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Tag: battles

  • Lekki mall owner battles AY, partners over 47m debts

    •AY’s name is mentioned because he is popular, says manager

    OMISSON Emporium, Lekki, was home to a lounge known as Virus, owned by popular comedian Ayo Makun (AY) and his partners. The space occupied by the lounge, formerly known as MVP Restaurant and Lounge, is now the subject of a feud between the lounge’s owners – AY, Joseph Tubdei and Lucky Ahkiwu – and Higher Ground Nigeria, owner of the mall.

    The mall is located on 5, Durosinmi Etti Drive, Lekki Phase 1. AY uses this address as his office. His website still bears the address, even though he and his partners have officially vacated it.

    Higher Ground Nigeria Ltd is accusing AY and his partners of owing N47 million and destroying his property, after vacating the premises.

    On December 29, 2016, a letter signed by Soji Adelore, for Higher Ground Nigeria Ltd, was sent to AY and his partners on outstanding electricity bill and service charge. The letter was received by Anyanwu Chidozie for MPV Lounge.

    The letter showed that the bill as at the time of disconnection was N1.2 million, and it was agreed that the club would pay 70% of the accumulated bill of N840, 000.

    Also the monthly service charge of N500, 000 for November and December 2016, another six months in 2017 is yet to be paid, summing up to N4 million.

    In a letter by Aremo Dotun Hassan for Jury Associate Chambers, solicitor to Higher Group Nigeria, Ltd, on April 24, 2018, to the area commander, Area ‘J’ Police Command, Ajah, Lagos, it was noted that the tenancy period had expired and a notice was served for vacation of the premises, and pay off of outstanding bill of N47 million being payment for rent, accumulated electricity bills and service charge.

    The firm also sought the police’s intervention to ensure AY and his partners fix the property to its initial design before the lease.

    In this letter a copy of which was received on AY’s behalf by his younger brother, Lanre Makun, the mall owner accused the partners of abysmal use and claim of ownership of the building.

    But, AY’s manager, who simply identified himself as Amadi, refuted the allegations.

    In a phone chat with The Nation, he said the comedian had no direct dealing with the owner of the property, and therefore should not be called out as a debtor.

    “AY is just a part of the Board of Directors,” said Amadi, who added: “He is the lowest of the directors. There are others that are higher in position and there is also the head of the board, who all issues concerning the property should be directed to.

    “The reason AY’s name is being mentioned is because he is popular. That building is used as a company, it is not owned by an individual. When the place was rented, it was in shambles, but the company fixed it up to what they wanted to use it for, which was a club.

    “And when they were ready to vacate the place, they took everything that was theirs. There was also a case of elevator, which was promised by the owner of the building when the club started running, which he promised to fix, but did not.”

    The last has certainly not been heard of this matter because Higher Ground Nigeria Ltd has vowed to use all legal means to ensure the debts are paid and the property fixed to its pre-lease status.

  • Ogun govt battles malaria with free mosquito nets

    The distribution of mosquito nets continues across the 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council Development Areas of Ogun State following the official flag-off of the exercise at the weekend in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    In Abeokuta North East Local Council Development Area, the distribution was flagged off at Sokori Health Centre, where the Chairman of the LCDA, Hon. Taofeek Olabode, charged the beneficiaries of the mosquito nets to make proper use of it in order to kick out malaria from the state. The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Officer in the area, Dr. (Mrs.) Shola Adeoye Akinsola said that the people have been given proper orientation on the usage of the mosquito nets.

    The Technical Consultant on the project, Mrs. Wasila Kolo said the residents have been advised on the usage of the insecticidal nets, noting that the nets would come to an end on next week, urging other residents to come out and collect the net. The mosquito net replacement exercise is being facilitated by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with the Ogun State government with support from Global Fund, and the distribution of the nets exercise for the 3.3 million would last for one week.

  • IG: New turn to endless battles

    IT is no longer a matter of conjecture; it came from the mouth of President Muhammadu Buhari that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, disobeyed his order to relocate to Benue State. If that revelation, which came when President Buhari visited the state on Monday to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent spate of killings by herdsmen, is anything to go by, the IGP may have boxed himself to a corner. Since June 2016 when he was appointed as the IGP, Idris has been embroiled in one controversy or the other.

    From the spat with his predecessor, Solomon Arase, over allegation that the former IG went away with all his official cars; the accusations and counteraccusations between him and Senator Isah Hamman Misau; and the IGP’s declaration of Kassim Afegbua, former military President Ibrahim Babangida’s spokesman, wanted under questionable circumstances; the police chief has not acquitted himself well. The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District had accused Idris of having amorous relationships with two serving female police officers, one of whom he later allegedly married, after she became pregnant.

    The senator described as a “deserter” by the police also accused the IGP of allegedly pocketing fat sums of money from oil companies and other multinationals where officers are posted to perform guard duties. Most of the allegations were not followed up to logical conclusions, but fizzled out as other news stories broke and overshadowed them. The senator himself was consecuently arraigned in court over the allegations.

    The two cases filed against him are still pending before the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court respectively. But the latest one has refused to go away like previous ones. Following the January 1 killings of over 70 villagers in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas of Benue State, a development that sparked nationwide outrage and calls for a new approach to the killings linked to farmer-herdsmen crisis across the country, President Buhari ordered the IGP, in a directive issued on January 9, to move to Benue State to restore order and forestall further attacks on villagers by the suspected herdsmen.

    The President had asked Idris to focus on the farmers-herders attacks in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna; the five states that have been witnessing repeated attacks in recent times. He also emphasised in his January 25 letter to the Senate that he had “instructed the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue State” and “redeploy forces to the most sensitive areas”. Idris obeyed the President’s order in the breach. He got to Makurdi, the state capital, on January 10, met with Governor Samuel Ortom on January 11 and left 24 hours after, according to the governor. Before leaving Benue State, after his meeting with the governor and other stakeholders, the IGP directed the Deputy Inspector-General (Operations), Joshiak Habila, to take over while he moved on to Nasarawa State. Aside from this, observers say he has been playing to the gallery, making declarative statements to the media that suggest that he has taken sides in a crisis he was mandated to maintain law and order as a neutral arbiter.

    For instance, on arrival in Benue, the IGP committed a blunder by describing the killings as a communal clash. He also blamed the Anti-Grazing Law passed by both Benue and Taraba states for the escalation of the herdsmen killings. He therefore called for the abrogation of the law, saying that was the only way to end the violence. In other words, he blamed the victims for the crisis. His utterances suggest that he does not share the widespread belief that Benue people are victims who are being maimed and killed for simply not yielding their land to those who consider their cows more precious than human beings.

    To him, the herdsmen are victims of a grand conspiracy whose sole objective is their elimination. As a result, the focus of the police has been to arrest members of militia groups that are attacking the herdsmen. Against this background, some observers believe that the outbursts and body language of the IGP may have emboldened the killer-herdsmen, who continue to massacre innocent Nigerians, particularly in Benue, Taraba and adamawa states. Herdsmen were accused of going about with sophisticated weapons, “terrorising” people in the state without being arrested. When Ortom called on the IGP to resign, if he cannot stop the violence, Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, described the governor a “drowning man”. But, after he was taken to task by stakeholders over his declaration that the Benue killings were a communal clash, the IGP tendered an apology for the gaffe. His words: “I want to apologise as a person for the misconception of the statement I made at a media briefing in Abuja.

    I was trying to say that Nigerians should live together and stay together as one family. But I was misinterpreted.” But, he recanted later, when he returned to Abuja, by declaring that he stood by his earlier statement. On February 3, when he was summoned by the Senate for being unable to meet the two-week deadline earlier given by the lawmakers to end the violence, the IGP maintained that the antiopen grazing law implemented by the Benue State Government was responsible for the crises. He reiterated the above position at a northern stakeholders’ summit on security in Kaduna State on February 28, where he was quoted as saying that state governors should establish ranches before enacting laws to prohibit open grazing. His words: “To reduce the incidence of clashes between farmers and herders, state governments should endeavour to establish grazing ranches in their various states before enacting laws to prohibit open rearing and grazing.” Yet, in another volte face, the IGP was reported last Saturday to have agreed to implement the anti-grazing laws.

    The Force Public Relations Officer was quoted as saying that the police would enforce all the laws in any state that is concerned with the protection of lives and property. The police spokesperson said civil authorities have the right to issue directives to security agencies. This is believed to be a response to the resolution of the House of Representatives which last week Thursday asked President Buhari to direct security agencies to start enforcing the Open Grazing (Prohibition) Law in Benue State and halt the killings by herdsmen. While passing the resolution, the lawmakers condemned the latest attacks on villagers in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state, where 26 lives were lost two Mondays ago.

    Earlier, the House of Representatives had asked the President to sack the police chief, over his “lack of capacity” to address security challenges in the country, particularly the killings by herdsmen and the insecurity in Kano State. Observers say the current security challenges facing the country may turn out to be a defining issue for the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    Such observers say in 2015, the global terrorism index (GTI) rated herdsmen as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world, but in Nigeria they are being handled with kid gloves. Second Republic politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, was amused that the President was just getting to know that his orders were not obeyed two months after. He said: “How come the President is just getting to know that the IGP was not following his order? So, the question now is, what is the President going to do?” The elder statesman said the President should have convened a stakeholders’ meeting to look at the issue holistically, because, in his view, the crisis is being turned into a Tiv/Fulani matter. He said: “It is not a Tiv/Fulani matter, because the crisis extends to all parts of the country and requires a national synergy. It is different from Boko Haram which is confined to the Northeast.

    “Thus, it is something that requires a holistic solution from a meeting of stakeholders that would include the herdsmen, the farmers, members of the executives, the legislators, religious leaders, the police and other security agencies and the Ministry of Interior. “This is to generate ideas and pick the ones that are relevant. No man has solution to everything; an English adage says two heads are better than one. If two heads are better than one, then three or four heads are better than two.”

    The National Chairman of the United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, however toes a different line. He said: “I don’t blame the IGP; the order the President gave to the IGP was not a clear one. He apparently understood it differently; he went there and drafted his deputies, DIGs, AIGs and so on, to handle the matter. The President’s order is not clear, unless we expect the IGP to read what is on the man’s mind.” The UPP Chairman said the people of Benue have the right to make laws that will bring peace to the state, as they did with the Anti-Grazing Law, as long as such laws are within the ambit of the constitution of Nigeria. He added: “It appears that there are people that are not prepared to obey the law of the land; they are the ones causing trouble.”

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Niyi Akintola said IGP Idris has been playing the ostrich over the issue of the herdsmen attacks. He said: “He did not apply himself correctly to the job. There was a time when one of his aides attacked a democraticallyelected governor. A number of newspapers wrote editorials on it, but the IG did not call the officer to order; at least, to the knowledge of the public, nothing was done. “Rather, he still went ahead to condemn a law properly passed by a state assembly.

    He had no right to do that; he is not a court. He should have realized that his personal opinions should be kept to himself. He was given a directive by the President. So, if he is not following the directive, the President should know what to do with him; after all he appointed him.” He said the IG is too flippant. His words: “He talks too much and he is too media conscious. I don’t know when last I read a statement in the newspapers credited to the chief police officer of the United States or that of the United Kingdom and I am an avid reader of foreign newspapers; I have read the New York Times this morning (Thursday).”

  • From Prison to Ivory Tower: Dada battles stigmatisation

    From Prison to Ivory Tower: Dada battles stigmatisation

    His road to the Ivory Tower was strewn with thorns. A young robber condemned to death, Olukayode Dada obtained mercy through amnesty, and decided to live right. But that was when the real battle started. He faces stigmatisation and rejection everywhere, even among family members and friends. He stayed almost a decade before he could get a job, lecturing at one of the nation’s foremost private universities. Government could make the prison more reformatory. Maybe his story can jumpstart that process, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE.

    oday, he stands on the threshold of history. With few months to the defence of his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) thesis in Physiology, Kayode Dada is self-made. He has not only burnt the proverbial midnight candle at both ends to get to this stage.

    He carries a yoke the society is not making any lighter. His frail frame tells a sea of sad stories. Dada, despite his towering academic accomplishments, battle stigmatisation everywhere he turns. In spite of the glitz of his academic prowess, Dada, in the eye of the society, remains an ex-convict.

    That tag remained sewn to his name. Tired of fighting it any further, he had resigned to fate. Even as he shared the testimony of his life’s journey, he couldn’t hold back the tears–mixture of agony, pain and joy.

    At a service organised by Bishop Kayode Williams, also an ex-convict, to celebrate God’s saving grace and miraculous healing from a demonic attack wrought on him during a crusade at New Gbagi Market in Ibadan, at the Oba Tejuoso Assembly of the Christ Vessel of Grace Church International, Old Oko-Oba, Lagos, Dada gave a graphic illustration of a life sprouting from the nadir.

    Dada started out in life as a straight young man. “I have a very decent upbringing, and my parents are deeply religious of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) stock, I am also a dedicated chorister,” he said.

    Yet, when he slipped, due to peer pressure, it was fatal. “I joined a bad gang, and I was lured into a robbery operation, around Agbado, a border town in Ogun State. I was the only one caught by the police and I was convicted and sentenced to death. At the prison, I rededicate myself, having known that I am just waiting for the hangman.

    He embraced the evangelism brought by the Prison Rehabilitation and Evangelical Ministry International (PREMI), a prison organisation founded by an ex-convict Pastor, now Bishop Kayode Williams.

    “My changed way of life must have attracted the prison authorities and after four years on the condemned cell, I was granted freedom. That was in 2003.”

    In 2002, Dada sat for JAMB from prison, and passed. Then the first post-prison battle started. Authorities of the University of Lagos would have nothing to do with an ex-convict. But the then Pro-Chancellor, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), would have none of it. More so as he was on PREMI’s Board. He got his admission, though not in Medicine his first choice, but Physiology.

    Throughout the four years, Dada recalled the school authorities, unknown to him, policed him. Shorn of friends as no one wanted to have anything to do with him, he found solace in his books and the lab was his favourite reading spot.

    Few weeks to his final year, one of those policing him approached him and confessed that he had been tried and tested and he was given a clean bill of health. He graduated with a very strong second-class Upper Division.

    The stigmatisation followed him to the camp of the National Youths Service Corps, which, again, he would have lost but for Bishop Williams’ and Babalola’s intervention. He recalled how he was denied a teaching job at a crèche after his service, due to his status, and even when he volunteered as a laboratory hand he found his movements were usually monitored.

    The frustration resulted in his enrolling for a Master’s of Science (M.Sc) degree in Physiology, which he completed in 2012. A feat that might have been a mirage without the financial support of philanthropists such as Mrs Nosa Igiebor, wife of publisher of TELL Magazine, Oba Tejuoso and Bishop Williams, among others.

    “One day, I was in the laboratory at UNILAG when I received a phone call to come for an interview at Babcock University. I never applied to that university. I was jittery. I told Oba Adedapo Tejuosho and Bishop Williams both of who told me to attend the interview.

    “I was happy when no reference was made in the forms we all filled. However, during the second leg of the interview, when another form was shared and we were asked to state if we had been convicted before, I lost all hope. Moreso, when Bishop Williams asked me not to lie about my state.

    “Interestingly, the form was brushed aside and I eventually got the job. Last year, I became not only a Senior Lecturer, but also the overall best lecturer in the entire Babcock University, an unexpected award of excellence most celebrated by the school authority,” Dada said.

    He said the university has made his burden a little lighter. Students now freely come to him for counselling and the school now rely on him on disciplinary matters.

    “The journey to this path has been tortuous but the reward has been worth all the sowing,” he said.

    On what could be done for things to be better for ex-convicts, Dada said: “The society should stop demonising any convict. The prison is a reformatory home and society should stop seeing it as a condemnatory one. Anyone who goes into prison either becomes broken-hearted or hardened and the society could make it better if we all show some understanding.

    “The society has already concluded and foreclosed the future for ex-convicts. They cannot get love. Everywhere they turn, they see hatred. They are condemned for their sins, even where they might have been innocently convicted.

    “They can never get a decent home or clothes. They cannot walk freely in the community, get a job, marry or raise a family. They are condemned to a life of solitude. They are ostracised by the society that ought to look forward to their full rehabilitation. Without the right support, ex-convicts become hardened and commit another crime in order to return to prison, where he could find love and solace.”

    He said he was becoming a good story because he had benevolent giants willing to offer him their shoulders. I may not have turned out to be this if not for God and these people who have taken it upon themselves to break the stereotypes and rise above stigma.

    He recalled he usually fancied Pastor Williams (as he then was) preach at crusades around Agbado, where he grew up, never knowing that their path would “interwove beyond the ordinary.”

    “Once during service in our church, I had prayed that I wanted to be like this man (Williams). And looking back right now, I nearly did, though I became a robber, killed, arrested and condemned to death before I was rescued and given another life. I became the Elisha while Bishop Williams is the Elijah,” he said.

  • Tinubu: His ideas, battles and triumphs

    Tinubu: His ideas, battles and triumphs

    Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU highlights the ideas and struggles of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as he celebrates his 65th birthday in Lagos this week.

    Courage, determination, resilience, devotion to principles and commitment to the high ideals of democracy are the virtues that have defined and shaped the character of Senator Bola Tinubu in almost thirty years of his sojourn in politics.

    In post-Bola Ige era, no other politician has bestrode the political landscape like a colossus. For 16 years in this dispensation, the Asiwaju of Lagos was the most outstanding opposition leader, held in high esteem by the forces opposed to the mainstream politics. Also, he made history as the arrowhead of progressive forces that aborted the dream of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ruin the bewildered country beyond 2015. The birth and survival of the mega party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are attributed to Tinubu’s power of ideas, foresight, strategy, and organisational prowess.

    As the eminent politician rolls out drums for his 65th birthday celebrations this week, the progressive family is united in celebration of a soldier of democracy, whose illustrious career, ideas, battles, patriotism and service to the nation offer an inspiration to the younger generation.

    For him, the road to fame was long and tortuous. Tinubu is not a politician without a second address. He had a rich curriculum vitae before venturing into politics. He had worked hard and made fortunes in the accounting profession as an auditor in Mobil, a thriving oil company.

    The man of the future was undeterred by his troubled childhood. He confronted life difficulties with uncommon courage. Tinubu left Nigeria for the United States of America in search of the proverbial golden fleece in 1975. His next point of call was the Richard Daley College, Illinois, where he was on the college’s Honours’ List, and later, Chicago State University, Chigaco where he acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with specialization in Accounting and Management.

    Tinubu shone like a star in the tertiary institution. In his second year, he was accorded the honour of teaching remedial tutorial classes on part-time basis to the students of the faculty. He was on the Dean’s List throughout his undergraduate years. His awards included the Outstanding Students’ Award, University Scholar’s Award and Certificate of Merit in Accounting and Finance in his first year. Apart from his academic prowess, he was also a campus politician. He was elected as the President of the Accounting Society in his final year.

    After his university education, Tinubu worked with the American based-accounting firm, Arthur Anderson. Later, he moved to ‘Deloitte Haskins and Sells’, now Deloitte Haskins and Touche for his professional training. The young accountant also received professional training in other prominent firms, including General Motors, First National Bank of ChicagoProcter and Gamble, International Harvester, Fortune 50 Firms, and DEC, the largest communication and utility company in the United States.

    Between 1981 and 1082, Tinubu was a member of the Deloitte team that established the financial sytem of ARAMCO, the giant oil company. He was even retained by the firm to supervise the implementation of its financial system. However, his employment with the Mobil Producing Nigeria as a senior auditor marked a turning point. He rose to the position of the Audit Manager, and later, Treasurer of the Mobil Producing, Nigeria. Under his leadership, there were prudent financial management, aggressive corporate think-tank for the reorganisation of the company’s financial system and treasury activities, the integration of staff development, cost saving and fraud detection and prevention. The experience made Tinubu to describe himself as a financial surgeon.

    In the Third Republic, Tinubu entered politics as a new breed. His colleagues in Mobil were taken aback that he was leaving a lucrative job for an uncertain career in politics. He was a founding member of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), on which platform he contested for the Senate in Lagos West District. The senatorial form was purchased on his behalf by Chief Kola Oseni, his relation. He was supported by the powerful political group, Primose, led By Chief Dapo Sarunmi. The group was locked in supremacy battle with the group, led by former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande, in the Lagos SDP. During the screening, the chairman of the panel, Alhaji Lanre Rasak, was surprised that Tinubu answered critical questions with much intelligence, despite being perceived as a green horn. He predicted that he will seize Lagos politics by storm.

    Tinubu’s opponent at the poll was Mrs. Kemi Nelson of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), who he defeated, emerging as the senator that polled the highest number of votes in the country. He had wanted to vie for the Senate Presidency, but was persuaded to step down for Dr. Iyorcha Ayu. Tinubu was not a bench warmer. He was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation and Currency.

    It was distressing to him that the military later boxed the country into an avoidable crisis, following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola. He joined the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which fought the military to a standstill. When his life was threatened, he left the country and became the major financier and pillar of the pro-democracy movement abroad. It was almost a lost battle. Although the military surrendered power to civilians, the mandate was not restored to Abiola, who died in detention.

    In 1999, Tinubu returned home to participate in the Abdulsalami transition programme. Although he wanted to return to the Senate, the leaders of Afenifere/NADECO believed that he will be a good governor. The Justice Forum was rooting for him. The only dissenting voice was the late Chief Ganiyu Dawodu, who had pitched his tent with Funso Williams, former Works Commissioner. Reflecting on the struggle for the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ticket, a party elder, Oba Olatunji Hamzat, said: “Dawodu’s preference for Williams who had served in Abacha’s government over his own comrades who suffered in the trenches with him remains a puzzle.” Other aspirants were Dr. Wahab Dosunmu, Second Republic minister, who became a senator, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Alerele, Uthman Sodipe, a journalist, Tawa Williams, an engineer, Hon. Rasheed Shitta-Bey, a former House of Representatives member, and Dapo Durosinmi Etti.

    None of them could match Tinubu’s arsenal and goodwill. Although Bucknor-Akerele was a NADECO chieftain, she was not harassed by the Abacha government, unlike her colleagues. Her structure was not solid. Also, Durosinmi-Etti, a lawyer, lacked a strong campaign machinery. Although he was Dawodu’s cousin, his name did not feature on the AD ballot paper during the primary. Tawa Williams, the former General Manager of the Lagos State Water Corporation, was not considered as a serious candidate. Many believed that he was warming up for the deputy governorship ticket. Shodipe’s mounted a vigorous campaign on the platform of the Eko Forum, with the slogan: ‘new vision, new leadership.’ Surprisingly, he came fourth.

    It was a turbulent primary. The party chairman, Dawodu, could not been seen for two days for the release of the result. According to the results, Tinubu scored 10,933 votes, beating Funso Williams (9,678), Dr. Dosunmu (6,023), Shodipe (381), Bucknor-Akerele (223), Tawa Williams (112) and Durosinmi-Etti (five votes). Since Dawodu was in hibernation, the AD Acting National Chairman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, intervened and took Tinubu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office to beat the deadline for the submission of the party’s nominee. Following Tinubu’s success at the primary, supporters of Funso Williams in the Network Alliance, including Hon. Omotilewa Aro-Lambo, Dr. Leke Pitan, Mrs. Nelson, “showed up in the Tinubu camp singing loyalty and adherence.” The three made the cabinet list after the general elections. Bucknor-Akerele emerged as the deputy governor.

    Cracks appeared on the wall as predicted by a party elder, Alhaji Busura Alebiosun, that it will be difficult for Tinubu and Bucknor-Akerele to work as a team. Later, they parted ways. After Bucknor-Akerele’s exit, Olufemi Pedro became the deputy governor.

    Tinubu’s attention was diverted from governance by his detractors. His foes went to court, challenging the authenticity of his hard-earned certificate. But, he triumphed. The dust settled down and he continued with the implementation of his programmes, which earned him a second term in 2003. The aim of his programme was the abolition of poverty. While his colleagues-Lam Adesina (Oyo State), Adebayo Adefarati (Ondo), Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti), and Olusegun Osoba (Ogun) were swept away by the political earthquake in the Southwest, Tinubu survived the PDP onslaught. However, his 2007 senatorial bid was aborted by the power that be. The coast was not clear. But, he succeeded in handing over to a competent successor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN).

    Tinubu played a major role in the return of stolen mandates in Ekiti, Ondo, Edo and Osun, which catapulted Kayode Fayemi, Olusegun Mimiko, Adams Oshiomhole,  and Rauf Aregbesola to power. However, he was subjected to harassment, following his trial by the Code of Conduct Bureau. Again, he survived the ordeals and mobilised like-minded compatriots across the political parties to merge into the APC, ahead of 2015 general elections.

    As a chieftain of NADECO/Afenifere/Justice Forum, Tinubu has lent his voice to the debate on the national question. He is an apostle of restructuring, state and community police and devolution of power. Although he had been an advocate of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), the former governor opposed it when it was set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Tinubu clarified that he rejected the move because it was a Greek gift, stressing that the initiator was not sincere. The outcome of the conference was discarded by the government that set it up.

    To Asiwaju Tinubu, power is not served alar carte. He had become the leader of opposition since 2003. Under his leadership, the success of power shift in some states in the Southwest and Southsouth became the bedrock of the struggle for power by the opposition at the centre. Many doubted the capacity of the alliance to depose the PDP from power. But, Tinubu offered the inspiration, saying that  the coalition will be supported by Nigerians because they were desirous of a new lease of life. Reflecting on the success of the APC in 2015 polls, a chieftain from the Southwest, Ayo Afolabi, said: “Tinubu is a strategist extraordinaire.”

    A party chieftain, Abiodun Ogunleye, described Tinubu as a factor in the Nigerians politics. He said: “He is not a president, but greater than a president. He is not a god, but feared more than a god. He is not armed, but those who fear him are armed. He is not at home, but everywhere. When he coughs, his enemies catch cold. When he travels, they fear of what his mission is.

    “When at home, they fear what he will do. When he talks, they fear what he says will cost. It is more of problem when he keeps quiet.”

  • Fireworks in senate: Ndume’s many battles

    Fireworks in senate: Ndume’s many battles

    Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume means so many things to so many people within and outside the National Assembly.

    He was elected to the senate for Borno South in April 2011 and later cross-carpeted to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the formation of the party. He was re-elected to the senate in style in the 2015 election.

    When Ndume was announced Senate Leader in 2015, the announcement was greeted with fanfare.

    ‘Like Minds Senators’ saw the triumph of Ndume as another victory for their group following the controversial election of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as Senate President on June 9, 2015.

    The election of Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President and Ndume against the position of the APC threw up a chain of events in the senate.

    Before January 10, 2017, the cookies began to crumble for Ndume. Things changed so fast in the upper chamber. It appeared the relationship between Ndume and his once enablers had gone awry. Something was to give way.

    On January 10, 2017, Ndume was unceremoniously removed as Senate Leader when he went to pray.

    Although he appeared to have accepted his fate in good faith, Ndume cried blue murder and described his ouster as a legislative coup.

    His scathing remarks at the Presidential Villa over senate rejection of the nomination of Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission did not go down well with most of his colleagues in the upper chamber.

    He was accused of betraying the collective decision of the senate by speaking “scornfully” about a resolution of the senate to turn down the nomination of Magu.

    A closed session of the upper chamber was quickly convoked. Ndume was said to have been thoroughly scolded for taking a contrary view of the senate. Those close to the Borno senator said he took everything stoically, apparently bidding for appropriate time to strike.

    Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, was said to have been the arrowhead of Ndume must go campaign.

    Melaye and Ndume were said to have clashed even before the closed session over Ndume’s position on Magu.

    Ndume’s explanation was that the senate could not have claimed to have rejected the nomination of Magu when the nomination was not considered in the first place.

    The cloud thickened. Ndume was removed with Melaye’s name appearing as number one on the list of APC senators who endorsed the ouster.

    Hours after his removal, Ndume fired the first cannon. He asked senate leadership to take steps to open up the budget of the upper chamber. Good talk some said. Some others wondered why Ndume did not initiate the process of opening up the budget of the National Assembly when he occupied the exalted position of Senate Leader.

    Not deterred, Ndume also faulted senate’s rejection of Magu’s nomination the second time. For him, those who come to equity should come with clean hands. He wondered why senate should refuse to confirm Magu based on a mere allegation that was yet to be certified by the court. Most of the senators who opposed Magu’s nomination, he said, have no business being in the senate because they also have cases to answer in courts of competent jurisdiction.

    The Borno-South lawmaker was not done yet. On Tuesday, Ndume released another bomb shell. He decided to walk where angels fear to step a toe.

    By asking the senate to mandate its Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee to investigate Saraki for alleged importation of bullet proof car with dubious customs duty import papers Ndume reincarnated the legendary banana peel that was the undoing of many senate presidents.

    He also asked the chamber to set machinery in motion to probe allegation of certificate forgery leveled against Senator Melaye.

    Ndume drew the attention of his colleagues to a publication that Saraki sanctioned the invitation of the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), to appear in uniform to explain the controversial import duty payment on old vehicles because the Service impounded his (Saraki’s) bullet proof Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle on the orders of Ali.

    After the plenary, Melaye described the issue Ndume raised about him as a welcome development and pledged to make himself available for the investigation.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, asked Ndume to lay the documents he has. Ndume submitted some newspaper publications.

    Ekweremadu referred the two matters to Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for further investigation. He gave the committee four weeks to report back.

    The office of the Senate President also reacted. It said Saraki has nothing to do with importation of vehicle.

    Special Adviser to Senate President on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the allegation raised by Ndume, linking Saraki to the importation of vehicle lacked basis as it was outright falsehood.

    Olaniyonu said from facts and documents about the seized vehicle, “it is obvious that the Senate President has nothing to do with the importation of any vehicle.”

    “A supplier was engaged by the Senate to supply a vehicle. While transferring the vehicle between Lagos and Abuja, it was impounded by the Customs. We believe that it is an issue between the supplier and the Customs because the Senate has not taken delivery. So, why is somebody trying to drag the name of Saraki into the issue?

    “The documents on the vehicle are there for the general public to view and make their conclusions. Now, that the matter has been referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, all the facts will be out”, Olaniyonu said.

    The trending question is whether the dreaded banana peel is back in the senate? A former Senate President, David Mark, applied managerial ability and military strategy to keep at bay the banana peel from the senate for the eight years he was on the saddle. Mark was able to avoid and to fence off major crisis by dealing with each senator according to their idiosyncrasies.

    Saraki’s senate has been on a state of tumult since the event of June 9th, 2015 that saw his election as Senate President.

    The heat is on. Is the center caving in? Time will tell.

  • Ahmad battles Hayatou for CAF Presidency

    Ahmad battles Hayatou for CAF Presidency

    •Madagascar FA Chief promises Change
    •Sure of Nigeria, Cosafa votes

    The city of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia is the venue for what appears a titanic battle for the presidency of African football today, as incumbent Issa Hayatou from Cameroon slugs it out with Malagasy football administrator Ahmad Ahmad.

    Never since he ascended the throne 29 years ago has the former Cameroonian athlete and basketball player been faced with a credible challenge to his presidency, with prospective candidates for the seat in the past either developing cold feet at the eleventh hour or summarily disqualified by clever amendments to the Statutes.

    Hayatou mounted the throne at the age of 41, after a campaign hinged on the need for a new vigour and spirit at the top of CAF, and the promise of a new direction offered by youth and vibrancy.

    Today, he will be going for an eighth term in office, which will all amount to 33 years in office by 2021 – a term at headship of international sport equalled only by the inimitable Jules Rimet, who was President of FIFA between 1921 and 1954.

    Delegates from all over the African continent, including the 53 persons who will cast their votes for either sustenance of the status quo or for change and new thinking, started pouring into the Ethiopian capital on Sunday. Of the 54 Member Associations of CAF, only the delegation from Eritrea (people from that country cannot enter Ethiopia, for political reasons) is not expected in Addis Ababa.

    Nigeria’s delegation, including NFF President Amaju Pinnick who will vote today and also contest for a seat on the CAF Executive Committee, started arriving on Monday, and also includes NFF Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, NFF Executive Committee member Ibrahim Musa Gusau and the General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi.

    Of the two candidates for the presidency, only Ahmad travelled to Nigeria to solicit for support, and was warmly received by Nigeria’s number three man, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung.

    Ahmad is the first to have received expressions of support from among CAF member countries, including the grouping of 14 southern African countries (Cosafa) and Nigeria. The Madagascar Football Federation president said he was confident of support, even though only Cosafa and Nigeria have so far gone public. “Others won’t say it publicly. I know that and I respect their position.”

    Also of interest to African football followers is the contest between FIFA Council member Lydia Nsekera (Burundi) and Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone) for the only female seat on the CAF Executive Committee.

    In the Southern zone, respected South African administrator Danny Jordaan (chief organizer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup) will slug it out with incumbent 1st Vice President Suketu Patel (Seychelles), Rui Eduardo da Costa (Angola) and Frans Mbidi (Namibia) for two seats.

  • Our professional battles with temptations

    Our professional battles with temptations

    At the passing of oil and the gentle soothing sensation that flows from the rub of hands on a nubile body, there is no denying the fact that more than just a massage may actually happen in a beauty parlour, especially when the service is being rendered by the opposite sex.

    In Nigeria, the annual turnover in Spa business is estimated at about N30 billion. The industry is thus a major contributor to the beauty and health business not only in Nigeria but across the globe. This rapid growth of the industry is an indication that going for a warm, soothing rub is no longer the exclusive preserve of the rich but also the upwardly mobile who seek outlets to relieve themselves of stress. It is becoming a common sight to see members of the middle class visiting massage parlours mostly at weekends.

    With increased patronage, especially a situation where the opposite sex has to be the masseur conducting the massage, the flow of body warmth can exude some sensuous feelings which can develop into something else if the guards are let down.

     

    Young physiotherapist shares experience

    For a 25-year-old female graduate of Medical Rehabilitation from the Obafemi Awolowo University, who pleaded anonymity, necessity has become the mother of invention. Frustrated by the long wait for job placement in a government hospital she had applied to, she took to offering private home services to people in need of physiotherapy treatments.

    “My clients are usually men. Some of them are old and some are in the middle age with cases of low back pain radiating to the legs. What I do is to apply topical gels, rub in analgesics or powered substances,” she said.

    She then relived an experience she had while massaging the thighs of an older patient. According to her, the experience serves to emphasise the point that apart from being a rejuvenating therapy, there is much more that can occur when a young lady’s cradling hand soothes the hailing legs of a male adult.

    She said: “There have been cases where in the process of doing my work, some of my patients get aroused. There was a particular patient I was working on in Ketu area of Lagos and his manhood suddenly stood erect. I actually felt for him because from the look on his face, he was visibly embarrassed. What I do in such cases is to suspend treatment and allow my client to gain consciousness.

    “It is not all about them wanting sex. It is just a natural reaction. I handle such occurrences as a professional. If the case is getting out of hand, I discontinue the treatment of such persons.”

    A 65-year-old retiree, one Mr Quadri, also spoke to our correspondent on the pleasure moments he had encountered while receiving home treatment for a nagging leg problem.

    He said: “There was a time I invited a physiotherapist to do some home treatments on me as advised by my personal physician. She was young and fresh from school, and truth be told, I enjoyed the movement of her hand on my skin, unlike the coarse hands of those male therapists in the government hospital I was first referred to.

    “I had leg pains and she had to massage my thigh. There was a day she was at it and I started getting aroused. The first time, it was very embarrassing, but I took it calm as a man, knowing that these things often happen in the most funny time and moment. But I guess it didn’t go down well with the young lady.

    “Even though I didn’t approach her for any sexual relationship, she left under the guise that my son should be able to administer the massage after some tutorials. She said she wanted to help me save cost, but I knew she stopped coming to my house to treat me because of those awkward moments. After all, I was not complaining about the money.”

     

    Spa owners share experience

    But the experience is not restricted to physiotherapists. Cosmetologists who own Spa and beauty parlours have similar experiences. A deep, rhythmic stroking of the skin to help balance the flow of essential life energy should be the essence of visiting a Spa. But this is not always the case, as interaction with Spa owners who spoke to The Nation revealed.

    As it is with male clients craving for ‘happy hour moments’ during massage sessions in most beauty shops, so it is with women too, who often times want some excitement and cuddling.

    “The funny request for ‘happy hour’ is rampant among male clients. It happens with women too, but in smaller proportion,” says Mrs. Ruth Zobeashi, CEO of Ruthiana Perfection Parlour on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The experienced masseur said in situations where customers begin to get aroused during massaging moments, she tries to calm them down by speaking with them in a professional tone. Continuing, Mrs Zobeashi observed that people have different reasons for undergoing massage.

    “Some people feel that a Spa is a place where they can come and ease off, while others feel it is a place where they can get a woman’s touch. But a Spa is not meant for that. You are supposed to come for relaxation.

    “When you notice that the client is getting aroused, you try to calm him/her down. And if such a person is still not cooperating, you walk the person out or you call your security to walk the person out.”

    Reacting to the opinion that it may not be professional to walk a client out, she said: “We have stubborn people, but majority of them are men. For some of them coming to a Spa, they have the mindset that they should be able to get so much more.

    “It is not that you would just send the person out. But after trying your best and the person does not calm him or herself down, you can walk him or her out. Some men would just come and say, ‘Sorry, do you have a Spa?’ And when they see the masseur, they try to ‘access’ the person. As a professional, you still go on with such massage.”

    The woman, who has been in the business for over a decade, recalled her encounters with lesbians who want their private parts to be massaged during massage sessions. She confessed to walking such women out.

    “Although some people will contend that it is not professional to walk them out, I resort to that after trying some other options. I always say you should know the reason why you are coming to a Spa,” she submitted.

    But it is not only female masseurs that experience awkward moments with their clients; the male ones also do, particularly tattoo artists who have had cause to work on some sensitive body parts of the opposite sex.

    A tattoo artist in Surulere part of Lagos, who pleaded not to be named, said he once experienced an awkward moment when he was still working with a certain Alhaji who operates a prominent tattoo shop on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

    He said: “It was a funny and awkward moment involving a junior colleague of mine when I was doing apprenticeship under a big boss. This guy was called in to hold a woman’s boob during a tattoo session and he got so uneasy that he was almost ejaculating. Our boss saw it and cautioned him against acting unprofessionally. We made a joke of that occurrence almost on a daily basis until I left the place.”

    Other men who spoke with our correspondents affirmed that developing feelings for a business client is not good for business as services to be paid for would be done in gratis.

    Against this tendency, smart Alecs, like another tattoo artist who simply identified himself as Mr. Victor of MainWorld Beauty and Cosmetics in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, devised a means which he shared.

    He said: “I try not to develop any feelings whatsoever because of the money involved. For me, it is strictly business. But after the transaction is completed, I can be up to some other excitements as the case may be.”

    On the possibility of customers getting aroused during tattoo sessions, he said: “When I am working with customers who are getting sexually aroused, I tell such customers to calm down and trust me to do my work. One thing is that I usually make sure I control the situation.”

    The entrepreneur, who is into skin care, tattoo drawing and body enhancement, told our correspondent that although many female clients often feel sensuous when their bodies are being smothered, it is not the same with tattoo because tattoo drawing is painful, so, the client is likely to be in excruciating pains. “Except you are working on the sensitive areas of the body and afterwards, the customer tends to be funny.

    “But you must ensure professionalism and see to it that no string is attached. One should not latch on to every opportunity, else those women will send you back to your village in no time.”

    Another tattoo and skin care professional, Mr. Micheal Ayomalame, who shared his views on the issue, said developing sensual feelings during a work session is not about the client but the person handling the process.

    He said: “It is not about the client; it is about you. You know what is good for you, so you take your decision alone. You have to be professional when dealing with your clients. If you get involved in such a thing, it is going to spoil your image.

    “Although he/she is the one offering himself/herself to you, you still try and control yourself. If you go ahead and do it, it means that any if other client comes with the same motive, you will keep doing the same thing to them.”

    Although he conceded that sending a client away may not always be a professional approach as they may feel cheated since they have paid for the service, he advised that one should rather walk out of the session and leave the client to take their leave.

    A tattoo artist at the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, who identified himself simply as Chike, said it is natural for a man to get aroused if he visits a Spa and gets handled by a beautiful woman.

    “Naturally, men are sensitive to women’s touch. If you visit a Spa and you see a beautiful lady, the moment she touches you, you feel it. Sometimes it is the clients that should be accused of guilty pleasures, since they make the passes”.

    Asked if he has had any such experience, he said: “I just do my job first. If anything wants to take place thereafter, then we can discuss.”

    Mary Adeoti, who operates a beauty parlour on Akerele Street, Surulere, says such feeling is usually expressed when clients are left alone with an opposite sex. She said the means she has devised to avoid such awkward moment is ensuring that she does not stay alone, especially with clients of the opposite sex.

    She said: “As a masseur, I ensure that one of my girls is standing by, passing me some of the lotions we use. That way, both myself and the client are safe. Because sometimes, even if you think you have a strong resolve, you won’t know when you will fall into temptation.”

    With confession of awkward moments and funny exchange of emotion occurring between clients and service providers in most beauty parlours, it would not come as surprise that some men often bar their wives from providing services to members of the opposite sex.

    Dr Femu Ilevbare, a lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, told our correspondent that it is natural for such guilty moments to occur.

    He, however, said it is unprofessional for any man or woman to fall into such trap, as there is no moral justification for it.

  • ‘Governors should prepare for mother of all battles’

    ‘Governors should prepare for mother of all battles’

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, spoke to reporters on national issues, including the shortage of premium motor spirit (PMS), the clamour for withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products and the declaration that states cannot pay N18, 000 minimum wage. At the event, an enraged Wabba said workers would embark on an indefinite nationwide strike, if governors make good their threat to stop the payment of N18, 000 minimum wage. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI was there.

    What is the latest on the face-off between the NLC and governors over the threat to stop the payment of N18, 000 minimum wage?

    We are still in a state of shock that our governors could make such pronouncement. What is N18, 000, considering the current economic challenges in the country? We were thinking that these governors will make an upward review of the minimum wage, but what we got in return was a shock; N18, 000 is not a living wage and our leaders know this. Yet, they are now saying they can’t even pay it.

    But, Nigerian workers are no fools. It is not as if the governors don’t have the financial wherewithal to pay this money; their problem is that of misplaced priorities. There are lots of leakages in the system, which when blocked will ensure that there are sufficient funds to pay workers. For example, look at duplication of political offices and political appointees by many state governors? What about jumbo salaries, allowances and other perks of offices these political appointees collect every month? The money runs into hundreds of millions of naira.

    Why should the NLC fold its arms and allow workers to be made sacrificial lambs by governors? Never! Some of these governors apart from living opulent lifestyles have also embarked on projects that have no direct relevance to the lives of the people. The cost of governance needs to be drastically cut down at all levels.

    Has there been any move for an amicable settlement of the crisis?

    We are open to dialogue. However, the sustenance of N18, 000 minimum wage is not negotiable. We are even planning to demand for an upward review of the minimum wage in view of the present economic hardships. Many states are in dire straits today because of the priorities they have chosen, which has nothing to do with public good.

    We, however, believe and still insist that workers salaries can’t be sacrificed on the altar of challenges of the economy, because it is not the making of workers. It has never happened in the history of this country and it will not be said that it is during our leadership of the NLC that this calamity was allowed to happen to Nigerian workers. The governors should re-order their priorities and again instead of going cap in hand to Abuja at the end of every month to collect allocation, they should look inwards by increasing their Internally Generated Revenues( IGR).

    In the ’60s when Nigeria didn’t have oil as the main source of her revenue, the country’s founding fathers raised funds through efficient tax system and other forms of internally generated revenue for development and also pay living wages to workers. Our current crop of leaders who put themselves up for election for different elective positions must not only endeavour to deliver on their electoral promises, they must also pay workers living wages. This is not negotiable.

    But, the governors claim that the minimum wage was imposed on them. What is your view on this?

    It is not correct that the minimum wage was imposed on the governors. For the records, the 2011 National Minimum Wage came into existence after almost two years of agitation and eventual negotiation by the tripartite stakeholders: the Federal and state governments, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association representing other employers in the private sector and the organized labour.

    As organized labour, we submitted a request for N52, 000 minimum wage, but out of our patriotic disposition and consideration, we reluctantly agreed to the N18, 000 minimum wage, even though it was grossly inadequate as a living wage. Many of the state governments who submitted memoranda then to that tripartite committee even recommended figures that were far above the N18, 000 that was eventually agreed upon. The governors can’t therefore claim that the current national minimum wage was imposed on them. The records are there. We kept records of all these negotiations.

    But, as you are aware, things are not rosy with the governors; that is why they sought and were given bail-outs by the federal government…

    Like I said earlier, we strongly believe that there is no state in Nigeria today that can’t pay N18, 000 minimum wage. The problems with the governors is about getting or setting their priorities right. With regards to the bail-outs, the NLC has to raise alarm when we discovered that some state governors were making attempts to divert it to other uses. Some of them were diverting the bail-outs into fixed deposit accounts for personal gains.

    It is sad that some of the governors elected to play politics with the welfare of their workers; some of them were even quoted as saying that they reserve the right to do whatever they like with the intervention fund from the federal government since it wasn’t a loan. This kind of attitude is unacceptable to the NLC.

    What is the way out of the current fuel scarcity?

    As an oil producing nation, we have no reason to suffer fuel crisis. I will like to appeal to the federal government to find a way to identify and deal with the cabal behind the energy crisis. Obviously, some interests are benefitting from the current import regime we are running. But is this supposed to be so? We have no business importing petroleum products as an oil-producing nation. I also disagree with those clamouring for the removal of subsidy; these elements are anti-masses.

     

     

    Thank God, President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that subsidy is not going to be removed. He has not caved in to the pressure by anti-people elements. Removal of subsidy will trigger social unrest.

    To get out of the problem, the federal government should build more refineries even outside Nigeria; this will increase the supply of petroleum products in the market. The NLC is outraged by continued fuel scarcity resulting in skyrocketing prices and long queues at filling stations in different parts of the country.

  • The many battles of Godswill Akpabio

    The many battles of Godswill Akpabio

    Senate Minority Leader and former Akwa State Governor Godswill Akpabio has fought many battles in his political career; he usually comes out almost unscathed. The move by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute him over allegations of misappropriating N108.1bn while serving as governor between 2007 and 2015 is the latest of such battles. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI traces the series of battles of the former governor and the odds against him this time around.   

    This is not the best of times for former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who has fought many battles and triumphed in his political career. In 2007, for instance, he became the governorship flag bearer of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, against the wishes of the then out-going Governor Victor Attah. Fifty-eight aspirants fought for the ticket, but, at the shadow poll, Akpabio emerged as the winner.

    But, at the twilight of his eight-year tenure as governor, things began to fall apart within the PDP, as the party started losing its hitherto iron-grip on national politics. As the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Akpabio played a prominent role in the crisis that engulfed the party. Though the party performed woefully in the general elections that followed that crisis, Akpabio was compensated with the position of Minority Leader of the Senate for the role he played as one of the key allies of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Nevertheless, the former governor has not known peace since the preparations for the last general elections destabilised Akwa Ibom PDP. As the leader of the party in the state, Akpabio fought two major battles with party stakeholders in the twilight of his administration. One of such battles centred on his determination to install Governor Udom Emmanuel as his successor. This eventually led to mass defections from the ruling PDP in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC); thus paving the way for the first keenly-contested governorship election there since the return to civil rule 16 years ago. As could be gleaned from last week’s tribunal judgment, which ordered a rerun in 18 out of the 31 local governments in the state, the dust is yet to settle on the matter.

    The other battle that had been giving Akpabio sleepless nights is his controversial emergence as the senator representing  Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District. Akpabio’s emergence as the PDP flag bearer for the election was widely regarded as controversial because he hijacked the ticket, against the subsisting agreement that the next senator from the district should come from the Abak division, one of the two major components that make up the Akwa Ibom Northwest District, otherwise known as the Ikot Ekpene District. The APC had challenged his emergence on several grounds, one of which was that no election took place. But, the election petition tribunal has decided the matter in Akpabio’s favour.

    The APC flag bearer in the contest, Chief Inibehe Okori, had challenged the March 28, 2015 election on four grounds: “That the first respondent was not qualified to contest the election on the ground that he was not nominated or sponsored by any political party; that the first respondent was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election; that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and / or non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act; and that at the trial the petitioners shall rely on the senatorial district delineation map prepared under section 71 of the constitution by the second respondent.

    In its judgment two weeks ago, the Akwa Ibom State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, upheld  the election of former governor, saying the petitioners failed to prove that Akpabio was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the election. The tribunal headed by Goddy Anunihu declared that the election that produced Senator Akpabio was done in substantial compliance to the Electoral Act, 2010.

    The judgment read in part: “There is abundant evidence that the electorate, including the petitioners, were not in any way deceived as to the senatorial district, (where) the 1st respondent  was nominated to contest the election.

    “There is also uncontroverted evidence that the first petitioner (Okori) bought the form of the third respondent (PDP) for the same Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District before he lost the ticket and decamped to the APC.”

    The former governor may have survived the threat against his senatorial election, but he is facing a fresh challenge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The move by the EFCC to prosecute him has generated heated debates between the Presidency and the PDP. The opposition party has been hauling brickbats at the APC’s war against corruption, saying governors under its platform are being singled out for persecution.

    Akpabio’s ordeal is coming on the heels of a petition dated June 22, 2015 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC. In the document, the petitioner, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr. Leo Ekpenyong, alleged that the former governor misappropriated N108.1bn while serving as governor of Akwa Ibom State.

    Beyond the verbal tirade between the Presidency and the PDP, Akpabio’s case has started generating more controversy. Ekpenyong has faulted the way and manner the anti-graft agency is handling the case of the governor of Akwa Ibom between 2007 and 2015. The legal practitioner is unhappy with the EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde’s handling of the interrogation of the former governor. In a fresh petition to President Buhari, he has accused Lamorde of mentoring Akpabio on how to write statements that would enable him escape culpability in the corruption case, and asked that he should hands off the matter until a new helmsman is appointed for the agency.

    Ekpenyong said that given the evidence already in public domain, there was no need for EFCC to be shopping for evidence to prosecute the former governor and retrieve the state’s funds from him and his associates. He said: “Lamorde should resign because he is working in league with Akpabio to stall his prosecution. What he is doing now is mere window dressing in the media to give the impression that he is serious about trying the former governor. That is why I have sent a new petition to the Presidency to remove Lamorde from the case and appoint a man with integrity to handle the case.”

    But, the issue remains whether the ebullient Akpabio is guilty as charged. After inviting Akpabio and grilling him for two days, over allegations of corruption during his eight-year tenure as governor, the anti-graft agency is still considering whether it has enough evidence to charge the former governor who is a prominent member of the PDP to court. He is being accused of misappropriating N108.1bn while serving as governor of Akwa Ibom State.

    Indeed, given the commission’s not-too-impressive track record of hastily arresting and arraigning political office holders in court, without proper investigation and consequently no evidence to prosecute such cases, Akpabio’s case may be dead on arrival.

    Akpabio’s supporters are already upset with the mere idea of interrogating the former governor on charges of corruption. They point to the pace of infrastructural and socio-economic development witnessed in the state during the Akpabio administration. Such loyalists say Akpabio’s ordeal is politically motivated and may not be unconnected with 2019 politics.

    But, critics insist that the former governor has deceived many Akwa Ibomites with his ‘uncommon transformation’ mantra and that most of what people claim as his achievements are white-elephants projects and surface dressing. One of such critics, the Convener, Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (COHRD), Mr. Inibehe Effiong, believes the ongoing efforts of the President Buhari to rid the country of corruption will remain a mirage if people like Akpabio are still moving freely. He said until he is investigated, prosecuted and put behind bars, the war against corruption would remain a pipe dream.

    He said despite the unprecedented allocations that accrued to the state from 2007 to 2015 that Akpabio left behind a worrisome debt running into several billions of naira. He added: “A recent publication by Diamond Bank Plc, one of banks that the Akpabio regime borrowed money from, shows that Akwa Ibom State owes the bank N5.8 billion. Several contractors, including Julius Berger Plc, which Akpabio used for his much-trumpeted infrastructural projects are being owed billions of naira. Civil servants, including lecturers of the state government owned university, are being owed salaries.”

    Observers say there is a lot of hype about the number of flyovers in Uyo. But, as far as many Akwa Ibomites are concerned, there is no need for such flyovers at the moment. At a time workers were being salary arrears, Akpabio organized a profligate Christmas carol believed to have gulped over a N1 billion. Well known personalities, including Reverend Jesse Jackson, were brought from different parts of the globe to Uyo for the carol last December.

    Yet, civil servants had not received their salaries since September at the time. Prior to the general elections, workers in the local governments had been on strike for about four months because of non-payment of salaries. Similarly, primary school teachers were also on indefinite strike at the time, over non-payment of salaries for four months.

    In his petition to the President, Ekpenyong gave details of some of Akpabio’s alleged financial recklessness. He indicated that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor colluded with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury. Ekpenyong told the EFCC that the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former Accountant General of the state, Udo Isobara, colluded with Mr. Akpabio to steal the funds.

    He stated in the petition: “Between January and December 2014, it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Etekamba Umoren and Mr. Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881 amounting to N22.1 billion,” he stated in the petition.

    “It is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies. For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr. Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.”

    For assisting Akpabio retire billions of the stolen funds, Ekpenyong said Umoren was rewarded with an appointment as Government House chief of staff and now secretary to the state government under Udom Emmanuel’s administration. The legal practitioner went on to state that over N50 billion of Akwa Ibom funds were spent by the former governor during the last general elections.

    During the period under review, he said Akpabio also withdrew a whopping N18 billion from the state coffers under the guise of special services, reception of very important guests and sundry items. “The cumulative aggregate of these monies stolen by Godswill Akpabio from the coffers of government as pocket money is the annual budget of some states in Nigeria put together,” the petition reads.

    The EFCC is still investigating the matter. The outcome of the investigation would determine who will have the last laugh. Meanwhile, the PDP maintains that the investigation is aimed at weakening the PDP ahead of 2019 elections.