The Nation Newspaper

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  • Infrastructure Bank: Nigeria’s path to sustainable development

    Infrastructure Bank: Nigeria’s path to sustainable development

    By J. Dare

    As the world adjusts to the so-called ‘new normal’ for daily crude prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has the challenge of balancing the geopolitics of oil with the global economics of oil.  For petrodollar economies with looming recessions and systemic vulnerabilities, this is one of the biggest tests of leadership and vision. In relative terms, some petrodollar countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Russia have long diversified their economies despite the importance of crude revenues — the UAE’s Dubai is more known for tourist attractions, world’s tallest buildings, and daring investments than her important oil industry. For Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria, deep systemic vulnerabilities to crude prices implies diversification is no longer an option, but an imperative course. More importantly, the bedrock of all transformative and impactful diversification strategy as seen in Dubai, United States, China and others is infrastructure. The challenge for Nigeria is not her well-documented infrastructure deficit but how to develop in the ‘new normal’!

    On April 25th, Saudi Arabia’s 30-year-old Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, unveiled a bold 15-year plan to restructure Saudi’s economy. The bold ambition includes the creation of a US$ 2Trillion Sovereign Wealth Fund, partial public offering of Aramco, and large privatization of state-assets. These ambitious plans by the world’s top oil producer underscore the urgency of diversification and global shift in ‘petrodollar economics’. Perhaps, the Saudi government was motivated by a new precedence: the world’s largest and much diversified economy, the United States, was the largest oil producer and consumer in 2014[1]—an unprecedented influence by an already powerful nation. Across the ocean in vibrant cities of Accra, Lagos, Kampala, and Nairobi, countless 20-something Africans carry iPhones to connect with friends and family on Facebook. Yet, the combined market capitalization of Apple and Facebook is approximately US$ 825Billion (as of April 28, 2016) – an astounding 47% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The world has changed!

    For Nigeria, what do these fast-evolving and global events mean?

    Firstly, it means being Africa’s largest economy in GDP terms only is merely symbolic without strong diversification, economic sophistication, and widely-accessible infrastructure; deeper reflections and systemic changes are required for inclusive and sustainable economic growth—emphasis on inclusiveness and sustainable growth. For example, Nigeria still trails South Africa in key infrastructure, GNI per capita, and quality investments —few indicators that make South Africa an upper-middle-income economy. Nigeria must embrace ‘new-thinking’ for the benchmarks of economic success by solving complex socioeconomic issues like affordable housing, modern public transportation system, high-quality healthcare, and an equitable justice system etc.  For a start, Nigeria must support and deepen the Buhari Administration’s ongoing and commendable multilayered restructuring: hard and simultaneous efforts to redefine Nigeria’s image on the international stage and economic restructuring. The biggest lift will come from bold policies and ideas that foster local innovations and Nigerian-led investments of large infrastructure.

    The Buhari administration has undoubtedly shown tremendous fortitude to navigate the multifaceted socioeconomic and sociopolitical challenges that fiercely vie for dwindling oil revenues. The unbundling efforts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), systemic realignments of the power sector (e.g., power mix, gas master plan, and infrastructure), and recently signed US$ 6B Chinese loan agreements are important milestones. These achievements reinforce the mindset of an administration that is solution-driven and eager to apply bold ideas to unprecedented problems. Yet, there is no bolder idea than to tackle Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit head-on. And for this bold action, Nigeria is unlikely to deliver impactful and broad infrastructure solely from public spending; private infrastructure investments (i.e., infrastructure investments by the private sector) co-led by an infrastructure bank is essential to coordinate global capital inflows and technical expertise.

    Why an infrastructure bank?

    Today, there are few and fragmented institutions that facilitate private infrastructure investments, but Nigeria is in dire need of an integrated, impactful, and well-capitalized infrastructure bank with semblance to a Development Financial Institution (DFI). The country needs a world-class infrastructure bank to: (1) Lead early-stage investments and development in private infrastructure (e.g., expedite project development cycles), (2) Lead, co-lead or structure infrastructure finance and credit enhancements, (3) Pioneer new ‘exit platforms’ and post-development frameworks. These three (3) starting goals should enormously streamline the systemic challenges of private infrastructure investments and complement government spending.

    Infrastructure—soft and hard—in macroeconomic terms represents the physical structures and institutions that form a nation and shape the economy. But in the 21st century, infrastructure is more than an economic indicator on fancy DFI reports or eloquent talking points at London or Washington summits—in this century, modern infrastructure is imperative for global competitiveness, economic growth and power, and public safety.  Hard infrastructure should still be about Nigeria’s plan on modern rail networks that link Lagos to the heart of the country; Lagos’ impressive infrastructure plans;12-lane interstate highways from Ogun to the East and North; affordable and clean tap-water in small-towns of the Middle-Belt; modern and safe aviation; and a vast pipeline network for gas-to-power and LPG, to name a few. Soft infrastructure is about access to modern and efficient institutions like nationwide healthcare systems, an equitable justice system for civil and criminal litigations, a transparent and sophisticated financial system, an educational system that nurtures bright minds; and broad efficient deliveries of government services.

    On funding the aforementioned infrastructure, public spending and Public-Private Partnership (P3) models have proven susceptible to politics in the past than common-sense economics. Direct loans or Aid by foreign governments are inherently driven by national interests, and the plethora of global Funds with keen interests in African infrastructure are not interested in development finance.

    In what seems like a paradox, the long and rigid development cycles for private infrastructure investments are often due to lack of infrastructure and reliable data. For example, Nigeria’s power opportunities are massive but project-sponsors have to spend considerable time, planning, and capital on systemic challenges. For new power-generation developers, a key systemic issue is contending with the availability of gas infrastructure (e.g., gas availability and processing, supply agreements, pipelines) to the power plants. For private investments in rail networks, there is no precedence in Nigeria for eminent domain, interstate concessions, and financial returns. Therefore, in raising capital, additional thresholds to the project plan may include local currency guarantees, strict credit guarantees or the participation of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to name a few – although, systemic problems for ‘power investments’ are being vigorously tackled by the Ministry of Power—the old perceptions linger. All these milestones are incredibly expensive and time-consuming for project developers; as everyday Nigerians hope for breakthroughs. Other infrastructure such as transportation, water, healthcare, and social infrastructure have similar systemic hurdles—including the high cost of capital from local commercial banks skewed to short-term funds—a mismatch funding model for infrastructure development.

    Subsequently, a bold initiative like a well-established, managed, and funded “Infrastructure Bank” potentially has the capacity to bridge the gap: State-interests, DFI interests, and private capital requirements. The bank’s strategic participation should also bridge gaps through local liaisons with stakeholders, development finance, and local knowledge expertise.

    Bankable Chart
    Bankable Chart

     

     

    Only Nigerian-led efforts, not foreign interests, will lead sustainable developments

    There is broad consensus by politicians, academia, business class, and mainstream Nigerians that infrastructure development is the key to unlocking the nation’s potentials; however, the rancor has always been the ‘how-question’? Depending on the countless reports you may have read on infrastructure or by whom, Africa’s annual infrastructure gap is estimated to be approximately US$ 93B; the decades-old playbook of how to attract “foreign direct investments” from Europe and North America through lavish dinners, summits, and incentive-speeches are so foreign in a fast-changing environment—private investors are driven by returns and not social developments. The Dangote Group, Heirs Holdings, BUA Group, and Mike Adenuga’s companies among others have probably led more Nigerian investments than any single foreign investor in recent years. New serious and local consortia with proven capacity should be engaged and encouraged, as they are likely to exemplify longer term commitments than foreign interests.

    Housing alone is potentially bigger than oil

    According to industry reports, there are at least 16million housing deficits in Nigeria.  At a conservative average cost of N 5M per unit with 10% yearly target, Nigeria needs an annual investment of N 8Trillion (US$40B[2]) – a figure that is larger than Nigeria’s projected average oil revenues of US$ 19.4B[3] in 2016. Yet, if two of America’s leading Global Asset Managers with combined assets under management (AUM) of US$ 517B were to invest in housing this year, there would be systemic challenges in this fragmented industry. For example, if an investment group chooses to invest US$ 2B in affordable housing, it will still be difficult without a secondary mortgage market for average Nigerians to purchase homes in big cities; however, mortgage securitization, investments from institutional investors, and market consolidation can foster continuous liquidity through an infrastructure bank.

    There are several other viable and impactful ideas with proven capacity to create millions of good-paying jobs for middle-class Nigerians; however, these projects are stuck in local bureaucracy (e.g., States) or in very rigid investment processes of American and European investors: a bloc that is still the largest source of private infrastructure investments in Africa. Several of these ‘Western investors’ with valid justifications, implicitly operate with longer development cycles for large infrastructure funding in Africa—cycles that conflict with most investment exit-cycles.  That simply means: without the resources of Aliko Dangote or his ilk with access to DFIs, qualified and competent project developers of power or 20km rail projects should expect to reach financial close in 2021 or 2023. In 5years, the fundamentals of any project can drastically change.

    Development Cycle
    Development Cycle

    Figure 1: High overview of development milestones

    Cenpower, Ghana’s first Greenfield Independent Power Plant (IPP) received wide acclaim for an unprecedented US$ 900M financial close; yet, the journey to the celebratory headlines was long and must have required sheer fortitude to endure the painstaking process to financial close. Supposedly, an early-stage and independent investor officially began the development phase for Cenpower in 2005; the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) took over in 2010 and the project closed in 2014. For some context, London’s impressive £14.8B 42km Crossrail project will commence operations on an 11-year development cycle—a 9-year project development cycle to financial close for much-needed power-generation deals is an unsustainable path for Africa’s development future!

    As Nigeria embarks on the largest infrastructure development in over a decade, the private-sector’s deep expertise and networks should be fully engaged for maximum results. The Nigerian government should earmark public funds to ‘de-risk’ and facilitate large private deals through a new ‘infrastructure bank’.

    With the creation of an infrastructure bank that partners with key global stakeholders (e.g., IFC, ICBC, OPIC, PIDG, and Wall Street); the new infrastructure bank can use its balance sheet, credibility, and scale to lead early-stage investments to significantly cut project development cycles. The bank could co-invest equity and structure guarantees for Greenfields with no African precedence. The bank can pay for broad and expensive studies on rail infrastructure, water, housing; and partner with large debt providers to reduce inherent project risk for investors.

    Notably, Asian emerging economies, mainly China, built large infrastructure by looking inward and betting big with less reliance on rigid foreign investment frameworks. The formation of strategic entities such as the China Development Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and engineering counterparts have fostered China’s rise. Nigeria can do the same.

    In Conclusion

    Africa’s future is very bright, and no country is best positioned to lead that great future than Nigeria. During America’s Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took a bold and ambitious step to rebuild through the Work Progress Administration (WPA) initiative.  “The WPA built, improved or renovated 39,370 schools; 2,550 hospitals; 1,074 libraries; 2,700 firehouses; 15,100 auditoriums, gymnasiums and recreational buildings; 1,050 airports, 500 water treatment plants, 12,800 playgrounds, 900 swimming pools; 1,200 skating rinks, plus many other structures. It also dug more than 1,000 tunnels; surfaced 639,000 miles of roads and installed nearly 1 million miles of sidewalks, curbs and street lighting, in addition to tens of thousands of viaducts, culverts and roadside drainage ditches” (Stone, 2014).

    This is the defining moment for our country and our people – our time to rebuild. Our people with sheer creativity and not oil rigs, built Nollywood that shines brightly into millions of homes in Europe, America, and Africa. Our people, whose determination puts a Nigerian in every part of the world with remittances that rival foreign aid; our industrious people, whose resilience and hope amidst seemingly hopeless life events have raised world-class Lawyers, Doctors, Nobel Laureates, and business moguls. Our incredible people have built over one million homes in Lagos without mortgages. Our people, whose hustle and street-smarts have built historic Balogun market, Alaba, Onitsha, and Kaduna commodities centers without oil. For it is one of our people, Aliko Dangote, who first became Africa’s richest man without a producing oil block.

    The tremendous achievements of Nigerians in the diaspora: in business, civic society, politics, and healthcare, reinforce the notion of Nigerian resilience and hard work. With access to developed infrastructure, Nigerians can achieve any ambition with collective efforts and common purpose. For our common purpose and shared values are far greater than our subtle differences.

    Let this time and defining moment be our time – the time we finally solved the complex socioeconomic problems that have long beleaguered a generation. Let this be the time that Nigerians of all walks of life went to work with shared responsibility to build our own chains of organized retail; our own world-class medical centers and theme parks; our own modern rail networks and skyscrapers that line the skies of Port Harcourt through Calabar to Lagos; and let this be the time, we finally solve the problems of systemic corruption, government that works for all, and create uninterrupted power!

    Let this be the moment we end the strife of ethnic and religious divides – and the moment we will finally rise to become Africa’s giant through bold and giant strides! Before oil, Nigeria led Africa with prestige and dignity; let us lead again with lasting foundations of infrastructure to maximize our highest potential.

    Dare J. is a Principal of an infrastructure finance and development Co. contact info: Djoincorp@gmail.com

     

    References

    U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2014). Total Petroleum and Other Liquids Production – 2014. Retrieved from http://www.eia.gov/beta/international/

    The World Bank. (2016). Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only). Retrieved from   http://data.worldbank.org/region/SSA

    Stone, Andrea. (2014). When America Invested in Infrastructure, These Beautiful Landmarks Were the Result. The Smithsonian. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-america-invested-infrastructure-these-beautiful-landmarks-were-result-180953570/?no-ist

    [1]  According to 2014 U.S. Energy Information Administration

    [2] Exchange at the official rate of 199/$1

    [3] Figure based on projected average 2016 oil price of $34; 260 calendar production days, and daily production of 2.2M.

     

  • Deafening silence of Lawmakers over MTN fine

    Deafening silence of Lawmakers over MTN fine

    There comes a time when silence is not golden, when policy makers and decision making institutions deliberately and needlessly extend prompt decision on an issue of national importance or even refuse to proffer an amicable way forward in line with national interest.

    From the delay in assenting the 2016 budget, to the muting of the Social Media Bill and even the muting of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, there have been several efforts by the Nigerian legislators to remain silent instead of  promptly and actively standing up to address them.

    Perhaps one of such glaring circumstances, is the MTN and NCC regulatory fine issue it is almost two months now since the House of representatives summoned the leadership of leading telecommunication provider MTN Nigeria, to explain its role and the circumstances surrounding its initial payment of N50b fine. But rather than instantly resolving the issue, it is unfortunate there just seem to be no head way. As it is, we are all stuck!

    It is interesting to note that the CBN and the five banks recently fined for some regulatory irregularities have quickly dispatched the matter even without so much ado. That the matter only became a ‘public knowledge’ from the reports is a demonstration of expediting actions in matter of critical national interest.

    While the legislators are backed by the law to investigate, what they have failed to do is to quickly and promptly conclude on the matter through its house committee to support on-going efforts towards an amicable solution.

    We must commend the efforts of the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Communication both of who have shown desire to ensure a quick resolution but unfortunately as the Minister of Communication said in one of his chat, the legislators have to conclude their investigations before negotiations can continue.

    Many experts in law, economy, business and finance have expressed worries on the unnecessary delay of the legislators to come up with a decision especially as the president had earlier ordered a renegotiation of the 780 billion Naira fine imposed on the company. The experts have expressed in their several analysis that the best way to stimulate growth in the economy is to ensure that investments keep flowing into sectors that need them which in-turn  progressively lead to improved revenue for the government.

    It has been agreed that Nigeria’s best example of success in attracting and retaining foreign investment has happened in the telecoms sector and that experience in the past 15 years ought to encourage Nigeria to solicit more in sector even outside telecoms. The knowledge of the need for an economically stable Nigeria is behind the loud criticism of the silence of Nigerian legislators on this matter like many others, with many experts calling on the legislators to take prompt action now on the MTN and NCC matter. We wish Nigeria a successful digital switch over in 2017.

  • Learning how to cook online

    Learning how to cook online

    Hey guys or should I say ladies, because this is strictly for my ladies in the house. Oh well, let’s not be stingy, we do not mind sharing with our bachelors too.

    So I know some of my ladies out there look all hot, dressed up in wonderful colors and clothing and have all that sugar and spice in the bedroom but know nothing about kitchen spices. You know all the 5star Chinese restaurants in town and can locate them faster than Google map but cannot turn meals from your 1star kitchen to a 10star one. I know I sound really mean but the old saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” still stands and I know it sounds so cliché but it stays valid.

    Thankfully, we have social media to the rescue, to help us in various ways even in the kitchen too without having to air our dirty laundries in public.

    Today’s first cooking lesson will be on the Igbo delicacy OHA SOUP, eaten by most people in the east and south east and loved by many from diverse cultures.

    What you need

    • Meats (whatever kind)
    • Stock fish
    • Dried fish
    • Ogiri (Igbo iru)
    • Egusi
    • Achi(optional)
    • soup cocoyam
    • Black pepper
    • Oha leaves
    • Crayfish
    • Palm oil(3 cooking spoons)
    • Seasoning
    • Salt

    How to prepare

    • Wash and boil your meat till it’s a bit tender, then add your stock fish and dried fish. Cook till a bit soft.
    • For those using the cooking cocoyam for thickening, when buying make sure it is cocoyam used specifically for soup cooking.Wash and boil the cocoyam till soft, while it Is still hot, drag out the back using your hands and pound immediately into a smooth consistency.
    • Take out the meat, stock fish and dried fish and place the stock (water of the meat) on the fire.
    • When it starts boiling, pour your palm oil into the stock and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
    • Pour your crayfish and black pepper and stir.
    • If you are using achi, take a little of the stock on the fire and add to the achi in a bowl; then stir till it is smooth and pour back into the pot and stir again.
    • Add your seasoning and please taste first before adding salt.
    • Wash your oha leaves clean (the oha leaves should be shreddedwith your fingers not sliced with a knife).
    • Add the oha leaves to the stock, and then add your stock fish, dried fish and meat.
    • Cover and leave to boil for about 5 minutes.

    Your oha soup is ready to be served. Tastes better with fufu but can also go with eba, pounded yam, semovita and wheat.

    So ladies, no more excuses on my man eats out a lot or he doesn’t eat my food at all or he complains about too much salt in my cooking and you sticking to one type of food always. Stop being his Google map to the restaurants; let eat outs be totally his idea, he’d be fine with his GPS.

    Be diverse in your choice of cooking; go put this to test and work your way to his heart NOW!!

  • Full text of President Buhari’s May Day Speech

    Full text of President Buhari’s May Day Speech

    SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2016 NATIONAL MAY DAY CELEBRATION HELD AT THE EAGLE SQUARE, ABUJA ON SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2016

    Great Nigerian Workers!
    Great Nigerian Workers!
    I bring you greetings.

    It is with great pleasure that I honour the invitation by the two Federations of Trade Unions, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to attend the 2016 National May Day celebrations. As you all know, this is my first outing in this forum which has a long and historical tradition that are noble and progressive. The efforts of all the heroes past who had fought for the workers of all nations to have a ‘voice’ in determining the course and direction of both national and international issues affecting the state of their being, are commemorated today, the first day of May all over the world. Labour remains unarguably an important element in any policy, programme and project propagated for national development.

    This year’s celebration is significant in a number of ways. First, it marks the first May Day celebration under the All Progressive Congress (APC) Administration which brought an end to the sixteen (16) years of national squander, bad governance, unbridled corruption and economic woes by the previous administration. Second, it is coming at a time when the whole world is experiencing some form of economic crisis or the other.

    For us whose main foreign exchange comes from oil, the global decline in the price of oil has further exacerbated our economic crisis. The resultant effects of this are noticeable in government dwindling resources, reduction in operational capacities of most companies especially in the Oil and Gas Sector, threats of workforce reduction by multinationals and the escalations of volatility amongst others. These developments no doubts, have socio-economic implications for the economy as well as the working class. I therefore appreciate the theme you have chosen for this year’s National May Day celebration – The Working Class and the Quest for Socio – Economic Revival. A quest it is, and the realization of the revival is not far fetched. It only requires a reasonable time to remedy the mal-administration and put forth a change so desired by all of us.

    I make no excuses as this Government of the APC is determined to tackle headlong all socio – economic ills that have troubled our nation and we shall evolve solutions to emerging threats to our well being and the realization of sustainable development as well as growth anchored on equity and social justice.

    Development must be sustainable for it to benefit society in general. It is therefore the responsibility of those in the citadels of power to align themselves with the working class who make development possible by generating and sustaining the momentum of positive change. That is why the present Administration has sought and will continue to seek the hands of Labour so that together we can attain the enviable heights of progress in our beloved country.

    It is for this very reason that I aspired to become President which the Nigerian people have now made a reality. This Administration shall effect positive Change in the lives of average Nigerians, to ensure that the downtrodden are elevated and most importantly to fight the intense pain of corruption which has enriched the very few to the detriment of the majority of Nigerians who groan under the overwhelming weight of poverty and all the superstructural and infrastructural maladies resulting from corruption.

    In this fight against corruption, I need you all to be very willing partners. Fighting corruption in the Public Service in particular, requires the workers to play major roles by cooperating with the Government.
    I have listened to the speeches made by both the Presidents of the TUC and NLC. By the speeches, you have without any equivocation affirmed your faith in the greatness of Nigeria as a nation. The challenges facing Nigeria have been highlighted and I assure you that they shall be accorded due consideration. It is worthy to note that solution to some of those issues and requests are already being considered and would be made public in the near future. The times may be tough, but we Nigerians are by nature resilient and strong and it is that nature that propels us to overcome adversities and still thrive as a nation.

    Let us use this National May Day to celebrate the workers and Nigeria as a Nation. There will always be challenges in the life of a man and what defines greatness is the way and manner such challenges are tackled and overcome. I assure you, great Nigerian workers that this Administration is able and willing to constructively handle the challenges.

    In so doing, I request your cooperation and understanding, as partners in progress. The need to ensure a conducive atmosphere devoid of incessant industrial actions becomes paramount to ensure no loss of man – days and accordingly promote high productivity, which is perquisite for sustainable development based on increased investments, creation of jobs as well as protection of jobs. I further assure you that working together, this Administration protect workers’ rights and shall promote incentives for great productivity and hence greater prosperity.

    Thank you and I wish you all happy May Day celebrations.
    God Bless.

  • What is cheating in a relationship?

    What is cheating in a relationship?

    Cheating in relationship has been tagged with different meaning by different people – to some , “it means to violate rules and regulations” while others believe that cheating is “to be sexually unfaithful”.

     

    No doubt, many people have been in a situation where things seemed to be perfect in their relationship and, all of a sudden, their motives changed. The combination of dorm-room parties, alcohol, and an attraction to fellow course mates can certainly lead to what is feared mostly in a relationship – Cheating.

     

    Cheating in the university is a bit different than in adult relationships because the students are still in the process of maturity, and are trying to figure out what they really want in life.

     

    People cheat for a number of reasons. Either they are not happy in their current relationships, they want to try something (or someone) new, or they simply do not have what it takes to stay committed.

     

    Staying or leaving in a relationship is up to the individual. Cheating is very common in the college setting, but relationships are all about taking risks.

     

    For whatever reasons it is, some people have been traumatised as a result of cheating and it takes almost a lifetime for some others to come out of the situation.

     

    But what are the possible ways or strategies to fix a relationship after cheating? Below are few tips to help out:

     

    • Don’t automatically assume the relationship is doomed:

     

    Normally, after discovering your partner has cheated on you, you find it difficult to cope but relationship experts say “leaving a damaged partnership can sometimes be a cop out”.

    Instead, assume that staying together is equally possible.

     

    • Acknowledge that you have created a problem:

    It might seem easy, but if you don’t realize the fact that you have messed up, and therefore messed up the relationship, the healing process won’t go anywhere.

     

    • Figure out what drove you to cheat:

    Maybe it happened through flirting, whatever the problem is, try to figure it out so you can understand why you made your mistakes and don’t end up repeating hem.

     

    • Cut off communication with the other man or woman:

    Recommitting to your relationship means “ceasing all interaction with the person you cheated on your partner” with. It’s not going to be easy, especially if you have developed feelings for that other person or were used to seeing him/her on a regular basis. Still, you need to be totally committed to moving forward in the current relationship.

     

    • Give your partner time to heal:

    In an ideal world, the unfaithful partner could just say “I am sorry” and win back the other person’s affection. But in the real world, it can take at least a year for the betrayed partner to feel that he/she is able to trust you again.

     

    • Seek professional help:

    A licensed therapist can help figure out how to move past the affair by thinking about the factors that motivated one person to be unfaithful. The therapist can also help you come up with specific ways to restore trust and maintain a stable partnership.

     

  • OAP wannabes’ hangout with Toolz

    OAP wannabes’ hangout with Toolz

    Few people get to meet their mentors and role models in life. So imagine my joy when not only did I meet my mentor, but also talked to her. It was a dream coming true for me literally, when Mrs Tolu Oniru Demuren invited me and some other girls and a guy to an informal hangout to talk radio.

    It all started on Sunday morning. I had been unable to sleep because I kept wondering how I was going to fulfill my dreams especially of becoming a radio presenter. I didn’t know anybody in the business and had no idea what the dos and don’ts of the industry were. I wondered if I should just give up on that dream and move on but prayed for direction all the same. I finished praying and started browsing (I was actually instagraming) and there it was. It was past midnight and I was surprised to see a post from Toolz. Apparently, she had been getting a lot of questions concerning how to present and be an OAP. So she thought it’d be a good idea to host a few of her fans interested in radio presenting. I was ecstatic. This was the sign I had been looking for. I quickly sent in a mail half expecting to be picked and I guessed I would be one in a hundred or thereabout to send a request to be  invited because who wouldn’t jump at being possibly tutored and mentored by Toolz.

    Fortunately for me, I was selected to be one in sixteen other fans to attend her #AskToolz hangout. Time seemed to have slowed down waiting for the day to come and when it finally arrived, I was so anxious, I almost didn’t attend. But then my curiosity and eagerness to meet Toolz overweighed my anxiety and I went.

    Getting to the venue of the hangout, I was overwhelmed by the welcoming ambiance and the diversity of characters that were in attendance. They were beautiful, smart and passionate young women like me with the same love I have for radio. I talked to a few of the girls and found out that some of them had other careers or studied a course different from Mass Communication in the University but were still interested in pursuing their radio career. It was amazing to see likeminded young people fighting to keep their passion alive and it really inspired me

    Toolz got to the venue and I was awe struck. I decided her pictures didn’t do her any justice and she was far more beautiful than photographs portrayed her to be. And the myth that she was snobbish and arrogant was quickly dispelled too as soon as she opened her mouth to talk. She was so sincerely interested in what we had to say and she listened with attention to our hopes and dreams. It was like talking to one of your big sisters and I couldn’t help but draw on some of the confidence and enthusiasm she naturally exuded.

    She advised, cautioned and encouraged us to go after our dreams. She set records straight about some assumption we’ve heard or had about the industry too. And to crown it all up, she fed us. We were treated to the most delicious Chinese cuisines and enough water and drinks.

    After #AskToolz, I have come to some conclusions. First of all, there is no price to pay for dreaming big and reaching for the stars. Your personality and attitude is the lasting thing about you so cultivate the right attitude and be yourself. Also, never strive to be famous because fame is not everlasting. Plan and device methods and means of achieving your aims step by step too.

    All in all, I cherish meeting my mentor in the radio business and setting some facts right. The Oliver Twist in me can’t stop asking for more. More time with Toolz, more Chinese delicacies and more platforms like these from other celebrities. PEACE!!!!!!!!!

  • How to maintain a good relationship and education

    How to maintain a good relationship and education

    [dropcap color=”#c4692d” font=”verdana”]M[/dropcap]aintaining a committed relationship while attending to studies can be complex and challenging. The reality therefore is that, your relationship is simultaneously both a source of support and also a source of demanding responsibilities. To minimize these threats and actually grow closer during demanding times, it’s important to keep these tips in mind.

    • ENGAGE IN OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING:

    To minimize relationship problems and further enhance your relationship, communicate before and during challenging times. Communicating about one’s feelings is also important. Let your partner know the emotions you have and inhibitions one has about a situation.

    • SET BOUNDARIES:

    Learn to recognize the appropriate times to set boundaries between yourself and your program of study. It is important to recognize the boundaries needed to be set between yourself and your partner. As with any relationship, having each of you involved in other dimensions of your lives keeps the relationship from becoming too enmeshed, and also putting so much pressure on the relationship to maintain each person’s sense of worth and competence.

    • REMEMBER TO NEGOTIATE:

    Acknowledge and plan for the unique demands of being in undergraduate level training.

    – Irregular hours of school and study.

    -Abrupt and/or intense academic demands and sudden changes in priorities..

    -Unscheduled social activity with school peers which are needed to maintain a cohesive bond to support each other.

    • ATTENTION AND SUPPORT:

    Your partner may be having a hard time dealing with the many compromises made for the sake of your program demands. Set time aside, with no material related to your program in sight and ask about your partner’s day.

     

  • ‘Africans capable of world class innovations’

    ‘Africans capable of world class innovations’

     

    The African Innovation Prize for Africa  initiated by the African Innovation Foundation now  in its fifth year brings together innovators from all over Africa to network, share knowledge, and compete for a prize. This prize has attracted winners and nominees from all parts of Africa, including South Africa.

    In this interview, Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, (JC),  Innovation Influencer, Founder of African Innovation Foundation  and Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, (PMK), Director, Innovation Prize for Africa speak on the programme.

     

    What has been the impact of the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) in the past 5 years?

    JC: I founded the AIF in 2009 with the aim of supporting sustainable and innovation-led socio economic growth in Africa. Its key focus has been to enable Africans to create homegrown solutions for local challenges. Then, in 2011 we launched the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). This proved to be the catalyst for unlocking the dormant African innovation spirit.

    In 2012, at the joint Africa Union (AU) and UNECA conference, the IPA was endorsed by the ministers in attendance, and a resolution was passed, calling for member states to work with the AIF to promote innovation-based societies in Africa.

    To me, this will always remain one of the greatest achievements of the AIF because it led to important beginnings. Many African governments have since begun to see the real value in investing in innovation economies and have been increasingly putting innovation ahead on their development agenda.

    Today, from seeding the African innovation spirit across the continent to enabling the emergence of African innovation ecosystems through creative and strategic collaborations, the AIF has become one of the most respected and credible innovation-led platforms for African innovators.

     

    Can you elaborate more on the innovation ecosystems in Africa?

    JC: African innovation ecosystems are fledgling and simultaneously reflective of and dependent on the continent’s economic strength. They exist because of the incredible growth that Africa has witnessed in the past five years, yet in order to be sustainable they need to be integrated into the economic diversification mix from policy to grassroots.

     

    Innovation ecosystems are a work in progress and unique to each industry, country and continent. One of the key aspects of innovation ecosystems is the circulation of knowledge between co-existing systems*. They cannot succeed in isolation and therefore must be aligned with business and education ecosystems that can support and perpetuate parallel innovation.

     

    Its players must include innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, academia, venture capitalists, investors, as well as training consultants, legal consultants, business and professional development experts, and marketing gurus amongst others. The ability for these components to effectively come together rests on sound government policies, ethical practices and African cultural understanding.

     

    This is very much the focus of what we do at the AIF – connecting African innovators with innovation influencers and enablers to build stronger, more sophisticated innovation ecosystems that will ultimately become the backbone of African innovation economies.

     

    Is the concept of co-working spaces across Africa on the rise and why? 

    JC: Yes they are but not necessarily in the traditional sense, and this is fine. Africa doesn’t need to do things the way the rest of the world has. It has all the right variables to chart its own course and establish its own models of ecosystems that support innovation and entrepreneurship. The continent’s innovation ecosystems landscape is being shaped by a very young demographic** – one that is less resistant to change, quick to adopt technology and therefore very innovation driven.

     

    Coworking spaces, or hybrids of them, are cropping up across Africa and reshaping how African entrepreneurs learn, share ideas and co-create solutions that work for Africa. They are becoming hives for colonies of new tech start-ups, and small businesses who are creating the scope for more innovation-led jobs.

     

    In more technologically developed African countries, the concept of coworking spaces has truly taken off. South Africa’s Innovation Hub and Open Innovation, Kenya’s iHUB and 88mph Garage Nairobi and Senegal’s Jokkolabs are all great examples that have set the stage for many other African nations to learn from.

     

    In Angola, I was inspired to conceptualize a hybrid version of all the various facets of innovation ecosystems under one hub. Fábrica de Sabão (Soap Factory), although still in development, is a hybrid innovation hub designed to include marginalized communities in Angola. It comprises of incubator and accelerator hubs, co-working and maker spaces, a cultural exchange platform, local radio station and a residence program for visiting mentors and artists. The AIF, due to its experience and connections in the innovation space, will pay a key role in driving some of the hub’s programs.

     

    So as you can see, Africa’s innovation ecosystems do not follow a certain mold. They aren’t spaces that are inaccessible to the masses. They are there for practical purposes and to drive socioeconomic development opportunities.

     

    How has the IPA changed the innovation landscape across the continent?

    pauli mujawamariyaPMK: IPA has spurred change in Africa through actively mobilizing, rewarding, and promoting African ingenuity, by Africans for Africans. For the past 5 years, we have mobilized more than 6000 innovators from 50 African countries, unlocking innovation talent through offering more than US$800 000 in cash to promote outstanding innovations in multi-disciplinary sectors that include agriculture and agri-business, healthcare and well-being, ICTs, manufacturing and industry, and environment, energy and water.

    Through IPA, strong inroads have been made to affirm that Africans have the creativity and can innovate – not only for themselves – but for their communities and the nation at large. Our results touch the length of breadth of Africa, from a team of researchers and entrepreneurs in Cape Town, AgriProtein who won the IPA 2013 first prize of US$100 000 for their innovative approach to nutrient recycling – a method that uses waste and fly larvae to produce natural animal feed. The AgriProtein solution collects bio-degradable waste, feeds it to flies that in turn produce larvae that are ground into protein to provide a more ecologically friendly, naturally occurring type of animal feed. This approach improves the nutritional value of meat and lowers the cost of animal feed for African processors and farmers. After winning IPA, they attracted many investors and were able to raise US$11 million in less than a year!

    In Cairo, IPA 2012 Grand Prize winner Professor Mohamed Sanad, an engineering professor, created a new in-phone and mobile antennae that operates on all frequency bands and addresses challenges faced by the existing antennas. This innovation helps people stay connected, ensuring improved cellular access and productivity across Africa and around the world. Professor Sanad’s antennae will be the first to operate across carriers and borders. His innovation exemplifies the kind of leapfrog solutions with practical market potential that inspire AIF and investors.  He was able to sign a contract with Vodaphone after winning IPA!

    More recently, in 2015, Prof Adnane Remmal of Morocco, and Grand Prize winner of IPA 2015 received US$100 000 for his patented alternative to livestock antibiotics. This is a composition of natural phenolic molecules with anti-microbial (anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal) properties. This natural and innovative formula reduces the health hazard to cattle and humans, and prevents the transmission of multi-resistant germs and possible carcinogens through meat, eggs and milk to humans at no extra cost to farmers. Prof Remmal is now talking to investors to explore possibilities of scaling up his innovation to other African markets!

    As these few examples demonstrate, IPA has been able to confirm that Africans are capable of coming up with world class innovations which solve African problems and the rest of the world. It has also helped attract the necessary investments for these innovators who are creating jobs and solving pressing African challenges.

     

    Will you be introducing any new components into the IPA Awards going forward and if so, what will these be?

    PMK: Innovation is dynamic and as our work at IPA continues to turn wheels, we embrace new ideas, strategies and opportunities to enhance our mission to script Africa’s growth story. Our work in Africa is important, and we are now confident of our role in strengthening innovation ecosystems in the continent. We will continue to work with IPA champions and networks to pull resources together and respond to identified needs innovatively.

    One addition to our activities is the launch of our new online platform to connect African innovators and innovation enablers with resources to be launched at IPA 2016 event in Gaborone. We will also plan to put more emphasis on mobilizing young people and women to join our innovation movement. Lastly, collaboration will remain a key focus area. We will continue to work with established innovation enablers, and movers and shakers across the continent to support home-grown solutions that can make it to the market.

    Besides the three winners, IPA is extending support to all nominees with a support voucher of US$5000 and will promote leading young people and women through mentorship, training, and opportunities for boosting their great ideas.

    Going forward, our team will expand, to meet the growing needs of our program and increased our post-prize activities which will include capacity building through skills training, organizing pitching opportunities to attract the right investors and working with WIPO to ensure African innovations are protected.

    What does the AIF aim to achieve on a continental level in the future?

    JC: The AIF has always prioritized supporting sustainable projects that improve the lives and the future of people in Africa. We will continue to drive access to technologies and innovations, law and governance and social impact development.

    Of course, in the innovation space, the IPA will remain a key driver in building innovation societies in Africa. And through it we will continue to support the development of African innovation ecosystems by building synergies, collaborations, and partnerships with innovation enablers committed to Africa.

    Additionally, through the African Law Library (ALL), another important AIF program, we aim to support knowledge transfer in vital areas such as access to legal information. This is especially important in a continent like Africa with such diverse legal realities, both customary and colonial, because it can impact how things get done. The ALL will continue to provide free online public access to legal information from all over Africa. We now have over 50 partner entities in 20 African countries, and we will continue to empower African citizens with freedom of information through increased partnerships across the region.

    The third and newest program is the Social Impact Program (SIPA) in Angola. SIPA is focused on addressing social challenges through innovation. It looks at providing solutions to specific issues that impact rural communities. Here the focus will remain on building partnerships to support basic access to medical diagnostics, low-cost services in health, water and sanitation or energy provision, education and rural development in Angola.

    Clearly we have our work cut out for us but what keeps us going is desire to elevate need-based innovation and ramp up economic diversification across the continent.

    What are some of the success stories of the previous winners?

    Alex Mwaura Muriu, who developed the Farm Capital Africa, a risk sharing agri-business funding model that draws in investors for a share of farming profits was invited to showcase his innovation to the Kenyan president at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2015 in Nairobi, which is a lifetime opportunity for him. In terms of tangible growth, he has raise US$100,000/- from investors, increased partnership base, expanded his operational reach with cultivation increase to 20 acres from 8.

     

    Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini from Saphon Energy received USD 25 000 for creating a bladeless wind converto in IPA 2013. Since then, due to IPA, their credibility and exposure has been increased substantially, thus leading to building strategic partnerships with Microsoft 4 Africa and further scaling their reach. They have also enhanced their technology by moving from version 2 to 5.

     

    Logou Minsob, from Togo, won the runner-up for the FoufouMix machine, seen as the innovation with the best business potential. The Foufou Mix is a food processor designed to replace the mortar and pestles used to prepare foufou, a popular dish in West Africa. Due to the win, Logou received recognition from Head of State at Togo leading to increased funding with increased media exposure thus creating more awareness around the FoufouMix.

     

    Do you have offices in Africa?

    JC: Yes, in addition to our headquarters in Zurich we are set up in Luanda, Angola. It runs the SIPA program and the programs for the hybrid innovation hub, Fábrica de Sabão. However we don’t believe in the necessity to maintain a physical premise in order to accomplish our goals. Our focus is innovation and our work is to build innovation ecosystems and connect innovation enablers to support African innovators.

    We do this by tapping into our influencer networks across the African continent, including governments, innovation hubs, and other key stakeholders in countries that have hosted the IPA in the past or that have strong focus on innovation-led development. This approach has been fundamental to our achievements in supporting African innovation on a pan-African level.  Innovation thrives when people are connected, and by supporting innovation ecosystems, we are collectively contributing towards building African innovation economies.

     

  • That CNN’s video of Chibok Girls

    That CNN’s video of Chibok Girls

    International broadcaster, CNN certainly wowed its global audience with the video it exclusively obtained of Nigeria’s abducted schoolgirls by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014 to the consternation of the entire world.

    As would be expected in any situation where one has expended resources to acquire such valuable media, the news organisation milked it for all it was worth and had the foresight to have arranged a screening for grieving parents of the abducted girls. If the footage of the distraught mothers groveling as they pleaded for the release of the children didn’t force the hands of the government to go in search of the girls then maybe nothing will. Perhaps, that CNN’s exclusive will finally force the Nigerian authorities to seek closure in this case.

    As heart breaking as those images are, they raise questions that all those involved should provide answers to if the misery of these little girls is not to be released to mere movie prop that matters only to the point of boosting viewership and growing ratings.
    For a start, how come, as usual, none of the indigenous media houses were smart or daring enough to obtain the video? Of course the argument would be made later that they are lazy and without initiative and the enterprise needed to nail such an exclusive.
    The video was shot sometimes around last Christmas from the analysis provided by CNN, how long has the network held unto the video? Why did it opt for now, the second anniversary of the abduction, before airing it? Would it have been better if the video had gone public as soon as it was obtained with the possibility that any potential rescue was sped up relative to that timeframe? There is the fact that there are editorial processes that must be followed before the video is used but was the delay part of a deal struck with the terrorists as a condition for this ‘exclusive’ scoop?
    Protection of sources is a non-negotiable requirement of journalism. This requirement is serious enough that many journalists across the world have rather served prison terms than expose their sources while media organisations would rather bear the cost of expensive litigations than divulge sources. But what is the ethics about withholding information that mean that 219 girls will continue to remain sex slaves with potentials that some of them could get killed in these days of final onslaught on Boko Haram? Is CNN willing to assist the Nigerian authorities by providing information that could lead to the rescue of the girls?
    A natural argument is that the CNN should not compromise ethical standards to assist Nigeria’s law enforcement. Does anyone recall how jail breaking Mexican drug kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was recaptured? Guzman’s recapture was “thanks to a secret meeting with U.S. actor Sean Penn,” according to an article on Al-Jazeera America’s website. The incentive to capture El Chapo was high considering that he was at the root of the epidemic of heroin addiction in the US so ethics or any other consideration would be out of the window naturally.
    Even the ethics of healthcare workers was waived when polio vaccinators were exploited to gather information in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which eventually led to the killing of the then world most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden.

    What then makes the fate of the Chibok Girls different that CNN won’t without prompting furnish information to assist their freedom?

    Could there be a conspiracy to allow Nigeria stew in the mess that the Chibok Girls abduction has been since it first occurred? Does anyone remember who Dr Andrew Pocock is? Dr Andrew Pocock was the former British High Commissioner to Nigeria. Yes, the one who told us when it was well past the time that the United States and the United Kingdom knew the whereabouts of about 80 of abducted Chibok girls but would not intervene? To prevent a scenario where the CNN will claim some months down the line that Nigerian authorities did not approach it for information about this video, the Army should immediately make that request now and hopefully the network would not interpret the request as harassment.

    Additionally, is the CNN willing to give an unedited copy of the video it received to the appropriate authorities in Nigeria perchance the metadata can help to specifically geo-locate where the video was shot? If it turns out the version of the video it received has been stripped of all such markers before being handed over to it what guarantees does it have as to the authenticity of the clips as the terrorists, knowing what content analysis would be done, could have shot the video and made the girls say what they said at any other time in the distant past?

    Beyond the pondering of whether or not CNN will assist the Nigerian Army and government with information that could lead to the rescue of the abducted girls, one must also begin to questions where does it begin and where does it end. How far is too far? When does the receipt of a video footage, celebrated as “exclusive”, move from being legitimate and professional pursuit of stories to running the propaganda wing of a terrorist organisation?

    Agbese is a civil rights activist based in the United Kingdom.

     

  • The scourge of child marriage in Lagos

    The scourge of child marriage in Lagos

    In spite of the existence of the Child’s Rights Law and its status as Nigeria’s most cosmopolitan and most enlighten state, child and forced marriages still go on in several communities in Lagos unabated, reports BETTY ABAH

     

    Amina Hassan spotted the signs with much trepidation. First, they came for her eldest sister, Zainab and two years later, they came for the second eldest, Maimuna. After another two years, when they came for her as soon she turned 16 like the other two before her, as usual with the gleeful wedding party in tow, Amina bolted with all the strength in her sprightly teenage legs. It was only a few months to her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    “No, child marriage is not for me; my education first”, she blurted under her breath as she fled her home in the Ajegunle area of Lagos.

    ‘”I ran away from home to stay with a school friend of mine but my family and that of the groom waited patiently for me for those three days’, Miss Hassan recalled. “My father was no more so it was my uncle who was in charge. When I made a brief appearance at home to check if they had left, he got hold of me, beat me black and blue and said I was disgracing the family and shaming our tradition,” She said.

    Amina Hassan; fought child marriage to get education, now promoting literacy in the Shuwa Arab community in Lagos
    Amina Hassan; fought child marriage to get education, now promoting literacy in the Shuwa Arab community in Lagos

    The next alternative was to seek refuge with the police. So, Amina again sneaked out and reported at the nearby Ajegunle-Boundary police station.

    “But I received the shock of my life because some of my family members came and after some talk with the DPO, the story changed”, she said. The DPO took a long look at her and asked her to ‘cooperate’ with her family members as they had her best interest at heart.

    “I looked him in the face and asked: ‘If I were your daughter, would you also say the same thing—that I should cooperate with them and get married at age 16?”

    The obviously ruffled police officer, whom she remembered as having ‘bold, unforgettable tribal marks’, berated her for being a stubborn girl and promptly discharged her case from his station. The wedding party disappeared in great sorrow.

    Thus, given up by both family and the police, Amina went on to finish her secondary school in that same year (1993), and university education at the famous Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and went on to obtain a Masters Degree, the very first person and woman in her generation to accomplish that feat.

    Though Amina set herself free by her determination and sheer guts, her two other sisters, Zainab and Maimuna who could not, have continued to live with the consequences of child marriage, decisions made entirely on their behalf by their elderly relatives.

    Amina still recollects their ordeals with heavy heart. Fragile-framed Zainab had been tricked into a party ostensibly held in her uncle’s house in the Oregun area of Lagos not knowing it was her own traditional wedding. She was later taken to Asaba in Delta State where her elderly husband, a polygamist, was waiting for her. She later ran back home from her elderly husband, unable to cope.

    But the most dramatic was that of her sister Maimuna. ‘We had all prepared for school that morning and were all in our school uniform,’’ Amina recalls. Our uncle addressed Maimuna and told her no school for her that day as her husband had come for her. She had no idea who the man was or what he looked like. “My uncle had made the choice on her behalf. We all started wailing. Our neighbours’ children also came and joined in the wailing, but it was too late as a station wagon was already parked outside ready for her. They took her away in her school uniform. She was in SS1 at Oregun High School and was one of the best in the entire school, always coming first or second’.

    Maimuna was virtually bundled and taken to Chad from where, unable to cope with the domestic work (including cooking for her husband’s large extended family), she ran back to Lagos, selling her belongings along the long lengthy and traumatic way from Chad to Lagos heavy with pregnancy, giving birth and losing the child thereafter. Like her sister before her, Maimuna never went back to school.

    “My sisters were very intelligent and were well known in school for their brilliance, but these people just ruined their lives’, said Amina, established the Shuwa Arab Development Initiative (SADI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), after graduating from the university in 2009, to try and right the wrongs of the past and save other girls from the ordeal of girl marriage.

    Through SADI, she has facilitated the education of more than 100 children, boys and girls among the Shuwa Arabs (an indigenous community with roots in North East Nigeria) in Lagos.

     

    Thriving culture

    The above occurred mostly in the early 1990’s and therefore it could be assumed that child or forced early marriage is a thing of the past in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria’s most developed and most urbane city.

    Yet, Aisha Nasirudeen, 19, sitting, stroking her three children’s heads idly in the face-me-I-face-you compound of her rundown house on Odo Street in the Obalende area of Lagos, did not just portray the picture of urban poverty. She aptly personified the victim of an on-going and vibrant tradition of child marriage in settler communities across Lagos as relevant government agencies entrusted with the responsibility of acting against it, continue to look the other way or engage only in lame rhetoric.

    “My ambition was to become a doctor, but now I know I can’t achieve that dream anymore. My son Yahaha will achieve it for me”, said Aisha who was married off four years ago when she was barely 16 and in Senior Secondary Two (SS2).

    Aisha Nasirudeen and her three children
    Aisha Nasirudeen and her three children

    Quiet and tall Aisha, with features akin to that of a model is one of 28 children of a prominent alfa (Muslim cleric) who hails originally from Katsina. She is the last of three wives of Alhaji Mohammed Nasirudeen, who hails from the Upper Volta region of Ghana but converted to Islam and adopted Bornu as his state. He was formerly a disciple of Aisha’s cleric father.

    In a tone oscillating between sarcasm and seriousness, Aisha’s husband, Nasirudeen, 44, who runs a thriving restaurant in Obalende, says marriage was the best option for his wife. “You know some of these girls that have a tendency to be stubborn,’ he said, smiling from ear to ear and revealing his beautiful golden tooth. “it is always better to marry them off as soon as possible. It is for their good”, he added with relish.

    nlike Nasirudeen, Garba Abu, 55, who came to Lagos 25 years ago, is a repentant man. The Jigawa State-born man who, after over two decades as a security guard, now runs an almost empty kiosk at the College Road in Ogba area of Lagos, and doubles as a water vendor, had given out his three daughters Bintu, Saratu and Sadia as teenagers. Now, with the little earnings from his small businesses he and his wife ensure his younger children,Aminat, 13 and Muritala, 9 get a relatively good education. They are currently pupils in the nearby African Church Primary School, Ifako-Ijaiye.

    “There is so much difference between a person that goes to school and the one that didn’t,” he said, casting a distant look at his shrinking wares. “It is easy for an educated girl to get a job because she understands English while the ones that doesn’t understand English loses job opportunities.’

    A neighbour who has known the Garbas for several years recounted how one of the daughters, already in secondary school and doing very well, was ‘plucked’ off to her husband’s house. ”On the day of the ceremony, we asked her who her husband was but she told us that she hadn’t met him yet and that one of her sisters had gone to check his place where she would be moving to later in the evening, and that is when she would see him for the first time”.

     

    Deadly consequences

    Forced marriages such as the above have sometime led to tragic situations such as the one involving Wasilat Tasiu, a 14-year old bride who poisoned and killed her husband, Umar Sani, and four other guests in Kano a few days after she was married off,  in December 2014. According to her, she committed the crime in order to realise her dream of acquiring an education.  Another tragic incident involved Rahama Hussaini who killed her husband, Tijjani Nasiru, in March 2015 in protest over being forced to marry the man who was her cousin.

    Child marriage, with its devastating consequences on the overall welfare of the girl child remains one of the sore points and clogs in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress. The country, according to UNICEF, has the highest rate of girl marriage in Africa with over 50% of women in the North married off before or by age 16.

    According to a recent report by Ford Foundation, about 48% of girls in Nigeria, predominantly in rural areas, are married off before age 18. Cases of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), maternal mortality, have been on the increase especially in rural areas. Also, according to a 2013/2014 UNESCO report, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, numbering 11/5 million. This owes mostly to economic hardship and government’s indifference to children and the non-implementation of the Access to Universal Basic Education law in addition to the on-going anti-western education insurgency in the north.

    Out of this figure, girls are in the majority. The gross lack of interest in girl education and welfare in many regions across Nigeria’s has given rise to child marriage as economically-hit families want to ‘do away’ quickly with their girl children so as to give priority attention to their boy counterparts.

    Girls at Agbado and Agege railway area in Lagos; risk falling prey to child marriage
    Girls at Agbado and Agege railway area in Lagos; risk falling prey to child marriage

    Child marriage not only deprives a girl of education and her childhood but exposes them to sexually transmitted disease such as HIV especially since they are unable to negotiate for safer sex.

    A 2014 report by UNICEF titled ‘Ending Child Marriage, Progress and Prospects’ indicates that though child marriage in Nigeria has reduced by one per cent annually in the last 30 years, hundreds of girls are still at risk due to Nigeria’s peculiarly large population. It further revealed that of the world’s 1.1 billion under aged girls, 22 million are already married. The global body also expressed fears that if there is no reduction in child bride practices, up to 280 million girls will be married before age 18. That could even increase to 320 million by 2050 owing to population growth.

    Besides, child marriage directly hurts the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Goal SGD 5 which focuses on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls.

    Forced marriages and the impunity thereof is exemplified by the globally known case of the more than 200 girls abducted from the Government Secondary School in Chibok Town, Bornu State, Northern Eastern Nigeria in April 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents. According to their leader in a recorded interview, the girls had been married off. Two years later, despite the worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign, not only have 219 of the girls captured from their hostel rooms had their educational dreams aborted, they are yet to be found.

     

    ‘Lagos State Government looking the other way’

    However, while the reports and researches on girl marriage prevalence have focused on rural areas and especially the North fora long time, recent findings have revealed a steady culture of girl marriage in communities in urban areas such as Lagos.  Girl marriage is prevalent, even if at a comparatively reduced rate, in settler communities and secluded populations of the Hausa-Fulani, Nupes, Shuwa Arabs and as well as minority populations from Benin Republic and Togo. The communities include Makoko, Kofiganmen sea side area of Badagry, Ojo, Agege, New Okoba, Ijora, Marine Beach among several others across Lagos.

    Makoko, Lagos’ largest slum, a predominantly fishing community which hosts a pout-pouri of ethnicities drawn from across Nigeria, Togo and Benin Republic, is a classic case. According to a report by an NGO, Action Health Incorporated, Makoko has the highest number of teenage mothers. While many of the surveyed and the current are pre-marital pregnancies, hundreds of others are child brides.

    On a recent evening as the sun set over Makoko and the impoverished community assumed its rambunctious train of routine evening commerce and camaderie, Juliana Idowu, 17, Rhoda Awahajinu, 16 and Sena Kobozina, 20 sat exhausted in a shop, after the day’s task, fielding questions impatiently from this reporter. They were warming up to go home so as to perform their usual wifely responsibilities of cooking, washing, feeding their children and pleasing their mostly young husbands in a variety of ways. The young mothers and wives have many things in common. Each had a child, each was married and each had her education cut short in order to take on marital roles and is currently learning vocational skills, mainly hairdressing or tailoring. Other than concentrating on their skills, owning their own shops ultimately and rearing healthy children, none had any more ambition. Like hundreds of other girls in the community, some of them became pregnant between ages 14 and 15.

    The young wives and mothers of Makoko
    The young wives and mothers of Makoko

    Yet a rather more worrying trend in Makoko is that of some parents are not only forcing their teenage daughters into marriage once they become pregnant, but compelling their them to marry much older men in that condition, with the pregnancy.

    In this  category are Bose Nge, 14 who is pregnant, Elizabeth Avonzetin 18,mother of two, Jane Zanu, 18, also a mother of two and Olorunwa Humgbe Louis who lost her first baby and is pregnant with a second one. While Zannu’s twin brother is in a French school in Badagry, her sole ambition now learning tailoring and being a good mother and wife. All became mothers and wife as teenagers.

    “Here, once a girl becomes pregnant, she is expected to identify the boy or young man that is responsible. The girl’s family thus organises a marriage ceremony and sends the girl off to live with the boy as his wife, and if he is still with the parents, she goes to live with them”, said  Mariam Kusika, 24, mother of three and herself a victim of child marriage.

    The only snag, she added, is when the boy denies and the baales (local chiefs) would wade in. “But most times the girl’s parents are not disposed to keeping her and would quickly ‘dispose’ of her ‘free of charge’ to any willing person alongside her pregnancy. We have seen so many of such cases here,”said Mrs. Kusika, who, after learning from her mistakes, is now hoping to go back to school later this year, and currently earning a variety of skills and running a girl empowerment club.

    Paulina Vigan, a trader and mother of one of the pregnant and hastily married Makoko girls, corroborated Kusika’s claims. Her daughter is fourteen years old. And she has no regrets.

    ‘My daughter is very stubborn,’ she said, her forehead furrowed in a blend of anger and grief. ‘I thank God the parents of the boy who impregnated her accepted and took her in. Our traditions has no room for unwanted pregnancies and the boy who impregnated her is just about 17 years and in JSS Two. If they had refused, I would have sent her far away where nobody knows her until she gives birth or better still, give her and her unborn child to an old man, who might be willing to take her in as the third or fourth wife so as to reduce the stigma. Besides tradition, I couldn’t even have coped because I am just a poor trader and my business is not generating much profit and she has siblings I still have to fend for. I am so sad that she can’t go back to school again, if I had the money, I would have wanted her to become very educated, because I really liked her’.

    ‘’Child marriage has serious negative consequences for these girls,’ says Bimbo Oshobe, a community worker in Makoko. ‘Besides the health implications due to their unripe bodies, we have discovered that many of these child marriages don’t last because most times both the husbands and wives are too young and inexperienced and therefore unable to handle so many issues. Sometimes too, some of these men are even old enough to be their fathers’, she added. Oshobe advised the Lagos State Government, rather than being detached, to carry out sensitization program or partner with grassroots ngos that would reach the people with the relevant messages and orientation.

    Adewale Akintimehin, 74, a retired police officer who has lived in Makoko since 1963, echoes Oshobe’s complaint. ‘The politicians come every four years with promises but we hardly see any of them fulfilled. And, when we demanded to know why, they would either say ‘Rome was not built in a day’, or that they were not the ones in the office in the previous term,’ he said, downcast. Akintimehin however hoped that ‘this Ambode regime would be better than the last one in terms of education’.

    “We have seen girls of 14, 15, 16 years, some even 13 getting married here,” he said. Once they are physically developed, they want to identify with a man, or when they are asked to repeat a class,” he stressed. He also blamed the trend of negligence on the parts of some of the parents and peer pressure.

    Education pays; Akintimehin and his daughter Ibukun at the airport in Finnland
    Education pays; Akintimehin and his daughter Ibukun at the airport in Finnland

    A respected, outspoken community leader and founding member of the influential The Act of Apostle Church in the locality, Akintimehin said the church and community leaders were working towards reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy and child marriage by encouraging school enrolment.

    ‘We are now preparing for the annual ‘Makoko Day’ and one of the features of that day is the donations of free WAEC forms to both our boys and girls who are ready and who have passed through some tests to be administered’,  he revealed, insisting that things would have been better had government been more attentive.

    Amidst the challenges, Akintimehin is highly celebrated in Makoko as being an exemplar in promoting girl child education. By ensuring his first daughter, 44 year-old Ibukun Elizabeth delay marriage and obtain a university degree, he is happier and prouder for it. Ibukun now has a Master degree and lives happily with her husband and two children in Finland and invites her father for occasional holidays. Even in absentia, she remains a Makoko ‘girl hero’.

    Abdullahi, a youthful leader of the bustling Hausa community in Agege Pen Cinema area and graduate of the Lagos State Polytechnic, spoke in the same vein. ‘They are so many children here, both boys and girls that are not in school. No government official has ever engaged us to know what is happening here or to try and enrol them in school’ he told this reporter in the office of the Seriki, local chief of the market. The Hausa population here, constituting itinerant traders, artisans and sometimes beggars has increased astronomically since the on-going insurgency particularly in the North East. By all calculation, with lack of education and government’s interest, many of the girls there who currently hawk fura da nunu (cow milk) around the railway side market risk being married off early.

     

    A lot more sensitization, enforcement of law needed

    Several attempts in the course of three weeks, to interview the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Lola Akande , failed. However, a source at the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) who craves anonymity insisted that the government was trying its best in ‘responding to the cases as they happen.’ ‘The fact that armed robberies happen does not mean the police doesn’t exist’. He urged affected persons to report to the nearest police station as the stations are now armed with human rights and family units.

    He further pointed at the Lagos Child Rights Law 2007 which made profuse provisions outlawing child marriage. Also, only in February, he added, the state launched a well-publicised campaign titled ‘Ending Violence Against Children in Nigeria: Priority Actions: Lagos State’, which is was a multi-sectoral response to the 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey. The launch campaign has the backing of UNICEF, USAID, US Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention and other agencies.

    However, Princess Olufemi-Kayode, a child’s rights activist and anti-rape expert and Executive Director of Media Concern for Women and Children (MEDIACOM), argued that government needs to do a lot more if child marriage must become history in Lagos State. “Just like the rest of the states that have passed the 2003 Child Rights Act, the issue is about enforcement”, she said.

    Olufemi-Kayode also blamed lack of communication between government and the masses, especially the uneducated. ‘How much of information about such laws do the general public have? Even the police that are supposed to enforce the law don’t even have the necessary information.’ She advised the government to embark on massive public awareness including exploring the use of local languages that are accessible to the masses in addition to utilising such medium of mass communication as the ubiquitous and effective radio. ‘Child marriage is rape by another name because these girls are minors. It disrupts their lives and we must do everything to stop it,’ she added.

     According to Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, a human rights lawyer and Executive Director of Spaces for Change, an ngo, girl marriage anywhere in Nigeria is a pointed violation of the rights of children and of country’s constitution.

    ‘The Nigerian Constitution puts the statutory age of adults at 18.  Anyone lower than that is a minor and cannot give consent, and marriage is a decision that requires consent and consent cannot be given by a minor,’ she said.

    Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, Spaces for Change; 'Child marriage is unconstitutional'.
    Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, Spaces for Change; ‘Child marriage is unconstitutional’.

    For citizens below the age of 18, the Constitution imposes certain obligations on states to protect their interests and welfare. Section 17 (3)(f) of the 1999 Constitution requires states of the federation to direct their policies towards ensuring that children, young persons and the aged are protected against any exploitation whatsoever, and against moral and material neglect.

    Keep in mind that the child rights legislations follow the tenor of the Constitution. Child Rights Act criminalizes having carnal knowledge of a child below the age of 18. This has been interpreted to mean that 18 years is the legal age of consensual sex in Nigeria. Child Rights Act applies in twenty-four (24) states of the federation (including Lagos) and the Federal Capital Territory.

     

    ‘The fact is that though Lagos is a rapidly urbanising and metropolitan society, we must know that  Nigeria is basically a cultural society. The traditions and religious practices and dispositions have a great influence over people and so even when come to Lagos or other big cities, those cultures still guide and inform their private lives,’ she added.

    Echoing Olufemi, Ibezim-Ohaeri maintained that the Lagos State needs to enforce the Child Rights Act it so vigorously passed to safeguard children within its territories.

    ‘Having a law is a good step but people being aware and the government enforcing the law is another thing. The enforcement mechanism of the state needs to develop to a stage where it can enforce all the provisions of the Child Rights Act. They have taken some steps like setting up family courts but a lot of gaps need to be filled. Public education can play a major role. The people need to be sensitised as to the risk they put their daughters through. They need to know they are putting their daughters’ life, health, education, and futures at risk, I believe they will consciously make the decision not to marry out their daughters. They get to need to get to that level of consciousness so they can make informed decisions about their daughters’ futures.’

    The investigation was done with the support of Ford Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting.