The Nation Newspaper

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  • ‘Many Lagos buildings are distressed’

    There are lots of distressed buildings in Lagos State that could go down any time, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Mrs. Abiola Kosegbe has said.

    Kosegbe was speaking at a stakeholders, meeting on collapsed building organised by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) at Alausa, Ikeja.

    But, this piece of information is not exactly fresh. Many building in the state often come crashing down, killing occupants and rendering survivors homeless.

    What is Kosegbe’s agency doing about it?

    Read Also: I’m afraid to go to school again, says pupil who survived Lagos building collapse

    She said: “We intend to hopefully come out with a lot of things that will help in preventing building collapse. Usually, when distressed structures are identified, we mark them and the owners are expected to take them down or perform needed repairs.

    “But now, the government is being proactive and we try most times to take action before such buildings collapse. Currently, there are a lot of distress buildings in Lagos. Hopefully, in the next two to three months, we are going to try to address the situation one by one.”

    Director General of LASEMA Dr. Femi Oke-Osayintolu said the meeting became necessary because of the need for holistic approach in preventing building collapse.

    He said there was need to understand the remote causes of building collapse in the state, adding that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has made safety of life and property a priority.

    President, Architects Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Dipo Ajayi said the government, professionals in construction and the people all share blames, adding that over 100 buildings have collapsed in the last three years across the country.

  • IRT busts another kidnap syndicate, arrests alleged kingpin

    An alleged kidnap kingpin Bello Abdul, 40, alias Yellow was on Tuesday evening arrested by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    Yellow was arrested at his hideout in Niger State by detectives who have been on his trail following allegations of operating an armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping syndicate that spanned across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    It was gathered that his gangs which had mainly young boys were responsible for over 150 kidnappings and several murders along the Abuja-Kaduna highways and Kajuru.

    A source who hinted on the arrest told our Correspondent that seven AK47 rifles were recovered from Yellow, adding that the suspect had countless others yet to be retrieved.

    He said: “He confessed that he used to buy the AK47A rifles at N50,000 each and he has so many of them. So far, we have recovered seven from him. He used to buy ammunition in containers.

    “This man is a dangerous suspect. He has been on the wanted list for a long time and we have been trailing him. Each time he was located in an area, he would run to another location. He controls so many gangs and his network goes as far as Zamfara and Katsina. But finally he has been caught.”

    Read Also: Police parade 58 ‘kidnappers, robbers’

    In a video where Yellow was being questioned by IRT operatives, the suspect confessed to have killed over 10 people and kidnapped more than 50.

    The suspect who spoke Hausa said:

    “Yes I am married with five children. I was in Niger State. I was in Kajuru before but I moved to Niger in Iyamadamakwa. I live in Kara.

    “Since I relocated to the village, I have been calm. I was into armed robbery and kidnapping. I have kidnapped about 50 times. I have collected N3m like six times. I have collected N10m, N17m, and N19m from different places.

    “I operate along Abuja-Kaduna road.

    I use small boys and those from my village in Maidaro. My boys are in Katsina and Zamfara. They are in nine places.

    “I used AK47 rifles and I bought them N50,000 each from one Yaro Alhaji at Kajori. I buy like a container of ammunition. A single ammunition is N1,000.

    “I have killed like 10 people. I killed one because the family insulted me on phone when I called them. Others were killed because their families did not pay ransom. I have rustled about 200 cows.

    “I did all these things before but I have stopped them now. I have calmed down. If I call my brother Alhaji Abu, he will bring those weapons I used for kidnapping.”

  • NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre steps up manpower training

    The multi-billion NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre has embarked on some proactive measures to guarantee the sustainability of the facility. This includes a deliberate plan for continuous training of competent and sufficient personnel to manage the centre, in fulfillment of its mandate as a flagship cancer treatment facility not only in Nigeria, but West Africa

    The equipment suppliers, Messrs Varian of Palo Alto, are providing capacity by building a training centre at the hospital in support of its commitment to human capacity development in radiotherapy across the West African sub-region. This is premised on a 10-year service maintenance contract that was built into the purchase agreement to enable the centre give at least a full decade of uninterrupted service.

    A team of experts from training colleges in the United States, which recently visited LUTH, expressed satisfaction with the state-of-the-art facility, saying it has rekindled hope for manpower training in oncology in the sub-region. Also, the Director of the centre, Mr Frank Sullivan, expressed confidence in its capacity to meet emergent demands.

    “The nurses in the Chemo-therapy Department are highly trained oncology nursing practitioners who are on the label of general practitioners in South Africa. They have exceeded first graduate degrees in oncology and dermatology and they know how to run the Chemo-therapy Department,” he said.

    Realising the huge demand on investing on its staff to achieve its objectives, the centre, already attending to patients from all parts of the country, said it is leaving no stone unturned in vital areas of handling the sophisticated facilities, with great emphasis on maintenance. Recently, the centre opened its doors to a group of clinical specialists from the United States led by Prof. Adedayo Onitilo, an oncologist at the Marshfield Clinic at Weston. It was a non-compensatory volunteer mission basically on a “show and tell” interaction to offer technical support, collaboration and advice to the centre.

    During the visit, Prof. Onitilo said the team was excited on seeing the cancer facility embark on the clinical application of newly-procured radiation and medical oncology equipment.

    “Based on the request from LUTH and NSIA, our goal is to collaborate and assess readiness of LUTH to provide modern oncologic care to patients, assess the equipment, practitioners and environment in terms of care delivery and safety.  The team of clinical specialists has worked together for about a decade. Our engagement will be a non-compensatory volunteer mission, basically a ‘show and tell’ interaction with the LUTH team offering technical support and advice.

    “On this trip, we have a comprehensive cancer care team consisting of medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, nurse practitioner/navigator, dosimetrist, physicist and therapist.  But we are glad to meet individuals that are highly qualified in their own right in the field of medical and radiation oncology. We   have also received support from the equipment vendors, therefore, our role and responsibility will be that of an independent outside observer with vast experience in day-to-day cancer care,” he said.

    The delegation had six other specialists and cancer care specialists. Alongside Onitilo, a medical oncology researcher in palliative medicine, others were Patricia K. Lillis, hematology and oncology; Mr. Xuan Hu, a physicist specialised in radiation therapy; Jessica M. Engel, oncology and hematology nurse practitioner; Linda K. Brock (CMD), Locum Dosimetrist, and Dana R.T. Peterson, a radiation therapist.

    While in Nigeria, the team brainstormed and developed a draft based on their assessment, direct interaction with patients and classroom-style brainstorming sessions with local personnel. The draft, designed over a 19-day period, targets developing a work model curriculum for the training of LUTH members of staff for improved staff strength and effective operations. The visit featured an orientation programme with the staff members.  The team also toured the centre on assessment of the available equipment; exchanging ideas on safety and quality standards, pumps, ports, clinic set-up, intake, consultation, treatment planning, tumour board, multidisciplinary team, chemo database, orders, documentation, screening and outreach.

    Checks were also carried out to examine the state of various departments, responsibilities of team members as well as carrying out reviews of treatments, protocols and policies of the centre. The team had discussions on tumours seen in local region, treatment philosophy, integration with medical oncology, follow-up plans, and charting a database for the centre. The experts also reviewed cases handled by the centre and embarked on educating the members of the staff on patients care and clinical related topics.

    To promote sustainability, the delegation proposed developing a plan to monitor the prospects and challenges of the centre to allow the facility accomplish the task which has been cut out for it in Nigeria and the whole of West Africa. The delegation also counselled on continuous training for the entire local staff through conferences and engagement of international professionals.

    Responding, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Chris Bode, commended the selfless service rendered by Prof. Onitilo and his team. He promised to ensure that the training centre sited within the hospital premises is promptly completed and put to good use.

  • Forex restriction opens fresh vista for MSMEs, manufacturers

    A survey by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), in collaboration with the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, put the number of Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria at about 41 million. The MSMEs and manufacturers may have inadvertently been offered a window of opportunity to raise their standard of processing and selling local produce, following the restriction of foreign exchange (forex) for food importation. Operators say the policy, if effectively implemented, could boost MSMEs’ growth and create jobs, despite the criticisms that have trailed it. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    A window of opportunity to firm up and unleash their potential to create jobs, reduce poverty and engender sustainable growth may have been opened for Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) and manufacturers in Nigeria, almost on a platter.

    The fresh impetus for the country’s estimated 41 million MSMEs to boost their profitability and competitiveness is coming on the wings of the restriction of foreign exchange (forex) allocation to food imports.

    The belief is that the policy intervention has the inherent capacity to push immense possibilities into the hands of budding entrepreneurs and manufacturers. For instance, many MSMEs and manufacturers, as part of the strategic positioning to fill the gap created by the withdrawal of forex for food importation, will be encouraged to add more value by processing their produce through the value chain, rather than exporting primary produce.

    President Muhammadu Buhari may have inadvertently set the stage for what promises to change the fortunes of MSMEs when he recently directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop selling forex used for international transactions to persons in the business of importing food. “Don’t give a cent to anybody to import food into the country,” he told CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

    Justifying the move, the President said Nigeria has enough food for its citizens, following his administration’s several reforms in the agriculture sector. Based on this, he said there was no need to continue to import food. Besides, the directive, he said, was to improve agricultural production and attain food security.

    Although the President added that the foreign reserve would be used strictly for diversification of the economy and not for encouraging more dependence on foreign food, the forex restriction did not go down well with some members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).

    NECA kicked, insisting that the policy was ill-timed. Its Director-General, Mr. Timothy Olawale, in a statement, said although the initiative was laudable, Nigeria could not afford such a policy now, as it had yet to attain self-sufficiency in food production. He argued that a wholesale immediate withdrawal of forex for food importation without giving a buffer period for businesses to adjust might have serious consequences on the economy.

    One of the consequences, Olawale said, would be unprecedented smuggling of food products. According to him, Nigeria lacks the capacity to meet its local food demand and the demand that will be created as a result of the directive will be through smuggling.

    The NECA boss said given that Nigeria recently signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), intended to open up the borders, smuggling would become the order of the day.

    “With the recently-signed AfCFTA, Nigeria will further create a thriving market for other countries and will remain a dumping ground for imported goods,” he warned.

    The LCCI also weighed in on the matter, with its Director-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, asking for details on what constitutes food in the context of the presidential directive.

    “First, there is a need to get more details and clarifications on what exactly constitutes food items in the context of the presidential directive.

    “The harmonised system codes of the items affected need to be indicated. It is hoped that these details would be made available in subsequent releases by the CBN. This is essential for proper analysis of the possible impact on investment, welfare of citizens and the economy. We need to worry about the implications of policy pronouncements for investors’ confidence and the general sentiments of investors,” he said.

    On its part, MAN said although the directive was laudable, there was a need for more clarity. Besides, Nigeria, according to MAN Director-General, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, needed to be deliberate and strategic in pursuing such a far-reaching monetary measure.

    “This is so, especially in the light of our vulnerability, occasioned by trade agreements that require the country to be more open to imports, and the well-known antics of our neighbouring countries,” he said in a statement. He added that on an issue as critical as this, a unilateral decision could be counterproductive when the operators are not duly consulted.

    He also said there was a need to know what type of food, finished and ready-to-eat or as input for further processing that come under the directive. “In the case of the latter (in particular), we need to know the local capacity available compared to national demand and if not adequate, creditably determine what time and resources are needed to ramp up capacity and production,” he said.

    While he stressed the need for support that would sustain the “steady progress in agricultural production” and attainment of “full food security,” Ajayi-Kadir added that the CBN would need to conduct an assessment of the country’s position in practical terms and realistically weigh its options before embarking on such a far-reaching policy.

    “We must also consider the state of our infrastructure and its capacity to respond and support the policy,” he added.

    The sunny side of the forex policy

    Despite the groundswell of opposition and dissenting voices against the forex restriction for food importation, which are, no doubt, rooted in patriotism and economic logic, the policy may, after all, be a blessing in disguise for operators in the MSME segment of the economy, if effectively implemented.

    The thinking is that MSMEs and manufacturers could leverage the policy to boost their productivity and profitability and, ultimately, play their role as economic growth drivers by creating jobs, reducing poverty and engendering sustainable economic growth.

    For instance, the Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Mr. Solomon Aderoju, did not mince words when he said the forex restriction on food import was favourable to the association and manufacturers.

    Aderoju, who spoke to reporters ahead of NASME’s third edition of Business Roundtable held last month in Lagos, said the policy would assist the Federal Government to conserve forex and help to strengthen the value of the already weakened naira.

    He lauded the Federal Government for the huge decision, saying its effective implementation would boost MSMEs’ growth and create more employment opportunities.

    The Chairman, NASME Cooperative, Mr. Adam Adebayo, is no less excited over the prospects of MSMEs garnering some competitive edge on the strength of the forex policy. He said the association had been advocating a ban on imported food to give members the opportunity to raise their standard of processing and selling local produce.

    Hear him: “We have been exporting primary produce, but now that there is a new development, we are happy because we would be able to add value by processing all our produce through our value chain. With this, the government will now bring back the Commodity Board, which will be responsible for price control so that the farmers will not record losses.”

    On his part, NASME’s National Vice President, Southwest, Mr. Oladipo Jemi-Alade, said the directive was an opportunity for MSMEs and manufacturers to explore the benefits of AfCFTA.

    “Now that AfCFTA is open to us, we have to be prepared for the next level.

    “We want to be in a position to compete favourably with our foreign counterparts. For this reason, we are upgrading our skills, and have embarked on membership training nationwide to build skills and capacity,” he said.

    A national MSMEs survey carried out in 2017 showed that there are 41 million MSMEs in the country. It was carried out by the sector’s regulatory agency, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), in collaboration with the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    Already, industrialists, under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), are partnering the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), United States to improve MSMEs in Nigeria. The partnership, according to the NASSI National President, Chief Solomon Vongfa, is to encourage international best practices.

    The Nation learnt that the AfCFTA has made the need to encourage international best practice among MSMEs via such partnership even more compelling. Vongfa admitted this much when he said although NASSI initially was not fully prepared for the trade liberalisation deal, but with the recent intervention by CIPE and the numerous benefit of the agreement, NASSI must be part of it.

    “We are also encouraging government to support by providing machines and equipment that can improve production and quality of products to boost competitiveness. That is the key to implementing the AfCFTA agreement. We cannot be competitive under AfCFTA because of the problem of finishing of the products of some of our members. which is very poor,” Vongfa said.

    He pointed out that if the packaging is not sophisticated, it will not move in the market.“Packaging is one of the outcomes from the CIPE diagnostic meeting because you have to be attractive for patronage.

    “We are taking our advocacy to government; you cannot do a policy that will favour only the conglomerate or the big companies while we the major sector of the economy suffer it most,” he said, adding: “If we cannot compete due to lack of support and fund, the AfCFTA agreement will be a disadvantage to us,” he said.

    However, lack of fund is only a fraction of the challenges undermining the profitability and competitiveness of MSMEs. Harsh policy environment, high operating cost due to lack of basic infrastructure, particularly power, and multiple taxation, among others, also stunt MSMEs growth.

    The consensus is that without addressing these issues holistically, MSMEs may not be sufficiently galvalised to take advantage of the opportunities tossed on their path by the forex restriction, as well as the AfCFTA.

  • Reggae star Majek Fashek’s illness So long, Too long

    Reggae star Majek Fashek’s woes seem unending. He is in London battling to get money to live a healthy life, writes Dupe Ayinla-Olasunka

    Reggae star Majekodunmi Fasheke, aka Majek Fashek, has been in and out of one hospital or rehabilitation centre in recent times. In the past few weeks, he has been hospitalised at Queen’s Hospital, London for a serious illness. He got ill last month and was flown to London on August 24 after a brief admission at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. The singer is said to be in need of funds to cater for feeding, transportation among other expenses.

    His Manager Uzoma Day Omenka confirmed that the singer, who is famous for his Send Down The Rain, told The Nation that: “The condition some days back is different from today. There is a little improvement and he should be able to walk soon. The prayers are also working. It is a very critical sickness since we came in and we have been managing. We have been moving from one hospital to another.

    “I owe a lot in Lagos because I have had to take a lot of undertaking for some of his treatments. We are at Queens Elizabeth Hospital and the treatment is ongoing. Just a little bit of improvement. We need prayers from well-wishers and those who have supported us before now. We are appreciative of all that is being done for Majek.

    “But at this period, we are in dire need of fund and whatever comes in will be used for his health care. A notable Nigerian came to our aid and paid part of the bill. But, we need funds for feeding, clothing, transportation and others. So far, I only have N40, 000, which was sent to us recently. It is not even up to a hundred pounds. That is what I have for now.”

    Omenka went on: “It is a really bad experience and it is really painful. A journey of six hours takes about 24 hours because we didn’t have enough money for tickets.

    “On the day we left Lagos, it was not a good experience. I was so desperate to make sure that he got out of Nigeria that day considering his condition of health. Majek himself did not know where he was. I had to cover him and I was crying. Carrying him in and taking him to the loo several times was not easy. Singer Waje was in the plan, but some people did not know he was Majek.

    “When we got to Dubai, he could not walk or eat for three days and was crying. No help. The Uber we took had to stop on the way. That was where the ambulance came to pick us up. We also had a problem with accommodation. The agency that made arrangement for us started having problems with the owner of the apartment.”

    Omenka said when Majek’s case was becoming serious he got his permission to reach out to the public to raise fund.

    Continuing, he said: “We had donors, but not many responses yet. I had to start calling on people individually and that was how the news came and video got to the public.  We really need funds. A lady sent money from Canada which I mentioned earlier. We appreciate all the love showed but we need financial support.”

    His voice on the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians

    He is unhappy about the Nigeria-South Africa crisis. He recalled that he did a song Free Mandela and it helped back then. He pleaded that such song should be played on the Nigerian radio stations at the moment to preach peace and unity.

    Majek said he has done so much for Nigeria and pleaded with the government to ensure that Nigerian embassies across the world protect Nigerians wherever they are.

    Majek the Rainmaker

    Majek Fashek was born on March 7, 1963 in Benin City to an Edo mother and a Yoruba father but identifies with his Benin root. His various translations of his name Fasheke (Ifa-Kii-she-eke) include “high priest who does not lie”, “powers of miracles” and “(system or medium of) divination does not lie”. After his parents separated, Fashek remained in Benin City with his mother and joined the choir in his local Aladura Church and learned to play the trumpet and guitar whilst composing songs for the choir.

    In the early eighties Fashek, who at the time went by the stage name Rajesh Kanal, joined the group Jastix with McRoy Gregg, and was lead singer for Black Rice. They were best known as the in-house band on the show Music Panorama on NTA Benin City and toured with fellow reggae group The Mandators. Jaxstix was also session musicians for upcoming reggae singer Edi Rasta, who would later be known as Evi-Edna Ogholi.

    In 1988, shortly after Jastix disbanded Fashek, who now used the name Majek Fashek, signed with Tabansi Records and began a solo career by releasing the album Prisoner of Conscience and became Nigeria’s top reggae artist after the song Send Down The Rain became the most popular song of the year. In 1989, he won six PMAN awards, which included Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Reggae Artist of the Year. Fashek’s next album was I&I Experience, which was released in late 1989 under the Tabansi record label.

    After leaving Tabansi Records, he was signed to CBS Nigeria in the early 1990s and released So Long Too Long. In 1990 he was signed to Interscope Records and released the critically acclaimed album Spirit Of Love, produced by “Little Steven” Van Zandt.

    In 1992, he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in support of his new 1991 album and performed the song So Long Too Long for the television audience. Flame Tree released The Best of Majek Fashek in 1994.

    He was later dropped by Interscope before moving to Mango, a division of Island Records, as it was more accustomed to marketing reggae internationally. His first album for the company included a cover version of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song. He has recorded several albums for various labels since, including Rainmaker for Tuff Gong (1997) and Little Patience for Coral (2004).

    Fashek played a supporting role in the 2000 Nollywood movie Mark of the Beast and starred in a commercial for non-alcoholic beverage Diamant. He recently (2016) performed in a comedy show (with more than ten thousand audiences in attendance) in Lagos, Nigeria, with a roundly power-filled and soul-lifting performance.

    In 2015, it was revealed that Fashek was bankrupt and battling drug addiction. After admitting that he needed help, he was admitted into a drug rehabilitation center in Abuja where he is currently recovering. Majek has since recovered and he is back to making music. In December 2016 Fashek contributed the song “We Are Not Afraid” to a video featuring 200 celebrities to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

    Fashek was married to Rita Fashek who inspired the song Without You; the couple had four children but has since divorced. In 2015, it was revealed that Fashek was bankrupt and battling drug addiction. After admitting that he needed help, he was admitted into a drug rehabilitation centre in Abuja where he recovered.

    Some of his musical works include Prisoner of Conscience that featured multiple award-winning tracks Send Down The Rain (1988), Little Patience, Spirit of Love, I & I Experience, So long too long, Rainmaker, Weep Not Children and Rasta Ganstar.

    nmi

  • Oh South Africa

    South Africa is beautiful. Very beautiful. Durban, one of its prominent cities where I once spent a week or so, so dazzled me that I longed for a replica back home in Nigeria. Abuja, our best, does not have Durban’s charm, not to talk of the glitz of Johannesburg, Cape Town or Pretoria.

    I have seen London, Liverpool, Singapore, Houston, Chicago, New York and many other great cities in the world and I dare say Durban can stand almost shoulder to shoulder with them all.

    Accra, the Ghanaian capital, is a work in progress. It does not even glow like Abuja. Nairobi, to the best of my knowledge, is not better than Abuja.

    What I am driving at is that South Africa remains a model in Africa and is a leader. On a continent with people struggling to make ends meet, South Africa is bound to entice people willing to escape the concentration camps that many an African nation is.

    When an average Nigerian has the opportunity to travel out, they always lament the poor state of things back home. Not a few have refused to return. Given South Africa’s elegance, it should not surprise anyone that many Nigerians have chosen it as their second home.

    America, the United Kingdom and other advanced nations are also homes to Nigerians. Like in South Africa, the Nigerians in those advanced democracies comprise of the good, the bad and the ugly. The good guys are always in the majority. The bad and the ugly are always in the minority. But, in a world, where evil sells, the bad boys catch the headlines all the time.

    The black-on-black violence in South Africa is blamed on the few Nigerians who are into drugs and other devilish enterprises. We have great Nigerians in the universities, hospitals and other sectors of the South African economy. We hear less of them and more of the bad eggs. Some of them are even known to kill themselves in gang-related violence.

    Since the violence broke out, I have had cause to watch and listen to some South African leaders, two of them ex-presidents. Jacob Zuma and his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, who lived in Nigeria during the Apartheid madness, have spoken. Zuma impressed and amazed me with his response. Mbeki broke my heart by saying Nigerians were not attacked. He said only criminals were attacked. And I asked: Where are the criminals from?

    Mbeki claimed that the attackers had reported these criminals to the police and never got any good out of this. Who is to blame if South African police fail in their responsibility? And does South African laws allow citizens to take the law in their hands?

    I am also worried that in these attacks, business premises have been attacked. Auto shops were set ablaze. Is Mbeki telling us that the owners of these businesses are also into the hard drugs business? Were the looters of shops owned by foreigners also protesting against criminals? This, to me, is like criminals trying to fight criminals.

    Like Mbeki, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, in an interview, begged the Nigerian government to come and help them get rid of our criminals in their country. Shame! If she has evidence that these guys are criminals who are using hard drugs to lead astray their people, all Minister Pandor needs do is to activate the law against them and jail them if found guilty. Begging Nigeria to come get them out of South Africa is an admission of the failure of the country’s criminal justice system.

    The United States and the United Kingdom will never ask Nigeria to come and get out its few bad eggs in their system. What these two nations have kept doing is using the law to rein them in. Many of them are in jails in prisons across these nations. Not once have they sought Nigerians help in dealing with the few bad guys.

    Only some weeks back, the United States released a list of 77 Nigerians who are involved in scams. Before then, it arrested a popular Nigerian youth known as Invictus Obi over a number of scams and he is being detained while investigations are going on. Many of the indicted 77 have been nabbed in the U.S. and some have been picked up in Nigeria with the assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They should have been extradited to the U.S. to face the music.

    So, it is childish for Pandor to ask Nigeria to come and get the criminals out when it should have used South African laws against them. And if there are accomplices in Nigeria, our law enforcement agents can help fish them out and send to South Africa to face the law, if need be. That is what the United States has done. South Africa should take a cue.

    For Zuma, he said it was a shame that a few South Africans are calling fellow Africans foreigners. He also traced the assistance countries, including Nigeria, gave South Africa under the Apartheid regime.

    Though not a fan of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, his position on black-on-black violence makes me admire him. I chanced on a video, which makes his position clear. The video was of an interview he granted while Zuma was in power and anti-foreigner violence broke out. Very instructive in what he said is the fact that South Africa is a leader and a model on the continent and naturally will attract people from other countries. He added that if South Africa was unwilling to play this role of accommodating other Africans, then it should not be regarded as a leader or a model.

    I must allude to a fact elucidated by ace South African comedian and author Trevor Noah. After the violence broke out, Noah said over 80 per cent of South African wealth is in the hands of the white. The rest is shared between the black and the coloured elites. The per cent in the hands of foreigners, including Nigerians, is less than one per cent. Why the hate, you may wonder.

    On a lighter note, a South African girl says their men are jealous of Nigerians because they have snatched all the fine babes in the cities. She accuses their guys of being lazy and unable to take good care of them. “Leave our Nigerian men alone,” she pleads. But the men accuse Nigerians of taking less money to take their jobs and corrupting their girls and youth with drugs.

    My final take: South Africa has had a troubled past. Many of its young population are still troubled and need to be redeemed. The laws are there to deal with criminals; South Africa should activate them instead of allowing mobs to combine the roles of prosecutors and judges.

  • Oshiomhole: The burden of leadership

    Success is not a destination, so many people say, but understood by very little. Success is a journey, the wise saying declares, establishing a new understanding of life, aiding an eased appreciation of our endeavours. But sweet as this new definition may sound, it, however, makes contentment and fulfilment elusive.  And that has been the case for some persons who are leaders, some people who no matter how much they achieve, must be left in suspense, condemned to the debilitating ingratitude of expectation. For these people, current achievements will continue to pale as followers anticipate the actions of tomorrow.

    Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is one among the victims of the reformed definition of success. Because success is a journey, one may think that individuals seeking greatness will pluck satisfaction from the little victories and wins of the day, but that is false for people at the helm. Situated in the public eyes, under the weight of the masses’ judgement, leaders implode every day, crushed by the expectation of the public and his own quest to outdo his own records.

    For Oshiomhole, piloting the affairs of a ruling party that inherited a collapsing country, the weight is heavier. The pressure to perform and justify the people’s trust and choice in them over the previous incumbent party, People’s Democratic Party, triples the weight, robbing the man of any chance at basking in moment’s victories. The situation worsens with intraparty uprisings and crisis, which although is normal to all human groups, is emphasized to deafening decibels by the opposition.

    This way, even a man who achieves so much, is persecuted with enormous criticisms, trivializing his good works. Nevertheless, Oshiomhole has succeeded in rising above these impediments of joy, finding a means to chest his responsibilities with cheerful humility, working to the ends of his job’s demands. Put clearly, he is a man whose achievements sound loud like his nickname, thunder.

    By the effective guidance of Oshiomhole’s leadership, a party with principles and renewed interest in details is forged. Against the norm of executives abandoning interactive sessions, depending on transcribed communique for the understanding of resolves of vital meetings, APC under Oshiomhole has ensured that party functionaries and all leaders under the party’s mandate, participate actively on duty. This, even, is led by the president himself who once the cabinet and ministers were all screened and passed, engaged the functionaries in a thorough brainstorming session as new and innovative solutions were sought for current and old challenges.

    Taking charge of the party affairs eight months to the 2019 general elections, Oshiomhole through concerted efforts and efficacious measures, still managed to improve the statistical numbers of the party’s victory in the polls against what was obtained in 2015 against the PDP. In politics, nothing comes by chance or luck, if it is not worked for, it doesn’t happen. And by such numerical increase, it is proved that Oshiomhole’s style of bringing the party’s innovations and works to the public knowledge through maintaining media presence, succeeded in selling the party to more people, endearing their hearts.

    Such assiduous deployment of energy towards the achievement of the party’s ideals was replicated in the ministerial nomination duration, both in the time taken to release the list and to screen the candidates. With the reduced time frame, compared to 2015, a list of ministers that abides by Nigeria’s principle of federal character, containing people of relevant competencies, was made public. And for the reason of this aptitude, the screening was made swift.

    Against what was obtained before the emergence of Oshiomhole, where APC failed to secure a legislature that aligns to its progressive ideologies, hence assisting the application of policies that would have healed the country, Oshiomhole however through intensive lobbying done in accordance with democratic principles, secured an aligning legislature.

    What beautifies this particular achievement is the process, hence once again providing evidence for Oshiomhole’s interest in details. The party having made clear that Ahmed Lawan is their choice for Senate leadership, Ali Ndume, from APC, instead declared his interest. Against what would have happened under other draconian parties, Ndume was allowed to contest, not out of favour, but with respect and recognition of his rights.

    Completing the grasp of the legislature, against the indices of the first term, under Oshiomhole’s devoted leadership, APC acquired more legislators throughout the country, helping to set the background for effective legislature. Clearly, Oshiomhole has been sleeping less, applying his time unto charting a course for the success of the party he was elected to lead.

    One thing would have been his undoing, and it would have come with prophetic quality. A prophet is not respected in his home town, says the Bible, and for Oshiomhole, with the house of Edo under fire, his reputation and achievements were under an impending threat of arson, about to be lit up by his own homeboys. The governor which he had helped emerge was going berserk, turning into tyrant with supersonic speed. What would Oshiomhole do? Spare the rod and spoil the child? And even, soil his own integrity? The world was watching.

    In Bauchi, he was condemning similar despotism. What will he do with Edo? And so one morning, after indirect and covert means to pass his message across—the legislative directive that Obaseki redo the process—Oshiomhole came out and buttressed the fact of the law, calling out the evil lurking in Edo State.

    The misdemeanours of Godwin Obaseki in Edo State, piling over time, reaching a crescendo with his arrant assault of the state legislature, could have torn to shred, the reputation of the uncompromising advocacy of truth. Undeniably, Oshiomhole being the predecessor and the prophet who anointed Obaseki, there was bound to be affection for this erring son, an emotion that would have lured the merchant of truth to a soft spot that would have seen him overlook justice. But he managed it well, riding the wave in light of wisdom and truth regardless of whose ox was being gored, therefore converting his tentative doom to a proof of his booming integrity.

    If Oshiomhole really feels this good about himself, it is a tough guess as he is wise enough to recognize that bigger challenges lie ahead, as the journey continues. This man, burdened by the demands of duty and the expectations of followers, pressured by criticisms of dissenters and opposition, will most likely have no peace, denied the luxury of inhaling deeply and taking in the glories of his achievements. But then he is Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a man of excellence, so he will go on and on and on, achieving and achieving, and making politics in Nigeria, great again.

    • Mayaki is former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki.

  • Deadly parcel from South Africa

    In the colonial era, it was normal to see whites brutalizing and oppressing blacks as aptly epitomized by the atrocious Trans-Atlantic slave trade and other similar obnoxious acts. Although, colonialism has effectively ended in Africa, but the chilling news from the Rainbow Nation simply shows that the equation has changed.

    In South Africa, whites no longer brutalize blacks. Rather, it is blacks that are maiming blacks. How sad! Brothers are now killing brothers. Iconic Reggae maestro, late Bob Marley, legendary Afrobeat singer, late Fela Anikulapo Kuti and many other departed black singers who have variously sang about the unity of Africa would be whimpering in the grave. Why not? Africa has failed her illustrious sons.

    What is currently going on in South Africa is contrary to the traditional African spirit of brotherliness and hospitality. It is also contrary to the spirit behind the formation of the African Union, AU, which encourages freedom of movement and other related activities among African nations. According to the vision of the founding fathers of the AU, Africans should be able to seek legitimate livelihood anywhere in the continent. Unfortunately, that laudable vision is being dealt a deadly blow in South Africa.

    In what has now been termed as xenophobic attacks, nationalists of other African nations have become targets of crude attacks by South Africans. Victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa are from various African nations, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia and Ethiopia. In the last three years, about 127 Nigerians have been reportedly killed. Intriguingly, 13 out of these were allegedly killed by South African police.

    What actually complicates the whole issue is the perceived complicity of the South African Police. From January to June, 10 Nigerians were reportedly killed, either by South Africans or by members of the South African Police Service. It is quite worrisome that most victims of xenophobic attacks do not usually receive swift help from the police. Could this seeming indifference be considered as official approval of the dastardly acts of some heartless and crude South Africans?

    Without sounding like a prophet of doom, if the issue is not quickly addressed by the concerned authorities, it could snowball into a serious crisis between the two countries. Lots of Nigerians are aggrieved at the uncivilized manners our compatriots are being treated in South Africa and they are already demonstrating their resentment through several means.

    Recently, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) picketed branches of South African telecoms giant MTN, and those of supermarket chain Shoprite, turning away staff and customers all in the bid to draw attention of the federal government and, indeed, the whole world to the barbaric happenings at South Africa.

    But then, in dealing with the sad subject, one doesn’t really approve of any action that doesn’t portray civility. In-spite of obvious provocations, NANS and other such groups should toe the path of courteousness.  Indeed, on the long run, we are not likely to profit from any crude action against South African business interests in the country.  Attacking business concerns such as MTN, Shoprite, MultiChoice, and the many other South African companies in the country could have adverse effects on our already struggling economy as well as our staggering unemployment situation.

    While it is logical to disapprove of what is going on in South Africa, our compatriots need to exercise patience and have faith in the ability of the governments of the two nations to diplomatically sort out the issue. According to reports, the leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet in October in South Africa and chief among what they are billed to discuss is “issues relating to the wellbeing of citizens of both countries”.

    According to experts of South African politics, the genesis of the attacks is traceable to the issue of migrants, mostly from other African states and Asia, who have moved to South Africa in huge numbers since white-minority rule was terminated in 1994. Many South Africans have accused these immigrants of taking the available jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is 24%.

    Thus, the attacks in South Africa cannot be divorced from the worsening poverty and unemployment rate in the continent. In Africa, the reality of poverty is quite frightening as most Africans live on less than a dollar income per day. Perhaps more niggling is that, with 34 out of a total of 49, African countries account for a greater proportion of the Least Developed Countries, LDCs, in the world. This, perhaps, explains why poverty indicators such as extreme hunger, malnourishment, homelessness, diseases, high crime rate, slums, lack of opportunities, low productivity and illiteracy abound in larger quantity in the continent. The African poverty situation is further compounded by the failure of governments across the continent to properly harness human, natural and material resources for the common good of all.

    Though the poverty and the unemployment situation in the continent should not be an excuse to justify the evil being perpetrated in South Africa, it is, nevertheless, a clarion call for African governments to tackle poverty on the continent. For instance, if there are enough opportunities for gainful employment and better life prospects in our country, most Nigerians that are being traumatized in South Africa and, indeed in other nations across the world, would certainly have stayed at home to eke out a living. After all, it is often said that there is no place like home.

    Meanwhile, the AU should prevail on the South African government to take immediate measures to protect and safeguard the lives and properties of African migrants and, indeed, all nationals resident in South Africa and ensure that real compensations are paid to the families of all who lost their family members and relations and also for the loss of properties.

    The whole of Africa rose up against the deadly apartheid regime in South Africa. Indeed, Nigeria was in the forefront of the struggle to liberate South Africa from the evil of apartheid. Ordinarily, this ought to place a huge moral burden on the South African government to protect all Africans, and especially Nigerians, living legitimately on its soil.

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

     

  • Transforming rice sector for higher productivity

    For many years, the country has not been able to meet the increasing demand for rice, which is augmented with high imports. To turn the tide, an agricultural firm, Olam Nigeria, is training and empowering rice farmers in some states to boost their productivity and income, DAN ESSIET reports.

    Olam Nigeria is working   with some partners to boost the country’s rice industry through its agricultural transformation project, its Vice President, Corporate and Government Relations, Ade Adefeko, has said.

    The partnership has seen local rice farmers given access to high-yielding  seeds and rice varieties that, in the long run, will help make production more sustainable and profitable for producers.

    Adefeko said the organisation  was deploying rice varieties bred in higher yield, superior grain quality, improved pest and disease resistance, resilience to climate change-induced stresses, and higher seed production, traits that could help farmers increase their yields.

    He said Olam aimed to improve rice production and productivity in a safe and sustainable manner and enhance the value of rice products to meet consumer standards and market demands.

    According to him, Olam is working with public and private partners to transfer agricultural technologies to farmers.

    He said Olam’s objective was to promote sustainable rice production, strengthen value chains, raise farmers’ income, develop capacity, and contribute to improved nutrition.

    He said rice-growing communities in Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba and Kaduna states were supported by Olam with training and agri-input to improve their paddy yields and revenue with assured buy-back at prevailing market prices.

    He said the company has developed a 13,500-hectare irrigated paddy farm on a greenfield site in Ondorie, Nasarawa State. The  multi-million dollar integrated rice mill in the state has the capacity to produce 36,000 metric tonnes of rice  yearly.

    In the middle of the rice farm is a mechanised mill with milling and Italian parboiling technologies.

    He said the Nasarawa plant has a capacity to mill 105,000 mts yearly.

    Since 2011, he said the organisation has invested $120 million in the rice project and 1044 employees were working on the farm.

    According to him, 4451 of 13,500 hectares, are under cultivation, with plan to add 3,000 hectares.

    The yield, he  said, is about 10 mts per hectare, over two yearly crop cycles, based on four varieties, which include Faro44, Faro61, C-19, and C-20. They have been tested by the West African Rice Development Association.

    He said the company has 6,967 outgrowers, adding that it is targeting 16,000.

    Since October 2017, he said, the company has achieved additional milling capacity of 90,000 mts yearly at its Kano plant.

    He said the company was ready to assist the Federal Government in its plan to advance the nation’s rice self-sufficiency goals through development projects.

    According to analysts, the rice sector has been challenged by climate change, stagnated yields, high production and labour costs, low private sector investment, and poor mechanisation and technology adoption by its farmers.

    Experts said the country’s rice productivity level was less than half of its potential. The plan, according to them, should be focused on developing high-yielding and climate resilient varieties with tolerance for biotic and abiotic stresses, nutritious and value-added rice, capacity building and mechanisation, among others.

    They said improved access to financing, affordable agricultural insurance, technical advisory services for developing farmers and access to markets are some of the priorities that could create a more- friendly environment for rice farming.

    Meanwhile, the President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, said Nigeria had hit a yearly production of eight million metric tonnes of rice, with a target of 18 million metric tonnes by 2023.

    He said: “The production as of today by RIFAN and other relevant agencies’ record is eight million metric tonnes, even Kebbi has hit almost two million metric tonnes, if not for the last flood that devastated the farms.

    “It has been established by relevant agencies that Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in Africa as the population of rice farmers in the country has also risen.

    “With the ever-increasing population and the ban on rice importation, RIFAN is targeting 18 million tonnes by 2023.’’

  • ‘How Nigeria can achieve medicine security’

    Besides guaranteeing the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines at affordable rates, experts say local production of essential drugs will create employment and boost economic development, reports Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF

    To the detriment of her economy, Nigeria depends on importation to feed most of her essential medicine requirements. Annually, as all available records have revealed, between 70 to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s critical medicine needs are produced and supplied through pharmaceutical firms operating outside the country’s shores. That means about 80 per cent of employment opportunities that should have accrued to the country’s expanding army of unemployed graduates from the all-important industry are shipped abroad every year.

    But that is not all. Besides turning Nigeria to a dumping ground for all manners of pharmaceutical products in a clime endowed with more than 150 drug manufacturing firms, importation has also ruefully gifted the country with problems of fake and counterfeit drugs. This is, however, not new. The threat of drug insecurity in Nigeria dates back to the 60s, though it was in the 80s and 90s that the crisis reached a climax when ‘briefcase importers’ of drugs created overwhelming situations of chaotic supply and distribution of drugs of questionable quality, with the attendant effects of increased morbidity, treatment failures, drug resistance and deaths. This led to the birth of NAFDAC to address the menace.

    What drug security means

    Last year, at the annual national conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists, in Ilorin, Kwara State, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Moji Adeyeye delivered a keynote address on the imperatives of national drug security. At the conference, she defined drug security as “measures put in place to ensure that quality, safe and efficacious medicines are produced by facilities that meet the right standards and, that the integrity of such medicines is not compromised during its distribution along the supply chain from the manufacturers down to the consumers.”

    Through a deliberate radical policy and an enabling business environment to promote, protect and grow the pharmaceutical industry, Nigeria should emulate other economic powers to attain national self-sufficiency in essential drugs production and ensure medicine security, she said. The imperatives of national drug security are enshrined in the national drug policy, which is to make available at all times to the Nigerian populace adequate supply of drugs that are effective, affordable, safe and of good quality; to ensure the rational use of such drugs and to stimulate increased local production of such drugs. This is also in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG number 3), which seeks good health and wellbeing by targeting universal health coverage (UHC), access to quality healthcare services and safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.

    The heart of the matter

    The reality of drug insecurity in Nigeria can be dire. According to a report by the Federal Ministry of Health, some essential drugs, for example, drugs for diabetes or cancer are only accessible at prohibitive costs, sometimes, several times more than the minimum monthly wage of an average worker. In a country that runs largely an out-of-pocket payment system, this is usually exacerbated if the diabetes or cancer patients are unlucky to be at the low-income level, where about 62 per cent of Nigerian workers belong. Annually, for people living with HIV/AIDS, access to drugs has posed a threat of insecurity, as only about 30 per cent of adults and only 20 per cent of children are said to have access to ARV drugs among the people living with HIV in the country.

    Another issue that is contributing greatly to drug insecurity is the menace of substandard and falsified medicines, foisting serious consequences on the populace. Among other grave public health implications, substandard and falsified medical products are responsible for treatment failure, high treatment cost, and development of resistance that are now prevalent in the healthcare delivery system. In many instances, outcomes include fatality and death, and the ultimate loss of confidence in the healthcare providers and healthcare system. This threat of substandard and falsified medicines is more predominant in the private sector, as NAFDAC officials regularly encounter unregulated, substandard and falsified medicines from unscrupulous importers who exploit the loopholes in the country’s drug distribution chain.

    The huge dependence on importation, which has negatively impacted local production, is attributable to lack of basic research and development, including insufficient capacity in pharmaceutical analysis and bio-analytical techniques in the academia and the industry, inadequate training in current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) and non-existence of API or excipients manufacturing facilities.

    Prof. Adeyeye, however, believes this heavy reliance on imported pharmaceutical products is not an insurmountable challenge, stressing that it can be turned into an opportunity for the country. “This can be done through early phase collaboration of local manufacturers with foreign contract research organisations. Manufacturing of API and excipients should be encouraged through joint partnership of foreign/local investors.  Proactive involvement of the academia in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry is needed for translatable research that could result in development of bulk drugs and excipients and, subsequently, ensure drug security. However, the local industry has to be strengthened through government intervention and deliberate financing to reduce importation and establish pharmaceutical R&D,” she said.

    Many manufacturers, low output

    Despite the much-vaunted readiness of the Federal Government to diversify the economy, experts lampoon the poor official support for local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, saying it is too meagre to improve the lot of the industry. Experts lament that it is sad and unacceptable that imported pharmaceutical products enjoy a zero duty tariff while manufacturing inputs attract heavy import duty tariffs. Currently, in Nigeria, importation accounts for more than 70 per cent of prescription medicine needs, leaving local manufacturers with only less than 30 per cent, sourced from about 150 registered local manufacturers, which are mostly small or medium scale.

    This explains why pharmacists and other professionals in the health sector have recommended that Nigeria should devise strategies towards increasing local production of essential medicines to boost drug security, as it is done in other countries. Even on the African Continent, experts say Nigeria will not be alone if it enacts some protectionist measures to save the soul of its local pharmaceutical industry. Other African countries that have realised the strategic importance of the sector and are doing everything to grow their pharmaceutical industry for the benefit of their people are Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco and other North African countries. Apart from refusing to allow their countries to become dumping grounds for pharmaceutical products from abroad, many African countries also have an unwritten rule that excludes all products being produced locally from their importation lists. For example, Ghana has no fewer than 49 pharmaceutical products on import prohibition list, believing that doing so will help to fast-track the development of its own local manufacturing firms.

    When he assumed office as President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) earlier in the year, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa dissected the problems afflicting the sector. Over the years, when the local manufacturing sector is not                                                                                                                                                      being punished with policy reversals, it will be a victim of official corruption, policy inconsistencies and multiple taxations, he said. “Import duties favour drug importers instead of producers. Government preaches what it does not practise. They must patronise made in Nigeria drugs and use them. Besides policy inconsistency, there are also problems of poor infrastructure, lack of patronage for local products and uncontrolled market space. We are still importing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) like grain starch, colourant, and additives and so on. These are things we have capacity to produce,” Ohuabunwa said.

    But things may fare better soon. At the Fifth Nigeria Pharm Manufacturers Expo 2019, which held in Lagos recently, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora, minister of state for Health, vowed that the Federal Government would not allow other countries to turn Nigeria into a dumping ground for foreign drugs, stressing that the administration is committed to home-grown drugs.

    The expo was organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. The new minister said the government believes in the capacity of her regulatory agencies to prevent dumping of foreign drugs in Nigeria.

    “We are not just talking about drugs sufficiency, we are talking about homegrown; that is looking at what we have on the ground to get the best out of the system and this is very important. Oftentimes, in some of our hospitals, you hear out of stock. We need to look at what is available to us and make the best out of it. We cannot allow other countries to turn Nigeria into a dumping ground for these drugs. Let us make use of what we have; let us also reach out, even to the herbal practitioners. All we want to be sure of is to establish the efficacy and the safety of the drugs available,” Mamora said.

    The way forward

    Among pharmaceutical experts, there is a consensus that the Federal Government should target pharmaceutical manufacturing to achieve drug security. To do this, there should be radical policies focusing on expansion of pharmaceutical manufacturing firms, which the proposed N300 billion intervention fund is meant to achieve in the sector. If approved, the expansion fund will ensure that manufacturing firms will have enough funds to improve their facilities to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) prequalification and standard. Besides the proposed intervention fund, there should also be increased patronage by government and zero per cent tariff for pharmaceutical raw and packaging materials, among other incentives.