The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerians

  • Government inefficiency and pains of Nigerians

    Professor Ayo Olukotun in his last week column in the Punch newspapers titled ‘Consumer woes in austere times” narrated his experience while trying to renew his monthly subscription to Direct Satellite Television owned by Multichoice. At the end, he could not but ‘marvelled at how helpless consumers had become at the hands of these service providers’. Once again, I think this is one more evidence of failure of governance.

    The capitalist economic system, the reigning ‘god’ worshipped by most societies holds no apologies to life being the survival of the fittest. Consequently, it allows the affluent to further impoverish the poor. This was why men traded their freedom and liberty for government’s protection of life and properties. The primary role of government therefore is to put measures in place to checks man’s greed especially in our own environment where some of our sick political leaders who according to Chinua Achebe, ‘have been in the rain for so long and swore none of their generation would go back to the rain’, steal from the poor to build mansions in which they and their children will never live over many capital cities of the world.

    Our own tragedy is that not only has our government in the last 15 years totally abandoned the poor to the vagaries of economic forces and merchants of greed, government itself has been an accessory in the impoverishment of the most vulnerable. This found expressions in such self-serving government policy thrusts as PPPRA designed as an answer to a contrived fuel scarcity to pave way for the theft of N1.7trillion under fraudulent fuel subsidy deal,  World Bank inspired liberalization and privatisation which did not only turn our country into importer of labour of other societies but ended with the country recouping only about $1b from $100b investments made between 1960 and 1999 and the monetization policy which led to the sharing of our inherited national patrimony in form of choice properties by those in government and their friends.

    But in March 2015, Nigerians in spite of impediments put on their way by those who had levied war against them voted for change. Sadly more than one year of government of change, many are increasingly becoming disillusioned as change appears a forlorn hope. Government effort is not made any easier by the current economic reality which is partly the fallout of massive looting of the nation’s resources, sponsored sabotage of the economy by those called upon to account for their past. As if these were not enough problems, we also have an APC government where the executive seems to operate independently of the party that brought it to power, (I sometimes wonder if Tony Momoh and Segun Osoba are still in APC); a pathetic Senate passing resolution upon resolution to evade prosecution for alleged criminal offences including forgery by its leadership and a Lower House enmeshed in scandals over padding of the budget by as much as N40billion.

    Four months ago, this column called attention to the creeping dictatorship in Abuja where everything seemed to begin and end on President Buhari’s table in an age when government has become a science susceptible to scientific laws. Attention was called to the over 500 ‘small governments’ the President and his party needed  to effect change but controlled by those opposed to change because of huge benefits they reap from the prevailing economic anarchy.

    Last week Segun Adeniyi, a former colleague at The Guardian, now of ThisDay newspapers, called our attention to President Buhari and his APC’s inability to reconstitute the statutory boards of regulatory institutions that are critical to the economy, dissolved over a year ago. He cited the following as examples the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Bank of Industry (BOI); the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC); the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC); the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC); the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC); the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) among many others.

    Now using NCC as a base, let me add to Professor Olukotun’s anxiety about absence of consumer’s protection, my own personal experiences which I am sure is not markedly different from those of other Nigerian victims of rip-off by unrestrained service providers.  A few years back, I roamed my telephone line from one of the telecommunication giants outside the country. Four days after my departure from Nigeria, I was told I had exhausted my N50, 000 deposit. This was not so much from usage but because of endless repetition of any message sent to me from Nigeria. During the last two weeks of my trip, I dreaded even switching the phone on because the stream of endless repeated messages had become a nuisance. On my arrival, I was slammed with a non-negotiable N200, 000 bills. I finally migrated from post-paid to prepaid. But that did not end my nightmare. Bombarded daily by unsolicited messages, I decided to visit the service centre of this communication giant more than once where all I got was apologies. With a subscription base of about 214 million as at March this year, with one unsolicited message at a cost of N1.00, Nigerian subscribers are ripped off to the tune of over N200m.

    A rival telecommunication giant to which I also subscribe was not different. All I got from several visits to complain about frequent disappearance of post-paid credit even when the phone was not in use was ‘android phones have in- built devices that consume credits whether the phone is utilized for internet services or not’. I think this type of rip-off is only possible in Nigeria.

    A few years back, a particular service provider taking a cue from a government that in an effort to raise campaign funds for the then impending election taxed motorists N24, 000 to have their old vehicle plate numbers replaced levied its customers N19, 000 to replace their existing functioning equipment for a new equipment because it was upgrading its processes. While the battle for devaluation of naira was raging a few weeks back, I branched in their office to renew my subscription only to be told in a manner of ‘take it or leave it’ that my package had gone up from N8, 000 to N10, 000.

    I did not get much joy either from a rival internet services provider to which I migrated. For instance when I went to renew my subscription after a month, I was told that N5,000 of the N7, 000 I paid was yet to be utilized but must be forfeited because I exceeded my renewal date by one day.

    What became apparent from the above interactions was that my actual monthly consumption of data was probably about N2, 000 but like many helpless Nigerians, I have been consistently swindled by as much as N6, 000 monthly for the greater part of five years.

    By retaining men of yesterday in their positions in PPPRA which has given no explanation as to why the price of 12kg cylinder of domestic gas or four litres of lubricants Nigerians depended on to service their cheap Chinese generators, products without much foreign content have gone up by as much as 100 percent, is partly the reason why many believe President Buhari and his APC are furiously squandering away the goodwill of Nigerians. Nigerians cannot understand why a government of change has continued to multiply their pains due to indolence and inefficiency. Theresa May if they needed to be reminded constituted her full cabinet within 24 hours of becoming Prime Minister of Britain.

     

  • Embrace insurance, Nigerians urged

    Nigerians have been urged to see insurance as a way of life. Managing Director, Great Nigeria Insurance Plc, Managing Director Mrs. Cecilia O. Osipitan gave the advice in Lagos.

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos, she said the low insurance awareness in the country remains one of the major reasons a large percentage of the public are not insuring.

    Mrs Osipitan urged Nigerians to  educate themselves on the benefits  of an insurance policy.

    She said various insurance products had been designed to protect lives and properties, adding that the cases of road accidents, buildings collapse, and fire outbreaks across the country, where properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed, made insurance policy imperative.

    She stressed that the most essential thing is for the public to know that insurance is beneficial to them.

    She said: “Nigerians have waited too long in recognising and accepting the reality that without insurance, it is like one building a house without a foundation and in no time, it could come crashing; and when that happens, you will have to start from the scratch again with more funds than you initially expended.

    “Insurance gives you the promise of a safe and comfortable future. The earlier we disabuse our minds of the old notion that insurance does not work, the better it will be for all of us.”

    The company’s Chief Technical Officer Folusho Alliyu expressed displeasure with the low patronage of insurance.

    According to him, Nigerians do not have enough awareness to appreciate the benefits of insurance.

    “Experience has shown that an individual who took out one policy or the other in the past but with awry experience along the line was largely due to the inability of perusing their insurance contract or policy as the case may be. Such an individual is capable of giving wrong information or misrepresentation of ideas to would-be customers out there who would have taken one policy or the other, he said.

    Alliyu stressed the need to influence the public, saying it is key to getting more patronage.

    He also stressed that practitioners should ensure that the public was sensitised to embrace insurance as an integral part of their lives, adding: ‘’We all are confronted with different kinds of risk as we go about our daily businesses.’’

  • “Fellow Turks”; “Fellow Nigerians”

    “Fellow Turks”; “Fellow Nigerians”

    Turkey coup and Nigeria’s coup rumour in focus

    Less than a month after the reported rumour of a coup plot by some top military officers against the Muhammadu Buhari administration, some misguided soldiers struck in far-away Turkey, against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on July 15. Although the attempt failed, thanks to the Turks who rallied round the president and denounced the assault to democracy. As far as the Turks were concerned, they could not stand a return of the generals for the fifth time since the 1960s. Even the opposition parties were not in support of the coup in spite of their differences with the government. Given the massive resistance by civilians, it was clear the putschists were living behind time. How on earth could any soldier worth the profession have thought of coup in this age when military rule has been seen globally as an aberration?

    As the world is still trying to figure out the likely impact of the coup in Turkey, particularly the iron fist response of the Erdogan government, one should also be baffled that some soldiers in the Nigerian Army would think Nigerians would clap for them if they roll out the tanks today to topple Buhari’s government. One “General” Akotebe Darikoro, on behalf of an organisation which calls itself the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) had on June 21 alerted the nation that some top officers of the Nigerian Army had approached Niger Delta militants to step up their bombing of oil installations as a prelude to a coup to oust President Buhari. According to the organisation, the militants however declined the proposal because it ran counter to their own objective, which they say is political and can only be resolved politically. The militants therefore warned President Buhari to be wary of some military officers who are trying to topple his government.

    Expectedly, the military authorities denied this alleged plot, saying it was baseless, unfortunate and a dangerous distraction from their fight against insurgency in the country. One wonders what the war against insurgency has to do with coup plot; and why, in the first place, this must become the point of reference whenever the military authorities have to speak to Nigerians on critical issues. The same allusion was made when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, was accused of corruption over ownership of some property in Dubai. The response was that it was Buratai’s detractors who are unhappy with the military’s successes against Boko Haram who are behind the allegation to remove him from office. The army has pledged its support to the Buhari government even as it promised to fish out those behind what could pass for a wicked rumour.

    More than one month after, we are still waiting for the result of that probe. Although the president has been characteristically silent on the matter, something ought to be telling him that he must keep watching his back in view of his tough stance against corruption and the plundering of the country’s patrimony. In a nation where people suddenly become entitled to millions paid into their accounts monthly because of their official position in the military, and such is not only stopped but one of the beneficiaries has been asked to refund the loot, such people cannot be happy with the president. A nation where all sorts of crooked fellows find their way to the top of public office and they are being seriously challenged, there must be resentment cloaked in different garments, either kangaroo impeachment or coup attempts.

    The point is, even if the coup succeeds, the soldiers would not be able to rule, for obvious reasons. Nigerians have had the worst and the best of military rule and they know that democracy is still better than the most benevolent military dictatorship. Even military generals who had served in military governments in years past, including General Theophilus Danjuma and former Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, have said the military’s involvement in government is not only an anathema; it creates a big problem for professionalism. So, why would any soldier think it is time for the country to be under the jackboots again, 17 years after we sent the soldiers away from political limelight?

    But, as I always argue, we cannot put anything beyond our elite, whether political or military. Coups, even in the past, were often instigated by civilians and were indeed sometimes funded by them. This had been corroborated by those who should know. Given this experience, the Buhari administration would have been vulnerable to coup/s if it had attempted what it is doing today in the past. Catching high-profile thieves is no mean task. Indeed, it takes the relatively untainted to attempt such a thing in our kind of clime. Lest we forget, many of the personalities we have been recycling in government have known no other job but government appointments. They have remained ‘government pikin’ all these years because they have learnt the secret of how to befriend AGIP (Any Government In Power). And the reason they have always wormed their way into the hearts of the powers-that-be at any point in time is because of the cheap funds being in government offers; not necessarily because they want to serve.

    Unfortunately, the taps to those free funds have been shut; first by the sharp fall in crude prices, then by the change of government; the tough fiscal stance of the incumbent government at the centre only happens to be the last straw. For these privileged Nigerians, this is bad enough. To worsen matters, the government is mopping up some of what they had thought was pork that could last generations unborn that they stole from our common patrimony. Without doubt, this would not have gone down well with them; seeing the doggedness with which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is squeezing them to vomit that which they illegally acquired. Some of them who had earlier thought it was a joke and had been grandstanding have suddenly become calm and cooperative with the government, seeing that they could not have their way as in the past. They are now asking for plea bargain. So, it is not unlikely some people might want to try something funny; probably a coup, or at least give rumours of it, to feel the pulse of Nigerians. They might want to take advantage of the relative hardship in the country to embarrass or scare the government, if not to change it outright.

    Was it not in this same country where, about two weeks ago, we heard threats of impeachment of President Buhari? Although this has also been denied; that counts for little because if such was not suggested somewhere, it probably would not have become public knowledge. What do we think is behind all these? The answer is simple: there are no free funds to share again, pure and simple! Buhari would have been a very good president to our national lawmakers if he had allowed the little money that is coming into government’s coffers go the way government’s money went in the past, without caring what the impact would be on the voters that the lawmakers are supposed to be representing.

    But those soldiers who might want to say “Fellow Nigerians …” now would have to tell us where they were when the country was being bled to death by mindless high profile thieves, including army generals, who were calling the shots yesterday. In essence, Nigerians know where such soldiers are coming from, and by whom sent. It is needless saying that the kind of resistance to such coup would be such that would make it too late for the putschists to regret their action.

    All said, what is important is for President Buhari to be mindful of the various sentiments in the country and tailor his projects, programmes and even his utterances, body language and all, towards satisfying the greater majority because there is no way he can please all. What is happening in the country with regard to anti-corruption has not happened on this sustained basis before and it should be expected that corruption, especially “fantastic corruption” that the Nigerian variant is, must always fight back. No one can deny the fact that the situation on ground is bad enough, but coup cannot be the answer because the present government did not cause the problems. We may not be happy with the way it is addressing them, but military rule is not the answer. That is a lesson we must have learnt 56 years after independence, the better part of which was under military dictatorship.

  • SOGHIN: Nigerians living with high burden of colon cancer

    Nigerians have been urged to go for periodic screening, especially for colon cancer, which is said to be a huge burden on the country, as it is common among people above 40.

    Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria (SOGHIN) President, Prof Musa Borodo stated this at the opening day of this year’s SOGHIN annual conference, which started earlier this week with a workshop on modern technology and surgical skills at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH).

    The goal of the conference is to explore better ways of treating diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, leveraging on technology.

    According to Borodo, diseases such as colorectal cancer, liver cancer, helicobacter pyloris and other infections that occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, are usually not easy to detect when looking out for signs and symptoms. And even when the symptoms are obvious they are often too late to treat.

    “That is the situation in our hospitals at the moment and doctors treating GI diseases are disturbed. What we simply do in such cases is offer palliative care  and hope that the patient can have a little more time, but that is not what we hope for, our desire is to treat and keep patients alive,” he said.

    But gastroenterologists –physicians who specialise in treating diseases of the stomach can only save the lives of Nigerians, who come to the hospitals before it is too late.

    According to Borodo, if one is above 40 years and has never gone for examination of one’s colon since birth, one may just be in the category.

    SOGHIN, he said, is concerned that treatment for diseases with no early signs and symptoms  such colon and liver cancers can only be detected and treated well if patience present early case.  He said patients would know early if health promotion and patients education are prioritised in the country.

    Mustering the political will needed to achieve this, he noted,  informed the appointment of Nigeria’s former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon(rtd) as Ambassador on viral hepatitis. Hepatitis is now an epidemic in the country and it is largely responsible for the increase in liver cancer.

    LOC Chairman,Dr. Mobolaji Oludara, said: “Specifically, you are aware that on viral hepatitis we have invited people from the government, the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), who is the ambassador on viral hepatitis, and we are hoping that we can get the support we need to ensure that the management of such diseases are backed up  by policies that can support standard of care and the subsidised treatment just  like it was done in HIV.

    “What we do hope to see after this conference is an increase in the level of awareness about diseases such as colon cancer, using patient education as the key tool since the doctors and nurses, who look after them, would have improved their skills in early detection and treatment.”

    According to Oludara, this year’s conference is unique because it incorporates an advance surgical training at LASUTH, while another one is ongoing at LUTH.

    “It is also special because for the first time we are looking at issues that we really want to solve as a country. We have brought facilitators to take sessions. So, as far as liver detection and liver transplantation are concerned, we have to start from somewhere. We believe at the end of this conference, we must find a way forward,” he stated.

    Dr. Funmilayo Lesi from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), suggested how best ignorance can be reduced among patients and medical practitioners as far as GI diseases are concerned.

    “I think all the stakeholders which include the Federal Government, the state government, the health workers, the media and patients themselves must see GI diseases as a major health concern. If we use HIV as an example, especially how increase in sensitisation was done with the support from the media the we have to engage, get the message out engender regular screening, early detection and improved management, “ she said.

  • Nigerians decry bread price hike

    The recent increase in bread price has drawn the ire of some Nigerians. Those who spoke to The Nation Shopping said before the hike, they ate bread at least four times  weekly because it was cheap.

    Mr. Akinya Oluwaseyi said he no longer buys three loaves of bread as he used to do owing to the hike in price. Mrs. Shukurat Babajide said has reverted to eating more rice because “rice can sustain one better than bread”.

    According to Mrs Babajide, notwithstanding that her family enjoys eating bread, its quality and size, has reduced drastically- a factor that now accounts for low consumption of the commodity.

    A distributor of Oldskool and Tee bread, who identified herself as Mrs. Keji, said until about a month ago, she used to buy a size of loaf at a distributor rate of N75, and resell to retailers at N85, who, in turn, sell to consumers at N100. This, she said, has changed as she buys from the bakery at N85, sell to retailers at N95, and the retailer on the other hand at between N120 and N150.

    The Nation Shopping investigation revealed that, indeed, not only has bread price been increased,  the quantity and quality have reduced. A sale representative of Harvest Bread, Mr. Odulami Olaonipekun, confirmed that several bread brands have increased their prices while the few ones that still maintain their previous prices have either reduced the weight or quality of the bread.

    He explained that going by the prevailing skyrocketing market prices of  bread ingredients, such as sugar, butter, yeast, preservatives, vegetable oil, flavors, no bakery or baker can break even, much more make profit without increasing bread price.

    “We used to buy a keg of vegetable oil for N6,500, but now, we are buying the same keg for between  N10,500 and N11,000. So you see that it is not easy to continue selling at the same old price,” Olaonipekun explained.

    Besides, he blamed the sudden increase in the cost of buying diesel and petrol, including the astronomical increase in electricity tariff as part of the reason for the price hike in bread.

    “The diesel I used to buy for N125 per litre suddenly changed to N195 without any genuine reason. All those things contribute to the increment in price because I don’t know how we can survive if we do not increase price, that means we will not be able to pay our workers’ salaries,” Odulami added.

    With the increased price comes a fall in demand and sales of the commodity. Another retailer, Mrs. Faith Fashola, said the new price has led to a drastic fall in her sales.

    Despite claims of high prices of bread ingredients, some bakeries maintain that they have not increased their bread price, but have rather reduced the weight of their product. For instance, a supervisor with Adura Agba Bakery, Mushin, Lagos, Mr. Kabiru Akeem, said the prices which they used to sell still remains the same as they are still building the name and would want to remain in the market as there are many brands to compete with.

    “We still sell at the previous price, not because the economic situation is not affecting us but because we are still building the name; but the increase in prices of everything has made us to reduce the weight of the bread,” Kabiru said.

    With bakers determined to remain in business, and those involved in the supply chain of bread determined to make profit, the heat has been passed to the final consumer.

    However, stakeholders in the industry are worried that going by the harsh economic situation, and the increasing level of consumer behavioural change, it may not be long before the bread industry collapses, leaving in its wake an addition to the country’s army of unemployed Nigerians.

  • Reopening of unresolved murder cases thrills Nigerians

    Reopening of unresolved murder cases thrills Nigerians

    •Nwobodo,
    Omisore,
    Akeredolu,
    others laud move

    Senior advocates and prominent Nigerians yesterday reacted to the reopening cases of the murder of chiefs Bola Ige and Aminosari Dikibo, report LEKE SALAUDEEN, MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE  and ADESOJIADENIYI.

    REACTIONS yesterday trailed the planned reopening of the cases of the assassination of two leading political figures, chiefs Bola Ige the unresolved murder cases of two leading politicians, chiefs Bola Ige and Aminosari Dikibo, by the police authorities.

    Ige, who was killed in his Bodija GRA home, Ibadan on December 23, 2001, was the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Dikibo, was the Deputy Vice Chairman (Southsouth) until his assassination on February 6, 2004.

    Those who reacted yesterday welcomed the decision, expressing the hope that with the new investigators under a new dispensation will get to the root of the matter.

    According to them, the unsuccessful efforts of the security agencies in bringing culprits of such dastardly and gruesome killings to book in the past were not only worrisome but bad precedents.

    They advised the Federal Government to reopen other murder cases to restore Nigerians’ confidence in the justice system.

    Interestingly, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who was one of those fingered in Ige’s murder and Mr. Festus Keyamo, counsel to Mr. Gbenga Adebayo (a.k.a Fryo), a prime suspect in the murder of Chief Ige, were among those who hailed the development.

    Adebayo allegedly removed the cap of the late Ige at the palace of the Ooni of Ife prior to his assassination.

    Others are: senior advocates Niyi Akintola; Rotimi Akeredolu; a Second Republic governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo and a former Information Minister, Prince Tony Momoh.

    Chief Nwobodo commended the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for taking the courage to re-open investigation on the assassination of Ige and Dikibo. According to him, it wass a right step in the right direction, especially when the families of the deceased and many Nigerians have expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of previous investigations.

    He said: “I am sure the President was prompted to revisit the high profile political killings based on the intelligent report he must have received on the matter. He must have been convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the matter was not properly investigated or that something went wrong with the investigation.

    “The re-opening of the investigation has rekindled the hope that no matter how long it takes, the long hand of the law will definitely catch up with criminals. We should pray to God to crown the effort of Mr. President so that we can identify those behind the gruesome murder of Ige and Dikibo.”

    Keyamo described the move as a welcome development. It is long overdue. We must unravel the identity of those behind the murder of Ige and Dikibo, saying that nobody should be allowed to get away with crime. He urged the new leadership of the police to fish out the killers.

    On other unresolved assassination cases, Keyamo wanted the files to be re-opened because, according to him, “every live is important; we should not restrict the new effort to Ige and Dikibo”.

    Chief Akintola said the President should be commended for his boldness and political will in getting to the root of political assassinations in the country.

    He said: “It is a welcome development. Criminal acts are not subject to limitation of statutes. In other words, any criminal act can be re-opened and re-investigated at any time, even 1,000 years after.”

    Akintola noted that President Buhari had acted properly and within the ambit of the law. It is a welcome development, he said, adding that if anyone has any other person whose death was politically motivated, he should let the President know for immediate action.

    In his reaction, Akeredolu, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ondo, lauded the re-opening of investigation on the killings of the two political giants.

    He recalled that the NBA under his leadership had requested for thorough investigations on political assassinations in the country.

    Akeredolu, though excited with the new set of detectives that would handle the investigation, however, expressed reservation on the possible outcome of the new move, as according to him, a lot of things must have been tampered with.

    “Let us hope they would be able to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Ige and Dikibo this time around”, he said.

    Also commending the presidency, a former Chairman of Ikeja chapter of the NBA, Mr Monday Ubani, advised the Federal Government to include the late Dele Giwa and others on the list.

    Ubani reiterated that the real killers should be unmasked and punished.

    “The detectives should be scientific and professional this time around. A new sheriff is in town and that should inspire a thorough job and confidence”, he added.

    Chief Abiola Ogundokun, who also lauded the step, said the Buhari administration was on the right track with the order given to the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to re-open the files on the two high profile cases.

    According to him, the order will no doubt, send the signal to criminally-minded Nigerians that no one was above the law and that justice would not again elude the families of the victims.

    He, however, charged the President to ensure that other high profile murder cases, including the assassination of the late Lagos State PDP governorship aspirant, Funsho Williams, be given equal attention to make his good intention be acceptable by all Nigerians.

    He said: “It is very unacceptable for the evil to continue to thrive and the aggrieved and the bereaved not to get justice. The perpetrators and sponsors of these gruesome murder cases, no doubt, are moving freely about unchallenged and this is enough reason for many to lose faith in the nation’s judicial system.

     

    “Mr. President’s resolve to unearth the mystery of these cases would go a long way to restore our confidence that the nation belongs to all of us and not the few that believe they can commit crimes and get away unpunished. I believe evidences are still fresh to prosecute these cases and bring the perpetrators of the heineous acts to justice.”

    Ogundokun noted that re-opening of the murder cases must have brought a relief to the families of the two great politicians that hope was in sight for them to get justice for their loved ones.

    Senator Omisore, who was deputy governor in Osun State, said he was happy with the decision to re-open the case files of the gruesome murders of the Ige and Dikibo.

    He described the revisit of the cases as good and welcome development.

    In a statement by his media aid, Diran Odeyemi, Omisore, urged the Federal Government to extend its search to the killers of late Williams and the late Osun State lawmaker, Odunayo Olagbaju.

    He also advised the government and the acting IGP to widen the scope of their investigation, rather than limiting themselves to a particular area or section.

    “I am particularly happy that fresh investigation will further exonerate me and others who were wrongfully framed up, suffered untold hardship before we were finally discharged and acquitted by the court., the statement quoted Omisore as saying.

    Momoh said: “Evil has no lifespan; evil that is done can be investigated at any time. Just like the case of Dele Giwa and other cases of murder or assassination, they can be reopened at any time.

    “So, there is no problem with any investigation the government intends to carry out on the cases of killings. There is nothing wrong with the investigation to be carried out. The file opened in respect of a crime can be reopened at any time until the issue is resolved either through imprisonment or otherwise.

    “Unless of course, there was a cover up and the people think that the case should be reopened because there was a cover up, cases of crime can be reopened at any point except it has been resolved conclusively.”

    Also reacting, United Progressives Party (UPP) National Chairman Chekwas Okorie described the decision as a step taken in the right direction.

    The UPP chief said: “This is a wonderful step taken by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to instill security. But, I think he should go beyond Bola Ige and look at other high profile assassination cases that have taken place in the country.

    “For instance, the killing of Marshal Harry should be added to the list. Cases of killings that have been swept under the carpets should be reopened. This will help to save lives and induce an atmosphere of security in the country.

    “Those who sit back to plot the assassination of their political opponents will know that the long arm of the law will catch up with them, no matter how they try to truncate the process.

    “That will discourage such a plot, as a matter of fact, our police did not successful investigated the killing of Ige. This is a major minus to the Nigerian security system especially the police, which under their watch the killers walk into his apartment and killed him.

    “Even the untrained security man can do a better work than the police did. I think it is something good for Buhari to reopen the file.”

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Dr. Segun Abraham, said: “You find out today that the government is trying to correct all the shortcomings in past administrations which had no respect for the lives of human beings.

    “That was why Bola Ige was murdered and the case was quickly disposed of without it running its full course of investigation.

    “If the case has been well investigated and perpetrators punished, crime of this nature would not continue happen. What the government ordered is the right step toward bringing sanity to the country.

    “The Buhari administration will certainly get to the root of the issue and I know that the country will be better for it.

    “I must tell you that most of the cases were swept under the carpet because of corruption which is prevalent in almost every department.

    “I strongly hail the government for the effort and I believe Nigerians will hail him at the end of the exercise. We heard of those who were forcibly retired from their offices because they did not want the case to be properly concluded.”

  • Buhari faults blackmail of senior government officials

    Buhari faults blackmail of senior government officials

    President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to discerning Nigerians to ignore orchestrated attempts to sully the integrity of ministers and other senior government officials, who are being tarred with the brush of corruption without any concrete evidence.

    He was reacting to reports, particularly by online media, claiming that the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, is being investigated over crude oil swap deals and gas liftings during his tenure as GMD of NNPC.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, appealed for decent and civilized comments, particularly when it has to do with the integrity of those who are serving the country.

    “Terrible and unfounded comments about other people’s integrity are not good. We are not going to spare anybody who soils his hands, but people should please wait till such individuals are indicted,” the President said.

    He reiterated the administration’s commitment to probity, accountability and integrity, promising that transparency remained a watchword, which would never be trifled with.

  • Only 2% of Nigerians invest in stock market, says SEC

    Only 2% of Nigerians invest in stock market, says SEC

    Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said only two per cent of Nigerians, about 3.4 million, are investing in the stock market, but the ongoing implementation of the capital market master plan could increase such participation to four per cent over the next 10 years.

    Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director-General, Mounir Gwarzo, said the successful implementation of the master plan is necessary to attract retail investors to the market.

    He outlined that since assumption of office, his administration decided to implement the plan that the entire market prepared and that is why every year the SEC comes up with some initiatives that the market can drive.

    During a visit to the management of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in Abuja, Gwarzo listed some of the achievements in implementing the master plan to include recapitalisation, direct cash settlement, e-dividend, national investors protection fund (NIPF), and corporate governance scorecard among others.

    He emphasised that the only way to attract retail investors back to the market is to ensure that concrete steps are taken to adequately address their concerns, especially the issue of unclaimed dividend.

    “The issue of unclaimed dividends, which according to our records is in excess of N80billion, will also be a thing of the past. These unclaimed dividends came about from dividends of small stakeholders like you and me and we need to ensure that they are claimed,” he said.

  • APC govs to Nigerians: Keep faith with Buhari

    APC govs to Nigerians: Keep faith with Buhari

    •President will deliver, says Minister

    Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of Progressives Governors Forum have called on Nigerians never to lose faith in President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Buhari, they said after rising from an emergency meeting in Benin City, Edo State capital yesterday, has all it takes to rescue the nation from economic doldrums.

    Speaking to newsmen on behalf of the Forum, Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha said the governors also discussed the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    He said the governors resolved to continue with the Forum’s lecture series.

    Okorocha said: “We have also requested that the people of Nigeria should support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the face of difficulties that our nation is going through promising that things will get better as soon as possible.”

    In the same vein,Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said that the APC took over administration when Nigeria was in trouble.

    The minister, who urged Nigerians to be patient with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, added that the rot it met on ground would take time to be corrected.

    Onu said this in his lecture titled: “The effect of the emergence of All Progressives Congress on the promotion of world peace,” delivered at the 4th convocation ceremony of the Nigerian Turkish Nile University, Abuja.

    The minister stated that the fall in the price of crude oil had exposed Nigeria’s vulnerability as a mono product economy.

    According to him: “Nigerians should have hope. Things will improve. The hard times will not last forever.

    “The APC will deliver. President Muhammadu Buhari will deliver. ?The APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari took over government when Nigeria was in trouble.”

    He added:  “The damage will take time to be corrected. When we took over, it was like Nigeria had a very big and deep sore.

    “Whatever you do to it, it is painful. If your cloth touches it, it is painful. If you want to treat and dress it, it is also painful.

    “We cannot because it is painful then refuse to treat and dress it with the hope that one day the sore will heal and the injury will go.  Let us continue to be hopeful for the future of our country is bright.”

     

  • I’m glad Nigerians are getting married to Chinese —Lagos China Town founder Lu Lu Jackson

    CHINESE citizen, Lu Lu, better known as Jackson, first came to Nigeria in 1986 on the invitation of a prominent Nigerian businessman and politician. Thirty years on, Jackson has literally adopted Nigeria as his country.

    Apart from being the head of the Chinese community in Lagos, his effort to recreate China in Nigeria with the founding of the popular China Town market in Lagos has gone a long way to solidify the relationship between Nigeria and China.

    Revealing how well he considers Nigeria his home, Jackson, a grandfather, jokingly said he is treated more like a visitor whenever he visits China. “Whenever I go to China, my people there say welcome. That makes me look like a visitor,” he said with wild laughter.

    He has also fallen in love with Nigerian foods. “Before I founded China Town, I ate any Nigerian food I saw. I love Nigerian foods and I eat them. But my favourite is yam and stew. I really love the taste,” Jackson said.

    His coming to Nigeria was not without some challenges, but he was not discouraged by them, particularly because he arrived in the country fully prepared for whatever challenge he might encounter.

    “Of course, I knew that there would be challenges to come and live in Nigeria. But I was very prepared for the challenges, and that really helped me to cope when I finally arrived here.

    “I prepared myself very well before coming to Nigeria. I was mentally prepared for whatever I might encounter. This is what most people do not do. For me, I was mentally prepared. I cannot deny that there have been challenges. But the truth is that I prepared myself very well.”

    The Chinese community leader admits that he has enjoyed his stay in Nigeria.

    “I have enjoyed my stay in Nigeria because I love the people. I love Nigerians. Believe me, Nigerians love and respect foreigners, and they are very trustworthy.”

    Asked about his impression of Nigerian women, Jackson said they are beautiful, adding that he is happy that there have been several marriages between Chinese and Nigerians.

    “Today, we have many Chinese marrying Nigerians. That is a good sign that both countries are integrating. Though they may not be many, the truth is that we have people from both countries marrying,” he said.

    Part of those things that helped him, he said, was the location of his native home in China, which he said is in several ways like Lagos.

    “My home town in China is located very close to the sea. So, I am very much at home in Lagos because it is just like my native place in China,” he said.

    Impressed with the business climate and opportunities that abound in Nigeria, Jackson went back to China in 2009 and invited about 1,000 business organisations to a roundtable where business opportunities available to both Chinese and Nigerian investors were discussed.

    Jackson said it was his dream to deepen the relationship between both countries and expand the business opportunities that led to the creation of the popular China Town market.

    “From the Chinese side, China Town is like a service centre. But from the Nigerian perspective, it is like a market. You know that Nigerians have shops here and markets don’t die. There will always be buying and selling in a market. Therefore, it is a platform not only for the Chinese but also for Nigerians.”

    Speaking on his effort to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China, Jackson said: “We have to understand that the relationship between both countries is not only on friend to friend level but also on government to government level.

    “We also need to understand that the Chinese policy is about mutual respect for both parties. But the service centre forms a good platform for the relationship.”

    He said most Chinese companies in the country respect and comply with Nigerian laws. He said they are also observing their corporate social responsibility by contributing to the development of their areas of operation.

    “Chinese companies are law-abiding. They respect the laws of Nigeria. They make money from Nigeria and are happy.

    “It is the same with Nigerians doing business in China. The companies also try to contribute to the development of the area of their operations.”

    While Jackson would love to acknowledge his contribution to the success of the relationship between China and Nigeria, he said the bulk of the credit should go to a former Nigerian ambassador to China, Ambassador Victor Nwozichi Chibundu.

    He said: “All the associations that are registered with the Chinese embassy are focused on promoting the friend to friend relationship. In that respect, we know Ambassador Chibundu very well. Because of his passion for these associations, we get together from time to time. We also meet at embassy functions.”

    He noted that the ambassador has brought several Chinese companies to Nigeria. “Most of those companies are doing very well,” he said.

    Regrettably, Ambassador Chibundu is no more. But the Chinese community is not mourning, as it gears up to celebrate the life and times of a man they believe contributed a great deal to cementing the relationship between Nigeria and China.

    Speaking on the plan of the Chinese community to honour the late ambassador, Jackson said arrangements had been concluded to hold a get-together in his honour.

    He said: “The Chinese community in Lagos will come together to honour the late Ambassador Chibundu for his contributions to the strengthening of the relationship between China and Nigeria.

    “It is in commemoration of his life and times. We would have Chinese people who knew him speak about his life in China. We would talk about the benefits of the relationship.”

    He said the contribution of the late ambassador cannot be quantified, saying the benefits of his efforts in making sure that both countries trust and do business with each other would last forever.

    “You cannot say his contribution was one, two or three. The books he wrote about the relationship between both countries are priceless.

    “During his tenure as the ambassador, he introduced quite a number of Chinese investors to Nigeria. So, we will continue to enjoy his contributions to the relationship for a long time.”

    The decision to honour the late Ambassador Chibundu, Jackson said, is deeply rooted in time-tested Chinese culture of never forgetting a good deed done to them by anybody.

    “The Chinese do not forget any good thing you do to them, even if it is one thing,” he said. “That is why we want to honour the late Ambassador Chibundu.

    “We know that we cannot appreciate all the good things he did enough, but we want to do it in our own little way.

    “On that day, you will see the Chinese way of honouring a man who has done good things.”

    Ambassador Chibundu served in the Nigerian Foreign Service from 1961-1990, during which he rose by dint of hard work and dedication to the ranks of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Director of several Departments responsible for such strategic areas as Arab affairs (now Middle East), East, Central and Southern Africa (during intense patriotic liberation struggles) and cultural affairs, in the Ministry of External Affairs.

    Prior to these assignments, he was the Special Assistant to the first Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, the late Hon.(Dr) Jaja A.Wachukwu, and the late Ambassador John N.Ukegbu, Permanent Secretary and Administrative Head of the Nigerian Foreign Service.

    He also established and was formerly accredited as Charge d’ Affairs of the Embassy in Teheran, during the reign of his imperial majesty Mohammed Reza Palavi Aryamher, Shahanshah of Iran. Thereafter, he was appointed Minister/Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Nigeria, Beijing, China with concurrent accreditation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from 1981-1984; Ambassador to Angola, with concurrent accreditation to Sao Tome and Principe 1984-1987; and leader of Nigeria Christian Pilgrimage to Israel in 1988.