The Nation Newspaper

Tag: choice

  • Happiness as choice

    WHERE were you last Tuesday?

    I guess you didn’t know it was Happiness Day. A brief background. Statesman, activist, philanthropist and frontline United Nations (UN) advisor Jayne Illien pushed the idea that March 20 should be marked as Happiness Day to boost the global happiness movement . The UN bought the idea, which was adopted by all UN member-states on June 11, 2012.

    The idea is that “the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal”. The UN recognised “the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples” in making the proclamation.

    Did we mark the Day here? Perhaps at UN offices. Civil Society Organisations were all quiet. The government was too busy to spare a thought for this day. Of course, there are those who have never felt happy; the needy, who incidentally are many among us. Who cares about them? There are, also, those with itchy palms who are sad and mad at the system that has stopped them from stealing from the common till.

    There is so much to cry over here. An ocean of tears won’t be enough to assuage our feelings. So, why don’t we just choose to be happy, despite the odds? But can there be happiness amid so much gloom and doom? Where is the place of humour amid so much horror and terror? Is happiness a commodity to be bought off the shelf like a good book? In other words, is there a correlation between wealth and happiness? If so, why do the rich cry – sometimes? Why are their wives and kids depressed? If cash can buy comfort, can it be a fuel for joy?

    Considering the savagery that has become a regular feature on the menu here, how many can be happy – and truly so? Abductions for cash. Highway robbery. Herdsmen as marksmen.  Road accidents. Hunger. Suicide bombings. And more.

    There have been no earthquakes, hurricanes and such natural calamities. All our disasters have been man-made. So, amid such gargantuan horror, humour becomes a matter of choice. After all, didn’t the Bard say “sweet are the uses of adversity?”

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo could not help going back the other day to the looting that went on as governance in the Dr Goodluck Jonathan administration and how it helped to bring the economy to its knees. Just two weeks before the general election in 2015,  he claimed, N150billion was withdrawn – perhaps for spiritual contractors (where in the world is former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, by the way?), bribe couriers and emergency publicists.

    Should we cry? No. After all, we got a new postulation; some theory that our frontline scholars are yet to resolve till now; is corruption the same as stealing? When our academic giants eventually crack this nut, a huge leap would have been made in the sociology of crime.  The gains of such a breakthrough, I have been told by sources close to the head researcher, will simply be breathtaking. Immeasurable.

    Poor Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom. After weeks of sleepless nights over the plight of those displaced by marauding herdsmen, he visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp last week and found himself dancing. If the people had accepted their fate and decided to dance it all off, why would His Excellency not join them? Should he keep crying?

    Whenever it gets so stressful, I hit the social media. It’s always an exciting voyage of humour – and rumours – full of salacious and tantalising stories . Just yesterday, I found this picture of a governor. His Excellency bends down, sitting on his knees as if set for a frog jump, in front of a woman selling avocado. He picks one off the tray and begins to bargain. The woman’s bosom is half-covered as she bends down to attend to this unusual customer. The governor’s eyes are well trained at the vendor’s heavy chest. Then the caption of the picture: “What exactly does His Excellency want to buy?”

    You are free to guess who this governor is.

    There were also the story and photographs of a Catholic priest who dumped the cassock and got married. His face brightened by toothy smiles, he says: “It’s the beginning of my new life.” Rev. Patrick Edet, who quit priesthood six months ago, adds that “life is one; if you want to live it, live it to the full”.

    He quit his former calling because he was being persecuted and had “little space to operate”. Senior government officials and many dignitaries were at the wedding in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. But, some key members of Rev.  Edet’s family boycotted the show. Were they angry that he dumped celibacy?

    What kind of persecution was the Reverend gentleman talking about? Who were his persecutors? He had little space to operate; what manner of operation? At what point did he change his mind and opted to “live life to the full”. How does he feel to become a husband after many years of celibacy? Will brother Edet need lessons in handling today’s women? Who will put him through? What will his former colleagues be saying? Will his action not trigger another renunciation of this age-old life of sanctification?

    Those making a song and dance about Senator Ademola  Adeleke (Osun West) not sponsoring a bill since fate vaulted him into the Upper Chamber do not really know the essence and intricacies of lawmaking. I stumbled on the distinguished senator’s video on Facebook the other day. And what a spectacle. He holds the microphone, singing. Suddenly, he begins to shuffle his feet. He rolls his body, swinging like a belly dancer. He gyrates – to the wild admiration of his audience – congregants in a church.

    Before the crowd could say “more”, the distinguished senator begins to sing: “I have a God who never fails; I have a God who never fails; I have a God who never fails; Jesus never fails for evermore. Amen, Jesus never fails…”

    He wowed  the congregants into a frenzy. They were all clapping and screaming for more. Even the famous Atilogwu dancers would have been green with envy.

    How many bills can have this electrifying effect? A cynical fellow remarked after seeing the video: “Who will get N13.5million and N750,000 per month and not dance?”

    The fellow was referring to the jumbo salary that Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) says our lawmakers are collecting. Now Prof Itse Sagay, the chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) is threatening to announce what the Senate President and the House Speaker earn. He says Nigeria would burn if he did.

    Former presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe (where in the world has he been?) has challenged Sagay to release the details and those of the President and the Vice-President as well as ministers. Sagay replied him, saying Okupe is an “expired” politician.

    C’mon Prof., go ahead; such facts don’t shock us anymore; they are amusing. Even if they don’t make us happy, won’t they make us laugh?

     

    Return of the Dapchi girls

    AFTER 31 days in captivity, 104 of the 110 kidnapped Dapchi girls returned yesterday to the excitement of their parents and all those genuinely concerned about their plight. Five died. One reportedly refused to renounce Christianity; the terrorists kept her.

    When the Chibok girls were similarly trucked off by the insurgents, we all thought some lessons would be learnt. How wrong we were. I hope a thorough postmortem will be done this time so that we won’t again be rushing to shut the stable after the horse has escaped.

    But there are questions to be tackled even as the military and Amnesty International (AI) quarrel over the incident. Were those who claim that the girls were kept within Yobe State wrong?

    “The girls are in Bulabulin. The military is aware that Boko Haram has been in that place for over four years,” Goni Buka, who represents Bursari/Yunusar/Gaidam Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, told this newspaper. He was dismissed as a rabble-rouser. Is he?

    How long did it take the trucks to return to Dapchi with their unwilling cargoes? Could they have come from outside Nigeria? Are there no informants in all the villages around the trouble spots? Are the terrorists living in outer space from where they emerge to do evil and vanish at will?

    Some critics are said to be flaying the abduction of the Dapchi girls as phony. Why don’t we credit our leaders with some credibility, no matter how little? We shouldn’t see an opportunity for politics in everything, especially a                              major tragedy of this magnitude. Whoever wants to tell a man who is mourning his mother that he isn’t crying enough should kill his or hers and show the world how to mourn.

    Isn’t there a line between sheer cynicism and criticism?

  • A kingmaker and his choice

    When it comes to succession, there are kingmakers who don’t understand that kingmaking has its limits. It is interesting that Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha was quoted as saying to reporters on February 5: “If I show them my successor now, they will kill him. The politicians here are very wicked, but at the right time, when I disclose the identity of my successor, I will stand behind him to protect him.”

    So, Okorocha knows who will succeed him as governor. He sounded so sure of the identity of his successor. Okorocha will leave office next year after a second four-year term, and the person who will become governor after him is expected to be elected by the electorate.

    Going by Okorocha’s words and the way he spoke confidently about the identity of his successor, he may not be thinking about the electorate and its electoral power. He may well be thinking about his own power to pick his successor and ensure that whoever he picks succeeds him as governor. In other words, Okorocha is thinking like a kingmaker.

    “The governor we want is a man that will continue with what we have done, because my administration has laid a solid foundation for the next governor,” Okorocha said.  Of course, he is entitled to want the person he wants. The question is whether the person he wants is the person the voters want.

    When will Okorocha reveal his choice? When is “the right time”?  Does the person he wants know?  Why would his choice be targeted for elimination? Okorocha unfairly labelled politicians in the state as “very wicked,” and maligned them by saying they would kill the person he wants if he unveiled the person’s identity at this time.

    Interestingly, a week later, Okorocha endorsed his son-in-law, Chief Uche Nwosu, to succeed him as governor.  Nwosu is the Chief of Staff, Government House, under his father-in-law.  It is curious that Okorocha endorsed Nwosu who is yet to say publicly that he wants to be governor.

    When officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and leaders from Owerri Municipal Council visited Okorocha at the Government House and urged him to back Nwosu for the governorship of the state in 2019, it was like an opportunity the governor had been waiting for to publicly express his preference for Nwosu.

    Okorocha said: “Uche Nwosu is hardworking, and never gets tired. He is a very humble young man. Not proud. Not arrogant. So, power won’t enter his head. In spite of the position he occupies you can’t see him quarreling with anybody or maltreating anybody. He does not segregate against anybody whether from Orlu or Owerri or Okigwe zone. He relates with people enviously. I have checked him in and out; I have not found him wanting… The young man is a team player, who does not use his office to molest anybody. He has the qualities of a good leader. If he says he will run for governor, I will support him.”

    Okorocha didn’t sound like he was ready to wait for Nwosu’s expression of interest. He sounded more like he had already chosen Nwosu as his successor. He said: “Obviously it might be as a result of these qualities that most people are talking about Uche Nwosu for governor everywhere even when he has not declared for the governorship. It might also be the reason for the endorsements he is getting from all quarters. You see, you don’t hide a good product. And the joy of every leader is to have a worthy successor. You don’t mind political opportunists. We have done very well as a government and we should be concerned about what happens to the achievements after.”

    It is not surprising that this development generated complaints from all quarters. For instance, a number of youth groups in the state rejected Okorocha’s move. A report said: “Some of the groups – Imo Youth Council, the Agenda Vanguard (AV), Imo Youth Enlightenment Organisation (IYEO), Rochas Youth Alliance (RYA), APC Youth Vanguard (APCYV), Youth Equity Group (YEG), APC Youth League (APCYL) and Imo Youths Agenda (IYA) –  angrily stormed out of a meeting organised by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth Affairs, Kenneth Emelu, at the Imo Youth Centre to lobby for their support for the governor’s anointed successor.”

    The State Commander, AV, Comrade Ibeawuchi Nwannaeri, who spoke on behalf of the groups, told reporters:  ”We don’t want to make mistakes; youths of Imo do not support endorsement of an individual. Nwosu is a youth and a good man, but the interest of the party should be paramount. No matter what, be it Madumere, Nwosu, Ololo or Ejiogu, what we are saying is that they should emerge through the party primary.”

    This is the heart of the matter. Will Okorocha follow the path of democracy and allow the democratic process to elect his successor? The problem with kingmakers is that they are usually willing to do anything to bring their candidates to power. It is not clear how far Okorocha may be ready to go to ensure that his choice succeeds him.

    Okorocha’s thinking on succession shows that he may be no better than Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose. Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are on the same page on the question of succession. It is noteworthy that Fayose had caused a stir last year when he named his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as his successor. The state is expected to elect a new governor this year. Justifying his choice, Fayose had said during a thanksgiving service to mark his third year in office:  ”I wanted Kayode Osho, but the Lord said it is Kolapo Olusola and I had no choice but to obey.”

    Governors who think they must pick their successors appear desperate to remain in power after their tenure. It is contrived continuity. Again and again, outgoing governors want to impose their choices on the people, claiming that it is in the people’s interest.  Okorocha and his ilk should let democracy work.

  • Make wise choice in 2018, Osun APC tells residents

    Make wise choice in 2018, Osun APC tells residents

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has alerted the residents to likely challenges they will encounter in 2018.

    A statement yesterday by its spokesperson, Kunle Oyatomi, said: “The stakes for the future of the state are so high that citizens have to be clear about what was, what is and what the future portends, relative to their choice.

    “They will have to choose between continuity of progressive governance or a return to the era of unparalleled failure of political leadership, which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) inflicted on the state for seven years.”

    Describing as momentous the challenges facing the state, the party said the right choice must be made for Osun to be in the right direction.

    It said: “It is a stark choice between rotten experience of the PDP era of stagnation, filth, mismanagement and ‘squandermania’ and the APC era of monumental development, which has uplifted Osun to the status of one of the pace-setting states in Nigeria, even with the recent index, ranking Osun as the highest human capital development, after Lagos, in Nigeria.”

    The party expressed happiness that an “engaging debate was already on about this issue with a growing consensus of participants admitting that ‘the PDP is not and can never be a substitute for the APC in the state of Osun’”.

    APC added: “…The people of Lagos State in Nigeria, since 1999, have voted consistently for continuity in governance and the result has been terrific. Lagos today stands head and shoulders above all other states of the federation with the same political party leadership in charge of governance.

    “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu began the Lagos miracle in 1999. In 2007, he presented Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) to continue where he stopped. BRF blew the minds of Lagosians. When incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode came in 2015, the people of Lagos had already had 16 years of uninterrupted years of continuity of progress. It continues as you read this. Lagos should be our model. Whatever the circumstance, Osun must vote APC for continuity.”

  • Firm promotes choice properties

    A real estate firm, Duchaza International Limited, in collaboration with Revolution Plus Properties Limited, has commenced a promotional programme on its prime properties scattered across different estates at Lekki, Ibeju-Lekki and the Lagos Free Trade Zone environ. The promo began on June 10.

    Speaking at the promo launch, the Managing Director of Duchaza International, Mrs Joy Nwosu, explained that the proximity of the estates to the LFTZ has huge benefits for prospective investors.

    She further explained that one of the prime estates, Arium Estate, is conceived to be a sophisticated and luxurious land space with fast and speedy developments, which reflect magical merging of inspiration and architecture. The estate, Nwosu said, is expected to appreciate by over 100 per cent in 12 months because of its location and excellent neighbourhood. Other locations include the Arium Estate, in the vicinity of the Lagos Business School, Ajah; Emperor Estate, Sangotedo; Abijo GRA; Nicon Town II, amongst others.

    Investors, Nwosu said, have additional benefit of choosing the payment plan that best suits their cash flow, either outright payment or instalments. All the properties are covered by recognised documents, including Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), Excision, Registered Survey and Deed of Assignment.

    “This promo is part of our modest contribution to the growth of the economy by making these properties available to Nigerians at a highly subsidised, affordable and suitable payment plan. Price range is from N700, 000 to N5 million per plot,” Nwosu said.

  • Jegede is divine choice, say ex-deputy governor, monarch

    A former deputy governor of Ondo State and one-time ambassador to Uganda, Chief Omolade Oluwateru, has described the candidature of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a “God’s given project”. Also, the Olukare of Ikare, Oba Akadiri Momoh, said the PDP candidate was reliable and hardworking.

    Oluwateru said Jegede is the most suitable candidate having worked in the governor’s cabinet for the past seven and half years.

    The ex-deputy governor, who served under the late former Governor Olusegun Agagu, spoke yesterday, when a group, the Jegede Network Forum, which he is a member, received the candidate in Akure, the state capital.

    Oluwateru said: ”Jegede was chosen by God and he is extremely lucky. He is not about Akure agenda or project, but he’s God’s own project. For him to have worked in the outgoing governor’s cabinet for seven and half years gives him an edge over his fellow contestants in terms of experience, comportment and proactive reflexes.

    “I know what I am talking about, because his understanding of the problems besetting all communities in Ondo State is fresh and steaming hot. And that is why here in Akure alone, we have vowed to mobilise over 150,000 votes for him.”

    The Commissioner for Education, Chief Jide Adejuyigbe, said in Akure South alone, the people have launched ‘Operation150, 000 votes’, pointing out that there are 248,000 registered voters in the locality.

    The chairman of the Jegede Network Forum, Mr. Adewumi Faji, asked over 5,000 supporters at the event to display their voter cards, which they joyfully did.

    Thanking the supporters, an elated Jegede reiterated his cardinal programmes of massive employment through industrialisation and agricultural expansion.

    Speaking at his palace, when 30 traditional rulers in Akokoland received the PDP candidate, Oba Momoh described Jegede as “our son who is humble, hardworking and reliable”.

    He said the Mimiko administration had performed creditably and that it deserved a successor “from the performing team.”

    The monarch said Jegede had been a friend of the grassroots people, long before he knew that he would be tipped to become governor.

    Oba Momoh said: “Your coming here is just to pay homage; there is no need to campaign, as we all know the stuff you are made of.”

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alhaji Fatai Olotu, an indigene of the area, appealed to the people to vote for continuity, stressing that Mimiko had completed the Awara Dam Scheme and that what was left was water-pipe extension to the various Akoko communities.

    He also recalled that the Mimiko administration built an ultra-modern market in Ikare-Akoko, apart from providing free shuttle buses for school pupils.

  • AND TIFF’S PEOPLE’S CHOICE IS ‘LA LA LAND’

    THE closing ceremony of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival celebrated the cast and crew of La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle.

    This did not come as a surprise because after the first two screenings of the film, words of mouth and media reviews had endeared many to the screens for this film which had so much queues that the organisers had to arrange an extra showing at Scotiabank Theatre 4 on Wednesday September 14, 2016. Even then, not only was the film sold, it enjoyed some desperate crowd on the rush line who you’d think were on a last bus to God knows where. Well, we soon knew – La La Land.

    For this year, this film, a tribute to old-school Hollywood musicals, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling was the festival’s people-pleaser. And if the TIFF People’s Choice films is anything to go by, La La Land may land in the Oscars’ good books just like past winners;The King’s Speech, 12 Years a Slave, Argo, Dallas Buyers Club, and Slumdog Millionaire.

  • Ogun: Investors’ Destination of Choice

    You do not attract investments to your state by folding your arms and expecting investors to knock on your doors. You have to showcase what you have. It is equally not enough for you to advertise and ask investors to come when you have a bureaucratic system that makes it easier for the proverbial camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a prospective investor to establish business in your state. And you do not advertise for the sake of it. If a system does not work or yield returns, you reform or dump it outright.

    Following the First Ogun State Investors’ Forum in 2012, over 40 major industries berthed in the state. After the 2014 edition, greater number of companies were established. These are multi-billion naira investments that have created hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Ogun State. In 2014 alone, Ogun attracted investments worth N690 billion. As far as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria is concerned, Ogun is now the industrial hub of Nigeria by virtue of the massive inflow of investments into the state in the last five years.

    What are the conditions that make the state so attractive to business in the last five years? First and foremost is the vision of the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. Without vision nothing can be achieved, even if you have all the resources in this world. The vision of the governor to move the state from the backwoods of civilization to the 21st century has resulted in doing things differently in the state.  To cite one example in parenthesis, the introduction of e-payment or cashless system suddenly raised the Internally Generated Revenue of the Ministry of Commerce from the average of N45 million per annum under the previous government to N550 million per annum (representing 1,122% increase) within a space of one year of the Amosun administration!

    Of course, it is no longer news that the current government inherited a state defined by insecurity. So the first step taken by the Amosun administration was to contain the menace because no sensible investor will bring their investments to an insecure environment. The next was to create (further) an environment conducive to investments by removing all identified bottlenecks that drive away investors as well as build infrastructure that will foster business development. It is apt at this juncture to quote the assessment by the World Bank.

    In its biennial report, Doing Business in Nigeria 2014, the global financial institution reports that “Ogun, one of the lowest ranked overall performers in both 2008 and 2010, is one of the top reforming states in 2014”. It rates Ogun, out of 35 states and FCT, as one of the five states “that made the biggest strides towards the national frontier of good practices.”

    According to the 2014 Report, “Thanks to a concerted effort across federal and state authorities, and in collaboration with the private sector, Ogun improved on three of the four Doing Business indicators benchmarked. The construction permitting system was radically overhauled, with the state government authorities decentralising the approval system and a new committee monitoring delays. Building permit applications and payments can now be made simultaneously in district offices. Private professionals issue environmental-impact assessments in accordance with the conditions and templates set out in a framework agreement. The certificate of completion is issued on the spot, immediately following the final inspection.”

    To begin a business in Ogun State, according to World Bank, “entrepreneurs no longer need to travel to Ibadan or Lagos, thanks to the Federal Inland Revenue Service’s new stamp duty office in Abeokuta. In addition, the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry abolished the requirement for a physical inspection of the business premises – today, a proof of company address, such as a utility bill, is sufficient. A business premises permit is issued on the spot upon payment of the fee. Finally, Ogun’s Bureau of Lands digitalised property records with the aim of enabling electronic title searches and making property registration more efficient.”

    In spite of the successes recorded so far, the Ogun State Government is not resting on its oars. “Since that 2014 Report,” said Governor Ibikunle Amosun at the opening ceremony of the Third Ogun State Investors’ Forum in Abeokuta on Monday, “we have expanded the Bureau of Urban and Physical Planning into a full-fledged ministry and have adopted reforms that fast track the process for obtaining development permits from six weeks to two and land clearance permits to one week. We have also established zonal offices in each of the Local Government Areas so that we can bring government services closer to the people. These partnerships will ensure speedy processing of our land documents (such as Certificate of Occupancy, Governor’s Consent and registration of titles). Our Geographical Information System (GIS) platform is being improved to enable ease of land management and services. With these developments, our Bureau now ranks among the best in the country.”

    The governor added that “To make it easier for investors to take full advantage of the vast opportunities in Ogun State, we are further expanding the services offered by the One-Stop-Shop that was launched in 2012. The One -Stop-Shop will enable potential and existing investors to go to only one office in order to process Urban and Physical Planning permits; to access the Bureau of Lands to conduct transactions such as land title searches, to purchase land and obtain certificates of occupancy/Governor’s consent; to access the Internal Revenue Service; to acquire land for agriculture; and finally to access the Legal Advisory Desk – all under one roof. The One-Stop-Shop will assign a dedicated officer as an advocate, who will ensure that things progress efficiently…”

    There is no doubt that Ogun State, under the current government, is taking giant leaps economically into the 21st century. It is indeed the “Emerging Economic Power House” in the country. What is expected of citizens of the state is to continue to co-operate with the government in order to sustain the momentum of development for the benefit of the present and future generations.

     

    • Soyombo, a media practitioner, sent this piece from Abeokuta.

  • Family kicks over ‘choice’ of new Olu of Ipaja

    Alleged plan by some people to fill the vacant stool of Olu of Ipaja in Lagos State is now causing disquiet in the area.

    The Aiyekotan Orufu Royal Family of Ipaja, claims that some people who have no historical connection with the nomination and installation of an Olu are in the process of filling the stool.

    It has therefore sent a petition to  Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to stop the plot in the interest of peace.

    The family insists that going by the judgement of a  Lagos High Court  in  suit No: ID/2733/98,it is the only  recognised ruling house eligible to nominate a candidate for the throne.

    The judgment was said to have been delivered on  September 10, 2003 by Justice A.A Oyefesobi of a Lagos High Court.

    The petitioners said:”Following the demise of Olu of Ipaja, Oba Sylvester Ajibola Akinniyi in June 2015, information reached us that plans have already been set into motion by certain families to install a new Oba despite a standing judgment and a pending appeal on the said judgment in an appeal court.

    “We hereby refer you to a judgment delivered on Wednesday 10th September 2003 by Honourable Justice A.A Oyefesobi of a Lagos High Court in suit No.ID/2733/98 filed by our family (Aiyekotan Orufu) against the Military Administrator of Lagos State, Attorney General of Lagos State; Chief Sylvester Ajibola Akinniyi (the late Olu of Ipaja); Adam Baruwa; Daniel Atanda Ogunbiyi and Eliakim Oluwole Ishadare.”

    They quoted  Justice Oyefesobi as declaring  that the Aiyekotan Orufu family otherwise called Orufu family “ is entitled to be approved and registered as the only ruling house entitled to the stool of Baale or Olu of Ipaja chieftaincy. The first and second defendants are hereby ordered to approve and register the Aiyekotan Orufu family as the only ruling house entitled to the stool of Baale or Olu of Ipaja.”

    The petitioners said:” to our rude shock, instead of the losers to maintain status quo pending the ruling on their appeal against our favoured judgment, they have embarked on the process of producing a successor for the late Oba from their family which the High Court had nullified as a ruling house.”

    They  urged Gov Ambode to use his good office  “to call those behind the plot to order before they ignite civil unrest in the community.”

  • Multichoice, little choice

    South African multinationals operating in Nigeria are fast gaining notoriety for shylock practices. Ask the average Nigerian MTN subscriber what he feels about the telecoms giant that has found incredible fortune here and you won’t get any flattering appraisals. Even a dog is not allowed to lap up MTN’s poo, is the refrain in a certain part of the country.

    MTN’s calls termination notice has been object of jokes in some quarters for years:  “Your call credit is exhausted and your call is being TERMINATED!” Yes, the word, terminated is seemingly rendered in capital letters. It comes across as if you were a petty thief trying to pinch credit from MTN. These stingy people never allow people a second extra, many would often grumble.

    But it’s not about MTN today; it is about another South African firm that has so much cause to be charitable to Nigerian subscribers, but rather treats them like dirt. Hardball talks about MultiChoice, the satellite paytv quasi-monopoly. To be fair, this operator of the DSTV channels is not a monopoly. Let’s just say it has more resources and has proved to have a more ingenious business model.

    MultiChoice is not the pioneer paytv firm in Nigeria but again let’s say it stole the thunder from such indigenous firms, such as ABG and even HiTV, later. DSTV blazed the trail by remaking the music channels (with Channel O) to accommodate home-made African music videos. DSTV literally picked Nollywood from the Nigerian bins and made it a huge African brand. It has been doing things with Nigeria’s Premier League; same for basketball and boxing.

    DSTV has played roles that a department of the Nigerian Television Authority (the largest network in Africa!) ought to have pioneered two decades ago, but for crippling mediocrity. Today, the country’s broadcast system is still fossilised in the analog age. It is so sad that to get a crisp view of NTA and most Nigerian channels, it has to be through the DSTV.

    Even at that, what quality of content? A young boy once told his father that the worst punishment he could ever exact upon him was to make him watch NTA for an entire day; that he would simply die of boredom. This is why some Nigerians erroneously describe DSTV as a monopoly; it isn’t. The sky is large enough for all and content abound in the atmosphere. Hardball wagers that we have mined only the tip of the content that is possible in Nigeria and the entire African continent.

    The foregoing notwithstanding, DSTV stands accused of treating her Nigerian consumers with levity and scorn. Last April it increased subscription rates drastically without good reasons. Last week, it blatantly denied subscribers the opportunity of watching the English Premier League, the only reason most people still stick to DSTV.

    DSTV simply created Supersport 5 in the premium bouquet and consigned major EPL matches therein. So the sub-premium Compact-plus subscribers who had paid nearly N10, 000 are brusquely denied the EPL. To think that just four months ago, a sharp increase in rate was executed. Now you have to pay about N14, 000 to get a chance to watch the EPL. And you may wait a month to do that if you had just renewed.

    What an ignominious way to treat loyal subscribers.

  • Good speaker or great speaker; your choice!

    Do you know we sometimes settle for ‘good’ when we can be ‘great’? O yes we do. Sometimes we don’t put as much effort into what we do because we think we have nothing (physical) to gain. However, when we invest ourselves into any activity, the knowledge and experience we gain become ours for life. We have to develop the attitude of being the best at whatever we do, whether we are rewarded or not. Excellence is not an action but a way of life. If you are given any task, do it so well that little or nothing can be added.

    Excellence is the best bargaining chip you can have. I heard the true story of a man who chose to engage in vigorous self-development and to put his best into all he did at work. While his colleagues stylishly escaped responsibilities, he gladly took them up. While his colleagues mocked him for always “being available,” he was busy developing himself. Without them realising it, he was becoming indispensable in the organization. One day, he told the management of his place of work that he was quitting and there was confusion! An emergency board meeting was convened and he was asked to renegotiate the terms of his employment; the board was willing to give him a raise and even a better position just to retain him in the organization. Imagine that!

    In relation to public speaking, you also have a choice to make. You either go the extra mile to become outstanding or you vanish in the crowd as ‘yet another speaker.’ I listened to a speaker some time ago and I was left unsatisfied after his presentation. He delivered a good speech but I wished he had made it a great one. So, instead of writing the points he was making, I found myself writing what made him good instead of great. Here are my observations:

    • Facts without proofs: the speaker made brilliant points, but he couldn’t convince us that the principles actually work. If he had cited examples of those who achieved success by using those principles, we would have benefited more from the presentation. Fact without proof is like wind without rain.
    • Expression without experience: the speech was eloquently delivered. The speaker was quite expressive, but he obviously didn’t have any experience to fall back on. It is actually easy to know when someone is speaking from a wealth of experience and when he/she reads up the topic just for presentation.
    • Presentation without passion: when a speaker is not passionate, there is no way his/her speech can ignite fire in the audience. An unmotivated speaker will turn a great speech to a good one any time any day; in fact he can do worse.
    • Definition without depth: if a speaker has 15 minutes to speak and he spends 10 minutes giving definitions, when should we expect the substance of the speech? Depth is not only how much you understand your subject matter; it is also how much you can make your audience understand it. Always speak from an overflow and never from reserve.
    • Volume without Value: public speaking is not about how much you say, but how valuable your words are. Someone can deliver a 20 minutes speech with only 2 minutes value with someone else can deliver a 5 minutes speech with 20 minutes value. It is not about the number of points you make; it is about the relevance of your words to your listeners.