The Nation Newspaper

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  • Governors: Traffic can kill business

    ABCDEFGGHI=Avoid Bribery & Corruption Daily Everywhere For Good Governance Here Immediately.

    Improving the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ achieves SDGs and is a challenge at every level of governance including Local Government Areas and private business. However it makes sense to simplify the measurement of ‘The Ease of Doing Business’ and introduce UN-Rating and UN-Recognised Happiness Factor manifest by putting a smile on the face of all interacting with government agencies and agents and not just federal government contact points. Beyond the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the secretariat, ministry, passport office or Corporate Affairs Commission, other actions will improve the total business experience. No governor should forget that traffic is a 20-40% unacknowledged chunk of our ‘doing business life’. If your trip to and from the point of doing business is a complicated dreaded nightmare, a potholed journey with uncontrolled chaotic traffic, then your government is failing and has work to do!

    Governors and LGA chairpersons:  There are three often neglected components to the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in your jurisdiction. 1] getting to the business quickly, 2] doing the business promptly and 3] getting back home quickly. Any morning sometimes from 5am in Lagos and 6-6.30am you may see people struggling to go to business- airports, work, school. A 10-minute delay in leaving home can add 1-2 hours to travel torture. Unfortunately you will rarely find active police and traffic officials at junctions before 7.30-8am. This creates a daily routine but unacceptable and unnecessary transport and security problem. Traffic officials must be in attendance earlier than the traffic jam for easier business access. I pass through three important unmanned junctions on the way to business and each of them deteriorates rapidly into a ‘me -first’ traffic chaos after 7.15am thus making business difficult. Unfortunately at the Awolowo-Secretariat Road junction in Ibadan even when the female police officials are there, one chronically behaves very unprofessionally, openly pursuing a personal agenda soliciting funds from drivers without censure. Fortunately there is a super-efficient traffic warden at the Customs junction 500 metres away. Where are the supervisors? Who trains them? Transport officials must be supervised by governments and security authorities using simple cell-phone recordings to monitor their work and confirm they are on duty to preempt traffic chaos.

    Number two: Doing the business and is a topic on its own.

    Number three- the ‘Ease of Getting Away from Business’ is as important as the business. Governments must care better for the citizen snarled in needless unsupervised traffic. Back in the 80s, we were deprived by our myopic military leadership and subsequent political class of using the inner-city train in Nigeria and are struggling to revive it. After work and during rains, the junctions and roundabouts are not adequately manned by traffic personnel creating a huge traffic jam nightly. The government’s traffic eyes and ears cannot close at 4.00 or 6pm. There must be working modern ‘Traffic HQ’ working 5am-10pm to supervise, deploy personnel or directly monitor and help the citizen get home. Government must study the traffic at junctions and roundabouts until 9-10pm. I often see traffic police strolling to their posts or receiving orders at 7.30am in police stations while traffic is impassable a few metres away. There is only one solution to this difficulty in doing business. Deploy police and traffic officers earlier and keep them on duty later at junction and roundabouts and provide raincoats and umbrellas for the catastrophic traffic when it rains. This progressive traffic management requires great thought, a masterplan, warlike deployment of personnel women and adequate supervision of same to avoid excessive opportunities for corruption.

    We really appreciate the headlong rush by government at all levels to talk freely about the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ an international yardstick to meet the SDGs under the purview of the vice president of behalf of government. Thankfully we have climbed up several notches. But the Nigerian citizens at home and abroad people know the truth when they visit to request government provided services from secretariat, passport and driving license offices and even courts. The media is rife with video evidence of the incompetent behavior common in Nigerian embassies closed for unannounced public holidays without even sending an email to those given appointments for these dates and also failings in passport and visa responsibilities making things successful only at lastminute.com or never.

    Carry out the ‘Ease of doing Business Test’ in your secretariat. Just look for the reaction when you as governor or LGA chairperson ask a cross section of Nigerians to visit any government facility and look for the immediate response – a frown, a neutral face or a smile or indifference. You will probably see an expression of fear. Most often you will get an excuse requesting someone else to go instead because of the expected disrespect, incompetence and deliberate obstructions. Nigeria is seeking to turn from an attitude of hindrance to that of help, from corruption to cooperation, from denials to ‘can do’. What a change. Amen!

    Mr Governor: Traffic is life and government’s main business and not nuclear physics. Judge yourself not only in IGR but also by how you have improved ‘The Ease of Living, Leaving and Entering your state and LGAs’ -traffic- and using government services.  And please remember that No Parking= No business. Traders need to be moved back freeing the roads and taxis, okada, keke, danfo need to be moved away from obstructing junction exits.

  • ‘How to explore investment opportunities in health sector’

    Because of its huge business opportunities, the Nigerian health care sector has been described as a largely untapped goldmine that should interest any good entrepreneur. That was the thrust of the message by Dr. Ademolu Owoyele, Managing Consultant with Harley and Wall Consulting, a health care and business consulting firm during this year’s investment and entrepreneurial retreat of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN).

    In the two papers he presented at the retreat, which held in Lagos recently, the medical doctor-turned management and business expert said it is possible to make great returns on investment in Nigeria’s health sector, which he described as Africa’s largest health care market. Delivering a paper on how to understand and tap from the huge investment potential in Nigeria’s health sector, Dr. Owoyele told his doctor colleagues and others in the profession that the first thing to do is to draw a line between medicine and health care, stressing that medicine is a profession while health care is pure business.

    He stressed that health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with almost 75 per cent of Nigeria’s health care transaction being private-driven (mostly for profit). The medical doctor-turned management guru also cited the example of United States where over $200 billion revenue was generated last year from health care industry alone.

    While imploring his colleagues in the health care industry to expand their worldview and be innovative in order to succeed, he added that it is a sad reality that many medics still suffer from having a myopic view of health care marketplace from the core medical perspective, despite a variety of career paths and investment opportunities available to them in clinical business.

    He urged medics and other potential investors to open their eyes to limitless business opportunities that abound in pharmaceutical medicine, health care consulting, managed care, laboratory and imaging diagnostics, stressing that the world of medical practice is now so wide and dynamic that investors can focus and specialise in any area and make a business success of it.

    With Nigeria as the largest market in Africa and by extension Africa Continent’s largest health care market, he said investment opportunities abound in the sector, especially now that the country is desirous of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) for its over 180 million population.

    This, he projected, will further open up the space for investors as the federal and many state governments would be embarking on a Private-Public Partnership (PPP strategy) to revitalise primary health care centres and build new ones, since about 80 per cent of health care needs will have to be taken care of at the primary level by the time UHC becomes a reality in Nigeria.

    While explaining the benefits accruable from diversified investment portfolios in the health care sector, he said medical tourism can be reversed through group practice, as chains of well managed primary level clinics may evolve to explore untapped opportunities to the benefit of investors and the people who need quality health care service. He, however, lamented that “many of us actually play within the red ocean than the blue ocean,” stressing that the latter is better for investors that really want to make a difference.

    The business management consultant said the red ocean strategy denotes all the industries in existence today or the known market space, with industry boundaries defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the game known to all players.

    According to him, this leaves companies trying to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of existing demand, with market space getting crowded and profits and growth increasingly reduced, leaving products become mere commodities, which often leads to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.

    In contrast, blue ocean school of thought envisages all the industries not in existence today or the unknown market space. Because it is untainted by competition, demand is created rather than fought over, leaving an ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid.

    “In the red oceans, as the market space gets crowded, profits and growth are reduced. Products become commodities, leading to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.  The blue ocean strategy is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand. It is about creating and capturing uncontested market space, thereby making the competition irrelevant.

    “It is based on the view that market boundaries and industry structure are not given and can be reconstructed by the actions and beliefs of industry players. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. A blue ocean is an analogy to describe the wider, deeper potential to be found in unexplored market space. A blue ocean is vast, deep, and powerful in terms of profitable growth,” he said.

    “Because competition is deemed irrelevant in an unexplored market space, which leaves vast potential for profitable growth, he advised investors to be creative.

    “There is a need to be innovative. Don’t just join the competition; study and analyse the environment, learn and make investment decisions. The investment world is made up of theories, not laws, and that is because human investors can, from time to time, make emotionally based decisions instead of fact-based ones that will alter market behaviours. However, using sound investment strategies and research, investment opportunities abound in the health care sector,” he said.

    In another paper he presented on how to run a hospital business profitably in an unstable political economy, Dr. Owoyele admonished professionals in the health care industry to expose themselves to business and management tips that work.

    First, would-be investors need to understand how Nigeria’s macro-environmental factors can impact on organisational performance, using pestle analysis, which allows new entrants into a market to identify, understand and monitor threats and weaknesses.

    He also urged hospitals to always strive for profitability, not just profits. According to him, profit is an absolute figure because it is what is left after expenses are subtracted from total revenue; while profitability is the metric used to determine a hospital’s profit in relation to its size. “Profitability is the ability to make profit from all the business activities of a hospital. Profitability is an index of efficiency. It shows how efficiently the management can make profit by using all resources available in the market,”

    To improve profitability, he said doctors should develop skills in pestle analysis, SWOT analysis, and five force models, which may require hospital managers to engage health care business experts in the aforementioned areas or seek expert skills in the management of hospital businesses.

    Dr. Owoyele listed causes of inefficiency in hospital business and what it means for the growth outlook or viability of the hospital as a business. According to him, inefficiency can result if there are leakages such as fraud and corruption, overuse or oversupply in materials management, technical inefficiency, unmotivated or unproductive workers in manpower planning, inappropriate hospital size or poor supervision as a result of poor governance or management as well as inappropriate admissions, length of stay, medical errors, substandard or counterfeit drugs.

    Many of these challenges can be addressed if the hospital eliminates waste and corruption through standard operating procedures and use of technology; improves governance and management structures and does away with unproductive strategies; institutes quality improvement protocols; designs an appropriate use of medicines and technology; improves communication, motivation and performance among management and members of staff; reduces medical errors through training, coaching and instituting clinical and non-clinical guidelines.

    He also warned hospital managers about the consequences or chain reactions of failure to develop a quality structure that can allow the hospital to thrive optimally, stressing that all hospital structures must support the ambience of a quality hospital for the facility to achieve its mission.

    “Quality is not just the building and ambience, but everything you do in total to meet and surpass patients’ expectations. Doctors need to develop the strategic thinking to continue to optimise every resource towards ensuring profitability.

    There are two ways to make profits–you either increase your revenue or reduce your cost. If you can’t reliably increase your revenue in a tough time, then you should be able to control your cost. If you can’t do it yourself, then seek expert advice or bring in a management who can,” he advised.

  • Oyetola and the policy of all-inclusive governance

    A somewhat melodramatic pose played out at a recent press briefing by the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, held in Iragbiji, the Governor’s country home.

    A question, reminding the governor of his promise to run an all-inclusive, all participatory government and seeking to know if that would literally translate to possible appointment of members of the opposition parties into his cabinet had put to test the brilliance and intelligence of a man with few words but mighty action.

    The questioner had, perhaps, misconstrued the notion of all-inclusive leadership to mean a direct involvement of the opposition or he merely intended to generate such as controversial news feast for his medium.

    On the faces of some came an expression of disapproval and you could hear them susurrating like the wind fingering the pines. Then, there was sudden silence and, of course, suspense, as all waited with bated breath to hear from the horse’s mouth. It was the first time the governor would speak on what the composition of his cabinet would be.

    Before then, there had been concerns over a fake list of commissioner nominees circulating on social media. In his remarkably calm, unruffled nature, the governor had decided to keep mum over the fake list and keep people guessing.

    But this time, Mr. Governor must clear the air. His terse response would later douse the tension. No member of the opposition parties would make the list of his cabinet already being prepared through the instrumentality and thorough scrutiny of party nominations from across the federal constituencies.

    What is curious is that this iconic image of purposeful and responsible leadership that characterises Oyetola’s diplomatic approach to governance in Osun State would easily give him away as a true party patriot who has the excellent mastery of bringing standard and finesse to the age long global democratic practices of appointing people to positions of leadership on the basis of partisan loyalty.

    His approach is simple: the party should nominate the best from their respective constituencies, since the ruling party itself, with a wide spread across the state, parades a membership of brilliant progressives who share the same manifesto with ability and compulsion to drive the good programmes of government for the people and take the land of virtue to greater heights.

    It would have been a disservice to the good people of Osun State for Oyetola to allow an incursion of strange fellows from the opposition parties with ulterior vision and selfish agenda to loot and further put their future and destiny on a repeating loop.

    To draw a thin line between the patronage system and his all-inclusive policy, Oyetola said his government would remain open to good ideas from the opposition on how to better drive his government’s developmental programmes. That is just an aspect of his pledge to make its government an all participatory one.

    Oyetola’s policies and programmes are driven by citizens’ needs, which were harvested during the “thank you tour/town hall meetings, where the people presented their yearnings and aspirations to the government. This responsible and all-inclusive approach has been validated in a report of the United Kingdom Department for International Development’s (DFID) funded Citizens’ Needs Assessment exercise in Osun recently submitted to the governor.

    The report recommends that the government should integrate citizens’ demands into the state’s planning and policy development and implementation frameworks. The report also recommends the need for the government to establish and strengthen the platform for feedbacks from citizens on project implementation. The last recommendation in the report centres on the need for government to build trust with citizens through fiscal implementation and accountability.

    Also contained in the report presented to the governor was a plethora of demands by the citizens of the state, including farmers, youths, women and children from Oyetola administration. Part of the short and medium-term demands of the citizens, according to the report, included sensitisation of adult citizens to parental responsibilities, creation of an enabling environment for business and setting up of monitoring team on waste disposal.

    Other needs include a direct dealing by the government, provision of infrastructure, irrigation facilities for farmers in the rural areas, improved security, improved water and power supply, among others.

    While receiving the report, the governor thanked the foreign agencies that conducted the exercise for further assisting the government in reaching out to the residents and citizens to know their needs.

    He assured that the government would implement all the recommendations in the report which he described as constructive and being in tandem with the plan of his administration for the state and the people.

    Since he received the baton of leadership in November last year, Oyetola had hit the ground running; offering the best at an appreciable pace, in spite of paucity of funds. Cabinet or no cabinet, commissioners or no commissioners, his achievements in the last nine months have been a quantum leap.

    From stemming the tide of insecurity, revamping the health sector, boosting the educational profile of the state to continuous infrastructure development, the race to greater heights has continued unabated.

    As the Chief Security Officer of the State, the governor’s efforts at securing the lives and property of residents and people of Osun State have been very rewarding, so much so that the Osun State has continued to retain, sustain and maintain its age long status of being the most secure and peaceful state in the Southwest if not in the country.

    An elder statesman and former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) attested to this during his visit to the state early this month with his Nigeria Prays Movement team. Another testimony of this feat is the just-concluded Osun Osogbo Festival, which pooled over one million participants, including tourists from different parts of the world. They all came, had a great time and left in peace.

    The success story continues in the area of education. With the newly established Ileri Oluwa Fulfilling Promises Educational Programme, educational sector now awaits a new phase of transformation. The programme, according to Oyetola, comes with a consolidated approach whose key elements are rebuilding, remodeling and total rehabilitation of existing school buildings and construction of new blocks of classrooms in a redesigned and repackaged approach to school infrastructure renewal, intended to reach every nook and cranny of the state within available human and material resources.

    As part of its educational support programme, the government of Oyetola also founded Osun Edu Marshals with core responsibility of enforcing discipline and regular attendance by pupils. It is believed that this intervention will substantially improve the profile of education and nudge it to the frontline among educationally performing states in the nation.

    Already, the government has commenced action on implementation of this laudable programme with recent inauguration of school projects at both Telemu Comprehensive Middle High School and Morinu Community Elementary School in Ola-Oluwa local government and Iwo local government areas respectively.

    What is more interesting in this government’s developmental programmes is its aggressive drive toward improving the health sector through the deployment of technology-based approach, to ensure quality and affordable health care delivery to the people. This administration had, on assumption of office, commenced work on the revitalisation of nine general hospitals and 332 primary health centres – one in each ward – across the state. About 100 PHs have already been completed, waiting inauguration.

    The government’s revitalisation programme is holistic. It comes with the use of technology to boost health care delivery, provision of modern equipment, training and re-training of members of staff for efficient health care services. The essence of this aggressive focus on health, which experts say is wealth, appears to be borne out of a resolve to power all the sectors of the state to deliver prosperity and good life to the people.

    In order to give prompt vent to this resolve, Oyetola executed the flag-off of the facilities in Ejigbo (Osun West) and Ifetedo (Osun East) Senatorial Districts, barely three months into his administration. Work has reached advanced stages on the two projects. They will be delivered very soon.

    A few days ago, the governor moved to complete the one-per-senatorial district revitalisation of hospitals with an expansion project at the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo as he turned the sod of 120-bed ward and 30 doctors’ quarters within the hospital, being the flagship of the facilities under the Hospitals Management Board.

    It is instructive to note that this administration had earlier carried out major works on the theatre complex, blood bank building, medical laboratory, trauma centre, hope clinic and the external wall of the hospital.

    This year, the government of Oyetola has executed six major campaigns and capacity efforts to boost impact and efficiency. These are maternal, neonatal and child week; immunisation plus days; exclusive breast feeding campaign; polio eradication campaign; net hanging campaign and facility level training for the activation of basic health care provision fund in Osun.

    And to cap it up, Osun State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (O’SACA) will soon start a project that will involve the introduction of incentives for expectant mothers who attend ante-natal clinic and have HIV test results.

    The story of Governor Oyetola’s all-inclusive approach to governance cannot be narrated in a hurry. The impacts of his administration are being felt by the people, both in the rural and urban settlements. Everybody is being carried along. His commitment to the welfare of workers (both active and passive) remains unshakable. Workers have been getting their full salaries as and when due while huge amounts of money are being released from the available resources, time to time, to pay the pension benefits of retirees.

    More than 500 kilometers of mechanically maintained roads are being constructed in rural communities across the state, with 228 kilometers already inaugurated while the remaining 306 are at various completion stages.

    These roads would aid easy transportation of farm produce from rural to urban areas. Eleven fully equipped fire service stations have been reconstructed across the state, with 14 fire fighting vehicles. Two of the fire stations were recently inaugurated by the governor in Ede and Ejigbo. All these, to mention a few, are in addition to the ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance of all existing roads within the state and the state’s huge contribution to the ongoing collaborative efforts of the states in the Southwest in building a formidable security network to fight crimes in the region.

    What is most amazing is how Oyetola has managed the available meager resources to achieve so much within the short time frame. And for him, the work has just begun. It is no surprise that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu described him as an encyclopedia of finance.

    Personally, I see him as a gift to humanity and a deserving blessing for the people of Osun State. It may appear too early to begin showcasing his score card, but those who can fathom the depth of the numerous achievements of his administration in the last nine months would quite agree that Oyetola deserves applause.

    • Oyekunle is Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Oyetola

  • South Africa: What you need to know about ‘xenophobic attacks’

    The xenophobic attack on Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa is the major topic of discourse on the lips of everyone due to the recent spate of violent and deadly attacks.

    This episode of violence has prompted a flurry of high-level condemnations and criticisms from international bodies and government officials across various countries.

    The violence echoes sporadic outbreaks of attacks mainly targeting migrants from other African countries in some of South Africa’s poorest areas.

    It should be recalled that in 2008 and 2015, the world was horrified by the savage scenes of xenophobic violence towards African immigrants in South Africa despite the unprecedented support provided by African countries during South Africa’s struggle to end ‘apartheid’.

    Prior to 1994, immigrants from different countries faced discrimination and even violence in South Africa.

    After majority rule in 1994, contrary to expectations, the incidence of xenophobia increased. Between 2000 and March 2008, at least 67 people died as a result of the incessant xenophobic attacks.

    What is ‘xenophobic violence’

    Xenophobic violence refers to any act/acts of violence, perpetrated by local communities or groups against an individual or group of individuals, based on the perception that the victim/victims of this violence do not belong to the perpetrators’ community, society or nationality.

    The attacks towards foreign nationals or perceived outsiders are often expressed in the forms of murder, assaults, intimidation and harassment.

    Read Also: FG promises ‘definite measures’ over xenophobic attacks

    Such attacks can include arson attacks on non-nationals and/or their property or the looting and robbery of non-nationals’ shops.

    These xenophobic attacks occur across all nine provinces of South Africa, while the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape are mostly affected.

    Reason for ‘xenophobic violence’

    One of the many reasons advanced by some South Africans for their anger towards black Africans since the xenophobic violence of 2008 and 2015 is that ‘foreigners are taking jobs from indigenes in the country’.

    A Pew Research poll conducted in 2018 showed that 62% of South Africans viewed immigrants as a burden on society by taking jobs and social benefits and that 61% of South Africans thought that immigrants were more responsible for crime than other groups.

    South Africa’s Legal Obligation to Protect Foreign Nationals

    South Africa has ratified numerous international instruments that place an onus on the country to ensure that it provides protection against all forms of discrimination, including xenophobia and xenophobic violence.

    In accordance with this legislation, refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa are legally entitled to the same rights as South African citizens, except for the right to vote.

    However, with the ongoing situation, the South African Government must send out a ‘strong message’ to its citizens that ‘hostility towards non-nationals should not acceptable under any circumstances’.

  • BREAKING: Lagos protester shot dead as mob burns van over xenophobic attacks

    Police operatives have shot dead a protester at the Circle Mall, Jakande in the Lekki area of Lagos State over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

    A police van was set ablaze by an angry mob that had stormed the mall.

    A video posted on Twitter and confirmed by some residents showed a body on the floor as gunshots rent the air.

    Another video showed a police van burning.

    A third clip filmed by a motorist showed a man masked with a handkerchief wielding a cutlass.

    “What is happening? Why are all these boys doing like this? Are they fighting the police or Shoprite?” the motorist said.

    Read Also: NANS vows to deal with South Africans over xenophobic attacks

    An actress, Belindah Effah, who was caught in the fracas, claimed that hoodlums had hijacked the protest.

    She added that the men had been attacking motorists and called for government’s help.

    “Jakande area is very unsafe right now; Area boys everywhere. Everyone ran and left their cars just now.

    “As I was about to run out, the boys carrying machetes and stones told me it’s not me they are after, they are looking for South Africans to kill.

    “These same boys vandalised some cars. I saw one of them stone a car and broke the windshield.

    “After a while, they came to our car and asked for some money. They have blocked the Jakande Road and passengers are so afraid. Government please come to our aid,” she wrote on Twitter.

  • Duke to pay N537m debt in 12 hours

    A former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke on Monday told a Federal High Court in Lagos that he will pay his N537,334,360.77 debt to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in less than 12 hours.

    Duke, through his counsel, Mr Edoigiawerie Omoruyi, told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that he had approached AMCON with a promise to liquidate the debt before the end of yesterday (September 2).

    He prayed for an adjournment to enable him settle the case out of court. AMCON, on August 8, through its lawyer Juliet Reeds, obtained the court’s order to take interim possession of Duke’s Ikoyi home.

    The court also authorised corporation and United Bank for Africa (UBA) to, in the interim, take possession of funds in the accounts of the ex-governor and others in any bank.

    Read Also: Court acquits Jonathan’s ex-aide over N1.6b fraud

    The judge gave the order pursuant to AMCON’s and UBA’s August 8 ex parte application.

    The applicants listed Stonehedge Investment Limited, Duke and his wife, Owanari Bob-Manuel Duke, as first to third defendants in the suit.

    When proceedings resumed yesterday around 2 p.m, Omoruyi said Duke was willing to liquidate the debt before yesterday’s midnight deadline for repayment of the loan.

    AMCON’s lawyer Austin Erhabor of Benson Reeds Legal Practitioners, confirmed that Duke approached the corporation with a pledge to pay the debt before midnight.

    Erhabor added: “In the spirit of trust and fairness, we will concede to an adjournment to enable us finalise the possible settlement.”

    Justice Oweibo upheld Duke’s prayer and adjourned till September 11 for a report of the settlement.

    AMCON and UBA, on August 8, prayed the court for “an order of interim attachment, possession and custody of the property being 3, Temple Road, Ikoyi, Lagos”.

    They averred that the property was mortgaged by Duke “as collateral in securing the first respondent’s indebtedness to the applicants”.

  • ‘APC will decide on zoning for 2023’

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje spoke with reporters in Abuja on the challenges facing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), zoning and other partisan issues. TONY AKOWE was there.

    What are your achievements as governor of Kano State in the last four years?

    During the last four years in Kano State, we witnessed alot of developments. But, I will just mention the very conspicuous ones because there are projects which you can see and programmes which you may not see. But, may hear about. We tried as much as we can to improve the outlook of Kano metropolis. Kano, being a mega city,  transportation, issue of road network and security and water supply are very important. In other to improve the transportation system and road network, we had to introduce a number of new designs in form of road inter-change. We introduced flyovers, constructing a flyover of almost two kilometres to Sabon Gari and an under pass at Kofar Ruwa and another one at Madobi road and Zoo road. We also constructed hundreds of kilometres of roads across the various local government. In the area of youth employment, we embarked upon the training of our youths in different skills and give them employment. For instance, we under took a survey and found out that most of the motor mechanics in Kano are road side mechanics and in the present transportation system, vehicles are computerised. So we signed an agreement with Peugeot Automobile Nigeria to train at least 1000 auto mechanics engineers. We took 75 to them, they spent one years and graduated and were given certificates and empowerment. All of them are gainfully employed now. We took another 200made up of 150 boys and 50 girls who have graduated and so, women are now auto mechanics in Kano. We have taken another 250 made up of 200 boys and 50 girls who are expected to round up by November this year after which, we take another set. We also undertook another research to find out the skill that will give our youth automatic employment after training or become self employed. We identified 24 different skills and we employed a consultant to advice us on what to do with that.

    What are your plans for the future?

    What is important now is how do we take Kano to the next level?  We have declared primary and secondary education free and compulsory, including girls education across the state. Infact, we are holding stakeholders summit on education in Kano state on the 3rd of September and the Vice President is coming to declare the summit open. What we intend to do is to ensure that instead of our population becoming a liability, it will be an asset. I am sure that you are aware of the almajiri issue. It is a serious issue in Nigeria today and breeding a lot of security issues. We decided to discuss with those who are operating the almajiri system so that we integrate it with our educational system. They have agreed and will be part of the summit. We made it compulsory because any child of school age in Kano must go to school. But Kano, being a commercial centre, we have influx of almajiris from all over north, from Chad and Niger. So, we are submitting a memo to the Northern States Governors Forum so that we have common legislation on the movement of almajiris from one state to the other. Unless we do that, the problem is difficult to solve in isolation and I believe that the memo will get the blessing of the northern states.

    On agriculture, we are clustering our irrigation scheme and construct farm centres and irrigation facilities provided there. On the herdsmen/farmers clashes, we have succeeded in curtailing it in the state and has resolved the issue of cattle rustling and given amnesty to the fulanis who are involved in that. Now, we are going to construct farm settlements so that the herdsmen will no longer travel from one place to the other.

    How can the herdsmen farmers’ clashes be querted?

    We have been saying that as a way of solving the problem of herdsmen/farmers clash, the federal government should ban the herdsmen trekking from the northern part of Nigeria to the south because along the way, you get so many problems. Unless if they are domiciled in one place, then the issue of having peace and stability remain questionable. Not only that, the herdsmen men in Nigeria need to improve because herdsmanship is no more a socio-cultural issue, it should be a socio-economic issue. But the way they are managing it is socio-cultural because they have not succeeded in fighting poverty and poverty  had not succeeded in fighting them. You cannot call a herdsman, a poor man because his moving with cows that worth millions of naira. But if he trek thousands of kilometres you cannot distinguish him  from a poor man. That is why I said that he has not succeeded in killing poverty and poverty has not succeeded in killing him. Resettling the fulanis is the solution. Already, I have sponsored 75 of their children to Turkey to learn artificial insemination which they are practising all over now. Also, when they are settled, there is need to introduce new system of rearing cattle.

    You created new emirates in Kano State that have created controversy. What would you say are your reasons for doing that?

    The new Emirates has attracted a lot of attention and I think it is important for me to talk about it. There are three basic reasons why we created the new Emirates. First, it is because of history and demand by the people in the new Emirates. Secondly, to widen and deepen the participation of the traditional system in governance so that the traditional institution is no more an institution of rigalia, but an institution that is functional, work with the people  and assist the government in the implementation of important programmes and projects. Thirdly, we want to create mini cities in the state so that some big towns can develop into cities while Kano mega city will continue to grow, while other towns are improved upon to become cities. By so doing, we believe it will improve the socio economic development of the rural areas. If we are talking of compulsory education, who will help you to ensure that all children goes to school? It is the Emir, the District head and the village and ward heads. It is the village heads that will help you in security system because the security agents alone cannot do it. It is also to improve the cultural activities. From the information we recieved, thousands things were bought during this sallah because of the decentralisation of the sallah celebration to major towns. The emirates have been created to involve them in governance which is very good.

    But, there are those who believe that you created the new emirates because of the role the emir played during the election by not supporting your re-election bid…

    The Emir of Kano has no problem with the creation of new Emirates in Kano. Of course, he had a problem with anti corruption agency in the state and the committee did its own work and submitted a report to the state government. Many people have been appealing to allow peace and stability in the state. The state government has already said that we do not intend to remove the Emir of Kano. But at the same time, we are sceptical in controlling the anti corruption agency because it is an independent body. But I believe there is peace and stability in the state. The role the Emir played during the election has to do with his own conviction. What is important is that we have won the election and we are not going to look back. So, the creation of Emirates has nothing to do with that misunderstanding. Afterall, Abubakar Rimi of blessed memory created Emirates. But, Rimi was a much younger and radical politician, but he was not as experienced as we are. That was why his own emirates could not survive. But this time, I want to assure you that even though it is in the court, it will survive. This shows experience in politics and governance.

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the party should abandon zoning for competence in 2023. What is your reaction?

    The way I looked at it is that it is an issue between idealism and realism. Idealism is a situation whereby things should be done in accordance with ideas. If things are done like that, then everybody should have equal treatment and everybody has equal chance to contest and then, what the people decide should be done. Now, the issue of realism. Nigeria is a multi ethnic, multi religious country with several geopolitical zones. In reality, people are yearning for participation of different political zones and not the politics of North and South. So, the reality of the situation is that people are crying of marginalisation in the leadership of the country. But, the idealism is that people should participate and be elected based on their capacity. So, it is not the governor of Kano state that should decide whether it is idealism or realism. It is the party that will determine which should be applied in Nigeria and you know that it is a political strategy. So, the political party should decide which option to follow.

    Some people have said the herdmen killing people across the country are not Nigerians. What is your take on this…

    I believe that there are three type of herdsmen in Nigeria. The first is those who are coming with thousands of cattle from West African countries and you dont expect them to carry the food for the cattle. Along the way, they have to cut trees and provide food for the cattle and that create some problem. They are attacked by farmers and along the line, they have learnt to attack farmers as well. They go about with their families on horses and donkeys  and also carry arms and have graduated into being bandits. That is one category of herdsmen who are coming from West Africa. That is an ECOWAS problem which Nigeria should negotiate. The second is the herdsmen who are from the northern part of Nigeria. They trek through the north central zone to the south. They normally dont have alot of cattle like the ones coming from West Africa. Those ones too create problems because of trekking from one place to the other. The third one are those herdsmen who are born in places different from places of their socio-cultural and socio-religious origin. I am sure that in the south, you can get some fulani herdsmen who are born there and are not trekking to come to the north, but are permanently there. They also have problems because when their young ones cannot go to school, they can also cause problems. This is my own classification and I am doing it because I am a fulani man. So, I know what it feels to be a herdsman and business should not continue as usual. Herdsmanship should be a socio-economic venture and not a socio-cultural venture as it is right now.

    What is your take on the call for revolution by a section of Nigerian youths?

    This is unconstitutional and it is the creation of the opposition to some extent and those tribalists, especially when you consider what happened to the former Deputy Senate President in Germany. So, it is in the imagination of all those who wants to destabilise Nigeria. It is also the hand work of those religious extremists like El-Zakzaky people. If you know what happened in Iraq, you will discover that it is all about revolution. But, in Nigeria, we have elected a government. We have a constitution. We have a legislature and if you want to change the government, you go through the constitution. That is the most agreed change of government in all countries of the world. So, the call for revolution should not be taken lightly. They should be taken to court and treated according to the rule of law.

    Also, you spoke of the influx of almajiris to Kano state. Are you saying that these almajiris are brought to the state from other places?

    As I told you, we undertook a survey and found out that most ofthem are not from Kano. Some are from Niger, Chad, Katsina, Borno among other. The almajiri system is not flushing in the north east because of the effect of Boko haram. So, sometimes, you find a trailer load of almajiris being off loaded in Kano. That is how we had such large population of almajiris in Kano. There are a few of them who are from the rural areas of Kano.

    You party, the APC can best be described as a house of commotion. There are insinuations that some of the governors are not happy with the national chairman and they are plotting his removal. Are you aware of this?

    I am not aware of governors working against the national leadership of the APC. I have not heard of any such thing. The Progressive Governors will soon meet with the national Chairman because he has invited us for a meeting. So, I have not heard of any gang up against the national leadership and if it exist, I am not aware of it and I am not a party to it.

  • Nigeria has shown me friendship, says IBA President

    The President of the International Bar Association (IBA) Horacio Neto has praised Nigeria for the warmth it showed him during his visit to the country.

    Neto, who was in Lagos for the 59th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference (AGC) at the Eko Hotel and Suites, said he renewed old relationships and made new friends during the visit.

    He spoke at a dinner reception in his honour by a firm of international commercial lawyers and arbitrators, TRLPLAW.

    TRLPLAW’s founders Prince Ajibola Oluyede and his wife Princess Funmi hosted the dinner.

    Neto, from Sao Paolo in Brazil, said it was his first time in the country and it was an opportunity to connect with Mrs Oluyede, with whom he had worked at the IBA.

    He said: “I find it interesting indeed that I met your wife long before I met you. We have been friends for many years, we have worked together on different projects, which are very relevant for the association. So, Funmi, thank you very much for everything you have done for Africa in the IBA and for the IBA in Africa

    “Actually the IBA is the tie of friendship, on top of working together, the IBA is about friendship, about commitment, being happy to go somewhere and seeing your friends, it’s about the pleasure of being with your colleagues, it’s about planning, about diversity, it’s about going everywhere and knowing that you have friends in every place; this is the feeling that I have about Nigeria. I have many friends here.”

    Explaining the inspiration for the dinner, Mr Jibola thanked his wife.

    He noted the IBA President’s courage for deciding on the Nigeria trip despite untrue negative information about the country.

    Ajibola said: “The idea of having a dinner came from my wife, she is the brain in our partnership.

    “When they told me the IBA President was coming to Nigeria, I thought it was a momentous event, you know, to have someone like him coming to visit us, notwithstanding the various advisories you get about Nigeria, so we should really thank him because it (his visit) throws a different light about our country.

    “You’re very welcome to Nigeria, we’re so happy to have you in Nigeria and we’re sure that this will leave you with a great impression of the country and it’s people… I assure you Nigerians are a fantastic people, not just lawyers.”

    He praised the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Paul Usoro SAN and his wife for honouring the dinner

    “We’re really privileged to have you here, privileged to have our President and his beautiful wife Mfon, who we admire so much,” he said.

    Returning the compliments, the NBA president commended Ajibola for his forthrightness and ability to speak truth to power

    Usoro said: “If you have a difficult case and you need that lawyer who needs to stand very firm and tell the judge what you’re doing is wrong, then you need a Jibola.

    “I have been with him in the trenches a number of times. One of the most recent ones was the Bukola Saraki case. Then we needed somebody who could tell the judge, tell the man that see there is a distinction between My Lord and the Chairman of the CCT (Code of Conduct Tribunal) and Jibola was there, and not because he was grandstanding, but because he truly believed in the cause.

    “He has a way of not only advocating, he lives his advocacy, he believes in advocacy with a passion and that’s Jibola.”

    He praised the couple’s marriage as admirable and exemplary, adding, “somehow they are yet to tell me how they met, but it is very strange that two people with identical character and traits got married and their house is not in flames.

    “But I congratulate them, I thank them so much for the honour that they have done to our guest Horacio.”

    He further described the IBA President as “somebody who values relationships and who believes that relationships are important. That says something about him. And I believe its on the basis of that relationship that he’s with us today.”

    One of the highlights of the night was when Ajibola presented a talking drum to Neto.

    Members of the Owo Branch of the NBA also presented a gift to Prince and Princess Oluyede for their support to that branch.

    Guests at the dinner, including senior members of the Bar, such as O. C. J. Okocha SAN, Gbenga Oyebode, George and Efe Etomi, Wale Babalakin SAN, J. B. Gadzama SAN, Emeka Ngige SAN, Dorothy Ufot SAN, NBA Vice President  Dr Foluke Dada, Mrs. Sena Anthony, Tunde Ajibade SAN, HRM Oba Odidiomo of Igbokoda, Group Captain Jika of the NAF, Ayo Akintunde SAN, SAN-designate Ebun-Olu Adegborowa, FIDA CVP Rhoda Tyoden, African Women Lawyers’ Association (AWLA) President Mandy Asagba, among others, were entertained by Nigerian dance troupes.

  • BREAKING: Five Kogi PDP aspirants step down for Wada

    Hours to the Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary, no fewer than five aspirants from Kogi East, have stepped down for the immediate past Governor Cap. Idris Wada.

    Wada, who is seeking a second and final term as governor, is one of the 11 PDP governorship aspirants from Kogi East, from a total 13.

    Read Also: Bello ‘ll use N30bn bailout fund for vote buying -Kogi PDP aspirants

    Addressing newsmen in the capital, Lokoja on Tuesday, the Vice Chairman, Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC) and former minister of State for Health, Arch. Gabriel Aduku, explained that the decision to prevail on the other aspirants to collapse their structure into Wada’s was in the overall interest of the party and the state.

    While he said that nine aspirants agreed to step down for Wada, he listed five, including the only woman aspirant, Mrs. Grace Iye Adejoh.

    Others said to have agreed to step down for Wada include AVM Saliu Atawodi (retd.), Dr Victor Adoji, Mohammed Tetes and Emmanuel Omebije.

     

    Details shortly…

  • Air Force jets kill scores of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno

    The Air Force said on Monday that scores of Boko Haram terrorists have been killed through air strikes at Yuwe area of Borno State.

    Its spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said in a statement that the strikes were conducted following credible intelligence reports on the activities of the terrorists in the area.

    Air Commodore Daramola said: “Nigerian Air Force (NAF) attack aircraft of the Air Task Force (ATF), Operation LAFIYA DOLE have neutralised scores of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in air strikes conducted on August 2019, at Yuwe ‘C’ in Borno State.

    “The air raid was executed in continuation of Operation GREEN SWEEP 3 after credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports, which were also corroborated by series of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, established that the settlement was being used as a hideout for the BHTs.

    “The ATF, therefore, detailed 2 Alpha Jets and an L-39ZA aircraft to attack the target area.

    “As the aircraft arrived overhead the target area, several BHTs were seen attempting to flee while many others concealed themselves in the structures and dense vegetation of the area.

    Read Also: Troops begin new strategy to counter Boko Haram’s attacks

    “The jets took turns attacking the target, scoring crucial hits on the hideout leading to the neutralisation of several BHT fighters.”

    The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) also announced yesterday that it launched heavy and well-coordinated attacks against Boko Haram terrorists at the fringes of Lake Chad, killing several of them in the attacks.

    Its spokesman, Col. Timothy Antigha, who announced this, said the attacks were launched through air interdictions and by ground troops.

    Col. Antigha said in a statement that several of the terrorists’ equipment, weapons and logistics were destroyed.

    Col. Antigha said: “ISWAP terrorists and equipment, including weapons, ammunition and logistics, were destroyed in Tumbum Rego over the weekend.

    “Air interdictions conducted by MNJTF and national Air Task Forces successfully attacked and killed several fighters and knocked out equipment on Saturday, 30 August, as they prepared to launch an offensive on troops’ location.

    “Battle damage assessment has indicated that the air interdiction had a devastating impact, as pockets of ISWAP build up and logistics hidden under trees in Tumbum Rego have been in ruined.

    “In a related development, ISWAP assets in Mallam Zuberu and Alagarno were also targeted and neutralised. Similarly, improvised explosive devices planted by ISWAP operatives in Layi Koura area of Nguigmi in Niger Republic was discovered and defused by troops.”

    It would be recalled that in the past couple of weeks, ISWAP suicide bombers struck in Kaiga-Kindjiria; a rural community in the Republic of Chad as well as Gubio in Borno State, in an effort by the insurgents to revamp their dream of establishing a caliphate in parts of Northern Nigeria and other areas of the Lake Chad Basin.

    “This blow by the MNJTF will further plunge the leadership and followership of ISWAP into more despair,” the statement said.