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  • 2025: Year of dreams

    2025: Year of dreams

    • By Ebuka Ukoh

    As the new year begins, it’s natural to ask: What should I do differently? Perhaps you’re wondering how to be healthier, how to “japa” (move abroad), get out of debt, return to school, or finally achieve your dream life. These are legitimate concerns to have—you must raise, maybe address, them!

    But this year, 2025—the year of your dreams—let’s take it further. Imagine yourself in the departure lounge of life, getting ready for your final flight. What would you want people to thank you for? You don’t need an answer immediately. I encourage you to sit with the question.

    Another way to think about it: What feels like a problem you’d feel refreshed tackling head-on? Or ask yourself: What is my impact value? If you could push one button to change ONE thing in the world, what would it be?

    Ask, Answer, and Act

    These questions only matter if you go beyond thinking and start doing. Life doesn’t give you what you deserve; it gives you what you actively negotiate for. But let’s be real—fear will try to stop you. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and even the fear of what you’ll need to let go of: some friends, certain habits, gatherings, or even comforts like food and technology.

    Ask yourself these questions often. Don’t wait for New Year’s Day. Birthdays, anniversaries, or even a quiet moment on a random Tuesday are perfect times to reflect on what truly matters.

    Not Bothered Enough

    If there’s nothing that bothers you enough to confront head-on, that’s also revealing. It might be worth exploring what that says about you and what it’s trying to teach you. Don’t ignore it. Growth often begins with uncomfortable self-awareness.

    Ultimate Legacy

    At the end of life, it’s never about what we kept to ourselves; it’s about what we gave away—our time, our love, our efforts, and our impact.

    So, as you work on your dreams this year, remember this: we need the best version of you. You need it for yourself, and the world needs it, too. When you thrive, you inspire others to do the same.

    Read Also: 2025 as defining year

    Let 2025 be the year you ask the right questions, confront your fears, and take bold steps toward a better life—for yourself and for the world around you.

    GOAL-setting and all

    As we stand on the cusp of a new year, many will set lofty goals, draft intricate plans, and resolve to transform their lives. But let me offer a different lens through which to view the year ahead. I am not a goal-oriented person. I don’t set goals—not because there’s anything wrong with them, but because they have never resonated with me. My joy has always come from helping others achieve their dreams. If goals work for you, keep going; I’m cheering you on. But for those who feel burdened by the pressure of goals, let me suggest another path: a purpose-driven life.

    What will you want people to thank you for at the end of your life?

    This question, deceptively simple, is a doorway to profound reflection. At life’s end, the accolades we gather for ourselves pale in comparison to the lives we touch, the burdens we lift, and the love we give away. Purpose—not productivity—is the precursor to happiness. And purpose is always outward-facing; it is never about what we hoard for ourselves, but about what we extend to others.

    Herein lies one of life’s great paradoxes: to give of oneself is to gain everything that matters. To be consumed with oneself is to wither away. Some of history’s greatest truths are rooted in paradox. Sometimes winning is losing. Sometimes surrender is victory.

    This paradox challenges the self-improvement ethos that dominates our culture. While there is value in personal growth, self-denial often emerges as the greater good. Think of the people you admire most. Likely, they are not the ones who climbed highest for themselves but those who lifted others along the way. There’s a reason we venerate selflessness: we see in it a reflection of who we long to be. We want to work with selfless people, marry them, raise them, and trust them with our dreams.

    So, as 2025 begins, I urge you to ask yourself three things:

    1.           What stirs you to joy?

    2.           What breaks your heart?

    3.           What moves you from sad to mad?

    And when you answer, take a moment to reflect. If the things that ignite your emotions are solely centered on your own gain, consider this an invitation to recalibrate. True transformation comes not from acquiring more for ourselves but from giving more of ourselves.

    Purpose, not goals, gives life its meaning. So, as we embark on this new year, let’s make it a year of dreams—not just for ourselves but for everyone we encounter. And may we find that in giving, we receive something far greater than we ever imagined.

    • An alumnus of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Mr. Ukoh is a PhD student at Columbia University, New York.
  • Making Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport standing signature

    Making Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport standing signature

    • By Femi Ogbonnikan

    Following the first test flights on February 22, 2023, aviation industry players have been anxiously waiting for the commencement of full commercial operations at the Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport, located in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. The project which is sitting on about 5000 hectares of land and strategically located within the Lagos-Ibadan and the Sagamu-Benin Expressways is at the heart of the industrial transformation agenda of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

    As the administration’s legacy project,  preparation is progressively going towards an advanced stage of the commencement of full operations. Priority attention is also being given to construction work which is currently about 95 to 98 percent complete. But the authorities in charge are taking their time to follow the necessary steps that will lead to the full certification and licencing of the airport for safe operations.

    The airport is one of the best in the West African sub-region by comparative standards. It has some outstanding facilities which make it a reference point among aviation players in Nigeria. For safety purposes, the airport is provided with a five-story control tower obtainable in similar airports in developed countries. It also has a runway that is 4 kilometres long and 60 metres wide which is equivalent to about 17 lanes of road infrastructure.

    Arguably, that is the longest and largest runway in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The size of the airport together with its runway was deliberately planned to accommodate flights coming in with wide-bodied aircraft like a Boeing 777 or A350. So, this is not just another airport, it is an airport with a difference. Its location within a special agricultural processing zone among the eight zones in the country makes its difference even more glaring.

    Having put the necessary infrastructures in place, the airport is good to go for commercial flight operations. However, the slight delay in the commissioning of the project and commencement of full operations has been linked to the government’s desire to attain a new status of operation as opposed to what is common in the industry. When the approval processes are finally fulfilled, the airport will be the first to have an operating permit in Nigeria.

    According to experts, the operating permit will enable the airport to attain the ENCAS 2023 permit which, they say, is more stringent than Aerodrome Certification. In other words, the airport has gone a notch higher in its strive for safety standards.   

    Recently, while conducting the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) on a tour of the facility, the Ogun State government shared the details of the developmental progress that had been recorded ahead of the commencement of commercial operations. It was jointly hosted by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Ade Akinsanya, Commissioner for Transportation, Engr Gbenga Dairo, the Airport Manager, Captain Dapo Olumide and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Hon Kayode Akinmade.

    During the media interaction, Akinsanya rightly declared that the airport had the best facilities in Nigeria and the West African corridor with a runway capable of accommodating wide-bodied aircrafts.

    Read Also: Day ‘Mr Gatwick’ called at Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport

    He said: “While the total size of the airport is 5000 hectares, we started this first phase on 900 hectares. So, what you see as an open space is part of a master plan because this is also an aerotropolis. There are going to be hotels, amusement parks and Cinema in the future. That is all part of the master plan. You can’t put everything together in one day.

    “Overall, where we are today, I am pretty certain that we are ready to go commercial. Once we get the approval from NCAA for commercial operation, we will commence. Right now, we have the approval for chartered flights.

    “The runway has been completed for a long time. The fire station is done and you see the two fire tenders outside with a new addition making three. Right now, we are class six and with that additional fire tender, we are moving to class seven.”      

    The Airport Manager, Captain Olumide, on his part, disclosed that the airport, when fully operational, would be the first in Nigeria to operate with an operating permit. He explained that the slight delay in the commencement of full commercial operation was occasioned by procedural processes for the final approval of the relevant authorities for operating permit. Among other things, the operating permit will enhance safety standards.

    “There are some people who have said, why is our airport taking so long, that an airport can be built in six months? What they don’t understand is that since the good old days of the FCAA, we have what they call an Aerodrome Certification.

    “With ENCAS 2023, it has changed now to an operating permit, and there is a difference between an operating permit and an Aerodrome Certificate. Even with the old Aerodrome Certificate, how many airports in Nigeria comply?

    “We are the first airport in Nigeria trying to attain the status of a full operating permit. It is that reason alone that this project is taking longer than it would have been, if we had opted for an Aerodrome Certificate,” he said.

    Speaking in the same vein, the Commissioner for Transportation described the airport as a legacy project of Governor Abiodun, noting that the airport is situated within a special agricultural processing zone. Ogun State being one of the eight zones in the country, the Agro-Cargo airport will be of immense economic benefits to agric investors by way of enhancing agricultural value chain and export of produce for foreign exchange earnings.  

    Members of LAAC scored the airport an A-plus in terms of its designs and installations, affirming that the airport has the best facilities in the country at the moment.

    The group’s Chairman, who is the Editor of the Aviation and Transport section of the Blueprint Newspaper, Suleiman Idris, after the on-the-spot assessment of the level of work on the airport project, commended the visionary leadership of Governor Abiodun. He affirms that the airport project is a futuristic initiative not only for the state but for the South West region of the country. 

    By projection, the airport will commence scheduled and non-scheduled flights any time from now. Earlier before the facility tour, Governor Abiodun had expressed optimism for the commencement of full commercial operations at the shortest possible time following the approval of non-scheduled flights. He gave the assurance at the 13th Gateway International Trade Fair breakfast meeting with chief executive officers, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, investors and other stakeholders, held at the Mitros Residences, GRA, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    He explained that the approval process to get the airport running had reached an advanced stage, preparatory to the commencement of full operations. His words: “Our newly built Gateway International Airport will soon be commissioned. I believe as a matter of fact that the airport will get an approval to begin to operate non-scheduled flights, meaning that private planes can now fly flights and come to that airport, just like they go to any other airport.

    “We will also get the approval for scheduled flights to begin to operate out of that airport.

    “That means you can attend to your business, bring in raw materials by air into the state.”

    With the administration’s commitment to complete the airport despite the challenges of the economic and the paucity of funds, the government has proved wrong the insinuation by some cynics who have dismissed the project as a white elephant project. 

    By the administration’s commitment to complete the money-gulping project in spite of its huge financial demands, Governor Abiodun has made a giant stride in fulfilling the dreams of his forebears. The multiplier effects of the airport will not only boost the state’s economy, but the entire country as a whole.

    Already, some investor groups have signified their interests to tap into the economic opportunities that abound within the zone even while approval process is still ongoing. For instance, the state government had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arise Integrated Industrial Platform with an expectation of investment worth over $400m at the processing zone as well as the Olokola cluster. While others have equally signified interests in building warehouses, cargo companies have also applied to have their presence around the airport. 

    Similarly, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have requested for 100 acres of land to build their base and training school. By the time all these initiatives come into fruition, there will be an increased capacity for more job creation for the teeming unemployed youths. Governor Abiodun, while speaking ahead of the commissioning ceremony said: “The project will provide facilities for cargo processing, storage, warehouses and training centre, among others. This is an aerotropolis.

    “It is not just an airport but one that adds value to services. The agro serving part is the most interesting. It is going to be a conglomeration of agro processing companies that take raw materials, turn them into finished goods.

    “We will also have aggregation centres, storage facilities for agro produce so that the agro processing centres will not run out of raw materials. This is truly an international cargo airport. At the stage it is now, it is already attracting a lot of attention and investors.

     “I don’t have any doubt that this airport, in the first instance, will generate over 25,000 to 30,000 jobs.

     “Those that want to go into the hospitality business have applied to build hotels. We will also have demonstration farms that would be run through an out-grower scheme.”

    He said the airport was designed to support Ogun state’s continued industrial and economic growth and further enhance air transport connectivity across Nigeria.

    In terms of its benefits, it will open up business opportunities for both local and foreign investors, thereby enhancing the status of Ogun State as the industrial capital of the country. It will further serve as an impetus for attracting more investments. The strategic location of the airport as its unique selling point would equally drive its status as an aerotropolis.

    One significant aspect of the airport is that it has six access locations, including Lagos-Sagamu, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Epe. “I don’t think any airport can rival it anywhere within this country and the facility is unique,” Abiodun enthused.

    Among other things, the airport will increase production as well as opportunities for farmers to produce and sell their products at a good price and in good time without any of the usual post harvest loss on transit that is associated with agricultural produce.

    It will further boost the effort of the Abiodun administration towards creating a stable economy through the creation of an enabling busines environment to attract both local and foreign investors to the country.

    Since the inception of the present administration, Ogun State government has been unrelenting in its pursuit of infrastructural amenities to create an enabling environment for industrial growth and improve the ease-of-doing-business. The Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport represents a standing signature of Governor Abiodun’s vision to make the state a preferred investment destination of choice and the fastest growing economy in the country.

    • Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital
  • Eurobonds issued by African countries are popular with investors – Why this isn’t good news

    Eurobonds issued by African countries are popular with investors – Why this isn’t good news

    • By Misheck Mutize

    Eurobonds are debt instruments issued by a country in a currency different from its own. Eurobonds have risen to prominence in Africa because they have opened a window for governments to diversify their funding sources from traditional concessionary loans offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and foreign aid, both of which are declining. In addition, multilateral loans were becoming unpopular because they set strict conditions about austerity which are designed for governments to reduce spending.

    A bond functions as a loan in which an investor gives a borrowing entity an amount of money for a specific period of time in exchange for periodic interest payments. South Africa issued the first African bond in 1995. To date, 21 African countries have issued Eurobonds worth a combined total of an estimated US$155 billion on international bond markets. Institutional investors from Europe and the US buy these instruments.

    Which countries are the latest issuers of Eurobonds? Why are they issuing them?

    South Africa issued two international government bonds on 14 November 2024, amounting to US$3.5 billion. One bond was valued at US$2 billion, with a coupon rate of 7.1%. The other was valued at US$1.5 billion with a coupon rate priced at 7.95%.

    The coupon rates reflect a fixed interest that the country in question will be paying bondholders semi-annually. These rates are high. They are set by bond issuing syndicates based on expected demand.

    All African bonds issued to date have been oversubscribed by more than 2.5 times. A bond is oversubscribed if the bond seller receives more orders than the amount available for sale.

    Nigeria also issued a US$1.7 billion Eurobond on 3 December 2024, which was oversubscribed 5.4 times. Nigeria will pay an interest rate of 9.625% per year on its bond with a duration of 6.5 years, and 10.375% for its 10-year bond.

    Coupon rates below 5% would be reasonable to support such recurring expenditures. The rates are high, maybe even too high for South Africa and Nigeria to repay. Low repayment obligations would allow government to save resources for other developmental needs.

    A number have been oversubscribed. What does this mean?

    South Africa and Nigeria’s bonds are among many issued by African governments which have all been oversubscribed by at least 2.5 times over the past decade.

    African governments celebrate oversubscription of bonds as a sign of strong investor confidence in African economies and high appetite to invest on the continent. It is portrayed as huge success.

    This is not the case.

    The oversubscription of bonds is a situation when demand exceeds the amount of instruments that the issuing country intends to sell. It means that investors want to buy more bonds than are available.

    When the demand for bonds exceeds supply, the coupon rate should come down, not go up. The oversubscription of bonds shows that the bond interest rates that are being set are too attractive to investors and could be reduced.

    High interest rates are more favourable to investors, but they mean high repayment costs for the borrowing government.

    African governments are failing to use the strong demand for their bonds strategically. They could instead bargain for more favourable terms:

    Longer tenor – the period before the principal must be repaid. Africa should shift to issuing bonds over 30 or 40 years. This allows a country to invest proceeds into longer term projects.

    Read Also: Tinubu tasks China to up currency swap agreement with Nigeria above $2bn

    Low coupon rates – a fixed amount that the government will pay to bondholders semi-annually until maturity of the bond. It should be less than 5% per annum.

    Accepting high interest rates has cost Africa billions in debt servicing costs, which is threatening the continent’s debt sustainability.

    There is one reason why this is happening. The uneven power balance between African governments and those managing the actual issuing of the bonds.

    But, in my view based on my sovereign debt management experience, governments could and should be smarter in their approach.

    It would be better for the African bonds to be undersubscribed having been priced at their intrinsic value with favourable terms. The only risk of undersubscription is negative market sentiment, which may affect future capital raising efforts. Undersubscription happens if demand for the bond is less than supply. Potential investors might think there’s something risky about the issuer. But, with time, market jitters will flatten out.

    Do other developing countries have the same problem?

    Unsustainably high borrowing costs have been a challenge faced by all developing economies across the globe. Nevertheless, African governments are paying 4% more interest rates than Asia and Latin America with similar credit ratings. One of the major contributors to this situation is the bond issuing syndicates.

    Several parties play important roles in the issuance of a bond – known as the bond issuing syndicate. For example, there is a lead manager – typically an investment bank – which structures the Eurobond issue, sets the terms, mobilises investors and manages the entire issuance process. They also organise the underwriters. Underwriters are financial institutions that agree to buy the entire bond issue from the issuer if there is no uptake and resell it later on the secondary market. They assume the risk of unsold bonds.

    In the case of African countries, lead managers and underwriters would not want to issue a bond that would not sell. They want to make a profit and reduce risk. Hence they structure bonds with terms that favour oversubscriptions and maximum profits at the expense of the issuing government.

    At the same time, African governments enter into Eurobond issuing arrangements with weak negotiating power because of limited financing options – compared with other issuers. Governments are issuing bonds to finance recurring expenditures in their annual budgets. More than 10 Eurobonds issued since 2020 are used to finance fiscal recurring expenditures such as civil service salaries.

    In addition governments are entrusting the issuance, sale and management of Eurobonds to syndicates, with little or no option to influence the terms and processes. It is important for finance ministries to be highly involved in these processes.

    What needs to be done?

    The oversubscription of African Eurobonds doesn’t address the fundamental economic challenges faced by many African countries. High debt levels, exposure to currency risks, reliance on external capital, and potential future financial distress, are all reasons why oversubscription should be met with caution rather than celebration. Oversubscriptions will make these problems worse.

    Sustainable debt management and long-term economic strategies should be prioritised over short-term financial success.

    African governments need to use oversubscription to bargain for lower interest rates and longer bond tenor. It is critical to coordinate with bond issuing syndicates to bargain for a decrease in interest rates comparable to other countries that have similar credit ratings.

    Egypt did it in September 2021 on its US$3 billion issue. It resulted in interest rates being lowered by 0.33% on the 6-year and 12-year bonds, and by 0.13% for the 30-year bonds. This would save Egypt approximately US$53 million in interest repayments.

    •Mutize is a post-doctoral researcher, Graduate School of Business (GSB), University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is affiliated with the African Union as a Lead Expert on Credit Ratings.

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.  “https://theconversation.com/eurobonds-issued-by-african-countries-are-popular-with-investors-why-this-isnt-good-news-245854”

  • Lagos and the war against environmental infractions

    Lagos and the war against environmental infractions

    • By Lookman Ajayi

    Maintaining environmental sustainability is no small feat in a vibrant and dynamic city like Lagos. With a population that fuels the engine of commerce across formal and informal sectors, Lagos faces unique challenges in its battle against environmental infractions. However, through relentless efforts and sustained community collaboration, Lagos is making commendable strides in fostering a cleaner and healthier environment.

    The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), also known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), has been at the forefront of these efforts, enforcing environmental laws, advocating for compliance, and monitoring public behaviour. Under the vibrant and inspirational leadership of Corps Marshal Major Olatunbosun Olaniyi Cole (Rtd), the agency has achieved significant milestones in curbing environmental infractions.

    Omobolaji Gaji, Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, attributes this success to community engagement and the government’s unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.

    Speaking at one of the several stakeholders’ meetings organized by LAGESC, with the theme “Community Engagement: A Catalyst for Enhancing Environmental Compliance”. Gaji emphasized the critical role of collective action in salvaging the environment.

    Every quarter, relevant stakeholders in environmental matters are engaged across the five divisions of the state on issues such as indiscriminate waste disposal, open defecation, and street trading in unauthorized areas.

    In 2024, the agency held over 50 community sensitization programs targeting schools, market associations, and religious institutions. These engagements emphasize the importance of proper waste management, recycling, and adherence to environmental laws.  In a bid to tackle waste more efficiently, LAGESC has also strengthened its relationship and partnership with relevant government and non-governmental organizations towards ensuring a safer and cleaner Lagos.

    Read Also: CBN suspends export proceeds repatriation extensions

    One core area where LAGESC’s efforts have yielded remarkable results is in its enforcement activities. For instance, in 2024, over 10,000 defaulters of various environmental laws were apprehended and prosecuted for various environmental violations, with significant fines and rehabilitation programs introduced for repeat offenders.

    The offences ranged from street trading and expressway crossing to improper waste disposal and assault on environmental officials.

    Expressway crossings accounted for the highest number of arrests, followed by street trading and others. Sentences for these offenses include jail terms of up to six months or community service, underscoring the state’s zero-tolerance approach to environmental violations.

    Over 1,032 individuals were arrested for failing to use pedestrian bridges and over 165 miscreants were dislodged from bridges and public spaces. These enforcement actions, coupled with the ongoing public awareness campaigns, are reshaping public attitudes toward environmental compliance.

    Recognizing the importance of education, the agency has ramped up its awareness campaigns to enlighten residents about the dangers of environmental pollution. The main message here is that improper waste disposal is not just an individual issue; it affects the entire community. Flooding, pollution, and disease outbreaks are consequences we cannot afford.

    The agency’s public sensitization efforts are aimed at encouraging Lagosians to take personal responsibility for waste disposal and adherence to sanitation laws. These campaigns are complemented by community engagements where stakeholders, including market associations, transport unions, and community leaders, are urged to adopt and enforce good hygiene practices.

    It is important to stress that open defecation remains a significant challenge in Lagos, posing health risks and environmental hazards. Several measures have been put in place to combat this menace. One such is the construction of public sanitation facilities in high-risk areas, with 24-hour monitoring teams deployed to ensure maintenance and compliance.

    The officers of the agency have been maintaining sanity on major highways across the state to combat open defecation and other environmental nuisances capable of distorting the state’s aesthetics and causing harm to the residents.

    Worthy of mention is the restoration of sanity to the Berger end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the state’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.  Courtesy of this move, this particular part of the state’s highway that was once a horrible sight to behold now wears a new look. The presence of LAGESC officers, patrolling and monitoring activities along this area, has sustained the new look.

    As the New Year unfolds, LAGESC remains ever-resilient in its resolve to rid Lagos of environmental contraventions. Therefore, more personnel will be deployed in strategic locations, while more training will be organized for officers on environmental matters.

    The agency will continue to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the environment and public health. Through robust enforcement, innovative strategies, and community engagement, LAGESC will keep setting a commendable example for other states to follow. With sustained efforts and support from stakeholders, Lagos becoming Africa’s cleanest megacity is not only possible but quite imminent.

    However, the residents must be fully involved in ongoing efforts to make Lagos cleaner and safer. Universally, behavioural change communication is a continuous thing. What is required to maintain a sane and friendly environment is not just about what the government is doing but also about the people’s attitude.

    Lagos residents need to understand that the quality of our lives as human beings is substantially a reflection of the quality of the environment that we inhabit.

    Despite efforts being put in place to sanitise the environment, some still prefer to continue to live in the past as they still get involved in actions capable of frustrating the government’s investment in the sector.

    To redress the situation, the people need to change their attitude to the environment. It is whatever we give to the environment that it gives back to us. Community leaders, traditional rulers, NGOs, and other stakeholders should work in partnership with the state government to ensure that current gains in the sector are sustained. It is only in doing this that the government’s massive investment in the environment would not be a waste.

    It is, therefore, important that Lagosians support LAGESC in its drive toward environmental renewal by preserving trees, parks, gardens, lawns, and railings put in place across the state. They were provided with taxpayers’ money for the good of the people. They should not be abused. Parks should not be turned into marketplaces, toilets, refuse dumps, or places where animals graze.

    The fight for a sustainable environment in Lagos is far from over. While the progress made so far is commendable, there is much work to be done. The government, through LAGESC, continues to lead the charge, but the onus lies on every Lagosian to contribute their quota.

    The environment is our collective heritage. Protecting it is not just a duty but a necessity for our survival and that of future generations.

    With sustained enforcement, more community engagements, and innovative solutions, Lagos is well on its way to becoming a model city for environmental sustainability in Nigeria and beyond.

    •Ajayi is Head, Public Affairs and Advocacy Unit, LAGESC, Lagos.

  • Lessons from Lookman’s African Player of the Year award

    Lessons from Lookman’s African Player of the Year award

    • By Steve Ogah

    Ademola Lookman’s 2024 CAF African soccer player of the year award shot him into legendary status on the continent two months after he took 14th position at the 2024 Ballon d’Or award in Paris and four years after he squandered a crucial penalty kick, endured a painful experience, and his career took a downward trajectory.

    Receiving his award in December, in Marrakech, Morocco, Lookman said, “just over four years ago, I failed in front of the world,’’ adding: “And fast forward four years, I’m the best player in Africa.”

    Speaking about an episode that is tough to forget in his professional playing career, Lookman sought to inspire, stressing the power of positive thinking, hope, and hard work in the often long and arduous road to success on the pitch.

    An unforgettable failure

    The failure the Nigerian forward referenced happened in 2020 in England. On November 8, 2020, Lookman’s Fulham was down by a lone goal against West Ham in a premiership game. They needed a point desperately and the responsibility fell on the young striker to convert a late penalty. He could have easily chosen a corner in the goal, stepped up to the spot, and kicked the ball with power. But the inexpert player chose to be stylish, bungling his kick in the process. Thereafter, he bore a remarkable part of that collective team loss at West Ham. And he was scarred going forward.

    At the time, Scot Parker was Fulham’s manager and he found it impossible to conceal his feelings towards Lookman. A disillusioned Parker said he was expressively disappointed and a bit angry.

    But back in January 2017, Ademola Lookman made his debut for Everton against Manchester City and scored only on his second touch, raising hopes of a promising career in the English Premiership. It was tough not to be impressed with such a magnificent start in the highly competitive world of English professional soccer. But all hopes vanished when Fulham was relegated at the end of the 2020/2021 season. According to Aleksandar Mitrovic, Lookman’s former teammate, the entire team had “failed.”

    And Ademola Lookman had to look somewhere else to ply his trade. But he had lost some of the starch seen at the start of his professional career. The former Charlton Athletic jewel couldn’t leave indelible marks at Everton, Germany’s RB Leipzig, Fulham, and Leicester, despite the huge talent and promise many had praised when Everton snatched him from Charlton in the English second tier, straight into the Premiership.

    Atalanta to the Rescue

    In August 2022, Lookman signed for Italy’s Atalanta, raising new hopes about his professional trajectory. Truly, only two years back, his former manager at Fulham had made a prophetic statement despite the striker’s on-field failure when it mattered most.

    A prophecy is fulfilled

    In 2020, in the aftermath of Lookman’s fluffed penalty, Scot Parker had predicted that the young forward would rise again. He said: “He’ll bounce back,” adding, “He’s an unbelievable character and professional.” Four years later, the prophecy was fulfilled with astonishing accuracy. 

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    On May 22, 2024, Lookman rose to global prominence on the turbo-charged night of the UEFA Europa League final at Ireland’s Aviva Stadium. On the back of a fourth-place finish in the Italian Serie A, Atalanta overwhelmed Bayer Leverkusen of Germany by 3-0 in Dublin, Lookman scoring all three impressive goals against the German league champions. It was a significant night for the young Nigerian as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final.

    The man from somewhere

    But then again, Ademola Lookman is no stranger to remarkable accomplishments, having won laurels with England’s youth team. He won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017. Again, he secured silver with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, scoring three vital goals at the continent’s biggest soccer tournament.

    Significance of Lookman’s win

    Ademola Lookman’s deep pain swiftly became his solution, his elixir for success as he began to repair his career after that disastrous penalty that left deep scars in the heart of Fulham. His CAF African Footballer of the Year award is significant because it underlines the point that hard work and grit pays. It is a testament to what talent, endurance, and belief can achieve under the right temperament, external influences, and managerial instructions.

    According to a statement from Atalanta soccer club: “Lookman is the first-ever Atalanta player to have lifted such an outstanding individual international award.”

    Born on October 20, 1997, in south London, Ademola Lookman met his destiny when he chose Nigeria over England despite an illustrious youth career with the land of his birth. Lookman’s wheel of success will grind again, oiled in great measures by his level-headedness, skills, and dexterity with both feet.

    The path head

    The prestigious CAF award stressed Lookman’s exquisite playing qualities, placing him among Africa’s soccer royals. His talents and playing style point towards an illustrious career in world soccer. He will win more individual and collective awards under the right managerial influence and personal commitment. 

    Despite renewed interests that will follow after this massive personal win, Lookman must maintain his celebrated qualities as a disciplined team player for country and club. It will be tough not to be swayed by interests from old and new admirers. But Lookman must stand firm and look deep before making his next professional move. He shouldn’t be in a rush to leave the galaxy that made his star shine. His brilliant star is still rising, promising to illuminate his path further. His triumph at the CAF awards sends a powerful and inspiring memo to millions globally.  

    Nonetheless, Lookman has a significant and inspiring message for everyone. Speaking on the night of his triumphant moment, he stressed that he wants – “all the young children and people watching” not to let failures weigh them down, or that to break their wings, but in fact, turn their pain into your power and continue to fly.

    •Ogah is a UEFA-accredited journalist.

  • Will the study of History help Nigeria?

    Will the study of History help Nigeria?

    By IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

    History is set to return as a subject in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools. Barring any unforeseen hitches, the reintroduction which was mooted in 2016, will be actualised sometime in 2025. Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval for implementation of the plan while featuring in a Channels Television programme on January 1.

    “What has been missing in the past is Nigerian history. We now have people of 30 years disconnected from our history. It doesn’t happen in any part of the world”, Alausa stressed.

    The minister’s specificity on Nigerian history helpfully dispels contending notions of African, West African or general world history. Although the minister outlined “disconnection from our history” as a need factor for the policy; he did not go into details especially with regard to stating the objectives or goal to be achieved with the exercise. And for that crucial component of the programme, we have to go to his predecessor, Adamu Adamu, who started the journey in 2016.

    Adamu who oversaw the curriculum development stages of the policy had offered some definition of the problem.

    “You have to know who you are before you can be anything in this world. The immediate implication of this was that we lost ideas even of our recent past, and we scarcely saw ourselves as one nation and gradually began retreating into our primordial sentiments.”

    At the commencement of training of history teachers in 2022, The Guardian of December 10, 2022 quoted the minister as further saying: “The loss created by the absence of this subject has led to a fall in moral values, erosion of civic values and disconnect from the past.”

    The consistency in execution of this policy is commendable. It suggests there is merit in the vision and equally gives hope on the issue of continuity in government projects. However, the presumed gains of history study in our schools invites closer interrogation against the lessons from our nation – state efforts and experiences elsewhere. Are the values of history necessarily the same as those of nation-building? Does consciousness of history equate to conviction? What constitutes nation-building? How does history impact citizen behaviour?

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    There are about two main positive dimensions of the initiative. The first borders on the decolonisation of our sense of civilisation. Conservative and radical African thought tend to accept that Western education left its toll on the African psyche. In spite of its many salutary contributions to development in Africa, western education unleashed a feeling of inferiority complex on the average African. Western stereotypes of the Black man’s religious, political, cultural barbarism as it affects Nigerians need to be addressed by projecting the authentic way we lived. Our native languages were suppressed and with them a good dose of oral history and worldview. We envisage that the scheme of Nigerian history will correct the misplaced lionisation of an imperialist soldier such as Baden Powell by highlighting the exploits of local heroes. And ditto for the egregious ascription to Mungo Park of discovery of River Niger. As the sage, Chinualumogu Achebe put it: “Our past was not one long night of savagery from which the first Europeans, acting on God’s behalf, sought to deliver us.”

    A historically enlightened mind will most likely take pride in achievements of his society. To such extent, history could aid the integration efforts of a state. Intimate knowledge of the Nigeria civil war for instance could mediate inter-ethnic conflicts. There can be no doubt that the sobriety thrown up by the civil war experience has staved off dangers again and again. The lessons of the war have made dialogue a preferred conflict resolution formula for the older generations. It’s reasonable to expect that a deeper absorption of the impact of the war would sensitise younger generations not to take national unity for granted. But the benefits of historical awareness are not elastic. Their efficacy is not automatic but dependent to a large extent on other intervening factors. The interplay of these variables, not the declaration behind a history curriculum, will ultimately determine the result of the project.

    The other factors that correlate with history are personality and environment. And for our purposes on the Nigerian condition, we include a third, political climate. Now, how does the personality thing play out? From Kunta Kinte to Kemi Badenoch, we see a varied pattern of responses to the call of motherland. Aside from rebelling against his captivity, Kinte, Alex Haley’s protagonist in Roots, yearned for reconnection with his origins. Kemi Badenoch, free and conscious, is critically selective of what she acknowledges as her heritage. It is not something peculiar to the British opposition party leader. How many Europeans and Americans of African descent have made permanent homecoming after tracing their roots? How many even visit regularly thereafter?

    Simply put, consciousness does not translate to conviction. Historical narrative must contend with the individual’s judgment. The situation can be likened to a salesman and the targeted buyer. However outstanding the product, however persuasive the salesman, the buyer’s disposition is what prevails. And the ease of accepting history as truth has to do with environment and political climate.

    The environment may be described as comprising all the external influences that we are exposed to in a society. In trying to predict the encounter between history study and segments of the Nigerian population, we find hints from the environmental experience. This is to say that our environment already contains within it mini typologies of Nigerian history. How have they fared in inculcating the citizenship spirit that the federal government seeks to achieve with the study of history?

    There are two federal government colleges in every state and Abuja, with more than a quarter of them over 50 years old. The NYSC programme is in its 52nd year. The National Institute of Policy & Strategic Studies has operated for over 40 years. These institutions were created and nurtured to foster national unity. By their duration, they have become part of Nigeria’s history for some generations, a few of which are already in leadership.

    Has their familiarity with, indeed, experience of this breeding of the new Nigerian, had any significant effect on them and on our polity? The fact that the federal character principle, even after being written into the constitution, is violated with impunity, ought to be revealing. While there have been marginal gains in issues-oriented politics, we find that electoral behaviour is predominantly ethnic and religion based.

    Political climate refers to the tenor of political and administrative order operating at a given time. Administrations have different characteristics and therefore different governance relations with the people. The more a government is perceived as responsible, accountable, progressive and responsive, the greater the chances of social cohesion. In other words, government credibility enables successful citizen mobilisation for nation-building. Conversely, an oppressive government that stifles the freedom and aspirations of the people will be alienated. When the actions of a government are contradictory to the precepts preached by officialdom, the narratives lose potency of persuasion. In such a situation, government fails to create the setting as well as the mood for civic participation in statecraft. The point applies beyond civic engagement. As it often happens in African countries, when a government is preoccupied canvassing investment opportunities, without providing the enabling environment for entrepreneurship, there’s hardly economic growth at the end of the day.

    The school history policy is too ambitious given the scope of plan in which it is set out. It makes the unrealistic presumption that civic responsibility is a function of historical orientation. If that were so, Nigeria’s educated population would have transformed the country into a great nation with high standard of living. The task of nation-building is a comprehensive one demanding the pacification of fundamental grievances. Governments have a big role to play in engaging relevant actors and making the system friendly. As the Tinubu administration seeks to orient the citizenry on the Nigerian project, it should commit to the welfare of the people. She will do well to wage wars against hunger, corruption and insecurity and address inequities in the Nigerian federation. That will be a fascinating channel from which to beam Nigerian history.

  • Adieu, Jimmy Carter, the global icon

    Adieu, Jimmy Carter, the global icon

    By Olabode Lucas

    The United States of America with all imperfections which among others include racial discriminations, excessive materialism, unbridled and unwarranted interferences in the affairs of other countries as the ‘the policeman of the world’, and acute disparity in the economic fortunes of its citizens, is arguably the strongest and most powerful country in the world.

    The USA got its strength according to Barack Obama the 44th President of the country, because every race and nationality is present to contribute to the progress of the country. Over the years, the USA has also been fortunate to have visionary leaders whose visions and policies had had a significant impact on the progress of the world. Frank D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the country, helped his country through his New Deal policy to survive the trauma of the great depression which ravaged the world between 1929 and1939. He also led the Allies to defeat the Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

    The youthful John Kennedy, the 35th President in his idealistic vision based on his New Frontier, urged his people to land a man on the moon within 10 years and this was achieved. His successor, the burly Texan, Lyndon Johnson in 1964 with his Great Society, signed the landmark Civil Rights Bill into law. This law effectively banned racial discrimination which had blighted the image of the USA for years. All these great American presidents carried out their epic achievements, while they were in office as presidents. Unlike these presidents, the USA president that achieved much more for humanity out of office was Jimmy Earl Carter, the 39th President, who died on December 29, 2024 at the age of 100 years.

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    Carter who was born in Plains Georgia in 1924 lived longer than any other USA president. He was the eldest of the four children of a father who was a peanut farmer and a mother who was a nurse. As it was prevalent in the southern part of the USA at his time, Jimmy Carter’s father was a segregationist. However, from his youth, Jimmy Carter was fortified by the Baptist faith which remained with him through life.

    Jimmy Carter started his career in the Navy where he became an officer who showed special expertise in the technology of submarines and no wonder that later in 2005 a Seawolf- class fast attack submarine was named after him. During his stint in the navy, he married his wife Rosalyn who became his inseparable partner until her death in 2003. Jimmy Carter’s stay in the Navy was cut short by the death of his father in 1953 when he had to return home to manage his father’s ailing peanut farm. He subsequently turned the farm around to make a fortune after initial uncertainties.

    Jimmy Carter’s foray into politics started in 1960 at the grass roots level when he contested for the post of the governor of Georgia. He was initially defeated but in 1970 he was eventually elected as the governor. On becoming the governor, he wooed the black community leaders such as Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson. He embraced the Civil Rights struggle and showed profound respect for the Civil Rights icon, Martin Luther King by putting his picture prominently in the governor’s office in Georgia. This was a surprise move from a man whose father was a segregationist; equally it was also a risky action by him politically in a southern state in the USA of 1974 when segregation was rife. Jimmy Carter later that year used his position as governor as a springboard to the White House.

    Jimmy Carter’s bid for the White House in 1974 was initially met with derision because he was not then well known nationally. Anytime he was introduced as a potential presidential candidate, such introduction was met with derisive response of ‘Jimmy what?’ from the people. He however, persisted in his campaign and gradually, he was perceived as a fresh and honest face after the trauma of Watergate scandal that toppled Richard Nixon from power in 1974. Jimmy Carter eventually won the nomination of his Democratic Party and in the 1976 presidential election went on to clinch the presidency by narrowly beating Gerald Ford of the Republican Party who took over the presidency after Nixon. He was no doubt propelled to the office through the votes of the blacks, He realised this and he appointed many of them to posts they have never occupied before. Andrew Young was appointed USA representatives at the United Nations.

    Many people considered Carter’s tenure as the USA President as lacklustre. During his tenure, he was confronted with many problems which seemingly overwhelmed him. At home, he faced an unending energy crisis, escalating cost of living problems and runaway inflation. Internationally, he was confronted with Russian invasion of the hapless Afghanistan and problems emanating from the overthrow of the Shah of Iran.  In confronting Russia for invading Afghanistan, he ordered USA sport men and women to boycott the 1978 Moscow Olympics. This led to some resentment at home because many felt that this action punished the Olympians more than the Russians and moreover, the boycott did not have universal support even among USA friends.

    The Iranian problem was more intractable for Carter than any other problem when he was in office. In order to force the USA to send the Shah away from USA, Iranian youths seized 66 US citizens as hostages at the US Embassy in Teheran. It was very humiliating for USA and attempts ordered by Carter to rescue the hostages failed woefully when the planes for the operations crashed on the way to Teheran. With this failure, his bid for a second time in office was doomed as many perceived him as weak and in the 1980 presidential election, he was soundly defeated by Ronald Reagan, the former governor of California who was the Republican candidate. 

    It was not all doom and gloom during the tenure of Carter as the President of the USA. His tenure will be remembered for the signing of King David Accord in 1978 in which Egypt formally recognised the state of Israel. This was the high point of Carter’s presidency as the accord is still operational today, although it did nothing to solve the larger Palestinian question. Again, on the international scene, he signed a treaty to return Panama Canal to Panama, a treaty the incoming President Trump has threatened to repudiate. Carter was also the first president to call the attention of the world to the danger of climate change.

    Carter’s defeat in 1980 did not send him into a cocoon of inactivity and self-pity. Instead, after the election, he used the prestige of his former office to spread his tentacles to help humanity. He subsequently became a diplomat and a mediator across the globe, settling diplomatic problems and this task took him to places like North Korea, Haiti, Serbia, Gaza and other troubled spots of the world.  Carter carried out this assignment under the auspices of his newly founded Carter Centre. To help the homeless, Carter and his wife worked with Habitat for Humanity, and they helped to build about 4000 houses for the downtrodden in the society. To enthrone democracy around the world, Carter Centre started election monitoring all over the world. He led his team to monitor elections in Nigeria and his centre gave very damning reports about the election that gave a second term to President Obasanjo despite his friendship with Obasanjo. Another sterling contribution of Jimmy Carter to the world was the involvement of Carter Centre in the global eradication of debilitating diseases of river blindness and guinea worm infection. In this gigantic global project, it is gratifying to note that two top Nigerian scientists, the late Professor Adetokunbo Lucas and Professor Oladele Kale were deeply involved in the formulation and execution of the project.

    In 2002, Jimmy Earl Carter was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for ‘his decades of untiring efforts to find peaceful solutions to the international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development.’ Virtually everybody in the world agreed that the award was timely and well deserved. Carter was the third USA President to be awarded Nobel Peace Prize. The others were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, but Jimmy Carter was the only one that won the prize for his post presidency work.

    Carter was an enigma who left the world better than he met it. In 2007, he became part of the World Political Elders, a group started by Nelson Mandela for leaders who were no longer in power. In this group, we had eminent personalities like Kofi Annan, a former UN Secretary General, Mary Robinson of Ireland and Olusegun Obasanjo. The group was formed to mediate in any developing intractable diplomatic problems around the globe.

    Carter was a man of faith who even at the old age was a Sunday School Teacher at his home town of Plains in Georgia. He lived a simple life and even as the president of the most powerful country in the world, he shunned many of trappings of the office and after his term as president, he and his wife, Rosalyn returned to their modest house they had lived before he became the president. He was very clean and transparent, and he was quoted as telling a reporter once that ‘it has never been my intention to be rich’. Jimmy Carter’s lifestyle should be an example to modern leaders who hold on tenaciously to transient power and privileges and use their posts to acquire obscene wealth.

    To us in Nigeria, Jimmy Carter was the first American president to visit our country in 1978 during the administration of the then General Olusegun Obasanjo and he was one of the world leaders who called for his release when he incarcerated under the fiendish Sani Abacha. How I wish Nigerian politicians would learn a lesson or two from the life of Carter that politics should be of service to the people and not used as avenue for primitive acquisition of wealth.

    Carter who will be buried in Plains Georgia today, Thursday January 9 could no doubt be described as an undisputed global icon and a sterling citizen of the world.

    •Prof Lucas writes from Old Bodija, Ibadan.

  • Zacch Adedeji: The boy who dreamed beyond the village and became a national treasure

    Zacch Adedeji: The boy who dreamed beyond the village and became a national treasure

    By Collins Omokaro

    Once upon a time, in the quiet village of Iwo-Ate in Oyo State, a boy was born with a spark in his eyes and a dream too big for the cocoa fields that surrounded him. This boy, Zacch Adedeji PhD, grew up amidst the aroma of cocoa pods and the hum of small-town life, where the sun rose and set with a predictable rhythm. But deep within him stirred the desire for a life beyond the horizon he could see—a life of purpose, transformation, and impact.

    Like a seed planted in fertile soil, Zacch’s growth was nurtured by the values of his family: hard work, integrity, and a deep sense of community. He was not born into luxury or privilege, but he was endowed with a mind as sharp as a newly forged blade and the determination to rise above every obstacle. Guided by the English proverb, “God helps those who help themselves,” he set out on a path that would redefine his destiny.

    True to this wisdom, Zacch didn’t wait for opportunities to knock; he sought them out with unrelenting vigour. At every stage of his life, he proved that destiny rewards those who prepare and persevere.

    From his humble beginnings, Zacch excelled where others faltered. He earned a National Diploma in Accountancy from the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and then achieved a First-Class degree in Management and Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. But he did not stop there. He went on to obtain a Master’s degree and eventually a PhD in Accounting—an achievement that crowned his academic journey. His hunger for knowledge led him to the hallowed halls of Harvard Kennedy School, where he sharpened his expertise in economic development and public policy.

    Zacch’s mind was a treasure trove of wisdom, the kind that could unravel the knottiest problems with clarity and foresight. Whether in classrooms or corridors of power, his insights carried weight. It is often said that if you were fortunate to walk with him, even the smallest piece of advice he offered could illuminate paths you hadn’t yet imagined.

    By the age of 47, Zacch Adedeji had accomplished what many would consider the work of several lifetimes. As the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), he turned an institution once beleaguered by inefficiency into a national beacon of excellence. Under his visionary leadership, the FIRS achieved a staggering 144 percent increase in tax revenue. Through digital transformation and a customer-first approach, he made paying taxes not only seamless but also fair—a testament to his belief in service to both government and citizenry.

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    Simultaneously, he serves as the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, where his wisdom shapes Nigeria’s fiscal policies. His strategies have strengthened the nation’s revenue framework, stabilised the economy, and inspired confidence among stakeholders.

    Before these national roles, Zacch had already left an indelible mark. As the Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State, he implemented the Treasury Single Account, revolutionising how state finances were managed. At the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), he championed the establishment of the Nigeria Sugar Institute and secured extensions for critical programmes that strengthened Nigeria’s sugar industry.

    Yet, for all his accomplishments, what makes Dr. Adedeji truly remarkable is his humanity. His leadership is not built on titles or power but on service, humility, and a genuine concern for people. He is a mentor who listens, a leader who collaborates, and a man who never forgets the village that raised him.

    Zacch often says, “Hard work never goes unnoticed.” His life embodies this adage. Through hard work, he has opened doors not just for himself but for countless others, inspiring them to pursue excellence and integrity.

    From the cocoa fields of Iwo-Ate to the corridors of power in Abuja, Dr. Zacch Adedeji’s journey is a living fairy tale—one that proves that greatness is born not from privilege but from purpose. His achievements at just 47 years old—PhD holder, transformative leader, and trusted adviser—are a testament to what is possible when hard work meets divine favour.

    As the English proverb goes, “Many hands make light work,” Zacch’s life exemplifies this truth. He has woven networks of trust, collaboration, and innovation that have overcome formidable challenges and driven Nigeria towards progress.

    Today, I celebrate not just a leader but a legend in the making. Dr. Adedeji, your journey inspires us all to dream bigger, work harder, and serve better. It is my greatest honour to walk some of this journey with you, to learn from your wisdom, and to witness your transformative impact on Nigeria and beyond.

    Happy 47th Birthday, Sir! May your story continue to inspire, and may your legacy shine brighter with each passing year.

    • Collins Omokaro – Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy

  • Mele Kyari at a time like this

    Mele Kyari at a time like this

    • By Tayo Williams

    Time is not stopping today, Wednesday, January 8, when Mele Kolo Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, turns 60. It only moves sideways for the turnaround expert to be feted and felicitated for turning excellence, resilience, vision, patriotism, dynamism, and a boots-on-the-ground leadership style into an art form.

    In a few years of heading the corporation, Kyari has re-jigged and repositioned it for efficiency and effectiveness, expunged ‘fuel scarcity’ from the end-of-the-year lexicography of Nigerians, entrenched transparency, and taken bold decisions for the collective good.

    Despite the headwinds of international oil politics, home-grown challenges like insecurity, sabotage by industry players, crude oil theft with the attendant negative effect on the revenue accruable to the nation, and pipeline vandalism among others, the University of Maiduguri-trained geologist has waded through the odds with the courage of a knight and the confidence of a champion while working his way into the pantheon of Nigeria’s most prodigious citizens.

    He has also helped in no small measures to restore hope in the Nigerian economy with his concatenation of ingenious and innovative interventions, which undergird the compassion and concern of the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Nigerian people.

    Though it is not yet Uhuru, the NNPCL is no longer what it used to be. Kyari’s tenacious spirit and mulish resolve to excel where others have failed over the past three decades have paid off with many robust milestones but two are most significant for every Nigerian; the declaration of N3.3trillion profit for the first time in its 46-year history, and the rejuvenation of the old Port Harcourt Refinery last November and the Warri Refinery in December.

    In November, the NNPCL announced the “safe and successful restart of the 60,000 barrels-per-day Old Port Harcourt Refinery,” which it stated marks a significant step forward after years of operational challenges and underperformance and also “signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for our nation.” 

    Though naysayers went to town disclaiming the news, saying the corporation was lying about the refinery working, community leaders, labour unions, civil society organisations, and stakeholders including former Group Managing Directors of the legacy NNPC have visited the refineries and praised Kyari for bringing them back to life.

    Even former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, commended the Kyari-led NNPCL for “fulfilling the long-standing promise of revamping the old Port Harcourt refinery… Nigerians now await the corresponding impact and benefits on pump prices and the overall economy.”

    On December 30, 2024 the NNPCL announced that the 150,000 bpd Warri Refinery, shut down in 2015 due to protracted but unsuccessful repairs, had been re-streamed. An excited President Tinubu lauded Kyari and his team at NNPCL for working hard to restore national pride and making Nigeria a hub for crude oil refining in Africa. He said, “With the Warri Refinery now operating at 60% capacity, my administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security is entirely on course.”

    Nigeria aims to be a net exporter of petroleum, and Kyari is leading the charge. He has, thus, beamed his searchlight on dormant frontier basins like the Kolmani Oil Field II & III straddling Bauchi and Gombe states to monetise the huge oil and gas resources therein. The Kolmani Oil Field, OPL 809 and 810, in the Gongola Basin of the Upper Benue trough, is estimated to have a reserve of one billion barrels of crude oil. Concerted efforts have also been made to explore new basins including the Bida, Ogun, Anambra, and Sokoto basins.

    Importantly, the Kyari-led NNPCL is leveraging technology and innovation to achieve the goal of building an energy company of global excellence. Last December, the NNPCL unveiled its state-of-the-art Production Monitoring Command Centre (PMCC), a ground-breaking initiative aimed at revolutionizing hydrocarbon production monitoring and boosting operational efficiency across the oil and gas sector.

    According to the NNPC Ltd, the PMCC is designed to provide a centralized, real-time view of hydrocarbon production and transportation activities while ensuring the seamless integration of data and processes. By leveraging advanced analytics and predictive technologies, the PMCC addresses critical industry challenges and enhances decision-making capabilities for stakeholders.

    Before the PMCC, however, the NNPCL had established a control centre known as the Central Coordination, Data Integration, and Activation Control Room to provide surveillance of all the country’s oil and gas assets in the Niger Delta. Similar to that of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, the NNPC Data Control Centre uses video visibility to monitor the pipeline networks in the Niger Delta where more than 90 percent of the country’s crude is explored. Through the Data Control Centre, the NNPCL can see and monitor the movement of vessels on Nigeria’s territorial waters in real-time.

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    These measures had to be put in place because of the GCEO’s belief that the NNPCL can reach three or four million barrels per day but that some steps must be taken. He said, “Number one is to resolve security, which is very critical so that you can get back the confidence of investors. We have achieved that substantially, but there are still places that are supposed to be occupied; and that’s what we are working on to see that we can eliminate the security challenges we have, particularly in the Niger Delta region.”

    Before transitioning into a limited liability company, the NNPC was infamous for its opacity. However, that changed under Kyari who introduced new standards for corporate governance by making the financial statements accessible to the public thus fostering trust and confidence among stakeholders, including the public, investors, and international partners.

    The publication of the Monthly Financial and Operations Reports (MFOR), according to Kyari, underscores the corporation’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and open dialogue, which are fundamental to building public trust. This practice, the GCEO said, “places NNPCL in a unique position globally as the only national oil company that publishes its financial and operations reports every month. Such transparency not only enhances accountability but also provides valuable insights into NNPCL’s activities, performance, and strategic direction.”

    Further, Kyari enlisted the NNPCL with the global transparency body, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a Norway-based organisation that seeks to establish international standards for the good governance of oil, gas, and mineral resources while addressing the key governance issues in the extractive sectors. In its recent global assessment of the NNPCL, the EITI scored the corporation high for enhanced transparency and accountability standards, increased competitiveness, and concerted efforts in combating corruption in the global oil, gas, and mining sectors.

    Perhaps one of the more remarkable contributions of the Kyari-led NNPCL to cushioning the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians is taking the lead in the implementation of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiatives launched by President Tinubu to stimulate the economy, reduce carbon footprints, and provide cheaper alternative fuel to motorists. So far, the NNPCL has deployed many gas stations across Lagos and Abuja while one of its subsidiaries, NNPC Gas Marketing Limited, has partnered with NIPCO Gas Limited to develop an Auto-CNG rollout plan for the construction of 35 CNG stations across Nigeria.

    Similarly, the NNPCL has made significant strides in the nation’s energy mix by signing the NLNG Train 7 project, which is expected to deliver over $20bn in revenue to the government and create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs. The corporation has also entered into a turnkey Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to construct the Gwagwalada Independent Power Plant project, which has been described as a game-changer in Nigeria’s power sector.

    The 1,350MW Combined Cycle Power Plant with auxiliaries and Balance of Plant located on 547 hectares of land in Gwagwalada, Abuja, is expected to generate between $700m and $800m annually within the first 10 years of operations. The project consists of three power train blocks of 450MW each. Each block will include two General Electric (GE) gas turbine generators, two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), one steam turbine electric generator, one direct air-cooling condenser, a balance of plant equipment, and a black start diesel generator. Gas supply to the plant will be through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline Project currently in an advanced stage of construction.

    These interventions, among many others, have not come without fierce pushback from the beneficiaries of the rot in the industry, but the Borno State native is no shrinking violet. He came well-acquitted to exorcise the demons in the system and so far, he is winning.

    Hence, as Kyari turns 60, there is no doubt that he has etched his name in gold in the annals of Nigeria for the initiatives that have helped to stamp out fuel queues across Nigeria, increased crude oil production, and guaranteed energy security among others. However, industry experts say Kyari’s work is not yet done and that a factor such as the primitive civil service retirement age should not be a cog in the progress made so far.

    •Williams is a Lagos-based media executive.

  • Foreign policy and path to peace in dangerous neighbourhood

    Foreign policy and path to peace in dangerous neighbourhood

    • By Yusuf Tuggar

    Nigeria’s constitution declares that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom government, through this constitution, derives all its powers and authority. The same constitution goes on to state Nigeria’s five foreign policy objectives: promotion and protection of the national interest, African integration and support for African unity, promotion of international cooperation for peace and mutual respect, respect of international law and treaty obligations and promotion of a just world economic order. Those who suggest Nigeria does not have a foreign policy or those who agitate for a shift away from an Afro-centric foreign policy are wrong; either they are ill-informed, or deliberately disingenuous.

    The constitution also makes clear why any responsible Nigerian government should be concerned when neighbours are governed without a constitution or codified rules. It goes without saying that the sovereignty of our neighbours is their business. They can grant powers to whatever governing structures they deem fit and should expect their autonomy to remain safeguarded. But when our interdependence sovereignty overlaps, we equally have a right to exercise control over our borders in those cases where neighbours face insurgencies that significantly comprise territorial integrity and state authority.

    International legal sovereignty also becomes an issue when we consider that respect for international law and treaty obligations is one of our irreducible foreign policy objectives. This is not the Tinubu administration’s foreign policy; it is a constitutional provision that every Nigerian president and government official swears to uphold. Nigeria is a member of ECOWAS, which is founded on treaties and protocols to which our foreign policy objectives commit us. All 15 member countries are signatory to the treaties and protocols, which is why it was no surprise that President Tinubu, as one who swore to uphold the constitution, abided by it when ECOWAS leaders collectively objected to unconstitutional changes of government.

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    Our constitution and international laws are meant to serve as guardrails in navigating the system. And by virtue of our size, we have the additional responsibility of being the regional power. Regardless of how some may try to diminish our standing, it is the way other countries perceive us. Our constitution further reifies this leadership role right from the preamble- dedicating ourselves to promoting inter-African solidarity, to the foreign policy objectives- promotion of African integration and support for African unity and elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations.

    The Tinubu administration came at a time when an interlocking suite of occurrences made our neighbourhood less secure; implosion of Libya, failure of the EU Sahel Strategy, terrorism and criminal gangs, effects of climate change and population explosion.

    Nigeria did not create these challenges and was equally contending with its own domestic issue as these challenges escalated. Nigeria was not part of Operation Barkhane or the G5 in the Sahel, which were intended as efforts to fight terrorism and irregular migration but instead strengthened some irredentist Azawad/Tuareg groups that controlled border areas. This created a cauldron of disharmony between them and their national militaries, trained for a lifetime to keep their countries intact.

    Nor was Nigeria part of the Partnership Framework with Third countries that conditioned aid and trade deals for Sahelian migration transit states in exchange for reducing the flow of migrants, with penalties for those who do not comply. In the case of Niger, a moment of truth was the passing of Law 2015-36 in May 2015, when its government, in consultation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and technical and financial support from the European Union and its member states, criminalized ancillary activities of the migration economy, such as providing transportation and accommodation to foreign nationals anywhere north of Agadez, in direct contravention of ECOWAS Protocol on the free movement of people. They were persuaded to use a blunt hammer to crack a delicate nut. There is a highly politicised migration crisis in parts of Europe that together we can and should resolve. But it was reckless to seek to solve one problem by creating another.

    There is a reason why we have free movement in West Africa; seasonal migration- referred to in Hausa as ‘Ci Rani’. Seasonal migration in the semi-arid Sahel can be a matter of life and death, which is why we have always had turbaned Tuaregs going as far as Lagos and Port Harcourt to work as Maigadis (security) during the dry months, only to return back north during the rainy season. The weaponisation of sub-Saharan migration in Europe as a political tool led to the securitisation of the Sahel region, further exacerbating the security situation by forcing many of those affected to turn to criminal activities and terrorism. European migration figures show majority of migrants are from Syria, Afghanistan and Central Asia, not sub-Saharan Africa.

     Yes, we need to work with our Sahelian neighbours to fight terrorism, by maintaining a right of pursuit into each other’s territories. But it would be myopic to think of this in absolutist terms, because we can accede to all conditionalities laid by them, it would still not be enough to tackle the challenges without a lasting solution to the bifurcated Libyan state as a source of weapons, training and fighters, as well as the shadowy involvement of a range of other state and non-state actors.

    To achieve a lasting peace in Libya and the Sahel, Nigeria needs to deal with all the countries in the neighbourhood as well as all the major powers. For this reason, it does not make sense to simply deduce that Nigeria has to distance itself from France because that is the prevailing trend in its former colonies. The fulcrum of the Tinubu administration’s foreign policy is Strategic Autonomy, providing us with the clarity to engage with any and all nations based on our national interests and not those of others. As a nation, Nigeria is adult enough and sophisticated enough to deal with countries without being unduly influenced, because that has been part of our historical and civic tradition. You cannot cure an illness by picking which symptoms to consider and which to ignore.

    Nigeria and ECOWAS will continue diplomatic efforts towards Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. At a minimum, we have shared interest in peaceful co-existence. President Tinubu has sent a number of high-level delegations that included a former Head of State, traditional rulers and religious scholars. President Tinubu pushed for the unconditional removal of ECOWAS sanctions imposed on Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. What he has consistently asked of the countries in question is for them to come up with a timetable for the restoration of constitutional rule and, in the case of Niger, the release of ousted President Bazoum.

    Their response was to declare their intention to leave ECOWAS. With the one-year notice period coming to an end in January, President Tinubu further pushed for ECOWAS to extend the grace period for another six months whilst intensifying diplomatic efforts. The response to this initiative last month was evidence-free allegations that Nigeria was harbouring foreign soldiers and as sponsoring state terrorism. Whenever President Tinubu and other democratic leaders offer stoic statesmanship and an opportunity to work together towards our common interests, it is met by confected controversy designed to divert and distract from a failure to meet the basic responsibilities of public administration. I know why coup leaders might seek to do that: it’s harder to understand the motives of apologists closer to home.

    On my part, since assuming the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs on August 21, 2023, I have engaged diplomatically without pause, proposing personal visits and inviting senior government officials and representatives. Response has been akin to a diplomatic cold shoulder. We constituted a ministerial advisory committee that visited Niger and Mali and facilitated the visit of the Nigerian CDS to meet with his counterpart in Niamey. I regret that a proposed return visit was suspended by Niger after a date had been set. But let there be no doubt: we will continue to pursue diplomatic efforts assiduously, with a Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has existed for 67 years.

    Nigeria’s principle of strategic autonomy is one that abhors the presence of foreign forces and private military companies in our region, whether from east or west. Nigeria presently has troops on peace keeping operations in Guinea Bissau and Gambia, with Sierra Leone on the way, where it is also supporting the setting up of a logistics base in Lungi. Nigeria is also leading the actualisation of the ECOWAS standby force, all in an effort to fight terrorism and instability within our region under the rule of law. We work closely with our partners on sharing of intelligence in order to guarantee the same rights and freedoms are enjoyed by all the people of the region.

    As several of my colleagues in the region remind me, we are the hegemon, whether we admit it or not. And global politics works almost like physics, with polarity, ordering principles, distribution of power, balancing, etc. Nigeria has never had expansionist tendencies, never been threatening towards our neighbours and always chosen the path of peace and conciliation. This in part may have to do with the makeup of our polity and social fabric. Diversity, not division, is our strength. This is as true for Nigeria as it is for the smallest of countries – and collectively for all of our region.

    •Ambassador (OON) is Minister of Foreign Affairs.