The Nation Newspaper

Tag: number

  • ‘Number of orphans increasing’

    An Ilorin, Kwara State-based Islamic Orphanage Foundation lamented the growing number of orphans in the various internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Nigeria.

    The foundation is worried because the trend is being caused by the spate of killings going on in parts of the country.

    It also expressed worries about the safety of those in IDPS camps amidst persistent insecurity and killings in some parts of the country.

    The foundation which was established 13 years ago currently has 276 displaced orphans in its care.

    Chairman of the foundation Ahmad Allege said this in Ilorin, the state capital, at this year’s annual meeting of the IOF.

    He urged the federal government to as a matter of urgency stop the killings.

    “We appeal to the federal and state governments, traditional and spiritual institution leaders to address the issue of insecurity in the country as we all know that the result of this will produce a lot of orphans all over. Our IDP centres are also not safe with incessant attacks on the innocent people. We want to see the whole scenario as being politically motivated. [Those behind the] killings must be identified and brought to book,” he said.

    Allege, an architect, said the foundation was always overwhelmed at the beginning of every academic session when raising funds for the payment of orphans who were in higher institutions.

    He said, “As at today I wish to let you know that our children are 276 in number out of which 84 of them are in tertiary institutions all over the country, while 9 are receiving training on in different professions out of which four will be empowered today.”

    He urged government at all levels to “create a window” through which they would engage orphans who graduate from school under the foundation’s care to reduce the rate of unemployment.

    He expressed displeasure that some parents have not been taking good care of children in their custody saying that the foundation would take custody of most of the children when its centre is completed.

     

  • Alleged cloning of Ambode’s number: Man dies in DSS’ custody

    Alleged cloning of Ambode’s number: Man dies in DSS’ custody

    •Family cries out for justice

    A 39-YEAR-OLD man, Saheed Damilare Eyitayo, whose friend was arrested for ‘cloning’ Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s phone number, has allegedly died in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.

    His family is alleging foul play, asking the DSS to explain how he died.

    It has refused to collect the body for burial from the DSS until the circumstances of his death are clear.

    The late Eyitayo was arrested in the midnight of April 4 by the DSS operatives, who were on the trail of the syndicate that cloned Ambode’s mobile number. He was taken to the DSS office at Shangisha, where he allegedly died during interrogation.

    The Nation learnt that the DSS operatives were acting on information that Rilwanu Jamiu, a member of the syndicate, might be hiding in the late Eyitayo’s home at 37, Aje Street, Pleasure Bus Stop in Iyana Ipaja.

    The DSS operatives allegedly broke into the late Eyitayo’s apartment while he was asleep. On being woken up, he was reportedly beaten and his hands and legs chained. Eyewitnesses told The Nation that the DSS operatives grilled him for minutes, asking him of Jamiu’s whereabouts.

    A resident, who pleaded not to be named, said: “I overheard Eyitayo telling the DSS people that the person they were looking for does not stay with him. He told them the suspect was his friend and only visited him the previous day. But, his explanation did not convince them. They beat him mercilessly till blood came out of his face. We could not recognise him again.”

    The DSS operatives, The Nation gathered, moved to other apartments in the building, allegedly beating occupants and searching their rooms for the suspect. After three hours, the DSS operatives whisked Eyitayo to their Shangisha office.

    Jamiu, it was learnt, was arrested that day in Alakuko.

    The late Eyitayo’s friends, who had been going to the DSS office for his bail, were kept in the dark about his death. On April 6, two days after his death, the DSS Director, invited his landlord, a pastor, to help the agency look for his family members.

    The landlord said: “Two days after he was taken away in chains, I was invited by the DSS Director. When I got there, the Director called me to his office and told me Eyitayo slumped during interrogation. He said they tried to stabilise him medically but he eventually died. The director asked me to help find his family members, but I told him I did not know anybody with him.

    “The DSS copied out five numbers from the late Eyitayo’s phone and gave me to call. I could not reach any of them except one man, who had been coming to the house as his brother. I could not tell him his brother is dead. Some 19 days after, we eventually met with the family members. We all went to the DSS office together and they heard the news from the DSS themselves. We were told the body had been taken to the mortuary.”

    The bereaved family is accusing the DSS of torturing Eyitayo to death. The late Eyitayo’s neighbour, who was allegedly maltreated by the DSS operatives, said the victim was chained before being taken away.

    The family, yesterday, asked the government to fish out the DSS operatives, who tortured Eyitayo to death. They wondered why the late Eyitayo would be chained and tortured when he did not know anything about the alleged crime. They rejected the DSS’ offer to release the body to them for burial, demanding investigation on the circumstances surrounding his death.

    Mr Hassan Kareem, who spoke on behalf of the family, said: “We have been told how Damilare was chained and tortured for hours before he was taken to custody. The DSS told us that he fell down as he attempted to escape. How is it possible for somebody whose hands and legs were chained to attempt to run? We are yet to be told the truth about the death of our son. This is why the government must help us to get justice.”

    Jamiu and Balogun Stanley Oyewoye were on April 20 arraigned before an Isolo Magistrates’ Court for allegedly cloning Ambode’s number.

    A DSS source told The Nation: “At 8:23am on the fateful day, Damilare was said to have slumped in a room where he was being interrogated and was said to have been rushed to the clinic in the DSS premises.  He was stabilised and allowed to rest for 45 minutes after which he was taken back to the investigation room. Several minutes after, he was rushed back to the clinic unconscious. He died at 11:50am.”

  • Kwara introduces toll-free number

    Kwara State government has introduced a toll-free phone number for enquiries, suggestions and complaints about governance.

    Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Governor Dr. Muyideen Akorede, in a statement yesterday, noted that the toll-free line, 08001000100, was part of government’s efforts to ensure transparency in governance and create a feedback mechanism between it and the people.

    According to the statement, the phone number could be reached between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Friday.

    It urged the public to call the number for enquiries on government services or clarification on issues relating to governance and development of the state, while encouraging them not to lend credence to fallacious accounts of events and fabrications that lack substance.

  • For IBB, 74 is just a number

    For IBB, 74 is just a number

    Of all the responses former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida gave in the interview he granted the media to mark his 74 birthday, the most striking must be his answer to the question on the 1990 Gideon Orkar coup. He had been asked how he escaped being killed. He attributed his salvation to the courage of loyal officers, chief among whom was the late Sani Abacha, then a general and Chief of Army Staff, who would later become head of state. Granting interviews is apparently not Gen Babangida’s forte, and his answers have often exposed his general inability to ruminate expertly on complex, nuanced issues before venturing responses. In past interviews, he had guilelessly likened himself to the Argentine football icon, (Diego) Maradona, espoused his admiration for Machiavellian realpolitik, and with a hint of sarcasm, described himself as an evil genius. The Maradona and evil genius labels have stuck in the public mind like adhesive.

    On the Major Orkar coup question, Gen Babangida spoke of how he and Gen Abacha rallied loyal troops to quell the revolt. “May God bless Sani Abacha,” he added emotively, unbeknownst to him the dire import of that unreflective prayer. Obviously, in his estimation, he owed his survival to Gen Abacha, to whom he went on to dedicate even the country when the complex politics of the 1993 presidential poll annulment forced him to step aside. If 25 years after the fateful coup Gen Babangida could still speak so emotionally and so laudably about Gen Abacha, it perhaps reflects very badly on his spiritual philosophy, which age should have helped him to deepen and fine-tune, and on his leadership qualities, which hindsight should have impelled him to recognise fell far short of the standard he seems to approximate for himself.

    There is little he has said since he stepped aside in August 1993 to inspire anyone, or give indication of his depth of understanding of great issues, or lead him inexorably to the remorse leaders show over glaring policy weaknesses and failures. Till today, though most of his policies miscarried very badly during his eight-year rule, and he had needed to reverse many of them, he still proudly claims them as bold, courageous and innovative policies that changed Nigeria for the better. His government was rife with corruption, but his defence consistently is that succeeding regimes were even more corrupt, a fact that is regrettably true. His policies impoverished a vast number of people and virtually wiped out the middle class, but having raised a new generation of unprincipled and dilatory political class, he rejects the accusation of destroying the middle class, but raises his so-called new political generation as a totem of his daring and immutable achievements.

    Nigerians await his memoirs, on soldiering and leadership. There is no guarantee they will ever come, or that he will have the courage to publish them in his lifetime. If they come, however, there is nothing to suggest they will contain bold assessments of his war years or his time in office, for he is not gifted with the same plucky bravado that has bewitched former president Olusegun Obasanjo into the worst display of narcissism and self-glorification ever known in these parts. When Gen Babangida is not afflicted by variableness, he is paralysed by excessive caution. If his memoirs are ever published, they will invariably contain facts and materials riddled with hesitations and caution. At least his interviews over the years indicate nothing revolutionary will ever issue from him.

    It is, therefore, in the context of his complex persona and cautious worldview that his prayer for Gen Abacha must be interpreted. Had he been capable of the ennobling reflection great leaders are familiar with and frequently subscribe to, Gen Babangida would have been chary of asking God to bless Gen Abacha, even if he could prove he owed his life to the late head of state’s intervention in the 1990 coup. Gen Abacha surprisingly ran a more disciplined economy than any of his successors, including the notoriously self-satisfied Chief Obasanjo. But the scale of thievery he enacted is unequalled by any other Nigerian head of state. Worse, though Gen Babangida himself dealt atrociously with human rights, and appears naturally equanimous in the face of widespread human rights violations, he should have sensibly refrained from appearing (in his press interview) to be indifferent to Gen Abacha’s horrifying abuses.

    Many years after the Major Orkar coup, Gen Babangida has still been unable to refine his understanding of spiritual matters, let alone deepen it. Was it really Gen Abacha’s intervention that saved him, or was it God? Gen Abacha, as events would later show, was himself a very ambitious general who was obsessed with ruling Nigeria. If he was so minded on that crazy coup day in 1990, he would have seized the opportunity during the ensuing confusion to take power. In addition, even before Gen Babangida could rally either loyalist troops or Gen Abacha, the coup plotters could have got to him, had heaven given them the leeway. A leader with acute spiritual insight, as world history has shown repeatedly, would recognise the role destiny plays in the survival and longevity of a ruler. In his birthday interview, Gen Babangida exaggerates the role played by Gen Abacha and gives the impression he sees his survival, if not his longevity, as a futile veneer of his existence.

    Gen Babangida has granted many interviews, some of which provided great sound bites, even if they were exasperatingly cautious and nugatory. At 70 years and above, his interviews have not only become jaded and remorseless, given the weighty matters inviting his comments and the misdeeds waiting for public and unreserved atonement, they have in fact become much tamer and rambling. He ruled for eight years, and managed the poetic grace of exiting power on the same day he took it, on August 27. It is hoped that in one final and soaring deed of penance and noblesse oblige, Gen Babangida would demonstrate, in logic and arguments at least, the leadership skills and capacity the world always thought he possessed. Given his now increasingly lethargic age, it will be unfortunate indeed should he depart this world without coming to terms with the many lives he had ruined, the policies he had grossly miscarried, the country he has blighted by his lack of discipline and human rights violations, and the final parting shot of bequeathing to the country the ineffectual interim government of Ernest Shonekan in August 1993 and the hedonistic and putrid leadership of Gen Abacha a few months later.

    It is also bewildering that the birthday man did not shrink at the unflattering import of celebrating the longevity of the seven living Nigerian leaders, to wit, Yakubu Gowon, Shehu Shagari, Obasanjo, Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Shonekan, and Muhammadu Buhari. A few weeks ago, this columnist bemoaned the fact that contrary to the average life expectancy of the Nigerian, the seven living Nigerian rulers had all surpassed the 70 years mark, and seemed poised to go on interminably. The columnist did not wish them dead; but he wondered whether it was fitting to celebrate the seven when the people they ruled over live short, miserable and cursed lives. The rulers, the columnist concluded, had all lived in easy circumstances on the bread and honey of the republic nearly to the complete detriment of the people they governed. Gen Babangida should have been philosophical about the seven living Nigerian rulers, and drawn the right lessons.

    Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar has appeared to find a role as a peacemaker to live out the rest of his days; Chief Shonekan is gradually mummifying in a political and business vacuum; Alhaji Shagari waits perhaps regretfully and phlegmatically for a coup de theatre to close his uneventful era; Chief Obasanjo sets himself up sanctimoniously as a sort of national umpire, truculent, virulent and unsparing; and Gen Gowon has found for himself the intercessory role of a prayer warrior and ecclesiastical peregrine. Gen Babangida burnt himself out too early, his controversial skills and accomplishments totally unsuited to anything the country might need. Had all these leaders done right by country, both they and their grateful countrymen would today be living in symbiotic joy, proud of the past, satisfied with the present, and looking forward to a great future. At 74, let Gen Babangida ruminate on these lost chances, if he can, if the number of his years is not just statistics.

  • Getting Bank Verification Number right

    Getting Bank Verification Number right

    To protect customers and enhance confidence in the banking sector, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), introduced the Bank Verification Number (BVN). The exercise, which involves capturing customers’ physiological attributes, such as, fingerprint, signature, among others, needs the collaboration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to succeed, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

    Security is key in banking. This prompted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to introduce the centralised biometric identification system known as Bank Verification Number (BVN).

    But the success of the project, launched in February, will largely depend on how stakeholders, especially, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) collaborate with the CBN.

    CBN’s Deputy Director, Banking Supervision, Kelvin Ibedu, said the BVN project will be enhanced if there is harmonious implementation strategy with the NIMC.

    He spoke at the second National Credit Reporting conference in Lagos, lamenting that   CBN is working at cross-purposes with NIMC will not solve the identity crisis facing the country.

    He said striking a convergence in what the CBN is doing with BVN and what NIMC is doing is key in achieving a sustainable identity management system for the country.

    He said: “The CBN cannot wait for NIMC to do the work alone, even as the apex bank alone cannot achieve the desired result. The challenge is how do we marry the two processes? At what point do we reconcile both parties? We need to align with the Identity Management as convergence remains key in achieving the desired result.”

    Ibedu said the BVN would help deepen the credit system because the benefit of having a unique identifier among all bank customers that registered cannot be over-emphasised.

    He said the CBN’s mandate directing DMBs to enroll 40 per cent of their customers on the BVN platform by December 31, and 70 per cent by March 30, next year still stands.

    He said the apex bank will monitor lenders to ensure compliance adding that the regulator will not be quick to fix deadline for the entire exercise.

     

    Banks step up campaign

    Findings have shown that banks have raised their communication and enlightenment programmes about the programme, advising their customers to comply.

    An emailed note by Diamond Bank to its customers read: “We are pleased to inform you that you can now register for your Bank Verification Number (BVN) at Diamond Bank as directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This involves the issuance of a series of numbers (BVN) that uniquely identifies each customer in the Nigerian banking industry.

    “The purpose of this exercise is to further improve financial service delivery by protecting you against identity theft, minimising your exposure to fraudulent transactions and increasing your accessibility to credit facilities and other financial services.”

    The lender listed branches where customers could be enrolled. Similar message also came from GTBank to its customers, explaining that BVN is an initiative of the CBN to give customers a unique number that could be verified across the banking industry.

     

    NIBSS’ position

    Managing Director, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), Mr. Ade Shonubi, said to ensure an efficient implementation of the sceheme, a phased rollout approach was being adopted beginning in Lagos.

    He explained that biometric data capture machines had been deployed in about 1000 bank branches in Lagos while till date, over 16,000 BVNs had been issued. He added that 10,000 enrolment sets would be deployed across 5,000 bank branches nation-wide at full roll out.

    He said bank customers in Lagos were already enrolling to get their BVN. He said servers in banks’ headquarter have been configured, deployed and tested, with their workers trained to carry out the enrolment and verification of customers.

    Shonubi said BVN enables each individual to have an identification within the financial system and gives each customer maximum protection and security of transactions. There is no enrolment deadline for the public yet.

    He said: “In many advanced countries, biometric technologies have been used to analyse human characteristics as an enhanced form of authentication for real-time security processes. Biometrics refers to identifying an individual based on physiological or behavioral attributes – fingerprint, signature among others. The customers unique BVN is accepted as a means of identification across all banks.

    “The BVN became exigent following the increasing incidents of compromise on conventional security systems like password and Personal Identification Number (PIN) of bank customers which has led to loss of funds. There is therefore, a high demand for greater security for access to sensitive or personal information in the banking system.”

     

    Enrolment

    Shonubi said the enrolment process is simple and easy. According to him, bank customers are expected to walk into any branch of their bank, fill and submit the BVN Enrolment Form and also do data capturing (such as fingerprint, facial image and others).

    He said an acknowledgment slip with the transaction identity is issued to the customer. Within 24 hours, the system confirms the application, the BVN is generated, and SMS is sent to the customer.

    He said a customer could only enroll once, while his BVN will be linked to all his bank accounts across the country. “The BVN solution is to ensure accountability, protect bank customers’ account from unauthorised access, reduce exposure to fraud, check identity theft, enhance credit advancement to Bank customers, and also encourage financial inclusion,” he said.

    He said the initiative would address issues such as identity theft and ensure that  bank accounts are protected from unauthorised access, thus reducing exposure to fraud. It will also promote a safe and sound financial system in the country, especially as it will keep records of suspected fraudulent individuals in the banking system.

    NIBSS said: “It will make life and banking operations easy for bank customers as BVN is accepted as a means of identification across all banks in Nigeria. This will improve speed of service and reduce queues in banking halls.

    “At the point of enrolment, individuals would be required to submit an acceptable means of identification, and update their information at the bank branch physically. “Customers of banks will be required to enroll within a fixed period after which they shall no longer be able to operate their bank accounts.”

     

    Benefits to customers

    Biometric Project Manager at NIBSS, Oluseyi Adenmosun, said the sceheme gives a unique identity that could be verified across the banking industry making it easier for customers’ bank accounts to be protected from unauthorised access.

    The manager added that the purpose of the project is to use biometric information as a means of first identifying and verifying all individuals that have account (s) in any Nigerian bank and consequently, as a means of authenticating customer’s identity at point of transactions.

    Adenmosun said the BVN would also provide a uniform industrially accepted unique identity for customers and authenticate transactions without the use of cards using only biometric features and PIN.

     

    Enrolment requirements

    A statement from NIBSS explained that a unique ID number shall be issued to every bank customer at enrolment and linked to every account that the customer has in all Nigerian banks. Individuals are required to submit an acceptable means of identification for enrolment.

    Also, customers are required to enroll within a fixed period after which they shall no longer be able to operate their bank accounts.

    “The customer’s all 10 fingers and facial image are captured making it possible for individuals performing banking transactions like applying for loans to identify themselves using their biometric features which will be matched against information in the central database at NIBSS,” it said.

    Also, update of customer information is done at their bank branches physically while lenders are prompted during account opening and credit check if a customer has been blacklisted by any lender. The BVN and unique features of an individual shall be used in conjunction with a PIN on a point of transaction.

    Adenmosun said though there was no perfect system, the essence of technology and safety measures was to frustrate fraudsters. He said the scheme would make it extremely difficult for the fraud perpetrators to succeed.

    “It will not eliminate fraud, but it will cut it to the barest minimum. The biometrics cannot be easily stolen because it is based on once. Once the system captures it, (it is stored and cannot be compromised) because it is based on fingerprints,” he said.

    Adenmosun said though the chip and pin technology was deployed in Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sale (PoS), they could be compromised, but the BVN makes that extremely difficult. He explained that for corporate accounts, the account signatories BVNs would be captured.

    “In corporate accounts, it is only the signatory to the accounts that are captured, not directors of the company. The directors are not functional users of the accounts, and will not be captured.

    “The whole idea of fraud mitigation is to provide special anti-fraud system for banks. It is going to handshake with the BVN project, so that every suspicious account is flagged off. So, we expect that every functional account will have a BVN, and if an account that is used for fraud does not have a corresponding BVN, then the concerned bank will face the full wrath of the law. That means the bank is allowing an account without BVN to run. That’s how we can track owners of fraudulent accounts.

    “If you don’t have a BVN and the anti-fraud system throws up your account as a suspect, then that bank is also aiding and abetting you. Because the truth of it is that we can only mitigate, we can’t stop fraud  people will try. And when they try, the account they are trying with, has already been enrolled in the BVN, we will know. And those kinds of accounts would have been stored in what we call a watch list,” he added.

    He said that for every enrollment, the system will have a watch list where suspected reported accounts, relative to BVN, will be stored. “For every enrolment, the system will check the watch list and enquire if such BVN on a watch list. If it is, it will alert the account officer,” he said.

    He said the technology makes it easier for banks to know which account holder is on the watch list and take extra precautions in handling transactions emanating from such accounts.

    NIBSS provides the infrastructure for automated processing, settlement of payments and fund transfer instructions between banks, discount houses and card companies across the country. The firm is owned by licensed banks in Nigeria, and the CBN. Discount houses operating in Nigeria also hold substantial shares.

  • Giggs tells United not to retire his number

    Manchester United assistant Ryan Giggs does not believe the club should retire his number 11 shirt following the end of his playing career.

    Giggs officially announced his retirement from the game in May after a spell as interim manager at the end of the last season.

    The Welshman temporarily assumed the role following the sacking of David Moyes in April, and will continue to serve on the club’s coaching staff as assistant to new boss Louis van Gaal.

    The 40-year-old spent his entire 24-year career at Old Trafford, winning 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two UEFA Champions League successes.

    But, despite his incredible achievements with United, Giggs wants the number 11 jersey to continue to be used.

    “There are obviously special cases but it just depends on the club really,” Giggs told MUTV.

    “I don’t think it’s for United where they constantly churn over great players.”

    Giggs then joked that whoever follows him in wearing the shirt will be under immediate scrutiny.

    “I haven’t thought about who will take over the number 11 shirt – that’s a good question,” he added.

    “They’re under pressure, aren’t they? I look forward to seeing who takes it and wish them all the best.”

  • Number our houses in Ode Omu

    Number our houses in Ode Omu

    Ode-Omu is a popular town in Osun State. The town has contributed a lot to the development of the state through its illustrious citizens who are performing excellently in different fields of human endeavour in the country.

    As popular as this town is, something important is lacking there. The houses in the area are not numbered.

    This is an embarrassing situation, especially to the sons and daughters of the place.

    The man who is in the position to do the numbering is my great governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. My governor has been working seriously to develop Osun State. No governor has performed like him in the history of the state.

    I believe the Ogbeni will not disappoint Ode-Omu people in this area because he attaches much importance to all issues concerning masses.

    Wole Adediran,

    Ode-Omu,

    Osun State.

  • Why data on number portability is delayed, by NCC

    Why data on number portability is delayed, by NCC

    The data collated so far on the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme will not be released until the regulator is through with the nationwide registration of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, The Nation has gathered.

    Barring any extension, the exercise was billed to end yesterday, after which the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would disconnect unregistered SIMs on the network.

    NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, said it had received data of the number of ported numbers on the network. He, however, said the Commission had not released the figure to the public because NCC was waiting for the registration to end.

    “MNP is working. We are delighted by the result we are getting. Subscribers have real freedom to choose which network to use without the hazzles of losing their old number. It has engendered competition in the industry,” he said.

    Chief Operating Officer, Interconnect Clearing House Nigeria Limited, Uche Onwudiwe, said the firm, which is the clearing house for the ported lines, releases data to the NCC.

    He said it has, nonetheless, forwarded data collated from the exercise to the NCC, which it reports to.

    Ojobo said the Commission had been receiving reports from the public through responses from the subscribers, expressing intention to port their lines. He said on completion of the validation, harmonisation and scrubbing of the records of registered SIM cards, operators would be authorised to disconnect unregistered SIM cards from the networks.

    This will be followed by the release of MNP report, he added.

    The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Dr  Ikemefuna Juwah, said the data collated from the operators would be sorted out.

    “SIM card registration will come to an end very soon. We are collating data from the operators (and the agents commissioned by the NCC),” the EVC said.

  • Anambra North stakes claim to number one seat

    Anambra North stakes claim to number one seat

    Attention is now focused on Anambra State as the next governorship election draws near. The northern senatorial district appears poised to make a strong case to clinch the number one seat, for the first time.  Who are those in the race? How qualified are they? NWANOSIKE ONU, in this report, presents the governorship hopefuls from the zone.

     

    Before now, there had been insinuation in the state that the people of Anambra North did not have what it would take to govern the state like the other two senatorial zones – Central and South – in terms of human resources.

    Since the creation of the state from the old Anambra in 1991 by the Ibrahim Babangida military administration, the zone has not produced any governor; rather, it has held two separate positions of deputy governor.

    The first deputy governor that came out of the place was the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)’s South East chairman, Dr. Chudi Nwike in the early 90s, and later, Prince Chinedu Emeka, who was Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju’s deputy.

    As a result, the senatorial zone has come up with many programmes including forming several associations to sensitise the people of the state that what some people want to do is to continue the marginalisation of the area in politics.

    There is what the people call Omabala Union led by Hon. Justice Paul Obidigwe (rtd), former Chief Judge of Anambra State; the Anambra North Peoples Assembly with notable members from the state and the Igboadagbe Peoples Forum, led by Chief Chikaodi Anarah.

    According to Justice Obidigwe, “to say that the people of the area do not have people is to call a dog a bad name to hang it; this time around, our people will play an important role in the governance of this state.

    “I do not know what those who ruled Anambra State have that we do not have. We should be given the chance to rule this state; we have a good number of materials to be governor of this state”.

    “We have Prof. Ilochi Okafor (SAN), Prof Onuorah Nwuneli, Prof. Augustine Egboatu, Senator Emma Anosike, Prince Chinedu Emeka, Prince John Emeka, Dr Chudi Nwike”.

    Apart from these names, there are others who had before now made their marks either in banking, business, academics or public service like Dr Alex Obiogbolu, Dr Chike Obidigbo, Sir Paul Odenigbo, Dr. Okechukwu Umeano and Willie Obianyo among others.

    Anambra State governor, whose second tenure elapses March 2014, Mr. Peter Obi, has repeatedly made it clear that the person who will succeed him must be from the north zone.

    He is of the view that equity is equality since no person in the history of the state has served as governor from the zone.

    Anambra Central that has the incumbent, Obi, has produced two governors of the state, while the South has equally had its fair share of four.

    The promise gladdened the heart of the traditional ruler of Onitsha and Chairman, Traditional Rulers Council in the state, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe.

    Since the pronouncement by Obi, the idea has not gone down well with people from other zones especially, those clamouring to succeed him and it equally made the contenders to start working extra-hard.

    However, from the North Senatorial zone, some names have come to the fore as possible governorship hopeful for the seat in 2014.

    They are Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Sen. Emma Anosike, Willie Obianyo, Dr. Okechukwu Obiano and Sir Paul Odenigbo.

    Besides these names, there are others believed to be eyeing Obi’s position; these are the current secretary to the state government, Oselloka Obaze and his younger brother and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Dubem Obaze.

     

    Chike Obidigbo

     

    Dr. Chike Obidigbo was born in Umunya, Oyi Local Government area and currently, Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in the South East geopolitical zone.

    Not only that, he established Hardis and Dromedas Limited, based in Enugu, Ebonyi and Umunya with a work force of over 1,000.

    Obidigbo is of the opinion that despite the efforts of those who had governed the state since its creation, Anambra is still bedeviled with numerous socio-economic challenges.

    From the opinions of the people from the zone, Obidigbo has a proven and verifiable track record of leadership and he is likely to proffer practical solutions to problems in the areas of youth empowerment, education, the economy, road network and health delivery among others.

    Some of the people who spoke with The Nation in the state on the intention of Obidigbo, described him as a sincere person who, according to them, had been involved in charity works for many years in the state.

     

     

    Paul Odenigbo

     

    An articulate aristocrat, who was the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Odenigbo’s humility and steadfastness, have got him almost every comfort.

    A man born in Ayamelum local government area, Odenigbo has tasted it all from the financial to administrative positions, where he had distinguished himself.

    Obi brought him into his cabinet in 2006 to advise him on local government and chieftaincy matters but later elevated him to the position of SSG, the position, he held till August, 2012.

    The Nation gathered that virtually all the political egg heads in Anambra North are rooting for Odenigbo, and from rumours making the rounds, he may equally draw the attention of Obi’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA.)

     

    Willie Obianyo

     

    An ex-banker from Aguleri in Anambra East Council area, William Obianyo was once an Executive Director in Fidelity Bank Plc and has a strong affinity with Obi.

    It is believed that he is the anointed man of Obi, though, without enough experience in politics like Senator Emma Anosike and Alex Obiogbolu.

    Though popular in his domain and the corridors of financial institutions in the country, the odd against him is that he may have many people to contend with in his choice of party, APGA. Moreover, he needs more introduction in the political cycles in the state than the others.

     

    Okey Umeano

     

    A medical practitioner from Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government area, Dr. Okey Umeano has been an active participant in Anambra politics and one of the founders of APGA.

    Currently, the state chairman of United Progressive Party, (UPP) and one-time National Assembly member in 1992, he moved the joint sitting motion on the termination of military regime in Nigeria on the 5th of May, 1993.

    Most people believe that he has all it takes to rule the state, but the major problem he is likely to face is making his new party a popular one in the state.

     

    Sen. Emma Anosike

     

    The only problem he is facing in his zone now is his acceptance of being Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s deputy during the 2010 governorship election in the state, when the north zone had decided that no person from the zone should accept anything less than governorship ticket in any party.

    Apart from that issue, Anosike has been a political juggernaut in Anambra State and has what it takes to win the race for his people.

    A strong member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with also strong affiliation in other parties, he once represented the zone at the senate before he was removed by the tribunal. He was also a member of the House of Representatives.

    The sure joker for Anosike to enjoy the support of his people will be his doggedness and political sagacity, coupled with his love for the less-privileged, widows, and empowerment of the youth.

     

    Alex Obiogbolu

     

    His humility and political awareness have really endeared him to the people of the state, though, not an Omabala man but hails from Onitsha, Dr Alex Obiogbolu is one of the people of Anambra State who has what it takes to lead the state to the promised land.

    Most people in the state refer to him as “calculator.” Their main reason: His ability at solving every problem with his brain. But the only handicap he seems to have now is not about money, but the kind of party he belongs to.

    His party, the PDP has been swimming in crisis in the state for many years, but to him, all hope appears not lost as the party is being repositioned by the current state chairman, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi and his lieutenants.

    Apart from those mentioned, the people of Omabala, nay North Senatorial zone have vowed to end the marginalisation of their zone in the Anambra political cycles and as a result, they are ready to fight anybody individually and collectively.

    As the development stands, with the support of Obi and his foot soldiers, political analysts believe that the time to end the logjam and perceived marginalisation of the Anambra North people is now. How the game plays out eventually, time will tell.