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Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Oyuki-Obaseki: A titan’s journey runs its course

    The death of Chief Osayuki Jackson Obaseki came to me as a rude shock. It is not the kind of news you want to hear on a Sunday morning.

    Several days later, I am yet to come to terms with it. Yet I must for it is the destiny of all mortals to return to the dust from which we all came.

    Still, the passing of Chief Obaseki diminishes me personally and I believe Nigerian football too for he was no bird of passage, which fleets to and pro without leaving definite impressions on the sands of time.

    As we all know, football was more than a passion for Chief Obaseki. It was his life. The love he bestowed on his family, friends and humanity at large was also showered on football. He saw the game as a being to be nurtured, cherished and protected.  He devoted his life to this cause neither being slowed down by age or the queer circumstances defining football administration in Nigeria. Till he breathed his last, he lived for football.

    A man of courage, he was not one to suffer fools gladly or succumb to threats thrown at him in the course of the discharge of his duties as a football administrator. A few years ago, Nigerians will recall the famous “I am a moving train” comment made by Chief Obaseki. That comment earned him the soubriquet, “Moving Train”, a tag that stuck with him till he breathed his last on Sunday August 18, 2019.

    In that incident, which earned him that soubriquet, Chief Obaseki had threatened to use every power within his means to defeat those individuals who at the time were plotting to subvert the progress the Nigerian Premier League had made under his tenure as chairman.

    Chief Obaseki’s sterling performance as head of the Nigerian Premier League was not accidental. Before taking up the role he had built a reputation as an astute football administrator going back several years when he served in, and chaired the board of Bendel Insurance FC.

    As an individual, I am proud to declare that Chief Obaseki with whom I shared over four decades of a rich and rewarding relationship was a mentor and a father figure. From the time our paths crossed nearly fifty years ago when I as a teenager, was a regular visitor to the Ogbe Stadium (now Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium), to this passing on Sunday, he never ceased to inquire after my well-being even as he continued to offer qualitative advice on how best I can turn Edo State into a global hub of sports.

    Today, he has left us for the other side of existence. As I bid him farewell, I do so borrowing the words Oluhun-iyo, the Bard in Wole Soyinka serenaded the departing Eleshin Oba (the King’s Horseman) with in the book, Death and the King’s horseman, as he prepared for the journey from which there would be no return:

    “But will they know you over there? Have they eyes to gauge your worth, have they the heart to love you, will they know what thoroughbred prances towards them in caparisons of honour? If they do not, my dear Chief, if any there cuts your yam with a small knife or pours you wine in a small calabash, turn back and return to welcoming hands.  If the world were not greater than my wishes, I would not let you go”.

  • EVAREST NNAJI: Fear of heights doesn’t affect piloting

    Chief Executive Officer of Odengene Air-Shuttle Services Limited, Captain Evarest Nnaji, tells Olushola Victor how he became a pilot and his plans for the aviation industry.

    When did you join the aviation sector?

    I have been doing business since 1986 but I joined the aviation sector as a pilot 27 years ago. However, my company, Odengene Air-Shuttle Services, began commercial flights in February 2006.

    Was being a pilot your childhood dream?

    I have always wanted to be a pilot right from a tender age but I didn’t know how to achieve the dream. When I became a pilot, I began to see it as something I could invest in and I came back to Nigeria to establish OAS Helicopters.

    What did you study at the university?

    I studied Political Science at the University of Lagos. But you will agree with me that what you studied in the university is not always the same as the profession you would eventually practice. I later obtained my first pilot licence in 1997 in the United States of America.

    How did you feel the first time you flew an aeroplane?

    It was exciting, though I know certain people think it is frightening. Even if you fear heights, you can still be a pilot and do well. Climbing a story-building and looking down is different from being in an aircraft. The fear of heights doesn’t affect piloting in any way.

    Naturally, I am scared of heights but once I get into the aeroplane, it feels different. I cannot explain that and I have lots of pilots who share the same view.

    Did your parents support your decision to become a pilot?

    My case was different, as I made myself a pilot. I had already become a successful businessman before I went into aviation. My parents couldn’t have afforded the money required for me to become a pilot. But when I became a businessman, I thought I could afford it and I applied to study in America.

    Why did you return to Nigeria to establish OAS Helicopters?

    When you have yet to practice business elsewhere in the world, you would think it is the golden thing to do. But in some other countries that we idolise, the opportunities are limited and you can’t completely exercise your freedom. Once you realise this, you will appreciate your country.

    I had established a business in the US but I realised that I couldn’t do a lot of things because I wasn’t a citizen there. Also, I have always known that I would return to Nigeria to practice. Nigeria is my country and people are always willing to support you one way or the other. In a foreign land, you may not get their support even if you have the money. You can also be antagonised there.

    What have been the challenges of operating in Nigeria?

    The major challenge I faced setting up in Nigeria was funding. Setting up a business like this in Nigeria requires intensive capital because you must have a maintenance facility also. In a developed country, you can always use other companies’ facilities to maintain your aircraft. But when you are setting up a helicopter company and you have to think of having a maintenance facility too, it requires a lot of money.

    To be honest with you, we don’t have a big market for what we do in Nigeria. What we do is big but it is for the high earners in society. It is a little segment of the population that patronises us. This doesn’t mean Nigeria is not a big country.

    What is the difference between flying in a helicopter and a jet?

    The need for a helicopter is different from the need for a jet, and they don’t compete with each other business-wise. Helicopters take people to places where there are no airports or other means of transportation.

    How have you been able to stay in business?

    When we started, we actually thought we would have lots of VIPs moving around in helicopters due to the flamboyant lifestyles of Nigerians. But we soon realised that it wasn’t as lucrative as we thought it would be. The solution was to go into oil and gas earlier than expected. My thought at the onset was that, after growing big in air transportation, we would go into oil and gas.

    How often do you fly as a pilot?

    I try to fly to remain current because I still have more years in me to practice. The last time I flew was in November last year. I flew to Enugu, Abuja and some locations in Bayelsa. I was hired by people who wanted to go to certain places they couldn’t access by road or other means. I was available and they knew me; so, they insisted I went with them.

    How do you handle an emergency situation while flying?

    Every pilot is trained to handle emergency situations. If an emergency is well handled, you don’t have to raise the alarm because you will only frighten the passengers. The aeroplane is like every other thing made by men and the system has created emergency procedures for everything that could go wrong. When the situation is out of hand and you need to land where you are not supposed to, then you can relate with the passengers. However, a pilot is trained to handle emergency situations and tell the stories later.

    Are you satisfied with the state of the aviation industry?

    I am satisfied with the industry. Of course, every industry is struggling with the economy right now. But if you look at where we are today, we are better than where we were years ago. There is now a bit of stability in the industry and we have more professionals.

    Do you think Nigerian pilots are as skilful as those in developed countries?

    I tell people that once you are a pilot, you can fly anywhere in the world. The training is the same anywhere in the world.

    Also, as Nigerians, we are in an advantageous position. English is the only language of the aviation sector and since we are an English-speaking country, it makes it easier for our pilots to fly anywhere in the world. Once you don’t speak English, you can be any other thing in the world but not a pilot. Communication is very key because you need to be able to describe where you are in the air.

    Nigerians are flying all over the world. Once you apply for a job as a pilot and you are found competent, a foreign country will do all they can to have you. You don’t even need to struggle to get a visa.

    How wealthy are you as a pilot?

    I will not talk about myself. But once you are a pilot, you will not be poor again. You can even make more money flying in other countries than in your own country. If you make your mark overseas, they will not underpay you because you are a Nigerian, or a black man.

    Where do you see OAS Helicopters in five years?

    In the next five years, I know we will be bigger than what we are today. We have worked hard and we have done a lot.

    What did you learn from your father that has helped you today?

    One thing I learnt from my father, which was amplified by other peoples’ experiences, is the spirit of not quitting what you think is right no matter the challenges. When I grew up, I read the history of Honda and it amplified that. Although my father wasn’t a rich man, once he set his mind on something, he got it done.

    How would you describe your childhood?

    As a kid, I was cool-headed and unassuming. I didn’t always attend parties. I had my primary education in my village in Enugu before moving to Owerri, Imo, for my secondary education at Madonna High School.

    How do you balance work and family?

    It is all about properly planning your schedule. As a boy, I made plans and I tried to keep to them. I plan my schedules for every day, week, month and year. I try to follow these schedules even though I don’t meet up with them every time.

    I have been married for more than 32 years now, and I have a son who is a pilot. He works with one of the popular airlines in Nigeria.

    How do you relax?

    I swim, run, practise taekwondo and read.

    What is your favourite food?

    I don’t think I have a favourite food but I enjoy having a good meal. I like English food a lot, though I wish I could eat more of our native food.

  • Still on Atiku’s ‘treasonable’ comments

    My editor forwarded a number of very strong comments on my article on President Goodluck Jonathan’s response to Atiku Abubakar’s so-called treasonable comment. Most were derisive of the position I took, and others even snorted at my description of the president’s comment as undemocratic. I respect their views, and, as I always say, I have an obligation to defend their right to make any comment they think fit.

    Alhaji Atiku, you will recall, rehashed a popular statement warning of violent change if peaceful change was disallowed. In the article, I had argued that Atiku reserved the right to make that statement, and that it was not treasonable as the president angrily concluded. The responses sent to my editor denounced my support for ‘treason’, described my premises as illogical and prejudiced from beginning to the end, and finally dismissed my competence to write in such temper. One other critic even wondered why I was opposed to a minority emerging as president.

    I still think the president overreacted to Atiku’s statement, and that that reaction was certainly not the sort we should expect from the nation’s number one office, which should by now be used to all manner of provocations. First, I looked at the nexus between violent and peaceful change, and doubtless found the logic sound, as indeed most of those who have heard it over the decades rightly think. If peaceful change is denied, you do not need any clairvoyant to foretell the consequences.

    If the responders would look at the statement again, I am sure they will find it an elementary truism. Second, I looked at the context of the statement, and I tried to situate it within the frustrations emanating from the clash of propaganda between the rival camps of Jonathan and Atiku. I suggested that Atiku was becoming frustrated that Jonathan’s advertisement campaigns were more effective, and all but hinting that if the party primaries were held immediately, Jonathan would breast the tape first. One of the responses wondered what the advertisements had to do with the treasonable statement.

    Third, I suggested that the presidency in Nigeria was too imperious to allow democracy to flourish, particularly free speech. I still think this is true, and I would rather support the ordinary citizen underdog than give the president the benefit of the doubt. Nigerian leaders always behave as if they own us and must dictate to us. In a democracy, they must be made to understand that free speech, no matter how harshly rendered, must never become, in their imperial eyes, treason.

    What I did not say, but which I assumed everyone understood, was that Atiku made the statement within the context of the PDP, not within the context of a national political combat. Of what use would his statement be if he faced, say, Muhammadu Buhari? In any case, if anyone had the right to make the statement within the context of the PDP, it was even Jonathan, the aspirant advocating change in a situation where a northern aspirant was resisting change.

    I think most commentators did not calmly analyse the Atiku statement and they allowed themselves to be carried away by the feeling that the oligarchic North was as usual trying to lord it over the rest of the country. We must make up our minds what kind of country and democracy we want.

    We are not too young a country or democracy to allow free speech, even if rendered in strong words. Much more than the rest of us, it is the leadership that must come to terms with our opinions, anger and resolve, whether couched elegantly or inelegantly. An appropriate humorous response from Jonathan, the frontrunner, would have put Atiku on the defensive. 

  • When will PDP and its accolytes – Afenifere-PDP, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and co see opposition as serious business?

    However, one can hardly blame these young men who have most probably never functioned in any properly structured organisations.

    Kayode Samuel, a former Ogun State Commissioner for Information, unarguably one of Nigeria’s most intellectually engaging individuals on social media, and certainly not your most enthusiastic Buhari supporter, recently commented  as follows on Face book: “If the President indulges any Minister or aide by personally attending to them and their requests, they should know that that is a privilege. The correct protocol is that you go through his Chief of Staff. Not because the president thinks you’re not important but because the Chief of Staff is the one saddled with the responsibility for organising his diary, schedule and itinerary, and always ensuring presidential recall of actionable items.

    If you just want to chit chat with the president, you may insist on seeing him. But if you really wish that action be taken on any matter that you bring to his attention, you are better advised to go through his Chief of Staff. Really as simple as that. Self-important ministers who have any issues with this arrangement know what to do!”

    I reacted as follows:”It’s a great job you did here Kay but I don’t think you realise it. With this your short write up, by which I know you actually intend to address some ministers who consider themselves special, you have shut up the many who would soon have been telling Nigerians, pejoratively of course, that ministers cannot  see Buhari unless they  go through Kyari, his Fulani brother.

    So thank you for a good job”.

    God knows that when I wrote that, I had in mind only those intellectually deficient yokels, e- rats etc,  who  revel in ethnic profiling, no matter what it is President Buhari does or did not do. But how mistaken that has turned out to be as a coterie of busy bodies, and individuals, have jumped at what any logical person or group should have seen only as Mr. Samuel saw it, a procedural issue.

    But no, they would be lacking in what has since become their article of faith- irrationally criticising government for the sake of criticising – if they hadn’t trashed the president, calling him names, as usual.

    Now what is the casus belli? What caused their angst?

    Buhari’s sin was nothing more than declaring as follows at the inauguration of the new Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, 21 August, 2019: “As I said yesterday (Tuesday), in terms of coordinating communication, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channelled through the Chief of Staff while all Federal Executive Council matters be coordinated through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in order to speed up the process of decision-making.”

    One would have thought that this plea was straightforward enough and if we were to contextually analyse, and correlate it with Samuel’s position, one can only logically come away with the following: That:

    1. a) the president would only have been extending a privilege, which he is not obliged to, if he personally attends to any minister’s request, brought directly to him,  as that would be patently against protocol;
    2. b) the Chief of Staff is the one saddled with the responsibility for organising his diary, schedule and itinerary, and always ensuring his  recall of actionable items;
    3. c) it is no sign  of disrespect to the minister but a guarantee  that the minister would have action taken on whatever matter he/she brought to the president’s attention.

    Indeed, as if repeating the obvious, the president emphasised that this was for purposes of co-ordination.

    But hardly had he finished speaking than they launched their vitriol with the now, understandably, distraught PDP in the lead. Or what with the ‘death’ of their server at the Supreme Court only a few days earlier?

    Declared its Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan,  in his  forever  inelegant language: “By that directive, he (the president) has reduced the ministers to the clerical aides to the Chief of Staff and because of that even him, Mr. President, has abdicated his responsibilities and assigned it to his Chief of  Staff. The directive also suggests that Mr. President as the Minister of Petroleum Resources will also go through the Chief of Staff on policy matters (how logical?). He has abdicated his responsibility and ceded it to his Chief of Staff.” He concluded by saying that such demotion of ministers was “unacceptable and counter-productive, having reduced governance to a domestic affair”.

    That intervention reminded me of once writing about him as follows: “None of them will, however, hold the candle to their spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, who has this incredible felicity with lying that I could not have been happier than when I read Emeritus Professor Jide Osuntokun on this  aspiring  Goebbels this past week. He wrote: “The wild exaggerations of government misdeeds coming particularly from the PDP’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, should be stopped. It is obvious to intelligent people that his claims of looting of trillions by people in the present government are mere juvenile vituperations lacking in merit. Targeting the vice president and tarring him with the brush of corruption is mere politics without fact. Those of us who know the vice president just laugh when we read or hear about Ologbodiyan’s accusation of corruption of members of this government in a case of the pot calling the kettle black …”.

    Not a few serious Nigerians see Ologbondiyan as the professor does.

    Just like you would expect the likes of Femi Fani Kayode to soon weigh in, both the Afenifere, PDP wing, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have since done  with  their own completely outlandish interpretations.

    Rather than see this as nothing more than a question of scheduling, as if the president’s office should become a bedlam with many ministers congregating, and angling to see him, all at once, the Afenifere spokesperson, who, I learnt,  also doubles as speaker for a nebulous  Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum, roars in: “That statement shows clearly that the president wants to reign as president. As a man that is reigning, he cannot be disturbed by matters of state, like ministers coming to disturb him and bringing files to him. So, he has delegated that responsibility to the de facto prime minister, the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. In the midst of what we are going through, should ministers be going through Abba Kyari to see the president?” Then he goes ex-cathedral: ”But our case is that in the midst of what we are, anybody that wants to govern Nigeria; that wants to achieve results and move the country out of these crises, (that person) should be holding almost a daily dialogue with the ministers.” You wonder as to what time the minister gets to work.

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo did not disappoint.  It weighed in, as expected. Declared its Publicity Secretary, Uche Achi-Okpaga: “This directive is highly condemnable. There are other ranking officials of the federal government, such as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, so why the Chief of Staff? The appointment of ministers is confirmed by the National Assembly and you are now telling them to report to your aide? It only shows that Buhari is not in charge and that is why things have been going wrong in the country.”

    From his statement one would see that for Uche, it is all hearsay for had he read, or heard the president, he should have known, rather than being a sounding bag, that the president included the Secretary to Government in his directive.

    However, one can hardly blame these young men who have most probably never functioned in any properly structured organisations. Scheduling complex multiplicity of functions in an office not even half as busy as the presidency must be alien to them.

    A quixotic Alhaji Tanko Yakasai who, for purposes of ethnic solidarity was, a few weeks ago, feverishly queuing behind the president on the Ruga Settlement palaver, could be trusted never to let this pass without, opportunistically,  saying something. Said the PDP chieftain: “Our experience is that ministers line up in the office of the Chief of Staff (Abba Kyari) even to see him, let alone to see the president. If we continue with this, I don’t expect any miracle to happen.” There’s no way you won’t think the Baba is a minister, talking of his experience.

    Nigerians would sure be regaled to no end about this, otherwise simple, and straight forward matter,  since  no  PDP  chieftain would like to be outdone by others.

    On the long run, they will all come to see that this directive will only facilitate governance and guarantee efficient, and timely delivery of government’s promises to Nigerians; a fact that will make their graduating in inanities totally needless.

  • Bayelsa APC primary: Fears over unity amongst leaders

    Barely a week to the All Progressives Congress primary election, ahead of Bayelsa’s forthcoming governorship election, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that fresh intrigues have renewed fears that the party may not be able to resolve the misunderstanding amongst its leaders before the emergence of the governorship candidateBarely a week to the All Progressives Congress primary election, ahead of Bayelsa’s forthcoming governorship election, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that fresh intrigues have renewed fears that the party may not be able to resolve the misunderstanding amongst its leaders before the emergence of the governorship candidate

    FOLLOWING this week’s inauguration of the screening committee for Bayelsa’s August 29, 2019 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries, APC members and the party’s supporters told The Nation that the party is set for November 16, 2019 Governorship Election.

    Most of the members, who spoke to us during the week, however said their major concern is the issue of disunity amongst the top stakeholders in Bayelsa APC. They therefore urged national leaders and other troubled statesmen to intensify ongoing efforts and ensure unity amongst the various sensibilities in the state chapter of the party before the date of the primary.

    Pointing out that a united APC would be strong enough to effectively contest the November 16 Governorship Election against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), they warned that if the party fails to resolve the differences between the various interests and comes up with a candidate that is not generally accepted, PDP would gladly take advantage of the situation to ride to victory.

    Aside the likelihood of the misunderstanding paving way for PDP, there is also the fear that if the disagreements are not amicably resolved before the primary election, the group that lost out may join hands with PDP to defeat APC. Top stakeholders in the party believe the party would have performed better than it did in the recently concluded general election if it had consciously taken necessary steps to resolve obvious issues in some troubled states before the primaries and the general elections.

    RESOLVE TO TAKE

    EXTRA PRECAUTION

    Given the recent utterances of the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, analysts said the party seems determined to avoid all the mistakes that caused its defeat in some states like Imo and Taraba where they believed it would have won easily. For example, while inaugurating the Senator Abdullahi Gumel-led Bayelsa Screening Committee in Abuja, Oshiomhole had said the party had become wiser from courts judgements which disqualified its candidates for ineligibility in the past.

    He said the party would guide against fielding candidates with questionable dates of birth, educational qualifications and various errors which the opposition party could latch on to snatch victory after losing at the polls.

    Insiders and keen observers had maintained that APC, which was the ruling party in Imo State before this year’s governorship election, lost the election to PDP mainly because of the failure of APC to resolve the disagreement between the state’s former governor, Rochas Okorocha, and some powerful members of the party over his choice of successor. Sources said the national leaders of the party, after analyzing the outcome of the recent elections, have acknowledged the negative impact of disagreements and have resolved to handle things differently in the case of Bayelsa and Kogi states’ governorship elections.

    Besides resolution of disagreements, it seems the party leadership has also resolved to be more careful in the choice of the party standard bearers even as it wants to be sure that only the best aspirant in every election is named the party’s candidate. This resolution, according to a source close to APC national secretariat in Abuja, includes ensuring that the candidates truly have the profile the claim to have.

    This probably explained why Oshiomhole, while inaugurating the Bayelsa and Kogi states screening committee, cited the case of Taraba State where the Supreme Court disqualified APC’s governorship candidate after the party had participated in all stages of the election.

    As he puts it, “Many put it that screening is a formality but because of our own peculiarity, people are sometimes economical with the truth. We need to do proper screening and ensure that those who pass the screening are likely to be able to stand not only winning election but of not being challenged after.

    “We have a couple of cases where people claimed what they didn’t have or they swore to that affidavit such that they have two, three ages depending on what purpose they are swearing affidavit for.

    “We have a recent case in Taraba where our governorship candidate who went through the entire election process, his candidature was nullified by the Supreme Court on account of falsification of age. So, if we thought before that screening is a formality, we have seen that we are not meticulous.”

    The party chairman also urged the committees to observe contradiction in aspirant’s claims and examine issues raised against them without sentiment or partiality.

    BAYELSA’S PECULIAR CASE

    Before the former Governor of Bayelsa State and Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, finally shelved the ambition of contesting for the party’s ticket ahead of the governorship election in the state, many had feared that it would be difficult to resolve the apparent disagreement between his supporters and the supporters of the other leading aspirants who wanted Sylva to remain only the APC leader in the state and allow other aspirants to contest for the governorship candidate.

    As at that time, the leading aspirants for the ticket of APC were  widely identified as Timipre Sylva, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and Preye Aganaba. So, when Sylva was finally appointed the Minister of State for Petroleum, keen observers argued that the party in the state has been sufficiently empowered to contend with the ruling PDP and that all that remained was for Sylva to show leadership and support the strongest and the best aspirant for the job at a time like this.

    Some observers who expressed this view said the contest for APC’s ticket may have been narrowed to a competition between Heineken Lokpobiri and Preye Aganaba.  But Madam Ebiere Akpoebi, a woman leader in Ekeremor and member of APC, said because of Lokpobiri’s wealth of experience in the politics of Bayelsa State, where he served as the Speaker of the House of Assembly and his exposure at the federal level, where he served both as a Senator and as a Minister, “everyone in the state, who genuinely want APC to win in the forthcoming governorship election, should insist on the most experienced candidate. She reasoned that “with Sylva’s exit as an aspirant, Lokpobiri should be supported by all to fly APC’s flag.” Based on this kind of permutation, most analysts had also predicted immediate reconciliation of ardent supporters of Sylva and Lokpobiri, who had openly disagreed because of their conviction that it was their boss that should be given the party’s ticket. They argued that in the interest of the party, Sylva should settle every rift and disagreement amongst APC members in the state and ensure that the party fields its best aspirant.

    FRESH WORRIES

    The Nation gathered during the week that the zeal expressed recently by some APC grassroots members in Bayelsa State that Sylva’s appointment will lead to immediate reconciliation of his supporters and Lokpobiri’s supporters was punctured with reports that Sylva may have finally resolved to back another chieftain of the party, David Lyon, for the governorship ticket of APC.

    An unnamed aide to Sylva was recently quoted in a media report as confirming Sylva’s support to Lyon’s candidature.

    The report quoted the aide as saying; “Lyon is our candidate and I know he will win the ticket soon”.

    It seems since this latest twist was introduced into the APC’s contest for the governorship ticket, more members are angry and confused much more than ever.

    Akpoebi for example told The Nation on Friday that if this report is true, it means majority of our party leaders in the state are not in tune with the realities at the grassroots level. According to the woman activist, “It is unfortunate that our leaders remain oblivious that APC is today not united to fight PDP. We at the grassroots know where it pinches. As I talk to you, we have no concrete united structure that we can call APC’s structure. Our big men, our leaders reside in Abuja granting media interviews and deceiving themselves and only come during elections. They do not realise that the strength of any party could be found only amongst the masses at the grassroots that support it. In our case, it seems they do not know we exist. Even when they chose to distribute few booties, it does not trickle down to the grassroots. The big men just remain there in Abuja and they make no serious effort to establish reasonable means of communication with the grassroots. If you ask me, that is not the right way to defeat the ruling PDP,” she said.

    Another APC member in Yenagoa, Mr. James Datonye, reacting to the latest report on the alleged support Lyon seems to have received from the party leader in the state at the last minute, said, “Until recently, most observers have not reckoned so much on Lyon, an oil and gas industry player. We have all known and lined behind known frontline aspirants like Lokpobiri and Aganaba. So, this development is bound to leave us more confused, disunited. It will make us easy target.” He therefore argues that given the proximity of the APC primaries, APC leaders should think of uniting and consolidating what it already has and which many believe will work instead of introducing fresh intrigues that will only result in further misunderstanding.

    “To me, it is late in the day to toy with fresh intrigues. I believe APC leaders in the state should leave ego aside and unite to produce the candidate they know has what it takes to win the state for APC,” Datonye said.

    Aside Lokpobiri, Aganaba, and Lyon, the other APC aspirants that actually picked the party’s nomination form and are therefore poised to participate in the governorship primaries include former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Frankland Briyai; former Commissioner of Police, Deseye Poweigha and Chief CK Amgbare.

    APC’S MANDATE

    The fears notwithstanding, our searches confirmed that the national and state leaderships of APC are determined to win the forthcoming poll, though they know PDP’s equal resolve to retain the plum seat it has held since 1999. So, the stakes are high.

    SO, WHO WILL FLY APC’S FLAG?

    The recent intrigues notwithstanding, the list for the governorship tick is not altogether too long.

    Today, barely a week to the August 29 primary election, frontline aspirants for APC ticket include:

    LOKPOBIRI

    A former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the first aspirant to formalise his governorship ambition on the ticket of APC by picking the party’s nomination form, is generally acknowledged as a strong contender for the APC ticket in Bayelsa.

    Several factors seem to be in his favour. Such factors include the power of his grassroots campaigns and the quality of the promises he had so far made to Bayelsan electorate. Added to these is his continuous emphasis on the need to provide basic infrastructure in the state, even as he accused the ruling PDP government of poor performance. He lamented the rustic state of Bayelsa 20 years after its creation, promising that he will prioritise provision of basic infrastructure, which he said is missing.

    Lokpobiri in a recent twit also wrote, “Our communities don’t have hospitals. Every child born should be able to live a reasonable life. I am a village man. We will ensure that hospitals in all the communities are equipped to tackle these diseases that kill our people.”

    His strong criticism of PDP state government has so far raised the stakes in the ongoing campaigns on who would succeed Governor Seriake Henry Dickson. Some of the issues he and his campaign team have raised are today the major issues that may determine the voting pattern in the forthcoming election. As a result, some leaders and electorate call him the people’s conscience.

    Considered as the most experienced and formidable of all the aspirants, Lokpobiri, born March 3, 1967, has the advantage of serving in all the critical arms of government. A lawyer who holds a PhD, he was the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly from June 1999 to May 2001 and was elected Senator in April 2007. He later served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development.

    These means that he is expected to have deep knowledge of the judiciary, the legislature and the executive, a rare rounded preparation for the office of governor in Nigeria.

    Perhaps because of this, insiders said he is highly favoured by APC leaders that are not led by any personal interest.

    PREYE AGANABA

    Even before he formally picks the nomination form, Prince Preye Aganaba, who hails from Odi in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, is one of the aspirants that have received wide media mention. A prince of the royal family of Aganaba of the ancient town of Odi, Aganaba studied Computer Engineering at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt.

    As a founding member of APC in Bayelsa State, Aganaba is well known in the state’s APC politics. We gathered that he also has age and possible support of youths and women as the major factors going for him. It remains however to be seen how these factors will come to play in the primaries.

  • Bursting the myth of making it

    The point is that a visionary leadership would have galvanised the Nigerian populace immediately after independence into nation building, national ethics, patriotic acts, etc., so that today, we would be talking of a different national character built on patriotism and love of fatherland.

    Reader, here is the news. There are complaints that the Nigerian youth are emigrating to, or being stolen by, Canada. The political ministers have been given their portfolios and as usual, no one is happy with the arrangements, well, except the people who are happy. Got that? Kidnapping is still thriving as a business for the practitioners who people think are herdsmen, bandits, unemployed people or just plain, bad, evil people. Also, development is still scarce around here. Transformers are still supplying light to single compounds while entire communities have no single transformer leg to stand on.

    Nigerians are still burying their dead in Hummer jeeps or BMWs while some of their countrymen, women and children cannot afford to buy food to eat. They catapult those who have served as governors to the senate to become senators, or failing that, to become ministers. The country is so poor that it perennially comes in among the last in the world index of poor states, yet its governors, representatives and senators are the highest paid in the world. Their government houses use generators; their houses of worship are built on human remains or human skulls. They steal billions just to show off to neighbours or to go into politics. Some of their state certified kidnappers are so generous their communities give them titles and rescue them when they are arrested. Yep, things are still normal around here, thanks for asking.

    So, all these we know, but what we just can’t agree on is what is responsible for this discordance, this contrariness, this backward movement when the rest of the world is forward looking. Many think that leadership failure is the problem; some think it is followership. Some, like this column, blame the colonial power for laying the foundation of crookedness in addition to the first two. The answer I think you will agree is all of the above.

    There is the story that broke of one Mr. Obinwanne Okeke, an under-30 Nigerian entrepreneur who was said to have been arrested by the FBI sometime last week for an alleged $12m fraud in the USA. The question that has been nagging me ever since that story broke is what in the world propelled this young man to crawl these ten miles on broken bottles of danger in order to ‘stand out’ or ‘make it’? In short, who led this young man astray? As the movies say, who dunnit: the leaders or the followers?

    Stories abound of how the churches are filled with worshippers who are preoccupied with the quest to ‘make it’ mysteriously and supernaturally. You know what that means, don’t you? To me, I think it means you come into sudden wealth one way or another so that you can slap your neighbours and the police will smile at you, really. Now, you know why everyone wants to ‘make it’. The quest to make it is so gripping on nearly every Nigerian now that it has led them into doing things in the dead of night and in the dead of day too. Yet, I suspect many have not seriously asked themselves just what they will do when they make it beyond being the envy of their neighbours. Some need it to build houses that are out of this world which their children will auction off without any respect, and some to buy cars their neighbours can only dream of. So, how’s that for an ambition?!

    Anyway, this epistemological search is what is making many occupy seats in the worship houses now to listen to sermons that encourage them to reach out and ‘grab it’. It has even led many clerics of all religions to unspeakable acts of sacrifices in order to also ‘make it’. So, when people are not in the worship houses, they are kidnapping; oh yes, for the same end. When that fails, they go into politics: another arena of the get-rich quick. That too has led many to do unspeakable things. When they ‘succeed’, they become ‘leaders’. Now, you know why the leadership is not what it should be. In short, many people have done everything to ‘make it’ but what they ought to do, which is to work hard. Ha, ha!

    The point is that Nigerian leadership right now is compromised. They appear to have lost the moral compass which should have helped them to lead people towards hard work and nation building, rather than ego building, or building strange looking houses. The leadership is not modelling the route towards happiness, contentment and good living right now. Instead, the leadership is modelling for the people the route to profligacy, licentious living, reckless power display and complete disrespect for others’ pains. These are the lessons people are learning, and believe me, there are no greater learners than the young ones.

    Oh yes, we are trying to understand what could have compelled Mr. Obinwanne to do what he did, if he did. The truth is that this country’s leadership has taught its citizens to laugh at hard work; indeed, we are even laughing at those who are hard at work because we regard them as the lame of the earth, who will also end up being the wretched of the corporate world. Mr. Obinwanne is not alone in that laughter. I understand the FBI has a long list of them in their files.

    Many people have asked me why Nigeria’s story should be so distorted and different from the story of other nations that also went through the same experiences like India, Malaysia, Singapore, America, etc. I answer them in two words: visionless leadership. There are other two words we can use, of course, such as uncontrolled heterogeneity; inherited suspicions; untapped illiteracy, unused literacy, dysfunctional elitism, etc.

    The point is that a visionary leadership would have galvanised the Nigerian populace immediately after independence into nation building, national ethics, patriotic acts, etc., so that today, we would be talking of a different national character built on patriotism and love of fatherland. Our reality is that neither the PDP nor the APC has any inkling on how to help the country retrace its steps. The PDP was too busy literally ‘living it up’ while the APC is presently more preoccupied with settling herdsmen into already occupied and built villages, thus displacing more people. So, what we have is everyone trying to build himself up as a fatherland.

    As of now, the rate that the young ones are emigrating from the country is not flattering to the image of Nigeria. It is like people fleeing from a war zone, yet hopefully, the country is not at war. It is so bad, one youth wrote in the social media to this effect: ‘please, Canada, come and steal me; I’m wearing a red shirt for easy recognition and standing in front of my house.’ Well, I’m now giving notice that if something is not done quickly, I will also tell Canada: please come and steal me though I’m not a youth. I’m wearing a boubou and standing on my car for easy helicopter lifting.

    If this country does not want to see more of the likes of Mr. Obinwanne, if the allegations are true, then some serious nation building had better start. Right now, the APC, being the party on the throne, has the opportunity to really do some social engineering by bursting the myth of ‘making it’. The party must shake itself of its parochial tendencies and wake up. It must begin to initiate how the Nigerian society can be so constructed that every Nigerian can find his place to pursue his happiness without getting on the FBI list.

  • BUKOLA OLOPADE: My romance with road races

    Bukola Olopade, CEO of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, patent owners of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, among other road races, is a man on a mission. The mission is to take road-race to all notable cities in the country and at the same create opportunities and develop support base for talented Nigerian athletes.

    As plans for the fifth Lagos City Marathon enters final lap, Olopade, who was sports commissioner in Ogun State, said it has added The Abeokuta N10km race coming up in November, and the Remo Ultra Race in December of this year, to its races, while Abuja Road Race may happen next year.

    He dreams of taking road races to all important cities and towns in the country to showcase to the rest of the world the unique beauty and passion inherent in Nigerian people and places.

    “In ten years, I’m hoping that the Lagos City Marathon would have achieved platinum with IAAF. We recently introduced a fee to the race, but this was something we told the whole world at the press conference of the maiden edition. We said that at the fifth edition, a fee would be introduced. And we have introduced the fee now for both the 42km and the 10km. The fee is N5000 flat. We are hoping that this initiative would create a better quality race rather than a quantity race. That would give us 60,000 true road runners. Not people who would jump on the bus and come to the finish area and fight for a medal.

    “In 10 years time we like to sit back and say Abeokuta Road Race, Remo Road Race and Uyo and Abuja races are gold label and the almighty Lagos and Abuja road races are platinum. That is our dream. There is a new love for athletics; that is where we are heading.”

    Before road races, Olopade found football. However, he admits athletics has become his newest bride. “Have I discovered a new favourite sport in athletics? The answer is yes. So, you find me in Japan and Qatar to watch world relays and World Championship respectively. I have a new love for athletics and if it is well articulated in this country it would empower many young people.”

    Olopade, however, remembers the days of small beginnings and attributed the success story to people and idea.”

    “To be honest, it is to the credit of Chief Solomon Ogba, the former Commissioner of Sport in Delta State and former AFN (Athletic Federation of Nigeria) president. It was him that threw the challenge at us when he said it was a misnomer for Lagos – one of the biggest megacities in the world – not to have a road race and that road race is becoming a phenomenon all over the world. So, we sat down and came up with a concept, which we took to the former Lagos State government that was able to quickly understand the benefit inherent in a road race and plugged in immediately.”

    Olopade further speaks on his foray into football, wheelchair basketball, politics and his lifestyle in the interview with TAIWO ALIMI.

    Galvanise corporate bodies to come into road races

    First, our integrity was well established. And when you look at the people in Nilayo, we have collectively almost 60 years in sport and combined 30 years in sports marketing and brand and image management. But more importantly is the fact that we discover that it is not true that corporate bodies do not want to come into sports sponsorship, but largely because they have been waiting for people they can trust and whose visions can tally with theirs for them to be able to support graciously what everybody will agree is a veritable tool of empowerment for young Nigerians.

    Motivation

    I don’t know how to tell lies, so I would say the first motivation was how to make money for my company. I did see the opportunity and I have no regret, no apology. But after all said and done, my pride now is that we are part of a global brand that is empowering Nigerians, not just young Lagosians, but Nigerians in general. For me, personally, the fact that the sport that I love so much has now become bread and butter for me, my family, my friends, and my colleagues is a thing of joy. It is gratifying to know that something that you love doing can also be a source of comfort for you.

    From sports commissioner to sports marketing

    My first experience of watching a private sector work with government was the Gateway Games (2006 National Sports Festival) while I was commissioner. And that opened my eyes that the private sector could support sports as long as you have integrity. I always give kudos to my boss, the then governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. He said ‘Bukola, the world is still scratching the wall as it concerns sports.

    You need to look inward and see how you can make sports your daily living because a lot of people still do not understand that you can make a lot of money from working in the sporting industry.’ These words kept ringing in my ears and to finish this interview without giving credit to him would be unjust and unfair. Yes! My experiences as commissioner was capacity building that I needed to be able to articulate effectively how much sports can bring into the economy and how much sports can be a very important attachment to one’s life.

    Nigeria National League (NNL) walkout

    I’m always reluctant to talk about that, but since you asked I’m going to answer. I left because I thought the NFF in their decision were wrong. I was the CEO of NNL and there was an agreement in Asaba to allow four teams to be promoted and four to be relegated at the end of the season. Whether I was against that agreement or not, the moment the NFF Congress sat down and reached an agreement, it became binding on me. And they came to that agreement because the NFF gave them permission.

    When the NFF turned around I called my friend Amaju (Pinnick), I said I was out because for me, and like I’ve been saying in this interview, integrity matters. What was the agreement we had with Bet9ja? That they would continue to support NNL once the Premier League run by LMC sends down four demoted teams and we sent up four promoted teams. The agreement was breeched without us being carried along by the LMC by not demoting any team and left all teams in the Premier League. I found myself in a situation and I had to make a decision, so I pulled out. Was that why Bet9ja pulled out? I say yes because they felt an agreement has been breached. Rather than taking us to court, they pulled out quietly.

    Wheelchair basketball

    I never left wheelchair basketball. We have Nilayo Basketball Team. We’ve won every competition in the last two years and as a way of support I still do the needful. However, I contested for the president of wheelchair basketball again and Solomon Dalung (Nigeria Sports Minister) in his wisdom, somebody told him that I was going to disturb somebody from becoming the Paralympics chairman and I was disqualified for no reason.

    So I packed my bag and came back to Lagos. But I do not believe that people need to be on a board of a federation to support. So, I’ve never left my children in special sports. They know me and I have a passion for them. In Access Lagos City Marathon, we created space for the wheelchair race and we are doing the same thing in Abeokuta Road Race. I won’t forget them.

    Unwinding

    Like what I’m doing right now. Calling Seyi and Femi (his staff) names but more importantly I have a great crew. They are my friends and colleagues and we play and enjoy ourselves. I do a lot of exercise and eat well.

    Family influence

    I have the most beautiful wife who is my best friend and my pillar. She is a wonderful woman. There are days I pinch myself and ask myself how she still tolerates me. It’s nice to always talk about family. I usually send messages to my team and friends about how important family and friendship are to your personal happiness and not focusing too much on fame and money.

    I have a great family. My children are my life. Apart from my biological children I have hundreds of children and they all make me happy. I am an accomplished man. I often joke, God forbid, that should I die tomorrow there must be a big party because there is no regret. I chop this life no be this life chop me.

  • Trump as the “Chosen One” – Four Theses

    This week, Donald Trump’s megalomania reached a new high when he pronounced himself God’s representative on earth by declaring that he is the “Chosen One”.

    About a week ago, he had startled all Americans by declaring that he would not only be reelected in November 2020 but would go on to succeed himself after the constitutionally mandatory limit of two consecutive terms.

    Of course he did not indicate how he could and would achieve this unprecedented and unconstitutional feat: if you are Donald Trump, you have no need to explain to mere Americans, mere mortals, what destiny and your own transcendental uniqueness have in store for you. Which is why it was a logical and inevitable step for him to go further this week to declare himself as the Chosen One. Will he go on to the next step, the next level of declaring himself God’s equal and partner in directing the affairs of the planet and the universe? Don’t rule it out!

    This article is not about the inscrutable mind, ways and actions of Donald Trump. Indeed, it is about very measurable and scrutable politics of Trump, his allies and supporters in America and other parts of the world. Trump may seem so exceptional in his brand of megalomania that we think that we must quickly and usefully assimilate him to the tradition of the monstrous rulers of the past and the present. But while that is logically unexceptionable, we must go beyond that response to him to tease out aspects of his presidency of the most powerful nation in the world that we would be well advised to keep in mind. This is what I indicate in the following four theses.

    Thesis One: the alliance of big money and the resentment of the poor and the excluded

    Trump and his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement is an alliance of the richest Americans and white Americans at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. The poor and resentful whites are the stormtroopers, the foot soldiers, while the upper-class financiers, generals, corporate executives and real estate magnates to whom Trump has bestowed extraordinarily generous tax breaks are the collective mind and the planners of the Trump revolution. Though it is an uneasy alliance, all modern 20th and 21st century fascist movements have their demographic and emotional basis in this sort of alliance.

    It is an alliance of demographic segments of the population that seem to be natural enemies. What does an 8 dollars an hour kitchen maid in one of Trump’s hotels have in common with Trump, especially in light of the fact that Trump has a long history of cheating and mistreating his workers? And a coalminer in West Virginia on 12 dollars an hour, what common interest does he have with Wall Street financial brokers? The genius of Trump and the fascist movements of the past and the present is to find the glue that would cement the alliance between such seeming natural enemies.

    The glue is of course completely hidden and you will never find a single banker, general or corporate executive marching with the foot soldiers or proudly wearing MAGA caps. We might think here of a Nigerian equivalent, this being the rumours, the allegations of rich and powerful backers of Boko Haram. With very few exceptions, how many of them have ever been unmasked and identified with unassailable facts and evidence? The same thing applies to allegations of sponsorship of poor herders by rich herders in the tragic raids on the farmlands and livestock of the farming communities: the glue is hidden, the cement indissociable from the brick. In the American case, Trump marches with the poor and the resentful mostly among whites and wears a MAGA cap since, as a matter of fact, he designs, produces and markets MAGA caps. Of course this leaves out the poor and the resentful among non-whites who in fact become the target of the MAGA movement. Thus, at the heart of all fascist and neofascist movement including and especially Trump’s MAGA movement is a bitter war of segments of the poor and the resentful against one another. Whether he is the “Chosen One” or not, this is the fundamental structural foundation of Trump and his megalomania. In other words, his megalomania many seem bizarre and inscrutable but in actuality it is rationally scrutable.

    Thesis two: Trumpian neofascism as an interstate or global phenomenon

    Notably, the most consequential international fascist alliance of the 20th century was that between the so-called Axis Powers composed of Germany, Italy and Japan. Going by the number and spread of Trump’s far right allies around the world, it would seem that his neofascist “internationalism” is far more ambitious than that of Hitler and the Axis Powers. In Europe and far beyond in the developing world, everywhere that far right, militant conservative movements have risen, Trump has rushed in to lend his aggressive support. Some cases stand out: Viktor Orban and Jibbik Party in Hungary; Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil; Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines; and Nigel Farage in the UK. To this list could be added Vladimir Putin of Russia, not exactly a client of Trump as the others are, but a strong ally of Trump in the project of undermining or even destroying the foundations of liberal democracy and neoliberal globalism in Europe and the whole world. To the extent that even though he did not provide the spark that started all these right-wing nationalisms against foreigners, racial and ethnic minorities and internal currents of liberal and multicultural relations, Trump has become the most powerful and effective coordinator of their projects, to that extent is Trump the contemporary world’s greatest threat to international cooperation, multilateralism and peace.

    Let us express this development in contemporary global relations in concrete terms. After the end of the Second World War and the Cold War, with the exception of apartheid South Africa, racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and conservative, irredentist nationalism seemed to have been in decline everywhere in the world. But not anymore, thanks to this growing Trumpian alliance of far-right nationalisms in Europe and beyond. Thus, it is now common for leading politicians in many parts of the world to be openly and militantly racist and xenophobic as in Nigel Farage in the UK and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil or to advocate treatment of immigrants that are against international conventions and simple human decency. Moreover, conspiracy theories and so-called “fake news” abound and thrive as driving engines for these far-right nationalist movements, Donald Trump being the greatest purveyor of all for conspiracy theories and fake news. Trump is the “Chosen One”? Only if you think of the use of the combined power of American military, economic and cultural capital to direct our world toward the Armageddon that Trump is eager to foment as his preferred solution to the world’s myriad economic and social contradictions.

    Thesis three: neofascism and the birth of a new, 21st century global civil rights movement

    For every action there is a reaction and wherever you go, there you are! Against the fascist Axis Powers of the Second World War in the 20th century, there arose, dialectically, the Allied Powers comprising Britain, France, America, the Soviet Union and China. The two formations found their greatest consolidation both in the preparations for war and the actual prosecution of the war. Apparently, while war cannot be ruled out in the contemporary situation (except of course in highly localized regions and contexts), war is not the primary locus of the opposition between, on the one hand, Trump and his neofascist allies in Europe and beyond and, on the other hand, the forces and movements of global multiculturalism, liberal democracy, social democrats and post-capitalist humanism. Although the dust is yet to clear around the diverse forces and struggles forming against Trump and his allies at home and abroad, some patterns are beginning to emerge. Perhaps the most important or most “natural” is the alignment of forces between homelands and diasporas in many parts of the world, especially in Europe and North America. Let us take a close look at this particular development.

    It would seem that like all fascist and neofascist movements of the past and the present, Trump and his allies depend and thrive on driving wedges between indigenes and foreigners, citizens and migrants. But the world is old and both Europe and the Americas have historically been shaped by migrations and creations of diasporas everywhere on the planet. And in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the other continents and regions of the world have followed the European example of creation of diasporas, of immigrant communities around the world. And as a result, it is no loner possible to solidly demarcate “homelands” from other lands: everywhere and for everyone, there are powerful human and cultural ties to homelands and diasporas across the globe. Homelands will of course never completely disappear and neither will diasporas at some point in time cease to find new spaces of consolidation. The upshot of these long range and long-time developments is that the civil rights movements of the present and the future will be both internal and transnational, unlike the civil rights movement of the 2oth century that were mostly internal.

    Thesis four: Trumpian neofascism, climate change denial and the specter of planetary holocaust

    At their ideological and utilitarian roots, nearly all the fascist movements of the 20th century entailed a vision of unrestricted exploitation of not only natural resources but of nature itself: land, trees and plants, the oceans and waterways, mineral ores deep in earth’s core, the fishes of the seas and the birds of the skies. Human labour itself became a prime site of this exploitative war on nature and this in turn became a model for what could be done to the entire planet itself. In other words, if human beings could be worked to death and could then be discarded as if they were endlessly available for such unconscionable exploitation, what could stop us from doing the same thing to the whole planet? If you have seen mineworkers deathly sick from working for decades and across generations then you have seen an image of what will eventually happen to the mines themselves and the surrounding regions in which they are located. This recapitulation of the tenets of radical humanitarian environmental thought has become very urgent in the age of Donald Trump, the ultimate Anti-environmentalist and climate change denier.

    There are two major fronts of Trump’s apocalyptic anti-environmentalism: retreat or complete withdrawal from nearly all international treaties and conventions limiting the production of nuclear weapons of mass destruction; and retreat or outright withdrawal from all international obligations on reduction of carbon emissions. 19th and early 20th centuries capitalism did not have the benefit of knowledge that we now have about the limits logically and necessarily imposed on us by weapons of mass destruction and unlimited emission of carbon into the atmosphere. But to Trump and his allies that knowledge is either not admissible or can be rendered questionable by the counter “knowledge” that their own “scientists” can produce. The evidence is there, frightening and devastating in the extreme in such catastrophic events as Californian and Amazonian wildfires and coastlands laid to utter ruin by tsunamis and hurricane flooding. But Trump and his allies in America, Europe and the developing world reject the evidence. We are still here, are we not?

    The end of the world does not always mean the literal, physical end of the world. More complexly, it may mean the end of the world as we have known it, as it has sustained our humankind over the course of the relatively short span of time that we have exercised dominion over all the other forms of life on our planet. Trump as the “Chosen One”? Chosen to end the world as we have known it and as it has sustained us through an aeon of historical time, after which comes a humanoid, post-historical time?  How so prospectively good that anti-Trump and anti-anti-environmentalists are increasing and gathering momentum by the day, by the week, by the year.

    • Biodun Jeyifo, bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

  • MASAI UJIRI: Untold story of Toronto Raptors’ conquest in NBA

    He is undoubtedly the man of the moment, and the English-born Nigerian professional basketball executive and president of basketball operations of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, who recently visited Nigeria with the 2019 NBA Championship won under his watch, shares his recipe for success, reports ADEYINKA ADEDIPE.

    Weeks after his team broke the rut and claimed the 2019 NBA championship, English-born Nigerian professional basketball executive and president of basketball operations of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, has yet spoken about the golden landmark.

    Ujiri, who was on a whistle stop NBA Trophy Tour of Lagos recently, has for the first time revealed the momentous time with his wife after he led Raptors to gory against the odds.

    “My wife has been very supportive and she was happy when Raptors won,” the 49-year-old Ujiri who was NBA Executive of the Year in 2013 exclusively told The Nation. “She congratulated me specially and noted that I worked hard for it; she said she was proud of me and t is good to hear from people that are close to you;  and those are obviously intimate moments (after we won the NBA title).”

    The forward-looking Ujiri continued with a breathy purr: “The win (with Raptors) is the beginning of a new journey for me.

    “The first thought that came to me as soon as the buzzer in San Francisco sounded was my beautiful wife, my family, my kids my mother in law and people close to me.

    “The next I thought about was home, Africa. I am proud that I won the trophy, my team won the trophy for Africa and then I proceeded to get the Nigerian flag and wrap it around me.

    “So I really appreciate all those that have contributed to this success. I also appreciate all the journalists that have reported Toronto Raptors and Giant of Africa (GOA) as well as everybody that has continued to contribute to the growth of the game.”

    Apart from his wife, Ujiri has also spoken candidly about his close relationship with controversial entertainer, Drake, and his unquantifiable contributions to the success of Raptors.

    He explained: “Drake has always been a great supporter of Raptors. He is our guy. He had the trophy before I brought it to Nigeria and he made a big replica for himself. His relationship with the Raptors is bigger than anything.

    “When I came in, I brought in Drake or rather say that he brought himself in. So I don’t need to take any glory for that. He has been a big fan of Raptors whether we are winning or losing, he is always there.

    “My wife has seen me getting test from Drake at 3am because a thought comes to his head and he wants to share it with me. He has been an incredible partner and we will continue to work together and have a friendship.

    “He (Drake) will continue to be a die-hard fan of the franchise. He has been in trouble a couple of times because he crossed the line but that’s passion. That’s him loving the game and we love him in Toronto,” Ujiri reitreated as he further gave a rare glimpse on how Raptors find their ways through the maze and landed on the NBA podium for only their first time in history. Excerpts

    Biggest challenges at Raptors

    When you make those moves in basketball, people get hurt and it could affect relationship. The toughest thing in our job is trading a player like we did in the case of DaMar DeRozan or when Kawhi left for Clippers after propelling us to the title. These decisions are emotional. As an administrator, you have to figure out a way to deal with these things. DaMar DeRozan is one of the unbelievable persons I have worked with. He is a remarkable person and I knew it was tough for him to leave Raptors.

    When he came back to play against us with the San Antonio Spurs, he came to me in the locker room where we hugged and that’s the only time we have had contact but time heals and there will never be any grudge. I let Coach Dwayne Casey go, a tough decision; but I had to take it. As humans, we may consider it bad. But the business side of things is that you have to withstand pressure, withstand challenges and criticisms and move on. That’s the challenge of the business.

    Bedrock of Raptors

    I must commend the two prominent players on team – Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry. I am also proud of the Africans – Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby, who was sick during the play offs. The win gives us a platform to be able to tell a story and inspire more kids in Africa. The likes of Joel Embiid, Siakam, Giannis Antetokounmpo and many other African players in the NBA, through their exploits, will become huge inspiration to African kids who might want to follow their footsteps.

    I am also inspired by people who have taken the other routes like coaching and scouting. Great players like Patrick Mutombo, Patrick Engelbrecht, Godwin Owinjie and many others. These people will continue to be shining examples of what is obtainable outside playing basketball. It is a huge ecosystem that I think we can continue to build which will give rise to other opportunities like being sports journalists, lawyers and trainers. There are opportunities for kids in the game and that is what we want to preach with the Giant of Africa.

    My dreams for Raptors

    My dream is to make Toronto Raptors the Manchester United of basketball in Africa. We hope to win over fans of other NBA teams to our side. I also want to see people donning the red jersey of Raptors all over Africa the way they wear notable jerseys of other teams. I am happy to bring the trophy home. It was a dream watching Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and others pop champagne while lifting the NBA trophy.

    I found myself doing that with the opportunity the NBA system as well as the support of people like Amadou Fall (President of NBA Africa) has given me. I tell my wife every day that I am pinching myself to be sure what has happened is real and I can’t even picture what this win will mean to me in future. My dream is also to bring more to Africa with renewed hunger because we have seen how the win affects us positively as a people.

    As administrators, we are put in positions to make tough decisions. I always say that if you can’t stand the pressure, you have to quit your post. It is our job and I think decision of hiring Nurse and Kawhi was well thought out. We needed to change after doing the same thing all over again. Sometimes the change comes with challenges and criticism. It’s a tough job and that is why we are here as leaders.

    Back to my root with NBA trophy

    This is home for me. I went home to Zaria and spent the whole day there. I took the trophy first to my parents because they raised me the right way and also took it to my second dad, Oliver Johnson (OBJ), on the courts of Ahmadu Bello University where I learnt the rudiment of the game when I turned 13. Everyone knows how difficult it is to play the game here but we will continue to grow and learn more about the game.

    We have to be visionaries, we have to be leaders and show the youths the path. I had that path and one day some other people will take it over just like OBJ said that I took it over from him. I am proud of the many talented youths of Africa. There is so much work to be done and challenges to overcome, so that we will continue to grow. I say this with all honesty and the passion in me – Africa is now. We have to pay attention to Africa now and sports are big part of what we want to do. Africa will win and we will continue to make it better for our youths.

    Giant of Africa project

    The Giant of Africa (GOA) has its goal but question is – what’s the end goal? Truly, people think it is to build arena or put structure on the ground or how many kids are going to become professionals. At the end of the day, positive things will happen. I believe some of these kids will become bigger and do better than what we are doing now to enhance the game and the lives of others.

    My dream is to see some of the graduates of GOA do bigger programmes and give other youths opportunities down the line. I do think one day a GOA kid will become the president of one of the African countries. As we continue to spread the programme to other African countries, I am sure my dream will come true.

    Getting more facilities for basketball across Africa

    These are the things I have talked about in the past. We are trying to see if we can build more courts and more facilities to encourage more kids. I know we value football most here and we have many talented footballers on the continent. When did that start? At a point, Stephen Keshi and the late Sam Okwaraji were the only pros that came to play for the Eagles.

    All of a sudden, we had so many African talents like Drogba, Eto’o doing well in Europe. The talent in Africa is abnormal and we have to pay attention to it.This challenge to provide facilities is that of our administrators, ministers and governors. I know that there are very important issues but sports is big business.

    The talent in basketball, especially in Nigeria, is enormous. In the Eastern part, we have big, tall people who need to be encouraged and it starts with providing facilities. Some countries are beginning to do it. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda sent me test message that the arena has been completed in Kigali while another one has been built in Dakar; and that will help develop the game in these countries.

    Role of government in sports

    Government in all African countries control sports and we try to involve the private sector as much as possible. But if we are going to reach the masses of youths, we have to do things on the government side. We have to put experts in charge of sports. I know this sounds controversial but the ministers of sports all over the continent are not experts and this hinders progress.

    We have to put experts in charge of sports; people who know what to do at every given time. Let me give you an example; the National Stadium in Lagos is an eye sore. There is a lot we can do to change the landscape and build an ecosystem that would bring jobs and encourage our national athletes. I encourage the likes of Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu to talk about this. Kanu and so many officials send me test messages on issues like this. We have to form a movement that will change this not only in this country but on the continent. Talents are wasting in these countries. It is important to have facilities.

    Do you know how many Serena Williams we have in Nigeria and they have never played tennis? Do you know how many Siakam who have never touched a basketball? We have so much talents, it is time to develop them. Africa is now. We need to shut the Lagos stadium for a year and refurbish it. The money for such project is available, the brains that can do the job are here. Why can we build nice hotels there and other facilities that it will create something big? Africa is now. We have to start and face the challenges so we can reap the benefits later.

    Playing career with D’Tigers

    I had a short stint with the national team. I wasn’t very good but I had the opportunity of being with the team. I wasn’t the best professional player or college player. But I was a bench player on the national team but had the honour of playing with unbelievable guys – the late Mohammed Acha, Tunji Awojobi, and Julius Nwosu and many others.

    The experience I had playing at the Men’s Afrobasket in Dakar in 1997, I would never trade it for anything and I will always cherish those moments wearing the Nigerian jersey as well as coaching the national team. My stint with the national team was short-lived but very rewarding.

    Clarion call to World Cup-bound D’Tigers

    To our players playing in the World Championship in China, it will be a unique experience playing for their country. Nick Nurse is the coach of the Canadian team. They played against Nigeria in two friendly games. I was also lucky to play for my country and was also a coach. Wearing your country’s jersey is unique and I am sure China will be exciting. I think the national team has done well over the years. We always have talents but the problem has been lack of organisation.

    I have been in touch with Musa Kida, Sam Ahmedu and Coach Alex Nwora and I think they are trying to do things the right way; that is, by making sure preparation for competition is top-notch as well as create a process that leads to success. I have been very encouraged by what I see.

    With the talent that we have, I was sure that the women would win the Afrobasket and the men will present a good team in China. I don’t know what the World Cup is. May be it is not as big as the Olympics because we see players pulling out. But it is a platform for us to show what we can offer and I am sure the Nigerian teams will continue to do well.

    Winning strategy to retain NBA title

    First of all, I am from Nigeria, I don’t feel pressure. I think it is a pleasure to come from this country. There is no day I have lost sleep on the job. We are put in these positions to solve problems. Next year, the Toronto Raptors will be there to compete to win. In terms of strategy, when you get a job to run an organisation, the first thing you think about is hiring the smarter-than-you, people who are the best in their fields – basketball operation, finance, scouting and others.

    Having the right ownership also helps, which we are blessed with at Raptors. The ownership encouraged us to build and grow. You have to start trying to put the team together in a way that is possible for the franchise to win trophies. I think you play sports to win and we made a tough decision to bring Leonard and we were fortunate to win the championship. Right now, Leonard is moving on to play with the Clippers.

    We will be fine, we are very confident with what we do. He raised us to a high level by winning the championship. We want to win again and we have wonderful and young players that we are going to grow with the team. We are excited about the future. We will continue to build and we don’t want to reveal our strategy but we have come to a point that we feel comfortable about where we are, who we are and we will continue to grow as well as win that way.

    Possibility of Toronto Raptors owning franchise in Africa

    I must say that the NBA does not allow team to own teams outside the NBA. But in terms of building strategy to make Raptors popular in Africa, we have to start with winning because if you do not win, fans would not be interested in your team. You can see fans supporting Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool because they have won in the past.

    The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is an unbelievable project that I am happy NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is spearheading. It is also great to have President Barak Obama involved in this. Amadou Fall has been made president of the League. This is a big for the continent.

    The league will grow because of the great vision behind it. It is the first time I think the NBA is running a league outside the United States. It is interesting that they have come to Africa. It shows we have potential in terms of talent and business. We are really excited about the BAL league and I am proud to be part of it.

    Peculiarity of Africa’s problem

    There was a moment when I used to come back home and start spitting fire and criticising the system. But after getting some advice from close confidants, I mellowed and checked myself. Before we all criticise, we all have to set an example. I am not here to criticise but I am trying to make the game bigger and make more people aware.

    If we talk of how to grow sports in Nigeria and other African countries, we can take a cue from President Kagame who built an arena in eight months, the same for the Senegalese president. These leaders are encouraging the game of basketball to grow. Though privatisation is good, we need the leaders to help us by setting an agenda. If we can continue to do that at the high level, we will make progress. And I will tell you that NBA games can be played in those arenas when they decide to bring the games to Africa.

    We have made more progress than the previous year. We go to South to play a game every year and everyone is asking why we are not bringing it to Nigeria. I will also like to bring the Raptors to Nigeria tomorrow but where are we going to play? That is the challenge that we face. The commissioner wants to play a game in Africa and I know it can happen in Nigeria until we make progress to have the game here.

    Marrying basketball with Nigeria music culture

    I think what Drake has done is wonderful. Basketball brings people together and as entertainment continues to grow we can infuse the two. I have talked to Davido and Jidenna and we will like to bring in Wizkid. Nigerian music is popular now and we can create an ecosystem that will give people platform to succeed by blending music and basketball. I also listen to Nigerian music and watch Nigerian movies, and I like them so much.

    Scouting of new players

    There are talents everywhere and you will be surprised to see kids with their hands reaching their knees walking around the stadium. They also have speed when they start to play. I am a more talented footballer than basketballer because I started playing as soon as I was born, just like the same way kids in America start playing basketball at an early age. My three-year-old son is already shooting the ball. Football is easy to play. With four stones and a ball, the stage is set for a game. But basketball is more difficult to set up. I went to my elementary school in Zaria and I see the court is overgrown with weeds so I have decided to do something about that.

    Getting to pinnacle of his career

    It is left for me to make my dream come through. I kept dreaming and worked hard to connect all the dots and try to be the best. Sport is all about winning; you must try to win at all times on the court and off the court. For me, it has been the best experience to be able to get to the top. I wanted to win, you want to achieve. As you do that you bring others along and that is why you have to be humble and continue to grow.We will get to the top in Nigeria soon. Africa is now.

  • Vivian Anani: Getting a role in Zeeworld, the best of my career

    Nollywood actress, Vivian Anani, recently signed a deal with Indian TV channel Zeeworld. The actress speaks to DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI on the contract, among other issues. Excerpts

    Tell us about the Zeeworld contract

    We are going back for the season two. First of all, I saw the advert on TV, that all should put in for the all African Zeeworld Prodcution. At first, I didn’t put in much interest because I felt they would have selected those they needed. So, someone called and said I should put in for the entry; that a director by the name Abbey Osho recommended me. I give all the credit to Abbey Osho and Mike Ellen.

    I had just finished a production and I was still in my hotel room and the cleaner, who happened to be a young guy, after the phone, call said ‘ma’am, I think you should put in for the production.’

    I was like, ‘so you have been listening to my conversation.’ He quickly apologised and said, ‘Aunty, you never can tell’. So, I said, ‘even if I wanted to, I could not because we were supposed to send in a video.’ Eventually, the young guy ended up helping me out with the recording of the video and sending it. To show how reluctant I was about the whole thing, I didn’t remember to include my name and a lot of other things. Mike had to call me back and ask me to send pictures too.

    Less than 24hours later, from India, I got a call. I had been picked to play the lead role of the mother of the house from the lot of more than 2000 people that applied from all the African countries.

    I was like, is this for real? The next day, I got another call asking for my fee. And they mentioned a fee I had never heard in my life before. (Laughs) Yes, they mentioned millions. And then I said, ‘can I call you back?’ I dropped the call and screamed. So, what I have been doing for so many years have finally paid off. `

    I picked up my phone and called the person who recommended me to thank him and told him that I have been picked. I was still not convinced until the day I was asked to come and sign the papers. Though there was a little changes in what was offered, sincerely I was not after what has been changed but the platform, which was the best I had ever been offered.

    Even if I wasn’t paid, that platform was what I was after. It goes beyond the money. This is an international project. I have never done one before. All my work has been done here in Nigeria. And everyone knows Zeeworld is a massive platform.

    Is the series on air?

    I am looking forward to it. It is yet to be aired. There is one airing now called Miyark. It is Indian and South Africans. Ours is the first all Africans. But we were told it will go on air soon. It might be after Miyark. Maybe they don’t want to have two Africans series at the same time.

    How was the experience like for you while on set?

    It was not easy. In fact, let me say no job has ever stressed me like that of the Zeeworld contract. No job has been challenging to me as an actor as what I did there. Because I have never on set taken on 13 pages off hand and played them out.  We shoot randomly. By 5am, I am on set till the next morning. It was very challenging for me but I think it also built me up the more for more future challenging roles. They say ‘no pain, no gain’. I thank God.

    What has kept you going as an actor?

    Focus. And I discipline myself. And I keep studying, yearning for more knowledge. So, I try to make myself better each time I take up new role because no knowledge is a waste. And I also try to maintain a good relationship with any production outfit I work with. For instance, the work I am doing currently is due to trust and relationship. I have been with Wale Adenuga Production for 10 years now, way back when Superstory started. They keep calling me back. If I didn’t have a good relationship with them then, I bet they won’t call me back. So, I think it is important to maintain a good relationship anywhere you find yourself.

    Tell us about your new trim look

    (Laughs) I am aging, so I am cutting down on a lot of things. I am trying to be careful not to be overweight. And the Zeeworld job I just finished too really stressed me out but it is okay. Maybe I should add a little.

    What was the reaction from fans?

    There have been mixed feelings. Some have seen me and are in shock and ask me to go back to my former shape. And some want me to maintain the new look. But in all, health is more important.

    Sometimes we watch weight and not the healthy part. Even if you are trimming down, make sure you are healthy. It is something to be careful about.

    You are usually referred to as ‘Queen of soaps’. Why preference for soaps?

    Soaps are educative, informative and entertaining too. Not that movie is not, but soaps keep you there. And those things that are tolerated in movies are not tolerated in soaps. There are some kinds of scenes you can do in movies and get away with, but in series which are family drama, you cannot get away with them. So, every time you are there, it is to pass a message, because families sit together to watch. It is not that I don’t do movies but I do the ones that come my way. If I have a decent script, I will do it. Recently, I have featured in a lot of movies. They will start showing soon.

    Is it because the late Tony Omale is no more that ‘One Love’ ended too?

    May his soul rest in peace. We were TV husband and wife and he passed on. I don’t know if that is the reason the soap was rested. But recently, I got a call from the executive producer, Tajudeen Adepetu, that they have done new cast. But a date for the shoot is yet to be communicated. I am sure we will be getting back on set soon. I am excited. I cannot wait to get back on the set of ‘One Love’. It is one of my favourites.

    Do you have a personal project on the line?

    If I have time before we go on set for the second season of the Zeeworld production, I have a short film I want to shoot. It is my first personal work, hopefully, by December when we will be having the Calabar Festival. This is the first time I will be running my own movie. I don’t want to spill all out until we are ready to roll.