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Tag: future

  • ‘PDP’s future bleak in Lagos’

    Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr Solomon Akin-Aina in this interview with Musa Odoshimokhe explains why he is contesting for the House of Representatives in Ojo Constituency, Lagos State.

    Why are you contesting for the House of Representatives again?

    There is reason and need for me to vie for the House of Representatives. The first time I contested, the leaders, elders and the power that be in the party said I should step down for another person. The second time I tried, they said I should concede the ticket to yet another person. I believe this third time around and by the special grace of God, the leadership of the party will consider me for the position.

    Having been denied twice, why did you not consider another party to realise your ambition?

    Well, it has not been part and parcel of me. I don’t believe in jumping from one party to another. It is not in my character. I don’t belong to that school of thought. I don’t have that inordinate ambition; if I have such, probably I would have considered the option of going to another party to realise by plans.

    What is the assurance that the forces that denied you the ticket in the first and second attempts will not do the same thing now?

    There is nothing God cannot do. I’m relying on God, considering my previous bid for the House of Representatives. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I know this time around I will be considered (Amen).

    What are the problems of your constituency that you want to articulate on the floor of the House?

    We have been denied federal presence in my constituency. I want to say that it will give me a better chance and opportunity to bring to my constituency many of the federal projects lacking in the constituency. It is not enough to go to the floor of the House, but it is about making good laws. There are other needs at the federal level, through which more federal projects can come to the Ojo Federal constituency.

    There are projects that are supposed to come to Ojo Federal Constituency, which the people representing us have not been able to bring to the constituency. These are mainly the things I will like to do for my people. During my tenure as the council chairman, I brought the Primary Health Centre, which is a federal government project to the council. There are other federal projects that we can bring to the constituency which other people can enjoy. When you talk of employment, our youths have to be well taken care of. There are other needs, which we can use our position as lawmaker, to bring to the constituency. We would equally seek ways of bridging the gap of unemployment, which is very prevalent in our society.

    What have you really done for the constituency as a whole, which makes you believe they will vote for you?

    When I was the council chairman, I did a lot for the people. There are many projects I sited in the council. These are projects I started right from the scratch. For instance, youth unemployment was reduced during my time through youth engagement in areas they can serve the community. I also employed graduates during my tenure to the lower cadre because that is what we can offer. You cannot employ any officer above Grade Level 06. But, I employ them on level three and four. To God be the glory. All the people I employed are in now in their principal cadre. I took the list of those I employed to the governor then and he approved them for me. These are the things that we did. We have a primary school in Ketu, we have primary school at Ijaododo. We constructed roads and transformed some of the slumps to places where  decent people can live. My only regret was the General Hospital that we missed. The governor gave us the opportunity, out of the whole local governments in Lagos State; Ojo Local Government was one of the few beneficiaries. That was when we had this crisis in Ojo, when some forms of sacrifice were placed at the entrance of the local government. The basis of that incident was that we were to divide the local government premises into two. The General Hospital supposed to take off from a temporary site before we look for a more suitable piece of land for the project. But, this was truncated for lack of cooperation. We would have been enjoying that hospital today. The people rejected it and alleged that I connived with the governor to sell the hospital project for N300 million to another local government. That is how some of our people reason and this is unfortunate. What we should have done was to have a General Hospital which we all need, but internal wranglings deprived us of the opportunity.

    Can the APC retain Lagos State in the next year’s election?

    To the best of my knowledge, if you look at the antecedents of the party right from time, you will see that we have been effectively defending the mandate. We are very conscious of this, and government has tried to meet the aspiration of the people. If there is any rancour within our party, the leadership of the party will not allow it to fester. They have tried as much as possible to reconcile any faction within the party, just like they have been doing in the past. This time around, I want to believe that by the special grace of God, our party will defend the mandate which Lagos people have resolved to place on the shoulder of our party, the APC.

    But, there are crises rocking the party at the grassroots…

    Agreed there may be rancour, but that is not enough to put us down. We have rancour in our homes, places of work and other places. People quarrel, but what we are saying is that when it comes to real politicking we won’t allow it to degenerate to the extent that it will affect our party. You could see from the programme of the party that we have not left any stone unturned. There is the poverty alleviation programme, youth empowerment programme, roads construction and rehabilitation, housing and ensuring a secure environment for our people just to mention a few are what the government is doing.

    How prepared are you for the primaries?

    To God be the glory, we are ready and fully prepared for it and hopefully we will emerge this time around.

  • ‘The future is in branchless banking’

    ‘The future is in branchless banking’

    Paga, a money transfer service provider works with banks, microfinance institutions and mobile network operators to bring banking to the banked and unbanked  population. Its co-founder, Jay Alabraba said Paga Merchant Services allows businesses to collect payments and conduct money transfers. He said it is deepening the financial inclusion policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and that branchless banking is where the future lies, COLLINS NWEZE writes.

    Mobile payment is where the world is heading and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind, Paga Co-founder, Jay Alabraba, has said.

    Speaking during a media interaction in Lagos, he said the mobile payments service firm, has formally announced the launch of its new business focused service line – Paga for Business.

    Suitable for large-to-small businesses, the product is a one-stop-shop solution for any business looking for a smart way to collect payments from its customers in person, online, or remotely, anywhere in the world.

    The solution, he added,  also allows businesses to disburse cash, airtime  to any bank  account or phone number in real-time.

     

    Mobile payment firms vs banks

    Alabraba said Paga does not compete with the banks since its funds are saved with the banks. He however admitted that there are places where it clearly competes with banks and there are more places where it collaborates with banks to do what it is doing.

    “Certain banks have licenses to do mobile payments. There are places you can extend what we are doing beyond where people do it today. For example, you don’t find many bank pursuing collections of payment by small or medium businesses the way we do.

    “Banks have braches and large banks can have maximum of a thousand branches. Paga alone has 6,500 agents across 32 states in the country. This is a larger service network than all the banks in Nigeria combined. Besides, banks are serving people that are banked.”

    He said people who do business  may not necessarily be in the rural areas, adding that because they are not banked, they are not finding the efficient ways to make payments. But somehow, he explained, “there is a gap and that is the place we play as well. Half of our customers are banked, just that they find Paga to be a lot efficient, creating more options for them to access their services.”

    He said if you are to pay a plumber N2,000, with Paga, sitting in your office, send him a message that sends him his cash. He comes out of his store, goes left to a provision store and collects his money. He didn’t have to come and meet you in your house, neither was your bank involved,” he explained.

     

    Lagos market

     He said Lagos has fewer geographical states that will be considered rural.

    “When I talk of rural focus, beyond Lagos, there are going to be villages where you have self-owned networks. While you will not see the big splash, billboards and television in those places, pay close attention to how they use those services.”

    Typically, he explains, “we have one or two agents there doing transactions. When you talk about Paga, you don’t only pay attention to the person picking up their phone to do transaction. There are multiple ways customers will use paga. People can use page to send SMS, application, paga can be accessed and used online. In that case, you are not even riding on mobile phones network.

    “So when you say mobile, apart from mobile phones, think about connectivity and ability to access any kind of laptop, tablet, device, from the lowest feature phone that can only do SMS to a complicated laptops. These are all connected devices, named mobile,” he said.

    He explained that there are another set of customers that don’t interact with Paga via their phone, but through agents, which is their service point in their community and that agent can do any transaction that they want to do on Paga.

    As he put it: “If they want to transfer money to another person in a remote area, they can take their cash to the agent and send the money and the person receives SMS that the money has been paid. Then, they will go to the agent, present their withdrawal code and cash it. All they have done is to use the phone to receive the alert but the transaction is happening at the agent. The important thing is that as long as there is an agent point in that place; it is possible to serve those customers,” he said.

     

    Confronting infrastructure hurdles

     Alabraba said infrastructure challenge is a subject of concern to any type of business. “Recently we were at an event hosted by one of the large international organisations and infrastructure was the subject and how it affects small and large size businesses, from the stand point of power, cost of connecting telecoms and the reliability of such connection.

    “We built Paga to work in inadequate infrastructure environment; this is not importing software and assumes it is going to work. We have taken into account the fluctuations we will have in power, or telecommunication networks, or other types of infrastructure challenges. The technology is built to work in emerging markets where technology challenge exists, we use an appropriate technology,” he said.

    He said should power be lost in any of its data centres, there are multiple backups to ensure there will not be any loss of data about the transaction.

    “If a customer does a transaction, details are sent through SMS, and there are other ways to confirm. You could reach our call centre or go online and check. We have designed this to work with the challenges that exist here and exceed expectations as things improve and things are improving. We are working closely with the power and telecoms sectors.  We are working closely with the telcos and they are investing heavily in improving infrastructures so that SMS are not delayed,” he said.

     

    Other challenges

    Alabraba said the primary challenge the firm faces is inadequate awareness. He said the firm is focusing on deepening the reach of its operations to uncovered regions in rural and semi urban places.

    “Today about 18 per cent of our agents are in places that are considered rural and semi urban, which is a very big focus on the CBN financial inclusion agenda. We want to reach those places and we look for products and services that will meet their needs, because when somebody you know or trust is doing something, it is a lot easier for you to pick it up,” he said.

    He said the mission is to get more people hooked on to the money transfer services, from where there will be gradual propagation into the communities as well.

     

    Market gap

     The Paga co-founder said the firm discovered a gap in the market and decided to explore it. “Today, we see a gap in that market and we have several businesses that directly address it. We are a business that desires to go online, ——they are not able to collect cash, Paga has multiple products for those kinds of businesses. In most cases, we are collaborating with banks to improve the services to their customers,” he said.

    “I think the future of banking is branchless rather than mobile. One is the fact that increasingly, people are comfortable doing things electronically because you don’t need to queue in the banking halls  for hours to deposit or collect money.

    Branchless in the sense that people can use connected devices to access their transactions. But even more interesting is this trend towards true branchless banking but still physical, where the retail shop in your community ends up being your bank,” he explained.

     

    Paga overview

     Alabraba explained that a Paga agent is a place where you can go, send money, pay bills, buy airtime, deposit money into any bank in Nigeria and receive money from anybody in Nigeria.

    When you really think about it, it is mini bank, where you go buy breads, soft drinks, the person equipped as a Paga agent can do any of those transactions for you. We are collaborating with banks and we are going to see a lot more around banking services being delivered through here, and this will be from partners as well.

    He said those who can use their phones to do transactions will do so, but that there will be a lot more people who will rely on their low paga agent to achieve this goal. This is a person that knows them, knows the number of children they have and the fact that they are always sending money to them.  The local agent is also earning money whil;e offering this service.

    It is here we emphasise that small and medium businesses are the life blood of the economy. It is trusted; they bring good products, give credit to their local communities.

    That small business is pushing the future of banking and is actually in the position to explain to the local community members what the product is,” he said.

     

    Product innovation

     He said that in any situation where value is being sent from one party to another, be it a customer or a business, Paga has a role to play and can improve the flow of the value.

    “Every business needs payment, whether small or big payments. It may be cash or electronics. So, we have products under the collection umbrella that allows businesses of all kinds to collect payment.

    Like Jumia, online company is able to use cards on Paga mobile payment to collect payment from their customers. The customers may be online or offline and there is opportunity to collect through our agents and it still reaches the same online merchant.

    There is also offline payment. You think of the small provision store that is near your house that is a person that wants to collect cash or cards. We have series of products available and more coming that will support that kind of a business. More importantly, like the electronic company, the Ikeja Distribution Company for example; you can go to any Paga agent or go online to pay that bill. You don’t necessarily have to go to the electricity company. So, collection is another thing,” he said.

    He said the firm also has corporate payment tools, called bulk payment tools.

    “The company may use either bulk payment to pay all its staffs, the payments may go directly to their phones. So, think of day laborers that may be paid in bulk. So, if there are 100 people that need to be paid N10,000 each, Paga could send the money to all of them and what they need to do when they receive the alert is to cash it in their neighborhood or go to an ATM to cash out. Similar product exists for airtime,” he said.

    Lending

     The Paga chief said the firm is working with its partners to offer loans to is clients.

    “We have multiple partners. We are licensed and regulated by the CBN which has done a lot in advancing the future of financial services in the country.

    Two key frameworks CBN has come out with, are the mobile payment framework which came out in 2009, that regulates the core business that we do. However, more recently, the  CBN has brought out the agency banking framework that guides how banks and other financial institutions can go branchless,” he said.

     

     

  • Toward the future of Nigeria

    The current system (bequeathed to the country by military dictators and sustained by civilian rulers for the past 16 years) of dependence on oil at local, state, and central levels is not sustainable in the long run.

    Northern states cannot continue to survive on Niger Delta’s oil money. Our states are bereft of ideas that will generate revenue to run our affairs. There is no state in the North that can pay one month salary without federal allocation, and federal allocation is derived from the sale of the Niger Delta’s oil. This is dangerous and spells disaster in the future….If Nigeria splits today, the North is in danger…We must resist money politics and elect credible people. We must protect our votes. – Shehu Sani

    The extract from the campaign  material of one of the country’s leading human rights activists, Shehu Sani, reminds me of the Yoruba saying: Ibitiiyati n baomo re wi, niomoalainiyati n koogbon (where and when a mother counsels her child, a motherless child within earshot pays rapt attention and thereby learns wisdom). Campaigning for votes for the senate in Kaduna Central Senatorial District recently, Sani used the occasion to canvass for votes and at the same time persuade the electorate in his constituency about the need for a rethink or new vision of and for Nigeria, if citizens at large are to benefit from the union.

    Nigeria has for too long depended on the oil money from the Niger Delta. When successions of military dictators changed the revenue allocation formula of 50% for derivation to zero to the model of bottle-feeding each state from the breast milk of the Niger Delta, they based the sudden change of policy on the imperative of national unity and cohesion. The school of thought then was that a policy of even development through donation of oil money to states would make Nigerians feel a sense of belonging to one country and see themselves as brothers and sisters eating from the same pot or bowl. Similarly, the policy to balkanise the regions into mini states and create about 800 local governments to receive milk from the national feeding bottle was also supported by the theory that to keep Nigeria united after the civil war, the more oil money that is taken to the grassroots, the higher the chances of national integration.

    Nigerians from all parts of the country have grown to see oil money as the source of life for the nation-state. In the north, bogus theories about oil as national resource were propagated to counter calls for return to federalism and the pre-1966 revenue allocation system. The most prominent of such theories from public intellectuals from the north were two. The first one is that there would have been no petroleum in the Niger Delta if solid and liquid wastes had not over centuries come through Benue and Niger rivers in the north to the delta and the basin that produces oil in the Niger Delta. The second claim is that it was federal resources that were used in the 1950s to intensify exploration and later develop technology for exploitation. In the western part of the country, many politicians argued (and still do) in the day for resource sovereignty for the Niger Delta while using the night to canvass for continuation of the revenue allocation system that dished out money to states and local governments, saying in whispers that post-military governors would not be able to sustain free education without such soft funds from the Niger Delta. Such thinkers could not be bothered by the interjection that there was no trace of petroleum in the country when Obafemi Awolowo’s government introduced free education in the Western Region in 1955.

    It is on record that the issue of dependence on oil money was a major factor in the failure of the recent national conference to go beyond recommendations for cosmetic or symbolic changes to the current unitary constitution, designed to support easy flow of funds to states and local governments. Even those who argued at the conference for additional 19 states (to move from 36 to 55 states) did so on the strength that the oil money would flow to the new 19 mini states. Even when the conference agreed that local government creation and development should be the sole responsibility of each state, the conference still kept intact the policy of direct allocation of funds from the federation account (made possible by petroleum) to the 774 or more local governments.

    Sani’s assessment that there is no state in the north that can pay one month salary without federal allocation applies to over 30 of the current 36 states. Only Lagos State in the west can pay one month salary without federal allocation and without floating bonds. There is no state in the Southeast and outside the oil-producing states (which now receive 13% percent for derivation) that can sustain its secretariat without direct allocation from the federation account. Most of the governors in the south have confessed publicly that they have no money for development and even to pay salaries if the Accountant-General in Abuja fails to send quarterly or monthly allocations down to the states.

    One does not have to have a stake in Sani’s chances to become a senator for Kaduna before acknowledging that the human rights activist in his recent campaign speech was addressing all of Nigeria on the right way to go, if the entire country is not to become endangered. The current system (bequeathed to the country by military dictators and sustained by civilian rulers for the past 16 years) of dependence on oil at local, state, and central levels is not sustainable in the long run. The price of petroleum is more likely to go down than to rise from now on. Technological innovations to produce new forms of renewable energy are yielding good results in many other parts of the globe; new sources of petroleum are coming from fracking; new technologies to save energy and thus reduce consumption are also coming to the global market.

    All of these indicate that any country that defines reality largely in terms of the oil it produces is virtually living in the past. The north is not likely to be more endangered than the west or the east, should Nigeria break. Having depended on manna for decades at the instance of military theory of political unity, no section of the country is likely to be immune from danger when oil prices head south. There used to be a time when each of the regions made good and respectable living from productive as distinct from the extractive activities that currently drive the economy: cotton, groundnut, cocoa rubber, palm oil production. There was a time when Ivory Coast, currently the world’s largest producer of cocoa, used to be behind Nigeria and Ghana in cocoa production. There used to be a time when Indonesia and Malaysia needed the assistance of Nigeria with respect to palm oil production. Today, Nigeria even imports palm oil in bleached form from Malaysia and Indonesia, with money made from petroleum.

    What needs to change radically is the mindset that Nigeria turned Nigerian political leaders into prayer warriors for manna from the Niger Delta. It is citizens that can drive such change. As voters, they need, as Sani has recommended to the people of Kaduna senatorial district, to identify candidates who want to serve and produce, in contrast to the hordes that ask for votes to enable them sleep and consume from the soft funding made possible by petroleum. The reason citizens have lost the courage or energy to resist corruption and impunity that hold the entire by the jugular at present is that the money being used to keep the country as it is and to intimidate citizens does not come from citizens’ efforts and taxes. Voters all over the country need to consider the future of their children and grandchildren by voting for candidates who are capable of going beyond the Sisyphean effort to do the same thing over and over, without noticeable benefits to citizens.

  • Ekiti: Wither the future of the judiciary?

    Ekiti: Wither the future of the judiciary?

    For two weeks, the courts in Ekiti state have remained locked ostensibly on the order and in support of the presidency to prevent the hearing of the integrity suit filed by the E-11 against the  governor -elect, Ayo Fayose. The development has left observers worried on the future of the judiciary, writes ADEBISI ONANUGA

    In the last two weeks, the courts in Ekiti State have  been under lock and key.

    The National Judicial Council (NJC), led by Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Aloma Mukhtar, met to review the development which has been widely condemned.

    NJC directed the police to re-open the courts, protect the judges, and to arrest and prosecute all those who attacked the courts  and beat up a judge.

    But the police, which is supposed to be subservient to the NJC, ignored the directive. Rather, soldiers and the police cordoned off the state High Court premises and turned back judges, lawyers and litigants, including the Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola.

    The police told the Chief Judge that the court premises were not safe for them and that they found a bomb within it.

    Another account had it that the police informed the judges that the courts would not be opened until the height of the fence must have been raised to protect them better.

    It was alleged that the police and the military were acting on a directive from the presidency that they must keep the courts locked up to prevent it from sitting to  hear an integrity suit filed by a group, the E-11, against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, until his October 16.

    However, observers of political developments saw the situation in Ekiti in the last two weeks or more as a script that was tenaciously written and playing itself out.

    This group described the development as unfortunate for the fact that the judiciary, as the third arm of government, is not being accorded it rightful place.

    Analysts see the attacks on the judiciary as a signals that the country is degenerating into a ‘banana’ republic. They also viewed police’s disregard to the directive that they re-open the courts as an affront against the rule of law.

    The developments show the judiciary is far from being independent. It depends on the corporation of the exective to function, because it is the executive which controls the armed forces. It portends danger for democracy. If the courts can be shut because of one man, then the consequences for the future are better not imagined.

    Analysts say it could get to a time when members of the ruling party or those in power, threatened by the possible outcome of a case, would simply go to court to disrupt proceedings, beat up the judges, and withdraw the security.

    Trouble started in Ekiti when the court presided by  Justice Isaac Ogunyemi declared that his court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by the E-11 challenging Fayose’s eligibility to contest the June 21 election, which he won.

    Suspected political thugs believed to be loyal to the governor-elect threw caution to the wind as the courtroom was turned upside down.

    Chanting war songs, the miscreants took the law into their own hands, smashing furnitures and windows, while the police failed to act, beyond protecting the judges from physical harm.

    The police who was to maintain peace  stood watching as mayhem was unleashed on the court. Not done with the court, the political thugs returned a few days later  to the High Court, broke into the Courtrooms, ransacked offices and  destroyed records. Justice Adeyeye was beaten up and had his suit torn. Justice Daramola’s office was invaded; record books were destroyed and proceedings disrupted as judges, lawyers, litigants and court clerks ran for dear lives.

    The development forced the Chief Judge to order a closure of the courts to safeguard the life of the judges.

    A week later, the NJC directed that the courts  be re-opened to complete hearing in the case before the October 16 inauguration.

    However, rather than the courts been re-opened, the police locked them up, including the Court of Appeal, thereby bringing judicial activities in the state to a halt.

    While  all of these lasted, the presidency so far kept quiet and has not offered any word nor made any attempt to reproach the military and the police for dis-respecting the NJC and for failing in their duty to protect the judges.

    The incident in Ekiti courts, according to observers, pointed to the fact that  the rule of law has completely collapsed in the country and that it is capable of making the common man to lose hope of getting justice.

    They also believe events in Ekiti reflects a steady decline the regard held for the judiciary. Rather than being held in awe, it is now being ridden roughshod over. Analysts say such treatment of an important arm of government is dangerous for democracy’s survival.

    However, pundits are worried about the future of the rule of law and the use of federal might to subvert  the Constitution when it pleases those in power.

    They are also worried about the future of the judiciary in a situation where a court could  be shut down because of one man, simply to prevent a case from going on by all means.

    They are worried whether a truly independent judiciary can be achieved when the executive that’s supposed to provide security is not cooperating to assert the independence of the judiciary as the third arm of government.

    More importantly, they are worried about whether the judiciary is still the last hope of the common man after the latest act of impunity.

     

    Ex-judges, lawyers react

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it was alarmed by the continued closure of the high court and other courts in Ado-Ekiti.

    Its President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) said there was no basis for the court’s blockade, which has prevented hearings in the suit cases filed by the E-11 and the Citizens Peoples Party (CPP) against the governor-elect Fayose, among others.

    “NBA is alarmed at the barricading of the High Court of Justice Complex, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State by security agencies on the basis of an alleged bomb threat to the complex.

    “Judicial officers, staff and litigants were not allowed access. NBA believes that any alleged bomb threat must have been effectively neutralised by the security agencies utilising their bomb disposal units”, he stated.

    A former Lagos State High Court judge, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo said the Ekiti signals the beginning of anarchy in the state.

    “The judges are there doing the work that is over and above the calling of ordinary human persons. Dedication, integrity, all these are being applied every day by the judges. The work means keeping off the ordinary life of  human beings. It is a tensed work. The judges formed the bedrock of the development of democracy because they embodied the rule of law. If a judge is assaulted, the rule of law is assaulted”, he said.

    Justice Adebajo urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to suppress the judiciary.

    “Every right thinking Nigerian, this is above party politics, must stand up, must stand against that kind of behaviour, they must stand up against the derogation of our social norms, derogation of our social order and prevent it from going into a state of anarchy. We cannot be behind the world.

    “My view from the word go is that the CJN, as chairman of the NJC, should ask the judges to withdraw from the courts and then we wait to see who would swear in the people who assaulted the judges”, he stated adding that he finds it difficult to believe that the police locked up the courts against the judges.

    “I do  not see it as a stand off between the Police and the Judiciary. It can never be. The Police are subject to the judiciary. Whose instruction or directive should they be carrying out? Is it that of the out-going governor or that of the governor-elect who is yet to assume executive power or that the police have been instructed from Abuja? he asked.

    Professor of law, Itsay Sagay said that developments in Ekiti just confirmed the fact that “what we have is a civilian government but we don’t have a democratic government or a democratic system.

    “The rule of law does not really exist in Nigeria and we have totally not a democratic set up in which those who control physical power don’t really care about democracy and would do anything that they think would promote their continued hold on to power”, he said.

    According to Prof. Sagay, ‘some of those in government, the powerful in government, they feel that they need Fayose in government for their power over the country to be complete and they are ready to do anything to make sure that he is in power”.

    A member of the Ogun State judicial Council, Abayomi Omoyinmi described the situation of courts in Ekiti as pathetic and very worrisome for the judiciary in view of intimidation from the government by the non-compliance with the order of the NJC on the reopening of the courts.                                       According to Omoyinmi, the judiciary independence is been eroded by the actions of the executive and real anarchy is looming in Ekiti judiciary and Nigeria if the concept of separation of power is lost in our governance.

    He argued that there is no rational behind the use d use of force against the judiciary and no right thinking government or executive should take the judiciary for granted or a ride as it is been witnessed in Ekiti presently. The different shades of opinion notwithstanding, there  have been demands to bring the perpetrators of the attacks on the Ekiti High Court and its judges to justice.

    Way  Out

    Justice Adebajo (rtd.) insisted in  that the judges should be withdrawn for one legal year in Ekiti “and we would see how Fayose would be sworn in. Because it is only the Chief Judge of a state that can swear in the governor of a state. Nobody else can swear in the governor of a state. That is what the constitution provides”. He said if any other chief judge comes in to swear in a governor from another jurisdiction or outside of that state, that would be challengeable in court. “I believe the judges should be withdrawn from the court and this must be understood by all and sundry that judiciary is a sacrosanct institution. Nobody should mess up with it”, he stressed.

    Prof. Sagay said all now depends on the judiciary themselves.  “The judiciary is very powerful if they would stick to their principles and are determined to sustain the rule of law, eventually, they would succeed because justice  would be on their side, they would be the ones who are right. So it all depends on the judiciary.

    ‘The judiciary should insist that all matters are going on in the court should continue  to completion and not be intimidated because the judiciary itself is a separate arm of government, they have to stand and refused to be intimidated and ensure that all legal process that have been started are continued to their logical end”, stated.                                                                                                                                            Omoyinmi  stated that  the judiciary must condemned the forceful act of oppression in its totality and must insist on reopening of d courts in Ekiti without further delay.

    The NBA  insisted  that the courts must be re-opened to enable the judiciary carry out its adjudicatory functions.  Said Alegeh,  “NBA demands that the High Court of Justice complex should be opened immediately to allow for resumption of work by the courts.“The security agencies should provide a safe and conducive environment for the effective administration of justice and should not create a situation that makes it totally impossible for courts in Ado-Ekiti to carry out their constitutional roles of providing justice for all,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • A future they never dreamt of

    A future they never dreamt of

    It won’t be out of place to describe them as women of uneasy virtues. They had dreams. Dreams of who they wanted to become. These dreams were in different proportions: small, medium or big. They were dreams their sojourn in the world of Niger Delta militancy could not bring to reality.

    Though more men played the lead role in the militancy that almost brought the Niger Delta to its knees, these women were also in the thick of it. Some were combatants; some were wives or girlfriends of militant leaders; and others were domestic hands in the militant camps. They were there, with their dreams withering away.

    Their story took a turn for the better in 2009 when they were offered amnesty by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. These women embraced the offer and decided to do something more productive with their lives.

    Enter the Centre for Creative Arts Education (CREATE), which was established in 2004 by a frontline actress, Ms Hilda Dokubo, who hails from Buguma-Kalabari, the headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. The centre’s main aim is to fully equip and empower the ex-Niger Delta warlords, thereby making them better citizens. Last week, 50 of these female ex-militants graduated at the fourth graduation and exhibition of the centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    Uchechi Williams emerged the best graduating student in the programme. She said it was not easy to stay in a place for one year, but admitted that all the 50 women learnt a lot, with their efforts not in vain.

    While also speaking, another woman, Orune Felix, who could not speak good English when she got to CREATE, but won the award as the “Most Improved Student,” said it was good to be determined, put God first and never lose hope in life.

    Ms Dokubo, the Executive Director of CREATE, is a former Special Adviser on Youth Matters to ex-Rivers State Governor Dr. Peter Odili.

    Odili, while speaking at the ceremony, said these women have shown that the former warlords should not be written off, but encouraged.

    The women, according to Ms Dokubo, found themselves in a situation wherea they had no money, no jobs and no assets.

    The 50 women were drawn from the Presidential Amnesty Programme and sponsored by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Committee.

    CREATE places emphasis on molding lives and crafting the future. It also focuses on training, consulting and advocacy.

    CREATE’s certificate and diploma programmes are licensed by the Federal Ministry of Education and accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). CREATE is also included in the brochure of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). In 2008, CREATE was ranked as the best creativity education centre.

    The graduation of the 50 women, which took place at The Arena, a highbrow event centre at the new Government Reservation Area (GRA), Port Harcourt, was witnessed by eminent personalities, with the joyous women beautifully dressed and hopeful of a better tomorrow, while the various creative and well-designed items on display during their graduation were made by them.

    The CREATE’s executive director said: “All they had were dreams. Dreams of who they wanted to become, but were afraid to walk the work towards actualising those dreams. All I needed to give birth to great marketable ideas and skills were these dreams and it did not matter to me in what proportion these dreams were: small, medium or big.

    “If they dared to dream, I was willing to work with them to ensure they actualise those dreams. My drive is in my conviction that if education is the key to success, then applied skills are the key to sustainable wealth.”

    Ms Dokubo said most of the women arrived her academy a year earlier with shattered hopes, but worked hard to redefine and rebuild the hope, their families, businesses and personalities.

    She noted that members of the CREATE team also learnt valuable lessons in building trust, understanding and patience, stressing that the fifty women worked extremely hard in the last twelve months, in spite of the fact that they faced various challenges, ranging from family needs to community demands, especially keeping the home front, while being trained.

    The executive director said: “Looking at my skilled women, my pride as a Nigerian is heightened, as my faith is rekindled. Hope rises in me, knowing that a pool of women, who will not roam the streets begging and accepting handouts, has been trained.

    “The 50 women have beaten all odds, through determination and discipline and are set to not just becoming self reliant, but also becoming employers of labour. I am pleased to inform you all that fifty female entrepreneurs have been created. Fifty employers of labour and wealth creators are here, ready to create their future.”

    Ms Dokubo also lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for remaining committed to the development of the nation’s human resource and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Committee, for placing emphasis on excellence and empowerment of Niger Deltans.

    Upon Kuku’s appointment, Ms Dokubo noted that the former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly (Kuku) engaged the services of CREATE and four principal consultants: Ibiba Don-Pedro, a renowned journalist; Hilda Dokubo; Beena Yuodowei and Ebikeduomene Gbafade, with their findings providing the platform for the development of the NGO’s (CREATE’s) course curricula, to meet the learners’ needs, assets and industry requirements.

    The executive director, who said nobody should be written off, revealed that in the last three years, members of her team had worked as consultants, evaluators, trainers and mentors, stressing that skills would amount to nothing, without discipline and that training in skills and character makes CREATE different, with the certificates indicating proficiency and character.

    The NGO’s programmes focus on women and youths, with the aim of ending poverty, discrimination and bad leadership, employing the use of skills’ training, talents’ enhancement, effective communication, mentoring and advocacy.

    CREATE works with the vulnerable, the usually-excluded persons and at risk, but talented young people, in identifying issues, designing and providing interventions, while enhancing human capacity.

    The organisation’s strategies for achieving its objectives are hinged on four programmes: street2star project, youth power network, global hands and the academy.

    One of the discoveries of the street2star project is Timaya, a popular musician, who is an indigene of Odi in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and now making waves globally.

    At CREATE academy, learning is participatory, interactive, experimental and industry based, with a repertoire of highly-reputable professionals, with many years of teaching experience, while the use of acceptable national and international curricula, teaching methods and best practices are employed.

    There are three entry points in CREATE: National Innovative Diploma, for students with five credits, including English Language and Literature in English from WAEC or NECO, while the candidate will have a pass in any of the national entrance admission examinations into tertiary institutions (JAMB or Poly JAMB) and the candidate must also pass the school’s entrance examination and audition.

    The second entry point is Direct Career, where the student is expected to have at least three years working experience as a performing artiste or media practitioner, with the candidate to have a certificate, diploma or B.A./B.Sc. in related course, but wanting a change of career.

    The third is CREATE Certified, which is for a special group. The candidates should also be talented and able to pass all oral and practical entrance examination, but may not necessarily have any basic education or knowledge of the art..

    CREATE’s Director of Studies Soki Edmond Dokubo  the women have become better individuals in character and learning.

    The director of studies said: “I remember vividly, when in their (fifty women’s) first few months of arrival, when most of them were after were their weekly allowances and show of power, which resulted to a lot of misunderstanding between them, when attending classes was more of a punishment than running ten kilometres.

    “As time went by, through the grace of God, the Executive Director of the institution and the concerted efforts and dedication of the teaching staff, it is now a different story for the better. We have been able to train our students in Literacy, Personal Development, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Craftsmanship.

    “They are now far better than they came into CREATE. Indeed, we have moulded lives and crafted a positive future, by God’s grace. For in ignorance they came, but in enlightenment, self-reliance and believing in a better tomorrow they are leaving.”

    Kuku, who was represented by Mr. Mologe Tamarabebe, described the graduation of the women as laudable and one of the dividends of the amnesty offer to the repentant Niger Delta militants.

    Kuku assured that the Amnesty  Office would continue to support CREATE and similar initiatives in the Niger Delta.

    The special guest of honour on the occasion, Nimi Walson-Jack, a Kalabari from Rivers State and one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noted that the exhibition of items produced by the women confirmed that they were adequately trained.

    Walson-Jack, a former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), stated that the problems on the Niger Delta could be solved through empowerment of the people, who would subsequently become employers of labour.

    An octogenarian, Madam Mercy Alagoa, from Nembe in Bayelsa State, urged parents and guardians to always show love and encourage their children and wards.

    Mrs Alagoa said: “Make sure you communicate in good English. Teach children how to cook. I have trained over 25 known and unknown persons.”

    The fashion expert (Alagoa) also praised Hilda for her immense contributions to the growth and development of Niger Delta, as well as the training and empowerment of the women and youths, adding: “I am very proud of you.”

    As CREATE is planning to move from a rented apartment at No. 2A, NdahBros Close, Off Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt, to its world-class permanent site in the Rivers State capital, efforts must continue to be made to ensure that the dream does not die.

     

     

  • The future of Nigeria

    One of the reasons for the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was the economic complementarity of the two British protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria. In other words, it was an economic union but it is not certain that Sir Fredrick Lugard who was behind the amalgamation was prescient enough to hope that economic integration will lead to political integration. In fact, he tried to preserve the political, social and cultural dichotomies of the two regions of Nigeria as he met them. He did try to import indirect rule into the south-western part of the country with its strong indigenous monarchies which he wrongly equated with the northern emirate system and where there were no chiefs in the largely acephalous south-eastern part of Nigeria, he gave warrants to any strong man he could find in the society to become chiefs . This import of the northern emirate system into the south did not always work out. In fact evidence exists to suggest that it led to disaffection and revolt against the colonial government and its surrogates in the South. At an official level, the colonial administration tried to separate people of the South and the North with the effect that southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria lived in the strangers’ quarters or outskirts of towns appropriately named Sabon Garis (new towns). The same thing happened to northern Nigerians living in southern Nigerian towns. So there developed segregated townships, one for native and indigenous inhabitants and the other for their fellow countrymen and women coming from outside the regions. The two local administrations were also separated; the northern part of the country until the 1940s was ruled by orders-in-council meaning by the colonial officials in collaboration with the Emirs while there was an element of democratisation in the south beginning from 1923 when elections were held in Lagos and Calabar to choose educated Nigerians into the legislative council of Nigeria in which the representatives of the North were largely colonial officials. It was not until 1946 that attempts were made to bring the North into the mainstream of Nigerian politics and by this time, the sense of nationalism even though found in the South and in some pockets among educated northerners particularly teachers was not felt in the entire country. The effect of this was that it was easy for the British colonial officials to persuade the northern leadership of imaginary threat from their southern counterparts which led to a comment by a critical colonial official who said that if somehow Nigerians had disappeared from Nigeria even as late as the 1940s, civil war would have broken out between the British officials in the North and the British officials in the South. The point to note is that by the 1950s, Nigerians themselves inherited the prejudice harboured by the British colonial officials in the North and in the South. The result was that when political parties were formed in the 50s, the Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa (JMA) which metamorphosed into the NPC (Northern Peoples Congress) and the Action Group which developed from the Egbe Omo Oduduwa in the South-west were regional parties formed to challenge the nationalist pretension of the NCNC (National Convention of Nigeria and the Cameroons) formed as far back as 1944 as a mass movement and was later to change its name to the National Council of Nigerian Citizens. There was no national party that cut across all the various ethnic groups. This shows to a certain extent that amalgamation did not lead to political integration of the country and the seeds of separation and dichotomy that was sown in 1914 has germinated and grown into a strong tree.

    Nigeria has witnessed series of ups and downs including a civil war and ethnic, religious and fratricidal conflict in some parts of our country in which people of different ethnic groups have found it necessary to kill one another in order to assert and preserve their identities and hold on to indigenous rights and land. Nigeria has never in its history witnessed the kind of terrorism posed to its very existence by the Boko Haram sect. This is a sect that originated in Borno State and that has gradually spread to most parts of Northern Nigeria. The programme of this sect is not quite clear but its declared objective as unrealistic as it may sound, is to establish a caliphate in Nigeria where the Sharia will be in full operation. Leadership of the movement seems rather confused about the strategy for achieving this goal. In its campaign of terror which was originally targeted at Christians, members of the Muslim Ummah are now not being spared in this campaign of slaughter and terrorism. This is why it is difficult to see this movement as a purely Islamic fundamentalist movement. Poverty and hopelessness in the arid North-eastern part of Nigeria may be a contributory factor, but whatever its causes are, which are not very clear, the sovereignty of Nigeria over part of its territory is being challenged. There is evidence to suggest that Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and Al-Shabaab in Somalia have been lending support through training in the use of car bombs and other incendiary devices to the Boko Haram. This is the first challenge in the history of Nigeria where this kind of thing has happened and unfortunately, the use of bombs by this group or its affiliates or other disgruntled elements in the society have spread to such important centres as Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, apart from Maiduguri where killings on a daily basis have become the order of the day.

    The military since their intervention in government in 1966 had tried very hard to restructure the country in such a way as to minimise this regional fissiparous tendencies in the country by dividing the country into several smaller states for ease of administration and development. But it is a moot question whether the sense of separate ethnic identity among Nigerian peoples have been minimised. In fact some have suggested that the military itself as a way of control found it convenient to encourage this sense of separate ethnic identity among Nigerians. After the end of military rule, the politicians have not helped matters because they too have not been able to form country-wide political associations rooted in national ideology. The fact is that most political parties in Nigeria seem to be agglomerations or associations of people formed largely for sharing what is euphemistically referred to as the national cake. The result is that Nigerian politics is about sharing rather than baking the national cake and this sharing is done along ethnic lines and those shut out of the sharing usually feel left out to the point of eagerness to bring down the whole national architecture on everybody’s heads. While this is going on, the task of creating necessary infrastructure on which to build a virile nation and an industrial economy that would provide jobs for the teeming youthful population has been abandoned. It seems every successive government becomes more and more corrupt, inefficient and inept than the previous ones. There is no place in the world that is not afflicted by some form of the cancer of corruption. In the first world of Europe and America, this problem is dealt with using appropriate, sure and immediate sanctions to discourage others who may want to indulge in corruption. But in the third world countries, the crime of corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of society because of uncertain sanctions. In the case of Nigeria, it is not unusual to see people arrested for corruption but they are invariably released after a few days and nothing is heard about it anymore. This has made the problem to fester to such an extent that the public thinks nothing can be done about it. In third world countries such as Nigeria where institutions and structures are weak, leadership is almost everything. If leaders show the way, people will follow. In Nigeria, people tend to see a dichotomy between private and public morality. People who do what is proper in their private lives go ahead to indulge in public corruption. This is rather strange for a country of church and mosque goers. If there was a competition among corrupt nations in the world, Nigeria would be one of the champions.

  • Nigeria: We can sort the future out amicably

    What follows hereunder is about “nations” or “nationalities”. So then, for starters, what is a nation or a nationality? A nation or nationality is a human group defined by a common culture (language, customs, worldview, etc) and a common homeland. The nearly 50 million Yoruba are one nation, and so are the nearly 50 million Igbo, the 15 million Ijaw, the seven million Catalans of north-eastern Spain, and the five million Scots of Scotland in the northern part of Britain.

    Most pundits would say that each nation was created by God and that, obviously, the Creator’s purpose is that each nation should rule itself and manage its own life. We know, however, from human history, that from time to time, human activities unify neighbouring nations together to form one united country under one government. This can happen through conquest, or through friendly agreement, or through marriage between rulers.

    But we also know from human history that such unifying of different nations into one country is hardly ever permanent. All the large empires of ancient times, each combining many nations by conquest, ultimately broke up. In the past 100 years, many countries consisting of different nations have been breaking apart – with each nation becoming a country and ruling itself.

    It is not necessarily because a multi-nation country is poor that its different nations want to separate. In the past 300 years, Britain, consisting of the English, Scots, Irish, and Welsh, has been one of the richest, one of the most powerful, and one of the most beautiful countries in the world. And yet the Irish broke away from Britain about 90 years ago and formed their own separate country; and the Scots and Welsh now want separate countries of their own also. The Soviet Union was wonderfully powerful, but about 20 years ago, all its 14 different nationalities broke apart and formed separate countries of their own – many of them very small and weak countries. Canada is a very rich country, but the French-speaking provinces of Canada want to separate from Canada. Some small non-Chinese nations want to separate from China, and some non-Hindu nations want to separate from India. The eight different nations of Yugoslavia broke into eight separate countries about 20 years ago. Two small nations have recently broken away from Indonesia, and some more want to do so. One of the two small nations of the tiny island country of Sri Lanka wants a separate country of its own, and so does one of the two small nations of the small country of Belgium. In Spain, the Catalan and Basque nations are agitating for separate countries of their own.

    Nearer home in Africa, the same movement is going on. South Sudan recently separated from Sudan. However, South Sudan is not a good example; the separation was not along “national” lines but along “racial” lines (separation of the Black peoples of South Sudan from the Arab peoples of North Sudan). South Sudan is still made up of a number of different nations – and these nations are likely to break apart in the future. There are many better examples. The Eritreans broke away from Ethiopia about 15 years ago, and the people of Somaliland from Somalia about the same time. The Buganda nation wants to separate from Uganda.

    Under certain very painful circumstances, the large Igbo nation tried to break away from Nigeria about 50 years ago and, with the smaller nations to their south, attempted to form a new separate country known as Biafra. Emotional, even romantic, about their newly independent Nigeria, the rest of Nigeria forcibly suppressed the Biafra attempt. But, from what is known of the behaviour of nations in our world, it seems impossible that the verdict of the Biafran war will last forever. For virtually all Igbo, Biafra (as a separate country of the Igbo nation) remains an immortal reality and goal – even if some among the Igbo elite currently seem  hesitant and undecided about that goal. Among the masses of educated Igbo youths, various organizations keep Biafra vibrantly alive.

    As for the large Yoruba nation, a culture-based tendency towards introspection and caution limits effusiveness about separation from Nigeria. But by now, most Yoruba at home and abroad have reluctantly come to the belief that, for the Yoruba nation to come out of poverty and find its true destiny as an enterprising nation in the world, separation from Nigeria has become mandatory. When Nigeria commenced the recent National Conference, significant parts of the Yoruba elite and people were still resolved that the Yoruba nation must continue to contribute to making Nigeria work. But, following the nebulous conclusions of the National Conference, the desire to get out of Nigeria has become observably very strong among the pauperized and suffering masses of educated Yoruba youths.

    I am not saying that large and potentially powerful nations like the Yoruba and Igbo would have forever remained in Nigeria  if Nigeria were better organized and better managed, or if Nigeria were a prosperous country. All I am saying is that the current instability, poverty, and insecurity in Nigeria have tended to optimize the desires of some of our nations  to separate from  Nigeria. Even if Nigeria were orderly and prosperous, it would still be inconceivable that such nations as the Yoruba or Igbo would remain part of Nigeria for much longer.  Look at the facts: Each of the Yoruba and Igbo is larger in land area and population that most of the countries of Europe, and, on its own and in its own country, can become one of the leading countries of the world. The same is true of the Hausa-Fulani nation too. And to, may be, a lesser extent, the same is true too of our smaller nations like the Ijaw, Edo, Tiv, Kanuri, Nupe, etc, each of which is bigger and potentially richer than countries like Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore, South Korea, etc.

    In short, as multi-nation countries are becoming an endangered species in the world, it is critically important that we Nigerians should become much more realistic about the immediate future of our Nigeria. If we are realistic, we will be able to ensure that a development that is essentially natural and inevitable does not become the occasion for massive conflict, fighting, chaos, and mass blood-letting.

    Published stories this week that some Nigerians are surreptitiously and illegally shopping for arms abroad – no matter who may be doing it – point to certain fearful probabilities, especially when added to earlier stories of secret arms importations into Nigeria, and to repeated and explicit threats from some quarters that violence and even war will be used for resolving Nigeria’s future. As the Czechs and Slovaks taught the world when they sensibly and  peacefully dissolved their Czechoslovakia not long ago into two new countries of Czech Republic and Slovakia, there is no need for any Nigerian nation to arm itself for war against any other Nigerian nation. We are bound to separate by and by anyway. If we strongly desire to do so right away, then let us do it peacefully and amicably – and remain good neighbours and partners in development afterwards.

  • Afromedia assures shareholders of bright future

    THE Board and management of Afromedia Plc, Nigeria’s leading supplier of out-of-home media services, have assured shareholders that the company was on the way to full recovery and profitability. It promised a revolutionary business approach, which included a return to the Airport and other new innovative products to be unveiled shortly.

    This was the highpoint of the company’s 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos at the weekend where a net loss before tax of N851 million was announced for the 2013 financial year which ended September 30, last year, a remarkable improvement of 81 per cent against the deficit of N4.47 billion in the previous financial year.

    According to its Chairman, Mr. Idowu Iluyomade, the company recorded a turnover of N742.9 million in the financial year that ended on September 30, 2013, as against N1.64 billion turnover in the corresponding period the previous year, a decline of 54.8 per cent.

    He explained that the turbulence that hit the company in 2012 as a result of the protracted remodelling of federal airports nationwide contributed largely to the poor fortunes. The consequence was that the company experienced continuous adverse disruptions of its operation at all its major and exclusive airport advertising concession sites as a result of the infrastructural upgrade by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    In the words of Mr Iluyomade, “’the company was virtually incapacitated by this adverse regulatory development as no business could be executed in any of the Federal airports pan-Nigeria in year 2013. This resulted in loss of over 75 per cent of the company’s installed revenue generating capacity.

    ‘’Although the Board and Management of the company explored all available options towards resolution of the impediments in this strategic transit business segment, the year passed without achieving the much-desired restoration of the advertising sites. This significant lost revenue generating capacity accounted principally for the low turnover in the year under review.”

    In addition to that drawback, the  chairman said the prevailing insurgency and insecurity in some parts of the northern region of the local economy, truncated business plans for generating revenue with available billboards of the company in the affected region.

    Iluyomade explained that the major game changer was the full adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the 2013 financial year.

    According to him, the impact was the mandatory adjustments and write-offs of balances permitted in the previous local standards but disallowed under the IFRS, “thereby contributing to the negative bottom line position in 2013 in compliance with the IFRS accounting system”.

    IFRS account system mandatorily required to write-off and provide for all the accumulated pre-structural investments made by the company over the years under the business expansion initiatives, but which were suspended until it becomes economically and technically feasible to activate them.

    Assuring shareholders that the company would soon return to the years of profitability, the Managing Director, Mr. Akinola Irewunmi Olopade said that Afromedia had not only returned to the airports but have a five-year contract with FAAN. As a result of Afromedia’s return to the airports, that all pre-existing clients have indicated interest in having their adverts exposed at the airports, he announced to cheering shareholders.

    The shareholders empathised with their company and commended the Board for charting a clear way out of the current challenge.

    Mr Alex Adio, a patron of Dynamic Shareholders Association, said the shareholders knew the genesis of the situation and were confident that the new Board was on a new pedestal. “With the new directors coming on board, we believe that things will change for the better,” Adio said.

    The shareholders ratified appointment of new directors – Mr Idowu Iluyomade (Chairman), Mr Victor Ogiemwonyi, Mr Ernest Chukwudi Ebi and Mallam Ibrahim Isiyaku – all non-executive directors.

    The firm of Ernst & Young was also re-appointed as External Auditors while Mr. Meshach Masade and Mrs Elizabeth Gbegbaje were re-elected into the Audit Committee.

  • Keshi unsure of Eagles future

    Keshi unsure of Eagles future

    Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is unsure of his immediate future in charge of the African champions, and was back in the country on Thursday for discussions on continuing in the job.

    Keshi’s contract came to an end after the World Cup and has not been renewed by a Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in a state of turmoil since returning from Brazil.

    But he agreed to take charge of the country’s first two matches in the African Nations Cup qualifying campaign – a surprise 3-2 home loss to Congo last Saturday, and a goalless draw with South Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday.

    Asked about his future, Keshi told Reuters: “I’m not sure yet. I was just brought in to help manage these two games.

    “We have finished them now, so we’ll see what happens. If we (he and the Nigerian federation) come to an agreement, yes I’ll stay. If no, I’ll depart. Let’s see how it turns out when I get home.”

    Nigeria next play Sudan twice in a row in October – home and away – in their bid to qualify for next year’s Nations Cup finals in Morocco. They trail behind Congo (six points) and South Africa (four points) in the Group A standings after picking up only one point from their first two games.

  • Aminu to know Turkey fate soon

    Aminu to know Turkey fate soon

    Nigeria U20 forward mar Aminu’s future at Samsunspor is expected to be resolved soon, AfricanFootball.com has specially gathered.

    Samsunspor have placed a staggering million Euros transfer fee on the former Wikki Tourists winger and this has scared several prospective buyers.

    Balikesirspor, for one, have made a formal bid of 400,000 Euros, which is far short of the Samsunspor valuation of the player.

    Earlier in the close season,another Turkish club offered 750,000 Euros for the forward, but that was also turned down.

    “In the next week or so, Aminu will know where he is going to play in the new season,” a source close to the player simply informed AfricanFootball.com.

    Aminu, 19, joined Samsunspor last summer. He scored seven goals, but that was not enough to win them promotion back to the Turkish top flight.