The Project Director of ongoing Agricultural Empowerment Training Scheme, Mr. Oluwaseyi Bamigbade, has said the training in Lagos State would be replicated in all the Southwest states.
He said it would enable the participants to deepen their knowledge in vegetable production, cassava, wheat and rice processing including marketing techniques both locally and internationally.
He spoke during the presentation of certificate to 125 beneficiaries in Agege, Lagos.
Bamigbade said the training would allow the participants to understand the best way of rearing domestic animals and cat-fish production.
This, he added, would further reduce high level of importation of foods and other domestic products.
A participant, Omotola Blessing Adedayo, a graduate of Agric-extension at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State praised the Lagos State Government for established such training, saying the training will make the beneficiaries become self-reliant.
He urged other governors in the region to imbibe the initiative.
Farming, Adedayo said, is the only way to address the economic problems in the country.
Tag: Southwest
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Agric training ’ll go round Southwest
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Southwest PDP hails judgment
The Southwest Zonal chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed an Ado-Ekiti Federal High Court judgment sacking the factional exco loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose.
It said the verdict signaled an end to impunity, abuse of party constitution and one-man dictatorship in Ekiti PDP.
The National Vice-Chairman (Southwest), Makanjuola Ogundipe, said the zonal leadership welcomed the judgment, which he said would reposition the state chapter and make the platform attractive to politicians and the electorate.
The court, on Tuesday, sacked the Gboyega Oguntuase-led exco and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Williams Ajayi-led exco.
Ogundipe hailed the court for doing justice and rescuing it from the governor’s stranglehold.
He accused Fayose of sending prominent leaders and members away from the party.
“When you find a leader who does not trust any follower, that kind of leader should not be trusted.
“We want to thank the judiciary for coming to our party’s rescue in Ekiti and we believe that this judgment will help us move forward.”
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Southwest PDP urges Sheriff, Makarfi to reconcile
The National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (South-West), Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, has urged the actional chairmen, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to reconcile their differences in the interest of the party.
In a statement in Lagos, Ogundipe urged both leaders to convince the teaming PDP faithful and Nigerians that they meant well for the party.
He said the South West PDP recognised Sheriff and Makarfi as leaders, sadding that the electoral success of the party should be their priority.
Ogundipe added:“It will be of great interest if our warring leaders reconcile today and begin to move the party forward.
“These distinguished Nigerians have proved their point. It is time to convince the teeming PDP faithful that they meant well for the party.”
While chiding those who instigated the crisis, Ogundipe said the true leaders are those still holding on to the party.
He said: “It is on this strength that we commend the neutrality of the Chairman of the South West Contact and Mobilisation Committee, Senator Buruji Kashamu, for making sure the party is returned to its old winning self, with no victor and vanquished.
“What the crisis cost us in Edo and Ondo governorship elections were enough prices to be paid. As we approach Ekiti and Osun electoral engagements, we don’t want to suffer the same fate as posterity will not forgive us.”
The zonal leader described the PDP as a viable alternative party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the proposed mega party may be as a result of the lingering instability in the PDP.
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Southwest leaders demand more action from Fed Govt
Southwest All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders held yesterday a “crucial” meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
They resolved to:
- unite and press for more dividends of democracy for the region; and
- defend the legacies of the zone as the centerpiece of the progressive political ideology, which gave birth to a new Federal Government during the 2015 general elections.
At the Southwest Stakeholders and Elders’ Meeting, which was chaired by the former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the leaders also agreed to shelve personal differences and project the interest of the region under the progressive banner.
APC chieftains at the meeting included Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC National Deputy Chairman Chief Segun Oni, National Deputy Vice Chairman Chief Pius Akinyelure, former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba and his Ekiti State counterpart, Otunba Niyi Adebayo.
The six ministers from the zone—Mrs Kemi Adeosun (Finance), Adebayo Shittu (Communication), Babatunde Fashola (Works, Power and Housing), Prof, Isaac Adewole (Health), Prof. Cladius Daramola (Minister of State for Niger Delta ), and Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals) -held a four-hour closed door meeting with the governors and APC leaders.
The Southwest National Assembly Caucus was represented at the meeting by Senator Sola Adeyeye and House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila.
APC National Legal Adviser Dr. Muiz Banire and Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is from Kwara State, Northcentral Zone, were also invited to the meeting.
A source close to Ajimobi, who hosted the leaders at the Agodi State House, said 23 leaders were invited to the “crucial” meeting. However, only House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf, who is out of the country, was absent.
Akande, who shed light on the meeting on telephone, said: “The purpose of today’s meeting is to let the Southwest office holders at the state and federal levels; the governors and ministers; to meet face to face with the leadership of the party and assure the Southwest people of what they will benefit from the APC-led Federal Government.”
He added: “The Southwest is the home of the progressives and the thinking about the merger started from the Southwest and we want to make sure that positive change will come to the Southwest from the APC Federal Government. That is the motive.”
He dismissed insinuations that the meeting was summoned to reconcile some of the leaders, saying that the elders were not aware of any rift among the stakeholders.
Akande maintained that what was paramount was the unity of the progressive leaders on the platform of the APC in the zone and how the functionaries could attract the benefit of welfare to Yorubaland.
Osoba told reporters, shortly after the parley, that “critical issues affecting the Southwest in the APC” were discussed at the meeting, stressing that the leaders wanted to build a more formidable front to command strength and respect in national affairs.
He said the meeting did not discuss the 2019 polls, saying that the agenda was restricted to the unity of the zone and the need to resolve its developmental challenges.
The former governor said: “We met principally to discuss all the things that may be affecting Southwest and we have come out with a resolution to show that in the Southwest APC, there is unity of purpose and that the leadership is one.
“We have resolved on all the issues that may be affecting governance of this country and what should be the role and influence that we should exercise as a group in the interest of this county and for the progress of this country.”
Osoba said the party leaders had fruitful discussions with the governors and ministers, adding that the interface will be a continuous exercise.
He stressed: “We have examined the government that we were all involved in bringing about and we have resolved all the issues and all those that will be taken to Abuja will be taken to Abuja by those concerned. We have related with our legislative members, leaders at the party level and we have related with our governors.
“I can assure you that, from now on, there will be total harmony and consultation among our governors for the progress of the Southwest. The Southwest is the leader of progressives in this country and we are determined to reassert our influence in the progressive politics of this country for the betterment of Nigeria.”
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Shippers’ Council gets Southwest coordinator
The Nigeria Shippers’ Council has appointed Olurotimi Anifowose as the zonal coordinator for its Southwest Zonal Coordinating Office.
He replaces Tolulope Jaiyeola, who was redeployed to the council’s corporate head office in Lagos.
Anifowose joined the council in 1992 as Public Relations Officer 1. He conceptualised and implemented its corporate communications strategies till 2010, when he took over as head, Industrial Relations & Welfare Services.
A 1988 graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, and later University of Lagos in 1991, Anifowose will coordinate the functions and activities of the council in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Kwara states.
He has attended workshops, conferences and seminars locally and internationally, and is a member of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), International Dispute Resolution and Energy Institute of Nigeria, among others.
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Hope rising for Southwest
My heart is full of joy today. No, I did not win a lottery and nothing has changed in my personal circumstance. Indeed, given the uncertainties of life following the general election in my adopted and beloved country, there is plenty to worry a reflective mind. But with the one who can take control of everything and calm the tide and turbulence of life in charge, worrying is unwarranted.
I have joy in my heart because something great and desirable is finally happening in my native land as hope rises for the West. “It is God’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.”
Between October 7 and October 21, 2016 I did a three-part series on “Rethinking Southwest priorities.” In the second part, I argued that our political leaders, who have been favoured by providence as the Joshuas of our time, must lead our people with vision to the Promised Land. The best way to do so, I observed, is to remove the artificial boundaries that stand in the way of regional development. I submitted as follows:
“It was because I believe strongly that we must find a creative way of blurring the sharp and dangerous edges that the artificial boundaries between states have created, and remove the wedges that had effectively blocked the development of the entire region that I and other well-meaning citizens welcomed the emergence of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) a bold initiative of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) a few years ago.
For no matter the divisions, the people of Southwest are one and their leaders, no matter what the temptations are, must refrain from putting them asunder. States are supposedly created for administrative purposes. They must not be used in a way that retards growth or limit the opportunities for the people, and certainly never in a way that tears apart the fabric of the Yoruba nation.
In the light of the difference between the past and the present Southwest in terms of the transition from one region to six states, what adjustments need to be made to ensure that the people still matter and their social and economic interests are enhanced?
Voluntary regional integration must be the policy objective of the leaders of the states and region and party affiliation must not stand in the way of this important ideal. Years ago, I made this point in a keynote address to Egbe Omo Yoruba National Convention that took place in Baltimore, Maryland. It was also part of my submission when I gave the Bola Ige Memorial Lecture a few years ago. DAWN had not been established in those days, and the partisan war over rigged elections was still very much fierce. The challenge was for victims to accept the leadership of those who stole their mandate and work with them for the integration of the region. Happily, that war is over and political enemies of the past now wine and dine together on the same political table.
What needs to be overcome now is fiefdom mentality and leadership temptation to resist cross-fertilisation of ideas and practices across territorial boundaries.”
I never doubted the leadership credentials of our governors and political leaders. Neither did I question their patriotic fervour. The joy in my heart today is that my assumptions have been proved true and my argument in the series has been determined to be valid and sound.
I had challenged our political leaders on the general issue of regional integration for economic development. I also challenged my dynamic governors Ajimobi and Aregbesola of Oyo and Osun states respectively on the LAUTECH crisis. A week later, I read about their meeting which resolved the crisis with an affirmation of the joint ownership of the institution by their two states. I sent both congratulatory messages in appreciation of their mature leadership. That was another excellent example of responsive governance.
On the general issue of regional integration, I have always been aware of the strong commitment of our leaders to the concept. The challenge has been the frustrating combination of a willing spirit and a weak body. Yet the real solution for finding strength for the weakness of the body has ironically been to take the plunge and challenge the body. That is what has just occurred, thanks again to the recognition by the governors that a desperate time such as this needs a desperate solution.
As I browse gleefully through the communique issued at the end of their conference on November 21, 2016, I could not resist calling our leader, Chief Adebisi Akande, to share my ecstatic state of mind with him. I was particularly thrilled that the governors affirmed the principle championed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo that the sole purpose of government is the welfare of the people. This is expressed brilliantly as the first item on the communique: “That the optimum interest of the Yoruba people should be the prime focus of the six state governments at all times, and that all politics within the region must henceforth be guided by the philosophy of politics of development.”
Governor Ajimobi’s welcome statement set the ball rolling: “Let’s face it. We cannot continue to pretend that we can deal with the issues confronting our region and her people on a case-by-case, insular State basis. It will not work…State by state solutions, desirable as they might seem, are no longer enough. The capacity to optimise the space for development lies in collective thinking and actions, as well as effective collaborative governance.”
Other resolutions in the communique are equally noteworthy and praiseworthy:
“That regional cooperation, synergy and economies of scale are critical to the development of the region.
“That good intentions are not enough unless backed by sincerity of purpose and commitment to action.
“That the prosperity of any constituent part of the region is ultimately negated if other parts are not similarly prosperous.
“That political difference should no longer be a barrier to the economic development of the region where the aggregate welfare of Yoruba people is concerned. All the states consequently agreed to work together within the framework of a people-centred development strategy.
“A regime of continuity, regularity and urgency of interaction was canvassed and agreed upon by the meeting. The present crop of governors therefore agreed to bequeath to their people a good legacy reflective of the visions of our founding fathers and common ancestors.
“The states also agreed to jointly embark on collaborative programmes in areas of common interest that require immediate action in the region. These include security, education, transportation infrastructure (roads, rail and water transportation), trade, commerce, agriculture and sports.
“That the DAWN Commission (the regional development agency for pursuing the regional integration agenda of the states of Western Nigeria, comprising Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo) should be vigorously strengthened to coordinate the regional development process.
“That the current Chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, should also serve as the chairman of the commission.
“DAWN Commission shall consequently develop programmes and activities along the identified areas of cooperation and bring them up for cooperative implementation.”
In a clear message of deviance to agents of destabilisation, and a courageous stand on the unity of the West, the governors boldly declared that “politics and external influence will not divide us.” What blood and historical ties have joined together, let no one attempt to put asunder.
This is what progressives have urged since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. That Governor Fayose saw it fit and morally obligatory to sit with his peers in the All Progressive Congress, and that Governor Mimiko, despite the partisan bickering that fills the air of Ondo can send his SSG to meet with his political opponents because they all recognise their blood ties and place a premium on the welfare of our people, must go down as the beginning of another glorious era of the Southwest.
I hope and pray that the new spirit of unity is sustained for the sake of the masses of our people whose lives would be positively impacted. The ball is now in the court of DAWN!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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Southwest governors meet today on economy
Southwest governors will meet today in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on the economic development of the region, it was learnt last night.
Expected are Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).
They are to discuss how to boost the infrastructure in the region and how the states can collaborate to improve the economy of the region, a source privy to the agenda of the meeting which is bipartisan, said.
“The ultimate goal is the economic integration of the region from Ondo State in the northern part to Lagos State in the South.
“States will have to lift each other up, working from their areas of strength. This has nothing to do with politics but the overall economic development of the Yoruba,” the source said.
For some time now, moves have been ongoing, led by some leaders in the region, for the states to collaborate to develop the economy of the region thorough a collaborative effort and integration.
Special Adviser Communication and Strategy to host Governor Ajmobi said the meeting was called at the instance of the Oyo State helmsman.
In a statement, Mr. Yomi Layinka explained that the meeting would discuss several issues of common concern in view of the challenging economic circumstances confronting the nation and its constituent parts.
He said, “These issues include security of lives and properties of all citizens and our peoples; the economic development of the states by leveraging on common resources and the competitive advantages of the region.
“Other issues to be discussed will include the identification and development of critical infrastructure, especially road networks and the need for a regional rail network for transportation of goods and services within the region.”
The statement added that the conversation would be facilitated by Director-General of the Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research, Prof. Dosu Adeyeye; Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission), Mr Dipo Famakinwa; and the Group Managing Director of O’odua Investments, Mr. Adewale Raji.
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Push to make Southwest regional food powerhouse
Regional economic growth is needed to reduce poverty and improve food security in the Southwest, some experts have said.
They spoke at the Southwest Agriculture Summit (SWAS) held at the Civic Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Its aim was to bring together states in the region to consolidate growth in the sector.
The theme was Achieving an agro-powered regional economy.
Stakeholders said harnessing regional strength in farming and food production would enhance sufficiency in the region.
The event was co-hosted by governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).
Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission Director-General Dipo Famakinwa stressed the need for stakeholders to approach the agriculture revitalisation effort from a prism of ‘One Bloc” as advocated by the commission.
According to him, it is only by working together that the states could maximally deploy and benefit from their vast agricultural potential.
He noted that the political leadership of the region was developing a strategy to deliver sustainable agri-food resilience, encompassing the whole farming spectrum from arable, horticulture, livestock, value from waste and innovative end-user training.
Declaring the event open, Ajimobi stated it was essential for stakeholders to discuss the survival strategy for the region. “Now is the time to go back and reconnect with our glorious heritage. Now is the time to let go of our terrible dependence on the unsustainable oil and gas resources – two commodities with expiry date”, he said.
Aregbesola said the forum would allow for knowledge sharing on regional policies that could be adopted to foster synergy and further improve the agricultural value chain. “As a matter of fact, what is happening here today is that the states and other practitioners and stakeholders have opted to share lessons on what has worked and what has not with a view to seeing how some of these success stories can lend themselves to a region-wide adoption,” Aregbesola said.
In his keynote address, Senior Lecturer, Lagos Business School, Dr Doyin Salami, gave an overview of the state of agriculture in Nigeria with emphasis on the Southwest.
He noted that oil had failed the nation and it was high time the country developed agriculture to ensure economic diversification.
He said Nigeria scored 39 per cent in food security matters in the Global Food Security Index, while Mexico and Brazil scored 65 per cent and 69 per cent.
In the past, he said, 70 per cent of Nigerians were involved in agriculture. But today, 97 per cent of foreign earnings are from oil.
In 2013, he said Nigeria earned over $80 billion from oil. However, this year, the estimated income would not exceed $30 billion. Nevertheless, there’s hope in agriculture as one of the five sectors that will continue to grow despite the recession. He also stated that there were three requirements to ensure that the system was revitalised. These include: human capital, availability of technology and resources.
He praised AgroNigeria and the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission for the epoch-making event.
Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ms Cynthia Mosunmola Umoru noted that oil, which had beclouded Nigeria’s planning process, would soon dry up. She lamented that Nigeria as a country has forgotten her heritage. ‘’When that oil which is taking our attention dries up, then we will think and concentrate on the most important alternative,” said Umoru, who is also a farmer.
The Chief Executive, AgroNigeria, Mr Richard-Mark Mbaram, expressed that it became necessary to hold such a summit in the spirit of agricultural renaissance in the country. ‘’We have gathered experts and stakeholders in agribusiness to brainstorm and discuss agriculture. The ultimate objective is to trigger a new development paradigm that will really have the sub-national governments and institutions have a major contribution in the con-ceptualisation, formation and implementation process of our country’s agricultural policies”.
The AgroNigeria boss pointed out that the private sector is also being galvanised to “play a more involved role in auditing policy implementation in agriculture by identifying the stress areas and proffering realistic and practical solution to same”.
Facilitator, Agric and Food Security Policy Commission of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Alhaji Fatai Afolabi, explained the different partnership models within which agribusiness can thrive.
He noted that privatisation if properly done, holds the key to turning erstwhile moribund agri-businesses in the southwest into viable entities – citing Okomu Oil Palm Company and the Okitipupa Oil Palm Companies as instances
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Rethinking Southwest priorities (3)
In the history of Egbe Omo Yoruba, U.S.A. and Canada, one of the great associations with an untiring focus on the unity and progress of Yoruba nation, this week is special.
Following the model of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, founded in London in 1947, Egbe Omo Yoruba was launched in the United States during the dreary days of military occupation of Nigeria. It was the response of concerned Yoruba patriots to the siege mentality created by the military, just as Egbe Omo Oduduwa was the forum that Chief Awolowo and his colleagues used to battle British colonial exploitation.
At its inception, Egbe Omo Yoruba, USA and Canada (henceforth referred to as Egbe); branded itself as an anti-military dictatorship and pro-democracy advocacy group for the restoration of the mandate that Nigerians overwhelmingly gave Chief M. K. O. Abiola on June 12, 1993. As such, it entered into alliance with other pro-democracy organisations, including NADECO Abroad, National Liberation Council of Nigeria (NALICON), United Democratic Front of Nigeria (UDFN) and the World Congress of Free Nigerians (WCFN).
With selfless frontline activities of prominent patriots including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the late Pa Anthony Enahoro, General Ipoola Akinrinade, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief C. O. Adebayo, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Leidum Mitee, and a host of others, these groups jointly and severally engaged in diplomatic offensives against military interests, crisscrossing the hallowed chambers of governance institutions in North America, Africa and Europe, leading to biting sanctions against the Abacha regime.
The groups demanded the release of political prisoners, including those incarcerated on false charges of phoney coup d’etat. Even when they knew that a few of the victims of military tyranny occupied an unfriendly political and ideological terrain, they defended them and fought for their release. Now, of course, those same individuals, acting true to type, would credit their survival exclusively to the kindness of foreign agents. Such is life.
At the end of the nightmare of military occupation in 1999, the Southwest, as the bastion of progressive governance and the battle front for the democratic war against military dictatorship, rewarded NADECO and its pro-democracy allies with an electoral mandate for the Alliance for Democracy to govern the six states of the region. It was a vindication of Afenifere for remaining true to the spirit of Chief Awolowo and his progressive ideas. Egbe issued a press release as a paid advertorial urging the new governments in the Southwest to stay the course.
But human frailty set in and the promise of a glorious dawn was broken even before it got started. In 16 years, with more resources at our disposal, we have not been able to achieve the equivalent of what the old West achieved in eight.
The Action Group of the 50s had the same ideological focus as the Alliance for Democracy of the late 90s. So, it wasn’t ideological difference that accounted for the failure. Rather, the challenge that dashed the hope of millions that looked upon the leadership to take them to the Promised Land was regrettable egoistic pettiness. Recall the debacle that was D’Rovans Hotel and its aftermath. The wisdom of the ancestors suggests that when the young focus on felling a tree in the bush, the elders must watch for and warn about its possible landing. The failure to abide by that wisdom created the unwholesome political and cultural environment that we have today.
In the wake of that crisis, Egbe sent a powerful delegation to the homeland in early 2002 to plead with every individual and group to embrace peace and pursue unity. The delegation visited with Afenifere, Yoruba Council of Elders, Governors and Odua Self-Determination groups. It was a clarion call without any selfish interest.
Egbe received assurances of a new era. But it went from bad to worse. Our people blamed it again on the curse of Aole. I have always considered that a phantom excuse and a reluctance to accept responsibility for our own weaknesses. Egbe does not give up on the challenging cause of Yoruba unity and progress. Hence its decision to take the message that it has been sending from its comfort zone in the diaspora back to the land of the ancestors.
This week fulfils a dream of the association to return to motherland. As the last stanza of its anthem reiterates, Omo Oduduwa ni wa/Nibikibi taa ba wa/E je ka fe ra wa/Ka si maa ranti pe/A o pada sile. (Oduduwa is our spring/wherever we may be/Let’s be kinsfolk/And remember/That home is home for us). The dream has always been to get back home, and this week, after more than 20 conventions across the United States and Canada, the Egbe is back home hosting the Yoruba World Summit with its theme, “Yoruba renaissance: Understanding our past to benefit the future.”
This summit couldn’t have been more timely, in view of all that is happening around us as a people. Indeed, the spiritually-inclined may, with justification, insist that the summit had been destined to be held this year rather than two years ago when a combination of unanticipated events, including the dreaded Ebola scare, caused its postponement. Whether destined or contrived, it is heartening that Egbe Omo Yoruba is back home with its message of unity and progress.
What is at stake is the unfulfilled dreams of millions of young people who have been compelled to a state of hopelessness that gives way to despair. The education that their nation cannot provide for them makes them incapable of productive work. And the void is filled for them by the destructive genius of the devil. In the remotest villages, elementary school pupils do drugs and engage in cultism. How a leadership that claims the inheritance of Awo can live with this and feel no unease about the terrible state of the nation is mind-boggling.
But as odious as the overall condition is, the most worrisome is the moral degeneration that has been the lot of the nation in the last four decades when it appears that the devil has taken control and the large majority of our people have chosen to do its bidding.
How else do we explain the callousness of adulterated and fake drugs that send innocent victims to untimely deaths? Or hospital workers who privatise public resources and then charge poor patients for their use? What about education officials who collude with principals and headmasters to create ghost teachers whose salaries they share? And these individuals are always the loudest in the raucous critique of government ineptitude!
What is to be done? Political leaders in the Southwest need to ask themselves the hard question: What will be my legacy? How do I wish to be remembered? In my quest for immortality, which individuals or groups should I partner with? There are sycophants and there are tested objectivists and the difference between them is very clear. Unfortunately, far too many of our leaders prefer the former. If the late author of The Tale of June 12, Professor Omoruyi, is to be believed, that mindset was the undoing of General Babangida who chose the sugar-coated poison of Arthur Nzeribe over the sound advice to avoid the annulment of the 1993 presidential election.
Organisations, such as Egbe Omo Yoruba are made up of selfless individuals who just want to contribute to the progress of their nation. They sacrifice their time and money. Back in 1997, the standing policy was that every member must pay his or her way to any meeting inside or outside of the United States. Many maxed out their credit card accounts for the good that they desire for their nation.
A few years ago, Egbe came up with the idea of championing agricultural revolution in Yorubaland. They looked for land across the Southwest. The Jegun of Ile Oluji, Oba Julius Adetimehin, responded by making available several hectares of land to Egbe and one of the highlights of the 2016 Yoruba Summit is the launching of Egbe Omo Yoruba agricultural project in Yorubaland. This patriotic gesture deserves the deep appreciation and encouragement of Yoruba men and women at home and in the diaspora.
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Deepening brand’s influence in Southwest
With market indices reflecting bad business for premium beers across all brands in Nigeria, leading brewers have been striving to remain on top in critical touch points. Goldberg is leveraging Fuji music as a springboard, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.
AMID dwindling patronage because of recession, many brands in the beer market have been finding it tough to stay afloat. In the last two years, the recession, according to sources, has forced some brands to stop their campaigns while some have not been able to start new ones.
However, while some premium brands cannot sustain the budget to continue brand activations targeting heavy spenders, some players have resorted to pushing valued brands, which are cheaper through activations targeted at some regional markets.
For instance, Nigerian Breweries’ Goldberg Lager Beer has consistently explored a Southwest musical genre, Fuji, to push its brand to edge competitors to the corner.
To remain a top-of-the-mind brand in the Southwest market, Goldberg in the last four years has sustained its Fuji t’o Bam campaign to checkmate other affordable brands through the promotion of the culture of the people of the Southwest Nigeria.
Launched in 2012 to discover and celebrate budding Fuji talents, the brand campaign has led to the discovery of many talents. For instance, a Fuji talent, Tope Ajani, after months of thrills and frills, emerged the Wura1 for the 2016 contest.
The campaign has also brought to the limelight young musicians, such as Akeem Okiki from Osogbo in Osun State, who won the 2015 edition; Twinzobia Twins from Ibadan, Oyo State (2014); and Antenna, winner of the first edition in 2013. The initiative identifies and celebrates the rich musical tradition that contributes to sustaining the cultural values of the people of the region.
The campaign was launched at a time the perception of people about the music genre was at its lowest ebb. According to brand analysts, the concept has lived up to expectation as many budding artistes have been discovered through the platform, thus, building the brand’s popularity and acceptability.
Some of the promising Fuji artistes, who spoke with The Nation at an audition in Ibadan, for this year’s contest, said the credibility of the brand activation motivated them to participate. According to them, the annual activation has served as an impetus for young artistes who, hitherto, had lost hope in building career in Fuji music. They said the brand had carved a niche for itself with the annual talent hunt, which has placed Fuji music in the spotlight in Nigeria and beyond.
One of them, Oritoke Adija (a.k.a Africa Selidon), who has been singing since 1998, said Fuji musicians in Ibadan appreciated the contribution Goldberg was making to develop the music genre.
Oritoke, the only woman contestant, who participated in the race in Ibadan, said any time Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria (FUMAN) called for meetings, artistes were always asked to pray for Nigerian Breweries.
During a Goldberg maiden Fuji Roundtable in Lagos, the Corporate Media & Brand Public Relation Manager, Nigerian Breweries, Patrick Olowookere, said Nigerian Breweries respected the socio-cultural values of its host communities.
“As part of our efforts towards community development anywhere we operate, Goldberg, in 2012, inaugurated Fuji t’o Bam; we respect people’s cultures and values and this forum is a testament of our resolute determination to contribute to the socio-cultural development of the people in the western part of our nation,” he said.
Impressed by the support the brewer is giving to Fuji music, Chairman, National Project Committee of the Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria, Sikiru Ayinde Agboola (a.k.a SK Sensation), commended Goldberg Lager Beer.
Agboola said the support by Goldberg was second to none and should be emulated by other companies in the country.
He said Fuji was the only surviving genre of music that has its origin in Nigeria, and stakeholders needed to seek ways through which the genre could be further developed.
The Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Emmanuel Agu, said the brewer always tried to champion, promote and associate with the culture of its host communities.