The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Despite challenges Southwest is where to live, work, invest

    The Southwest region has been prominent in the news in recent times for the wrong reasons such as rising cases of kidnapping, robbery and armed banditry. In this interview with select reporters, the Director-General (DG), Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye, examines the raging issues of insecurity, the clogs in the wheel of socio-economic integration and how the six states in the region are handling agriculture and education. Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE was there. 

    All eyes seem to be on the DAWN Commission in recent times because of the upsurge of criminal activities, particularly kidnapping and robbery on major roads in Southwest. Has it really looked like a burden on this commission? 

    It has not been a burden. I think that the commission was created for a time like this. We’ve been here for about six years and our job has been to manage the development agenda of the region of Western Nigeria. There can be no development without security; there can be no economic growth without security. When you have six states that want to confront a challenge together, they need a body that would manage it for them or a body that can ensure that they are speaking with the same voice.

    That cannot be delegated to the six bureaucracies of the six states. For want of a better word they are lucky that they have the foresight a few years ago to have a commission such as this to speak for them, to work for them.

    When the issue of insecurity became a major challenge and they felt they needed to confront it together, it is natural that they had to only resort to the body that has been working for them over the last few years.

    When we were saddled with that responsibility, it was just an added challenge which, in conjunction with our partners, we are more than capable to address. We have not seen it as an added burden, the last two months have been hectic but we have been able to confront this and we were saddled with the task of organising a security summit.

    We organised a security summit over a three-day period. On the first day, the governors, the drummers, the royal fathers were present but for the other two days, a lot of work went on behind the scenes, addressing the issue of insecurity in Western Region. Western Region starts from Lagos to Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.

    After the in-depth deliberations, we came up with implementable solutions which we now submitted to the Western Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

    During that summit, what were those things you discovered as causes  of insecurity and what solutions did you proffer to the governors?

    One of the things we agreed on was that even before the challenge got to the peak, the narrative out there had been skewed against a particular ethnic group as those behind this insecurity challenge. That is what some of those giving us these narratives want us to believe, that maybe Nigeria was not experiencing these challenges before but suddenly now it is just one ethnic group that started this.

    But during the discussions, we looked at it holistically. We understood the fact that it is not just a matter of one ethnic group. In discussing with the experts we assembled, we were able to have a holistic view on why there is increase in insecurity?

    We discovered that a lot of socio-economic problems were responsible for the current situation. I will give examples. Why the sudden upsurge? We’ve had Boko Haram challenges in the North East for the past 10 years. The children of 10 years ago have grown up, nothing to do, hopeless; they too want to live a good life.

    So, you have an army of able-bodied men and women who have chosen criminality as a means of survival. We’ve had this war in the North East, we’ve neglected them, they were not catered for and a lot of them have been sectioned into Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    For 10 years, they’ve known next to nothing, they’ve been poor, deprived. A lot of them have been exposed to carrying arms and they need to survive. So, they chose criminality. That’s just one group.

    We also discovered that the advent of technology has increased criminality and we are not even talking of internet fraudsters. If someone comes to knock on your door at 1.00 a.m. with an intent of robbing you, unless he wants to cart away your TV set, there is nothing to steal. You don’t have cash at home like before. All of us now use our Automated Teller Machines (ATM) cards or transfer money.

    Robbers of those days have moved on to something else as well. They now see banditry or kidnappings as an easy way of making money. We discovered that the face of criminality is changing. How many times have you heard of cars being snatched? It has gone down. People have moved on to other things.

    What we are confronting as a country is a different shade of criminality. When people go out there and try to say that it is one ethnic group and try not to understand the root causes, it becomes a challenge. If you don’t understand the causes of your problem, how do you then solve the problem?

    What the security summit did was to dig deep to unveil several reasons why there is an upsurge because criminality didn’t happen overnight. Add that to the army of jobless youths all over, mix it together and that’s what we have today. They are all over Southwest bushes on the highways. When that kidnapper kidnaps you, he is not going to ask what your religion is. That’s why we have an upsurge in criminality. We looked at all that and in some of the solutions that we proffered to the governors were that we must look at this thing holistically, this is not a challenge of carrying guns to go and shoot and start killing people. We are not going to solve the problem that way. We are going to solve the problem by looking at it socially, finding socio-economic solutions to this problem.

    How do you create more jobs? How do you make the hopeless have hope? What are the social things that you need to put in place? How do you decrease the number of out-of-school children? Those are the areas we offered solutions in our report. But some of the solutions are immediate, others are medium and long-term. If you want to go out there and start saying let’s prevent these people, you are chasing them to somewhere else, that’s not going to solve the problem. We need to find a holistic socio-economic solution.

    As a development agency, you have been used to education, economic, health and other development issues. Does concentration on security not taking you away from your core mandate? 

    I said earlier that there can be no development without security because they are all linked. At the commission, we are planning an investment summit for the whole region where two or more investors would be brought together over a three-day period and we will showcase our states as all the states will be actively involved. We had planned this for October, this year. We started going round, talking to one or two potential partners but suddenly the issue of insecurity took over and some of the people we have been engaging on the summit started highlighting insecurity.

    We can step down on investment summit and hold it at a later date. Let us first of all change that narrative. For us, we don’t see it as being taken away from our core duty. If you look at some of the aims of DAWN commission, they say they are to make Western Nigeria the place of choice to live, invest and to work. If you want to make it a place to live, it has to be secure. If we call ourselves the development agenda commission for the region, our primary duty is to make sure that it remains the best zone to live, to invest and to work.

    How well have you been able to identify problems that have befallen the education sector in Southwest?

    Getting six “independent” states to work together, even though they speak the same language, is not as easy as we think. Some people think it is a straightforward thing. They will say Awolowo did it but they don’t remember that there were no states then. It was a single entity. At present, they have had years of being on their own. What DAWN Commission has come to do is to try and let them see areas where there is convergence of interest to make the region move faster.

    Narrowing it down to education, we were leaders in this country and in West Africa. This was a region that had free education in 1955.  In 2019, one of our states has one of the highest out-of-school children. But what we have been able to do at the commission is to highlight what the challenges are and proffer solutions. They have all been adopting these things on a state-by-state basis. But we are promoting co-operation, because with it, integration can follow naturally.

    When we had the Southwest education roundtable about three years ago, some of the things that came up were infrastructure, automatic promotion and teacher training. One of the things that happened in Osun State is that they invested in critical infrastructure in their public schools.

    At the commission, our job is to use experts to come up with solutions, passing it down to the states. It doesn’t mean the states will adopt everything regionally but we can see a gradual movement.

    Ogun too invested on infrastructure in schools and teacher training. Lagos is up there, teachers are properly paid.

    How have you been able to help the states to leverage on agriculture and structured taxes?

    The Western region developed on the back of agriculture. It was the main stay of its economy. Free education was funded from agriculture but sadly over the years, we discovered oil. As a country, we got lazy and everybody left the farms and felt there are easier ways of making money than going to till the land.

    But with the coming of the DAWN Commission in the last six years, we decided to get our states to refocus on agriculture.

    We have had one or two agric summits here. What we have been doing and what the states have been doing is that we have made sure that we refocus on youths. We bring the youth into agriculture because we realised that a lot of the farmers that we have here are old. A survey showed the average age of farmers in Southwest Nigeria is about 59.

    So, what our governments have been doing is to purchase tractors and make land acquisition easier.

    The biggest challenge to agriculture in Southwest Nigeria today is lack of access to land. We have a lot of land owners who are sitting on a lot of thousands of hectares, they are not utilising it.

    How are you navigating through the different political parties, ideologies and philosophies in the six states?

    Development has no political colouration. If you are an advocate of development, there is no partisanship to that. Oyo State currently is governed by a different party and we have interacted with the governor here. He is a superman, you talk to him, he is a focused man. I’m not even sure he talks about his party politics when you are engaging him.

    This is a man in a hurry to bring about development.

    In his interaction with his colleagues from the other parties in the other states in the region, all they talk about is development. The classic example is how they have addressed the security issue. They dropped their hat out there to partisan politics and agreed to work together for the common good.

    Over the years, we have positioned ourselves as an organisation that is apolitical. The only politics we talk about here is development. Any governor that comes in finds it easy to key into what we do because of that. Our aim is to keep it as such. Leave politics aside; focus on how we can fast-track growth in the region.

  • Irukera: My disqualification is in bad faith

    Tunde Irukera, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, was disqualified by the Screening Committee. In this interview, the Director-General, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, speaks on his ordeal, his mission in politics and the agitation for power shift in the Northcentral State. EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    What is your reaction to your disqualification from the Kogi APC governorship primary?

    We were ambushed. It is in bad faith. Suddenly, we were asked to come to Abuja. We were directed to the Appeal Committee. The disqualification is without justification. We are going to resist it.

    Why do you want to be governor of Kogi?

    There is a short and long answer to that question. The first answer to that question is that there is a need in Kogi and we must answer to that call. The long answer is that Kogi is lagging behind in most indices of governance and development; in governance, health, lifestyle, and standard of living, our state is ranked at the lower rung of the ladder.

    When you compare the resources and the possibility in the potential of the state with the declared results, then it will not be difficult to concede that Kogi State is performing the worst in the country from the comparative standpoint. It then behooves on the citizen of Kogi to make sure that whatever they can do to change that narrative to the path of prosperity, they should do it. This is not just ambition but a call, a responsibility and an obligation that has been placed on some of us to consider whether we have the courage to confront or not. I am in the race in part because of the pressure and ultimately because I truly have a clear vision for the development of the state.

    My vision for the state is encapsulated under the acronym, “HELP”, which entails Healthcare and human security; Employments, Learning opportunities and Prosperity for all. Kogi is a state where you can find in large quantity any mineral resources that could be found elsewhere in Nigeria. Not to mention the closeness to Abuja; Kogi is also significantly endowed with arable farmland and good irrigation; the confluence itself is a tourist attraction if truly and fully maximised. Mount Patti is one of the highest points where you have a significant flat top that can be truly exploited for tourism.

    Don’t you think that call may likely ruffle feathers since you are heeding it on the platform of the APC which also has a sitting governor looking to answer the same call for a second term?

    I think the way the democratic and electoral system work already defined what is expressible and what is not expressible. In reality, this whole thing is about service to the people. The election system as stipulated in the constitution says there is a potential to change every four years.

    The parties have also adopted that constitutional principle of saying that though a governor has a right to two-terms, they created a system of primaries to ensure that space is open every four years and return to the delegates of the parties for assessment.

    You contested the 2015 APC governorship primary in Kogi State, but eventually step down for the late Abubakar Audu. What actually informed the withdrawal and how confident are you that delegates will vote for you?

    I think what I did then was a demonstration of what my real intentions were and still are. I offered myself to serve and not pursue personal ambition. If it was a personal ambition to rule Kogi State, the discussion about moving away from the race is not going to happen in that manner.

    My ambition has always been to a successful lawyer not to be governor in Kogi but getting into that race means a complete commitment and sacrifice to serve the people and change the narrative of the state. With that message, the delegates will connect. Delegates, over the past four years, they will look up and see what I have done with the very limited resources that have been entrusted to me.

    I started about two years as the Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council, a rather small agency that is relatively unknown in this country with a relatively small budget. I have spent over two and half years now without a significant increase in that budget, the Consumer Protection Council is now a well-known location where people can go when they believe that they have been poorly treated by companies. Not only that, in that same period of time, I fought hard to ensure that Nigeria now has legislation that promotes the rights of consumers and also prohibits exploitative means. If the delegates look at my record, then they can know whether they can entrust their joint destiny and faith of their people in me.

    Delegates by their very nature are delegates of the people. The single vote they have doesn’t belong to them but those they are representing unlike in the general election. In the general election, people have their votes and they cast it at will. But delegates’ election means that delegates are trustees and what they should be doing is to vote the aggregated aspiration of the people that they represent from the communities.

    I believe that the valid proposition that I present is something that the communities are interested in. That is why I am confident that the APC delegates will come out and vote for me at the primaries. I firmly believe that I understand exactly how to accomplish that vision and lead the right team to accomplish those objectives and finally because Kogi, as it is today, is not optimising its potential.

    I believe that given the opportunity to lead a strong team of very committed and bright people, we can truly transform the state and put it on the map of very progressive locations not just in Nigeria, but on the continent. Kogi has all it takes. So, I think there is an intersection between what I desire for the state and what the people of the state desire for themselves.

    If you become the flagbearer of the APC, can you beat the PDP candidate?

    I am very confident of winning the election if I emerge as the candidate of our party because we present better value for that position. What the APC has to offer Kogi State is far better than what any other party, including the PDP, has. For the first time in the existence of Nigeria, we have this massive Social Protection Programs which were fundamental issues APC committed itself to in its roadmap.

    This social program of the federal government has now become world acclaimed in many countries and organisations. So, the two things that are important to leadership selection are character and record. Our party has the record already of intervening socially to promote and bringing people out of poverty through the provision of jobs. And I have the character and the records also of intervening in corporate issues that concern citizens. I’m fully certain that for a state like Kogi that required a fresh emergence, that state is safe in the hands of the APC. I believe that if I emerge as the representative of the APC and with my background as a commercial lawyer and litigator with vast experience around the world, I believe I have the network to harness the potential of the state for common growth and development.

    What is your take on calls for power shift to Kogi West, which has not produced a governor in the history of the state?

    There are two things I am going to say to that. The shift that citizens are looking up to in Kogi State is a shift to good governance. But this doesn’t mean that those individuals and regional proclivities don’t exist anymore, they do. But they are far more diminished in gain now than then.

    Secondly, Kogi is a mini-Nigeria; very complex, multi-cultural and multiple languages. There are even minorities who live in the minority. The interesting thing in Kogi is that in all the three senatorial districts there are at least two local governments that have minorities in them.

    So, that is exactly the way Nigeria is. If the numbers are the only way to emerge, the leadership of the country would have come from one part of the country. But in the quest for justice, fairness, and equity, Nigeria formulated a system of rotating power. Kogi State is at that crossroad now.

    Would you consider offers from other political parties?

    Absolutely not. Its not an option.

  • Nigeria and the followership question

    There are two sides to every issue and that includes the problems confronting Nigeria. Over the years, the leadership factor has been consistently blamed for the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to the expected steady development of the country. Leaders of various governments also formed the habit of harping on the failures and inadequacies of predecessors akin to the “bring him down” syndrome of rival military juntas.

    Nigerians generally welcome leaders with euphoria and high expectations but rarely consider themselves as essential factors in the success or failure of governments, impatiently turning into “wailers”, even though their attitudes and conduct too often militate against the desired national progress and development. The prevailing situation in the country whereby undeniably strenuous efforts of the federal government are seen to be yielding positive outcomes, especially in the anti-corruption fight and the critical sectors of infrastructural development, agricultural development, economic diversification, youth empowerment and poverty alleviation, contrasts sharply with the public pre-occupation with crisis-mongering and armchair criticism. The notoriously unpatriotic “Nigerian Factor” is obviously alive and kicking!

    It was US President John F. Kennedy who famously took the citizenry to task over their presumption of entitlement to the benefits of citizenship from government without responsibility, when he counselled “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”. This exhortation is even more warranted in Nigeria where the tendency is for citizens to look up to government for their every need without the slightest consideration for their own contribution in support of government’s omnibus duty. Not even tax!

    President Muhammadu Buhari was even more forthright when, in his first emergence as military Head of State, he identified indiscipline as the national malady against which he launched a highly impactful corrective War Against Indiscipline (WAI) targeting social maladjustment and rampant corruption with emphasis on engendering personal and moral discipline to check indolence and corrupt practices. It is instructive that in his second coming, three decades later, President Buhari had to start from where he was stopped by the IBB palace coup in 1985, this time going all out against corruption in government which was threatening to “kill Nigeria”.

    President Buhari has marvellously demonstrated the critical role of responsible and patriotic leadership in charting a course of moral and institutional integrity as a necessary pre-requisite for political and economic progress. However, it is disheartening that the generality of Nigerians are quick to “hail” his exemplary record but reluctant to play their own part in support of his national crusade which they purport to endorse. Yet they know that without their buy-in and self-motivated adoption of the Buhari corrective crusade against corruption in government and indiscipline in the society, they are merely paying lip-service to the legacy. Ask not what more Buhari can do; ask what you can do in support of his crusade against personal and social indiscipline.

    Among the trending acts of gross indiscipline that Nigerians, especially urban elite, brazenly indulge in is ignoring traffic lights. This malady was rightly diagnosed as psychiatric by the FRSC which appropriately introduced compulsory psychiatric examination for culprits but it seems to be spreading like an epidemic across the nation today. Such a life-endangering act of indiscipline is perpetrated in broad daylight by supposedly civilized urban elite!

    Another outrageous case of indiscipline frequently unleashed on innocent road users with reckless abandon hit the headlines recently when irate commercial drivers deliberately blocked the ever-busy Kaduna-Abuja highway for more than 12 hours in a protest against the killing of a bus driver by a  policeman   on the road after he allegedly refused to part with a N2,000 bribe. The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai who eventually pacified the protesting drivers did not spare them for such misguided protest.  ”However, grief and a sense of loss do not justify imposing such pains on other citizens as the protesting drivers have done by blocking a very busy highway. They have left many people stranded for several hours and caused considerable distress.”

    These two incidents capture the negative attitudinal and behavioural traits that Nigerians exhibit frequently that not only underscore the inherent character challenges that have to be overcome but also demonstrate the impact that such undesirable tendencies have on the prospects for developing a supportive mind-set among citizens for success of good governance policies and programmes. Such behavioural patterns indicate high potential for citizens to deliberately act in conflict with laws and policies intended for the overall interest of the nation. This calls for vigorous sensitization on the need for citizens to contribute their quota to the success of meaningful public policies towards national progress by regarding the task of governance as the joint responsibility of citizen and government.

    So indeed there are two sides to the problem with Nigeria. The leadership aspect has been identified and is being subjected to corrective measures by the democratic opportunities for periodic review, recall and replacement. But the followership fiasco is getting worse on virtually all fronts. Gross indiscipline is complicated by orchestrated incitement against democratic institutions and processes, exploiting the widespread political ignorance of the masses.

    Now that we have a purposeful president with a mass followership and a corrective agenda, the next four years could be our best chance to bring the masses back from the wailing wall. If only our crisis-mongering, blame –gaming and empire-building political elite would put long-term national interest above all else and stop running down the best efforts of a principled and patriotic leader to stop the rot.

    • Akanbi, politician, wrote from Ibadan.

  • Not yet time to restrict forex for food importation

    Sir: Currently, Nigeria spends about US$22 billion on food imports annually. Rice, imported from Thailand and India, accounts for about US$1.65 billion which could make Nigeria the world’s second largest importer of rice after China in 2019. Commodities like wheat, fish, milk, processed foods and palm oil are also topping the list of imported items, contributing to the depletion of the foreign exchange reserve and making the country food import dependent. Meanwhile the country has the capacity to produce many of these imported commodities and may have no business importing food with the right conditions.

    Thus, as one of the ways to conserve foreign exchange, promote import substitution and encourage domestic food production and market, President Muhammadu Buhari recently gave directives to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to restrict granting foreign exchange (forex) to food importers. Here, I highlight some of the possible consequences of forex restriction given our current realities.

    Firstly, let us recall that the policy already affects more thah 25 items ranging from food to pharmaceutical and automobile, yet, these are circumvented by smuggling and by official granting of licenses to import, with huge profits likely for those who are selling the banned imports at the inflated domestic prices. Secondly, it is important to note that restriction of forex for food importers does not mean ban on the importation of food items. It simply means that the CBN rate of 305/dollar is no longer available for food importers through the official means, so importers are still free to import food items that are not on the list of prohibited items.

    The agricultural policy of the current administration is focused on import substitution and reviving the domestic food industries.  Unfortunately, domestic production of many food items in Nigeria has never been able to meet the demand, leading to considerable imports. Nigeria domestic rice demand is in excess of six million metric tonnes but domestic production is just about four million MT leaving a huge gap of over two million. Although there are indications that the domestic production of rice has significantly increased, the validity of such claim is still in question as a huge chunk of rice comes in through the land borders.

    According to the 2019 Food Business Africa report, the country spent $1.1 billion to import 5.5 million tonnes of wheat (99% of wheat consumed) in 2018 as domestic production remained static at 60,000 tonnes. National dairy output per annum is 700,000 metric tons while the national demand is put at 1.3 million metric tons annually, leaving a gap of 600,000 MT (FMARD 2016).  For palm oil, Nigeria has a demand-supply gap of 800,000 MT in the palm oil market. Similarly, there is huge demand gap for fish, sugar, beef, tomatoes and many other food items. With these current realities, Nigeria is not on course in meeting domestic demand gap for many essential food items.

    Since these food products are not banned and the domestic gap still exist which creates a huge demand, what is likely to happen is that importers will source for their dollars from the black market and still import food at high cost and pass the cost to the consumer. Therefore, if this directive is implemented, Nigerian should expect an upward surge in food prices in the next coming weeks. Secondly, arising from the huge demands on dollar from the parallel market, there is going to be an upward surge in the black market dollar exchange rate, which will further affect the strength of the local currency.

    It is important to mention that food import is not the major source of depletion of the country’s foreign exchange reserve. Nigeria imports industrial supplies (27%), capital goods (23%), food and beverage (17%), fuel and lubricants (14%), transport equipment and parts (12%) and consumer goods (7%). About 43% of total imports come from Asia; 34% from Europe; 15% from America and 7% from Africa. Food importation represents only 17% of foreign exchange depletion and therefore all categories of imported commodities bear the brunt of foreign exchange conservation

    I would recommend a targeted gradual restriction as against a blanket directive to the CBN. By this, I mean setting a timeline and taking the implementation in phase in tandem with our current realities and comparative advantage. While we are taking it in phases, we are also building the domestic food industries by providing the critical infrastructure for the industries to thrive. Nigeria must consciously support domestic food industries with favorable policies, access to electricity, bank credit, security and access to export market for the country not to plunge into an era of food crisis.

    • Godswill Aguiyi,

    godswill.aguiyi@gmail.com

  • Re: Can I tell my fiancé my father deflowered me?

    FUNKE whose parents were separated was raped and deflowered by her father when she was 16. She had never known a rosy life until Kunle appeared in her life in her early 20s. Kunle has asked for her hand in marriage and plans to have her relocate to Germany where he’s based. However, she’s very worried any of her family members could tell him about her painful secret, i.e. how her father defiled her in the past. She sought my advice on whether to tell him herself and a good number of Nigerians sent in their suggestions and advice.

    Dear Funke,

    Every intending couple wants to know about their past. Past is past; it is behind us, we should never allow it to hurt the present and future so for two reasons you must tell your fiancé.

    1. For this abnormality, there must be an antidote to cleanse you.
    2. He must not be told by a 3rd party; there will be addition and multiplication. Pray then, go ahead and tell him. God is in control.

    Anonymous

    Dear Funke,

    Please, never divulge the story. You will not believe the outcome. That should remain a permanent secret. However, you should relate well with your family and your in-laws. Nothing will happen. I suffered the same setback growing up. Someone that my mother couldn’t believe could ever do such, did it to me. The man also later deflowered his biological daughter. I am well over 50 now and I have never told an outsider. You must put it behind you. This is exactly how many young girls are tortured and end up paying emotionally for what wasn’t their fault. The current noise in the news daily about rape and child sexual abuse is just a tip of the iceberg. Too many victims prefer to be mute so they can have peace. To tell your husband-to-be is to create an everlasting agony in your life.

    Read Also: ‘My fiance got married to another woman the same day he engaged me’

    Anonymous

    Dear Funke,

    Please, be the first to tell him so haters don’t outsmart you. It may even increase his love and protection for you. However, pray before you tell him.

    Anonymous

    Dear Funke,

    Please, don’t tell him because the act is devilish and shameful. If he happens to discover later, you can apologise to him.

    Anonymous

    Dear Funke,

    Often times in life, we offer information when not required or asked. If Kunle asks you, then you should be honest about it but if he doesn’t, just keep quiet about it. Meanwhile, you should go to God in prayer to handle the matter in His way.

    H.E.

    Dear Funke,

    You should seek prophetic directives, then fast and pray before dropping the bombshell if the man of God is so led in the spirit that you should tell your fiancé. Otherwise, take solace in the fact that a failed dating is better than a dead marriage. If the man calls it quits because your irresponsible father forcefully deflowered you perhaps under a threat to your life, what a pity!

    K.A. Adebisi Esq.

    Dear Funke,

    I am really sorry about your predicament as I imagine the turmoil in your heart. I’d like to address some issues that would free you from this emotional and spiritual quagmire.

    1. At the moment, you are very weak emotionally and not strong because you’ve never really enjoyed parental care. You grew up in a loveless home, your father defiled you and your mother never cared enough to protect you because she remarried and never wanted to jeopardise her marriage. More so, she has two children in her new marriage she would rather care for. If your parents could let you down, who can you trust? Kunle might be your angel as he’s been expressing; at the same time, he might not be! You would regard any man who is generous to you even in the least form as a God-sent because you are extremely vulnerable. There’s nothing wrong in being appreciative of whoever has made life beautiful for you, however, you have to be very careful with your feelings and be strong, very strong. You need the strength of God so your vulnerability won’t lead you to a hell of emotional blackmail which a lot of men unleash on vulnerable women. If you are strong enough, especially spiritually, you’ll be able to decipher whether Kunle is indeed your angel from God or someone sent by the devil to further torment your destiny. You never can tell what is waiting for you in Germany. So many unsuspecting women who were married and taken abroad by their fiancés have very sour tales to tell.
    2. During our discussion, you never told me you’ve ever been through any deliverance session to get rid of the fatal effects of incest. Biblically, incestuous relationships carry curses which can alter the course of one’s destiny. I am quite sure, in your ancestry, there must be a curse attached to incest. No doubt, your father’s act has opened up your life to demonic invasion and that’s probably why you faced a lot of ill-luck and disfavour in your former work-place(s). How are we so sure you are free from this curse and what do we know awaits you in the nearest future? This is a very serious matter and not one to be taken lightly. You need to be sure your life is free from every curse that could make your destiny vulnerable to attacks before you follow Kunle to Germany, otherwise may he not label you a witch and a destiny destroyer if anything goes wrong with him because he decided to cleave with you!

    If these two issues are addressed to start with, the answer to your question would be easily established. Let’s keep talking. May the mighty power of God rest upon your life and give you victory within the shortest period.

    Your sister,

    Pastor Temilolu

  • Financial inclusion: Pension assets hit N9.33tr

    The Micro Pension Plan (MPP) driven by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has grown pension assets and boosted the Central Bank of Nigeria’s plan to take financial services to the grassroots. Pension assets rose from N9.12 trillion in April to N9.33 trillion in June, indicating a N21 billion increase. The CBN’s financial inclusion plan is receiving a boost from the pension industry where contributors have to open bank accounts to be enrolled into the scheme. The ongoing public enlightenment on the MPP benefits to contributors and the economy is building confidence in the financial system and securing contributors’ future, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

    Adult population that has embraced financial services is expected to hit 80 per cent by 2020, from about 65 per cent, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistics has shown. But achieving this mandate requires the collaboration of key stakeholders.

    The Micro Pension Plan (MPP) driven by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) is one avenue of bringing more people into the financial system.

    PenCom has taken up the challenge of providing financial products and services to the low-income population, which represents a large business opportunity for the private sector with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

    The scheme uses MPP to reach farmers, teachers, hair dressing saloon owners, petty traders, musician, actors/actresses, shoe shiners, bricklayers, among others.

    This is because for many people, the future remains uncertain. But for those who have planned for it through the right investment and savings, it is bright.

    And securing one’s future requires taking advantage of the opportunities that abound in the pension industry, which many people have seen as the last hope for retirees.

    The pension industry, tipped as one of the largest investment sectors, is gaining the attention the self-employed.

    At the end of last year, the global pension industry reportedly had an estimated asset under management (AuM) of $41.4 trillion, which represents 53.9 per cent of global assets under management. This significant asset size reflects the growing institutionalisation of retirement planning across the world. For Nigeria, the pension industry has in the past few years been dominated by high- investment returns, a departure from previous trends where net inflows accounted for the majority of the industry’s growth.

    PenCom exists for the effective regulation and supervision of the pension industry to ensure that retirement benefits are paid promptly.

    How much have pension assets grown?

    In the first quarter of the year, the growth of Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) holders under the CPS led to a N29 billion increase in pension assets. This has been attributed to salient policies being implemented by the Acting Director-General of PenCom, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar. For instance, data obtained from the Commission shows that AuM in the second quarter of the year increased by N21 billion.

    According to the monthly report on summary of pension fund assets and RSA registration published on its website, pension fund assets rose from N9.12 trillion in April, this year to N9.33 trillion in June, indicating a N21 billion inflow. A breakdown showed a rise of N18 billion in total RSA fund as it moved from N6.94 in April to N7.12 in June, while investment in Federal Government securities fell by N6 billion, from N6.55 trillion in April to N6.49 in June while RSA Fund 11, which has continued to attract more investments moved from N4.02 trillion to N4.10 trillion, an increase of N8 billion.

    PenCom regulates and supervises the licensed pension fund operators and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) manage and invest the fund for contributors and retirees under the CPS. Thus, the fund had grown to N8.74 trillion in January; N8.91 trillion in February; N9.03 trillion in March; N9.12 trillion in April, N9.22 trillion in May and N9.33 trillion in June, which translates to N686 billion growth in six months.The report further showed that a major chunk of N7.21 trillion out of the N9.33 trillion recorded in June is from RSA holders.

    A further breakdown of the June report under review showed that out of the RSAs’ fund of N7.21 trillion, retirees fund, categorised under Fund IV is N751.73 billion while contributors, categorised under Fund I, Fund II and Fund III, own N6.51 trillion.

    Other contributions to the fund include N958.2 billion from schemes and N1.24 trillion from Closed Pension Fund Administrators (CPFAs).

    The PFAs, the report added, invested a major chunk of the fund, totalling N6.48 trillion into Federal Government Securities out of the N9.33 trillion in the period under review. Of the N6.48 trillion invested by the PFAs, N4.43 trillion was invested in Federal Government Bonds; N1.93 trillion in Treasury Bills; N11 billion in Agency Bonds (NMRC and FMBN); N86 billion in Sukuk Bonds; N12 billion in Green Bonds and N129 billion in state government Securities.

    The PFAs, however, invested N505.82 billion in corporate debt; N1.04 trillion was invested in local money market securities and N23 billion in mutual funds.

    Mrs. Dahir-Umar attributed the accumulation successes achieved since the inception of implementation of the CPS to the Commission’s esteemed contributors. “The achievements recorded by the Commission in the last 15 years would not have been possible without the support and understanding of all stakeholders, especially you, our esteemed contributors, who are about to retiree. I, therefore, urge you to contribute positively towards the success of the Pension Reform Programme,” she said.

    Financial analysts expect the industry’s growth to exceed 14 per cent in the year supported by an improved macroeconomic environment that would drive increased contribution. Also, investment returns are likely to improve in the year, largely driven by higher interest rates, which we expect to spike in the second half of the year.

    Analysts also view positively the commencement of the MPS, expected to increase the industry coverage ratio and help ramp up AuM.

    PenCom sustains campaigns

    PenCom is carrying out massive campaigns to enlighten the people, even at the grassroots, to embrace CPS at all stages of their business growth. The campaigns are going on televisions, radio, social media, online publications and other media platforms to get more people into the pension scheme and bring them to the financial services net.

    The campaigns are ongoing in the markets, shopping malls, private and public sectors, motor parks to ensure that all Nigerians within pensionable age embrace the CPS and secure their future, financially.

    PenCom said once a person reaches 18, such person qualifies and can contribute based on his income. The contributions can be daily, weekly, monthly, and contributions can be made through the mobile phones. Besides, should anything happen to a contributor’s business, such a person can get 40 per cent of the total contributions back to begin a new life.

    Also, in case of death, the contributor’s next-of-kin will be paid the balance in the account of the contributor. The Commission also said Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) are registering people that want to join the scheme at zero cost.

    CPS gains private-public sectors’ acceptance

    PenCom says it has enrolled more than 8.5 million people into the CPS since its inception 15 years ago. Head of Communication Department of PenCom, Peter Aghahowa, said the scheme introduced in 2004 by the Federal Government was a process where certain percentage of enrollees’ salaries was saved monthly in a pool with the employers also contributing.

    The scheme had PenCom as the regulatory body, with PFAs working at its behest. Aghahowa said the scheme had made the life of retirees much easier, unlike the defined benefits scheme, which it replaced. He said the commission will continue to protect contributors’ funds and drive compliance by private sector employers through public awareness campaigns and engagement.

    This initiative, he added, is aimed at educating employees/employers and expanding the coverage of the CPS. According to him, the commission also monitors compliance through onsite inspections to ensure that employees of private sector organisations open RSAs and pension contributions are remitted promptly.

     Drivers of pension assets growth

    PenCom led by Mrs. Dahir-Umar  has achieved  milestones in pension contribu-tions, which is projected to hit N10 trillion by year-end and N15.1 trillion by 2023.

    PenCom introduced an Enhanced Contributor Registration System (ECRS) to tackle the challenges faced with the Contributor Registration System (CRS).

    Aside helping to lift contributors confidence and bring in more people into the financial system, the enhanced application is expected to open up transfer window for RSA holders to switch PFAs.

    ”Electronic submission of employer code requests by Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) on employers and the full automation of the process of issuing employer codes. Updates and edits of contributors’ information on the National Databank maintained by the National Pension Commission by the PFAs. The deployment of the ECRS is a major step towards the introduction of the transfer widow, which will enable contributors change to the PFAs of their choice, in line with Section 13 of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014,” it said.

    Aside the ECRS, PenCom under Mrs. Dahir-Umar unveiled the Micro Pension Plan (MPP) that allows the informal sector contributors under the CPS to withdraw at least 40 per cent of the contributions in their RSA. The extension of the CPS to the informal sector and the flexibility of its operation is one of the incentives expected to encourage participation and growth of the   pension industry.

    According to her, Section 2(3) of the Pension Reform Act, 2014 (PRA 2014) provides that employees of organisations with less than three employees as well as the self-employed persons shall be entitled to participate in the CPS in accordance with guidelines issued by the Commission. Majority of these categories of persons are found in the informal sector and have generally low and irregular incomes. The MPP has enabled artisans, such as photographers, caterers, hairdressers, motorcycle service operators, tailors, fashion designers, carpenters, and painters to embrace CPS and protect their future and businesses.

    ”As you are aware, the informal sector workers constitute the larger percentage of the working population in the country, there is, therefore, no doubt that robust participation would result to exponential growth of the pension funds which would consequently, provide funding for allowable and relevant investments that would impact positively on the economy. The MPP would contribute immensely to achieving the Pension Industry’s strategic objective of covering 30 per cent of the working population in Nigeria under the CPS by the end of 2024,” the PenCom chief said.

  • Oyo Speaker: Politics should be a vocation

    The Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Edward Ogundoyin, has urged the youths to perceive politics as a vocation and not an occupation.

    He said: “It is not advisable to go straight into politics without first working. It is good to have a second address.”

    Ogundoyin urged youths to emulate Governor Seyi Makinde, who he described as a dynamic governor with a new orientation.

    He said the governor worked hard to earn a living before venturing into politics.

    The speaker spoke in Lagos, shortly before the commencement of the conference of 36 Houses of Assembly Speakers organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

    He said: “Youths should know that the time is ripe for us to get involved in politics. But, politics should not be seen as a means of enrichment, but sacrifice and public service.

    “The perception that people go to politics to get money and become rich is wrong. That is why some people, after their tenure, become poor. Youths in politics should not focus on financial reward. They should be interested in solving the  problems of their communities. They should fight the infrastructure battle. They should empower people. The more you empower, the more those being empowered will empower others.

    “We should join politics, not for financial gain, but for the empowerment of the people.”

    Ogundoyin maintained that it is not good for youths to join politics without first establishing themselves in occupations of meaningful value.

    He said politicians who lacked second addresses exposed themselves to future risks.

    The Speaker said his expereince as a farmer has further enriched his public service experience, adding that he has utilised it to offer constructive advice to the governor on agriculture.

    He added: “I went to the Republic of Benin with the governor to study agric-business. We want to transform Oyo to African business hub. We need people with expertise and ideas.

    “I have given some input from the perspective of youths in agriculture. We should encourage youths to embrace agriculture to boost our GDP and IGR.”

  • Clarion call for people-oriented roads

    Research reports have revealed that a high percentage of road traffic deaths are pedestrians. Surprisingly, a large number of the pedestrians were knocked down near pedestrian overhead bridges.

    Looking at the general pattern of road construction, it can be confidently said that the roads and furniture are not pedestrian – friendly. It is obvious that most of the roads constructed were patterned after those in the developed countries without taking into consideration the attitudes of Nigerians.

    So many roads were constructed without Pedestrian walkways. Where walkways were constructed, measures were not put in place to prevent the infiltration of the walkways by vehicles, traders and other obstructions. Traffic officers are daily working to keep motorists safe without any provision of traffic officers dedicated to keep the walkways and pedestrians safe.

    Virtually all the pedestrian overhead bridges are very risky to use from 7pm because of pick pockets, armed robbers, rapists and kidnappers. So many pedestrians, particularly women have fallen victims thereby forcing them to abandon the footbridges from late evening, risking their lives to cross the roads. In this case, the lack of provision of security for the foot bridges is not making it to fulfil the designed purpose.

    In Lagos, Abuja and some other places, the governments have spent billions of naira to construct barricades near pedestrian overhead bridges as a measure to compel pedestrians to use the foot bridges. Research has revealed that this measure has failed and will continue to fail thereby resulting to massive wastage of money. The new costly barricades recently installed by the Lagos State government have been destroyed by desperate pedestrians and stray vehicles. I can’t remember the number of times this has been done by previous governments without achieving the desired results. There is a need to change the approach and get it right once and for all.

    Pedestrian overhead bridges were mostly constructed without taking into consideration the aged, sick, weak and the physically challenged people. With these and the fact that the number of pedestrians that do cross the roads daily are more than the number of vehicles that pass the roads, I hereby submit that the governments ( Federal and State) should experiment a pedestrian – oriented interface with vehicles.

    Black spots where more pedestrians are being knocked down should be identified and marked for restructuring. At those busy black spots, overhead bridges should be constructed for vehicles while pedestrian walkways should be marked under the overhead bridges. This suggestion will make it easy for all classes of pedestrians, the healthy and the weak,  to cross the roads with ease.

    The suggested restructuring may be costly but in the long run, it will be cheaper and more effectively promote safety at the target locations. There is a need for the Federal and State governments to embark on road audit with special focus on pedestrian safety. Very busy bus stops, school environments and market areas should be given priority in the suggested overhead bridges restructuring where they already exist and construction where necessary none yet. In every country, every life must count.

  • Cars45 unveils premium inspection service

    Nigeria’s leading automotive trading platform, Cars45, has announced the launch of a new product – Premium Inspection service – in line with its commitment to exploring new platforms that create convenience for end-users.

    This valued-added service allows Cars45 to cater to individuals who are unable to visit any of its inspection centres but would still like to use its service to sell their cars. To enjoy the premium inspection service, customers would be required to make an upfront payment of N10,000 to book an appointment. Cars45, in turn, would visit the seller’s preferred location to inspect, provide a valuation report and purchase the car.

    Speaking on the launch of the premium inspection service, Vice President, Consumer-to-Business services, Mayokun Fadeyibi said “Cars45 is a consumer-first and value-driven business as such we are always seeking new and innovative ways to make the car trading process as seamless as possible for consumers. With this premium inspection service, we are enabling convenience and offering consumers best-in-class experience.”

    The Premium Inspection Service, which is being piloted in Lagos adds to a rich variety of value-added services which Cars45 provides across Nigeria’s automotive industry. Other services include fleet liquidation, vehicle auctions, concierge services and vehicle financing which it does in partnership with financial institutions across the country.

    Known for bringing transparency to Nigeria’s marketplace for used vehicles, Cars45 has become synonymous with creating delightful consumer experiences by offering people a fast and convenient way to buy, sell or swap their cars.

  • Brazil-Nigeria relation revisited at A Night of Culture gala

    Connections Brazil shares with Nigeria were revisited when Brazilian Consulate in Lagos held A Night of Culture, reports EVELYN OSAGIE.

    It was a night of festivities marked by cultural trappings. There were drumming and singing of Brazilian and Nigerian songs.

    The night also witnessed dance of all sorts, acrobatics, art, African local drums and musical displays. But it was the rendition of Brazil’s national anthem in a Nigerian jazz-like manner that set the mood for the night.

    “Brazil and Nigeria have a lot in common, but sometimes we don’t realise how much we have in common,” Brazil’s Head of Missions in Nigeria Helges Samuel Bandeira began as he welcomed guests to the event.

    “Look at our music, listen to our Samba. Do you honestly think that we learnt to play the drums with the Europeans? Of course not! We learnt that from the Africans. And that is part of our heritage as Brazilians too. So, in some ways, being Brazilian is also being Nigerian. It is important to put it on the table,” Bandeira, who became the Head of Missions in Nigeria last month, said.

    From the Brazilian anthem to some medleys by Fritots Jazz band, performers took guests to Brazil and back and paid a special music tribute to the late singer Joao Giberto at “A Night of Culture”, organised by the Consulate-General of Brazil in conjunction with Fritos Global Communication (PTY) Limited.

    The event, Bandeira stated, was meant to bring Nigerians and Brazilians together. “We have always been having these events in the consulate. The idea here is to bring us together. And I intend to continue organising such for our Brazilian expatriates and for Nigerians so that we can enjoy our common cultures.

    “I think it is exciting to see Nigerians watch Brazilians enjoying Nigerian music and the other way round too – seeing Nigerians enjoying Brazilian music. And that is why I’m here, to bring our people together and not just to stamp visas,” he said.

    Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage also came alive as diverse cultural groups rendered energetic displays even as Olumidan Bata group thrilled guests. Other acts included famed musician Buga, Dami, C Steppers and MickyPee.

    Another highlight of the event, which drew guests from Brazilian and foreign missions and expatriates as well as dignitaries, especially from the Nigerian culture sector, was the screening of a documentary on the recent visit by the Consulate-Generals of Brazil and Spain to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.

    Appreciating Nigerians for their hospitality, especially to tourists from Brazil to Osun-Osogbo festival, Bandeira said: “I would love to tell Nigerian people “thank you for being so welcoming to me, to the Brazilian people that come visit Nigeria. Thank you for being yourselves”.

    In attendance were Spain Consul-General, Juan Moreda; United Arab Emirates Deputy Consul-General, Mohammed Alyammahi; Commercial Consul, the Consulate-General of China in Lagos, Li ke; UAE Public Relations Officer, Joanna Mendora; Chairman, Cross River State Carnival Commission (organiser of Carnival Calabar), Gabe Onah; Nigerian actor, Wale Ojo; founding member, Ikechi Uko and Isaac and Nneka of Goge Africa TV.

    Other guests Brazilian and American visitors who came from Osun-Oshogbo festival; representatives of Nike Art Gallery; Nigerian women artists (Omovo Ayoola, Mayen Goodluck, Aisha Idirisu and this reporter) and Jennifer Zerano of the Unity Project Nigeria.

    For the founder of Fritots Global Communication (PTY) Limited, Omooba Adesoji Talabi JP, promoting African culture and heritage was what inspired its partnership with the Consulate-General of Brazil in organising the event. “The onus is on us to do all to ensure that our culture and traditions do not die. We no longer appreciate our culture anymore as we should. We are saying this must change and are bent on promoting it so that people all over the world would know the wealth of culture that we have. And we have taken our culture to South Africa, Israel, Turkey, Egypt and Tanzania.”