The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rescue

  • U.S. to the rescue?

    U.S. to the rescue?

    Ominous auguries as America moves to save Nigeria from herself

    This must be the lowest moment in Nigeria’s post-independence (1960) history. Not even the civil war era would compare with the momentous twist last week in the raging war against terror in Nigeria. Last Tuesday, a weary nation received, with mixed feelings, the news that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan had acceded to the request by President Barack Obama of the United States of America (U.S.A) to deploy US security experts and equipment to Nigeria to help in locating the school girls abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, about three weeks ago. Up until this point, the entire Nigerian military, security and intelligence community had no inkling as to the location of the over 200 young girls plucked from their dormitory beds in the dead of night on April 14. We cannot even determine the exact number of girls herded away by the terrorists.

    A news release by Dr. Reuben Abati, presidential spokesman intimated that: “President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday welcomed and accepted a definite offer of help from the United States of America in the on-going effort to locate and rescue the girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, three weeks ago.

    “The offer from President Barack Obama, which was conveyed to President Jonathan by the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, in a telephone conversation which began at 15:30 today (Tuesday), includes the deployment of U.S. security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation.

    “Mr. Kerry assured President Jonathan that the United States is fully committed to giving Nigeria all required support and assistance to save the abducted girls and bring the reign of terror unleashed on parts of the country by Boko Haram to an end.”

    Recall that on January 21, 1962, the Federal Government had to abrogate the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Agreement which the departing British colonialists had extracted from the Nigerian authorities in order to keep a hold on the sovereignty of the newly independent state of Nigeria. But Nigerians across all strata had rejected the pact, staging relentless protests for more than one year. At the peak of the defiance, over 3,000 demonstrators had encircled the parliament building in Lagos, forcing the abrogation of the pact.

    Though the circumstances are not quite the same, it is noteworthy that today, 52 years after, a helpless people and a confused government hurriedly accepted, apparently with a sigh of relief, an offer of a foreign military intervention to manage an internal and localised insurrection. Yes, Nigerians want the girls found and returned safely to their homes; they desire that the daily blood fest, involving largely innocent Nigerians be stemmed; they want peace and order to return once again to their dear country, thus even aliens from mars would be welcome if that is what is required. But there are implications and consequences to be mindful of.

    First, the spontaneous embrace of the Americans is a clear admission of failure by the Federal Government; failure of governance, failure of leadership. That a country that prides itself as the ‘giant of Africa’ cannot contain a local insurgency by a band of desert thugs terrorising her in the last five years is, to say the least, worrisome. That a foreign force had to be invited must be a most humbling and humiliating experience both for the military and the entire people of Nigeria. For a military establishment that has performed so spectacularly over and over again in foreign missions, this must represent its moment of catharsis.

    Again Nigeria’s current debacle is symptomatic of an unravelling, failing nation, a fact Nigeria’s leaders have chosen to deny over the years. An underfunded, underequipped and ill-motivated military-cum- security establishment serially out-gunned and out-maneuvered by local insurgents would only signify one thing: decadence. This manner of rot is deep and pervasive in all ramifications of the polity.

    One illustration will suffice: the dreaded Sambisa forest, the abode of the miscreants from where they unleash terror on the rest of the country was once a forest reserve. In that age of reason when institutions still worked, the 23,000 square miles forest was a carefully charted enclave with shelters, tracks and thoroughfares, and manned by forest guards. Had Nigeria not been in rapid recession in the last four decades, Sambisa would have metamorphosed into a global eco-tourism haven complete with nature trails, game reserve, bird watching zones, scientific observatories, airstrips and holiday resorts. Today, it has grown into a jungle, an evil forest, forgotten, forbidden and the nemesis of the nation. Sambisa is the metaphor for a failed Nigeria.

    To drive home the point of the Sambisa metaphor, Mr. Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, answering questions on CNN on the inability of the military to rescue the girls, told his interviewer that Sambisa was a remote and impregnable forest, suggesting that it is a no-man’s land outside the purview and control of the state. How ironic and how true? In fact, most of the local government areas a little removed from capital cities and towns of Nigeria have become Sambisas in their own right – abandoned, ungoverned and susceptible to insurrection. And we ask: whence is a state failed?

    Yesterday, our fathers protested vehemently against a foreign military overlord, today we crave for foreign military assistance. Of course, we know that as things stand, this is about the only option open to us if really we are desirous of getting the abducted girls back to their respective homes; events of the last five years have shown that we cannot stop the terrorists alone. We can only urge the Nigerian authorities to be alive to their duties and take stock of what has happened so far, with a view to making amends so that we would never have to travel this road again.

  • ‘God can send angels to rescue abducted girls like he did to me’

    It was purely an angelic rescue. For almost 24 hours, Mrs. Gift Aggor, was in the kidnappers’ den. They wanted nothing but her life. When her husband, who works with a radio station, offered them ransom, they declined. They told him point blank to consider her dead. That was on March 23rd, 2009 few days to Easter.

    Her survival was hopeless until God showed up. Her experience, she said, is a pointer to the fact that angels can rescue the 234 abducted female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok Maiduguri, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram gunmen 28 days ago.

    Aggor said: “I sincerely believe we should engage God in prayers for the girl. I know firsthand how God can rescue the girls if we pray. He once did it for me and He would do it over and over again, especially for these girls if we commit them to Him in prayers.”

    Recalling the incident on that fateful day, Agor said: “I was preparing to take my family for vacation and was doing some shopping. On my way to the market, around Maryland/Onigbongbo, I saw a taxi parked. I was wondering if to make a detour when a lady jumped out of the taxi, double-crossed me and pushed me to the back to the taxi.”

    The operation, according to her, was done so smoothly that passers-by couldn’t have noticed anything was amiss. This was despite the fact that it was around 8am at a public bus-stop. On entering the taxi, she remembered seeing two other ladies and the driver. The taxi drove her and other three occupants for hours without stop.

    The seamstress was too dazed to talk. By now, they had descended on her. Completely perplexed and helpless, she resorted to the only thing that came to her mind. “I just started singing and praying. They had blindfolded me and had overpowered me. I would only God could rescue me from them.”

    When they stopped at a spot she didn’t know, she was moved into a building. Fearing the worst, she simply intensified her singing and prayers. “At a point, I was thirsty and asked them for water but they said, ‘since you are a Christian, ask your God to provide water for you.”

    She backed down and heard them making calls to someone, who she later realised was her husband, on the phone they had taken from her. After a long lull, she heard nothing again. Her fears heightened but she sang the more. Then God stepped in.

    “When I didn’t hear anything again, I was afraid for my life. Everywhere was quiet and suddenly I heard a footstep; my scarf was removed. I tried to look up but couldn’t. Then, I saw a man standing before me in full white apparel.

    “I wanted to talk but couldn’t. The man pointed to the floor and I saw two ladies lying down, sleeping. I tried to get up but I could not. Then I supported my hands on the floor and got up. He pointed to the floor and I saw my phone. I immediately took it and hid it in my jean skirt. When I followed him, I fell on the floor. It was dark but I could see bushes around. He was walking while I kept running and falling. We did that for sometimes until we got to the main road,” she recalled the turning point for her.

    A car was on the other side of the road. Her mysterious helper, who she insists is an angel, got into the wheel and she jumped in. The man, she said, drove until he stopped and motioned to her to get out.

    “When I dropped, I saw a bike and two men robbing a lady. That was when I came to my senses. Immediately, they left a lady walked up to me and asked what I was doing there. I told her I couldn’t get up and she helped me. She asked what I was doing and supported me to a taxi park. That was when I knew we were at the other side of Maryland.”

    Aggor later found out a lady she employed to work in her shop was behind her abduction. “Before that day, I had been receiving strange calls. A number would call and say, ‘do you know who I am?’ I’d call back but the number won’t go.”

    The mother of three believes that God can rescue the abducted girls in a more dramatic way than hers if Nigerians pray hard enough. “We should just pray. Let’s cry out to God. He will show up for the girls and send angels to rescue them.”

  • Jonathan orders rescue of abducted schoolgirls

    Jonathan orders rescue of abducted schoolgirls

    President Goodluck Jonathan ordered yesterday that all the abducted secondary schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, should be rescued alive.

    Over 200 schoolgirls, who were said to be writing an examination, were abducted by insurgents over two weeks ago.

    Jonathan gave the order during a meeting with Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa.

    The meeting, which ended early yesterday, was also attended by the deputy governor; Commissioner for Education, Mr. Musa Kubo; the chairman of the local government, the police commissioner, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Chibok and the principal of the school, Hajia Asabe Kwabura.

    Also at the meeting were Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Anyim Pius and security chiefs.

    Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Dr. Reuben Abati said there was an explicit instruction from the President to those at the meeting on the urgent need to rescue the girls fast.

    Abati said the meeting was a follow-up to the meeting Dr Jonathan had on Friday on the need to quickly rescue the schoolgirls.

    The presidential aide said there was a high-powered collaboration among stakeholders, including governments at all levels and the community, to ensure the safety of the girls.

    Abati said: “The President has given a very clear directive that everything must be done to ensure that those girls are brought back to safety.

    “There was a lot of discussion. This was the first time the President was meeting with all the other key persons, like the school principal, the local government chairman and the commissioner of police.

    “Before now, the President and the governor were meeting regularly. This is a security operation and at this stage, it is not every detail of the efforts of the Federal Government that would be put into public domain, particularly that there are indications that those responsible for the abduction have been issuing all kinds of threats.

    “What is clear is the determination, the commitment and the resolve of Mr. President and the governor to make sure that the girls are brought back to safety.

    “I don’t want to deal with numbers. Even if it is one person, the safety of every Nigerian is important.”

    At the end of the meeting, the President and his team waited back and met with Shettima and his deputy for about 15 minutes.

    The Borno delegation declined to address reporters at the end of the meetings.

  • Police rescue three abducted kids

    Police rescue three abducted kids

    Three male siblings have been rescued from a suspected kidnapper, Iheanachor Collins, in Lagos.

    The suspect is being detained at the Ojo Police Station.

    The kids, The Nation learnt yesterday, were abducted by a man suspected to be into child trafficking from their home in Ojo on the outskirts of the city.

    Police operatives attached to Ojo Police Station rescued them from their abductor at a hideout around CTU Point, Iyana-Iba, a suburb of Lagos.

    It was gathered that preliminary investigations showed that the boys were abducted from their mother, Mrs Iyabo Lawal.

    Lagos Police Command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), confirmed the suspect’s arrest and the rescue of the children.

    Braide said: “On May 1 – about 3pm – policemen attached to Ojo Division acted on a tip-off and arrested Collins of unknown address around the CTU Point, Iyana-Iba, with three male children allegedly abducted from Mrs Iyabo Lawal in Ojo. The children were rescued and handed over to their parents.  The case is under investigation at the Ojo Division”.

  • Police rescue sick babies used for begging

    The Lagos State Police Command has uncovered a syndicate that specialises in using sick babies to beg for alms in order to enrich themselves in the metropolis.

    Although the leader of the group is at large, the command has arrested six of the suspects.

    Explaining their mode of operation, the state police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the suspects specialise in going to remote villages where they look out for children who has serious ailments.

    “What they do is that they convince the parents of these babies with fake promises, pledging to give them medical aid in the cities. When they eventually bring the babies to the cities, they use them to beg for money in the streets and enrich themselves without rendering the medical aid as promised. The woman here and her child is a victim. Her baby was diagnosed of cancer of the eye.

    ”They brought them from Okija, Anambra State, promising to take them to the hospital since August last year. They have been using this two-year-old baby to make money since then without taking her to the hospital as promised. They put the mother of the baby in a hotel and they would carry the baby to the market place to beg for alms from unsuspecting Nigerians,” Braide said.

    The police image-maker said the suspects would be charged for child trafficking and other related charges.

    The suspects said their principal, who is now on the run, was the brain behind it. The leader of the group, Chukwuka Eze, 24, who hails from Ebonyi State, said he abandoned his cart-pushing business at Mile 12, Lagos for the new one, which he said, had been lucrative.

    He said: “After my secondary education, I started pushing cart in Mile 12, Lagos. When I was doing the business I earned lesser than what I earned now. One Mr. Samuel Ependu, who is our director, introduced me into this business. He called to tell me that there was a child who had cancer and that her parents had no money to give her world-class treatment. I joined him in the business and I usually led the group any time went out for work. We usually took Chinasa to market areas, bus stops and traffic snarls to beg for money and Nigerians wouldn’t hesitate to give us money generously.

    ”My boss lodged us in a hotel. We went out every day to make money for him. Sometimes, we made N32, 000 and other times if the business was too bad, we made N19, 000. After making the money, we usually remitted them to my boss.

    Chinasa’s mother, Mrs. Victoria Anako, told The Nation:  ”I was in the village when the people came and met my husband. He agreed that I should go with them. Since August when we left, I have been remitting money into my husband’s account and he used the money to buy motorcycle and completed his abandoned building. I did not know that they were bringing us to Lagos for the purpose of money making.

    “Immediately we left Okija last year, we were taken to Aba where they used my baby to beg. From Aba, we moved to Uyo, then Umuhia and Calabar. We left Calabar for Abakaliliki and later, Lagos, where the police eventually caught us.

    Mrs. Jessinta Nwakaego Nwaolie of the ‘Hands That Care Foundation,’ a non-governmental organisation handed the suspects to the police.

  • Who’ll rescue this lawyer?

    •Needs N5m to tackle chronic kidney ailment

    Holding tenaciously to her dream, Bukola Comfort Obafemi burnt the midnight oil as a law student at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt.

    She had envisioned a stage in life when she would be a blessing to the helpless around her. Sadly, when her ambition was getting crystalised, cruel fate reared its ugly head.

    Today, her long-nursed dream appears crumbling before her eyes as her cash-strapped family and relations battle to save her from an ailment that has defied solution.

    Thirty-nine-year-old Bukola, a spinster and law graduate, who was called to the bar two years ago, began to taste the flip side of life late last year. It was when she was about setting up her own chambers, having worked at the Yemi Ajayi Chambers, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Having lost her father a long time ago, she suddenly took ill during a visit to her mother – now in her 80s. She was rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Alas, to the dismay of her family which had thought it was a mere case of fever, it was discovered that she had damaged kidneys.

    “She was recommended for dialysis by doctors thrice a week in addition to blood transfusion as it was discovered that her blood count was low at the UCH where she is presently admitted,” he sister, Mrs Iyabode Salako told The Nation on Tuesday.

    Alongside her equally distraught husband, Babajide, Mrs Salako took her agony to the Lagos Headquarters of The Nation to seek public support for her troubled sister, being the only one shouldering Bukola’s health burden.

    “I do not know where else to turn to except to seek God’s face through the public-spirited among Nigerians,” Mrs Salako said, almost in tears. Her concern: Besides the fact that Bukola has been on dialysis at the hospital, which now costs N150,000 weekly, drugs, tests and other expenses inclusive, the permanent solution to her predicament as recommended by doctors is a kidney transplant which would gulp about N5million.

    The embattled woman armed herself with a document from the Nephrology Unit of the UCH, which confirmed that Bukola “is being managed by the renal unit of the hospital for end-stage kidney disease,” adding that “she requires a renal replacement therapy for continual survival” as she currently has irregular dialysis.

    For a lasting solution to the lawyer’s problem, spirited efforts are being set in motion to find her succour at the Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India, where experts are waiting to end her pains.

    On efforts so far made to raise the money, Mrs Salako expressed her helplessness: “We are waiting on God, her creator. I have sold all I could sell to take her this far because she is the last child of my parents and I’m the only one sharing her burden with my husband. How I wish I have more things to sell; imagine how much it had cost me to visit her at the hospital from our Mowe, Ogun State home since the trouble began. We can only pray to God to come to her rescue.

    “As we would not just watch her die off, we opened an account, 1004427853, with the name, Olubukola Comfort Obafemi & Iyabo at the Zenith Bank for the attention of her prospective helpers. Besides, we have written a “save a life letter” to the Lagos State Government through the Commissioner for Health. Being a people-friendly government, we are hoping for its urgent intervention before time runs out of my beloved sister.”

    Now, Mr & Mrs Salako have embarked on fasting to seek God’s face on the plight of the promising lawyer.

     

  • Mobile Fountains to the rescue

    Mobile Fountains are used for decoration. They have become major features at events. They are computer programmed, jet slashed pools ideal for indoor or outdoor use.

    They help to add colour to any event for example cocktail, annual general meeting, sendoff, weddings, product lunch and rebranding.

    Most people are more familiar with fixed fountains. Now, they can be installed for an occasion and dismantled.

    According to a statement by Dexdee Fountains Limited, a pioneer in the sector, mobile fountains of various types and specifications can be rented by discerning private individuals and organisations to grace specific occasions.

    They come in portable sizes and are custom built to suit an event. It takes three weeks between commissioning on a brief and installation. Mobile Fountains consist of simulating rainfalls that span 16ft long, 6ft wide and sprouting to a height of 15ft.

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dexdee Group, Desmond Odiase, said: “Mobile Fountains create very fascinating scenes that add excitement to the event, they illuminate such functions. They are easier to install for a client who does not have much time to spare for erecting permanent fountains. They are easily adapted to any environment and situations of space constraints.

    Odiase also said his company has been in the business since 1990s, adding that their fountains adorn many private and public buildings all in the country.

    “Our fountains have graced events in Aso Rock and at the functions of GTB, Access Bank, Halliburton, UBA, Vigeo amongst several other private individuals and organisations whose patronage we have enjoyed over the years.”

    “They were splendidly on display at Eko Hotel during the send-off for the former chief executive officer of Access Bank, Aigbojie Imoukhuede,” he added.

  • Family urges govt to rescue member from Chinese jail

    The family of Tony Oluwafemi, a Nigerian serving a 10-year jail term in a Chinese jail, has urged the Federal Government to rescue him.

    Oluwafemi and his wife, a Chinese woman, were sentenced on November 7 for alleged robbery and aiding and abetting robbery.

    Oluwafemi’s brother, Olu, told The Nation on phone that the couple was not given a fair hearing before they were sentenced.

    He said their two children had been left without parental care.

    Olu, in a statement, said: “My brother was sentenced by the Chinese people’s local court to 10 years in prison for an alleged robbery case he knows nothing about. There is every indication to prove his innocence but the court has refused to admit his proof.

    “He was arrested and detained on October 25, 2012, before he was sentenced on November 7. His lawyer made an appeal on his behalf, which the court accepted but due to the Chinese law, I don’t think the appeal would make any change, if proper measures are not taken.

    “The Nigerian Embassy is aware of this incident but it has refused to show any interest. It even declined twice the invitation extended to it by the court during the sittings. I believe the embassy’s presence at the court would have made a good impact. But I am yet to understand why the officials never showed up.

    “While I was at the embassy, after the court judgment to complain why its officials were not present at the court, the Deputy Chief of Mission threatened me with the police because he felt I was not in a position to question his authority. Before using the police to threaten me, he said: ‘Do you want to tell me you did not know your brother actually robbed? If he did not rob, he won’t have been convicted.’

    “I strongly believe someone, who is close to him, gave him that impression and that same person, because of his close ally with the police, gave the police same impression. From my observation and assertion since the beginning of this allegation, I strongly believe that my brother’s case was highly conspired and misinterpreted not only by the complaints but also by a Nigerian, who he had some personal issues with. Since then, I have been restricted from the embassy.

    “His lawyers have really tried to prove his innocence, but with regards to the Chinese law, they have limited power to defend their clients, especially when the prosecutor has submitted its verdict to the court.

    “The Chinese judicial system is one I respect very much because of their good records of operating a fair and responsible judgment. But on this case, there is a high degree of misconception from the prosecutor due to the high degree of conspiracy of the complaints.

    “I am calling on fellow Nigerians and whoever it may concern to make the Federal Government call the attention of the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing to help me follow up the case at the Appeal Court so that the court can make sure that my brother is proven innocent and released. But if he has been found guilty of this allegation, which I largely doubt, they should give substantial evidence.”

    Olu added that his brother’s two babies are just three years and a year old.

    “He (Oluwafemi) is Type 2 diabetic. I learnt he complains of inadequate medical attention in detention. I don’t want my brother’s case to be like the Florida man, James Bain, who was found innocent after spending 35 years in prison; or like the case of Yu Yinsheng in China, who was found innocent after spending 17 years in jail on the alleged murder of his wife.”

  • ‘APC will rescue Delta from PDP’

    Amorighoye Sunny Mene (KSM), popularly called ‘AS Mene’, was the ACN flagbearer in the April 2011 general elections for the House of Representatives, Warri Federal Constituency. Now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, he speaks with POLYCARP OROSEVWOTU on 14 years of PDP in Delta State.

    What is the APC’s plan for Niger Delta area?

    APC has brought a breath of fresh air to the political space in Nigeria. You can see that with the berthing of APC ship, the PDP is already torn apart. The APC symbolises freedom for Nigerians because they now have a big party with a national spread to beat the PDP. Most importantly, APC stands for social justice which has been lacking in Nigeria for a long time. PDP has failed Nigerians because it lacks social justice, which is the fulfillment of their responsibility to the electorate. This has given room to despondence, frustration and desperation. There is only one thing that binds members of PDP together, that is what they can get from the system and democracy of a few for a few.

    As a leader of the APC party in Delta State, I am very optimistic on the chances of APC, I can tell you that the prospect of our great party is quite high. The APC will do everything differently. We will enter into a social contract with the electorate, which will be kept and respected. The electorate will come first. We will do the greatest good to the greatest number of people. We will meet the expectations of Deltans in their developmental aspirations. The resources of Delta-state will not be given to political godfathers. The fulfillment of electoral promises is clearly evident in Edo State, where Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was returned to Government House through massive popular support to ACN. APC is a party of promise.

    How do you rate leadership of Delta State in the past 22 years?

    To rate the leadership of Delta State in the first eight years, we must situate it within the political setting at that time especially at the national level. Governor Felix Ibru’s stint in government house was too short to give a fair assessment of his performance. The seven years of military rule in Delta state were spent trying to stabilize the state.

    The 14 years of democratic dispensation under PDP have not been very remarkable despite being the highest oil producing state in a number of those years, we recorded very modest development. The Governor James Ibori administration (1999-2007) did not make the best use of the resources available at its disposal to build the critical infrastructure required for our development.

    The oil producing areas where completely abandoned, a good example is the utilisation of the 13 per cent derivation fund. Under Governor James Ibori, there was no Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commissions. As if this was not bad enough, Ibori ceded 162 oil wells in Warri North LGA to Ondo state to appease President Olusegun Obasanjo. Itsekiri leaders went to court to challenge this unconstitutional conduct and got judgment against Ondo state Government. This case is on appeal and the Delta State Government is not showing any seriousness in the matter.

    How would you rate Governor Uduaghan?

    Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan is my kinsman, but when it comes to the welfare of our people, I will not be blinded by primordial loyalty. I challenge all Nigerians to call for a media tour of our Oil producing communities, the level of neglect and abandonment will shock them. As a candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 general election, where I contested for the seat of the Federal House of Representative in Warri Federal constituency, I visited every oil producing communities on campaign and more recently to distribute relief materials to our people after some Ijaws attacked our communities in Warri North LGA. There is nothing to show that these communities are oil producing despite the 13% derivation funds provided for their development. The destruction of their economic main stay and massive environmental devastation is very evident. The truth is that, Government is very disrespectful of our people.

    A review of the past six years of Governor Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan administration will make Governor James Ibori look like a hero in terms of development. Apart from the media blitz on the Governor’s three-point agenda, no serious development has taken place, despite the resources available at his disposal.

    A visit to the state will reveal an abysmal failure on the part of the government to build an infrastructure backbone to jumpstart industrial development. At a meeting with the Itsekiri Leaders Forum in Delta State Government house in Lagos after his inauguration, Uduaghan revealed how he planned to develop Delta State economically. Then, of priority to him was the reactivation and revitalization of the Warri and Koko ports to boost economic activities. He promised to dredge the sand bars on the Benin and Escravos rivers to allow bigger vessels, the dualisation of Ughelli-Asaba road through Isoko, to allow assess of importers to the eastern markets and the Ugbenu- Koko road.

    With the exception of the Asaba airport which is still an ongoing job, all his promises have been abandoned. No single bridge has been built in six years in a typically coastal state to link our communities. All the roads in Warri are failing, including the ones leading to his house in Ajamimogha in Warri. The Ugborodo new town development where billions of naira has been expended still has nothing to show.

    This sorry state persists in all other sectors like health and education. There is poor planning, execution and monitoring, therefore, there is infrastructural decay. Our cities are dirty and fast becoming slums. I travel a lot; I can tell you that Warri is one of the dirtiest towns in the South-South.

    Some Deltans will disagree with you, especially in the area of healthcare delivery….

    (Cuts in) We have followed with keen interest the Delta state government campaign on medicare, ranging from its 0- 5years child care, maternal health care and the mother and child Medicare. The Governor of Delta state is a medical doctor promoting Delta Beyond Oil, ordinarily Delta state ought to be a haven for medical tourism in Nigeria. The facts on ground are that the efforts of Delta state government on medicare has fallen short of our expectations.

    It is so because basic requirements that are supposed to be in every hospital in Delta state are missing. Our investigation on the state of our hospitals has revealed very embarrassing developments. In accidents and emergency units, for instance, the hospitals lack or in short supply of simple necessities like oxygen delivering systems and suctioning machines.

  • To the rescue?

    To the rescue?

    •SA’s Famous Brands’ acquisition of 49% stake in Mr Biggs throws up exciting prospects in the fast foods business, but…  

    THE news that South Africa’s Famous Brands, a quick service and casual dining restaurant franchisor, is taking a 49 percent stake in Nigeria’s UAC Restaurants (UACR), which brand, Mr. Biggs, is the doyen in Nigeria’s fast food sub-sector, is both sweet and sour.

    Sweet, because the new synergy may well hand Mr. Biggs, pioneers in the eatery sector boasting some 155 franchised restaurants in Nigeria and Ghana, a redemptive value. Mr. Biggs may be the largest food franchise brand in Africa outside South Africa and could well daily sell some 25,000 pieces of chicken in its eateries, but it appears it has been losing space to smaller and more nimble competition, despite pioneering business in that sector.

    And sour because, for the umpteenth time, Nigerian businesses’ ability to sustain success in the long run, even when they manage niche products, is being called to question. Just like indigenised conglomerates that went to seeds and had to be reacquired by their original foreign owners, Mr. Biggs would appear far from where it is supposed to be, the way it took the market by storm in its early days. If, therefore, Famous Brands’ partnership will give the brand a new lease of life, then it is smart business move.

    Kevin Hedderwick, Famous Brands’ chief executive is upbeat about the deal, stating the mutual benefits for both parties: “UACR will be vending in a formidable brand (Mr. Biggs), local expertise and existing franchisees, as well as nationwide distribution network and Lagos-based manufacturing infrastructure,” he said. “In exchange, Famous Brands will add value to the business through our expertise in managing intellectual property, growing brands and optimising supply chain operations and efficiencies.”

    On the other hand, Larry Ettah, managing director of UACN, parent company of UACR, seems to admit tough competition, talking of an influx, in the Nigerian market, of foreign and local quick service restaurant brands, insisting however that the new deal was predicated on changing demographics, which expects the middle class to increase from 30 percent of the Nigerian population (2009) to 35 percent in 2015. A good proportion of this target market is the young population, according to Mr. Ettah, with an average age of 18.

    From the point of inter-African trade, the Mr. Biggs-Famous Brands business collaboration is a cheerful prospect. For one, Mr. Biggs would need Famous Brands’ (owners of South Africa’s well known chains like Steers, Debonairs Pizza, Wimpy & Bean) brand building expertise and managerial acumen. Though the arrangement is not quite clear, it would appear Famous Brands would manage Mr. Biggs eateries while UACN maintains the controlling shares of 51 percent in the business. For another, it would give the sagging brand a new lease of life. That is good for both parties, as well as for the consumers, assured of better service, as a result of fiercer competition.

    But the down side is – and this is not just business nationalism – even more foreign interests are raiding the economy. That is not such a bad thing. If they bring in new capital, that means they see in the Nigerian economy long term prospects, which should gladden the heart of Nigerians. But if they freely bring in capital, it is only fair that they freely repatriate their profit. Still, measures must be put in place to ensure that this very legitimate endeavour does not result in capital flight, at the slightest excuse.

    Iconic Nigerian brands must also up their acts. If South Africans can invest heavily in Nigeria’s hotel and hospitality industry, and now the fast food eatery business, there is nothing stopping Nigerian brands too from being competitive enough to invest in other countries and repatriate their profit home.

    That is the only way the much abused concept of globalisation would make sense.