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Tag: journey

  • ‘My journey into self-publishing’

    ‘My journey into self-publishing’

    • By Oyeyinka Fabowale

    Readers of The Christian and Reincarnation, Building Future Societies: The Spiritual Principles, Thinking about God: Reflections on Conceptions and Misconceptions, as well as The Primordial Laws of Creation must be familiar with their author, Stephen Lampe. Not many, however, are aware that the writer is the same as Dr. Stephen Lawani, former Director of Information Services, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and later Manager, World Bank, Washington DC.

    The pseudonym provided Lawani, a graduate of Chemistry in the employment of a global Scientific research organization a shield and cover against possible embarrassment and contradiction of sorts for writing on spiritual subjects held as untenable or invalid, not subject to empirical procedure or test! But that was not the only challenge Dr. Lawani, who emerged the best graduating Chemistry student of his set at the University of Ibadan in the 60s with a university scholarship offer to study up to Ph.D. level, but ended up training in librarianship and Information Science, faced in his career and bid as a writer to share his convictions and what he described as “peerless and invaluable enlightenment” he said he gained from reading the work, In The Light of Truth: The Grail Message of Abdu-rushin. In his books, Lawani tries to advocate and explain how the application of this spiritual knowledge could help solve much of the problems confronting humanity today at the individual, family, group, national and global levels. The adherent of ‘The Grail Message’, has, however, had to incorporate a publishing company, Millennium Press, which exclusively publishes his works in order to safeguard their integrity. According to him, though fascinated and eager to publish his first book, publishers both home and abroad demanded that he make certain alterations and adjustments to suit market sensibilities, a compromise he said, he rejected, because it would undermine the fundamental truth and help in his message.

    The erudite scholar, prolific author and newspaper columnist, who recently clocked 80 tells more in this interview as friends and relations celebrated his birthday anniversary, Saturday, July 13 in Lagos.

    As a book person, how do you feel?

    I feel proud to be a lover, extreme lover of books.

    May I know which is the most interesting and most important book you have ever read?

    Obviously from our conversation so far, the book that I can say has made the greatest impact on me, and that has really touched me, with which there’s no comparison, is In the Light of Truth, The Grail Message by Abdrushin. Why do I consider it so? For me, it is impeccably logical. It hits me as true. I am convinced that it is a revelation. It answers the key questions of life that I’ve always had. Why are we on earth? Where do we go after death? We talk about the Kingdom of the Almighty. What is this Kingdom? Is it just one single entity? Does it consist of many planes? It is stated in the Bible that in my Father’s house, there are mansions; Does this mean that the father’s house is really creation and that the many mansions are the planes in this creation? Is that what it means? Those are questions that I always asked myself. In The Grail Message, I found answers.

    Outside academic papers, you write mostly on spiritual matters, why so?

    As a matter of fact, I have written more on information science and library science in various prestigious international scientific journals; there are more than 60 such publications. Even now, years after I’ve left the profession, many of my articles are cited, and interestingly, it’s all over the world, even journals whose languages I don’t understand. In fact, the first time I would write outside non-technical, non-scientific work and publish it was in 1987. At that time, I was still at the IITA. I was there from 1969 to 1996. By 1987, I had come across this work, ‘In the Light of Truth, The Grail Message’. Having come across it, in my own reflections on the work, I felt that you can only believe, you can only fully logically accept the work, if you believe in reincarnation. The author, of course, says you must be personally, individually convinced about his work. He says, “I offer, I do not solicit,” and he says, you’re wasting your time if you don’t fully accept it, understand it, and then decide to live by it. In my own reflection, I resolved that one must believe in reincarnation. That if you don’t believe in reincarnation, the whole system, as I understood it could not be convincing. So, I did a special reading on reincarnation, including especially the Bible since I was aware that some Christians, not all, do not believe in reincarnation. So, I wrote the book. By 1987, I was ready to publish it. I gave the manuscript to many major publishers in Ibadan and also to some others outside Nigeria. And in each case, they were willing and anxious to publish it, but they would say you should tone this down, rewrite, this chapter to make it acceptable to the readers. I told myself that I was not going to compromise my views in order that the publisher may accept it. So, I decided, after thinking for a long time to establish a publishing house, and I formed Millennium Press.

    Read Also: How I created stunts in ‘Oloture: The Journey ,’ by Tough Bone

    But before getting to the publishing, the printing and distribution, I must mention that I had a problem with the name. Working for an international research organization dealing with agriculture and holding a rather significant position in the organization, I thought it might be odd for me to publish a book on reincarnation, a deeply religious philosophy. So, I decided I was going to use a pseudonym. I remember it was around UI gate area as I was driving from town to the IITA campus where I lived that the name Lampe just flew into my mind. I knew enough German at that time to know that Lampe means lamp. I said since I was throwing light on a subject, that would be a good name to adopt. But I began wondering whether human beings bear Lampe. As a librarian, I knew how to find out if Lampe is name human beings bear. I drove directly to the Library and I found in an index of authors many Lampes. That’s how I adopted Lampe but also retained my first name and middle initial.

    You went into self-publishing. How rewarding has that been in terms of readership, patronage, as well as in material terms?

    The story of my getting involved in this kind of writing has nothing to do with looking for money. I had an excellent job, well paid. Indeed, I was paid in dollars, and that was because I was an international staff recruited in the U.S. So, money was not a consideration.

    Q: You used to write a column for The Comet, The Nation and The Guardian. How would you assess the quality and adequacy of public affairs analysis and commentaries in today’s newspapers in terms of understanding what the issues are and how to solve them?

    A: You’re right. I was a newspaper columnist for some years. I started with The Guardian on Sunday newspaper and the column was called Millennium Wisdom. I started writing it shortly before I left IITA. Again, this is where my name, Lampe, became useful. I couldn’t have been writing as Lawani when I was still at IITA at that time. I don’t recall getting paid anything. I did it for free. I was writing the column completely out of interest, and the objective was to bring the knowledge, the wisdom in the Grail Message to bear on current affairs issues. That was the whole point. When my contacts at The Guardian – Lade Bonuola, the Managing Director, and Femi Kusa, the Director of Publications established The Comet, by that time, I was already at the World Bank, I decided to shift the column to The Comet and I continued with The Comet until it became The Nation. At that point, I coincidentally, decided not to continue the column because I wanted to face my spiritual writings full time. I didn’t think I would have time for a weekly column.

    There are so many columnists. Some columnists you just admire and you read everything they write. Some other columnists, you can see they are struggling. You can see they’re not writing from deep within, and they’re somewhat superficial. But I think one general point one can make is that if you want to be a columnist, you have to choose a subject in which you are personally very much interested, and a subject that you would be reflecting on, even if you were not a columnist. In other words, you should be inwardly-driven as you pursue your subject. And when you are inwardly-driven, you are likely to have commitment to your ideas. You are not likely to write superficially. You are also likely to put your very best into each piece you disseminate. That’s the way I look at it. You can say standards are falling generally, but there are still very, very good writers, obviously very knowledgeable, very committed to the messages they are trying to communicate.

    Q: You wrote from spiritual insight in explaining what the issues were. With conventional approaches to viewing and dissecting secular matters and proffering solutions, how do you expect to understand and accept your standpoint? 

    A: I think, first of all, regardless of what subject one is looking at, one must be logical. You have to convinced that what you’re writing makes sense, that it is objective, it’s not something emotional. It’s something that any serious thinker can see the objectivity in it, can see the logic in it. And one of the most privileged positions one can be in, is to have a source of knowledge that you know is comprehensive in terms of applicability to every subject or field, that it is completely logical and, therefore, one can proudly and honestly defend any position deriving from it. That’s the beauty of the Grail Message; So, for me, it’s a unique revelation for the world.

    Q: Writers are supposedly seers and healers. Why and how would you say we are in the situation we have found ourselves in in this country and as humanity and what’s the way out?

    A: I think that the problems of Nigeria are not unique. You look around the world today and it’s hard to find a country that stands out in peace, being really well governed, free of corruption, promoting harmony, true justice, and love; a country that one can point to as a model of what our deep inner selves would want. In short, one can see that humanity has a common problem, common challenges, and I think the root is spiritual (not religious). We don’t even understand that we, human beings, are actually human spirits wearing physical clothes. And that these physical cloaks, which some people do anything to satisfy, to please, for which they kill, steal, dispossess whole societies, are ephemeral and are dropped at physical death while the real human being (the spirit) lives and continues to experience the consequences of past right and wrong actions. It is on account of the poverty of the right spiritual knowledge on the part of individuals that human beings are mostly developing wrong civilizations and stick to wrong cultures.

    Q: What’s the solution?

    A: The solution, to me, is to ‘know thyself,’ know that you are a human spirit, know that you are just a creature of the Almighty; know how you are supposed to live as a creature of the Almighty, and know that only in living in accordance with the primordial laws of creation shall we have a fulfilled life, a peaceful life, and all together find harmony and happiness within ourselves. We must each individually cure ourselves of spiritual indolence and the superstitions promoted by some religious groups. Paradise in the spiritual realm is our eternal home; let’s not chain ourselves to this earth!

  • Lord Frank relives journey to ‘B.I.G’

    Lord Frank relives journey to ‘B.I.G’

    It is not a surprise when you search online for the latest Nigerian movies to look out for and you find Banana Island Ghost (BIG) by BAM-Nemsia topping the list.

    However, the question has been asked, is the movie one of those that will disappoint when it comes out?

    Voice over artist, Lord Frank, a member of cast in the movie, Banana Island Ghost was quite willing to share his thoughts on the movie, and how he got involved.

    “Well, I got a call while minding my business and doing my own thing. I got my part of the script and it all appeared normal, so I agreed to do it. So when I got there, in terms of my being on set before, everything looked the same, everybody was working, the set was the same. We did it and when the trailer came out, I was like ‘somebody lied to me.’ I felt cheated, I was amazingly proud and happy to be part it, and I said ‘if I knew this was what I was being a part of, in my mind I would have driven to his house, given him a hug, got back in the car and driven off.”

    As if that was not enough, Frank shared another little secret. “We were sent some words to use during any chat with the press when talking about the movie. I said to myself, ‘this is ridiculous; this is nonsense. You are not going to tell me, Lord Frank, what to say and when I need to say it.’ Lord Frank will say what he needs to say when he needs to say it. Then I saw the trailer, and I’m like ‘where’s that email? As a matter of fact, we need to add more things to this.’ Let me tell you a story, BB and I grew up in the same village, when he thought of this idea, I was there. As a matter of fact, I was the one that told him that there needs to be a Ninja in this movie. Not only a Ninja, it needs to be a woman and Indian. That’s all a lie, but the truth is that it is a remarkable movie and everyone should go and see it.”

  • Shell’s FLNG begins journey to Australia

    Royal Dutch Shell’s prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility has left the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea to Australia, marking a significant milestone for the project.

    The facility, constructed by Technip Samsung Consortium, is being towed to North West Australia, where the next phase of the project will begin.

    According to Shell, on arrival at the Prelude offshore gas field, 475 kilometres (295 miles) north-north east of Broome, Western Australia, pre-installed mooring chains will be lifted from the seabed and secured to the facility. Once secured, the hook-up and commissioning process will begin.

    Prelude FLNG is an important project in Shell’s portfolio. It will provide liquefied natural gas for customers around the world and generate cash flow that will help drive Shell’s Integrated Gas business performance. The safe and reliable start-up of prelude’s operations will be the project team’s focus throughout the next phase. Cash flow from the project is expected in 2018.

  • Zahara begins journey into motherhood

    Zahara begins journey into motherhood

    After the highs of wedding day comes the hard task of keeping the marriage going. So far, recently-wedded couple Zahra Buhari and Ahmed Indimi are succeeding on that count. That is pretty much unlike many other high-profile weddings which begin to show cracks as soon as they are consummated.

    If the gist currently making the rounds is anything to go by, Zahra Indimi’s baby bump will become obvious anytime soon. Close family sources say the beautiful daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari has the journey into motherhood.

    It will be recalled that Ahmed and Zahra tied the knot in a series of high profile celebrations in Abuja and Maiduguri, Borno State capital, in December last year. The royalty-themed wedding was a colourful and affair that drew bigwigs from the political and social spheres.

  • The Ambodean journey: Two years after

    The Ambodean journey: Two years after

    Like a warrior on a mission to conquer all battles, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has continued to deliver good governance to the people, despite the harsh economic environment. At a time when many thought they had seen the height of quality leadership and governance in Lagos, Ambode in the last two years has succeeded in rewriting history and his former diehard critics are singing a new song. Miriam Ekene-Okoro reports.

    Politics in Nigeria means many things to different people. For some, the platform presents an opportunity to meet the expectations of the people who have given them the mandate to serve. But for others, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get their share of the national cake.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, falls in the first category. His track record since inauguration into office 24 months ago has not only become a reference point in good governance in Nigeria, but was also fast resounding across the shores of the continent of Africa.

    Not many would recall his perceived slow start in the first three months of his administration. There was a general feeling among many Lagosians that the shoes left behind by his predecessor, perhaps seemed too big to fill.

    But, what many thought was a slow start, Ambode tells those who care to listen that it was a period to understand the terrain and tailor out his strategies to change the face of Lagos forever.

    Thus, while many panicked and were already passing judgment on what would become of Lagos under the successful civil servant who had been given the mandate to be the 14th governor of the State, he remained focused and confident that the storm was only but for a while.

    For him, the task of governing Lagos was not a 100-metres dash that required hasty decision making, but a four-year journey that would require careful, thorough and coordinated policy and decision making as well as careful execution.

    It did not take too long before he began to exhibit his leadership acumen and a man who was not occupying an office by chance. Hence, six months into his administration, the travails of the first few weeks in office, became a thing of the past.

    By May 29, 2016, Ambode was standing tall among his peers. His achievements in office within the first 365 days had shocked many especially those who never gave him a chance.

    In the last two years, the story has gotten even better. The man who occupies the number one seat in the Centre of Excellence has become an emerging phenomenon and a shining example of what good governance should be in Nigeria.

    Determined to better his first term scorecard, the Governor wasted no time in setting the ball rolling in his second term.

    One sector which Ambode’s administration has become synonymous with is the area of security. For the Governor, the huge investment in providing equipment and adequate welfare for security agencies was worth the while and his administration therefore would stop at nothing to ensure the State remains safe and secured for residents and investors.

    An issue that was a recurring menace in the state was the case of land grabbers, popularly known as OmoOnile. These set of people for long have posed a huge security threat to land owners and property developers in the state and the present administration was determined to stop them in their tracks.

    This was core reason that made the governor sign the Lagos State Properties Protection Law, otherwise known as the Anti-Land Grabbing Law in August 2016, which for many represents a crucial and commendable step in the efforts to deter what has become the state’s biggest threat to land development.

    Still in an effort to improve on security in the State especially in the communities, Governor Ambode same day, signed the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law.

    On March 27, 2017, the Corps was officially inaugurated by the Governor at the Agege stadium with a total of 177 Salon cars and vehicles equipped with necessary communication gadgets, 377 motorcycles, 377 helmets, 4,000 bicycles, metal detectors for ensuring that illegal weapons are not smuggled into public places, among other operational equipment handed over to the Corps for effective community policing.

    Indeed, the governor’s seriousness to issues relating to security did not go unnoticed. In South Africa, the ever-efficient Rapid Response Squad (RRS), was awarded the Best Anti-Crime Police Squad in West Africa, while it’s Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu also bagged the Most Outstanding Police Operational Officer in West Africa award.

    Lagos was awarded the Best Security and Most Safety Conscious State in Africa.

    The appreciable level of peace and security in the State has in no small way given opportunity for massive development to take place.

    But, Ambode was not just about any kind of project. He was particular about embarking on projects that would make life easy and more comfortable for residents.

    His passion to decongest traffic especially in the metropolis has seen some innovative strategies that have, in no small way, reduced travel time motorists spend on the roads.

    From Oworonshoki to Ketu Alapere to Ojodu Berger, the story has changed for good.

    In Berger, Ambode has engineered what many describe as a total transformation. With two Pedestrian Bridges measuring 98 metres, Lay-bys and Slip Road, the once notorious Ojodu Berger, the gateway into the State, has become the symbol of free flow of traffic, aside improved aesthetics.

    The governor alongside his team had visited the area a few months after the inception of his administration having identified the axis as one of the major traffic flashpoints that required urgent attention.

    Even with the free flow of traffic, the governor had hinted during the commissioning of the projects that work was not finished yet. On the long run, a food court would also be built where people can relax before climbing the pedestrian bridge, as well as an interstate bus terminal within the Ojodu Berger axis for buses coming from outside Lagos to drop and load passengers, while intercity transportation system would move commuters within the city.

    This innovation will in no small way redefine the inter-city transport system, create more jobs and further decongest traffic within the state.

    In September 2016, the 114 inner roads which the Governor promised would be delivered every year were commissioned across the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas in the State.

    The Alapere Slip Road and Laybys which has greatly reduced the traffic congestion within the Alapere- Iyana Oworo axis followed an earlier intervention in the popular Oworo bus stop outward Third Mainland Bridge which was once synonymous for regular gridlock especially during peak period.

    However, out of the major interventions in the area of traffic reduction, the Ajah and Abule   Egba flyover bridges stand tall.

    Christened ‘Jubilee Bridges’, aside a record time of completion, the state government has with both projects opened up the State for further economic opportunities as time lost in traffic has reduced drastically.

    The Ajah Bridge, completed within a space of 10 months is a 160metres long dual carriageway with total length of 620metres, while the Abule Egba Bridge is measuring 1.3km with a water fountain that has become the cynosure of all eyes in the area.

    The governor said the construction of the Bridge was the beginning of a process to transform the axis to the new economic hub of the State, assuring that the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane from Oshodi to Abule Egba would be followed by another BRT lane from Abule Egba to Ogun State border.

    But, Abule Egba residents have course to have a sigh of relief as beyond the Bridge, the Governor has given his word that all adjoining roads disrupted in the course of the construction of the Bridge have been awarded for rehabilitation. True to the Governor’s word, work has indeed started on all the access roads in Abule  Egba.

    To complement the infrastructural interventions to reduce traffic, Governor Ambode has also perfected plans to phase out the yellow commercial buses popularly known as Danfounder the Bus Reform Initiative.

    The initiative is a three-year plan aimed at introducing over 5000 air-conditioned buses to replace the danfo buses, which many agree are no longer befitting for the State’s mega city status.

    The initiative aimed at giving Lagosians an integrated public transportation system is expected to kick start this year, and it would provide a viable alternative for residents to commute easily within the State.

    The housing sector has also gotten serious attention from Ambode’s administration. The decision of the State Government to reshuffle its housing initiative under the Lagos Housing Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS) has brought a new dimension to making home ownership much easier and flexible.

    In December 2016, the government flagged off its Rent-to-Own Scheme. The initiative offers prospective beneficiaries the opportunity to pay the required five percent of the value of the housing unit as commitment fee while the balance is spread over 10 years. The scheme is specifically developed for low and medium income earners.

    Every month, the State Government hands over keys to 200 allottees of various schemes spread across. To ensure the scheme runs seamlessly, the State Government has a pool of 4,355 homes available under the Rent-To-Own policy in five Estates including Sir MichealOtedola Estate Odoragunshin, Epe; Oba Adeboruwa Estate, Igbogbo, Ikorodu; Choice City, Agbowa, Hon. Olaitan Mustapha and AlhajaAdetoun Mustapha, Ojokoro, while a total of 12 schemes have been earmarked for the policy.

    Like the housing sector, the environment sector is also to witness a massive turnaround courtesy of the proposed Cleaner Lagos Initiative.

    The initiative embedded under the Environmental Management and Protection Law which the Governor signed earlier this year,is expected to go a long way to secure the public health safety of residents most especially children.

    Under the initiative, the commercial sector would be serviced by licensed waste management operators while an environmental consortium will provide waste collection, processing and disposal services for residential properties through a long term concession.

    Over the concession period, the consortium would be deploying a large multi-dimensional fleet of over 20 landfill and transfer loading station management vehicles, 600 new rear-end loader compactors, 140 Operational vehicles and close to 900,000 new bins to all be electronically tracked and monitored by a new unit – PUMAU (Public Utilities Monitoring Assurance Unit) under the Ministry of Environment.

    Aside the fact that the initiative would createover 40, 000 dignified jobs, the 27, 500 Community Sanitation Workers (CSW) who would be engaged will receive several incentives including tax reliefs and healthcare, life, injury and accident insurance benefits all aimed at tackling the issue of poverty and the chronic unemployment crisis.

    The State Government also commenced the cleanup of Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki Areas, all geared towards restoring the master plan of the areas. To achieve the desired result, the governor set up a Special Task Force to rid the areas fromillegal structures, shanties, street hawkers and conversion of walkways into trading points and food courts in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and the Lagoon Front of Lekki.

    The health sector has also continued to witness massive infrastructural upgrade. In February, at least 14 primary health care centres across the State were upgraded to run a 24-hour service, while other existing centres were also equipped to cater for the health needs of residents especially at the grassroots.

    It was within the same period the governor commissionedthe first state owned Helipad for medical emergencies at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). This facility would come in handy to evacuate persons with health challenges from areas that are not motorable and where time is of essence.

    In the education sector, a significant level of development has also been recorded.  Governor Ambode approved N15.5million as seed funding and grants for university entrepreneurs under the Ready. Set. Work initiative as well as training of 422 Graduates on entrepreneurial skills.

    So far, in the last one year, over N11.5 billion has been expended on improving infrastructure in schools across the state. While about 79 public schools were renovated, 16 schools were fenced, six new classroom blocks were constructed and 707 double-bunk beds and 469 mattresses were supplied to boarding schools, among other projects executed.

    The construction of three new world class model blocks of classrooms in public secondary schools has also begun in earnest and other several educational projects all in a bid to improve the standard of education.

    Tertiary institutions are also not left out as the Ambode administration has invested massively to upgrade infrastructures within the campuses of the state-owned institutions and there are plans to do more.

    The repositioning initiated and sustained by Governor Ambode are already yielding result with the recent ranking of Lagos State University (LASU) as the best state university in Nigeria in 2016 by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Also, after several years of waiting, LASU secured full accreditation of its Faculty of Dentistry by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the first state university to do so in Nigeria, among other numerous achievements, while as we speak, Governor Ambode is perfecting plans to construct a 6000-bed hostel within LASU campus in Ojo.

    In another major fulfillment of the electioneering promises to the people of the State, Governor Ambode launched the N25billion Employment Trust Fund to facilitate access to loan by artisans and entrepreneurs. The aim of the initiative is to boost the informal sector realizing its importance as the next frontier of the Lagos economy.

    As we speak, under the initiative, over N2billion has been disbursed to residents and still counting, while the governor has also launched the N500million Disability Trust Fund to assist people living with disability, among other initiatives aimed at reflating the economy and empowering the people to be wealth creators.

    Some of the other achievements of Ambode included but not limited to the following: approval of N740million As compensation For Lekki Free Trade Zone host communities; approval of N380million for bursary, local scholarship payments for indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country; ongoing construction of Lagos-Badagry Expressway; ongoing construction of Orile-Marina Blue Line Rail Project; completion of first phase of expansion of network of roads in Epe; opening of bid for construction of 181 LG roads, an improvement on the 141 roads repaired in 2016; upgrade of

    Tinubu Square Fountain to world class standard; admission of Lagos into World’s 100 Resilient Cities; construction of ultra-modern Bus Terminal at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS); construction of new Steel Pedestrian Bridge In Ojota; construction of Aboru-Abesan Link Bridge and network of roads in Alimosho Local Government Area; upgrade of eight roads in Ogudu axis of Kosofe Local Government; groundbreaking ceremony of seven Lagos-Ogun Boundary Roads, among other major projects.

    No doubt, with what Ambode has achieved in the last two years in all sectors and sections of the State, and coupled with his determination not to rest on his oars, it is certain that the next two years, and perhaps the next six years, as endorsed by many stakeholders, holds greater prosperity and development for the people of the State.

  • Journey through the pathways of fuel smugglers

    BEBE, an outpost of Benin Republic has an aversion for the lily livered. Only the lion-hearted ply its windy road which connects with Zomi Road and peters out at the Ajegunle axis of Ipokia Local Government Area, Ogun State. Swamps and rainforest span the four-kilometre road with potholes and ditches dotting its pathways. It is a terrain for smugglers, especially trans-border petrol smugglers who travel the road early in the morning twice a week—Wednesday and Saturday.

    A lot of things can kill on Bebe road. From reckless motorcyclists moving contrabands including petrol in jerry cans and running at neck-breaking speed to convoys of smuggled cars fleeing from border patrols of Customs and other security agents manoeuvring their ways through the ditches. Bystanders and villagers are often knocked down, killed or injured by the smugglers while trying to flee from Nigerian law enforcement agents whose sporadic gunshots send jitters down the spines of residents.

    The activities of smugglers are believed to be responsible for the low population of the community which lacks basic social amenities like good roads, water and health facilities, among others. The community also acts as the haven of porters and youths from Nigeria who flock there to work as load carriers for smugglers for a fee.

    The community’s notorious road starts from a point close to a university founded by a Nigerian don at Banigbe, Benin Republic. The reporter had joined a group of petrol smugglers who were on a trip to the community to place an order for new jerry cans and sundry items on July 29.

    ”You are a Nigerian. Why are you visiting Bebe through Banigbe instead of going through the Idiroko checkpoint of the Nigeria Customs Service,” the driver of the car, Weme Boni asked the reporter.

    “Things are hard in the country. I learnt there are menial jobs I can do there, so I am going to Bebe to see if I can get a job,” the reporter responded.

    Apparently convinced by the reporter’s explanation, the driver demanded CFA 1000 (N647) as fare and the journey began at 5.30 am with the car moving tempestuously on the undulating road.

    It had rained in the night. So, as the Golf 3 car that conveyed the reporter and other passengers ran through the floods on the road, a number of villagers emerged from the dotting bushes on the sideways trekking home.

    The villagers were soon out of sight and a convoy of smugglers moving petrol on motorcycles in big yellow jerry cans and racing through the floods of dirty water they also splashed on the car.

    ”That is what makes smuggling tick. Time is of essence because a moment of slack could be costly. It could land a smuggler in the dragnet of Customs and border security forces,” said one of the passengers.

    After a long drive, the car approached a checkpoint and was flagged down by a Beninese policeman.

    ”My name is Zoglo,” he politely introduced himself in smattering English. ”What do you have for me,” he asked with a cheery smile. As soon as the driver handed him a N200 note, he removed a straw of bamboo used to barricade the road and asked us to pass.

    ”I don’t know the fascination. They (Beninese policemen) prefer collecting bribe in naira,” Boni said as he raced the car from the checkpoint.

    At the centre of the community, there were piles of yellow jerry cans on both sides of the four-kilometre road. It serves as the hub of jerry can traders who sell them to petrol smugglers for as low as N300 equivalent of CFA franc.

    A few metres away from the centre of the community lies a checkpoint manned by Nigerian mobile policemen. The minions of law were seen relaxing on a wooden sofa under their tent while a Customs checkpoint is located near the junction of Zomi Road, which connects with Bebe road from Ajegunle area of Ipokia Local Government Area, Ogun State on the Nigerian frontier.

    Zomi Road snakes through a row of buildings near Jolaco Petrol Station in Ajegunle to Idiroko Road, which leads to the Nigeria Customs Service checkpoint bordering Benin Republic. It is the easiest road to Benin Republic but one most avoided by smugglers because of the heavy presence of security operatives.

    However, some of the buildings on Zomi Road in the Ajegunle axis of Ipokia Local Government Area provide a shade for petrol smugglers. There are ‘hidden’ bush paths behind them, which lead to Bebe and other communities in Benin Republic.

    The five hours the reporter spent in the community revealed how trans-border petrol smugglers operate, beat Nigerian security operatives and move unhindered into Benin Republic.

    Bush paths/confusing routes

    Investigation revealed several routes used by petrol smugglers taking the product from Nigeria to Benin Republic. They avoid the main road (Zomi) which connects the road to Bebe because of the heavy presence of security operatives including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), police, Immigration, Joint Border Patrol, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and State Security Service (SSS).

    Ajegunle has two other bypasses including New Road and Iko Gate Road beside Iko Gate Grammar School. The routes afford the petrol smugglers the chance to move into the francophone country without being seen or trailed by Nigerian security operatives that man the border.

    There are several of such illegal routes in Ipokia LGA. For example, the Egua-Oja Odan-Ilase, a 104-kilometre road, connects four local government areas, namely Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko Afon and Ipokia, all in Ogun State.

    The road is used by the syndicate controlling the Oja Odan petrol smuggling ring by connecting to it through Ihunbo, Igborodo, Ayetoro, Akojaga Road, Ilashe, Koko Road, Ogosa, Araromi and Ajilete.

    Our reporter’s investigation during a visit to the communities revealed that petrol smugglers escape from the security operatives either by veering into the bypasses or bush paths they created to Igbeji creeks, a stone’s throw from Benin Republic, or Oja Odan and Ijoun where the two countries are only separated by a river.

    The situation is compounded by the uncooperative attitude of the villagers who see no problem with their youths engaging in the illicit business. It was gathered that the villagers most times withhold information on the smugglers when requested by Customs and other security operatives.

    ”We don’t see anything wrong in jobless youths engaging in smuggling so long as they don’t steal. Everyone knows that there is a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. If we cannot provide jobs for our teeming jobless youths, we should not discourage them from doing a job that they have found since it is not stealing or robbery. The only thing we do is to advise them to be careful when carrying out their duties,” said a community leader in Oja Odan, Chief Samuel Akinyemi.

    How they evade arrest

    Most of the roads are very difficult terrains for security surveillance or patrol, as some of them are specifically designed by smugglers for their nocturnal activities. Some are designed as footpaths only to widen at further distance. Some routes are designed with ditches.

    A suspected petrol smuggler who was in the community to inspect new jerry cans he had ordered said: “Petrol smugglers don’t fall into those ditches because we know the terrain like the back of our palms and move petrol in jerry cans with our motorcycles with ease.

    “Moreover, we created the ditches by ourselves. Only the border patrol teams fall into the ditches when they are chasing us. And whenever we realise they are up to our game, we devise new ploys to make it impossible for them to come after us. Many patrol vehicles have packed up on our routes.

    “That is why the border patrol acquire mostly Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and trucks. But even those can hardly withstand so much.”

    Once the petrol smugglers escape on their motorbikes through the bush paths or bypasses into hamlets in Bebe in Benin Republic, the Nigerian security operatives cannot arrest them. They are then mocked by the smugglers who resort to making jest of them.

    ”It is difficult to arrest petrol smugglers because once they escape through the bush paths into some villages at the frontier of Benin Republic, they would start mocking us because they know that it is against the rule of border patrol to cross into another country with arms to apprehend an offender,” said a senior Nigerian Customs officer who asked not to be named.

    Also, to beat eagle eye security operatives, the petrol smugglers usually fill a number of jerry cans with petrol mixed with water and abandon them when they are being chased or trailed on the bush paths or bypasses. The smugglers abandon such adulterated fuel in jerry cans and escape with good ones. The unsuspecting security operatives would then think that they have impounded the products and celebrate the ‘seizures’ in the media while the smugglers escape with undiluted products into Benin Republic.

    Normally, the seized products are sold by Customs with the proceeds remitted into the national purse. But adulterated fuel abandoned by petrol smugglers cannot be sold, hence, they are thrown away by Nigerian Customs men at the Idiroko Area Command.

    ”They mix petrol with water while moving them across the border into Benin Republic. They abandon some kegs filled with adulterated fuel and escape with the rest while we think that we have made seizures. The smugglers are aware that the seizures are sold to the public and the proceeds are remitted into the coffers of the federal government, hence, they adulterate the petrol in order to prevent us from selling the product,” the customs officer added.

    Another daring ploy designed by the trans-border petrol smugglers to frustrate security agents is the planting of locally made spikes on some bypasses or bush paths to demobilise the operational vehicles of Customs men on their trail. Customs men and security operatives get trapped by the spikes while the smugglers move their products into Benin Republic.

    The Customs Area Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun State Command, Comptroller Waindu Multafu, in a chat with our reporter, said: ”The spikes are usually buried to a certain level by smugglers on their illegal routes in order to demobilise the vehicles of customs officers on their trail. They bury them to a certain level on their illegal routes so that we don’t see them. In spite of this, 240 kegs of petroleum products were seized from trans-border petrol smugglers recently.”

    ”In view of this development, the command has restructured its operational strategies with a view to optimally achieving its core statutory mandates of revenue collection, anti-smuggling campaigns and trade facilitation, among other collaborative functions.”

    Experts proffer solutions

    The continued smuggling of petrol products to the Republic of Benin by syndicates from Nigeria is seen by experts as unbecoming and one that portends doom for the country’s economy. According to them, the illicit endeavour has negative impact on the economy and could lead to scarcity of petroleum products.

    An economic expert and Chief Executive Officer of Oil Bureau, a Lagos- based oil and gas consulting outfit, Dr. Tunji Adebayo said: ”There is the need for Federal Government to take drastic action towards eradicating the menace of trans-border smuggling of petrol from Nigeria into the Republic of Benin and other neighbouring countries. Failure to do so could create unnecessary scarcity of the product in the future.

    ”The government could do this by asking the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to establish filling stations in the Republic of Benin and other neighbouring West African countries. With the establishment of the stations in neighbouring countries, the government will directly take the products there and make a lot of money as income into the federation account.”

    An oil and gas business analyst, Mr Chinedu Odimegwu, advocated the use of technology to monitor the movement of tankers from depots to filling stations.

    He said: “A situation where our major product is being taken to another country through illegal routes is dangerous to our economy and could retard its growth. To my mind, the security agencies at the borders cannot contain this queer business because of the porous nature of our borders.

    “The federal government can help the Nigeria Customs and Excise and other security agencies to halt the continued smuggling of petrol to neighbouring countries through the use of electronic or satellite technology to track the movement of tankers from depot or loading points to filling stations.

    “By so doing, the destination of petrol tankers would be ascertained and security agencies including Customs authorities would be able to forestall the movement of Nigeria’s petrol to neighbouring countries. This is what Saudi Arabia has been doing by gathering data through electronic and satellite technology on the movement of all petrol tankers as they move from loading points to filling stations.”

    A retired Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration and homeland security expert, Mrs Funmilayo Odubela-Aduroja said there is need for the federal government to identify all entry points into the country by erecting walls at the borders.

    ”The porous nature of Nigerian borders calls for serious concern and all kinds of foreigners are cashing in on that to move into the country to carry out their nefarious activities unchecked. Yet, the Nigerian authorities are not doing enough to checkmate the unpleasant situation at our borders.

    ”Apart from trans-border petrol smuggling, as we speak, Nigeria’s cash crops such as cocoa and groundnut are being smuggled to neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Niger. These countries in turn export the crops and make a lot of money from our collective sweat.

    “The only measure to stop this is to properly fence our borders like the US did to prevent people from her neighbouring countries such as Mexico from coming into her territory through borders.

    “I am also calling for the creation of a Ministry of Homeland Security where all para-military organisations and agencies, excluding the police, are merged and coordinated to provide maximum internal security for the country. This would make the running of the country even cheaper in the face of a battered economy caused by the crashing prices of crude oil all over the world.”

  • Their American journey

    It is not April; so forget it, this is not an April Fool’s tale. Though it happened in April, the scandal blew open few days ago through the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle. By now, every Nigerian knows about the envoy’s  complaint on the supposed indiscretion of three members of the House of Representatives during a trip to the US for a leadership programme. While taking part in the programme, they were said to have also gone for some extra curricula programme, which the US finds embarrassing.

    A member of the House of Representatives is not just any Nigerian; he is a high ranking member of society who many look up to. As such, a person that we all look up to must conduct himself at all times with decorum. He must not be seen engaging in activities that will bring opprobrium to him and his high office. Being a member of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic, a parliamentarian is a gold fish with no hiding place. What he does or does not do will always attract attention.

    This is why the ambassador’s allegations that these parliamentarians conducted themselves in an unbecoming manner have been generating heat. And I believe that Ambassador Entwistle knows the implications of accusing our lawmakers of ‘’soliciting for prostitutes’’ and ‘’grabbing a housekeeper to solicit for sex’’ before he made them. Is it that there are no more women in Nigeria? Or is it that the Oyinbo woman is sweeter than her black counterpart? The ambassador’s allegations are grave and they can damage the reputation of the affected men. But who are these people at the centre of this sexual scandal?

    Of course, you would have read about them elsewhere by now. They are Mohammed Garba Gololo, Samuel Ikon and Mark Gbillah. From the tone of Entwistle’s letter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara, the matter, it seems, may have been resolved quietly if the lawmakers had shown ‘’remorse’’. The envoy appeared to have been forced by the lawmakers’ lack of contrition to petition Dogara. If the lawmakers had accepted that they acted indiscreetly and apologised, does that mean Mr Ambassador would have kept quiet and swept the matter under the carpet?

    According to his petition, ‘’members of this group reacted very negatively to my deputy when she brought this matter to their attention, further calling into question their judgement and commitment to the goals of the International Visitor Leadership Programme’’. Did the lawmakers do what the ambassador  accused them of doing? Was that why they reacted the way they did when they were confronted by Entwistle’s deputy? My advice to these parliamentarians is that they should bottle their anger. Yes, it may be annoying to be accused of something that one did not do, but who will believe them in this circumstance if instead of addressing the issue, they allow their emotions to rule them?

    Whatever they do, they should bear in mind, the calibre of the person that has made these allegations against them? So, it is his word against theirs. The ambassador alleged that Gololo grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex and also claimed that Gbillah and Ikon requested parking attendants to assist them to solicit for prostitutes. Trust Nigerians, this matter has become topic of discussions in parks, game centres and beer parlours. In the eyes of the public, the lawmakers are guilty as alleged by the ambassador. But in the eyes of the law, they are not because, according to the law, he who alleges must prove. Does the ambassador have proof of the lawmakers’ alleged indiscretions?

    If he has, this is the time to produce the evidence and expose the lawmakers for who they are. But if there is no such proof, we may not be asking for too much to say that he should apologise to the lawmakers for bringing them to public ridicule. But, if  I were Gololo, Ikon and Gbillah, I will do away with legal niceties in order to prove my innocence. I will tell the world my itinerary for the one week – April 7 to 13 – that the leadership programme took place in Cleveland, Ohio, US. Where I was each day of the programme and what I did will be made public to let the world know that the ambassador is trying to, as they say, give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

    Thank God that the House has taken up the matter. The nation, nay the world, is waiting to see how it will handle the case. The House knows that there can be no cover up because the US is interested in the matter. The country sees what happened as an affront to it and if I know the US well, it will not rest until justice is done. I am not saying that we should sacrifice Gololo, Ikon and Gbillah in order to satisy the US. If they did not commit the alleged indiscretions, their fellow lawmakers should say so and stand by them. But if they did, they must pay for their actions for bringing shame to their fatherland in a foreign land.

    The US may have already passed judgement on them by revoking their visas, but we should not act like that. We should judge them based on the evidence produced by the US. So far, the US’ action is predicated on the fact that it is on sure ground. This is why the lawmakers must do everything possible to repudiate the ambassador’s claims. As stated earlier, it is the ambassador’s word against theirs. People will believe the ambassador more than the lawmakers; so they are fighting from the position of weakness. The only thing that can save them is to produce concrete evidence to counter the envoy’s allegations. Anything short of that, nobody will believe their stories that they did not do it; that is the unfortunate thing.

    I am saying this because I want to give them the benefit of doubt. It is possible that they did not do it and it is not impossible that they did it. The lawmakers have been insisting on their innocence, while the US has stuck to its guns that they were indiscreet. Who is right? Who is wrong? As Dogara tweeted last Sunday, ‘’together with the US Embassy in Nigeria, we (House) will get to the bottom of this matter and until then, let’s not be judgemental’’. The earlier this case is resolved the better for US-Nigeria relations.

  • My journey through the valley of death -80yr-old Bond Chemicals Ltd chair Debo Omotosho

    My journey through the valley of death -80yr-old Bond Chemicals Ltd chair Debo Omotosho

    Different events have different ways of shaping a man’s life. In his almost 80 years sojourn on earth, two major events within a spate of three weeks, may have formed a defining moment for Chief Debo Omotosho, Chairman of Bond Chemicals Limited, maker of Bonababe baby syrup.

    In what had become a seeming yearly ritual, Omotosho set off on his yearly holiday routine on a boat cruise early last year. But, what was planned to be a dream holiday almost turned tragic when the elderly Awe, Oyo State-born entrepreneur slipped into coma after ingesting a wrong drug prescription. But a swift intervention by the crew of the cruise boat, who rushed him to a nearby hospital, saved his life. After spending 10 days in the hospital, Chief Omotosho took a flight to the US, where he spent another five days with his children.

    Needing more time to rest and recuperate, he decided to come back home to Nigeria. After a few days stop-over in Lagos, another decision was made that he should travel to his hometown, Awe, Osun State, where all those around him believed he would find total rest, away from the mad rush of Lagos.

    “I will continue to say that God is wonderful. I go on a cruise every year, where you can see and view the sea, look at the sky and appreciate the awesomeness of God. This time around, I went and I took some drugs that I ought not to take and went into coma. But for the vigilance of some of the crew, I would have died. I was taken to a hospital, where I was for 10 days. From there, I went to Maryland, USA, where my children are, to spend another one week. From there, I came back home to Lagos. But when my son arrived from Awe, he suggested that I go to Awe to have a complete rest,” he said as he clapped his palms together as if in praise to God.

    With the belief that Awe would truly offer a better place to rest and recover from his illness, Chief Omotosho made a decision to travel to his homestead, where he believed he would have unhindered rest. The following day started for the multiple-decorated traditional chief without any inkling that he was about to embark on a life-changing journey.

    “I travelled to Awe on a Tuesday. The following day, I was picked up by some armed men from my home. They took me away and demanded for a ransom of one million dollars. At first, I was confused and I asked them if they meant one million naira, but they said it was one million dollars.”

    An ordeal that would last for 10 days had thus been set in motion for the popular chief who was still placed on a regimented daily prescription. At the beginning, fearing that his life might be in danger if he failed to take his drugs, his children agreed and offered to pay the abductors the sum of N10 million for his release.

    “I don’t know how my children negotiated with the kidnappers, but they offered to pay them N10 million.”

    But at that point, greed probably had a firm grip on his abductors, who sensing that they could get more, upped the ante and demanded for more.

    “After they were offered N10 million, they said they wanted more and took me from where they kept me and relocated me to another place.”

    But luck smiled on Chief Omotosho and his family soon after, as the police, who had been on the trail of the kidnappers for 10 days, swooped on them and arrested six of them.

    Asked what his experience was like in those 10 days, the chief expressed a kind of look that was short of saying ‘what stupid question have you asked?’, before shooting back: “Some bad people came into my house with guns and other weapons. They took me away for 10 days and you are asking what my experience was like, were they supposed to feed me with egg and bread?”

    But behind the dangerous clouds of his abduction were some unexplainable miracles. While being taken away, he was not allowed to take his drugs along with him. So, for the 10 days that he was held, he did not take his drugs. But, surprisingly, he came out of the ordeal stronger and healthier.

    And expectedly, the chief marked his miraculous escape from the lion’s den with three thanksgivings. “My experience was for everybody to learn from. And I had three thanksgivings in three different countries. I had one in India, Lagos and another one in Awe. At the one I had in Awe, I said I went through the valley of the shadow of death twice. I was in a coma. Some go into coma and never recover, but I survived it. At the hospital that I was taken to, the doctor said all the tests done said I should be dead. He listed a lot of things which indicated that I should be dead.

    “I came home still ill, and some people came and took me away, yet I survived once again without any drug. That was why I said in the church that I didn’t need any bishop to tell me that God loves me. I said God has revealed Himself to me. I know that I am a sinner, but God has forgiven my sins for Him to have kept me alive.

    “I went through the ordeal very ill. But I came out and went for medical check-up and was given a clean bill of health. Who could have done that but God? I also have a sore on my leg that had refused to heal. I took it to several hospitals in India and the UK. They said the leg refused to heal because blood was not flowing to the area.

    “All this coupled with the fact that I am diabetic made it difficult for the sore to heal. But it healed soon after I was released. I am sure it was because God does not want anybody to share in His glory. If I had been healed by a doctor, I would have believed that it was the doctor or hospital that did it. But it was God that did it.”

    Asked if he has forgiven his abductors, he said: “Go has forgiven me, so I have forgiven them. God must have forgiven to make me to be alive despite all I went through.”

    A trained pharmacist, Chief Omotosho fell in love with pharmacy after observing his uncle, who was a pharmacist, attend to a long queue of patients.

    “I had an uncle who went to Yaba School of Pharmacy. He visited my mum often, while I went to visit him once in a while in the hospital. One day, while I went to visit him, I saw a long queue of patients waiting to collect their drugs. I thought this was an interesting job, thereby kick-starting my interest in the job.”

    Giving his huge stature and his secondary school’s fame for supplying the military and police fresh school leavers, many thought he would eventually join the police or the military.

    “I was tall and I went to Keffi Government College. In those days, it was a school where they recruit you for the army or the police. Most of the prominent army and police bosses attended the school.”

    But he must have disappointed many when the young Omotosho picked pharmacy ahead of the army and the police.

    “Instead of joining the army or the police, I went straight to the School of Pharmacy, Zaria. It was supposed to be a replica of old Yaba. I went for a three-year course in 1959. But in my second year in 1960, we were told that they had not approved the three-year diploma course. And without a diploma, you cannot practise as a full-fledged chemist. So, I decided to leave the school at the end of 1960.”

    Left with nothing to do, he headed for Lagos, where he was visiting for the first time. “Though I was 23 years old at the time, I was crossing the River Niger for the first time in my life.”

    In Lagos, he joined the employ of the old Barclays Bank, where he had a brief stint before heading for the UK. “When I got to the UK, I went to a technical college to do my A-levels, after which I went to the university to study pharmacy.”

    On the completion of his study, he did his internship and worked briefly in the UK before he was employed by the United African Company (UAC) and posted back to Nigeria. “I was employed by the UAC and sent to work at Kingsway in Nigeria in 1968. If you remember well, that was during the civil war. But I was posted to Benin to relieve the manager there.”

    But the heat of the war would not allow him to stay in Benin, which at the time was the centre of the war. He moved to Lagos and joined a pharmaceutical company, Welcome Lepetit. But after a three-year stint, he moved on again and joined another company, Sandoz, where he worked till 1977 when he left to establish his own outfit.

    “I left Sandoz in 1977 to establish Bond Chemist. I was into what you call community pharmacy before I decided to go into something more difficult. In 1986, I opened the Bond Chemicals and the official opening of the office was done by the then governor of Oyo State, Maj. General Adetunji Olurin.”

    While it was a dream come true for him to establish such a company in his rural hometown, some people saw the decision as one that was not well-thought through. “After we opened the office, newspapers were awash with stories of how wrong it was to take a scientific company to Awe. And when the heat was getting too much, I had to react. If you look at it economically, it is madness. Lagos is where you get the raw materials, which we took to Awe and later brought the finished product back to Lagos.

    “But, how do you quantify sentiment? How much is sentiment worth? That is my village and I have a sentimental attachment to my village. Even to get the staff and take them there was tough. But the only thing that was cheap for us was the land. But it remains my village. In retrospect, I have no regret about taking Bond Chemicals to my hometown.”

    30 years after, Chief Omotosho feels happy that he has created something that creates jobs for several families. But despite his sense of fulfillment, he wished that the retail chemist, with which he started business, was still in operation.

    “Believe me, sentimentally, I wished the retail chemist, which of course gave birth to this company, is still in operation.”

    Born in Kano to parents from Awe, Oyo State, young Omotosho grew up living with guardians, a situation which denied him the opportunity of being pampered by his parents.

    “I could not have been pampered because I stayed with guardians most times because of my school. My father was a driver with the UAC. He later became a transporter and moved to Maiduguri. But he didn’t get any good school there, so I was sent to Jos to go to the Baptist Day School. It was from there that I went to Keffi Government College.”

    A product of a polygamous home himself, Chief Omotosho doubts if he would be able to handle two women at the same time.

    “I love polygamous home, but I haven’t the strength to handle it. I am like butter, if I bring two women into the house at the same time, I would melt. I have friends with more than one wife, but I am not sure that I can handle more than one wife.”

    As he approaches his 80th birthday, Chief Omotosho is happy that he made a decision to slow down on active work by handing over the reign of his business empire to his son. That decision, he said, took away truck-loads of weight off his shoulders.  “I am happy that I handed over the business to my son. And to see him doing well on the business tells me that my decision was the right one.”

    Though he looks fit, Omotosho does not have a particular fitness regime, despite building an all-purpose gym in his home in Awe. “I love sports, but I don’t do sports,” he said with a tinge of nostalgia in his eyes. “Back at school, I was the football captain. When I was in Zaria, I played football for the Northern Nigeria. And when I was in Bradford, I played football for the School of Pharmacy. I also played lawn tennis in school. But to show that I love sports, I am a member of a couple of golf clubs. After I retired, I put in place a complete gym.

    “I don’t have any particular fashion style; I just wear what catches my fancy. For cap, I have about three boxes filled caps, so I simply open and take one”.

  • APC : Journey so far

    APC : Journey so far

    SIR: Clobbered by the current rise in stagflation in the economy, the political scenery in Nigeria is that of vocal fisticuffs and forked opinions.  On the one hand are the ‘Buharists’ who believe it is wrong for anybody to criticize President Muhammadu Buhari because he is never wrong and will never go wrong; on the other hand, the ‘Jonathanians’ with their tongues out saying “we told you this change means chains” and have described the government’s promise of change as mere tokenism.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to mention Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 16 years of ‘failure’ as the reason for Nigeria’s free fall in stagflation.

    This strategy may have run its course as currently, things have not been sitting well with the masses. Whenever the party political spokesmen, both paid and unpaid, come out with reassurance or excuses, Nigerians experiencing hardship and deterioration in their standard of living see nothing but a meticulously constructed plan for intimidation so that the lamentation of millions who have voted to oust the ‘Jonathan-led’ PDP can be timidly overlooked.

    As a result, critics have never stopped howling back that ‘it is now 11 months into the new government, elections are over hence assiduous governance that would affect the common man should commence!’

    Is the President ‘Buhari-led’ APC government living up to expectation in some areas of its campaign promises? In the fight against corruption and insurgency, yes. However, they still have a long way to go in their economic reconstruction mission.

    Contrary to current reasoning makingrounds on the streets, Nigerians did no wrong in voting for a change in government.  In fact, the world would have laughed at us if we had failed to go for an alternative regime considering the social disenchantment that trailed the ‘Jonathan led’ PDP.

    Despite judicial corruption and professional misconducts on the part of senior lawyers involved in the prosecution of corruption cases, the ongoing war against corruption, in my opinion, is effective.

    A civil change of attitude towards corruption is fast permeating the system since the yam festival started experiencing shakeout.  What we the citizens owe any government that is fighting corruption on the scale as seen in Nigeria today is support that will avail the tiers of government an affable atmosphere to work towards national development.

    All APC needs to do is find a way to pacify Nigerians and confess to them that they have no quick fix foreconomic reconstruction and there is no such thing as quick fix.  They have to also learn to live with the fact that the masses are having a hard time moderating their promise of change with the reality of hardship they are confronted with.

     

    • David Dimas,

    Maryland, U.S.A. 

  • Lagos to Kano by night: journey through fear and cacophony

    Lagos to Kano by night: journey through fear and cacophony

    Udemma Chukwuma who recently returned from a trip to the ancient city of Kano via night bus shares her story.

    It is usually exciting travelling to a new destination. Several things come to mind, chief of which is to have a safe trip to and fro. But for anyone traveling to Kano for the first time, fear is also inevitable, considering the spate of bombing in the state by the insurgent Boko Haram sect.

    This reporter was welcomed to The Young Shall Grow Bus Park at Oyingbo, Lagos this sunny February afternoon by smell of urine and diesel. Obviously, passengers and staff of the bus company had been relieving themselves with reckless abandon. A ticket for the trip from Lagos to Kano went for N5,100. At the passenger’s log, several other passengers were waiting for the night journey to begin. By 2 pm Passengers were urged to enter the bus. Arguments started in the processes, when some passengers were asked to pay N3,000 for their luggage.

    The bus which was occupied mostly by Igbo business men and Yoruba women left Lagos by 3 pm. Most of the seats were empty when the bus hit the road; traffic was light and before one could sit back and begin to relax and enjoy the trip, a preacher began delivering a sermon, which lasted for almost two hours. Towards the end, he shared some brown envelops, purportedly for offering from the passengers. In a manner that smacked of rudeness, he tossed the envelops at those who wouldn’t stretch their hands to collect.

    But as he alighted after collecting the ‘loot’, a salesman who could be in his 50s began advertising all manner of items, including drugs and toothbrushes. As if bent on making sure the passengers didn’t have any quiet time, he continued until the bus arrived Ibadan around by 5 pm.

    Passengers were waiting to occupy the empty seats when the bus arrived the Young Shall Grow Ibadan Park. It took an hour for them to arrange their things and settle down, but it was with dismay that this reporter and other passengers discovered, as the bus took off, that there were more passengers on board than available seats, creating a crowded, rowdy and inconvenient atmosphere. People were standing in the bus, while others were sitting on the floor. They called it ‘attachment,’ although a message, “Attachment is not allowed” was boldly written on the wall at the bus company’s Lagos office. The bus also literally assumed a market cacophony, with arguments and noise of sellers renting the air. From that moment, you could imagine what the rest of the journey held in store.

    It was therefore more shocking to this reporter and other passengers, when the bus arrived Okene in Kogi State in the dead of the night and more ‘attachment’ passengers were taken in. At this point, a lot of the passengers began to murmur in fear and protest. “No go carry armed robbers o!”Someone warned. But the driver ignored the warning and picked as many as he could.

    Notably, this was not surprising to the businessmen on the bus; to them it was a usual scenario and one which they were used to.

    Despite the uncomfortable condition, some passengers still managed to sleep and snore away. A passenger in his frustration announced that he would report the bus driver and conductor to the bus’ management, but another told him not border as the management was aware and nothing would be done about it.

    By this time, the journey had become like what the late Fela Kuti described as “suffering and smiling.” But those who ply the route regularly said the Young Shall Grow buses are actually better, compared to other transport companies that ply the same route. They said other buses are worse than the notorious Lagos Molue, as the attachment passengers they pick along the way leave no room for the legitimate passengers to even stretch their legs.

    Robbery alert

    We got to a road diversion linking Okegi and Kaduna and saw cars, buses and lorries parked by the roadside; and as we approached a U-turn, some men on foot warned drivers not to go further because robbers were operating up-front. On hearing this, most of the passengers became apprehensive. Sleep disappeared from the eyes of those who had been sleeping or falling asleep, while a good number got on their feet and began peering through the windows.

    But to the chagrin of all, the driver threw cautions to the wind and continued on the journey. This was around 4am and if a pin was dropped at that moment, the sound would have reverberated in the farthest corner of the bus. When the driver stepped on the brake, not a few hearts skipped. Someone said “he has them;” everybody looked out of the window but no gunshot was heard. We realised the driver was only changing lane, but the fear was palpable. A young Igbo man narrated his encounter with robbers on the same road some years back, of how two men along with a lady who resisted rape were killed.

    Thankfully, the bus got to Kaduna Park around 6 am without any incident. Kaduna bound passengers alighted with huge sighs of relief. The bus spent about thirty minutes at the park and by the time we moved, the sun had begun to emerge gradually from behind the clouds.  The hamarttan weather was still very much around. People bought bread and water for a quick breakfast and the bus hit the road.

    As we manoeuvred through Zaria, a breath-taking landscape unveiled in the morning sun; everyone had forgotten the fear of the night and the joy of safe arrival lingered visibly amongst the remaining passengers.

    Entering Kano, a state created in 1997, the environment was welcoming. A wide range of bill boards with various inscriptions stared at us. A beautiful city adorned with street light poles, magnificent structures and good road network unfolded before our eyes, showing the level of infrastructural development in that part of the city. Nonetheless, child beggars from nowhere ran after our bus, obviously for tokens. The story of almajiris suddenly came to my mind. Are these the famed almajiris?

    Many of the shops were under lock. This is understandably so, as the state had been severely hit by insurgence attacks very recently. The bus made its way into the New Road car park in Sabongeri on Friday morning. The park was littered with nylon and heaps of rubbish. In the park, there were food canteens and beer parlours owned mostly by Igbo women, with imposing inscriptions such as “Mama G is Back, IZUGOD AHEAD HERBAL MIXTURE, YORI YORI IS BACK, AKWA IBOM 1 COOL SPOT, MADA WINNER etc.” This for one gave credence to the ‘One Nigeria’ slogan of the government and the fact that Nigerian could live and do business in any part of the country.

    This was mid February and the harmattan wind persisted with dust, mixed with the dry wind creating a hazy atmosphere and embracing the new arrivals and people on the streets. Tricycles, known popularly as Keke NAPEP appeared everywhere, showing that it is one of the popular means of transport in the state. From the look of things, they are also very affordable too, as people from all classes hopped on them. However, more rubbish welcomed this reporter, as there seemed to be litters and heaps of rubbish on most of the streets.

    Some of the restaurants were owned by the Yorubas. A plate of food with a piece of meat sold for N250 and N300 for two pieces. Outside the park a plate of food went for N500. On the Yoruba Street, you get a plate of amala and other Yoruba foods at N400.

    I checked into my hotel room, a modest lodge somewhere in the heart of the town and spent the rest of the day indoors. I knew nobody in the city and had no intention of exploring it all alone. Besides, the danger of unexpected bombings also lingered and I wasn’t prepared to take any risks.  Besides, a good rest would get me ready and fresh for the event of the following day, the reason for the trip. I was in Kano for the 40th year commemorative celebration and book launch in honour of late hero General and former Head of State, Murtala Ramat Muhammed, billed for the beautiful Coronation Hall of the State Government House. The well-applauded histro-biography was written by Taiwo Ogundipe, my former boss and associate editor at The Nation Newspapers.

    A visit to Sabongeri Market

    I visited the popular Sabongeri market on Sunday before heading back to the park en route Lagos. Most of the shops were locked and those open were well decorated with goods. As we boarded the bus at the park, yellow plastic chairs were arranged on the isle and ‘attachment’ passengers were filled in as usual. One good thing though, the journey back to Lagos was better. Thankfully, the bus arrived Lagos safely by 9 am.

    Professor Hafiz Abubakar, the Deputy Governor of Kano State was among the dignitaries at the event. The guest speaker was the legendary orator and Dan Masanin Kano, Alhaji Maitama Sule, who celebrated the virtues of the late Muhammed, whom he said he knew very closely.

    Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Alhaji Bashir Wali, who is a former Justice of the Supreme Court, also came with other members of the Murtala Muhammed family. Same for a representative of His majesty, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II CON, along with a retinue of high profile members of the Emirate Council.