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Tag: leadership

Ecobank chief says lender on path to leadership

The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie has said the lenders is on the path of attaining market leadership.

According to him, “with our bank wide transformation efforts especially electronic payment solutions and strategy designed to boost long-term productivity of our core businesses, we are confident these efforts will position us for strong growth over the next years.

It would be recalled that Ecobank Nigeria recently launched Mobile App and Masterpass QR. The Ecobank Mobile App uniquely leverages the power of digital to deliver real convenience to customers. It gives Ecobank the scale and capacity to achieve its 100 million customer ambition in a profitable and sustainable way.

With a mere click or two on the Ecobank Mobile App, customers can open a new digital account with no paper references. Ecobank is also the first bank to issue Masterpass QR in Nigeria, which reaffirms its undisputed pioneer position in bringing convenient international digital payments products to delight its customers as the bank is also the first to issue International MasterCard payment cards in Nigeria.

Ecobank Masterpass QR, makes electronic payments safe, simple and smart. It improves customer experience with a clean front-end design and a built-in sophisticated and secure supporting technology. Payments are made by customers scanning a Quick Response code displayed at checkouts on their smartphones, or by entering a merchant identifier into their feature phones.

Addressing members of the public during market storm in different parts of Lagos recently, Head, Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Nigeria, Tunde Kuponiyi, said the sensitization exercise which was held in different parts of the country, is to create awareness amongst members of the public on the benefits inherent in the global digital payment platform, stressing that, the technology makes electronic payments safe, simple and smart.

According to him, the new digital platform is also in line with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s cashless policy and financial inclusion goals, adding that, with it would attract the unbanked to the financial landscape.

“I am impressed with the level of acceptance of this digital payment system since it was launched in October. Merchants in different parts of the country have already started using it. This product will bring more people to the banking system and also revolutionize the nation’s economy within the shortest possible time,” he said.

Kuponyi further explained that customers will also be able to pay for goods and services using Ecobank Masterpass QR thereby reducing the need to carry cash or bank cards, noting that, the Bank will use its unrivalled network to give customers access to more choice with a larger range of products and services than any other bank across Africa.

January 6, 2017
Why NLC leadership crises persist

For many workers, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) remains an avenue for achieving a decent wage and ensure that their welfare is not undermined by their employers. However, after its National Delegates Conference in March 2015, a major crack emerged in the leadership of the Congress. This has led to the emergence of a new Labour Centre. In this Interview with TONY AKOWE, NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba speaks on the new centre and what it portends for the labour movement in the country, demand for a new minimum wage for workers, among other issues.

A new Labour Centre has been launched. What is its implication to organised labour, particularly the NLC?

Let me assure you that we will do everything possible to preserve the unity of the labour movement, not only with them, but also with our colleagues in the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Essentially, we have done everything possible to try and ensure that the issue of reconciliation after the 2015 conference is addressed. You are also aware that our veterans have put in their best, especially the founding President, Comrade Hassan Summonu. But it is unfortunate when people try to occupy positions at all cost. You are also aware that at a time, they declared themselves President and Deputy President, particularly the gladiators in this whole thing, Joe Ajaero and Igwe Achese. The facts are quite obvious because you all participated in the conference. This is a conference that was adjudged free, fair and credible by all organisations, including the International Labour Organisation ( ILO), the Federal Ministry of Labour and the International Trade Union Confederation, which actually participated in the process. With all these, it is very obvious that people just want to insist that they must occupy positions at all cost. The joy we have is that we are connected with our people because the formation of a centre is something that has to do with the rank and file. The strength of every centre is in the rank and file and it is very clear and you have seen how we have been able to engage issues in the states, even in their states. The joy we have is that we are connected with the people and we will do everything to address the issue, but that will not deter us because it is about the people. The process of forming a labour centre entails that all the components will have to go to their delegates conference to get mandate and we are all aware that that mandate has not been obtained by any of them. But that is not to say that it is not an issue. Of course, it is an issue and that is why I have issued a formal statement which captured all the approach to be taken.

There are claims of about 28 affiliates. Could these be from those we know with the NLC or other unions? Also, does the law allow the formation of another labour centre?

Those are issues we will take up. But I think this is part of the misinformation because if you have this number, you ought to have listed them so that people can interrogate all of them. But this is not the issue we are approaching now. We are approaching it from the perspective that it is an issue and we are going to respond to it through our organs. You, as journalists, are supposed to interrogate these issues because if I tell you that I have 10 children, you will ask me what is their names. Different interest groups have quoted different figures and if you remember, through out the period of the challenge, a lot of figures have been quoted at different times and this is part of it.

We will not dissipate energy to try to look at the number and the people. But if you look at the figures, they quoted some from TUC and some from NLC, but the list has jot been made very clear. The issue however is that we are committed to defending the interest of the workers. In their communique, the raised the issue of the challenge of payment of salaries and I don’t know what engagement they have done in respect of that. Even where we went to organise joint approaches to respond to those issues, even in their own states, they went under.

That is to tell you that it is the unity of the movement that can salvage some of those issues. We are committed to that, but the list of those union has not been listed. But I am aware that the issue of registration of trade unions has become a matter of cash and carry. When you pay money people try to register you overnight. We are going to interrogate the law, get the details and make sure that where the laws are not respected, we respond to them effectively. But we will follow all due processes to ensure that the unity is restored.

Do you agree that the reconciliation process has not yielded any result?

I will not agree with you because in a process of reconciliation, the two groups must be really committed. If you remember, the process of reconciliation has been on and when we held the lady meeting in March, everything was agreed upon, including the fact that only one leadership of the NLC is recognised and that the conference that brought us in is sacrosanct. Hassan Summonu has spoken on this and to our dismay, they issued a letter trying to castigate him. What I am saying is that right from the beginning, you can see that people were not actually committed to the process of reconciliation. But our elders have been committed and we have been committed. But that does not mean that the process of reconciliation has no meaning. Essentially, whatever challenges that occurred in organisations can best be resolved through reconciliation or through a round table. We have remain committed to that and we have played our role effectively. But it takes two to tangle for those issues to be resolved.

Both parties in this dispute pledged their commitment to the reconciliation, but nobody has said what the grey areas are and why what was agreed upon has not been implemented. What are their demands?

During the reconciliation meetings, we agreed that the my leadership of the NLC is recognised by all. We also agreed that in the course of the lifespan of this administration, if there is any vacancy that arose either from retirement or any other course, those position will be filled by NEC and they will be given consideration. All the details in that agreement will be driven by the National Executive Council and that we should have a joint May Day.This was signed by all parties. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole signed the document, I signed it, Ajaero signed it and Hassan Summonu also signed it. That is why I keep saying that we have remained very consistent and committed.

What role for Ministry of Labour and Employment in all these, especially the Trade Union Department?

The information at our disposal is still very sketchy because we don’t know their roles. As you are aware, all these things require processes. If you are forming a union, it is also required that you put an advertorial where all parties that need to respond can do so especially where it has to do with law and where members interest must be carried along. Those members must be able to interrogate the process and raise objection or agreement where they exist. I am not sure all of these have taken places because if it had taken place, you would have followed the process. We will try to follow all the details, including getting our members who are affiliate of any union that has been so mentioned to actually follow up the process. As I said earlier, in most of our constitutions, in joining a labour centre, you must go to your delegates conference to get mandate and we are all aware that none of them has gotten that mandate. Right now, it is merely about individuals trying to occupy positions at all cost after a very successful conference. Those are issues that we are very familiar with. Those are the issues and as members of the press, you can also interrogate the process, including the Federal Ministry of Labour who ought to have made the whole process very transparent and open if there is any process at all. So, these are the details we have for now and we will follow up these details and consult with our organs and when we do that, we can then give very credible information. For now, I want to assure you that we remain committed to the ideals of a united labour movement.

What is delaying committee work on minimum wage?

Let me make this point very clear. The issue of minimum wage remains very sacrosanct, the review is due and I have said we cannot guarantee industrial peace any longer if necessary steps are not taken by government to resolve this issue before the next May Day. We have sent formal notice of demand as required by law to the government to try and constitute the committee. As we speak, the Minimum Wage Committee has not been constituted. What we have in place is the committee working on the palliatives. I am aware that part of what they have considered is the structure of the minimum wage committee. But the committee to discuss and negotiate minimum wage has not been set up till date. So, we are mixing two issues. The committee set up to look into the palliatives is what we are all,referring to as minimum wage committee and I think that committee is about to round up whatever recommendations they have after which the joint committee of government and the two labour Centres will meet to loom at their recommendations. But essentially, the committee to dialogue and negotiate the minimum wage which is supposed to be tripartite has jot been set up. If it has been set up, you would have been aware of the membership and terms of reference as well as the timeline to dispose off this issue. It is a very sensitive issues because a lot of our members have been subjected to lots of difficulties because their purchasing power has been reduced to nothing because of inflation in the system as a result of the free fall of the naira. Mist workers cannot meet up with their daily needs and this has been compounded by the fact that cost of goods and services has gone up. Put side by side with the fight against corruption is that a worker has to be paid a decent wage for him to have a meaningful living. I want emphatically say that the committee has not been set up and so, when I hear that government will be increasing wages, I wonder from which perspective because usually, the issue of minimum wage is done through a tripartite arrangement of government, employers and organised labour. Once you don’t have the platform put the process in place, I don’t think you will be expecting results. This is the obvious fact at outrdisposal which we are working with and I think that those issues are very explicit and it is one issue that we are very passionate about. It is one process that we have continued to ask government to do everything possible to drive to a logical completion. What we are waiting for right now is the submission of the report of the palliative committee because the urgency which is required is also stated in that report and I am aware they have completed their assignments what remains is for them to adopt the report before bringing it before the attention of the house.

Many people feel the organised labour does not serve its purpose. The naira has been so devalued and labour has done nothing. Why?

If you look at our anti indents and the struggle we have led particularly on the right of workers and decent work, despite the challenges that tried to undermine our strength, you must commend us. You must understand how the minimum wage work. Labour will have to make a presentation which we have done in consultation with TUC. You are also aware that before this issue was included on the agenda of the palliative committee, it was because of the action that we did. You also realised that even with that, we have remained very consistent on the issue of the minimum wage. You must also understand that the issue of the minimum wage is an issue that has featured at every of our meeting prominently because you must follow the processes and the states. The stage we are is because if the fact that the palliatives committee need to conclude their assignment and then, we drive the process from there. I want to assure you that we remain very committed to that. But it is an issue that we all need to be on the same page.

Is it logical for labour to request for an increase in minimum wage at a time like this?

The issue of paucity of fund is an excuse that is worn out. The problem of Nigeria is not lack of money, but mismanagement which all of us have come to agree. If you look at the resources that accrue to Nigerian states for the past six or seven years, and we have not planned adequately to take care of the rainy days when the resources will dwindle, points to the fact that the developmental challenges of Nigeria is not about resources, but about mismanagement. Therefore, let us situate all of this in a proper context to understand them. If there is the will, there will be the way and you can also realise that even in the midle of recession in the United States (U.S,), they increase the minimum wage because of the fact that you need to empower the people to have the means to continue to purchase so that the process of manufacturing can continue. We have argued that point long before now and therefore, let us not be under any illusion that any government, at any point in time, will say we have enough. It is about demands and contestations as well as our priorities. Where do we situate our priorities? We still have states where bogus contracts are still being awarded even when they have no direct bearing on the lives of the citizens. Those are the arguments. So, let us not hide under any illusion to think that the situation will remain the way it is. Our prayer is that after this quarter, we should be able to get out of recession. We must be able to make progress and therefore, we must not, as citizens continue to hide under recession and put a lot of things in abeyance. We must, through a process of constructive approach, try to make sure that the economy gets started and part of it is to put money in the hands of citizens so that they will be able to have a meaningful life and economic activities can pick up. If you don’t have wealth distributed among citizens, then the situation will continue the way it is and we will continue to lament. That is not our approach. Our approach is, how do we even kick start the economy. You do that by having money in the hands of the people where businesses and manufacturing can take place.

January 6, 2017
NGO trains students on leadership

A NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisation (NGO), Rise Networks, in collaboration with the Ford Foundation has trained 20 students on leadership and politics. The week-long training was held at Definite Destiny Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.

Participants were selected from the Lagos State University (LASU), Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY), Federal Polytechnic, Oko (OKO POLY), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Kaduna State University (KADSU), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and University of Benin (UNIBEN), among others.

The group’s Programme Coordinator, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said the training was informed by the need to motivate the youth to be patriotic, productive and responsible.

She said: “Rise Networks is well known for its campaigns to engender patriotism. This partnership reflects our belief in the potential of the youth to soar and excel in their chosen fields when given the opportunity. This informs this training here today.

“The participants are potential entrepreneurs, business leaders and the hope for a better tomorrow. We believe if future leaders must be ready to lead the country, there is need to equip them with good traits and values to prepare them for the task.”

A participant from UNILORIN, Lukman Shobowale, said the training changed his views about leadership, stating that saying he learnt how the nation’s diversity could be explored to promote development.

He said: “We came from different parts of the country to discuss how we can turn our challenges to success story. I have changed views about politics and leadership. I believe we can achieve development despite our diversity in culture and language.”

Another participant from UNILAG, Etinosa Osaro, said: “I have become a new human being after undergoing the training. I used to have rigid opinion about leadership, but now, I have become a leader who will use knowledge to change my country. I appreciate Rise Networks for this opportunity.”

Regina Umeh, a participant from LASU, said: “I learnt the rudiments of good governance and leadership. A good leader must always consider his people in decision making. A leader must never be biased in making decisions that will benefit his people.”

December 29, 2016
New leadership ends Aba police community committee feud

It was set up to foster police-community peace, among other things, but for three years the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Aba, Abia State could not find peace within its own fold. Factions led by rival claimants fought one another, distracting the body from its statutory duties.

Happily, the feud has ended as a new leadership inaugurated by the state Commissioner of Police, Adeleye Oyebade.

The chairman of the Aba Area Command of PCRC is Ide John Udeagbala while the Public Relations Officer is Ikechukwu Agu

Mr Oyebade and the Aba Area Commander ACP Peter Wagbara played a key role in bringing the PCRC feud to an end by ensuring that an election was held and new leaders chosen for the organisation.

Abia traditional rulers, the media and other stakeholders in Aba witnessed the inauguration.

In a paper titled “Endearing security through sustainable community policing” which was delivered at the event, Chief James U. Odocha called for the collaboration of members of the public, other community stakeholders and the police and security agencies in order to promote peace and harmony in the state.

Odocha listed perversion of justice, institutional constraints and lack of trust as some of the challenges before community policing.

The speaker, who blamed parents for not spending enough time with their children, said that crime fighting should not only be left in the hands of police and security agencies alone.

The state police chief said the command through community policing has recorded a lot of successes including the arrest of criminals, recovery of stolen vehicles and release of kidnapped victims, among others.

Oyebade called for continued cooperation from members of the public, reiterating the resolve of the command to make the state uncomfortable for criminals. He urged members of the public not to relent in their resolve in providing the police with useful information about the activities of criminal elements within their neighbourhood.

The Aba Area Commander said he was happy that the PCRC members have got an executive that would pilot the affairs of the group which he said would make his job easier by helping the Aba Area Command in promoting peace in their neighbourhood.

Wagbara said that his command would give the necessary support to the newly inaugurated executive members of the group to perform optimally.

The new chairman Udeagbala and PRO Agu said that they were happy over the inauguration and the return of peace to the group.

They promised to work closely with the leadership of police in Aba Area Command and the state to ensure that there was peace in the state.

December 9, 2016
Leadership retreat for students

African Liberty Organization for Development (ALOD) in collaboration with Language of Liberty Institute and a Ghanaian think-tank, IMANI, has called for application from pro-liberty students across tertiary institutions in West Africa to participate in a leadership retreat aimed at enhancing students’ leadership capacities.

The event with the theme: Forging new strategies for sound and inclusive policies in Africa, will hold on Saturday and Sunday in the Conference Room of the Office of Civic Engagement, Lagos State government Secretariat in Alausa.

ALOD Executive Director, Adedayo Thomas, said selected participants’ logistics, including feeding, transportation and accommodation would be borne by the organisers.

Prospective participants are expected to write essay of not more than 300 words, stating their activities and contributions to the promotion of idea of libertarianism in their institutions. Facilitators are drawn from various countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and United States (U.S.).

December 8, 2016
Mosque leadership & management

The title of today’s article in this column is not the coinage of yours sincerely. It is rather an adaptation of the title of a book recently published by the University of Lagos. The book was jointly written by some Muslim scholars and edited by Professor M. A. Bidmos (the Chief Imam of the University of Lagos Mosque) and Dr. I. A. Musa. Both editors are renowned scholars and contributing experts to the contents of the book.

What actually motivated the writing of the book is the concern in many quarters about the methodology of managing the Mosque especially by Nigerian Imams and the effect of such methodology on the contemporary Muslim congregations. In its determination to put round pegs in right holes the University of Lagos decided to establish a special course through which prospective Imams could be properly trained on leadership and management of the Mosque. It is the very first of its type in Nigeria.

Definition of Mosque

The word Mosque is the corrupt English pronunciation of the Arabic word ‘MASJID’ (otherwise called ‘MASGID’ in Egyptian dialect) which literarily means a place of prostration. Contrary to the general misconception here in Nigeria, Mosque is not meant for SALAT alone. Therefore leading Salat alone does not really make a Muslim an Imam. Any Muslim who can recite Suratul Fatihah and some other Surahs or Verses very well can lead Salat. The Mosque, on the other hand, serves many purposes each of which has a fundamental significance. For instance the very first Mosque established by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Madinah was a multipurpose one. That Mosque named the ‘Mosque of Qubah’ did not serve as a place of worship alone. It also served as a school, a library, a bank, a clinic, a court of law and even a parliament for the Muslim community. Whoever will manage such a vital institution, therefore, must be adequately trained for it.

Mosque as a source of

knowledge and civilisation

The very first University in the world, (University of Cordoba), established in the 8th century CE by the Muslims in Spain, started as a Mosque. And, it will be recalled that even the three oldest Universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia, (each of which is well over 1000 years old) started as Mosques. Thus, it becomes clear that one cannot seriously talk about human civilization without a fundamental reference to the Mosque as well as the Imams who happen to be its managers. Actually, nothing is called Mosque in the absence of Muslim congregations and their Imams.

The Mosque and the Imam

Mosque and Imam are like the message and the messenger. There can hardly be any access to one without going through the other. And if the one is afflicted by any disenchantment the other will surely feel the pain. In Islamic doctrine, the functions of a Mosque are both spiritual and temporal. For Muslims, none of these can be taken for granted or handled with levity.

Imamate by Scholarship

When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) described learned scholars as the heirs to the Prophets he was referring to Imams. This is because no genuine Muslim can statutorily be an Imam without first being a learned scholar. However, there is a sharp difference between a scholar and a learned scholar. The one can be self-arrogated. The other is intellectually evident.

Becoming an Imam, if due process is followed, is like becoming a judge after a period of certified experience acquired subsequent to graduating from the Law School. It is not enough to graduate from a Qur’anic school and teach in a Madrasah for a few years to be qualified as Imam. Neither should attainment of Imamate be by heritage through a consanguine lineage. Lawyers do attend the Law School after graduating from the Universities and even practise in law chambers for a number of years before they become qualified for appointment as judges.

Doctors undergo Houseman-ship after their graduation from medical colleges before they are formally admitted into the medical Profession. Other professionals also undergo practical industrial training in their respective fields of discipline before they can be qualified as practising professionals. Now, apart from graduating from Madrasah, where do our Imams undergo training to be statutorily qualified as Imams? This question indicates that a glaring vacuum exists in the methodology of Mosque management which Nigerian Muslim Ummah is yet to fill.

Problem of Appointing Imams

One of the first problems arising from appointing Imams in Nigeria is lack of leadership training. People are made Imam or assume the office of Imam only on the basis of what they learned from the Qur’anic schools. Besides the preliminary general Islamic knowledge which most Muslim clerics often claim to have acquired what else can be said to make a Muslim an Imam? In reality, the aspect of dealing with the complexity of human nature and the competent management of that aspect is the quality that is supposed to make a person an Imam. But incidentally, that is the real aspect that is missing in Nigerian Mosques today.

Even after coming into office as Imam, no special training is ever organized to enable the Imam know the enormity of his duty and map out the strategy with which to handle it. It is a well known fact that no written documents are ever handed over to the new Imam to show where the last Imam stopped and where the new one should commence from. In other words, no records of activities or achievements are available in our Mosques except by oral transmission. How can there be progress?

The need for training

Whereas the intellectual sophistication of Imamate is such that requires periodic workshops, seminars, conferences and trainings, none of these is ever arranged to update our Imams and improve their quality. Thus, our Imams remain ignorantly static in the belief that they have reached the peak of Islamic knowledge having become Imams. This is not the case with the Christian counterparts who as a matter of obligation must undergo tutelage in Christian doctrines and Church management at specialized seminaries before becoming qualified as Pastors or Bishops. In the case of Imams, there is no such training and thus, imamate is seen as a meal ticket which provides the Imam an opportunity to cheapen the title and abuse the office. Perhaps that is why most Nigerian Imams shun self esteem as they struggle for crumbs under the tables of moneybags in the society. With such a degrading status, how can the leadership of an Imam be respected and his supposed guidance be followed?

The Prophet’s recommendation

Whereas Prophet Muhammad’s recommendation for Imamate is that one should only become an Imam when legitimately chosen and appointed as such, based on intellectual capability and exemplary mannerism, the situation in Nigeria today is the direct opposite of that recommendation. In the cause of appointing an Imam, factions of Muslim groups often gang up against one another just as families pick quarrels and hostilities against families having turned Imamate into an inheritable title within a clan. Yet, the claim is that they want to serve Allah. Must Allah be served desperately with ignorance and degradation?

Implications of Imamate

If those fighting to become Imams knew the implication of serving in that office and reporting back to Allah in the Hereafter, they would never have presented themselves for the post. An Imam is the spiritual guarantor of his congregation. He takes responsibility for any spiritual misdemeanour of that congregation before Allah.

But like any other Nigerian public office, Imamate has been so grossly commercialized that the process of putting people in that office has been seriously corrupted. That is why most of our Imams are half-baked intellectually and even bankrupt morally.

Though, the Prophet’s recommendation is for dedicated Muslims to compete for the office of the Muadhdhin (one who calls people to Salat and practically manages the Mosque), Nigerian Muslims prefer to slog it out with one another over the office of Imam just because of the pecuniary benefit accruing from that office.

The objective of the training course

It is in order to correct the anomaly in appointing Imams in Nigerian Mosques and to forestall the entailed danger embedded in that anomaly that the authorities of UNILAG came up with the idea of a training course for Nigerian Imams and invited experts to write the concise book entitled ‘MOSQUE LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT’ for the course. The book is both a curriculum for the training and a compendium of factors of knowledge and dignity in leadership and management.

The Book

The 165 page book consists of eight parts with each part classified into chapters. There are 21 chapters in all. Every Part in the book serves is a reference point for the tutorials to be provided in the classrooms at the end of which each enrolled Imam will be awarded a Diploma Certificate if successful. The eight parts are as follows:

Part One: Imams and Imamate Responsibilities. Under this part are chapters such as: An Imam and Self Esteem; Qualifications and Qualities of an Imam; The Duties of Imam in the Light of ‘Maqasid Al-Sharia’ah. Under this part are chapters like:

Part Two: Arabic Grammar for Khutbah Writing and Delivery. Under this Part are chapters like: The Importance of Arabic to Imam; Essential Nahw Concepts in Khutbah Writing and Delivery.

Part Three: Noon of Islam. Under this part are the following chapters: An Overview of Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates; Appraising the Golden and Silver periods of Abbasid Era; Towards Restoration of Spirituality and Morality of Education.

Part Four: Qur’an and Hadith Texts. Under this parts are the following chapters to be found: Ethics and Mechanism of flawless Reading of the Qur’an; Selections from the Sihahus-Sittah and other Collections of Hadith on Imamate.

Part Five: Communication Skills in English. Under this part are chapters such as: Nature and Relationship between Language and Literature; Time and Tense in English; Essentials of Public Speaking; Guidelines for Essay Writing.

Part Six: Approaches and Ethics of Da’wah. Under this Part are the following chapters: Approaches to Islamic Propagation; Conditions and Ethics of Da’wah Practice.

Part Seven: Conducting Tafsir. Under this Part are chapters like: Qualities of the Mufassir and Types of Tafsir; Model Tafsir.

Part Eight: Conducting Islamic Ceremonies. Under this part are to chapters such as: Overview and Methods of Conducting Nikah, ‘Aqiqah & Janazah Ceremonies to be found.

It is necessary to hint here that getting a copy of the book and reading it inside out does not make a Muslim cleric a qualified Imam. There is much more to learn in the classroom than the book contains. The hood does not make the Monk. There is no short cut to knowledge.

About the course

For the first time in Nigeria, a University course for training Muslim clerics in the art of leadership and management of the Mosque debut at the University of Lagos. The course which is designed for a period of six months and hold every Saturday within the period commenced sometime in 2015. It is strictly meant for graduates of Higher Madrasah who possess at least Thanawiyyah/Senior Secondary School Certificates as well as University graduates who aspire to become qualified Imams. The cost of the course is N120000 and the cover price of the book is N1000. This course is a great opportunity for serious Muslim Organizations with Mosques to train their Imams or prospective Imams.

The resource persons

Most of the resource persons for this programme who are also co-authors of the book in question are not just renowned scholars they are also men of dignity and impeccable character. They are as follows:

Professor M. A. Bidmos (Coordinator); Professor T. G. O. Gbadamosi; Alhaji M. O.Junaid; Dr. I. A. Musa; Dr. Nurain Alimi; Dr. Tajudeen Yusuf; Dr. Abdul Hakeem Adekunle; Alhaji Bashir Abdur-Rahim; Imam Abdullah Akinbode and Imam Zakariya Muhmmad Thanni.

The first graduating set

The first set of aspiring qualified Imams enrolled for the course as pioneering students in 2015 and graduated on Saturday, October 22, 2016. They were 20 in number. Every participant in that set who graduated last October has now become a qualified Imam with high sense of pride.

Similitude of the Mosque

The similitude of the Mosque is like that of a beehive. It ventilates the activities of the Muslims to solve their spiritual and temporal problems through interactions with their fellow brothers and sisters and through the guidance of their Imams if such Imams are well educated and do not constitute liabilities to their congregations.

That our Mosques have not lived up to expectations in this sphere even in the 21st century is however, not the end of the story. Righting the wrong is one of the foremost characteristics of Islam. It is better to be late in doing the right thing than not to do the right thing at all. We can still start to put things right as from today by ventilating our Mosque atmospheres for social welfare; for education; for health care; for conflict resolution; for Zakah management; for spiritual guidance and counselling; for economic growth and skill building; as well as for information and publicity. It is only by doing these that our Imams and clerics can rightly claim to be engaged in sensible Da’awah.

Conclusion

As a Muslim community, we have lived with a system for hundreds of years without achieving the necessary objective of our religious mission. In the process, we have lost most of our best brains to the other side of the bridge. We cannot afford to surge ahead with an unprofitable venture at this twilight of the world. We must change the system! The Muslim Ummah must be made to see why they need the Mosque as much as why the Mosque needs them. Experimenting with a new system will not only put a stop to basking in the euphoria of the past, it will also engender a durable legacy for the current generation of Muslims. While congratulating the University of Lagos for this historic initiative ‘The Message’ column hereby implores all forward-looking Muslim Organizations in Nigeria to take advantage of this programme to lay a solid foundation for good management of the Mosque in Nigeria. Our Imams must meet the required standards by becoming qualified.

November 25, 2016
Youths undergo leadership, mentorship training

In a bid to help youths discover their potential, the Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) Foundation has organised a leadership and mentorship seminar for students of secondary schools.

Speaking at the event entitled “Be the Best” held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, the Guest Speaker, Joshua Ajitena, a United Kingdom-based Nigerian motivational speaker and the founder Genero Living, noted that Nigeria is approaching the peak of its creative edge. However, he noted that the youth who are the leaders of tomorrow, lack good platforms where these creativities and innovations would be adequately built and harnessed.

Speaking on qualities of champions, Ajitena said: “Champions are committed; they believe in themselves and they never give up. I enjoin young ones not to be lazy; for lazy people always give away the best in them.

“Know that nothing good comes easy. Develop the right work ethics, have the right mind-set and be ready to face challenges. Challenges are supposed to bring out the best in you.

“The young people are the answers to the Nigerian problem; we should sit with them, give them a voice and understand them. Only then can we compete favourably with the rest of Africa and the world.”

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Ms. Antonia Ally said the foundation is poised to help young people understand their type of leadership potential as well as develop their skills from a tender age.

“We are helping the young ones to develop their skills. We want to enlighten them about how to direct these skills into something that would help to make them great in life. We want to impart in them the characteristics that good leaders possess which would make our country greater if properly utilised,” she said.

The foundation has partnered with national and global organisations that share the same passion and drive in areas such as malaria, prostate cancer and youth empowerment. The focus around malaria is to help educate them on the possibilities of malaria eradication in Nigeria and assist in providing tools/resources that help to fight against and prevent malaria. The attention on prostate cancer is to raise awareness and aid in the provision of tools which would enable professionals to erase the stigma about the disease in Nigeria.

The foundation also empowers youths with leadership and mentorship programmes, developing various seminars and schemes aimed at providing them with support to push them closer to achieving greatness.

In a chat with Southwest Report, one of the participants, Debo Oluwadarasimi of St. Gregory’s College, Lagos said the programme was an eye opener, pledging to be more studious and to take care of his environment in a better way. Over 12 schools were represented at the event.

The foundation had carried some events in the past, some of which were with Dr Save a Life Foundation, Visit to Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, (The Home of the Founder) to hand out 1 million free malaria nets to the community, performed rapid malaria tests, distributed 1 million malaria prevention and treatment drugs to women and children and educateed them on how to use these kits. Visit to Arrow of God Orphanage to hang out back- to school materials for children.

November 23, 2016
New leadership, new vision at NDDC

With the appointment and inauguration of the chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and its Managing Director, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Obong Nsima Ekere, BISI OLANIYI writes that there is a new vista for the interventionist agency of the Federal Government to engender more development in the Niger Delta.

There is a change in leadership at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Consequent to the appointment of former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and ex-Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Nsima Ekere, as Chairman of the board of the NDDC and Managing Director of the interventionist agency respectively, the baton of leadership changed from its former Acting Managing Director and ex-Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari to the new team.

Mrs Semenitari was appointed on acting capacity on December 21, last year, by President Muhammadu Buhari to end the rot at the interventionist agency after the sack of the then Managing Director of NDDC, Bassey Dan-Abia from Akwa Ibom State.

Since his sack, there had been clamour by the people of Akwa Ibom State that one of their own should be appointed as the Managing Director of NDDC to complete the tenure of Dan-Abia.

In order to ensure justice, President Buhari, on July 21 this year, appointed Obong Nsima Ekere, a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State as the substantive Managing Director, while a former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), who is indigenous to Cross River State, was appointed as the Chairman of the board of the commission. They were inaugurated four months later, while the handover ceremony held in Port Harcourt on November 7.

The handover was carnival-like. Family members, relatives, friends, political associates and other well-wishers of the appointees in were in attendance. Crowd control by policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) was taxing.

At 10:00 in the morning, Semenitari, in company with some directors and other top officials of NDDC, stood at the main entrance of the corporate headquarters of the commission to welcome Ndoma-Egba and Ekere.

While speaking during the handover ceremony, Ndoma-Egba declared that Semenitari had a remarkable tenure in NDDC.

In her remarks, Semenitari praised President Buhari for giving her the privilege to serve her region and country, as well as appointing the crack team of tried, tested and distinguished gentlemen to constitute the board and management of NDDC.

She reiterated that the setting up of NDDC 16 years ago was in furtherance of the demands of the Niger Delta people for improved and accelerated development.

She said: “I was determined to make a difference. But by myself, it would have been impossible. So, urged on and supported by the management and staff of the commission, we began our journey to higher standards, higher goals, and better service delivery.

“When I assumed office the percentage of jobs completed in the commission as at December last year, hovered around 25 per cent. As at September 9, that figure had gone up to 41 per cent and as at today, we are in the 50 per cent range. That is a huge leap and one that I am delighted we were able to achieve. Working with our contractors, we were able to gradually reduce our debts.

“Today, NDDC jobs are no longer pariah, as banks and other lenders are willing to fund our projects. This is because we have been able to restore confidence in our creditors.”

Semenitari also stated that things were done differently and new ideas were tried, since her appointment. She called on the management, members of staff, contractors and other stakeholders to give unalloyed support to the new team, by eschewing bitterness, malice, gossip and rancour.

Semenitari also stated that things were done differently and new ideas were tried, since her appointment. She called on the management, members of staff, contractors and other stakeholders to give unalloyed support to the new team, by eschewing bitterness, malice, gossip and rancour.

In his address, the Managing Director of NDDC, Obong Ekere reiterated that members of the management and board of the interventionist agency were beginning their assignment at a critical time in the Niger Delta and Nigeria, especially dealing with reduced revenues resulting from the combined effects of decline in global oil prices and the crippling economic sabotage of Nigeria’s oil production activities.

He noted that NDDC needed to consider innovative and more efficient ways of doing things, find new partners to help execute the mandate for the Niger Delta region, strengthen existing relationships to ensure that all stakeholders were working towards common goals and promote the peace that was necessary for the development of the region.

Ekere further revealed that NDDC’s oversight responsibility derives from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and now with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, to impact the region effectively, while stressing that the commission is still under the Presidency.

Ekere said: “The governing board and management of NDDC are committed to fashioning a new path for the commission and it is not the well-worn path that leads to failure, but that one least travelled, which will make us trailblazers for the people of the region.

“To build a commission we must be proud of, that meets its statutory obligations and mandate, we must restructure the balance sheet, reform the governance protocols, restore our core mandate and re-affirm our collective commitment to doing what is right and proper, as a strategic roadmap for the path we must all walk.

“We must have to do things differently to improve the transparency of our processes, leverage technology to increase accountability and efficiency, consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the programmes that we design, to uplift the people and the region.

“This administration will work to enthrone a management vision that emphasises efficiency, transparency, effective deployment of resources, promotes due process and the quality implementation of projects and programmes.”

Ekere also stated that his focus would be on intervention programmes that would deliver real measurable developmental outcomes for the Niger Delta region and its citizens, stressing that every NDDC team member had a role to play in moving the commission and the Niger Delta forward through the right vision, hard work and determination.

Speaking at the event, the new chairman of NDDC, Ndoma-Egba, assured that management and the board of the commission would be on the same page, in the drive to change the song, the story and the narrative of NDDC and the Niger Delta region.

He stated that emphasis would be placed on transparency, accountability, rule of law and due process, even as he called for support of all the stakeholders.

Ndoma-Egba said: “The NDDC will be guided by the guiding principles of the President Buhari’s administration, which include transparency, accountability, rule of law and due process. Things will be done differently, because the circumstances have changed. The times are challenging and as the times are challenging, you must get innovative and you must cut excesses. “Our books must be cleaned up. Our projects must be audited. Our processes must be audited. Our personnel must be audited. Our finances must be audited, so that we are clean and efficient. We have only one challenge: to develop the Niger Delta region. We also need to engage the young men and women, by drawing up policies and programmes that teach people how to fish and not giving them fish.

“Out there, the image of the NDDC is that of contract-awarding outfit. The new board and management of NDDC will work with you (the workers) to effect that change. Embrace the new change agenda. In working together, I believe that we can change the story, the song and the narrative of the Niger Delta.”

Shortly after the handover, the Chairman of the Rivers State PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, stated that he was happy that the alleged misfortune of having Semenitari as the acting managing director of NDDC ended on November 7, with her handing over.

Obuah, in an online statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, claimed that the ex-Rivers Commissioner for Information was the worst ever, in NDDC’s history and she allegedly did nothing to the people of Rivers State.

He said: “Rather than improve on the legacies of the previous managing directors of NDDC, Mrs. Semenitari made politics the fulcrum of her administration and ran the affairs of the commission as an arm of the APC.

“Bereft of the requisite managerial skills and ignorant of the vision of the commission, Mrs. Semenitari thought the best she could do was to politicise the place (NDDC) and has unfortunately left the commission worse than she met it. There is nothing to show in the state that a Rivers indigene was there as managing director for the period she held sway at the commission.

“The new management of NDDC should tread with caution, scrutinise the handover notes of Mrs. Semenitari and chart a new course for the commission, with a view to pursuing the mandate and delivering the services for which the commission was established.

“We have no doubt that the end of Mrs. Semenitari’s leadership of the great commission marks the beginning of the pursuit of the vision and mission for which the commission was founded, which was distorted by Mrs. Semenitari and substituted for APC’s vindictive agenda.”

Obuah also stated that henceforth, NDDC would be run and managed as a public institution, charged with intervention in development programmes and not an extension of the APC.

While reacting through her Special Assistant, Media and Communication, Bekee Anyalewechi Semenitari, however, insisted that she delivered on her mandate to reposition NDDC, stressing that the latest attempt to rubbish her record of service was pre-determined, declaring that the campaigns would fail, since her record of service while at the commission was in the open.

She also revealed that Obuah’s cry was that of a man hunted by conscience, in view of his poorly-executed, multi-billion Naira students’ hostel project at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), a contract that was awarded to him by her predecessor, Bassey Dan-Abia of Akwa Ibom State.

November 18, 2016
Youths undergo leadership, mentorship training

In a bid to help youths discover their potential, the Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) Foundation has organised a leadership and mentorship seminar for students of secondary schools.

Speaking at the event entitled “Be the Best” held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, the Guest Speaker, Joshua Ajitena, a United Kingdom-based Nigerian motivational speaker and the founder Genero Living, noted that Nigeria is approaching the peak of its creative edge. However, he noted that the youth who are the leaders of tomorrow, lack good platforms where these creativities and innovations would be adequately built and harnessed.

Speaking on qualities of champions, Ajitena said: “Champions are committed; they believe in themselves and they never give up. I enjoin young ones not to be lazy; for lazy people always give away the best in them.

“Know that nothing good comes easy. Develop the right work ethics, have the right mind-set and be ready to face challenges. Challenges are supposed to bring out the best in you.

“The young people are the answers to the Nigerian problem; we should sit with them, give them a voice and understand them. Only then can we compete favourably with the rest of Africa and the world.”

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Ms. Antonia Ally said the foundation is poised to help young people understand their type of leadership potential as well as develop their skills from a tender age.

“We are helping the young ones to develop their skills. We want to enlighten them about how to direct these skills into something that would help to make them great in life. We want to impart in them the characteristics that good leaders possess which would make our country greater if properly utilised,” she said.

The foundation has partnered with national and global organisations that share the same passion and drive in areas such as malaria, prostate cancer and youth empowerment. The focus around malaria is to help educate them on the possibilities of malaria eradication in Nigeria and assist in providing tools/resources that help to fight against and prevent malaria. The attention on prostate cancer is to raise awareness and aid in the provision of tools which would enable professionals to erase the stigma about the disease in Nigeria.

The foundation also empowers youths with leadership and mentorship programmes, developing various seminars and schemes aimed at providing them with support to push them closer to achieving greatness.

In a chat with Southwest Report, one of the participants, Debo Oluwadarasimi of St. Gregory’s College, Lagos said the programme was an eye opener, pledging to be more studious and to take care of his environment in a better way. Over 12 schools were represented at the event.

The foundation had carried some events in the past, some of which were with Dr Save a Life Foundation, Visit to Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, (The Home of the Founder) to hand out 1 million free malaria nets to the community, performed rapid malaria tests, distributed 1 million malaria prevention and treatment drugs to women and children and educateed them on how to use these kits. Visit to Arrow of God Orphanage to hang out back- to school materials for children.

November 16, 2016
Ondo deserves better leadership, says Oke

Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate in the November 26 Ondo State governorship election Chief Olusola Oke, in this interview with DAMISI OJO, speaks on his plans, chances and preparaions for the poll.

What inspired you to join the Ondo State governorship race?

I contested in 2012 to be governor. There were good reasons for me to contest then. These reasons have only multiplied, they have increased, expanded and therefore, so long as those conditions are still prevailing and multiplying, I will be failing in my responsibilities not to come out at this time.

And what are these? Ondo State is a state generously loved by God.If we look at the resources available to us, we should be leading; a shining example to others in Nigeria.

Ondo state has the largest rich human resources, they are all there but we are not doing well.

A critical assessment of Ondo State today would show that the people of Ondo State are poor. They are not poor in their heads but in their pockets. And I have come to appreciate that over time that poverty of the pocket could also affect the poverty of the head.

If you traverse the entire landscape of Ondo State today; you cannot find one industry that is producing anything. The concomitant effect of that is that employment cannot be generated anywhere. Government has come to a standstill in terms of the employment of its citizens.

How would you tackle these problems if voted into office?

We need to diversify our economy to be able to get our citizens engaged.

I believe that given the opportunity to be the governor of Ondo State, I can start to re-direct the development of the state. And the starting point will be to examine what is on ground. I already have the database on what is on ground; how do we utilize what we have to solve the problems confronting us? Look at the various industries mid-wifed by the last regime which are in different and varying stages of completion that were abandoned. For whatever justification, I do not share the view that those resources should be allowed to waste away. If they are completed, not only would they add value of their own that can be disposed off at anytime for consideration, they will help in solving the problem of unemployment; they will help in creating wealth for our people; they will help in adding value to the communities where they are situated.

I believe further that anyone who must lead Ondo State at this crucial period must have the fear of God, must be one that is well known to the people and that knows the length and breadth of the state, and I fit into these descriptions.

That is why I cannot relent until we sing a new song in Ondo State; until we have a new lease of life; until we have a new sense of direction; that is only when I can say okay, let others run. For now, it is a man that fits my description that Ondo State needs.

What feedback have you been getting from the people?

The aggregate opinion of the people of Ondo State is that they want a change that will bring about creation of wealth.

The people want reduction in poverty level; they want job opportunities; they want infrastructural decay to be addressed. They want our schools to wear good look; they want the transport sector to be organized and less chaotic as it is today; they want the coastline resources to be developed and exploited. They want those abandoned industries to come back on stream. So the desire of the people of Ondo State fits into my dream, it fits into my manifestoe and we are on the same page as to the Ondo we desire and deserve.

How do you hope to achieve all of these lofty ideas and projects if elected?

We are not unaware that the economy is in bad shape and Ondo State is worse for it. And of course, it has to be so, when we had enough we never build a solid foundation for the future. Lagos State is said to be the fifth largest economy in Africa today because while there was abundance, preparation was made for the future. We didn’t prepare and now we have been caught unaware and therefore, we need a lot of vision to be able to bring about all the good things I have said.

First, the major problem is debt burden. I may not be able to be too specific but I am told and I readily believe that we are down with over N108billion indebtedness in Ondo State. That is a major challenge to the incoming government. But government liabilities are valid assets. Government assets and liabilities are valid assets; no government can take asset and run away from liabilities. But the way to manage it and reduce the effect on what we are doing is to go back to the negotiation table and reschedule some of those debts. Not in terms of the avoidance of liabilities but to give space so that the amount committed to servicing the debt can be reduced and whatever you get from there can be ploughed back to face the challenges of government.

Two, we have a lot of assets that are wasting away. The various industries or factories started by the last administration which were nearing completion in their different stages, we should do something urgently to complete them. And then we can bring in private investors, after proper evaluation. The truth of the matter is that despite the depreciation of those assets, the state of our economy, that is, the devaluation of Naira has also helped in enhancing their value; am sure today that if they valued, we will still have a lot of funds tied down there. We can bring in private investors, value and then ratio out the equity participation of the partners and that will leave some money for government to run. They are revenue generating ventures; government will be able to get tax from workers, from some of the facilities and help government to raise more money.

How do you intend to relate with the federal government to attract dividends of democracy to the state?

That is why you need somebody like me who operated at that national level, who, therefore, will be able to leverage on his experience to synergies with other institutions; other government levels to be able to get the best for Ondo State.

What is important at this moment is to get a leader with vision, one with a sense of direction who must have a solid foundation at home upon which you want to leverage. Ondo state is part of Nigeria and good enough, I can say that with President Muhamamdu Buhari, we have a President whose politics is nationalistic and therefore the argument that I want to have a government that will not have access to the centre is not correct. Being isolate depends on the vision and direction of the leadership. I have operated at the centre for decades; therefore, I know where things happens there. It is to have the knowledge, the experience to be able to access what belongs to us; to be able to interact. Of course, I am not becoming governor of Ondo State to fight the federal government. Mine is to collaborate, to synergies with government agencies to get the best for Ondo State So what we get from there is not a question of which party you belong but a question of your vision, direction and the sincerity of purpose.

If the federal government is aware that you are running a transparent system, whatever is your right you get. Some of the time you don’t get what you are entitled to because our system are not transparent, it’s totally translucent so when they can’t see through what you are doing, even when you have a right there, you can’t access it. The moment you open your books and are accountable and transparent with what you are doing and able to assemble the egg heads in Ondo state together, you will access anything you are entitled to irrespective of whichever party you belong to.

In a nutshell, it all depends on the type of leadership in a state.

The excellence you see in Lagos was attained when it was under the suzerainty of the ACN not because it was part of the federal government controlled states. That foundation was laid a long time ago. So it’s a question of leadership really. What the leaders of Lagos state saw years ago which we didn’t see is to our chagrin today.

So if you have a man with vision, even regional collaboration would assist us to build a new Ondo State. I assure you that rather than being a minus, it will be a plus for us in Ondo State that the AD which had once ruled this state with great achievements is back on stream. Political party is just a platform to win election; performance in government is another thing entirely. It is the personality. An office is made up of the character of the man that is occupying it.

People have said that you are in the race to benefit from the crises rocking PDP and APC… What is your comment?

What is happening in the PDP and the APC as well is rather unfortunate. I am coming into this election not on the basis of calculation of crisis in any political party. I believe that I have the pedigree, my people know me, I have a vision, I have a sense of direction and I want to campaign on the basis of issues and things I can do for the people of Ondo State.

But if there is crisis within any party or all of the political parties, the advantage that I have is that I have traversed the entire political landscape across all the boundaries. So, if you are talking of the progressives, I have been there, if you are talking about a little to the right, a little to the left, I have been there also. And if you are talking about the extremes, I have also seen it all. So, I stand, even without internal crises, to benefit from these experiences over the years.

If you are talking about PDP there is no Who is Who that I don’t know and who do not know me. If you are talking about the APC, I have seen it all and therefore, I am bound to benefit from any crisis within these parties. But I am not one who will exploit any situation and therefore what is happening in PDP and even APC is to me regrettable and I urge them to find solutions to their problems. My direction is for the people of Ondo State, whether they are in PDP, whether they are in APC, whatever they are, provided they are citizens of Ondo State, I have a mission for them, I have a dream for them which I want to actualize by being their governor. Whatever good things that I hope to achieve in Ondo State when I assume as Governor is not going to be enjoyed by AD members alone but by all and sundry. If I put up a road, everybody will use it, ditto water and so on. So I am going to be the Governor of Ondo State and not governor of Alliance for Democracy.

How would you implement the free education programme you promised?

I believe wholeheartedly in free education. When I become governor, we will examine and review the prevailing situation in the state and frontally confront the challenges arising from this. Nothing should be done to take away whatever benefit we have at the moment. But we will be pragmatic about it, we wont do cosmetics; we won’t deceive our people; we won’t claim what we cannot do that we are going to do them.

How do you react to critics’ allegations that you are a desperate politician?

Those who say this are either ignorant or being mischievous. Ignorant, because they fail to know that I have been in politics for over 31 years and I have been rock steady all these years. I was a little boy during the UPN days; I came to SDP and was there throughout its lifespan. I was in UNCP throughout its lifetime too. I came into PDP; I was there for 16 years. I rose through the ranks and I became a national officer of the party. I am no doubt a beneficiary of some of the achievements of that party.

People cannot close eyes to reality. At the time I had to leave PDP, it was expedient and I had no option than to do that. All of a sudden, people with ideologies that are incompatible with my dream and vision found their ways into the PDP and hijacked the leadership. It wasn’t partnership or patriotism; it was pure hijacking of the leadership.

And I found it difficult to operate in that kind of environment. For instance, I was the indisputable foremost leader of PDP after the demise of our leader, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, but all of a sudden, the only way I will know what was happening in the party will be via terse text messages sent by one small boy to me. I was totally vanquished within the party and all it required for me was to either get out of politics or find a new platform, so I left the PDP painfully because that was a party that I built over the years; I put everything into that party. And so, I challenge anyone who found himself in that circumstance that will believe that staying put and fighting, confronting the governor, fighting the system was the answer to it. I didn’t want to heat up the polity so I left quietly. In APC, the facts are still fresh in the memory for anybody not mischievous to have forgotten. I came into the party in April, I put in everything in terms of energy, resources, time to build that party and the party was built only for us to be assured and re-assured that free, fair, transparent, credible primaries will be conducted But you all saw what became of that primary. It was the most corrupted primary I have ever witnessed in my life. It was the most perverse primary that I have ever witnessed. Delegates’ tags were sold, and people that were not delegates were allowed to vote, there was no proper accreditation and in the middle of the night, the delegates’ list was substituted. I lost over 250 delegates in the process and so the election was compromised.

The party has its own internal mechanism for redress, I followed the due process. The appeal committee constituted by the party came up with the report sustaining all the three legs of the three allegations that they were proved before the panel. The panel therefore nullified the election. The matter went before the National Working Committee of the APC and by a decision of 6 against 5, they uphold the report of the appeal committee. Regrettably, it is a party where majority will have its say and the minority will have its way. At the end of the day, it became clear that the party cannot give to Ondo State the desired change. If the foundation is wrong you cannot put a super structure on such a corrupted foundation and therefore I cannot be part of that perfidy.

What I was assuring the people of Ondo State was a true change, a change that is devoid of corruption, manipulation and all forms of deceits. So, when I was confronted with that kind of challenging situation and of course, based on the popular demand of the people of Ondo State that at this critical time, they need a man who has vision, who has idea, who has the fear of God, who they know and who knows them well. I have traversed the entire length and breath of Ondo State six times, I know all the nooks and crannies; I know their sufferings, I am part of it, for in my existence up till now, I have been in this geographical definition of Ondo State without an exit for six months and so I am partaker in their suffering, I share their pains and joy, their aspirations and hope and I believe that I have service to render to the people of Ondo State and I will be failing in my responsibilities at this time if I maintain culpable complacency when I can do something.

When there is a challenge like this that is when a man of valour, a man of courage step forward to take charge of the affairs of men.

The myriad of problems confronting Ondo State today, I believe I can confront and reduce the level of poverty. I can bring about the good old days in Ondo State because of my experience. Therefore, it was unavoidable in the circumstance for me to offer myself for service to the people of Ondo State.

If the people now talking love me so much, and if they are not mischievous, why didn’t they allow free and fair primary, why did they think they will do perfidy and get rewarded for it? Why are they crying about my exit if they love me so much? I have exited from that perfidy, to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people of Ondo State. Ondo state people own me, no party owns me, I belong to the people of Ondo State, I belong to no contraption that is brought out for the purpose of ripping up the people of Ondo State. I cannot be part of that smokescreen and I have come to the conclusion that the only way is to seek a platform where I can offer myself directly to the people and let them decide who their next governor should be in character, the quality, the vision, the direction. Nobody can deprive me; it is my fundamental right to change association; to go into association, free exist, free entry.

People would appreciate that for 31 years, I have been in politics, I have never changed platform. These are compelling circumstances that I have to respond to as a politician and as a man that has a date with history.

There is this apprehension among the electorate that there are plans to rig the election with federal might by the ruling APC?

It is not the people that are scared but the politician that are scaring them by saying that if it is only one vote that is cast, they will be declared as winner.

This is ridiculous; our electoral process has grown over time with the introduction and insistent on the use of card readers, and how much of manipulations can anybody do? I laugh at politicians who believe that this is APC primaries which they can rig with ease. We are talking of election and so this threat of “we will rig and win at all cost” is a misplaced one. I am busy campaigning out there, while they are in the comfort of their homes and offices threatening the people that they will rig.

People that want to rig election must be ready for the consequences of such. But this election is not available for rigging. Power now resides with the people; they will determine who they want. When you delude yourself believing that you can do as you like and shut the gates of mercy to mankind, the consequences are there for you.

I have examined the electoral regulations, I have examined what happened elsewhere and I have not seen how the issue of federal might has come to play.

And we have a President; we must give it to him, who does not believe in this rigging his party members are preaching.

Those who believe in snatching boxes, they should know that that belong to the past; those who think that results can be manufactured for them to write and announce will face the consequence.

November 11, 2016