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Tag: multiple

  • Multiple approach needed to end herders/farmers’ clashes

    With stakeholders’ call for a multi-faceted approach to the lingering clashes between itinerant herders and farmers, the curtain was drawn on the two-day summit on conflict resolution organised by Vintage Press Limited, publishes of The Nation and Television Continental (TVC), in Abuja. Participants at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre venue of the summit, tagged: “Towards enduring peace”, suggested ways out of the conflict. The highlights of the stakeholders’ discussions are presented below.

    Day One proceedings’ summary

    The summit was conceived as an open forum to promote frank exchange of ideas on burning issues of national and international concern, with particular regard to the herdsmen-farmers clashes, with a view to seeking workable and enduring solutions.

    It was attended by representatives of farmers’ groups, cattle breeders and herders, frontline traditional rulers, state governments, security agencies, members of the diplomatic community, as well as notable leaders of thought.

    In his opening remarks, TVC Chairman Oladele Alake said that Nigerians needed to dwell on the imperatives of peace and unity and to appreciate the country’s strengths and endowments.

    He noted that inter-group crises have implications for the cohesion of the nation as an entity and that Nigerians should keep working to engender peace, unity and progress of the country through dialogue. The convening of the summit, he disclosed, was one of such desirable moves being undertaken by the two media organisations. Specifically, he identified the objectives of the summit to, among other things:

    • Provide the parties in conflict a forum to explain their perspectives and to cross fertilize ideas;
    • Better educate the general public about the complexities of the situation;
    • Disabuse the minds of the public of unhelpful stereotypical depictions; and
    • Identify and assess solutions to end the clashes and establish enduring peace.

    Alake, a former Information & Strategy Commissioner in Lagos State, disclosed that the summit’s ultimate aim is to give the country a roadmap with which to address the multiple challenges now confronting her, particularly given the context of the forthcoming 2019 elections.

    He added that concerned groups are being encouraged through the forum to freely express themselves in the hope that at the end of the event, significant levels of understanding would have been recorded.

    In his remarks, the Chairman of the event and former Secretary to the Niger State Government, Prof Yahaya Kuta alluded to the significance of organising a summit to deliberate on the farmers-herdsmen clashes nationwide and the topicality of the issue at this time.

    He observed that the presence of seasoned experts, the parties concerned and security personnel at the event underscored the seriousness with which the organisers approached the issue.

    Prof Kuta counseled that agricultural extension workers who have direct dealings with the issues in focus should always be included in conversations seeking a search for solutions.

    He further advised that resolutions and recommendations from the summit must be implemented by relevant actors who must give effect to them. The professor concluded by admonishing that best practices from outside Nigeria, which the country can borrow and benefit from, must always be factored into the search for solutions.

    A documentary on farmers-herders clashes produced by the TVC crew was presented to the audience. The documentary focused on the devastation in Benue, Adamawa, Plateau and Taraba states. While identifying the parties in the conflicts, the documentary also alluded to the involvement of criminal elements in escalating the situation.

    Presenting the lead paper, University of Maiduguri Prof. Daniel Musa Gwary, dwelt on the resilience of crisis in national life, noting that conflicts in the Northeast axis of the country had subsisted for many years before becoming the staple of national and international news.

    The highlights of the paper include:

    • The two groups in conflict – farmers and herders – have lived peaceably and cooperatively for centuries.
    • With time, population expansion and the onset of change in climatic conditions, the cooperative cohabitation collapsed over the use and control of natural resource.
    • The neglect of agriculture after crude oil became the country’s major revenue earner has been complicit in the escalation of crises.
    • Criminal activities have also been heightened by the neglect of agriculture, further heightening already existing tensions.
    • Government neglect of communities over the years compounded the situation.

    Some of the recommendations offered in the paper include:

    • Embracing climate smart agriculture that sustains both crop farming and animal breeding could provide a way out of the present crisis.
    • There is a need to strengthen security arrangements to make both farmers and herders feel safe and to isolate the criminal elements.
    • Conflict mediation and peace building mechanisms must be put in place and avenues for constant dialogue between farmers and herders should be promoted.
    • A comprehensive approach to addressing the environmental factors that drive herders southwards must be explored.
    • The proposal for grazing reserves should be embraced, beginning with consenting states while the old bonds that encouraged cooperation need to be built upon.

    The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) outlined the causes of the conflicts and possible solutions in their presentations. They alluded to the desirability of establishing a ranching model that takes into consideration the meaning of nomadism to the regular herder.

    The Deputy Inspector-General (Operations) of the Nigeria Police, Mr. Joshak Habilah and the Officer-in-Charge of Civil-Military Relations in the Nigeria Air Force, Air Commodore David Aluku, gave perspectives from the security agencies. They acknowledged the imperative of community policing and the need to check rampant drug abuse.

    Contributions also came from Mr. Rotimi Williams, a rice farmer in Nasarawa State, who spoke of the creative approach he adopted to check herders incursion on his farms by incorporating Fulani people into his operations as farm security personnel and as workers tending the crop and helping with harvesting.

    He, however, also had to manage negative reactions to his approach by indigenous elements who frowned at the visibility and economic empowerment of the “minority/stranger” Fulani.

    In his submission, Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central District) urged the political elite must decide what kind of country they wish to preside over and take a decision to shift the expenditure of security votes from fostering thugs to promoting security.

    He noted that every community harbours criminals and that negative stereotyping must be avoided.

    Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) Chairman Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, noted that nomadic groups are peculiar to Nigerian and that the challenge of nomadism had been meaningfully addressed elsewhere.

    The Fulani, he disclosed, are seeking for a space while the Bororo, who are the most affected amongst the Fulbe, remain landless and unrepresented in the political scene. He commended the nomadic education programme and cautioned against stigmatizing the Bororo as terrorists.

    The Plateau State Peace Building Agency Director-General Joseph Lengman, who represented the Plateau State Government, cautioned that sentiments will not resolve the issues involved in the farmers-herdsmen crisis.

    The ingredients for peace, he said, are a spirit of forgiveness and compromise, and the building of a social compact. He described his agency as a model under which community stakeholders come together. He recommended it as a model to copy.

    Businessman Isyaku Rabiu presented the farmers-herdsmen crisis as an opportunity requiring creative management. The empowerment of people and their incorporation as stakeholders will reduce their resort to violence to press their needs.

    President of the Veterinary Association of Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Abonyi, noted that several similar meetings had prescribed ranching as a solution but that government has not taken concrete steps on such recommendations. He urged the Federal Government to start with states that are willing and that the success of the initiative may encourage the reluctant and undecided to join in.

    Dr. Victor lyama advised that a distinction must be drawn between bandits and herdsmen. Ranching may be a solution but that it is an expensive option. He spoke of the need to re-direct security votes into the development of ranches. In his own remarks, the representative of Senator Abu Ibrahim, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, cautioned against flippant pronouncements, which only aggravate crisis.

    In his goodwill message delivered by Mr. Sunday Dare, All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected the two extremes of the conversation to declare that, neither the herders, nor the farmers bear absolute blame.

    He also frowned at what he called media religionisation of the conflict, advising that concern should be focused on how to solve the problem.

    Tinubu proffered short, medium and long-term solutions. They include: moderation of nomadism, maintenance of effective military presence in hot spots, continuing dialogue and the setting up of a national peace and conflict resolution commission.

    Three discussants of the keynote address, Prof Biodun Adeloye, Prof N.A. Gworgwor and Dr. Eustace Iyayi also offered their perspectives. They spoke of the need to modify nomadism to the advantage of the practitioners and counselled that the nomad needs to combine tilling with nomadism by producing crops like maize on which to nurture their herd. Other specific recommendations are that:

    • Governments should draw up implementation timelines for whatever suggestions are proffered for a more harmonious farmers-herders relationship.
    • Laws to protect the environment should be enacted and effectively implemented for the benefit of all stakeholders.
    • Massive education that emphasizes the value of combining crop farming with animal husbandry.
    • Need to transform grazing reserves into ranches building on models that already exist worldwide.

    A broadcast journalist, Ms. Medina … emphasized the need for prompt and effective communication by all the parties concerned, rather than allowing grievances to fester. She also advised against unhelpful profiling which only aggravates conflicts.

    In his response, Lead Speaker Prof Gwary, advised that farmers and herders must do away with misconceptions about one another and learn to admit and forgive past hurts, injuries and injustices while also taking care to divorce the conflict from religion.

    Day Two proceedings summary

    The day opened with brief remarks by Mr. Alake. The Emir of Kano and chair of the summit sent his goodwill message through a representative the Jarman Kano, Prof Isa Hashim.

    He said that the governments at the three levels should provide enough funds for the maintenance of grazing reserves and stock routes. He spoke of two types of Fulani – the bororoji (cattle Fulani) and the sororoji (town Fulani) – who have their differences even though outsiders think they are one. He recalled his days amongst the Tiv and called for a re-creation of that harmony.

    TVC Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hallon drew on the experiences of his home country – Ireland – to set out a pathway to resolving the farmers-herders conflicts.

    The key issues are continuous communication; respect for others’ points of view; a common desire for peace; a business-oriented approach to seeking solutions; and the unlearning of harmful stereotypes.

    A former Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Director of Research, Col. Ahmed Zubair (rtd), pointed to the under-funding of security agencies as a major drawback to the discharge of their role in conflict resolution.

    Kola Kuku of the Department for International Development (DfID) highlighted the fact that while population growth and climate change are affecting production, the country still has a static production system. He called for improvements to the system.

    In his presentation, Dr. Saleh Umale of the Kaduna State Peace Commission, described the farmers-herders crisis as a crisis long foretold. He identified the improvement of the livelihoods of Nigeria’s rural communities as key to the search for peace.

    Others discussants are: Prof Eugene Aliegba Aliegba;  Lengman;  Sari Umar and Nuhu Abdullahi.

    Recommendations

    • Setting up of a Federal Peace and Conflict Resolution Commission by the Federal Government.
    • Strengthening of security arrangements to make both farmers and herders feel safe and to isolate the criminal elements.
    • Resuscitation and massive funding of the various river basin authorities especially in the north to enable growth of grass for animal grazing to minimize nomadic mobility across the country.
    • Creation of conflict mediation and peace building mechanisms and avenues for constant dialogue between farmers and herders should be promoted.
    • Embracing climate smart agriculture that sustains both crop farming and animal breeding could provide a way out of the present crisis.
    • Embracing the proposal for grazing reserves should be embraced, beginning with consenting states building upon old bonds that encouraged cooperation.
    • Comprehensive approach to addressing the environmental factors that drive herders southwards must be explored.
  • Events centres owners decry multiple taxes

    Events centres owners decry multiple taxes

    Owners of events centres, under the auspices of the Association of Venue Owners Lagos Nigeria (AVOLN), have urged the government at all levels to reduce the multiple taxes in the sector, saying they are crippling their businesses.

    At the launch of their logo in Lagos,  their President, Wemi Jones, said they pay as much as 15 taxes to the federal, state and local governments, urging that the taxes be cut drastically.

    He said the government should see the group with over 100 registered members out of 1000 practitioners as partners in nation building.

    He said his colleagues were discussing with the government on the issue.

    Lagos State Director for Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) Mrs Arinola Koladaisi noted that tax payment was critical for national development. She promised to look into the issue of multiple taxation, asking their support. She accused some AVOLN members of not remitting a particular tax which they had collected from their customers, warning that those involved should stop or be ready to face the law when caught.

    A representative of the state commissioner for Tourism, art and Culture Mrs Babara Wey, advised AVOLN members to partner the ministry, remain focused in their business and be educated to be on top of their game.

    At the event, a logo of the association was unveiled amid fun and fanfare. Jones urged members to keep to the industry’s standards.

    Lagos State Safety Commission Director-General Akin Dickson also advised AVOLN members to be safety conscious. He said constructing slippery floors as well as not having fire extinguishers, among others, could attract punishment.

  • Confronting multiple loyalties in Nigerian politics

    Loyalty is an important quality of character for a politician to demonstrate. Loyalty is faithfulness to an obligation that is voluntarily assumed. To be loyal, therefore, is to be dependable. In its simplest understanding, loyalty in politics is the bond that secures the players in the field of politics in mutual expectations. For the politician, he or she is secure in the belief that if he or she plays by the rule and does not betray the trust of the people that elected him or her into office, their loyalty is assured. For the electorate, a politician’s fidelity to campaign promises is the test of loyalty.

    Loyalty is the bedrock of any relationship, more so, political relationship. Having the back of a politician gives him or her the courage to fight for a cause that supporters invest in. And for supporters to know that a politician has their back is also reassuring as they give their all to the cause. It is a game of mutual reassurance. From recent history, we also know that electorates will forgive a politician’s indiscretions and moral failings if they appreciate his or her loyalty to a cause they espouse and invest in.

    For many politicians, however, the matter of loyalty is not a simple one because they have several objects of loyalty. For instance, sometimes loyalty to constituents may end up as disloyalty to a party when pursuit of a local cause conflicts with the core of a party’s ideology. To have a good handle on the discussion, therefore, we need to come to terms with the many objects of loyalty. As I will argue, while there may be genuine and understandable conflicts, some of such conflicts grow out of clearly indefensible objects of a politician’s loyalty. There are legitimate and illegitimate objects of loyalty in politics.

    One immediate concern is whether political loyalty is or ought to be to individuals or to a cause, a party, or to the institutions that define the nation. To the extent that a political or government leader demonstrates fidelity to the common political cause that unites them, he or she deserves the loyalty of associates or followers. What is indefensible is the demand of blind loyalty even when it is obvious that the leader is morally bankrupt and clearly averse to the ideals of democratic citizenship.

    The first of the legitimate objects of loyalty, therefore, is ideology, the belief system regarding the objective of and rationale for politics. Politics is an institution whose purpose is the development of humanity in a particular nation-state. Ideology answers the question “what is worth fighting for?” in a simple catchphrase that is understandable to the people. Even when the catchphrase is as highfaluting as Democratic Socialism, Action Group broke it down for local consumption as “Freedom for All, Life More Abundant” or Afenifere. And with that ideological formulation, it rallied the troop to action.

    If ideology is a legitimate object of loyalty, the political party, the organized group that promotes it deserves the loyalty of the politician who subscribes to the ideology. It is commonsensical. Indeed, to behave otherwise is self-destructive. Again, Awolowo’s position on the supremacy of the party is unassailable. Voters embrace a political party based on the ideological product it sells to them. Therefore, those politicians that the party presents to the voters as its candidates have an obligation of loyalty to its ideals and programs.

    Third is the politician’s constituents whether they voted for or against her but whose interests he promised to advance through her party’s ideology. While many of the constituents may believe in a different ideology, the fact that the politician wins the race demands loyalty to his promise to all of them. Normally, then, there should be no conflict in the discharge of the politician’s obligation to all three objects of loyalty, namely ideology, political party, and constituency. The party reinforces the ideology and the constituency stands to benefit from the realization of the promise of the ideology.

    But there are other objects of loyalty that may not fit neatly into the political chessboard. For, the politician, like other human beings, is a creature of many parts. He or she is a member of a family, an ethnic nation, and a religious organization. Each of these may have no input into the ideological orientation of the political party. However, primordial and spiritual loyalties, attributed to human nature, sometimes trump ideological beliefs. Thus, to the disappointment of the party and its leaders who must defend its beliefs and promises, one or more of their own members may be compromised in an essential requirement of commitment to its ideology.

    As annoying as it may appear, the kind of conflicting loyalties that a politician may experience in such situations cannot be written off or dismissed as outcomes of an irrational distraction from the single goal of achieving ideological purity. In a multi-national and multi-religious polity, where politicians are products of particular ethnic and religious upbringing, it is a challenge for them to see beyond the confines of ethnic and religious identities. It is more so, where, in our own case, the seed of mistrust represented by colonial divide and rule strategy germinated into a giant tree of political cynicism about anything national.

    As politicians face the challenge, the challenge for political leaders is to keep the focus of their associates on the prize of national greatness. It is a challenge, but it is not one that committed national leadership cannot overcome. Requirements for success include open and verifiable fairness, demonstrable commitment to the tenets of democratic governance and the practice of true federalism, and a formidable credential in forging alliances across the major divides of ethnic and religious loyalties. Unfortunately for Nigeria, a leadership with a preponderance of these qualities has yet to emerge.

    The point of the above is this. Politicians are required to demonstrate loyalty to an ideology to which they subscribe, and which successfully attracts the electorate, and to the political party that initiates and promotes it. On the other hand, politicians also have primordial connections, including their ethnic nationality, religious affiliation, and family connections which also demand their loyalty. Loyalty to all is bound to conflict because of their different and opposing interests. Where that is the case, leadership intervention is essential to smoothen the edges of conflict. But leadership also has to be above board.

    There is one loyalty, however, that is questionable. Loyalty to self-interest is the culprit. Here, however, we also have to pay attention to nuances. Self-interest, as such, is not bad. In fact, the true self-interest of a politician should lead him or her in the way of doing the right thing.

    It is in the self-interest of a politician to have the trust of the electorate. if he or she wants to continue to serve as their public servant. But where the politician hasn’t demonstrated loyalty to the ideology that the electorates embrace, or to the party that they trust to promote it, then he or she risks losing their support. Therefore, if a politician sticks to his or her true self-interest, the appearance of a conflict may just be that, an appearance.

    On the other hand, greed, which we often confuse with self-interest, is the undoing of many politicians. Greed is the absence of self-control in the pursuit of selfish ends in public service and it evidences disloyalty to ideology, party, and constituency. An ethnic nationality or a religious organization is ill-served by a politician’s loyalty to greed.

    When a politician turns the coffers of the state to his personal use, not minding the hunger and disease ravaging his or her constituency, it is the height of disloyalty. A conscience that justifies that practice is dead. If political leaders bear any blame, it is that they should have known not to place such politicians in positions of responsibility. But that may be asking too much of humans that they are.

    In the matter of political loyalty, therefore, everyone has to wear their crown of glory or carry their cross of shame.

  • Multiple IVF cycle to the rescue

    Multiple IVF cycle to the rescue

    The road to tackling infertility via In vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is costly. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports that the new multiple IVF cycle has its merit.

    In vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is costly. To buy an IVF cycle is costlier than picking a package of six.

    This new information renews the hope to couples preparing for their first IVF cycle as well as those who have experienced failures.

    According to the Medical Director, Nordica Fertility Clinic, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, it is important that all fertility-challenged couples should know this because up until now, most fertility clinics have  assumed that couples who have completed three or four unsuccessful IVF cycles are less likely to benefit from future cycles. This revelation may enable fertility clinics inform patients about multiple treatment cycles.

    Ajayi said: “Fertility treatments are being stopped prematurely when few unsuccessful IVF cycles are recorded. We need to stop thinking of IVF as a single shot for a family, and think of several cycles as the standard.”

    He explained that IVF is a medical treatment, which helps infertile couples to have a baby. And it involves the extraction of egg from a female partner (or donor) and the laboratory fertilisation of the egg with sperm from a male partner (or donor) and the resulting embryo is implanted in the female partner (or surrogate) womb. The advantages of IVF include helping an infertile couple to have a baby  (with their eggs and sperm) and unless a donor egg or sperm is used, the DNA will be that of the intended parents only.

    Ajayi said the greatest percentage of IVF success occurs in six cycles. “The study came out of the UK, where researchers reviewed the statistics of 156,947 UK women who received 257,398 IVF between 2003 and 2010. From that comprehensive analysis, which included results from both fresh and frozen embryo transfers, researchers found that the average live birth rate for couples participating in six IVF cycles was 65.3 percent.

    “Within that study, other important statistics were revealed that women under 35 are the most likely to benefit from a six-cycle regimen. Women between 40 and 42 (using their eggs) had a 31.5 percent live birth rate at the six-cycle mark. Women older than 42, who use their eggs, have a less four percent live birth rate at the six-cycle mark. Maternal age was irrelevant with donor eggs, giving women who are 35 and above the same success rate as women  who are under 35.

    “This means that if you are planning to undergo IVF or have already experienced two or more unsuccessful IVF cycles, you may want to regroup and schedule a consultation with your fertility specialist,” Ajayi advised.

    How does this assist in your Fertility treatments?

    With the realisation that couples can benefit from multiple cycles, another IVF specialist, Dr Ife Oluwa Oyetunji, said couples might need to start another by bringing this new information to their fertility specialist.

    She shed light on this.  Some clinics, she said, are firm on the maximum amount of cycles they recommend their patients to participate in, depending on maternal age and fertility diagnosis. It may mean migrating to a new fertility clinic to participate in future IVF cycles. Multiple cycles also oblige a couple some discounts. So, the client should ask for multiple fertility cycle discounts. Most fertility clinics offer discounted rates for a set of multiple of IVF cycles, which is about three or four. These plans are structured in different ways, so you will want to choose the one that makes the most sense for your age, number of eggs retrieved, number of fertilised embryos among other considerations.

    She enlightened that fertility challenged couples should think about using donor eggs. “Since it is determined that maternal age is a non-issue for women using donor eggs, assuming the woman is able to carry the baby, that should be of specific interest for women who are 40 or older, and for whom IVF success rates are notoriously low. Using donor eggs is much more likely to increase your chances of a live birth outcome if you are 40 or older.

    “Also, they should consider preimplantation genetic screening (PGD/PGS). PGD is a newer technology available to couples undergoing IVF. It is a fact that the number one cause of miscarriages are genetic abnormalities in the embryo. This is nature’s way of preventing the birth of babies with serious genetic disorders, many of which compromise quality of life or are life-threatening. PGD testing is done prior to implantation to see whether or not chromosomes are normal.  Only embryos with normal results are selected for transplant.

    “While these tests do cost more, they can increase your chances of successful IVF outcomes or can help you make the decision to use donor eggs if the majority of your embryos are abnormal,” Oyetunji added.

  • SMEs: Multiple taxation, dearth of infrastructure hurting our businesses

    Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), particularly those on the Ikorodu axis of Lagos State, have cried out that excessive taxation and dearth of supportive infrastructure, among other harsh operating environment-related challenges, are taking a huge toll on their businesses.

    Some of the small business owners in Ikorodu, who spoke with The Nation, lamented that constant and multiple demands for taxes by various agents of the government were hurting their profitability and threatening the sustainability of their businesses.

    For instance, Logistics &Facility Manager, Hallel Engineering Company, Mr. Adeolu Akinpelu, said his company was faced with the challenge of double taxation by the government under various names and categories.

    Akinpelu said there was a need for the government at all levels to harmonise the various taxes to be paid by different categories of businesses, to avoid the current situation where businesses, particularly SMEs, are forced to pay the same taxes but with different sub-heads.

    He argued that multiplicity of taxes was having debilitating effects on SMEs by cutting into their profit margin. Besides, those who could not cope with the excessive taxation have been forced to either close shop or relocate to other climes where tax regimes are SME-friendlier.

    To the CEO of Zaiphie Transformation, a firm of make-up artists, Miss Ifeoma  Ikechukwu, the challenges facing SMEs in Ikorodu area of Lagos go beyond tax. She said the perception of Ikorodu as being in the backwaters of civilisation due to lack of infrastructure was a pain in the neck of small business owners.

    The beauty artist said: “The price of makeup and hair products increases daily, and it is affecting my business. But, unfortunately, people see Ikorodu as an undeveloped area and insist that our products must be cheap without recourse to the fact that we all buy from the same market,”

    Miss Ikechukwu lamented that the location of her business in Ikorodu was a major disincentive as customer patronage was low because of the poor infrastructure in the area, such as regular supply of electricity, potable water and good roads, among others.

    She, therefore, called on the state government to improve the infrastructure in the area in order to boost SMEs and ultimately, create jobs.

    Similarly, Managing Director, Marthridge Stitches, Mrs. Martha Aimuemojie, complained that because of poor infrastructure in Ikorodu, many of her customers are unable to locate her business address.

    According to her, the difficulty by prospective customers in locating her business address affects the price of her goods and services. She expressed regrets that location determines the price of goods and services, whether one is good or not in the business.

    Another dealer in beauty products, who gave her name only as Mrs. Orakwe, however, said the hurdles before SMEs in Ikorodu cannot be divorced from the general economic downturn plaguing the nation following the collapse of oil prices at the international market.

    Orakwe said the economic recession that gripped the country since the crisis started has forced many people to re-order their priorities, as many Nigerians now prefer to feed their families first before thinking of buying beauty products and indeed, other products and services.

    Apart from the economic downturn, Orakwe also lamented that the seeming gradual disappearance of the apprenticeship culture from the SME landscape was not helping matters. She said nowadays most apprentices want to make money rather than learn from their masters.

    She added that apprentices learn the trades now are cajoled to do so. She decried the lazy and poor work culture among the youth, and called for a paradigm shift.

  • ‘Multiple taxation affecting businesess’

    The National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) has said  multiple taxation is hindering business development and reducing employment opportunities.

    In an interview in Lagos, its President, Mr. Lateef Oyelekan, spoke on the implication of multiple levies to water business operators.

    He decried the use of private companies by state governments  to collect taxes.

    “A newly-established water factory or business is not supposed to be taxed for one year, to allow such a business to develop and gain its market share,’’ he said.

    The union chief said rather than make taxes a burden for local investors, state governments should encourage manufacturers to stabilise their businesses to attract more customers.

    Oyelekan also urged officials of  the Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (ATAWAP), Lagos State Chapter to collaborate with the union to ensure business growth and the protection of their workforce.

    On recession, Oyelekan hailed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for ensuring the country got out of it.

    He, however, urged the government to ensure that the people felt  the impact by negotiating a new minimum wage for workers to boost their livelihoods.

    “Nigerians should be able to benefit and feel the impact that recession is over. States owing workers should pay up-to-date. This is the only way to show that recession has ended,’’ Oyelekan said.

    Last month, ATAWAP members threatened to relocate to Ogun State over multiple taxation, which its officials said was suffocating their members’ businesses.

    The 2,600 table water producer-group, therefore, urged the government to reduce taxes and rates in the sector.

  • JAMB warns against multiple registrations

    JAMB warns against multiple registrations

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has warned against multiple registrations by candidates in the ongoing registration for Direct Entry (DE) and unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) for foreign centres.

    Its Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, gave the warning in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

    Benjamin said any candidate caught doing double registrations would be disqualified by the board.

    He reminded candidates that indulging in multiple registrations is an offence in the process of obtaining the DE or UTME.

    The statement reads: “Our advertisement for 2017 UTME clearly states the penalty for any candidate caught buying two forms. The public is requested to note that any candidate who indulges in double registration will be caught by our software and disqualified.

    “This information is necessary for the public to know so that when such candidates are sanctioned, it will be understood. The board is not interested in the candidate’s money as being insinuated by certain group, who suggested to the board that such registration will enhance its revenue base.

  • 13 die in Borno multiple explosions

    Thirteen persons have died following Wednesday’s multiple attack on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    Commissioner of Police Damian Chukwu stated this yesterday.

    He said: “Suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Alidawari village, near Jiddari Polo area in Maiduguri. They entered the village through Molai general area, on the outskirt of Maiduguri.

    “They fired anti-aircraft guns sporadically and burnt some houses and makeshift tents.

    “However, security agencies were deployed in the scene and a gun duel ensued for about an hour, before the attack was repelled.

    “Fire fighters were invited and they put off the fire.”

    Chukwu added that residents who fled their homes returned in less than two hours later.

    According to him, one of the insurgents was arrested and is now in custody, while three others were killed.

    The bomber’s explosive vest was recovered and kept by the police, while three AK 47 rifles, bombs and hand grenades were recovered from the insurgents, he added.

    The commissioner said a yet-to-be identified civilian was killed in the stampede, while a soldier was reportedly wounded in action.

    Normalcy had since returned and residents going about their normal activities.

  • Need for multiple regulators for oil industry

    SIR: The petroleum industry operates under two, even three distinct sub sectors – the downstream, midstream and upstream. But the most critical sub sectors (downstream and upstream) are mostly engaging and have more industry operational activities.

    The downstream sector commonly refers to the refining of petroleum crude oil and the processing and purifying of raw natural crude as well as the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas. The downstream sector reaches consumers through products such as gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, fuel oil, lubricants, waxes, asphalt, natural gas and liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as hundreds of petrochemical.

    On the other hand, the upstream petroleum sector includes all petroleum exploration and extraction activities such as exploration, development and processing which take place prior to the shipment of stabilised crude oil, condensate or sales gas (including liquefied natural gas.

    Upstream petroleum activities occur both onshore and offshore.

    The idea of a single regulator for the sector runs at variance as well as against the policy direction of government as approved in the National Oil and Gas Policy in 2009 which provided for a downstream and upstream regulator.

    As the industry awaits the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill by the National Assembly, concerns have been raised by industry operators on the plan to streamline all regulatory functions in the sector into a single regulatory framework.

    However, given the diversity nature of objectives ranging from guarding against systematic risk to protecting the individual consumer from fraud, it is possible that a single regulator might not have a clear focus in objectives and rationale of regulation and not be able to adequately differentiate between types of institutions.

    The content of the Bill seeks the establishment of the Legal and Regulatory Framework, Institutions and Regulatory Authorities as well as guidelines for the operations of the Upstream and Downstream sectors of the National Petroleum Industry.

    The Bill number 64, Volume 13 published in December, 2016 as index to legislative instruments specifies this.

    But a single unified regulator may suffer from some diseconomies of scale. Inefficiency could arise because a unified agency is effectively a regulatory monopoly, which may give rise to the type of inefficiencies usually associated with monopolies.

    There will be job losses for sure in an economy that is not generating or creating jobs where decision for a single regulator is final. In the event that such decision is final, staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) should become the nucleus of the downstream department of the single regulator as PPPRA is already strategically placed to carry out such function.

    Also, it is not appropriate to concentrate too much power in one body where there are different players. A single regulator may not view things from the different dimensions they deserve and from the different viewpoints of the stakeholders.

    A particular concern about a monopoly regulator is that its functions could be more rigid and bureaucratic than these separate specialised agencies. It is argued that another source of diseconomies of scale is the tendency for unified agencies to be assigned an ever increasing range of functions, sometimes called Christmas tree effect.

    From these perspectives, history is on the side of two regulators for the sector thus the single regulator model has been tried and found to be unsuccessful in the past.

     

    • Dennis Mernyi,

    Abuja

  • ‘Address multiple taxation in private schools’

    Director, Everest Heights Academy, Gwagwalada Abuja, Dr Olubukola Dosunmu, has called on the Federal Government to address multiple taxation against private schools operators in the country. Dosunmu also called for strict regulations and control of private schools, as well as access to funds from financial institutions.

    She spoke at the inauguration of its Junior Secondary School arm in Abuja.

    According to her, the plan of the school is to have a university in the next few years to address certain needs in the education sector.

    Dosunmu, a pathologist, attributed the success of the school to discipline, trust in God, dedication of staff and the unflinching support of her husband who stood by her when she started operating the school from their living room 12 years ago.

    She said: “At the beginning, we had a lot of challenges, in fact around 2011 and 2013, we almost went bankrupt because of the difficulties and problems associated with running a private school. There is the problem of multiple taxation, overhead costs, teachers’ salaries, water and electricity bills, high interest rates and inability to access funds from financial institutions.

    “Education is capital intensive and people going there need the support of government, institutions and individuals. But here the support is almost zero. A lot of times I was discouraged because of the harsh environment and the fact that some parents when they are angry, use harsh words against you. Most times I would tell myself if I had remained in my Consulting Room at the teaching hospital, maybe I would not be facing this challenge.

    “But I thank God who makes it possible for me to receive support from a lot of people especially the teachers.  I am very passionate about education.

    “It is my prayer that the government would address certain areas that have to do with multiple taxation, and the need for strict regulations and control, access to funds from financial institutions and reductions in levies and taxes imposed on private schools by so many government agencies.”

    He said the institution does not compromise standard to passing exams.

    The school which was established in 2004 with four pioneering pupils, now has over 500 pupils across its day care, nursery, primary and secondary arms.