The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Victor Eburajolo: I try to lead by example

    Victor Eburajolo: I try to lead by example

    Mr. Victor Eburajolo is the Group Deputy Managing Director, Kewalram-Chanrai Group, one of the few Nigerians occupying high-ranking position in the over 110 years old conglomerate with interests in automobile, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness and agro-allied sectors, to mention just a few. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, the Warri-born lawyer and human resources expert who landed his first job in 1976 takes us through his career trajectory thus far. Excerpts:

    When does your typical day begin?

    The first thing is that you have to go by example. Get to the office on time and you’re consistent. One thing we have done here is that if you’re not going to be in the office because you have outside meeting, we have this dashboard where you send all your messages and everybody knows where you’re. I personally believe that to be a good leader, you must lead by example. If you come late to work and you display indiscipline attitude others will follow you. For me, it’s an attitude. Your attitude can keep you or get you out of the office. I have been like this since 1976 when I landed my first job so it’s part of me. Apart from that, you must also be seen to be transparent. Everybody should know that your word is your bond. You don’t say something and you do something otherwise. I also want to emphasis that one of the policies here is that we respect government officials because when you respect them, you respect your country. You might not like what they’re doing but you got to give them that respect as your representative. We follow that here very strictly. Here discipline is the main thing. I have always told people that in my country Nigeria, our problem is not corruption. Our problem is indiscipline. If you’re discipline you’ll go into corruption. That is the truth. If you’re discipline, you’ll obey the law. It was said in this country that you cannot drive and be using your phone. I had to stop a policeman one day. He was driving and was on phone, so I told my driver to cross his way and I walked up to him and said, ‘What do you think you’re doing driving and using your phone at the same time? How can you arrest someone tomorrow using the phone and driving when you’re showing a good example yourself?’ It’s only in this country where somebody has uses his authority unabashedly but fails to uphold the responsibility that comes with such authority.

    What’s your management style?

    As a company, our management style is people first because we believe the employee who is happy will give his or her best. But people make the mistake to think that once you pay the employee very well, you’ll get the best from him. Let me tell you, whatever you pay the employee, he still believes that he is been shortchanged and the employer believes he is paying too much. So we must strike a balance. When you respect your employees, he in turn respects you and the organisation. I’ll not raise my voice up on any member of staff. Even those that work directly with me, they know me. If I want to correct anything they have done, say for instance, a memo, I’ll say to them, ‘may I suggest so and so…? I think it’ll be fine I we do it that way.’ Many times, I discover that they go and keep a copy of that letter and compare notes with it for other times. But if I shout on them, they’ll walk out. One thing we had to stop here was when suddenly, we just heard workers calling their managers ‘bosses.’ You hear expressions like, ‘Good morning boss!’ and I took it up and said, ‘What is all this boss thing? This is actually nonsense!’ I told them we can’t harbour such mentality here because at Kewalram, we operate like a family but we’re very stern. So you got to treat everybody you’re working with as family. We let everyone know the rules.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    My management philosophy is to do the best you can for your organisation at all times. Some people may not like what I want to say but what I normally say to people is that the God that created you knows your beginning and end. So whatever your hand find to do, do it well to the best of your knowledge in order to give glory to God because it is only He alone that can reward you. Even if you’re being paid in millions by man, one day he will disappoint you. My son asked me one day and said, ‘you’ve been working all these years, what is your salary? That thing struck me and I didn’t even know what to say to him. But I told him, if you enjoy what you do, you won’t have to work ever in your life.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    In tough times like this, we go out of our way to assist our staff with all forms of palliatives and welfare packages such as rice, ground nut. We support their cooperatives with products at less down 70 per cent of the price just to assist the staff members.

    Do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    Yes, there’re rules and there is a handbook and everyone has it. So that if you commit an offence, the first time, second, third time, we call you to have a chat with you and explain the implication of recording it down is that it’ll affect you; it’s either you’re on your way out or cost your promotion and something else. Like said, we work like a family. So when anything happens, we want to hear from you and let you know before any action is taken against you. Like I said, at the Kewalram Chanrai Group across the world, they have this concept of family.

    What motivates you?

    Of course, I like what I do and I enjoy doing it and I thank God that one has made some meaningful making impact. And then I have the opportunity to keep myself abreast of business generally. You don’t stop reading because you’re old; you get old once you stop reading.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    The book I’m reading now focuses on the period of former United States president, Bill Clinton. I also read the Harvard Business, a magazine being published by the IoD. These days, it is a lot easier now through electronic means you can receive tonnes of files and documents on different subject-matter.

    How do you unwind?

    I used to play tennis before. You know as you grow old, you’re not as agile as you used to be. I went to play at the play court one day and it affected my kneels. Now, I listen to music and I sleep a lot too. But then, I have a mini gym in my bathroom, where I exercise. Yesterday, I recall my wife telling me this is enough that you have aging; you can’t be doing 60 kilometres on the treadmill all the time.

    You’re turning 73 years in July. For a man of your age still looking boyish, how do you maintain your looks? Do you follow any regimen of sorts?

    I don’t eat that much but I mind what I eat a lot. I have cut off sugar completely now for almost 20years. The thing is once you get to a certain age and you take a particular say for up to three times and it upsets your system, the wisest thing to do is to cut it off.

    You talked about food, do you cook?

    Yeah, I cook on Sundays. My wife is from the north and on Sundays I prepare the native Itsekiri dishes like banga soup and make starch for them. I’m in charge of the kitchen at the weekends really. (laughs)…

    Since you cook, I can only ask you this question, do you do the dishes?

    Oh, yes, I do. In our home everyone does the dishes. My wife just retired from the Nigeria Customs. And my children, the last one is going to 24. We are all grownups. In those days when the kids where around, you could quickly call somebody to go do this and that one but not anymore. My wife, she does the dishes, the kids do theirs too. Sometimes when they come into the kitchen and see me doing the dishes they want to help and most times, I decline.

    But some other persons may think such things are actually beneath them like doing the dishes and all?

    You’re the CEO at your workplace only. As a matter of fact do you know who is the CEO at home? It’s the madam herself. (laughs).

    As an Itsekiri boy growing up, how did your background influenced what you’re today? Can you take us through your career trajectory in the last 45 years?

    I didn’t grow up with my parents; I grew up with my auntie in Sapele.  I was sent there at age 4. The environment then was quite different from what we have today and I’m talking of late 50s. When I finished my primary school, my auntie, told me I should go and be a dock work, which was the job that was common in those days. But I refused. I knew what I wanted in life. I think she was very upset because every other person my age all went to be a dock worker. Then I managed and went to secondary school, that’s Hussey College, in Warri. After that, we had an uncle in Lagos, who could get me into the Customs.

    Again, my auntie said I should go and join the Customs. I told her sorry that I wasn’t going to join the Customs. Again, she was very upset. That time in Sapele there I also remembered that there was a light-skinned young man; they used to call him, ‘Yellow Flash.” He was riding Vesper and so every young boy in Sapele said their ambition was to be like him and be driving a vesper and carrying girls around town.  Unfortunately for me, I had lost my mum at a very tender age but somehow I just knew what I wanted. I remember my auntie when he got so frustrated with me told me, ‘Let me see what you’ll amount to, you this no-do-well.’ I did not talk back, but I told myself in my mind silently that I’ll become something in life.

    Sometime, I’ll stamp my foot on the ground and she (auntie) will say, ‘what are you doing?’ I’ll say nothing. But I was rebelling within myself. (laughs). The day we finished high school, the principal at the time, a reverend, tapped on the window and said, “see me in my office.’ As I was a going, I saw Jackson Gaius Obaseki, who later became the Group Managing Director at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), outside, and he told him Lanky because that is what we used to call then. He said the man can’t expel us again because we have finished our A-levels. We both went to his office and we gave us a letter. We were looking at ourselves.  Then the principal said, ‘Open the letters or can’t you boys read again? C’mon get out of this place!’ we went out and open the letters and it turned out that we were to resume on Monday as high school teachers. Unlike Jackson and others who gained admission into the university on time, I stayed back in the school for a while because of what I told you.  While they were going to the university, Shell gave me a job. I worked with Shell for 11 years and I saved enough money to send myself to school. In a nutshell, that’s my life story. While at the university, I read law. I was in practice for about nine months then I saw a Daily Times advertisement for a Personnel Manager in 1975. You won’t believe that when they called for that position it was 23 people that came for that job at the Nigerian Textile Mills at the time.

  • When Oscar Ibru stared death in the eye

    When Oscar Ibru stared death in the eye

    By Olushola Ricketts

    All human beings have personal battles they fight daily. While some people come out unscathed, others are consumed by these battles.

    Businessman Oscar Ibru fought a quiet battle recently – a battle with the deadly pandemic, COVID-19, which has ended many lives prematurely in Nigeria and beyond.

    He contracted the virus and had to stay in an isolation centre for more than a month. It was a scary time for the Ibru Family who are yet to fully recover from the loss of his patriarch – business mogul, Michael Ibru, and founder of The Guardian, Alex Ibru.

    Describing his experience in a message sent out to family and well-wishers, Oscar admitted he almost died.

    READ ALSO: Where is Cecilia Ibru?

    He stated: “I almost died. No kidding. COVID-19 is Evil. 7 weeks and 2 days, man! Pneumonia, kidney, liver, collapsed lungs, cough like no other, fever. In short death. Finally unconscious. No breathing whatsoever. Doctors lost hope. I kicked that mother fucker’s ass. But he left some serious collateral damage. Thank God my heart was strong from some of those things we did in the days and at the same time being an athlete in the good old days”.

    “My heart refused to quit. So, here I am, home at last. My brother, the shit was rough and painful as hell. I do not wish for a re-match. I lost over 10 direct friends in my 7 weeks of incarceration. Same hospital. The day I went in, Bolu came out on the way to the mortuary. The day I left (on my 2 feet), Kitty Rhodes left but flat on his back on the way to the morgue. Praise God. I must have done something right or I am about to. All I know is thank you God.”

  • ICYMI: Concern in Gombe over scarcity of husbands for single women

    ICYMI: Concern in Gombe over scarcity of husbands for single women

    By Sola Shittu, Gombe

    In September 2013, hundreds of single women led by Suwaiba Isa stormed the streets of Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, protesting scarcity of husbands for more than 8,000 of them. A similar protest earlier planned by Hajiya Altine Abdullahi for widows and unmarried Kano women in August 2009 was averted by Kano State Government which quickly arranged mass wedding for 1,000 women in the state.

    It had looked as if the trend was restricted to the Northwest part of the country and the Muslim population until a pastor in one of the churches in Gombe State raised concern over their unmarried ladies’ choice of men from outside the region, especially the Southwest part of the country who came to take their women away.

    Reports say that 60 per cent of the non-indigene population in Gombe State is made of people from the Southwest part of the country, who the Oba of Yoruba in Gombe, Abdulrahim Alao Yusuf, said have been living in the area for more than 150 years.

    At 35, Godiya Adamu is yet to find a husband; a situation she blamed on her inability to find a man who is serious about marriage.

    “What would I do? I can’t force myself on men if they do not come,” she said, revealing that she had been in about five relationships without meaningful results before she eventually gave up. “As far as I am concerned, life continues with or without a husband,” she said.

    On her part, Abigail, a mother of two, said she deliberately chose to be a single mother so that she might have peace of mind. “I live in my own house in this Gombe with my children. I am their mother and their father,” she said.

    Abigail said she chose to be single because she could not play the second fiddle in a marriage.

    She said: “I have friends who prefer that the man should not make their existence known to the wife at home and they are comfortable with it.

    “What I want to say is that one should go for whatever will make one happy. There is nothing new again under the sun.

    Esther, a 45-year-old single lady, said the new trend now is for ladies to go out of their state and culture to marry. “I was in a wedding where a pastor here in the North complained bitterly that Yoruba men are taking their girls away. He said when they marry them, they don’t stay in Gombe but take them to their part of the country.

    “So I said why will this not be so because some of the young men that you see out there are into drug addiction, and who wants to marry a drug addict?

    “The truth is many of them are not serious. It is not only men that are looking for decent and serious ladies, ladies too are also seeking decent men to marry, and that to me is scarce right now in this generation.”

    For Amina, a Fulani woman, her problem was that she had education. She said she had discovered that many men in the North are reluctant to marry educated women. “Probably because they felt it might not be easy for them to have control over such a woman. So to me, the option is of course to remain single and be both the mother and father to my children.”

    Rev. Adamu Dauda of ECWA Gospel Church Gombe said when he noticed that the situation was becoming alarming, he called for a meeting with all the youths in the church.

    He said: “I lead a congregation of over 1,500 members out of which we have over 800 youths. During the meeting, we discovered that out of the 800 youths, 487 were not married, so I began to take the initiative to talk to them one on one.

    “The shocking discovery is that some of the ladies told me that nobody had proposed to them. Then I asked, did you not see anyone that you liked? Some said yes, but they could not go to the man because it is against African culture. That is the area we are now looking into.

    “If a lady likes a man, why not go to the man herself? If that will give you better results, why not? Because I can tell you for sure that the church is already getting overwhelmed.”

    Rev. Dauda also blamed the situation on the inability of many young men to use their hands to make ends meet because they are thinking of white collar jobs and other privileges that will come through the government.

    He said: “You would believe me that the economy of our country is in serious problem. Many people are struggling. People would tell you that they have spent two or three days without cooking in their homes. In other words, they are looking for what to eat.

    “They would come to the church and plead, and because we are one family, the church encourages giving and supporting one another.

    “Today, most of our children, especially the boys, graduated and have nothing to do. When you ask them, they would say they are looking for government jobs. Many of them have failed to use their hands to make ends meet. They are thinking of white collar jobs and other privileges that will come through government but these are not forthcoming.

    “Since they have no job, they have no means of taking care of wives. Many of them you can see walking on the streets with their files instead of taking vocational jobs where they can earn money and make themselves employers of labour.”

    He said another reason for the delay in marriage for many men and women is modernization, which he said has led to trial marriage, which he said is directly opposite to African culture.

    He said: “In those days, because you could not touch a woman before you married her, it encouraged a man to desire to marry. But what is happening today is not good for the ears at all.

    “If they could try marriage before they get married then what would prompt them to want to marry again? Because what they are looking for in marriage, they can get it outside marriage.”

    He also blamed some of the women for living care-free life. “Some of the women do not have self control, and if you do not have self control, somebody will come and get what he wants to get from you and find his way out. Then another person will come and it goes on like that in a vicious circle. At the end of the day you find out that nobody wants to marry you.

    “Hardly will such a lady find a man to marry her, because even if a man is not decent and not faithful, he is looking for a faithful woman to marry. Once a man hears so much about you concerning indecency and other things, they will go away and not want to stay with such a woman.

    “Another factor is on the side of the parents. Most parents do not want their daughter to marry until she attains a certain level of education. In those days, after secondary school, a girl can get married and then both husband and wife can go and struggle together and they will be whatever they want to be together. But today, the parents will say she will not marry until she obtains first degree.

    “Another thing is that some parents also do select for their children, saying they should wait for a well established family with the hope that marriage with their daughter will get them out of poverty, and the lady will keep on waiting. Parents’ intervention in issues of marriage is causing a lot of problems.”

    The Chief Imam of Government House Mosque in Gombe, Sheik Dr. Zakariya Hajiya, blamed the scarcity of husbands for women in the state on poverty. According to him, the huge expenses of marriage for men with regard to the bride, her family, mosques and churches have become a huge burden on them. He said the biting economic situation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the security challenges in the Northeast region have further worsened the situation.

    He said: “The expenses on those things like dowry, clothes, necklaces, kitchen appliances, bed, television, refrigerator and other household appliances, which a would-be husband would provide for both the bride, her family and faith houses, are so huge for him.

    “Another problem is the death of many men due to insurgency which have turned many women into widows and with children to cater for. The situation is further compounded by the huge number of widows of soldiers and policemen who died in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast.

    “These women are also part of the society. Most of the time, men are victims of insurgency attacks, banditry, kidnapping and the rest. In fact, recently, men have become vulnerable and endangered species in our society as a result of these crises in different parts of the country.

    “So, scarcity of husband, which leads to delay in marriages for women, is not limited to the Northeast; it is all over. And it is also not limited to women in Islam; it also affects Christians too.”

    Another factor raised by Zakariya is the fact that most women of nowadays do not want to play the second fiddle or allow their husbands to marry another woman after them.

    “This is another big problem, especially for polygamists. Some women even killed their husbands for marrying or trying to marry another woman. Yes, it is as bad as that, but it is a deviation from the teachings of Islam.

    “Islam allows a man to marry as many as four wives. But these days, once you marry a woman, they hardly agreed for another woman to be married after them. Except you have a very strong hold on a woman, it could be very frustrating to put two or more of them under the same roof.

    “Some, apart from trying to kill their husbands, even take him to court for divorce. It is as bad as that.”

    He said the society is facing a huge problem in this regard now because the scarcity of husband is forcing many women into fornication, adultery and even prostitution in order to survive.

    “Some of these women are even the ones approaching men now because they are looking for means of survival.”

    He explained further that most women who prevent their husbands from marrying another woman have forgotten that they also have female children.

    “Some of them even have as many as four, five or more daughters at home. If you marry one off and that one did not allow her husband to marry another woman, who will marry her sisters?” he asked.

    This, according to him, is what many women who are against polygamy do not understand.

    He said: “I am a teacher, and I know that girls in schools outnumber boys. It also means that the population of girls is more than boys.”

    But the Statistician General of the Gombe State Bureau of Statistics, Hammed Gidado, would not agree with Sheik Zakariya. Gidado said there is no empirical statistics on ground to support the notion that there are more women than men and that is why there is scarcity of husbands or delayed marriage for women.

    To him, available statistics showed that male children still outnumber fema le children, according to latest population statistics.

    He said: “There is no empirical statistics on ground to support the notion that there are more single ladies than single men in Gombe State for now. However this could be true on assumption.

    “There are five factors which could be responsible for this. First is the spiritual cost of marriage. If you are doing it according to Islamic marriage, it will not go through without cost. The same also applies to church wedding. The pastor and the Mallam will get something.

    “Secondly, the parents will do K’aya hauri or lepe in Hausa, and this will involve buying clothes, boxes, jewellery, etc. The minimum you have to spend on this is nothing less than N200,000. Those are on the side of the person getting married.

    “But the cost is even more on the side of the parents who have to buy bed, refrigerator, television, carpet, furniture, cooking utensils and other domestic tools to use at home. So the expenses are even more on the side of the parents.

    “These are extreme costs which can run into not less than N600,000 or more than a million naira.

    “Another is the cost of reception for invited guests at the wedding. You have to provide food for people. If you are popular, you will expect not less than 100 guests. The cost of what they will eat and drink is more than the dowry.

    “In Islamic law, dowry is now pegged at a minimum of N25,000. If you put all these costs together, you will discover that it is one of the things deterring people from getting married.

    “Another aspect that is neither cultural or religious is the issue of courtship or trial marriage, where a would-be husband and wife will live together and do everything that is expected in marriage. By the time they eventually get married in a matter of three to six months, they go for divorce.

    “Another thing is the issue of death among men. When a husband dies, the wife becomes a widow and the number of single women increases. However, these are assumptions; there are no empirical statistics to back it up.”

    Gidado however said the upsurge in single women occurs more in the urban areas than rural areas and it is not restricted to Gombe State. He added that in rural areas, a lady could marry up to three or four times.

    “But if it is in urban areas, like Ibadan or Lagos, or Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Abuja, who will marry her? In those urban areas, a lady could live up to 50 years without having a husband. Whenever it comes to the issue of marriage, what will be going on in the mind of the man is where would I get money? Especially now that everyone is looking for white kola job and government cannot provide job for everybody.

    “Even when you get the job, the minimum wage is N30,000. Can you manage a home on N30,000 per month? There are also contemporary issues which are not religious, cultural or traditional.”

    Gidado concluded that “this issue, sadly, appears to have no solution. Because even when government intervened and carried out mass weddings, many of the women ended up marrying another woman’s husband and the marriage may not last more than six months.”

    He said the worrisome aspect is the rate of divorce which is borne out of contemporary issues and is now a common phenomenon all over the country.

    “In the South-south and Southeast, ladies now stay away completely from marriage for life. If it is children, they can get their own children and remain single parents. This however is not according to our culture and religion in the North.”

  • How we posed as women on online dating sites to rob, kill our victims — Suspects

    How we posed as women on online dating sites to rob, kill our victims — Suspects

    Our Reporter

    A suspected five-man gang of kidnappers, including a lady, has been smashed by operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau Response Team (FIBRT) led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.

    The suspects have also given details of how they lured men through a popular online dating website known as Tinder to lonely spots where they attack and rob them of their valuables. The less fortunate among their victims, they said, were killed by being strangled or shot.

    Three of the suspects arrested by FIBRT include Micheal Eneji  (30),  Nwachukwu  Emeka  (22)  and Success Okeke  (27).

    Their arrest came on the heel of a petition filed to Kyari by the family of one of the victims, Michaels Victor.

    According to a police source, on 12th January, 2021, the family of the now deceased Victor had reported to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) that their son had been missing since 6th January, 2021. With the help of intelligence gathering and support from the Technical Intelligence Unit, Force Headquarters Abuja, one of the suspects identified as  Eneji Michael a.k.a. General was arrested with two other accomplices. Police also recovered one AK-47 rifle and three magazines loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition.

    The source further revealed that during interrogation, the suspects confessed to having killed the victim the very day they kidnapped him. They later led the operatives to a forest around Old Onne Road where they usually carried out their kidnapping and armed robbery operations.

    On getting to the forest, it was discovered that the Divisional Police Officer In-charge of the jurisdiction, Chukwuma Emeka, a Superintendent of Police, had already recovered the corpse and deposited same in the mortuary at Okirika General Hospital.

    The DPO was said to have received information on January7 that the body of an unknown person was lying on Old Onne Road, between Nyelek Filling Station and Grabek Kitchen/Bar Trailer Park.

    Some inhabitants of Eleme/Onne had narrated how hoodlums turned their forest into a terror zone, especially the spot where the young man was killed, thanking IRT for coming to their rescue.

    The alleged leader of the gang, Michael Eneji, who described himself as a native of Gakem community in Bekwara Local Government Area of Cross River State, narrated  how he had  been taking part in kidnapping and armed robbery  since 2011.

    Eneji said: “I have been involved in kidnapping and armed robbery since 2011 when  I got my B.Sc in Business Administration. I have been operating under the guise of a naval officer.

    “I used to tell people that I was a naval personnel because they used to see me wearing Navy uniform all the time.

    “In 2011, I was arrested by the Department State Services (DSS) and was charged to court in a case involving receipt of a stolen phone. I was later released from court.

    “In 2014, I was arrested by the Anti-kidnapping Unit in Rivers State and charged to court for the kidnapping and murder of Shola Olaseinde and Mr. Progress Benin Disi, a staffer of Shell Oil Services Company. I was also released by a high court judge after I had served six months in prison.”

    Asked about their mode of operation, he said: “We normally pose as women on most of these dating sites. As soon as we lure our victim, we would arrange a meeting. If the target proved stubborn, we would bring in the lady among us to speak with him.

    “If the man still insists on seeing the face of the lady, we would go on video chat. We also used a small Tecno phone that enabled us to change our voice from a man’s voice to a woman’s, just to deceive the victim.

    “Once I had established a contact, I would move to the next stage, which was to convince the victim that I would satisfy his sexual urge.

    “Pretending to be a girl, I would tell him to meet me at Conoil Filling Station or Nyelek Filling Station, before the trailer park on Eleme Road while one of my boys, Success, would go there and meet him, disguising as my domestic servant and directing him to my house.

    “To further convince him to come, I would claim that I lived in a secluded mansion where I would not be disturbed by anyone.

    “On his way to my ‘house’, Success would tell him to drive towards a deserted place where we would he laid an ambush.

    “Dressed in army uniform, we would stop them, overpower the man and tie his hands and legs while we take his valuable items such ATM cards.

    “It was the work of Abubakar and Otuma to tie the victim while Emeka would hold the AK-47 in case of any attack. I would then go to the Bank to withdraw whatever the victim had in his bank accounts.”

    Explaining his foray into crime, Eneji, a father of two and an indigene of Cross River State, said: “After secondary school, I was admitted into Cross River University of Technology where I studied Business Administration. I worked with Crone Consulting Company for about a year before I voluntarily resigned and decided to hustle on my own.

    “Sometime in 2014, I met some friends who introduced me to online dating fraud. We would download pictures of beautiful women and used them to woo men. We had a girl on standby who would respond to them if they requested for video call.

    “We operated for years until one of our victims died. He was struggling to escape and we had no choice but to kill him and the police were able to track us down.

    I and several others were arrested and charged to court. I was sent to prison but our lawyer was smart enough and got us released in 2015 after eight months in prison. He told us that the judge struck out the case. We only appeared in court three times and pleaded not guilty.

    “I relocated to Ibadan but did not spend much time there because my cousin saw me as a burden, so I went back to our family house in Eleme. I tried my hands on different businesses and the money I made was used to rent a big house where I started rearing dogs.

    “I tried my best to stay away from crime until October last year when I met Abubakar Sadiq. I knew him in those days as a fraudster, and he brought up the same business idea that landed me in prison.

    “I was broke and needed money, so I decided to help Abubakar. My job was to snatch ATM cards and use them to withdraw money from the accounts of the victims.

    “The lady who worked for us is known as Joy. Her role was to pretend to be a single but rich woman who works in an oil company.

    “She would invite our victim to her house along Airport Road in Igwuruta-ali. As soon as the victim got close, he would be abducted and dragged into the bush where he would be detained till every kobo in his account was withdrawn.

    “The victim that landed us in trouble was picked by my friend, Success. I was one of those wearing Navy camouflage. We stopped them and dragged him into the bush. I had stepped out with his ATM card when security men on patrol passed by. I ran away while Abubakar and others dragged him into the bush.

    “I was waiting for the password when Abubakar called and told me that the man was dead. We all went home and two days later, the police arrested me.”

    In his own confession, Success Chudi Okeke (26) said he hails from Anambra State and read Microbiology at Covenant Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State.

    He said: “I met Michael so many years ago, and sometime last year I visited his house at Igwurita-ali and begged him to show me the way to make money. He told me that online dating was the way out.

    “Initially, I did not want to join them but things were hard for me after graduation. I am the first son and I wanted my parents and other sibling to see me as someone who doing well. My plan was to make some money and relocate to Lagos.

    “He told me that my job is to go and pick our victims and bring them to an agreed spot.

    They did not tell me that our last victim died until the police arrested me. It was at the police station that I identified him through the clothe he wore on that day.

    “On the agreed date, Michael gave me his number and asked me to pick him. I called and told him that my madam who worked in an oil company requested that I should  bring him to the house. I picked him at a bus stop near Conoil on Refinery Road.

    On our way, we passed through the agreed spot and our gang members dressed in military uniforms stopped us. It was around 8 pm. They asked why we were passing through there and pretended to be searching us. Then they overpowered the man and dragged him into the bush.

    “I was waiting for them to collect his ATM card and password when I saw flash lights from real security men on patrol. I ran away and later called Michael who told me to go home and wait  till further notice. I was actually waiting when policemen arrested me.

    Another suspected member of the gang, Emeka Nwachukwu (22) said: “I am not part of their Online dating fraud business. I was arrested because police saw an AK47 in my room. It was given to me by boss, Ojieme, who is a militant and a cultist. He is one of those who provide security during campaigns.

    “It was one of these days that I went to watch them and, unfortunately, I was grabbed by some boys and forced to become a cultist. Once they initiate you, anything you are asked to do, you must comply or they punish you the way you will live to regret.

    “He taught me armed robbery and I have joined him several times to rob houses in my community, Igwurita-ali. The highest amount I made from robbery operations has never exceeded N40,000.

    “I knew Micheal (Eneji) as a naval officer in my community, and everyone respected him. If you had a problem, he would come and help you to sort it out with the police or any security agency.  “During my grandfather’s burial, I contacted him to provide security. I gave him that AK47 because they did not have enough weapons. After the event, he gave it back to me.

    Eneji confessed that the gang had fleeced so many men before they were arrested by men of the Intelligence Response Team. He recalled that while some of the victims survived the attacks, others did not.

    Advising would be criminals, he said: “I hope Nigerians will understand and realise the pros and cons of electronic dating to reduce such dangerous crimes.

  • You need the power of God to remain a virgin till marriage!

    You need the power of God to remain a virgin till marriage!

    By Temilolu Okeowo

    Dear Aunty Temilolu, I am 26 years old. When I was growing up I made up my mind to remain a virgin till my wedding night. I have 3 elder sisters and none is married. I have been so scared that I am not going to get married as well.  I kept up the fight till my 25th birthday last year. I began having doubts that if I stayed without a boyfriend I’d never get married and I needed someone that will be helping me financially and all the men coming wanted sex, so I decided to have a boyfriend and then deflowered myself.

    Ma, I am ashamed of myself now because from November 2019 to October 2020, I have slept with six men and none of them have proposed marriage to me, the issue now is that they only want my body and nothing else!

    I have become a shadow of myself, I am depressed and ashamed of myself. Each time I go through your articles especially the one you wrote about a 25-yr- old virgin that is getting married very soon, I cry in regret wondering why I didn’t wait for God’s time! God’s time is the best my brethren, please pray for me to stay chaste and wait for the right man. I am now waiting for God’s will on my matter. God will bless you ma!

    Girls…girls…girls,

    Wow! Just wow!!! How can you preserve your virginity till 26 and then sleep with 6 guys in 11 months after all that painful endurance, all forms of embarrassments and refusal to fall into temptation even in great lack? I tell you, it’s pointless wanting to subdue your flesh and preserve your virginity if you’re not possessed by the Spirit of God. Which power do you have to fight sexual urges when they come? “Sitting on” facebook, Instagram, ticktok or your false lashes, wig, make-up…certainly not! You need a higher power to be able to tame your flesh because fleshly lust is a spirit and your sexual urge even though normal- if not tamed could eventually control you and direct your life! Yes! And the earlier you get fired up in the Holy Spirit, the easier you will find it to preserve your virginity till your wedding night. The bible even confirms this in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

    You have to be very determined and shut the world away!  You have to act as though you’re only in this world to please God otherwise, the world would get not only into your head but into your eyes, ears, heart and every sense of reasoning you have and influence you wrongly! This is a very serious matter!

    You have to make the conscious efforts especially when your parents haven’t laid a solid spiritual background for you! Even as we speak, a lot of parents don’t emphasise sexual purity to most of you, they just say it passively. What then can anyone do? And to think your sexual purity can enable you amass enormous power to fight the ancestral battles that conquered your parents and made a mess of some lives. Unfortunately, before an average girl even discovers herself, her life is open to demonic invasion through sex. And sadly, a lot of churches you’d rather attend would tell you, you don’t need the fire of deliverance as old things have passed away after you got born-again! Hmm…may the devil not sit permanently on your life and drive it as it likes! Just check out the Miss C’s experience! I pray you would be massively, richly and entirely sorted out in life by God by the time you are her age! Yes because under normal circumstances, a glorious and a wonderfully-wonderful life should be an outcome of a chaste life!

    Miss C is on a spiritual reformation and God is going to make a spectacular showcase of her to the world. Here are more of my nuggets which would encourage you to stay chaste till your wedding night.

    • Girls, too many beautiful women are spiritually-ragged! Of what good is a rag? BY ALL MEANS STAY CHASTE!
    • Girls, you’re better off wearing rags than clothes gotten in exchange for sex! May God clothe you with unending, overwhelming, global honour in Jesus name!
    • It’s not enough to abstain from ungodly sex, you must be in the spirit always and guard your privacy! May our flesh not disgrace us in Jesus name!
    • Defiling your body- God’s temple is utter disregard for the Holy Spirit! May God not turn His back on you when you need Him most!

    I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowo Temilolu.

    Are you still engaging in pre-marital sex? Each act devalues you! Your wonders are waiting to start. God is waiting for you to become a Secondary virgin! You are most welcome on board the chastity campaign train and Girls Club is open for all girls and ladies. Please text your name, age, school or occupation and State of domicile to 07086620576.

  • Why I dug my wife’s grave to bury her alive — Nasarawa businessman

    Why I dug my wife’s grave to bury her alive — Nasarawa businessman

    By Linus Oota, Lafia

    These are not the best of times for Mr. Philip Tersso, a native of Yelwata community, Nasarawa State and his wife, Mary. The once loving husband is up in arms against his wife after finding that she was pregnant for his friend and consequently resolved to bury her alive for her alleged act of infidelity.

    To make good his plan, Tersso had dug a grave in which she planned to bury Mary, whose pregnancy for Tersso’s friend, Aondowase Chiahemba, was already three months old. Timely intervention of the leaders of the community and the police, however, saved Mary as Philip was arrested and taken into custody before he could complete the execution of his plan.

    Mary
    Mary

    Trouble was said to have begun some months ago when Tersso fell very illhe would not be able to recover from the sickness, told him that she would be getting married to Chiahemba in Tersso’s absence. Unknown to Tersso, Mary was already pregnant for Chiahemba at the point she was talking to him on his sick bed.

    Angered by Mary’s words and act of infidelity, Tesso dug a grave after he had recovered from the sickness with a plan to her alive and also take his own life.

    Expressing his anger in an interview with our correspondent at his base in Toto Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, the farmer cum businessman said: “Words cannot describe the agony of finding out after 10 years of marriage that my friend impregnated my wife.

    “I cannot blame Mr Aondowase but my wife. I truly feel as if someone has ripped my heart out, more so that I was down with sickness and she was busy sleeping with a close friend.

    “It is the cruelest betrayal in my entire life, my wife is a big disappointment and I can never forgive her. I felt utterly duped and cheated when she opened her mouth and told me with a vow not to abort it.

    “My whole world has been turned upside down. The only way to pay her back is to bury her alive, so that she would feel the pains of wishing me dead while I was sick.”

    Confessing to the crime before the vigilance group in Toto, Tersso said he planned to bury Mary alive because of her comment and attitude.

    He said: “I cannot imagine my own wife telling me that if I die, she will remarry. Besides, she is already pregnant for the man.

    “I lost my temper when I recovered from my illness and decided that she should die before me since she wished me death.

    “I’m not regretting my actions or plans. Since she wanted me to die, I should send her to the grave alive so that her planned marriage after my death will not be possible.

    “She shouldn’t have been pregnant for another man while I was sick. It means she wished me death.

    “There is power in spoken words, so let her go into the grave before me, since I did not die as she prayed.”

    Recalling how he and Mary became husband and wife, he recalled that he met her about 12 years ago at a burial in Uvir, Guma Local Government Area, Benue State.

    He said: “I still have flashes from that time 12 years ago when I walked into the wake keep for the burial. It was a celebration of life because the woman was about 74 years old before she died.

    “I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a woman in a state of total array, her hair was kempt, her clothing shoveled, and she moved in a gay way.

    “I approached her and she responded well, and I was happy that she considered me a savoury character who was up to something good.

    “She told me who she was, the conversation become more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail.

    “We continued the relationship and ended up as husband and wife two years later.”

    Tersso, 49, who holds a diploma certificate, said their 10-year-old marriage went on well.

    “Even though the fertility challenge was there, we were finding ways to address it,” he said, noting that his wife suddenly lost patience “and decided to have sex with my friend when I was sick.

    “I am fully aware that people were talking and asking questions. My family members were no longer comfortable with the way things were going; that we got married over 10 years now without any issue, and we were tracing the issue. But she lost patience and went into a deal with my friend

    “I suspected their closeness at a point and somebody raised the issue with me but I never believed my own wife could open her legs for my own friend, more so that I was very sick.

    “I also did not believe my friend would ever contemplate doing such to me, especially when I was down. But both of them have proved me wrong.

    “My anger is with my wife. When she told me that she was pregnant, both of us knew that I was not responsible for it, because we did not have sex during my sickness.

    “She has shamed me. She has ruined my life and I have decided that if I have my way, I will pay her back in almost the same way by burying her alive, because I don’t want to see her any longer in my life.

    “I want to eliminate her completely from this world. That was why I dug this grave to put her inside and cover her.”

    Tersso said that he was not unaware of the consequences of his planned actions, but he could not understand why his wife would have an affair with his friend at the time he was sick, reiterating that burying his wife alive was the only punishment that could compare to what she did to him. She also said that Mary committed an abomination by having sex with a man other than her husband.

    Asked how his in-laws would have felt about burying his wife alive, he said: “It is their own business. Their daughter disappointed me and I will also disappoint them. She is very lucky that I revealed my plans to her out of anger and she escaped it.”

    In her own response, Mary told our correspondent about the threats she had received from her husband before the incident.

    She said: “When my husband told me that he would cut me into pieces and put me in a sack, I thought he was joking. But he went ahead and dug a 10-feet grave beside his late father’s grave.

    “My offence was that when he was sick, I concluded that he might die because we went to several hospitals to no avail. We resorted to traditional herbs.

    “In the process, I decided to test my fertility with another man who, unfortunately, is his friend, and I took in.

    “I refused to abort the pregnancy and never hid it from him when he recovered.”

    “My neighbours advised me to seek refuge elsewhere since my husband’s illness had turned his brain. He was bitter and wanted to revenge by burying me alive. He wanted to kill me because I had sex with another man and I am pregnant for him.

    “I regret my actions. It was the devil’s work. I made a mistake and I feel so guilty.

    “My husband and I have been trying for about nine years to have a baby, and if this baby is not his, it will destroy him.

    “I know from day one that he would feel bad, but I have no choice but to prepare his mind that the baby does not belong to him but to his close friend.

    “For about 10 years now, he was not able to get me pregnant and I decided to test my fertility elsewhere.

    “My husband has been denying me sex. He had not slept with me for a long time before he fell sick.

    “I almost thought of leaving him because I am a human being and he cannot starve me of sex for that long. That also contributed to my mistakenly falling in love with his friend. I have feelings too”

    Tersso at the graveside
    •Tersso at the graveside

    Although she said she regretted her actions, she insisted that she would not abort the pregnancy because age is no longer on her side. She also said she planned to deliver the baby in her father’s house.

    Our correspondent attempted to speak with Mary’s father on the phone but the father insisted that he could not say anything until he had seen his daughter and hear her own side of the story

    He, however, said he would not support any act of infidelity.

    “I don’t support the idea of having sex with your husband’s friend just because you are desperate for a child, especially when he is sick. And then you have the guts to tell your husband about it.

    “Even at that, the husband over-reacted. His decision (to bury her alive) was not the best, and I wouldn’t have allowed him to go free.

    “I am not saying my daughter is right, but his plans were too shocking if he had succeeded. That is all I can say for now. But I thank God he did not succeed.

    Village elders, headed by Audu Ode, were said to be handling the matter, trying to sort out certain areas of grievances with Tersso before the option of handing him over to the appropriate authorities.

    Audu said he would report the matter to the police but would plead with them to hold on until certain traditional rites are performed, adding that the man might be suffering from brain damage arising from his sickness.

    Efforts made by our correspondent to reach out to Mr Aondiwase yielded no result as he was said to have gone underground for fear of being harmed by his friend.

    The Public Relations Officer of Nasarawa State Police Command, Ramham Nansel, said the headquarters of the police command was yet to receive any report on the matter.

  • Mai Tangale crisis: Suspicion persists after bloody day in Gombe community

    Mai Tangale crisis: Suspicion persists after bloody day in Gombe community

    By Sola Shittu, Gombe

    Billiri, the second largest town in Gombe State is a quiet, peaceful and unarguably a civilised town, going by the number of its educated sons and daughters scattered within and outside the country. On Friday, February 19, however, the peaceful agrarian community erupted in a violence that claimed four lives and led to loss of properties worth hundreds of millions of naira over the appointment of a new Mai Tangale.

    The process for the selection of a new Mai Tangale, the traditional ruler of Billiri, the heart of Tangale/Waja Kingdom, a predominantly Christan community in Gombe State, reached the final stage on Monday, February 15 with the selection of three names by the kingmakers, which were forwarded to Governor Inuwa Yahaya for appointment of one of them as the successor of the late 16th Mai Tangale, Dr. Abdu Buba Maisheru, who was also the Chairman of the Association of Christian Traditional Rulers in the North East.

    The Tangales are notably great warriors, fighters and hunters in Gombe South. From 23 candidates, the number was reduced to three by the nine Tangale kingmakers, five of which voted for Dr. Musa Maiyamba while the remaining four shared their votes into two for each of Ahmad Magaji and Danladi Maishanu. The three names were immediately submitted to the Governor on that same Monday night when the voting was concluded.

    Prior to that time, however, there had been rumours of government interest in the process, particularly in favour of a candidate with fewer votes from the kingmakers and less popularity. The rumour became stronger on Tuesday, forcing the women in Billiri to block the Yola highway which runs through the town to neighbouring states and outside the country.

    It started like a joke, but the women remained on the road for three days, resisting any perceived attempt by the government to foist an unpopular candidate on them. Three government officials, including the Billiri Local Government Chairperson were sent by the state government to pacify the protesters but they were turned back.

    By Friday afternoon when The Nation visited the community, the tension had risen to a crescendo. After passing through more than 10 checkpoints mounted by the women, we eventually arrived at the last one with the hope of gaining access to Billiri in order to speak with the kingmakers, but that was how far we could go. The women turned the reporter and others back after granting them interviews. They said that if they allowed us, the truck drivers who had been delayed for more than three days would threaten to run over them.

    Mai Tangale crisis
    •The carnage after the violence

    Our correspondent and others who were with him had barely driven for 500 metres when pickup vans of armed policemen and soldiers deployed in the community arrived. The tension escalated, culminating in the death of four persons, massive destruction and vandalisation of properties with two policemen injured.

    Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who was in Abuja, arrived on Saturday and moved straight to Billiri to inspect the extent of the damages. A visibly angry Yahaya described the destruction as an act of uncivilised people. He said there was no reason for the violence because the state government had not made any pronouncement on the matter.

    According to him, he had approached the Mai Tangale succession processes with a high sense of responsibility because, as part of Gombe State’s cultural tradition, any decision he takes will have far reaching implications on not only the Tangale chiefdom but the entire Gombe State.

    “That is why I undertook widespread consultations, conducted background checks and engaged in personal reflection in order to arrive at a decision that is in the best interest of the people and the state.

    “Let it be clear that it is within my powers as governor to appoint any of the three recommended candidates to become the new Mai Tangale. Let it also be clear that no official pronouncement was made about any candidate before, during and after the eruption of violence in Billiri Local Government Area.

    “The violence was orchestrated by some unpatriotic individuals who thought they could blackmail the government into announcing their preferred candidate. Let me make it clear that our administration will never fall into any blackmail, threat, intimidation or witch-hunt from any individual or group, no matter how highly placed.”

    Governor Yahaya’s power to appoint, depose or remove any traditional ruler is derived from section 8(2) (3) and (4) of Gombe State Chieftaincy Law 2020 which allows the Governor to appoint traditional title holders “taking into account the history, culture and tradition of the people of the Emirate or Chiefdom.

    Sub-section (3) says “in making the appointment pursuant to sub-section (2) of this section, the Governor may seek the advice of the relevant Emir or Chief who shall give that advice based on the history, culture and tradition of the people of the Emirate or Chiefdom.

    Sub-section (4) further states that “in the interest of the public, the Governor may:

    1. Dissolve any council; or
    2. Suspend any member of the council; or
    3. Remove any member of the council.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Maikudi Shehu, who was part of all the processes leading to the final stage of nominating the trio, also corroborated Governor Yahaya’s position, saying he (governor) was not given a chance at all to even make a pronouncement.

    “I was part of all the processes which arrived at the three names. We submitted the three names to the governor on that same Monday night and the protest started on Tuesday.

    “As at today, the governor has not made any pronouncement on this matter. We are appealing to the people to allow the governor to play his role in this matter. On our part we have chosen to embrace dialogue but we also have the option to use force and we don’t want to do this,” he said.

    On Wednesday, February 24, Governor Yahaya visited Billiri again where he held a meeting with high ranking chiefs and community leaders. The governor also relaxed the 24-hour curfew to 6 am to 2 pm.

    Governor Inuwa Yahaya addressing journalists
    •Governor Inuwa Yahaya addressing journalists

    Efforts made to get the leaders of Tal Community Development Association (TCDA) to comment on the matter yielded no fruit. Although our correspondent was able to get the contact of one of them, he neither picked the calls nor responded to the SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him.

    A source who sought anonymity said most of the TCDA leaders had gone underground because of the manhunt for them.

    He said: “All of them are now endangered species. They are hunting for them everywhere. That is why you cannot talk to them. I believe this matter has gone beyond the state. The TCDA leaders are talking to the press in Abuja almost on a daily basis but they cannot come here. That is how bad the situation is.”

    But the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) lay the blame for the violence in Billiri on Governor Yahaya who was accused of trying to impose an unpopular candidate as the new Mai Tangale.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday, the forum described the state government as “driving the town down the valley of worsening insecurity”.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) has been drawn to the violence and destruction of lives and property that have rocked Biliri, one of the chiefdoms in the Tangale Waja nation in Gombe State over attempts by Governor Yahaya to impose an unpopular candidate as the new Mai Tangale.

    “The Forum is also aware that the planned imposition of the new Mai Tangale is in line with a deliberately crafted plot by Hausa-Fulani oligarchy to impose a candidate that is unpopular with the people in order to disturb the peaceful co-existence of the people along the religious divide.

    “We are shocked that Governor Yahaya who had vowed to stick to the choice of the Tangale kingmakers is now reneging on his promise.

    “Going by the level of destruction unleashed on Biliri by thugs and hired arsonists that are opposed to the popular choice for a new paramount ruler for Biliri, it is clear that the Gombe State Government is driving the town down the valley of worsening insecurity.

    “Without any form of doubt, the SMBLF has been convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that Governor Yahaya is behind the orgy of violence and deployment of soldiers responsible for the unprovoked murder of no fewer than four peaceful protesters at the weekend.

    “The active participation of thugs, popularly called ‘Kalare’, an equivalent of Boko Haram, who were in Governor Yahaya’s convoy, were sighted destroying a church as the convoy departed Biliri town on Saturday.”

    The group further alleged that Yahaya who should be the champion of peace has turned out to be the mastermind of the crisis.

    It noted that the governor should have announced Musa Idris Maiyamba as the new Mai Tangale, having polled five votes from a total of nine votes, leaving the two candidates for the exalted position with two votes each.

    They stated that Yahaya’s insistence on choosing a Muslim as the next Mai Tangale of Biliri is capable of not only worsening the security condition but could also wreak havoc on the peaceful co-existence among the people.

    “For the record, Christians constitute 95 per cent in Biliri that is one of the six chiefdoms in Tangale land. There is no doubt that out of the six chiefdoms in Tangale ethnic nationality, three are ruled by Muslims who constitute less than 10 per cent, with Kaltungo having been turned into an emirate in order to bar Christians from aspiring to the Mai stool.

    “The other two chiefdoms with Muslim monarchs are Waja and Tula. In total, Muslims constitute less than 15 per cent of the entire six chiefdoms. It is clear from the foregoing that the current attempt at imposing a Muslim on Biliri is aimed at entrenching a plot that is outside the Tangale ethnic nationality.”

    The SMBLF also stated that Yahaya has proved to be a hater of Christianity and is deploying religious discrimination for political objectives.

    “He is engaged in fanning the embers of religious discord with the sole aim of throwing not only Gombe State into firestorms of religious acrimony but the North and the entire country.

    “Just recently, Governor Yahaya refused to appoint the state senior judge, Justice Beatrice Iliya, as the State Chief Judge on account of her faith.

    “He refused to appoint a legal luminary, Barr. Mela Nunghe (SAN) as Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General on the simple reason of not sharing the same faith with the governor.

    “To suppress the people and bring them under Islamic dominance, he appointed a district head of Muslim faith to rule over Tudu Kwaya, an area comprising 75 per cent Christians.”

    They described Yahaya as a present and future danger to the peaceful coexistence of the different religious adherents who is determined to impose Muslims over people of other faiths.

    Dr. Abdu Buba Maisheru
    •The late 16th Mai Tangale, Dr. Abdu Buba Maisheru

    However in a quick reaction, the Director General Press Affairs to the Governor, Malam Ismaila Uba Misilli, described the SMBLF statement as a campaign of calumny against Governor Yahaya.

    He said although the Gombe State Government does not wish to join issues with any individual or group of individuals on the matter, it is necessary to set the records straight – without going into frivolous and laughable issues raised by the forum.

    Misilli said; “After the death of the late Mai Tangle, Dr Abdu Buba Maisharu II, on Sunday, January 10, 2021, the Gombe State Government allowed the traditional kingmakers to select and forward the names of nominated candidates to replace the late monarch. “That process has been concluded, and the Gombe State Government is in receipt of the list containing the names of three nominated persons for the stool.

    “At first, 23 eligible persons from the Tangale land indicated interest, and the number was later pruned to 18. In their wisdom, the kingmakers arrived at the three names required by law, which were forwarded to the state government for necessary action. Suffice it to say that the three names submitted by the kingmakers are all qualified for the stool.

    “It is rather unfortunate that what should be an otherwise peaceful and seamless process has generated issues that should not have arisen in the first place as the kingmakers did their work diligently and patriotically,” he said.

    Misilli added that it is regrettable that a body such as the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum would resort to blackmailing the Gombe State Governor on a matter that he has no hand in.

    He said where the governor comes in, is in the approval and announcement of the next Mai Tangle from the list of the three persons nominated by the Kingmakers according to the law.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Governor of Gombe State has assented to the Gombe State Chieftaincy Law, 2020. The relevant provision of the law as to the appointment of an Emir or chief is that the Council of Traditional Kingmakers of an Emirate or chiefdom shall nominate to the governor three candidates for the vacant stool from among eligible members of the royal family. The governor, after due deliberation, will then choose one of the candidates for appointment as an Emir or Chief. Appointment of an Emir or Chief is therefore the prerogative of the Governor.

    “Section 9 sub section (a-b) under their functions, the traditional Kingmakers shall: (a)Upon the death,  resignation,  removal or deposition of an Emir or Chief, to screen and decide on persons suitably qualified to be appointed Emir or Chief in accordance with custom and tradition of the emirate or chiefdom; (b) to recommend to the Governor the names of THREE suitably qualified persons for appointment as the Emir or the Chief.

    “Based on the above law, the Gombe State Government wishes to make it abundantly clear that Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya cannot be blackmailed or arm-twisted into doing what is outside the law. Let it be known that consultations are ongoing among the relevant stakeholders on who becomes the next Mai Tangle from the three nominees. The Governor will NOT go outside the three nominated names submitted to him by the Tangale Kingmakers,” he said.

    Misilli said the three names submitted by the kingmakers are the choice of the Tangale people, and any one among them can ascend the throne.

    “Thus, against the baseless allegation by the forum, there is no room for imposition of “an unpopular candidate as the new Mai Tangle” as the governor will not go outside the names submitted to him by the Tangale traditional kingmakers.”

  • Sexual perverts on the prowl (2)

    Sexual perverts on the prowl (2)

    Many indigent families of sexually abused children are afraid to seek justice for their wards because corrupt police officers make questionable monetary demands from them. Some officers allegedly take bribe from the perpetrators to scuttle cases; a development that emboldens rapists and frustrate efforts at checkmating the menace, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Sometime last month, an underage girl, Ada, was reportedly gang-raped by eight grown up men at Langbasa area of Ajah, Lagos. The family reported the case at the police station in the area with the hope of having the perpetrators arrested and prosecuted.

    Their effort appeared to have paid off when the kingpin of the rape gang was arrested. The arrest calmed the frayed nerves of the survivor’s family members and raised their hope that justice would soon be done. Alas, it was only a mirage.

    Mr Ebenezer Omejalile, Secretary Operations Manager of The Advocate, a group of non-governmental organisations working on child abuse issues, said: “The act was actually started by a gateman who later called seven of his friends who also took turns to rape her. The girl said she was going to fetch water when a man standing in an uncompleted building called her. He covered her mouth and raped her before inviting seven others.

    “One of our members went for the case and came back with a very negative experience. They arrested the gateman in question and he made a confessional statement at Langbasa Police Station. Surprisingly, the police released the man and turned themselves into judges. They told the survivor’s family that there was no evidence that the girl was gang-raped, hence they had to release the man.

    “We are still on that case to know why they did that. The police, who are supposed to be the protector, are the ones encouraging such abnormality.”

    Curiously, the victim’s aunt was boiling with rage when our correspondent called her on her mobile phone. And her anger was directed not against the perpetrators of the act but the victim.

    She said: “I have told them (NGO) that I am not interested in the case. To start with, my niece has gone. The father has taken her away. I have told them that we should close the matter.

    “For two days, they have tortured the boy. The girl in question ran away again. She likes men. When we are at home at times, she would disappear and come back the next day. Is it every day we will be talking about abuse?

    “She was the one that was going to meet them. If we go into this matter… I have told them we should forget this matter because it is the girl that normally meets them.

    “Even at the police station, I didn’t want to open up to you people. I was ashamed. The man said she used to come. If I went to work, the girl would go and meet him. Why they locked the man up is because she is underage. The girl is not with me again. Thank you. Bye-bye.”

    A 10-year-old girl, Chiamaka, was also during the week reported to have been sexually abused by a man said to be close to 60 years. After the indigent mother got wind of the dastardly act, she tearfully ran to report the incident at Okokomaiko Police Station, Lagos, full of hope that her case would be attended to without the usual bottlenecks and extortions.

    But she was wrong.  No sooner had she lodged the complaints than she was asked to bring money for the girl’s medical treatment.

    Omejalile said: “Imagine! The IPO was asking her to bring money for medical test. The family of the girl alleged that they even gave the policeman in question the sum of N6,000, yet they went ahead and released the man.

    “Everybody is rejecting the perpetrator because he had hernia and they don’t want him to die in their custody. But the man is abusing children. The Police at Panti rejected the case. They said they should take the girl to Family Support Unit at Festac, which also rejected her.

    “The Festac DPO advised the DPO of Okoko to charge the man to court directly. Some police officers, who take advantage of ignorant survivor’s family, feel they don’t know their rights and when they should put their feet on the ground.”

    The greed and penchant of some policemen for extorting money from complainants in spite of their plight also played out in the case of a 12-year-old girl reportedly raped by a 52-year-old commercial motorcycle rider.

    The family of the girl was said to have reported the incident at a police station on Mile 12- Ikorodu Road but it was seen by some officers as an opportunity to make money.

    “It is one of the cases we have in court now, and it is about a girl who was impregnated at age 12. The man was an okada (commercial motorcycle) rider and was 52 years old.  The case was reported at Irawo Police Station. The officer handling the case made a mess of it and the man was freed after sometime,” said Ngozi  Nwosu of Vison Spring Initiative, a non-gov ernmental organisation based in Lagos.

    “Luckily for the victim, somebody who had benefitted from our programme heard about it and told us about it. We went to the station and asked them to open the file to know how the man was freed. The DPO cooperated with us and charged the man to court at Ikorodu.

    ‘As December at last year, we got a judgment and the perpetrator was sent to Kirikiri Prison. The little girl has had a baby. She was 13 years old last September.”

    Ngozi said because she and her team felt that the girl’s parents were negligent, “we worked with the Lagos State Government and the social welfare at the general hospital and sent her to a shelter.

    “There are many other cases like that. If we didn’t intervene in the case I shared with you now, it was almost turned against the girl and her mother.

    “The DPP was asking the mother where she was when she was being sexually abused, and I told him that was not why we were in court. The issue was the girl was abused, and as at the time we met her, she was six months pregnant, and as at then, she had not been registered for ante-natal. We had to do all that and also raise funds for her. She had a CS and was delivered of a baby girl.”

    She regretted that there are always complaints about the police looking the other way when issues of rape and abuse are reported.

    “If you go to the police station now and say that a boy has been raped, they would have a good laugh. It is a very difficult situation. Maybe that is why boys don’t report when it happens to them. I don’t know if they (police) have changed in the last two months.”

    Executive Director of Initiative for Sustaining Family Unity, Kate Ibeanusi, also shared an incident that occurred before the lockdown last year after a young girl under 17 years was invited to a neighbourhood party hosted by boys.

    •File photo: Used for illustration purpose only.

    Ibeanusi said: “Maybe she had, had some people paying attention to her which she did not notice, and they used that to set her up. They invited her to that party and made her dance with other girls, making it look like she won the dancing competition. The party was held in a guest house. They lured her upstairs and four of those boys gang-raped her.

    “When the family got to find out, they reported to the police but nothing was done.  The police seemed to know the boys as people who do such things and did not want to arrest them. Some of the boys left the area for a while and so the man (survivor’s father) was just going back and forth to police station without any result.”

    She noted that justice is often not served when many of such cases are reported by the survivors or their families.

    “The few times we have seen justice achieved in such case is when somebody has actually stood their ground either at the police end or through an organisation or even members of the family may have actually stood their ground not to let go. They may just have been favoured to find responsible officials either at the court level or at the police station to help them to press for justice.

    “Where that is not possible, what you will have is a situation where the survivor and or the family gets tired, because it involves a lot of movement from one location to another recounting incident which becomes traumatic for survivors and their families. It involves a number of things that if people are not sufficiently encouraged, they can just back off and say they want to move on with their lives.”

    She added: “There are several of such cases coming up but it is either the family chickens out, out of fear or they are threatened or they are paid to let go. All these are just emboldening the perpetrators. And then the police become more and more unaccountable, because if the parents of the victim go ahead to collect money and say they are going to treat their daughter, it becomes a very difficult case.

    “Once a case of that nature is reported, it should be taken over by the state and the state should become the complainant in those kind of matters, deal with it and execute it expressly.

    Many times, when it is the survivor or the family that is the complainant, once they get compromised or influenced or threatened, it then rubbishes every effort that has been made or that is being made.

    “Since the police do not see it as their responsibility to see such matters as a matter for the state, and they are even the ones pushing the families to go and reconcile, to go and treat their child and move on, then we would not be able to really get justice.

  • Day clash of cultists, drug barons ruined Nnewi market

    Day clash of cultists, drug barons ruined Nnewi market

    By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

    The old saying that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers was demonstrated at the multi-million naira timber market in Nnewi, Anambra State last week.

    The Ogbo Osisi part of the Nkwo Nnewi market known for timber and other forms of building materials was reportedly gutted by a fire outbreak that destroyed more than 108 shops.

    On February 17, the traders had gone to the market with expectations of huge sales, oblivious of the calamity that would befall them.

    Many of the traders were said to have restocked their shops with goods worth millions of naira a few days before the ugly incident.

    Unknown to the traders, some hoodlums suspected to be hard drugs sellers and consumers, who had clashed with some cultists in the area, had sneaked into the market as they were being pursued by security operatives.

    The hoodlums were said to have made their way straight to an erosion site at the south end of the market to avoid being arrested by the security agents on their trail.

    Determined to smoke out the hoodlums from their hiding place, the security operatives allegedly set fire to the site. Regrettably, the fire became so huge that it spread to a section of the market, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.

    The Nation gathered that efforts made by the security operatives in conjunction with the traders in the market to contain the fire could not yield much result, hence great damage had been done before the arrival of the men of the fire service.

    Narrating their ordeal, some victims of the incident, who spoke to The Nation, described themselves as innocent ‘grasses’ who suffered mighty losses at the hands of two ‘elephants’ over an altercation that ensued between the police and the hoodlums.

    Although the police had shortly after the incident absolved themselves of blame in the inferno, many of the traders pointed accusing fingers at them and other security agents in the area.

    They said although the actions of the security agents might not have been deliberate, the incident could have been avoided if they had been more circumspect in the way they handled the hoodlums’ matter.

    One of the victims, Comrade Godwin Okorie, identified the security operatives involved in the incident to include the police and members of the vigilance group in the area.

    Okorie, who claimed to have lost about 16 vehicle engines and other goods including airconditioners, freezers, executive chairs and saw mill to the inferno, appealed to the government for assistance.

    He said: “We were surprised when we saw large number of men of the vigilante accompanied by the DPO, Nnewi division. They didn’t even consult the chairman of the union but went straight to the erosion site.

    “Many of us who witnessed the incident saw the one they call Ethel. They suddenly ignited fire there, claiming they were pursuing criminals so that the fire could push them out to where they could be caught.

    “But when it became obvious that they could not control the raging fire, they all ran out from the site, jumped inside their vehicles and zoomed off. Before the people who were around could stop them to demand that they should go back and extinguish the fire, they had all disappeared.

    “You can see one of the vehicles they abandoned. What we’re hearing now is that they have denied that they were the ones that set the place on fire. They claimed it was the criminals. How can it be people from 100 miles away?

    “I am the owner of this office. You can see the airconditioners, freezers, executive chairs. The other side was where I had my two saw mills. They are all burnt. I lost almost 16 (vehicle) engines. My colleague here, Ifeanyi, lost three engines. There were others who lost everything.

    “Here in the timber shade, government gave us a borehole but they have refused to allow it to function. They cannot pump water.

    “The most annoying aspect of the whole episode is that it happened in the day time. If it were to be at night, they would use the excuse that it happened at an odd time. Even at day time, they could not help us.

    “See all the damages. I could only rescue two-thirds of my property. They failed to assist us. If the borehole was to be functional, it would not have gotten to this extent.

    “The major people that ignited the fire were the police and the one they call Ethel from Uruagu here. We were not fewer than 50 persons who witnessed the incident. Now they have rendered us useless and there’s nothing we can do.” Another witness, Ifeanyi Chikwe, who described the actions of the security agencies as selfish, wondered why they would resort to igniting fire, knowing the inflammable nature of many of the goods in the market.

    He said: “We were here around noon when we saw some policemen led by the DPO, anti-cults and Nnewi vigilante going inside the market. We saw the leader of the vigilante wearing native and putting on his lighter. We were shouting, ‘Stop, stop, here is timber shade, you’ll spoil things here,’ but they didn’t care to listen to anyone.

    Nnewi cultist clash

    “The next thing we saw was fire everywhere. We were trying to secure our property, so we quickly ran to the borehole with a hose, trying to quench the fire, but the whole thing overwhelmed us.

    “I know the act was not intentional. I know they didn’t have plans to burn down this market. But it was purely selfish interest which they allowed to destroy our property. But for them to come out now denying that they don’t know who set the market on fire, that it was the criminals, they are typical liars.

    “We saw them. I personally saw them with my two naked eyes. We can count up to 100 persons that saw them.

    “We saw everything that happened. When it became obvious that the fire had overwhelmed them, they ran out, using bullets. We can’t pursue armed men with bare hands. All we did was to resort to controlling the fire so it would not spread to other sections.

    “Unfortunately, no tanker agreed to enter the market. The only one that agreed to help us got burnt in the process. We can’t use ordinary hand to quench the raging fire. We don’t have enough manpower to do that.”

    The visibly devastated trader quantified the loss he incurred in the inferno at over N10 million, lamenting that “they have rendered me useless. All my resources are here. It is my entire life.”

    Also speaking, Chief Dozie Egwuonwu, another trader in the market, said he had just stocked goods worth N3 million which were all consumed by the fire. The Chairman, Nnewi Timber Dealers Association, Chief Nonso Nnetu, who could not specifically identify the cause of the fire, alleged that the inferno started when security operatives entered the erosion site in search of suspected cultists, hard drugs sellers and consumers.

    He said: “A combined team of security operatives made up of the police and vigilance groups arrived the market with about eight patrol vehicles and moved straight to an erosion site at the south end of the market in search of cultists, hard drug sellers and consumers.

    “Soon after they entered the valley around 12 pm, we saw smoke with flames rising from the area. Though the operatives, while pursuing the suspects, tried to put out the fire with the assistance of the traders, they couldn’t.”

    Nnetu regretted that no fewer than 108 shops, processing machines and other goods worth millions of naira were lost to the inferno.

    He said: “As I speak with you now, I am still feeling sleepy because I left this market around 4 am. I was still trying to catch some sleep when I was called to come back to the market. You can see my reddish eyes.

    “So far, we have paid for over 1,500 litres of water from 170 tankers to extinguish the fire but it is still raging. We really need serious intervention from both the state and federal governments to recover from this great loss.”

    Reacting, the police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, dismissed police’s alleged responsibility for the fire as false and misleading and targeted at creating tension and anarchy in the state.

    He said the fire was occasioned by a clash between a cult group and drugs sellers at 100 Foot Road, Nnewi, resulting in serious pandemonium in the area.

    He added that a total of 35 suspects had been arrested, while an axe, dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa and a motorcycle were recovered from them.

    He said: “The attention of the Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to a trending video clip which has gone viral in the social media showing a fire incident at Nnewi Timber Market in which the recorder claimed the Nigeria Police Force was responsible.

    “The report is not only false but absolutely misleading with the tendency of creating tension and anarchy in the state. “For the avoidance of doubt, on 17/2/2021 at about 10 am, a cult group and drugs sellers had a clash at 100 Foot Road, Nnewi, causing serious pandemonium in the area.

    “Following the report, police patrol teams in conjunction with local vigilante group quickly mobilised to the scene and arrested four suspects on the spot.

    “The remaining hoodlums blocked the road and set fire on the saw dust in a bid to prevent the police from taking the suspects to the station. The fire overwhelmed the people who tried to put it out and extended to the timber market.

    “As a result, a police patrol vehicle attached to Otolo Division and three vehicles belonging to the vigilante groups were stoned by the rampaging youth.

    “Meanwhile, normalcy was restored in the area and a total of 35 suspects were arrested. Exhibits recovered include an axe, dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa and a motorcycle.

    “It is obvious that the recorder shared the video online with the aim of triggering anarchy in the state, which the Command and other law enforcement agencies are working assiduously to prevent.”

    While urging the public to disregard the misleading video report, Mohammed warned mischief makers to be ready to face the full wrath of the law, insisting that the police would not fold their arm while criminality was being perpetrated.

    On his part, leader of the vigilance groups during the joint operation, Dr Maduka Atuenyi, who doubles as the Chairman of Nnewi and Anambra South vigilance groups, absolved the police and other operatives of blame in the incident, insisting that the suspects created the fire to escape arrest.

  • IFEYINWA OKAFOR: I make my staff learn every day

    IFEYINWA OKAFOR: I make my staff learn every day

    IFEYINWA Maureen Okafor, a Chartered Accountant and Governance Professional, spent the first 15 years of her career in banking and financial services. Expanding her private sector portfolio, in 2008, she joined International Packaging Industries of Nigeria Plc where she currently sits atop as the Managing Director of the over 50-year-old company. She was a Commissioner on the Imo State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Contracts from 2011-2019, tasked with reforming the contract award process and recovery of funds paid for contracts not executed. In 2019, Ms. Okafor was invited to join the Imo State Government as a Member of the Financial Advisory Committee, where her team was responsible for introducing the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to the state as well as instrumental in lifting Imo state’s position in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Ms. Okafor who was recently accepted into the Amujae Leadership Initiative Cohort 2 for 2021, an initiative of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development that identifies and challenges African women to be catalysts for political and social change across Africa, in this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF takes us through her career trajectory thus far. Excerpts:

     

    WHEN does your typical day begin?

    About 4am. I pray, meditate journal and exercise while listening to music. I actually do my best creative (writing) work in the early hours of the day. So with this self-awareness, I try to go to bed early so I can wake up and maximise those dawn hours.

    What’s your management style?

    I have a mix. My dominant management styles are democratic and coaching styles. This is because I welcome views of everyone in the team then I use their inputs to make decisions. I often explain to my team how I arrived at my decision so that they can learn. It’s a constant mentoring much more than managing style. When the situation calls for it, I also apply autocratic management style. You cannot use democracy to decide to kill a snake that entered the room.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    I believe that people are the greatest resource of an organisation. I believe investing in our people and giving them the best environment to unleash their potential is a win-win. Our company core value has an acronym; RISE: Resilience, Integrity, Service, Excellence. I understand that people operate at the level of knowledge that they have per time.  Being mindful that the scope of knowledge is always expanding it means that we can keep mining for the best in our people thus we keep learning!

    Do you delegate responsibility?

    Yes. Leadership is one of my core values. When I teach, I delegate to see in practice how you have learnt what has been taught. As much as possible, I offer clarity in communication by providing guidelines and expectations while constantly supervising. Then we have regular review meetings. I believe this is how to expand and empower staff members. I also give them leadership opportunity.

    Are you a team player? 

    Absolutely.

    Great assignments are always accomplished as a team. Recognising and igniting the capability of everyone, we try to be the strongest link in a strong chain. I understand my role as the CEO. I am the enabler for others so that together we meet our goals. I actively listen and I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I give credit to whom it is due and my doors are always open to all staff to discuss new ideas or challenges.

    What are your other areas of interest besides business?

    Sports; (Swimming, Tennis, Aerobics) Music, Dance, Reading and Writing (Poetry). Politics and Governance.

     

    okafor
    •Okafor swimming under water

     

    What motivates you?

    Making the lives of others better through different platforms such as entrepreneurial, nongovernmental/voluntary/charity work as well as government activities. Nigeria provides a lot of opportunity for this.

    What makes you tick?

    What gives me the greatest joy is doing meaningful work. Doing things that can transform the lives of millions of people. I have had the privilege of advising two state governors in Nigeria. Researching and writing policy documents that eventually created change is very fulfilling. I am a person of faith. Everything in life that was created has a manual for its success. For me, the manual for successful living is the Bible. This is where I derive my daily inspiration.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    I constantly affirm them and the work that they do. We celebrate each staff on their birthdays. The company really cares about the career and personal development of each staff. I believe everyone has immense value. However we have to be placed in the environment where our value is enhanced and appreciated. Much like a fertile soil, I try to provide that kind of environment.

    I write a motivational series titled ‘Motivational Mondays with the MD’. It is available on the company website. www.interpackng.com

    Do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    Yes. Though we have a disciplinary process, we focus more on inspirational leadership; teaching, mentorship, apprenticeship, coaching, training. When you hire right you will have little need for the stick. Thus we try to ensure that our hiring and promotion is entirely merit based.

    What’s the best decision you have taken thus far?

    Running and serving in public office. It gave me a deeper insight into the challenges of society. It gave me opportunity to create policy for government. It allowed me engage my unique gifts and faculty in a way that is beneficial to society.

    What’s the worst decision you have taken?

    Leaving toxic people in my employment for too long. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.  Great companies have one thing in common; great human capital. As an entrepreneur I made mistakes in the choice of business partners and some staff that I retained after taking over my company through a management buy in.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    To fail forward. There was a time I used to dwell in regrets. I had a list of things I wish I had done better. A wise friend said to me; ‘Do something to create a better list! Your failures are just a page in what can be a great book; the pen is in your hands. Turn that page and write new pages’. I never forgot that piece of advice.  I learnt to embrace my failures, changed my perspective and made better choices.

    What’s your definition of success, career-wise?

    Finding purpose; this is what you are created and uniquely gifted to do. Then becoming the globally recognised resource person in that field. This is often defined as finding what you would do for free and getting paid to do it. However the ultimate pay is not money but fulfillment.

    How do you unwind?

    Besides sporting activity, I choreograph dance to the Jerusalem song with my children. I also listen to faith and leadership podcasts.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    Who moved my Cheese- An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life. It is written by Dr Spencer Johnson. Every month, as a team we identify a management book to study. We review and discuss the key insights. We read this particular book in January 2021.

    What’s your choice holiday destination?

    I have a list of the Wonders of the World that I am ticking off as I go. I would love to go where the food is great, (great restaurants) , that has outdoor activity like hiking, dirt bike riding, swimming , surfing and where there is nature ; forests, mountains. A boat cruise to Barbados or Cape Verde might be the answer.

    What’s your sense of style?  

    Business casual for work. I like to ‘roll up ‘my sleeves when I am in the factory and so I dress appropriately. I also love vintage. I am often found in pearls and dress in colours like black and white. When I have an evening event, I like formal and fancy ball gowns.

    How do you maintain your looks?

    Swimming, aerobics, yoga, tennis. Eating the right kind of foods, drinking  a lot of water.

    Most women today are shattering the glass ceiling, operating in otherwise male-dominated areas. How does it feel being one of these women?

    I think women at the top in industry or any sector should be normalised. When it is, we can redraft this question. We need to move away from this concept of glass ceiling by removing every possible barrier to the actualisation of the potential of all our people. I do not feel special and I do not feel that I am in a male-dominated industry. I feel that as a human being I have been gifted by God with talents to be put into use for the progress of humanity. The reason I became an employer is so I can contribute to nation building, increase the GDP of Nigeria and provide employment through manufacturing jobs. This year, I am privileged to be chosen as a 2021 Amujae Leader. The vision of Amujae is to move society from a culture of tokenism to a culture that values women leadership. It is important that we overcome the impact of culture and religious dogma and actively seek the contributions of women in the workplace.  The question to ask therefore is ‘How do we change years of acculturation and socialisation of our society to actively encourage the contribution of women?’ Women have a role to play in national development. We need to embrace it.

    Do you cook?

    Yeeeess!! I love to create new recipes. I also bake. During the lockdown I taught my sons to cook and bake. It is a joy to cook for my loved ones. I also love to watch cooking shows on TV.

    What’s your favourite Nigerian dish?

    Fisherman soup.