The Nation Newspaper

Tag: agent

  • Agent of change

    TOMORROW, the much-awaited change in national leadership will take place in Abuja, with the swearing in of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari. If they have their way, many would have preferred that the ceremony took place long ago. The reason for that is obvious: they have gone through hell in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which held power for 16 years.

    The clamour for change began long before PDP lost the last elections. Many had long been tired of PDP and were just waiting for the right time to kick it out. When Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged, they saw it as the vehicle of change and promptly came on board. What is more, the party chose change as its slogan. And with the support of the electorate, a change of government was effected at the polls during the last elections.

    To champion this change is Buhari and from tomorrow, he has the arduous task of making the changes that will turn things around for good in the country. It is not going to be easy, but it can be done. Buhari knew what was at stake before signing on for this job. What he may not have known is the magnitude of the rot the nation is in. By the time he settles down, he will come to terms with the trouble with our country.

    Change is the only constant thing in life and it is instructive that APC chose it as its slogan. It is a word that suits every situation because no matter what we are and do today, change is inevitable and it will come when it will come. That it championed the change  to remove PDP from power should be a constant reminder to APC that its job is only half done. The other half is to fulfil its promise to the people. The party should realise that it is not immune to being changed too by the people if it does not meet their expectations.

    How can Nigerians truly experience change as preached by APC? It is by ensuring that they do not suffer under Buhari’s administration as they did under the  PDP government. As president, Buhari has a lot of work to do because he will take the glory or the blame for how the government turns out. If the government serves the people well, he will be cheered, if otherwise, he will be jeered. The Presidency is not a bed of roses. True, it is the highest office in the land, but it is not all about glamour. It is about working to your bare bones to make life meaningful for the citizenry.

    The APC cannot be a champion of change and not be ready to work to change the country for good. Buhari is pivotal to the much envisaged change under the APC government. In fact, he is the agent of that change.   The other arms of government and those working with him are just there to complement his efforts. The APC should learn from what happened to PDP if it does not want to go the way of the self-styled ”largest party in Africa”. It is not about size, but about service to the people. PDP had all the resources at its disposal to make the country great, but it chose to do otherwise. See, how it ended up.

    APC can stay in power longer than PDP if it serves the people well. This is what Buhari should champion as president and leader of his party. To do otherwise may lead to the people dumping his party. As long as he remains the agent of change, he and his party will have nothing to fear. The party has started on the right note, rallying its elected members to support him in the bid to restore our country’s glory. At a meeting with House of Representatives’ members-elect on Tuesday, APC Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun noted that his party was called to service at one of the most challenging periods in the history. How true. This much was said in this space last week.

    He said: ”The coming days will be rough and tough choices will have to be made. This is not intended to scare but rather to frame the magnitude of the challenge that confronts us. This is because to reposition our country for growth and development hard choices concerning the way we managed our business in the past and our attitude to public assets have to be undertaken. For many of our fellow citizens, by May 30, a day after the swearing in of our president-elect, all fuel queues will vanish, corruption will disappear and all arrears of salaries paid and all our roads paved, while electricity will become stable”.

    This is the challenge Buhari is going to face from day one. Our people are full of expectations that under Buhari, they will enjoy better life. I pray that he will meet their expectations.

    Taking Lagos higher

    LAGOS remains the most enchanting and enthralling state in our country. It is home to every Nigerian. There is no ethnic group that is not found in Lagos. Though some of us are not from the state, we have come to see it as home. This is why the state is so fascinating; everybody mixes without thinking about tribe, tongue and religion. What binds us together is our humanity. It is only in a state like Lagos that other ethnic groups can contest and win elections as it happened in the last elections. It shows how accommodating the state is. No matter where you come from, you have a stake and a say in it. In the past 16 years, the state has been lucky in having astute leaders. Between 1999 and 2007, Asiwaju Bola the pathfinder  Tinubu was at the helm. He laid the foundation which outgoing Governor Babatunde the actualiser Fashola built on.

    Tomorrow, Fashola will bow out as Governor-elect Akinwunmi the consolidator Ambode is sworn in. I do not envy Ambode because he will be stepping into big, but not oversized  shoes. Tinubu and Fashola have done a good job and left their marks. He has a huge task at hand to ensure that Lagos continues to excel. From what I have seen of him so far, he has what it takes to do the job. His picture in this paper last Friday at his desk working shows that he knows that he has to roll up his sleeves to ensure that Lagos remains the number one state in the federation. Ambode cannot afford to fail. He contributed quietly from the background to the progress of the state before he resigned as accountant-general few years ago, not knowing that one day the mantle of leadership will fall on him. So, he is not new to state matters. But, he should bear in mind that many, especially those who believe that they are more politically qualified than him, will be envious of him. Naturally, they will not see any good in him or in what he does. This should be expected.

    But he should not bother. All he needs do is watch his back;  face his job and let his work speak for him. He cannot afford to waste precious time on political fights; he should not allow any form of distractions because the job at hand requires full concentration. Something tells me that what we  saw nothing  under Tinubu and Fashola compared to what Ambode will do in the years ahead. With his rich resume, the consolidator can surpass the achievements of Tinubu and Fashola. May it yet be consolidation on creation day for Lagos.

  • Fayemi: Celebrating change agent at 50

    Fayemi: Celebrating change agent at 50

    Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi is 50 today. His Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, pays tribute to a simple boss.

    it was a warm afternoon at the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, sometime in March 2013. Dr Kayode Fayemi and I were returning to Lagos after receiving the Samsung Award for Best State Government in ICT Education at an impressive ceremony in Cape Town. Mr Governor, as he is fondly called, had sought to spend some time at the business class lounge of the South African Airline, and because we were engrossed in a discussion, together with another official of the administration, Muyiwa Ogunmilade, he had urged me to come along.

    After going through my boarding pass and discovering that I was billed to fly the economy class, the female SAA official politely stopped me from entering the lounge.   JKF’s attempt to convince her to allow me in order for us to conclude our discussion was met with a straight face by the official. The waitress however said I could be allowed in if the Governor and Ogunmilade could present their gold cards. Pronto, they both brought out their gold cards. Having confirmed the cards the official was about giving another condition when the activist in JKF came out. He politely asked that his card be returned to him and told the officials that he would rather take a walk around the airport with me rather than being denied my company at the lounge. I made a futile protest against his decision to abandon the lounge because of me, knowing he needed to catch some rest. Alas, it was too late. “No, Yinka, it isn’t worth it. What is the big deal about the lounge? Don’t worry, let’s just take a walk around before boarding time:” Thus we left the lounge and spent about  half an hour buying books at a particular books store at the airport and the remaining time was spent strolling around before boarding time.

    That South African experience was, for me, perhaps the most humbling experience I have had as an adult. It was a lesson in simplicity and leadership taught in the simplest manner imaginable. It also typifies the experiences of many who have come in contact with Dr Fayemi whether in the classroom, newsroom, lecture room, political rallies, in the trenches or in the hallowed chambers of the Ekiti State Executive Council where he presided over the affairs of the state, together with his carefully selected team for four impactful years.

    Fayemi in and out of office believes in two things- service and justice. He believes life is worthless without service- service to mankind.  On justice, Fayemi is a firm believer in that timeless Latin legal phrase: Fiat justitia ruat caelum  (Let justice be done though the heavens fall). He remains today one of the few  Nigerian politicians that have really  tested the country’s legal system in the bid to determine some knotty issues. It is no longer news how he fought from one court to another for three and a half years to retrieve his mandate which he eventually got via the declaration of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin on October 15, 2010. It is also on record that his administration lost some cases in the state courts and that put paid to some actions of the government including the conduct of the local government election which the Peoples Democratic Party stopped through an injunction from the state high court in January 2012.

    JKF believes that political participation as well as seeking elective office should be motivated by service. He believes that commitment to service and its delivery remains the vital tonic that energises and motivates a public office holder to forge ahead and remain focused even in the midst of competing and conflicting interests. He believes that service does not end with the completion of one’s tenure in office. To him, service continues for as long as one still has his breath. He was recently asked how he has been coping with life after service during a lecture he delivered at the Afenifere Renewal Group annual lecture in Abeokuta,Ogun State  last month. His response: “I am still in service. My idea of service does not end with occupying an executive position. Even attending party meetings, executing some assignments on behalf of my party,  or town’s union amount to service.”

    Many believe that JKF’s headship of the hugely successful national convention and presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December last year and his current assignment as the head of Policy, Research and Strategy Directorate of the party’s presidential campaign have kept him even busier than his former assignment as governor of Ekiti State. Perhaps what they do not know is that such excellent organisational touch he brought to bear on the APC convention- regarded as the best organised in the country’s history- is simply the JKF signature that distinguishes his four year tenure in Ekiti and makes it a reference point in developmental circle. He believes that when a leader provides the right leadership, the followers would embrace excellence and make it an habit.

    For those who have followed his trajectory right from his students activism days through pro democracy agitation and the current political participation, JKF is guided by the social democratic principle of lifting the weak and vulnerable in the society. His four years stint as governor of Ekiti State witnessed a sincere and consistent effort at banishing poverty and sickness. This was because he knows too well that a poor society is a sick and sickly one. His genuine concern  include how  transactional politics can be replaced with transformational leadership. How institutions of state can be strengthened in order to ensure effective service delivery. Whereas  his critics would readily fault these ideas, describing them as lacking in immediate political gains. Yet, JKF earns their respect for his commitment to these ideals.

    His penchant for development and insatiable desire to get the government to provide for the weak and vulnerable in the society led to some policies including the social security scheme which pays 5,000 monthly stipends to elderly indigent citizens above 65 years; free and compulsory primary and secondary education; computer per child initiative in the public secondary schools; comprehensive renovation of all public schools and hospitals; free health for the physically challenged, children under five, pregnant women and elderly citizens among others. The need to spread development across the nooks and crannies of the state also led to the introduction of five kilometres road project implemented yearly in all the council areas. And when you add this to the structured empowerment programmes for the youths and women, you have a government that had something for everybody under the JKF administration.

    As Fayemi attains the golden age today, it is obvious that the energy and wisdom to run even a more impactful race in the second half of the century are bubbling in him like an hyper-active volcano.

    Born on February 9, 1965 into the family of the late Chief and Mrs. Francis Falade Fayemi. A native of Isan-Ekiti in Oye Local Government Area, he had his elementary education in Ibadan before attending Christ’s School, Ado- Ekiti for his secondary education between 1975 and 1980.

    John Kayode Fayemi received his first degree in History from the University of Lagos in 1985, a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), in 1987 and a doctorate in War Studies from the King’s College, University of London, England in 1993, specializing in civilian-military relations and defence planning.

    Prior to joining partisan politics, Dr Fayemi  was the pioneer Director  Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). He was a Georgetown University Leadership Fellow in 2000 and a Senior Visiting Fellow in African Studies, North Western University, Evanston, USA in 2004. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan and was on the Adjunct Faculty of the African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defence University, USA, between 2001 and 2005.  He was a member of the Governing Board of the Open Society Justice Institute, New York and African Security Sector Network.

    Fayemi has written and lectured extensively on governance and democratization.  He is also a recipient of several awards, fellowships and grants including the Ford Foundation grant on  Special Initiative on Africa and the Macarthur Foundation research grant. His tenure as Governor of Ekiti State witnessed many reforms and earned the state a number of first positions in the areas of   education, agriculture, health, rural development and social empowerment. This was attested to by local and international organisations leading to special recognitions including: Leadership Newspaper’s Governor of the year award, 2012; the Zik’s Prize in Leadership (Good Governance) Award in 2013; Champion Newspapers Governor of the Year award in 2014.

    Even with what some might consider as his foibles, there is no doubt that in JKF the researcher, the teacher, the activist, administrator and strategist come together with all the ideas that can help us change the way we think and act about leadership, scholarship, political tolerance, social justice and human capital development.

    From the four corners of the country and beyond come fifty gbosas for this innovator,  democrat and change agent- above all, an Omoluabi – as he joins the golden club today.

  • I’m a change agent, says Lubcon chair

    I’m a change agent, says Lubcon chair

    The National Vice-President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, yesterday declared his intention to contest next year’s governorship election in Kwara State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Addressing his supporters in Ilorin, the state capital, the former managing director of the defunct Nigeria Airways promised to make job creation, agricultural revolution, natural resource development and infrastructural development his four-point agenda, if elected.

    Ibrahim, who is the chairman/technical adviser of the Lubcon Group, said: “Today’s declaration is that of freedom, prosperity and the economic emancipation of Kwarans. I am motivated; I am driven by passion to see this state and every individual in it attain the fullness of their potential.

    “This declaration is an expression of the burning desire of a man with a humble beginning, a man who lost his father at the tender age of five, a man it has pleased God to raise from grass to grace and who is today immensely imbued with the genuine love of his fatherland; one who is determined to apply his wealth of experience, his knowledge, his energy and faculties to the socio-economic transformation of Kwara State and the emancipation of the people from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, disease and oppression to freedom and prosperity.

    “This is why I have decided to step out to offer myself, trusting God and believing in your support, to serve the people by providing the desired exemplary leadership and strategic direction for charting a new course of accelerated socio-economic development of our state.

    “If given the opportunity to serve, I promise to lead a government that will serve as an agent of change, stability and sustainable economic prosperity, while upholding the universal principles of good governance, transparency, accountability, efficiency, rule of law and social equity with zero-tolerance for corruption.

    “I can only do this with your mandate because sovereignty lies with the people. My promise and your agreement to do your part is the covenant I have with you to make my word my bond. It is called the social contract. I stand on the threshold of history and the people. We have the opportunity now to elect a selfless leader and I shall offer selfless service by the grace of God.”

     

  • NBET names Stanbic IBTC agent

    NBET names Stanbic IBTC agent

    Stanbic IBTC Bank has been appointed by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) Plc as the payment management services provider to the bulk trader.

    The strategic arrangement, coming ahead of the transitional electricity market (TEM), is expected to make the electricity trading system transparent as well as instill confidence in the electricity market in Nigeria.

    The appointment would see the bank, which emerged through a transparent selection process handled by KPMG professional services, in line with extant regulations, undertake payments on behalf of the bulk trader and also support its treasury functions.

    As the Bulk Trader’s payment agent, Stanbic will be responsible for the efficient and effective payment processing between NBET and the GENCOs in line with the underlying power purchase agreements.

    Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NBET, Rumundaka Wonodi, said the engagement is a critical marker for NBET’s preparation for the transitional electricity market and that the appointment is in line with its strategy of employing the best service providers to complement its in-house competence. Wonodi said it was important for them to have gone through the procurement part to contract an agent that would support the bulk trader, thereby “keeping it a lean and efficient institution.”

    “One of the issues that we have had in the electricity market is that before the transition electricity market, even before this current period, payments and transactions seem to be crowded in a way that is not very clear to market participants,” Wonodi said. “So through this process, we hope that the generation companies will have the confidence and the comfort that when they send invoices to us, they have an institution that has the capacity to undertake those services on our behalf. That way, the confidence in the market would be enhanced and sustained.”

    Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Yinka Sanni, emphasized the bank’s long-term commitment to servicing the efficiency and transparency initiatives from NBET. He said having the bulk trader among its numerous clients was a thing of pride to the bank and commended the selection process, which he described as thorough, credible and transparent.

    Sanni said: “NBET as our strategic partners help concretize the bank’s objective of providing stellar services across the power value chain in the recently privatized Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry as it evolves into a fully market-led sector.”

  • Court orders firm to pay N60m to clearing agent

    Court orders firm to pay N60m to clearing agent

    Justice Ebenezer Adebajo of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere has  ordered a pharmaceutical firm,Nichben Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, to pay a clearing agent, Mr. Raphael Okonkwo, N60million it owed him since 2003 for clearing the company’s container load of 655 cartons of Top Gel at Cotonou Port, Benin Republic.

    The firm had sued Okonkwo, claiming N51.4million as general damages for the loss of its goods valued at N36.4million that allegedly disappeared on April 25, 2003.

    In suit no. LD/673/2006, the company (claimant), claimed interest on the N51.4million at the rate of six per cent per annum from May 2003 until determination of the indebted amount.

    However, the defendant, who reportedly cleared 263 containers, in his amended statement of defence dated May 15, 2008, asked the court to declare that the firm owed him N60million.

    The defendant, through his lawyer, Mr A. Mpandiok, further asked the court to direct the claimant to pay six per cent interest on the  amount with effect from December 2003 till when the judgment debt is liquidated.

    Justice Adebajo, while delivering judgment on the matter,  dismissed the claimant’s claim, saying he is satisfied with the facts before him that the defendant delivered the one container load of 655 cartons from Cotonou.

    “The evidence of the defendant, having been accepted as truthful and Exhibit D1 having been admitted and its evidential value not having been diminished, it is obvious in my view that the defendant has placed before the court credible material to entitle him to his counter-claim. Judgment is hereby entered in favour of the defendant,” Justice Adebajo ruled.

    The judge declared that the Power of Attorney, dated November 20, 2002, given by the claimant to the defendant, was binding on both parties.

    Justice Adebajo declared further that the claimant is indebted to the defendant in the sum of N60million.

    “It is hereby ordered that the claimant shall pay the defendant the sum of N60million within 30 days of this judgment. The claimant shall pay six per cent interest on the judgment sum from January 1, 2004 until the same is liquidated. Cost of this suit is awarded the defendant/counter-claim in the sum of N120,000,” the judge said.

    The case was first taken before an Igbosere Magistrate Court. The defendant had earlier reported the case to the Interpol section at Alagbon, but was arrested by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) and charged on a three- count charge of stealing a 40-feet container, containing 655 cartons of Top gel valued N36,400,000, property of Transpharm Industries Limited.

    Relying  on the judgment of Chief Magistrate, in-charge of the case, (Suit No. A/55/2004: Commissioner of Police v. Raphael Okonkwo),  Justice Adebajo held that “the findings of that court were never challenged on appeal nor was it impeached in this court.

    “I accept the findings of the Magistrate Court on the facts of the transactions as between the parties in the charge,” he said.

    It was gathered that the former counsel to the claimant, S.O Kolawole, now deceased, commenced the suit with a writ of summons dated April 28, 2006 and appeared before Justice Adebajo on December 3, 2009. His death was announced at later proceedings by another lawyer, Biodun Onikosi, who took over the brief. Onikosi also died on December 23, 2013.

    During the trial, the firm’s Chief Executive, Chief Nicholas Onwumere, told the court that the defendant has always been the firm’s  clearing agent.

    Onwumere, in his evidence-in-chief, said his company imports  products on behalf of other organisations, adding “the claimant had in fact, imported well over 50 containers of approved MCA products and the defendant has always carried out the clearing of goods from Lagos and Cotonou Ports for agreed valuable consideration and cause the goods to be delivered to Chief Raphael Obi.”

    Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Onwumere said by a letter on March 28, 2003 he revoked the Power of Attorney given to the defendant to enable him interact with police, customs and NAFDAC officials over faking of his products.

    On the modality of their business, the witness  told the court that on April 25, 2003, two bills of lading were given to the defendant in respect of 655 cartons of Top Gel at Apapa Port and Cotonou.

    He pointed out that the defendant delivered the goods from Apapa Port, but refused to deliver the 655 cartons cleared at the Cotonou Port, adding that the defendant did not return the bill of lading but has received consideration for the clearing and delivery of the 655 cartons.  Onwumere told the court that the business relationship with the defendant took place between 2000 and 2004, noting that once payment is made delivery is usually within two weeks.

    “It took three months to deliver the Apapa container. There could not have been problems with the clearing except it was caused by the defendant. The container was not arrested by the customs or NAFDAC,” the witness added.

     

  • Agents bitter over high examination cost

    IMPORTERS and agents are complaining about the scan-ning of their cargoes because they are subjected to 100 per cent examination at Tin-can Island Container Terminal (TICT).

    The National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) said the process makes their members pay more for consignments.

    Its National Secretary, Uchu Block, who spoke on behalf of the group, said TICT is worse than other terminals at Tin-Can.

    He noted that most goods scanned there are referred for physical examination resulting in about 10 days further delay.

    He cited what happened to him recently, saying a client imported a 20-foot container of completely knocked down (CKD) suit cases that came in through TICT.

    He said the container was routed for scanning and after it was done, the result showed that there was discrepancy because of the zip and other components of the item.

    He noted that the container spent extra 10 days at the port before physical examination was performed on it while his client had to pay N30,000 more than the duty on the consignment as terminal operator and shipping company charges.

     

  • Ambrose’ agent denies Liverpool, Newcastle link

    Ambrose’ agent denies Liverpool, Newcastle link

    Dudu Dahan , who represents Celtic midfielder Efe Ambrose, has played down speculation linking his client with a move to English Premier League pair Liverpool and Newcastle United.

    The Israeli agent says there has not been contact with the clubs, meaning Efe Ambrose is likely to remain at the Scottish champions this season.

    ”For the moment , there are no teams really interested in Efe. None at all (showing concrete interest, ed). Liverpool and Newcastle United? No way, ” Dudu Dahan said to allnigeriasoccer.com.

    Efe Ambrose has contractual obligations with Glasgow Celtic until June 30, 2015.