The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • #EndSARS protests: Our pains, losses, by victims

    #EndSARS protests: Our pains, losses, by victims

    By Bisi Oladele, Gbenga Aderanti, Toba Adedeji, Yinka Adeniran and Segun Showunmi

    • Survivors of accidental bullets relive ordeal, seek help to settle medical bills

    • How we lost our shops to arson days after stocking them for Christmas —Traders

    • The untold story of attack on Oyetola, deputy, others

    Residents of Ojoo, Ibadan will not forget Tuesday October 20 in a hurry. So are traders, motorists, commuters and passers-by who were victims. Youths had gathered at the location for the protest against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force when an argument ensued between them and some policemen at the roundabout. The Ojoo Police Station is located very close to the roundabout.

    The argument soon degenerated into a confrontation between the police and the protesting youths, following which the former resorted to shooting into the air to scare the daring youths. Unfortunately, one of the bullets was said to have hit a young man, prompting the angry youths to attack the law enforcement agents by throwing missiles at them.

    To scare away the youths and safeguard themselves and their station, the police started another round of shooting with bullets flying in different directions, hitting some passers-by, commuters and traders who were not among the protesters.

    The protesting youths eventually overpowered the policemen, killed two of them, seized their AK 47 rifles and burnt down the station. The news of the confrontation soon went round the city, prompting other youths to attempt burning down other police stations around the capital city.

    Although men of the state’s joint security outfit, Operation Burst, succeeded in repelling them in some stations, the angry youths burnt down the police station in Alabebe area of Ibadan as well as that of Iseyin. The protesters were however repelled at Gbagi, Agugu and Testing Ground.

    Among the victims of the bloody confrontations was Godwin Chukwuka Ononuju, a trader at the roundabout, who said he was busy guarding his wares when his brother called him on the telephone to ask about the situation in Ojoo.

    “Then suddenly, a bullet came from nowhere and hit me around the chest. Some other people were also hit in different parts of their body. My brother had to rush down from Iwo Road to take me to the University College Hospital (UCH),” he said.

    Ononuju recalled the amount of pain he endured while his treatment lasted and the amount of money he had to spend in the hospital.

    While Ononuju was discharged after treatment, Akeem Tijani was not that lucky. The Lagos-based business man was said to be returning to Lagos from Ilorin when the commercial vehicle conveying him and other passengers got stuck in the traffic snarl caused by protesters at Ojoo. Sensing danger, the driver of the vehicle said he could no longer be able to continue with the journey. Tijani was left with no choice but to alight from the vehicle and wade through the crisis spot to where he could get another vehicle and continue his journey to Lagos. In the process, however, he was hit by a bullet believed to have been fired by security agents.

    He said: “As we were travelling from Ilorin to Lagos, we got to Ojoo in Ibadan and saw policemen shooting. The driver of our vehicle stopped, refusing to continue the journey to Lagos. We then started trekking towards the area where we could get another vehicle.

    “As my brothers and I were moving, I did not know the direction from which a bullet came and hit me, and I fell down. Some kind hearted people rushed me to a private hospital but the doctors at the hospital refused to attend to me, insisting that I must produce a police clearance. It was soldiers that rescued us.”

    He added: “The soldiers really tried. All the private hospitals we visited rejected us. The bullet hit me from the back, came out from below my chest and also hit my hand. My mouth was already melting before we got to UCH.”

    He said his relations could not come to Ibadan to check on him because of the curfew in Lagos, but they were communicating on the telephone.

    Another victim of stray bullet, 23-year-old Sodiq Oluwole was returning to his shop at Badmus area of Ojoo when a bullet pierced his buttocks.

    He said: “I was alone when a bullet suddenly hit me in the buttocks. I was at the Ladegba Fuel Station when the bullet hit me.” 70, lamented that the family had been borrowing to pay the medical bills. She called on the government to come to her aid.

    Yet another victim, Toheeb Rasheed, 33, had the femur of his right leg shattered by bullets.

    Recalling the events that resulted in the unfortunate incident, he said: “We were at the market when suddenly we saw that people were running helter-skelter. It was while I was trying to run in the midst of that pandemonium that a bullet hit me in the leg.

    “I sell crayfish and ogbono. My stock is still at the market. They were shooting tear gas and stray bullets were flying everywhere.”

    His father, Alhaji Rasheed Azeez a.k.a. Ege called on the government to render a helping hand for his treatment, saying that the family had already incurred a bill of more than N150,000, adding that the hospital had asked them to provide another N150,000 to buy the iron that would be planted in the leg. That, he said, is different from the cost of surgery.

    “I am appealing to the government to please come to our aid,” he pleaded.

    Before normalcy began to return to Ibadan early in the week, flashpoints like Iwo Road, Ojoo, Challenge and Eleyele were taken over by protesters and hoodlums.

    Two policemen had been burnt to death at Iwo Road interchange as a result of policemen running over a commercial motorcyclist.

    A petty trader around the area, Mrs Abigeal Akinwunmi, who spoke with our correspondent, expressed displeasure over the events that led to the incident, calling on Governor Seyi Makinde to find a way to restore normalcy in the area.

    Mr. Akeem Lana, a dealer in electronics and phone accessories, noted that the protests had affected their business as there had been low patronage by customers who were afraid to come out.

    With normalcy gradually returning, it is believed that the city will find its fire back in a matter of days.

    ‘How we lost our shops to arson days after stocking them for Christmas’

    • Survivors of Lagos ethnic clash count losses

    As the dust settles over the ethnic clash involving the Yoruba and Hausa residents of Fagba, a Lagos suburb, in which many lives were lost and properties running into millions of naira were destroyed, victims and injured survivors are counting their losses.

    The suburb had turned into a war zone during the violent ENDSARS protests after some Yoruba youths allegedly attacked some Hausa traders in the area, killing their numerous cattle and setting a long vehicle conveying them ablaze while the Hausa residents in the area responded with attacks on businesses belonging to the Yoruba in the area, with both sides recording some human casualties.

    A visit to the area by our correspondent early in the week revealed traders whose businesses were affected by the crisis reliving their sad experiences, counting their losses in terms of loved ones and assets and wondering the way out of their predicaments.

    “Where do we go from here?” a woman who lost her beauty shop asked in bewilderment as a state government official took stock of the traders who had suffered losses in the area. Incidentally, many of the traders said they had just spent millions of naira stocking their stores in readiness for the festive season when the crisis occurred.

    Omowumi Arike, the CEO Arik Beauty Home, was yet to recover from shock as she recalled the events in a chat with one of our correspondents. Arike said it had taken her five years to set up the business that had just been destroyed. The first born of her aged prents, Arike said she had five other siblings that depended on her for survival.

    “I have so many people depending on me. It is through this business that I take care of them. What is going to happen to them now? How do you want us to live? Government should please help me. There is no helper anywhere else,” she said.

    Almost regretting her decision to abandon the container she was using to rent her jewellery shop that was razed for N500,000, she asked repeatedly, “Where do I start from?”

    “Please I need assistance. I don’t want to go back again to selling pure (sachet) water. It took so much hustling to set up this shop but everything has been destroyed. I couldn’t take a pin out of it.”

    Asked the worth of the jewellery she lost in the burnt shop, she put it about N3.5 million. She also appealed to the Lagos State Government to find a way of removing the miscreants in the area.

    “These people who have no jobs, property or means of livelihood should be ejected from here,” she said

    Mariam, a mother of two and another victim of the violent clash, said she only recently rented her burnt shop for N500,000. And like Arike, she said she lost her entire stock of phone accessories to the violence.

    She said: “It is a big tragedy for me. I have lost all to this incident. How do I take care of my two children? My business is what my family depends on. I just lost N4 million to the incident. It is so sad.”

    Mariam, who said she had maintained a shop in the area for 12 years, recalled the little beginnings when she operated under an umbrella, saying: “When I was doing business under an umbrella, they were disturbing us. I managed to rent a container but they looted our shops. But the one that happened two years ago was not as terrible as this.”

    Mariam told The Nation that the arsonists first looted the shops before setting them ablaze.

    “I couldn’t pick a thing from the shop. I lost everything. I am appealing to the government to take these miscreants away from here,” she said.

    Another victim who did not want her name in print said but for providence, she would have been killed in the incident. Ironically, she said, she was rescued from her shop by the ENDSARS protesters after it was set ablaze.

    “The problem started on a Tuesday while ENDSARS people were protesting. I was in the shop when the crisis started. It was the ENDSARS guys that facilitated my escape,” she said, adding that it was not until the second day that she realised the extent of the damage that had been done to her shop.

    “I am alone with two kids. Government should please come to our aid.

    “I had just stocked my shop. I bought goods worth N2 naira. Before I set up this shop, I was at home doing nothing. I paid two years rent but we have not even spent six months here and I could not salvage a thing.”

    Sola Olufemi, a beautician who also sells cosmetics, said she had to hurriedly lock her shop when the trouble started. She estimated her loss in the violent clash at about N3.8 million.

    “I couldn’t take a pin out of the shop. Everything was burnt. And they did not stop at that; they broke the glass and destroyed everything.”

    For those who are conversant with Fagba junction, Oluwakemi Chidi Okere’s boutique shop attracts attention. Until it was looted by hoodlums, her beautifully decorated shop was cynosure of all eyes.

    Also reliving her ordeal in a chat with The Nation, Oluwakemi Chidi Okere, who operates a beauty shop at Fagba Junction on Iju Road, said she was not around when the incident occurred.

    She said: “I only got a call that my shop had been set on fire by protesters or rioters. I don’t know the set of people. There was curfew, so there was no way I could come to see how I could pack some things.

    “By the time I came the following day, my boutique had been burnt. I lost nothing less than N5 million in the incident.”

    The affected traders are appealing to the government to get rid of the miscreants in the suburb, saying that they are capable of generating crisis from time to time.

    One of them who pleaded anonymity said: “This is not the first time the miscreants would clash among themselves. And each time they clash, the traders always have tales of woe to tell. The difference between this one and the previous ones is that this time round, the destruction was much.

    “Why would they destroy our shops when we had nothing to do with their problem?”

    How hoodlums, cult groups hatched attack on Oyetola, deputy, others

    Most Osun State residents were left in shock on Saturday, October 17 after an attack on the Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, his deputy Mr Benedict Alabi and other members of his cabinet by political thugs and hoodlums masquerading as ENDSARS protesters. The attack left many vehicles on the governor’s convoy damaged, attracting widespread condemnation by individuals and groups.

    The ENDSARS protest, an agitation against the excesses of some officials of a unit of the Nigeria Police known as the Special Anti-Robbery Response Squad (SARS), had started on a peaceful note in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, on October 9, with youths thronging the streets in rallies meant to register their displeasure.

    For nine days, the protesters marched on the Osun State House of Assembly, the Osun State Secretariat, the Government House and other public institutions in the state without harassing any citizen. They only barricaded the popular Ola-Iya Junction and vowed to remain there until the governor addressed them.

    They rebuffed an attempt by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, to address them on behalf of Governor Oyetola, who the SSG said had gone to Abuja to attend a meeting with the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, over the protests.

    One of the leaders of the protesting youths, Abolore Ayedokun, addressing newsmen at Ogo-Oluwa Road, had said: “We are here on the street to register our grievances to the government. There must be an end to the brutality of SARS in this country.

    “Many youths have been killed by these officers with guns that were bought by taxpayers’ money. It is unreasonable for those officers to kill Nigerians and at the end, nothing will happen.”

    Another coordinator of the protest, Seyi Adelaga demanded that there should be an executive order disbanding SARS and Oyetola should be their mouthpiece at the federal level. He said Oyetola must come to address the gathering or they would not leave the streets.

    How hoodlums, cult groups, political thugs hijacked protest

    In the early hours of October 15, 2020, at Ola-Iya Junction where the youths traditionally converged, some hoodlums stormed the scene, brandishing cutlasses, knives, broken bottles, axes and other dangerous weapons in a bid to disperse the youths. The protesting youths dispersed only to converge shortly after while some other hoodlums and thugs, who were in support of the protest, joined the protesters and assured them of their safety.

    However, on October 17, the protesters were attacked again with one of them sustaining an injury. The Nation findings revealed that Osogbo residents acknowledged the existence of some hoodlums in the state who were known for causing violence and riots. Among those mentioned were the Egbatedo Boys, the Orita Ayeipe Boys, the Oke Abesu Boys and the Testing Ground Boys, among others. The aforementioned groups are street urchins that are found at junctions around the state capital.

    There are other groups of street urchins and cultists in communities around the state like Ede where they have the Apete-Isagba Boys and Ilesha where the Eiye Confraternity and Aiye Group always engage each other in clashes that often result in loss of lives.

    The foregoing groups were believed to have hidden under the cover of protesting against police brutality to foment trouble and kill their rivals. They were also believed to have seized the protest to embarrass the governor who the thugs allegedly accused of not patronising them since he was sworn in as governor.

    Previous administrations in the state had identified with the street urchins to the extent of naming them “State Boys”. But under the Oyetola administration, they have enjoyed no patronage and are therefore peeved that the administration did not accord them the recognition they had enjoyed from previous ones.

    Oyetola addresses protesters

    The protesting youths were elated on Saturday, October 17 with the news that Governor Oyetola was ready to address them. The governor joined the #EndSARS protesters in Osogbo and marched with other state executives from Alekuwodo Area around 2:54 PM to Ola-Iya Junction where the protesters were gathered.

    When Oyetola and his entourage had walked gently to the protesters, his deputy, Mr Gboyega Alabi, made to address the youths but they insisted that it was the governor that should speak to them. As a peace lover, Oyetola pleaded with the protesters that their demand was being looked into by the federal government.

    However, the refusal of the governor to mount the podium did not go down well with some of the youths who insisted that he must mount the podium. Some began to shout, “Soro Soke, were!” (speak louder, mad man). While a question and answer session was going on with the governor, some of the protesters insisted that he should call the Commissioner of Police to arrest one Ashiri Eniba, the Chairman of Road Transport Workers, who they alleged was behind the attack on them.

    The event degenerated into crisis as the governor publicly declared to the protesters: “I don’t do thug. I would never deploy any thug to attack the citizens who voted me into power.” The statement infuriated the hoodlums and political thugs at the scene who charged forward to attack him.

    The situation forced the governor to retreat into his car while some people started throwing pebbles at his convoy. Oyetola eventually escaped death by a whisker as some of the thugs brought out cutlasses, guns and axes which they intended to use on him. The convoy drove away while some motorcycle riders reportedly chased after him and he had to escape through a compound route when he discovered that some of the the motorcyclists were already lying in wait for him.

    Oyetola, in a state broadcast, described the attack as a “failed attempt” on his life. He said it was hoodlums who were after his life and not the protesters.

    Reliving the incident, one of the coordinators of the protest, Mr Ayo Ologun, explained that one person sustained cutlass injury during the attack on the protesters before the arrival of Governor Oyetola and was quickly rushed to the hospital by the protesters. He said the angry youths repelled the attack and the thugs beat a retreat.

    The Nation reliably gathered that those that mastermind the attack on the governor had been arrested.

    It was learnt that the latest attempt on Governor Oyetola’s life by political thugs was the third time the governor would be attacked by hoodlums in the state.

    One of the attacks was recorded in 2019 after the flag-off of a Primary Health Care Centre at Oke-Baale area when some thugs approached the governor but they were declined. The issue caused those hoodlums to pelt his convoy with stones and cudgels.

    Similarly, some thugs attacked Oyetola and his cabinet members with stones and other dangerous weapons during the 2020 countdown event organised by the state government in Osogbo.

  • Democracy and the dynamics of first and third worlds

    Democracy and the dynamics of first and third worlds

    Nnedinso Ogaziechi

     

    The recent US election has lived up to the associated uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ironies, the paradoxes, the contradictions and the realities have been on the global discourse. Given the position that America had assumed since the end of World War II as the policeman of the world and the model of democracy and its practice, the 2020 election raises a lot of questions just like the impact of the pandemic in the country has raised questions.

    The seeming birth pangs that America’s soft power was waning started after the 2016 election when the alleged Russian influence on the elections became an issue of both domestic and international concern. The ghost of that election seems to have taken roots as most Americans still feel a sense of outrage almost four years after.

    As I write, there are protests in America over the 2020 presidential election that has the Republican incumbent, Donald Trump and Democratic party candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden racing for the mandatory two hundred and seventy electoral votes as they and their supporters seemingly are at daggers-drawn over the President’s allegations over illegal votes in some states. He had alleged that there were irregularities and threatened to take his case to the Supreme Court even though votes were yet to be finally counted and results declared.

    Joe Biden had on the other had said that he believes that after every vote is counted, his Democratic party was on its way to victory but insisting that neither him nor the incumbent was in a position to declare the winner of the election. While he wanted all votes to count and be counted, the President tweeted that vote counting ought to be stopped. The counting has taken so long due to the pandemic and the health implications of non-social distancing, some voters took the option of mailing their votes and as constitutionally demanded, such votes that came in within the lawful periods must be counted.

    Both Americans and the global community have been on edge as the counting of votes continue especially in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada etc. But barely twenty four hours post November 3rd, supporters of the President went to some vote-counting centers to protest and allege irregularities and demand the vote-counting stops. The Democratic Party supporters equally had some of its supporters on the streets demanding the vote counting continues till all valid votes are counted.

    Never in the history of America has the country appeared so divided along so many lines than what the world is seeing right now. America as a former beacon of democratic tenets and the famed policeman of the world has left countries dumbfounded and disappointed.

    The idea of an ideological divide between America and the so called third world democracies has been challenged globally due to the political events in the country since 2000 with the Al-Gore/George Bush Jr. Florida vote-counting contest but magnified by the alleged Russian interference in 2016 with a climax coming with the 2020 presidential elections.

    For both America and the rest of the world, The Roundtable Conversation has some critical issues of discourse. Technology, military and nuclear capabilities are quite different from the human elements and nuances. The manufactured products can enhance human activities but still, human beings determine the functionality of those systems and machines. The players in the political field of a first world are as human as those in the so called third world.

    Democracy is primarily driven by humans and there are no first world or third world humans in terms of the innate human capacity to be functional or dysfunctional. That the electoral story of an America is up to global scrutiny and even mockery by some nations goes to show that strong institutions can only endure with the cooperation of the human elements that drive them. The limits of Presidential authority are being seen with the way individuals and lawyers are reminding those that want to disrupt the electoral process that the constitution must be adhered to. Credit must go to some of the governors of some of the states affected by the incidents and their state officials who insist on the rule of law according to the constitution devoid of partisan sentiments.

    Dr. Sam Amadi, a lawyer, a University lecturer and a renowned public affairs analyst bared his mind to The Roundtable about the global implications  of the witling of America’s soft power as is being witnessed in the events preceding, during and after the 2020 presidential elections.

    He said that the US finds itself in a position where it is losing its soft power. The US is an overwhelming military power in the world but it is now no longer an attractive power. It has lost significant influence and soft power. This came through a long period of internal  deterioration. Just like it happened to Rome, America is losing it. Saint Augustine he says, argued that the Roman Paganism was responsible for the destruction of democracy in in Rome and the fall of the empire.

    He says that in the US case, political bickering arising from culture war and the dominance of identity politics instead of progressive politics of the FDR era meant that the idea of a common community was destroyed and replaced by culture war. So US politics has no grounding in common good. US is presently  gravely divided and every leader needs to pander to extremist positions to win and retain power. The US abandoned progressive politics under the influence of neoliberalism and excessive identity politics. To Dr. Sam, that is his own Augustinian exposition on the fall of the US in the global view.

    To Amadi, the implication of the US condition to the politics and development in Nigeria and other developing countries is very grim. The US has lost is glow and appeal. This will weaken democratic struggles and embolden authoritarian politics. Everyone may now point to Russia and China as the new models of governance and the world would be a brutal place for most people. In Nigeria, we have to rely on our efforts to fight our battle for democracy and good governance and not look to the US power to support and bolster democratic governance. America has seemingly lost its attractive femininity he insists.

    On the positive side however, the fact that three Nigerian Americans were elected to different positions in some states in the US must force Nigeria to abandon the archaic definition of citizenship and statehood. The elections and appointments of Nigerians to exalted political offices in the US is a big chastisement to Nigeria and its crassly parochial systems and propositions.

    But one common denominator between the current US political system and Nigerian politics is the divisiveness by political players and as always, the effects cascade to their followers and the countries cannot fully exploit the values of diversity. The US fortunately can bear some of the shocks of divisiveness even if the results are impactful.

    This can happen because they have a system that can stand the test of time till there is a turnaround possibly. On the contrary, Nigeria has no strong institutions that can help steady the ship of democracy and development might continue to elude the giant of Africa that must be a beacon to other African countries. Nigeria is almost to Africa what US is becoming to the global politics as the electoral system wobbles along.

    Nigeria had copied the US brand of democracy but seems to have been crawling and falling as the country has since independence   been struggling with identity politics. To understand the impact of the now ‘more pronounced’ impact of identity politics that has thrown up the US to global opprobrium, we must look back to the damage Nigeria’s brand has done to the country in the last sixty years.

    To be the poverty capital of the world means that Nigerian politics has not found the key to development. The idea of trivializing leadership on the altar of zones and creed sacrifices the essence of leadership. Leadership must be by the most qualified and ready for leadership. The political class must stop taking the country on a valueless merry go round of identity politics. The value of diversity in a country like Nigeria whose best human capital and natural resources continue to be the envy of the world must get its leadership evolution and electoral processes correct.

    The drivers of institutions must live up to their oath of office if Nigeria must move forward. Despite the upheavals in the US, electoral officials, the judiciary and elected officials still stick to doing their jobs despite threats from protesters and even the President.

    Sneering at the US over the current electoral problems as though the Nigerian system is saintly or must be fashioned to fail is a great disservice to generations to come. The human nature is the same and advancement in technology never replaces the human element and essence.

    It is time for the Nigerian people to have introspection and independently create a solid system and stop looking for some ‘saviour’ country whether big or small to save the system. There must be lessons for everyone, political parties officials, citizens and everyone. It is not enough to blame any set of people as the system is almost chain-like depending on the efficiency of the whole.

    The idea of political monopoly by any region, class, gender or class must be discarded as development democracy must be all-inclusive. Full representative democracy comes with peace and justice and must come with conscious efforts by everyone. The people of the United States have broken all voting records in the 2020 presidential election because there is awareness that each citizen has a civic responsibility.

    Nigerians must be realize that each country in the world is chating its course as though no other country exists as that is the only route to development and stability. The US lesson is that humanity remains the same and as such there might be the so-called first and third world countries economically and technologically but human foibles and excellence are universal. Humans run the system and not vice versa. Nigerian must figure out the best way to come up with a leadership evolution process that makes the people empowered enough to give unfettered electoral mandate to the candidates of their choice unlike the present system where there is too much corruption of the system. Development only comes with a functional and transparent electoral process starting with party primaries to general elections.

     

    The dialogue continues…

  • My period as ‘houseboy’ in spite of my father’s wealth, by Victor Mbadiwe

    My period as ‘houseboy’ in spite of my father’s wealth, by Victor Mbadiwe

    Chief Victor Ngozi Mbadiwe, a scion of the famous Mbadiwe family of Arondizuogu, Imo State was born with the proverbial silver spoon. His late father, Chief James Green Mbadiwe, who was the elder brother of the late nationalist and pan Africanist, Chief Kinsley Ozumba  Mbadiwe, was one of the wealthiest and most influential people of his time. In spite of his father’s wealth, however, Victor was made to live with a foster family where he worked like a house help; an experience he told INNOCENT DURU later helped him in life.

     

    WHAT would you say about your background?

    I am from Arondizuogu in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State. I am a businessman. I studied Business Administration and Political Science in the United States of America (USA), and I came back in 1979. When I came back, I was doing some little trading. I then got in contact with the Wahl Clipper Corporation in Sterling, Illinois, USA. And I was lucky to get the distributorship of their business in 1990.

    I was the one who introduced electric clippers to barbers in Nigeria. Before then, barbers were using the manual clippers and operated at roadside shops. I saw that these old fashioned clippers could be modified to something that would simplify their jobs. Barbers also saw it as a good tool that they could use for their businesses. Also, at that time, barbers operated in small shops. So, I showed them how they could beautify their barbing salons to make them look nicer and appeal more to their customers.

    I felt that barbers are doing a good job to humanity and so should be better appreciated. So we went on to start an annual event called the Wahl Show to bring them together and celebrate them. I needed them to realise their importance to the society, because even heads of state and presidents need barbers to cut their hair and make them look good. But most times, barbers are neglected and looked down upon by the society.

    Has that changed in any way now?

    With what I am doing, most Nigerian barbers now have improved self-esteem in their skill and businesses, and many more have realised that they can be proud of who they are and what they are doing. We’ve been staging the Wahl Show for 28 years now. We bring barbers together and make sure that we give them fantastic prizes. We organise competitions where the winners sometimes win cash prizes worth a whopping N500,000, and the non-contestants get free clippers and barbing kits to start up their own businesses.

    After the barbing contests, we would usually look at the less privileged homes and also donate to worthy Charity Homes like the Pachelli School for the Blind, The School for the Dumb, The SOS Village in Isolo-Lagos, Jamaha Mata Arewa in Northern Nigeria, several motherless babies homes and many other charity homes. We have also given several scholarships to secondary school and university students to help their education through the J. Green Mbadiwe Foundation. We have indeed trained many doctors, engineers and lawyers. I’m in my 70s now, and I am happy with life.

    What was it like growing up under a prominent father like yours?

    It was not easy having a prominent father like mine. I was barely 29 years old when my father died. I am my father’s second son. My elder brother, who was the first son, died during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. So as the second son, I had to take up the mantle of leadership. It was a huge responsibility that fell on me as a young man who just came back from the United States. But what can I do but to handle the responsibility of continuing my father’s legacy. My father was a very strict man and he would not want to see his reputation tarnished. When he was here, he was very hardworking and disciplined. He would never want to deal with a dishonest person or relate with liars. He was very straightforward, and he believed in remaining upright.

    So I have to live up to that. I make sure that I remain upright in running my businesses. And I avoid people of questionable character because my father will not be happy if I do things that would spoil the name of the family. I thank God Almighty, I’ve remained steadfast in keeping the good name he left behind for 40 years now.

    What fond memories of your late father do you have?

    My father was very strict with me even when I was young. At 10 years old he sent me to go and live with a family friend whose wife was a primary school headmistress. So I lived there, relocating with them to different parts of Nigeria, as transfer duties frequently beckoned on the humble civil-service family.  We lived in such diverse places as Owerri, Calabar, Eket and Degema in present-day Rivers State.

    That was a training that helped me tremendously because I was virtually a house boy to this blessed ‘foster family’, the Nwachukwu’s, who were squarely responsible for the valuable training that characterised my early formative years. I frequently did chores like hacking the firewood, washing clothes, cooking, and fetching water from the well. It was a tough life. But I think my father sent me there to fully understand that life is tough. And it helped me later in my adult life when I got to the United States. I did summer jobs like working at the factory, being a messenger and other sorts of menial jobs to earn extra pocket money for me to afford a good apartment and live a good life. Those extra jobs helped me earn a living, and support myself through school.

    I also have fond memories of my father’s magnanimity. During the colonial era, life was so challenging for my father, and that made him and his peers to start thinking about freedom. So they started nursing the idea of having an independent Nigeria. My father was a major financier in the struggle for independence. He worked hand in hand with the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Herbert Macaulay, and the rest. He also sponsored the likes of K. O. Mbadiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Mbonu Ojike and others to study in the United States. That group was called the “Eight Argonauts.” After their studies, they returned and joined in the fight for Nigeria’s independence. But my father and Odumegwu Ojukwu’s father (Louis Ojukwu), were the people who started it all.

    My father also invested heavily in Azikiwe’s West African Pilot newspaper, a media tool that fast tracked Nigeria’s independence. He also invested in Africa’s Continental Bank for Nigeria to have her own indigenous bank. Also, my father, in 1944, gave an interest-free £500 loan to the British colony. It was some of these generous gestures that made Dr Azikiwe to rank my father (J. Green Mbadiwe) as a “West African Millionaire”.

    No matter how good a man is, he will always have some weak points. What was your father’s weak point that you don’t want to have?

    I love everything about my father, apart from his strictness. I don’t know if I can be that strict with my children at this day and age. When I was sent to stay with the Nwachukwu’s, I kept wondering why he didn’t want me in our luxury home. Even when I ran back home, my father would send his driver to take me back. My father didn’t want his children to feel that he had stupendous wealth. But I think that that training helped me to stand on my two feet and become independent, because if I was spoilt by my father’s wealth, I wouldn’t have understood the value of hard work. My dad’s strictness made me realise that life is a struggle and not a bed of roses.

    Did your father’s clout ever fetch you some antagonism?

    I don’t bother about antagonism. In life, whatever background you come from, or when you’re successful at what you do, people, and even your relatives, would at a time become jealous of you. So for me, I strive to remain focused, keep a level head and give my best in whatever I do. Jealousy and antagonism should not stop you in whatever you are doing to attain your goals in life.

    Why are you not in politics to continue from where your father stopped?

    Politics these days is not easy. People from anywhere can come and hijack a political system. It’s not the best area for me because I feel that there are some other things I can do in life and do it well. An example is what I am doing now. I’m getting barbers together, empowering them, encouraging them to be proud of their skill, organising events to get them recognised and respected in the society. I want to be remembered for that feat. I want to have a legacy for my role in improving the lots of barbers in Nigeria. And again, I am a businessman. In families, some people would be politicians while some others are cut out to do business.

    Do you feel pressured to match your father’s reputation and step into the big shoes he left behind?

    You can’t compare the years of our fathers with now. In this day and with this internet age, somebody from nowhere can start a business and begin to prosper in a few years. But during colonial times, life was much tougher. They strived to make it under the exploitations of the British government. So anybody that was able to excel at that time must have been a great man. Those of us that came after them enjoyed and showcased the foundation they laid for us.

    My father left an illustrious and huge legacy for me after he passed away, and it is not easy fitting into his shoes. But I have done my best to enhance some of his legacies and multiply what he left for us. In those days, my father would say to us, ‘It’s not what the hands fetch that matters, but what it can keep’. And I always repeat the same to my children, and tell them that they must also strive to multiply whatever they inherit from their parents so their children can inherit too.

     Women must have been falling heads over heels for you because of your father’s feat. How did you cope?

    I got married in America before I came back to Nigeria. So I didn’t come back home as a bachelor. I came back with my wife. I was lucky. I met her in the United States, from my tribe. Both of us were students at that time, and when we graduated, I looked at Nigeria as a better place to come back to, and start my life.

  • Sexual Purity can give you a life no man can give you! (I)

    Sexual Purity can give you a life no man can give you! (I)

    By Temilolu Okeowo

    Dear Ma, I am 30 and a virgin. Whenever I was under pressure to compromise and fornicate I will visit your timeline and read and my brain will immediately reset. I have since vowed to remain a virgin until marriage. Thank you for all you do ma.

    Adedoyin E.

    Dear Ma,

    I came across your articles in the newspaper and I’m most grateful for your guidance ma. I am a young lawyer and a virgin and it’s my earnest desire to wait till marriage. I am a hard working lady but going through lots of hardship ranging from being in a highly abusive home, poorly paid or no pay job in law firms and undue comparison and high financial expectation from my mom despite not having a good job. I just want to disappear, I mean why has death refused to come for me? I suffer greatly from depression and suicidal ideation and this is eating me up daily. Some men are evil, they want to mess a lady up in exchange for helping her but I vowed never to let any man have me before marriage! I only wish God will make it easier for me because no matter how I try to act ignorant of the fact that lack has pushed many ladies into misbehaving, it does happen. God said He will not tempt us more than we can bear but this is more than me already, I am overwhelmed! Please why do good and decent girls suffer?

     

    Sunshine

    My Sunshine and my darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian daughters,

    Sunshine’s message not only strikes a chord in my heart but makes me wish I could give her EVERYTHING she needs right away and make her happy! In actual fact, 50% of Nigerian girls are in her shoes! And believe me, it’s so difficult to counsel anyone in this situation and convince them to wait on God and be of good courage. It’s one of the worst challenges a woman can face and it only takes a lady who’s fiercely-determined and loves God with all her heart not to bow to pressure from men to live a comfortable life. If you are reading and have suffered so much pain from men refusing to help except you sleep with them and have had to deprive yourself of goodies and even your basic necessities for righteousness sake and yet it appears your situation is not changing- sorry…sorry…sorry please!

    However, did you know God has a record of all the goodies you’ve ignored just because you fear Him? DO YOU THINK THAT’LL PASS JUST LIKE THAT? If only you knew how committed God is to those who fear Him, you’d never spare a thought to your friends who would sleep with every Tom, Dick and Harry to have all their dream goodies! Even if from their promiscuity they ended marrying good men and even have children, what A’s destiny can endure, could destroy yours! Do you know the type of star you carry? Do you know God’s plan for your life? This may be difficult to stomach but anyone in my darling Sunshine’s shoes could just be going through a process or test master-minded by God, with a huge crown awaiting her. And the more you suffer for doing things God’s way, THE GREATER YOUR REWARD FROM GOD! BELIEVE ME, YOUR LIFE WILL TURN TO A BEAUTIFUL DREAM! Isaiah 49:23

    But this is what the Spirit of God said I should tell you- “For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.” Leviticus 26:9 KJV

    Hmm…a whole God is saying that to you- believe me, you may not even look or smell good now because you can’t afford to yet you stick to God – little did you know that fear of God in you is building you up into a fiery furnace, a spiritual house and a formidable weapon in the hands of God- a city set on a hill that will be saluted till eternity, a light to the world!

    I wish you wouldn’t be depressed and instead make the most of your situation. It’s not easy but there’s so much you can gain from what now seems a huge disappointment from life! Even though I plan to fashion a way out for you to have a more comfortable life- inbox, please note today’s date, by the time God who sent me to you is done with you, not only will you be superbly-established- no longer needing help, some of world’s wealthiest and most honourable men would jostle to supply your needs without asking for anything in return! YOU’LL SAY I SAID SO! Before then, may you receive help from an unexpected quarter this month in Jesus name! I love you my sweets!

    • To be continued.

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

  • Should sex be a top priority in marriage?

    Should sex be a top priority in marriage?

    By Vera Chidi-Maha

    It is no secret that physical love is a primary need for men. If wives can contribute to their husbands’ happiness in the areas most dear to their hearts, they will have greater success in other areas that are crucial to their wellbeing.

    It has been observed that more often than not, sexual relationship is a low priority in the minds of some women.

    This, of course, has not been a deliberate thing. It is just that there are so many other things screaming for her attention, such as raising children, work, finances, home-keeping, emotional stress, exhaustion, sickness and so on.

    In the wife’s juggling of her priorities, sex can end up at the bottom of her list. I sought to know from some wives the degrees they place their husbands’ needs for sex in marriage.

    Joan Mordi (marriage counsellor)

    For a wife, sex comes out of affection. She does not want to be affectionate with a man who makes her feel unsupported, overworked, hurt, lonely, angry and so on.

    But for a husband, sex is purely a need. His eyes, brain and emotions get clouded if he doesn’t have that release. He has trouble bearing anything his wife says or seeing what she needs when that area of his being is neglected.

    Wives sometimes have it backwards. They think they can have sex after they get other issues settled. But actually there is a far greater chance of settling the other issues if sex comes first.

    In my eight years of counselling of couples, I have come to appreciate that sex should be given a very top priority in marriage; else, the marriage might be on its way down, God forbid.

    Yetunde Osemiha (a grandma)

    It is important to make sex  a matter of priority in one’s marriage. I have been married for over 30 years and I can authoritatively tell you this.

    Whether all conditions are perfect or whether you feel like it or not, does not matter. The point is meeting the needs of your husband and keeping communications lines open.

    A man can easily be made to feel insignificant, beaten down, discouraged, or worse still, tempted in this area of his being.

    There is probably no better means of fulfilment for a man than this, and no area where he is more vulnerable than this also.

    The truth of the matter is when you starve your husband of sex all the time, it will take the very special grace of God for him to remain faithful to you.

    Most men tend to look for sexual satisfaction elsewhere. A wife should give to her husband whenever he wants it. It is wicked for a woman to hold back from her man.

    There is no excuse to deny your husband sex, except in rare cases of monthly periods or illnesses, but any other excuse does not hold water at all.

    Read Also: Is sex still a big deal amongst teenagers?

    Bridget Osadeba

    Sex should not be a top priority in marriage at all. Why should it be? There are more important issues in marriage than sex. The couple should plan for the future. They should consider ways of making extra income to make the family more comfortable instead of thinking about sex all the time.

    The earlier part of our marriage was a bit about sex, sex and more sex, but two years later, the realities began to set in and we knew that all hands needed to be on deck or else, the family will go broke.

    There should be time for everything. Time for sex, time for the kids, time for work, in what order they should be? I leave that to the couple concerned.

    Oby Ifeanyi

    Sex between a husband and his wife is God’s idea. Unless we are fasting and praying for weeks at a time, or are experiencing physical infirmity or separation, there is no excuse not to engage in it regularly.

    The moment we are married, our bodies are not our own. We owe each other physical attention and we are not to deprive one another.

    The frequency of sex depends on the other person’s needs not ours alone. When a husband is sexually satisfied, something is built up in the man and the marriage. When he is not sexually satisfied, something in him and the marriage diminishes.

    You leave each other open for temptation and far more destruction than you can imagine. If your husband desires sex more frequently, pray to God to give you the grace to meet up with his demands.

    Charity Nwaogalanya

    As a wife, I would agree that sex is important in marriage. However, when children begin to come, it becomes the most difficult time to deal with the issue of sex.

    Kids can hardly do anything for themselves, so by the time you give them their bath, feed and clothe them, at the end of the day, naturally, the only thing that will be in your mind is getting to sleep as soon as possible.

    I want to say here that a good husband should appreciate and respect his wife when she is truly exhausted. Asking her to do anything else for that day, I will say is selfish.

    Kiki Olopade

    The importance of sex in marriage cannot be overemphasized. Bad things develop when the sexual part of a marriage is neglected. No husband or wife should let that happen.

    Couples should not allow much time to go by without coming together physically.

    It is important for wives to note that an important part of their ministry to their husbands is sexual. It should not be used as a weapon or a means of manipulation by giving and withholding it for selfish reason.

  • My life as street boy after my father’s death at 33 – Ex-CBN Deputy Governor Adelabu

    My life as street boy after my father’s death at 33 – Ex-CBN Deputy Governor Adelabu

    Former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State in the last election, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, recently clocked 50. Although he lost his father at a tender age, that did not deter him from realising his dream of becoming one of Nigeria’s most notable bankers, having previously functioned as an executive director in First Bank. He recalls his humble beginnings in this interview with Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE.

     

    How do you feel turning 50?

    What a question! I don’t feel old! I just feel a bit grown up, a little bit more mature in wisdom and my perspective to life and aspiration of how I intend to live the rest of my life. I am particularly thankful to God. There is something I try to avoid mentioning but circumstances often compel me to mention it. Even though I pray to Almighty God that after I must have spent 120 years on the surface of the earth the Lord can call me to come and rest, it is worthy of mention that my grandfather on whose platform we are all riding today, the late Alhaji Adegoke Gbadamosi Adelabu, popularly known as Penkelemesi, with all the popularity, achievements, all the ground breaking activities that could be associated to him while he was alive, achieved all these within a space of 43 years. He lived between September 3, 1915 and March 25, 1958.

    He lived for just 43 years, and that goes to tell you that it is not how far but how well you spend the little time God has privileged you to spend on earth. I want to go a bit spiritual because Jesus Christ, our Lord who those who profess Christianity believe in, completed his mission on earth at 33 years. That is to also state the fact that it is not how far but how well, and close to half of the world population today still glorify His name and follow Him as His worshippers.

    From that, my dad too happened to be the first son of Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi) and he died at 33 years. He was a bank manager. He also achieved on his own because I am also part of his achievements.  He lived for 33 years. So, if I say 50 years is significant to me, I know what I am talking about. I know what I am talking about because my grandfather and my dad never lived up to 50 years before they died. So, if spent a fortune celebrating this, it is worth it. But that is not much to God. What means a lot to me is just to be thankful to God for sparing my life, for making it possible that within that short period, I am worthy of emulation by others and my achievements till date though not fully satisfied, are still commendable. If I have to end my story, I feel thankful to God and I believe that sincerely all that I asked God to do for me before I reach 50, He has done them. I mean all.

    While you were in the banking sector, your colleagues called you Oyo State governor in waiting. You also resigned at the peak of your career as the Deputy Governor of CBN to have a shot at the Oyo State governorship seat but lost the election while you were still 48. If you had achieved that, you would have said today that you are fulfilled. Any regret?

    Yes, looking at it from the surface, you are right. I may not be very religious, but to an extent, I am spiritual. I believe in God controlling our activities on earth. I believe that it is only one God that is in charge of the earth and I also have my sympathy for both religions. I am a Muslim and my Muslim name is AbdulWaheed. My wife is a Christian and my mum is a Christian. So, I have sympathy for both religions.

    I will say that I have no regrets because physically I have not clinched the position of the Oyo State governor which I aspired to, which was even the main reason why I left my job then. But let me tell you that I will see myself as someone with foresight and I know what I want. I am quite proactive. I don’t react to situations and circumstances. I plan what I want to achieve ahead. If I am doing something now, it is not for the immediate but for what I plan to achieve in future.

    I laid down three requests before God, years back.  While we were growing up and I was in secondary school, I assessed myself and I knew where my strengths were in terms of academics. My former school mates can testify to this. I wanted to become an accountant, a banker, an economist, and that was what I had in mind. But from class three, I was the best in almost all the science subjects. You know they would now group you into classes: full science class, social science class, commercial and arts. I was number one in full science with Further Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology because I was always leading in all these.

    I knew my strength and I knew my weaknesses. My strength was in Mathematics and Economics. Any subject that I cannot hold just a single textbook and read and pass, I will never venture into it, because I was a very serious student. I had a lot of extra-curricular activities when I was in school. I was never coming to class all the time because I was a social animal then. I was a break dancer. I loved dancing and partying so much that I could compromise going to class. I was representing my school in literary and debates society, winning many medals.

    So, I knew myself that any other subject that would take me out of reading a textbook, I would not do it, but they required laboratory work to do sciences. Even classes, I have not attended let alone going to laboratories to mix chemicals. And in Biology, they say bring a rat tomorrow, open it, this and that. I didn’t have the temperament, the patience for all that. I knew that if I pick Economics textbook, O.A. Lawal, Iyirere or Teriba (approved popular authors at the time) within two hours, I could read up all the 12 topics. Overnight, I could prepare for all my exams and I knew I would get nothing less than 80 or 85 per cent. The same thing with Mathematics, Literature – you just need to pick Weep Not Child by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka this and that and you finish and go and write exams.

    I succeeded in it probably because I didn’t enjoy so much of a parental care. I was just four years old when my dad died. My mum was 23 years old. The first wife was 28 years old, my mum was 23 and their husband died at 33. So, he had two girls he left behind as widows. Will you ask them not to go and remarry? They had their lives to live. So, the seven of us, they just packed us to our grandmother’s place. They went to remarry about two or three years after. We were with an old woman that was just a petty trader, selling pepper, onions and all that. How would you expect such a woman to fully take care of us? So, I was always on the street.

    The motherly love was still there; at least the woman would see us come home to sleep and she would know our whereabouts. But then, there was no full control of my activities because I grew up with an old woman. If I didn’t go to school, nobody would know. If I went, nobody would know. So, I had that freedom of choice and I want to thank God that it worked for me. If little children have that kind of opportunity, eight out of 10 of them would derail. I was able to choose what I wanted and today, are there no regrets.

    So, I told God that I wanted three things before the age of 50. Sincerely, the number one, which I have been able to fully achieve, is that I don’t want to continue working for anybody at 50; that at 50, I wanted to be my own boss and be able to employ people. As for me, I don’t want to work until age 60 or 65 before retirement. Why can’t I be in that position of employing people and also paying their salary? It gives a kind of fulfillment as one will be contributing to the economy of a particular place where one finds oneself. In fact, before I was appointed Central Bank’s deputy governor, the majority of the people close to me knew I was going to retire from First Bank at the age of 45 or 46 after my six years as an Executive Director (ED).

    I became an ED at 39 or 40. I said at 45 or 46, I was going to retire as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of First Bank. But just a year before then, when they were discussing the possibility of me becoming the Managing Director of First Bank with me when my boss then, Mr Bisi Onasanya, was to retire, my appointment as CBN deputy governor came in 2014. And it was a call to national service, so I could not resist it. It was also an upward progression in my chosen career. I was looking at the MD of First Bank, but I became Central Bank’s deputy governor.

    How close were you to becoming the MD of First Bank? Were you very close or it was just a thought among board members?

    Two things: nobody was sure of anything, but I was close. Number one, I was the CFO, very close to the MD who happened to be one of my mentors. When he was the Financial Controller, I was the Deputy Financial Controller. It was because of him that when he became the MD of First Bank he insisted that I must be recalled from Standard Chartered Bank where I was the General Manager. I was a First Bank staff member until a particular period and I left for Standard Chartered Bank. After three years in Standard Chartered Bank, he said that for him to succeed as the MD, he wanted Bayo as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.

    Number two, I was so close to the major shareholders of First Bank and on merit basis, everybody knew that I was running the bank. Everything was working in my favour. But until something happens, you can’t say you are 100 per cent certain. But to vindicate what I am saying, the person that replaced me as the CFO, Sola Adeduntan, later became the MD and he is also an Ibadan man,. He was the CFO of African Finance Commission. When I left, he was called to replace me, and a year after, he took over from Onasanya. So, it could be said that probably if I had not left, everyone would have felt comfortable with me taking over from Onasanya. But I saw my appointment as a national assignment.

    Adebayo Adelabu
    Adebayo Adelabu

    My first assignment as the deputy governor then was the financial system stability, which has to do with supervision of all banks. So, I was calling the meetings of all the banks. It was a bigger role – a more national role. It was my first venture into public service. And today, God has answered that prayer of retiring successfully before 50.

    My second prayer to God was that before 50, I also wanted to see myself producing myself in terms of the children God has blessed me with. I wanted to be sure that if I am so busy in a particular state assignment, I could make reference to one or two of my children that could also step into my shoes, and that with time, they can run the affairs from where I am leaving it. And I want to thank God that today, that is possible because I have a graduate, my son, who finished his master’s in 2019. Tunde, my first son, has his first degree in Mechanical Engineering from Liverpool University and a second degree in Construction and Real Estate in London College, United Kingdom. He just finished his foundation exam in Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) exams. My second child will soon be graduating too; he is in his final year. He should have graduated a year ago, but he did a year internship, full work, with IBM in London. He is studying Accounting and Finance at the University of Lancaster, UK, and he is taking after me. By next year, he is going to finish. It is a privilege that I can actually point at children, before 50, who I can tell to go and represent me somewhere without fear of failure.

    But the most controversial is my third prayer. I told God that after retiring from private sector, all I wanted to do was my personal business and devotion to public service. I spent 23 years working in Lagos (1991 to 2014), then I moved to Abuja and worked for another four and a half years. I left Abuja in June, 2018.  That’s  a  total  of  almost  27  years outside of Ibadan, and I knew the kind of infrastructural development in Lagos and Abuja. One thing I am tempted to do was to stay back in Lagos or Abuja to be able to enjoy all these social infrastructures and others. And I asked, “Why must it be just Lagos? Why must it be just Abuja?” People made Lagos and Abuja what they are today. In the 1940s to 50s, the pre-independence era, Ibadan was more prominent than Lagos. In fact, then, there was no Abuja. So, how come within the period of 50 to 60 years, this thing has reversed?

    Ibadan was the centre of everything – the centre of manufacturing, arts, entertainment, education, health care. The University College Hospital (UCH) is the first teaching hospital. The University of Ibadan was the premier university, research centres, first television station (WNBC), radio station, first stadium – centre of everything. How come these things just reversed? I see that as a failure of our own generation. There is no prominent person in this country today that does not have a house in Ibadan – from Professor Wole Soyinka to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to Chief Odutola and many more. Everybody was in Ibadan, but when the creation of states came, everybody started going back. But even at that, it still did not affect the status of Ibadan.

    So, I said if you wait for the world to correct this anomaly, you will wait forever. But if you can take a bold step on your own, and do your own, other people will see you and emulate you and do their own. Before you know it, little drops of water make an ocean. As for me, I want to retire back in Ibadan where I have my families, friends, where I have everything. I feel more comfortable in Ibadan. So, the only gap we have now is establishing all those comfort amenities that we have in Lagos and Abuja. Why can’t we establish them in Ibadan? At least, it was not the government that did everything in Lagos. They are private sector-driven. But why is it that our people don’t really do anything in Ibadan?

    So, I started investing in Ibadan. All my businesses, especially the operational businesses, are in Ibadan. If it is to take rent and all that, I can invest in real estate in Lagos. Is it not to rent? But any business that requires me going there every day, it has to be in Ibadan and I will employ people and contribute to the economic development of my state. I know the impact of my investment in Ibadan, the impact it has made on others. Some people are joining us in trickles.

    For years, there was no franchise of branded hotels in Ibadan. I built Best Western, which is the first one. I now said if I could do these things and others are following, what about when I am now in government and government is able to invite and put official structures in place that will attract indigenes of Oyo State, not just Ibadan, to come back to Oyo State and do investments? What impact will that have on the level of employment, economic activities and prosperity of the residents of the state? All that we need for a state to exist, we have it. We have the best of road infrastructure, and when it comes to food, we have the cheapest food. In Ibadan, we are surrounded by agrarian communities that can supply food directly into Ibadan.

    I was impressed with the steps that Governor Abiola Ajimobi took when he became governor in 2011. Within a period of four to five years, we saw changes. This is what we are talking about. That is what prompted me to pour more of my funds into the state. And you see the boom that we experienced in tourism. Ajimobi came and changed and I felt that the man was already laying the foundation for what I was talking about. And I picked up and found out that in education, in health, economy, infrastructure and everything, it will be good at this time. And he also brought decency to politics; politics of the intellectuals, not politics of thuggery and all that. So, that was what encouraged me and I said let me see if one can actually succeed this man so that after laying the foundation, we can just come and build upon that foundation, because laying the foundation was turbulent, it was dangerous because you need to step on so many toes which Ajimobi did, and he achieved that foundation of peace and security for infrastructural development, urban renewal and quality policies in education and health.

    The schools governing board which I was part of would have been the best for us to move all our schools up. I was in a very good position to succeed Godwin Emefiele, because they have been clamouring for a Yoruba man as CBN governor all this while so this young man will be best fit, and the network was there. I didn’t allow that to erase my vision. I just wanted to move. If I had talked to people, 99 out of 100 would have discouraged me that politics is not like that.

    How did you, former deputy governor of Lagos State Femi Pedro, the current governor Jide Sanwo-Olu and others become so close?

    We were together in bank, and when Femi Pedro was to join our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as Deputy Governor in 2003, there were two of us that were very close to taking over: Jide Sanwo-Olu and myself. Jide, as a Lagosian followed him, and he made Jide Special Assistant on Economy and Opeyemi Bamidele was Special Assistant on Politics. He asked whether I was following him too but I told him that I wasn’t ready for politics and that even when I was ready for politics, I would go to Ibadan. If you say Adelabu in Lagos, it is only one street that was named after my grandfather. I am not from Lagos. I will rather go back to Ibadan.

    Immediately Aare heard that Femi Pedro had left the bank, he told me to return to First Bank. He spoke to Oba Otudeko and they agreed they had to put their own there, and that’s how I joined First Bank in 2003 as the Deputy Financial Controller to Mr Bisi Onasanya, who was the Financial Controller then. In 2007, I became the Assistant General Manager (AGM). But the day I wanted to leave too, I deferred before I told Aare and Oba Otudeko. That’s how I do my things – if I am convinced about a thing, and if it turns out well, fine. If it turns out bad, I take the blame.

  • Nigerian migrants’ sojourn in Middle East ends in woes

    Nigerian migrants’ sojourn in Middle East ends in woes

    The quest for greener pastures in the Middle East countries has left many Nigerian migrants, mostly females, worse off than they were before they left the country. Many of them have been sexually assaulted, put in prison on trumped up charges and visited with cruel treatments their employers would not give to beasts. Kafala, a system that gives employers absolute powers over the migrants in parts of the region is compounded by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which made it impossible for many of them to be paid for the period they slaved for their bosses, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    • Cruel Kafala system, Covid-19 pandemic expose migrants to inhuman treatment

    • Maimed, sexually assaulted victims frustrated, commit suicide

    Jummy, a graduate of Computer Science, had heaved a sigh of relief after struggling to complete her university education. “It is time to reap the fruits of my labour”, she said to herself in the hope that she would soon secure a good job.

    Her dream of bidding poverty and misery farewell saw a glimmer of hope shortly after she completed the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

    “Immediately I completed my NYSC, I met a man who asked if I was interested in travelling to Saudi Arabia. He promised that I was not going there to work as a housemaid,” she said.

    Jummy said to convince her that a white collar job awaited her in Dubai, “he told me to go with my credentials; that the moment I got there, I would see a woman that would help me secure a job.

    “I invested all the money I saved during my NYSC into the travelling project. I also paid the man, but unfortunately, I no longer know his whereabouts. He has not even chatted with me once since I came here.”

    Getting to Dubai full of hopes, she said: “When I met the woman here in Saudi Arabia, I gave her my credentials, telling her that I was told she would help me get a job. But to my chagrin, she said I was here to work as a housemaid.

    kafala
    • Some stranded ladies crowded in a room

    “I started crying, telling her that I am a graduate and that I had been promised a better job.

    “When I told her that I wanted to return to Nigeria, she said that would be on the condition that I paid her the money she paid to the agent, which, according to her, was more than a million naira.

    “Before I travelled, they told me not to tell my family members about it because they could scuttle the plans spiritually.

    “I ended up signing two-year contract as a housemaid. Throughout the two years, I didn’t go anywhere; not even outside. They made us to wear uniforms like prisoners instead of our normal clothes. I was made to work all day.

    “If they see one sitting down, they will be angry. The salary they are paying is about N70,000.

    “At a point, my boss started giving me problems I could not bear. She started dropping broken cups for me to wash. And when I complained about it, she said I was there as a housemaid and that I had been sold to her.

    “When one of the broken cups cut my hand and blood started gushing out, she complained that my blood was smelling. I was subsequently locked up in one room where I ate and did everything.”

    But she said she was not alone in her ordeal.

    “There are a lot of our people here that are mentally sick. If they return to Nigeria, they must first go for treatment or they will suffer mental problems,” she said.

    It is also a tale of woes for Rayo, who was trafficked to Lebanon by a trusted family friend who had promised her a good job in Dubai.

    She said: “I got to Lebanon on August 28, 2019. Two days after I arrived there, I was taken to the hospital to take an injection. Two days after taking the injection, my hand got swollen, causing my employer to reject me.

    “I was subsequently taken back to the office of my agent who took me to another employer where I was asked to work from 6 am to 12 am. Following the heavy workload, I fainted on the third day. Thereafter, my agent took me to a place where I underwent training for a week.”

    She recalled that after the training, she was taken to another house where she spent about five weeks.

    She said: “In that house, there was no food for me. I was not allowed to use phone, and I was to clean the house, work as a gateman, wash the cars and baby sit, among other tasks.

    “My agent got annoyed when I told her I couldn’t continue with the work, because I was looking like a skeleton and already having a lot of odour all over my body.

    “She subsequently decided to take me to another house where I was to spend another one month for training, but I declined and told her I wanted to go back home. She got angry, beat the hell out of me and refused to feed me for two days.”

    The agent, Rayo said, eventually took her to another house that was another hell for her.

    “There, I cleaned three rooms, three toilets, two big sitting rooms, a big compound and many more every day. The work load affected me seriously, causing me to menstruate for more than six months without stopping.

    “With the help of God, Ms Omotola Fawunmi and the Oyo State Government, I returned home on July 11.”

    But Rayo’s return did not necessarily spell an end to her troubles.

    She said: “Life has not been what we expected it to be when we were coming home. We didn’t come back with any money so survival has been pretty difficult.

    “Before I travelled, I was working as a secretary in a hotel. After completing my education, I went into teaching before meeting the owner of the hotel where I was eventually employed.

    “It was along the line that I met the agent that said I should travel to Dubai. He assured that I would be paid N120,000 monthly in Dubai. The agent is a brother to my classmate in the secondary school.

    “She introduced me to him and because the offer was coming through her, I was convinced that it would not be a scam. It was when I got to the airport that I realised that it was Lebanon that I was going to, and because I had invested a lot of money in the journey, I could not turn back at the airport.”

    After all she suffered in Lebanon, Rayo said she only received salaries for five months of the 11 months she worked.

    “I was paid N68,000 monthly. The few months’ salaries I received were used to pay back the money I borrowed before I travelled. They could not pay the outstanding salaries because they could not afford to.”

    Another migrant who shared her ordeal with The Nation was Sola, a practising nurse who quit her nursing job in mid 2019 to seek greener pastures in Lebanon.

    “I am working as a maid here (Lebanon) and have suffered a lot. But I thank God I am still alive,” she said as she recounted her ordeal in the hands of her madam.

    “I have been working without getting any salary and basic care from my madam, who also beats me up each time I ask her about my salary. She hits me with anything she finds around her. She pushed me one day and I hit my chest badly against the wall and fell down the staircase.

    “I wash all the rooms every day and take care of the baby without a chance to rest at all.”

    Asked how she got to Lebanon, she said: “It was someone I used to treat as a nurse that facilitated my coming here. I was always telling her that I wished to have a shop to start my own business, but she said I should try and go to Lebanon and that all I would do was to take care of the house.

    “Unfortunately I found myself in slavery when I got here. She asked for N250,000 but I have only paid N150,000. The last time I paid her was December last year.

    “She is still asking me to send money but my parents said I should not because of the suffering I am undergoing here.

    “I have run out of the house when I saw that those people could kill me one day. I ran to the embassy.”

    Abbey, who recently returned from Lebanon, said the person she worked for did not pay her any salary. She said: “I went there in March this year. It was Governor Makinde that paid for us to come home. I paid N100,000 to the agent here to travel. When our bosses couldn’t pay and we were complaining, they went and dropped us by a bush.

    “We were nine in number. We stayed in the bush for a week before we found our ways to the embassy. It was some of us who had money that were buying food for us.

    “The Nigerian Embassy rented an apartment for us but they were not giving us food. We were collecting money from our parents back home to survive.

    “I was supposed to be paid $200 a month but I didn’t get a dime as salary all through my stay. When I wanted to do COVID-19 test in Lebanon, it was an NGO called ‘This is Lebanon’ that gave me money to pay before I was allowed to return home.

    A check on the nation’s migrants in Oman shows they were not faring better.

    One of the returnees, Suzan, described her experience as one she does not want to remember anymore.

    She said: “I was introduced to travelling to Oman by a man who happens to be my agent. He came with information that they needed a stylist, but at the end, he told me about a teaching job, which caught my interest.

    “But the story changed afterwards. He did my passport for N25,000. The experience is a very long and sad story which I don’t wish to recollect.”

    Zain Lawson, a co-founder of This is Lebanon, an international NGO assisting Africans undergoing hardship to return home, told The Nation of a Nigerian woman who was supposed to return home recently but could not because her former agent filed a complaint against her.

    Lawson said: “The same agent who beat her up threatened to kill her and stole her salary. After she ran away, he reported her to the police so if she tries to fly out she’ll be arrested.

    “She reported her agent to Lebanon’s Ministry of Labour but they blocked her after several messages.”

    He further said: “One of the Nigerian women who was injured during the Beirut blast was thrown out on the street, went to get her wounds bandaged, went to the airport covered in bandages from her injuries, but was arrested because her employer made a complaint against her.”

    Kafala system explained

    Experts in the migration world have pointed out the ills of the Kafala system practised in many Middle East countries.

    Omotola Fawunmi, founder of RebirthUB Africa
    Omotola Fawunmi, founder of RebirthUB Africa

    One of them, Omotola Fawunmi, founder of RebirthUB Africa said the system has been around for a long time and it is a predominant employment system in the Middle East.

    Fawunmi said: “A lot has been written about the system but many people sincerely do not know about the Kafala system and what it means for them. It is a system that impoverishes. It is a system that makes an economic migrant either a slave to the recruiter or the employer.

    “Kafala should be abolished. It doesn’t give the migrant domestic worker options or choices. It empowers slavery, it empowers subjugation, it empowers oppression of the migrant domestic workers.”

    Ground Coordinator of This is Lebanon, Nia Evans, said the Kafala employment system is state sponsored slavery and domestic workers lack the most basic of protections.

    “Along with Oman, Lebanon remains the only country in the Middle East without any labour laws governing domestic workers.

    “There are no laws of any kind that protect domestic workers. Lebanese employers have complete impunity to treat workers as their property: they can enslave, torture, rape, and kill, with no consequences. Justice is never served in Lebanon for domestic workers.”

    Omotola said she has several cases and several stories of migrant domestic workers who have been killed, maimed or raped and forced to commit suicide.”

    She went on to advocate the abolition of the oppressive system.

    “There are other systems like the one in the UAE that honours the migrant worker and makes sure that the promises are kept by both parties. When our government sign bilateral labour agreement, we counsel that they please read the provisions of that agreement before signing them so they don’t sign away our women and sisters into slavery by executive orders.”

    COVID-19 compounds migrants’ plight

    The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic is said to have aggravated the plight of the migrants. According to Nia Evans of This is Lebanon, “before the pandemic, Lebanon’s general security stated that two women die each week due to these conditions, often from suicide or failed escapes. Now, under restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, entrapment, increased workplace abuse and non-payment of salary increase the likelihood of self-harm, suicide and death.”

    Nia added that COVID-19 is spreading like wild fire in Lebanon and “MDW are the most vulnerable in this society and are therefore more prone to being infected by the virus. MDW have no access to health care or social support. They are stigmatised, abused and subjected to racism on a daily basis.

    “They are at risk of homelessness and being detained and placed in already overcrowded detention facilities. Those stranded are vulnerable to exploitation, including sex trafficking or being sold to other employers.”

    On her part, Omotola said because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the downturn in the economy, a lot of migrant workers were pushed out on the street and left to fend for themselves because they could no longer be catered for.

    “They were stranded in a country they couldn’t leave and they didn’t have enough money. Some of them have had to turn to prostitution just to survive.

    “While I don’t support prostitution, I find it very sickening that women would have to turn to it to survive because there seems to be no other way to live.

    “Our sisters do not have to live like this.  Our sisters, our mothers, our wives and citizens of Nigeria should not be involved in this.  We need to put an end to this. The government needs to be a lot more responsible and responsive.

    “The government needs to understand that when a citizen approaches her government in a foreign country, her government should not collude with her slave masters to keep her impoverished.

    “I say this with all sense of responsibility. I say this with all sense of modesty. Our sisters are suffering; period. They are not just in a space of impoverishment and their back being doubly bent, they have also lost their self esteem; they have lost their sense of personhood.

    “A lot of them are deeply trumatised, and even if they return home, they cannot raise their heads high because they have been battered.  As a collective, as a nation, and as a body of people, we can do better.”

    How African leaders can checkmate Lebanon

    Worried by the despicable experiences of Africans in the Middle East, Nia called on African leaders to stop the menace. “Many of these African governments do have the power to stand up and fight for their workers. Unfortunately, only few of them are taking the steps necessary.

    “On the most basic level, they can be providing evacuation flights, quarantine measures and ensuring that they have a Consul in Lebanon who cares for each of their nationals, more than the shady business deals done through the consulate.

    “These governments could take a coordinated action that would almost immediately get all migrant domestic workers in Lebanon home who would like to leave.

    “The African governments could solve this problem overnight. Lebanon is in a currency crisis, and one of the largest sources of income in Lebanon is money sent from Lebanese nationals who own businesses in Lebanon.

    “These countries could unite and say that they won’t allow money to be sent to Lebanon until Lebanon returns their women. The African sending countries have the upper-hand, but they have to choose to use it.”

    Quoting the Lebanese Embassy in Nigeria, Nia said there are approximately 5,000 Nigerians living in Lebanon.

    “Many of these Nigerians are MDW, identified as females and being made destitutes. They have been forced into domestic servitude. They have been mistreated physically, sexually and mentally by their employers and agents.

    “As a collective, This is Lebanon and Syrian Eyes have been assisting the Nigerian community of MDWs since August 2020. So far, in the safe houses we have supported approximately 150 Nigerian women with zero assistance from Nigerian authorities.

    “At present, we are supporting approximately 51 women who have escaped from abusive agents/employers, women who have been dumped in front of the embassy and women who have been forced into homelessness.

    “With very limited resources we have been attempting to meet the women’s most basic needs by providing food, covering rents, purchasing flights and covering the cost of PCR tests.”

    Lebanon stops issuance of visas to domestic workers from Nigeria

    The Lebanese Government early in June this year announced that it had suspended issuance of working visas to Nigerians seeking to work in Lebanon, particularly for domestic work.

    Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Houssam Diab, stated that the suspension started since May 1 as a result of complaints of abuse by some employers as well as the case of the video of Peace Busari, a Nigerian lady auctioned for sale for $1000 on social media in April this year, which went viral.

    According to Diab, the suspension was to stem the tide for such categories of workers pending the time the procedure would be properly harmonised with the Ministry of Labour, in line with best practices of managed and orderly migration.

    The Head of Intelligence and International Cooperation of  the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Mrs Angela Aleakhue Agbayekhai, said  the agency has achieved a great deal in rescue of Nigerian ladies trafficked to the Middle East in the area of “public enlightenment, proactive , disruptive investigation, international cooperation by collaborating with relevant MGA’s, embassies and international organizations for rescue and and safe returns of Nigerian victims, profiling and thorough investigation in cases of human trafficking and labour exploitation.”

    On the country’s position concerning the controversial Kafala system, Agbayekhai who is an Assistant Director in the agency said: “NAPTIP has a limit to play in the Kafala System because MOU’s in not in place to checkmate it operations with the Middle East Region which is a problem to the Nigeria Government, while the Middle East countries are taking advantage to traffick Nigerians, it will be a plus to Nigeria Government if MOU’s are signed for labour migration.”

     

  • What Makinde had in common with late mother

    What Makinde had in common with late mother

    OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and his siblings are presently morning the loss of their mother, Madam Abigail Makinde, who died on Thursday, October 15, at 81.

    Although she lived a fulfilled life as she was caring to everyone around her, no child wishes to lose a mother, especially when the father had died years ago.

    Read Also: Youths minister, Makinde meet over unrest

     

    People who know the governor well always say he learnt giving and helping people from his mother. Although Madam Abigail was said to be a disciplinarian and a no-nonsense woman, she was a cheerful giver and was always ready to help.

    Makinde’s mother, who retired as a telephone operator at the Oyo State Schools Board, Iyaganku, will be buried first week in December.

    She was born and bred in Akure, though her father was from the defunct Bendel State while her mother was an indigene of Akure. She later relocated to Ibadan after her Modern School education.

  • The issue of compatibility in a relationship

    The issue of compatibility in a relationship

    With Rois Ola

     

    EVERYONE has imperfections, no human being is perfect, we just keep trying to do our best. A lot of people have various ideas on what they think defines capability, from a thriving sex, always laughing around each other, and lots more.

    I mean I find basket mouth and Alibaba funny but that doesn’t mean I can marry them or I am compatible with them. It might feel a lot like love when the person you’re dating is funny, smart, and likes play station 4 games as much as you do, but true compatibility means so much more than liking their traits.

    It’s easy to get caught up in romance of saying “love is blind”, but “forever” is a long time to be with one person, I mean a really long time.

    Whether you’ve been with someone for a week, married for 20 years, or are single and ready to mingle, here’s some tips to help you to know if a relationship is truly compatible.

    1. Having complementary imperfections can cause incompatibility and fights that lead to breakups, or they can determine compatibility from the start.If your partner understands or helps improve your flaws, and you can tolerate and pick up the part where your partner falls short, it’s a pretty good sign that it could be a lasting relationship.so long and short is where you are weak I am strong and where you are strong your strength compliments my weakness.

    No two people are perfect match by nature. It’s absolutely normal for you to feel difficult sometimes, especially when you find a number of big differences between you and your partner.

    But that does not mean you are not compatible with your partner necessarily. There’re also a number of very important factors which determine for how long your relationship can last.

    Below are the 15 signs for reference for you to see whether you and your partner are compatible.

    1. Having different love languages is no big deal. As long as you understand this difference and know how to work on showing love in the way your partner feels it, you can still have a long and happy relationship.However, your partner should understand your “language” in terms of humor, values, and beliefs. If you feel like you have to explain yourself, defend yourself, or prove yourself, you’re spending a lot of your relationship trying to translate who you are.
    2. In the end, finding a compatible life partner is not really an issue of searching for a soulmate or a complicated compatibility test when its not like you are doing WAEC or JAMB. It’s simply two people whose idea of “happiness” line up.It’s more than agreeing on the big things like kids, where to live, or travelling (that should be a given). It’s about all the specific things: what a “happy” family looks like; what you both want out of your careers; where you want to be in 10, 20, and 50 years; how you’d spend a quiet Sunday morning with nothing to do. True compatibility comes down to finding a plus one to your happiest life possible.

    You know you love your partner, and you know they love you – and there is no doubt in your mind about either of these things.

    You are secure and happy in your relationship, and even if you are a worrier by nature, you never question how your partner feels about you.

    From your embarrassing stories to intimate details about your life, sharing secrets can show how compatible you and your partner really are.

    Honesty is important in a relationship, but actually wishing to tell them secrets shows your partner that you are truly invested in the relationship.

    You respect your partner as an individual, and you don’t want to try to change them. Sure, they may talk in their sleep or dress in a way you don’t like, but you love them, and you can deal with it.

    If you want to change your partner’s personality or appearance, it could mean you and your partner aren’t compatible.

    When you start a great relationship, it can be hard to step away and spend some time alone. If you and your partner hope to be in a long term relationship, however, it is essential that you also enjoy spending time away from your partner.

    During such time you can see friends and family, or pursue interests of your own. If you love watching home videos or marathon races and your partner hates it, try to do this in your spare time.

    While it is important to have your own hobbies and interests, compatible partners make the effort to spend time together doing things they both enjoy.

    Having common ground with a partner helps in long term relationships – from supporting the same team, to cooking together, to sharing a love of the same film show or movies/series.

    And you’re not afraid of it! If you tell your partner you disagree with them, they should listen to you and take you seriously.

    If they still don’t agree with you, that’s totally fine – because it’s just a disagreement, and it won’t change the way you feel about each other.

    Often big issues can be raised in long term relationships, including money, religion, or where you both live. Most issues like these can be solved if the partners are compatible and are willing to compromise.

    It is important to work together until you reach a decision you’re both happy with – and for both people to be happy, it is likely that both have to compromise.

    Your partner should be able to make you a better person; compatible couples keep pushing each other forward. Whether you are learning how to cook a new dish, or getting a promotion at work, your partner should always have your back and support you, and vice versa.

    If you and your partner are compatible, you should be able to truly be yourself whenever you are around them.

    Whether you feel happy, hyper, sad or angry, you should be able to comfortably express these emotions to your partner, without worrying about the consequences.

    While sex obviously isn’t everything, it’s important to be physically intimate with your partner. From holding hands to kissing, compatible couples regularly show each other affection. In other words – there should be a spark, even if it is small!

    You try to get along with each other’s families

    If you genuinely love your partner’s family, that’s a great sign. Being in love with someone doesn’t always have to mean you love their family, though.

    And it’s fine if you don’t – but it isn’t fine if you don’t even try. Most people come with a family, and if your partner is going to be in your life for a long time, their family probably will be too.

    Compatible couples often go the extra mile as it shows their partner they care, and can help to make them feel appreciated. I wish you all the best.

  • When a tomorrow comes…

    When a tomorrow comes…

    Nnendinso  Ogaziechi

     

    In the past few weeks, Nigeria has been in the eye of the global storm literarily. The #EndSARS  movement, the ‘intervening’ rioters and ultimately the incidents at the Lekki tollgate on what is now referred to as the October 2020 black Tuesday had all gone viral. The #palliativegate is also in the news and seemed to have diverted attention and increased the number of casualties as private houses/shops, banks and some government agencies  were looted by some people who hid under the protest.

    However, the #EndSARS movement started off as a peaceful protest against the obnoxious activities of the police unit, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who did everything that negate what the police in any country should stand for, “to serve and to protect”. There is documented evidence of their brutality across many states in Nigeria. Ironically, series of complaints from victims and their families seemed to have got little or no attention.

    The creation of the SARS unit since 1992 with the mandate to fight crimes associated with robberies, motor vehicle theft, cattle rusting and illegal possession of firearms seems to have brought more problems than it has been able to solve. Statistics shows that one in every five youth might have been a victim of SARS brutality. There has been torture, kidnappings, maiming and killing of some suspects extra-judicially and despite series of protests by youths and even some journalists who have been victims, the calls for reforms had yielded no concrete results.

    And with the recent #EndSARS movement that swept the country, the Nigerian state have heard from the youths who organized what they now a MOVEMENT not just to end the tyranny of the SARS operatives but the movement has morphed into a call for good governance, accountability in government and all such actions that can engender equity, justice and fairness by governments in all tiers of government.

    At the core of the #EndSARS movement are the beating hearts of young Nigerians from all regions. The youths demonstrated the unity of purpose that seems to be lacking in the larger political space. Religion, tribe, gender, class and all other divisive terms have been totally absent. The youths showed commitment, dedication, empathy, deft organizational ability and patriotism like never before witnessed in the country. They more or less showed an aggregated sense of leadership and followership that defy all known perceptions by the older generation.

    The young people of Nigeria raised their collective voice and the global community heard. So this week, the Roundtable Conversation spoke to some #EndSARS youths across the country to hear their grievances and suggestions for a better future in a country they call theirs. Even Nigerians in the diaspora joined in with protests and similar demands, the Roundtable sat with these three;

    Michelle Bello, an award-winning filmmaker, who has been featured on CNN, BBC, Forbes Africa, and France 24 for her award-winning movies, Small Boy and Flower Girl says she is hopeful for a new Nigeria in which citizens take peace, prosperity and good governance for granted. To her, accountability in governance and justice for all has pushed her and her NGO, The White Harvest, a coalition of entertainers, actors and allied industry members and decided that for a functional country, the youths must lend their voices and so the #EndSARS movement is like a crow for governments to listen to the youths and begin, with proper structural reforms to harvest the cocktail of goodies from an industry that is the largest employer of the youth population in Nigeria – the entertainment industry.

    Michelle insists that the leadership in the country must realize that the youths are now more than ever linked to the global community and technology has made it possible for them to see the larger world, to watch governments and films that show the difference in living conditions and governance sttuctures that positively impact on citizens. She says the youths both in the country and in the diaspora want good governance, better life and accountability and are tired of being brutalized by those they elect to take care of them. As parents, most of those in the youth population are as worried as their children and its unacceptable. She feels the government can invest in the arts and film industry and possibly begin to see value in protecting those in the industry through investment in community entertainment through cinemas. She regrets that IROKO TV had to move their investment from Nigeria due to hash operating environment. Better broadcast policies can expand the industry while providing sustainable income for the youth population.

    Olumide Otitoju, a creative designer, photographer and computer engineer  feels the #EndSARS movement is the voice of the Nigerian youths demanding for good and accountable governance that guarantees the welfare of the youth who  have been endlessly promised a tomorrow that seems to never arrive. A personal experience with the SARS agents had left scars both physically and mentally on him and it was just time to say NO to the Hobbesian state for the Nigerian youths. Olumide dreams of a Nigeria that guarantees safety and justice for everyone and is glad that the #EndSARS movement is a collection of all Nigerians without creed or regional allegiance.

    Olumide believes the voice of the youth has seemingly been heard by the governments but that is not enough, the youths want to be included in the democratic projects . He regrets that since his adolescent years, the governments have always told them they are the leaders of tomorrow but it seems the tomorrow is never coming. The tomorrow is here already but it is not about leadership per se because the #EndSARS movement is not about who is leading or that the youths want to take over totally without due process but  for an inclusiveness that they would make our democracy very representative of all blocs and functional.

    Getting off the streets is not a problem. The youths are determined to re-orientate themselves so that the politicians cannot use them like previously. We want every youth to see the larger picture and stop accepting crumbs or suffering the Stockholm Syndrome. We must begin as youths to educate other less educated and enlightened youths who have been used as foot soldiers by politicians. That way the political leaders would begin to be accountable to the people.

    We want to stop the exploitation of the poor by politicians. The young people have ‘WOKEN’ up he says. The youths are ready to work with the old people. While we bring the tech ideas, we want mentorship by the older generations and then we can galvanize to make Nigeria work better. Olumide says they condemn the activities of some youths that resorted to violence and from those that were caught who claimed they were paid to disrupt the movement. Olumide believes that a section of the media should be careful with some reports that later appeared to be wrong. Some headlines were wrong given the realities faced by the movement.

    The youths in the movement also found it unacceptable that access to their elected officials is very rare unlike what democracy should be. At the beginning of the #EndSARS movement, they wanted access to the National Assembly to submit their petitions but were rebuffed by soldiers and armed policemen making it impossible for them to tell their representatives in the legislature their grievances.

    Anita Izato, a legal practitioner is a regular young lady whose personal account video about police brutality went viral and was broadcast by some international news organizations. A justice and peace advocate, she believes that as a Nigerian youth, she should go to bed not worried that her brothers might not come home alive. To Anita, the Nigerian youth including her are sick and tired of police brutality and after capturing  her own story on video, she realized it was time to stand up and say NO then the #EndSARS.

    She saw the beauty in the coalition of Nigerian Youths in the #EndSARS movement as there was the human symmetry of the colours in the rainbow as the youths came together to speak with one voice demanding end to police brutality that has a spiral effect on the psyche of both the young and old. The #EndSARS movement morphed into #endbadgovernance , end bad infrastructure, reduce the salaries of the legislature and other public servants so that the money can be used for the larger good.

    People are just tired because the problems had lasted too long and also the youths loved the endorsements of some adults who spoke at their rallies to support the youths. Enough is Enough and Anita is equally skeptical about the plethora of judicial panels to investigate. She feels that their findings might just not see the light of day and actions might not be taken.  She believes the judiciary has to be more committed to judicial issues as the thired pillar of democracy.

    Anita says that as a lawyer she is glad that she has been offering her services for those illegally arrested or detained or other forms of legal requirements. She believes the movement is one that can move the country forward because the youth cannot destroy their own future contrary to what some adults believe, As a lawyer, she believes that the young people and their cocktail of professional expertize would take Nigeria to the development level the youth seek.

    Anita believes that the if petitions sent by the youths at the beginning got a prompt attention satisfactorily, the Lekki incident might not have happened thereby escalating the protest to a violent demonstration by those bent on seizing the moment to commit crime.

    Despite all that have happened in the past weeks, it is now understandable that the youths are demanding beyond #EndSARS to a total political and economic restructuring for a more equitable and prosperous country. Honesty of purpose on the side of governments and actions in transparency  might just be the panacea for justice and  peace. The embrace of peace and justice might just hold the key to the prosperity of the world’s greatest black nation blessed with incredible human and natural resources. The youth’s voices are loud and clear, the future we seek is theres to care for.

    The dialogue continues…