Kelechi Iheanacho led Leicester’s hunt for a spot in the champions league during last weekend’s 5-0 triumph over Sheffield United. Iheanacho was the star player during this game, recording his first hat trick in the EPL. This was the second hattrick for the Super Eagles striker, having scored three goals during ManCity’s 4-0 triumph over Aston Villa during their fourth-round FA Cup match in 2016.

Before Iheanacho’s incredible performance last weekend, several other Super Eagles players had recorded a hattrick at the world’s most famous football league. These players include:

Nwankwo Kanu

To the average Arsenal fan, King Kanu is not a player who will be forgotten any time soon. Kanu’s silky movements, deft touches, and killer goals for Arsenal made him exceptional, recording a great hattrick against Chelsea during the October 1999 London Derby.

Kanu’s hat trick helped the Gunners win the game against Chelsea, coming from two goals under, ending the game 2-3. His feat is even more impressive as he came in the game as a substitute and scored the three goals within 15 minutes.

Aiyegbeni Yakubu

For many punters at Betway and Super Eagles fans, Yakubu is among the players that evoke bitter-sweet memories. Yakubu recorded some incredible goals while with the Super Eagles, although most people will never forget that he missed a goal from six yards during their must-win Group B World Cup game against South Korea in 2010.

Regardless of his failure during the 2010 world cup game, Yakubu was loved by many sports betting fans who wager with betway as he was a goal machine in the EPL. Yakubu scored 119 goals while playing for seven different English clubs, with 96 of them recorded in the EPL. He also recorded hat tricks for Everton, Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, and Middlesbrough.

Osaze Odemwingie

While the former Stoke City and West Brom player wasn’t exactly prolific, he left fans with memorable goals. Odemwingie recorded 15 goals during his first season with West Brom, with his first hattrick coming in 2012 during a game against Wolves. Additionally, his 30 goals in 87 EPL appearances remain a club record.

Efan Ekoku

A Nigerian Super Eagles squad member that dominated the continent in the 1994 Nations Cup, Efan Ekoku was the first Nigerian player to record a hat-trick in the EPL. The former Nigerian International recorded this amazing feat in October 1993, after scoring four away goals for Norwich, helping them beat Everton 5-1 in Goodison Park.

By scoring the four goals, Ekoku became the first Premier League player to record over three goals in a single game. However, Ekoku never recorded a single goal in his brief career with the Super Eagles, despite recording 37 goals with Wimbledon.

Bottom Line

With Iheancho recording his first EPL hat trick last weekend, it’s evident that Nigeria still has many talents. The country has produced celebrated EPL players like Jay-Jay Okocha, Joseph Yolo, and Finidi George, to name a few. However, not many are in the same class as Iheanacho, having recorded an EPL hattrick.

By Aaron Adeyemi

TODAY, Nigeria is home to a whole lot of foreign nationals from different parts of the world who are in the country to execute one mission or the other, including diplomatic and foreign relations staff of other nations, aids workers from the various international organizations, as well as tourists both domestic and business among others.

Nigeria at the present is facing an existential threat to her national stability and this no doubt has continued to send rather disturbing signals to the global community, especially to the friends of the country in the areas of business, economy, and foreign relations.

The recent heightened security situation in Nigeria is a major source of concern to every right-thinking individual and government all over the world. From the daily accounts of an orgy of violence being unleashed on the country and her citizens as well as her visitors, as well as the gory spectacles they are confronted with on a daily basis, the country appears to be under siege as people are being killed at close intervals. This precarious security situation in Africa’s largest economy has continued to heighten doubts for the home government of nationals of other countries of the world domiciled in Nigeria, in terms of the safety of their citizens and that of their investments in Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, largely thanks to its production levels of oil and gas, which are also the highest in the continent. Over the last ten years, the country has enjoyed conservatively average GDP growth and has been the biggest beneficiary of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa.

With a lot to gain from FDI, Nigeria cannot continue to toy with the safety of foreign nationals which can adversely affect the requisite FDI flow into the country. It is a fact that foreign investment has a lot to offer in promoting the country’s economy through infrastructure development and revenue generation. More importantly, it has encouraged exports of local products, which has brought about further investment in the country. According to the UNCTAD 2020 World Investment Report, FDI flows to Nigeria totaled USD 3.3 billion in 2019, showing a 48.5% decrease compared to the previous year (USD 6.4 billion in 2018) under the effects of austerity measures. The total stock of FDI was estimated at USD 98.6 billion in 2019.

It is therefore, preposterous for Nigeria to continue to toy with the handling of her foreign relationship by not doing enough to safeguard the lives of foreign nationals in her domain. Nigeria has a lot to gain from ensuring the safety and continued stay of nationals of foreign countries, especially from her key trading partners.

For instance, it is on record that Nigeria has witnessed cases of kidnapping of Chinese workers more than any other citizens of other countries in Nigeria. Whereas it is the usual practice for developed countries to quickly evacuate their nationals from countries experiencing insecurity challenges like Nigeria is experiencing it now. What has been however observed is the fact that the Chinese for instance for reasons best known to them have always remained no matter the situation. This perhaps shows how much they cherished their relationship with Nigeria, and it will be appropriate for Nigeria to handle the insecurity situation quickly to assure the foreign nationals, especially the Chinese, who have been buffeted by the activities of the armed bandits repeatedly. There is no gainsaying the fact that the staying back of such countries serves as a sign of the belief that Nigeria will overcome her challenges and come out stronger and firm. Therefore, it is important that the Nigerian government as the host takes urgent actions to address the spate of insecurity and not let down her allies at a time like this. From the foregoing, the federal government should take steps to engage the diplomatic community in the country. The state governments should also engage the different foreign communities in their respective states to further give mutual assurances on safety. The simple truth is that Nigeria cannot afford to disintegrate. Nigeria is central to maintaining stability and peace in Africa. It is therefore expedient for the government of the day to find lasting solutions to the worrying insecurity situation by exploring all means possible to guarantee the safety of her citizens and that of the foreign nationals domiciled in the country.

This trying period no doubt calls for global solidarity and an urgent reawakening on the part of the Nigerian government to continue to tie all the loose ends in bringing about sanity to the already battered security situation in order to give reassurance to the international communities that, all is and would be well. Going forward, the decision of the Nigerian government to seek foreign help towards bringing a halt to the issue of criminality and insurgency is after all a welcome development and efforts should be sustained in that regard.

Also, the call in many quarters on the need for the Nigerian government to urgently consider a review of her security architecture in order to quickly arrest the situation before it further degenerates into a crisis of an unimaginable proportion is not misplaced or mischievous as there is the need for a robust plan of action to bring the situation permanently under calm and restore peace and tranquility.

Furthermore, the decision of the Nigerian authorities to establish the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons as part of the ongoing restructuring of the nation’s security architecture to address emerging threats and strengthen the regional mechanism for the control, prevention, and regulation of small arms is very much apt and timely. It is only advised that such an establishment should be made to live up to its billings. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons has resulted in unimaginable cases of terrorism, human trafficking, organized crimes, and all forms of insurrections. It is hoped that the development will go a long way in addressing the prevailing situation and help to bring the situation under control. May the peace and orderliness of the Nigerian nation continue to wax stronger.

Amber Drinks Ltd has announced the continuation of its empowerment program designed to empower unemployed Nigerians, retailers, startups and students.

Since its formal launch in 2020, its purpose has been to make life easier for Nigerians on their journey to being their own boss, and this time they are set to empower even more. The empowerment training program created to help the beneficiaries which kicked off since last year has empowered over a thousand beneficiaries in the ‘Start-up loan’ program.

Speaking on the purpose of the continuation of the Amber Drinks Empowerment Program, the General Manager, Amber Drinks Ltd, Lola Adedeji, stated,

“The continuous rise in unemployment due to the global pandemic has made it imperative for us as a brand  to continue the empowerment programme. Amber Drinks Ltd is giving Nigerians an opportunity to become business owners, and will always look out for ways and avenues to make them grow these businesses thereby being their own BOSS”.

With a below-market interest rate of 5% flat, the Start-up Loan still offers the beneficiaries N100,000 worth of Amber Energy Drinks and a 4 months repayment plan with the first 30days interest-free.

To join the Amber Drinks Empowerment Program, interested persons must apply online, log onto www.amberenergydrink.com/empowerment and follow through the prompts OR contact the empowerment team via telephone on (+234) 0811 700 0847. Successful applicants would be invited for a short training and onboarding session which takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Amber Drinks Ltd has been focused on improving the lives of Nigerians through its empowerment program. Follow @drinkamber on all social media platforms to learn more about the brand.

By Capt. Marvin Abe

With the Nigerian oil and gas industry facing an uncertain future – erratic oil price fluctuations and the advancement of possible, more eco-friendly sources of energy – the time for policy makers to pay attention to other sectors of the Nigerian economy is long overdue. The Maritime Industry is one of the sectors with the potential for unprecedented success in terms of revenue generation, employment opportunities and economic expansion with barely a quarter of this potential being currently harnessed.

Once upon a time, the Nigerian Maritime Industry was poised for great global economic impact; we had the largest fleet in the African waters and must have been a source of envy to other African states. But all of that changed with poor management and the emergence of successive governments; each one armed with poorly-thought out policies that crippled the industry and plunged it into a deep dark decline. This decline cut across all the government agencies in the industry.

However, a ray of hope shone through and the Maritime Industry began to witness visible changes when, about five years ago, Hadiza Bala Usman was appointed by the President as the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority. Everyone held their breath, expecting the ‘same old same old’. Soon enough Ms. Usman proved everyone wrong and she did so admirably, to those of us that longed for such a positive change!

It is no secret that a lot of government-owned establishments are akin to Lagos market places where it is a free-for-all affair, or dirty roadside cafeterias rank with the lingering smell of food and characterised by a tinge of abandonment: broken windows, doors, office tables and chairs and non-existent or dilapidated office equipment. One of the first things the new NPA boss did upon the commencement of her tenure, was to sanitise the NPA headquarters building in Marina. She had the entire structure redesigned and fitted with aesthetics befitting of a respected government-owned organisation, immediately setting it apart from its sister agencies – first things first! Offices were equipped, order restored, and merit driven performance management systems introduced to improve employee and organisational capability & productivity.

This new environment birthed a sense of pride among industry experts, a sense of ownership, and rekindled the desire to perform. Following the renovation of the complex, Ms Usman’s administration immediately embarked on the most impactful Human Resource Reform in NPA history within its first 18 months: massive promotion of staff, review of salary structures in an effort to correct inherent anomalies in the organisation, better conditions of service, upward review of pensions/gratuity as well as terminal benefits for staff.

Although the ports were concessioned since 2006, no one looked at the agreement which should have been reviewed biennially. In order to ensure transparency and due process, Hadiza Bala Usman solicited the assistance of the World Bank in establishing a standard template for assessment of the performance of both the NPA and respective terminal operators which is now in place.

She has created a level playing field for all terminal operators by removing bottlenecks that hinder healthy competition in the industry. An example is the de-classification of some ports as strictly oil and gas.

For a nation’s ports to function optimally, it needs to have navigable waters, deep enough for large vessels to transit. For many years, only vessels of a limited size could come into our shores because our waters weren’t deep enough. What this meant was that shippers brought their goods in smaller vessels, which also meant that they couldn’t take advantage of economies of scale, and so shipping and landing costs to Nigeria were higher, and invariably retail costs were higher too. Ms. Usman’s administration tackled this problem head-on. The NPA commenced the dredging of the waters at the Lagos channel and ports and continually maintains them to this day, keeping them in constant depth and navigable state. While not in its direct purview, the NPA acquired 4 patrol boats for the Marine police to enhance security at the ports, and soon after, her team constructed a standard marine simulation centre – a facility where NPA pilots will undertake training which hitherto was carried out in Antwerp, Belgium thereby saving the country millions of dollars.

It may come as a surprise to non-industry experts to learn that in the last thirty years, the Nigerian Ports Authority could not boast of owning operational tugboats or pilot cutters at any of its ports – essential equipment that makeup a functional port. Under Hadiza’s leadership, the NPA acquired and commissioned 4 new tugboats for Lagos pilotage districts, thereby raising the bar to those obtainable in developed economies.

As an indirect approach to addressing the Apapa gridlock and incentivized ship calls to the Eastern ports (Delta, Calabar and Port Harcourt) her management approved a 10% rebate on ship dues to vessels calling at those ports, and further deployed tug boats, pilot cutters and initiated dredging works of those channels to ensure safety of navigation.

It is worthy of note that in this month of May 2021, a vessel belonging to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), berthed at the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne and offloaded 1,297 containers, whao!

According to the words of the Managing Director of the terminal, “It has been a pleasure to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority to realise this project. Berths 9-11 had been languishing, lying virtually unused for the last decade. Now, in partnership with NPA, we are bringing the area to life, adding capacity and competition to Onne Port. This is sorely needed as the port is currently experiencing acute congestion with respect to container traffic”.

Concerned with the advancement and expansion of the Maritime Industry, the Nigerian Ports Authority under Ms. Usman’s leadership have completed remedial dredging works at the Escravos access channel as well as the concession of Terminal B of the Warri Old Port, a project initiated at the beginning of her term. This will increase the inflow of ocean-going vessels into Delta Ports and also impact positively on the socio-economic development of the area with respect to increased trade and commerce, and employment opportunities.

For the Hadiza led administration team, revenue generation, accountability and transparency has been their key features as exemplified in the NPA being the first MDA to open its budget to the public with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with BudgIT Open Budget System Platform and Implementation of a Public Data Dissemination programme. Under this administration the tariff regime of the Authority has been published on their website for the whole world to see. A Revenue Invoice Management System aimed at improving service offering, partner relationships, creating an efficient payment method, maximizing revenue and eradicating loss associated with fraud and revenue leakage was also launched.

Let us also not forget that NPA under Hadiza’s leadership signed an MOU with FMWH for the reconstruction of the Port access road and contributed the sum of 1.829 Billion Naira to ensure it was actualized. That singular effort resolved the major bottleneck to the Apapa gridlock.

Poised to serve clients efficiently now and in the foreseeable future, Hadiza Bala Usman has achieved in five years what several others couldn’t in thirty years.

Like the balance found in all great and natural things, there has also been a human side to the NPA’s growth under her leadership. For the first time in the NPA, a commendation dinner was held in honour of retiring senior leaders (GMs and Asst. GMs) in recognition of their years in service. The Long service award was re-introduced while a merit award for deserving employees was also introduced, a crèche was also established at the Lagos Ports Complex, so nursing mothers and fathers can have their children close by, helping them focus on their work, for longer.

Following the wisdom that health is wealth, this management has renovated and equipped the Bode Thomas Sports ground, reintroduced the Nigerian Ports Sports Association Games (NIPOSA), encourages a compulsory one day fitness day exercise and has purchased ambulances for all its port locations.

There has also been recruitment of staff to replace the aging workforce. After decades of poor management, it is safe to say that the industry finally got something right for the first time, by bringing in the right person for the job.

However, following the announcement of the presidential spokesperson on the 6th of May 2021, regarding the suspension and investigation of Ms. Usman’s management of the NPA, I fear that all of the progress made so far in the Maritime Industry and the endless possibilities of what could be, are about to be derailed, yet again.

With the commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), we have been offered yet another opportunity to grow economically and to reclaim our spot as the giant of Africa. But this will be achieved only through grit and by placing love for country above all else. Already, a lot of foreign companies are moving to Africa to take advantage of the emergence of this new trade deal. In positioning ourselves for this opportunity, we need to take a step back to fix our national image, and we can achieve this by portraying a nation strong on its merits, its love and respect for excellence and above all, a nation that uplifts and celebrates its successes and innovation wherever it is found.

The endless list of this management’s accomplishments is testament to hard work, service, and dedication. But even in excellence, sometimes we make mistakes, and if there is anything I know, it is that mistakes are only a proof of our humanity. No one throws away a baby alongside the bath water.

However the ongoing investigations on the person of Ms. Usman turn out, it must be said that her time so far as NPA boss has engineered numerous reforms that have brought about an increase in revenue to the economy and foreshadows a bright future for the Maritime Industry!

I have been in the industry for over thirty-five years, long enough to know that if we lose this trajectory by truncating the course which Ms. Usman has already charted, the industry is likely to suffer stagnation and serious setbacks, as few have shown this level of dedication and consistency to our beloved industry and country. We should also remember that we now live in a global village with the rest of the world bearing witness to our every move.

“I am disheartened to hear about the suspension of Nigerian Ports Authority MD, Hadiza Bala Usman, who I have known to be an accomplished leader and dedicated public servant. I urge adherence to the rule of law and fair and equal treatment as the situation evolves,” says former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her twitter post of 15 May 2021.

In the interest of saving our maritime industry and ultimately saving our economy, key actors and policy makers should recognise the impact of their actions and decisions on the bigger picture. Sadly, most of the policy makers are not industry players and may not really understand what is at stake. We are the labourers, we face the obstacles caused by inconsistent policies that are never right, policies that continue to stifle the industry. We know what happens here, but our voices are never loud enough. So we are ignored.

This is how to kill an industry in Nigeria – force feed it poor policies until it chokes and then kneel on the neck of its progenitor.

By Bolanle Akinwunmi

No doubt, Nigerian women, if given the opportunity in any field of human endeavors, always proved to be excellent achievers. With hard work and diligence, Nigerian women have come of age, marching side by side their male counterparts. It is on record that the few women given the chance to lead have not disappointed.

It was based on this supportive role that women have cultivated to encourage one another that the coalition of professional women group from different fields and modes in the transportation and maritime industry called HBU Group have extolled the exemplary leadership qualities of Hadiza Bala Usman, as the first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The group in solidarity has commended the tremendous achievements Hadiza Bala Usman recorded in the office which has serve as a role model to women in leadership positions in the country. The group noted that if more women are given the chance to lead, they will perform excellently well.

Enumerating the giant strides Hadiza Bala Usma has achieved in office, the professional women group said it has become imperative to showcase what Hadiza Usman was able to achieve in her years in office as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Here are some of the numerous achievements she has recorded in office in the last four years: As the first female Managing Director of NPA, she ensured the very first creche in Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was established at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) Apapa. She also achieved the commissioning of the Command & Control, Communication and Intelligence Centre for NPA. This will serve as surveillance of all activities and as an information network centre for security agencies in the ports. Launching of the provisional, final billing and customer portal module of Revenue Invoice Management System (RIMS) aimed at improving the service offering, partners relationship, create an efficient payment method, maximize revenue and eradicate loss associated with fraud and revenue leakages. She also acquired and commissioned four new tug boats namely, MT Daura, MT Ubima, MT Uromi and MT Majiya in order to further improve operational efficiency.

Others are establishment and entrenchment of a level playing field for all operators in the port industry by removing all bottlenecks that hinder healthy competition in the industry. An example is the de-classification of port terminals which has removed the categorization of some ports as strictly oil and gas. To ensure transparency and accountability, NPA became the first MDA to open its budget to the public with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Budget System platform and implementation of a public data dissemination programme.

Hadiza Bala Usman, in her quest for excellence, also ushered in the introduction of a new licensing regime to ensure transparency and due process. She also reviewed the concession agreements to ensure seamless collaboration for the sustained development of the maritime industry.

To key the organization into the diversification of the economy to non-oil exports, the NPA under her watch developed an SOP and established a dedicated terminal to handle exports aimed at diversifying the economy and improving earnings. The dedicated terminals include Ikorodu Lighter Terminal for Lagos State, Shoreline Logistics Terminal for Calabar Port in Cross River State, BUA Ports and Terminal (warehouse measuring 2.896sqm) and Port and Terminal Operators Limited (warehouse measuring 2.760sqm) for Rivers Port in Rivers State.

To make sure ports access roads are motorable and accessible, NPA accomplished and signed an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the reconstruction of the port access road in the Apapa Port area of Lagos State. The project cost was put at N4.34 billion, out of which Nigerian Ports Authority contributed N1.829 billion.

Hadiza Bala Usman’s management team also initiated the collaboration of the NPA with other agencies of government for the smooth running of the ports system. Such was the collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to introduce the much-awaited National Single Window (NSW) platform aimed at simplifying and harmonizing formalities, procedures and the related exchange of information and documents between various parties in the supply chain.

The various reforms carried out by Baa Usman has ignited the restoration of investors’ confidence in the port industry, notably the China Harbour Engineering Company taking up the balance of NPA’s equity in the Lekki Deep Seaport project; DP World signing a partnership agreement with Josepdam Port Services and the Tanger Med of Morocco indicating willingness to develop a Green Field terminal logistic base in Nigeria, among others. For smooth and efficient management of humans and material resources at the NPA, the Hadiza Usman-led management carried out a major restructuring which led to the realignment of the authority’s organizational structure to reduce cost and efficiency of business processes. The introduction of merit- driven performance management system to improve employees and organizational productivity and transformation of the authority’s manpower development practices to improve the skill, knowledge and capacity of employees, was also a success.

For stakeholders’ and port users’ convenience, the agency publishes its tariff regime on its website for the whole world to see in line with the vision of transparency and accountability. The establishment and commissioning of the Safety information & Operations Center at Apapa Port for the prompt dissemination of information to port users as part of the ongoing effort to improving port efficiency was also achieve during her tenure.

In an effort to improve ship traffic at the Eastern ports – Delta, Calabar and Port Harcourt – Hadiza’s management team deployed tug boats, pilot cutters and initiated dredging works of the port channels. The successful berthing of FPSO Egina project is an attestation of the constant infrastructural and operational preparedness of the Nigerian Ports Authority to serve clients efficiently now and in the foreseeable future.

Another milestone recorded in the NPA under Hadiza Bala Usman was the constant engagement of stakeholders by the management on quarterly basis, which has resulted in industrial harmony.

She has also commenced the construction and equipping of a simulation center to enhance the training of NPA marine pilots for improved and world-class navigation.

The Hadiza Usman management team also completed the remedial dredging works at Escravos access channel. This will increase the inflow of ocean-going vessels into Delta Ports, which will also impact positively on the socio-economic development of the area with respect to increased trade and commerce.

Hadiza Bala Usman was born on 2nd January 1976 in Zaria Kaduna State, Nigeria. She started her education at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Staff Primary School and went ahead to complete both her secondary and undergraduate studies at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, attaining a B.Sc. in Business Administration in 2000. She later obtained a Masters’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom in 2009.

Hadiza Bala Usman started her working career as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training (CEDDERT) Zaria, a non-governmental organization in June 1999 until June 2000 before joining the Bureau Of Public Enterprises (BPE) where she served as an Enterprise Officer from July 2000 to August 2004. She was then hired by the UNDP for the Federal Capital Territory Administration [FCTA] from October 2004 -January 2008 as a Special Assistant to the Minister on Project Implementation. From 2011 to July 2015, she worked as Director of Strategy of Good Governance Group, a non-governmental organisation.

As a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), she served in various committees, key amongst them as a member of the APC Strategy Committee from January 2014-December 2014. The committee defined the policy thrust of the party and consequently developed the party’s manifesto. She also served as a
Member/Secretary of the APC National Elections Planning Committee from June 2014–April 2015. The committee developed and coordinated the party’s election-winning strategies.

The hardworking Hadiza also served as the Administrative Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee from January 2015–April 2015; and Member of the Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee representing the incoming administration from April –May 2015.

In September 2015, she was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to serve as a Member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption. In April 2014, she co-founded the global movement #BringBackOurGirls, which has been demanding the rescue of the 219 young girls abducted by the terrorist group Boko Haram from Chibok Secondary School in Borno State, North-East Nigeria in 2014.

In July 2015, she was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufia, a position she held until her appointment as the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority on July 11, 2016.

Hadiza Bala Usman’s significant contribution to the development of Nigeria has not gone unnoticed. In 2014, she was named among the Most Influential Women in Nigeria by Financial Times. She was also named amongst CNN’s Most Inspiring Women of 2014 and also named by Ebony Magazine amongst the 100 Most Influential Black Women in the World.

Hadiza Bala Usman served as Vice-Chairperson of the Facilitation Committee (FAL) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) from 2019-2020. She has indeed been a great inspiration to Nigerian women.

 

Bolanle Akinwunmi writes from Lagos.

By High Chief Owolabi Salis

We have a big problem to solve as many regions are agitating for secession. The objective of this campaign is to stress the importance of Nigeria staying together as a country within our diversity. We just have to in the interest of the black race. Nigeria as the 7th most populous country in the world needed to be together in the interest of our black brothers distributed across the globe.

I am speaking from experience having lived in the United States (a collation center for races of this world) for over 20 years and travelled to several countries across the planet earth in my study of the relative conditions of blacks in this world. We have no option than to stay together; the hope for the black race in political and socio-economic growth rests here in Nigeria. This campaign is titled: ‘African Action Alliance’ otherwise called Advance Action Alliance which is a One Nigeria Project to promote Nigeria unity and development that will ultimately advance the interests of all Africans across the corners of the world. Africans cannot continue to be slaves and the oppressed.

The situation is so bad in Nigeria now that states are now deporting Nigerians not from their state to their states of origin. This is a development in the North which should not be. Lagos did it before to the Igbo which was an unfortunate event. I am sad to note this. The feds need to intervene against the development and outlaw the deportations. We are all Nigerians.

There will always be discrimination; we just need to put measures in place to minimize it. If we decide we should be broken into the suggested 6 geopolitical zones because the 6 zones are big enough to stand as a country; there will still be agitations in the zones because some ethnic groups will still feel marginalized. Besides, breaking up Nigeria is not good for black race because every race in the world has a major high populated country that speaks for the race. Nigeria represents the high populated country for the black race. This is my findings.

I am a researcher in diversity issues. Many countries in this world have different diverse groups. Nigeria is a diverse country of about 250 ethnic groups. In Nigeria, we have practised parliamentary, military and now presidential systems. A diversity intelligence study of Nigeria shows Nigeria is a country shaped by ethnicity and religion. Many countries that have poorly managed their diversity have fought or are fighting civil wars.

War can be devastating and is nothing to hope for; if you don’t believe this, look at the experience in former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Rwanda, Libya, Syria, Iraq to mention a few. Technically, the wars have begun in Nigeria; the Boko Haram, the Bandits, the Herdsman-Farmers, Islamic State of West Africa, Shiite-Government Crises, the Middle Belt Crises, the new Biafra Agitation, Niger Delta Crises, Amotekun and so on. All these are no jokes to those who are nationalistic of Nigeria. It has been reported that many lives have been lost in Nigeria than any country in the world, even more than countries in declared hostility. Killing of human beings means nothing to so many in Nigeria now.

Why is that? This is a technical war. I was in a seminar about 20 years ago in New York when Nigeria was predicted to go the way of former Yugoslavia, a country that broke up to several pieces. We are probably lucky with the 1967-70 civil war that came early in Nigeria before modern sophistication; war now will be hell but then we need to address the push factors. We are also lucky that Nigeria has been mature in managing challenging crises but many are worried about recent developments. Contrary to the popular belief, Nigeria is well formed and balanced if the diversity is well managed.

For a good system of government, there must be proportional opportunities for all diverse interests within the country.

Diversity can sometimes be a problem for democracy particularly when it forms unequal diversity ratio. For simple example, a country with 2 ethnic groups A and B. A with 60% population and B with 40% and operating a presidential or parliamentary system will create poor balance against the minority 40%. A will always produce the leader because of majority sentiment. In rare cases, B may produce the leader at the mercy of A or if controlling the institution of control. The 40% is zero under the presidential and parliamentary system when it comes to producing the leader based on majority votes. To achieve proportional opportunity, we have to breakdown the diversities into a common factor, say 5 so that: A= 1/5+1/5+1/5 and B= 1/5+1/5. We will now use the common factor (5) for comparison. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many presidential and parliamentary systems.

Currently Nigeria practices the presidential system which has presented a lot of challenges including:

1. Ethnic, religious and other race based crises including the dreaded Boko Haram, Jos Crisis, IPOB, Niger Delta Crisis among others.
2. Marginalization and political domination. Those presumed marginalized in the present system are the North East, the Middle Belt, the northern Christians, the southern Muslims, the South South, the South East, and the minorities.
3. The force and domination of the incumbent in elections and running state affairs. People hardly challenge the incumbent. It is a sycophantic or parasitic system.
4. Party imposition and impunity depriving competition and the best for the country. Many party leaders care less about Nigeria but their selfish and group interests.
5. Creating disregard for equity and loss of confidence in the system by the populace and many others.
6. Inability of Nigerians to live freely without fear in any state of their choice except some few states like Lagos.
7. Fraud, rigging, rituals, violence and deception. Also, politically induced killings and monetization of votes.
8. Bad campaigns, unattainable promises and damaging vote negotiations. Candidates being held ransom
9. Clash of political personalities and rival parties. Too many lawsuits and bribery of electoral umpires. There are many qualified personalities in Nigeria. The present system closed opportunities against them. How do we open opportunities for them?
10. Excessive political tension and destructive criticism. Leaders are forced to manage crises throughout their tenure rather than concentrate on development issues.
11. Engaging in human rights abuses and disregard for the less privileged

The parliamentary and the presidential systems are not able to solve the above problems but rather create more. The system we operate now is that the more crises you are able to create and distribute the more political relevance you enjoy. The question is: can we have a novel system that can address all of the above problems at the same time. I mean a peace building system?. Yes.

No country achieves its full potential where certain citizens are treated as second class. Such treatment promotes hate among citizens. There are also crises when it comes to sharing resources; peace may only be achieved when equity is followed.

I am a Nigerian and I want to remain a Nigerian. The expiring generation and the expired generations of Nigerians have enjoyed one Nigeria. The developing and coming generations of Nigerians are also entitled to enjoy one Nigeria and it is our duty as current generation and governments to preserve one Nigeria for them.

We have to stay together because we are stronger together and represent the hope for black race. For us to stay together in peace and with love, we have to reform or restructure to create proportional opportunities for all diverse groups within the country. The system we currently practice does not give hope to the minorities even though they are stakeholders in the Nigeria project. If the minorities can form a solid block, which is unlikely, then Nigeria is balanced. We, however, need a system that will address all the challenges above.

One best solution is to practice a form of democracy called “Equitocracy”, an equity based system that helps to reduce and or eliminate all the above vices at the same time. It is also called “diversity based democracy”. With this system, Nigeria will assume the name Federal Equity Republic of Nigeria or Equity Republic of Nigeria.

The steps involved in the creation of equity republic include:

1. Conduct an objective country study of the differences or diversities existing among the people in the political entity. This is called diversity intelligence.
2. Note the weights of the differences or diversities and allocate ratios accordingly for evaluation. This is called diversity ratio allocation creating diversity zones.
3. Determine the candidates or vote propensities or choices or the number of ratio representatives to be evaluated at every ratio points. Is it one in two options or one in three or one in four et cetera? This is an area for creating political opportunities or wider competition that relaxes or flexes political tension.
4. Determine the evaluators- either general covering all the people or close using delegates.
5. Invest or inter/intra vote the ratios in one another linking it to the choices under an objective evaluation to determine which of the ratios is best valued.

There are so many variations of the equity design but I am going to discuss the one based on state diversity because among the past efforts in managing our diversity is the creation of states and geopolitical zones. This campaign is therefore discussing both substantive and procedural issues in strengthening Nigeria diverse groups.

This one will discuss the election of the President or Governor-General, assuming we want to have a separate world identity of calling our president, Governor-General.

We have 36 states in Nigeria. For clear understanding, we are going to make 36 assumptions based on the best three parties that are recognized from the states. The first assumption is to ask Abia State to present to Nigerians three candidates from their State that are competent to rule Nigeria. These candidates from Abia State will be evaluated state by state by the 36 states. Let us take these candidates parties to be A, B and C. The people of Lagos State may prefer C to others (say 30:20:50 in %) while the people of Sokoto State may prefer A (say 60:30:10 in %). In this case, C won the point of Lagos State while A won the point of Sokoto State. Other states’ votes in the federation will also be analyzed in the same manner for the candidates from Abia State. The candidate with the highest states points will be the winner from Abia State. 36 states points will have to be won which may be won as follows: 25:4:7. In this assumption, A wins 25 states, B wins 4 states and C wins 7 states. A is therefore the overall winner from Abia.

In the same manner, other states in the federation will be asked to present three candidates to Nigerians for evaluation and votes. The candidate A from Lagos State may have won as follows: 36:0:0 while the candidate B from Kano State may have won as follows: 0:35:1 and so on for other states.

All the candidates from the states that won with the highest states points will be collated into an Equity Council and the one among them that won with the most states points will be the President or the Governor-General. If there is a tie of highest states points, the one that won with most states points and votes will be the President or the Governor-General. If there is a tie of highest states points and general votes which is highly unlikely, there will be a general election for the tied candidates. All the other winners will be Governors in their respective states and the runner up to the Governor-General or President will be Governor in the affected state. In this case, all Nigerians are involved in the election of the Governors and the Governor-General. This is governed by Equity Rules that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands and among equal equities, the strongest is the law. To be elected as a member of the Equity Council, you have to be a lover of Nigeria or be seen to be so; you have to campaign with clean minds.

The above arrangement can be designed into one ballot paper to make it easy for voting as follows:

 

	States	A	B	C
	Abia
	Adamawa
	Akwa Ibom
	Anambra
	Bauchi
	Bayelsa
	Benue
	Borno
	Cross River
	Delta
	Ebonyi
	Ekiti
	Enugu
	Gombe
	Imo
	Jigawa
	Kaduna
	Kano
	Katsina
	Kebbi

 

 

 

	Kogi
	Kwara
	Lagos
	Nasarawa
	Niger
	Ogun
	Ondo
	Osun
	Oyo
	Plateau
	Rivers
	Sokoto
	Taraba
	Yobe
	Zamfara

 

Advantages – How does the equity system address the above problems militating against Nigeria?

1. The President or Governor-General can emerge from any state and there will be no ethnic tension because all ethnic groups are relevant and participating. Terrorism, banditry, gangsterism, agitations and all other vices that have political undertone will die down automatically.
2. There will be no marginalization and political domination. As earlier said, all ethnic groups are relevant and participating proportionally. The chances of North West producing the President or Governor General is 7/36, South West is 6/36, North East is 6/36, North Central is 6/36, South South is 6/36 and South East is 5/36. The zones that are hopeless because of marginalization and domination under the presidential system are now hopeful.
3. There will be no force and or domination of the incumbent in elections because the incumbent is retired to his or her state. Rules may need to be introduced however to empower incumbent to some extent in order to ensure some reasonable submission.
4. There can never be party imposition and impunity. Political competition will be at its best and the best will start emerging for the country. The system kills selfishness.
5. Equity and love will be enshrined promoting confidence and trust in the system by the populace.
6. Nigerians will be able to live freely in any state of their choice because all Nigerians are involved in electing all Governors. Governors are then likely to make policies to promote national unity in their various states.
7. There will be no need for fraud, rigging, rituals, violence, political deception, politically induced killings and monetization of votes. The system neutralizes all these vices. You have to come to equity with clean hands.
8. Of course, there will be no need for bad campaigns, unattainable promises and damaging vote negotiations. No candidate can be held ransom. These vices are neutralized.
9. There is no need for clash of political personalities and rival parties. Lawsuits and bribery of electoral umpires will be reduced if not eliminated. Opportunities are now open for qualified personalities in Nigeria. The present system closed opportunities against them.
10. There will be no excessive political tension and destructive criticism as present in our presidential system. Leaders will now be focused on advancing the interest of the people rather than on managing crises throughout their tenure as common in our presidential system.
11. There will be little or no human rights abuses and disregard for the less privileged
12. There will be political cooperation among Nigerian personalities because you need cooperation to win other states points.
13. There will be no rigging because to rig, you need assistance from the people of other states and if they give you the assistance, they will be rigging themselves out. All the problems above are eliminated or reduced.

In some states, there are certain ethnic groups that cannot even produce the Governor or local government chairman even though they are stakeholders. The above arrangement can be adopted for the States Governors and the Senate and even refined further to address fully the problems of our diversity. This arrangement technically addressed all the above problems in our political system. Voting can be done through the delegate system or general.

The disadvantage of voting solely on states basis is that it does not eliminate religious sentiments and Nigeria diversity is shaped by ethnic and religious sentiments. My opinion is that if we adopt the states based system, after some time, the religious sentiments will be disbarred in the minds of the people.

However, homogeneous grouping based on the existing six geopolitical zones with reference to religion may try to eliminate religious sentiments.

Geopolitical Zones	Code	Diversity        Ratios Allocation	Assume     Religious Ratio (M:C)
South West	SW	4	50:50
South South	SS	4	20:80
South East	SE	4	20:80
North West	NW	4	85:15
North Central	NC	4	55:45
North East	NE	4	75:25
Total Diversity Zones		24

 

Note: The religious ratios are assumptions only. The diversity zones are classified below:

Description of diversity zones	Code
South West Muslims 1	SWM1
South West Muslims 2	SWM2
South West Christians 1	SWC1
South West Christians 2	SWC2
South South Muslims 1	SSM1
South South Christians 1	SSC1
South South Christians 2	SSC2
South South Christians 3	SSC3
South East Muslims 1	SEM1
South East Christians 1	SEC1
South East Christians 2	SEC2
South East Christians 3	SEC3
North West Muslims 1	NWM1

 

North West Muslims 2	NWM2
North West Muslims 3	NWM3
North West Christians 1	NWC1
North Central Muslims 1	NCM1
North Central Muslims 2	NCM2
North Central Christians 1	NCC1
North Central Christians 2	NCC2
North East Muslims 1	NEM1
North East Muslims 2	NEM2
North East Muslims3	NEM3
North East Christians1	NEC1

 

Note contestants under the codes described above are now of homogeneous characteristics. Next is the design of the ballot paper assuming three political parties.

		Parties
Description of diversity zones	Code	A	B	C
South West Muslims 1	SWM1
South West Muslims 2	SWM2
South West Christians 1	SWC1
South West Christians 2	SWC2
South South Muslims 1	SSM1
South South Christians 1	SSC1
South South Christians 2	SSC2
South South Christians 3	SSC3
South East Muslims 1	SEM1
South East Christians 1	SEC1
South East Christians 2	SEC2
South East Christians 3	SEC3
North West Muslims 1	NWM1
North West Muslims 2	NWM2
North West Muslims 3	NWM3
North West Christians 1	NWC1
North Central Muslims 1	NCM1
North Central Muslims 2	NCM2
North Central Christians 1	NCC1
North Central Christians 2	NCC2
North East Muslims 1	NEM1
North East Muslims 2	NEM2
North East Muslims3	NEM3
North East Christians1	NEC1

After forming the system, it is advisable to have a Commander-in-Chief, C-in-C, supervisor for some time for the system to gain the people’s confidence. A modified system may also be practiced whereby there is head of government and ceremonial head of state and C-in-C. The head of government may be done through the Equity System while the C-in-C may be done through the general voting. After some time, the two can be merged.

Coalitions for Change.

The writer has identified the following coalitions among others that can make the change for better Nigeria possible under the equity system.

1. Coalition of present and past heads of state
2. Coalition of the present and past Governors
3. Coalition of distinguished members of the National Assembly
4. Coalition of distinguished members of the State Assemblies
5. Coalition of the Counselors and the Local Government Chairmen

As commonly said, Nigeria belongs to nobody; it belongs to every Nigerians. Peace be on all.

About the writer – A mini

Name and Education: High Chief Owolabi Salis, B.Sc., M.Sc., FCA., ACIB, LL.B., B.L., NY JD bar.

Nonprofit: Researcher Professor, Equity Union (an international non-for-profit research/development based organization focusing on novel ideas)

Project: African Action Alliance also known as Advance Action Alliance – One Nigeria Project.

Job: Self Employed New York based attorney and Financial Consultant. Top 100 attorneys USA, 2020. Top Attorneys, North East, 2018, 2019, 2020.

Alumni

Ahmadu Bello University

University of Lagos. Distinguished Fellow 50th anniversary.

National Cultural Titles Akinyegun of Owu Kingdom, Ogun Obong Adaha Uyo, Akwa Ibom Ofure of Esanland, Edo

Magayaki Giade, Bauchi Gburugburu Etitti Mgboko Abia Jagun Bashorun of Ibadan Land, Oyo Olori Eyo Agere of Lagos

Apashe Igede Ekiti

Politics

Section Speaker on Democratic Reform in Nigeria, Nigeria meets the world 2007. Aspirant, Lagos Governorship, PDP, 2007, 2010

Aspirant, National Secretary, PDP Candidate, AD, Lagos Governorship, 2019

Contacts

Nigeria: 1 Owolabi Salis Crescent, Oke Alo, Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria. US: 1179 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213. USA

Tel: +19174030566, +2348125119333

Email: nigequity@gmail.com WhatsApp: +19174030566 (Preferred)

Discussion of Diversity Based Democracy – New York, September 25, 2007 Present: Ambassador Walter Carrington, former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Bolaji Akinyemi, Olisa Agbakoba, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, Ambassador Emeka Anyaoku, Former CJN Mohamme Uwais. New York, New York. 2007.

My name is RTD Major/Gen.A.O.Aladeniyi. The journey of my diabetes started on a terrific Tuesday morning. I received an emergency call from my superior officer to attend a security briefing in Abuja the next morning which is Tuesday. I woke up early to catch up with the early morning flight; that 45 minutes journey was the beginning of my predicament.

I visited the rest room 5 times which became very embarrassing. Ultimately I knew something was wrong and as I put a call through to my doctor, I was advised to immediately go to hospital.

Immediately I managed to finish my meeting which was another embarrassing moment, I checked into our base hospital where a comprehensive checkup was conducted on me and it was discovered that I had diabetes and my sugar level was 385mg. I was admitted and placed on insulin. That was how the journey started and it has been a terrific one – injecting myself everyday with dosage of insulin.

The situation got worsened when I had a wound on my leg which later became sore. At a point, my leg was considered to be amputated but I refused blatantly and I travelled to India, Saudi Arabia and UK, but all to no avail. The predicament led to my early retirement from the Military.

MY ENCOUNTER WITH NKHAMBI

My Childhood friend Charles was in the know of my ordeal with diabetes. He called me one fateful day and informed me about what he saw on the page of a Newspaper concerning diabetes and sent a number to call but I didn’t bother till about a week later when my nurse came to the house for the routine treatment of my leg.

Reluctantly I put a call through and explained my predicament to the fellow who assured me that I will be well and the sore will heal up.

I was told that I will use the medication for 6 months for total cure, but within 2 months the sore will heal up. He sounded very convincing. So I ordered for 2 months’ treatment. The first thing I noticed when I commenced the medication was that it helped to free my bowel and anytime I visited to toilet, what comes out of me was unexplainable.

After 3 weeks on the medication, the sore was drying up and my nurse was also shocked – all other symptoms like my blurry vision and tingling sensations on my feet were subsiding. But what shocked me to the marrow was that within 7 weeks of administering NKHAMBI the SORE totally healed up and my sugar came down to 115 – 120mg.

I ordered for the complete dosage as advised, and after 4 months I started eating what I desired without restriction and all symptoms of diabetes had vanished; no more fluctuation of blood sugar.

Now I am well and healthy after 18 years of battling diabetes which almost claim my leg. Thanks to NKHAMBI and I recommend it for anybody having any type of DIABETES.

ABOUT NKHAMBI 

NKHAMBI is a composition of carefully selected herbs across three (3) continents and is formulated into capsules under highly hygienic condition. This medication helps to rejuvenate the cells in the Pancreas that produces insulin in the body. Human bodies uses insulin to take the sugar from carbohydrates we eat and convert to energy that the body requires.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

•TRIGONELLA FEONUM-GRAECUM
•GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE
•PANAX SPP
•CINNAMOMUM CASSIA VERUM

 DIABETES INDICATION

•Frequent Urination
•Blurry Vision
•Weight loss
•Numb and Tingly of Feet or Hands
•Thirstiness and Hunger

Thou there are cases when a chronic increases in blood sugar for a while may not have such typical for diabetes manifestation but early detection and treatment is always advised.

•FOR ORDER PLACEMENT OF THIS DRUG: Call 09053333458 OR 07037318531

 

WhatsApp: +2347037318531

Make payment to account details

1020932254

A&B HERBAL ENTERPRISES. 

UBA 

 

Huawei has launched its Next-Generation Mini Grid “iPowerCube-S” solution to provide reliable, green, affordable power supply for people’s livelihoods and production in areas without main power connection or unstable power supply. This iPowerCube-S is a distributed power solution that integrates solar, grid, diesel generator and battery storage. It features one-stop delivery, fast deployment, and optimal LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity).

The launch conference, which held in Abuja, Nigeria at the Huawei office, on the 21st of April, 2021 was witnessed on-site by the representative of the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Ahmad Salihijo, in person of the Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Dr. Sanusi Ohiare, the MD/CEO, Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects Limited, Engr Ifeanyi Orajaka, the Chief Growth Officer, Havenhill Synergy Limited, Mr. Oluwatobi Soyombo, and the Huawei Nigeria Enterprise Business Managing Director, Mr. Michael Zhuang. Online attendees included the CEO, Solar Centric Technologies Limited, Adetunji Iromini and many solar developers and End-users.

At the launch, Havenhill Synergy Limited, one of Nigeria’s Top solar developers, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited for the Huawei Mini-grid Solution to be adopted in its Phase 1 mini-grid project covering 22 sites to provide reliable power supply for more than 70,000 people in remote areas and improve the living conditions of the locals.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Michael Zhuang, Huawei Nigeria Enterprise Business Managing Director, stated that “Huawei has continuously supported Nigeria to improve the electricity access rate for remote area and reduce the electricity cost for commercial & Industry customers in Nigeria. In 2015, Huawei donated Nigeria’s first Mini Grid power station to the Ministry of Electricity, which is still providing stable electricity to local residents in Shimankar community of Plateau State.”

He added that “Huawei partnered with Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects Limited, one of Nigeria’s top developers, to build a 234KW Mini Grid Power station to provide reliable electricity to 1,972 Households, 273 Commercial Users, 5 Productive Users and 19 Public Users in the community to improve the socio-economic life of the community.”

Engr. Ifeanyi acknowledged that high level investment in Research & Development and innovation is the bedrock of Huawei’s success story so far. He went on to inform the audience that GVE in partnership with Huawei installed the single largest minigrid plant presently in Nigeria at Shimankar village in Plateau state with a total capacity of 334kW. He stated that “before the commencement of this project, GVE called for solutions from major OEMS with key emphasis on solutions that meets the following requirements – Scalabilty, modularity in design and fast deployment. After much review the Huawei solution fulfilled all these requirements.”

“GVE is quite satisfied with the performance of the Huawei PowerCube 5000 system deployed at Shimankar village and are quite willing to enagage with Huawei for other upcoming projects. We call for more collaboration with Huawei in the area of capacity development for their teeming Engineers and technicians. Once again we congratulate Hauwei for the successful launch of this next generation mini-grid solution.” Engr. Ifeanyi added.

Speaking on behalf of the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Ahmad Salihijo, the Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Dr. Sanusi Ohiare stated that “This is a timely development for the Renewable Energy Industry and the Power sector at large as this aligns very much with the renewable energy efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria, being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). In the past, Huawei Technologies have delivered mini-grid products & solutions ranging from Modular Inverters, Lithium Ion Batteries & Network Monitoring systems for some of our programs like the REF 1 call and Performance Based Grants.”

“The match towards total digital transformation of industries globally has given rise to innovative initiatives. We believe this innovative product launch by Huawei will provide an open platform to discuss how advanced digital technology and management can help lower the cost of investments in the renewable energy space by our teeming developers and partners, which will give rise to lower tariffs and quality of service. We therefore look forward to a more fruitful collaboration with Huawei as a leading global ICT solutions provider in providing more efficient and cost effective solutions for the industry which aligns with your vision of – From Green Power Generation to Efficient Power Consumption, Leading Energy Digitalization for a Smart and Sustainable World.” Dr. Sanusi added.

Speaking about Huawei’s contribution to the Commercial & Industrial (C&I), Mr. Michael Zhuang stated that “Huawei Smart Inverter is used in the Jabi Lake Mall 609KW Solar Hybrid project, which is the first solar powered shopping mall in Nigeria. The project also won the C&I Project of the Year 2020 from Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA). The roof PV plant generates approximately 850 MWh green and economic power per year to cut electricity costs. This also cuts Jabi Lake Mall’s reliance on polluting diesel generators and will reduce carbon emissions by over 13,000 tones.”

Speaking about Huawei’s contribution to the Commercial & Industrial (C&I), Mr. Michael Zhuang stated that “Huawei Smart Inverter is used in the Jabi Lake Mall 609KW Solar Hybrid project, which is the first solar powered shopping mall in Nigeria. The project also won the C&I Project of the Year 2020 from Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA). The roof PV plant generates approximately 850 MWh green and economic power per year to cut electricity costs. This also cuts Jabi Lake Mall’s reliance on polluting diesel generators and will reduce carbon emissions by over 13,000 tones.”

Mr. Adetunji Iromini, CEO, Solar Centric Technologies Limited, who attended online, congratulated Huawei for “getting deeply involved in proffering solutions for the electricity access challenge in Nigeria.”

“Our experience with Huawei shows a company which delivers value and guarantee comfort for the customers. We consider the followings as what distinguishes Huawei from others – Top notch delivery capabilities, Readiness, support and customization of solutions. The iPoweCube-S is set to change the market dynamics by driving down the cost of investments and tariff. We look forward to cracking the residential market space with this new solution. We congratulate Huawei once again for the successful launch of this solution.” Mr. Adetunji added.

Mr. Michael stated that “in the future, Huawei will continue to innovate and cooperate openly. Huawei aims to become the most trusted solar power solution provider in Nigeria. Huawei is not only focused on providing high quality and best LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity) solution. As a Fortune Global 500 company (we presently rank 49th), with our continuous presence both globally and in Nigeria, Huawei will also provide the effective project delivery support, capacity development and top notch operation & maintenance support services to the developers and end-users. Huawei’s ultimate vision is to bring reliable, green and affordable power to every industry, organization, and home, to bridge the electricity divide.”

The Huawei Mini Grid Solution iPowerCube-S launch event was put together by the Energy Business Unit of Huawei Enterprise Business Group. For further enquires please contact – Sam Orji, samuel.orji1@huawei.com and Ray Wangkai, wangkai21@huawei.com

At a global level, the percentage of people with access to electricity has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, but there are still deficits, according to statistics over 940 million do not have access to electricity. For example, in Nigeria, 80 million people still live in areas without power supply from the grid. Even in areas with the grid, the power supply stability is poor, and the power shortage problem persists, affecting the normal life of residents and restricting the development of local industrial and commercial economies. To solve the power supply problem, gasoline and diesel generators are widely used in the local area, which has caused high electricity cost and environmental pollution.

Huawei iPowerCube-S intelligent Minigrid solution consists of the PV generation system, lithium battery energy storage system, efficient conversion system, and intelligent monitoring system. It uses power electronics, digital sensing, and intelligent collaboration technologies to implement efficient conversion between solar power generation systems and lithium battery intelligent energy storage systems. Compared with traditional solutions, the iPowerCube-S features one-stop solution, simplified deployment, reliable operation, and intelligent O&M. Full outdoor design, building-free, shortening the deployment period by more than 75%. It features a Modular Design, flexible capacity expansion, Lithium-ion battery, longer lifetime, best TCO, Intelligent Multi-energy, AI Scheduling to Maximizes Power Efficiency, and Intelligent Remote Monitor System, Onsite Inspection Reduce 75%. With the innovation technologies, the cost of photovoltaic power generation continues to decrease. Photovoltaic (PV) has been proved to be a better alternative power supply than gasoline and diesel generators, to implement low-cost, green, and inclusive power supply.

Huawei has continued to increase its research and development in off-grid scenarios to continuously improve product reliability and reduce LCOE (Levelized cost of electricity) of Mini-grid solution in Nigeria. It is believed that this effort will support Nigeria to increase its electricity access rate and reduce the electricity cost for residents and Commercial & Industrial (C&I) customers in Nigeria. Huawei String Inverter has the leading market share in the last six consecutive years, with a total shipment of 130 GW.

In the past years, cryptocurrencies have taken a prominent place in the global financial landscape. Ever since Bitcoin was created in 2009, all cryptocurrencies’ global market capitalization has grown above $1.5 trillion and it keeps growing rapidly. Although cryptocurrencies are still not a legal tender in many countries, the rapid rise in their value has contributed to their growing popularity and increasing adoption among the populace as a medium of exchange and a store of value.

Nigeria has witnessed incredible growth in the acceptance of cryptocurrency in the past couple of years. According to data from leading exchanges, the total volume of cryptocurrency trades was put at $400 million in 2020. This implies that a lot of Nigerians are increasingly willing to buy bitcoin and invest in cryptocurrency.

However, crypto growth in the country is being threatened. Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a directive prohibiting banks and other financial institutions from facilitating crypto transactions. It further instructed these bodies to identify individuals or organizations making cryptocurrency transactions and close their accounts with immediate effect. It also threatens that entities that go against the circular will face serious regulatory actions.

Unsurprisingly, the ban raised major concern amongst the public. Many were concerned about the potential negative effect it could have on the country’s booming crypto market.

Read about what’s in store for Crypto investors after the crypto ban in Nigeria.

Why has the CBN banned cryptocurrency?

In a later press release, the Central Bank of Nigeria put forward some interesting points to defend its decision. It says cryptocurrencies are not legal tender as they are issued by unregulated and unlicensed bodies. It also pointed out that the anonymity surrounding cryptocurrency makes it susceptible to illicit use and other financial crimes.

CBN also mentions the extreme volatility of some cryptocurrencies and has made them widely used as speculative assets rather than as a means of payment. It warns that if these platforms should collapse, people risk losing their money without any legal redress.

However, closer scrutiny of the stated reasons will reveal the flaws in the judgment. To point this out, it is important to first understand the reasons that have contributed to the growth of cryptocurrency in the country.

 

Why have Nigerians embraced the use of cryptocurrency?

According to statistics, Nigeria is Africa’s largest P2P crypto market and 3rd in the world. Last year, there was a 30 percent increase in crypto trading in the country. Beyond the flexibility and speculative benefits that crypto offers, several other reasons have led to its rapid growth in the country.

One main reason is the strict foreign exchange policy of the Central Bank. Another is the high charges when transferring money in and out of the country. To avoid this, Nigerians use cryptocurrencies to transfer money as it offers an efficient means to bypass the forex restrictions and with reduced charges. Also, last year, Naira was devalued twice by CBN. The decline in Naira value has led Nigerians to use crypto as an alternative to grow and protect their businesses against currency devaluation.

Why the crypto ban seem baseless

In defending its position, CBN says the speculative and anonymous nature of cryptocurrency has made it a tool for illicit crime activities such as terrorism financing, tax evasion, and money laundering.

However, quick research shows that financial crimes have been existing in the country before the emergence of cryptocurrency. Additionally, fiat currencies remain the most frequently used form of committing financial crimes. According to an excerpt from Chainalysis 2021 report, about 2.1% of all cryptocurrency transactions in 2019 were illicit. These numbers further fell to 0.34% in 2020. This is far lesser when put side by side to the numbers from fiat currencies. According to the UN, 5% of the global GDP is in direct use for illicit activities.