APC members to falsify data and offer them the opportunity to rig the elections.

    3.  I am also aware that part of this plan is to subvert the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) by ensuring that INEC staff do not collate results at the polling units or post those results on the walls of the polling units as provided for by the Act, but at Ward/Local Government collation centres. This would afford the INEC staff and members of APC the opportunity to manipulate the results between the polling units and the Ward/Local Government Collation Centres.

    4.  Part of this plan is prevent e-collation officers from entering the results from the various polling units onto the INEC database immediately they are announced but to do so at the Ward/Local Government Collation centres after APC would have had the opportunity to manipulate them.

    5.  Finally, I am aware that this plan also includes INEC issuing fake result sheets to its staff at the polling unit level. The use of such result sheets would invalidate the results entered thereon & give an opportunity to APC members and colluding INEC staff to re-write the results onto original results sheets which will not reflect the reality of the number of votes cast for the candidates.

    6.  I urge the leadership of INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections by ensuring that these plans fail. In that wise, we suggest the following simple & legal steps to ensure that the ideals of free, fair and credible elections are achieved –

    –    INEC should deploy a minimum of 5 card readers per polling unit to the 2626 polling units spread across 192 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state. We are aware that INEC owns 145,000 functional card readers. Card reader deployment in this manner would reduce incidents of card reader failure and ensure that only voters with genuine voters’ cards are permitted to vote. The implementation of such a plan would only require 13, 130 carder readers.

    – INEC should commence testing of all card readers from today – September 8, 2016 until tomorrow to ensure that only functional card readers are deployed for the elections.

    –    INEC should ensure that all its staff comply with the provisions of Sections 27(1)(a), 63 and 65 of the Electoral Act, and its operation guidelines for the elections by counting the number of valid votes cast at the various polling units and posting the results on the wall of the polling unit. Anything less than this would be resisted by our supporters across the State.

    –    INEC should ensure that its e-collation officers enter the results onto the INEC database immediately they are announced at the polling units.

    –    INEC should ensure that its staff only use original result sheets for the elections. To this end, we call on INEC to display samples of the ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive materials to be used for the elections to enable relevant stakeholders differentiate between real and fake.

    7.  The PDP in Edo said they have made several formal attempts to meet with the INEC chairman to discuss these issues. All of those attempts have failed so far.

    8.  I believe that the implementation of these simple steps will ensure the delivery of the basic ideal of free, fair & credible elections.

    9.  God bless Nigeria.

  • Courage in leadership: Shettima example

    It was in September, 2014. Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State had embarked on planned assessment meetings with school authorities in Sudan and the United Kingdom, where 70 students on the state’s sponsorship were undergoing undergraduate studies in Medicine and Geo-Sciences. He had hardly arrived his first destination, when Boko Haram insurgents took over Bama Town, one of the most populated towns in the state, just about 70kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    Palpable tension was in the air, as news went round that Maiduguri, the seat of power too, was about to be overrun by the sect. Shettima immediately cut short his trip, took the next available flight, and by September 4, 2014, arrived Abuja, where he held strategic meetings on the Bama takeover, including constituting a committee to oversee the distribution of relief materials to the victims of the Bama attack.

    Done with the meeting, he announced his intention to return to Maiduguri, the next day, an intention almost everyone around him, including this writer kicked against. But the arguments he advanced, shocked me: “MallamSamaila (that’s how he calls me), it is better for me to be killed, serving my people, than for Maiduguri, with several internally displaced persons to fall to Boko Haram, while I am away. That will amount to cowardice.”

    Seeing his courage and determination to return, I prayed with him, and wished him well. By the next day, Friday September 5, a day after he returned to Maiduguri, he addressed the citizens of the state, through a state-wide broadcast, and thereafter, moved round the city, the same way, security operatives carry out Show of Force to keep the spirit of the citizens alive, and to let them know he was not a runaway governor.

    Coincidentally, exactly two years after that traumatic and emotional day, family, friends and well-wishers, numbering about 200, gathered in Maiduguri, to attend a reception in his honour, to mark his Golden Age. Ironically, the event was initially slated for Friday, September 2, the same day and date he was born 50 years ago, but a presidential appointment for the same date, forced organisers of the event, to shift it to Monday, September 5, thus, compelling me also to recall the events of September 5, 2014.

    It will interest Nigerians and other readers to know that the reception was not the typical Owanbe kind of celebration, befitting of the status of a typical Nigerian governor, who attained the age of 50. There were no assorted drinks; we had water, soft drinks and the regular kinds of fruits- Apple and Pear. Not a dime was taken from the coffers of the state government to put the event which lasted for just two hours together. The list of donors and amount donated, were read out to the hearing of all of us seated in the hall. The donors, 30 of them, were coordinated by his spokesman, Isa Umar Gusau.

    And from the funds raised, 50 children, orphaned by Boko Haram, were given life-line, with their school fees paid upfront for the next nine years. And just before we left the hall, Zenith Bank, his former employers, also keyed into the educational empowerment of the children orphaned by Boko Haram, by offering to support additional 50 children, thus, bringing the number of beneficiaries to 100. Immediate past governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, chaired the event. Shettima’s lovely and ever supportive wife, Hajia Nana, was also on hand to lend her motherly support.

    After the presentation of the awards and cutting of the cake, which was also donated, Governor Kashim Shettima, whom I know reluctantly accepted to be treated to the reception, thanked all those who attended, including those who stood by him, especially the kid brothers of his estranged political leader, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, during his (Shettima) political trials.

    He also told the audience what those of us very close to him, had always known about his relationship with Sheriff. Hear him: “During our travails with our political leader, some of our politicians elected to stand on the side of truth and justice. I never fought Ali (Modu) Sheriff. Ali Sheriff fought me. He made himself a tin-god, until God demystified him and put him where he rightly belongs.”

    Fifty years is indeed regarded as a Golden Age. But as late Coco Chanel, an influential French fashion designer puts it, “nature,” gives one the face one deserves at 20, but it is up to one to merit “the face” one has at 50 and even beyond.

    With what I know about Shettima, right from his days at the Zenith Bank, and for the mere fact that since becoming governor in 2011, he has never for once, gathered people to say he was marking his birthday, and for reluctantly accepting to be treated to a reception last Monday, I think he undoubtedly, merits “the face” he has at 50. He has shown courage and leadership, in the last five years as Borno governor. I pray he ends well. Happy Birthday sir!

     

    • Omipidan, is the immediate past Kaduna NUJ, acting chairman.

  • Kogi verdict: Many unresolved questions

    The Court ofAppeal recently handed down the verdict in the suit brought by JamesFaleke, the running mate to the late PrinceAbubakarAuduin the November 21, 2015 gubernatorial election challenging his substitution by his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) with Yahaya Bello.The latter, it will be recalled, came second in the party primary.Like the lower court, it affirmed that INEC was right in declaring the election inconclusive and that the party, APC has the power to substituteAudu with anybody whatsoever and that it was not automatic that Faleke replace his principal in the circumstance.

    Many legal minds have posited with due respect that the decision of the Court of Appeal seems to lack any founding in the constitution. Moreover, that the verdict renders the office of the Deputy Governor (Vice President) or running mate impotent and useless, a development not in tandem with the spirit of the constitution and certainly at variance with the intendment of the drafters of the constitution.

    The issue of course is that the vice president or deputy governorsare assistants of their respective principals; both have a joint ticket and in case death or infirmity or other conditions specified in the constitution, the deputy steps in to replace the principal

    One question that arise here is, where is it written or where can it be reasonably inferred from the constitution that the candidate for Vice President or Deputy Governor ought to participate in primary election before he can be nominated for the position?

    Going by the Provisions of Section 187(1) Constitution, nomination of running mate is the duty of the candidate who polled the highest at the party primary election.Audu participated in the gubernatorial primary election of APC in Kogi State alongside Yahaya Bello and won the majority of votes cast.  Upon his victory, he nominated his deputy in line with Section 187(1) of the Constitution. Therefore there is no legal basis to assert that Faleke ought to have participated in primary election before he can be a running mate and by extension inherit the votes of his principal.Indeed, our position is that the ambulatory or testamentary desire of late Audu was for James Faleke to step into his shoes should he be unable to discharge his duty as governor or standard bearer of the party for the election.

    Clearly, the spirit of the constitution is that the governor and the deputy are in a holy political matrimony. The governor being the groom, gets nomination as the party’s flagbearer after party primary, appoints, nominates or marries his bride, the deputy governor to steer the ship of leadership in the state.

    Section 176 Constitution provides for the establishment of the office of the governor of a state who shall be the chief executive of that state. Section 181 provides that in the case of death of governor-elect before taking oath of allegiance and oath of office, the person elected with him as deputy governor shall be sworn in as governorand he shall in turn nominate a new deputy governor who shall be appointed by the approval of the simple majority of the House of Assembly. Thus, from the letters and spirit of the section 181, once an election is concluded and winner declared and the governor-electdies before swearing in, his deputy, bride, junior partner steps in his shoes as governor.

    This provision, with due respect, covers the field of what transpired in Kogi State on November 21, 2015. The election was 99% concluded.TheAudu/Falake ticket had polled overwhelming majority of votes and 25% of votes cast in all the Local Governments in the state. It was only natural and commonsensical to conclude the election and declare Faleke winner, since Audu had passed to glory, based on the principle in section 181.

    Assuming that the election was indeed inconclusive, making the conduct of a supplementary election mandatory, there is no reason why Falake should not be the standard bearer or be allowed to continue the election process. Supplementary election is not a fresh election requiring a fresh nomination; it is a continuum of the original election, hence requires no need to substitute candidates.

    Late Audu had been nominated in tandem with the constitution and sections 85 and 87 Electoral Act 2010; he in turn nominated his co-flagbearer, Faleke. The gubernatorial primary election had therefore become spent and its result useless. It was therefore preposterous that APC would revive a spent primary election as the basis for denying James Faleke his mandate (this is because the essence of any primary election is to choose the party’s candidate).

    Section 188 of the constitution also shows the joint ticket and partnership relationship between the governor and his deputy. The provision provides for the procedure for removal of the governor or his deputy and it goes ahead to refer either of them in the following sub-sections as “the holder ofthe office’’ and it can be reasonably inferred that the governor can be removed by the state House of Assembly independent of the deputy and where the governor is so removed, he is automatically replaced by his deputy (see section 191 of the constitution). The party is not allowed at that moment to say that the deputy governor did not participate in the primary that produced the governor or that it can superimpose any candidate alien to the joint ticket to appoint as governor in the place of the removed governor.

    Many have argued that Sections 181,191 of the Constitution are inapplicable to the Faleke’s scenario because the election had not been declared conclusive at the time of the death of late AbubakarAudu and as such Faleke cannot benefit from the demise of his master. This argument, with due respect is nebulous. This is because in legislative drafting and indeed in constitutional drafting, the draftsman cannot possibly draft a Law that will foresee all foreseeable possibilities. He is not omnipotent, that is to say, he is not all knowing, and therefore he must leave out some scenarios not envisaged at the time of drafting. When this occur, the entire document drafted (Actor Constitution) is looked upon and the spirit of the constitution can be detected from other provisions having a relationship with the one sought to be determined. The consistency of the complimentary role of the deputy chief executive in the 1999 constitution is a pointer to what the spirit of the law is saying in a scenario as the Audu/Faleke in Kogi State. To act otherwise, is to contravene the spirit.

    Indeed, what happened in Kogi State is akin to a 2 X 200 meters relay race, where one of the two athletes fell and died at the finishing line and an intruder from the crowd jumped into the track at the finishing line, pushing away the running mate who is still alive. GovernorYahaya Bello and his deputy did not sow any seed to inherit the hard labour of 240,867 votes scored by theAudu/Falake ticket. It is therefore in the interest of justice that the Supreme Court of Nigeria takes a close look at this anomaly which amounts to a usurpation of the will of the majority of electorates in Kogi State.

     

    • Medaiyeshe& Ibrahimweites fromLokoja, Kogi State.

  • ACE: Giant strides and sustainable exemplars

    Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes’ – Peter Drucker 

    ‘Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one’ – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    My second visit on August 23 within the space of eight months to Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo, my alma mater, could not have been more fulfilling than it was. Right from the very minute that I entered the spacious office of the Provost, Professor OlukoyaOgenwho is the first alumnus to head the college, I was told that the Student Union Government 2016 elections were being conducted and the winners would be announced about 3:00 p.m., same day. Most, if not all the students were exercising their franchise in one novel way: they were voting from wherever they were through electronic means, while the progress was being monitored by the electoral committee members who were also students and whose platform was the Virtual Learning System (otherwise called ACETV)used for the seamless coordination of the massive polls.

    In my view, this paradigm shift was an instructive one: in the first place, the polls were aided and paced up with the aid of technology. The idea to float the VSL was a commendableone that David Olaoye, a versatile 1989/90 Fine and Applied Arts graduate and UK trained electronic media specialist sold to the college not long after the incumbent Provost assumed office. This institution-based transmission channel has also been deployed for a number of pedagogical uses: lectures can be aired in real time and are being recorded so that students can log on or play any one that they have either missed or that they wish to access. A bank of invaluable electronic resources is being kept in such a way that student-lecturer classroom contact, even though this is a learning prerequisite, may no longer be the only channel of exchange.

    Alumni of the college would recall their own student days when the declarations of intent into elective offices and the electioneering campaigns were aired on the Public Address systems mounted on the annexes of the halls of residence, when bills were posted or circulated by hand and supporters moved from room to room. Then, the sloganeering and counter propaganda involved the use of the puny Ondo dialect and exhilarating carnival-like displays were often localised around the student union office which was annexed to Oduduwa Hall. Electioneering also took the intellectual dimension. Inside the expansive auditorium, aspirants were billed to meet the press on a stipulated evening during which they were expected to answer questions, address the student body, and share their vision of leadership or what they intended to achieve in office. This was and has been the tradition for many years in many Nigerian institutions where academics and acceptable behaviour is presumed to be imbibed. A situation where undergraduate and post-graduate students become instruments in the hands of partisan politicians who would stop at nothing to achieve their aims and a situation where the acquisition of the tenets of democracy is being questioned is really a worrisome case.

    I wish to cite an example that I was authoritatively told by a senior staff member. Few academic sessions ago, voting and manual counting continued through the night and into the next day. There was palpable tension and restiveness among the students. From nowhere, a gunshot was reportedly heard and students had to scamper. To restore calm, the police had to be invited and they were led by an officer not less than the commissioner himself. From this singular display of brigandage, and perhaps other acts of delinquency, it became obvious that subsequent SUG elections could not be conducted with the same contextual attitudes that have pervaded our larger polity: violence, manipulation, logistics, personalising the differences between political contenders (I prefer that word to opponents), electioneering campaigns that are bereft of any form of intellectualism, ethnic rather than national mindedness, the slaughtering of merit in preference to mediocre selections as referenced in a myriad of unconventional ways: quota system, ‘god-fatherism’, geo-political zone arrangements. Obviously, student activism has become a microcosm of our national consciousness rot: ideological and moral ineptitude, brainwashing, or the carpe diem pursuit typical of Nigeria’s public office seekers.

    However, I was enthralled to hear that when the students were aspiring to contest for the SUG offices, they were expected to demonstrate or must have attained a level of cumulative GPA. To grant a subtle endorsement of this conditionality, I wish to share a historical insight. The evolution of student activism in Nigeria could not be divorced from the pursuit of regional and later national interests in the pre- and post-colonial contexts when university students became the vanguards towards the dismantling of colonialism or of influencing government policies. An example comes to mind. Not long after independence, Nigerian university students under a structured and effective leadership vigorously campaigned against the plan of the government of the First Republic to sign a military pact with Britain.  If that bilateral agreement had gone through, Nigeria would have ceded off her strategic territorial sovereignty in favour of Britain’s post-colonial imperialism. The political class did not visualize how this singular myopic policy would have unequally yoked Nigeria to Britain’s umbilical cord. Nowhere in the world is the prospective student leader expected to be an academic underachiever, is expected to be globally unaware, intellectually bankrupt, of bourgeois inclination, unable to engage in discourses, temperamentally unfit, and subject to manipulation. How many politicians demonstrate their astuteness or strong convictions by engaging in the discourses organised by academic institutions prior to general elections? Rather, campaigns still hold in city centres and market places, before the gullible proletariat whose collective intelligence is further assaulted by the much that is said with little or no depth. At best, political campaigns still remain media-influenced and commercialised.

    On a final note, ACE SUG election results were declared within half an hour of the end of the electronic polls. In the presence of the principal officers of the college, the electoral chairman (a student too) read the results to the teeming students. The Provost’s remarks could not have been less apposite. He publicly declared that no SUG officer was imposed on the students and his reminder that the choices of the students were respected was not in any way controverted. From the foregone, there are hard lessons for the Nigerian polity on the one hand and tertiary institutions in particular: certain ideals are practicable and sustainable and this is what a purposeful leadership is expected to take a dispassionate decision about once a need has been identified. It is not unexpected that certain people will try to oppose a positive and populist idea for parochial reasons but successes elsewhere could be replicated or improved upon so that our political education can advance. No society grows without its thinkers. After all, in the words of Mr Tony Blair, ‘the art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.’

     

    • Adeodu is an Abuja-based educator and an alumnus of Adeyemi College, Ondo.
  • Need for continuity in Edo State

    Need for continuity in Edo State

    The people of Edo State will go to the polls to choose Adam Oshiomhole’s successor on September 10, 2016.

    The campaigns have reached a crescendo as the two major candidates; Obaseki and Iyamu are selling their parties.

    Edo people don’t need to search far before making up their minds on who among the candidates to vote for.

    Apart from the fact that Godwin Obaseki who is flying the banner of the APC has a good head start because Oshiomhole  has given him a lot to market in terms of achievements, the electorates are not sure who the authentic candidate of the  PDP is between Pastor Ize Iyamu of the Markarfi led faction and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction. Only the courts could decide and this is enough reason for the electorates to vote for the candidate whose candidacy is sure, and whose party has transformed the state in the last seven years.

    Considering the antecedents of the two parties in the state, there is no gain saying the fact that Edo State should borrow a leaf from Lagos where an unbroken chain of progressive governments  make it the most economically viable state in Nigeria, increasing her IGR from a meagre N600 million in 1999 to an average of N23 billion in 2016 with a plan to hit N30billion monthly in 2017 and 50billion in 2018.

    The governor of Edo State in 1999, Lucky Igbinedion spent two terms and left the state in ruins. When Lucky’s father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion  was campaigning for the re-election of his son in 2003, Edo people told him point blank that his son didn’t do well in office but the Senior Igbinedion told them in pidgin, Pickin wey no do well for one class must repeat that class‘ meaning if a child fails in one class, that child must repeat the class so he wanted his son to be re-elected despite his woeful performance in office. Lucky was re-elected through the usual PDP magic and Edo State was the worse for it. Professor  Oserheimen Osunbor succeeded Lucky Igbinedion after rigging out Adams Oshiomhole in 2007 but the Court of Appeal overturned his victory and declared Oshiomhole the actual winner on November 12, 2008.

    While agreeing that the period Osunbor spent as governor of Edo State (May 29, 2007 to Nov 12, 2008) was so short for proper assessment, the fact remains that no meaningful achievement would have been recorded by his administration even if it had not been terminated by a judicial hammer. As Prof. Osunbor noted on why he left the PDP, “PDP has no interest in what becomes of the state and the people, but their pockets. This was why they said I was not loyal because I refused to share the money meant to develop the state while I was the governor. That was why they started fighting me”. Osunbor meant well for Edo people but the hawks who surrounded him in his party wouldn’t have allowed him to work. It was the same Mafia that the comrade governor fought to a stand-still before he could rescue Edo state from the jaws of these vampires!

    There is no need for further proof that the PDP as a party never meant well for the state. Edo State should not lose her opportunity of voting for continuity as they have tested both parties and can conclude which party had actually done better in terms of human capital development and infrastructure. Yorubas would say “oti gbepo wo, oti gbomi wo, o ti mon eyi to wuwo ju” (you have lifted water and you have also lifted palm oil so you know which is heavier)Edo people should  know by now that any break from the present progressive government will spell doom for the state.

    What has Oshiomhole done in eight years to make continuity in Edo imperative? Oshiomhole inherited a state in ruins and total infrastructure collapse in November 2008. The rot was especially visible in the education sector, with the reign of miracle centres known for awarding undeserved grades to students for a fee. Oshiomhole embarked on surgical operation of the education sector and it was successful because the state that used to be graded 30th position in performance at national examinations has now moved to the 2nd position. Edo is tuition free for both primary and secondary school students while buses were provided for school children. This has encouraged school enrolment and learning.

    Oshiomhole excelled in massive construction of roads  in the state capital and all the major towns down to the remotest village in Benin. It is obvious even to the blind, that road network in Benin and other parts of the state has greatly improved. Oshiomhole created a conducive environment for investment such that Edo state became a haven for investors. The budgeting system was remodelled such that capital expenditure was given priority unlike in the past when recurrent expenditure was higher. The result of this are the projects spread across the state.

    This has attracted many other businesses such as the bamboo wood furniture company in Anegbete, ceramics tiles company in Benin City and Yongxing steel company which have recruited and trained  over 1,500 youths who are now gainfully employed. In the area of sports, the  Okpekpe road race became an international event recognised by the International Athletics Federation. This has boosted the economy of local residents each time the event was hosted.

    Oshiomhole transformed the Ambrose Alli University at Ekpoma and made it a true citadel of learning. He  built and commissioned three lecture theatres, two world class laboratories for medical and sciences students, completion of the moot court that was abandoned in 1991,  the agriculture extension services department, the Fine and Applied Arts department, and the Building department while a European Union sponsored dam that was abandoned was resuscitated.  The monthly subvention of the University was increased from N100m to N250m even as many projects are still ongoing in the University. He equally increased the monthly subvention of other higher institutions in the state.

    When other oil producing states are owing workers’ salaries running into six months, Oshiomhole is not only paying salaries promptly, but he has almost completed building a brand new Edo State University located at Iyamo which can compete with any other university in the world. The administration supported the security agencies with funds, gadgets and vehicles to enable them discharge their functions properly and this drastically reduced crime rate in the state. There is massive transformation in the health sector as hospitals were upgraded and rehabilitated across the state while the multi million naira Central Hospital along Sapele Road in Benin is of international standard.

    Water has been provided all over Edo State through boreholes and this has greatly reduced water borne diseases. To ensure a solid foundation for strong institutions, the Bureau of Internal Revenue was strengthened, the Public Procurement Law was enacted and there was criminal justice reforms.

    In a bid to take as many unemployed youths as possible off the street through commercial agriculture, about 150 hectares of land was given to private investors to undertake commercial farming. The private investors who the government is monitoring as they do soil test, area mappping and clearing, will in turn employ Edo youths and train them in many areas of commercial farming. They will also man the tractors. This is the more reason why there should be continuity as this great idea should not be allowed to die if there is a change of government. This is what Ekiti State is suffering today when a hard-working and visionary governor was voted out.

    There is thus enough reasons why the electorate should ensure that Oshiomhole good works in the state continue through Obaseki who had been the head of the economic team in the last seven years attracting funds to the state while his running mate, Shuaibu a member of the House of Representatives representing Etsako Federal Constituency was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly who had helped the government to stabilise the House of Assembly as the Majority Leader.

    Obaseki’s choice as a successor comes handy in this period of economic recession as he combines political value with the capacity to manage resources in difficult times. This combination is good for continuity and there is no doubt that Edo people will be the gainers if they vote APC on September 10.

    Sunny, a Public Affairs Analyst wrote from Benin-city

  • Response to naysayers’ verdict on Buhari’s government

    Nigeria is a unique country. One that boasts of too many intelligent commentators and critical analysts. Going through Nigerian dailies, this much can be deduced from the many opinion pages. However, the sore point with the litany of commentators, opinion writers and analysts in Nigeria is that most of them have lately constituted themselves into prophets of doom, naysayers and masters of letters but without any substance.

    It is disheartening that most of these people seem to think that by virtue of the letters after their names, they know better than those of us without a letter apart from the initials before our surnames. So they come out with ‘abracadabra’ to confuse the masses. They have used every trick in the book to confuse the masses on the good works of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, casting doubts on the giant strides the All Progressives Congress (APC) government has made since May 2015.

    The simple truth is that the man Buhari is doing a wonderful job in eradicating the pests and madness of our society—corruption, indiscipline, insecurity and so on. The question I have always asked this band of prophets of doom and naysayers is where were they when certain officials gathered together and decided to share money that was meant for the procurement of heavy military hardware to fight terrorism? Or who could have been bold enough to prosecute a sitting Senate President, top politicians and popular individuals without fear? Who else could have tackled upcoming terrorism as ‘Biafra agitators’ and the menace of renewed militancy in the South South.

    The lessons we are learning now is that if the now fading Boko Haram nuisance had been dealt with through military response, like we are witnessing, they would have become history by now. The point l am then making is that instead of destructive criticisms, these so called ‘Dr. Know-alls’ should come up with solutions to support and help the progressive movement. Unfortunately, even if Buhari assumes some supernatural powers and walks on water, the naysayers will say it is because he cannot swim. It is a known fact that you cannot please all the people.

    One challenge I have consciously thrown at our band of intellectuals is that they should give the masses the names of other individuals they think can perform better than Buhari. The time has come for Nigerians as a people to learn to show appreciation for their leaders so that our country can move forward for the sake of our future and generations yet unborn.

    One of the things our band of critics have been talking about lately is that the President has been appointing people into positions from a particular section of the country. Inasmuch as these people have the right to their opinions, there is the need for us to be objective. What the greatest critics of Buhari have forgotten is that the overall interest of the nation and the ability of the appointed persons to move the nation forward is the most important. Whether he puts his mother, his dad or his whole clan in positions, it is unimportant, as long as we are moving forward. The truth is that if we had continued with ‘you chop, l chop’ PDP, things would have been worse. Even the developed countries went through hard times before they got better.

    Today, Nigeria is a better place in the sphere of security, thanks to President Buhari. If you come to Abuja, you can feel the peace and calmness around. People go about their businesses, go worshipping in their churches and mosques without the fear of Boko Haram. Hooligans parading the streets of Onitsha in the name of Biafra were quickly quietened. The marauders, lawlessly carrying guns in military style, vandalising oil pipelines and terrorising communities in the name of Avengers, behaving like they are untouchables, to their own misfortune, when the forces of real military action came on them, they fell to pieces. This is what a real military in Nigeria should be. It does not really matter what people say, the military command under Gen. Tukur Buratai is doing a fabulous work and does not need distractions from negative press the way our prophets of doom and naysayers are going about it.

    If the militants and other violent groups disturbing the peace and economy of this nation want dialogue, they will be listened to. But if all the stolen money from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime is being used to buy guns and bombs and handed over to some thugs to start war (because EFCC is closing in on them ), what do you expect ? War only begets war. Histories are written by victors, not the defeated.

    Like l said earlier, even if Buhari walks on water, it won’t marvel those who are set in their ways, as in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will still say it is because he couldn’t swim. Leave the man Buhari alone and learn to face and manage your own immediate problems. You guys behave like kids deprived of cookies. Grow up!

    • El-Buraimoh wrote in from Abuja

  • Leaders Oke Ogun deserves

    John Maxwell writes, ‘the right to lead isn’t gained by election or appointment, having position, title, rank or degree doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn’t come from age or experience either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned.’

    In any period  where there is no leadership, the society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, charismatic leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. Since the beginning of this democratic dispensation, indigenes of Oke-Ogun area have been clamouring for a chance to be the executive governor of Oyo State. As a concerned  son of this area, l can’t just help but to add my voice to this quest. In doing this, l think we must first address the Oke-Ogun leadership problem. Many people have said that the area is being marginalized politically, but  I ask myself, how? Though,  those crying of  marginalization may not agree with me, but the truth is that the present political appointments, at both the state and the federal, favour the people of Oke-Ogun .

    While the several people of Oke Ogun have found themselves in governance, development in this part of Oyo State is nil. The reason is not far- fetched as  the area has not been blessed with a leader that possesses the right intellect, character and charisma that are needed for making developmental decisions. The area lacks someone who can use his/her position to add value to the life of our people.

     One would be very wrong to think that Oke-Ogun does not have brilliant people all over the country and abroad.  The only minus here is that most of these so called intellectuals and professionals have not seen any reason to come home to participate in this type of politics  dubbed ‘amala politics’. To a large extent, their resolves are right, but it is at the risk of leaving the political arena for a few opportunists who know little or nothing about good governance.

    Experience has shown that, socio-economic development without ‘political will’ is like fetching water into a basket. To stop this,  Oke Ogun people must put in place, a strategic team that will lead the process of political revolution to produce someone who can bring quality contributions to the development of Oke-Ogun. If my memory serves me right, of the many past governorship aspirants that came out in the area, we got nothing. The reason is simply because  we never put forward good candidates.

    For Oke Ogun to be a better place, let’s look forward to a charismatic leader, it is only such a leader that can lead us right.

    • Eniola is a member of Oke-Ogun Youth Association, Ipapo, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo State
  • Wema Bank’s winning model

    Wema Bank’s winning model

    After spending six years as a regional bank, Wema Bank Plc has stepped up to compete at the national level, and not even the current economic crisis can stop it from winning, it seems.
    In 1945, as the Second World War grinded to a bitter halt and much of the world struggled with momentous human and economic losses, Nigeria’s first indigenous financial institution, Wema Bank, was formed.
    The bank became a symbol of Nigerian Renaissance in a period of global distraught, which would culminate in economic and political independence of the nation 15 years later. Seventy-one years later, Wema Bank is repeating that feat. The financial institution is rising again at a time when everything – the Nigerian economy and the global businesses environment – seem to be going the other way.
    It began last year when, after spending seven years as a regional bank, the bank stepped up to compete at the national level, and it has continued this year as it steadily grows in balance sheet size and profitability despite the current economic challenges facing the country.
    Wema Bank is Nigeria’s oldest indigenous financial institution. It is also widely reputed as the most resilient Nigerian bank, a reputation that was put to test in the early and mid-2000s as the bank suffered its worst ever internal crisis. In 2009, Wema began its bounce back.
    It started with the reconstitution of the bank’s board, which saw seasoned banker Mr. Segun Oloketuyi take over as the Group Managing Director, and continued in 2011 with the strategic repositioning of the Bank to operate with a regional license covering South-South Nigeria, South-West Nigeria, Lagos and Abuja.
    Last year, the bank consolidated its rebound when it was granted a national license by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
    “Six years ago, we took a decision to refocus the bank’s operations on its areas of strength and build a sustainable institution,” said Oloketuyi following the Wema bank’s receipt of its national license in 2015. “We took advantage of the new licensing regime and applied for a regional authorisation with a pledge to expand in the near future, once the turnaround project was completed.
    The bank’s transformation was implemented in three phases; first to stabilize the Bank, second to prepare the building blocks for growth and third to go for growth. We are now within the third phase of the transformation project,” Oloketuyi enthused. Thus far, project growth seems to be going great.
    In its 2016 half year financials, Wema bank reported an 11 per cent rise in profit and a 15 per cent rise in turnover. It is the best performance by any Nigerian bank this year (among those who have declared their half year results). The bank delivered an impressive Interest income of N20.2 billion, a 15.2 per cent increase from N17.5 billion in first half 2015, while its fee and commission income rose by 42.3 per cent, from N2.2 billion in H1 2015 to N3.1 billion in H1 2016. The bank also enjoyed a 13.7 per cent growth in total assets, from N344.64 billion in first half 2015 to N391.76 7690 in first half 2016. Operating expenses only grew by 2.7 per cent, much lower than year-to-date inflation rate of 13.26 per cent; a testament to the bank’s disciplined and innovative approach towards keeping cost of doing business low.
    “The 2016 financial year has been characterized by deceleration on a number of economic indicators coupled with increasing energy costs, intensified by rising inflation, all within a tough operating environment,” said Oluketuyi following the release of Wema Bank’s half year financials.
    “In spite of these challenges, Wema Bank has been able to deliver a modest improvement in the first half of the year. We commence the second half of the year with a sense of cautious optimism; well aware that the economic fundamentals point to an economy heading for further slowdown, yet hopeful that additional fiscal initiatives will be implemented to stimulate growth.”
    Wema bank’s growth has not just been in terms of balance sheet size and return on equity. Its branding – a fine blend of aged experience and youthful vigour – is also gaining strength. The bank revitalized its hallmark colour purple, explaining the shade to reflect an organization that is unique, cool, modern and welcoming. And it also has a new logo, a “W” made of intersecting lines, which depicts the continuous connection between the bank and all of its Stakeholders, from the Staff to the Management and Board of Directors, and from the Customers to its Shareholders and all other groups in its business community. As is often the case, these seemingly little things do matter a great deal, as proven by the remarkable success of the bank’s *945# campaign.
    From the 14th of July to the 6th of August, Wema Bank ran a 945 game show to promote its USSD banking product, *945#. Unlike most game shows in the country, it was exclusively streamed live on Facebook. It involved any Nigerian who opened a bank account with *945# or existing customers who used the USSD service to purchase airtime, transfer money or to access several other basic banking services. These customers stood a chance to win 90,000, 40,000 or 50,000 if their mobile number was randomly picked up during the 945 game show. Over six dozen customers won the lottery.
    It’s a very tough job for any bank to keep up with the digital revolution rapidly transforming the financial service sector, but Wema Bank is gunning for more; it wants to lead the curve. The bank’s growing E-banking platform includes a revamped, feature-loaded and constantly updated mobile banking application, innovative SMS and USSD Banking products which do not require token, mobile data or internet connection to complete transactions and an internet banking platform which gives users real-time access to their account from any internet-enabled computer or device.
    Wema Bank’s Debit, Credit and Prepaid Cards are also secured with ground-breaking Card Control features to customers, which allows them enable or disable their card anytime, anywhere, via the WemaMobile Banking Suite app or SMS. The latest in Wema Bank’s innovative offerings is BuxMe, an app (currently running only on Android) that allows users to send money to email addresses and phone numbers.
    “Strengthening our digital offering and optimizing our value added services across all customer touch points is central to how we will win the 21st century battle in the financial services sector,” enthused Onome Odili, Wema Bank’s head of Brand and Marketing Communications.
    Wema’s Winning Model is in many ways built on its experiences from the challenges of the last decade. It is encapsulated in the Bank’s Project LEAP, a growth strategy adopted by the bank which narrows its focus to opportunities that provide great potential for business growth and increased profitability.
    This month, Chief Financial Officer Tunde Mabawonku said the Bank plans to issue 20 billion naira ($63 million) in bonds. “We expect to open in a couple of weeks. We are awaiting final regulatory approvals and we expect to conclude the process this quarter,” Mabawonku toldReuters news agency.
    For industry watchers, the bonds – issued to raise capital for further expansion – is an indication that Wema’s winning model is working. And for bookmakers and history watchers, it is a sign that a serial odds breaker is at it again.
    Eyiuche, a banking sector analyst, lives and works in Lagos.

  • Ondo guber race: Why Boroffice will beat other APC aspirants

    On Saturday, about 3,000 delegates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State will gather in Akure to elect the party’s flagbearer for the November 27 governorship election. Senator Ajayi Boroffice, widely viewed by political pundits as a major force in the politics of Ondo State, will beat other aspirants of the party to emerge governorship candidate due to fecund and obvious reasons, provided the primary election is credible and transparent.

    In addition to his electoral value as the only aspirant who has won elections in succession, the reality in Ondo State today is that the man Boroffice is much as popular in the south and central senatorial districts as he is in the north senatorial district that he has meedfully represented in the last 5 years.

    Aside facts that Boroffice enjoys the confidence of the party leadership and possesses intimidating academic credentials, he has shown the untiring capacity to maintain the loyalty of vast majority of APC members and delegates in Ondo State. That is chiefly responsible for why many delegates and party members alike regard Boroffice as the father of progressives in Ondo State. The delegates are quick to remember that until Boroffice joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in 2012, the party had no single elected political office holder in Ondo State. No single councilor, no single local government chairman, no single representative in the State Assembly and no representative in the Federal Legislature. He nurtured the growth of the progressive party in Ondo State with his resources and sweat. That foresightedness and investment greatly shaped the Ondo State chapter of the party that has become a darling to politicians with both reasonable and inordinate ambitions.

    With his interventionist ideology that is welfarist in approach, Boroffice is the only aspirant that has built 3 Classroom blocks with VIP toilet facilities in over 10 locations and constructed Skill Acquisition Centres in 5 communities. He established Garri Processing Industries in about 5 locations and developed Cashew Processing Industry. There is an Incubation Centre to his credit. He erected a fully-equiped Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the benefits of the people. He established Biofuel Ethanol Plant and Emergency Obstetric Centre. He facilitated the installations of solar-powered street light on over 35 roads. He facilitated the drilling of solar-powered boreholes in over 25 communities.
    12 communities enjoy hand pump boreholes to his credit. He installed 500 KVA Transformer in 10 communities. He has empowered over 100 persons through micro credit scheme. He has facilitated the employment of over 50 youths in the public and private sectors. Boroffice has shaped over 80 lives with skill-related empowerment. He has facilitated the distribution of relief materials ranging from bundles of roofing sheets, bags of cements, bags of rice, mosquito nets, mattresses,  planks to over 120 persons. Like he distributed dozens of cars and scores of tricycles to the people, he has also donated hundreds of power generating sets, grinding machines and sewing machines to small business owners.

    I dare say that in the history of Ondo State,  no senator,  either dead or alive,  has made as much life-changing impacts as Boroffice.

    Beyond the capacity of other aspirants, Boroffice has taken his governorship campaign, without noise, to the houses of party delegates across the 203 wards in Ondo State.  He has completely local government to local government consultative tour. He has held ward to ward meetings with delegates. He has visited and engaged delegates in their homes and in some cases, we had to park our vehicles and journey on foot through bushy paths for about 5 minutes before accessing the homes of delegates.

    In some instances, the out pour of love towards Boroffice and his entourage could hardly be captured by words as some delegates would insist we get overfed before we depart their homes. The good news is that majority of party delegates have assured Boroffice of their support anytime, any day, under sun and in the rain.

    Without mincing words, the man Boroffice is best positioned to lead the onslaught against PDP in Ondo State. It should surprise no one if the party delegates return him elected as governorship candidate on Saturday with landslide applause.

    Kayode Fakuyi

    Media aide to Professor Ajayi Boroffice

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