The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sunday magazine

  • Convoy culture: The world over

    Convoy culture: The world over

    THE sudden death of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and popular award-winning novelist, Professor Festus Iyayi, in an auto crash involving the convoy of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State, last Tuesday has sparked wide condemnation for the recklessness associated with the drivers of public office holders, with growing demand that the Kogi State Government be sued for the tragedy.

    According to reports, Iyayi was killed instantly when one of the governor’s pilot cars tried to overtake a truck and rammed into the vehicle conveying him and other union executives to Kano.

    And as the anger generated by his untimely demise continue to rage, a number of questions are begging for immediate answers. One of such is the issue of who is really liable for deaths and other occurrences as a result of convoy crashes?

    Is it the government, governor or the driver? There are other suggestions that the officers in charge of protocol in the organisation involved should be called to question. There are mentions of the immunity being enjoyed by some government officials and how that prevents any liability on their parts.

    Issues are also being raised about what could be the real reasons why convoy drivers engage in neck breaking speeds. Questions about whether such convoy drivers are not expected to obey speed limit regulations are also rife.

     

    Why convoy drivers speed excessively

    Between 2010 and 2013, about ten convoys belonging to state governors have been involved in fatal crashes leading to loss of lives and properties. While last Tuesday’s convoy crash in Kogi that claimes the life of Professor Iyayi is the latest, the crash involving the convoy of Governor Adams Oshiomhole along Auchi-Warrake Road in Etsako Local Government area of Edo state, where three journalists died, is still very fresh in our minds.

    Other convoy crashes that are still in our minds include the crash involving

    the convoy of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, the crash involving the convoy of Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan on the Asaba Ughelli expressway and the crash involving the convoy of Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu.

    The bus carrying the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP supporters lost control while on speed. The victims were among the advance team to the area where the governor was scheduled to inaugurate a clinic as part of his state-wide campaign for second term in office.

    Others include the crash involving the convoy of Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, in which his Aide De Camp and four others lost their lives.

    Giving an insight into why convoy drivers over-speed, a transport expert, Chief Olu Lekomo, said arrogance and overzealousness on the part of the convoy drivers and protocol officials attached to public officials should be blamed.

    Lekomo, a former Director in the Federal Ministry of Transportation, while speaking with The Nation, lamented that the convoys of public officers, especially governors, take delight in intimidating other road users by setting out to intentionally drive recklessly.

    “With annoying blaring of sirens, reckless maneuvering of their fast moving vehicles and other flagrant violation of traffic rules without due concern for other road users, these convoy drivers display deep rooted arrogance and overzealousness that have become part of convoy driving in this part of the world.

    “Bad as it is, this culture of arrogance on the part of drivers attached to public officials has been with us for decades now. It is some form of arrogance fueled by naked power and the desire to intimidate.

    “I may want to add here that we inherited this from the military. It is not just about the drivers, the protocol and security details attached to the officials also share the same mentality of brutish arrogance when on the road. It is as if they see themselves as the lords of the road whenever they are in a convoy.”

    While calling on concerned agencies to immediately set out to impress it upon convoy drivers and other officials attached to public officers that they are not lords of the road, Lekomo recounted how security details of a governor physically assaulted a road user for refusing to be intimidated out of the road by their convoy.

    “It was in Lagos on February 10, 2008 that the convoy of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State rammed into the car of a woman who was with her two children. Afterwards, security details in the convoy assaulted her physically and further damaged the vehicle accusing her of failing to halt completely to allow the convoy to pass.

    Similarly, Jonas Agwu of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) accused convoy drivers of flagrantly abusing regulations guiding the use of the road. He would want them to stop seeing themselves as being above the law.

    “Convoy drivers are not special species of drivers to have a different speed limit; they are to comply with the national road traffic regulations provided for. It is clear; the maximum speed for any private vehicle on Nigeria roads is 100 kilometre per hour while commercial vehicles are 90 kilometres per hour which convoy drivers often flagrantly abuse. They are not expected to run more than 100 kilometres per hour, convoy or no convoy, they are to comply with the traffic regulations.

    “They should also obey and operate under the ambit of the law. Whenever you see multiple crashes involving convoy drivers, it is because of excessive speeding”, Agu explained.

    But aside the arrogance on the part of the drivers themselves, it has also been established that some governors sometimes compel their drivers and security details to violate speed limits and undermine safety.

    A recent report compiled by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) after a round of trainings organised for hundreds of governors’ drivers across the nation, submitted that on many occasions, executives have been known to urge their drivers to move at frightening speeds.

    According to some of the drivers who participated in the training, due to everyday struggles to keep with schedules or skirt exigencies, the governors encourage over speeding, and sometimes assume the wheels themselves under an apparently unfit state of mind.

    “Many complained of being forced to work under unsafe conditions and hours. Some of the drivers claimed they were usually forced to drive above the stipulated speed limits to catch up appointments and that safety was not always the major concern of their principals.

    “In virtually all the states, provisions were not made for rest rooms for the drivers where they can refresh themselves while on duty in their primary offices as well as out stations, the report adds.

    “There were no safety managers in the convoys’ pool to ensure pre-trip, vehicle, driver and the route assessments as prescribed in the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme (RTSSS).

    “The drivers themselves are randomly selected with no guidelines of processes stated for their appointment.

    “While majority of the drivers were employed with Ordinary National Diploma, Senior Secondary School Certificate, and Training Test, some got the job without any qualification at all.

    “In written test, out of the 604 that enrolled, only 72 scored A while 137 recorded B and 207, C. Eleven earned E while 20 failed,” the FRSC said in its report.

    Agu, who said that where violations were confirmed, irrespective of those involved, there would be penalties, warned convoy drivers to be mindful of how they move on the road.

    “It’s the same law for everybody; it does not matter whether it is a governor’s convoy. For driving without adhering to the rules, there will be sanctions.”

     

    Convoy crashes: Who is liable?

    Going by his recent actions and utterances, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana argues that should a convoy crash and lead to loss of lives, the public official who owns the convoy should be liable.

    Falana, a SAN, who stated that Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, should be held responsible for the killing of the former ASUU president, Prof Festus Iyayi, explained that the governor would be vicariously liable for the criminal negligence of his driver who killed the erudite professor.

    “Governor Wada should bear responsibility for the tragic road accident that claimed the precious life of Professor Iyayi. The FRSC should henceforth monitor Governor Wada’s movements to prevent him from killing more people on our bad roads. The speed limit imposed on all drivers should apply to all citizens alike,” Falana argued.

    And perhaps as an answer to the question of immunity being enjoyed by the governor, Falana said the driver who drove the vehicle that killed the professor should be immediately arrested and tried for manslaughter.

    “In particular, drivers of governors who commit traffic offences must be brought to book. In this case, Governor Wada is vicariously liable for the criminal negligence of his driver who killed Festus.

    “The Kogi State government should be made to pay huge compensation to ASUU and the family of Professor Iyayi. Governor Wada’s drivers who killed his ADC last year and Professor Iyayi yesterday should be arrested and prosecuted for manslaughter. Unlike their boss they are not immune from prosecution for criminal offences,” he said.

    Another lawyer, Fred Aniagolu, held that the governor should take responsibility for whatever happens in his convoy. According to the pro-democracy activist, the convoy, having been attached to the governor, assumes the same identity as the governor.

    “While the driver involved can be questioned on his mental and physical state as at the time of the crash; so as to be sure he was not under the influence of any banned substance, it is the convoy owner that should answer questions on speed limit and similar regulations.

    This is because the driver is duty bound to keep at pace with the other vehicles in the convoy. So, a single driver cannot determine his speed limit in a convoy. The convoy moves at the same speed. So, if one driver is guilty of over speeding, then all the drivers in the convoy are equally guilty,’ he argued.

    To buttress his point, Aniagolu cited an incident in the United State where former First Lady, Hillary Clinton had to appear in court to answer questions over the death of a Dallas Police officer in a crash involving her convoy.

    “The family of the veteran police officer filed a suit alleging that their relative died as a result of negligence on the part of Clinton who was being escorted by the convoy that crashed, leading to the death of Senior Corporal Victor Lazada.

    The case is still on and Hillary is still appearing in court,” he cited.

     

    Convoys the world over

    Recently, a governor’s convoy zoomed past the city centre of a state capital in southeastern Nigeria. With about half a dozen vehicles in front, the governor followed in a Range Rover, closely followed by nearly ten other vehicles ranging from buses to security vehicle and more gleaming cars.

    Moving at neck breaking speed, the convoy practically chased other road users off the road. With horns blaring unending and sirens blowing noisily, the long motorcade moved on, oblivious of the anger on the faces of the majority of the people at such brutish display of power and affluence.

    If you are amazed at the length and speed of a governor’s convoy, then wait until you sight the motorcade of the wife of the President, Patience Jonathan. Her long motorcade, including bulletproof and bombproof limousines, several escort vehicles and dozens of other vehicles, is usually a sight to behold whenever she steps out.

    At such times, drivers and commuters who find themselves on her routes always have bitter experiences to relay afterwards. As police empty the roads of traffic, forcing drivers to wait as her glamorous convoy drifts by, motorists are trapped in traffic for hours on end, while social and economic life of the affected community is brought to a halt abruptly.

    As if offering an idea of how many vehicles could be in Her Excellency’s convoy, President Goodluck Jonathan himself recently moved in a convoy of about 47 cars within Abuja to the amazement of many onlookers.

    After one of Patience Jonathan’s visit to Lagos recently, Governor Babatunde Fashola said, “Lagosians were needlessly inconvenienced…. It dawned on me the need for public officers generally to be more sensitive to the people we serve. It is particularly worrisome that this (she) is not an elected person.

    “I think we all must check how security agencies use the movement of high officers, especially VIPs, to disrupt citizens and taxpayers, whose money is used to fuel all the vehicles and all the apparatus that we use to block the roads against them. It should not get to the level that we close the roads in the state because VIPs want to pass.”

    Nigeria is not alone when it comes to the use of convoy to show affluence. President Ernest Bai Koroma’s motorcade in neighboring Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, has been described as massive.

    “Usually with about six or eight motorcycles in front, three other vehicles will follow. Then Mr. Koroma will follow in a Mercedes saloon. Most of the other six or eight vehicles that will come after the President in the procession are gleaming black 70 Series Toyota Land Cruisers.”

    But even Koroma’s motorcade will amount to nothing when compared to the usual convoy of King Mswati III of Swaziland. The Swazi regal convoy can be up to 20 cars long. The king’s favourite vehicles include a $625,000 Rolls Royce, a $500,000 Maybach 62 and a BMW X6.

    He also has 20 Mercedes Benz S600 Pullman Guards, costing $250,000 each, many of them armoured. Warrior guards in traditional dress including an “Emajobo” or loin skin travel with the king. “These men emerge from cars already sprinting,” said one local observer.

    But a peep into the convoy of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s former president will make the Swazi King’s look like a modest effort.

    When Mubarak travelled, his entourage included scores of cars. Any time he crossed Cairo, much of the capital would be roped off with traffic stopped for half an hour before he passed and 10,000 policemen standing along the route.

    Sharp shooters stood on the rooftops, a helicopter circled overhead and an ambulance accompanied him. A recent inventory of the presidential vehicle pool under Mr Mubarak released in Egyptian newspapers said that it included 950 vehicles.

    Many are wont to exclaim at the size of the convoy of African leaders. Many more are likely to aver that leaders of developed countries wouldn’t go to that excessive extent in putting together their motorcades.

    But a recent report from the United States of America (USA) that President Barak Obama and his family “travelled light” in a 20-vehicle convoy accompanied by SWAT team, Air Force One and nuclear codes on a holiday to the exclusive island of Martha’s Vineyard put a lie to such thoughts.

    The 20-strong convoy containing the presidential limousine includes an ambulance, right, a radar-jamming vehicle (in front) and a SWAT team van (next)

    Another member of the entourage is a military vehicle which carries the codes needed to initiate a nuclear attack.

    Earlier in the trip, the couple and daughters Malia, 12 and Sasha, nine, arrived by Air Force One which has armour-plated wings allegedly capable of withstanding a nuclear blast from the ground. They then transferred to presidential helicopter Marine One, preceded by a police helicopter which swept across the island.

    Meanwhile in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron has since cut down on the use of police escorts, saying that it is an ‘ostentation’ to sped through the traffic by police escort and that police escorts will only be used for high security occasions such as state visits.

    For other times, the British premier will be travelling in his bullet-proof official car (usually a Jaguar) and cope with the traffic just like everyone else. This is the modesty Nigerians, nay Africans, are hoping to see in the convoy of their elected officials.

  • ‘The weapon against ethnic champions is performance’

    ‘The weapon against ethnic champions is performance’

    From his first day in office, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has been in the eye of the storm. Even after winning a bruising second term election his actions continue to provoke controversy. He explained to SAM OMATSEYE in this interview that anyone interested in changing things will face attacks. He speaks on the challenges of governing the state, his recent run-in with members of the national conference committee and sundry issues.

    Edo is a kind of mini Nigeria in that we have different peoples within Edo, and we have the different religions but that has shown some kind of homogeneity under you. Now, can you in any way speak to the issue of larger Nigeria and how to handle matters like this in terms of approaching the issue of ethnic and religious crisis that is at the bottom of the so-called Nigerian question?

    This is a very interesting question. When I said Nigeria is probably one of the easiest countries to govern; this is what I had in mind. You know the normal beer parlour talk and even talk in some high places is that we are detained by some ethnic issues and the country is controlled by ethnic champions. People simply proclaim themselves as ethnic leaders, they were never the result of any formal selection and they appropriate the powers to speak for and on behalf. In Edo we have our own fair share of that, the issue of where the governor should come from used to be a big issue. In fact in my last election; there were groups, my political opponents, they had adverts on television in which they described me a stranger because I come from a part of the state that account for about 35 percent of the population and the Benin kingdom accounts for between 50 and 53 percent and so my opponent who had sworn that he must produce a governor that is of his own choosing that must come from around this particular area of the state has a final pay off for his political services. Because of the way we had handled the issues of mobilizing people on development, he felt that the only way now out, he has to swallow his pride, purge himself of that illusion and because I have become his main enemy, he felt that it doesn’t matter who now the person is, which for me was good that he now recognize that he cannot single handedly choose someone from around his family or his in-law because his initial commitment was that he must make his son-in-law a governor but he recognized that he could no longer do that and the only fall-back project for him was to play the ethnic card and they explicitly put that card on the table and they went for a guy whom they believe or who was described as deep pocketed because he had worked in the army, finance and admin where he was the cashier general and so he felt that the guy has enough money and he comes from the Benin kingdom where they account for 53 percent of the population and they believe that once he plays the ethnic card, the people will then be reminded about where they come from and the need for people to vote according to their tribe but they were shocked. In the TV advert which we can always replay and it was couched in Benin language, they described me as a stranger and then they went on to say that in Benin language that a stranger will always remain a stranger and that whatever he does, when he is going, he will go with it. So people should vote for one of themselves. I couldn’t change where I came from, so I didn’t have any ethnic response to that, but what I was humbled by the fact that even little children in those schools that we have built were also saying in the television that ‘if they say the comrade is a stranger, when he is going, he will go with what he has built, is he going to carry away our school?’ Those who drive on the way said is he going to carry away the airport road? Will he carry the Apkakpava road? Will be carry the streetlights?? Will he carry away the fountain? Will he carry the Oba market? So the people themselves were responding and above all, and I remain ever humble and grateful that easily one the most outstanding royal father we have in this country is the Oba of Benin and he was not persuaded by this sentiment of those who were arguing on ethnic basis and it was instructive what he said the day I went to ask him for blessing to seek a second term. In tradition, his royal majesty speaks through any of the chiefs that he so entrusted to speak and he said the Benin interest means a Benin candidate is the one who will address the needs of the Benin people, not necessarily Benin by blood but Benin in heart, Benin in action, one understands the issues and is determined to address those issues and he believed that by my actions I have proven much more than that and I think the third chief in rank speaking on behalf of the Oba that day says if at old age, a father sees his children messing up his edifice and devaluing it and abandoned the house to rust and someone came and he rebuild the house, he has re-roofed it, is redecorating and then the children come and say ‘drive this man away he’s a stranger’, no responsible father will listen and that what we are doing and what we have done in Benin shows that this governor is more Benin in heart than some of the people who were claiming and preaching Benin. In any case they have had a Benin governor before and it is easy to compere. Now this is the people speaking not me, I am just humbled that people can see that the issue is not where you come from; the issue is what are you able to do for us? I also think that part of the issue why ethnicity assumes such prominence in our political discourse is also the narrow mindedness of our leaders. In my first budget, I made the point, I think I spoke to it earlier, I said we will devote 80 percent of our capital project to Benin City because it is our capital. Every local government is very well represented in Benin city, there is no local government which doesn’t have it people here, living here, some don’t even go home, they only know or they were told when they were born but they have all been living here. So if you touch the life of this city, reposition it, build schools, build road, deal with generational crisis, there is a way in which you can genuinely claim that you have touched every one because every community is represented and so we will start from here and I said the last place I will work, according to my own work plan will be what I call my accident of birth place. I said so in a town hall meeting, they came to me they said ‘ you don’t talk like that, you have to start from your village’ and they gave me examples of leaders who did such a thing. ‘Start from your village because at the end that is where you are returning to. Charity begins at home’ and I said but my villagers could not make me a governor because we have only one polling booth. So if people entrust me with a position of responsibility, I think it is an act of stupidity, not just ingratitude to think that, okay, now you are here, I know where I come from. These people knew where you come from and they entrusted you with their commonwealth to manage. If leaders by their actions show that regardless of your location you will be affected positively by government decision, it will not matter where you come from. Just imagine if you wake up today and you no longer need to buy diesel, you no longer know the telephone number of your generator’s mechanic and you can calculate how much you are saving, not for your employer now for your own house. A government delivers that to you, then somebody comes tomorrow and say that president is not from your area, you don’t even want to know where the president is from but you know that he is someone that dealt with the issue of power and you can see how much you have saved, and how much you are saving and how you are able to use that to deal with other domestic challenges that you have and in the case of your employer, he can see how much it is now much more competitive, the cost in his production cost and he will want to sustain that. If anybody comes and said because the man who did that doesn’t speak your dialect and therefore you should oppose him, you will think that the man is a fool, he is trying to fool you. For me therefore, the weapons against ethnic champions is performance and Nigerians are able to see through that and am not saying it for the first time, when I was in the NLC, it used to be the case that people argue when you want to mobilize against authority that they will use tribalism to divide your rank and file but I was president for 8 years and to start with, those who elected me as president, not up to 10 percent of them are from Edo state, in terms of the population of Nigerian workers. When I had opportunity to call a strike, people in Sokoto, Calabar, Madiuguri, Lagos, nobody ever asked where does comrade Oshiomhole come from to decide whether to follow or not. The Yorubas complied as much as the Hausas complied, as much as the Igbos complied as much as the minorities complied. I remember once at Hilton hotel I met …I BELIEVE he is the son of former president Shagari and he called me out and he said this is comrade and they were all full of praise words when we had photo opportunity and they said ‘you know what comrade, when it is you, you are like Nigeria football, nobody cares for your tribe because your message is so powerful and everybody can connect with it that it will be become an …..to say where is he from? Wherever he is from he knows what our problem is and he is articulating it and he is consistent on it then it doesn’t matter where he comes from. I think the problem of Nigeria is, leaders who are bereft of ideas unable to sufficiently motivate and inspire the people fall back to ethnic sentiment as a defense line. When you are in trouble, rather than account, you appeal to ethnic sentiment so that your tribes’ men will now form a wall around you and you then replace the issue with ethnic sentiment. There was a time, and this for me was the height of this when an MD, I believe it was the MD of NNPC, many years ago under the military he was charged for certain corrupt practices and people from his area went to Lagos with placards …even if the man stole money is he the first person to steal? Now because he is from our area, that is why they are prosecuting him. They never disputed the fact that the allegation against him are weighty and that they should allow the court to determine whether he is innocent or guilty but he has gone home to say that he is being charged because of where he comes from and the people said yes everybody has been stealing, just now that our son who is also doing what others did, why should he be the one that should be prosecuted? So it is those who have no alternative who fall back and because of the level of illiteracy, sometimes, some people believe, but also I believe that when those who are involved in the consternation, both of them are bereft of ideas, they also engage each other based on the ethnic issues and so the only thing on the agenda therefore is not who you are but where you come from.

  • Convoy car count: Who leads the pack?

    Convoy car count: Who leads the pack?

    Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo, covered the typical convoy of a Nigerian official and reports on the officials that are entitled to use convoys in Nigeria.

    DETERMINING the number of vehicles in the convoy of Nigerian leaders from the federal, state and local government levels largely depends on the function the government official is billed to attend, either within his domain or beyond.

    Let’s start with the convoy of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    In the era of former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, a former Aide-De-Camp to a former Military Governor during the era told The Nation under the condition of anonymity that Babangida’s convoy while on official duty outside Abuja, consisted of at least 60 vehicles. But within Abuja, the former president’s convoy of cars was put at between 20 to 30 vehicles.

    Shedding further light on why the former president’s convoy outside Abuja is usually long, the retired Lt. Colonel of the Nigerian Army said, “Usually, there is an advance party of officials from the Presidency mainly comprising of protocol officials and security operatives on ground at least two days before the president’s arrival. Once the C-in-C arrives, this team of advanced party, the host governor and officials of the state government in addition to the large contingent of security agents, including army personnel and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) are driven in a long convoy to wherever the President planned to visit. That accounts for why you see nothing less than 60 vehicles or even more in such convoys. This excludes the police dispatch riders who are no fewer than 10.”

    The draconian days of late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, was no less different. As a result of the near-paranoid approach to the safety of the late leader by his security handlers, led by his Chief Security Officer (CSO), Maj. Hamza Mustapha and assisted by the Aide-De-Camp, Lt. Col. Abdallah, the convoy of vehicles in Abacha’s entourage is close to 30 vehicles, most of which are occupied by his stern looking bodyguards (BGs), members of the Strike Force (SF), SSS operatives and soldiers dressed in military camouflage.

    The above painted scenario was also prevalent while Abacha’s successor, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, presided over the country’s affairs from June 8, 1998 to May 29, 1999.

    Sometimes in December 1998, during an official visit by Abubakar’s deputy, late Vice Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, to Lagos to inspect the National Stadium in Surulere, which was one of the centres used for the 1999 Under 20 World Cup, hosted by Nigeria, no less than 30vehicles were in the entourage of the former number two man and his host, then Colonel Buba Marwa.

    Fast forward to the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency from 1999 to 2007. Sometime in 2006, The Nation’s reporter once witnessed the presidential convoy, which took off from the then President’s Ota Farm on its way to the Lagos Airport en route Abuja.

    A conservative estimate of the number of vehicles in the entourage was in the region of 25, with most of it manned by security agents in dark suits.

    Obasanjo’s late wife, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, was not left out in the craze for long convoy common among most Nigerian leaders and their spouses.

    Sometimes in 2004 during the wedding of one of the then Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s daughters, Stella Obasanjo arrived the International Conference Centre, Abuja, venue of the reception in a convoy of 28vehicles, which included six Mercedes Benz S600, in addition with the full complement of six well-attired police outriders.

    In the current dispensation under President Goodluck Jonathan, political office holders from the President down to the governors, ministers, and local government chairmen with the exception of just a few, seem to get a lot of kicks having scores of vehicles in their entourage.

    Some months ago, during a private visit to Lagos for the launch of fund for the construction of his church located in his hometown, Otuoke in Bayelsa State, President Goodluck Jonathan arrived the Civic Centre, Victoria Island venue of the launch in a convoy of 30vehicles and three police outriders.

    And in a You Tube video watched by The Nation’s reporters a few days ago, the President arrived at an unspecified public function held in Abuja in a large convoy of 47cars consisting of Peugeot 406 brands, Toyota Landcruiser SUVs and Mercedes S600 (Maybach). This excludes the six police outriders who normally signal the arrival of the President.

    Perhaps to provide additional security cordon around the President, a detachment of policemen numbered about 20 rode on horses which formed a semi-circle around the President’s official vehicle.

    State governors, ministers, not different

    State governors and ministers in Nigeria are not left out in the love for long convoy of cars accompanying them either on private or official duties.

    For instance, one of The Nation’s reporters sometime in 2008, sighted the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, leaving the Calabar Airport en route Uyo, his state capital in a convoy of over 20 state-of-the-art SUVs in addition to four police outriders on expensive BMW motorbikes.

    While he ran Kwara State from 2003 to 2011, ex-Governor Bukola Saraki (now a senator), known to be a freak for vintage cars long before he emerged as governor, is also said to move in a large convoy of vehicles within his state.

    But the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is however acknowledged as an exception. The governor, as most Lagosians are aware, moves around without the blaring of siren in a convoy of at most six to seven cars.

    For official events, particularly the inspection of government projects, the governor sometimes joins members of the State Executive Council in a 24-seater Toyota Coaster bus.

    Federal ministers, The Nation gathered, have also imbibed the culture of moving around in siren-blaring convoy of almost ten vehicles either in Abuja, their official base, or during private or official visits to any state within the country.

    During his stint as the Minister for Power, late Chief Bola Ige was once reported to have raised an eyebrow after taking a headcount of almost 21 vehicles in his entourage. Even at that, his protocol aides only managed to reduce the convoy vehicles to a ‘modest’ 11.

    Officials entitled to convoy

    In response to the abuse of using siren by some Nigerians, the Police authorities sometime ago issued a statement stating the list of government officials entitled to move around in siren blaring cars.

    Though the directive has largely being obeyed in the breach, investigations revealed that no such pronouncement has been made in respect of government officials entitled to move in a convoy of cars and the number of vehicles that should accompany them.

    However, it is not difficult to decipher the category of public officials who go around in siren blaring convoy.

    They include the President, the Vice President, Chief of Staff to the President, Senate President; his deputy, Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy, Chief Justice of Nigeria, governors and their deputies, Speakers of states Houses of Assembly, their deputies and local government chairmen.

    The list also include Principal Officers in the National Assembly, other lawmakers Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ministers and Ministers of States.

    In addition, service chiefs, comprising the Chief of Defense Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff, the Inspector General of Police, General Officers Commanding (GOCs) of Army Divisions and their counterparts in the Navy and Air Force, Brigade Commanders of strategic army formations, Deputy and Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police in charge of state commands, Comptroller General of Customs, Immigrations, Prisons, top generals and their equivalents in paramilitary forces.

    Also National Chairmen and leaders of major political parties, influential captains of industry, top clergymen are known to move from one location to another in long and flashy convoy of posh automobiles.

    How government convoy vehicles are chosen

    The Nation’s investigations revealed that the number of vehicles in the entourage of elected public officials, particularly the President and governors, are largely determined by their Chief Protocol Officers, who are also in charge of the itinerary of their principals.

    The Chief of Protocol, it was learnt, also draws the list of officials (excluding security operatives) who accompany the President and governors on official and private trips.

    For instance, besides the vehicle occupied by the President, other vehicles in an average presidential convoy include at least three spare Mercedes Benz S600 (in case the main vehicle unexpectedly breaks down on motion), a pilot Landcruiser SUV, back-up pilot cars mainly Peugeot 406 also occupied by SSS operatives, scores of SUVs filled with other security personnel, other vehicles equipped with security gadgets, to mention but a few.

    The man who controls the convoy

    The personnel in charge of Nigeria’s presidential escort codenamed (Prescort) are under the supervision of the Escort Commander, who is a Police officer not less than the rank of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).

    In case of the governors, the Escort Commander in the rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) or a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) is in full control of the movement of the convoy. However, he reports to the Aide-De-Camp who oversees the entire security apparatus of the President or the governor. The ADC, as a matter of convention, usually sits at the back of the car right beside his boss.

    Also prominent in such convoys are operatives of the Department of Security Service (DSS), who sources say report to the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the President or the governor.

    How much control does a principal have?

    A source told The Nation that control over the attitude of personnel in a convoy largely depends on the governor and his ADC.

    The source cited an instance where the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola on assumption of office, gave a firm instruction that under no circumstance must his convoy exceed a maximum of 80 to 100km.

    “But if the personnel in the convoy knows that their principal will not reprimand them for over speeding, they indulge in such dangerous practice without a care in the world,” said the source.

    But The Nation however gathered that some governors, who are quite touchy about their safety, are usually blackmailed by their security details into believing that driving at slow speed on highways can be risky especially when the convoy comes under an attack.

  • Dimeji Alara quits

    Dimeji Alara quits

    POPULAR fashion stylist, Dimeji Alara, has quit his job as the Editor in Chief of one of Nigeria’s best fashion and lifestyle magazines, Style Mania Magazine. Dimeji, in a statement sent out, said he is no longer be part of Style Mania due to personal reasons. The Paris-born Nigerian who works as a wardrobe and fashion stylist has worked for reputable fashion magazines like Elle, GQ and Glamour. He has also styled fashion spreads in Nigerian magazines like Genevieve, Elan and MADE and has acted as fashion director for the shows of African designers like David Tlale and Craig Jacobs. His achievements as the ‘go-to stylist’ has also led him to working in the entertainment industry and styling musicians like Nneka.

  • Sumbo Adeoye rocks baby bump

    Sumbo Adeoye rocks baby bump

    FEW months after Sunmbo Ajaba, one of the baby mamas of hip-hop sensation, Tuface Idibia, got married to the senior pastor of Royalty Christain Centre, Tunde Adeoye, the delectable lady is rocking a baby bump.

    Sumbo is the mother of Tuface’s two children, Zion and Nino. And she is head of the choir of the Pastor Adeoye-led church. The clargyman got married to Sumbo two years after the demise of his first wife.

  • Kola and Bisola Daisi expectant

    Kola and Bisola Daisi expectant

    UPWARDLY mobile dude, Kolapo, and his wife, Bisola, the daughter of the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, are expecting their second child. The young lady behind the wave-making shoe store, Florence H, has jetted out of the country to make preparations for the delivery. Abisola is married to Kolapo, a banker with Heritage Bank and the youngest son of wealthy businessman, Chief Kola Daisi. Their wedding has remained the talk of town since it was held in 2010.

  • Recognition for excellence at Award ceremony

    Recognition for excellence at Award ceremony

    THE atmosphere evinced panache last week when Businessday honoured excellence and good governance at a glamorous event held at the prestigious Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. Among those at the event were Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, his deputy, Titi Laoye-Tomori, Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Emeka Ananaba, among others

  • Stephanie Hornecker causes stir in modelling

    Stephanie Hornecker causes stir in modelling

    REGINA Askia’s teenage daughter, Stephanie Regina Idara Hornecker, the product of Regina’s dalliance with her French businessman lover, Patrick, has stepped into her mother’s shoes. The damsel is one of the models causing a stir in the modelling world.

    Stephanie and her mum also co-modelled a 2000-N-Six Cleansing range of products. Askia came into public glare through Zeb Ejiro’s Fortunes, a popular TV series. Before then, she had twice been crowned a beauty queen as Miss Unilag 1988 and Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 1989.

  • I still find time to sew my dress

    I still find time to sew my dress

    WHEN Serena Williams walks into the Imperial Suite at The St. Regis on Fifth Avenue, it’s impossible to notice anyone else. In total, there are nine of us – publicists, hotel staff, two photographers, a trainer- but her presence is so powerful, everyone fades into the background. Her chiselled legs are prominently displayed in a lace mini-dress, and with the help of four-inch black suede stilettos, she stands at about 6-foot-1. Her mane is a wild-but-not-unruly labyrinth of tiny uniform curls. She’s profoundly intimidating.

    But Williams introduces herself with a whisper: “Nice to meet you,” she says, with a handshake. Her gentle demeanour is somewhat at odds with the sometimes explosive, unstoppable force we see on the tennis court. It is needless to say that Serena is literally the best female tennis player in the universe.

    Williams took some time to chat candidly about privacy, body image, her clothing lines for HSN and Nike and her thoughts on retirement.

    What’s your routine like on the day of a big match?

    If I’m playing at night, I go to the gym in the morning and then just relax. I try not to think about the match, but of course, it’s all I can think about.

    Is there a specific meal you always eat before you play?

    I’m not really a superstitious person, so I always try to mix it up. I’ve been trying to eat a lot healthier- lots of veggies, green juice and fish.

    Is it impossible for you to go out in public without getting recognised?

    I could never go to places like [Starbucks]-I have to send someone out for me. I really don’t like to say no to pictures, so I always end up saying yes. But if you say yes to one, then there’s 20 people asking, and then there’s 30. It’s crazy, so I’m in my room a lot. During a tournament I hardly ever leave the hotel, ever.

    You have an apartment in Paris – is it less crazy there?

    Paris used to be my safe haven. It was always a big sigh of relief for me there. I didn’t have to worry. But ever since I won Roland Garros [the French Open], I don’t really go out there. Or I go to the country.

    Do you ever wish you could live normally?

    I don’t complain about it – it’s just something you have to get used to. It’s such a humbling feeling that anyone would even watch me play. I feel so honoured, honestly, by anyone who’s a fan of mine and who appreciates me.

    So when you’re holed up in your apartment or a hotel, do you get cabin fever?

    No. I do work and watch a lot of TV. I’m a big fan of Netflix. I just saw Orange Is the New Black, but it was too violent for me. I also spend a lot of time designing. I have two collections.

    Have you always been interested in fashion?

    When I was younger, I made clothes for my dolls. My mum taught me how to sew when I was 2 or 3, so I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember.

    And you still sew?

    Yes. I had a photo shoot the other day after I won a tournament, and when I put the dress on, it ripped. So I asked someone for the sewing kit and I just sewed it up right there. Everyone couldn’t believe it. You could never tell it was broken.

    You’ve become such a strong, confident role model for women. How does that feel?

    Well, I wasn’t always confident. I just started feeling comfortable with myself about six or seven years ago. That’s why I tell people that even at 25 or 26, it’s OK if you’re feeling uncomfortable with yourself. I was too. It’s normal. I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn’t easy – it took me a while.

    Why was it difficult?

    I grew up with a lot of sisters – I was the youngest, and I was really thick. My sister Venus was so tall and slim, and just being in a society where a lot of people are really thin, it was hard. Especially as an athlete. No athlete has boobs like me. But I had to learn how to embrace myself and embrace my curves. And that’s something a lot of people can relate to.

    You’ve been working and training unbelievably hard for more than half your life. Are there ever mornings you wake up and think, I don’t feel like doing this anymore?

    Not yet. But if I do, that’ll be the day I realise that time’s up. Right now I’m having so much fun…and I’m still pretty good at what I do [laughs]. So it’s like, why not keep going? You only get this opportunity once in your life.

  • My hubby is my role model

    My hubby is my role model

    IBUKUN Waidi-Akanni has been graciously described by her husband of over 20 years, ex-international and former Lagos State Football Association Chairman, Waidi Akanni, as the friend and lover that stood by him through thick and thin. In the words of the ex-Flying Eagles star, “My wife, Ibukun Akanni, has been there for me from the beginning. I met her as a player in Lagos and together we have weathered the storm. She was there for me while trying to find my footing in football and business and she is still there for me, taking care of our children while l am away from our home in the U.S.”

    Mrs Akanni, a leading U.S-based artists manager, was in Nigeria recently to put finishing touches to one of her programmes, and took time to talk with The Nation Sport and Style’s TAIWO ALIMI. In this revealing interview, she discloses her passion for her job as a publicist and how her hubby has influenced her greatly, sometimes ‘pushing me beyond my imagination’. Excerpts:

    About her husband

    He is an amazing husband, very hardworking. He pushes me more than l can imagine. He is a goal getter and l would say l look up to him as a role model. He is an amazing father to his children and they look up to him too. In whatever l am doing he supports me all the way. For example, for this project that l am embarking on, he supports me a 110 percent. And he pushes me more than l push myself and that is a bonus for him. We have come a long way. I met him while he was a young footballer and ever since we have been together. He is full of ideas and that kind of rubs off on me and for whatever l am doing l want to put a 110 percent into it. l have learnt well.

    Children and soccer

    At first l did not like soccer, like football is called in the U.S, but from watching my children play the game, l kind of developed great interest in it. It is very interesting. My children, like their father, play it very well and they are doing well at school and at club level in their own different ways. Sheriff is fast taking after him as a potential great footballer.

    He recently got a scholarship in the U.S just like his father did while he was in Yaba College of Education. (In 1987, Akanni got a scholarship to study at Howard University in the United States, where he earned bachelors and masters degrees in Engineering). Aside Sheriff, Babatunde, and Samid, who is the baby of the house, is also doing fine with soccer. They all have a passion for the game. We are also blessed with two girls and they are into athletics in their own way too. However, for us, education is paramount and we have told them that they can do whatever they want as far as they take their education first. In life, whether in sport or entertainment, l always preach the gospel of mixing education with football.

    As a publicist in the U.S.

    I have been in P.R. for five years and I have been doing the Sylvia P.R. Event, which is a pre-Grammy event thing for the past four years. I also have a pet project; Sylvia P.R. Awards, which in its first year we gave an award to Quincy Jones and this last one in February of this year we gave awards to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD).

    I represent top artists in the U.S. like Miguel, Ciarra, TI and Vashawn Mitchell and in Nigeria l represent RMD and Yinka Davies.

    Assessing the entertainment industry in Nigeria?

    The Nigerian entertainment industry is good, growing but they need the right set up.

    A lot of them don’t have publicists. The job of a publicist is to manage their image and ensure that they have good publicity. A lot of them don’t have stylists, they just go on the rack and wear what they see. A lot of them look ridiculous at award shows. They need a stylist. To call yourself a celebrity you have to spend money on your image because that is what people see.

    On the music level, they are good but we don’t get to hear them abroad. They don’t play it on radio in the US. The only song I heard on radio in Dubai was Oliver Twist by D’banj and neither do we see the videos on BET. That is part of what I’m also trying to do. You have to expand, you have to go international. You don’t just sit in your own small world here.

    The whole idea is to expand and for the artist to be recognised internationally, not just by Nigerians abroad. People have to know you no matter where you are. When I mentioned Miguel, you knew who he was instantly, yet he has never been to Nigeria. They only do the Nigerian thing. D’banj ought to be invited to the U.S to perform for the foreign audience like Chris Brown and Akon are brought to Nigeria to play and get millions of naira.