The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rock

  • Law Union and Rock declares dividends 

    Law Union & Rock Insurance Plc, one of the leading general insurance companies in the country, has paid dividend to its shareholders despite the economic challenge in the country in 2017.

    Its Chairman, Mr. Remi Babalola made this known at the company’s 49th Annual General Meeting at Onikan, Lagos.

    He stated that the company’s profitability grew by 66.8 per cent, adding that it recorded good performance in 2017 with eight per cent growth in its top line over the figure from the previous year.

    He said:“A significant contribution to the profit came from the company’s investment income while its Gross Premium written stood at N4.252 billion compared to N3.936 billion recorded in 2016. Profit before tax of N1.099 billion was achieved compared to N659 million recorded in 2016, which indicated a steady performance improvement of our company. Total assets grew by 16.9 per cent to N10.031 billion from N8.58 billion posted in 2016 financial year with a 28.6 per cent growth in shareholders’ funds from N5.03 billion to N6.47 billion.

    “The company also recorded a giant feat in its general reserves with retained earnings of N704 million from accumulated loss of N24 million recorded in 2016. In recognition of this performance, the company declared a cash dividend of 4 Kobo per share for the financial year.”

    Mr. Babalola said the company is stronger and liquid and will remain committed to meeting its obligations as they fall due.”

    The Chairman further presented the new Executive Director, Technical/Operations, Mr Olasupo Sogelola and Mr. Kunle Aluko, a non-executive director to the shareholders. Both appointment have been approved by the NAICOM.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Jide Orimolade said the company will not relent in delivery of the best service to the customers.

    “The loyalty of the customers was very instrumental to the consistent growth of the company’s topline in the past few years, which has enabled it to eliminate its accumulated loss and cross to a positive retained earnings in 2017,”Orimolade said.

    Shareholders at the event were  happy as the three retiring directors -Mr. Babalola, Mr. Obinna Onunkwo and Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo were re-elected for another three years.

  • Chuck Berry Rock ‘n’ Roll legend dead

    Chuck Berry Rock ‘n’ Roll legend dead

    American musical legend Chuck Berry, 90, who helped define rock ‘n’ roll’s potential and attitude in its early years is dead.

    According to New York Times, St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri confirmed his death on its Facebook page .

    While Elvis Presley was rock’s first pop star and teenage heartthrob, Berry was its master theorist and conceptual genius, the songwriter who understood what the kids wanted before they knew themselves.

    With songs like “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” he gave his listeners more than they knew they were getting from jukebox entertainment.

    His guitar lines wired the lean twang of country and the bite of the blues into phrases with both a streamlined trajectory and a long memory.

    And tucked into the lighthearted, telegraphic narratives that he sang with such clear enunciation was a sly defiance, upending convention to claim the pleasures of the moment.

    In “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “You Can’t Catch Me” and other songs,

    Mr. Berry invented rock as a music of teenage wishes fulfilled and good times (even with cops in pursuit).

    In “Promised Land,” “Too Much Monkey Business” and “Brown Eyed Handsome Man,” he celebrated and satirized America’s opportunities and class tensions.

    His rock ’n’ roll was a music of joyful lusts, laughed-off tensions and gleefully shattered icons. ( NAN)

  • A rock and a hard place

    A rock and a hard place

    The Vice President, African Region, International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), Kola Akomolede, x-rays the comparative advantage of investments in treasury bill and real estate. Drawing from practical experience, he establishes why the latter is called an “edge against inflation”.

    That Nigeria is going through a recession is no longer news. What most people want to know is: When are we getting out of the woods or how can we survive the turbulence? However, notwithstanding the recession, some people are still lucky to have excess income that they can invest after meeting their daily expenditure requirements. It is to this group of people that this article may interest.

    In August 2006, I wrote a similar article during the glorious days of shares investment. The impetus to write that article was triggered by some reports carried by the Tribune where people were asked if they would rather invest in properties or shares and the majority of the respondents gave preference to investment in shares as opposed to property investment.

    As a matter of fact, some were selling their properties to buy shares! In that article, I tried to educate the public why investment in property was better than investment in shares using all the principles of good investment that I know.  Today, the rest is history.  Many investment in shares have vanished while those who invested in properties can see their investment grow both in terms of income and capital value.

    Just as it happened in 2006, the inspiration to write this article was triggered by the discussion at a recent gathering where the guest speaker, an accomplished and brilliant Economist, said he would rather invest his money in treasury bills as opposed to investment in property.   His reason; return on treasury bill is 18 per cent interest while return on property is about five per cent.  Yes, he was right.  The Federal Government/Central Bank will pay you 18 per cent interest if you invest your money in treasury bills.  This is a very secure investment, in the sense that you can never lose your money unless Nigeria does not exist again.  God forbid that happening.  On the other hand, return on property investment is between four per cent and six per cent depending on the quality of the property and its location.  But what I fear this Economist failed to realise is that the comparison does not end here.

    Let me say first of all that the type of investment that will be suitable for you will depend on your motive for the investment.  Are you thinking of a short, medium or long term investment?  Are you interested in capital return or streaks of income?  Are you interested in an investment that you will leave for your children?  Your answers to these questions will assist you in taking a decision on what type of investment to engage in with investible funds.  For example, if you have some fund which you will need for a project in a few months or one to three years, property investment may not suit your purpose.  But if you are thinking of a long term investment, there is no other option than property investment.

    Now, let us look at the principles of investment that can assist you in making a decision concerning the type of investment you engage in with your funds.

     Security of Capital:  Is the money I am investing secure at all times?  Is there any chance of losing this capital any time in the future?  Both investment in treasury fund     and property will satisfy this criteria.

     Capital Growth: Is there any likelihood that the money to be invested will grow in value over the years?  For treasury bills, the answer is No but for property investment, it is Yes. Take for example, those who invested in property by buying a duplex house in Dolphin Estate in 1990 at a price of N450,000, the value of same house today is about N80 million. If you had put your money in Treasury bill then, the capital will still remain N450, 000 (nominally).  In actual fact, it is less due to inflation. It is probably not with N10, 000 today.

     Capital Liquidation:  How quickly can you turn your investments into cash? You can liquidate your deposit at the end of each term with ease. But with property investment, it may take a while before you get a buyer. But even then, if the price is right, you can always get a buyer. Many properties remain in the market for long because the asking price is above the market value.

    Security and Regularity of Income: Income (interest) on Treasury bill is guaranteed. The Central Bank will pay you your interest no matter what but with property, a tenant may default and there may be voids. Again, if you have the right tenant from the beginning, your income can be guaranteed. You can also avoid voids if the rent is right. Voids occur when a landlord insists on certain amount of rent which is not realistic or above what the market dictates.

     Income Appreciation:  Your income on Treasury bill is almost fixed but rents on properties are not fixed. They increase in line with inflation (all things being equal).  For example in 1990, rents on the Duplex in Dolphin Estate was about N75,000, today it is about N4 million per year! That is more than eight times the capital invested.

    Return on Investment (ROI):  This was the main reason why the speaker preferred investment in treasury bill to property because according to him, he can get a return of 18 per cent on Treasury bill today, why then will he invest his fund in property with a return of only about five per cent.  With due respect, this is a very distorted and misleading view. The example I gave above is sufficient to defeat this argument.  The return-on-property investment is not static but grow from year to year in line with inflation rate.  What will you call the return of N4 million on an investment of N450,000?

    There are other issues, such as taxation, ease and cost of disposal and use as collateral which space will not permit me to deal with in this piece. The effects of these are not very critical to investment decision in this part of the world.

    On the whole, it can be seen from the above that property investment is by far better than investment in treasury bills.  In actual fact, it is not real to say that the return on Treasury bill is 18 per cent because if inflation rate is 18 per cent then your return is actually zero! This is because the real value of your return is washed away by inflation.  Ditto for your capital, if you put N100 million in fixed deposit or Treasury bill for one year, at the end of the year, the real value of your capital invested is less by the rate of inflation.  On the other hand, your property would have appreciated by the same margin under normal circumstances.  This is why property investment is called “an edge against inflation.”

    In conclusion, I can say that in the short run, treasury bills is a suitable investment opportunity but in the medium-long haul, real estate is a much more suitable investment vehicle.

  • HOUSE ON THE ROCK CHURCH TO PREMIERE ‘93 DAYS’

    AS part of its campaign to promote a purposeful leadership in Nigeria, The Rock Cathedral in collaboration with Natives FilmWorks, Michelangelo Productions and the Bolanle Austen- Peters Production will premiere the highly anticipated Steve Gukas film – 93 Days.

    The premiere holds on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at the Rock Cathedral, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos.  It will be the third movie premiere of the renowned church. Last year, it premiered Selma and Captive which featured award -winning Nigerian actor David Oyelowo.

    Starring Bimbo Akintola, Danny Glover, Tim Reid, Somkele Idhalama, Keppy Ekpenyong, Gideon Okeke and other talented actors, 93 Days is a compelling story of dedication, sacrifice and resilience which celebrates the courage shown by the First Consultant Medical Team, the Lagos State & Federal Governments and well-meaning organisations in combating the Ebola virus, which broke out early 2014 in Nigeria.

    Bimbo Akintola portrays the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh who worked with her younger colleagues, and whose early detection of the disease in a patient and insistence on treating him contributed greatly to limiting the spread of the disease in Nigeria.

    The film also highlighted the rapid response of the Lagos State Government and its collaboration with other well-meaning organisations in combating the deadly virus which was aptly themed: ‘The Power of COLLABORATION.’

    Speaking on The House on the Rock Partnership with these notable bodies, the Senior Pastor of all House on the Rock Churches, Pastor Paul Adefarasin said, “House on the Rock’s mission is to work together with everyone that is invested in building a transformed nation, a better Nigeria, and this essence ties strongly into the courage displayed by Dr. Stella Adadevoh and her colleagues who brought hope to a nation that was being threatened by devastation, at the expense of their own lives. This is the kind of love and sacrifice that can truly bring transformation to all.”

    93 Days is also among the selected Nigerian films to be screened at The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

  • Tragedy as rock crushes mother, children to death in Ogun

    … father, two others critically injured

    Four persons, including mother, two children and a grandchild were crushed to death by over 1000 years old rock that tipped off its base and rammed lethally on them after knocking down the wall of their bedroom.

    The incident which happened in the rocky Iberekodo community in Abeokuta North Local Government Council of Ogun state on Friday night, took the grieving residents in shock.

    However, the man of the house Ismail Lawal, Sukurat and Rofiat survived the assault on the modest home by the deadly rock because they happened to be relaxing at the sitting room when it struck but that is not without injuring them seriously.

    The victims – Mrs Silifat Lawal, her two children: Raaheedat (15), Semia(4) and a grandchild – Mariam, had barely fallen into a deep sleep on their bed after a Friday dinner when the rock killed them while the injured were taken to hospital for treatment.
    .
    The Nation gathered that the rock has been in existence in Iberekodo community before the Egba people settled in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital around 1830 AD.

    The Nation gathered further that the heavy downpour on Friday night which had softened the base of the rock situating on a location overlooking Ismail Lawal’s home, caused the ground to give way, and the rock having lost its balance tumbled and rolled lethally on Lawal’s home beneath.

  • Val’s time management- between the rock and a hard place

    Welcome to the ‘Adventures of Professor Val’. For some weeks now, we have been learning from the experience of Professor Val at an international conference where he displeased the audience by using the time allotted to him. Ironic, isn’t it? He got into trouble for doing the ‘right thing’! So, we have been trying to find out what went wrong. Last week, we examined how Val tried to load his audience with too much information. As Bolade, one of the dear readers of this column put it in his message, Val wanted to make a ‘professor’ out of the audience. We identified that he obeyed the rule which says, “A speaker must earn the right to speak to his/her audience by being knowledgeable”. He was, however, ignorant of the exception to the rule, which says, “You cannot teach people in a moment what you learnt in a lifetime”.

    Today, we shall examine another critical element of public speaking that worked against Professor Val. This element is time management. If you have been following the story, you will recall that Val was invited to deliver a one-hour presentation and he did just that. How can we then accuse him of time mismanagement?

    So far in this column, we have presented our dear Professor as the villain of the story but this time, I want us to see him as the victim. Put yourself in his shoes. What would you do if you signed a contract to speak for one hour and have been paid, yet the audience got tired after 35 minutes? Would you hastily conclude your presentation to please the audience and face possible refund, or would you bore the audience to sleep to justify the money? Professor Val was definitely between a rock and a hard place?

    As it has become our tradition in this series, we shall state the rule Professor Val obeyed, after which we shall discuss the exception to that rule. Professor Val obeyed the rule which says, “A speaker must be mindful of time and limit his/her presentation to the time allotted”. Since we have already established last week that Val had too much to say with too little time to say it, we applause him for managing to keep to the one hour. Nevertheless, he neglected the exception to the rule which says, “A speaker must finish speaking before the audience has finished listening”.

    We cannot overemphasize the fact that a speaker’s success or failure is determined by the audience. If you have the most important information to pass across and the audience isn’t interested in listening, what do you do? A speaker must always keep in mind that audience satisfaction is paramount. In the case of Val, here are a few things we should learn:

    • No organiser likes a sleep audience: Val may have merited his contract-fee by completing his one hour, but guess what will happen when next the organizer is shopping for a speaker? He would definitely be bypassed because he failed to connect with the audience. This fact makes it easy for us to see that completing our allotted time is not as important as communicating with our audience. We shouldn’t get carried away with time; we must focus on our audience.
    • Learn relative importance: relative importance generally means measuring the significance of something in relation to something else. A speaker must learn to measure the significance of his/her presentation in relation to the time given. If you are given one hour to discuss an activity you carried out for five years, then you know that you have to select only the important aspects of it. If you have just five minutes to contribute to a discourse, you must leave out history and procedures. Begin with the most important aspect, and if there is some time left, highlight the procedure.
    • If they don’t feel you, draw them out: when Professor Val realised that he wasn’t communicating with his audience, he should have used a lot of illustrations to make his point. Illustrations always simplify seemingly complex issues. Also, he should have engaged them by turning the rest of his time to a discussion session. He could have asked questions and let them respond, and also allow them to ask him questions.

    Time management is not only when we don’t exceed the time we are given; it is more importantly our ability to know the right time to stop. We still have a lot to learn from Professor Val. Please join me again next week, by the grace of God, as we explore further. I look forward to hearing from you.

  • Rock the boots

    Rock the boots

    GUESS what’s back in vogue after a short time off?  Trendy boots! These elegant, sexy and sophisticated designs have made a sudden and dramatic return to the social scene. As we all know, one of the secrets of a great look is trendy shoes with their fabulous design and distinctive cut.

    Boots trend, especially those without ankles covered, are the must-have boots of the moment. And the good thing is that they are great on both skirts and trousers. These fabulous and unique designs are too fantastic to be ignored.

    Believe it, they are for women of class and style.

  • Fred Amata, Funsho Adeolu, Lydia Forson rock at AMAA nominees’ party

    Fred Amata, Funsho Adeolu, Lydia Forson rock at AMAA nominees’ party

    The Emperor Palace Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa came alive recently, as a number of Nollywood stars, who were joined by actors, actresses and filmmakers from across Africa, gathered for the 10th edition of the African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) nominees’ party.

    Some of the stars spotted dancing at the event were Fathia Balogun, Kunle Afolayan, Funsho Adeolu, Fred Amata, Kanayo. O. Kanayo, Chinedu Ikedieze, his wife and Ghanaian-born Lydia Forson.

    The party started when the CEO of AMAA, Peace Anyiam Osigwe, invited a Cameroonian band to perform a song titled Terima Jehovah.

    Though different acts from across the continent performed during the glamorous event, Nigerian music sensation, Kingsley Okonkwo, alias Kcee, wowed the crowd with his stagecraft.

    The Limpopo crooner thrilled the crowd who sang along with him as he performed one hit song after the other.

    The stars later attended an after-party at the popular Premiere Hotel, where they had fun before returning to Nigeria.

  • Mythical rock still awaiting tourists

    Mythical rock still awaiting tourists

    Zuma Rock is  a magnificent granite rock in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger state. It is about 800 metres high, surrounded by other granite rocks on a beautiful expanse of land, with fairly level topography of lush green trees.

    The rock is located about 40km to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and about the same distance to Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

    Through Niger State, it is the most recognisable natural landmark associated with Abuja, earning it a place on the Nigerian currency (N100 note) like Mountain Kilimanjaro of Tanzania, which is on the border of Tanzania and Kenya and also associated with Kenya because it is promoted by both countries.

    Zuma Rock is also on the border of Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja FCT. The proximity to the capital city earned it the appellation: “Gateway to Abuja.”

    The most famous image is that of a mystical human face, with two deep eye sockets etched on the face of the rock which look like the head of a lion, representing dignity and from Abuja side, the rock resembles the shape of a kneeling elephant, representing strength. On the left top corner of the rock is the image of a cutlass, promoting agriculture.

     

    Legends:

    Zuma Rock has many legends and myths. From the olden days to this day, there is a wide belief by the local people that Zuma rock is haunted by spirits. Every first week of the year, there has always been visible fire burning on top of the rock from time to time accompanied by a loud thunder.

    According to the legend, when this fire is seen, something of note happens in the land before the year runs out .This legend of the fire and thunder from the top of the rock is similar to popular myths in some parts of the world such as the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) that Americans claimed have been sited from time to time.

    They also believe that on top of the rock, there is an image of a Fulani woman with a calabash on her head.

    The most popular legend of Zuma rock is that people believe it talks through images which make people refer to it as the Rock with image. Some also believe that sacrifices are made on top and around the rock.

    A few years ago, for the first time, a team of men from Abuja, the district officer, the commissioner for tourism, the governor of Niger State with others from Russia visited the rock and discharged all the farmers around it with compensation of about N10 million each for the purpose of turning the rock into a tourist centre for the country. The project has been on hold since then.

    The most important myth of Zuma Rock is that it is the Heart of Nigeria located (in exact geographical centre of the country) 780 Km to Lagos in the South-West, 729Km to Calabar in the South-East both on the Atlantic Ocean Coast; and 748Km to Sokoto in the North-West near the border with Niger Republic and 704 Km to Maiduguri in the North-East near the border of Chad!

     

    Zuma Villa

    Green Fields, Blue skies

    Zuma Villa is a multi-purpose Rural Tourism Village for Convention Centre at the foot of Nigeria’s most famous natural landmark, Zuma Rock

    Zuma villa was formerly known as Tammunde village. Tammunde which means Hope in Fulfulde (also known as Fulani) is a language of West Africa, spoken by millions of people across the region from Senegal and Gambia to Guinea, through Mali and Niger all the way to Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria.

    Africa is a continent built on hope! Hope for new market brought Europeans to Africa many centuries. Hope for modern development sustained African for decades. Hope for a green environment is driving the world today.

     

    Motto: Green Fields, blue skies

    Green Fields stands for the clean environment and agriculture.

    Blue Skies stands for technology and industry.

    Looking at the horizon, we see green fields and blue skies

    With the mission: shooting for the blue skies, staying on the ground!

     

    Quick facts:

    Zuma Villa is a green village as well as a cultural centre promoting rural tourism. From the outside gate there are flags of different countries the village homesteads of selected ethnic groups like: Hausa community, Igbo, Yoruba, Idoma, Fulani, Gwari, Plateau communities, etc.

    There is a kebab (suya) spot beside where one can buy chicken, suya meat. Other facilities include: bars and restaurants, open air amphitheater, exhibition grounds, guest chalet, about eight in number in a traditional settings well furnished with air conditions.

    At the premises of the chalet, there are mini zoos with tortoise of about 152, 182 years old and so on.

    Other facilities include: conference hall, meeting rooms with multimedia facilities, business centres with internet facilities, souvenir shops and children play ground.

    Zuma villa is also a convention centre with both open air and indoor facilities for conferences and exhibition under traditional settings; consisting of an indoor theater with a capacity of 300 for conference and stage performance, supported by meeting rooms for smaller meetings with multi-media facilities.

    The flagship is a large open Air Amphitheater with the capacity for 5,000 seaters’ spectators for traditional sporting event such as traditional wrestling, boxing, as well as cultural performances. The main bowl is deal for exhibitions and big congresses.

    Zuma villa will be hosting the centenary celebration in January 2014 to mark the hundred years of Nigeria’s amalgamation.

     

  • LIE and our ‘Oga at the Rock’

    LIE and our ‘Oga at the Rock’

    There is a particular road in the South West that tells the story of a leader that lacks vision, that has no style nor the grit and wits of leadership. This leader is not sagacious or dynamic nor does he have the capacity for service delivery. That road is the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. For the purpose of convenience, and possibly, some poetic mischief, let us call it LIE.

    In order to put the story of LIE in perspective, let us do a re-cap of its recent journey into decline. In May 2009, the Yar’Adua administration concessioned the road to Wale Babalakin’s Bi-Courtney and for almost four years the company exhibited its incompetence in road construction and its efficiency in propaganda management by installing bill-boards with nauseating and deceitful messages at different locations along the road. The bill-boards on the road were more than the workmen at the site. Press statements were more than asphalt. Visits to stakeholders to solicit their cooperation were more than the number of project inspections. The company was engaged in series of conflicts with the Ogun State government, a major stakeholder in the project. The company was visible, the CEO was ubiquitous. Wale Babalakin made so much noise in newspapers and appeared on so many T.V talk-shows flaunting his credentials on road construction and his company’s capacity to fund the project. It was not long before the entire nation came to discover that Bi-Courtney’s claim that it possessed the professional and financial capability to fix LIE was nothing but corporate lie.

    In November last year, the federal government told the nation the whole truth about LIE. The government not only revoked the agreement between it and the company, it went ahead to award the contract to Julius Berger and RCC even though the details were not made known. Since then nothing has been heard or done about LIE until about two weeks ago when the Federal Ministry of Works ran a full page advertorial in some national newspapers to explain the situation to the nation. It reminded the people that the federal government has not reneged on its promise to fix the road but that the delay in fixing it has been caused by government’s adherence to due process. Going by this advertorial, the nation should not expect any major work on the road this year. Because the next advertorial by the government will try to justify why the contract cannot be awarded during rainy season or why major work cannot commence on the road this year.

    LIE, as it is today, is a good narrative of national decay, leadership deficit and vacuity, contractual betrayal and failed promises, infrastructural paucity and visible depravity, political deception and economic declivities. Every inch of LIE soars in falsehood. It is meant to be an expressway but this is the most obvious lie about LIE. There is nothing ‘express’ about the road. The truth is that it has become a glorified service road for the scattered settlements and communities that line along its routes. And if we indulge ourselves in conventional delusion by calling it “expressway”, can’t Jonathan see that this ‘express’ is in serious distress? What is ‘express’ about a road on which motorists spend three to four hours on a regular basis for a trip that should not take more than 10 to 15 minutes? Or what is the distance between Mowe and Alausa that workers who live in Mowe and work in Lagos Secretariat, Alausa, will be spending two to three hours before getting to their office?

    What is “express” in a road that people cross every minute? Since there is no pedestrian bridge, it is a common sight to see people living in the communities crossing the road as soon as they are discharged on the road by the commuter buses. It is only normal for motorists to reduce their speed or stop for the people to cross. The situation becomes alarming during major programmes of the churches along the road. What is “express” about a road which the various settlements and communities along it use for their market day or where street traders hawk fried snails, plantain chips and other assortment of snacks?

    In which civilised country do you find an expressway with 20 to 25 bus stops in its first 50 kilometres? Between the Lagos toll gate and the Redemption Camp, which is a distance of 46 kilometres, you have virtually every settlement along the road having its own bus stop with “Berger”, Warewa, Arepo, Magboro, Ibafo, Asese and Mowe being the major ones. What can one also say about the trailers and tankers that park negligently and arrogantly on the road while the government feigns ignorance and helplessness.

    In which country do you find an expressway with such volume of traffic that is as high as 15 to 20 vehicles per kilometre? The rate of accidents on that road both major and minor is conservatively put at 5 to 7 per day. And in most cases when there is a major accident involving trailers or fuel tankers, the traffic is always at a standstill for hours with motorists on the alert to sprint in case of any explosion. I am sure the Federal Road Safety Commission would have lost count of the number of innocent souls that have been lost on that road.

    LIE is a strategic road of carnage ambience. LIE is a congested road of trucking carnival. LIE connects the South West to other geo-political zones. LIE unites the diverse nationalities in commerce, politics and facilitates social networking between the citizens in the North and the citizens in the South.

    The Fulani herdsman in the North moves his cows to the Yoruba man in the South West through LIE. The Igboman in the East moves his goods to the sales points in Lagos through LIE. Tankers from Lagos conveying fuel to other parts of the country do so through LIE. LIE has become an embarrassing emblem of unity binding us together as citizens of this country and bonding us to one another. LIE has become a metaphor of false oneness that makes it difficult for us to tell our leaders the truth about the sickening condition of LIE.

    For Jonathan, LIE is a symbol of failure. Those who flatter Jonathan with extraordinary wits need to see the condition of LIE in order to come to terms with the reality of Jonathan’s caducity. No serious nation, nay, no serious leadership that is desirous of development will watch helplessly for many years the deterioration of a road as strategic as LIE. On a daily basis, citizens waste many man-hours on that road because the government has refused to fix it appropriately. When a road as strategic as LIE drains between four to six hours of citizens’ productive time, there is a direct consequence of this on national productivity and the nation’s GDP. A responsible and responsive leadership should know that its economy is in serious jeopardy if its infrastructure is in a state of decay with no immediate remedy in sight. Between the government and the citizens, LIE is an incontrovertible evidence of a breach of social contract.

    This is the price a leader pays when he decides to play politics with Citizens, welfare. What stops Jonathan from convening a stakeholders’ parley comprising the presidency, the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Edo, for the purpose of proffering viable solutions to the menace of the road? But Jonathan has decided to play the superman by trying to fix it all alone forgetting that LIE is a national burden that has held us hostage irrespective of our geo-political identities. And until we unlock the truth about LIE, everyone of us will remain captive to stagnation and hostage to progress.

    Agreed that LIE is a federal road, but are these states not part of the federation? So, what does Jonathan stand to lose if the federal government and these states come together to fix the road to international standard? Now, the greed and zeal to take the credit alone has caused him credibility deduction with citizens particularly those who use the road regularly tagging his administration a monumental failure for its inability to perfect an ordinary LIE.

    Of recent, I have developed an inexplicable fascination for roads, I mean good roads. This possibly explains why I have suddenly become an adventurous tourist visiting some of the states that have embarked on massive road constructions. I have gone round most of the roads in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo. I am yet to go to Edo, Ogun and Ondo. But from what I have seen that the governors of Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti have done on roads, I am convinced that if President Jonathan shoves politics aside and meets with these governors, the whole problem of LIE will become history. For him to know that one is not exaggerating the performance of these governors in road construction, let him pay a visit to the Lagos-Badagry Expressway and see the magic Babatunde Fashola is working on that road. He will marvel at the transformation of a federal road by the Lagos State Government.

    A quarter of the energy and attention that Jonathan invests in the politics of Bayelsa and Rivers States could have been channelled to the rehabilitation or total re-construction of LIE. When a leader engages in diversionary activities by shifting focus from what is concrete to frivolities, it is either he has no idea of what to do or he has completely lost his bearing as a leader. All the distractions that Jonathan creates for himself show that he does not appreciate the enormity of leading a nation that is as complex as Nigeria. The challenges facing the nation are too daunting and do not in anyway leave space for the President to while away his time in scaffolding politics. Without attempting to exculpate Jonathan from his own unfitness, it is a shame that 14 years into democracy, Nigeria has no template for responsible governance and dynamic leadership that could liberate the nation from the bondage of LIE.

     

     

    •Thomas, A former Special Aide to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, teaches History and International Studies at the Lagos State University.