The Nation Newspaper

Category: Special Report

  • Afe Babalola proffers solutions to falling education quality in Africa

    In his book titled: “A Paradise for Maggots: The story of a Nigerian Anti-graft Czar”, Wale Adebanwi, a Rhodes professor of Race Relations and Director, African Studies Centre in Oxford University, painted a lucid but agonizing picture of how corruption has robbed Nigeria of its best in virtually all facets of human endeavor.

    Likewise, legal juggernaut and Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, yesterday recalled how the quantum and quality of education in the colonial era up to 1966 when the Military made an incursion into governance in Nigeria, was a lot better than what it is today.

    In his usual brutally frank, firm, fair but friendly persona, the frontline legal icon and educationist painted a picture of how a combination of lack of true federalism among the states created at the 1884 Berlin Conference having regard to amalgamation of many incompatible tribes, failure of successive African governments to invest adequately in education, failure of African governments to sensitise their citizens that no government alone can fund quality and functional education and poor leadership as well as over bloated population have over several decades combined to render the search for sustainable education in post-colonial Africa illusory and utopian.

    In a lecture titled: “The Search for Sustainable Education in Post-colonial era in African States” in Oxford University, United Kingdom (UK), yesterday, Babalola recalled that in terms of quality, composition and structure, the educational institutions established during the colonial era in many parts of Africa enjoyed the three essential trappings of being autonomous, collegial and self-governing as they were meticulously planned and patterned after elite UK universities.

    Unfortunately, the elite classical model of university education in such model institutions like the Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone (established in 1877), Achimota College in Gold Coast and Yaba Higher College (both established in 1934), and Liberia College in Monrovia (1833) and the University College, Ibadan, Nigeria among several others, started dwindling at an escalated rate with the takeover of  government by military dictatorships in many parts of Africa with the attendant insufficient funding of education and overconcentration of political and financial power at the centre in most African states.

    He said: “With military leadership in Nigeria came the absolute concentration of powers in the central government. The military constitutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Libya, amongst others, accumulated several executive powers to the central government, thereby strangulating the capacity of the regions and states to independently finance and execute education expansion programmes.

    “The added impetus for military authorities to curtail students’ demands and protests as well as checkmate university staff unions led to the rise of governmental control and influence over key decisions in the education sector.”

    Like Steven Kumalo, the main character of “Cry, The Beloved Country” once remarked that  “the tragedy is not that things are broken, the tragedy is that things are not be mended again’”, Babalola, a sure footed authority in educational matters, feels that it will be grossly unfair to continue to blame the dwindling fortunes and quality of education on the colonial masters when African states should rather look inwards and ask salient questions about what successive African governments have done to build and improve upon what the colonial masters bequeathed to them at independence.

    Illustrating with Nigeria, Babalola recalled how Nigerian university system became increasingly less autonomous, less collegiate and highly dependent on government for funding and decision making in the period between 1966 and 1999 when Nigeria was under Military rule with the attendant over concentration of political and financial powers at the centre.

    It was during this period that government became a major stakeholder in education and started meddling in such routine educational matters like the constitution and membership of the governing councils of universities and appointment of key administrative officers of universities.

    He lamented that lack of adequate funding has forced African universities to become local institutions, attended mainly by local residents from the immediate state or region where such universities are located, unlike the practice in those days where the likes of the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the University of Lagos were like mini United Nations with students and lecturers from all over Africa, Europe and America.

    In his view, Africa can only build world class universities for a world class economy by deploying significant portion of their yearly budgets to revitalizing and supporting their universities, both private and public, stressing that education that does not equip graduates to become independent thinkers, employers of labour, captains of industries and agents of economic change in the key sectors of the economy is unsustainable and irrelevant.

    By investing in entrepreneurial education, African universities can also diversify their income to become more self-sustaining and this is what he has been doing since he established his own university, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), in  2009, after his seven-year stint as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos. Today, ABUAD’s ventures, according to him, contribute significantly to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the university.

    Undoubtedly, his experience as a former Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos where he was voted Best Pro-Chancellor twice by the NUC and subsequent establishment of his increasingly famous ABUAD, where he has deployed over N80 billion for investments on state-of-the-art infrastructure and ICT expansion since it commenced academic activities on Monday, January 4, 2010, today stands him out as an authority on how a university should be run and how a university should not be run.

    To get out this quagmire, Babalola, canvassed for national restructuring, which would end “the brand of federalism practiced across post-colonial Africa that has stifled innovation and has made it difficult for states, private sector and even universities to attain the required level of financial and structural autonomy needed to drive sustainability”.

    Worried by the quality of leadership in the post-colonial African states, he quipped: “Africa needs a new crop of leaders who are prepared to provide a vision for true federalism. We need leaders who will not sink back to pre-mordial ethnic attachments nor be moored or covert bigotry.

    “We need leaders who will invest their personal fortunes to develop their country. We need leaders who are prepared to make sacrifices and make personal contributions to higher education which cannot be met by government alone as I did in UNILAG.

    “We need more Nigerians particularly the rich ones to invest in education by establishing not-for-profit first class institutions of learning similar to ABUAD.”

    He concluded by canvassing for national restructuring and constitutional reform to correct the arbitrariness that occasioned the 1884 Berlin Conference where incompatible people were amalgamated as nations and the frail and structurally defective federal structures put in place by the colonial leadership. Perhaps the 1884 Berlin Conference and the resultant lopsided partitioning of Africa viz-a-viz the amalgamation of incongruous people as nations must have inspired Walter Rodney in writing his enthralling masterpiece titled: “How Europe underdeveloped Africa”.

    In Babalola’s view, “our current claims to being a federation is not only comical and deceitful, it indeed requires urgent surgical operation. Restructuring is not a call for disunity or conflict; it is a well-informed call for a speedy return to the confederation principles contained in the Independence Constitution which our Regional Leaders negotiated with the British between 1957 and 1959”.

    He equally canvassed for a National Education Fund (NEF) and the commitment of a minimum of 25 per cent of the national budget to education in order to be able to rapidly catch up with the rest of the world in terms of quality education.

    He wondered why ABUAD, like all other private universities, has been excluded from accessing the multi-billion TETfund University Research Funds. TETfund is made up of five per cent levy on public and private companies to support education. Worse still, government also collects custom duties on education and hospital equipment freely donated by foreign philanthropists.

    Besides, Babalola admonished African leaders to promptly address the peculiar African factor of geometric rise in population through reckless procreation which impacts negatively on the yearly revenue of government with regard to government expenditure on other sectors.

    Recalling the story of a 93-year-old Bello Abubakar in Nigeria who had 97 wives and 185 children, Babalola added: “It is unfortunate that while other countries are curtailing population growth, Africans revel in producing children without caution. When China woke up to the reality of population explosion starring it in the face, it pegged the number of children in a family to one. On the contrary, we continue to revel in the unwholesome habit of giving birth to a multitude of children.”

    He therefore called on the governments of African states to make it abundantly clear that there is a limit to the amount of money they can provide for education in the midst of competing areas of needs.

    They should equally stop deceiving the populace that if elected, they will provide free education. This, in his view, is how Nigeria came about establishing several state universities which are nothing but glorified secondary schools.

    • Olofintila wrote from London

  • Presidency 2019: Why Buhari is Nigeria’s best

    Ahead of the 2019 Presidential elections, analysts are already making projections and permutations. This intervention by law teacher Wahab Shittu examines the why the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 is compelling for the country’s unity and developmental aspirations.

    Expectedly, diverse reactions have trailed the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari to run for second term in 2019 at the expiration of his first term. There are those who are opposed to his bid for a second term. Notably, foremost elder statesman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and of course, elements in the opposition party who also desire to capture power in line with the tenets of the democratic tradition.

    Of course, there are those who have expressed support for the bid, understandably, elements in the ruling party, including recently, the Buhari Diaspora Support Organisation, led by Mr. Charles Sylvester who met the President in London to express solidarity.

    Let me say quite clearly that the two contending sides to the debate are entitled to their views and I must say clearly that the stand point they represent is consistent with the fundamentals of the democratic tradition, emphasizing the element of free choice.

    Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, made this point clear when he said: “Running for the presidency is a constitutional right of Buhari and other Nigerians interested in that position and any other elective office.”

    This in intervention is my own perspective based on the consideration of the unity of Nigeria. I believe the President should run for a second term and I join the bandwagon of those who clamour that he should be re-elected based on the popular votes of Nigeria across the geo-political zones for the following reasons:

    Inspite of the difficulties the president met on ground, he has recorded modest achievements such as agricultural revolution, the ease of doing business, commitment to anti-corruption war, the employment of youths through the N-power Programme, the blockage of leakages in the public sector through the treasury account TSA, efforts made to address our security challenges notably the speed with which the abducted Dapchi girls were recovered and the release of many of the Chibok girls under captivity.

    There are however, those who think there are still challenges on security, economy, anti-corruption, poverty and many other areas where it is argued that the government is yet to make appreciable impact.

    Critics along this line have reeled out figures which elements loyal to the ruling elite fault on the ground that such figures do not take into cognizance facts behind the figures thereby making such assessments not objectively and consistent with the realities on the ground.

    This intervention is not intended to cast aspersions on any of the two sides in the controversy even if I am of the firm view that the administration has recorded modest achievements based on what the administration inherited and attempts to stabilise the polity and the economy within the time frame the administration is privileged to be on the saddle.

    My intervention on the choice of President Muhammadu Buhari as the preference for the 2019 election is based on the reality that all the geo-political zones that make up the country namely: Northwest, Northeast, Northcentral, Southwest Southeast and Southsouth all aspire to the presidency of Nigeria in the nearest future, and speaking objectively, talents abound everywhere eminently qualified to assume the exalted position.

    Inspite of the foregoing however, all the geo-political zones appreciate the need to field a Northern candidate in the 2019 election based on the theory that the North is yet to exhaust its term.  It is therefore safe to assume that all the mega parties namely: APC (All Progressives Congress), PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), SDP (Social Democratic Party) and the coalition parties are likely to field a Northern candidate to take advantage of the block votes from the North to win the presidential election and thereafter cede the presidency to another geo-political zone to take its turn.

    This is where this intervention becomes critical and realistic in the circumstances.  If any of the parties choose a Northerner outside President Buhari, such a candidate is likely to insist on two term in office to which he/she is constitutionally entitled and this will certainly delay/postpone the right of other geo-political zones to aspire to the presidency with all the implications.

    However, if President Buhari is unanimously allowed to take the slot, having spent one term, he can only rule for another four years, thereby giving any other geo-political zone an early shot at the presidency. Not even the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) can afford the luxury of a choice of a presidential candidate other than President Muhammadu Buhari because such a candidate will naturally insist on ruling for two terms thereby delaying opportunities available to other geo-political zones in the country.

    I am also of the view that any of the political parties who takes the risk of fielding a Southern candidate at this stage of our political history and evolution, will have to contend with a Northern candidate and based on the calculations on ground, is likely to be defeated because Northerners are united in the view that they are yet to exhaust their term of eight years.

    Based on the foregoing realties and political calculations, President Buhari remains the most attractive choice for the country’s unity, cohesiveness and sense of belonging.

    I should not be misinterpreted to say that President Buhari should be elected at all cost without sufficient reasons.  I am of the view that in terms of moral standing and rating, locally and internationally, Buhari’s candidacy comes across as credible, compelling and a master stroke.  He is highly respected in the sub-region.  African leaders hold him in high esteem because of his anti-corruption posturing and credentials.  Great countries of the world, including the United States (U.S.) and Britain believe that President Buhari is not corrupt, will not be corrupt and will fight corruption to a standstill. This perception is a huge capital investment for Nigeria which we cannot afford to ignore moving forward.

    I am also of the view that President Buhari has put in place measures to revamp the economy as well as safeguard the country against security threats.  He is, therefore a very attractive candidate.

    There is another compelling reason why Buhari should be elected for the second term. It is the impressive performance of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the Grand Commander of Nigeria (GCON), who parades a very formidable profile and record of high performance.  I am very positive that President Buhari running for a second term is likely to zero in on the choice of Prof Osinbajo to run as his deputy. Who will deny today that Prof Osinbajo is a first class candidate with a Midas touch? A professor of Evidence (I am one of his students) with tremendous oratorical skill who is adjudged a motivational speaker and erudite scholar per excellence.  Among his several accomplishments, Prof Osinbajo was a member of the United Nation’s Secretary-General’s Committee of experts on conduct and discipline, a United Nation’s Organisation (UNO) for Peace-keeping around the world, he is also a co-founder and Board member, Convention Business Integrity (CBI) and the Justice Research Institute (JRI) who has written a good number of books notably: “The Unification and Reform of the Nigerian Criminal Law”; “Law Development and Administration”; “The Annotated Civil Procedure Rules of the Superior Courts in Nigeria”; “Cross-Examination: A Trial Lawyer’s Most Potent Weapon” and many other articles in local and international journals, among others. What about his impressive performance as the vice president of the country since Buhari assumed office?

    The point I am making is that the joint ticket of President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo is the ticket to beat and will definitely pose a serious challenge to any other presidential aspirant in the race of 2019 presidential elections.

    For these and many other reasons, my choice of president for 2019, is President Buhari.  There is no other compelling choice other than his candidacy and I humbly urge all Nigerians to rally round his candidacy for our country’s progress, unity, cohesiveness and development.

    These are my humble thoughts.

     

  • Tinubu: party supremacy for its sake is nothing

    To All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the essence of any party is to serve the people. The APC, he noted, has been doing that in the last three years. In his remark as the Special Guest of Honour at the 35th Annual Aminu Kano Memorial Symposium in Kano, Tinubu, said President Muhammadu Buhari has “spent tangible time clearing the mess institutionalised by past administrations as a national policy”. He was represented at the symposium entitled: “Democratic governance and the imperatives of party ideology and supremacy”, by Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    ACCOLADES and commendations are due the organisers of this event, the Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research and Training. By extension to Bayero University, Kano, for having the vision and social commitment for having such a center that adds to the public discourse on the important issues that shape our nation.

    This 35th Annual Aminu Kano Memorial Symposium and its theme: “Democratic governance and the imperatives of party ideology and supremacy” are indeed timely.

    The two speakers today are among Nigeria’s finest thinkers regarding the issues at hand. Their addresses will be fertile ones giving us much to think about and much to do.

    I am honoured simply to be invited to such an important event, let alone to be told that I am the Special Guest of Honour.

    Our nation resides in a period of historic transition. We struggle to give birth to a better Nigeria. This also means we struggle to eject the malpractices of the past. That which is good contests against that which is not.

    This contest has a high moral content and it is here that we turn to Aminu Kano for inspiration.  For it is here that Aminu Kano set the path we must follow.

    This great man could have lived an easy life by exploiting for selfish objectives all the opportunities opened to a man of his great abilities and social station.

    Instead, he devoted himself to the welfare of the people. He took the harder path because it was the true and correct one.

    As Aminu Kano did, we must do!

    The spirit of this great man must guide more than our deliberations here today. That spirit must direct our political intercourse and actions.

    If we do so, we shall come to the realisation that democratic governance is more than going through the motions of mimicking certain processes and functions that have been deemed to connote democracy.

    We must come to a better understanding of the moral and social principles that underlie these processes and functions. The existence of parties and of elections does not of itself mean democracy is present.  For form without substance is but an empty box, a hollow gift, not worth the giving.

    Democratic governance must not only stick to proper form, it must bear proper fruits.

    It must work for the betterment of the people and give them the chance to realise the best of their individual and collective aspirations in an atmosphere of peace, justice, and fair enterprise.

    To me, this is what sets apart the current administration from prior governments of that other party.

    The APC (All Progressives Congress) government may, at times be, imperfect in fulfilling the spirit of Aminu Kano, but, we are far from the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), which has perfected the malign craft of giving selfish ambition primacy over the public good.

    Consequently, the President Muhammadu-led Buhari government has spent inordinate time cleaning the rot and plugging the holes in the corrupt system the others had institutionalised as their strategic policy and national direction.

    The APC has been working to steer our national ship from this awful direction in order that we may bring the people and their welfare into safe harbour.

    Had the billions of dollars and trillions of naira that were stolen by past governments been used for the people, the nation would have been able to acquire the infrastructure and implement the programmes that bring greater development and economic justice to all.

    Instead, the select few ate more than their bellies could contain. Distorting the cause of justice and hijacking the means of national welfare, they wildly enriched themselves and left the average Nigerian to dine on the passing wind.

    Due to the drop in oil prices, this administration has had less money than those, which preceded it. However, it has done more with less.

    The government has launched school feeding and stipend programmes for the poorest among us. These programmes have enabled millions to eat at least, one solid meal a day and for countless children to attend to their education instead of allowing the world to pass them by at an early age.

    The programmes have also increased local economic activity by boosting consumer demand.

    These things were done with the welfare of the people in mind.

    When someone can do for you in three years what another did not even try in sixteen, any person with an open eye can see the difference between giver and taker, between friend and thief.

    Of course, more needs to be done. I envision a time of even bolder action that modernises national infrastructure; implements an industrial plan that revives the textile sector and builds new industries; agricultural reform that provides farmers minimum incomes and greater access to credit; mortgage reform that opens the door to affordable housing for millions of families; pension reform that insulates our aged from poverty; and an expansion of the school feeding into every state and local government.

    With regard to ‘Party ideology and supremacy’, let me state that ideology and principle must hold supremacy over supremacy.

    I think Mallam Aminu Kano would have said the same thing in this regard.

    Calling for party supremacy by and for its own sake is nothing but an invitation for people to install and then perpetuate themselves in positions of authority in the party.  They will arrogate power so that they come to dictate to the rest of the party instead of serving the collective will of party members.

    Recent events in our party confirm this observation. Party discipline is vital but even more vital is adherence to humane and democratic ideals and principles.

    With such principles, a party exercises internal democracy, which better enables it to govern democratically.

    Without such adherence, a party becomes a vehicle to lord over its members, instead of a tool to empower its members to realise good and beneficial aims.

    We must always remember that the political party is meant to serve the people and not the people to serve the party.

    I dare not steal more time as you have come not to listen to me but to our designated speakers and their wisdom.

    Again, I thank you for honouring me with this invitation and I look forward to a robust and enlightening symposium today.

     

  • 9mobile: Sailing into turbulent waters?

    With less than 90 days given to Teleology by the Nigerians Communications Commission (NCC) to pay $450 million as the balance of for the full acquisition of 9Mobile, there is the fear that the process may run into stormy waters with the interference of the House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications. In this article entitled: “Questions on the National Assembly and the sale of 9Mobile: What exactly is going on?” Tunde Arowojobe writes on the implications of truncating the process by members of the National Assembly.

    The House of Representatives Committee on Communications held another of its marathon hearings on the “sale of 9Mobile” last week. It is understandable that the Saheed Akinade-Fijabi-led House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications, committee is interested in what is going on at 9Mobile, but the troubling headlines on the Committee’s grandstanding and its “decision” to suspend the sale and/or “reverse the process” because of allegations of irregularities from some undisclosed quarters raises some very disturbing questions. Before we ask those questions, let us put the Etisalat/9Mobile issue in its proper perspective.

    The company then known as Etisalat Nigeria borrowed over $1.2 billion from Nigerian banks over years. Let us keep in mind that the funds in question are not the property of the Federal Government; they were funds entrusted to the banks by ordinary Nigerians like you and I. Now, when Etisalat applied for the loans, they signed all sorts of guarantees, including papers, transferring all the owners’ shares to the banks if the company defaults. It was a straight banker-customer relationship – after all, the banks had lent (our) money to other telcos and there were no issues. However, when time came for Etisalat to pay, the company and its shareholders demanded the proverbial “soft landing”. They demanded that the banks should forfeit some of the (our) money, that Etisalat should be given even more of (our) money and should be allowed even more generous payment terms(!). But the banks refused. Curiously, even Etisalat’s foreign shareholders refused to pump in more investments into the company (maybe the banks and the foreign shareholders could see from the books that the company was being badly managed!). Rather than invest more, the foreign shareholders abandoned the company and unceremoniously left Nigeria. As required by law and their agreements, all of Etisalat’s shareholding (which had been pledged to the banks as security), were forfeited to the banks. Left with no choice, the banks exercised their right to take over the company’s ownership and recover their (our) money. But to the banks’ surprise, the Nigerians Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stepped in and insisted that the banks could not take over or manage (i.e. liquidate) the company.

    In strict legal terms, neither the NCC nor the CBN had any right to intervene in the first place. But with hindsight, their intervention was the most positive manoeuvre in this sad tale. From all indications, the NCC/CBN were clearly guided by national interest and justified by the doctrine of necessity.

    Legal purists may vilify them for not allowing the creditors realise their security and recover their (our) money, but surely, history would be very kind to the NCC/CBN  management for stepping in to prevent a potential failure that would have had catastrophic consequences on the national economy.

    The NCC/CBN intervention resulted in stability for the company: its potential liquidation by the banks was staved off, a new interim Board of Directors was appointed, the company was renamed as 9Mobile (following an ultimatum by the former foreign shareholders and owners of the Etisalat brand), a reputable firm of investment advisers (Barclays Africa) was appointed to sell the forfeited shares to interested buyers, and a preferred bidder has paid a deposit of $50 million for the shares. Let us keep in mind that the shares being sold were forfeited to the banks when Etisalat defaulted in its loan payments. Let us also keep in mind that but for the NCC/CBN’s the banks would have exercised their legal rights to sell off or liquidate the company as they pleased.

    With these facts in mind, let us pose our troubling questions for the National Assembly and the other parties – our hope is that the big men at the National Assembly will carefully weigh their actions and the consequences of their grandstanding before doing more damage than they already have.

     

    Our questions:

    • Regarding the “order” to suspend an almost concluded transaction: What is the legal and/or constitutional basis of the National Assembly’s “order” and indeed the entire “investigations” under which they pretended to issue the “order?” Are they aware (we have explained above if they were not) that this is an entirely private transaction in the normal course of private business – private lenders, private borrower and private security, among others? Are they aware that no government money is involved? Do they know that only courts have constitutional powers to issue the kind of injunction they are purporting to issue?
    • The National Assembly intervention is purportedly based on complaints from disgruntled participants. Even if we assume they have the legal power to intervene, this basis of intervention is rather disingenuous. Are they aware that it is “normal” that losing parties to sponsor all manner of disinformation to force a review? Are they aware that there were complaints (and seen a court action) after NCC successfully conducted the globally acclaimed Digital Mobile License auctions of 2001? If the then National Assembly had seized on self-righteous compliant to torpedo the DML auctions the way National Assembly is trying to do now, where would Nigeria’s telecoms industry be by now?
    • Again, on the question of complaints – is the NASS surprised that there are complaints? Are they not aware that there are bound to be complaints in any transaction of this magnitude? Are they not aware that there are judicial mechanisms for resolving such complaints? In fact, are they aware those complaints over the sale of the company then known as Econet was only finally settled just a few months ago? Are they aware that even the sale of government-owned Nitel which was 100 per cent controlled by the government was riddled with allegations of impropriety? Why have they not intervened in that transaction?
    • The National Assembly wants the NCC and CBN to “suspend” an almost completed sale process – are they aware that if NCC/CBN withdraw their moderating hands, the banks will simply appoint a liquidator or administrator? That the company will go bust? That over 4000 Nigerians will lose their jobs as NCC will simply have to hand over 9Mobile’s subscribers to other operators? Will this satisfy the egos gallivanting all over the National Assembly?
    • Finally, is the National Assembly not concerned that the banks – whose property is being sold – have been rather quiet? Is NASS aware that the banks (and the winning bidder for that matter) may just be playing a fools gambit, waiting the “all-powerful” the National Assembly to truncate the process so that they can each sue the Nigerian government and recover billions for its illegal intervention in their private business? Where will this money come from?
    • Meanwhile, as an aside – several government-sponsored projects in the telecoms industry lie comatose – examples include the opaque transfer of NITEL, the loss of Nigeria’s communications satellites in orbit, the Ministry of Communications’ rural telephony project, etc. etc. what has NASS done about these? Why is the 9Mobile issue such a national priority, even after CBN/NCC have stabilised the company?

    In the final analysis, the grandstanding on 9Mobile reeks of personal interests masquerading as altruism – rather like some interests leaning on 9Mobile’s crumbling table for crumbs.

    The NCC and the CBN took a bold step to prevent 9Mobile from collapsing; they should firm up their institutional mettles and see this process through to its logical conclusion. Those using the National Assembly to push their selfish interests against the CBN and the NCC should be told that they are doing irreversible damage to the credibility of these institutions and our country’s already battered image.

    The National Assembly should face its constitutional role and let the judicial system take care of any “complaints” on the sale process. Enough of this macabre dance of ignorance and risk!

     

  • NYSC sanctions Corps members for absenteeism, truancy

    •20 marriages, 72 births recorded during service

    The curtain has dropped on the 2016/17 Batch ‘A’ (Stream 1) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme across the land yesterday. BASSEY ANTHONY, OKODILI NDIDI, KOLADE ADEYEMI report the passing out or Corps members at the various Orientation camps

    It was harvest of marriages, births and sanction for some members of the 2016/17 Batch ‘A’ (Stream 1) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    More than 100 Youth Corps members have had their service year extended for involving in sundry offences, including absenteeism. Not a few got Letters of Commendations for exemplary behaviours from their states of primary assignment. A Corps member, who distinguished himself got an automatic employment in Imo State.

    The revelations came on the heels a report that 20 of them had their marriages contracted and 72 of them delivered of babies during the service year, which ended yesterday nationwide

    The marriages and births were recorded in Oyo State. The sanctions would be applied on 112 Youth Corps members in eight states.

    The states where the big stick was wielded on erring Youth Corps members during the passing-out parade across the land are: Osun (10); Lagos (23); Anambra (13); Delta (19); Ondo (30); Akwa Ibom (21); Imo (four) and Niger (two).

    According to the Oyo State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Ifeoma Anidobi, 72 of the 3, 406 corps members deployed to the state gave birth to no fewer than 72 babies.

    She also noted that the state recorded 20 marriages by the corps members and three deaths.

    Mrs. Anidobi said: “The 3,406 corpers consist of 1,504 males and 1,902 females, out of which three members received state’s awards, while one received the chairman’s award.

    “Again, 38 received commendation letters, while 28 had disciplinary cases. Those with disciplinary cases are to undergo extension of service, ranging from two weeks to four months.”

    In Akwa Ibom, 21 Corps members deployed in the state are to repeat their service year for absconding from their places of primary assignment.

    The Coordinator, Julius Amusan, said that out of the 2,827 corps members sent to the state, 12 of them would have their service extended from three to four months for absenteeism among other offences.

    He said: “Also, during the service year under review, 21 corps members absconded from service and have been recommended for outright repeat of the service year whenever they resurface.

    “There are 12 others that committed various degrees of misconduct ranging from unauthorised journeys, to absenteeism and other acts not in conformity with the NYSC By-laws.

    “They will serve extension of service ranging from three to four months.”

    He commended some corps members for their exemplary behaviours, adding that they conducted themselves within the ambit of the law and lived up to the ideals of the scheme.

    Amusan charged the outgoing corps members to make use of the lessons they have learnt during the service as their guiding principles.

    He said: “Life after service may not have presented a rosy picture, particularly the dire unemployment situation, but the courage and resilience you will put into it matter a lot.

    “The various skills to which you have been exposed in the last one year would serve as a launching pad to overcoming immediate challenge, as you go into the labour market.”

    He described as regrettable that three corps members from the batch died in the course of the service.

    Governor Udom Emmanuel described the NYSC as a critical partner in the development of the state.

    Emmanuel, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths and Sports, Aniedi Dickson, added that their contributions in the implementation of government policies and programmes impacted greatly on all sectors of the economy.

    The governor said: “The government and people of Akwa Ibom State cannot compensate you adequately for filling the gaps in our educational and socioeconomic lives. The enduring legacies you are leaving behind will be preserved for our benefits and posterity.”

     

    Automatic employment

    for Corps member

     

    The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, gave automatic employment to Umeotawara Lauretta Ebere, who emerged the Most Outstanding Corps member for the 2017 Batch ‘A’ (Stream 1) in the state.

    Announcing the gesture at the passing out of 1,542 Corps members, the governor also gave N200, 000 to the Corps member.

    Other Corps members also benefitted from the governor’s benevolence as each of them got N10, 000 as transport fare to their respective states.

    The governor commended the Corps members for their impressive performance during the service year, pledging to provide additional 2000-capacity accommodation for Corps members posted to the state.

    “You are the hope of future generation and I urge you not to be found wanting in character an in conduct wherever you are, and to be employers of labour instead of job seekers because of the non-availability of white collar jobs in the country”, he said.

    The state Coordinator of the NYSC, Josephine Bakare Uche, said that a total of 615 male corps members and 927 females participated in the programme.

    Four of them, she said, would be repeating the service year for absconding, while six others have their service years extended for various acts of indiscipline and truancy.

    Her words: “The Corps members carried out their normal duties and community development programmes, skill acquisition programmes and this has further enhanced unity among them.”

     

    Sanction for 13 in Anambra

     

    Thirteen Corps members will repeat their service in Anambra State, NYSC Coordinator Ebenezer Olawale said at the passing out in Awka, the state capital.

    Olawale, however, did not give details of those who would either repeat the service and those whose service year was extended.

    He said that of 2,801 out of the 2,814 corps members satisfied the requirements of service and were accordingly issued discharge certificates.

    Olawale said that seven members won the Governor’s Award while five won the Chairman’s Award and 13 went home with the State Coordinator’s Award.

    He prayed for the repose of the souls of one Corps member and a staff of the NYSC in the state who died during the service year.

    Wishing the discharged members well as they moved into the larger society, the coordinator said: “We are, indeed grateful to Governor Willie Obiano and the people of Anambra for their support to the scheme and for enabling environment that was created.”

    The Commissioner for Youth Entrepreneurship & Creative Economy, Bonaventure Emenali, congratulated the outgoing corps members.

    Emenali, the Chairman of NYSC Governing Board in Anambra, lauded all the award-winning corps members and commended them for their good service to the state.

    He charged them to continue to do more for the country in their future endeavours.

     

    23 to repeat service in Lagos

     

    The NYSC presented State Honours’ Award and cash prizes to 14 outstanding corps members in Lagos State, the state coordinator, Momammed Momoh, said at the passing-out parade at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Iyana-Ipaja, yesterday.

    He also announced the death of three corps members during the service year.

    According to Momoh, the awardees, including  11 corps members of the  2016 Batch ‘A’ and ‘B ‘ and three corps members in the 2017 Batch ‘A’, Stream I, received cash prizes ranging from N150,000 to N200,000.

    He said: “On a sad note, we lost three corps members of this batch to the cold hands of death. May their souls rest in peace and may God give their families the fortitude to bear the losses.’’

    Momoh said that 4,876 corps members successfully completed their service, explaining that six corps members received Chairman’s Commendation, while 20 others got the state coordinator’s attestation.

    The coordinator said that 23 corps members would repeat their service for absconding from duty, adding that 17 others would have their service extended for various periods as a punishment.

    He said: “Just as NYSC recognises and rewards excellence, the scheme also punishes corps members, who breach its rules and guidelines.

    “I wish, therefore, to report that 23 corps members absconded from service and they are to repeat the service. Seventeen others are to serve various periods of extension of service.’’

    Momoh commended E-Insurance Solutions Centre Ltd., Ikoyi, for sending four corps members to Kenya for training and employing two of them after their service.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties & Inter-Governmental Relations, Oluseye Oladejo, commended the corps members for contributing to the development of the state.

    He listed the areas where the corps members made their marks to include education, health, sensitisation and awareness campaign against child abuse/domestic violence, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

    The governor said: “Nigeria is looking forward to you as future leaders that have been equipped with what it takes to achieve the vision of a stronger, more secure, stable and prosperous nation.

    “As you prepare to commence another phase of livelihood, I urge you to keep in mind the lesson of this programme, which is the awareness and appreciation of the diversity of your nation.”

     

    Two punished in Niger

    for breaching ethics

     

    Two Corps members are to repeat their service for abscondment from their places of primary assignment, the state Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Theresa Arokoyo, disclosed during the passing out of 1,947 Corps member in Minna, yesterday.

    She said that any Corps member who failed to conform to the ethics, norms and ideals of the scheme would also be sanctioned according to the dictates of the NYSC by-law.

     

    Mrs. Arokoyo also announced that four corps members received the state merit award for outstanding performances in community development projects that have impacted positively on the lives of their host communities.

    She added that two corps members lost their lives in the course of their service year due to road accident and illness.

    The coordinator said that during the service year, the Corps members acquired entrepreneurial skills that would enable them to be self-reliant.

    She commended the corps members for their contributions toward the growth and development of the state and the Nation at large.

    Arokoyo applauded the state government for providing transportation for the 2017 Batch ‘B’ stream 2 corps members transferred to Kaduna for their orientation camp and providing N3,000 transport fare for the out-going corps members.

    In his remarks, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger, commended the corps members for their contributions to the living standard of their host communities and donation of learning equipment to improve the standard of education in the state.

    Bello, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth Ismaila Ibrahim, advised the corps members to put into practice the lessons and skills learnt in order to become self-reliant.

    He said: “As a responsive government, we are very sensitive to the needs and aspiration of our youths, as such, we have put in place a comprehensive road map for effective engagement of our teaming youths.

    “We have trained over 5,000 youths in various agricultural activities, artisanship and other vocational skills and provision of employment for graduates.”

     

    Amosun urges Corps

    members on ideals of scheme

     

    In Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun called on Corps members to always imbibe the ideals of the NYSC wherever they find themselves.

    Amosun gave the charge at the M.K.O Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, where he made a surprise appearance having already delegated a representative.

    He said: “I am here today because I see you as leaders in your own right and because of the exemplary report I got of your stewardship during your service year.

    “I have been reliably informed that you have not only upheld the track record of your predecessors, but surpassed them in every way possible.

    “I therefore advise our youths to leverage our worthy endeavours in the interest of the nation and for the sake of the future.

    “Let the long-standing experience and training you have had in your different institutions and places of assignment continue to reflect in your lives and interactions.

    “In doing this, we would create a more formidable and unified basis for articulating and executing more enduring policies which will ultimately draw youths away from self-destructive activities.

    “Even as we approach the electioneering period, I urge you not to lend yourselves as instruments of violence.”

    The NYSC Coordinator in the state, John Okpo, urged the Corps members not to involve themselves in illegal activities that will tarnish their image.

    “Continue to imbibe the spirit of humility, service and dedication as you enter into the larger society”, Okpo said.

    He said that a total of 3, 900 Corps members successfully completed the programme, while 10 absconded from service.

    According to him, one person, who ran afoul of the NYSC by-laws, would be punished accordingly.

     

    10 get service extention in Osun

     

    The NYSC in Osun extended the service of 10 of the 2,086 outgoing corps members for committing various offences, the state Coordinator, Emmanuel Attah, said during the passing out at the permanent orientation camp in Ede.

    Attah said the Corps members breached the rules guiding the service year and they would serve varying degrees of punishment.

    He said the punishment would range from extension of service to re-mobilisation in accordance with the by-laws of the scheme and gravity of their offences.

    The coordinator, however, implored them to be committed to a lifelong service of rebuilding Nigeria as well as make use of their skills, intellect and development to better the lives of people around them.

    In his farewell remarks, Governor Rauf Aregbesola urged the corps members to be self-reliant and not to wait for white collar jobs.

    The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, also charged them to arm themselves with the skills gained in the course of the service year as they stepped into the larger society.

    He said: “Do not yield to frustrations and desperation orchestrated by scourge of unemployment and youthful restlessness but stay tuned to your course. Be discipline, accountable and patient and not be in a hurry to achieve in a day what will take years to achieve. Shun every temptation to do those things of which you and your family and the nation will not be proud of.’’

     

    Hammer falls on 19 in Delta

     

    The NYSC said that 19 of its Corps members will have to repeat the service for absconding from their service-year programme and would repeat it whenever they presented themselves to the authority.

    State Coordinator Benjamin Omotade said during the passing out of the Corps members in Asaba that 16 would have their service year extended for between two weeks and four months.

    He said the Corps were found wanting and had been reprimanded in accordance with the by-laws of the NYSC.

    Omotade, however, said that three Corps members who distinguished themselves in their primary places of assignment had been selected for recognition and awards.

    He said that two, who belonged to Stream 1 would receive the Chairman’s Award while one would be conferred with the state Honours Award during the 2017 Batch A Stream 11 passing out.

     

    Omotade, who said that the recognition and awards were in line with the policy of the scheme, also advised the corps members to go home and re-unite with their families after a meritorious service to the nation.

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa admonished the Corps members not to be deterred by security challenges and unemployment.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Youth Development, Oghenejaro Ilolo, the governor said that their participation and experience in the scheme were to equip them with the necessary skills and strategies for survival as adults in a competitive world.

    2,405 discharged in Kano

    In Kano, the NYSC lost one Corps member as 2,405 completed the service year, the state Coordinator, Baba Ladan, said yesterday.

    Ladan said Sani Kayode Mustapha died while serving at College of Legal Studies in Kano.

    Also, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, assured the NYSC management that the state government would continue to provide security to corps members in the state.

    Ladan also disclosed that out of the 2,405 Corps members expected to pass out yesterday, seven of them absconded and 17 were disciplined for various offences ranging from extension of service between two weeks to five months and outright repeat of service.

    He said: “During this service year, we lost one Sani Kayode Mustapha, a diligent young man serving at Aminu Kano School of Islamic and Legal Studies Kano.”

    The coordinator explained that two outstanding corps members were given letters of commendation, while three are to receive the state government awards for their contribution in various sections at their host community.

    The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba, urged the Corps members to be self-reliant, pointing out that the era of white collar job was over and that the government alone cannot provide jobs for the teeming masses, looking for opportunities.

    According to him, you have lived up to the objective of the scheme for national unity, integration and socio-economic development across the nation.

    Ganduje commended the various efforts of local government chairmen, heads of government establishment, corporate organisations, community leaders and individuals that have been supporting the scheme in the state.

    30 to repeat programme for abscondment in Ondo

     

    Thirty corps members, who observed the service year in Ondo, will have to repeat the programme for abscondment.

    The state Coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, said that 2,088 corps members successfully passed out, with three getting state awards for outstanding performance during the service year.

    Mrs. Akpabio said that 17 corps members got extension ranging from two weeks to three months for truancy and other offences.

    The coordinator said the offences were against the scheme’s rules and regulations.

    He said: “Permit me to stress that gone are the days of being expectant of a life-time job immediately after service. It is deception of oneself if you think along that line, it is better for you to brace up and think of what you can do yourself.

    “Do not align with people that put up attitude as if creative thinking and individual initiative ended with graduation, this is absolutely wrong.”

    In his remarks, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu congratulated the corps members for their successful service to their fatherland.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ifedayo Abegunde, the governor urged them to bring to bear in future endeavours, the knowledge acquired during the service year, for their self-dependence and societal growth.

     

  • Declaration pits Buhari’s men against opponents

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to seek re-election next year may have pitted his supporters against his political foes. ONYEDI OJIABOR and JOSEPH JIBUEZE report the positions of both camps on Buhari’s decision.

    MORE reactions yesterday trailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to vie again. The declaration, some said, saved the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from disintegration, said that it calmed fray nerves at the scheduled APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

    Others believe that the President broke an earlier promise that he would follow the Nelson Mandela by not seeking re-election.

     

    APC saved from

    disintegration, says senator

     

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee Chairman on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim, said declaration saved the All Progressives Congress (APC) from disintegration.

    The Katsina South senator said the President’s  announcement would go a long way in dousing what could have created an unmanageable crisis of confidence in the ruling party.

    Ibrahim told reporters in Abuja that he was “joyous, elated and delighted” at the decision of President Buhari to seek re-election.

    He added that “I think that it (seeking re-election) is also the right thing for him to do.”

    According to him, if the President had decided not to contest, “it would likely have led to the disintegration of the APC.

    “If Buhari decided not to contest, the NEC meeting would have ended up in combative situation. The meeting would have turned into explosive uncontrollable situation. Who will emerge as APC flag bearer: is it from the North or the South. It would have led a serious situation that would have been difficult to manage and control.

    “If Buhari decided not to contest, it would have created confusion. That declaration saved us that confusion. I am joyous.

    “There is no doubt that we are on the path of recovery in Nigeria. We are on the path of rebirth in Nigeria. If this gentleman continues for the next four years, Nigeria will be much better.”

    The senator noted that if Buhari decided not contest, it would have been difficult for the APC to get somebody as widely accepted as the President as the party’s flag bearer.

    Acknowledging that “there are pockets of problems here and there”, Ibrahim noted that Buhari had, to a large extent, dealt with Boko Haram insurgency.

    On his blueprint for Buhari if he is re-elected, Ibrahim said that he would still put more emphasis on security, especially internal security.

    He said: “Internal security is important. It means that the police must be rebuilt, given more funds and made viable to perform better. I will also put emphasis on the economy and infrastructure and investment.”

    To those criticizing President Buhari he said: “They should continue their criticism while we will continue to give them answers. That is the beauty of democracy.”

     

    Agbakoba: 2019 polls

    will be competitive

     

    ONE-TIME Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Olisa Agbakoba said the President’s declaration will trigger upsets in next years’ general elections.

    The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and leader of the National Intervention Movement (NIM), however, said the declaration was within Buhari’s constitutional rights.

    He told The Nation that with the declaration, the President had thrown the ball into the court of Nigerians for them to decide his fate.

    On what he thought about Buhari’s declaration, Agbakoba said: “It’s his constitutional entitlement but what really matters is whether this means he will be re-elected is an entirely different matter as this will be decided by Nigerians.”

    Agbakoba, a civil rights activist, said discussions were ongoing with a view to presenting a credible candidate who can match Buhari, predicting that next year’s general elections would be competitive.

    On whether there is a credible candidate who can successfully challenge Buhari, Agbakoba said: “That’s to be taken for granted. I am aware there are massive consultations and alignments underway throughout Nigeria and very credible candidates will emerge to make the elections competitive and with strong possibility for upsets across Nigeria.”

     

    ‘Decision good for Nigeria’

     

    Activist-lawyer Toluwani Adebiyi said Buhari’s decision to seek re-election was “good for Nigeria”.

    According to him, the President’s honesty and discipline stood him out as the best candidate, adding that a victory for the opposition party would take Nigeria backwards.

    Adebiyi said: “Buhari’s second coming is good for Nigeria. There are two things he possesses – discipline and honesty – rare qualities in present Nigeria Leaders. We need them and we will continue to need them.

    “No doubt he has made some economic restructuring and diversification, benefits of which may not manifest until later years.

    “Let him come back to reap and use what he had sowed and the looted money he had recovered for the betterment of Nigeria.

    “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) coming back will only be to re-loot and waste the recovered money. It will be a reign of revenge.

    “Honesty and discipline cannot be acquired; they are inborn. No PDP leader has such qualities. They will only take us back and down the drain in a despicable form that Nigeria may never find recovery.”

     

    It’s timely, worthy, says Ngige

     

    To Labour & Employment Minister Chris Ngige, President Buhari took a timely and worthy decision by declaring to run again.

    He said: “President Buhari’s declaration is a timely and worthy step in the right direction. We shall meet all letter writers and their cronies in the electoral battle fields’. God will bless Nigeria.”

     

    Obasanjo, IBB, others

    not God, says minister

     

    Communications Minister Adebayo Shittu said the stance of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and others would not affect President Buhari’s re-election bid.

    He urged supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not entertain fear that the former leaders may block Buhari’s chance of coming back.

    Shittu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that since the former Nigerian leaders “are not God, there should be no apprehension’’.

    In separate letters, Chief Obasanjo and Gen. Babangida, had advised the president not to run in the 2019 poll. They urged Nigerians to vote him out should he decide otherwise.

    But Shittu, who described Buhari’s declaration as a welcome development, said: “Who is OBJ? OBJ is not God. IBB is not God. Obasanjo was president here, he wanted a third term and he didn’t get it.

    “What Mr. President did yesterday (Monday), we had done that much back on his behalf; that is the Mohammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group.

    “So, what he did yesterday was just a follow-up to what we had done about three months ago. And I want to assure you is that by the grace of God, Mohammadu Buhari will become president the second time.”

    According to him, the president had distinguished himself as his achievement in three years had surpassed what the PDP did in 16 years.

    He said: “For instance in the area of job creation for youths, no government has ever in one day employed 200, 000 graduates. It has never happened but under Buhari’s N-Power, that happened.

    “Through this, he has provided jobs for 200, 000 families spread across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

    “The government is still processing the employment of 300, 000 more graduates to make it 500, 000, this has never happened.

    “In the areas of transport, works and housing, the last budget of the PDP government was less than N20 billion and most of these monies were stolen; diverted to private pockets.

    “In 2017 alone, the Buhari government spent N255 billion on those subject matters; transport, works and housing. So, how do you compare?”

    He said the government was building new roads across the Southeast states with $100 million dollars SUKUK loan and non-interest loan from Islamic Development Bank.

    “For the first time, government is building new railway from Lagos to Kano, from Kano to Maiduguri, from Maiduguri to Calabar and from Calabar to Lagos. So the records are there,” he said.

     

    Report on Buhari’s one-term

    presidency wrong, says Adesina

     

    Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina has described as a ‘misquote’ the report that President Muhammadu Buhari had pledged only one-term presidency and will never seek re-election in view of his age status.

    Adesina, who is the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, was reacting to a contributor on Channel television programme via Skype, on Tuesday.

    Yemi Akinbode, who contributed to the programme, said he was not surprised by the President’s declaration in spite of his pledge in 2014 not to seek re-election.

    Adesina said: “No, that’s misquote, he was never, never quoted that way. If there is anything on record like that is a misquote because I was with him in South Africa when that issue came when he said, oh, he wished he had become president at the time he was a military governor that he would have done a lot for Nigeria.

    “And the other happened in 2011. When he was running in 2011 he said, yes he would be a president for one term. But did he win in that year? No.

    “The victory came in 2015. So, that being quoted in 2011 is not applicable again because he did not win that year.’’

    Akinbode had said on the television programme: “It didn’t come as a surprise to me. We have seen indications that the president was going to run a long time ago.

    “The President in 2014 said that he was only going to run for one term because of his age.’’

    But the presidential aide maintained that it was not on record that Buhari had told the APC or any member of the party that he would do only one term in office.

    On the purported vote of no confidence allegedly passed on the President by Northern Elders Forum and the Council for Shariah, Adesina said the two groups had the constitutional right to support anybody vying for political office in the country.

    He cited an example of a former president of the country who equally failed to secure the votes in his state and region but ended up winning the presidential election twice.

    On whether the president had obtained the support of his doctors before making his declaration, Adesina said Buhari was a responsible man who would never go against the advice of his doctor.

    He said: “The President is a very responsible man. If there had been any warning, any red light from his doctor, you know, he wouldn’t have ventured into it, unless you are telling me there is something you know that I don’t know.

    “But I know the President, as a very, very responsible man. If there was any warning he wouldn’t do it.’’

    Adesina, who said that the President took him and other presidential aides unaware when he announced his intention to run for re-election next year.

    He said the president’s declaration was in reaction to appeals by millions of Nigerians.

    “Yes, there had been a lot of appeals. I have served in different meetings with different interest groups and all of them want him to run for second term in office.

    “And do you know that whenever the president reacted to these groups he would speak on all other points they raised except the issue of second term.

    “It has been like this in the past one year even before he went for medical vacation, these calls had started coming but Mr. President would not say a word and that reinforced my opinion that for him it was not a matter of do-or-die.

    “It is just a matter of serving the country and if he feels that he has done it with the best of his ability that is just it.’’

     

  • Like Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia …and now Sierra Leone

    The train, which took off in Nigeria with opposition candidate winning the presidential election, has berth in Ghana, Gambia and Liberia. Sierre Leone joined the league on Wednesday with opposition leader Julius Maada Bio being sworn in as president.

    Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off, which his opponent, Samura Kamara, vowed to contest the result.

    With this feat, Bio has joined a trend which started in Nigeria. Then opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The trend soon spread to Ghana. The Gambia and Liberia are also now in the hands of hithertho opposition parties.

    Bio, a former soldier who briefly led a military junta more than two decades ago, won 51.81 per cent of ballots in last month’s election, according to official results.

    He beat former ruling party candidate Kamara, who secured 48.19 per cent of the vote, ending a decade in power for Kamara’s All Peoples’ Congress (APC) in the poor West African nation.

    Cheers and songs erupted among thousands of supporters of Bio and his Sierra Leone People’s Party, who were gathered in the capital Freetown on Wednesday evening. Shortly after the announcement, Bio was sworn in as president, handed a symbolic command baton by the country’s top judge.

    The official results of the vote had been delayed by a dispute over the method of tallying that left ballot papers from 11,000 polling stations uncounted.

    The campaign was characterised by ugly verbal exchanges and sporadic violence with Bio accusing the APC of using police intimidation against his party.

    Police reported a string of attacks on candidates and supporters on both sides since the first round on March 7 – which Bio narrowly won – after which Kamara declared that “the safety and security of Sierra Leone is in our hands”.

    Bio, a straight-talking retired brigadier, has blasted the government’s closeness to China, while Kamara had presented himself as a continuity candidate.

     

    Observers ‘satisfied’

     

    Although international observers reported some “issues” during the March 31 second round that saw heightened security measures, the monitors declared themselves “satisfied” with the overall conduct of the poll.

    Earlier Wednesday, Kamara supporters marched in Freetown, tearing down Bio posters and alleging “foreign meddling” in the vote, an AFP reporter said. Security forces erected a cordon around Bio’s SLPP party headquarters, where hundreds of supporters had already begun celebrating victory ahead of the expected official results.

    A total of 3.1-million people were registered to vote in the first presidential poll since a 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak that killed 4 000 people. Kamara’s party’s term was also marred by a mudslide that struck Freetown last year, killing hundreds of people.

    One of the world’s poorest nations despite huge mineral and diamond deposits, Sierra Leone is recovering only gradually from war and disease. Its economy remains fragile, with corruption widespread in the former British colony.

    Political loyalties are often divided along ethnic lines and traumatic memories of the 1991-2002 civil war run deep.

     

    U.S. Embassy greets new president

     

    The U.S. Department of State congratulated the new President and Vice President of Sierra Leone.

    A statement by its embassy said: “The National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone has declared Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio and Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh of the Sierra Leone People’s Party the winners of the run-off election. As a longstanding friend, the United States congratulates the people of Serra Leone on their active and peaceful participation in the presidential elections held on March 31, which is a testament to the strength and resilience of Sierra Leone’s democracy. We look forward to working with President Julius Maada Bio to further strengthen our bilateral relationship.

    “We commend the National Electoral Commission for administering an orderly, well-managed process. We also recognise the important role Sierra Leone’s political parties and civil society organisations played in these elections, and we welcome the statements by international and domestic observer missions affirming the credibility of the election. Now is the time for all leaders to demonstrate their continued commitment to the constitution, Sierra Leone’s democratic institutions, and her people. “Finally, we would like to recognise President Ernest Bai Koroma for his commitment to an orderly and timely political transition.

    “We are committed to working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and we look forward to advancing our longstanding mutual interests in economic development, trade, health, and the strengthening of democratic institutions.”

     

    Losing party intends to

    challenge vote results

     

    But hopes for a smooth transition were soon thrown into doubt after Kamara said he was rejecting the National Election Commission’s results.

    “We dispute the results and we will take legal action to correct them,” Kamara said in a televised address, calling on his supporters to stay calm. The results, he added, “do not reflect the party’s many concerns about massive ballot box stuffing, supernumerary votes and other irregularities.”

    He said his APC party intends to take “appropriate legal action.”

    Any registered voter has seven days to petition the Supreme Court over the results.

     

    The man Julius Maada Bio

     

    Bio (born May 12, 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician and the fifth and current president of Sierra Leone since

    As the candidate of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party, Bio defeated Samura Kamara of the ruling All People’s Congress party in the runoff in the 2018 Sierra Leone presidential election. Bio succeeded Ernest Bai Koroma as president, who was constitutionally ineligible for the presidency because he had served the maximum two five year terms.

    Bio is a retired Brigadier in the Sierra Leone Military. He was the military Head of State of Sierra Leone from January 16, 1996 to March 29, 1996 under the National Provisional Ruling Council.

    He was the SLPP presidential candidate in the 2012 presidential election, having won the nomination at the July 31, 2011 SLPP national convention held at the Miatta Conference Hall in Freetown.

    Bio led a military coup in Sierra Leone on January 16, 1996, ousting his close friend and the leader of the NPRC junta government, Captain Valentine Strasser, following a division within senior members of the NPRC junta.

    In his first public speech after the coup, Bio justified his actions as a means to return Sierra Leone to a democratically elected civilian government and end the Sierra Leone civil war.

    He fulfilled his promise to return Sierra Leone to democracy; and he handed power to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP following the latter’s victory in the 1996 presidential election.

    After retiring from the military in 1996, Bio moved to the United States, where he earned a Masters Degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. He also served as the president of International Systems Science Corporation, a consulting and investment management firm based in the United States.

    He is an ethnic Sherbro and a native of Bonthe District in Southern Sierra Leone. Bio is a practicing Roman Catholic Christian. His wife Fatima is a practicing Muslim, and an ethnic Mandingo from Koidu, Kono District in eastern Sierra Leone.

     

  • Buhari congratulates Bio on victory

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Julius Maada Bio on his victory as the new President of Sierra Leone after the presidential election run-off on March 31.

    The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, hailed the people of Sierra Leone on the successful conduct of the presidential election run-off as well as the parliamentary and local council elections held on March 7.

    With the elections concluded and following the trend of recently held peaceful elections in West Africa, Buhari urged all stakeholders in Sierra Leone to work together for the country’s peace, security and growth.

    He enjoined those with grievances over the outcome of the elections to seek constitutional means of resolving them, stressing that nothing should be done to endanger the peace and stability of the country in particular and the sub-region in general.

    The Nigerian leader also saluted the resilient spirit of Sierra Leoneans, who have clearly demonstrated their ability to manage their own affairs and consolidate on the country’s progress after a post-conflict era.

    He hailed the immediate past president, Ernest Bai Koroma, for his commitment to a credible electoral process and spirited efforts at bringing stability and positive changes to the nation during his presidency.

    The President looks forward to working with President Bio for the growth, prosperity and stability of their nations, and West Africa.

     

  • Anti-Buhari campaign: Obasanjo under fire

    Like he did with his Special Statement in which he announced the formation of a third force – the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM), former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stirred a fresh controversy by campaigning against returning President Muhammadu Buhari to office next year, reports TONY AKOWE. 

    For the second time in two months, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stirred the hornets’ next with his scathing criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s style of administration.

    Those who reacted to the former leader’s latest outburst said he lacked the moral latitude demarket the Buhari administration.

    The former President was quoted as describing the Buhari government as a failure which should not be reinforced, but voted out of power.

    Obasanjo had knocked Buhari at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State while hosting a joint delegation of Nigeria Young Professional Forum (NYPF) and New Nigeria 2019 at the weekend.

    The former president called on Nigerians not to reinforce incompetence next year by voting out the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

    He described the current administration as a failed government judging by the results of the last three years and the numerous excuses of the government for its non-performance.

     

    Yesterday’s lawless leaders

    are Buhari’s critics, says Kalu

     

    Former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu berated the critics of the President, describing them as persons who never obeyed the law when they were in power.

    Faulting Buhari’s critics, he said notwithstanding the cynical and vitriolic attacks against him, the President deserves a second term in office to complete his good projects for Nigeria.

    He spoke yesterday during a visit to the Alake of Egba Land, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Kalu, who is the coordinator of National Movement for Re-election of Muhammadu Buhari, declared that the President has done well to merit another term of four years in office.

    The former governor’s comments came barely 24 hours after former President Obasanjo took a swipe at the Buhari-led government for allegedly being ineffective, incompetent and reeking of failure.

    According to him, Buhari has unfinished job to do and needs another tenure to complete it thoroughly.

    Kalu said: “The greatest challenge of our country is leaders not obeying the law. When they are leaders, they don’t want to obey the law; when they go out of leadership, they criticise everybody who wants to obey the law. This is the problem of the country.

    “We have had leaders who disobeyed every law of the land. We’ve also had leaders who were reckless when they were leaders and when they go out, they call people all kinds of name. We have also seen leaders that have never seen anything good in other people’s leadership, they only know about themselves.

    “So, we want to thank you for the support…I know you are close friend of President Muhammadu Buhari and I want you to maintain that friendship; don’t allow anybody to distract you whether people from here or from my area, stay in course.

    “President Buhari has not finished the job he came to do. If God gives him good health and long life, he has not finished. He has to go for another four years to be able to finish.

    “Despite people who are criticising and these people also took no criticism when they were in office. Despite the people who are writing letters; these people we also wrote letters to them, they didn’t reply to our own letters.”

    Kalu, who lauded his host for his sterling military career, numerous community services and contributions to nation-building, declared that  Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable.

    He urged the Alake and members of the Egba Traditional Council not to relent in their support for the president.

    Kalu said: “In any democracy, there must be people for and against. We are for Buhari, some people are against and we wish them well. And we want to thank you for the key role of peace that you and other traditional rulers have been playing. Nigeria unity is non-negotiable.

    “We are for oneness of this country, we are for leaders who are sincere to lead us well, we are for leaders who are equally committed to the rules and tenets of democracy, “ he said.

     

    Why Buhari deserves

    another term, by Alake

     

    In his remarks, Oba Gbadebo hailed the former Abia governor for his message of love and strong belief in Buhari’s capacity to deliver good governance for the country.

    The Alake described Kalu as a great and detribalised Nigerian, whose tenure as governor was marked with monumental development of the state.

    “As a key stakeholder of the Nigerian project, your patriotic contributions to nation-building are commendable.”

    The monarch, who noted that the nation’s Presidency remains the birthright of every Nigerian, promised to support Kalu whenever the nation beckons on him to contest as president.

    According to him, there is great hope for Nigeria when somebody from the Southeast could be mobilising support for a president who hails from the North.

    The Alake pointed out that giving Buhari a second term in office would enable him to consolidate on the achievements already recorded by the present administration.

    Said the monarch: “So, I am part of your team in campaigning that he be given a chance for another four years because those who made the tenure to be four by two know that while you are formulating your policies while you are thinking of what to do, you need time to now expect everything you have put in place in the first four years to germinate and to bring benefits to the people.

    “And we know what happens in Nigeria; there is always policy somersault. If a person goes after four years, virtually everything he has done will be turned over by whoever comes after; he won’t want the person that has come to get the credit for what he is going to sit upon. So, he would rather have it killed than to go ahead and implement.

    “So, as you are going around the country, we pray that God will be with you. That this effort you are putting in for the greatness of Nigeria, some other people will do the same thing for you because the headship and Presidency of this country is the birthright of every Nigerian and I pray that in your own time too, people will go round and solicit support for you. You have proved to be a great Nigerian totally devoid of tribal sentiment.”

     

    He’s speaking for himself,

    says APC NEC member

     

    A member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC), Alhaji Nasiru Danu, said Chief Obasanjo was not speaking the mind of Nigerians in his assessment of the performance of President Buhari.

    Danu told newsmen at the Abuja national headquarters of the APC that the former President was merely playing politics and should therefore not be taken seriously.

    He said the fomer President was however entitled to his opinion.

    His words: “The truth is that everybody can have his opinion on an issue, but to me, this is a successful administration. Buhari never promised to be a miracle worker. In three years, the success of this administration in the economy and security are obvious.

    “There is no nation that can progress or have meaningful development with the past levels of corruption. When somebody says he is a failure, failure in what? Are we talking about the railways connecting the country? The Port Harcourt – Maiduguri or Lagos-Kano rail line? The Mambilla project? Or the Second Niger Bridge, among others.

    “In security, compared to what we had before, there are improvements. Before Buhari, we were having attacks even in Abuja, not Maiduguri. But, you can see the successes clearly. This is an election year. People are entitled to their own opinion. Obasanjo is an elder statesman and he is entitled to his own opinion. That is not the opinion of Nigerians.”

     

    ANN backs ex-president

     

    But Obasanjo got an ally in the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) in the campaign against President Buhari.

    In a statement in Abuja by the Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT) Adekoya Adebola, the ANN corroborated the former president’s stance and called on Nigerians to ensure that next year’s presidential election is a test of competence and not sentiments or political blackmails typical of previous elections.

    Adebola said that despite the noise of economic and political progress being made by the ruling party, the economy was still struggling without a clear strategic direction by Buhari to revamp the ailing economy inherited from its predecessors.

    Adebola said in the statement: “The reality is, ‘how can we explain the continuous insecurity and the ravaging killer herdsmen?’ Even when the core of the government focus is to deliver security, but since inception of this administration, the country has witnessed more of security breaches and senseless killings in virtually every part of the country with no one apprehended, arrested or prosecuted.

    “How can we explain the failure in fight against corruption even when the reason Nigerians voted for this government was essentially because of the stealing that was going on in government? And right now, the same is the order of the day in the nose of the current government. Monies are swallowed by monkeys and snakes; questionable list of looters. The list can go on and on,” Adebola said.

    The chairman stated that in view of these blatant failures, therefore, Obasanjo’s assertion was not out of scope. He urged Nigerians to come out en masse in 2019 to vote out an incompetent APC and Buhari government.

     

    Obasanjo’s plot to discredit PDP

    will fail, says party chieftain

     

    A chieftain of the local chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alexander Mwolwus yesterday took on the former President, whom he accused of plotting to discredit the opposition party for his personal interest.

    But, Mwolwus, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Pankshin that Obasanjo’s pronouncement was “very unfortunate and selfish in nature’’.

    He described PDP’s apology to Nigerians through its National Chairman as “a right step in the right direction’’, saying, “only great men own up to their mistakes.

    “If PDP had apologised willfully, having owned up to its mistakes, I shouldn’t be castigated for that because every human organisation has its own limitations.

    “Even though OBJ’s plots to discredit PDP for his own political party, he seems to have missed it and not knowing what he is doing.

    “He is the most ungrateful Nigerian leader, who never knew how PDP was formed.

    “But all the same, his party will not be anywhere close to having the confidence of Nigerians if that is the way he wants to go drumming for support to it.

    “Obasanjo was never a member of the PDP but out of sheer pity and magnanimity, the party brought him out of prison and made him president on a platter of Gold.

    “We made him who he is today, yet, he has the guts to spit and shout against us.’’

    The PDP chieftain accused the ex-president of introducing corruption and corrutpting the National Assembly with his failed third-term ambition.

    He urged Nigerians not to be bothered by the game plans of the APC and Obasanjo, but should keep faith with the PDP, which he said had realised its mistakes and offering to give them a purposeful leadership in 2019.

     

    Nigerians’ destiny not in

    anybody’s hand, says Keyamo

     

    Human rights crusader and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Festus Keyamo said that those playing God in determining the tenant at the State House in Abuja, would be shocked next year.

    The lawyer said Nigerians will determine who leads them with their ballot.

    Keyamo said: “Since 1960, a few people have always determined who would govern all of us. They’re the ones now writing letters and inciting the people. Next year would be a defining moment as the people of this country will truly determine their own fate and put these self-conceited leaders to ultimate shame.

    Let’s remember that during d first four years of Obasanjo (1999-2003), he kept blaming the ‘rot’ the military left behind as the reason for his abysmal performance and begged Nigerians to be patient with him.”

     

    He’s part, parcel of the problem

     

    A former General Secretary of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Kayode Ogundamisi, accused Obasanjo of playing the Ostrich.

    He described as immoral for the former President to pretend as if he was not part of those who created the mess being cleared by the present administration.

    Ogundamisi said: “Obasanjo has a reputation as a rabble rouser. He loves attention and reads the mind of the Nigerians. He plays it just as he did during the civil war when the Biafran side had already been secured by Nigerian fighters. Obasanjo posed himself as an opportunist and claimed victory.

    “Over time in our history, Obasanjo has tried to play himself up as hero of the people when he is actually part and parcel of the problem. He is actually one of the problems because he gave the country a sick Yar’Adua and incompetent Jonathan that led us to an old Buhari who seems to be ineffective. Nigerians should be wary of this latter-day hero who should be dumped into the dustbin of history.

    “Yes, the Buhari government has not performed to expectations, but who is Obasanjo to tell us when he is part of the problem? What he is saying is not new. If Obasanjo is not happy, he would say it, especially when his interest is at play. As a kingmaker, he wants to be relevant. If attacking Buhari makes him relevant, he would ignore the positives of the Buhari government and emphasise on the negative.”

     

  • Testimonies, tributes for Tinubu at Colloquium

    Nigerians from all walks of Iife yesterday converged on Eko Hotel & Suites to celebrate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 66th birthday. A colloquium was organised to mark the occasion. RAYMOND MORDI and LEKE SALAUDEEN capture the event.

    The 10th edition of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium yesterday drew a galaxy of audience. At the Convention Centre venue of the intellectual discourse, organised to mark the 66th birthday of All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were politicians, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps, government functionaries and beneficiaries of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs), introduced by the APC-led Federal Government. The SIPs’ beneficiaries gave testimonies on how the scheme changed their fortunes. Many of the audience paid glowing tributes to the former Lagos State governor.

     

    He’s an exceptionally visionary

    politician, says Mohammed

     

    INFORMATION, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed yesterday described the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as “an exceptionally visionary politician who has invested in many people”.

    Speaking on how Tinubu had invested in people, the minister recalled how he made him Chief of Staff about 20 years back as Lagos governor.

    “Not being from Lagos state, many people found it strange for him to have made me his Chief of staff.

    “Today, I can say boldly that at least in the federal cabinet, we have those occupying positions who had served in his cabinet at one time or the other.

    “We have the Vice President, myself, the Minister of Power Works & Housing, Raji Fashola and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    “If you also look at governor in many states today, whether it is Osun or elsewhere, they had worked with him in one capacity or the other.

    The minister, who said he felt elated about the day, wished the celebrant a long life in the service of the nation and mankind.

     

    Lagos Speaker: his vision, ideas led to creation of modern Lagos

     

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa described the celebrator as the founder of modern Lagos.

    The pioneering efforts of the APC stalwart at raising the standard of governance in the state, have taken the Centre of Excellence to loftier heights.

    He said: “Asiwaju combines his vision, ideas and leadership qualities to laid a solid foundation for subsequent administrations after him to build on and the result is what we have today – a modern Lagos that is moving rapidly from a mega city to a smart city; the fourth biggest economy in Africa moving towards being the third biggest economy in the continent.

    “His vision gave us Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, who performed well as Governor of Lagos State and now the indefatigable Akinwunmi Ambode whose performance as Governor of Lagos State for just a little over three has made him the number one state Governor in Nigeria making Lagos the role model for its counterparts not only in Nigeria but in the entire continent of Africa.”

    According to him, “it is to credit of Asiwaju’s leadership quality and his ingenuity that gave him the courage that those who came after him will continue to build solid structure and the foundation he had laid.

    “Today, Asiwaju has written his name in gold and there is no doubt about the fact that Lagos history cannot be complete without Asiwaju, the architect and founder of modern Lagos.

    “On behalf of my colleagues at the Lagos State House of Assembly, I wish you more healthy years in the service of this great state and the country at large.”

     

    How social investment schemes impacted our lives, by beneficiaries

     

    IT was testimony time for some beneficiaries of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) introduced by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

    They took turns to give insight into what they have benefitted from the various schemes in the last two years.

    It was at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium with the theme: “Investing in People”, and anniversary of his 66th birthday at the Eko Hotel, Lagos

    One of them, nien-year-old Muhammad Anas Ishaq and a beneficiary of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, sent the audience roaring with laughter with his testimony.

    The primary school pupil from Tundun-Wada in Kaduna State recounted how he used to stay away from school but that the free meal provided by the authorities rekindled his interest in education.

    Ishaq said when he informed his friend who used to stay away from school, he too started coming to school regularly.

    He thanked the Buhari administration for the free-meal programme and urged the government to sustain the laudable programme.

    Mrs. Janet Ekerette Udoh, who supplies eggs for the implementation of the school feeding programme in Akwa Ibom State, said many farms are flourishing with increased employment capacity, because of the school feeding programme.

    Reliving the success story, she said the food items for the programme are sourced from the local communities where the institutions are domiciled.

    Similarly, Mrs. Rosemary John Ignatius, a food vendor, said many women, who hitherto had no bank accounts have imbibed the banking culture.

    Her words: “Since we started the programme, people who had nothing to do with banks in the past now visit them (financial institutions) every 10 days, to withdraw their earnings.”

    Mrs. Ignatius said she is glad to be part of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, because it has given her the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to her community and enhanced her business.

    The vendor, a caterer at Ikotidaha, Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, said that with her years of experience as a professional cook, she has been able to deliver well-cooked meals to the pupils promptly and efficiently.

    Mrs. Kehinde Awodele, a trader from Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, a beneficiary of the Federal Government’s N5,000 monthly Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCTP), said that through the scheme, she has been able to raise money to grow her business.

    The fish trader said that prior to the commencement of the CCTP, she and her household were struggling to make ends meet.

    But through the CCTP, where she receives N10, 000 every two months, Mrs. Awodele has been able to join a savings group in her community which has helped to save enough towards enhancing her business.

    The Minister of State, Budget & National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the Federal Government introduced the SIPs to tackle poverty and to ensure an equitable distribution of income among vulnerable groups, especially, women and children.

    According to her, 7.4 million Nigerians have benefitted from the (SIPs) and that another 7.5 million have benefitted indirectly.

    She listed indirectly the indirect beneficiaries as farmers, cooks and transporters.

    The Special Adviser to the President on SIPs, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, said the programmes target the youths and women, particularly, those living below the poverty line.

    She added that about 43 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line.

    Mrs. Uwais said about 300, 000 are currently benefitting from the CCTP and that their earnings are paid directly into their bank accounts.

    The roll call

    President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo, the host governor, Akinwumi Ambode, his wife, Bolanle, Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo State), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ibikunle Amosu (Ogun) Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Mohammed Bindow (Adamawa), Abdullahi Danguje (Kaduna), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) (Ondo) and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa).

    Hale and hearty, Tinubu entered the hall around 10.50, accompanied by his wife, Senator Oluremi. Before taking his seat, where the president later joined him, he went round the hall to exchange pleasantries with guests, including the APC Interim Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, former Chief of General Staff, Lt-Gen. Oladipo Diya, the Eleko of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akinolu, Dein Keagborkyzi of Agbor, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba AdedotunGbadebo, the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi, former Chairman of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP), Alhaji Yusuf Ali, former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba, his Ekiti State counterpart, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Ogbonaya Onu, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Abu Ibrahim, Senator Joel Ikenya, Senator James Akpanudoedehen, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, and Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

    Dignitaries at the historic event also included the Minister of Communication, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, eminent industrialists Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia, Oba Otudeko, Chief Kessington Adebutu, and Chief Rasak Okoya-Thomas; APC National Deputy Chairman Chief Segun Oni, APC National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Chief Pius Akinyelure, Lagos State APC Chairman Chief Oladele Ajomale, Senators Ben Bruce, Babajide Omoworare, Ganiyu Solomon, Ajayi Boroffice, Ayo Arise, Solomon Adeola, Prof. Itsey Sagay (SAN), one-time Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State Hon. Wale Edun, Prof, Ropo Sekoni, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) and Supo Sasore (SAN).

    The ceremony was also witnessed by Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan, Osun State Deputy Governor Titi Tomori-Laoye, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babashir Lawal, Secretary to Lagos State Government Mr. Tunji Bello, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Babfemi Ojudu, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, former military governor of Lagos State Brig-Gen. Raji Rasaki, former Lagos State Deputy Governors Olufemi Pefro, Abiodun Ogunleye and Mrs. Sarah Sosan; former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Yemi Ikuforiji, Chief Ologbotsere, Senator Tony Adefuye, House of Representatives members Nnana, Jide Jimoh, and Ayinla Yusuf; Princess Adenrele Ogunsanya, Chief Rabiu Oluwa, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, Hon. Olawale Oshun, Alhaji Suraj Ayilara, Hon. James Faleke, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu and other Lagos white cap chiefs, Chief Mutiu Are, former Police Inspector-General Musiliu Smith, Hon. Jayeola Ajatta, Dr. Wale Ahmed, Alhaji Ganiyu Badmus, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, Hon. Eshinlokun Sanni, Funso Olukoga, Apena kaoli Olusanya, Hon. Bashiru Bolarinwa, Dr. Bashiru Ajibola, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, Hon. Sunny Ajose, Mr. Dele Alake, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, Demola Sodiq, Dr. Yomi Finnih, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Chief. M.A. Taiwo, Hon.Bayo Adesanya, Hon. Jide Sanwo-Olu, Chief Olusola Oke (SAN), Hon[U1] . Bimbo Daramola, Prof. Pat Utomi, Brig-Gen. Elias Attu, Hon. Nasiru Aliko Koki, Chief Lanre Rasak, Southwest APC Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, Mrs. Toun Adediran, Toke Benson, Hon. Niyi Fabikun, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye, and Ikem Isiekwena, the master of the ceremony.