The Nation Newspaper

Tag: future

  • Let’s build a brighter future together

    Let’s build a brighter future together

    Text of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s  national broadcast on the  nation’s 64th Independence anniversary

    Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard.

    As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

    Exactly 64 years ago, our founding fathers chose democracy as a form of government and launched the dream of a great country that would lead the rest of Africa out of poverty, ignorance, and underdevelopment, a beacon of hope to the rest of Africa and the world.

    Over six decades later, we can look back, and Nigerians worldwide can see how well we have succeeded in realising the lofty dreams of our founding fathers.

    The world is witnessing and benefiting from the can-do spirit of the Nigerian people, our massive intellectual capacity, and our enterprise and industry in all vocations, from arts to science, technology to infrastructure. The dreams that our founding fathers envisaged are still a work in progress. Every day, we put our hands on the plough, determined to do a better job of it.

    While it is tempting to focus on what has been left undone and where we have stumbled as a nation, we must never lose sight of how far we have come in forging and holding our country together.

    Since independence, our nation has survived many crises and upheavals that led to the dissolution and disintegration of many other nations worldwide. Six years after independence, our country descended into a political crisis that led to a bitter and avoidable civil war. Since returning from the brink of that darkest moment, we have learned to embrace our diversity and manage our differences better as we continue to work towards engendering a more perfect union.

    Despite the many challenges that buffeted our country, we remain a strong, united, and viable sovereign nation.

    Dear compatriots, our independence anniversary gives us another chance to reflect on how far we have gone in our journey to nation-building and to renew our commitment to building a better nation that will serve present and future generations of Nigerians.

    While we celebrate the progress we have made as a people in the last sixty-four years, we must also recognise some of our missed opportunities and mistakes of the past. If we are to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future.

    My administration took over the leadership of our country 16 months ago at a critical juncture. The economy faced many headwinds, and our physical security was highly impaired. We found ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths: reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business-as-usual and collapse. We decided to reform our political economy and defence architecture.

    On the security front, I am happy to announce to you, my compatriots, that our administration is winning the war on terror and banditry. Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism. Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever. As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the Northeast, Northwest, and some other parts of the country.

    We have restored peace to hundreds of communities in the North, and thousands of our people have been able to return home. It is an unfinished business, which our security agencies are committed to ending as quickly as possible. As soon as we can restore peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, our farmers can return to their farms. We expect to see a leap in food production and a downward spiral in food costs. I promise you, we shall not falter on this.

    Our government has been responding to the recent natural disasters, particularly the flooding in parts of the country. After Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri, I also visited to assure our people that this federal government will always stand with our people in their times of trouble. At the last meeting of the Federal Executive Council, we approved a Disaster Relief Fund to mobilise private and public sector funds to help us respond faster to emergencies.

    Our government has also ordered integrity tests of all our dams in the country to avert future disasters.

    The economy is undergoing the necessary reforms and retooling to serve us better and more sustainably. If we do not correct the fiscal misalignments that led to the current economic downturn, our country will face an uncertain future and the peril of unimaginable consequences.

    Thanks to the reforms, our country attracted foreign direct investments worth more than $30 billion in the last year.

    Fellow compatriots, our administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other qualified divestments approved in the sector.

    The move will create vibrancy and increase oil and gas production, positively impacting our economy.

    The more disciplined approach adopted by the Central Bank to monetary policy management has ensured stability and predictability in our foreign exchange market. We inherited a reserve of over $33 billion 16 months ago. Since then, we have paid back the inherited forex backlog of $7 billion. We have cleared the ways and means debt of over N30 trillion. We have reduced the debt service ratio from 97 per cent to 68 per cent. Despite all these, we have managed to keep our foreign reserve at $37 billion. We continue to meet all our obligations and pay our bills.

    Read Also: NLC to workers: don’t give up on Nigeria

    We are moving ahead with our fiscal policy reforms. To stimulate our productive capacity and create more jobs and prosperity, the Federal Executive Council approved the Economic Stabilisation Bills, which will now be transmitted to the National Assembly. These transformative bills will make our business environment more friendly, stimulate investment and reduce the tax burden on businesses and workers once they are passed into law.

    As part of our efforts to re-engineer our political economy, we are resolute in our determination to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy of local governments.

    The central concern of our people today is the high cost of living, especially food costs. This concern is shared by many around the globe as prices and the cost of living continue to rise worldwide.

    My fellow Nigerians, be assured that we are implementing many measures to reduce the cost of living here at home.

    I commend the Governors particularly, in Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, and the Southwest Governors that have embraced our agricultural production programme. I urge other states to join the Federal Government in investing in mechanised farming. We are playing our part by supplying fertilizer and making tractors and other farm equipment available. Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved establishing a local assembly plant for 2000 John Deere tractors, combine harvesters, disc riders, bottom ploughs and other farm equipment. The plant has a completion time of six months.

    Our energy transition programme is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.

    Fellow Nigerians, while we are working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only thrive when there is peace.

    As we work to overcome the challenges of the day, we remain mindful of the next generation as we seek to galvanize their creative energy towards a better future. We lead today with the future we wish to bequeath to our children in focus, recognizing that we cannot design a future that belongs to them without making them its architects.

    Considering this, I am pleased to announce the gathering of a National Youth Conference. This conference will be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of our population. It will provoke meaningful dialogue and empower our young people to participate actively in nation-building. By ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping the policies that impact their lives, we are creating a pathway for a brighter tomorrow.

    The 30-day Confab will unite young people  nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security, and social justice. The modalities of this Confab and selection of delegates will be designed in close consultation with our young people through their representatives. Through this confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at the heart of the conference’s deliberations. The government will thoroughly consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous, and united Nigeria.

    Our government is implementing several other youth-centric programmes to give our young people an advantage in the rapidly changing world. We are implementing, amongst others, the 3 million Technical Talents programme (3MTT) of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone.

    We have also enthusiastically implemented the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides cheap loans to our students to pursue their tertiary educational dreams. In addition, later this month, we shall launch The Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP). It is conceived as a comprehensive suite of interventions at job creation by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment that is aimed at facilitating the creation of 2.5 million jobs, directly and indirectly, on an annual incremental basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the welfare and safety of workers across the country.

    As is the tradition, the government will soon announce all the beneficiaries of our national honours for 2024.

    The Senate President and the Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). The deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the deputy speaker of the House has been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) .

    Fellow Nigerians, better days are ahead of us. The challenges of the moment must always make us believe in ourselves. We are Nigerians—resilient and tenacious. We always prevail and rise above our circumstances.

    I urge you to believe in our nation’s promise. The road ahead may be challenging, but we will forge a path toward a brighter future with your support. Together, we will cultivate a Nigeria that reflects the aspirations of all its citizens, a nation that resonates with pride, dignity, and shared success.

    As agents of change, we can shape our destiny and build a brighter future by ourselves, for ourselves and for future generations.

    Please join our administration in this journey towards a brighter future. Let us work together to build a greater Nigeria where every citizen can access opportunities and every child can grow up with hope and promise.

    May God continue to bless our nation and keep members of our armed forces safe.

    Happy Independence anniversary, my fellow Nigerians!

  • Towards a bright future

    Towards a bright future

    • Leadership remains the bane of Nigeria’s development after 25 years of democracy

    It is 25 years since civil rule was restored in Nigeria. And, as it goes with anything silver, gold or diamond, the drums were rolled out to mark the attainment of that milestone, as military adventurists were never so tolerant of civilian rule in the past. The First Republic only lasted a little over half a decade. Life of the Second Republic was terminated after just four short years, while the third was aborted before it could come into full practice. It was still in the incubator when the Babangida junta scuttled the experiment.

    Now, we have the Fourth Republic, and it has lasted four times more than any of the previous dispensations. This has enabled the country’s flag to be hoisted among democratic nations of the world for the period.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu struck the right chord in his speech to mark the Democracy Day on June 12. He emphasised the intangibles and symbolisms that had long been ignored and overshadowed by military practices and vestiges. The President pointed out the essence of democracy that he said, while not perfect, has yet no substitute.

    President Tinubu pledged his government’s commitment to deepening democratic ethos and values in the country, while reeling out the names of heroes and martyrs of the struggle for the democracy, including the likes of Pa Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who were killed by goons of the military dictator in power at the time.

    Other patriots were chased into exile while the property of others were torched. This group includes the incumbent President and others like Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Chief Ralph Obioha, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, and a host of others who made the environment uncomfortable for the dictators at home.

    The roll of honour, coming from the President, is quite significant. The names will forever be acknowledged in the anals of our national history. The President, in devoting space and time to eulogising the heroes, including the media, is urging others to be patriotic and nationalistic. It is one way to grow the country.

    Those who are insisting that the leader of Nigeria ought to have focused on his achievements in the one year of his administration and other measures in line to tackle the level of poverty in the land must have failed to read the full speech and note where the President said bright days are ahead.

    However, we join in calling for balm to soothe the pains of the people in the

    short and long terms. Promises were made by previous governments, but they were left largely unfulfilled, thus creating trust deficit in the government. It is the lot of the current government to fix this.

    The President is in a more difficult time because of the division that attended the last election, with opposition politicians going to lengths hitherto unknown to run down the person of the winner and the system. President Tinubu has a duty to heal the land and ensure that the people are galvanised to build a strong and healthy nation.

    It is worthy to note that the President who has been an advocate of restructuring ensures that the steps he appears to be taking towards that are accomplished. The current structure has failed, pitching people against themselves as soldiers in the armies of their religious and ethnic groups. All eyes are on the centre where almost all the resources go, and from where they are distributed, using inequitable formulae. In the process, the object of coming together as a nation are unfulfilled, thus leaving the people despondent and frustrated. The system must give way to one where the main needs of the people could be met at the local and state levels. When the centre is fully in charge of security, sits on 52 per cent of federally collected revenue, the federating units could only groan.

    Far-reaching decisions should be taken with regards to the bicameral legislature at the centre and the disproportional appropriation of public resources to cater for the lecherous appointed and elected public officials. Citizens would only be mobilised to work towards baking a bigger cake when they are convinced that the fund is not going into a sinking hole.

    Read Also: Future One Africa Network boss Usman loses sister

    Nigeria’s future is bright, given the resources with which she is endowed. We need our leaders to come up with a vision of the future we need to compete with other countries. If the Asian tigers could break the shackles that hitherto consigned them to the refuse dung, and the United Arab Emirate (UAE), literally in a twinkle of an eye won respect for herself, then Nigerian leaders must wake up to give the country the push she needs to overcome contemporary challenges and win respect for Africans. Asia today has China, India, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, among others. There is no reason why Africa, in the next 25 years, cannot similarly produce radically transformed Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, , Ghana and Kenya that will supply the impetus for a new Africa of our dream.

    All said, Nigeria has President Muhammadu Buhari to thank for proclaiming June 12 as Democracy Day, in June, 2018, as against the hitherto recognised May 29. The reason is simple: It was on June 12, 1993, that the freest and fairest election in the country which produced Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola as president, was held. It was also an election in which Nigerians refused religious tendencies to dictate who they queued behind in the election, as Abiola and his running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe, were both Muslims. The Babangida junta however annulled the election for no reason.

  • Road to the future

    •A tech giant suggests the way forward for Nigeria

    The recent suggestion by American software giant Microsoft Corporation that Nigeria deploy Information and Communication Technology (ICT) more decisively in its battle to reduce unemployment is an excellent one.

    Ms Salwa Smaoui, the company’s Public Sector and Government Business Leader for the Middle East and Africa, explained that cutting-edge jobs in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity should be seen as viable growth areas which the country’s youth should be encouraged to work in. Pointing to a deficit of 3.5 million jobs in cybersecurity, she said the country could be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by reconfiguring tertiary institutions to produce the personnel which would be needed for newly-evolving professions.

    This is sage advice. The exponential rise of the internet, social media, and technology firms like Microsoft, Google and Facebook is a clear indication of where jobs of the future lie. While traditional occupations in industry, agriculture and manufacturing are still important, it is obvious that ICT-related employment has become increasingly significant. A nation with an official unemployment rate of 18.8 per cent as at the third quarter of 2017 cannot afford to overlook this reality.

    The ICT sector contributed N1.5 trillion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2017. It accounted for 11.22 per cent to the country’s GDP in the second quarter of 2018. It grew by 15.34 per during the same period.

    It is being driven by huge demand for ICT hardware and software, an increasing realization of the ways in which ICT can facilitate existing businesses and encourage the emergence of new ones, and growing numbers of so-called “digital natives,” citizens who fully appreciate the benefits of ICT in their working and personal lives.

    In spite of the obvious opportunities for growth in ICT in Nigeria, there are several obstacles which hinder its ability to properly contribute to the resolution of the country’s unemployment problem. There is the paucity of educational and training facilities, the lack of investment in tech hubs and startups, as well as long-standing issues with public electricity supply, internet access and governmental policy.

    Countries like China, India, Singapore and South Korea have demonstrated that a deliberate and clearly thought-out programme of ICT development is the surest way for any nation to avail itself of the job-related and other benefits of ICT.

    In July, Nigeria launched an ICT roadmap. Since that time, very little has been heard about it. Such policy paralysis is unhelpful if things are to change for the better. One way of halting this is to tie policy to implementation by setting targets and deadlines for specific goals, such as the number of tech hubs, coding schools and ICT professionals the country should have by designated periods in time.

    The country must also accelerate its plans to formulate its long-awaited national policy on ICT which is expected to cover infrastructure, internet and broadband, local content development, and legal and regulatory framework. It is essential to creating an enabling environment for the sector to flourish.

    Such policy formulations must be accompanied by comprehensive changes to the curricula of the country’s secondary and tertiary institutions. It is incredible that basic coding and programming are still absent from the curricula of most secondary schools in 21st century Nigeria. An increasing emphasis on the opportunities in ICT should be part of the new emphasis on entrepreneurship in tertiary institutions.

    ‘Nigeria has the right mix of human resources, educational capacity and commercial viability that is vital to benefitting maximally from ICT. What is now required is a clear regulatory environment, consistent government support and the necessary infrastructural provisions’

  • Youths, political power and the future

    Youth or youthfulness is one of the phases, which every human being will pass through. Today’s old people, who are gnarled by old age, were once young and energetic people. As time could be likened to an unstoppable fast-travelling train, today’s youths will become old people in the future. Nobody is immune to the ravages of time; and nobody can stop the ageing process.

    It’s a known fact that gifted young people do reach the zenith of their endeavours and careers during their youthful ages. Chinua Achebe, one of the founding fathers of the modern African literature, wrote his Magnus Opus, Things Fall Apart, when he was in his twenties. Wole Soyinka wrote excellent literary works that cover all the genres of literature during his youthful days. Little wonder, he won the Nobel Prize for literature. More so, the late Chief Mathew Mbu, a politician in the First Republic, became a parliamentarian at 26.

    In sports, we have Boris Becker, the German-born lawn tennis player, who attained his peak in his sporting career and won the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship as a teenager. And there was Yousafzai Malala, the Pakistani teenage crusader for children’s rights, who came to global attention and recognition while in her early teenage years. She relocated to Britain after she was shot by Muslim extremists in her home country for her activism and advocacy.

    But sadly, and regrettably, in Nigeria, today’s youths do not evince and display the qualities and character traits of people who can transform the country. Our young people, who are socialised and initiated into egregious culture of corruption, are rapists, cultists, religious fanatics, and ethnic bigots. Since their parents bought SSCE certificates and university admissions for them to study. Consequently, they’re compelled to join cult groups on campuses across the country.

    Instead of being obsessed with scholarly activities, they use their membership of cult groups to brow-beat their lecturers to award them undeserved high grades in their courses. Others have converted campuses in the country to religious grounds, where they espouse their religious dogmas and teachings. And the ladies who are always dressed in décolletage and provocative dresses prefer participating in beauty pageantry to engaging in intellectually-enriching engagements and other ennobling activities.

    What happens in our universities now is a great departure from and opposite of what obtained in the past. University in the past helped to shape, formulate, and change unfavourable government policies through their interventions like protest marches and newspaper articles. But gone are the days when students, who are the leaders of tomorrow, protested against bad and unfavourable government policies. Now, they acquiesce in government policies that will bring suffering and economic hardship to the masses. And they do visit political leaders to show solidarity with them when those leaders are not offering us good political leadership and qualitative representation in the national assembly. Aren’t they sycophants?

    Commendably, President Buhari has signed into law the not- too-young-to-run bill. But can a young person, who is a philosopher-king in the mould of Emmanuel Macron of France, emerge on our political landscape as our national leader? A majority of Nigerian youths are destitute of positive morality, probity, and intellectual fecundity.  So, can our youths band together to oust the recycled old politicians from the loft of political power and change the existing political order when the youths are not intellectually and morally equipped for that undertaking?

    • By Chiedu Uche Okoye

    Uruowulu-Obosi

    Anambra State

     

  • Technology and future of real estate practice

    SIR: Global outlook generally is that 21st century is going to be driven largely by technological changes. Nobody ever thought 20 years ago for instance that someday there will be something called electric and chargeable cars that will suddenly eliminate the use of fuel and driver. The world is fast changing and very rapidly for that matter; the old order is fast crumbling and new ones are equally emerging fast.

    Across the world, companies, organizations and even governments respond to the rapidly evolving technology by creating new business and operating models for unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as Drones which get things done without any physical presence.

    Further technological push without doubt will produce a range of new technologies with impacting influence and effects on all disciplines, physical, digital and biological worlds, and the entire world of business would be further revolutionized. At the moment, technological advances are creating disruptive changes to society at large, especially on the issue of employment, with increased automation, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence putting large numbers of job categories under pressure of disappearance, going from lower skill jobs such as drivers, secretarial and office administration to middle skill jobs such as legal and financial services. Such disruption will affect not only the lower working class but also the middle class that have lived under the tenet that higher education and confirmation to social norms would lead to personal prosperity.

    It is definite that technological progress will affect both the demand and the requirements on real estate but with different impacts on different types of real estate.

    Offices would most likely face a new group of tenants in the foreseeable future, while job functions with more physical attributes or lower social/cognitive requirements are likely to be automated, with digitalization, increased office automation, shared platforms and collaborative works encourage resources sharing and development of shared workspace providers.

    This describes the direction the world, particularly the developed world have charted for efficient service delivery, real estate service inclusive. Suffice to say that we are not moving at the same technological pace with the western economies.

    Agreed, the advent of the Internet and social media has boosted the avenues through which we interact with clients, enabling us to connect more effectively with those whose lifestyles are suited for those platforms. It has also enabled us expand our reach faster. Courtesy of technological advancement, the industry has been transformed in many ways. Online digital marketing platforms such as mobile apps, websites, blogs, and chat rooms are some of the game changing advances enabling more people to access and compare real estate options in a way that was previously not available locally. These platforms ensures the liberalization of the industry and remove a lot of layers, especially for the entry to mid-level, already built properties, which may not require as much expertise. Even new developments are benefitting by providing convenient online pre-viewings and significant progress before relationship human interactions are required.

    But the main challenges to the growth of the sector in Nigeria still stare us in the face. Challenges such as comprehensive, accurate, reliable and readily available data, with the accompanying challenges of significant delays in processing building approvals; timelines for registering titles and legal enforcement; lack of transparency; restrictions to legal title; and high cost of acquisition of real estate including financing costs, registration costs and service fees.

    These challenges are surmountable and must be redressed with scientific inclination. We must build verifiable data for strategic real estate decisions, in addition to providing valuable advisory services to serious investors and developers to enable them make fact-based, intelligent decisions that ultimately improve their profitability. This has become one of the fastest growing parts of our business. These should be one of the core services implementation of real estate practices. Should we fail to do that, we would not make the essential impact in the industry.

     

    • Ewenla Mustapha  ANIVS, RSV, MNIM

    Lagos.

  • What future for NLC?

    What future for NLC?

    •Labour still has a long way to go, 40 years after

    Last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) commemorated the fourth decade of its establishment as Nigeria’s most prominent, influential and resilient central labour centre. The history of the NLC since its creation on February, 28, 1978, has been one of grand ironies. It was the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo that engineered the coalescence of the four central labour centres that existed prior to February, 1978, namely the Nigeria Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Labour Unity Front (LUF), United Labour Congress (ULC) and Nigeria Workers Council (NWC) into one central organisation, the NLC. This restructuring resulted in the streamlining of the over 1,000 trade unions that existed prior to the establishment of the NLC into 42 more manageable industrial unions.

    Ironically, however, it was also under the military that the existence of organised labour as a vibrant component of Nigeria’s civil society was most seriously threatened. The military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida banned the NLC for its vigorous role in the opposition to its Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) while the succeeding General Sani Abacha dictatorship also proscribed the union along with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) as well as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for their active participation in the struggle for democratic restoration in the country.

    No less interesting is the fact that it was President Obasanjo as civilian President in this democratic dispensation whose administration took deliberate steps to destabilise, factionalise and weaken the NLC that his military regime had brought into being about two decades earlier. In order to hobble the NLC which, several times, led the resistance to the administration’s incessant increases in the prices of petroleum products, the Trade Union Amendment Law was pushed through the National Assembly by the Obasanjo presidency resulting in the emergence of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a rival labour centre to the NLC.

    In addition to often being at the forefront of struggles by civil society groups for human rights, democracy, and humane economic policies over the years, the NLC can count among its achievements, compelling of government to increase the national minimum wage periodically to reflect the cost of living as well as the recognition, since 1981, of May 1 as a national public holiday in honour of the dignity of labour.

    Yet, it is also true that the quality of the organisation’s leadership steadily declined since the golden era of its pioneer National President, Hassan Sunmonu and his successor, Ali Ciroma, with dire consequences for the efficacy and credibility of the congress.

    The 2015 election of the NLC that brought the present Ayuba Wabba-led national executive of the congress into office almost resulted in the disintegration and further fractionalisation of the NLC. Alleging that the elections had been manipulated, some of the aggrieved aspirants left the NLC to form a new labour centre, the United Labour Congress (ULC), which is still seeking registration by government. This kind of unrestrained and indecorous struggle for power within the NLC is widely perceived as a function of the utilisation of these offices by union leaders to accumulate wealth and curry favour with public and private employers at the expense of workers.

    Today, most state governments owe workers several months’ arrears of salaries and allowances. In the private sector, the rights of workers are violated with impunity. There is certainly no way the leadership of labour can meaningfully protect the interest and rights of workers if they are themselves steeped in corrupt and unethical practices, including opportunistic careerism. While we congratulate the NLC for its resilience and survival over the last four decades, its continued efficacy and relevance in future lies in its rediscovering the pristine values of the founding fathers of Nigeria’s labour movement, such as the legendary Pa Michael Imoudu.

  • What is in the nation’s future?

    What is in the nation’s future?

    The beginning of a new year is a good time to seek information about the future and, for believers, only the divine being makes this information available through his servants. Of course, not everyone seeks to know. But a prophet has a responsibility to deliver the message whether anyone is interested or not.

    This year’s prophecies range from the pedestrian to the exciting. Some bet on the old law of induction, assuming the regularity of nature. Others err on the side of caution, assuming nothing is to be taken for granted. Some prophecies stay within the realm of the spirit to highlight what they see as the lot of the believer in 2018. Others cross the spiritual border to the political, with unfettered predictions for politicians.

    From Daddy GO Adeboye, there are prophesies about assassination attempts, record breaking temperatures, and misunderstanding among nations but no war. That we have started the last lap of earthly sojourn with a countdown to the end could be scary for those who are not ready to meet their maker because they have not shown mercy to the needy, or they have been responsible for the needless suffering of the masses. The upright is not worried.

    From Bishop Oyedepo, it is well for the anointed. Here is more of prayerful affirmation of a positive outlook than a declaration of disaster. It’s a New Dawn for the believer— in family life, finances, and spiritual life. “No one shall be a victim of road accident”, and it will be the “most fruitful year”. No need for worry because “no evil occurrence” around the life of the believer. Even the “strange things that will be the order of the day in 2018” are to the benefit of the believer because they will enjoy a “double restoration of all” that they had lost. These prophecies are soothing to the soul.

    MFM GO Pastor D. K. Olukoya, released 45 prophesies for 2018. With emphasis on 18 as a signifier of bondage, it’s a year for repackaging and reloading bondage, with “terrible attacks on marriages” and “wild and merciless striking of infirmities.” It’s a year in which “terror will swallow terror and vomit poison” and where you either “fight or perish.” Thankfully, it is also a year “of great fall for corruption” and one in which “personalities against this nation will destroy themselves.”

    There are more daring political prophecies. Prophet Wale Olagunju of the Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministries in Ibadan who “accurately predicted President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory” in the 2015 Presidential election has now “revealed that the Nigerian president will be dethroned in 2019 election by former VP Atiku Abubakar.”

    Olagunju also has prophecies on the future of the country. According to the prophet, even if Abubakar defeats Buhari in 2019, Nigeria will not avoid disintegration: “No amount of peace talk can prevent Nigeria’s disintegration. It is a matter of time”, and “the Igbo’s desire for Biafra nation has received divine approval.”

    As for party fortunes, the man of God declares that PDP is not dead and it “will bounce back and its members in the APC will return to their original house” while the “present rumpus in APC will continue.”

    Furthermore, the prophet declares that “any party that fields Buhari for the 2019 presidential election will be fielding liability as his candidacy will make the party lose the election.”

    Olagunju’s political prophecies are not limited to the realm of democratic politics as he also prophesied that “a new generation of military officers will in future overthrow the government of Nigeria to clear the rot perpetrated by reckless politicians.” This should send jitters down the spine of every democrat and lovers of civil rule.

    There is some similarity between Fr. Mbaka’s 2018 prophecies and that of Prophet Olagunju, and both had prophesied the victory of Buhari over Jonathan in 2015. Of course, we cannot scientifically prove that the prophecies of the men of God caused the victory or defeat of any candidate. The best they can claim is that they have the gift of knowing the future through what God reveals to them. We are not able to empirically verify God’s revelation of his thought and future action to anyone. Only believers understand.

    On New Year Eve 2015, Fr. Mbaka prophesied that Jonathan’s presidency was over because God had rejected him and Buhari will win. Buhari won and later praised Mbaka’s bravery at an Aso Rock meeting. However, the relationship was short-lived as Mbaka was upset with Buhari’s handling of his job as president.

    Specifically, Fr. Mbaka complained that Buhari had not addressed hunger and suffering. He observed that 2017 was “one of the most horrible years in this country”; that the “hardship is not from God, they are man-made; and that “the cabal and satanic agents …have wickedly kidnapped the goodwill and good intention of Mr. President…” He then urged Buhari to “change or be changed.” “The wind will be too strong that Mr. President and the cabal will be blown out of office shamefully.” The President is “to be blamed, not your cabal. You have your brooms, but the cabal have their bags; either you sweep them away or they throw you into the bag.”

    On the fight against corruption, Mbaka is uncompromisingly harsh, accusing Buhari of “selective” war, “a witch-hunt” in which “your party becomes a hideout for criminals so that any person who does not want to be arrested will become an APC person. Is that not corruption in itself?” This is brutal, coming from a servant of God who once openly canvassed for the president.

    We might ask: In 2015, why did Fr. Mbaka not see this turn of events happening in 2016-2017? Was he denied the spiritual gift to see beyond one year? That is an unfair question. God reveals what he wants to reveal, and it is not unusual for those he favors to turn out to be overwhelmed by human nature. Consider Samuel and Saul. God did not blame Samuel. After all, it was God’s declaration of Saul that Samuel affirmed.

    We should note, however, that the voice of humans is indeed the voice of God. And as there are spiritual prophecies, so there are secular predictions based on experience. A meteorologist uses scientific data to predict the weather so that we are all prepared. A political scientist predicts the outcome of elections based on polling data and social-economic trends that impact the lives of citizens.

    In 2015, the Economist endorsed Buhari for president just as Mbaka the man of God did. But in a recent scathing write-up, ominously titled “The Rise and Fall of Buhari”, the magazine soured on the president, arguing that he “is being plagued with failures across every single sector in the economy, the like that has never been seen before.” It refers to the recession which gripped the nation shortly after the inauguration of the president, the fall in the value of the Naira, the rise in unemployment and the hike in price of petroleum products and the ongoing scarcity of the product.

    What the spiritual father observed, the secular magazine confirmed regarding the fight against corruption: “As for the corruption fight, the facts on the ground do not show any one at all. Apart from a few officials harassed or imprisoned without court order, the country is yet to witness the first victim of the said campaign at the court stands…Government waste is on the rise, officials caught in graft were swiftly excused….”

    These are matters of grave concern. The President still has time to rein in graft and summon the better angels of citizens. But leadership must change 360 degrees. He must resist taking citizens’ patience for granted. Characterising every genuine complaint as malicious attack will not serve the President well. Elections aside, President Buhari wants to leave behind a legacy of good stewardship that is remarkable for alleviating the suffering of the masses. Ideas about good governance that are offered to correct the lopsided federal structure must not be dismissed as unpatriotic. There is still time for POSITIVE CHANGE.

     

    Follow me on Twitter:

     

    @SegunGbadeg2002

     

    @HarvestDayPubs

  • Real estate: A bright future

    Real estate: A bright future

    The real estate and construction sector of the economy has all it takes to contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in this fiscal year. But this is only if certain conditions are met. Experts are convinced that with the right indices in place to spur the contributions from the private sector, despite the Federal Government’s paltry N555.88 billion 2018 budget for Power, Works and Housing ministry, good times may be here for the industry, MUYIWA LUCAS reports. 

    By virtue of her sheer population of 170 million, Nigeria presents very viable market opportunities for goods and services, making it an investor’s haven. Such opportunities also present themselves in the real estate and construction sector of the economy.

    The sector, believed to hold huge potential in job creation and contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was undermined in the last two fiscal years (2016 and 2017) by some economic factors, such as the uncertainty suffered by the currency; falling production and double digit inflation that saw the country fall into negative growth. These doused heavily investors’confidence in the real estate sector, nay, the economy.

    But with the country out of recession, the negative economic indices may be giving way to a brighter prospects. Experts are convinced that as the economy improves in 2018, the picture for real estate, both for occupational and capital markets, will start to improve as well.

    One of such experts who holds this opinion is Mr. Thomas Mundy, Head of Advisory for Sub-Saharan Africa, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL), an American professional services and investment management company expert in real estate.

    Mundy, at the West Africa Property Investment (WAPI) summit held in Lagos, last November, disclosed that though there would be the usual lag between economic and market recovery, but for real estate, which has suffered from a sharp supply demand imbalance, widening vacancy rates and falling rents, 2018 will be a year of consolidation and recovery for the sector.

    His views are underpinned by more quantifiable progress in some areas across the economy. “First, importantly for real estate investors, the market is starting to gain more confidence in the economy backed by an improving external environment.The government policy-making is gaining some credibility through plans to support diversification and fiscal consolidation with the backing of external bodies. Also, we are starting to see evidence that the decline in rental rates in Lagos is reaching the bottom of the cycle,” he explained.

    Mundy revealed that these factors have been further complemented by the legislative framework being put in place for real estate pricing to mitigate the impact of a volatile economy, including an improvement in the structural undersupply of investment in real estate stock, which he noted will provide increasing opportunities, for both local and international investors in the economy this year.

    Government initiatives

    Although the Federal Government set up several agencies to tackle the housing needs of Nigerians, especially the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), it is disappointing that over the last two years, the FHA has not added a block to the housing stock. Highlighting the docility of these agencies, Costec Consultants Managing Partner, Mr. John Agele Alufohai, revealed that Nigeria’s mortgage system, cannot support a housing policy that will deliver affordable houses to Nigerians because of high mortgage rates, which are usually given at short tenures; a difficult business environment, high inflation, and unstable policies.

    However, the initiatives of the other agencies like the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) may pay off this year. The NMRC has entered into several partnerships with housing focused bodies and organisations. For instance, last November, the Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lagos state government and a consortium of developers to build and deliver 20,000 housing units in Lagos. The MoU, signed by the parties, is in line with the Lagos Affordable Public Housing (L.A.P.H.) initiative of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration, geared towards building 20,000 housing units through a joint venture initiative (JVI). It is hoped that the dividends from this partnership will trigger the real estate market into higher gear this year.

    On the part of the Federal Government, its efforts might also begin to have effect in the housing market. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, last year, disclosed that the government was working on avoiding mistakes of previous housing projects that saw the houses abandoned. He explained that some houses constructed by some past administrations were not occupied because they did not take into cognisance the issues of culture of the people, climate and location of projects.

    “At this moment we are constructing houses in 33 states, when we finish then we would subject that design to affordability test. When we find its works then we will subject it to acceptability test,” he said. This, on completion, these stock will also ginger the sector.

    Hot properties

    According to the Head, Property Management, SFS Capital Limited, Victoria Island, Lagos, Mr. Bolarinwa Odeyingbo, this year would be better for the sector, especially as the recession is easing out gradually. He explained that some properties would set the tone for the market this year. This will be mainly in retail sector that is, malls, including the mass medium income category on the Mainland part of Lagos State, which drove the market. He observed that areas, such as Yaba and its environs, Surulere, Maryland, Magodo Phase 2 (Shangisha/Ketu Ikosi axis), Gbagada, and some other central areas on the Lagos mainland, will experience a boost. In Abuja, Phase 3, comprising Galadimawa, Kabusa, Lokogoma down to Apo resettlement will experienced a boost. For instance, he explained that the success of the $68 million Novare Gateway Mall in Abuja last year presents an indication of what is to expect this year.

    Private sector initiatives

    Private sector investment will also influence the industry this year. Some of these projects are expected to get to an advanced stage, bringing in more money into the business, and they include:

    Imperial International Business City

    The Imperial International Business City (IIBC), is a $300 million, 200-hectare housing project, promoted by the Elegushi Royal Family (ERF) of Lagos and ChannelDrill Resources Limited, a real estate development firm. The development, which started last August, will further stimulate the property market this year with its huge investment opportunities. The IIBC, is being built on the Lagos lagoon, and will run from Freedom road to Kunsenla Road, to Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi Road, through Lekki Phase 1. The IIBC is being designed as a smart business city.

    RMB Waterport

    Developed by RMB Westport, The Wings development of close to 27,000m² GLA is situated in one of the most exclusive addresses right in the heart of the CBD on Victoria Island and is anchored by Oando Plc.

    The development comprises two towers allowing for about 27,000m² of lettable area. The building is a game changer in the way developers are fusing sophistication, design, and functionality in office development with high quality finishes, 360-degree views and energy efficient features.

    Royal Gardens Mall

    Developed by RMB Westport, the Royal Gardens Mall will offer just a little below 30,000m² of quality retail space. The mall is strategically located next to the entrance for the Royal Gardens Estate where approximately 126, 000 vehicles ply daily. The mall will also be competing with Novare Lekki Mall owned by Novare Equity Partners.

    Eko Atlantic

    Eko Atlantic is a brand-new city that is being developed on reclaimed land adjacent to Victoria Island. The city has created 10 million m² of prime real-estate on which office and residential developments are breaking ground. The Business District alone will have 650,000m² of GLA to offer the market.

    On completion, Eko Atlantic will be home to 500,000 residents with an expected commuter volume of 300,000 people. Eko Pearl Towers is the first completed residential building of a five-tower proposed development in the cities Marina district. The development comes in addition to the completion of the major road infrastructure.

    Lekki City, Lagos

    Rendeavour’s Lekki project development site is located on 1,000 ha within the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the largest free trade zone in West Africa. The site is adjacent to the approved location for the proposed Lekki International Airport and in close proximity to the deep sea port and a number of planned industrial developments. The project is at planning stage, and is a joint venture with the Lagos State Government.

    Landmark Village

    Landmark Village is a mixed-use development by Landmark Africa, a real estate and property development company in Nigeria. The 38,000m² development in Victoria Island will embody the “live, work, play” concept that is central to Landmark Africa’s developments. It is aimed to mirror nodes like Melrose Arch, Rosebank and Illovo in Johannesburg and developments like Canary Wharf in London. The development will have two office towers offering grade A accommodation, residential apartments, retail outlets, a 250 room four star hotel and a convention centre. The development will offer other amenities like leisure and recreational facilities.

    By and large, this year looks very promising for the real estate industry.

     

  • PDP in uncertain battle to save its future

    PDP in uncertain battle to save its future

    The stage is set for the national convention of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Eagle Square in Abuja tomorrow. The party is set to elect its national chairman and other officers. There is anxiety about a possible backlash from the scramble for the soul of the party. Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE reports.

    After coming out of a major leadership crisis that plagued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 14 months, the main opposition party is heading for a make or mar national convention tomorrow. The party appears to be at the crossroads as key stakeholders have continued to bicker over who becomes the national chairman. Of all the positions up for grabs, national chairman has attracted a fierce battle between the Southwest and Southsouth zones. There are six aspirants from the Southwest lining up for the position. The Southsouth is fielding  two.

    From the Southwest are: former Education Minister Prof Tunde Adeniran; former Deputy National Chairman Commodore Olabode George; former Ogun State Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Oyo State Governor Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja; one-time Sports & Special Duties Minister Prof Taoheed Adedoja and former Lagos governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje.

    The two contestants from the South South  are former Acting National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus and media mogul Raymond Dokpesi.

    The Southwest has been justifying  its quest for the plum job because the zone has yet to occupy the position of chairman since the formation of the PDP in 1998.

    In sympathy with the Southwest, a number of interest groups and stakeholders, particularly from the North, have also called for the position to be micro-zoned to the Southwest to enable it produce the chair.

    But, gladiators in the Southsouth countered that being the major financier of the party since the PDP lost political power in 2015, the zone should naturally produce the chairman.

    After weeks of push and pull, the contest has been narrowed down to a two-horse race between Adeniran and Secondus. Adeniran, 72, is being backed by a coalition of forces, comprising mainly of party leaders and elders spread across the three geopolitical zones in the North. A former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana, is leading the support outreach for Adeniran with a number of prominent politicians from the North in the tow.

    Secondus is being propelled by a heavy war chest, apparently deployed for the epic battle by Governor Nyesom Wike of his native Rivers State. But, efforts are still being made by many prominent party leaders and senior citizens, including former military President Ibrahim Babangida to find a common ground before tomorrow’s convention.

    The Gana group, under the aegis of PDP Northern Leaders and Elders Forum, is sticking out its neck for Adeniran.

    Rising from an all-night stakeholders meeting last Friday, the group announced the Northern stakeholders’ decision to have the chairmanship micro-zoned to the Southwest.

    In a communique issued after the meeting and jointly signed by a former Kano State Governor and one-time Education Minister, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and Mrs. Margaret Icheen, the group called on delegates from the North to vote for only chairmanship aspirants from the Southwest at the convention.

    The communique, dated December 1, 2017, stated among others: “As we head to the national convention, the forum showed keen interest in the position of the National Chairman.

    The forum received reports from the three geo-political zones of the region, regarding the micro-zoning of positions zoned to them, in line with the spirit of rotation.

    “The forum resolved that capable and competent aspirants should be identified and supported. After extensive deliberations, it was resolved that, in the spirit of fairness, equity, carrying every part of the country along, giving every geo-political zone a sense of participation and inclusion in the affairs of the PDP, we strongly support the quest of the Southwest geo-political zone to produce the next National Chairman of the party.

    “In line with our resolve to rebuild and reposition the PDP, we urge delegates from all the Northern states to abide by this decision and vote for only aspirants from the Southwest geo-political zone in the forthcoming national convention, in the best interest of the party. This is without prejudice to the right of aspirants from other geo-political zones to contest.”

    But, in a swift reaction, members of another sub-group at the meeting, countered the position of the Northern political leaders. Led by Mallam Sani Kutigi, the younger elements denounced Gana and his fellow elders, insisting that the position remained open to contestants from the three zones in the South. At a media briefing same day, Kutigi described the declaration by the Gana and others as an “obnoxious and objectionable” plot to rail-road the region into illegality.

    Kutigi said: “This group of people lacks any authority or voice to speak on behalf of the North as a homogeneous entity and is therefore on its own.

    “Their action is hereby rejected and totally condemned. Majority of members from the North dissociate themselves from this misadventure which potents unintended consequences if left unchallenged. It is a slap on the face of and an insult to Southern politicians/leaders that a few members from the North can sit down and determine who to elect.

    “While rejecting micro-zoning, we affirm our belief in the sanctity of the larger, more inclusive arrangement which gave Southern Nigeria the position of National Chairman of our great party.

    “Party members from the North pledge to support only a free and fair process where a new National Chairman will emerge, regardless of which place he comes from, once he is from any of the states that make up Southern Nigeria.

    “This decision is to forestall a situation where the action under scrutiny is used to deny certain section a shot at the offices as currently zoned through a dubious and undemocratic means of micro-zoning.

    “Finally, if the party must reinvent itself as the true vanguard of democracy,  it should not allow certain elements to hijack and abuse due process in the up coming national convention as this will only amount to going back to an inglorious past that we’ll rather forget”. Power brokers in the two opposition zones have continued to push arguments why they should take the slot.

    One of the chairmanship aspirants (George) said it would be extremely difficult for leaders of the party in the Southwest to continue to mobilise support for the PDP in the zone if the Southwest did not produce the party chair.

    He told reporters at the PDP Abuja secretariat last week: “If they take the chairmanship away from us, how do they expect us to continue persuading our members and supporters to vote for the PDP in 2019. The position of chairman has been micro-zoned in the past.”

    He recalled that at inception, the chair was micro-zoned to the North central, starting with the pioneer chairman, the late Chief Solomon Lar from Plateau State. He was succeeded by Chief Barnabas Gemade from Benue, also in the North central. Followed by Chief Audu Ogbe, also from Benue State.

    Ogbeh was forced out as a result of disagreement with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. He was replaced by Dr. Ahmadu Ali from Kogi State, also in the Northcentral. The chair then moved to the Southeast in 2008 with the emergence of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor (Abia), who was succeeded by Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo from Enugu State, also in the Southeast. Two acting chairmen occupied the position interim capacities, following the unceremonious removal of Nwodo at the convention ground in 2011. They are Dr. Mohammed Bello Haliru (Kebbi State) and Alhaji Kawu Baraje (Kwara State). The chair again moved to the Northeast in 2012 with Alhaji Bamanga Tukur (Adamawa State) as chairman. before he was removed in 2014 and replaced with a former Bauchi State governor,  Adamu Mu’azu, also from the Northeast. Mu’azu was forced to resign in May 2015 for failing to lead the PDP to victory in the 2015 general elections.

    His exit paved the way for Secondus, who was deputy national chairman. Secundus was asked to step in as acting chairman while the party struggled to shake off its post election defeat trauma. Going by the party’s constitution, Secondus was to act as chairman for six months to enable the party pick a substantive chairman from the Northeast to complete Mu’azu’s truncated tenure.

    However, owing to hopelessness occasioned by the party’s electoral misfortune, the PDP became almost rudderless and Secondus continued to occupy the position for over nine months. It took the intervention of a former presidential adviser, Dr. Ahmed Gulak for the PDP to wake up from slumber. Gulak had in February 2016, stormed the party secretariat with a number of supporters.

    He declared himself the new party chairman. Gulak, who is from Adamawa State in the Northeast, had argued that he decided to take the seat to complete the tenure for the Northeast. The crisis was, however, resolved when the party’s governors, against wise counsel, picked a controversial former Borno State governor Ali Modu Sheriff in 2016 to serve out the remaining term of the Northeast.

    Attempts to elect a substantive chairman under Sheriff led to a fourteen-month leadership crisis that almost consumed the PDP. Having seen through Sheriff’s inordinate ambition to grab the party’s 2019 presidential ticket by default, the governors eased out Sheriff at a botched May 23, 2016 convention, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    A caretaker committee, headed by a former Kaduna State governor Ahmed Makarfi, was appointed to run the affairs of the party, pending the election of a  substantive chairman. But, Sheriff remained adamant and continued to lay claim to the party’s chairmanship. He had fought through the courts to remain in office for 14 months, trampling on every rule and guideline in the party’s constitution.

    Sheriff fought Makarfi and his team to a standstill, leaving the party in disarray. It took the intervention of the Supreme Court to free the party from Sheriff’s grip with a landmark judgment delivered on July 12, 2017. With Sheriff out of the way, the PDP got its bearings under Makarfi, whose tenure expires at tomorrow’s  convention.

    The convention is, however, being threatened by ambitions and vested interests of a few gladiators, gunning for the control of the party structure at the national level. The 19 states in the North succeeded in micro-zoning the elective positions allotted to them without much rancour.

    Similarly, the 17 states in the South were able to micro-zone some of the positions given to them, except the chairmanship slot.

    The Makarfi led committee was under pressure to micro-zone the chairmanship position to the Southwest, but the former Kaduna governor said his committee lacked the power to do so.

    The party may be plunged into another round of leadership crisis that the convention may throw. The power blocs have been unwilling to shift ground.

    Governor Wike, who is Secondus’ main backer, has insisted that the chair must go to the Southsouth.

    He told party leaders and supporters from the zone in Port Harcourt on Monday that his zone has been the major financier of the PDP.

    Wike was reported to have bankrolled the legal expenses the party incurred in the battle to take the PDP from Sheriff. But stakeholders argue that making Secondus party chair would amount to handing the PDP over to Wike.

    Incidentally, most party leaders, particularly the older generation, appear not to be comfortable with Wike’s sense of judgment. The governor’s approach to decision making has become a major concern to many of them. Tagging along with Wike is  Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose who is also insisting on Secondus.

  • Parents, your girls are “selling” their future!!!

    DEAR ma, Your words, inspiration and advice to the youth are excellent. You will live to reap your labour mummy.

    Onyedikachi Olla

     

    Dear Aunty Temi,

    I’m 17 years old. I lost my virginity this year and since then the only thing I understand is sex. I started work in a hotel, my boss asked me out and I agreed because I don’t want to lose my job. We have sex almost every day and I even got pregnant and terminated it. Only for me to later discover he’s is my sister’s boyfriend. I’m in love with him. What should I do now please?

    Miss A.

     

    Parents of my darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

    Do you know your daughter could be experiencing what Miss A. has been dealing with? A 17-year-old is still a baby, no matter what anyone says! What does she know about love, life, sex other than the thrills it’s been giving her body? Isn’t it so obvious this girl could be under a spell? She not only opened up her life to a pervert and all his strange multiple sex partners at 17, she already laid a foundation of trouble by terminating a pregnancy and getting addicted to sex! Yet in love with him!!! She’s turned to his moron! Worse still, if he dumps her which is imminent, she’ll move on to the next man who wants to use her and she goes on and on if care isn’t taken. Lord have mercy on your children!!! MUST POVERTY MAKE PEOPLE CHEAP? EVEN A LOT OF RICH KIDS SELL THEMSELVES CHEAPLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING! WHAT VALUES ARE YOU GIVING YOUR CHILDREN???

    1. Any girl who can’t write a simple sentence in English correctly and yet has her brain full of romance and boyfriends instead of striving hard to get good education and pursue a fulfilling life is selling her future.
    2. Any girl who is out of high school and yet to gain admission into the university whose priority is her boyfriend and how she has to prove her love for him and make him stay by engaging in sexual intercourse with him is selling her future.
    3. Any girl who is ready to sleep with a man in exchange of one favour or the other has already sold her future! She has laid a foundation for a satanic siege over her life- a cruel foundation of SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, SLAVERY AND BONDAGE!

    There are more wizards on the streets than ordinary men. A lot of these older men know girls who carry unusual virtues, goodness and spirituality that can give them the world! They know girls who are wealth personified just by looking at their foreheads and they take advantage of these girls’ ignorance and wipe away all God in His benevolence has given them to live a fantastic, wondrous, glorious life to compensate you in future. This is given away cheaply on the altar of sex for an iphone, hair extensions, designer bags that your annual income can’t purchase. What would enable so many girls buy themselves an aircraft before age 40 has been exchanged for just 1 trip to Dubai!!! MY GOD, PLEASE RESCUE SOMEONE TODAY! PLEASE STOP JUST 1 DESTINY FROM SINKING!!! Today’s young men appear to be even worse because they want to get rich quick, quick! They seek counsel and power from “elders” who tell them to look for and teach them how to discern girls with bright stars they can tap from or STEAL OUTRIGHT!!! SO MANY GIRLS CREATED WITH THOUSANDS OF STARS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO EMPTY CANS, EMPTY BARRELS! WHAT A TRAGEDY!!! This is the reason why I keep hammering on holiness, purity of the mind, chastity, SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE, SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE AND SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE!!! A lot of you parents don’t know the type of stars you have as children, how then will these kids know? How would they pursue their destiny when they don’t know they have an UNBELIEVABLE GREATNESS AHEAD OF THEM WHICH WILL REWRITE THEIR FAMILY HISTORY AND DROWN ALL THE HARDSHIP THEY EVER EXPERIENCED??? There’s someone reading who has been told the genesis of his/her problem is the person he/she slept with! A lot of you know one family member or the other who was a shining star as a youth but shot down as a result of wrong marriage and since then completely knocked down by life, unable to get up, roaming about in hard struggle in a harsh, wicked world. What a waste!!! Excuse me; it could have been wrong copulation. Though, copulating is marriage! There are some destinies which one should never come in contact with! There are some destinies that are enemies to one’s destiny! THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER! I’ve been chatting with Miss A. and we’re addressing the matter!

     

    • To be continued!

    I invite you to follow me on facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO (not Temilolu okeowo girls club or TEMILOLU OKEOWO Girls Club group).

    Scam Alert: Temilolu okeowo girls club page and group as well as Temilolu cares for you are fake facebook accounts.