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  • APC alleges PDP plans to push for new election dates

    APC alleges PDP plans to push for new election dates

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday raised the alarm over the “relentless scheming” by the Goodluck Jonathan Administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to push for another postponement of the 2015 general elections, unless they can perfect a rigging plan, and called for the imposition of global sanctions on whoever scuttles the polls.

    In a statement issued in Dubai by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the multi-pronged efforts to prevent the elections from holding as rescheduled include the use of some 23 portfolio political parties to seek a further shift in the election dates and the destabilisation of INEC’s election plan through the orchestrated removal of its Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

    It said the “same 23 satellite parties” of the PDP that were used to push for the six-week postponement of the elections have again started testing the waters by pushing for a further shift in the elections in the six states of the North-east, ostensibly to allow the conclusion of the counter-insurgency battle and also to allow those displaced to return home.

    ‘’The plan is to use the same bogey of insecurity in the North-east to push for another postponement in the elections. The signs are ominous indeed. The body language of the President and his party does not support the holding of elections. They are mortally afraid of losing because the use of PVCs and Card Readers have thwarted their rigging plans,’’ APC said.

    The party said while the 23 parties are pushing for the elections to be further postponed, the Jonathan Administration and the PDP are simultaneously forging ahead with their plan to remove Prof. Jega and replace him with a malleable acting Chairman whom, they believe, will do their bidding.

    ‘’Once they remove Jega, his replacement will either seek more time to organise the polls or simply jettison the plan to use Card Readers, thereby opening the door for those who have been buying up PVCs to use them.

    ‘’Is it not interesting that the same Administration that has been flaunting free and fair elections as a key achievement has now gone for the jugular of the same man who organised those polls? Is the man they don’t want not the same person who organised the 2011 polls which the administration has described as free, fair and credible? What has now gone wrong between them and their poster boy for successful elections? it queried.

    APC warned that the consequences of another postponement of the elections will be dire, indeed, especially because it will create a constitutional crisis that is capable of endangering the country’s democracy and destabilising the country in its entirety.

    The party called on Nigerians, especially the civil society, to be very vigilant in the days ahead, as the cloud of uncertainty becomes thicker and the vultures begin to circle.

    It also called on the international community to consider imposing stiff sanctions on key members of the Jonathan Administration if they force another postponement or scuttle the polls.

    ‘’However, we also believe that the international community has a role to play in helping to check the desperadoes who are using the Laurent Gbagbo rule book as if it was made for them, and who will not hesitate to bring the whole system crashing down on all if that is what it will take for them to perpetuate themselves in power.”

  • Poju Oyemade’s new wife unveiled

    Poju Oyemade’s new wife unveiled

    When the Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade, hinted in October last year that he was ready to leave bachelorhood and walk down the aisle, many people became desperate to see the woman that had captured the heart of the motivational speaker. As Poju Oyemade chose to keep the identity of his bride shrouded in secrecy, the zeal to uncover her heightened. Not even his church members could tell who the mystery lady was.

    But after much ado, his bride-to-be has been revealed. On Saturday, January 7, 2015, the dynamic pastor walked down the aisle with Toyin Fajuigbe, a media personality and gospel musician. Toyin Fajj, as she is popularly called, is the founder/chief executive officer of Story Teller Media, a media outfit with interests in production and presentation of media contents across various platforms (electronic and print).

    It would seem that Poju Oyemade’s long wait was not in vain after all. Toyin is a beautiful, dark-complexioned woman with an enchanting smile, impressive resume and a tongue armed with kind words. Her career as a radio presenter started in UNILAG FM 2004 while she was a student of Mass Communication. She joined Mo Abudu’s Inspire Africa Limited after her NYSC and worked as a producer on the talk show, Moments with Mo.

    She has also worked with M-net, Storm 360, and Ndani TV. She also attended New York Film Academy / Del York International in the United States. Toyin put her film making skills to practice in 2014 by producing and directing a documentary film titled Unbroken: The John Sumonu Story, which was nominated for the best documentary at the 2014 Abuja International Film Festival. She released her first single in May 2014. It is titled ‘Holy Spirit I Welcome You’ and was produced by Olumide Iyun.

    It is not much of a surprise that her husband-to-be chose to make their wedding a private affair since he has always been known to be highly reserved.

  • Oghogho Asemota in new lease of life

    If there is a socialite who has retained a pleasant disposition in spite of the vicissitudes of life, it is Oghogho Asemota. Even when the world seemed to be crashing around her, the third daughter of Chief Sunny Asemota held her head high and retained a cheerful personality.

    The worst appeared to have happened when her decade-old marriage to Prince Adedoyin sank like a ship, but Oghogho took it all in her stride and proved to the world that not even a broken marriage could steal her smile. While her crashed marriage was the point of discourse among socialites, the dark-complexioned beauty appeared strong and cheerful, returning to the social scene with an uncommon grace.

    The Managing Director of Aralia by Nature, a landscape design company, is known for throwing no-expense-spared parties. A few months ago, she literally shut down high brow Victoria Island, Lagos, as she hosted her fellow silver spoon friends for her 40th birthday party. She was full of life as she embraced her friends, dancing, wining and dining.

  • New vista for investors in agro- marketing

    New vista for investors in agro- marketing

    With the establishment of a model vitamin A cassava sales outlet in Nigeria, the first of its kind in Africa, to link suppliers of cassava products with demand agents (bulking agents, entrepreneurs and consumers) of the products, the search for a robust template to enable the organised private sector see the available profitable investment opportunities in commercial cassava farming, may have started yielding result, writes, Chikodi Okereocha. 

    For farmers and investors along the vitamin A cassava value chain, brighter prospects are here. A model vitamin A cassava sales outlet, the first of its kind in Africa, has been established in Nigeria. The one-stop model sales outlet, known as the ‘Farmers’ Centre’ will act as primary bulking point and link up suppliers of vitamin A cassava products (farmers and processors) with demand agents, like (bulking agents, entrepreneurs and consumers) of the products-stems, roots, fufu mash, garri, fufu, packaged fufu flour, and confectionaries (cakes, chin-chin, tidbits and pies).

    The innovation, which is the result of the ingenuity of HarvestPlus Nigeria in conjunction with its development partners, is seen as a major milestone in the search for a good template to enable the OPS see the available opportunities to invest in commercial cassava farming at a profit.

    “We need partners to buy into this initiative to make it a reality across the length and breadth of the country,” the Country Manager of HarvestPlus,  Dr. Paul Ilona, said, last week, at the  launch of its outlet in Ibadan, Oyo State.

    He said the model outlet is HarvestPlus’ strategy to ensure that Nigerians have access to the bio-fortified crop to address the health challenges of vitamin A deficiency. “We need to establish 300 of this sales’ outlets across Nigeria, so that Nigerians can enjoy the health benefits of the crop,” he said, adding that with over 500,000 households  cultivating the product, and over 550,000  commercial farmers on board in the multiplication of the nutritious crop on over 1,000 hectares of farmland, the need to scale out the product to more Nigerians could not have come at a better time.

    In doing so however, HarvestPlus is not unmindful of the commercial viability of sustaining the demand and supply of vitamin A cassava products, hence the organisation is riding on the back of the opening of the model shop to encourage more investors to take advantage of the profitable business opportunities therein. “Our strategy relies a lot in providing catalysts that will drive investors. We want to see this model become very profitable because it is the profitability that people see that will make them want to invest in it,” Dr. Ilona told The Nation, on the sideline of the launch of the model shop.

    Ilona said there were  plans to hit the Lagos market and other major markets across the country soon. As part of the strategy to woo prospective investors, he explained: “In the next one or two months we are going to ensure that this center functions optimally and that we do the proper book-keeping that will show investors that there is a lot of money coming in. After the two months we will then go to the next stage of sensitisation, bring the investors here so that they will do all the calculations and see the benefits and the opportunities that exist in investing into the system. So, there is a lot of awareness creation that we need to do. We will be going into business education, we shall be relying a lot on advocacy.”

    Dr. Ilona also disclosed that HarvestPlus is riding on its electronic (e-market) platform, which he described as very potent, to attract investors and create markets for vitamin A cassava products. “Last week we got a request from Anambra State Government for almost 9, 000 bundles of vitamin A cassava stems. This is what makes the e-market to be very potent in creating markets. We also got request from Kwara State Government for 500 kilograms of garri. We are not working in Kwara, but somebody knows how to go online and do a request. So, we are hoping that soon, we shall bring all of you (the media) on board to help us communicate to Nigerians so that they can order for their vitamin A garri and fufu online,” he said.

    At a workshop by HarvestPlus, the organisation linked major players and investors along the vitamin A cassava value chain to its e-market portal. It identified bulking agents, cassava stem traders, and investors who were then linked with farmers and cassava processors to create market for vitamin A cassava products. The workshop, which had about 85  participants in attendance, was made up of farmers, processors, entrepreneurs, public and private investors, extension agents from farmer organisations, development and commercial partners of HarvestPlus, and tertiary agriculture institutions.

    Would these strategies do the magic of attracting investors to the business? “yes,” says Ilona. He has reasons to be so optimistic. For a start, Nigeria was among the earliest countries in which new varieties of cassava that are rich in vitamin A were released to farmers in 2011. Following the release of the new cassava varieties to farmers in 2011, over 500, 000 Nigerian households are said to be growing and eating the conventionally bred nutritious vitamin A cassava, which nutritionists say could meet up to 40 per cent of daily needs of Vitamin A for children under five.

    Also, Africa accounts for over half of the total global production of cassava, with Nigeria the single largest producer, producing over 54 million metric tons of cassava annually. Besides, an estimated 100 million Nigerians or 60 per cent of the country’s population eat cassava daily in one form or another. “We have our strength in agriculture,” Ilona maintained, adding, “If we truly want to help Nigeria; if we truly want to add value to the life of an average Nigerian, and we truly want to create jobs for them, agriculture is the area to go. No field in life will pay as much as agriculture does. You plant one grain of maize, it gives you 400 grains. No business gives you 400 per cent profit.”

    Continuing, Ilona asked, rhetorically, “How many oil wells do we have? How many hectares do we have in Nigeria to put into agriculture? According to him, Thailand depends a lot on agriculture, making more money than Nigeria makes from her oil. He said the money Thailand makes from cassava alone is much more than what Nigeria boasts of from oil. “We are always scared, the more scared we are however, the more we will be able to focus on our challxalue chain are seen by not a few analysts and experts as opportunities. The Deputy Director, HarvestPlus, Dr. Ina Schonberg, who launched the model shop, alluded to this when she said: “You (Nigerians) are known all over the world for your entrepreneurial spirit. Nigeria is a leader in Africa. We look forward to seeing Nigeria develop innovative strategies to scale up vitamin A cassavas well as vitamin A maize and build sustainability for the project in the country.”

    For investors willing to throw their hat in the ring, they would be encouraged by the growing preference of the yellow vitamin A cassava over the conventional one. Vitamin A cassava is yellow in colour because it contains high amounts of beta-carotene, unlike common white cassava. Beta-carotene is a naturally occurring substance that the body converts into vitamin A. Experts say that in Nigeria, an estimated 30 per cent of pre-school-aged children and 20 per cent of pregnant women suffer from vitamin A deficiency, resulting in poor vision, blindness and sometimes death. By eating the new yellow cassava variety, women and children can meet almost half their daily needs of vitamin A.

    HarvestPlus developed the nutritious cassava variety through conventional breeding in collaboration with IITA and National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State.

    The launch of the outlets was witnessed by scientists from IITA led by Cassava Breeder, Dr. Elizabeth Parkes; traditional rulers from Idiose, Ibadan, HarvestPlus developmental patners from Akwa-Ibom, Benue, Imo,and Oyo states, farmers, cassava processors, bulking agents, and entrepreneurs.

  • Our new arms deal

    Those who have followed contemporary events in this country will not be surprised at the news that Nigeria struck a deal to buy arms and ammunition from Russia. Under the arrangement, Russia is to supply its MI-35s and MI-17s military jets among other armaments to this country to aid the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The deal followed Nigeria’s cancellation of the US military training programme for our soldiers and is largely viewed as a response to the curious attitude of that country to the raging insurgency. Though various reasons have been adduced to rationalize Nigeria’s decision to cancel the programme, it is widely believed it has every thing to do with US refusal to sell categories of military aircraft and arms to Nigeria to fight the insurgents.

    Two well respected Nigerians, Gen Yakubu Gowon Retd, a former head of state and Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka had heavily criticized the US for its refusal to supply the country the little arms it needed to defend its citizens and quell the Boko Haram uprising. But the US had hinged its decision on the nebulous excuse of human rights abuses by the military even when the insurgents are equally no respecter of human rights.

    The two personages could not understand what the argument on human rights is meant to serve when our citizens are faced with the danger of annihilation by the better equipped and more sophisticated insurgents. Moreover, US stand on the issue does not tally with its position on terrorism as is evident in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq where it is currently battling the ISIS onslaught. It was therefore seen as double standards for the US to turn its eyes against Nigeria in its difficult moment especially when the same country went to war in Iraq under the guise of her possession of nuclear weaponry. Many innocent souls lost their lives in that unfortunate encounter. Today, we know that Iraq possessed no nuclear weapons. But the harm has been done. And no body has been brought to book for that fiasco. More over, recent accounts on the activities of some US security operatives have revealed large scale human rights abuses following events leading to the twin tower bombing. So the issue of human rights abuse may not be stretched too far in such difficult and trying situations.

    Apparently frustrated by the US action in the face of the escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency, Nigeria had to seek help elsewhere. Thus, the arms deal with Russia. With the action, Nigeria seems to have defined a new relationship with Russia.

    Not unexpectedly, the deal has become an issue of intense discussion among defense and security analysts in the US. Discussions have centered on the likely effects of the action on Nigeria/US relations, the divergence in opinions and perception of the two countries on the insurgency and what the new arms deal portends for the rivalry between the US and Russia- a rekindling of the super power competition. The discussants also threw new insights into some other considerations that may have been at the center of the US refusal to aid Nigeria militarily, allegations of human rights abuses notwithstanding.

    A Director of African programme at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jennifer Cooke admitted that there is a great deal of tension between the two countries particularly over the security relationship and that each side has a different perception of the matter.

    Ben Moores, a senior analyst at the defense and security analysis organization HIS Janes’s 360 gave new reasons why US would not want to sell its advanced weapons system to Nigeria. He said advanced military jets and attack helicopters could not be sold to Nigeria for fear they could be passed on to a third party. Moreover, there were “leaks or moles inside the Nigerian military who were leaking information to Boko Haram. They were leaking certain bits of information, training information and perhaps information on the team itself” Moores said.

    For him, what Nigeria needed most was not fighter jets and attack helicopters but a better motivated, a more professional force to deal with some of the social and cultural problems.

    Some of the issues raised make more sense than the trite pontification on human rights even though they are not entirely foolproof. There is no doubt that the US does not have a good reading of the situation on the ground and the general feelings of our people. That much had been given credence by the views of Gowon and Soyinka among several other well-meaning Nigerians.

    The nation is facing destruction by the insurgents and must take every legitimate action to protect its citizens. If all it takes is the deployment of advanced military jets and helicopters so be it.

    It smacks of a poor reading of the situation to hold that we do not have a pressing need for the jets and attack helicopters. On the contrary, we have very urgent need for them to decisively end this war. Whereas it can be admitted that we need a more motivated and professional force, it is wrong to ascribe the current Boko Haram insurgency to social and cultural issues. Boko Haram is similar in motivation and ideological leaning to ISIS which the US has been battling with very sophisticated military jets and hardware in Syria and Iraq.

    The issue of moles and leaks in the military is real. With some unscrupulous military persons leaking information to Boko Haram, any foreign partner seeking to help is bound to be frightened as the security of its personnel and equipment is not guaranteed. These weaknesses can be admitted. On several occasions, our soldiers have been waylaid by the insurgents due to information leaks on their movements. In one of such instances, the soldiers went wild firing shots at their commander after they suffered heavy casualty from Boko Haram ambush.

    Such incidences do not imbue confidence in the outside world that we are all committed and united in the fight against insurgency. More than anything, they underscore the point more forcefully that there are sections in the military and political class that lend huge support to the insurgents. This may have contributed in obfuscating US perception of the matter.

    But then, there is a legitimate government in place and there are standard practices on how to deal with a band of anarchists seeking to levy war on such governments. Whatever the motivation- religious, cultural or social Boko Haram has become a mortal threat to the corporate existence and survival of this country. And the government ought to be given the needed help to tame the monster. Inventing sundry reasons and excuses to deny Nigeria the arms and ammunitions to quell the insurgency is a clear invitation to anarchy.

    More seriously, the position Nigeria has found itself is self-inflicted. It is a huge shame that 54 years after independence, we are still cap in hand begging for arms and ammunitions from foreign countries. We fought a civil war here and certain military competences were developed then. We are also not lacking in human and financial capacities. Instead of seizing and activating the ingenuity of the civil war era to catalyze technological transformation, we allowed that opportunity to slip. The same forces and contradictions that gave rise to the civil war are at play again in the Boko Haram project.

  • Sterling Bank seeks N50b in new capital issues

    Sterling Bank seeks N50b in new capital issues

    Holds EGM tomorrow

    Sterling Bank Plc plans to raise about N50 billion in a new round of capital raising aimed at further deepening the bank’s balance sheet and increase its lending capacity.

    Sterling Bank would be raising about N20 billion through a special placement to identified strategic investors and more than N30 billion in another yet-to-be-specified instrument.

    Shareholders of the bank are expected to meet tomorrow in Lagos to approve new capital raising.

    Shareholders are expected to approve a resolution authorizing the board of directors of the bank to issue about 7.472 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N2.65 per share to Messrs. Silverlake Investments Limited or such other identified strategic investor.

    In another resolution, the board of the bank is seeking to raise additional capital up to $200 million or its equivalent in Naira. The fund could be raised through any or a combination equity, global depository receipts, quasi equity, convertible loans, medium term notes, bonds and any other debt instrument.

    Besides, the bank plans to explore public offering, rights issue, private placement either as a standalone transaction or by way of a programme, in such tranches, series or proportions, at such coupon or interest rates, within such maturity periods, at such dates and time subject to such terms and conditions, including through a book building process or other processes as the directors may deem fit and subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities.

    The meeting is expected to empower the directors to take any action required to give effect to the resolutions on the capital raising.

    Managing director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola, said the bank plans to complete its new capital raising before the end of the year.

    “Following our extra-ordinary general meeting billed for November 11, we plan to conclude the ongoing private placement before the end of the year. This will put us in a strong competitive position to achieve our growth plans in coming quarters. In the meantime, we remain focused on efficiency and are optimistic that the full year returns will be in line with our earlier management guidance,” Adeola said.

    According to him, as part of the initiatives to support its retail banking proposition, the bank has re- aligned its business by market segments for a more focused market reach while it has continued to increase its transaction channels and it is on track to deliver additional 21 branches and 500 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) by the end of the year.

    The new capital is expected to strengthen the bank’s performance, which has successively improved over the periods. Interim report and accounts of the bank for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014 showed that while gross earnings grew by 12.1 per cent, net interest income rose by 32.8 per cent. This further bloomed into 41.3 per cent and 39.2 per cent in pre and post tax profits respectively.

    Gross earnings closed September 2014 at N73.01 billion as against N65.12 billion recorded in comparable period of 2013. Net interest income rose from N24.22 billion in third quarter 2013 to N32.1 billion in third quarter 2014. Profit before tax jumped to N8.50 billion in 2014 as against N6.02 billion in 2013. After taxes, net profit rose from N5.07 billion to N7.06 billion.

    The bank’s pre-tax profit margin rose from 9.24 per cent in third quarter 2013 to 11.6 per cent in September 2014, underlying the improving profitability of the bank.

    Adeola said the performance of the bank was driven by increasing brand acceptability as shown in its growing revenues and reduction in impairment charges.

    He noted that the 41 per cent growth in profit before tax despite pressures on earnings arising from monetary policy changes was driven by improvements in revenues and a 30 per cent reduction in impairment charges.

    According to him, interest income increased by 15 per cent, while interest expense declined by three per cent resulting in a 32 per cent growth in net interest income. The bank recorded a 20 per cent growth in total assets to N847 billion and a 19 per cent growth in deposits to N679 billion with a 100 basis points reduction in cost of funds to 4.9 per cent.

     

  • Agbogun: Uduaghan’s successor will face new challenges

    Agbogun: Uduaghan’s successor will face new challenges

    Major General Nick Agbogun (rtd) is the President-General, Agbor Community, Delta State. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on the succession battle, the issues that will shape the governorship primaries and challenges that will confron the next governor.  Excerpts:

    Why are you mobilising support for Delta State governorship aspirant, Sir Tony Obuh?

    A golden fish has no hiding place. And that is how it is with Sir Tony Obuh. As soon as he indicated interest to run for that position, we knew he will do well. He has had active participation in successive governments in Delta State. That is why he is acknowledged across the state as a hard-working and capable person. It will not be surprising if all those who worked with him attest to his suitability for the position he is gunning for.

    Having known him for a very long time, what can you say about his person?

    He comes from a village in Agbor Kingdom known as Oki. His elder brother was a close friend of mine. His mother is from there and his father is also from there. Any insinuation that he has paternal lineage in Delta South is wrong. It is false and laughable. He is very suitable for the job. And he has all the prerequisites for the position. The advantage he has which others don’t have is that he has been the engine room of governance in this state. And that is why he knows what the state needs and how the state can be moved forward. This man has been so much exposed to political bureaucracy.

    That is why he will not find it difficult improving and sustaining the achievements of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. He happens to be one of the proponents of the Delta Beyond Oil strategy. He understands what it means and how to project it beyond this administration. It will be good if someone who understands what it entails is allowed to manage the affairs of the state. Governance is a continuum and Obuh is properly suited to continue from where Uduaghan will stop. This man we are talking about is a detribalised person, whose hands stretch beyond his senatorial zone. That is why you find the bulk of supporters in other senatorial zones. When such a man becomes governor, his contemporaries will be attracted to governance. That will translate into having capable hands who will handle the business of governance. He knows how government works, how policies are implemented among other aspects of governance. I will not be surprised that past executives will root for him. He is such a person who will ensure the realisation of the dividends of democracy as espoused by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He is also humble and intelligent. His humility makes him acceptable. If you see him talk, you will know he is good. As soon as you interact with him, he becomes your friend immediately.

    Did his foray into politics come to you as a surprise?

    Having been a civil servant for over 30 years, one should not be surprised particularly when he has worked closely with politicians. Obuh has been a key player in the business of governance in Delta State. So, such a man should not be seen as a political neophyte. Since the governor, who has done so well, is going to finish strong, it will be in the interest of the state if someone, who understands the current template created by Uduaghan, is supported to become the governor. Tony Obuh is one of the people who have contributed to the overwhelming development of the state. However, I am not surprised because he has operated in very different sensitive capacities that prepared him for the higher office he is going for now.

    You have talked so good about him, but there is an argument in some quarters that Obuh is not a mainstream politician. Hence, there are doubts regarding his competence in the area of politicking. What do you make of that?

     That argument is laughable. There is a saying in the United Kingdom that he who tries to differentiate the politician from the soldier will have his wars fought by cowards. Same applies to the civil servants because those who try to differentiate the civil servant from the politician will have his thinking and policies done by idiots. Tony Obuh was a grounded civil servant. If I may ask, is there anyone who went to school to study how to become a politician? There is politics everywhere and there are those who play politics at various levels. Can any of those making such claim point to the school of politics they attended? Who is a green horn in politics? And who is not? Politics as it relates to governance is all about proper formulation and implementation of policies that would bring about development. This development includes all forms of development. And Tony Obuh is very competent. He can be relied upon. That is why his acceptability cuts across all the tribes in Delta State. Obuh has friends everywhere. They all know that he is a bridge-builder. Among those jostling for that position, he is the only person that has not got excess baggage. There are no scandals around his person. Professionally, he is known to have an impeccable recorded. In other aspects of life, he is known for integrity and humility.

    Are the top positions he occupied in government enough to give him the grasp of what the political and economic needs of the state are?

     Having been in the inner circle of government, I don’t think people should sleep over his understanding of the key issues in the state. Civil servants make the business of governance easy for politicians. Politicians can’t function or implement policies without them. So, Obuh, who had coordinated and formulated policies in his various capacities, should not be seen as someone, who has no clue about governance. I cited Delta Beyond Oil as one of the key policies that Obuh and other competent people were instrumental to. And that is a policy initiated to ensure that the state prospers without oil wealth. That policy has remained a model for other oil producing states. It will be worthwhile to see Obuh drive the maximum realisation of the policy.

    Is Obuh the anointed candidate?

     That is the beauty of democracy because it allows for freedom of opinion. The rumour making the rounds that he is being anointed is baseless. I don’t want to believe that. Some of his contemporaries in the race have gone the extra mile to appeal to get anointed but that is their business. Tony’s integrity and competence are the factors working in his favour. He represents the crop of technocrats, who have proved how best to be state governors. He is an administration and that will be brought to bear when he becomes governor. I am not aware that anyone anointed Tony. It is just his good works. Those who said the governor is rooting for anybody are wrong. So, anyone saying he is going to be Uduaghan’s stooge is not being realistic. Even when the present governor was coming on board, people said similar things about him. But Uduaghan ended up becoming one of the leading lights among the PDP governors. Uduaghan has taken the state beyond where (former governor) Ibori stopped. That is exactly what Tony is going to do. All the aspirants are friends of the governor and one of them will eventually become the governor.

    What is the chance of Anioma producing the next governor?

     Any ill-feeling or acrimony relating to the struggle for governorship is not new in any political setting. That is the beauty of democracy, because everyone is a stakeholder. It is expected that other aspirants will try to run-down their contemporaries through propaganda. The PDP knows how to handle this kind of situation. That most aspirants are from Delta North is an attestation to the expectation that the zone produces the next governor in the interest of equity. Since other zones have produced governors in the past, equity demands that this zone produces the next governor. However, I hope that at, the end of the day, all the aspirants will act as good sportsmen by supporting the party’s candidate. We desire rancour-free primaries and that has been the message and expectation of the national body of the PDP.

  • Who is afraid of new Polling Units?

    SIR: I am compelled to pose the above query in the light of the controversies and barrage of criticisms trailing the proposed creation of additional 30, 000 Polling Units by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) bringing the number of Polling Units in the country to approximately 150, 000 . These criticisms are not constructive; they are deeply rooted in tribalism, religious bigotry and political sentiments. We need to rise above it.

    Leading the campaign against the commission’s proposal is the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly headed by the controversial Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark. Beyond flashing to our face the marginalisation claim, the group and its allies have not been able to support their assertions with verifiable facts or proofs. The group’s call for the removal of the INEC boss, Prof. Attahiru Jega over what they termed “promoting of northern agenda” is hollow, outrightly premature and cheap blackmail aimed at arm-twisting the INEC boss to dance to their tunes, to put it mildly. Unfortunately, none of these individuals criticising the initiative has been able to controvert the fact that the designated places in the northern region of the country, indeed, deserve the new Polling Units.

    Meanwhile, a glimpse at the planned exercise shows Lagos and Kano states taking the lion shares with 2,980 and 2,053 additional units respectively. While Bayelsa with the lowest registered voters in the country of 590,679 got 121 units. The truth, therefore, is that every state, as it were, is to be allotted polling units in equal proportion to the strength of its registered voters. The dust being raised by some of these groups that their regions are being short-changed in the exercise is nothing but a Nigerian factor where every national issue is brought on the table of politics and ethnicity.

    It is important to note that the electoral umpire has not acted ultra vires in the circumstance, especially,  in view of Section 33 of the Electoral Act, 2011 (As Amended). The said provision captures the power of the body to so act in the following words; “The Commission shall establish sufficient number of Polling stations in each ward and shall allot voters in such Polling Stations”. Assuming (without conceding) the critics of the proposed exercise had established their claim against the electoral body, the commission can still not be said to have violated the provisions of the law. The reason is that the Act does not stipulate the number of units to be allotted to each state. The discretion in doing so remains the exclusive power of the commission and it appeared to have exercised this discretion fairly and justly in the foregoing circumstance.

    Rather than pooh-pooh the proposed exercise, Nigerians should rally behind the commission in her quest towards finding a lasting solution to electoral ills in our system. The 2015 election is too crucial for us as a nation to be hijacked by some of these tribal and religious bigots in the garb of elder-statesmen and political analysts.

     

    • Barrister Okoro Gabriel,

     Ebonyi State.

  • ‘How African businesses can create new opportunities’

    ‘How African businesses can create new opportunities’

    New opportunities await African businesses if they can align with global business development ideals,the Institute of Business Development (IBD), the leading global professional body for business development professionals, has said. And to underscore its resolve in helping African businesses position themselves to create new opportunities, the institute chose the theme; ‘Business Development in Africa: Emerging Issues for Strategic Actions’ for its ‘2014 Business Development Week’ slated to hold in Lagos, Nigeria, from November 12 to 14.

    “The summit will demonstrate in real terms how companies can align their core business with the global business development initiative to bring about poverty alleviation at the Base of the Pyramid. By utilising their resource capabilities, companies can improve the lives of people in our continent through increasing investment, creating jobs, increasing skills, and developing and providing goods, technologies and innovations,” the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), IBD, Paul Ikele, said, in a statement made available to The Nation.

    Ikele said as companies do so, they will be able to penetrate the marketplace. He added that: “Above and beyond marketplace expansion, aligning your business with the initiative will contribute positively to your company in several ways such as improved supply chain, improved corporate culture, staff retention and morale, increased license to operate, improved investor attractiveness, global corporate reputation, as well as make you become an employer of choice, among others.”

    The registrar noted that a commitment to do business with low-income communities provides the greatest contribution to regional prosperity and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said the Institute chose to engage in the summit becausethe overwhelming characteristic of emerging markets is that they exist in a large majority of low income communities that have come to be defined as the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), which is those living on less than $1500 annually.

    “Four billion people make up the BoP and hold $5 trillion in purchasing power. Asia is home to the biggest BoP market with 2.86 billion people on an income of $3.47 trillion. That reflects 82 per cent of the region’s population and 42 per cent of the region’s purchasing power,” he explained.

    According to him, “The BoP concept champions new thinking and new ways of doing business in the world’s poor markets. While this high-level aspiration is not necessarily new, the current concept, also known as B24B (business-to-4-billion), was coined by influential business academics.

    “Africa is and conducts most of its international trade with emerging markets; this means that African companies should be well placed to broaden operations, supply and procurement to involve the Base of the Pyramid. To successfully engage with the BoP market place, new and innovative strategies will be required in order to respond to the unique obstacles and infrastructural development to position African business group to take a chunk from the global market considering our population.”

    Ikele announced that the summit has been endorsed by top business moguls, key government officials and the leading royal fathers in the African sub region. He said it will begin with a keynote address, which will be followed by a series of thought-provoking and engaging sessions covering topical issues on the theme. Each session will be launched with an address by a recognised industry leader, and conclude with a highly stimulating open forum discussion.

    He also disclosed that the summit is set to become an annual forum of knowledge sharing, showcasing, networking and initiating successful emerging market business ventures, which have a positive social impact and are aligned with the global business development ideals.

    Attendance is open to interested persons in the public and private sectors including business development professionals in Research and Development (R&D), top executives, project managers and all stakeholders in the business sphere.

  • Court urged to void INEC’s new polling units

    Court urged to void INEC’s new polling units

    The Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged to nullify the 30,027 new polling units created by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    This forms part of the prayers in a suit filed by three men, Ikogi Joseph, Odumegwu Chinedu and Omotoso Nicholas (who claimed to be indigenes of Bayelsa, Anambra and Ekiti states).

    They also wanted the court to restrain INEC from giving effect to the new polling units. The suit has INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as defendants.

    It is the plaintiffs’ contention that INEC acted beyond its powers under Section 73 (1) and (2) of the constitution by creating the new polling units.

    They argued that a fresh national population census must first be conducted before new polling units could be created and that since no such census was conducted, the new polling units were illegally created.

    The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Olukayode Olatoke (SAN), raised six questions for the court’s determination. The questions queried the basis for the creation and the legitimacy of the new polling centres announced by INEC.

    The plaintiffs want the court to declare that: “The act of INEC in creating more polling units for the North in utter neglect of the South is discriminatory and against the provision of Section 42 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.”

    Joseph, who deposed a supporting affidavit filed with the originating summons, said INEC, without any basis, increased the number of polling units from 119,973 to 150,000 and allocated same to states.

    He said INEC, without justification, discriminatorily allocated 24,386 polling units to the North out of the 30,027 polling units and allocated the remaining 5,641 to the South.

    Joseph said with the new polling units distribution, the 20 states in the North would have 83,607 polling units, while the 17 states in the South were allocated 66,393 units.

    “I know that in the North, over 500,000 people have died and another 650,000 have been displaced, following the Boko Haram insurgency.

    “I know that most people, who fled from Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau states and Abuja fled to the southern part of the country and Cameroon.”

    He argued that the voting population of the North had reduced by over 20 million due to insurgency.

    Joseph said the fact that many in the North had been forced to relocate to the South implied that the South should have more polling units, while the North should have less.

    “Rather than adding to the number of polling units in the South, INEC removed and closed down many polling units in five states, namely Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Enugu and Osun.

    “That the formula for the creation of the new polling centre is a ploy for the North to continue to dominate the South.”

    He argued that there was no justification or any development to the voting regime in the North to justify that astrological increase to give advantage of about 14,000 polling units over the South.

    Other relief contained in the originating summons include:

    *A declaration that Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2010 is not exercisable alone without recourse to Section 73 of the 1999 Constitution as amended;

    *A declaration that INEC could not alter or approve the creation of additional new polling units nationwide in the absence of another national population census after 2011 or any other verifiable and acceptable statistical basis, and;

    *A declaration that the creation of new polling centres without any statistical basis is unconstitutional, null and void.

    INEC and the AGF are yet to respond to the suit filed on September 10.