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Tag: Controversy

  • Controversy trails proposed N19.6b Edo five-star hotel

    Controversy trails proposed N19.6b Edo five-star hotel

    The Edo State Government aims to transform the state into a hub for culture and tourism in West Africa. To realise this goal, the government has put forth the Radisson Hotel project as a strategic initiative to facilitate the development of the Benin cultural district. It will encompass museums, moat walks, research centres, and hotels. The proposition to build a N19.6 billion five-star hotel has stirred up controversy and debate in the state, reports, South south Bureau Chief BISI OLANIYI reports.

    In the 70s, there was a Benin-based billionaire industrialist, Chief Napoleon Odia who was into fishing and rubber farming. He was also involved in real estate business. His involvement in real estate enabled him to acquire houses and landed properties in almost all parts of Benin City, the Edo State capital and its environs.

    The entrepreneur registered his company as Napoleon Odia and Company (Nigeria) Limited, which was incorporated in Benin, Nigeria, on April 20, 1977, with registration number RC 21071. The company’s registered office address then was at No. 25, Oyenmwosa Street, Benin City with Chief Napoleon Odia and Igbinifa Odia, among others, as directors of the company. While Chief Napoleon Odia was getting old and sick, he surprisingly decided to sell some of his properties in Edo State and beyond. One such investment was a magnificent building on Golf Course Road, adjacent to the massive Golf Course in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. It was very close to the private palatial mansions of the Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, a lawyer; and the embattled Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who are neighbours and one-time friends.

    One of those who approached the founder of Napoleon Odia and Company (Nigeria) Limited for the acquisition of the properties was the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the founder of Igbinedion University. Igbinedion made a good offer, which informed Chief Odia’s decision to sell the imposing building to him. Chief Igbinedion, who is also an industrialist, decided to opt for the luxury hotel business in the newly-acquired building on an expanse of land, which could be further developed.

    In order to have a world-class hotel, Chief Igbinedion decided to invite the management of Sheraton Hotel as a partner in the investment, with top officials and structural engineers sent to assess the imposing building comprehensively and to do intensive soil analyses/tests. Unfortunately, the structural engineers gave an unpleasant report, declaring that the massive building had structural defects, and standing on soggy/waterlogged/swampy land, which could later collapse, in view of so much water underneath. As a result of the unpleasant report, Chief Igbinedion decided to abandon the property.

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    Recently, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, whose government is interested in the hospitality business, decided to approach Chief Igbinedion for the acquisition of the abandoned property for the proposed five-star Radisson Hotel. However, the defective hotel must first be demolished, the soil excavated, and heavily reinforced before the superstructure could be erected, and to be completed before the expiration of the Edo governor’s second term on November 12 next year.

    While receiving the final design of the N19.6 billion hotel last month, Governor Obaseki said the development of the four-star hotel in Benin would boost Edo’s tourism receipts and bolster the state’s chances at hosting sporting competitions and other international events, including film festivals and art exhibitions. The project, on completion, would redefine the space of the hospitality sector in Edo, creating employment opportunities and boosting economic growth, among other benefits, he enthused. “The reason we have not won the right to host international sporting events is because of lack of accommodation that will pass the standard test of the governing bodies for events like gymnastics, swimming, track, and others. The need for this project cannot be over-emphasised. Our goal as a government is to complete the project before leaving office in 2024. With the right team, procurement processes, and right partners, this is possible.”

    Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, declared that Obaseki was resetting the state for a better and brighter tomorrow, in his determination to make Edo great again. He insisted that the administration has a good story to tell, especially with the proposed Radisson Hotel. Nehikhare said: “In line with Edo State Government’s vision to reposition the state as West Africa’s culture and tourism hub, we are developing the Benin cultural district to host museums, moat walks, research centres and hotels. The Radisson Hotel is one of the pieces in the jigsaw.

    “Having a luxury hotel in a town that is trying to build on its tourism potential, host international sporting events and tournaments as well as attract investors can have several benefits. A luxury hotel such as the Radisson brand attracts high-spending tourists, who are willing to pay more for luxurious accommodations. This can significantly boost the town’s tourism revenue and create a positive economic impact.

    “Benin City, with a five-star hotel, becomes more appealing to domestic and international tourists. It will add to the overall appeal of our city as a tourist destination, making it stand out from other nearby locations. It will also improve infrastructure as the construction of a five-star hotel often leads to infrastructure development in the surrounding areas. This can include better roads, transport links, and other facilities required to support the hotel and its potential guests. Such infrastructure upgrades can benefit tourists and local residents.

    “In terms of job creation and economic growth, a luxury hotel requires a substantial workforce to manage its operations, including front desk staff, housekeeping, culinary teams, and maintenance staff. By building a five-star hotel, the town creates job opportunities for locals, leading to reduced unemployment rates and overall economic growth. A five-star hotel will increase investors’ interest. The presence of a five-star hotel can attract other investors such as developers, restaurateurs and retailers, who may want to capitalise on the growing tourism industry in the town. This can lead to further development and investment in the area, thereby boosting the local economy.

    “A five-star hotel will surely attract international sporting events. This is because international sporting teams, athletes, and officials often prefer five-star hotels. By having a luxury accommodation option, the town can increase its chances of being selected as a host for major sporting events or tournaments. This brings prestige, media coverage, and economic benefits to the town. The construction of a five-star hotel may lead to the improvement and development of local facilities and amenities such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, and recreational areas. These enhancements enrich the overall experience for tourists and residents alike. Building a five-star hotel in a town with tourism potential, international sporting ambitions, and a desire to attract investors can bring several benefits, including increased tourism revenue, job creation, enhanced destination attractiveness, improved infrastructure, and increased investor interest.”

    The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Obaseki, Andrew Okungbowa, also stated that having a five-star hotel in Edo State would bring many economic benefits to the South-south state. Okungbowa said: “Some of the potential advantages of a five-star hotel include tourism and hospitality industry growth as it will attract tourists and visitors from within Nigeria and from abroad. This influx of tourists can lead to increased spending on accommodation, dining, shopping, and other services in the local economy. As the hospitality sector thrives, it creates job opportunities for the locals such as hotel staff, tour guides, drivers and more.

    “Building and operating a five-star hotel requires a significant workforce, ranging from construction workers during the building phase to hospitality professionals once the hotel is operational. This will help to reduce unemployment rates and contribute to the overall economic well-being of the people. The presence of a high-end hotel can boost demand for locally-produced goods and services. Local suppliers of food, beverages, furniture, linens, and other items may benefit from having a prestigious client like a five-star hotel.

    “To support the hotel’s operations, there may be a need for better infrastructure such as improved roads, transportation networks, and utilities. This will, in turn, lead to overall infrastructure development in the area, benefiting not only the hotel but also other businesses and residents. As the hotel generates revenue from its operations, the government can benefit from increased tax revenue. This additional income can be reinvested in public services, education, healthcare, and other areas which will further stimulate economic growth.

    “A five-star hotel, with ample conference and event facilities, can attract business conferences, exhibitions, and meetings. This brings in business travellers who are likely to spend on accommodation, dining, and local transportation, contributing to the local economy. Having a prestigious five-star hotel in Edo State will enhance its reputation and image on national and international levels. This, in turn, will attract more investors and businesses to the region, leading to additional economic growth. If Edo State’s economy is primarily reliant on specific industries, such as agriculture or natural resources, the establishment of a five-star hotel will diversify the economic base. A robust hospitality sector will act as a stabiliser during economic downturns in other industries.”

    However, Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Col. David Imuse (rtd), described the proposed five-star hotel as a misplacement of priority, with Obaseki’s second term set to expire on November 12, 2024.

    Imuse said: “Instead of prioritising crucial infrastructural developments, Obaseki has chosen to build supermarkets and hotels all over the state. These actions demonstrate a clear lack of vision, responsibility and a disregard for the well-being of the people of Edo State. It is unacceptable that the governor will prioritise personal interests over addressing the urgent needs of Edo residents’ infrastructure.”

    He also accused Obaseki’s administration of failures and mismanagement, while declaring that it was disheartening to see petty politics being played by the state’s governor when the lives and safety of innocent Edo residents were at stake.

    He said: “Over N16 billion was refunded to Edo State under the watch of Obaseki for the federal roads fixed by his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, during his tenure as governor. An additional N21 billion was given to Edo State from the oil derivation funds, intended for oil-producing states such as ours for infrastructural development. What we know is that Obaseki presided over the (alleged) misappropriation of these monies; without recourse to the critical sectors of our living.”

    Imuse also accused Obaseki of abandoning his responsibilities, while playing dirty politics.

    “We urge the people of Edo State not to be deceived by the propaganda and political games of the Obaseki administration. The burning question Edo people should ask Obaseki is ‘what did he do with the N16 billion refunded to Edo State by the Federal Government, as money used by his predecessor to repair federal roads, coupled with the N21 billion derivation funds? We must see through these falsehoods and hold Obaseki accountable for his failures. His lamentation is the last kick of a dying horse. The APC-led Federal Government remains committed to working for the betterment of Edo State and its residents.”

  • Controversy as firm, families bicker over land

    Who owns the 138.70 acres of land situated opposite Nichemtex factory at Molatori and Owode villages in Ibeshe Ikorodu? Was the vast land acquired from its owners by the United Nigerian Textile Limited (UNTL) decades ago?

    The above questions are begging for answers, following a brewing crisis between Nichemtex management of and the Ominiha/Shosanya families. They both are claiming ownership of the property.

    The parties have since January engaged in petitions and counter petitions to the Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu and the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone Two, Onikan with allegations of land grabbing, encroachment, police intimidation and harassment as well as conducts likely to cause breach of public peace.

    While the families through their lawyer, Adefolaju Oloko, accused the company of forging documents for the said land, Nichemtex alleged that the family attempted to grab the property it bought over four decades ago, which was duly registered on June 12, 1990 with Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) 21/21/1990H, issued in favour of UNTL.

    A petition to the IG dated March 27 and signed by Mahmud Adeshina for the company’s lawyer, Nichemtex had been in physical possession of the properties bought from the families since acquisition with a warehouse and block of flats erected in one of the acres.

    Trouble, however, started in 2003 when the Efunba family of Ikorodu instituted suit ID/285/2003 against Nichemtex before a Lagos High Court while the Ajako, Shosanya and Fadeyi families of lkorodu also filed  suit IKD/78/2014 in 2014.

    Both suits, the lawyer explained, were consolidated in 2017 and is currently before an Ikeja High Court.

    Disregarding the pending suit, the textile firm alleged that the Ajako, Shosanya and Fadeyi families filed a petition of forgery against them at the Police zonal headquarters in Onikan.

    “We and our client responded to the said petition and furnished the police with our client’s documents of title to enable them conduct an investigation into the matter so as to determine the veracity of the said title documents.

    “Despite the fact that the said petition of forgery is pending before Zone Two, Onikan, the said families have employed some other members of the police force to facilitate their acts of criminal trespass and encroachment on our client’s property and engage in a conduct that is likely to cause a breach of the public peace,” read the petition.

    Policemen attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU) and the IG Monitoring Units, have, on the directive of the IG, raided the property and harassed workers despite the pending lawsuit, it was learnt.

    “On Wednesday, January 16, a number of Mobile Police Officers (MOPOL) went with some members of the said families and their lawyer, purportedly under the order of the Inspector General of Police to our client’s property, erected another gate and locked same up with a chain and padlock.

    “Thereafter, we wrote a petition dated January 23, on behalf of our client to the Area Commander of the ljede Division of the Nigeria Police Force, lkorodu informing him of the atrocious act of the said families, which is being facilitated by policemen, but the Area Commander politely declined to intervene in the matter because it was already before Zone Two, Force Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.

    “On March 20, the members of the afore-mentioned families, acting in consonance with Baales within the Ibeshe/Owode communities, trespassed into the property of our client in which its warehouse is located. They were about 30 of them who were accompanied by some armed mobile policemen, who all forcefully entered into the premises of our client.

    “On March 21, the same set of people were seen by our client’s security guard conveying a good number of building blocks and cement into the property of our client with the intention of altering the block of flats on the premises and erecting new structures,” the petition stated.

    Noting that the actions of the trespassers were capable of causing breach of peace, the company said the continuous shutting of its premises, encroachment on its properties with building materials could provoke some hostilities between parties.

    “It may even lead to the loss of lives as the said families are desperate and have resorted to using armed members of the Nigeria Police to facilitate their trespass. It is disheartening that the police is being used by the above families to perpetrate acts of criminal trespass, encroachment and conducts that are likely to cause breach of peace.

    “We wrote letters dated January 17 and 18, 2019 to the Assitant Inspector General of Police, Zone Two headquarters, informing him about the actions of the unknown armed mobile policemen, who have been facilitating the trespass of the members of the said families, but no investigation was conducted nor any step taken to curb the trespass.

    “On February 7, our client received a letter of invitation requesting for the presence of its Managing Director at Zone Two Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos. Other than that, no attempt has been made by the said police formation to stop the families’ use of the police in harassing and encroaching upon our client’s property.

    “We implore you to use your good offices to investigate and intervene in this matter so as to put an end to the acts of criminal trespass, encroachment upon the property of our client and to also ensure that they do not use members of the Nigeria Police Force to perpetrate further atrocities on our client’s property,” it stated.

    But the families denied changing or locking the gate to the premises, stating that they only erected fence on part of the vast land where the fence had collapsed.

    Baale Ayodele Ominiha, who spoke on behalf of the families, said at no time was the land sold to UNTL, adding that the company expressed interest which was communicated to the family lawyer then, but never paid for the land.

    He said if the firm was sure of purchasing the land, it should provide the original receipt of sale, just as it has the one issued when it bought the Nichemtex factory land.

  • Controversy over death, burial of entertainment icon Benson

    •I learnt of incident on Facebook, says widow  •Son: my dad died of kidney, heart failure

    Controversial has trailed the death and alleged plan to secretly bury entertainment icon and founder of defunct Faze 2 Night Club, Yaba, Lagos Prince Soji Benson.

    The family is enmeshed in accusations.

    Benson, the eldest son of First Republic Minister Otunba TOS Benson, died on February 12 while on a 10-day visit to his son, Oye, at their Apapa, Lagos, home.

    The deceased, who lived in Ikorodu with his wife, Gloria, it was gathered, had violent marks on his body when his corpse was first seen by family members last Friday.

    The Nation learnt that an argument ensued between Mrs. Benson and her stepsons- Oye and Lanre- who allegedly went to the General Hospital, Lagos mortuary, where they initially deposited their father’s body, to take it for funeral without informing the family.

    It was gathered that the parties had disagreed over hurried plans to bury the deceased, during which Gloria allegedly uncovered a grave at their Ikorodu home where her stepsons wanted to bury their father.

    A source told our correspondent that it took the intervention of the deceased’s siblings before his body was retrieved from his sons and embargoed in the mortuary.

    It was learnt that someone had contacted the deceased’s cousin, Tony Benson that he was found by the roadside in Apapa where he allegedly tripped and fell, prompting Tony to call his father.

    Besides last Friday’s attempt at the General Hospital, The Nation gathered that the deceased’s sons again attempted to bury him on Wednesday after allegedly taking the body forcefully from the mortuary, but were stopped by the police following complaints by the family.

    They and their guests were said to have worn black T-shirts with their father’s picture imprinted on them when policemen from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, on the instruction of Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu, stopped them.

    While the body was retrieved from the vehicle they used, it was learnt that the mourners allegedly proceeded with an empty casket to the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos for funeral rites.

    Narrating the incident to our correspondent, the source said: “They said he tripped and fell. That is very suspicious. How did they know who to call? It was as if he was beaten and he collapsed. The son did not carry him to somewhere close. So they called a cousin of his, who called his dad.

    “It could not have been a problem if the place they took him, two days after he died, had agreed to issue a death certificate. The doctor there said he could not write a death certificate because when he was brought to him, he was in a coma and he needed the coma report.

    “His son (Oye) then started fighting with his aunties and uncles that they were the ones who killed him. He said he wanted to bury his father in Ikorodu. He started digging the grave.

    “Instead of them to call the elders and hold a meeting, they did not do that. They have been insulting people.

    “We thought this whole issue has been sorted, with the family directing that Prince Benson’s body should not be given to his sons. The family was making burial plans, only for someone to call on Wednesday that the boys had picked the body from the mortuary and were going to bury him without telling anyone.

    “The family immediately contacted the police and the vehicle carrying the body was intercepted. The body was retrieved from them with the help of the police. It looked badly mutilated. It is in police custody.

    “The boys were still going to Ikorodu to bury an empty casket, but their guests did not follow them. I don’t know what happened thereafter. His sons are in their 30s. They have been acting really suspicious. I don’t know if the family has property disputes.

    “Whatever the matter, the deceased deserves a decent funeral. He was a good man; he helped a lot of people. They should not bring shame to him in death.”

    Benson’s widow told our reporter that she learnt about her husband’s death on Facebook. She said there were violent marks on his body when she first saw him.

    Said she: “I don’t even understand what is happening. I did not know my husband had died. I learnt about it after it had been posted on Facebook. My husband visited his son at Apapa, Lagos, he died at Apapa. They didn’t allow me to see his body until March 1 when I learnt Oye had gone to take the body for funeral.

    “Before that day, I discovered a grave being dug by Oye at Ikorodu and I objected to the place. I told him my husband deserved to be given a befitting funeral, he should not be dumped at a dunghill just like anybody.

    “They continued to dig the grave and I protested by jumping inside the grave. That was when they stopped. I reported to the police at Shagamu Road and they came, saw the place and advised us to hold a family meeting to resolve the matter.

    “They wanted to bury my husband without my consent. I have no issues with my stepsons. This is why I’m surprised at these happenings. I was not there when my husband died because he was at Apapa where he had gone to visit his son. They did not even tell me he had died.

    “When they wanted to bury their father, I reported the matter to one of my brothers-in-law, who stopped them.

    “I don’t know why he (Oye) did not even want anyone to be involved in my husband’s funeral. They (Oye and his brother, Lanre) just wanted to bury their father quickly for reasons best known to them. It was last Friday that I saw my husband’s body for the first time.

    “When I saw the body, I noticed that he was beaten to death. The son was making it look like I was the one who wanted to bury him, until I jumped into the grave, took a picture of myself and sent it to the family.

    “My husband was in hospital but I was not aware. When I went to my husband’s family house at Apapa, Oye had already called my husband’s lawyer. They were holding a meeting. I knocked for more than 20 minutes, he refused to answer. It was when he realised I would not leave that he came down and ordered me out of my husband’s house. Then, I did not know if anything had happened, maybe, my husband was in hospital then.”

    But Oye denied the allegations. He said his father died of heart and kidney failure.

    He told our correspondent on the phone that he was being wrongly accused of killing his father, denying that there were violent marks on him.

    Oye said: “This is not true. As you are talking now, my father’s burial is going on at the Vaults and Gardens in Ikoyi, Lagos. The family members are there. I am not there because I am at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba where they have kept me.

    “They accused me of killing my father, but autopsy report said he died of kidney and heart failure. There were no violent marks on his body. It is untrue that my brother and I wanted to secretly bury him. It is not true that the police intercepted us while taking his body to Ikorodu. We were asked to bring his body to the police and we did.

    “The autopsy report will be out by 2pm today (Thursday). I don’t know where Lanre is at the moment.”

    The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of SCIID, Yetunde Longe, denied that Oye was in her custody.

    She said: “Nobody is in our custody. We don’t have a suspect in that case.”

    Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), told our correspondent that Benson’s body was in the mortuary and investigation was on. He refused to answer further questions on how the police got the body, insisting that investigation was being conducted on the matter.

    Oti had confirmed that Mrs. Benson reported at Shagamu Road Division that she was not satisfied with the place her husband’s family had earmarked for his burial, saying it was unbefitting.

    He said: “Mrs. Gloria Benson reported at Shagamu Road Police Station that she wasn’t satisfied with the place her late husband’s family earmarked for his burial. She considered it unbefitting for a man from such a prominent family.

    “Following her report, the Divisional Police Officer invited the family to his office and advised that they should resolve their dispute. He told them that it is not the duty of the police to decide burial site, but that of the family.

    “However, during their discussion, one of the parties levelled an allegation against others; thus the DPO said since the new issue introduced in the dialogue happened in Apapa, Apapa Police Station is better placed to handle it, being the police station in charge of the area where the alleged offence was committed.

    “At the end, the parties left the police station without a rancour, promising to maintain peace and abide by the DPO’s advice.”

     

  • Controversy trails reduction of pump price, stakeholders flay move

    The call by the Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo-led factional body of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for its members to reduce the pump price of petroleum from N145-140 has generated heated debates amongst the stakeholders with many describing the proposal as counterproductive.

    Speaking with our correspondent at the weekend, Prince Adekunle Okunade, Southwest Zonal Chairman of the Private Depot of Oil and Gas Marketers Association of Nigeria (PDOGMAN) and other stakeholders said the directive was not in the overall interest of stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, especially those at the upstream sector.

    It may be recalled that Mr. Okworonkwo had prompted its members to slash N5 from the N145 official petroleum pump price in a bid to motivate Nigerians to return to their respective destinations to vote on February 23 and March 9 respectively.

    The IPMAN president urged his members nationwide to immediately implement the directives maintaining that the IPMAN’s decision to reduce the petroleum pump price followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s concern over the election postponement.

    However, Okuande, PDOGMAN considers the proposal as self-serving and has urged its members not to take it seriously.

    Raising some posers, Okunade asked, “Where would they get product?” adding, “Our members should not panic because this is not feasible. As a private depot there is no need for speculation.”

    Pressed further, he said, “What we are concerned about is how the government will increase our own margin because the margin of profit we make from the distribution and supply of products currently is not even encouraging is already a disincentive to business so going forward with such a proposal to further reduce pump price may be suicidal for business. Anybody that buys products from any private depot can never sell at N140 basically because there are lots of expenses and running cost such as AGO to power our tankers and generators at a lot of cost to the depot. There is no private depot that buys from marketers that can sell at N140 per litre it’s not just possible.”

  • Controversy over mass arrests in Kogi

    Less than twenty four hours to the commencement of the presidential and National Assembly elections, scores of people have been reportedly arrested from across Kogi State, by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Lokoja.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Busari, has however debunked the allegations of indiscriminate arrest of persons.

    He said that those spreading the falsehood were doing so in bad faith.

    The police, he said, will always do its routine work, irrespective of the season.

    Speaking with The Nation on the telephone, the CP said that those peddling the ‘falsehood’ were doing so, for ulterior motives.

    He said that six persons were arrested about two weeks back, based on petitions against them, adding that four were released after investigation, while two others who were later arrested, also based on petitions, are being investigated, and will be released, if cleared.

    According to him: “It  is falsehood; these people are doing it for ulterior motives.

    “One politician and former governor for three months alleged that people were arrested; petitions were written and after investigations, we invited six persons. Four were released, while two others are still being investigated.

    “If they are cleared, they will be released. This is election period and anything that happens, they will ascribe ethnic, political or religious colouration to it. There is nothing as such; police will always carry out its routine duty, whether it is election or not. We are doing our work.”

    The said arrests, according to sources, who did not want their names in print, began as early as 3AM, in Mopa, Mopa-Moro Local Government Area (LGA), Kogi West, where former Acting Governor, Clarence Olafemi hails from, and where no less than fifteen persons, including a septuagenarian Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Women Leader, were said to have been ‘rounded up’.

    Those arrested were said to have been moved to the SARS operational base located at the ‘A’ Division, Lokoja.

    ”At 3AM this morning, men of SARS Lokoja, came to Mopa, broke down doors of people’s homes and commenced indiscriminate arrests; beating up pregnant women and damaging properties.

    ”They alleged they came on the order of the CP and local government administrator. They were accused of gun running. Among those picked up are the PDP Women Leader, Marion Alege- 74yrs, Emma Amufasaiye, PDP exco member, Abayomi Akeju, PDP ward chairman, Little (44), PDP LG secretary and ten others,” said a source.

    While the CP debunked the allegation, others yet alleged that close to a hundred people have so far been arrested, on the eve of elections.

  • Controversy over goddess

    Is it possible to sell a goddess? A curious accusation concerning the sale of a goddess was most likely about an object symbolising the goddess. It isn’t surprising that the target of the allegation, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, Larooye II, argued that it isn’t possible to sell a goddess.

    Oba Olanipekun told reporters, on January 7, in his palace in Osogbo, the Osun State capital: “Osun Osogbo is a spiritual deity. It is not physical. Osun is a messenger of God. It’s like if somebody claims that he had sold Jesus Christ or Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It is not possible.” He added: “The accusation by one worshipper of Osun, Layiwola Adigun, that I connived with a votary maid to sell Osun Osogbo deity for N15 million was false. It is laughable and baseless.”

    The accuser had claimed that he received a call from an unidentified group in Lome, Togo, which said the “goddess” had been sold to them but they were having difficulty flying it out of that country. It is intriguing that he also claimed to have raised N15 million, being cost of purchase and transportation, to secure the release of the Osun deity. A report quoted the accuser as saying he believed the Ataoja had sacked him and the former Iya Osun so that the plan to sell the “goddess” could be carried out without problems.

    It is noteworthy that the traditional ruler’s media briefing was attended by the traditional chiefs, led by Ajagunna of Osogbo, Chief Gabriel Oparanti, and Osun worshippers, led by Adebayo Adesina, the Osunyemi Ifabode.  These attendees gave credence to Oba Olanipekun’s defence. The allegation was an assault on the integrity of the structures of power in the traditional society.

    Oba Olanipekun said: “As a custodian of tradition and culture of people of Osogbo, how can I be the one to sell Osun Osogbo goddess, a symbol that is directly linked to my title and existence as the Ataoja of Osogbo? The allegation is targeted at me to put me to disrepute and to tarnish the reputation of Osogbo.”  Oba Olanipekun challenged his accuser “to come and substantiate his claim that I collaborated with some people to sell the Osun goddess.” He stated that he would take the matter to court.

    The goddess at the centre of this controversy, Osun, is a Yoruba water goddess celebrated annually in a spectacular festival that is one of Nigeria’s major tourist attractions. The two-week Osun-Osogbo Festival ends with a grand finale in the Osun-Osogbo Grove, a national monument and one of Nigeria’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

    The claim and counter-claim over the alleged sale of a representation of the Osun goddess is bad for the image of the traditional authorities in Osogbo. The clash amounts to negative publicity for Yoruba traditional religion and its devotees.

    We believe there should be checks and balances within the traditional society to prevent the alleged fraudulent sale of such a traditionally significant symbol. The allegation against Oba Olanipekun should be probed by independent investigators. It is important to get to the bottom of the matter to redeem the traditional religion.

    This conflict raises questions about the role and effectiveness of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). The operations of the agency are supposed to include the protection of important artefacts. It is curious that the agency is yet to make a statement on the controversy. Or is the development outside its purview?

    It is worrying that this allegation of artefact selling is coming at a time when the issue of the recovery of stolen African artefacts in foreign lands is on the front burner.

  • Controversy over 2018 Electoral Act

    President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly may be preparing for a showdown over the contentious 2018 Electoral Act. The president has declined assent and the legislature is threatening to override his veto. What is the way out of the faceoff? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the arguments for and against the Bill.

    The 2018 Electoral Act Bill has deepened the gulf between President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly. Both arms of government are building on their records of mutual suspicion and antagonism. Will the president rescind his decision to refuse assent to the bill, following pressures mounted on him by critical stakeholders, or maintain his stand to the end? Will the Senate veto the president’s decision or seek dialogue with the Presidency over the contentious issues?

    The president is empowered by the 1999 Constitution to refuse assent. But, ordinarily, the power should be exercised in the national interest. President Buhari has exercised his veto power four times, to the consternation of the legislators. Also, the National Assembly is at liberty to override his veto. But, the move, although largely legal, should not be devoid of legitimacy. Will the parliament get the required two-third majority to accomplish that?

    The Bill has become a major bone of contention, owing to the 2019 calculations. The controversy over the refusal of assent has polarised the country. Since President Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly belong to rival political parties, many All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains tend to view the logjam through partisan lenses.

    The proposed amendment, according to the National Assembly, is expected to improve the conduct of elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). While the president is not against the amendment, he has counselled that its implementation should commence after next year’s elections. Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed explained that President Buhari withheld assent to avoid likely confusion that may be consequent on the timeframe for its implementation.

    “I am declining assent to the Bill principally because I am concerned that passing the nee electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general elections, which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainties about the applicable legislation to govern the process,” said the president.

    He added: “Any real or apparent change to the rule this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process.”

    Echoing his boss, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters Senator Etim Enang alluded to an Economic Community of West of West African Countries (ECOWAS) protocol, which forbids constitutional amendment in member-countries six month to elections. Recalling that former President Olusegun Obasanjo ratified it, he said President Buhari is bound by it.

    Rejecting the presidential veto, PDP lawmakers are threatening fire and brimstone. “We will do our best to override his assent,” said Biodun Olujimi, a senator from Ekiti Central District, who added: “This is because 70 percent of the INEC budget has to do with the funding of card readers and other equipment needed for the election.”

    An APC lawmaker, Senator Kabiru Marafa, disagreed.  He chided the opposition for its jittery over the use of card readers, adding that it underscored an ulterior motive. He predicted that the move to override the president’s assent will fail. Marafa’s argument is that getting the two-third majority will be a herculean task. Besides, he expressed concern over INEC’s capability to start implementing the new provisions. In his view, the electoral agency may not be able to cope with new responsibilities and conditions imposed by the amendment. “INEC, at the moment, has a lot of issues to contend with. Why should we overburden them with new amendments that would make its work more cumbersome? Why can’t we wait till after the 2019 elections before we introduce new electoral laws?” he queried.

    The legislative/executive faceoff notwithstanding, a cloud of uncertainty is not hovering over next year’s elections. The electoral agency has ruled out any legal lacuna, if the implementation of the amendment is postponed. INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu said the body can organise credible elections, based on the 2010 Electoral Act. His media aide, Rotimi Oyekanmi, cited time constraints, saying: “It would have been impossible, for instance, to implement 100 per cent electronic voting because of the time frame. “The commission is not bothered and will not be distracted by the hue and cry over certain issues and decisions taken by the president and the National Assembly. The commission is focused on organising the 2019 elections using the extant laws, using the laws that are valid as at today,” Yakubu stressed.

    Presenting the report on the review of the bill, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Suleiman Nazif, said the man objectives of the bill was to provide for the use of technological devises for the conduct of elections, to provide a timeline for the submission of candidates’ list, identify the criteria for substitution of candidates, and address the problems related to omission of candidates’ names and logo of political parties.

    There are six critical items or issues revolving around the bill, which make it significantly different from 2010 Electoral Act. These are the formalisation of the legal basis for the use of card readers, electronic transmission of results, time-frame for submission of candidates’ list, limit of campaign expenses, cross referencing errors, electoral sequence and complaints about the time-frame for implementation.

    The core proposal is the smart card readers. It is novel to the extent that it is accorded a legal backing. Although it was used by INEC in 2015 poll, the Supreme Court disputed its legal basis, pointing out that it is not in the electoral law. The card readers were used along with incident forms. But, faulting the method, former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) recalled that it enabled non-accredited persons to vote, thereby questioning the credibility of elections.

    Section 49 (1) of the 2018 Act states: “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name registered. In subsection (2), it is stated that “the Presiding Officer shall use a Smart Card Reader or any other technological device that may be prescribed by the Commission, for the accreditation of voters, to verify, confirm or authenticate the particulars of the voter in the manner prescribed by the Commission.”

    However, the card readers were not insulated from technical failure that often increased anxiety during voting. Thus, in anticipation of failure that may occur, subsection (3) states that “where a Smart Card Reader deployed for accreditation of voters fails to function in any unit and a fresh Smart Card Reader is not deployed, the election in that unit shall be cancelled and another election shall be scheduled within 24 hours.”

    Also, Clause 14 is proposed to amend Section 49(4) of the Act that deals with the failure of a card reader. According to the proposed amendment, “where a smart card reader deployed for accreditation of voters fails to function in any polling unit and a fresh card reader is not deployed three hours before the close of the election in that unit, the election shall not hold, but be rescheduled and conducted within 24 hours thereafter, provided that where the total possible votes from all the affected card readers in the unit or units does not affect the overall result in the constituency or election concerned, the commission shall notwithstanding the fact that a fresh card reader is not deployed as stipulated, announce the final results and declare a winner.”

    Votes do not count until they are counted and declared as counted. Indeed, counting of votes and forms have always generated controversy. This may be due to the limitations of the existing law. Section63(1, 2, 3 and 4) of the 2010 Act, states that “the Presiding Officer shall, after counting the votes at the polling unit, enter the votes scored by each candidate in a form to be prescribed by the Commission as the case may be.

    “The form shall be signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and counter-signed by the candidates or their polling agents where available at the polling unit.

    “The Presiding Officer shall give to the Polling Agent s and the police officer where available a copy each of the completed forms after it has been duly signed as provided in Subsection 2 of this section.

    “The Presiding Officer shall count and announce the result at the polling unit.”

    Section 65, which deals with post-election procedure and collation of election results, also states that “after the recording of the result of the election, the Presiding Officer shall announce the result and deliver same and election materials under security to such persons as may be prescribed by the Commission.”

    To many stakeholders, a major dark side of the 2010 Act is the absence of the electronic transmission of election results from polling units. Manual transmission, apart from slowing down the collation process, has not been found to be totally fraud-free as records are susceptible to manipulation between polling units and collation centres. Hailing the 2018 Act for addressing the vital omission, Agbakoba noted that “electronic transmission will remove rigging and enhance the credibility of vote count.”

    But, skeptics have also expressed reservations about the proposed method. Fears are rife that the computer can still be manipulated by unscrupulous electoral officers eager to do the bidding of desperate candidates.

    According to the 2010 Act, “every political party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the Commission in the prescribed forms the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the election.

    But, Clause 24 amends Section 87(13) of the 2010 Act, which deals with the deadline for the primary. It states that “the dates of the primaries shall not be earlier than 150 days and not later than 90 days before the date of the election to the elective offices.”

    Nazif explained that the same section stipulates a specific period within which party primaries are required to be held since the unintended consequences left the electoral commission with only nine days to collate and compile lists of candidates and political parties for the various elections. “This is because the earlier Electoral Act Amendment Bill did not properly amend Sections 31, 33 and 85 of the principal Act that stipulates time for submission of lists of candidates for elections,” he added.

    On the death of a candidate, Section 36(1) of the 2010 Act states: “If after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner or the Resident Electoral Commissioner  shall being satisfied of the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the Commission shall appoint some other convenient date for the election, within 14 days.”

    The amendment may have been informed by the crisis arising from the death of the Kogi State APC governorship candidate for 2014 poll, Prince Abubakar Audu, whose running mate, James Faleke, was not allowed to replace him as candidate in the supplementary election and a former aspirant, Yahaya Bello, was drafted into the race.

    The section is amended by inserting, after sub-section 2, new sub-sections 3, which states that “if after the commencement of polls and before the announcement of the final result and declaration of a winner, a nominated candidate dies; (a) the Commission shall be satisfied of the fact of the death, suspend the election for a period not exceeding 21 days; (b) the political party whose candidate died may, if it intends to continue to continue to participate in the election, conduct a fresh primary within seven days of the death of its candidate and submit a new candidate to the Commission to replace the dead candidate; and (c) subject to paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection, the Commission shall continue with the election, announce the final result and declare a winner.”

    The Bill has met a roadblock. The flexing of muscles between the presidency and the National Assembly continues. A PDP lawmaker indicated last week that the PDP caucus was reaching out to aggrieved APC lawmakers who lost the battle for re-nomination to join the resistance to the presidential action.

    The APC leadership is monitoring its members, a source said. “The National Working Committee of our party will meet in few days to assess the situation and get our National Assembly caucus to speak with one voice on the Bill,” he said.

     

  • CONTROVERSY DOGS MULTI-BILLION NAIRA Minna City Centre project

    Evicted landlords lament plight as building project rots away Govt officials decline comments

    RUSTY iron works, overgrown grasses and massive presence of an idle crane are the discomforting features of the supposed ultra-modern edifice called the Minna City Centre. Located in the centre of Minna, the landmark project, expected to beautify the capital city of Niger State, is now not only a huge source of embarrassment to the state but also an eyesore to visitors since its strategic location makes it impossible for a visitor not to see it.

    The centre was a project initiated by the Governor Aliyu Babangida administration to serve as the state capital’s hub for shopping and tourism, as it would have had among its features a shopping mall with 5,000 shops, including a branch of the famous Shoprite, a 25-storey tower which would have served as offices, a cultural centre and an amusement park.

    Estimated to cost N5 billion at inception, the project was said to have gulped about N800 million before it was stalled, as N600 million was said to have been expended on tower, while about N200 million had been spent on the shopping mall.

    Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that between 2013 and 2015, about N3.935 billion was budgeted for the project. In 2013, the sum of N900 million was budgeted for the project under the title of Minna City Centre Project Number 064/017, with the construction of tower and dump as some of its features. In 2014, N2 billion was earmarked for the project, while in 2015, N1.035 billion was budgeted for the provision of the city center tower, convention and information centres.

    Before the Minna City Cetnter project was conceived, the spot had hosted a market and a residential area, popularly known as Abdul Street. But the project remains a pipe dream six years after the market and houses were demolished for its sake and thousands of people and traders lost their homes and shops.

     

    Former residents lament

    Erstwhile residents of Abdul Street, which is the current location for the Minna City Centre project, are by no means happy at the sight of the abandoned project. They believe that the state government has only forced them to give up their homes for no just cause, considering that they were allegedly grossly under-compensated for their buildings that were destroyed. Many of the former landlords have since been turned into tenants, while many others were forced to leave the town because of their inability to cope with rent.

    While Jide Babatunde and Sons Limited, the estate valuers hired by the state government for the construction of the city centre were valuing the properties, many of the affected residents were said to have complained that their properties were gravely under-valued. The government, however, paid them compensations without addressing their complaints that they were being short-changed. Our correspondent gathered that the government paid 47 of the affected landlords a total sum of N233 million, a sum the landlords described as “unfair and insensitive.”

    Mr. Olajide Olasinde, a former chairman of the Abdul Street Landlords Association, said that memories of the incident were not in any way lost on him and other former landlords as presumed by some people in government.

    He said: “I feel bad each time I pass there. After driving people from their homes, nothing has been done to justify their action against us. The so-called shopping mall was not completed. The aim was not achieved, so what was the rationale of driving people out of their ancestral homes?”

    He lamented that their houses were undervalued, saying: “We were all surprised when we were called to collect our cheques for the houses. We were surprised because no one came physically to value our houses.

    “They told us that if the cheques were not okay, we should take whatever step we needed to take. They gave us papers of allocation to other lands, but up until now, we are yet to receive the certificate of occupancy for the land.”

    Describing the experience as a bitter one, Olajide said that most of the houses were more than 60 years old at the time they were demolished.

    He said: “It was a bitter experience. It is like you are living inside a house and you are sent out to live outside. This is because we were living in the heart of the town and suddenly, that was taken from us. The amount paid to everyone could not give anyone a sound structure because we were grossly underpaid.

    “My building has been there since the 1960s. The government’s action affected many of the landlords as most of them do not own houses again. And because most of them relied on the rents from their houses, they could not meet up with a lot of things, and at the last count, about 20 of the landlords had left Minna for their villages because of this.”

     

    Erstwhile landlords tell tales of woe

    Another landlord, Abdul Ibrahim, who valued his demolished family house at N45 million, said the family was paid a paltry N6.23 million. He said, however, that the government did not drive them out of their houses because a certain time frame was given to them to vacate.

    “But when the hoodlums heard that we had been paid, they came to ransack our houses. A lot of us were humiliated as these hoodlums started pulling down the houses bit by bit and looting our houses. We were forced out of our homes before the eviction day and before we could not even get alternative homes for our families. Whether the hoodlums worked in connivance with the government, we don’t know.”

    Ibrahim’s house is the oldest and biggest in the area, and the compensation he received has caused serious chaos in the family as there have been conflicts in the sharing formula. The family is still in court till date, he said, as he showed the reporter pictures and documents on the demolished family house.

    He said: “I was 65 years old when the house was demolished, and I was born in that house. So, you can imagine how long that house had been in the family. Our house had four buildings, including two duplexes and two buildings with eight rooms and four rooms separately along with some shops.

    “The valuers valued the houses wrongly and even the compensation has caused problems in the family as my younger brother took me to court over the sharing formula. Minna. Due to the determination of the government to set up the City Centre project, an alternative market (Kure Ultra-Modern Market) was established for the traders. But unwilling traders who did not have the means to move into the new market were forced out when the structures in the whole area were demolished.

    Looking sadly at her ware displayed on a table in front of her house, Madam Shade was first unwilling to speak to the reporter as she said she did not want to recall sad memories.

    She said: “I do not want to talk about it. That incident is not something one should think about. It was a very sad day when we arrived at the market and found that all our shops were gone.

    “I had just arrived from market, the Onitsha Market, some days before and all my goods were gone. I could not even locate the area my shop was in the rubble, so my ware were gone. Nothing is as devastating as that. From a cloth seller, look at what I am selling now—petty goods. And where are the customers?”

    While Madam Shade who sells iced fish seemed to have given up hope, others like Mama Kemi are relentless as she is one of the traders who relocated to the back of the demolished market. She explained that even the government is tired of driving them away from the place and has left them alone.   “How will they drive us when we only come out after the government officials have gone home? They have tried so many times, but unlike other markets, we do not leave our goods here for them to take. So how will they drive us?” she asked.

    She said she had not been able to secure a shop in the Kure Ultra-Modern Market because the shops are too expensive.

    “Where else will I go? A shop in Kure Market is too expensive and they will not allow you to put your table somewhere to sell what you want to sell. Even if I want a shop now, it will be far inside the market. Who will locate me there?

    “I have been selling fish for long. I use it to support my family. Seeing that all the front shops in Kure Market has been taken, will people leave the fish sellers at the front and come inside to buy fish where I am? That is why I did not follow them to the new market when the old market was destroyed.”

     

    Contractors, government agencies play hide-and-seek

    Checks our correspondent made at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Grand Tower Limited, builders of the city centre, is registered. Why the company did not continue with the project, however, remains a mystery.

    Checks made in respect of the estate valuer, Babatunde and Company, however, could not establish if the company was registered with the CAC. Efforts also made to reach the consultant, Flopat Global Services Limited, were also not successful as the phone number on the signpost was said not to be valid.

    The project has no specific ministry handling it. Checks made by the reporter, including Freedom of Information requests sent out, indicated that no ministry in the state was willing to admit that it oversaw the project. The Ministry of Works, which received the Freedom of Information request for information about the project, told The Nation that they did not handle or supervise the project. The ministry, which ordinarily should be the main supervisors of the project, could not give the total sum the project would consume as the Permanent Secretary and Director of Works directed the reporter to the Ministry of Finance to get the details about the project.

    However, the Ministry of Finance claimed not to have any knowledge of the project. In its response to the FOI request, the ministry redirected the reporter back to the Ministry of Works, Lands and Housing and the Ministry of Investment. A second FOI request written to the Ministry of Works in August had received no response at the time of filing this report.

    On his part, the Commissioner of Commerce and Investment promised to provide the details as soon as he presented a memo to the state governor regarding the project.

    He said: “I cannot speak on the project now. I am preparing a memo regarding the whole subject of the Minna City Centre project and need to present it to the governor. After I have made the presentation, I will brief the press.”

    The reporter also tried to reach the Niger State Development Company (NSDC), another agency that could have handled the project, but was told the Managing Director would not speak to any journalist on the issue, especially with the current sale of one of the malls in the project. The Personal Assistant to the Managing Director who spoke with the reporter said: “We just received a letter from the Ministry of Investment that one of the malls, NSDC Mall, has been sold. We were not informed or have any knowledge of it. If you were in our shoes, will you be happy?

    “I don’t think he wants to speak to you now. I told him you were here and he said he will not speak to you.”

     

    Government sells out mall at give-away price

    When the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, resumed office in 2015, he said he had no money to complete the structure, adding that he would rather use such money for other pressing needs faced by the state. He then asked the Commissioner for Commerce and Investment and the management of NSDC to find investors who would be ready to take up the project.

    Recently, however, the Niger State Government disclosed that it had sold the NSDC Mall, one of the malls in the Minna City Centre project for N110 million, an amount that is said to be less than half the current market price of the structure.

    The structure is the only construction in the project that has reached about 89% completion and has been listed by the present administration as a non-priority project and therefore abandoned. The structure is erected on a land area covering 4,300 square metres, and at the time that work stopped on the project in 2015, the Niger State Government was reported to have sunk well over N247 million into it.

    The state government, through the Commissioner for for Commerce, Cooperatives and Investment, Mudi Mohammed, who briefed newsmen in August, revealed that the mall had been sold to Jaiz Bank Plc for N110 million, a sum considered as giveaway even by the most conservative in estimates and cost evaluations.

    The commissioner said the state government had earlier advertised the uncompleted shopping mall for rentals for which more than 106 persons purchased application forms at N5,000 each before the state government opted to sell the shopping centre outright.

    Although no reason was given for the state government’s decision to sell the complex and at such rock bottom price, the commissioner attributed the state government’s action to lack of interest from the public and the current economic situation in the country. He said the government decided to sell it to Jaiz Bank Plc, but he did not say whether there were other bidders for the complex. He also did not say if there was any public offer through bids process for the magnificent shopping centre.

    The commissioner said the state government had given the new owner of the shopping centre guidelines which include immediate takeover of the structure, employment of indigenes of Niger State and beautification of the centre.

    Efforts made to get details of government’s plans for the other projects in the City Centre did not succeef as the commissioner was repeatedly said not to be in the office each time the reporter visited, and no other official of the ministry was ready to speak on the project.

     

    This investigation is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Nigeria.  

  • Controversy over ‘abducted’ 9-yr-old Nigerian girl’s relocation to Togo by mother’s ex-lover

    A mother of four, Adelowo Adebisi, has accused her former boyfriend, Kofi Mesan of abducting her eight-year-old daughter, Irebami, and relocating her to Togo.

    Adebisi, who hails from Ondo State, said Mesan was not the father of the girl.

    According to the woman, Mesan, a Lagos-based herbalist, who resides in Isheri-Olofin area of Alimosho Local Government, allegedly tricked her into releasing her daughter to him, promising to help her enrol the girl in school.

    Adebisi claimed that her daughter’s father was one Toyin Awolere, a spare parts dealer at Ladipo Market, Mushin, Lagos.

    She said that Awolere proposed to her in 2007, and their relationship resulted into a pregnancy.

    Adebisi said Awolere abandoned her shortly after her mother died of a strange illness.

    She said she was introduced to Mesan in the course of searching for a solution to her mother’s mysterious illness.

    ‘’I was introduced to a spiritualist known as Kofi Mesan  at Idimu, Lagos, by one of my relatives called Bunmi, and after a week, my mum passed away.

    ‘’I had issues with Awolere, after giving birth to our  first daugher, Blessing. But in 2009, I reconciled with Blessing’s father (Awolere) and gave birth to another baby known as Irebami at Oko Afo area of Badagry, after, he came with his relatives to beg my family.’’

    The reunion did not however last long as Adebisi and her husband went their separate ways, after which she ran into Mesan again.

    ‘’As a result of my predicament, I used to visit Mesan, a Togolese, who lived very close to my father’s house, and he asked me out but I rejected his overtures. I stopped going to his house and relocated to Mushin. I later had two sons, Emmanuel Abumere Isaac, for one Abraham Abumere. Abumere agreed to take care of Irebami and he enrolled her in a private school in Ikotun, Ikotun.

    ‘’Unfortunately, my marriage to Abumere crashed and I had no place to live. That was the time Mesan got my telephone number from my father and promised to help me. He said that he would enrol my daughter in a school in Benin Republic, because his apartment was too small for me and my children.

    ‘’ I had no place to stay and Mesan gave me a room to live in. He used to have a wife who, according to neighbours, moved out of his home when he subjected her to beatings. Mesan said I should be telling people that he is Irebami’s father, but I declined. Not long after, he (Mesan) told me that he had taken the child to Togo to further her education. I rejected his offer after visiting Togo with him only to discover the deplorable environment of the community he took my daughter to.

    ‘’When I insisted on taking my daughter along, he asked me to come with him to a place he wanted to visit before leaving for Nigeria. By the time he drove his car for some hours, we had reached Benin Republic. When I confronted him for tricking me. He promised that he would go back to the place two weeks later. He said that he deliberately left my daughter behind because taking her back to Nigeria at that period of time would arouse suspicion of security agents and that he did not want to be seen as a child trafficker. Since then, he has refused to bring back my daughter and I have left his house.’’

    Contacted, Mesan dismissed the allegations as  lies.

    He claimed to have impregnated Adebisi, while they were dating a few years ago.

    ‘’ She is not saying the truth. I dated her while she was living with her father and she became pregnant. She ran away with another man and I could not locate her whereabouts until recently.

    ‘’Now, I have taken back what is mine(Irebami)and she is making unnecessary allegations against me. Irebami is my daughter, I have taken her to Togo and enrolled her in a school there.’’

  • Nigeria Air: A National Carrier of controversy

    Passengers and stakeholders are anxiously waiting for the maiden flight of Nigeria Air on December 24. The national carrier was unveiled at the Farborough Air Show in London. The take-off of the airline expected to fly into 81 routes on domestic, regional and intercontinental routes, is, however, paved with turbulence, writes KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR.

    AFTER many failed attempts to float a national carrier, the Federal Government last week rose to the occasion in faraway London at the Farborough Air Show; a gathering for global players in aviation to unveil the name and livery; otherwise known in ordinary par lance as the logo of the new national carrier – Nigeria Air.

    Since the unveiling, torrents of commentaries have enveloped the global arena over the government decision to float a national carrier, 15 years after it liquidated the Nigeria Airways Limited.

    The new airline, many industry players have cautioned, must learn from the pitfalls of the former national carrier which they said lacked the right struck to remain in business.

    The defunct Nigeria Airways Limited was operated as a social service managed by government agents to serve the interest of politically exposed persons.

    In May 2003, the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo announced the liquidation of the airline with over 6,000 workers and pensioners.

     

    Genesis of Nigeria Air

     

    The emergence of Nigeria Air was a fulfilment of a Presidential Declaration in 2015 by Buhari to deliver a national carrier that will restore the pride of the nation and put the country in a vantage position to reciprocate the over 78 bilateral air services agreement to which the country is a signatory.

    To achieve the lofty project, committees were set up and a deadline for the kick-off was set. A few months ago, a task force under the chairmanship of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Managing Director Capt Fola Akinkuotu was raised.

    The committee’s other members include: Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director General Capt. Muhtar Usman; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Rector Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed; Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Commissioner Akin Olateru; National Carrier Transaction Adviser representative Capt. Tilmann Gabriel; Transaction Adviser for MRO and Aviation Leasing Company representative Layi Are; Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Acting Director-General Chidi Izuwah.

    On July 9, the Federal Government received the Outline Business Case (OBC) of compliance certificate from the ICRC.

    It (OBC) was developed by a consortium of transaction advisors, including the Airline Management Group Ltd, Avia Solutions Ltd and Tianerro FZE. They were appointed in March by the government.

    Receiving the OBC certificate from the ICRC, Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika assured that the process towards procuring the national carrier was detailed and transparent; assuring that the airline will be profitable in the first three years in operation.

    He said the new airline will commence operation on December 19, 2018 with five aircraft, to gradually grow capacity to 30 aircraft within five years.

    The OBC specified recommended the injection of $8.8 million by the government in viability gap funding and the upfront grant required leveraging private sector investment. It also specified $300 million capital injection in three years by the operators of the national carrier for sustainability.

    The minister assured that despite the government’s $8.8 million gap fund, the management and business decisions of the national carrier will be 100 per cent determined by private sector managers.

    Sirika said: “The government will step in to cover the viability gap funding, and thereafter, it will ease out. But even with the gap funding, the government will never get involved in the management of the national carrier.

    “All things being equal, on December 19th, 2018, we will have the first set of airplanes flying this airline. It will make profit in three years after operations. We will make the investments and follow the business plan through private sector management.

    “The national carrier is a bankable business and the government will get a strategic partner who will invest in it. When we get through the bidding process, more facts will emerge.

    “The new national carrier won’t be like others in the past. We have made it clear in our certificate that the national carrier will have a strategic world class equity partner who will manage, operate and make the management operations.”

     

    Government’s non-involvement

     

    The extent to which the government would be involved in the proposed airline has been a source of concern to industry players. But, Sirika said during the unveiling in London that the airline will be private sector-driven.

    He said: “This will be a National Carrier that is private sector-led and driven. It is a business, not a social service. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it. The investors will have full responsibility for this.

    “The government will not own more than five per cent of the new National Carrier. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it.”

    According to him, the government has opened discussions with aircraft providers, including Airbus and Boeing, regarding the aircraft. He promised to give an update on the talks soon.

     

    Necessity for National Carrier

     

    Some stakeholders say the minister should be more transparent on the identities of the would-be investors. Their demand came on the heels of concerns raised by former African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Secretary-General Nick Fadugba on why indigenous operators were not invited to invest in the new carrier.

    According to Fadugba, such offer would provide a good window for the operators to partner with the government.

    Other experts, however, reason that the best time for Nigeria to set up a national carrier is now.

    Besides, providing jobs for many Nigerian pilots, aircraft engineers, cabin attendant, flight dispatchers and other professionals, it would enable Nigeria reciprocate its over 78 bilateral services agreements that indigenous operators have failed to operate.

    Speaking in an interview, Fadugba said a national carrier will curb massive capital flights as foreign carriers take away billions of naira annually.

    A national carrier, he noted, will earn respect for the country in the comity of nations, besides serving as an ambassador for the country and carry out critical duties for the government.

    It will also enhance the training of skilled workforce in the aviation industry. For instance, a pilot after graduating from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria with commercial pilot license (CPL) needs to type-rate on one aircraft type. Usually, the national carrier provides the platform.

     

    Weak state of domestic carriers

     

    The establishment of a national carrier, many argued, will give passengers travel options as the existing domestic operators have not been offering the quality of service that Nigerians deserve.

    An aviation finance expert, Ali Magashi, saw the setting up of the Nigeria Air as the best decision taken by the government. He said it will not only boost Nigeria’s sovereign image but compete with the invading foreign carriers.

    Magashi said that only national carrier could restore the lost image of Nigeria in the global aviation stage.

     

    Fear of extinction grips operators

     

    Though a welcome idea, some indigenous operators called on the government to create a level playing field for them and the new national carrier. They specifically called for equity in the allocation of routes to be flown by the new national carrier and urged the government to clear the air on the status of Arik Air and Aero, which they consider as government-run carriers.

    Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema, Topbrass Airlines Managing Director Captain Roland Iyayi and African Business Aircraft Association (AfBA) Chairman Nick Fadugba were among those who spoke at a seminar in Lagos last week.

    They said that for the national carrier to work, the government must pay the N45 billion entitlements of former workers and pensioners of the liquidated national carrier.

    To them, the national carrier will enjoy their support because it would provide jobs, improve operational capacity and protect the investment of private airlines.

    Onyema said that domestic carriers look forward to what will happen to indigenous carriers as much as it will create jobs and done transparently once its privately-run.

    Promising not to back any move that will frustrate existing carriers, the Air Peace boss said the modality to allocate routes will have to be looked into, except the government is indirectly trying to decimate existing operators.

    Explaining that his airline was not afraid of a national carrier, Onyema said there must be a level playing field where existing operators will be given the opportunity to enjoy same privilege that will be accorded the national carrier.

    He said: “The government must do everything possible not to frustrate existing carriers because of private investment. The creation of a level playing field remains critical to the sustenance of an effective aviation sector.”

    Onyema urged the government to ease the operational challenges facing local players be making the business a win- win, even as he faulted the government’s skewed policies that favour foreign carriers.

    In his intervention, Fadugba canvassed a partnership among carriers as a recipe for survival in an environment that is conducive when the operators are strong enough.

    He wondered why local carriers have not forged partnerships, which according to him, “is key to success no matter the size of the carrier.”

    His paper raised concerns over the lack of cooperation in the areas of operations; training; spares and maintenance pooling.

    Suggesting fleet pooling and personnel training, Fadugba reasoned that the sector has a long way to go until the will government will come with a more thorough approach to funding.

    He said: “There is a lot of uncertainty over the new national carrier because of the modality adopted for the project; when the government through the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) already owns Aero and Arik airlines, implying three airlines under the ownership of the government which has not happened in any country before.”

    Urging the government to adopt the aviation model in Singapore and United Arab Emirates to make progress, he said the countries have adopted business-friendly models good.

    He, however, spared a thought for the non-implementation of Open Skies Agreement for Africa, which he said when fully operational, could consume some domestic operators.

    As a strategy for success, he canvassed strong airlines, hub airports and smart facilities to drive the development of aviation.

    Relying on NCAA statistics, Fadugba described as regrettable that foreign carriers have taken over air transport in Nigeria, a development he noted “makes no strategic sense for any country serious about the business of aviation.”

    On Hub Airports, he noted importance of connectivity as a key driver of growth of aviation development.

    Also speaking, Iyayi, said that government will do everything to make the new national carrier succeed by securing the right access to markets on its routes.

    He said the existing policies are a disservice to the survival of private carriers; which are not protected by the government, despite their huge investments.

    Iyayi flayed a situation in which local carriers compete on capacity and not on routes.

     

    Worries over project

     

    As at Wednesday, when the airline’s name was unveiled, it had neither an operational office nor personnel in the country. There was no structure to indicate that a new airline was coming on board.

    The minister, who said that the airline would be private sector-driven, did not explain the equity of the airline. He has not laos clarified whether the airline would have core investors or technical partners but that the government Qatar Airways have been talking since 2016 about the airline.

    At the Farnborough show on July 16 and 17, the minister held talks with Ethiopia Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Grebremariam on partnership agreement.

    The development has fueled stakeholders’ fear that the government was yet to secure a technical partner for the airline. They predicated their fear on the fact that only the minister was involved in the discussion with aircraft manufacturers’ on behalf of an airline that would be private sector-driven.

    According to AfBAA chairman and AFRAA’s former secretary- general, many questions have not been unanswered in terms of management, funding and fleet of the new airline.

    Fadugba, who is African Aviation Services Chief Executive Officer, noted that the government was already the de facto owner of both Aero and Arik through AMCON. He wondered how it would manage these airlines and at the same time establish a new national carrier.

    The proposed Nigeria Air, he felt, ought to have a synergy with other carriers to better harness the huge international market.

    He said: “There are many questions that need to be answered in terms of the management, the funding and the fleet. So, I believe the government needs to brief the Nigerian people on the national carrier. Rather than doing it abroad, we need to come home and explain to the whole nation what the concept is.

    “More important, I am interested in how the national carrier interfaces with all the other airlines in Nigeria. Because remember that the government is the de facto owner of two other airlines: Arik and Aero. So, this is the first time I have seen one government own three airlines. Government needs to coordinate its airlines strategy in terms of moving forward.”

     

    Aviation union’s stand

     

    Unions in the aviation industry have threatened to frustrate the new national carrier over the government’s failure to settle severance payment of the ex-Nigeria Airways workers. They expressed doubt about the sincerity of the federal government.

    National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) General Secretary Olayinka Abioye, warned that until the government paid the final severance package of the liquidated national carrier’s workers, the unions in the sector would “ensure that the plan does not come to fruition”.

    According to him, the unions have resolved that before the government can float another carrier, the severance package of the former workers must be paid in full, stressing that the government had not been fair to the disengaged workers.

    He also explained that the proposed national carrier negated the government’s earlier position, stating, since the unveiling of the plan, no investor known to any member of the public has signified interest.

    Abioye said: “We are not concerned about this new national carrier even though it is our baby with supposed benefits to the country. We are much more concerned about the families of the defunct national carrier,some of whom have died.

    “We are much more concerned about those who are living and managing to live and we are calling on this minister and the  government to speed up action in whatever capacity they can to ensure that Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance, make releases and pay our people. Enough is enough.”

    Less than six months to the airlines’ kick-off deadline, there is nothing on ground to show the readiness that an aircraft in the fleet of Nigeria Air would launch its maiden flight as promised by the minister.