The Nation Newspaper

Category: Special Report

  • Miyetti Allah, OPC, CAN, Islamic group, others back Amotekun

    Miyetti Allah, OPC, CAN, Islamic group, others back Amotekun

    From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta; Adesoji Adeniyi, Toba Adedeji, Osogbo; Damisi Ojo, Akure; Oziegbe Okoeki, Lagos; Bisi Oladele, Oseheye Okwuofu and Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

    • Akeredolu: no compromise
    • Corps should have power to prosecute
    • Operatives should have modern weapons, says Adam
    • It’ll complement Lagos Neighbourhood Watch
    • Stakeholders shout down NSCDC officials over arms bearing
    • Ekiti awaits assent to bill
    • It’ll boost Osun economy
    • Police express reservation about corps’ power to arrest

    The Southwest geo-political zone on Monday scaled a major hurdle in the establishment of its security network, Amotekun.

    The House of Assembly in five states – Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Lagos – held public hearings on the proposed security outfit, thereby moving a step forward firming up a legal framework for the security architecture in the states.

    Ekiti State House of Assembly, which had previously held its public hearing, said the bill now awaited Governor Kayode Fayemi’s assent to become law.

    Stakeholders across the five states displayed enthusiasm. The crowd at the public hearing was huge. The meetings were peaceful and there was no dissenting voice.

    Various groups, including Miyetti Allah, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Islamic associations and others endorsed the novel security outfit.

    Monday was a watershed in the ongoing effort at establishing Operation Amotekun as herdsmen, socio-cultural groups, farmers and other stakeholders endorsed the security outfit.

    Oyo herdsmen, other groups endorse Amotekun

    They gave their endorsement at the public hearing on the bill to establish the Oyo State Security Agency in Ibadan, the state capital.

    The hearing was like a summit where interest groups, associations and organisations came to give their own perspective to the burning issue.

    Remarkably, herdsmen, under the umbrella of Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), supported the bill. The House of Chiefs, venue of the hearing, erupted in applause as MACBAN former chairman, Alhaji Yakubu Bello, castigated those who gave the impression that herdsmen operating in the Southwest were against Amotekun.

    Bello said those peddling the rumour are enemies of the country, adding that those saying that Amotekun is targeted against the Fulani are the enemies of the state.

    Bello said the State Security Network Agency Bill 2020 was laudable.

    The public hearing was well attended by stakeholders representing varied interests. The crowd was huge, filling the ancient edifice to the brim.

    The Myetti Allah boss commended the government for it, saying that people who have described the security corp as anti-herdsmen were wrong.

    Bello explained that Fulani and their host community have been leaving as brothers and sisters for decades, adding that those going against the bill only wanted to pit the Fulani against their host community. He said: “They won’t succeed.”

    He described herdsmen as peace-loving, but admitted that in every society, there must be bad eggs.

    Bello thanked Governor Seyi Makinde for making the bill a reality.

    While many of the invited stakeholders made input as to how to better and improve the provisions of the proposed law for the operations of the Amotekun Corps, cattle breeders under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) made case for the enlisting of non-Yorubas as operatives of the Corps.

    Setting the tone right on the essence of the public hearing, Chairman, House Committee on Security and Strategy, Akeem Obadara, said the event was organised to receive inputs from stakeholders.

    He added that the bill sought to share intelligence about crime and criminal activities, collaborate with similar Security Network agencies and assist in protecting lives and property in the state.

    He also noted that the input of the stakeholders are germane to having enforceable and people-oriented law on the Oyo State Security Agency, which will collaborate with existing Security agency to maintain law and order and to curb crime in the society.

    The Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, thanked the Southwest Governors for initiating the security network.

    Ogundoyin, who was represented by Deputy Speaker Abiodun Fadeyi, expressed optimism that the state Amotekun Corp will halt the trend of kidnapping, ritual killings, women harassment, Boko Haram threat and banditry by complementing the existing security agencies.

    He added that the introduction of the Amotekun Corps will assist the police and other relevant security agencies to tackle insecurity.

    He said: “Let me reiterate that members of Oyo State Amotekun Corps when in operation would not undermine the activities of members of existing security agencies but rather would complement their services. Offenders apprehended by members of the Amotekun Corps are to be handed over to the police or officers of the other relevant security agencies.”

    The Special Adviser to the governor on Security, Fatai Owoseni, a retired Commissioner of Police, maintained that the proposed bill was devoid of ethnic and religious bias.

    He said the people, based on their ethnic or religious leanings, should not be afraid of the initiative, adding that only criminals and criminally-minded people should panic.

    According to Owoseni, the main thing the public hearing would do is to correct the wrong notions that the Amotekun Corps is targeted at a specific tribe, ethnic group or religion, adding that all the relevant stakeholders who are law abiding and peace loving residents in any part of the state, irrespective of their tribe, ethnic or religion are also ‘Amotekuns’.

    Giving details as to how the initiative was arrived at, the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, assured the stakeholders of the sincerity of the state government in ensuring safety of lives and property.

    Oyewo, who gave a detail of the efforts of the Attorney-Generals of the Southwest on the bills, allayed the fears of stakeholders, explaining that the law setting up the Amotekun Corps has checks and balances to protect the rights of the people and also guarantee the freedom of residents.

    Representative of the Commissioner of Police, Funke Fawole, said the police had studied the bill and had noted some concerns, which had earlier been submitted as memorandum to the lawmakers.

    Fawole, who is also the Officer-in-Charge (OC) Legal Department, said the concern of the police is the aspect of powers given to the Corps to arrest and investigate suspects.

    She also made case for the Board of Management of the Corps to be headed by police not lower than the rank of CSP and not a retired army officer as being proposed.

    Gani Adams, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, made 11 observations on the proposed law.

    Represented by the Gbonka Aare Onakakanfo, Chief Gboyega Adejumobi, he advocated a Special Trust Fund that will permit both the government and private individuals to make contributions to funding the initiative.

    While recommending the creation of seven zones as operational base for the Corps across Oyo State, Adams said the operatives must be well trained and equipped with modern weapons instead of dane guns.

    He also noted that the appointment of the chairman of the board should not be limited to either the police or army alone, but be extended to qualified person from other security agencies, especially the DSS.

    The representatives of the Agbekoya Farmers Association, Chief Kunle Arowolo, said the selection of the board of the Amotekun should comprise a representative of the Agbekoyas to protect the interest of farmers.

    He also noted that Yoruba language must be adopted as the operational language of the Corp, adding that the strategy should be both local and modern approaches to allow for the deployment of what he described as ‘ancient knowledge of the forefathers’ to be put to use in the operations.

    Chief Azeez Maboreje, the Farmers Ambassador in Oyo State, representing Baale Agbe -In -Council, Alhaji Ganiyu Alagbon Adekunle, said: “We are here to make an input into the Amotekun bill  because  we  are mostly affected by the challenges of insecurity in the state. Just last Sunday, the herdsmen killed one of our farmers in Igangan , in Ibarapa area of the state. In Ilora , a farmer lost his eyes to these herdsmen last week .

    “So, you can understand why I said farmers are mostly at the receiving end. Therefore, if they want to make law on Amotekun, they must consider the farmers and ensure that farmers form part of the security agency . Any security network must include farmers because we live in rural areas, and we do our business in the farms. We know where these killer herdsmen are and their hideout. It is important that farmers were included in the board of Amotekun, and also enlist farmers to be part of the security network. Secondly, we are using this opportunity to call on the state government to revisit the anti-grazing law which was enacted in the state, with a view to ensuring that there is full enforcement of the law. There must be renewed enlightenment and education because many are yet to know that there is a law on open gracing in the state.”

    The public hearing was well attended by members of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, religious leaders, community leaders and traditional rulers.

    Others are members of Yoruba World Congress, led by Prof Banji Akintoye , the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Asssociation of Nigeria (MACBAN), the police, Non-Governmental Organisations, Nigeria Bar Association, lawmakers, Special Advisers to Governor Makinde of Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni,   members of the state House of Assembly led by the Deputy Speaker and Peace Corps amongst others.

    Ogun lawmakers vow to see bill through

    Ogun State House of Assembly said the Speaker Kunle Oluomo lawmakers were determined to stay awake for four days to work and pass the bill within the envisaged time.

    Oluomo, in his opening address to welcome participants to the stakeholders’ forum, said the essence of the meeting was to “take” the inputs of all stakeholders and incorporate same into the bill to make it a product of representative democracy.

    He urged individuals and groups to submit their written memoranda focusing on key areas to save time.

    Provisions for training in martial arts, intelligence gathering, use of traditional weapons (juju, incantation) drones,  inclusion of security measures against slavery, human trafficking, kidnapping, banditry, invasion of farmland and the need to ensure human rights protection were canvassed as issues that should form parts of the responsibilities of the corps.

    Some of the stakeholders were the representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ogun State chapter, Barr. Kayode Adeyemi, the state Muslim Council, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, Association of Nigerian Authors, Paul Oni, Chairman, State Coalition of Civil Societies, Yinka Folarin, Yoruba World Congress, Otunba Sade Olukoya, Association of Hunters in Ogun, Chief  Olusegun Bamgbose and the Institute of Emergency Management, Mr Badero Adedamola .

    They all took turns to lend their voice in support of the bill at the public hearing at the Assembly complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    The Chairman of ANA, Paul Oni, retired Air force personnel, said drones should be deployed to conduct routine surveillance and reconnaissance of the bushes and forest in the state. He said this would make the job easier and action faster to prevent crimes.

    The representative of the NBA, Mr. Adeyemi, recommended that the corps should not prosecute crime suspects but upon arrest of any, they should hand them over to the Police. He also advised the wordings the Bill should be weaned of verbosity so that it does give undue liberty that could prone the Amotekun Corps members to sundry litigations by aggrieved members of the public.

    The State Muslim Council, represented by Alhaji Akintunde, canvassed the use of traditional weapons such as juju, incantation, bows and arrows by the Amotekun Corps. Same position was advocated by the hunters and Agbekoyas.

    The Justice Development and Peace Movement(JDPM, Atayese), the human rights arm of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta submitted its memoranda but had no opportunity to orally canvass the group’s position for lack of time. It later told The Nation that the convening of the stakeholders’ forum was a great idea. But it expressed shock that critical stakeholders like farmers associations and security agencies stayed away.

    The Head of JDPM, Mr.  Niyi, who spoke to The Nation, said it would be a setback, if the farmers group who are often the victims of the insecurity in on the bushes and forests declined to show up.

    Rotimi added that the same holds true for the various security agencies such as the Police and army if they didn’t make representations regarding the bill.

    However, in a memoranda Rotimi submitted to the Assembly, the JDPM, called for an adequate insurance cover, training on intelligence gathering, as well as training in martial arts and takwando to help Corps members in self defence  in the event of face-to-face encounter with crime suspects.

    Others, including representatives of Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Community Development Associations (CDAs), Ogu Speaking People of Ogun State, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) , National Youth Council of Nigeria, Peace Corps and Vigilante Group of Nigeria also attended the event.

    They all commended the governors in the Southwest for establishing Amotekun.

    However, other critical stakeholders such as cattle rearers, Myetti Allah and many paramilitary organisations were noticeably absent at the public hearing.

    It was not clear if any of them sent in a memoranda to the Ogun Assembly in respect of the bill, but the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) which suggested that the Amotekun Corps members should not bear arms met stiff opposition from other stakeholders who shouted the paramilitary agency down.

    In his submission, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Gbolahan Adeniran, lauded the stakeholders for their robust contributions during the public hearing. He said that community participation was essential in achieving effective community policing system

    Also, Kunle Oluomo, assured that the bill when passed by the Assembly and eventually signed into law by the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, would be translated into indigenous language for easy understanding by all and sundry.

    Oluomo noted that the bill was meant to protect the wellbeing of residents and investors in the state, emphasising that intelligence gathering remained the fulcrum of any effective security management. He assured that the Assembly would harness all the inputs of the stakeholders into the bill and ensure its accelerated passage.

    Osun: it’ll boost economy

    Among those that presented proposals on the bill were the Aragbaji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi; the Oloba of O-Ile, Adekunle Oyeyemi, a retired officer of the Department of theState Service, Mr Akin Adeyi, the HuntersGroup of Nigeria, the Osun State chapter of the Police Community Relations Committee, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO) and the African Security Forum.

    They emphasise the need for synergy between the security outfit and the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force.

    They also noted that the security outfit must adhere strictly to the extant law of the land and have local content in its intelligence.

    The Aragbaji advised that traditional rulers should be involved in the running of the outfit, saying their involvement will be of immense benefits to the actualisation of the Amotekun.

    Also, the representative of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO) Mr Jamiu Adeyemi said Amotokun should guard worship centres, noting that such places are soft targets for criminals.

    Representative of the African Security Forum, Prof. Aliyu Alao, called on the House of Assembly to ensure that people in the Diaspora should be carried along.

    Alao, who underscored the importance of ensuring annual report on the Amotekun Corps, noted that this would create room for checks and balances.

    The Osun State chairman of the PCRC, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, said there should provision for members of PCRC, hunters group and other civilian security organisations on the board of the security outfit.

    Adeyi said for effective operation, the security out should be divided into three main inter-related departments namely: Amotekun Corps Guards, Amotekun Intelligence Unit and Amotekun Marshals.

    Making a presentation on behalf of the Hunters Group of Nigeria, Chief Hammed Nureni, who is the Osun State chairman of the group, proposed that his members be integrated in the operation of the security outfit. He said: “We have proven ourselves over the years as men of worthy characters and bravery as well as people that know the local routes and maps of all the forests and bushes in the state in the course of our bush hunting business.”

    The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, said Amotekun Corps will assist the police and other security agencies to carry out lawful activities that will maintain law and other in the state.

    The Speaker said when the bill is passed, the security outfit will ensure safety on the highways, remote areas and hinterlands.

    Owoeye maintained that recruitment of Amotekun Corps will reduce the rate of unemployment in Osun and the Southwest states.

    He, therefore, called for support of residents to make Amotekun succeed.

    According to him, Section 24 of the constitution provides that “it shall be the duty of every citizen to make positive and useful contribution to the advancement, progress and well-being of the community where he resides.”

    Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Gboyega Alabi, noted that peace and security are the principal factors for business and investment to thrive in the state.

    He said: “If Amotekun works, investment windows will be open. Amotekun will give wings to the Osun Economic and Investment Summit as well as the Osun Investment Promotion Agency, which are our windows to economic and industrial transformation.

    “No state or nation can be stronger than the quality of its laws. Amotekun is as strong as we elect to make it, especially at this public hearing, whose outcomes shall polish and enrich its legal outlook and determine the quality of the peace and prosperity we enjoy.”

    Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said southwest governors would always give utmost attention to security of the people.

    He spoke while declaring open the Public Hearing of Ondo State Security Network Agency Bill ‘codenamed’ Amotekun Bill in Akure.

    The state House of Assembly last week Tuesday deliberated on the bill and committed it to the House Committee on Security Matters after First and Second Reading.

    Akeredolu said there was no cause for alarm on the planned security outfit.

    He said the governors have deliberated on the bill.

    Akeredolu said: “We cannot compromise the security of our people and their property because our people voted for us to defend them and ensure their security.

    “There is no going back and there is nothing that can happen. Yoruba people must unite and live together. This bill is about six states of Yoruba people. Though there is no regional house of assembly but we must look at our peculiarities.

    The Governor said the security corps would work with other security agencies to share intelligence to combat crime in the zone.

    The Speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun, said that the purpose of the bill was fundamental to life, adding that it would safeguard lives and property.

    According to him, many lives are being lost on daily basis, adding that the House is not happy about the trend.

    The Speaker, who lauded Akeredolu for championing the need for the outfit urged participants to contribute meaningfully to the bill.

    The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, expressed delight about the initiative, adding that Amotekun should have power to arrest and prosecute.

    The Olu of Ilu-Abo recalled with dismay that he was crawling in the hands of kidnappers for four days.

    The former SGF noted that Yoruba people needed to be secured, having invested in the country so much.

    He said: “We don’t want secession because we have a lot into Nigeria and we can’t leave the country for we are the most indigenous people of the indigenous people of Nigeria,” he said.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Security Matters, Oladele Begudu, said the forum was to collate public inputs into the bill, adding that law is made for people and they must get their contributions.

    He said after this hearing, they would go to Ibadan next week and harmonise it before the bill is passed into law.

    Afenifere National Secretary, Chief Seinde Arogbofa said the Amotekun corps should report to police, adding that there could be collaboration and intelligence sharing between them.

    According to him, the security corps should imbibe high level of discipline.

    The Chairman of Ondo State Council of Obas, Oba Fredrick Obateru, warned that the corps should not be hijacked by state governments’ security apparatus for their selfish interests.

    Stakeholders say no going back in Lagos

    The verdict was “no going back on Amotekun”, at the public hearing on Amotekun held at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    The Lagos Arewa community/Miyeti Allah, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Muslim community, Community Development Associations (CDAs), Community Development Committees (CDCs), state security outfits, traditional rulers including the Aare Ona Kakanfo, Otunba Gani Adams, political party leaders both APC and PDP, Agbekoya, traditional worshippers, lawmakers, state exco members, security experts, and civil society organisations, said Amotekun is a necessity and it has come to stay.

    The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa declared that Amotekun, as a security outfit, in the state and the Southwest, has come to stay.

    However, there was uproar when the secretary to the Hausawa community in Alimosho, Ibrahim Abubakar, speaking on behalf of the Hausa community and Miyetti Allah cautioned against provocative statements on Amotekun by some people.

    He said they should be given a sense of belonging and be carried along, adding: “We don’t have anything against Amotekun, but we want to be carried along”, he said.

    There was a shout of approval when Cardinal James Odumbaku, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee (GAC), said everything must be deployed to make Amotekun work, native intelligence, traditional powers and religious powers to ensure the outfit succeeds.

    Obasa said: “I’m sure we all recall the incidents before the establishment of Amotekun, the killings, maiming, kidnapping and their likes. In the wisdom of our governors, they decided on Amotekun,” Obasa said.

    The speaker noted that the idea had resulted in different reactions from Nigerians, but that the South West cannot relent in its bid to ensure security.

    The Speaker said the bill on Amotekun would be accommodated in the existing law. Amotekun has been supported by over 40 million Yoruba people and, as a result, it would only be wise to favour the bill. “Our race has spoken and we must stand by it but in line with the constitution,” he added.

    Gani Adams decried the pessimism that trailed the Amotekun by people outside South West saying it was not necessary, “Yoruba are one of the most organised race and this public hearing for stakeholders to make inputs has justified my position,” he added.

    He said it was very gratifying that for the first time in the history of the Yorubas, the people were talking with one voice on Amotekun.

    “Amotekun has brought the unity we have been talking about in Yorubaland, this is the first time everybody in South West is speaking with one voice. Those who are afraid have nothing to fear, insecurity does not discriminate on tribe, religion or political party”, Adams said.

    A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who represented the state PDP chairman, Adedeji Doherty also said PDP is in full support of Amotekun, but advised that the engagement of personnel should be purely on merit not party, tribe, religion or nepotism.

    A representative of the CDAs and CDCs advised that the associations and community leaders should be included in the recruitment and activities of Amotekun.

    Other stakeholders said the roles of Amotekun must be clearly defined to avoid constitutional crisis while the Vigilante Group also wants to be incorporated in Amotekun since they have been engaged in community policing.

    Lagos Publicity Secretary of APC Seye Oladejo said in recruitment, educational qualification should be de-emphasised, adding that the criteria should be knowledge of the locality and culture of the terrain.

    A former member of the Lagos Assembly Hon. Segun Olulade, advised that appointment and removal of Commander of Amotekun Corps must be with the approval of the Lagos Assembly.

    Reviewing the bill tagged, ‘A Law to amend the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency Law, 2019’, Majority Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade said: “Amotekun corps would be depicted by the image of a leopard, an animal with the capacity to penetrate anywhere. The lawmaker said the outfit would perform same functions like the Neighbourhood Safety corps.

    However, he said the operatives would be made to carry licensed arms subject to the approval of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and collaborate with security agencies in Lagos and other states.

    Agunbiade said the exercise is not new but that it is an amendment to the Neighbourhood Safety law which has been in existence since 2016.

    The lawmaker added that the laws guiding Amotekun are all embedded in the Neighbourhood Safety Corps law and this is the reason for the decision to amend it.

    With the amendment, Amotekun is to collaborate with and assist the police and other security network agencies in gathering information about crime, crime investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons suspected or involved in kidnapping, terrorism, cattle rustling, cultism, highway robbery and such other criminal activities”, Agunbiade said.

  • Interlopers invade our lands

    Interlopers invade our lands

    Twelve communities under the aegis of Lekki Coastal Area Development Association (LCAA), have cried out to the Lagos State government to save them from invaders on their land given to them in2007 as compensation for surrendering 7,500 hectares of land to government for the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), writes PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU.

    When, in 2007, the Lagos State government embarked on the Ibeju-Lekki, the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), it had an agreement with the 12 communities that inhabited the area. The communities were to cede their 7,500 hectares of land to the government while the government provides 750 hectares of land for the communities out of which it had provided 375 hectares of land as compensation.

    The communities constituted an association known as the Lekki Coastal Area Development Association (LCAA).

    Recently, the association, which represents the interest of the 12 communities, has raised the alarm that some people were try to disrupt the peace of the communities.

    The Nation reports that on March 27, 2007, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was entered into between the Lagos State government, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council, Lekki Worldwide Investment Limited (LWIL) and ancestral communities of Idasho, Idotun, Ilege, Imobido, Itoke, Okunraiye, Ilekuru, Imagbon-Segun, Olomowewe, Ileko, Alasia and Okesegun whose 7,500 hectares were earmarked as LFTZ.

    The benefits the communities were to derive include prompt payment of adequate compensation for all economic crops and improvements on the land; provision of resettlement land of 750 hectares to the host communities; 2.5 per cent equity share capital of LWIL holdings; appointment of a representative of the communities to the Board of Directors of LWIL; extension of socio-economic infrastructure and services to the communities; provision of job and livelihood opportunities for members of the communities; economic empowerment to the youth and women as well as installation of beacons to demarcate boundaries of lived villages and communities.

    Lekki Coastal

    Chairman of Lekki Coastal, Alhaji Wasiu Ayeola told reporters at the LWIL office in Orofun that criminally minded individuals some of whom were members of families with ancestry claims to parts of the 375 hectares before government’s global acquisition in 1993, illegally sold parcels and were spoiling for war after the LCAA found out and took possession.

    He said there was need for the state government to urgently intervene in order to prevent a crisis that could scare investors at the LFTZ, a project that would bring enormous development to the state and communities.

    “There is no crisis as at now. The challenge we have is that some criminally-minded individuals who have perpetrated act of illegalities want to justify what they have done. They are the ones organising press conference and calling Lekki Coastal Area Development Association names.

    “The 12 communities that make up Lekki Coastal are speaking with one voice. All the Baales, youth and women leaders from the communities are members of LCAA. They believe in what we are doing and know that we are working for the interest of our communities.

    “No major decision can be taken unless there is wide consultation. Though the MoU recommended that a member of each community should be drafted in, we opened it up and allowed each community to nominate 10 members so that when major decisions are reached, it would represent the people’s position.

    “Those calling us names are not happy that the leadership took possession of our land. When we came in, we discovered that the land has been encroached upon. The government gave us the land as compensation for our land it acquired. The government acquired the land long before it gave the land to us. We do not have any business with the family claiming ownership of it or accuse us of any wrongdoing.

    “So, when we discovered that they were selling our land and people have already built on parts of it, we called a meeting of all the representatives in LCAA and brought the matter before them. It was agreed that in the interest of peace, we should allow those who have bought some lands to ratify their documents with us.

    “Though the decision was not in our favour, we had to take it because we believe in the vision of the state government, which is the development of our area and we do not want to do anything that could cause unrest and, by extension, scare investors.

    “Some of the buyers came to ratify the ownership of their lands with LCAA but some recalcitrant ones have been going about telling lies about us. That is why we are appealing to the government to join hands with us to fight these perpetrators of illegalities.

    “We believe that since the government gave us the land as compensation for the economic trees of our people that were destroyed, the government should neither let anyone trespass to it nor allow them cause trouble over our property.

    “Some of them have been going about claiming that the land was for resettlement and since it is not being used for that purpose, it should be returned to the original owners. What they fail to understand is that the MoU clearly stated that none of the communities would be moved from their present locations except for three- Itoke, Idotun and Okunraiye- that maybe affected in the event of expansion of the seaport.

    Call Dangote Group to order

    “If that should happen, the MoU further stated that the government will provide 170 hectares where houses would be constructed close to the sea for their relocation. What we received so far from the government is five per cent not the promised 10 per cent of land. We are still waiting for the remaining five per cent.

    “We also want government to call Dangote Group to order. The government promised that anything they are going to do in the FTZ Lekki Coastal will be involved but that has not happened.

    “Our people have not been employed. We wrote a letter to them more than a year ago but there was no reply. Already they are engaging people that are not from our communities who they send abroad for trainings,” Ayeola said.

    Lawyer to LCAA Dr Felix Morka described allegations by one Dayo Olofinlade that the association fraudulently obtained C of O of the 375 hectares as reckless, wild and mindless.

    Morka noted that as beneficial owners of the land, LCAA has full liberty to deal, transact or alienate any or all portions of its land on behalf, and for the benefit of its constituent communities as established by the MoU.

    “Our attention has been drawn to a publication credited to one Mr. Olofinlade, purportedly representing certain customary land owning families who dubiously and recklessly claimed that the Lekki Coastal and its officials had perpetrated acts of impropriety in relation to the grant of the C of O by the Lagos State Government in favour of Lekki Coastal, as well as in relation to a transaction between Lekki Coastal and Dangote Group.

    “Lekki Coastal entered into a legitimate and valid agreement for the sale of approximately 33 hectares of its land to Dangote Group. The transaction was diligently and validly concluded among the parties.”

    “Mr. Olofinlade based his wild and mindless allegation on a consent judgment he claims was obtained from a Lagos High Court sitting at Epe dated November 22, 2017 in a matter of Mr. Obisanya Johnson & others Vs Alhaji Toliat Eleto and others. (Suit EPD/091LMW/16).

    “In the said suit, the first to third defendants (Alhaji Toliat Eleto, Mr. Adedayo Semiu Babatunde and Mr. Teslin Babatunde respectively) are members of the claimants’ Otu descendants’ families of Origanrigan Nla Village in Ibeju-Lekki on whose behalf the claimants brought the action. Lekki Coastal Area Development Association was named fourth defendant while the LWIL was fifth defendant.

    “When the matter came up for preliminary hearing in line with the Rules of Court, the court referred it for pre-trial conference at the Lagos Multi-Door Court, Igbosere. There, the Mediator determined that the issues in dispute were between the Claimants and the first to third defendants who are members of the same Otu descendants’ families.

    “Based on that determination, Lekki Coastal and the remaining fifth to seventh defendants were excused from the mediation which continued between the claimants and the first to third defendants’ members of the same family. Ostensibly, the mediation resulted in the adoption of terms of settlement between the parties concerned.

    “The dispute and consent judgment in question fundamentally involved two major issues: a family dispute between the claimants and the first to third defendants over the sale of land allegedly excised to the family by both parties and the attendant controversy over the sharing of the proceeds of sale; a dispute as to the headship and secretary of the family.

    “To be clear, beyond the initial appearance before the mediator excused it from further participation, Lekki Coastal was not a party to, and did not participate in any discussions or negotiations or agreements, and certainly never signed any terms of settlement reached between the claimants and the first to third defendants at the Multi-Door Court House.

    Family feud

    “The fact of the matter is that the claimants and first to third defendants as member of the same family, were the customary owners of certain portions of land comprised within the 375 hectares that was granted by the Lagos State Government to Lekki Coastal by which all pre-existing rights and interests of the customary owners in the land were extinguished.

    “The statements by the said Olofinlade were borne out of mischief and obscene desperation. In reality, through his companies ACQVEST HOMES (operator of Pavilion Cleaning Services and Havilah Gold Court Estate) Mr. Olofinlade lays a false claim to ownership of certain parcels of land that he purportedly purchased from the claimant/customary land owning family in his incompetent and negligent failure to conduct due diligence to verify the legal ownership of the land. The elementary rule of ‘Caveat Emptor’ was lost on Mr. Olofinlade during his purported transactions.

    “Since becoming aware of Lekki Coastal’s valid legal title to the land comprised in the C of O, Mr. Olofinlade has been running aimlessly and unscrupulously in search for a way, however ignoble, to keep “ownership” of a land that is not and was never his own.

    “In categorical acknowledgement of Lekki Coastal’s valid, superior and overriding title to the said land, Mr. Olofinlade has made applications to the association of the parcels of land that he purportedly purchased from the claimants’ family. The only reason that Mr. Olofinlade’s application for ratification has not been granted by Lekki Coastal is his failure and inability to pay the assessed fees.

    “Several of the companies listed in paragraph 1(b) of the consent judgment have applied to and had their land interests ratified by Lekki Coastal. These companies have been allocated their respective parcels of land that are entirely outside the boundaries of the land assigned to Dangote Group by Lekki Coastal…

    “Evidently, Mr. Olofinlade’s statements were in extreme bad faith and desperation arising from his frustration and inability to meet the financial conditions imposed by Lekki Coastal for ratification of the parcel of land he claims to own.

    Secure ratification

    “Rather than concentrate his energies on raising the funds required to secure ratification for which he has applied to Lekki Coastal, he has busied himself instigating frivolous cases and shopping for fake and frivolous agitators against Lekki Coastal.

    “By his statement under reference, Mr. Olofinlade has now resorted to libel and criminal defamation of character in his bid to discredit the lawful and legitimate transactions of Lekki Coastal, and for which he shall soon be brought to justice.

    “We would like to urge our brethren and neighbours whose lands of the 375 hectares were acquired by the state government in favour of Lekki Coastal’s 7, 500 hectares which was acquired for the purpose of establishing the LFTZ, to not allow themselves be misled by some unscrupulous and self-serving characters.

    “On our part, there remain very important outstanding obligations that the Lagos State Government has yet to perform in favour of Lekki Coastal. We believe that we can all join hands to resolve any and all outstanding matters arising from the massive industrial complex sites in our homelands as we hope to partake in the economic growth and development it portends for Lagos and the country in general,” he said.

    Contacted, Olofinlade said he stood by his words that Lekki Coastal obtained the CofO for the land fraudulently; adding that the association’s name was different from the name the land title was issued.

    He claimed that since the association was not a legal body at the time of the MoU and when the CofO was issued, such agreement was not binding.

    Olofinlade argued that even if it was so issued by the government, the land was not given the communities for commercial purposes which they have resorted to. He said the land was for resettlement and if not being used in that regard, should be returned to its original owners.

  • What manner of community police?

    Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the emergence of community police initiative to help fight the rising insecurity in Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force, led by the Inspector-General of Police,  Muhammad Adamu, state governors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders are currently making frantic efforts to help shape the emerging force.

    While many, including some community leaders and security experts seem to prefer local forces that will enjoy reasonable autonomy, the Nigerian Police Force and other conservative elements are proposing a system that will be under direct supervision and control of the regular police force. Our reporters report on the development.

    Amotekun as a catalyst

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, in Lagos, reports that the emergence of Amotekun in the Southwest region has revived the age-long quest for a workable community policing in the country.

    Call for community policing in Nigeria, which dates back to the early 1980s, got a new boost early January, 2020, when Southwest governors launched Amotekun, a security outfit “aimed at strengthening the security situation in the region.”

    The six state governors from the region; Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Dapo Abiodun(Ogun), said at the launch that they agreed to establish Amotekun since last year (2019).

    Explaining how the outfit will operate, Akeredolu, the Chairman of Western Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said Amotekun’s operational framework was crafted by a body he identified as “DAWN Commission.”

    “The Commission has taken care of all grey areas that could cause friction in the operations of the personnel that will be deployed for the programme. As a matter of fact, the Nigeria Police will oversee and moderate the activities of Amotekun, thus making its operation conform to the acceptable standards,” he said, adding, “It is also important that I allay the fears of all those who have expressed misgivings as regards the quality of the personnel to be recruited to serve in the outfit.”

    On the funding of the security outfit, the governor said: “The Governors in the Southwest Region will provide all the logistic support that will enhance seamless operations of the programme. Each of the six States has procured 20 Pick-up Vans equipped with communication gadgets and one hundred motorcycles for the take-off of the Security Network.”

    Since that bold move, the quest for formation of community policing across the country has gone beyond mere debate as other regions and states have also flagged off their initiatives.

    The instant popularity and seeming wide acceptance of Amotekun notwithstanding, the initiative has faced several challenges as some of its critics wonder if it would be different from the federal government’s approved community policing initiative.

    It would be recalled that in April 2019, at the Forum of Northern Traditional Rulers in Kaduna, President Muhammadu Buhari, had approved the adoption of community policing, a programme he said would help “tackle the upsurge of crime in Nigeria.” Before that presidential approval of community policing, stakeholders have repeatedly called for a new way of policing Nigeria, pointing out that local officials, who knew the communities well, will do a better job in the area of providing security in the rural communities.

    Citing increasing crime wave in Nigeria, including, but not limited to, herdsmen-farmers clashes, the Boko-Haram insurgency in the North-East, kidnapping for ransom across the country and militancy in the Niger Delta area, observers have maintained that regular police force may not be enough to appropriately police the country.

    When this concept first gained currency in Nigeria due to increased crime rate from late 1980s through the early years of 2000, it led to formation of various security outfits, most of which operated as vigilante groups. They included Operation Sunlight, which was established in Borno State around 1988 and later re-formed as “Operation Damisa” (Hausa name for leopard); O’ dua People Congress (OPC), formed in the Southwest region during the late General Sani Abacha’s military regime; the Bakassi boys formed by Ariaria traders in Aba, Abia State, which later spread to other Southeast states; and the Egbesu boys, formed in the Niger Delta areas of the South-south zone.

    Our investigation shows that most of these early security outfits fizzled out mainly because some of the operators got out of hand, leading to excesses that made them unpopular.

    As the various states and regions set out to establish their community police outfits, stakeholders are of the view that the excesses of the early local security outfits must be avoided. Dr. Francis Ukoha, a consultant on public safety, told The Nation that “apart from the fear of some regions and states creating their local army, care must be taken to ensure that the right laws are put in place to ensure acceptable operational formula for all the community police outfits in the country. It is for this reason that I fully support the call to align the operation of Amoketun or any other community police outfit with Nigeria’s acceptable policing model. People must not be allowed to just arm young men and women without clear guidelines.”

    With the new initiatives, as championed by Amotekun, it seems the mode of operation of the emerging community police in Nigeria would be far different from the operations of earlier vigilante groups in the country. Even some top echelon of Nigerian police seems happy with the current development.

    The explanations notwithstanding, there seems to be confusion over the difference between Amotekun and the community policing that the federal government is proposing.

    While Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, told newsmen recently that “We are highly elated because they (Constabulary Police) are coming in to assist us. Police can’t work without information. They will serve as our eyes and informants,” there is still confusion if Amotekun is the same as the community policing the federal government is proposing, which Odumosu apparently made references to.

    For example, the Chairman of Idu Victoria Island Local Development Council, Princess Basirat Abiodun, had been quoted as saying that the project was long overdue. Asked the difference between CPOs and Amotekun, she said: “The issue of Amotekun is about Southwest only and it has its own segment. But this one is a Federal thing. These two can work together for peace and security because security is germane, so, everybody must key in.”

    Whether this difference and cooperation would be possible to maintain in practical sense remain to be seen.

    ‘Community policing would enhance existing police operations’

    Nicholas Kalu, in Abuja, reports on Inspector-General of Police’s plans to achieve community policing.

    IGP Mohammed Adamu

    Since his assumption of office in January 2019, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Muhammad Adamu, has made it clear one of the strategies to ensure internal security would be community policing.

    Adamu feels strongly that a key solution to the problem of insecurity bedeviling the country is to take policing back to the people at the grassroots level.

    His words, “The concept is to give policing back to the communities and let them take the initiative in identifying the challenges that can lead to crimes and then we work with the communities to handle the crime. What we are saying essentially is that fighting crime should not be left to the law enforcement agencies alone.”

    Already efforts are on to get this people-oriented style of policing underway. Essentially the Nigeria Police working with grassroots structures-community leaders and traditional rulers, among others, would recruit volunteers who would be trained to work with the Force, especially carrying out low risk activities. They would be kitted and armed only with batons and paid allowances by the police.

    Investigations by The Nation also revealed that state governors across the country are enthusiastic about the idea of community policing, and some have even offered to pay additional allowances to the special constables to motivate them, when they eventually take off.

    With the Federal Government granting approval, The Nation gathered that the IGP has already directed state policing commands across the country to set up screening committees for the recruitment of 40, 000 special constables in this regard.

    Those to be recruited have to be physically fit and employed residents in their respective communities and must also be between the ages of 21 and 50. They will be dressed in police uniform but with a different numbers to differentiate them from regular policemen.

    Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said the community policing is not a new police structure so the issue of fitting into existing policing operations does not arise.

    “Community policing is an integral part of the entire policing structure. We are not the first country to implement community policing. It reinforces the existing policing structure. It strengthens and emboldens the existing structure. It brings policing closer to the people and because it is a bottom top approach, it is engaging. It engages the people; the community and deepens partnerships between the police and people and people we are policing. It is not one new super structure that would be contending on contradicting or conflicting with the existing policing structure. It is a complement. It is built in. The difference is just that it involves more on the part of the people we are policing.

    “The real community members work with the police to set policing priorities and agenda, work with the policing to set policing safety priorities, identify problems, what are priorities of communities. Set agenda for the local police and work with the local police in finding solutions for the problems.

    “It is not a problem with the existing policing structure. It would rather make the existing structure better, closer to the people; make them more accessible and friendlier. It would make them more community based thereby deepening their ability to identify problems rather proactively and solve them on time, enhance their ability to collect information and intelligence. They are now working with the people. Who can better understand the community more than the community members themselves?

    “The Special Constables would be paid allowances because this is what the law says. The special constabulary system is a creation of the Police Act. It is not a creation of the IG. It is the fact that these are solution options that have been there that we have abandoned and which we are digging deep, dipping our hands into our solution bags and pulling them out. So SC will be paid allowances. Their uniforms would be catered for. They will be provided uniforms by the Police. Their berets, their batons, their boots, everything would be provided by the police alongside their allowances. They would not be paid salaries in the strict sense of the word.”

    Initiative yet to take off in A’Ibom

    Bassey Anthony, in Uyo, reports that Akwa Ibom State is yet to set up a formal community police initiative.

    Despite the directive from the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, for the setting up of Community Police in all states of the federation, nothing has been put on ground for the takeoff of community security outfit in Akwa Ibom State.

    Most indigenes of the state, particularly, the job-seeking youth population,  are yet to get adequate information about the coming into existence of the Community Police project.

    Our investigation shows that this may be attributed to the fact that both the government and State Police Command have not begun any form of sensitisation and mobilisation about the upcoming security outfit.

    However, some stakeholders in the security circle of the state, including Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd), a former military administrator of the state, are unrelenting in rationalising the need for the establishment of a State Police Force.

    Nkanga, also the National Chairman of PANDEF, has been vehement in his support for regional security outfits such as Amotekun and Forest Guards.

    He posited that Akwa Ibom State needs her police force to combat crimes in the 31 local government areas of the state, particularly cultism which is taking its toll on the State.

    The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP N-Nudam K. Fredrick, confirmed to The Nation in Uyo on Wednesday that there is a directive from the Police Force Headquarters for setting up of community police.

    But he said the state command has not begun the sensitisation and recruitment  processes because modalities and logistical provisions have not been provided.

    “Yes, the Command has received a notification from the Police Force Headquarters to establish the Community Police Force in the state, but as I speak, the Command has not received any material or financial provisions to set it up.

    “The Commissioner of Police is also waiting for further directives from the Force Headquarters so that he can meet with the state government to draw up plans and modalities on sensitisation, mobilisation and recruitment of persons into the Community Police Force in the state.”

    The police spokesperson however said community policing is already in existence in the state because of the existence and operations of many vigilante organisations and other self-help policing initiatives.

    Concept not new in Cross River

    Nsa Gill, in Calabar, reports that in Cross River State, community policing is already in practice

     

    Ben Ayade

    Cross River State Government has noted that the concept of community policing was not new to them as the State Homeland Security outfit, which is backed by law since 2017, is operational.

    Commissioner for Information in the state, Asu Okang, said the Homeland Security was launched with 100 operational vehicles handed over to a combined team of the Police, Military and Civil Defense.

    The State Homeland Security law also permits the domestication of the vigilante group and help in neighborhood security. We have Operation Skolumbo and Anti-Cultism operation. For now, we have Homeland Security operations with the official security agencies. What we are soon to introduce is the civilian components, Okang said.

    “Our objective is to get an institution that will deal with the safety of citizens, deal with welfare, and then deal with information gathering. Within the Homeland Security Law there is codification and numbering system of all houses in Cross River State, within the law, there is the compartmentalization of the various settlements in the State into small homeland groups, made up of about 15 houses and we are trying to create homeland guards, who will gather information, prevent crimes and collaborate with the police,” he said.

    He admitted that there are still challenges with the state working with security agencies. “We are giving support to Police and we will continue to do the much we can as a state government”, he added.

    Police Commissioner in the State, Nkereuwem Akpan, agreed that the state government was putting efforts on security issues in the state and needs to be encouraged to do more.

    Asked how the Homeland Security has been operating so far in the state, he said, the governor has promised that he will do something soonest about it”.

    According to him, the structure is already on the ground in the State and needed backing and support in terms of logistics; with equipment and personnel, more achievements will be recorded in the state.

    He added that the Inspector-General of Police has briefed all Commissioners in the country on Community Policing on how to work; from DPOs to Area Commands to States; and getting all stakeholders involved and fully integrated. We can’t do without the community. So we need to be fully integrated with the public and the residents to record more success.

    Also speaking on the Community Policing concept in the state, one State Security Adviser in the state, Bassey Okim, a legal practitioner, said, “as a starting point for community police, we can tie it down to the different divisional police stations, in view that in the next 10 years, they will also have their own autonomy. Somebody should not steal a bottle of oil and the federal government is coming down to handle such case; it should be left for community police or at the local government”.

    “Understanding the terrain is very important when it comes to community police. Let’s not talk about the money that we will lose in doing this, but let’s talk about the lives that will be saved.

    “In a nutshell, I believe there should be community policing; I believe all stakeholders should be given a chance to contribute and I believe there should be a working document in which the limit of community policing will be defined. If people are in doubt, they should take lessons from another jurisdiction where this thing strives. The state government should be able to send people to the USA to go and study the working of this thing. During Former Governor Liyel Imoke’s regime, he sent me to Dubai to go and study at the American Institute of Security in Dubai, to go and know why there’s peace in Dubai. When I returned, I had to put in a lot of things I discovered into practice and the key to it is that everybody is given a sense of belonging, everybody has a stake.”

    “There should be confidence, a law defining the roles and responsibilities of each group. Let us not introduce community police and they start doing what the conventional police are doing. A lot of funds have to be invested in the community police officers, they must be paid, they must be taken care of before they start doing what our people are doing because that will make the people lose confidence. A lot of training has to be done,” he said.

    In Southeast, states still run different community police outfits

    Nwanosike Onu, in Awka, reports that Southeast states currently operate different community police outfits

    Compared to what obtains in the Southwest region today, the community policing approach in Southeast states is like ‘to your tents oh Israel.’

    Despite the insistence of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to establish joint security outfit like ‘Ogbunigwe’ the governors seem adamant on running their different state security outfits.

    For instance, Anambra State has what it calls ‘Operation Nkpochapu ‘ which was recently launched in Onitsha, by the state governor, Willie Obiano.

    The outfit, according to Obiano, has  about 50 Constables scheduled to be recruited into the state’s arm of Nigerian Community Police Force.

    Obiano directed traditional rulers, Divisional Police Officers, community and religious leaders, among others, to commence considering names of youths to be enlisted into Police Constabularies.

    Before the formation of Amotekun by the Southwest, Anambra State had already established what it called Anambra Vigilance Services (AVS), during the administration of former Governor Peter Obi

    Their duty in the then 177 communities was to make sure criminal activities were checkmated in the state, while they worked in liaison with the monarchs and Presidents General of the communities.

    Speaking with The Nation, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C Don Adinuba, said there was no need of Southeast forming another joint security outfit; rather, other states in the zone should replicate what the state already had.

    But in Enugu, the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, said due to rising spate of crime, particularly kidnapping and armed robbery, the state government took the bull by the horn and established the Forest Guards.

    He said this was after a meeting by the Southeast Governors Forum, where the decision was taken for the establishment of a regional security outfit.

    Ugwuanyi could not wait for the joint project as the insecurity situation in the state was becoming unbearable, hence the coming of the ‘Forest Guards’.

    The Forest Guards are being coordinated and guided by retired police officers, led by the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo.

    In Ebonyi State, internal security arrangement was already in vogue before the emergence of Amotekun.

    According to the State Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace, Mr. Stanley Ebegha, “What the Southwest has done is that they have just copied what is already in existence in Ebonyi,” adding that “this kind of security strategy is being put in place and has been made possible by the Southeast Security Consultant, Gen. Obi Umahi (retd).

    “But we have been silent about it because we are waiting to launch at the right time,” he said.

    Imo State has what it prefers to call ‘Operation Iron gate ‘, which was launched by the former governor, Emeka Ihedioha.

    Though, he is no longer there, the security outfit is still in existence.

    It seems the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, is not in a haste to dissolve them, as he has maintained that security of lives and property of his people was paramount to his administration.

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has, on his part, established a Ministry of Homeland Security.

    Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, who made this known in Umuahia, said “the whole idea is to ensure that no inch of Abia territory will remain unpoliced.

    “The field personnel of the ministry will be trained under a collaborative effort with the Nigeria Police,” he said.

    Rivers Police sets up screening committees

    Rosemary Nwisi, in Port Harcourt, reports that Rivers State Police Command has commenced work on community police plan

    In respond to Inspector General of Police, Adamu Abubakar’s recent directive for the establishment of community policing in all state police commands across the country to help fight spate of insecurity in states and communities, the Rivers State Police Command, led by the state commissioner of Police, Musa Dandaura, has already set up the screening committee for the recruitment process, the spokesman of the command, Nnamdi Omoni, said.

    Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the screening committee membership is spread across all interest groups and religion in the communities, including community based Civil Society Groups/Non- Governmental Organisations.

    He said that those that will qualify for the job will wear uniform and ranks and will work with the police by gathering intelligence for the police to fight crimes and criminality in the rural areas.

    He said “community policing is not new; it is constitutional and is also contained in the Police Act and regulations.

    “That is why when the current Inspector General of Police assumed office, he came up with the idea of community policing that has been on before it was given a national dimension recently.

    “The IGP has directed us to set up a screening committee at the divisional level, the Area command level and the State level and that I can confidently tell you that it is in place now.

    “The DPOs have already done that; they have even held a meeting last week; they have elected their officers that will pilot the affairs of the screening committee. The committee cut across the board; it includes members of the civil society group, hunters, traditional rulers, religious bodies, among others.

    They are to constitute the screening team,” he said.

    Asked if the existing local vigilante groups are not represented in the screening committee and why not, Omoni noted that the members of the vigilante groups will be among recruits for the job. “The local vigilantes are going to be the Constables themselves, they may be constituted, but at the stage we are right now, we are trying to constitute the screening committee that will screen them so that as soon as we get the directives from Abuja, we now know the guidelines on how to go about it, but presently,  what we have done at the command level is that we have constituted the screening committee at the divisional level, at area command level, and State level, pending further directives from Force Headquarters,” he said.

    On who is qualified for the job, he said, “those to be recruited into the force are those who have stayed in the place for upward of 12 months, however, the recruitment is going to be in two stages first.

    “On the number of officers to be recruited, the Spokesman said about 75 persons from each LGA, adding that more recruitments would be made later.

    Delta throws weight behind concept

    Elo Edremoda, in Warri, reports that Delta supports initiative

    The Delta State Government has said it fully supports the clamour for community policing.

    Commissioner for information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in a telephone conversation, explained that if implemented, it will boost security across communities in the state.

    “Yes, we do support it. The IG is championing it. Community policing is good. It enables the policing persons to come from those communities and they know the people themselves. They understand their language and intricacies. Getting the policemen among those people has the tendency to serve the state more.

    “At the moment, we haven’t put in a law for that. But that’s not going to be a challenge. Once we agree that that’s what we are going to do, the next thing is to begin to work out the modalities,” Aniagwu stated.

    Meanwhile, the Isoko Development Union (IDU), the apex body of the Isoko ethnic nation, says synergy between the government and communities will ensure that community policing works across the country.

    Its President-General, Chief Iduh Amadhe, while describing the recent clamour for community policing as a “beautiful and good idea,” pointed out that the system has already been initiated in some places as local vigilante groups.

    He however, posited that persons enlisted to assist the police must be of “good character and be transparently honest,” otherwise grave mistakes can be made in picking criminals that will create bigger problems for the communities.

    Amadhe, while noting that the number of policemen, when compared to the Nigerian populace, “is too inadequate to police the country,” stressed that the solution to the nation’s security woes lies in involving the community people”.

    According to him, “There is so many communities, in the South-South to be specific, that don’t have police posts or stations but there is crime everywhere. If you do community policing, the leadership of that community will organise them, select them, take the list to the nearest police station; they will be known and even trained.

    “It is a good thing. It may not be uniform because what obtains in some states is different from another. Like the problem in Delta State is different from the kind of problem and terrain you have in Bayelsa. You have to involve government taking over mobility. How many communities will be able to provide vehicles for their group? Government and the communities should partner to be able to do it effectively.

    Asked if there may be clashes between the Nigeria Police and the propose local police groups, Chief Amadhe assured that once community leaders are on the same page with the government police, there “can never be problems”.

    “For example, in Isoko today, Oleh, Irri, Uzere, Ozoro, Ofagbe, Iyede, these communities have vigilante groups. The leaderships are known by the Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers. From time to time they go round these communities. Like Ozoro, which hosts a polytechnic, has a lot of people; many pose as students when they are not, and do all sorts of things. How many police officers do we have in Ozoro that can go round, as large as the place is? So you need the hunters of the community, the vigilantes to assist government’s police to maintain the security of the country.”

  • The journey towards reforming Nigerian passport

    Forty years ago, Nigeria just like the rest of the developing world had no idea the impact Information Communication Technology (ICT) would have on it and effectively shape the future of the country. The Nigerian Passport has been caught in web of intrigues by contending interests to handle the production of Nigeria’s e-passport which is technology based, NDUKA CHIEJINA reports.

    More than two decades after the Information Communication Technology (ICT) transformed the private sector,  the public sector which is the major driver of the economy are still in deep slumber.

    One public institution that came under harsh and constant focus is the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which has continued to run in cycles and skirting round issuing electronic passport popularly called e-passport to its citizens.

    Nigeria and her Green Passport had assumed notoriety because of the activities of a notorious gang of forgers known as “Oluwole Printers”.

    Named after the street in down town Lagos island these daredevil printers had the shady reputation of printing anything from birth certificates to international passports of any country that failed to secure this critical instrument that eases global migration.

    The Oluwole Printers were so adept at their nefarious trade that in the late 1990s when they were busted several hundreds of boxes containing Nigerian passports alleged to be genuine were found there.

    The story is however changing albeit on a slow pace. The journey to this new paradigm of obtaining a secure electronic passport (e-Passport) can be traced to 2003, when President Obasanjo traveled to Malaysia where he was impressed by the security, quality, and ease of obtaining the Malaysian national passport by qualified nationals. On his return, he instructed that a tender for the redesign and production of e-passport for Nigeria be opened. The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) was invited to submit a bid for the design and production.

    What the NSPMC submitted did not meet President Obasanjo’s expectation, in quality and standard, bearing in mind the Malaysian model he had seen.

    President Obasanjo then called for an international tender, where international and local companies can compete and give the country the best possible service. Companies were invited from Nigeria and abroad to submit a design and production quotation for the new Nigerian passport.

    The quality of the design sent in by NSPMC was below standard and was instantly rejected by the Tenders Board and President Obasanjo.

    A private Nigerian company, however, submitted a higher quality design and quoted a production cost much lower than NSPMC. The Tenders Board had no option than to recommend to the President the award of the contract for the design and printing of the e-passport to the private company.

    The private Nigerian company handling the printing came up with a far superior and better security-coded passports. The question then is “Why should any patriot advocate giving NSPMC the job for which it cannot handle”? Patriotism means putting the national interest first and above every other consideration.

    The private company currently printing the e-passport for NIS is owned by Nigerians, employs Nigerians, is located in Nigeria, pays millions of Naira in taxes, pays its workers living wages, takes care of its community and borrows money from Nigerian banks to run its business.

    So far, the private company, has demonstrated that it is more efficient and has professionals staff with the know-how to give Nigerian passport holders the quality of passport they see other Nationals holding.

    The birth of e-passport

    In 2003, following a visit to Malaysia by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the subsequent working visit of the then Minister of Internal Affairs and the Comptroller General of Immigration on the directives of the President, the unique Malaysian e-Passport technology was adopted for the Nigeria Harmonized ECOWAS Electronic Smart Passport and Autogate Systems.

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) gave approval for an Agreement between the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs (as it was then known) and Iris Smart Technologies Limited (ISTL) for the provision of the e-Passport technology.  This comprised the Central Processing Equipment, chips, wafers, associated peripherals, and software systems for both local and foreign passport issuing centres in various Nigerian missions abroad.

    It was agreed that the project would be implemented on a contractor-financed basis, wherein the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) would not contribute to the funding of the project. The project would be solely financed by ISTL and the revenue generated from the sales of the e-Passports would be used to settle ISTL’s invoices.

    At the initial stage, the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPMC or the MINT) was requested to produce the first batch of the e-Passport booklets into which the chip supplied by ISTL would be embedded. However, the booklets produced by MINT fell far short of international standards and the FGN therefore, initiated and conducted an international tender for the production of the e-Passport booklets and the embedding of the chips.

    Five international companies (Obethur, G&D, De La Rue, Mint and IRIS) submitted bids.  IRIS was adjudged the most technically competent and price competitive and awarded the contract. Incidentally, the bid from the MINT was the most expensive.

    After the “No Objection” certificate was obtained from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), FEC approved a second Agreement between Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and ISTL for the production of the e-Passport booklets. Again, this Agreement was contractor-financed on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model.

    Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo launched the project in 2003 and late President Umar Yar’Adua flagged off the National Rollout in 2007.

    To date, there is a worldwide network of 43 local and 43 foreign passports issuing centres, all linked to the Central Processing Centre which also hosts the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), the Central Database Server and other subsystems.

    The Nigerian e-Passport scheme is acclaimed to be one of the best and most innovative in the world and it was accorded this recognition by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).  As a result, a conference showcasing the Nigeria e-Passport to the world was organized in Abuja in 2009.   Nigeria was subsequently appointed into ICAO Technical Committee for Public Key Directory/Public Key Infrastructure.

    The Contract

    Two contracts were signed between the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and IRIS on 14th May 2003 and 1st March 2007 respectively.

    The first Contract covers equipment, technology, subsystems and more importantly the supply of 5.5 million Wafers (Chip and Antenna) and 5.5 million Laminates.  This contract predated the establishment of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and the Public Procurement Act.  It also predated the establishment of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).  It was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    The second Contract of 1st March 2007 was the outcome of an international selective Tender for the manufacturing of the e-Passport booklets and the Embedding of the Chips.  Three international companies and two local companies were invited to bid.  IRIS’ proposal was adjudged to be the most technically competent and price competitive.  This contract went through the approval of the Budget Monitoring Project and Implementation Unit (BMPIU), the precursor of BPP and it was approved by the FEC.

    The Structure of the Project

    The e-Passport Scheme is a contractor-financed arrangement in which the Solution Provider, IRIS funded the project 100%.  There were no Federal Government funds put into the project.

    IRIS took out facilities of N3 billion in 2003 to fund the implementation of this project.

    Out of the revenue generated, IRIS gets paid for the goods and services delivered to Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) from only the naira portion of the revenue, which is about 40% of the naira revenue.

    From 2007 to-date, about 11.525 million e-Passport booklets have been issued.

    From inception till December 2017, the project has generated over N69.133 billion and USD 120.339 million.   The National Bureau of Statistics in its publication of 17th July 2019, stated that the Nigeria Immigration Service generated N39 billion in the year 2018 alone from the sale of passports

    Local production of e-passport

    According to documents available to The Nation, IRIS made a commitment to establish a local manufacturing plant for the production of e-Passport booklets.

    Although establishing a local facility to produce passport booklets locally was never a condition precedent of the Agreement, ISTL said it had it in mind to do so and IRIS preferred partner in this venture has always been the MINT.

    To this end, IRIS engaged MINT in a couple of discussions to form a Joint Venture company to implement the domestication of the e-Passport booklets production, “but MINT has been foot-dragging.”

    In the meantime, and particularly after the roll out of the new enhanced E-passport regime, the Federal Government had reiterated its desire for the passport booklets to be produced locally.

    After several aborted attempts, on the 5th February 2019, ISTL and the MINT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to give effect to the government policy (as well as IRIS’ long expressed desire) on domestication. The signing of the MOU was done at the Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) and in attendance were the Honourable Minister, the Permanent Secretary, the CGI and other senior officials of the Ministry, the MD of the MINT, and the MD of the ISTL.

    Making an e-passport

    An e-Passport project is technology based and not a security printing task as with the pre e-Passport era. Booklet production constitutes only 20% of an e-Passport project

    The security printing aspect of an e-Passport constitutes only 13% of the various components of an e-Passport booklet. The domestication of the manufacturing of e-Passport booklets does not eliminate the need for FX and importation of components.

    An e-Passport booklet is an active electronic device as against the old Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) which is a mere printed booklet. The chip embedded in the e-Passport has a security access module that allows for a “hand shake” with and amongst other devices and equipment within the e-Passport network.

    The system does not allow the “infiltration” or use of non-prequalified 3rd party devices or other booklets within the network.

    Until things change, the MINT is not a technology company. The MINT is a security printer, therefore, it requires a technology partner if it must go into the e-Passport project.

    There are over N20 billion worth of systems and equipment both local and international in this secured e-Passport network.  Therefore, if a new booklet solution provider is appointed, this technology infrastructure would have to be discarded.  This investment would be lost and a new network must be purchased and implemented at a greater cost to the federal government of Nigeria.

    There is the argument that “it is impossible to have two different e-Passport projects running concurrently in any country”.  To establish a new e-Passport solution, would require a duration of 18 to 36 months for the rollout of the new infrastructure with the attendant consequences that no e-Passport would be issued both locally and in foreign missions for a period of two to three years.

    As a result, there would be no passport issued and no revenue accruing from the project for the entire duration of the rollout of the new e-Passport solution.

  • How to make Nigeria work

    Prominent Nigerians gathered at the Agip Hall of Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, to proffer solutions that could make the nation work. They all agreed the narrative must change if Nigeria must be great again, write TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO and OMOLOLA AFOLABI.

    Can Nigeria ever make headway out of the crises presently bedeviling it? Will Nigeria ever emerge and occupy its place among the leading nations of the world or will it just remain a clay-footed giant? Are these present crops of leaders and politicians the messiahs to lead the nation out of the woods? These are among the many posers that the galaxies of the nation’s brightest minds were set to crack inside the ornately decorated Agip Hall of the Muson Centre. They came to dissect the various challenges drawing the nation back.

    Many of them wondered why the country is not developing at a fast pace, despite abundance of material and human resources.

    Agip Hall of Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos was filled with brains. The intelligentsia and the literati came to honour the late Voice of Reason Founder, Prince Goke Omisore, in whose memory the lecture was organised.

    The theme of the lecture is; Restructuring: Building a Knowledge-Based Economy.

    VOR Chairman Femi Adegoke said the event was put together to extol the virtues of Goke Omisore, a man who used his lifetime to fight for the restructuring of Nigeria but never got his desire. He said his friends decided to continue with the fight as a mark of honour for him.

    “While we consistently push toward a restructured Nigeria, we need to let the government and relevant stakeholders understand that this is the era of ideas, innovations, creativity and digital communications, therefore, there’s a need to fund research and innovations in this country if not, danger looms.

    “We put this event together to free up the creative energies of the people of Nigeria especially the younger generation and domesticate responsibility and accountability. We want a Nigeria where people, through innovations, can creatively compete with global economies against the current trend of consuming without building,” Adegoke said.

    The Chief Executive Officer of American Defence Corporation, United States, Prof James Ayinde Fabunmi, who opened the floor after recognition of the dignitaries, argued that without promoting a knowledge-based economy and society, poverty, hunger, starvation and economic degradation will continue to boom like the waves of the ocean across the length and the breadth of the country.

    In a knowledge-based society, wealth, he said, is created by engaging human knowledge for value addition and delivery of services.

    The Ile-Ife-born renowned innovator descried a situation whereby materials are exported with no added value.

    “Whereas if human knowledge were used to add value to natural resources before being exported, we would be selling high and buying low, leading to a gain of wealth. As a matter of fact, there are nation-states with little or no natural resources, yet they thrive because they managed to develop an economy that relies exclusively on value addition based application of human knowledge.”

    Fabunmi said Nigeria, for no justification, is selling her natural resources low and buying finished products high. He demanded a total overhauling of the education and political system.

    The occasion Chairman, Aare Afe Babalola, Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State (ABUAD) said the country is building a den of under-development if those saddled with the responsibility of political leadership continue to pay lip service to funding of quality education, research and development.

    Represented by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Kunle Olowu, Aare Babalola said the country is heading southwards, if education is not considered as a catalyst for development.

    “As a University administrator, I can say a lot on the education system of Nigeria. If we do not fund education and promote research and innovation, we are going nowhere. I appeal to the elites to consider one fact: If American elites behave like Nigerian elites, would there be an American University for them to take their children to? For the sake of our grandchildren, let us build an economy and country that encourages innovations and research,” he said.

    In his contribution, Afenifere Chieftain and elder statesman Pa. Ayo Adebanjo said at 92, he is concerned about the future of Nigeria because the country has been very unlucky with leadership.

    “I want to challenge the younger generation to take their destiny in their hands. There is little I can do, the energy is no longer there. I want you to take the bull by the horn. Take Nigeria back from the hands of your oppressors and build a society that will make you proud among fellow young people in the global economy,” he said.

    Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, said vice-chancellors in Nigeria treat high-blood pressure daily, because of over-thinking of how to manage their institutions due to low budgetary allocation to education.

    He urged the central government and state governors to fund research and innovation so that Nigerian graduates can compete with their colleagues globally.

    Social Entrepreneur, Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji urged the students at the lecture to challenge the older generation to demand for a better Nigeria, stressing that the elites are only willing to leave the stage for their children currently being raised in Harvard, Oxford, and Buckingham to take over.

    She said Nigeria has been so backward that the leadership are fighting a supremacy battle over Amotekun, when countries including Ghana are already fighting security quagmires with drones, satellite and robotics.

    She said: “Nigeria is backward educationally. It is so bad that our governors are fighting the Presidency over Amotekun when countries of the world including neighbouring Ghana are already using drones, robotics, and other technology borne out of research to combat insecurity.

    “In Nigeria, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering would call an illiterate auto-mechanic to fix his faulty car. Most graduates of Electrical Engineering in Nigeria cannot repair damaged electrical sockets. They need local electricians to do it for them.

    “The political elites in Nigeria love our backwardness because if Nigeria is developed, their wealth and hegemony will reduce. Our computer science graduates in Nigeria cannot type on Microsoft word. It is that bad.

    “The Federal Government should invest in innovation and research. Education is the only weapon we can use to amazingly wage war against hunger, insecurity, unemployment. Facebook is a mere application but today, it is one of the richest companies in the world. That is what research and innovation can do for a nation.”

    The panelists among who are included the former Vice-Chancellor, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Prof. Kayode Makinde, United Nation trained Developmental Economist, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye unanimously posited that the budgetary allocation, infrastructures, hunger, poverty, starvation and deluded political structures of Nigeria does not encourage a knowledge that is research and innovation-driven.

    The lecture, attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu represented by the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Mr Joe Igbokwe; the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government,. Ifedayo Abegunde, Aare Ona kakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams, the Chairman of Elizade Group, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, President-General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo, former PDP Lagos State governorship candidate Mr. Jimi Agbaje, former Works Minister, Chief Adesegun Ogunlewe and the Patriarch of Omisore dynasty of Ile-Ife, Chief Ezekiel Iyiola Omisore.

    Others include VOR members Arc. Lanre Towry-Coker, Otunba Deji Osibogun, Dr. Ladi Awosika, Dr. Ebun Sonaiya, ex-Chairman of Nigerian-Danish Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Chief Olufemi Kufo, Dr. Seyi Roberts, Dr. Leke Oshuniyi, and Otunba Remi Abdul amongst others.

  • Ode to trumpet major Olaiya

    When a music icon ascends to higher service, he leaves a monumental legacy behind. As Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya the Evil Genius of highlife steps into ancestry, he earns sack-loads of encomiums from the huge class of appreciative audience and admirers. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME writes on the life and times of the late legendary highlife musician, Victor Abimbola Olaiya, who passed on at 89 last week and will be buried after the lent.

    Like the late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the late Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya was a rare music icon. He resisted his family’s counsel to study Engineering and opted for music at a time such trade was everything but lucrative. In fact, music was tagged as a venture for dropouts. Today, like Fela, music brought much more honour and fame to him and his family than engineering would have done.

    In one of my many encounters with the late Dr. Olaiya years ago on Nigeria’s Independence Day anniversary, he recalled with nostalgia how he felt performing on October 1, 1960 before a huge crowd of dignitaries. “I was in my highest spirit that glorious night when my band was set on the dais to thrill Nigerians, who in spite of the heavy downpour turned out in their thousands to witness the great occasions.”

    That was how Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya and His All Stars Orchestra at the 1960 Independence celebration captured the moment. In fact, the days of Independence held great promises for the artist.

    According to Olaiya, “Aside being elated by the honour of being commissioned to perform at the Independence Day celebrations, I was in fact spurred by an overwhelming sense of patriotism and honour to thrill the large crowd that thronged the venue.

    “We were given the rare opportunity and privilege of being introduced to the dignitaries like Princess Alexandria of Kent, Sir James Robertson, representing the Queen Elizabeth II of England and Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, (First Nigerian Prime Minister), among others.

    ”While my band was at the centre stage, the Nigerian Police Force Band, led by Commissioner of Police, Mr Benedict E. Odiase (rtd) and the Zeal Onyia’s-led Nigeria National Band were at hand as supporting bands.”

    He, however, noted that it was not a smooth ride to prominence for the artists, especially, the musicians who had to contend with overwhelming patronage of foreign music.

    Interestingly, the Independence celebration offered Nigerian musicians the opportunity of asserting their relevance in the emerging state. But, not without a struggle.

    “Originally, the government had wanted a foreign musician to perform on the Independence Day celebrations. Hearing this, the Nigerian Union of Musicians (NUM) led a protest to the Federal Government and insisted that a member of the union should be given the approval to perform on that day.

    “Few days later, NUM was given the approval to form a national band, which was led by me for the Independence show. To do this, I went round the country and selected musicians who are capable of playing not only Nigerian music, but also Western pop. We were actually going to preform before a large and diverse audience. During this period, highlife was absolutely the toast of every Nigerian, even across the West coast of Africa,” he said.

    Among other musicians in the vogue and of highlife music were Roy Chicago, Rhythm Dandies, Adeolu Akinsanya, Rex Jim Lawson, Eddy Okonta and Bobby Benson, all dead. Olaiya who was specially commissioned to perform for the United Nation’s Forces during the Congo (Zaire) crisis in the 60s also embarked on a playing tour of the battle front during the 30-month fratricidal war. As a mark of honour for his services to his Father-land, Olaiya bagged the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Nigerian Army.

    The highlife musician who hails from Ijesha-Ishu, Ekiti State had playing periods with the Sammy Akpabot’s Sex-tet; the old Lagos City Orchestra and late Bobby Benson’s Jam Session Orchestra before forming his band in 1954, same year the band made its debut.

    Until his death last week, Olaiya, who was last man standing among his peers in music profession, was proprietor of the popular Stadium Hotel, Surulere, Lagos. Music lovers especially highlife enthusiasts will always find Olaiya’s songs such as Iye Jemila and Ilu le as evergreen considering the timeless nature of their messages.

    His name, up till his death, was synonymous with highlife music in Nigeria, as he was the oldest highlife artist still maintaining a 15-man band among his contemporaries. Olaiya released many songs and also had duet with the popular Ghanaian highlife musician E. T. Mensah. 2Face Idibia had a collaboration that reproduced his popular song, Baby Mi Da in 2013 on Premier Records.

    A fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management of Nigeria, Olaiya was a recipient of a honorary Doctorate degree in Music from City University of Los Angeles. In 1963, he represented Africa at Prague International Jazz Festival in Czechoslovakia, where he bagged a honorary doctorate degree in African Music.

    And in appreciation of his contributions to the overall development of his home state, his name was written in gold among 24 others given a pride of place in the roll call of honour in that state in 1990.

    Apart from his contributions to the growth of Nigerian music industry, especially highlife, the late Olaiya’s Stadium Hotel in Surulere, Lagos provides veritable platform for many artistes to showcase their talent. He was also into selling of musical instrument to fellow musicians. His love of wind instrument endeared him to his golden trumpet that he always kept clean with his white handkerchief. The trumpet was central to his signature tune each time on stage or during recording of his music.

    Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Musical Company Limited Bimbo Esho, in a tribute recalled: “Precisely 16 years ago, I did my final year project on Highlife Music in Nigeria then as a young undergraduate of University of Ibadan. I travelled far and wide interviewing different Nigerian highlife musicians.

    This period of my life remains one of the most memorable periods of my life. My passion for our musical heritage is undiluted and remains unshaken.

    Also, in 2912, Evergreen Musical Company celebrated Olaiya’s 60 years on stage, a rare feat none of his peers could attain.

    “Our Company Evergreen Musical Company  in 2012 celebrated 60 years on Stage of  Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya a first of its kind event which was put together in a bid to immortalise  the icon while putting together all his musical works for the sake of posterity. Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya my name sake has a special place in my heart, may he continue to find repose with his creator,” Esho said.

    According to her, Olaiya was the only Nigerian musician who shared stage with world-renowned trumpeter, Louis Armstrong known to be very disciplined and thorough when he performed in Nigeria.

    He was also the best choice to entertain Nigerian troops at the fronts during the Nigeria civil war. He also went to Congo to perform for UN Troops. The complete musical works of Olaiya a 75-tracker, and his comprehensive biography are currently collectors delight at Evergreen.

    Some of the vintage songs include Ekiti Na bimi,  Oro Ajaso, Africa, Kendi Mama, Iye Jemila, Ilu le, Eko Ile, Tina Mate, Aigana, Olofofo, Se fun Mi, Mr. Judge (a collaboration with ET Mensah, Bottom Belle, Pariboto Riboto,  Man’s E, Anya Koko, Abanije, Oruku TindiTindi, Iyana and Ewa among others.

  • Renewing the cause of the mother tongue (1)

    As the world marks the International Mother Tongue today, CHINAKA OKORO writes that efforts should be made by all stakeholders to expose children to their mother tongues at the crucial ages of between 0-5 years to prevent indigenous languages from going into extinction

    Mazi Uzoije and wife, Amara (pseudonyms) have lived in England for more than 35 years. They met while studting at the Oxford University and got married to each other. They had two daughters; Wence and Mariana who were pupils of one of the schools where the language of instruction and communication is the English language. At home, also, the medium of communication equally is is the English language. Mazi Uzoije and wife never spoke the Igbo language to their children for once.

    Since a normal child is capable of acquiring any human language to which the child is sufficiently within the crucial years of 0 to five, Wence and Mariana having been sufficiently exposed to the English language, had acquired the English language and had internalised its rudiments.

    In 1995 Mazi Uzoije and his family returned to Nigeria for the first time since 1960. He and his wife could still speak the Igbo language. But Wence and Mariana could not.

    Their grandmother, Eziuche, was evidently happy that her son’s family had returned home. Being unable to speak the English language, she spoke the Igbo language to her grandchildren who moped at her in surprise as they could not understand what she said. They ran to their parents to complain that “that woman spoke what resembles the caveman’s language. She just made an incomprehensible noise. Tell her not to talk to us again.”

    Their parents tried in futility to explain to them that what they thought to be a caveman’s language is Igbo. They refused to understand.

    To avoid further embarrassment, they had to cut short their stay and went back to England. They discovered that their children have no root in their mother tongue. They also discovered that their children have no identity in their country home.

    When the General Conference of the United Nations Education, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) voted to establish February 21 every year to be observed as the International Mother Tongue Day in 1999, one would think it had the above scenario in mind.

    With this year’s theme as “Indigenous Languages Matter for Development, Peace-building and Reconciliation,” one would also think it had Nigeria in mind because, with more than 350 languages spoken in Nigeria; a situation that has resulted in lack of understanding among the people, it is expected that language should serve as vehicle for development, peace and reconciliation in a country devoid of peace, unity and love for one another due to geographical, cultural and linguistic differences.

    The day promotes peace and multilingualism across the world and aims at preserving all mother languages.

    The day also recognises the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh where four students were killed for protesting that their native language be recognised as one of the national languages.

    By establishing this day, UNESCO sought to celebrate linguistic pluralism and cultural diversity.

    Linguistics gatekeepers say “language is a code system of human communication; a means through which individuals interact among one another within a speech community.”

    From society’s viewpoint, language is an agent of cultural transmission; a means by which behaviours are conveyed from one generation to another and has the function of forming and regulating behaviours.

    Mother tongue is the child’s first language which he acquires as well as the language of the child’s linguistic environment. It therefore is the language of the child’s father or mother or both. The child acquires and not learns its mother tongue from the speech community. It refers to the first language a child acquires at home during childhood and which he still understands throughout his life time.

    Worried by the fact that many individuals, especially the kids, are not quite exposed to their mother tongue or first language, the UNESCO had to put machinery in motion to halt the rate at which people across the globe neglect their languages; a situation that engenders extinction of most of them.

    Noting that language is a powerful instrument of traditional education, religion and the healing art, the organisation said language is used in instilling in the young child desirable norms, values and virtues, even as it maintained that thoughts and words patterns influence behaviours and dispositions.

    The late Chinua Achebe had argued in 1984 that the ineffectual political culture in Nigeria could be attributed to the inefficient and half-baked language in which national affairs are conducted by politicians.

    The General Conference of UNESCO recognises the important role of the mother tongue in the development of communication skills, concept formation and creativity, even as it recognises that mother tongues are the prime vehicles of cultural identity.

    In the circumstances, encouraging the learning of languages, development of translation, creating familiarity among cultures through dialogue, which always involves the interplay of at least two voices and therefore at least two languages is an expression of peace-building.

    UNESCO’s Atlas of the World Languages in Danger of Disappearing, a publication on linguistics and culture, notes that “Some 3,000 or more languages still spoken, are now seriously endangered or dying, with many others still viable languages already showing signs of being potentially endangered and soon entering the phase where they are endangered and facing disappearance.”

    Importance of language

    Language is said to be central to all human activities. Ralph Waldo Emerson in Letters and Social Aims said: “Language is a city, to the building of which every human being brought a stone.”

    Emphasising on the relevance of language in human and societal well-being, Adedoyin A. Adebukunola of the Department of English, Lagos State University said: “There is much to say about language as a creative force, a fundamental tool of civilisation and development.

    “It is with good reason that the concept of humanness is invariably defined with reference to language. The essence of our humanity and of our uniqueness as a species is tied to language. We are often reminded that only man has language and creates culture. Language and culture ensure civilisation and development.”

    But one wonders how culture could be linked to development and civilisation since it is an intangible aspect of our societal being. However, Anke Nutsukpo, Senior Lecturer and former Head, Department of English Studies, the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State notes that “culture is the totalising force of creativity, the social utilisation of human intelligence.”

    But specialists in linguistics matters say culture cannot achieve its creative and utilitarian potential without the vehicle of language, even as they contend that the accumulation and dissemination of the fruits of human creativity and intelligence cannot be realised except through the vehicle of language.

    If language is such a fundamental requirement of our capacity as humans, experts say, it would seem logical that any disruption in language must, inevitably, disrupt or subvert our capacity for human development. This entails that language can and does (help) create human civilisation, but it can also help to destroy or undermine its development.

    For Nutsukpo, “if language should play a positive role in human civilisation and development as expected, users should be mindful of how they use it since the way we use it could be either beneficial or detrimental.

    “The language used in the home and around the growing child is of ‘grave’ significance in terms of inculcation of discipline in the child. This is because the child’s conceptual thinking, his remembering faculty and his power of reasoning are linked with language, so are the emergence of his personality, the individual self, attitudes, intentions and purposes as well as his social and ethical awareness.”

    He advised: “Not only should we mind our language use before the children; we should also ensure that we communicate with them using their first language or mother tongue.”

    • To be concluded on Monday

  • Curbing road accidents, fatalities

    Road accidents are fast becoming the highest single cause of death on the roads. Critical stakeholders have raised the alarm for the need to check the phenomenon before it spirals out of control, writes CHINAKA OKORO

     

    WITH the world population now at 7.8 billion, demographers expect the 8 billion milestones in 2023, with global projected expected to hit 9 billion by 2037 and 10 billion by 2056.

    However, as world population grows, global death rates have also continued to gallop.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one of the major causes of death the world over is road accident. It further said there are over one billion cars on our roads across the world and almost 3,400 people are killed daily as a result of road traffic accidents, with millions more injured or permanently disabled annually. In 2019, global death rate was 7.6 per 1,000 people.

    WHO also noted that there are approximately eight deaths per 1,000 people every day, and road accident is one of world’s sources of death.

    “Tragically, as many as 1.3 million deaths are a result of road accidents every year,” it said.

    However, the WHO reports that 91 per cent of road deaths take place in low and middle-income countries. In Africa alone, 700 people are killed as a result of road accidents every single day.

    The WHO predicts that if no progress is made in tackling the causes of road deaths, the global annual death toll will reach 1.9 million by this year.

    Global statistics showed that though Africa two percent of the world’s cars, it accounts for 16 per cent of the world’s road deaths.

    In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from road traffic accidents are on the rise and are Nigeria’s third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability.

    The situation is especially problematic in Nigeria because of poor traffic infrastructure, poor road design, poor enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, a rapidly growing population, and subsequent number of people driving cars.

    Experts maintain that accidents have physical, social, emotional, and economic implications. Fatalities, physical disability, and morbidity from road accidents predominantly affect the young and the economically-productive age groups. Survivors often endure a diminished quality of life from deformities and disabilities, post-traumatic stress and lost personal income, in a country not well known for exceptional rehabilitation services.

    The rest of the populace lives in perpetual and pervasive fear of traveling occasioned by not feeling safe on the roads. The overall effects of these injuries constitute social, economic and psychological losses of great magnitudes.

    In Nigeria, about N80 billion is lost to road accidents annually. This economic cost includes those of property and public amenity damaged the cost of medical treatment, and the cost of productivity loss to accidents. This is a huge economic loss particularly for a country plagued with poverty.

    Despite the statistics of road accidents in Nigeria, it has not received all the attention it deserves. There is need to view road accidents as an issue of urgent national importance that needs urgent attention aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic impact.

    Policy makers at the various levels of government need to recognise this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses that will back up with meticulous implementation.

    It was as a result of this that the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in 1988 by the administration of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

    Its first Chairman was Professor Wole Soyinka.

    The Federal Road Safety Corps as a government agency was vested with the statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria. The (FRSC) has its operations in all the states of the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory. It also remains the leading agency in Nigeria on road safety administration and management.

    Accident is a sudden unwanted occurrence which could result to loss of life and properties.

    Statistics reveal a frightening level of casualties from road crashes.

    For instance, it was reported that every year, over 39,000 Nigerians die from road crashes. In the 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated road traffic fatalities in Nigeria at 39,802, while the estimated rate per 100,000 deaths stood at 21.4.

    In all parts of the country, the FRSC has recorded 8,527 road traffic crashes from January to date

    The Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, said 4,163 people were killed in crashes during the period.

    In order words, an average of about 12 people died daily, since the start of the year.

    The official said that 59,724 people were involved in the road crashes in which 14,425 vehicles were involved.

    He said that 4,163 people died, while 27,408 were injured in the accidents while 27,523 escaped without injuries.

    Mr Kazeem added that 621,776 offences were recorded during the period and 555,991 motorists were apprehended and penalised for various road traffic offences.

    “A total of 108,759 apprehended offenders were cautioned and enlightened on basic safety tips and were allowed to go without any fine,” he said.

    Mr Kazeem, who frowned at the negative attitude of some road users, warned that the FRSC would intensify enforcement and public enlightenment on safety.

    “FRSC adopts a multi-dimensional and holistic approach when it comes to achieving safer motoring environment.

    “Every year, the corps does a general assessment and analysis of its strategies so as to strengthen areas where we made progress and work on areas that we could not achieve much in preparation for the next year.

    “It is this inbuilt consistency and dynamism that has helped us achieve this much in crash reduction and the Corps has already swung into action,” he said.

    Mr Kazeem said the FRSC had constituted an aggressive engagement of stakeholders and major fleet operators other than enlightenment to reduce statistics of road crashes.

    “Key road safety issues that will drastically bring down crashes associated with the fleet have been agreed upon.

    “Aside that, in the event of any breakdown, strategies have been put in place to ensure prompt removal of all broken down trucks and others on the road,” he said.

    In Niger alone, accidents have claimed six lives.

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger says four had been burnt to ashes in a fresh accident in Kutigi Town of Lavun Local Government Area of the state.

    Reports have it that the FRSC confirmed the death of six people in a road traffic crash that occurred on Monday on Kutigi – Mokwa Road in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state.

    The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Joel Dagwa said in Minna that the accident occurred at 8:45 p.m.

    According to Dagwa, the accident involved three articulated vehicles, including a tanker laden with diesel from Lagos to the North, a truck conveying container laden with goods and suspected to be having over 200 passengers from the North going to Lagos and another trailer.

    He said that registration numbers of the vehicles were not visible as they were burnt beyond recognition.

    He further explained that a petrol tanker collided with two other trucks loaded with grains and scores of passengers heading to Lagos and a container truck.

    “The three articulated vehicles caught fire and combustible products ignited and spilled over and burnt the three trucks to ashes.

    “The raging inferno engulfed several shops and houses in the neighbourhood, while passengers with various degrees of injuries were taken to the General Hospital Kutigi for treatment.

    “All the four corpses have been deposited at Kutigi General Hospital’s morgue,” he said.

    The sector commander attributed the accident to break failure, loss of control, speed violation and failed roads.

    In a related development, 84 people lost their lives in Edo, Delta and Anambra road crashes within three months.

    The 84 people died in road traffic crashes from October to December last year.

    Mr Kehinde Adeleye, Zonal Commanding Officer of Zone Rs 5 of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) revealed this in Benin.

    Zone Rs 5 of the FRSC comprises Edo, Delta and Anambra.

    Adeleye said within the period, 150 road traffic crashes were recorded in the zone with 303 people sustaining various degrees of injuries.

    Giving a breakdown of the crashes, he said 24 people died in 38 road crashes recorded in October, while 47 people were injured.

    “In November, the zone recorded 18 deaths in 41 crashes with 75 people injured, while in December, 42 people were killed in 71 crashes with 181 injured.

    “Specifically in Edo, we recorded 37 deaths in 59 crashes with 143 people injured between October and December.”

    The commander said the trend showed that the ‘ember’ months recorded higher road traffic crashes with fatalities.

    He noted, however, that “Operation Zero-Tolerance” embarked upon by the commission had helped greatly in reducing crashes during the `ember’ period.

    Adeleye revealed that the major challenge faced by the FRSC in the zone was lack of tow trucks, saying that there were only four tow trucks in the zone.

    “We have only four tow trucks – one big tow truck donated by the Delta State government and three other small ones.

    “The Anambra State government has promised to buy one for us and we appeal to the Edo State government to do same because it’s a major challenge to us.

    “With the availability of heavy-duty tow trucks, broken down vehicles on the roads would be evacuated speedily without them causing obstruction to vehicular movements and accidents.

    The Zonal Commanding Officer warned travellers against embarking on night journeys, describing such trips as risky.

    He noted that vehicles could break down at dangerous places without help and that crashes could occur without anyone to call for assistance.

    Adeleye said motorists often drove at higher speed at night, explaining that these were some of the reasons why people were advised against night trips.

    He said FRSC commands in the zone had been mandated to ensure that broken down vehicles on highways were removed within the shortest possible time.

    Adeleye warned parents against allowing their under-aged children to drive, saying that such parents would be prosecuted.

    The FRSC also revealed that 2,699 people were killed and 18,000 people were injured in road crashes.

    The Corps said the crashes occurred between January and June 2019, even as it stated that no less than 18,198 people were injured in the same period.

    The FRSC stated that a total of 5,423 crashes were recorded during the period.

    The Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, represented by Deputy Corps Marshal, Julius Asom, revealed this at the 8th Annual Road Safety Conference and FRSC/KRSD Essay Competition Award organised by Kwapda’as Safety Demand in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

    The World Health Organisation’s 2018 Global Status Report on road safety shows that one out of every four road crashes that occur in Africa are reported in Nigeria. This is quite uncomplimentary about a country that prides itself as the giant of the African Continent.

    Any wonder the Corps has called for collective vigilance against accidents in 2020.

    The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi made the call in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem in Abuja. He added that joint efforts remained the panacea for dealing with the menace.

    He commended stakeholders for supporting the Corps in creating safety consciousness among road users and making road safety a collective responsibility.

    In assessing the performance of the Corps, experts maintain that it has done a lot of work on road safety campaigns and implementation of traffic safety regulations in Nigeria.

    “Before its establishment, there was no concrete and sustained policy action to address the road safety question. Earlier attempts by some states and other government agencies were isolated and uncoordinated.

    “However, with staff strength of about 18,000 men and officers, it would appear that the commission is currently overwhelmed with the task of keeping Nigerian roads safe. Poor funding, lack of motivation, and corruption are some of the challenges facing the commission. The public awareness and road safety campaigns must be robust and sustained all-round the year and not limited to only festive seasons as is currently the practice.

    “The enforcement of the existing traffic safety laws must be pursued vigorously and offenders severely punished to serve as a deterrent to other road users.

    In terms of legislative framework, many traffic safety laws exist in Nigeria, but their enforcement remains poor.

    There is also drink-driving law which is hardly enforced. At present, there is no child restraint law in existence, but there is a national speed limit law for both urban and rural roads of 50 km/hour.

    “A law on the use of motorcycle helmet for all passengers and applicable to all road types exists, but the level of enforcement is very low. There is a need for a child restraint law in Nigeria, and the law on seat belt must be reviewed to apply to all occupants.

    “Above all, the enforcement of all these laws must not be compromised in order to achieve the desired results,” experts in the transportation sector say.

     

  • Lifting wheat burden

    If Nigeria is to grow enough food for the projected 250 million population by 2050, agricultural productivity will have to rise, according to analysts. One area this is required is in cereals production. One of such cereals is wheat. Stakeholders are calling for a transformation in wheat production, DANIEL ESSIET writes

    As population increases, ensuring food security in key staples such as cereals has become critical. This is because cereals provide people with more protein than meat, fish, milk and eggs combined, making them an important protein source for over half the world’s population. One of such cereals is wheat.  Globally, wheat is the most widely cultivated cereal. Analysts said it is a staple food for 40 percent of the world’s population and contributes 20 percent of total dietary calories and proteins worldwide. The major players in the global wheat landscape are Russia and the United States which have deployed technology to increase yields and total outputs.

    Africa – a mixed picture

    Wheat has become a major staple food in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In Africa, wheat plays a very important role in food security and resilience. However, most producing countries on the continent are net importers of wheat. These include Ethiopia, South Africa, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Zambia. According to analysts, average wheat production is very low (less than 2.5 tonnes/hectare (t/ha).This is because a large proportion of producers are small scale farmers. The situation is further complicated by production shortfalls associated with climate change, pests, diseases, civil unrest and even migration.  Across the region there has been little progress in increasing wheat production. SSA has become increasingly dependent on imports, raising concerns for policy regarding food security. The wheat crop in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria Ethiopia and South Africa suffered. Collectively, they accounted for 80 per cent of wheat imports.

    Nigeria faces low wheat yields

    For a country that consumes such large quantities of wheat, and leads Africa in how much land it devotes to these crops, Nigeria produces far lower quantities of wheat than it could. Currently, Nigeria produces 400,000 tonnes of wheat a year. Yield rates for wheat —tonnes produced per hectare—are drastically lower than its counterparts across the continent. A yield rate of two tonnes per hectare placed Nigeria at the lower rung among countries producing wheat in Africa. The yield is poor due to reasons such as under investment in the sector, low  level modernisation in agricultural equipment, poor seed varieties, climate change related impact such as prolonged droughts and pests and diseases.

    The National President, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN), Alhaji Salim Muhammad, noted that the local production had slumped from 600,000 tonnes to less than 400,000, saying that the demand-supply gap was so wide that stakeholders are worried about the fate of the country’s wheat sector. He said Nigeria imports annually wheat to the tune of $4.6billion while in the whole of Nigeria the farmers only produced 2-3 hectares of wheat. Muhammad noted that even Egypt and Sudan are producing 9-10 hectares of wheat, adding that this clearly shows that Nigeria today is the least wheat producing country in the world. He lamented that only Kebbi and Kano states are supporting wheat farmers while the remaining 34 states refused to give priority to mass production of wheat.

    Struggling wheat farmers worry

    The farms are spread between Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano and Borno. The patchwork of farms across the vast landscape has long been the source of much of the nation’s supply of wheat. But poor conditions coupled with dismal harvests are taking a severe toll on farmers.  Experience of drought and other challenges are taking toll on businesses, bank balances and emotional well-being.  Dismal farming conditions come against a grim background of plummeting incomes. Speaking with The Nation, Mohammed said farming incomes across the country dropped due to higher operating costs and interest rates and stagnant or falling crop prices. In the last ten years, the price of farmable land has soared, driven up by scarcity and speculation.  When some of them started wheat farming nearly 20 years ago, an acre was sold for N20, 000. Today; the same acre sells for more than six times the amount. The price of machinery has also outpaced incomes. Over the past decade or so, farmers have not been able to replace aging equipment with high-tech machines from John Deere and other makers.

    Wheat farmers said one of the major hurdles they experienced was their inability to find a comfortable market for their product- a situation that has affected them drastically. According to them, they lack large-scale buyers referred to as off-takers. “Our major off-takers Flour Mills have abandoned us for local merchants even after an agreement we had with them during a national meeting held last year in Kebbi,” bemoaned Legal Adviser to the Sokoto chapter of Wheat Farmers Association, Nasiru Muhammad which has over 4,000 members with major producing local government areas noted to include Wurno, Goronyo and Gwadabawa. “After harvest, the millers just went their way and bought from local merchants, which seriously affected us,” he added.

    According to him, the off-takers who had agreed to buy the produce at the rate of N17,000 per 100 kg bag, went ahead to deal with local merchants who sold it to them at N12,000-N13,000 per bag. The farmers recalled that last year‘s Anchor Borrower Programme also greatly affected them as they suffered heavy loss from poor variety seedling provided to them. The seed only grew but never yielded anything and many wheat farmers are yet to recover from the hazard that came with it, Muhammad stated. The wheat farmers also lamented that unlike rice they are not getting enough from government intervention. They explained that wheat farming commences early November of every year “We plant 1st November and by middle to the end of November, we commence harvest, and you can see, the dry season intervention is yet to commence, how can a wheat farmer wait for the intervention?,” the wheat farmer stated. Muhammed, who has been in wheat farming for over 10 years, said they are looking forward to the flour mills to honour their agreement of last year to buy from them so that the farmers can realize enough to do better this year. He called for support to produce enough wheat in the state, “Government should invite off-takers to buy from us so that we continue making an impact like our counterparts because wheat farmer needs off-takers to grow, if you rely on small-scale buyers, you can’t even realise the money you invested it.”A former chairman of the wheat farmer association, Alhaji Marafa Mahe, who is Sarkin Kudu Taloka, opted out of wheat farming for lack of off-takers.

    On the issue of marketing the grain and pricing of the already produced grain, the president stated that the federal government had left the wheat farmers and the wheat millers to drag on the pricing as contained in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed instead of imposing adherence on the part of the millers by the federal government.

    Stakeholders’ response

    The wheat sector has a range of stakeholders across the industry, ranging from the growers at the farm gate, to the research community and the wider industry.  In a recent interview, the President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Iyama emphasized the need to provide the right incentives to encourage the farmers to adopt wheat.

    According to him, the nation’s food security depends on producing cereal crops, as well as increasing its production of fruits and vegetables to meet the demands of a growing population with rising incomes. To do so, a productive, competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural sector will need to emerge at an accelerated pace. He said increased investments, and developments in variety improvements and farming practices will help to transform the industry.

    Despite heightened uncertainty, Iyama said Nigeria’s economic outlook continues to be positive, with domestic demand being the main driver of growth. It is supported by robust investment, stable inflation, and a strong job market.

    The Director-General, Feed Nigeria Summit, Richard Mbaram said wheat is grown under a wide range of conditions in a few states   across the country.

    He said  wheat is produced across a wide area with differing climate and soil characteristics and diverse management requirements.

    The average level of production, according to him, masks substantial differences in yearly production statistics.  He noted that managing the risks associated with inclement climate is a crucial challenge for the industry.

    Prof. Daniel Gwary of the Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, and University of Maiduguri said wheat production in Nigeria is very low leaving a huge deficit that can only be met by importation from other countries such as the United States of America and Europe causing the country an import bill of about $4.00 billion annually.

    He said: “Importation of wheat is both expensive for the country and contradicts the national ambition of achieving food security through the promotion of local production. Wheat can be grown in Nigeria under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions. Land and other inputs are available but yet the production has not met up with the national demand. This summarizes the factors that are constraining production in Nigeria with the view to drawing government attention to the need to overcoming the challenges.”

    He highlighted constraints being faced by wheat farmers to include poor seed, less preferred quality, and moderate levels of yield gains.

    He emphasized the need to develop high yielding wheat hybrid varieties with acceptable grain quality.

    He added that more intensive training of key stakeholders in advanced technologies will help in bridging production gaps across the country.

    Gwary said increasing wheat productivity is the way to go. He said there was a need for building resilient wheat production system that can adapt to climate change and water stresses such as drought and floods.

    Imports

    Nigeria is fully reliant on wheat imports to fulfill demand for wheat flour-based food. This is  a burden on the scarce foreign exchange reserves. For instance, 80 per cent of the wheat hectarage in Nigeria  is cultivated by small scale farmers who produce only about 20 per cent of the country’s total productivity demand.

    Despite increased corn production, feed mills continue to use significant quantities of imported feed wheat. Relatively stable macro-economic conditions have allowed middle and upper-middle income Nigerians to diversify their diets to include more western-style foods such as  bread and pasta. Restaurants and high-end bakeries are also driving demand for wheat-based food products. Two-thirds of flour users are considered small and Medium Enterprise (SME), characterised as traditionally managed, family-owned, and community-oriented business. These include small scale wet noodle makers, street food vendors, low-end bread and bakery businesses, and traditional Indonesian cake makers. The other third are large enterprises, including several publicly-listed companies, with advanced production facilities and professional management. These producers include instant noodle manufacturers, high-end bakeries, and cookie and biscuit manufacturers.

    Weather concerns

    Extreme weather conditions have caused domestic cereal production to decline sharply. Climate change poses problems for the production of most crops cultivated in Nigeria, including   wheat. This was due to an extended period of dry weather early in the cropping season followed by heavy out-of-season rains. The variable seasonal conditions and diverse cropping challenges are being experienced by growers in most parts of the North where wheat is grown. Overall, year-to-year changes in climate factors during the growing season of wheat accounted for yield fluctuations. Climate-induced longer and more frequent droughts continue to challenge farming especially in the North. Gwary said climate change has made wheat farming in the Northern part of the country vulnerable with consequent impact on production. He quantified the effect of climate extremes, such as droughts or heatwaves, on the yield variability of staple crops, including   wheat. According to him, favourable seasonal conditions are key in increasing production in major wheat-producing countries. Gwary believes climate-resilient crops are important and that the research institutes should carry out research and field-related activities on climate-resilient small-scale farming.

    Headwinds to growth

    The flour millers signed a Memorandum of Association (MoU) with farmers to off-take locally produced wheat at N140, 000 per metric tonne. But with the high inflation rate in the country, the N140, 000per metric tonne is no longer profitable for farmers as cost of key inputs have doubled. Though this may make market sense to the flour millers, it is stalling the government hope of halving the importation of wheat into the country and the drive to boost local production of the crop as farmers are now abandoning farming the crop.

    “The off-take price is no longer profitable for farmers. Prices of inputs are more expensive than they were before, so how can we sell at that price and still remain in business. It is only profitable for farmers at N180, 000 metric tonne(MT) per tonne now,” Mohammed told The Nation.

    According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Nigeria’s production costs for local wheat have doubled to approximately N151, 200 per tonne over the last six months.

    He said the average price of local wheat in the country sells for N140, 000 per metric tonnes.

    A metric tonne of US ‘hard red winter’, which is a major market for Nigeria, sells for N83, 520 per metric ton, according to the International Grain Council. “Many wheat farmers in Kano have stopped producing the commodity due to lack of market and other challenges.

    On requirements for wheat production in Nigeria, Gwary said wheat crop is usually a temperate crop requiring low temperature between 10 and 25  zero degrees Celsius (OC) for growth and development. However, research over the years globally has been able to develop varieties that can tolerate higher temperatures and be cultivated under irrigation in sub-humid and tropical regions of the world. For this reason, he said Nigeria took advantage of the two conditions of low temperature highland areas of Jos and Mambila plateaus to produce the crop during the rainy seasons and also the cool hammattan (10-23OC) period (November to March) of the Northern parts of the country to plant large areas of land under irrigated wheat utilizing dams and Fadama lands. “In view of this after several years of farm trials the following states have been found suitable for wheat production: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno and Adamawa (See photos of irrigated wheat fields in Hadejia below).”He  said wheat when grown under rain-fed conditions suffer from many diseases such as rusts & powdery mildews and pests such as ants, birds and rodents but the incidence and severity of these constraints are lower under irrigated conditions. He added: “with good management using recommended variety along with correct inputs, yields of up to seven tonnes per hectare are obtainable in Nigeria.

    He said Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), situated in Maiduguri has the national mandate for wheat improvement and seed distribution for Nigerian farmers.

    With funding from African Development Bank, he said LCRI has released eleven improved wheat varieties between 1998 and 2019 for planting in the wheat region of Nigeria. However, the recommended best performing varieties for irrigated production include six varieties of LACRIWHIT-4, LACRIWHIT-5, LACRIWHIT-6, LACRIWHIT-9, LACRIWHIT-10, & LACRIWHIT-11 while two varieties of LACRIWHIT-7 & LACRIWHIT-8 for rain-fed conditions all of which can mature within three months from the time of planting.

    Influence of the baking industry

    Nigeria is home to more than 500 commercial bakeries– making bread, cake, pie, doughnut and the business is extremely competitive. The baking industry, however,  are struggling to keep up with consumer demands as  health conscious customers demand a wide variety of delicious baked goods. Consumer demand for food products made from wheat flour is growing every day and largely unaffected by changes in disposable income.  This continues to place Nigeria among largest growth markets for wheat imports which include Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco and South Africa.

    A ray of hope

    Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), comprising Dangote Flour Mills, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Honeywell Flour, Dufil, and Life Flour have donated 50 units of multi-crop thresher machine worth N70 million to Wheat Farmers in the country.

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has listed wheat, among the pool of crops the government plans to expand area under production and improve production methods in partnership with the private sector.

    Other interventions introduced by Nigeria in its quest for increased quality agricultural production include the introduction of the Anchor Borrower’s scheme under which the government has disbursed $150 million to 250,000 farmers and also the launch of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative.

    Fighting low wheat production in Africa

    Nigeria is not alone in the drive to increase wheat production and make it compete with other staples on the continent. Wheat farmers in 11 African Countries – Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – are benefiting from a project aimed at increasing production and reducing demand gap of the crop’s products.

    Wheat is among the cereal crops in Morocco occupying 65 per cent of the country’s agricultural area.  Cereal  crops,  however,  have  historically  experienced  continuous  variations  in  production  levels across the country .  The variations, according to analysts   may  become  more  protracted  due  to  inconsistent  weather  patterns and rising temperatures caused by climate change.

     

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    In response, OCP Group, Morocco’s national phosphates company, is at the forefront of utilizing technology innovation to produce sustainably more with less.  The Group has partnered with the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture to help wheat farmers to boost production. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is a hub of education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, aspiring to become a solid bridge of knowledge between Morocco, Africa and the world.

    The Faculty Director, School of Agricultural Science, Fertiliser and Environment, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco, Prof Abdelaziz Yasri, said development of agriculture across Morocco, and Africa as a whole, is vital to the continent’s food security and economic growth.

    He said the university, is developing fertiliser that are specific to the needs of African soils and crops, as well as locally-appropriate service models for African farmers to have reliable, affordable access to these inputs and related products.

  • Asaba storm water drainage: Respite for residents?

    The Asaba storm drainage project has suffered many setbacks with successive regimes. OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE examines measures by the Delta State government to combat ravaging flash floods that have devastated neighbourhoods in the Delta State capital.

    With the rainy season imminent, many residents of Asaba, the Delta State capital are bracing for the worst, occasioned by the perennial flooding experienced in many parts of the metropolis.

    Although many residents are apprehensive of the coming rains and its attendant flash floods, they nevertheless, see it as a litmus test for the multi-billion naira storm drain project embarked upon by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration in 2017.

    But will the N11.5 billion storm drainage project remove the spectre of ravaging flash floods in Asaba metropolis and its environs?

    While addressing reporters at a recent inspection tour of projects in Asaba, Governor Okowa said he heeded expert’s advice in tackling flooding in the state capital because his administration wanted a holistic approach.

    He said: “We wanted to be sure that we were on the right path. We did not just want to start constructing drains all over again without bringing solutions to the flood issues in Asaba. So, our consultants worked with the Nigerian Society of Engineers to provide us with eight options of drains.”

    Attempts by successive administrations at addressing the flooding issue failed, with only the unconnected and silted drainage running along parts of Okpanam and Summit roads and Lion House drainage, to show.

    The state’s Commissioner for Works, James Augoye said: “It was the ineffective state of floodwater control infrastructure that prompted the incumbent regime to embark on the project.

    According to Augoye, when completed, the three ongoing storm water routing projects in Asaba will address flooding in the state capital.

    He said the Okowa administration engaged experts that undertook the study of the entire Asaba area.

    The commissioner said at the end of the study, eight storm water channels were outlined with their corresponding costs of which three were identified to be strategic and pressing.

    He expressed optimism that the perennial flooding in the area would be a thing of the past after the completion of the projects.

    His words: ”The first is the continuation and completion of the construction of the 2.44-kilometre length storm water control measures in Direct Labour Road (DLA) /Jesus Saves corridor in Asaba awarded on May 15, 2017 to CCECC at the cost of N1.7 billion.

    ”The second is the construction of 4.33 kilometre length storm water discharge channel along Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS)/ Umejei Adudu Way to Amilimocha River, Asaba, awarded to Setraco at the cost of N5.2 billion.

    ”The third is the construction of 3.5 kilometres network channels storm water drainage along Ambassador Ralph Uwechue Way to Anwai River, Asaba, awarded to CCECC on January 25, 2018 at the cost of N4.6 billon.”

    The fear of residents is further heightened with the realisation that government has not matched action with words.

    For example, despite assurances by the Delta State government to dredge the Anwai, Iyiabi and Amilimiocha Rivers have not materialised despite that the wet season will begin soon.

    Also, the Okowa administration’s threat to demolish several exotic homes built on natural watercourses within the Asaba metropolis is a source of worry to some residents.

    But the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu denied that government has plans to dredge the three Rivers, rather that government will desilt the storm drainage discharge point as it empties into the rivers.

    He said: “Government did not make such claims, rather the drainage system we are constructing will empty into those rivers and that government will desilt the point of entry into the rivers. We have done so. The desilting will make possible for the rivers to accommodate large volume of water so that it will spill into the fish farmers at Camp 74.”

    Aniagwu said the government was determined to check the menace of flooding, adding that several measures, including the demolition of houses on watercourses would be embarked on.

    Pressed on the shortness of time between the onset of rains and the urgency to demolish such exotic houses, Aniagwu maintained that “houses on natural watercourses that are causing havoc and making water overflow thereby causing damage to lives and property will be brought down.

    Continuing, he said: “Once we discover any as we make progress, we will act. At least, you can see the demolition of illegal structures taking place in Asaba.”

    Other measures aimed at combating flooding, according to Aniagwu, includes commencement of two additional drainage projects at the Asaba General Hospital axis and Upper Okpanam areas, adding that as part of efforts to tackle silting of drains, several secondary roads in Okpanam are under construction.

    A resident who lives on one of the adjoining roads off Okpanam Road, Mr Azubuike Idah lamented the havoc caused by the flood on his property, while hoping that the storm drains bring succour to home owners living on adjoining streets off Okpanam Road.

    His words:” Our experiences have been most unpalatable, especially residents that live between Inter-Bau Roundabout and areas such as Eagle Square and adjoining streets.

    “The past few years have been terrible. Our properties lost value, many residents relocated. When it rains, we are afraid that our homes are submerged. I hope the efforts at channelling flood waters will give us respite.”

    An Okpanam resident, Mr Dominic Adewole said at its worst, the flood completely cut off vehicular movement between Asaba and Okpanam communities for several hours; leaving hundreds of workers stranded and unable to get home after work.

    He said many secondary roads in Okpanam needed to be asphalted to prevent drains from being filled with silt, adding that the prospect of the incoming rains is giving residents cause for worry.

    He said:” In the past, we lived in great trepidation once it threatens to rain. We are afraid our homes will be submerged. Our children are, often times, swept away by torrential rains and being stranded in Asaba after a hard day’s work and the effects it has had on our cars. Living in Asaba and the suburbs has been difficult. I hope the drainage system being constructed by the present government delivers.”

    On whether the effects of the flood control measures are being felt, Mr Adewole noted: “In my part of Okpanam, the problem of flooding, erosion and bad roads are not making us to see the effects, but there is a reduction in the volume of flood water into Asaba. The issue is on the effectiveness of the drainage constructed by the Okowa administration.”

    A civil servant, Ejime Udueme, who works as a journalist with the Delta State Broadcasting Station located in an area worse hit by the floods due to its low lying terrain, commended the state government for tackling the menace of flooding head on.

    He said this year’s rains will settle the question of whether the storm drainage project has done a good job at flood control or not.

    He said: “With the effort of government with regard to the storm drainage project, I think we are expecting relief this year than in previous years. The only fear is that the storm drains have not been tested. Hopefully, this year’s rains will put it to test.

    “But talking about the way this administration has tackled the issue of flooding, this Okowa administration has done well. Previous administrations never had the will to undertake such a multi-billion naira project despite hardship faced by residents.”

    A Civil Engineer and Chief Executive Officer, Jomex Engineering Limited, Chief Joseph Obi, said from his assessment, the project engineers did not take due cognizance of the topography of Asaba at the design stage.

    He said: “If due cognizance is not given to the topography of the locale despite government’s best efforts, in the long run the project will fail.

    On the project, Obi said: “Professionally, it is clear that the engineers are not doing their jobs properly. Judged from the high volume of flood waters last year, I expected better results. But let us await this year’s rains because there is the argument that the project last year was far from completed unlike this year when it is at least 90 per cent completed.”