The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Malami’s ambition and the Kebbi fleet

    Malami’s ambition and the Kebbi fleet

    The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, appears to enjoy controversy. He has always been in the news, for mostly wrong reasons, especially entangled in some unsavoury situations.

    Since the advent of democracy in 1999, no Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) cum Minister of Justice has courted controversies like the incumbent.

    Malami was the national legal adviser for the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), a party founded by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2010.

    He was later appointed by Buhari in 2015 and is regarded as one of the key members of his cabinet.

    In the course of his duties, Malami had, on different occasions, triggered an avalanche of storms.

    After months of speculations and series of denials, Malami laid to rest the controversies surrounding his gubernatorial ambition, when he stated that people from his native state — Kebbi — have been pressuring him to contest the governorship position.

    So, on April 28, he declared his intention to vie for the Kebbi governorship seat at the 2023 general election, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    As pundits debated the legality of his governorship ambition while serving as Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Malami, once stirred the hornet’s nest with his reported donation of expensive vehicles to woo loyalists in support of his gubernatorial ambition.

    The viral pictures of the vehicles, including Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)  from luxury brands like Lexus, Mercedes Benz GLK, Toyota, among others, were shared on social media platforms during the week.

    Read Also: Amaechi, Malami, others weigh five alternatives to resignation

    It was learnt that Malami gifted about 14 Mercedes-Benz (GLK), eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux, and four Lexus LX 570s to associates and other persons.

    Interestingly, the vehicles were distributed days after he declared his intention to join the Kebbi governorship contest.

    This stirred widespread reaction with many condemning his action; but Malami’s supporters rose to his defense issuing frantic rejoinders to criticism of his action.

    In spite of frantic rejoinders from Malami and his supporters, many commentators refused to accept Malami’s narrative, given his antecedents.

    Speaking on the distribution of the vehicles, the Special Adviser to Kebbi governor, Yusuf Rasheed, who represented Malami, said the donation was part of efforts to ensure that the humanitarian activities of the Khadimiyya Foundation reached the grassroots.

    Malami is reported to be one of the key stakeholders of the foundation, a non-governmental organisation, which is based in Kebbi State.

    While Malami’s media aide, Umar Gwandu, said the minister’s friends and loyalists supported his governorship ambition with N135m, the friends of his principal, he said, gifted the vehicles to “long-term workers in the Khadimiyya Foundation.”

    Gwandu also denied the allegations in some quarters that the vehicles were given out as a soft landing for his principal, to enable pick the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi for the 2023 elections.

    Reacting, senior lawyers including Femi Falana, condemned the donations, describing it as illegal.

    In his statement on the donations, Gwandu said, “It is abundantly clear that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has teeming supporters from home and beyond.

    “This has been demonstrated not only by the calls from far and near for him to vie for Kebbi’s gubernatorial seat in the forthcoming election but also by the donations from friends, associates and supporters of N135m. The recent donation of N135m has opened doors for donations and support of many items including vehicles by well-wishers.

    “The story attributing vehicle distribution to Malami was mischievous and misconstrued information. It was friends and associates of Malami who donated and distributed vehicles to long-term workers in the Khadimiyya Foundation.

    “The occasion was not for distribution of vehicles to any APC stakeholder. None of the APC stakeholders or delegates in Kebbi State was given any vehicle by Malami.”

    But faulting the donations, the lawyers argued that Malami had breached Paragraph 6, Part 1 of the 5th Schedule to the Constitution and the Code of Conduct for public officials.

    Falana stated, “He has breached the provisions of Paragraph 6 (1) of the Code of Conduct for public officers which provide that: ‘A public officer shall not ask for or accept property or benefits of any kind for himself or any other person on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties.”

    Another lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe faulted Malami for receiving the donations, describing it as wrong and illegal. Adedipe stated that it was contrary to constitutional provisions.

    Another lawyer, Tosin Ojaomo citing section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, described the receipt of the donations by the AGF as bribery and conspiracy.

    Arguing in favor of Malami, the former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe SAN, disagreed that Malami had violated the law, insisting that he could receive political donations as an aspirant.

    Malami in an attempt to clear the air on the controversy said, “At this moment, I have experienced a barrage of attacks, left, right and centre, some are local and others international, an attack that has to do with an allegation that I shared many expensive vehicles to delegates of APC.

    “As a person with some associates, neither I nor a friend of mine shared any vehicle to any delegate across the state.”

    Malami described the story as mischievous and misconstrued.  He said, “Let me state categorically that some of the foundations, as Khadi Malami and Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative I am associated with over time, have workers who have demonstrated a greater capacity in the development of the state.

    “These associations have contributed immensely in poverty alleviation, provision of social amenities to remotest areas, empowering unemployed youth and women, as well as small and medium-scale farmers and businessmen and women, among others, in the state.“In appreciation of what the workers of the associations have been doing in the state and beyond, the supporters of the associations, collectively and individually, decided to solicit support from well-meaning Nigerians that have been supporting the NGOs in order to reward those that have been manning the affairs of the NGOs,” he said.

    Malami explained that it was his friends and associates who donated and distributed vehicles to long-term workers in the Khadimiyya Foundation.

    “I know I had an interactive session with APC stakeholders some days ago and had accepted calls from Kebbi people to run for the state governorship; the meeting was not for distribution of vehicles to any APC stakeholder.

    “None of the APC stakeholders or delegates in Kebbi State was given any vehicle by me, and I have not yet donated any vehicle to any delegate.

    “The mischief-makers can contact the National Secretariat of the APC, get the lists of all the APC stakeholders and delegates in Kebbi State.

    “You too can do an investigative story to reach out to them, then you will realise how fictitious the claim is.

    “There is no connection between the names of APC stakeholders and the beneficiaries of the vehicles and are not connected whatsoever,” the minister pointed out.

  • Working in construction has been inspiring -Seun Eyitayo

    Working in construction has been inspiring -Seun Eyitayo

    Seun Eyitayo is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Landwey Investments. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talked about breaking the bias for women in construction, technology, experience in manufacturing, the opportunities in the hospitality industry as well as her organisation’s latest project, Isimi Lagos.

    WHAT are you working on at the moment?

    We are developing Isimi Lagos- Nigeria’s first wellness and lifestyle city, beginning with a reveal of the masterplan showing the layout of the city and subsequently, the construction phase.  It was launched in the middle of last year, giving the public snippets of what the city is going to be like. We plan on having annual symposiums to give people a look into the progress of this monumental project.

    How did you arrive at the name Isimi Lagos?

    Isimi means rest or peace of mind. It is derived from the Yoruba language.

    Living in any city, you become accustomed to noise, hustle and bustle as people go about their daily duties. We realised that there is usually no place to go away from the noise for people to escape. A place just to relax close to nature, the sounds of birds. Providing this escape was the thought that inspired Isimi.

    What are some of the preliminary works you have done so far for Isimi Lagos?

    A lot of work has been done behind the scenes.  If you visit the site of the project right now, you will only see a gate house, fence and our branding. However, behind the scenes we have been working with our architects and contractors to lay the foundation work for the next phases of the project. The next stage will be the commencement of the construction.

    Who would you refer to as your target for this project?

    Isimi is open to everybody in Lagos. We developed an oasis with something for everyone because everybody deserves the rest and peace Isimi stands for. It is a place you should be able to rest and rejuvenate. There is a spot for everyone, there is going to be a few facilities like a school, clinic and obviously you can raise a family there. There is also going to be a retirement home, where older people can come in for vacation and even live there.

    Are there challenges?

    Yes. A lot of construction challenges. The cost of construction, especially since last year when we started, has gone up significantly. To meet the rising costs, we had to increase our selling price from approximately 42,000 NGN per square meter as at last year, to a starting fee of 200, 000 NGN per square meter. The inflation rate is so high and because of the standard we want, we cannot compromise on quality. We are using a lot of expatriates and the fluctuations with the exchange rate is quite challenging.

    Are there specific attractions for women?

    The city is open to anybody regardless of gender. Women can buy into the project for themselves or for their children and loved ones. There are also different facilities we will offer such as a golf course, polo turf, spa, hiking pathways, gym facilities and several Olympic standard pool amongst other things that may attract women who hold interest in these recreational activities.  There are also opportunities in tech in the city, I know a lot of women who are going into IT now and breaking the bias in that industry.

    What makes what you are doing different from others?

    I believe it is what we are trying to do and the fact that we are the first. This does not exist in Lagos, and I am not sure it exists in Nigeria. This is going to be the first wellness and lifestyle city. Imagine an ecologically conscious green city paying great attention to it pollution, emissions, and waste right here in Nigeria! In addition to this, our plan for Isimi Lagos is to not distort or disturb the geological layout of the trees and natural and topography within the city. We want to create a natural oasis in Lagos. You know how it feels when you wake up in a place and there are trees everywhere.  You open your windows; you don’t even see your neighbours, and you enjoy nature at its fullest.

    How has this affected you personally?

    To be honest, it has been inspiring. This is a dream that is slowly coming to reality and all the work that is going on in the background is exhilarating. We are doing our best to get the best. We get people to train our staff and vendors to follow the standard of excellence that we project. We have had a number of buildings projects overtime and we have had people that work with us over time. They have grown with us and proven to be satisfactory. They meet our standards and the more we expand, the more we need more people. So, we are going to take time to train the people we work with, educate them, and make sure that there are a lot of checks and balances as well to ensure a seamless execution of our projects.

    Some of the building materials are imported but a lot more of them are made locally. Cement, glasses, iron are all here in Nigeria and we want to boost and support proudly made in Nigeria products. So, as much as possible we’re going to use local products and materials.

    Tell us about yourself. Are you a realtor?

    I am not a realtor. My background has been in Accounting and General Management.  Just before this, I have worked in the Manufacturing, Retail as well as the Hospitality Industries.  I also have experience working in operations before assuming my current role as COO at Landwey.

    Tell us about your experience in manufacturing?

    That was an entirely different life and experience. I used to work in a flour manufacturing company. In my previous role, I followed the entire process from wheat importation, working in the factory and so many other details. Looking back, I would say that working in construction is a completely different experience. In that space there was a lot more physical work because you’re making something from scratch as opposed to what I do now as Chief Operating Officer. This has to do with strategy, deliberation and a lot of cerebration. I am grateful for the vast experience I have accumulated in all these industries.

    You mentioned breaking the bias earlier on, personally, have there been biases? How many have you broken?

    I think as a woman generally, our norm is to break biases every day. There are expectations that people have of you just because you are female, they often are of the opinion that as a female in the construction industry, you cannot take on a challenging role especially a physically strenuous one. My encouragement to women in all walks of life is that every day you get up and you must prove them wrong.

    What are some of the changes that you would like to see in the Real Estate and Construction Sector?

    It would be better if we had a regulated and consistent price of raw materials for the construction industry, this would make things trouble-free and better for everyone. We are all aware of all the global economic challenges, but regulation in the industry would provide safety net for organisations in the sector enabling them to operate without unprecedented operational challenges. We need to remember that the unabridged goal in the sector is to solve the housing problem which is getting tedious in Nigeria. Housing is becoming increasingly expensive. Most people cannot afford it and we want affordable homes,

    Do you have Corporate Social Responsibility for the communities you work with?

    Yes, recently we celebrated our five years’ anniversary as a company and decided to share this feat by impacting, in our own way, the communities around us e.g. The Ogombo Community especially, where we have four prime estates. We reached out to them and brought the children together and it was quite memorable.

    Where do you see the Isimi Lagos project in the next 5 years?

    The set deadline for the completion of the entire project is in 2030- that is in 8 years. So, in 5 years I see us completing a major portion of the infrastructural development in the project. Most of the recreational centres and key infrastructure within the city would be ready.

    How has doing all of this influenced you personally?

    I think it has just opened me up to the possibilities of what can be. Having a vision of something-a project of this magnitude and bringing it to life is quite fulfilling. When you have a vision, you sell it and if it’s a truly achievable and impactful vision it can happen. With Isimi Lagos, I am witnessing a mere vision actualise into reality. I am honoured to be part of all the hard work behind the scenes to bring this vision to a reality.

    How has Isimi Lagos changed your outlook of the sector?

    The sheer magnitude of what we are trying to do is a great motivation and inspiration to me. There is a place in South Africa that we drew further inspiration the actualisation of the Isimi Lagos project. Visiting the location and seeing what they have manage to achieve really prompt us to ask questions such as ‘why can’t we have this here in Nigeria’.

    The experience opened our eyes to a lot of opportunities and the things we can achieve locally. Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources, we have the land, the labour and the ingenuity to achieve even more.

  • Dapo Abiodun’s blast from the past

    Dapo Abiodun’s blast from the past

    Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, is in the eye of a gathering storm, regarding his eligibility to seek re-election in 2023.

    Although he has declared his intention to run for a second term alongside his Deputy, Noimot Oyedele, the governor has to deal with an avalanche of questions about his eligibility .

    A petition, submitted by Ayodele Oludiran (an APC member from Abeokuta South Local Council, Ogun State), to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, called on the governor to address the allegation that he committed criminal offences in the United States in the 80s and other possible constitutional infractions.

    The petition, is against the governor’s re-election bid especially pointing attention to alleged irregularities in the educational qualifications he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Oludiran noted that there were discrepancies in Forms CF001 the governor filled in 2015 and 2019 with INEC, especially discrepancies in the educational qualifications he submitted to the electoral body.

    According to him, while contesting for governor in 2019, Abiodun claimed he attended International Primary School Ayetoro in 1971. But four years earlier, while he was running for Senate, he submitted the name of another primary school, Comprehensive High School Ayetoro.

    “All efforts to locate both schools, which would have been in the present Ekiti State or Ogun State – of the Old Western Region of Nigeria – proved impossible,” Oludiran said.

    “I submit that if he indeed had attended any of the above-stated schools, he would have been consistent while filling the INEC forms.

    “His claim to have attended non-existent schools in 1971 also amounts to lying on oath and presenting a false certificate to INEC which are very potent grounds for disqualification as enshrined in Section 182 (1) (j) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

    But reacting, Abiodun, asked Adamu, to disregard crime allegations in the petition sent to his office seeking his disqualification from participating in the 2022 governorship primary in the state.

    The governor through his legal team from the chambers of Afe Babalola, SAN, said the petition was a deliberate move to deprive him of the opportunity to set the records straight, claiming that the petition was characterised by falsehood and malice.

    It said: “The allegation that discrepancies exist in our client’s Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 is statute-barred. This allegation can only form the basis of a cause of action in court 14 days from the day our client filled and deposed to these forms.

    “Therefore, a suit seeking to declare the content of these forms false ought to have been filed within 14 days from the day our client deposed to these forms. Please see Section 285 (9) and Section 285 (14) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)…”

    On the allegation that he was indicted and imprisoned in the 80s, the letter described it as false and misleading.

    “Our client has never been indicted or convicted for the commission of any crime.

    “Assuming without conceding that the allegation that our client was arrested and detained in 1986 in the US is accurate, we state that the fact of our client’s arrest and detention as far back as 1985 do not constitute a ground for his ineligibility to run for the 2023 governorship election,” the letter read, citing Section 29 (6) of the Electoral Act 2022.

    Meanwhile, the DA Mandate Group, led by Apagun Biyi Adeleye, have raised funds,  and purchased the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for Abiodun’s second term bid.

    Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi, has also argued that Abiodun deserves to be elected for a second term in office, saying he had performed beyond imagination.

    An ally of the governor and former lawmaker, Kayode Oladele, dismissed the petition, describing it as “frivolous and legally deficient.”

  • Khafi Kareem: A reckoning for ex-BBnaija housemate

    Khafi Kareem: A reckoning for ex-BBnaija housemate

    This appears not to be the best of times for Khafi Kareem, ex-Big Brother (BBNaija) housemate, who is haunted for her past actions.

    She’s currently pulling out all stops to save herself from the dangling axe of her employer – Metropolitan (Met) Police in the United Kingdom.

    Khafi is undergoing a misconduct hearing for allegedly breaching the rules and regulations at her workplace.

    The 33-year-old, who took part in BBNaija 2019, was evicted from the ‘Pepper Dem’ edition after 77 days on the show.

    Her stint in the Big Brother contest came with its fair share of ups and downs. She was embroiled in a romantic entanglement with ex-housemate Gedoni Ekpata. Although they didn’t win millions at stake, they waded through the intrigues, struck a romantic deal and eventually got married after the show.

    Following her eviction, she announced she would be moving to Lagos from London and plans to go into acting and presenting.

    But her appearance was said to have caused outrage among senior Met officers by partaking in the show without permission.

    It was reported that the reality star had asked for permission to appear in the show but was denied. She, however, chose to accept a place in the house “without authority.”

    The officers were also said to have felt embarrassed when then 29-year-old ex-housemate allegedly had sexual affairs with fellow contestant Gedoni.

    But Big Brother Naija organisers denied that it happened.

    Khafi who hails from Ekiti State, joined the London Metropolitan Police as a constable based at Lambeth Station in 2015.

    Before joining the force, she worked part-time as a special constable for four years.

    She had told BBNaija she joined the police after her friend was murdered in 2007, adding that she was on the Met’s female genital mutilation team.

    Her colleagues and bosses registered their concerns about the scandals that emanated from the show, saying it brought the force into disrepute.

    Responding to allegations, Khafi’s superiors noted that her conduct amounted to a breach of the Met’s Standards of Professional Behaviour.

    The embattled celebrity, a mother-of-one, explained that BBNaija was not like the UK version, saying that she saw it as a chance to promote the Met internationally.

    She denied allegations of rupturing merit concerning “orders and instructions” and “discreditable conduct.”

    The reality tv star also affirmed during the hearing that she failed to declare a business interest in the publicity and promotion of the show.

    She requested unpaid leave wages because she helped promote the Metropolitan Police.

    Matt Twist, Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner, said Khafi was asked not to participate in the show as a result of concerns over her mental health, the Met’s public image and her conduct within the house.

    Twist revealed that despite Met’s disapproval, she travelled to Lagos and informed him that she would be participating in the show.

  • Yul Edochie’s surprise: A second wife!

    Yul Edochie’s surprise: A second wife!

    Popular actor and movie director Yul Edochie stunned many of his fans and colleagues during the week when he announced he had a son with his second wife, Judy Austin.

    It is the first time the actor who is also nursing a 2023 presidential ambition, would be bringing to public notice that he has a second wife.

    His disclosure shocked many because the star had been married to one wife – May Aligwe.

    The 40-year-old actor set social media abuzz after sharing pictures of himself and the boy on his Instagram page.

    He wrote: “It’s time for the world to meet my son.

    “His name is STAR DIKE MUNACHIMSO YUL-EDOCHIE. Born by my second wife @JudyAustin and I love him so much, just as much as I love my other children.”

    His friends and fans quickly took to social media to express their views about the thespian’s action. Some even labeled him unfit to run for the 2023 presidency. He had indicated interest in running for the highest office in the land.

    Edochie had once hailed his first wife, May, for standing by him for 16 years while he was struggling. But the announcement of the second wife wasn’t well-received by May who called down the judgement of God on her husband and his new spouse.

    In the comment, May wrote: “May God judge you both.” Last year, she gave hints about troubles in her marriage after sharing a cryptic message on Instagram.

    The mother-of-four had shared a post that had the photos of Barack and Michelle Obama in their early years and then when they became the U.S. First Family.

    “Never forget a woman who helped you build yourself and stand by you when you had nothing… if she was with you in hell, be with her in paradise,” the post read.

    Reacting, former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, noted that polygamy is not a sin, adding that it is better than adultery or fornication.

    He said: “In my personal opinion, I don’t think polygamy is a sin.” He added that it was only forbidden for “bishops, overseers and elders in the church – 1 Timothy 3:2.”

    Yul’s colleague, Uche Maduagwu, questioned if Edochie was still a Christian following his latest revelation.

    Another colleague Victoria Inyama expressed disappointment saying she was deeply hurt and embarrassed.

    The day following the stunning revelation, Edochie woke up to shower praises on his first wife via his verified Instagram handle. He shared two lovely pictures of his first wife and captioned the post, “NUMBER ONE. @mayyuledochie. Undisputed.”

    The couple got married at the young age of 22 in 2004, after they had dated for six years. They celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary in October 2021.

    They have four children – three boys and a daughter. Their names are: Danielle, Kambi, Karl, and Victory.

    Yul’s new wife, Judy, is a Nollywood actress, producer and brand influencer from Anambra State.

    She’s is not a new face in Nollywood as she has featured in several movies and even starred alongside Yul.

    Until recently, Judy had maintained a low profile, not until her husband revealed her as his second wife and the mother of his newborn son.

    Many Nigerians have since taken to Judy’s Instagram page, calling her out for ‘ruining’ May’s marriage.

    Yul, who graduated from the University of Port Harcourt, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts, followed in the footsteps of his father, Pete Edochie, a veteran actor.

    Prior to his presidential bid, he had contested for the Anambra State governorship election in 2017 under the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC) but lost after securing only 145 votes.

    He was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Creative and Entertainment Media to Willie Obiano, former Anambra governor, in 2018.

    He resigned a few months later and defected from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

  • Ilaje/Ibeno bloody clash: Our wives, children are missing, refugees cry out

    Ilaje/Ibeno bloody clash: Our wives, children are missing, refugees cry out

    • Tearful survivors count losses in Akwa Ibom communal crisis
    • Yoruba community leader: We lost more than N20b property

    Mkpanak, a fishing community in Ibeno Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State is host to the operational base of ExxonMobil popularly known as QIT. It is also home to Nigerians from virtually all tribes and even people from neighbouring African countries, who have coexisted and carry out their businesses harmoniously for years.

    The Ilaje people, an extraction of the Yoruba, whose major occupation is crayfish fishing, constitute almost half of the population of not just Mkpanak but Ibeno as a whole. They have decades been living with the natives of their host community plying their crayfish fishing business and making good fortunes. They have contributed more than 50 per cent to the economy of Ibeno, according to statistics.

    Their peaceful co-existence with their hosts, however, took a bad turn as violence erupted between them on April 19, causing the Ilaje people untold pain, agony and losses in terms of lives, property and means of livelihood.

    There have been conflicting accounts from the two camps on the cause of the crisis. While the Ilaje people claim that the Ibeno indigenes were the ones that launched unprovoked attacks on them because they (Ibeno) are jealous of their success and stupendous wealth acquired from their fishing business, the indigenes are alleging that the crisis erupted because the Ilaje killed one of their own.

    The Nation, however, gathered that the trouble started at a football viewing centre as a quarrel between a young Ilaje man and his Ibeno landlord during which some indigenes of the area had sided with the landlord to beat him up while the young man allegedly stabbed his landlord to death in self-defence.

    In retaliation, natives of the community, mostly youths, launched devastating attacks on the Ilaje people, destroying and looting their houses, boats, outboard engines, cars and other valuables.

    No fewer than five Ilaje people were reportedly killed in the outbreak of violence while many others were missing. Scores of others were badly wounded and had to be taken to various hospitals in the state, particularly Eket Local Government Area, for treatment.

    With unverified reports claiming that scores of Ilaje people had been killed before the outbreak of the latest crisis, the paramount ruler of Ibeno land, His Royal Majesty, Owong (Prof) Effiong Bassey Archianga, called for an end to the crisis between Ibeno and the Ilaje settlers in the area.

    “The Ibeno have been peace loving people and have over the years welcomed visitors or strangers with open hands and compassion,” he said, recalling how his people in 1887 received late Rev. Samuel Bill who founded Qua Iboe Church, as well as gave an expanse of land for settlers.

    The monarch decried the latest incident which led to the killing of an Ibeno indigene and destruction of properties, noting that the unfortunate incident had brought untold suffering to both the Ibeno and the llaje population in the area.

    He urged the law enforcement agencies to start immediate investigation to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the conflict and bring the culprits on both sides to book.

    Owong Archianga said: “In my capacity as the paramount ruler of Ibeno, I hereby place a traditional injunction and sue for peace.

    “Both parties should sheath their swords. Any person or group of persons who violate the traditional order should bear the consequences.

    “A word is enough for the wise.”

    Already, the crisis has created a serious refugee situation in Eket and other adjoining local government areas of the state as over 3,000 Ilaje people who ran away from Ibeno are now without a shelter over their heads.

    It was observed that the victims, mostly women and children, were hanging around in petrol stations around Marina Junction, churches and uncompleted buildings in Eket and its environs.

    Victims relive experiences

    In different chats with our correspondent, some victims of the incident recalled their sad experiences. A Yoruba leader in the area, Mr. Golden Ogungbemi, lamented that his people were displaced by the crisis in addition to the grave losses they suffered.

    Ogungbemi, a fisherman, said that he and other kinsmen had to run from Ibeno to Eket for refuge, adding that most of them did not even know the whereabouts of their wives and children.

    He said the Ilaje/Yoruba population in the area had lost more than 500 Yamaha outboard engines worth N1.5 billion, adding that the estimate of total losses in houses, cars and other properties was about N20 billion.

    His words: “On the 19th of this month (April), at about 1 am, we were woken up by shouts, wailings and cries of our people.

    “I was already asleep, so when I jumped out of the bed and peeped outside, I saw that houses were already set ablaze.

    “Not knowing what happened, I sensed danger and immediately rushed to pack my children from the house and we ran for our dear lives.

    “From that midnight till the evening of the following day, the whole place was chaotic. Many houses belonging to my people were set ablaze. Many of our outboard engines and boats were burnt and our sources of livelihood were taken away from us through looting.

    “As you can see, we have been under the scorching sun from that time until this moment. There has not been any effort to reach us through relief materials. We are just on our own.

    “The population of Yoruba people in Ibeno are almost half of the population of the indigenes. We are roughly over 3,000 who have been displaced and now taking refuge.”

    Mr. Adesamni Adekambi, a badly injured victim of the crisis on admission at Emmanuel General Hospital Eket, lamented that he had lost virtually everything he had worked for in life, wondering if he would ever recover from his losses.

    “Although I thank God for sparing my life, I have lost everything. I am a boutique owner. My shop was looted and burnt. My wife and children are only lucky to be alive,” he said.

    Another victim receiving treatment at the Emmanuel General Hospital Eket, who identified himself simply as Mr. Ogunyemi, had machete cuts all over his body.

    Ogunyemi said his house was torched with all his property burnt.

    “I had four boats. All the boats with the outboard engines have been destroyed.  To eat is a problem. I don’t even have money to pay my hospital bills. I am pleading with the government to help us”, he said amid tears.

    A widow in her 70s, Mrs. Stella Obatimehin, said she had lived in Ibeno for 30 years during which she engaged in crayfish fishing.

    She said: “I am a widow. I have lived in Ibeno for more than 30 years. I have lost everything to the crisis. As I speak, I don’t even money to eat much less transporting myself to Ondo State. I also don’t know where some of my children are.

    “I heard that some of our people were killed and thrown into the river. I want the government to help us out of this terrible situation.”

    “We want the government to set up a peace panel through which we can be rehabilitated.

    The coordinator of Non-indigenes in Ibeno, Mr. Innocent Amadi, said the incident had adversely affected the businesses of all non-indigenes in the area.

    “Just like the Yoruba said, the incident is so unbearable. It has affected other tribes especially their businesses, because they are the ones running.

    “We are pleading that the government should intervene. As you can see, they are stranded. Just look at where they are sleeping. Some of them are still in Ibeno,” he said.

    Government wades into crisis

    The state government has reportedly waded into the crisis by sending relief materials and making peace moves.

    A statement by the press secretary to the state government, Mr. Ekikere Umoh, disclosed that their leaders had also agreed to end the crisis and for their people to continue to live in peace at the fishing settlement. The two sides, he said, would on Friday (yesterday) sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

    The Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses Ekpo, whose office also has oversight over disaster and emergency matters in the state, announced this in Uyo after meeting with the Chairman of the Ibeno Local Government Area High Chief William Mkpah, the representative of the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno Chief Okutinyang H. Inyang, the heads of the three villages and leaders of Ibeno and (Ilaje) Yoruba fishermen.

    The meeting was also attended by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan and senior law enforcement and security officials.

    The Deputy Governor directed the leadership of Ibeno Local Government Council to ensure the safe return of those who fled the Fishing Settlement in the wake of the crisis in order to forestall severe humanitarian crises.

    He said that the government had already sent relief materials comprising food items, mosquito nets, blankets and clothing to be distributed to the affected fishermen and their families who are in temporary camps in Eket.

    The state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare was already taking care of two women who gave birth in one of the camps.

  • Our tears won’t dry until our daughters return, say parents of Chibok girls abducted eight years ago

    Our tears won’t dry until our daughters return, say parents of Chibok girls abducted eight years ago

    It was exactly eight years since the abduction of 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State two weeks ago. Curiously, activities marking the day were relatively low, as it played second fiddle to politics. The Nation however reached out to some parents of some of the girls who are still in captivity and GBOYEGA ALAKA and JOEL DUKU report on their hopes and expectations.

    How do parents retain their sanity, knowing that their young, impressionable girls have been in the custody of the dreaded Boko haram insurgents in the last eight years? How do they feel each time some of the girls return and their own daughters are not among them? Have they lost hope? If not, what’s keeping their hope alive and how have they lived each single day, knowing that there is the remote possibility that they may never set eyes on their children again? Does the government still reach out to them?

    These were some of the questions The Nation sought answers for as the world marked the eighth anniversary of the unfortunate incident.

    Recall that 276 girls were forcibly abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State in the night of April 14 and 15, 2014, pushing the hitherto little unknown town into global reckoning. Hope rose on a few occasions when news frittered in that the girls were back, as the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government stepped up efforts to fulfill its campaign promise of retrieving the girls, but only a handful of parents smiled on those occasions, leaving a huge number to return home in agony and despair. At the last count, a whopping 109 girls were still in captivity.

     My life is completely shattered – Racheal Daniel

    Racheal Daniel, mother of one of the girls in captivity, captured her predicament rather succinctly when she told our reporter in a telephone interview that “for the past 8 years, the government of President (Muhammadu) Buhari has promised they would bring back our children but there is no result up till now. They brought half of the children and left half with Boko Haram.

    “But we are begging them not to be tired of us. They should try and find our children wherever they are and bring them back to us. They may be tired, but please tell them we have never stopped crying for our children, not even for a day.

    “We sent our children to school to make a good life. We did not send them to school to be kidnapped or forced to be married to some people.

    “Now, instead of the good life we craved for them, they are going through rough time while we their parents wallow in despair. Some of us parents have even died of blood pressure while others are battling different kinds of illnesses.”

    Mrs Daniel, who is a widow, having lost her policeman husband on duty in Dikwa back in 2009, now ekes out a living as a sweeper to take care of her household of nine.

    She said: “My life is completely shattered. I am begging the government. There are some of us, like me, who don’t even have husbands.

    “Look at us now, our children, though alive, are not even available to help or support us, and neither can we help forgotten her, even for a day, in the past eight years. Except I die, I will never forget her, not even for a second.”

    She however confessed that the incident has affected her desire for education.

    “Honestly, I am afraid of sending children to school at the moment, especially boarding school. I cannot send any of my children to a boarding school again – except for a day school, where they would go and come back and sleep in the house with me. But boarding school? Over my dead body!”

    We’re losing hope in President Buhari – Ya’ana Galang

    Another mother, Ya’ana Galang, whose daughter, Rifkatu, is still in the hands of the abductors, told our correspondent that they are still holding President Buhari to his promise to get the girls back, even as an end to his regime draws nearer without any appreciable development or positive news.

    “We are still counting on President Mohammadu Buhari. We still hold onto his word that he will rescue our daughters and reunite them with us before he leaves office.

    “It is, however, not comforting that there is no news about our children up till now.

    “What is worrisome to most of us is the fact that his tenure may soon end without him keeping his promise. That, I must say, is putting us in a total state of confusion.

    “We demand action from the President from this moment. Eight years is not eight hours or eight days.”

    Consequently, she said one of her topmost wishes is to meet with the President and remind him of the promise he made to them concerning their daughters.

    “How I wish I had another opportunity to see the President. I will remind him of the promise he made to us.

    “Look at me. I cried and wailed at the feet of the President, but up till this moment, I have not seen my daughter.”

    She went further to narrate how the last eight years have been of hope and despair, and agony and pain, as no day passes without her remembering her daughter and daughters of her neighbours and family members still in captivity.

    “No day passes without me thinking about Rifkatu. I have lived in this hopeful but sometimes hopeless situation in the last eight years.

    “When are we going to reunite with our children? It is a question we don’t have answers to, except God almighty.

    “But the government should show us concern by working hard to bring our daughters back to us.”

    She recalled how excited she was when news of the first set of released girls reached her, and how she was devastated when it dawned on her that her daughter was not among them. Though consoled by the fact that her daughter was not the only one not released, she said her hope was rekindled when they met President Buhari at the Villa and he promised to bring back their daughters.

    “I was one of the weeping Chibok women that held the feet of President Buhari and begged him to rescue our daughters and he promised to make it happen.

    “We were hopeless but his words encouraged us and this is how we have been waiting in the last eight years,” Galang said.

    She however said the incident has not dowsed her interest in school and education for her children.

    “What Boko Haram has done will never change my perception about school. I still send my children to school.

    “I will never deny my children education because of their ideologies. My children will always go to school as long as I am alive,” she said.

    She maintained, however, that her only concern is to be reunited with her daughter alive, regardless of whether she is married or changed religion.

    “My major concern is to see my daughter alive. I don’t care whether she is married to anybody or has converted to any other religion. These are not my problems now. I just want to see my daughter.

    “If she is married and she has children, I will receive all of them. They are my grandchildren. Those are not my problem at all.”

     Government not doing enough – Chibok girl who escaped

    Hadiza Kwagui is one of the first set of girls who escaped the Chibok school abduction, having been initially taken alongside her mates. She is of the opinion that her mates have not been reunited with their parents because the government has not been doing enough.

    Following that unfortunate incident and her escape, Hadiza went on to complete her secondary education at Bethel International Christians Academy, Jos. And while she awaits an opportunity for further studies, possibly in the United States of America like some of her colleagues, she is currently undergoing training in tailoring skills to earn some money and make better life for herself.

    His brother, Ayuba Alamson, gave an insight into the suffering and challenges some of the returnee Chibok girls are going through.

    Specifically, he said this was why he took it upon himself to register Ayuba Alamson Foundation, with the aim of mobilising people of goodwill to pull resources together to mitigate the sufferings of some of the returnee girls and help them realise their dreams in life.

    His foundation, he explained, is out to see to the welfare of the returnee Chibok girls and even take care of some of the children they brought back from forced marriage while in Boko Haram captivity.

    “We cannot reject our daughters or their children. Whatever happens, those children they brought back from captivity will remain part of our society.

    “The primary aim of my foundation is to look at some of these challenges dispassionately and deal with them humanely. children they brought from those marriages are brought up to be useful to society. Neglecting them will be a fatal mistake on our part,” Alamson explained.

    He lamented that the Federal Government is not doing enough to rescue the girls, expressing fears that some of them may have been killed by military operations and other factors.

    He said: “It is clear that the government of Nigeria is not doing enough, especially on the rescue of the Chibok girls.

    “This is the eighth year. Other abductions have taken place in various parts of the town and the children have been released.

    “It has happened in Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna and even the Dapchi girls in Yobe State. Why is the Chibok case different?”

    Continuing, he said: “We hear that thousands of Boko Haram members have repented and surrendered. We also hear that the Army is rescuing hundreds of women and children. Why have they not once stumbled on where the Chibok girls are being kept and rescue

  • ‘Everyone needs mentorship or guidance to succeed in business or career’

    ‘Everyone needs mentorship or guidance to succeed in business or career’

    A highly successful Nigerian business magnate and lawyer, Dr. Taiwo Olayinka Afolabi, MON, is a household name in local and international business circuits. The founder and Group Executive Vice Chairman of SIFAX Group, a fast-growing multinational conglomerate that deals in oil and gas, maritime, aviation, haulage, hospitality, and financial services, shares some success nuggets for anyone who wants to make it big in business or career.

    I am an indigene of Ogun State and by the grace of God, I am 60 years old. I was born in Ondo on April 29, 1962. As my first name indicates, I am a twin, I have a twin brother. I had my primary school at Ondo and my secondary school education at Baptist Grammar School, Ibadan.  I hold a Law degree from the University of Lagos as well as Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the same university.

    I have been running my business for over 33 years now. I actually launched my company in 1988 as a freight forwarding firm in Lagos, Nigeria, after working with an uncle, under which I learnt the rudiments of the clearing and forwarding business. From the little beginning in 1988, SIFAX Group has grown to become one of the leading indigenous corporations in Nigeria with thousands of jobs created, both direct and indirect. We have also spread our tentacles to other African countries as well as Europe and America.

    Our core business focus is integrated logistics, but over the years, we have diversified to other areas including financial services, oil and gas and hospitality. Aside running my business, another thing I am passionate about is societal impact. As an organization and in my individual capacity, we support causes and individuals who are not privileged in the society. Our key intervention areas are education, health and youth and women empowerment. We have a foundation which is devoted to implementing our beliefs in this regard. I have also been privileged to be a recipient of a national honour in Nigeria (Member of the Order of Niger, MON); while I am also the Honorary Counsul General of Djibouti in Nigeria. I am a family man. I am married to a beautiful and supportive woman, Mrs. Folashade Afolabi, and blessed with children, who are all doing well in their different endeavours.

    Life motivations, career trajectory, and how it feels to be 60 years old

    Let me start by expressing my appreciation to God Almighty who has remained my source and inspiration over the years. He has not only kept me alive, but has also granted me grace, meets all my needs, grants me good health, peace of mind and a great family. I am indeed a grateful man as I turn 60. I am sure some of my peers have died and so many are not as privileged as I am. These and many more give me unending joy because of the grace. I am probably not the smartest, but God’s grace has found me and beautified my life.

    So, as I turn 60, I am grateful to God. I am happy that life has been kind to me. I am grateful for the modest impact God has accomplished through me. I am grateful for a wonderful family and I am grateful for a greater future. Well from a tender age, I have always been entrepreneurial in my thinking. My mother was a trader and through her, I learnt the rudiments of trading and that passion has stayed with me ever since. So starting my business was a natural progression for me after spending some years learning the ropes from my uncle who owned a clearing and forwarding business in Lagos. I rose up to become the Operations Manager in the company. By this time, I was well grounded and ready to take on the next challenge.

    Apart from expressing my passion, I also set up the business to take advantage of emerging opportunities and to provide a platform for others to fulfill their dreams through job and wealth creation. Today, our companies employ about 5,000 staff and you know the implication of such a number of employees, especially the ripple effect on their immediate and extended families as well as the society. If you also throw in the number of businesses, both large and small, that do businesses with our various companies, you will see how far we have come in impacting the society. Those are some of the things that motivated me to start my business then.

    Why Lagos Marriott Hotel was launched and life lessons at 60

    There are many of them. One is that you must be strategic in your thinking and planning in order to become outstanding. Ordinary approach will always deliver ordinary result. If you look at the growth pattern of SIFAX Group, it is a result of well thought-out plan. The integrated approach has helped us. From running a clearing and forwarding firm to starting inland container depots across Lagos, to bidding and winning the concession of a port terminal, to setting up a haulage business that conveys goods from these ports to the container depots, to bidding and winning concession of a ground handling company, to launching the Marriott Hotel and a financial services company. You will see that these businesses are complimentary in nature and this has given us some form of advantage over competitors.

    I also need to emphasise the place of humility. Let me tell you, before God, we are all equal, whether you are rich or people. Everybody deserves respect. Humility will attract people to you and they can go to any length to support you if they know you are not arrogant. I have always believed in living a simple and humble life, which is scriptural because God admonishes us to live humbly and promised to elevate us. I have also studied the lives of many successful Godly people and you would see humility in them. I have many VIPs – ministers, successful businessmen and top government officials as associates, but I always come back to my constituency, which is my old-time friends and schoolmates and I cherish them greatly. I won’t abandon them because I now have new friends.  I’ve gone to several places and people doubt if I were the Dr. Taiwo Afolabi they have heard so much about. I always tell them that simplicity owns the world.

    Life has also taught me the importance of friendship and relationship building. It is a skill that is important to get ahead in life. Value friendship. I have some of my friends that have been with me for over 40 years, some since our secondary school days and we are still together today.

    Building the next generation of entrepreneurs and the need to give back

    Most of the times, God blesses us more than what we need so we could support and care for others. This is a lesson I learnt from a tender age and I haven’t deviated form it till to day. I have been privileged to travel around the world in the course of doing business and pleasure and this has exposed me to international standards in the hospitality industry across the globe. So the major reason for the investment in the hotel is to provide the same level of comfort, class and superior customer experience for Nigerians. Nigerians are reputed for hard work and relaxation, and enjoyment should naturally follow after working so hard. The hotel provides the perfect ambience to relax, refresh, connect and celebrate the achievements that follow their hard work. In the last one year of operation, the hotel has disrupted Lagos hospitality landscape. It has become the favourite venue for major individual and corporate events.

    Aside this, as a corporation, we always look for opportunities to impact our country. I have this vision of creating jobs for as many Nigerians as possible. Hundreds of eligible Nigerians are currently employed in the hotel while the indirect employment and other ancillary benefits can’t be quantified. So, job creation is another key factor in setting up the business.

    The reason many people don’t succeed in business and career is due to lack of mentorship. They go into business without the guidance and support of mentors who have done successfully what they are trying to do. Mentorship is key for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria. By the way, let me say that the future of Africa is entrepreneurship. Young people must be encouraged and supported to pursue their dreams. This is going to help in reducing poverty and high rate of employment in the continent. It is the duty of successful businessmen and women across the continent to mentor and support these budding entrepreneurs.

    These young entrepreneurs need to be mentored and guided so that Africa can witness true prosperity. I have been involved in this both directly and indirectly. My company supports various platforms and initiatives that identify and nurture budding entrepreneurs. I also have people I personally take under my wings that I support their dreams and mentor as well.

    There is so much poverty in Africa and privileged individuals must be deliberate in helping the poor. It is part of the core philosophy of my life and business. We are not in business to make profit alone. We believe in making impact. We help individuals and communities as much as we can. I can say I inherit the trait from my mother who was fond of meeting the needs of needy people around her while I was growing up. I saw the joy and satisfaction on my mother’s face after supporting these people and I believe I unconsciously imbibe the principle of sharing from her. Giving is one key success factor. I wish people realised that giving leads to abundance. It has been a way of life for me and have been seen its impact over the years.

    When people come to me for help and I do it, I am always appreciative of the opportunity God has given me to be a blessing to others. Giving comes with a sense of satisfaction and inner joy. I see giving more as a divine mandate to pull people out of poverty through job creation and philanthropy. Our company is also involved in this philanthropy and its key focus includes education, health and youth and women empowerment. We provide support for public educational and health institutions. We make donations to schools and hospitals. We donated a 1,000 capacity lecture theatre to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. We donated a brand new bus to the medical students association of Obafemi Awolowo University. We have a foundation with offices in Lagos, Zaria and Umuahia that provides support to the widows and the less privileged. Many indigent students in their hundreds enjoy full scholarship from the foundation. Women are trained in various skills and then given grants to start their businesses. The list is too long to recall.

    Advice for young entrepreneurs

    For the young entrepreneurs, I would say first hold on to God, be honest and patient. What is not enough now will eventually become a surplus for you but there are processes you need to take. There are some factors that help in the journey of entrepreneurship. One is vision. You must have an idea of what you want to do and the impact you want to make. Two, hard work is very important. All successful people are hard workers. Laziness hinders greatness.  Three, solve a problem and success will naturally come. Money goes in the direction of value. Four, persistence. You must develop the courage and resilience to keep going in the face of daunting challenges because the journey is full of different ups and downs. Don’t give up easily. If you fall, rise, take a lesson and continue your hustling.

    Business is a very risky venture. Even after doing all the due diligence, things can still go bad. It remains a big challenge but no gain no pain. When you lose, you start all over again. I have done a business in Europe where I lost about €4million within seven months and that hasn’t stopped me from starting again or investing in another one. Business is a risk and for those who want to make it big, you must be able to calculate your risk well and make an informed decision. But the ability and the power to overcome after a loss lies in you.

  • Ogbonge women: Lending to transform women’s lives

    Ogbonge women: Lending to transform women’s lives

    A few brave women are changing the narratives on food security and bringing down the high cost of food items, writes GRACE OBIKE

    As of 2020, Nigeria has 206 million people. Out of this, women constitute about 49.95 per cent and males 50.05 per cent. However, despite the high population, women face serious life challenges, which include poor access to finance, asset ownership, and taking care of their basic life necessities. According to the National Demographic Survey 2018, about 84 per cent of women in Nigeria earn less than their husbands.

    The report also showed that men are more than three times as likely to own a house or land as women. In 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Poverty Inequality Report had indicated that only 25.37 per cent of women are involved in income-generating activities; while about 74.63 per cent were not.

    Data from Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) indicates that Nigerian women continue to be more financially excluded than men, with only 45 per cent of women using formal financial services, compared with 56 per cent of men. Although the government says it is making a strong case for the empowerment of women, research done by development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE), shows that from the 2020 appropriation act (amendment) COVID-19 intervention programmes and the NESP, several schemes were rolled out as welfare responses to address economic shocks of the global pandemic for Nigerians.

    While some of these programmes targeted at women (like supporting MSMEs survival targeting 1.7 million individuals and entities or conditional cash transfer of social intervention programme), most did not have a defined quota for women like (creating 5 million jobs in agricultural sector, mines and steel development – artisanal and small-scale miners, or special public works Programme). Out of the seven economic stimulus programmes identified at the national level, only two had defined quotas for women.

    To ensure that their needs are taken care of in the face of the economic hardship induced by the pandemic, about 50 married women with little or no education, residing in Sheda Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory and with no help from all forms of government initiatives, have divided themselves into two microcredit groups of 25 members each, pooling their meagre resources towards socio-economic lifting of all.

    The women, with ages ranging from early 20s to 62 years old, all come together at 2pm every Saturday to contribute a token of their measly earning during the week into a common purse for further productivity. Some contribute as much as N50,000 and others can go as low as N500. The money is in turn loaned out to members of the group in need of financial aid to start or expand a really small business or pay children’s school fees. Loan beneficiaries – all within the circle – are allowed to pay in instalments at an interest rate of five per cent.

    Their stories

    For most parents, the news of their children’s admission into a higher institution of learning elicits excitement and the feeling that the child is making progress, with the hope that such may assist the family in the nearest future. However, for Hadiza Abubakar, mother of six and a small scale farmer, and her retired husband, the news of their daughter’s admission into Nasarawa State University, was somewhat dreadful because her husband’s pension barely comes and when it does come, it is hardly able to feed the family.

    She collected a loan of N30,000 (a little over $50), chose a six months’ period for instalment  payback. Today, she is a proud parent of an undergraduate. “I did not attempt to go to the bank for a loan because I don’t believe banks are meant for people like me; moreover, what will I present as collateral?” she said.

    As for Rita Augustine’s children, last Christmas was exciting because she had saved money every other week with her group, which enabled her to buy them cloths for the festivity when she collected her savings in mid-December. Apart from her savings, she was able to access N100,000 loan, which she invested in poultry business. She explained that before the loan, her business was failing. She went to the market every day to buy the feeds she needed, but this affected her business because her profit margin was based on price fluctuations. With the loan, she bought all the feeds and medications needed for the three weeks period that it normally takes to raise her birds before selling them off in bulk.

    “Because I was able to buy the feeds in bulk, the profit that I made this time around was more than I ever imagined that I could make in this business and I was able to pay back all the money in four months.”

    Who they are?

    Food seller, Vivian Livinus, said the women refer to themselves as the Ogbonge Women, a pidgin word used to qualify strong, industrious and dependable women. Specifically, ogbonge implies genuineness, truthfulness, correctness and being original. They came together in 2019, when they could no longer bear the hardship being meted out to them by the country’s failing economy. She said: “We quickly learnt to save and lend to one another when we realised that we were on the verge of losing everything we had laboured for over the years.”

    But the group’s leader, Justina Ihenewengwa, a cassava farmer, explained that the group is actually under the umbrella body of the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), a coalition of small holder women farmer groups across the Nigerian federation who are  working together to promote women-friendly agricultural policies and women’s access to land. She said although the group was originally meant for women farmers, they decided to tweak it a bit by inviting business women and civil servants, to join them and turn it into a microcredit group with the approval of SWOFON’s main body so as to suit the needs of women in their community whose patience had been exhausted by the endless wait for government interventions that never materialised after series of optimistic official pronouncements.

    Ihenewengwa explained that she manages two SWOFON groups in Sheda, under which they contribute from N500, N1,000 to as much as N50,000 weekly. It is from the polled resources that they give loans to needy women amongst themselves. She said they sometimes give members as much as N500,000 (about $1000) at 5 per cent interest rate.

    She explained that the group maintains a strict policy of participation and attendance at meetings is a precondition. Another strict condition is the consistent instalment repayment of the loan, however little, to enable other intended borrowers to have access to the funds. “The topmost leadership of SWOFON gave me the liberty to decide on the interest rate that would suit the group and I choose five per cent because I understand my community and the fact that my women will not be able to afford too much interest. I equally partook in the loan, so I know where it pinches.

    “I understand that the government enjoys talking big about women empowerment and financial inclusion but it hardly fulfils the promises being made. They promise us assistance through loans, but create policies that make it impossible for people like us to access it; so, we have no option than to take care of ourselves,” she said.

    For women who barely attained some level of formal education in their lives, these groups of women are surprisingly very meticulous when balancing their accounts. Each member has an account booklet which is left in the custody of the leader, when they arrive for a weekly meeting that takes place every Saturday, each is called by her unique number and not name. She then presents her weekly due and loan instalment being paid back. This is recorded in her booklet by the group’s Secretary while the Treasurer and their leader sign each payment and then, the Secretary stamps it.

    Government initiatives

    Since the inception of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, his government has promised Nigerians that it intends to assist women like Ihenewengwa and her group through numerous initiatives that it said would be of benefit to small scale farmers and small business owners. Apart from the aforementioned, the administration created the Nigerian Gender Policy, which mainstreams its policies, plans, programmes and projects and builds institutions to promote the activities of women in the sector.

    To prove its willingness to improve women empowerment, in 2021, the federal government’s budgetary allocation to WEE project was N51 billion with 645 projects in different parts of the country. The allocation was increased by over 101 per cent in the 2022, with N103 billion allocated to 938 WEE projects. These projects are spread in different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). For the 2022 budgets, the projects are divided into women-core and women plus others projects, they are skills and grants for 25,176,287,262, grant alone 502,080,800, provision/supply of equipment and empowerment materials 4,976,406,954, skill acquisition/ training, capacity building 5,034,655,828, uncategorised projects 843,954,414 and skill acquisition and training, grants, equipment and empowerment materials, others 66,960,648,829.

    Apart from the FG’s WEE projects, a few states like Bauchi, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, and Plateau, equally boasts of similar women-specific empowerment projects. But the Partnership for Advancing Women Empowerment in Development (PAWED) like most WEE advocates say, “It is one thing to give funds to women and another that they have the prerequisite skill or training that would help them in the management of the fund.” Apart from WEE specific projects, other policies have been created and are domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industry (BOI).

     Has the Ogbonge women group benefited?

    Ihenewengwa denied benefiting from any intervention from the government. She explained that members of her group always apply for any government intervention that they get wind of, but nothing ever comes out of such efforts and such serial disappointments have helped perpetuate the perception that government officials always find ways to subvert or skew beneficial programmes on the basis of nepotism and other such bias. “We were told to open an account with a particular bank and provide the account numbers, we all did. The bank charged us for opening the account and for an ATM card but we never heard from the government people, now my ATM card is only lying about the house, useless.”

    Louisa Emmanuel too spoke about the unending disappointment that comes with being endlessly unable to benefit from several highly publicised government incentive programmes, including that rolled out at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when the government claimed to have shared out palliatives worth several billions of naira. She said at a point when her business began failing, she joined a microfinance bank’s scheme and was loaned the sum of N50,000 ($100).

    As expected, the sight of sugar always attracts ants; unfortunately this is not an exception for the Ogbonge women story. Apart from bringing together women who help themselves, the exercise has attracted a few fraudsters who joined, took the poor women’s money and disappeared, including a man who used his wife to access the group, made her collect a loan of N60,000 and threatened the leader after the wife stopped attending their meetings and Ihenewengwa visited the home.

    Another woman reported Ihenewengwa to her parish priest when asked to refund her loan and still refused to pay when the priest advised her to pay up. “It was difficult for me to pay money that I did not spend but as the leader, I had to take the responsibility. I had to pay all the money stolen from my pocket, I vetted them before allowing them to join like everyone else so I could not afford to allow my women to pay for my mistake and somehow it was good because I learnt my lesson.” Ihenewengwa said.

    The incidents made her take precautions, now women who fail to abide by the rules of attending weekly meetings, paying their weekly dues and loan instalments are replaced with new ones eagerly waiting for the chance to join. “I might have to eject more people next year because some are becoming unserious and this group means so much to a lot of us, we won’t allow the unserious few ruin it for us,” she stressed.

    On the limitations of the WEE projects, dRPC and PAWED, stated that the problems of the projects include Lack of WEE project coordination, duplications and non-disclosures of empowerment programmes details, Project repetition with Annual funding, lack of availability of WEE project report, poor monitoring and evaluation culture and lots more.

  • Issues in cross-border trade in West Africa

    Issues in cross-border trade in West Africa

    The influence of colonial overlords has shaped the African reality, development and economic strides. All the protocols orchestrated to make for inclusive business relationships that could develop the continent have failed. However, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports that there is a new glimmer of hope, especially if the resolutions of the roundtable on cross-border trade in the West African sub-region are implemented

    Skirmishes between government agencies in Ghana and Ivory Coast against Nigerian businessmen operating in their countries are a common occurrence. At a roundtable discussion on “Cross Border Trade in the West African Sub-Region,” organised by the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE),   several government officials from sub-Saharan African countries agreed that these skirmishes are unhealthy and inimical to trade and growth in the sub-region.

    Colonial allegiance and language are major barriers in the West African sub-region. Rather than co-operating to work out of economic woods and debt traps, many of these countries, experts say, are busy ‘fighting proxy wars’ on behalf of their former colonial masters. The result: rivalries and unhealthy competition.  This is sometimes at the instance of their former colonial masters who, in many ways, still influence their colonies in terms of trade policies and governance.

    Analysts argue that most poor countries in the region, especially the Francophone ones, are daily looking for ways to please their masters, rather than fashioning out viable policies and strategies to make them economically independent. In real terms, they lack what it takes to make a difference in the lives of their people. This is regrettably so; yet, their former colonial masters will prefer it so.

    At the just-concluded workshop by the CPPE held in Lagos, with the theme, “Cross-Border Trade in West African Sub-Region: Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward,” stakeholders listed, among others, cultural division, disunity and lack of infrastructure as impediments to cross-border trade and regional integration in West Africa.

    The Consul-General, Ghana High Commission, Ms Samata Gifty Bukari, challenged Nigeria to take its rightful position and lead West Africa out of poverty. She, however, regretted her experience with the immigration officials and the non-functional air conditioners in Nigeria airports, adding that it doesn’t show leadership capacity. Furthermore, she stated that the trade relationship between Africa, Asia and Europe has not been fair, calling on the leaders to redress the imbalance.

    While calling for greater co-operation among member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Bukari conveyed the need to achieve favourable conditions for inter-trade, stressing that there are several unfavourable tariffs among member countries that inhibit trade.

    “Conditions for travelling with goods anywhere in Africa are unfavourable and hinder trade. The tariffs and other conditions are unfavourable. Benin Republic is requesting transit duty on goods moved within Africa and this is very unfair.”

    The Consul-General of Ghana High Commission argued that insisting that Ghanaian businessmen pay transit duty by the Beninoise authorities is wrong. She further argued that this kind of demand by member countries does not align with the spirit behind the formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

    “Coming from Ghana with any goods to Nigeria or other countries, the Benin Republic requested for payment of transit duty on the goods; yet we talk about the African Union and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This will not work with such situations. Let’s forget the bias between Anglophone and Francophone. Let’s come together as Africans and take positive decisions that will effectively improve effective co-operation in Africa for mutual benefit. The developed world deliberately and intentionally sends us used computers and other electronic products with expired shelf lives to pollute our continent. They can’t love us more than we love ourselves.”

    Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed lbrahim Ali (retired) said there are prospects of improving ECOWAS trade, since globalisation has made the world become closer than before. He observed that ECOWAS protocols have enabled trade in the sub-region through trade liberalisation designed and aimed at removing barriers to trade and trade relations, which include tariff and non­-tariff barriers. Ali said it also contributed to structuring of regional trade areas such as the ECOWAS  and AfCTA  and encouraged the emergence of trans-territory trading networks with positive impacts on national development.

    On the prospects of improving cross-border trade in the West African sub-­region for enhanced national development, Ali, who was represented by Assistant Controller of Customs and Zonal Coordinator, Aliyu Aremu Abubakar, said the idea is to also have an Economic Union, which is regarded as the ultimate goal of the sub-regional integration. This, he said, goes beyond the elimination of real and perceived barriers of factors of mobility and the movement of goods. Others, he added, are the concept of business-to-business approach, which includes the manufacturing, aviation, transportation, oil and gas, power sector and the agricultural sector.

    Ali encouraged each national government to enhance the solid mineral sector such as iron ore, limestone, gold and bitumen where it has comparative advantage.

    “Nigeria could leverage Nigeria’s comparative advantage towards boosting cross-border trade (CBT) in the Western African sub-region and beyond. The value chain of these products holds good prospects of improving CBT for enhanced national development in Nigeria.”

    Furthermore, he said the  extant Customs and Excise Management Act which has been passed into law will be in line with global best practices. He said it will create a platform for improved operations, thereby improving Nigeria’s CBT in the West African sub-region. Ali added that the Act holds good prospects of promoting Nigeria’s CBT for enhanced national development in Nigeria.

    On the way forward, he suggested strict implementation and enforcement of ECOWAS protocols, mass deployment of state-of-the-art border security technologies such as non­intrusion inspection scanners, strengthening healthy synergy, and collaborative framework among the various stakeholders through sharing of timely and actionable intelligence for enhanced border security and trade facilitation, including a need to sustain agriculture financing incentives and expand investment and financing incentives for mining, manufacturing and services sector.

    However, Aminou Akadiri, Executive Director, Federation of West Africa Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI), said the ECOWAS Protocol forbids discrimination on member countries in trade facilitation.  To achieve this, he said the chambers have embarked on sensitisation and training sessions on ECOWAS Protocol and Policies in National Chambers of Commerce. They also share the West African business community vision and proposals to boost trade and investments at ministerial and Head of States levels. Others are facilitating negotiations/implementation of regional and international trade agreements. The promotion and development of an efficient private sector through the provision of business support  services.

    “We further engage in capacity building to ensure that the objective of making the region the preferred destination for investors is achieved. Furthermore, the chamber supports joint-ventures and co-enterprises creation in ECOWAS’ industrial strategy in agro-industry, pharmaceutical, transport and automotive,  construction and building materials.”

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, said for Nigeria to effectively participate and benefit from the AfCFTA, issues of international trade in terms of clearance of imports and exports need to be improved. The minister stressed the challenges experienced in cross-border trade to include lack of infrastructure, lack of common currency, the difference in languages, high cost of doing business, political instability, insecurity in the sub-region, corruption, harassment and informal trade.

    Others are non-adherence to ECOWAS protocols, capacity/supply-side constraints, lack of adherence to standards and quality control, dependency on inappropriate technology, poor inter intra-sectoral linkages and lack of trade information service to provide vital information on trade.

    Adebayo, who was represented by the Director of Trade, Aliyu Abubakar, said to address the challenges, African leaders must create a more enabling environment for cross-border trade, implement the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and Trade Facilitation West Africa Programme and provide trade-related infrastructure. Other solutions include the need to improve cross-border agencies’ co-operation, address corruption/extortion and insecurity challenges in the sub-region, improve port services and development of inter-modal transport system, continuous stakeholder engagement and collaboration and political commitment.

    The Acting Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Idris Jere, represented by Assistant Comptroller Zone 2, Ikeja, Olakunle Osunsanya, said Ghana has occasionally violated the economic principles of West Africa as the country imposes tariffs on trade on Nigerians doing businesses over there. He said another major challenge is the cultural divide, especially Benin Republic which only favours trade among its citizens while allowing others to suffer from the stiff tariffs imposed on businesses. He also said colonial heritage, the multiplicity of agencies causing rivalry, lack of unity among countries are limiting the region from achieving maximum co-operation in the facilitation of trade.

    Responding to the alleged fraudulent practices at points of entry by immigration officials, he denied that such things exist; stressing that Nigeria has laws that must be obeyed by people coming into the country; either for business or leisure. He added that there are several para­military agencies of government at the borders- either on the land borders or air who have their jobs to do to protect the corporate existence of the country. Jere noted that quality is a moving target and that the Nigeria immigration is poised to achieve it.

    The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Dr Ezra Yakusak, said there should be a focus on the Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) in West Africa, in order to harness the potential it presents and leverage on it for utmost participation in AfCFTA. He said one major characteristic of informal trade is the high-profit margin by the traders as they avoid the government tariffs and do not follow laid-down procedures and documentation, which, sometimes can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, Dr Muda Yusuf, said it is important for political leaders of the countries on the African sub-region to demonstrate better political will to achieve the desired economic integration. Yusuf noted that integration is the main vehicle for boosting trade within the region, adding that Africa, which boasts 1.4 billion people, offers significant benefits of economies of scale to be enjoyed by businesses on the continent in the event of full market integration. He said integration would lower unit costs and enhance competitiveness, adding that the African economies would be stronger and their capacity to cope with the challenges of globalisation would be enhanced. The CPPE boss said it is unfortunate that ECOWAS, which is one of the oldest regional economic communities in Africa, has not achieved much in the area of economic integration.