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  • Okene-Lokoja road an eyesore, says Yahaya Bello

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has described the deplorable condition of Okene-Lokoja federal road as an eyesore.

    He therefore called on the federal government to immediately commence the rehabilitation of the road to alleviate the sufferings of commuters.

    The governor, who made the call on Saturday, while on his way to Okene, said his administration has intervened in the maintenance of the road in the past.

    He lamented that such maintenance work cannot stand the test of time due to heavy vehicular traffic on the road.

    Read Also: Yahaya Bello sprays money, causes gridlock in Abuja

    According to him: “Constant damage done to the road by heavy vehicles cannot be sustained through maintenance by the state government, due to dearth of funds.”

    He expressed displeasure over the hardship suffered by commuters on the road.

    “They are citizens who have fulfilled their civic rights by electing their leaders at all levels of government; therefore, they do not deserve to spend days on a journey they would have made in hours,” he said.

    He appealed to the Minister of Works and Housing, to, as a matter of urgency, look into the condition of Lokoja-Okene-Ekiti road, saying that “As the major road that connects the north and the southern parts of the country, the road suffers heavy traffic and so, millions of Nigerians suffer the deplorable condition of the road.”

  • Katsina NYSC wants more Army posting

    The Katsina State NYSC coordinator, Alhaji Ahidjo Yahaya, has called on the Nigerian Army to increase its number of personnel deployed to camps, which he said has been very inadequate compared to the number of corps members mobilised to the state

    He said: “Things were moderately controllable when NYSC was mobilising just about a hundred thousand plus, nowadays the scheme is mobilising between 350,000 and 400,000 corps members every year.”

    Ahidjo, who made the request when he visited the Brigade Commander in charge of the 17 Brigade Nigerian Army, Katsina State, Col. WB Idris, said increased security challenges in the state and other attendant pressure on the camp require that the army beefs up its number of personnel to ensure adequate security.

    Read Also: NYSC warns corps members against abuse of social media, indecent dressing

    He further told his host that he was in his office to thank him for the existing wonderful synergy between the Army and the NYSC.

    He also tasked the management of the scheme on the promotion and teaching of national integration, cohesion and nationality to corps members, particularly at orientation camps.

    Also, a corps member in the state has taken up the teaching of entrepreneurial development skills to primary school pupils.

    The corps member, Obinna Valentine Emeredike, serving with Government Science Secondary School, Ajiwa in Batagarawa LGA, told newsmen in Katsina yesterday, that having observed the noticeable failure in the provisions of quality education by successive governments in the state, particularly in the rural communities, he had no choice but to take up the challenge to bridge the existing gap.

    He noted that in most rural communities, many children drop out of schools for lack of funds, while a number of the population have become nuisance and threat to security in most of communities.

    “I have discovered that these drop-outs need basic entrepreneurship development skills to empower them and remove them from the streets so as to establish peace and security for rural dwellers,” he said.

    The basic skills taught by the corps member include: food processing, soap making, barbing skills etc, which he noted could help them engage in meaningful ventures.

  • Abia lawmakers screen commissioners Monday

    The Abia State House of Assembly (ABHA) will on Monday, begin live broadcast of its legislative activities, through its social media handle.

    This is even as it has invited all the 24 commissioner nominees to the Assembly Complex for screening by lawmakers.

    Notable persons on the list were former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly,  Cosmos Ndukwe, former Commissioner of Works and one-time member House of Representatives for Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo federal constituency, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, immediate past commissioner for Education, Prof. Ikechi Mgbeoji, Dr, Hagler Okorie, former immediate past Accountant-General of the State, and Gabriel Onyendilefu.

    Read Also: Service chiefs upset Reps, shun meeting with lawmakers

    Other commissioner nominees include  Chimaobi Ebisike, Chief John J. Okoro,  Ugbaja Theophilus Odionyemfe, Onyema Wachuku, Chief Emeka Ikwuagwu, 11.  D. K Uduma, Barr Ekele Nwaohanmuo, Mrs. Ukachi Amala, Prince Ezekwesiri Ananaba, Dr. Solomon Ogunji, Chief Ikpechukwu Onuoha, Prince Dan Okoli, Barr. Suleiman Ukandu, Dr. Aham Uko, Chijioke Paul Madumere, Dr. K. C. K Nwangwa, Chief (Mrs.) Uwaoma Olenwengwa, Dr. Joe Osuji, and Engr. Emma Nwabuko.

    Uzoma Okoro, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji in a chat with The Nation in Umuahia, the Abia State capital said that the essence of the live transmission of the plenary is to ensure that Abians in the State and elsewhere can be able to follow the activities of the House regardless of their locations.

  • Residents protest alleged SARS shooting in Ughelli

    Following the alleged shooting of a young man, simply identified as Mr. Patrick, by agents of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in Ughelli, Delta state, residents of the area have taken to protest.

    SARS operatives had reportedly pulled the trigger on the victim’s leg for refusing them access to his phone.

    The incident was said to have happened on Thursday morning, around Makolomi Street near Upper Agbarho area of Ughelli.

    The SARS team was further alleged to have left the victim at the scene with blood gushing out of his wounds.

    The Nation gathered it was policemen from the Ughelli station who later rushed the victim to the Ughelli Central Hospital, where he is currently receiving medical treatment.

    According to an eyewitness, “The young man did not do anything. SARS operatives who were patrolling the area on Thursday stopped the victim and demanded that he must open his phone for them but he declined.

    Read Also: Stray bullet kills cleaner as SARS, armed robbers battle in Lagos

    “The operatives started beating him until they collected the phone from him but he refused. He is a very humble boy in the area. When the incident was happening it was the women in the area that were bold enough to challenge them. When others were still flogging him, one of the operatives opened fire on his leg. They jumped into the vehicle and left.

    “It was other police officers from the Ughelli Police Station that came to rush to the man to hospital. He is there at the hospital as we speak.”

    However, the development has caused many people, including women and youths from the area to protest against the activities of SARS operatives and the alleged shooting of the victim.

    It was learnt that the protesters who set fire on tyres on major roads leading to the Ughelli Area Command, called for an end to SARS operatives, positing that several innocent persons have died from their onslaught.

    One of the protesters, who only gave his name as Igho called on police authorities in the state to ensure that justice is served the victim.

    He said, “We no longer move freely because of SARS in Ughelli. Once they see two or three youths walking together, the next thing you will see is SARS operatives searching their phones.

    “We cannot continue like this. The police authorities should investigate the incident and stop their men from maltreating people.”

    When contacted on the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeyinka Adeleke, said it was not clear if it was a policeman that shot the victim.

    “Somebody was shot, but we do not know if it was a policeman that shot the person,” the CP stated.

  • 2021 is end of your reign in Anambra – Says Ngige to APGA

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, says the dominance of the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA in Anambra State, will come to the end in 2021.

    The former governor of the state, and Senator who represented Anambra Central senatorial zone, spoke with The Nation at the weekend.

    Read Also: Igbo presidency: Ngige, Sagay disagree on zoning

    He declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had made mistakes in the state before and would not allow such to repeat itself again during the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

    Ngige took APGA government in the state to the cleaners, adding that in the party’s many years of leadership everything had collapsed including roads, hospitals education, among others, noting that only the roads his administration built in the state were the only ones standing.

  • APC’s wind of change in Bayelsa governorship election

    THIS is not the best of time for the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State as the November 16, 2019 governorship election draws close.

    The signs are ominous that for the first time in the history of PDP, it is heavily hit by the soaring wind of acceptability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the length and breadth of the state to replace the PDP.

    PDP in Bayelsa State is fast becoming a shadow of itself. On daily basis, its membership is depleting as they are leaving the party in droves to the APC which has become the beautiful bride of the electorate.

    Only few days ago, Senator Barigha Nimi Amange, a PDP chieftain and strong ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan, dumped the party for APC at a colourful ceremony. Those who are familiar with the political calculus in the state know that Amange is a force that cannot be ignored.

    This was shortly followed by Gabriel Jonah, younger brother to Governor Dickson’s Deputy, retired Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah, and leader of a political group known as “Otita-Force,” who left the PDP for APC along with thousands of his supporters. They are leaders in their own right and no mean forces to reckon with.

    For the PDP, it is the battle of life to save the party from being swept off by the party it once derided and written off. For the APC, it made strong attempt at pulling the PDP off the strung in 2015 with its standard bearer and current Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva. PDP narrowly escaped defeat by stroke of luck.

    The Timipre Sylva-led APC, which has a lot of youths appellation in its fold, retired to the trenches and appeared in the 2019 General Election with a result which stunned the ruling PDP in the state.

    Out of the five members at the House of Representatives, APC secured two members, while out of the statutory three members of the senate, APC got one. At the State House of Assembly, APC got four members and more are being expected.

    This modest outing had since sent a clear signal that there is a dangling Sword of Damocles on the PDP in the November 16, 2019 governorship election.

    There are a number of issues that will define the outcome of the governorship election in Bayelsa State.

    One, the personality and character of the candidates will go a long way to determine the choice of the electorate.

    For the APC, the emergence of Mr. David Lyon as standard bearer of the party was received with spontaneous jubilation across the state, regardless of party leanings.

    Earlier, just hearing of Lyon’s intention to contest, the PDP was compelled to hold meetings severally to strategise on how to contain the osmosis forces coming with the candidacy of David Lyon.

    According to reports, PDP allegedly sponsored someone at the APC primary to secure an Experte order restraining the party from adopting the “direct” mode of primary approved by the National Working Committee of the party. The matter, which was presided over by Honourable Justice Omukoro in Yenagoa High Court, was later vacated, paving way for the APC primary where Lyon emerged as the flag bearer of the party.

    Lyon’s candidacy had since altered the entire political calculations of the PDP and other contesting parties. A graduate of Mathematics and Chemistry at Rivers State College of Education, now Rivers State University of Education, his leadership quality and high academic performance were spotted way back in his days at Community Secondary School Olugbobiri by both teachers and students. This earned him the enviable appointment as Senior Prefect or Head Boy of the school, coming at a time such appointments were based on academic merit and character in learning,

    After his graduation from the Rivers State University of Education he had choice and opportunities to work in the Multi-national oil companies but he took the part of self-reliance.

    Worried by the frightening scourge of unemployment in Bayelsa State and in the Niger Delta, David Lyon registered a security network company called Daylon Nigeria Limited with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

    Daylon Nigeria Limited which came in the wake of rising cases of oil pipeline vandalism, kidnapping, sea piracy and threats to the smooth operation of oil companies in Bayelsa State has since become a house hold name.

    He has carved his name in the place of history in the Niger Delta. Apart from Chief Timipre Sylva, who initiated the amnesty programme which brought about the relative peace in the Niger Delta, Lyon remains the second individual who has contributed enormously to the peace and security of oil producing communities as well as creating an enabling environment for oil companies to operate.

    He believes that there cannot be sustainable development without peace and security. This is why when he got the endorsement of the APC to fly its ticket, the unanimous verdict of vast majority of stakeholders were clearly expressed with excitement, that “with David Lyon, the disturbing security indices in the state will soon become a thing of the past, being known for his dexterity in the business of community policing.”

    Other factors that have attracted electorate’s goodwill to Lyon’s candidacy include his generous and humble nature. His generosity, according to people who have come across him in one way or the other, “knows no bound”. According to a social media influencer, Miss Esther Aron-Kune, “David Lyon may not be an orator as some people do, but he is a good man who loves the common man, regardless of where you come from, as he sees himself as one of them; he is humility personified. This is why he is regarded as the coming of a true countryman governor and not the fake one that had deceived the people over seven years”.

    Apart from late Zebulon Abule of the Old Rivers State, there is no living politician that has demonstrated the capacity for philanthropism the way Lyon has done in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta in general. These are qualities which no candidate has in the contest.

    For the first time in the history of Bayelsa State, the issue of choice of Lyon has transformed into a mass movement like that of the Mao-Mao movement.

    The anger of the electorate is further fueled by the failed performance indices of the incumbent governor Seriake Dickson who unleashed a reign of impunity of which Bayelsans are fed up.

    For instance, before the Seriake Dickson-led government came on board, Yenagoa, the state capital, was beautifully illuminated at nights with functional street lights. Today, Yenagoa has become the capital of darkness, while activities of men of the underworld take advantage of it with increasing crime wave, especially at night.

    The functional independent power project called gas turbine was providing electricity to compliment the Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company. It is sad to mention that such a good infrastructure became moribund under him.

    Also, before now, bursaries were paid to students of Bayelsa State origin in higher institutions while both local and foreign scholarships were awarded same, but all that stopped under the self-acclaimed Government of Restoration of governor Dickson.

    In the civil service promotions, leave bonus, promotion arrears and Christmas celebration bonus, some of which are statutory rights and some are privileges enjoyed by workers under successive administrations, were stopped by Dickson for about eight years and just to mention but few instances which have become the nemesis of the PDP candidate, Senator Douye Diri.

    This is why Bayelsans have strong resentment against the candidacy of Senator Douye Diri who is regarded as Governor Dickson’s third tenure project or as some people would call it, as a continuation of his political dynasty to suffocate the people of Bayelsa State.

    It is therefore understandable that the wind of change that is blowing like the North-East trade wind, heralding the gale of defection from PDP to APC is natural and spontaneously reflecting the general will of the people.

    Therefore, any reference to Federal might in the contest by the PDP is a mere imagination and mischief. From all indications, the choice of David Lyon represents the people’s own natural revolt against Governor Dickson.

    Bayelsans are really fed up with the PDP government led by Seriake Dickson. It is like the aphorism that you can deceive the people several times, but you cannot deceive them all the time.

    This is why Bayelsans have crossed the Rubicon for the first time and resolved to align with the APC to meet the general development aspirations of the people and that is the reality on ground in the forth-coming governorship election in Bayelsa State

    .• Agala is a public affairs analyst

  • Anxiety over 7.2% VAT increase

    The planned increase of the Value Added Tax rate from the current 5 per cent to 7.2 per cent is already generating rumpus in different quarters with concerned stakeholders expressing fears that the new policy regime on VAT would further impoverish Nigerians, report Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, Charles Okonji and Medinat Kanabe

    To say that the proposed new 7.2 per cent Value Added Tax rate for the country, up from the current 5 per cent is already a hotly debated issue, is simply stating the obvious. Truth is, fears are being expressed by a lot of people who hold the view and very strongly too that the new policy regime, to all intent and purpose, was not well thought out.

    The new policy regime on VAT

    It may be recalled that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, had last Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said, “We are proposing and council has agreed to increase in the VAT rate from five per cent to 7.2 per cent. This is important because the federal government only retains 15 per cent of the VAT; 85 per cent is actually for the states and local governments. The states need additional revenue to be able to meet the obligations of the minimum wage.”

    According to the minister, although there is no effective date when the new rate will take off as stakeholders, including the National Assembly and the states, would have to agree on the date, she, however, said that could be sometime in 2020 after the VAT Act has been amended by the National Assembly even as she hinted that about N2.09tn will be accruing to the Federation Account and the VAT respectively.

    A value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax placed on a product whenever value is added at each stage of the supply chain, from production to the point of sale. The amount of VAT that the user pays is on the cost of the product, less any of the costs of materials used in the product that have already been taxed.

    Countries with VAT

    From available information, as of 2018, 166 of the 193 countries with full UN membership employ a VAT, including all OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 36 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade) members except the United States, which uses a sales tax system instead.

    The acceptability of VAT worldwide

    In a study titled, ‘How VAT took over the tax world’ and commissioned by Ernst & Young Global Limited, under EY Tax Insights, recently, the report observed that VAT is continuing to evolve and expand as new systems roll out and existing ones adapt to digital disruption and other forces.

    In the six decades since the VAT first made its debut in France, this broad-based consumption tax has spread rapidly across the globe, the study stated.

    Besides, it said, “Governments are fond of VAT and its cousin, the goods and services tax (GST), for many reasons. The levies are considered one of the least harmful taxes for economic growth and can raise large amounts of revenue because they apply to a significant proportion of economic activity.

    “One of the biggest issues we had was businesses that did not prepare early enough in terms of systems testing and training.”

    Today, VAT and GST continue to expand and evolve as new systems roll out and existing ones adapt to the implications of digital disruption and other forces. This transformation has consequences for businesses, which must adequately prepare for new VAT and GST rules and procedures, and update their technology to comply with new e-filing requirements.

    Countries planning to introduce a new VAT or GST system should keep in mind that a well-planned transition is important. The introduction of such a tax requires adequate administrative capacity, training and technology on the part of both businesses and the government.

    Groundswell of support for proposed VAT

    According to Olajide Abiola, a public affairs commentator, “the VAT increase does not adversely affect the common man as some have falsely peddled. Like it has been stated, it is a consumption tax and the greater benefit goes to the states. It is now left to us to either vote the right governors or hold them as accountable as we do the federal.”

    Discordant tunes over new VAT rate

    One individual who has spoken dispassionately about the importance of the VAT template as a veritable tool for socioeconomic development is Omooba Olumuyiwa Sosanya, renowned accountant.

    Speaking with our correspondent at the weekend on the merits and demerits of the proposed new VAT rate, Omooba Sosanya, who is the founding father of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), the second widely acclaimed national accounting body in the country, said, the new policy regime, is simply a knee jerk approach to issues of national development.

    In his own view, the federal government is simply shooting itself on the foot if it thinks that the N2.2 trillion being projected as VAT receipts in the proposed new rate would solve the myriads of problems bedeviling the country’s economy.

    According to the technocrat, he would rather the government follow a new paradigm shift in its quest for revenue drive through VAT.

    Specifically, he said, “The problem of taxation in Nigeria, VAT in particular is not a question of rate but has to do with the poor and inefficient tax administration. For instance, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries still charge 5 per cent VAT rate and they are doing well in terms of generating adequate revenue.

    “In Nigeria, it is not a matter of rate. Tax administration in Nigeria is ineffective and inefficient and the administration is over whelming the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). What we need to generate more revenue through taxes, including VAT, is to bring more taxable persons who would be paying tax. The whole idea of allowing the FIRS alone to be collecting the VAT is counterproductive. We need to decentralise VAT collection, where by all the states would be able to administer the VAT so you can bring in more people into the tax net including the informant sector.”

    He reiterated that if the VAT collection is decentralised, the country stands the chance to generate about N1trillion through VAT on a monthly basis and N12trillion annually as against the projected N2.2 trillion yearly based on the new rate.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Olukunle Iyanda, an accountant, said, there is nothing wrong with increasing taxes, what is wrong is if the increase pushes people further into poverty.

    Besides, Dr. Iyanda said, another fundamentally wrong thing is if there is no corresponding strategy to boost the economy, increase income and alleviate people’s pain.

    “Yes the government announced that VAT will increase from 5% to 7.2% however where this will only compound the situation of the citizen, it will push more people into poverty, don’t forget that the minimum wage is still actively N18000 ($50) a month even at this most state government are unable to pay, the minimum wage is increased to NGN30,000 ($84) a month yet government has not being able to implement it therefore if the VAT rate is raised without the corresponding increase in the living wage, government has only further eroded the purchasing power of the people.”

    While noting the fact that government needs to generate revenue to run the economy and taxes is the most effective way of generating further income for the government, Iyanda, who is strategy and innovation consultant and CEO at BROOT Consulting Nigeria Limited, “We need to move from the current tax-paying population of 6% to double-digit, this will, however, happen if there is a strong sense of transparency, accountability and judicious use of the revenue so corrected.”

    Currently, he says, the system is opaque and shrouded with corruption. Raising some posers, he queried, “How confident are we as a citizen to point to how our taxes are being used? Tax should not be used for the flamboyant lifestyle of public officials. The option that is open to the government before a further increase in tax rate is to drastically reduce extravagance and irresponsibility in governance and come up with an effective tax system where more people are made to fulfil the civic duty.”

    Government, he stressed, need to rejig the economy and bring more people out of poverty, there has to be a drastic strategy to grow the economy and empower the people of Nigeria. Conversely, the former university don, said, the endemic poverty if left unchecked will make it impossible to lift people out of poverty neither will it allow the government to use the taxpayers’ money judiciously.

    Unintended consequences of the new policy regime

    The view in some quarters is that the new policy regime if implemented will have far-reaching socioeconomic implication on different sectors, including housing, manufacturing, services, employment, amongst other sectors.

    In the opinion of Afam Mallinson Ukatu, a manufacturer, “There has been a long battle between tax authorities and manufacturers in the country over multiple taxation of our businesses and if the issue of multiple taxation is not urgently addressed by government, more manufacturing companies are likely to exit the economy.”

    Ukatu, while noting that the lamentations about all sorts of taxes are not yet addressed, now the government has come up with increase in VAT. The implication of this is that manufacturers would further be impoverished while most SME’s would be forced out of business because it cannot compete favourably with the imported goods that find their way into the nation’s market.

    Expatiating, Ukatu, who is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Mallinson & Partners Limited, said government should look into multiple taxations and VAT. “I have always argued that taxes should be paid on your turnover, but what of a situation where a manufacturer is losing money. It is obvious that a manufacturer produces and still losses money and you are still expected to pay your tax.”

    According to him, “There should be a system whereby you are evaluated by the tax authorities just like China, USA and other countries. There is what they keep as special rebate for manufacturing companies, because this is what encourages people to go into manufacturing. Without manufacturing, there wouldn’t be any way to for high rate of unemployment to reduce. Government can only provide about 10 percent of the total job requirement of the population, manufacturing can generate over 60–70 percent of the needed employment.”

    Comparing tax regimes in other climes

    Also raising his voice over the din, Dr. John Isemede, an expert in export and international markets, said, countries like Nigeria, Malaysia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canada and others have the lowest VAT in the world which is just 5% tax. “Unlike other countries, the situation in Nigeria is sad because it is not properly collected. The contribution of all taxes to GDP in Nigeria is just 6%.”

    Going down memory lane, Isemede, former Director-General, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), who recalled that VAT was introduced in Nigeria 25 years ago, however, regretted that it has not had much of an impact.

    “What is 5% compared with our neighboring countries, where VAT in Benin Republic is 20%, even if I am carrying a truck from here to Ghana, I will pay all different taxes. Benin Republic is 20%, Ghana started with 12%, and now 17.2%, and if you look at it, you said we just recovered back from recession; the economy is still very difficult.”

    Expatiating, Isemede said, “The question we should ask ourselves is what is the value of 5% VAT to the national budget? If we now have to increase it from 7.2% to 7.5%, which is only 0.2 or 0.3, what can that shift do to Nigerian budget or economy rather?”

    While noting that the new VAT rate is not the solution to the nation’s problem as it would place more burdens on Nigerians, including small businesses, Isemede advised that there must be protective taxes so as not to wipe out the entire SMEs.

    While Nigerians await the effective date of implementation of the new VAT, indications are that during the public hearing to be held at the National Assembly where critical stakeholders would ventilate their views on the matter, the idea could be totally jettison as it was done in the recent past.

  • Adeyemi, Awosika, others canvass financially accountable churches

    Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre Lagos, Sam Adeyemi, Chairman First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Founder Alder Consulting, Leke Alder and other stakeholders have appealed to churches to acquire management skills that will make them financially accountable.

    They stated that only such churches with good governance structure can shape the nation in the path of righteousness.

    They spoke last week during the official launching and inaugural conference of the Christian Financial Accountability Association (CFAA) in Lagos.

    The voluntary platform was conceived for Christian leaders and financial stakeholders to explore how churches can be structured to achieve proper governance standards.

    It is determined to embark on governance activities designed to improve transparency of church administration.

    Adeyemi, who spoke as the chairman of the CFAA Nigeria inaugural seminar, called for the sensitisation of the church on the needs to drive corporate governance and financial accountability.

    He said contrary to popular thinking, most churches are actually not rich because “about 75% of churches have less than 100 members and they are just managing their little resources but the fact remains that most of the leaders lack financial management skills. This is what CFAA is out to correct through education.”

    While acknowledging the roles of churches in developing economies, Adeyemi conceded they have invested so much in nation building.

    The efforts, he however pointed out, are being eroded by lack of accountability and corporate governance.

    He appealed to churches to strengthen capacity in becoming more efficient and effective.

    “CFAA as self-regulatory association of churches and Christian organisation is better positioned in helping to realise this by facilitating financial accountability, ethical and governance standards as well as biblical doctrine for all members,” he added.

    Awosika described the seminar as timely and valuable to churches to avert future ethical and administrative crisis.

    According to her: “The biggest model of influence in our nation is the church, which shapes the mind of societies in many ways. Hence the church needs to be pragmatic in its activities”.

    Awosika was of the view that churches should be structured by providing leadership portfolios and filling them up with individuals of the right character.

    “By possessing the right structure and working right, the church will serve as a model of integrity such that when the government comes there is courage to address challenges.

    “The nation is in troubled times as there is prevalent moral decadence. The overall essence of structure is that it allows for appropriate response,” she stressed.

    Alder highlighted the underlying problems that several church bodies face with government, noting that the CFAA Nigeria will reposition the Church as an island of best practices.

    Alder noted that the CFAA Nigeria was the commencement of a new era in the administration of churches which hope to achieve not only financial accountability but also spiritual development.

    Head, Tax and Regulatory, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, PwC West Africa, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said not-for-profits organisations, such as churches, must be accountable to achieve good public goodwill and perception.

  • Ogun Agro-preneurs: Inside Abiodun’s scheme to feed nation

    It is the dawn of a new era in Ogun State where efforts are in top gear to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

    Under the three and a half months old administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme is also targeted at easing the problem of youth unemployment in the sense that the initiative has the capacity to take thousands of idle persons off the streets.

    For a start, 2, 000 persons have been enlisted under the scheme which signals the commencement of what can aptly be described as agricultural revolution in Ogun.

    The icing on the cake for the beneficiaries of the scheme, called Agro-preneurs, is that each of them will get a hectare of land free from the state government.

    There cannot be a better way to encourage our youths to go into farming.

    While flagging off the scheme at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta,  Abiodun said his government plans to turn the state into an agricultural hub capable of feeding itself and other states across the country.

    According to him, the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme is another avenue to boost the nation’s self-sufficiency in agricultural production in line with the Federal Government’s agenda on food security, and to save foreign exchange spent annually on importation of food items that could be produced locally.

    The 2, 000 beneficiaries, he announced, would be given Certificates of Acceptance and Leasehold.

    This is not a new scheme altogether in the country as it was started by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) some years ago as a tripartite scheme with state governments and beneficiaries.

    What is new, however, is that the previous Ogun administration failed to take full advantage of it while several other states keyed into it with the benefits now glaring for everyone to see.

    The governor expressed surprise that his predecessor shunned the funds available under the scheme to help farmers improve their production.

    The governor called on the recipients to be committed and responsible in their repayment plan.

    “Outside of the one hectare of land that we are giving out free to each of the beneficiaries, we will also provide clearing, seedlings, fertilizers, extension services and we will pay upkeep allowances until the first harvest,” Abiodun added.

    The governor disclosed that the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) is set to site the largest Agro-Processing Zone on the continent in Ogun.

    According to him, the development was the result of several engagements by his administration with officials of the AfDB who had been in his office twice in the last two and a half months.

    AfDB is headed by a former Minister of Agriculture and an indigene of Ogun, Prof. Akinwumi Adesina.

    “The bank decided that they were going to have two Agro-Processing Zones in Nigeria and Prof. Adesina decided that the biggest must be sited in Ogun State. This is the result of our constructive engagements with the Bank over the last 70 days or so,” the governor said.

    Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Abosede Ogunleye, described agriculture as a viable sector that could absorb the teeming unemployed youths, expressing delight that the state has signed its counterpart fund and keyed into the scheme.

    Head of Developing Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Oluyemisi Olukoya, said Ogun had not done well in accessing the scheme as only 5,249 farmers in the state were in the scheme as against 20,000 from Kebbi State.

    Chairman, Ogun State Anchors Borrowers’ Scheme, Prof. Bola Okuneye, said the programme was designed to link off-takers of agricultural products with producers so that farmers would know that there was demand for their products at an agreed and beneficial price to improve production so as to guarantee abundant agricultural products in the nation.

    “Ogun State is leveraging on its advantages in cassava, rice and maize value chain. There is a guarantee of off-takers, which means it is profitable from Day One,” Okuneye said.

    The Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme is a win-win development for not only the beneficiaries, but also for the state that is hungry for economic development and residents.

    For the 2, 000 beneficiaries, many of whom may have been graduates of many years standing but without job, it is a chance to make a decent living in line with the welfare agenda of the Abiodun administration.

    And they are only the first batch of the scheme as other batches will come in quick succession.

    This is a well thought-out scheme that recognises the fact that the beneficiaries are farmers and will ultimately require the market to dispose of their produce.

    Whereas there is already a market for those among them that may choose to go into cassava production, as a factory has said it can buy off their entire produce, the state government is said to be setting up a board for others as an avenue to prevent the selling of their produce at a loss.

    There is no doubt that the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme will ultimately boost food production in Ogun but when that happens and there is excess, it is incumbent on the authorities to put in a place a system to ensure that beneficiaries don’t sell their produce at a loss.

    Meanwhile the scheme has the potential to create more job opportunities. The current beneficiaries and successive ones will sooner or later break even and this will pave the way for employment in their different businesses.

    Now imagine the multiplier effect as youths who otherwise would have taken into social vices like robbery, cyber crime or even prostitution will have prospects of employment.

    Government also benefits as successful beneficiaries inevitably will have to pay tax to its coffers for the developmental agenda of the state administration.

    In the end, Governor Dapo Abiodun not only realises his dream of ensuring food security, but also solving the problem of youth unemployment and growing Ogun economy.

    • Adeosun contributes this piece from Kuto, Abeokuta.

  • ADE BAKARE

    Ade Bakare is a designer operating in Nigeria and the UK. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, he speaks about his passion for designing, textile production as well as producing apparels for celebrities, high profile personalities and his current work with the cast of soaps like Tinsel and the current Big Brother Nigeria cast. 

    WHAT do you consider as the turning point in your career in fashion?

    Interestingly, I am not sure that I can pin point a certain turning point. For me, it has been a gradual long journey of sustained development. But looking and thinking back, one defining moment for me was seeing my collection displayed in the windows of a famous boutique in Knightsbridge, London, called Lucienne Phillips. She was a well-known buyer and she bought the whole collection I showed her and displayed it in her windows. That was a great turning point because lots of other buyers for shops and department stores soon followed.

    What were the challenges at the beginning?

    I started my career in fashion at a very early age; that was immediately I graduated from fashion school at Salford University in Manchester, in my mid 20s. At that point, all I wanted to do was conquer the world with my designs. I didn’t let anything hold me back, but finance and awareness of my brand were some obstacles I remember that I had to deal with.

    You initially studied history at the University of Lagos, before you studied fashion; what inspired these?

    I had always wanted to be a fashion designer as far back as I can remember. But my mum’s side of the family being very pro academia insisted that I had to go to university in Nigeria, because it was a country that might look down on you as a drop-out at that time. She also said it will bring you in touch with others, who will ‘become friends later in life and help you should you wish to be back in Nigeria.’ I remember protesting a lot, because I couldn’t really see myself coming to Nigeria again; but it worked out to be true. Moreover, she did say that if I really wanted to study fashion design, another four years won’t deter me. So I gained my degree in history and subsequently fled to England before she could convince me to do a Masters.

    I later studied fashion with great happiness and took it all in. I was a successful student and was called back to teach at my fashion school, Salford University College, Manchester.

    It’s ironic that my studying history/education combined honours at UNILAG enabled me to set up our design academy in Lagos (Ade Bakare Couture Fashion Design Academy). One needs an educational qualification to do this and it helped me. I also tend to do lots of research on the Africa textiles we use, which is also thanks to my first degree in history.

    What are some of the memorable moments as a designer?

    Most of my fond memories were wining competitions in design school. Also, memorable and interesting was showing at various fashion exhibitions around the world and designing for prestigious clients.

    Tell us about your designs; what makes yours different from others?

    Our style has evolved over the years. They say it takes about a decade to create your own look, which are designs you make in your collections that have a wider appeal and you continue to develop them. I have always loved designs that stand the test of time and using natural fibres such as cottons, linens, wools and silks. We pioneered the use of silk adire, which we have now become well-known for especially in Nigeria. Clients are able to recognise our styles; the details in the clothes are important. We designed a boubou with a collar which is currently very popular.

    Others such as our long coats and dresses, organza blouses, wrap dresses, palazzo pants in silk crepe, and jackets with the umbrella sleeves, to mention a few.

    How would you assess Nigerian designers today?

    There has been a surge in people calling themselves fashion designers, which is positive. But I am not sure if many have any formal training or experience. These developments are necessary if they want to build a sustainable career in fashion. Most developed countries would not even allow designers to show at fashion weeks, if they have had no formal training. Fashion is a profession, not a hobby. Still, there are lots of creative designers in Nigeria who are doing marvellous works, and indeed the west has taken note of this and there has been lots of attention to what Africa as a continent is offering.

    What are some of the other things that occupy your time?

    In Nigeria, we are often involved in projects. Currently designing for the DStv series Tinsel; and supplying designs for Big Brother Nigeria. I love travelling (off to ski in the Alps soon) then to China to see the Forbidden Palace. There’s an arts festival in Ghana called Chatte Wote, and hoping to be in Gabon for a show this year. Travelling, writing my fashion memoirs and trying to operate businesses in the UK and Nigeria.

    Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

    The Lord, and my family, for me, is the greatest influence in my life.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    Life has taught me that patience is a virtue.

    Tell us about the people you admire

    I admire people who have been able to impact others in a positive way through their personality or business and yet remain anonymous.

    If you had to advise young designers, what would you tell them?

    We have a fashion design academy in Lagos, where we teach fashion basics such as illustration and ideas, pattern cutting and sewing. I noticed that most of the students are attracted to the glamour side of the industry, fashion shows, models and photo shoots. Usually, they say their generation want instant gratification and success. I advise them that such is not the case; that they have to build a strong foundation first which can only be achieved through formal training, apprenticeship or both. If not, they run the risk of fading out soon.

    Where do you envisage your business in the next few years?

    We have expanded to have other boutiques in Lagos and Abuja, hopefully Port Harcourt next. Then we concentrate on Africa. Senegal, Gabon, Ghana, Angola are some of the other countries we would like to have a presence in. We are in the process of now seeking investors.

    You just opened a new outlet. What stands it out?

    The new outlet in Lekki Phase 1 on Admiralty Road is for ready-to-wear, aimed at a younger audience. Beautiful, cutting edge designs at affordable prices, combining western and African influences.

    What is your definition of style?

    Style, for me, is beyond fashion; it’s a personal interpretation.

    How do you relax?

    Netflix comes to mind when it is time for relaxation. There’s always an interesting series; currently watching Billions (a story on stockbrokers in an American firm). I am intrigued with their drive and tenacity.

    Tell us about your experience working with the current Big Brother team

    For me, the experience of working on Big Brother Nigeria and other TV projects has been great. I must say that it’s an exciting opportunity working on Big Brother Nigeria. We have been very visible on Nigerian TV/films in recent years, working on the memorable Battleground series on DStv. We designed clothes for most of the characters, especially Adora, who was played by Shaffy Bello with such poise and sophistication. We were then approached by the TV series Tinsel to design for some characters. The process involves a lot of research, understanding the character and using clothes to capture the essence of that personality.

    Big Brother is a reality TV series, so the rules change slightly. But still a lot of research is involved. In addition, we are currently in the process of working with a producer on a film that involves the lives of two fashion designers that run rival couture houses. I can finally use it as a vehicle to show the best of African-inspired designs which would usher us into other things.