The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southwest

Way out of Osun crisis, by finance expert

A finance expert, Deji Akinsola, reviews the economic situation in Osun State, pointing the way forward for the state. He spoke with Basirat Buraimah

How did Osun State find itself in this financial mess?

I don’t think it is fair to single Osun State out in the financial predicament enveloping the whole world.

It is a worldwide crisis. The financial meltdown is global. It cannot be felt equally though. In Nigeria, it will be unfair to single out Osun State to be in crisis and I know it is nation-wide.

I know many states to be 23 months behind in salary payment. Almost every state owes but then, when it comes to Osun, I think it is a peculiar case because of the giant strides that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came with in the first two years of his administration. It is that standard that people are using to measure him and that is why it appears that the impact is felt more in Osun.

But the state benefitted from the bail out and financial packages backed by the Federal Government.

When it comes to public finances, one needs to be very careful; what the states got was not a bail out but a loan. I want to crudely define a bail out. A bail out is meant to be a dash but when you are talking about a package the Federal Government made to the distressed states, it was more of a loan. People have said at different forums that the bail out from our financial crisis is death accumulation. The figures that are being pronounced by the opposition are so ridiculous. They are larger than life figures.

The payment terms were such that they will be deducted from the federal allocations. One of the criticisms against the Osun administration is in terms of the quantum of the debt that the administration is alleged to have taken. At different quarters, they are saying it is too large.

Speaking as a chartered accountant, the definition of too much is determined by the returns you are getting from such a loan.

If you take a loan and you invest it, inasmuch as you can make N1 as return after meeting all obligations, it won’t be too much. If you take a loan for financing and at the end you have negative returns; that is the definition of too much.

People have been saying that Osun State is grossly indebted and then the bail out of almost N35 billion is going to further compound that alleged indebtedness.

When you talk about public or private financing, it is made up of two critical aspects. We have equity and debt. Equity means the contributions of stakeholders while debt is borrowing. Those are the two principal sources of funding. There are certain things you cannot do with the loan. The loan shouldn’t be used to pay salaries. If you must borrow, it must go into investments that will yield returns to repay the cost of the capital and leave you with something. If you use loan to pay salaries then you are going into a deep hole. I want to agree with the last administration in terms of bail out. It is better to look for equity to meet the expenditure. That is a way forward.

Well, if you are talking of the way forward, we should look at where we are coming from. The administration started on a brilliant footing. No matter how brilliant your ideas are, you need funds to execute such ideas. This administration started with a beautiful vision where Osun will surpass Lagos.

Aregbesola’s vision is to remove poverty. He invested them into the future and education. Any investment in security can never be wrong because it promotes the code of the economy. When you invest in security, it will attract both internal and external investors. It will generate income to create a better income.

What can be done to revive the state’s economy and take it back to those glorious days?

We need to look into good governance and education. We need to move away from oil. The 2016 Budget was based on $38 price of oil per barrel with N2.2 trillion deficits. The fall in the price of oil has widened the gap. We need to shift focus and obviously agriculture is it.

We need to go back to the basics. Government should invest in agriculture. Government should support initiatives that will make agriculture strive. Government should not involve itself in granting agric loans. Government should not bother itself with the provision of fertiliser.

If agriculture is lucrative, people should source the fund to meet the investment. When they now grow cash and food crops, then they can sell them. Government should negotiate with banks. In terms of sourcing agriculture and fertilisers, they should go to the banks.

The government should make it a national policy. It should give guarantee to existing farmers and new ones. No matter how many tons of grains produced. The beauty of this is that it will spur people to go into agriculture on a commercial basis not on a sentimental basis.

In the United States, the government will mop up all the excess products. Even at a loss to it. In most cases, the government sells agricultural products abroad so that they will not discourage farmers and potential ones.

Apart from encouraging agriculture, which other ways can government go in raising fund?

If you want to make any progress, there is no other way than go into taxation.

We have to educate the people about the beauty of taxation. We have to create the awareness. As far as I am concerned, taxation and the application of taxation should be introduced into primary school curriculum, secondary and tertiary institutions so that people will have a very sound understanding and its beauty both to themselves and the government. The government should follow it up with an aggressive collection plan.

One beauty of taxation is this; when people are taxed normally, it makes lion out of them. They want to be involved, they want to know. It is something that is affecting them directly. There is no direct impact on the people. If you want to embezzle N 2.5 billion, you will need to increase the income tax of people with certain per centage. We have to invigorate our tax drive and initiate aggressive collection.

As a last resort, we need to look at borrowing and we must know how much we want to borrow and what we want to do with it. We must never borrow for consumption. Salary must be based squarely on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Any government that wants to succeed should use 25 per cent of its IGR for salaries.

Other things will be internal and one of it is what we have already embarked upon and that is how to empower the people. Governance shouldn’t be about business. It should be about the provision of environment where people can do business to generate income and pay a portion of that to the government.

The governor has introduced an Osun Certificate of Occupancy (O Cof O) that gives you a security backing. All over the world, any bank you go to will want to know if you want to go into secured borrowing. The best form of collateral is the certificate of occupancy. It will give them a peace of mind and fast-track the loan application.

It will reduce the cost of borrowing. You can use the certificate to borrow money from bank to generate wealth and then the state can come to take a portion. We have our younger ones that are willing to leave the country for several reasons because the world is now a global village.

One of the key requirements of an embassy is that you won’t be relying on them. If you attach your C of O to the application, it will make processing faster. These are the things Aregbesola has put together so that people can borrow money go into trade, make money and pay back loan and pay their taxes.

We are looking inward and the nation in general. The government should not be directly involved in agriculture, regardless of the quantity of their produce. Any government that wants to make progress must have short-term, medium-term and long-term plans.

We must invest in security. A secured environment is an attraction. We must invest in health.

The people are recognising the quality in this administration. Anything that this government wishes to do must have the input of the people and going for aggressive collection of taxes. We collectively got into this mess and we must collectively get out of it. The government must lead people into the Promised Land.

February 10, 2016
Philanthropist lends helping hand to the needy

Bothered by the level of poverty and lack of education in his community, a United States-based philanthropist, Mr Dim Dennis Damian Anugwom has established a foundation through which he would empower the people of Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State. Known as Duke of Nigeria Foundation (DNF), its primary focus is empowerment of widows, widowers and students.

Speaking to reporters in Lagos on Friday on why he established the foundation, Mr Anugwom said: “Public-spirited individuals should always have a thought for widows and orphans.”

On his contributions to the welfare of the downtrodden, especially widows, Mr Anugwom who described himself as a community person, lamented the level of poverty in the land despite that the country is rich in both human and natural resources. He said the works of the foundation in empowering the poor are purely humanitarian.

He said this informed the foundation’s reach-out to some people in his community last year. He said: “We noticed that many of our people are idle because they do not have the resources to start a trade or send their children/wards to school. Those whose husbands are no more need help. That was why the Duke of Nigeria Foundation gave out various sums of money to 22 widows, 11 widowers and 24 scholarships for students in secondary and tertiary institutions. The essence of the gesture was to enable the people to set up businesses that would help them to enhance the well-being of members of their families. In all, the foundation gave out more than N15 million.

“The foundation also distributed about 100 bags of rice and other gift items to those who need them. Another area the foundation focused was health needs of the people. For now, we have not established fully-fledged health care scheme for the people, but in the interim, the foundation picked hospital bills of about 30 patients at St Mary’s Catholic Children Community Hospital, Umuowa.

He said: “The condition of the poor in this country bothers me as it bothers everybody. Nigeria is a rich country peopled by a majority poor. With the grim realities on ground and with the realisation of that fact, people are now coming together to ask questions on why the situation has been so and when will it end. But it is not enough to be bothered but enough to proffer solutions.”

Mr Anugwom’s love for the less-privileged persons in the society has fired his zeal to empower them in several ways.

He revealed that the establishment of Duke of Nigeria Foundation was borne out of the need to empower the needy, especially the widows.

He said: “The issue of widowhood is a pathetic one. What we did was to get them together and give them help and hope. The essence is to make them understand that the death of their husbands does not mean the end of their lives. They have a life to live and they have children to cater for.

This we did by giving them certain amount of money to start petty trading, at least. We didn’t want to give them fish continually but to teach them how to fish so that any time they are in need of fish, they could get some for themselves.”

On what the society should do to better the lives of the downtrodden, Mr Anugwom, who was honoured by the Igbo Community in 2007 in Lagos with the title of Duke of Nigeria in recognition of his various humanitarian works said: “The society knows that it has not done much for the poor in Nigeria and there are categories of less-privileged persons. The society is even taking proper care of those whose situations are not so pitiable. So, we have a society that cares less because, here everybody is on his own; only God for us all. This phenomenon promotes a mentality where everybody is hustling and those who have lost their husbands to death or those who have lost their fathers or mothers are more in worst situation than those people who can argue their cases or try to redress their situations.

“The society actually should do more than we are doing now. I think when that happens; the mentality of people towards life would change.”

On what the well-to-do should do to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, Mr Anugwom said those who are rich but care less about those in their environment, should have a change of heart because for the rich to live peacefully, they must seriously and sincerely work for the peace of the poor.

“So, the wealth and welfare of the poor is in the hands of the rich, but the peace of mind of the rich is in the hands of the poor. When God gives one wealth, it does not indicate that one is the most handsome, brilliant or intelligent. One may not be the most hardworking, but it is for a purpose.

“One is holding it in trust for those He did not give wealth but blessed in some other ways. As He keeps blessing one, one must keep taking care of the less-privileged.”

February 10, 2016
Furore over selection of new Olubadan

Ascension to the Olubadan of Ibadan throne hardly attracts controversy because of the organised process for filling the stool. But the Seriki chiefs’ plan to vie for the throne is causing ripples. The Serikis have gone to court to compel the government and kingmakers to consider one of them for the stool. Will they have their way? BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON examine the issues.

•The late Oba Odulana

Barely 48 hours after the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1 died, controversy over who succeeds him reared its head. The Seriki chiefs, led by Chief Adebayo Oyediji are laying claim to the throne threatening to upset the age-long arrangement of choosing the Olubadan.

The late tenure of Oba Odugade was one of the most peaceful, particularly in the area of traditional matters. Issues raised by dissenting voices were resolved amicably through the wisdom of the traditional ruler and other members of the Olubadan-In-Council.

But as soon as his death was announced, Chief Oyediji also announced his intention to ascend the throne based on a court judgment and agreements with the two lines producing the Olubadan – the Otun Olubadan and Balogun lines.

Supporting his claims with court documents, Oyediji, in an interview with reporters, said: “A judgment was delivered on December 1, 1989 which ordered that the Olubadan chieftaincy line should accommodate the Seriki line as the third line to produce the Olubadan. The judgment ordered that Seriki should be promoted the same way along with others in the two other lines.

“Before the judgment, the Olubadan kingsmen appealed to us that they had agreed that we should be the third line. This was documented when Chief Adeyemo signed on behalf of the Otun Olubadan line, Olubadan Ashanke for the prescribed authority and Chief Ogundipe also signed for the Balogun line while I and four others also signed for the Seriki line. We presented it to court before the judgement.

“After that, Chief Durosaro and Chief Ayorinde from both chieftaincy lines filed a case at the Supreme Court that they were not part of the agreement but the motion was thrown out.

“Chief Omowale Kuye also filed a case against us but it was rejected by the court. We filed another case in 2007 and it is still in court till now.

“We got two injunctions between 1999 and 2009 that the Olubadan should not promote the chiefs in the other two lines but they have refused to respect court order.

“We are the ones that ought to be the Balogun and Otun Olubadan currently if they had followed the agreement we both signed and the court judgement. We are now ready to battle it to the last with the Olubadan-In-Council that they must respect court order for the past 27 years now.”

The octogenarian also accused members of the council of corrupting the promotion process by tactically excluding Seriki chiefs from the process.

•Seriki Oyediji

He said: “They did not have any respect for Rule of Law and court order. They have been corrupting the promotion process. If there will be any Olubadan, because I am the leader of the Seriki Line, then I am the next Olubadan. We shall resist any attempt by any chiefs or government to install any Olubadan.

“It is the governor that has been preventing us from charging them for contempt of court, because governor has immunity. He is the one approving their promotions. ý

“They must not promote any chief or install any Olubadan until they consider the Seriki Line and reverse all the promotions they have done.

We have filed a motion now to stop the government from installing any Olubadan apart from me, and the case was heard on January 28, 2016.ý”

In the motion filed before an Oyo State High Court, the Seriki Chiefs are seeking, among others, an order setting aside “the purported appointments made by the first defendant (Oba Odulana) to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles of Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, Otun Olubadan, Ekerin Balogun, Ashipa Balogun, Osi Balogun, Otun Balogun and Balogun of Ibadan since November 21, 2008 up till the last appointment made by him on January 1, 2016;

“An order setting aside the purported approval granted by the Governor of Oyo State on January 5, 2016 or thereabouts to the appointments made by the 1st defendant (Olubadan) on January 1, 2016 to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles of Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, Otun Olubadan, Ekerin Balogun, Ashipa Balogun, Osi Balogun, Otun Balogun and Balogun of Ibadan.”

A major grounds for the motion was that the court, on November 21, 2008 granted an interlocutory injunction restraining Oba Odulana, Chief Omowale Kuye and Chief Sulaimon Omiyale from “selecting, appointing and promoting any person into or filling any vacancy now existing or that may later exist in the Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, Otun Olubadan and Olubadan chieftain cues pending the hearing and final determination of the originating summons filed by the Seriki Chiefs.

ýBut the Olubadan-In-Council will not have all the claims taken as the grounds for determining who succeeds Oba Odulana.

After a council meeting at the palace of Oba Odulana penultimate Thursday, the highest traditional organ in Ibadan pooh poohed Serikis’ claims, saying only the council determines who becomes the Olubadan of Ibadan land by working closely with the government as stipulated in the Chieftaincy Law of the state. The council insisted that tradition and Chieftaincy Law prescribe Chief Saliu Adetunji as the 41st Olubadan.

The meeting was attended by Balogun of Ibadland, Chief Saliu Adetunji; the Otun Olubadan, Senator Lekan Balogun; Otun Balogun, Chief Owolabi Olakulehin; Ashipa Olubadan, Chief Eddy Oyewole; Osi Balogun, Chief Olufemi Olaifa and Ashipa Balogun, Chief Abimbola Ajibola.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, the Ashipa Balogun, Chief Ajibola, said it is undisputed that Adetunji is the authentic Olubadan-in-the-waiting.

His words: “Any other person or claim to the throne is untrue. In this institution, we have lines. There are only two lines recognised so far, both by law and otherwise. They are the Otun Olubadan Line and the Balogun Line. There is no third line.

“Nobody is competent to say he can be Olubadan. He cannot appoint himself. He cannot put himself there. We are not aware of any judgment that he is claiming because there is no Seriki or whatever. The 1959 Declaration Law says Seriki, if there are two vacancies in one line, should come there. No other judgment can over-rule the law; that is the law. They have no Seriki now.”

Chief Ajibola noted that the only recognised Seriki then was the late Adisa Akinloye, adding that since he died long time ago, there was nothing like Seriki again in the system.

“How can they say they want to be Olubadan? Who is going to sign for them? In the succession system, we have two lines – the Otun Line and Balogun Line. All the members of the council will not sign for whoever they (Seriki chiefs) propose. Who is going to sign for them? The high chief queried.

He continued: “The governor will not even listen to them. As kingmakers, whoever we present as the Olubadan to the governor is the one government will approve. Are they going to sign for themselves? They are not part of our meeting. We have never had any meeting with them. They have not been promoted.

“What they should do, they should do it right away in time. They did not ask Olubadan before he was late to promote them. So, there is nobody competent so far to lay claim (as Seriki).

“Well, we have filled the vacancies. There is no existing vacancy. Where are they going to come in? At the moment, the only person competent to come in would have been Seriki and there is none. This Chief, Oyediji, claiming he wants to be Olubadan, is only the Osi Seriki. He has not been promoted.

“He should apply to Olubadan to promote him first before he starts arguing. He has no locus. He won’t present anything to the governor. The governor knows the right thing. He won’t listen. There is a system for everything; only Seriki cannot sign for it. We are not ready to sign because we don’t recognise their system.”ý

Meanwhile, Justice Mukthar Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court had, on Thursday last week in Ibadan, adjourned the case till February 16 for further hearing.

As the legal fireworks have begun, observers are expecting to see the beginning of the end of the controversy surrounding the selection of Oba Odulana’s successor.

February 3, 2016
Osun’s strategy against unemployment
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that no fewer than 5.3 million youths are jobless, while 1.8 million graduates enter the labour market every year. This figure could be a conservative estimate of the actual number of unemployed youths in the country, going by previous statistics released by NBS, which put the number of jobless Nigerians at 20.3 million.

The above is a reflection of previous governments’ inability to design policies that will create more jobs, or provide enabling environment that could encourage both individuals and the private sector to expand employment opportunities without let or hindrance.

It is in line with the above that the Osun State Government established an office known as Osun Job Centre. This is in pursuance of a key component of Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola-led administration’s Six Point Integral Action Plan which is banishment of unemployment from the state. The Job Centre is established as a State Government-funded one-stop employment agency with desk offices located at each of the 30 local government areas.

The Centre will act as a facilitator between job seekers and employers by providing employment information and services to a wide range of people, from the unemployed looking for employment, the underemployed looking for better jobs, to employers advertising job openings. It is aimed at eradicating barriers to employment by promoting education, training and business enterprise. It will contribute to the personal development of the labour force through the creation of opportunities for their productive engagement and utilisation.

The centre provides employment service tools such as an infrastructure for the business community to post its skills needs as well as in-house computers with free access to the internet.

To provide a venue where job seekers can meet and network with representatives of prospective employers from diverse sectors of the economic with the possibility of securing employment.

However, the private sector also has a role to play in creating employment, as experience has shown that government alone cannot provide all the needed jobs. Unemployed persons will also have to start working towards self-employment, through which they may even provide jobs for others.

Unemployment and poverty have become serious problems that all levels of government must tackle with sincerity of purpose to keep the nation’s youths productively engaged and out of avoidable trouble.

These efforts by Osun government are worthy of emulation by other states of the federation. Governor Aregbesola once declared that Osun, out of the 36 states, has the lowest rate of unemployed people, particularly among her teeming youths, due to the determination of his administration to banish poverty and unemployment among its people.

This new move at establishing a job centre is just one of them. These efforts were recently corroborated by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, when he declared that Osun is one of the states with lowest in poverty.

“The indication (in Osun) is that because there is a lot of investment on the people, poverty has been reduced and that is what we (the Federal Government) are trying to achieve in Nigeria,” Osinbajo said.

Aregbesola was quoted as saying: “The development of micro and small businesses forms a core component of our poverty alleviation and economic empowerment strategy.

“This is part of our six-point integral action plan that, among others, seeks to banish poverty, unemployment and hunger.

“We have designed programmes aimed at unlocking our people’s creativity and genuinely set them on the path of self-employment and self-reliance.

“I am certain that our people are hard-working and would at all time take pride in working to earn a decent living.

“With the numerous programmes we are implementing, we are on the road to change the fortune of our state and lives of our people for better.

“Many of these programmes such as OYES, O’REAP, O’YESTECH, O’MEALs, O’Schools, O’Beef and O’BOPS, among others, have offered many of our youths self-reliant job opportunities.”
- Ayo Akinola, is a publisher and media consultant based in Lagos and Bola Akande is a former commissioner for Human Resources and Capacity Building, Osun State
February 3, 2016
NGO makes case for the less-privileged

Life of the former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Mrs. Olajumoke Opeifa has called on governments and philanthropic organisations to make life more meaningful for orphans, widows and aged members of the society.

Mrs. Opeifa, who is the Founder of Hydra Edge Foundation (HEF), gave the advice during presentation of food items to widows recently. At the event, put together by her organisation, about 1,400 bags of food items (made up of 700 bags of rice and gaari respectively), were presented to the widows and elderly, at Oyewole Junior Grammar School, Orile Agege.

She said these classes of people, who formed a sizeable proportion of the population, must be adequately taken care of to reduce the widening gap of poverty in the society.

While noting that nothing would make any meaning to a hungry person, Mrs. Opeifa said the major challenge to governance lay in reducing the poverty index. She said nothing gives her more joy than giving to the poor and making life more meaningful to the less-privileged members of the society.

According to her, the yearly presentation of food items, which is the eighth in the series, is her Foundation’s response to making life more bearable for the vulnerable groups of the society, who have no means of celebrating the festive period with members of their families.

She said the exercise, which began eight years ago, is in response to giving back to the society a little from what God had bestowed on her, adding that nothing is too much to give to humanity in appreciation of God’s mercy and goodness on her entire family.

She said: “Every year, since the past eight years, we have been giving the less-privileged, especially the widows and orphans food items, especially during Christmas. This year, we decided to expand the programme a little by adding the aged. This year, 700 people, made up of 500 widows and 200 aged would go home with one bag of rice and one bag of gaari, to enable them to celebrate the Yuletide and the New Year with members of their families.”

The Executive Secretary of Orile Agege Local Council Development Area, Mr Adeyinka Akeem described the gesture as one with a profound impact in the council.

He urged other well-meaning members of the society to emulate such humanitarian gesture by looking at the area of need in any given society and fill the vacuum, adding that it is only when philanthropists teamed up with the government that the task of improving the lot of the common man, especially the indigent can be achieved.

“This foundation is the biggest humanitarian group in this local government and I must say that every year, the indigent in this area look forward to this event, knowing that they would not only get foodstuffs, but also cash gifts to augment their incomes to make the Yuletide a memorable one for their families,” Akeem said.

The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the LCDA, Prince Sunday Ajayi praised the HEF for the gesture. He said the crowd of beneficiaries had continued to grow every year, since the programme started eight years ago.

“This programme has continued to witness tremendous crowd since it started eight years ago. Last year the crowd was tremendous, and this year, it seems to have doubled. The foundation has continued to put smiles on the faces of the common people in this council area. We can only pray that God should continue to strengthen the group,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Anthonia Anoibo, a widow, said the gesture would forever be remembered in her life, even as she prayed for the organisation to continue to wax stronger in its stride to make life more abundant for the downtrodden.

Another widow, who had been a regular beneficiary since the programme began eight years ago said she is happy that HEF could remember the widows this year despite the harsh economic situation in the country. She said her prayer is for God to continue to uplift the promoters and those working for the organisation.

February 3, 2016
‘Study hard to be good citizens’

The President, Road Safety Officers’ Wives’ Association, Ogun State branch, Mrs Adekunbi Adetunji, has urged children to improve their study skills to enable them to archieve success in their education.

Mrs Adetunji spoke at the get-to-gether/end-of-the-year party organised by the association for children at the Ogun State Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abeokuta, the state capital.

The event, she said, was aimed at showing love to the children and to encourage unity among the officers’ wives and children as their husbands are absent due to their work schedules.

She appealed to the children to be obedient to their parents and all elderly persons.

She also urged them to be law-abiding in order to make their parents, society and the country proud.

Mrs Adetunji appealed to the children to be more engaged to school activities that would make them better citizens in the future.

She also advised them to always seek God’s guidance and protection of their fathers who are always absent from home due to national assignments.

She urged members of the association to ensure they instil discipline in their children, even as she said they should train them in the ways of the Lord. She said it was a good idea for parents to give children better home training.

Highlights of the event was cutting of cake, quiz/dancing competition and presentation of gifts to the children.

February 3, 2016
‘We’ll empower women, youths’

In line with the Federal Government’s resolve to alleviate the suffering of the people through sound and people-oriented policies and programmes, the President of the Zion Assembly of Christ for All Nations, the Most Rev. Apostle Samuel Olawumi Ayodele, has promised to empower women and offer scholarships to students in the fold and other qualified Nigerians. This, according to him, will address the economic and educational challenges of its members. He added that “by so doing, they will be encouraged to serve God and humanity justly.’’

Apostle Ayodele stated this after his inauguration as the President of the Zion Assembly of Christ for All Nations at Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

He said for effective administration of Zion Assembly, a group of 200 independent Zion churches and four departments had been created. These, he said, include Theology/Evangelical Department; Children and Women Department; Youth Department, Education and Governmental Affairs Department.

Apostle Ayodele, who was ordained a minister in 1959, said Zion churches had been operating under different denominations and leaders before now but the Holy Spirit has called for a unity of purpose where they will now operate under one umbrella with one voice to address spiritual and social issues. When this is done, white garment churches of Zion stock will be more respected.

On what the church can do to cushion the effects of the harsh economic conditions on members, Apostle Ayodele said: “We are quite aware of this and that is why we are creating jobs through our co-operative societies and micro-credit schemes to engage our women and men. Our skills acquisition programmes are there to lend helping hands to the jobless so that they can be useful to the society. Education is vital to us, that is why we are pooling our resources to establish scholarship schemes for our children in both secondary schools and higher institutions of learning.”

On why this relationship is just coming at this time, he said: “God’s time is the best. As He has power over the affairs of men, He specifically directed this move. The church as one fold must worship under one shepherd. What is left for me as a privileged servant is to do my utmost based on experiences garnered from several masters before me, including the late Most Rev. Apostles E.L .Ogunfeyimi and Orogbemi, to lead the group aright.

He said it is the plan of the group to build youths that are sound in character and will be the pride of the nation, adding “we have religious and social institutions to handle this aspect of our life’’

On members’ participation in politics, he said: “We encourage our members to go into politics and make positive changes. Take it from me; it is a man that fears God that can govern well in the midst of temptations. It is a man that fears God that will not steal public money. It is he that will know that his position is transient and therefore would make life better for the masses. We have all the necessary mechanism to mould the character of our members and equip them for such offices so that they can make the necessary changes and impacts on the lives of the people’’.

He said his group is conscious of the right of the other person, even as it is out for spiritual and social changes and so our focus remains integrity.

February 3, 2016
Patient needs N12m for kidney transplant

Miss Regina Anyanwu, a graduate of English from the University of Port Harcourt, needs N12 million for kidney transplant abroad to remain alive, writes CHINAKA OKORO

•Miss Anyanwu

On November 21, 1972, the family of Mr and Mrs Jeremiah Anyanwu of Umuduru Village Egbelu Amaimo in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State was enveloped with joy. That was at the birth of their beautiful daughter Regina Urewuchi Anyanwu who is now 43 years old.

After her primary education at Egbelu Community School, Amaimo, she enrolled into Ugiri-Ike Comprehensive Secondary School also in Ikeduru LGA for her secondary education, after which she attended the University of Port Harcourt, Choba Rivers State where she studied English Studies.

After her graduation in 2009, she was employed by Hannahs Fast Food/Restaurant Port Harcourt in 2010 as a supervisor.

Regina was bubbling with life and was doing well in her job until September last year when the unexpected happened. She took ill. Since then, Regina has been battling a life-threatening renal problem.

When she took ill, she was taken to Rivon Clinic (In/Out Patient Clinic) Plot C1, Rumuogba Residential Estate Port Harcourt for treatment.

There, she was diagnosed with acute renal failure and is currently undergoing dialysis thrice weekly. She urgently and desperately needs help, for the dialysis sessions and for the kidney transplant in India.

Since then, Urewuchi as she is fondly called, has neither been herself again nor been able to return to school for her proposed Master’s degree in English language at least to actualise her dream of becoming one of Nigeria’s intellectuals that would contribute to her socio-economic and political advancement.

Again, her only brother and sister (Vitalis and Charity) and those who know Urewuchi, have been in shock as they watch her wither away gradually as her condition deteriorates.

Her relations had already spent millions of Naira, thus stretching the family’s resources beyond its malleable limits, even as it has plunged them into massive debts. Those who have an idea about dialysis sessions would appreciate the financial implications of what Urewuchi, her friends and relations have gone through in terms of money already expended while on admission in the hospital for some time now.

No doubt, Urewuchi is still alive by divine providence. She should have gone to India since last year as advised by her doctors on a very urgent note, for proper medical treatment. This has not been possible due to the paucity of her brother’s purse.

The inability of her brother and other relations to raise N12 million has prevented Urewuchi from enjoying her normal life again. Ensuing from this seedy situation, Urewuchi has remained in Nigeria experiencing excruciating pains. N12 million has stood between this once bubbly, lovely and hard working lady and normal life.

Consequent to non-availability of the needed fund, she has been a guest to several hospitals in Nigeria in spirited efforts by her distraught brother and relations to sustain her until they are able to raise such whopping amount of money to send her to India for the kidney transplant.

Urewuchi, the once beautiful creature full of life is now a pathetic sight to behold. Her voice and appetite have also been affected. She has shrunk so dangerously and her skin colour and texture have undergone dramatic change. She could hardly speak audibly and seldom eats.

Recently, her condition became worse, a development that made her doctors to warn seriously this time around that she can no longer afford to delay her trip to India to have the required and necessary medical treatment.

A medical report issued and signed by the Medical Director of Rivon Clinic Dr B.C. Okpala on January 18, 2016 gave these pieces of information:

“To whom it may concern: Medical report/financial assistance. Re: Miss Anyanwu Regina Urewuchi: female, 43 years.

The above named patient presented with Acute Renal Failure in our Renal Unit secondary to Hypertension. She has been classified as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

“She requires Kidney transplant soonest. The cost of dialysis thrice weekly with injection of Erythropoietin is N135, 000 weekly, i.e. N540, 000 monthly.

“The cost of Kidney transplant is N12 million only (because of the high exchange rate of the dollar), including transport and anti-rejection drugs for one year. This is the cost if done in India.

“We solicit your help for this woman to survive.”

Afraid that he and his family may lose their precious daughter and sister should they continue to save money on their own to ferry their daughter to India for the kidney transplant, Regina’s brother and friends, forced by the degeneration and the piercingly agonising misery which she has been in for some time now, have decided to appeal to their fellow Nigerians for financial assistance.

They are appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to help them raise N12 million required to finance her medical trip abroad.

This is a situation where members of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) community, Faculty of Humanities and the Department of English Studies of UNIPORT are challenged to show solidarity to one of their own who is in dire need of their help.

Those who wish to help Regina Anyanwu to live her normal life again should pay into the following bank account opened for such purpose

Anyanwu Vitalis Chika, account number: 0051669075, GT Bank

Regina’s heartfelt appeal goes to government at all levels, philanthropic organisations, corporate bodies, professional bodies, women groups, parents who understand the pangs of labour and other distinguished Nigerians who, we are sure, cannot sit by and watch this ailment waste Regina.

The earlier she travels to India for the kidney transplant, the more sure we are that Regina will live to become one of Nigeria’s contributors to her development.

For further information, contact Regina on 08037923763 or her brother Vitalis of Shaves Barbing Salon, 13, Market Road, Rumuomasi Port Harcourt Rivers State on 08037061500.

February 3, 2016
Celebrating Ogun at 40
WHEN it was carved out of the old Western Region in 1976, there was no doubt as to how Ogun State will evolve.

From day one, Ogun indigenes decidedly took up the mantle and marched doggedly into progress and greatness.

Perhaps, this determination was an aftermath of the fact that several of the nation’s founding fathers hailed from the state. In the fields of law, medicine and accountancy, the state had produced first class brains like Sir Adetokunbo Ademola,- the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria-, Dr Elizabeth Awoliyi- the first female doctor – and Mrs Toyin Olakunri, – the first female Chartered Accountant. As far as Nigeria’s political history is concerned, the state has also produced among other noble men, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, world class citizens, who became Military Head of State and a two–term civilian President.

The State has, however come very far from the mid-1970s. It has been blessed with visionary leaders, men and women of valour, who have successfully put to good use, its rich supply of natural, agricultural and human resources. Ogun is also home to tourists ‘monuments such as Olumo Rock, Abeokuta and Bilikisu Sugbo Shrine, Oke-Eri; both steeped deep in rich cultural histories.

Leading the roll call of astute politicians and fore-sighted leaders, is of course the revered late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, an indigene of Ikenne in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state, who was Premier of the Western Region, tapped into the rich potential of cocoa and laid the foundations for deep socio-economic changes. Awolowo remained a national icon and his legacy set the pace for the state’s resilience and creativity in good governance and development.

During the years of military administration, Ogun State was to find its dynamism and passion for breaking new grounds. The sprawling Agbara Industrial and Residential Estates were established to take advantage of the state’s proximity to Lagos State. Today, the layout serves as a template for industry and housing sectors.

Fast forward to the 1979 elections in which the state’s first civilian governor, the late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) came into office. Through Chief Onabanjo’s policies and programmes, he charted a way for the state. Thus, through carefully-designed socio-economic development agenda, he was able to move the state on the path of economic growth.

The Ogun State University, later renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University, was founded in 1982; located in Ago-Iwoye as a model for the ‘Gown meets Town’ development became a template for developing local manpower for the emerging giant.

By the time the military took power in 1983, the state, through Onabanjo’s efforts, had commenced broadcasting from its own television and radio stations. Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation as Onabanjo declared at the time was created: “to evolve a distinctive character of its own and come out with a choice of programmes appealing to different interests”. Tourism and the hospitality industry were also high on the administration’s agenda when he established the Gateway Hotels in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Sango Ota respectively.

The peace and stability the state has enjoyed are not without the input of its traditional rulers who hd contributed to the state’s rich trado-cultural harmony. The social cohesion enjoyed by the citizens is evident throughout the state.

Mention must also be made of the civilian governors who worked assiduously from Oke-Mosan to maintain the pace of growth. Former state governors such as Chief Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, further took Ogun State to new heights during their tenures, creating an enabling environment and human capacity building.

Ogun State is blessed with mineral and agricultural resources including limestone, phosphate cocoa, kola nuts, cotton, timber scattered around the state. It has enormous potential to become a hub for mining production and agro-processing.

Perhaps, in recognition of this, the current administration under the leadership of Senator Ibikunle Amosun revealed his administration’s plans to produce a mineral data map to guide investors.

Governor Amosun has, in recent years, also altered the physical landscape of the state through his massive construction of roads and bridges as part of the drive to usher in new phases of development and investment. Indeed, the state’s first bridge was constructed in Abeokuta.

Governor Amosun has, through his broad-based socio-economic plan, ensured that the major towns of Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu also became beneficiaries of his administration’s re-building mission.

Expansive new housing estates and new model schools are some of the components of his first tenure.

As Ogun marks 40 years of existence, I salute the leaders, past and present, for their vision and the citizens for their support and resilience.
- Odeneye represents Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives
February 3, 2016
Way out of Osun crisis, by finance expert

A finance expert, Deji Akinsola, reviews the economic situation in Osun State, pointing the way forward for the state. He spoke with Basirat Buraimah

How did Osun State find itself in this financial mess?

I don’t think it is fair to single Osun State out in the financial predicament enveloping the whole world.

It is a worldwide crisis. The financial meltdown is global. It cannot be felt equally though. In Nigeria, it will be unfair to single out Osun State to be in crisis and I know it is nation-wide.

I know many states to be 23 months behind in salary payment. Almost every state owes but then, when it comes to Osun, I think it is a peculiar case because of the giant strides that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came with in the first two years of his administration. It is that standard that people are using to measure him and that is why it appears that the impact is felt more in Osun.

But the state benefitted from the bail out and financial packages backed by the Federal Government.

When it comes to public finances, one needs to be very careful; what the states got was not a bail out but a loan. I want to crudely define a bail out. A bail out is meant to be a dash but when you are talking about a package the Federal Government made to the distressed states, it was more of a loan. People have said at different forums that the bail out from our financial crisis is death accumulation. The figures that are being pronounced by the opposition are so ridiculous. They are larger than life figures.

The payment terms were such that they will be deducted from the federal allocations. One of the criticisms against the Osun administration is in terms of the quantum of the debt that the administration is alleged to have taken. At different quarters, they are saying it is too large.

Speaking as a chartered accountant, the definition of too much is determined by the returns you are getting from such a loan.

If you take a loan and you invest it, inasmuch as you can make N1 as return after meeting all obligations, it won’t be too much. If you take a loan for financing and at the end you have negative returns; that is the definition of too much.

People have been saying that Osun State is grossly indebted and then the bail out of almost N35 billion is going to further compound that alleged indebtedness.

When you talk about public or private financing, it is made up of two critical aspects. We have equity and debt. Equity means the contributions of stakeholders while debt is borrowing. Those are the two principal sources of funding. There are certain things you cannot do with the loan. The loan shouldn’t be used to pay salaries. If you must borrow, it must go into investments that will yield returns to repay the cost of the capital and leave you with something. If you use loan to pay salaries then you are going into a deep hole. I want to agree with the last administration in terms of bail out. It is better to look for equity to meet the expenditure. That is a way forward.

Well, if you are talking of the way forward, we should look at where we are coming from. The administration started on a brilliant footing. No matter how brilliant your ideas are, you need funds to execute such ideas. This administration started with a beautiful vision where Osun will surpass Lagos.

Aregbesola’s vision is to remove poverty. He invested them into the future and education. Any investment in security can never be wrong because it promotes the code of the economy. When you invest in security, it will attract both internal and external investors. It will generate income to create a better income.

What can be done to revive the state’s economy and take it back to those glorious days?

We need to look into good governance and education. We need to move away from oil. The 2016 Budget was based on $38 price of oil per barrel with N2.2 trillion deficits. The fall in the price of oil has widened the gap. We need to shift focus and obviously agriculture is it.

We need to go back to the basics. Government should invest in agriculture. Government should support initiatives that will make agriculture strive. Government should not involve itself in granting agric loans. Government should not bother itself with the provision of fertiliser.

If agriculture is lucrative, people should source the fund to meet the investment. When they now grow cash and food crops, then they can sell them. Government should negotiate with banks. In terms of sourcing agriculture and fertilisers, they should go to the banks.

The government should make it a national policy. It should give guarantee to existing farmers and new ones. No matter how many tons of grains produced. The beauty of this is that it will spur people to go into agriculture on a commercial basis not on a sentimental basis.

In the United States, the government will mop up all the excess products. Even at a loss to it. In most cases, the government sells agricultural products abroad so that they will not discourage farmers and potential ones.

Apart from encouraging agriculture, which other ways can government go in raising fund?

If you want to make any progress, there is no other way than go into taxation.

We have to educate the people about the beauty of taxation. We have to create the awareness. As far as I am concerned, taxation and the application of taxation should be introduced into primary school curriculum, secondary and tertiary institutions so that people will have a very sound understanding and its beauty both to themselves and the government. The government should follow it up with an aggressive collection plan.

One beauty of taxation is this; when people are taxed normally, it makes lion out of them. They want to be involved, they want to know. It is something that is affecting them directly. There is no direct impact on the people. If you want to embezzle N 2.5 billion, you will need to increase the income tax of people with certain per centage. We have to invigorate our tax drive and initiate aggressive collection.

As a last resort, we need to look at borrowing and we must know how much we want to borrow and what we want to do with it. We must never borrow for consumption. Salary must be based squarely on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Any government that wants to succeed should use 25 per cent of its IGR for salaries.

Other things will be internal and one of it is what we have already embarked upon and that is how to empower the people. Governance shouldn’t be about business. It should be about the provision of environment where people can do business to generate income and pay a portion of that to the government.

The governor has introduced an Osun Certificate of Occupancy (O Cof O) that gives you a security backing. All over the world, any bank you go to will want to know if you want to go into secured borrowing. The best form of collateral is the certificate of occupancy. It will give them a peace of mind and fast-track the loan application.

It will reduce the cost of borrowing. You can use the certificate to borrow money from bank to generate wealth and then the state can come to take a portion. We have our younger ones that are willing to leave the country for several reasons because the world is now a global village.

One of the key requirements of an embassy is that you won’t be relying on them. If you attach your C of O to the application, it will make processing faster. These are the things Aregbesola has put together so that people can borrow money go into trade, make money and pay back loan and pay their taxes.

We are looking inward and the nation in general. The government should not be directly involved in agriculture, regardless of the quantity of their produce. Any government that wants to make progress must have short-term, medium-term and long-term plans.

We must invest in security. A secured environment is an attraction. We must invest in health.

The people are recognising the quality in this administration. Anything that this government wishes to do must have the input of the people and going for aggressive collection of taxes. We collectively got into this mess and we must collectively get out of it. The government must lead people into the Promised Land.

February 3, 2016