www.thisnigeria.com thisnigeria1 The credible print and online newspaper ThisNigeriaVol.1.Vol.1. No No 42 16 N200 N200 N2001 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Editorial ZUMA: Lessons from South Africa The recent conviction of former South African President, Jacob Zuma for misconduct, is no ordinary feat. It is, indeed, an eye-opener. Zuma was jailed by a Constitutional Court over Monday, January 4 – January 10, 2021 alleged misconduct in corruption scandals that PG 3 The clampdown •Please, tread with caution –Nigerians to FG on Kanu, Igboho PG 14 PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL Wike’s ‘magic’ in Opobo Give us kingdom •Island now accessible •Niger-Deltamore... host communities say 2.5-5% allocation by road after 150 years insulting, deceitful •It’s in order –lawmakers PG 15 PG 10

L-R: Former Governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia; former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Adamu Maina Waziri; Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; Amayanabo of Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja and Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry- The historic Opobo bridge Banigo during the inauguration of Opobo/Nkoro Road on Saturday. 2 ThisNigeria Newsinpictures Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

4 From left: United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, during the National Consolidatory Dialogue for the UN Food System Summit, in Abuja

Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede (L), with the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, during a pre-mobilisation workshop for NYSC 2021 Batch ‘B’ members in Abuja

View of the newly renovated Rehabilitation Centre at Iriebe the inauguration in Rivers State

. From left: President, Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Vicky Irabor; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor; Chairman of the Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Nadeem Raza and his wife, Begum, during a gala night in honour of the visiting Pakistani chief in Abuja

From left: Former governor of Rivers State, Mr Celestine Omehia; Gov. Nyesom Wike; Senator Zainab Kure; and Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Mrs Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, during the inauguration of Rivers State Rehabilitation Centre at Iriebe in Obi/Akpo Local Government Area, Rivers State.

Yoruba traditionalists at the Lagos rally by supporters of ‘Yoruba Nation’

From left: Clerk of Senate, Mr Ibrahim El-Ladan Dauda; Clerk, House of Representatives, Mr Chinedu Akubueze; Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Olatunde Amos; Chairman, Planning Committee and Permanent Secretary, Inter-parliamentary and Protocol, National Assembly (NASS), Elder Felix Orumwense; and Clerk, Forum of Clerks of Nigeria Legislatures (FOCON)/Clerk, Delta State House of Assembly, Mrs Lyda Ochdor, during a FOCON Meeting, in Abuja Police dispersing ‘Yoruba Nation’ protesters using teargas and water canons at Ojota, Lagos ThisNigeria 3 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Zuma: Lessons from South Africa dogged his ten years in power, before attempts to incite the public against has been held accountable for their OUR VISION standing down in 2019. the courts and ‘’positioned himself as misdemeanours after they left. To be Nigeria and Africa’s a nemesis of the judiciary, which is a foremost print and He bagged a 15-month conviction over critical custodian of the democratic Even at lower levels, people manage digital newspaper brand, his conduct in trial over some alleged order.’’ to find their way round the law here in projecting our country and 800 corruption charges before and Nigeria, and we say the time has come continent in their authentic after he became president. The constitutional court said it had no for that to end if we must firm up our colours to the world option than to either bend to Zuma’s democracy. At the Pietermaritzburg High Court megalomania, or uphold the rule of OUR MISSION where the sentence was handed law. It is noteworthy how the corruption down to him, Zuma said he was trial went. It shows that in a country To deliver high-quality ‘disappointed’ by the court’s decision Zuma’s conviction is a lesson to other that is on the same plane battling for journalism through our to jail him. leaders in Nigeria in particular, and leadership in Africa, there is a better print and digital platforms Africa in general; that nobody is above consideration for due process. in objective, unbiased Reports over the weekend indicate the law. and credible manner, that that he is now seeking for a way to The case went on without disturbing guarantees justice, equity have the sentence quashed. The former South African leader evidence of undue interference. and fairness to all brazenly defied the law, even in the But throughout his trial, the former face of possible imprisonment. Had it been in Nigeria, such a high THISNIGERIA South African leader cut the image profile case of corruption would have MEDIA COMPANY of a leader who tried to evade Zuma was president for more than been truncated by primordialism, accountability for siphoning the public ten years in power, but that was ethnicity, religious consideration, and Eric Osagie purse while in office. not enough to absolve him from the what have you. Publisher and CEO disgrace that trailed his misconduct in He put up all manner of theatrics but power. People would simply queue behind to frustrate the trial but the judiciary their kinsman or woman, in the he-is- was not swayed. There are several lessons Nigerians our-kinsman manner. There have been can learn from the Zuma trial. many instances of that. Delivering the majority judgment, Justice Sisi Khampepe said: “I am not In fact, it may be an item of news In fact, the moment some powerful Editorial in the habit of playing my cards close to learn that a Nigerian president leaders are arraigned in our courts, the Charles Abah to my chest, let me, at this earliest is convicted in court, especially for next thing you see on the streets are Kassim Omomia opportunity, state that Mr Zuma has corruption or other vice. None has ‘my people’ demonstrating in support of Mudiaga Affe earned himself a punitive sanction of ever been. misconduct. That should no longer be. Online Adekunle Aliyu direct and unsuspended sentence.” We know that our presidents are The same goes for the affluent and Technical Zuma was convicted for what was not tried while in office because of powerful here, there will do everything Vincent Chukwuka termed ‘’wrongful behaviour guided the immunity clause, but it is hard imaginable to frustrate trial; non- Graphics by thought-out by a long-term to understand why none of them appearance in the court; faking Jonathan Agboola strategy.’’ sicknesses, among others, just to evade Accounts Blessing Nwosu trial and the long arm of the law. Sales & Distribution Zuma tried to extricate himself from John Okpaire the doctrine of equality before the We can also learn from the astuteness Advert / Marketing law. We know that our of the judicial officers; that they were The Media Post sworn on the right side of the rule of The judge concluded that Zuma’s presidents are not law and principle of equity. conduct, if not checked, would do tried while in office significant damage to the rule of law because of the No one is saying that there are no down Contributing Editors/ because of impunity. sides to the judiciary in South Africa. Special Columnists immunity clause, But we stand to gain an understanding that such a precedent from a fellow Mike Ozekhome, SAN, PhD During trial, he also made but it is hard to Issa Aremu, mni inflammatory and offensive statements understand why none African country can assist to curb a Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN towards judges, Zuma apparently monstrous tendency back home. Sam Kargbo thought that the judges were only all of them has been held out to denounce him as part of a jail- accountable for their The era of impunity for such corruption at-all-cost political conspiracy. and vices in public offices should fast be misdemeanours after gone, if we want to bequeath a better According to reports, Zuma also made they left future for the coming generation. 4 ThisNigeria NewsAfrica Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Sierra Leone re-imposes curfew amid COVID-19 third wave All Africa ierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has reimposed a nationwide curfew as part Sof new measures aimed at curbing rising Covid-19 cases. President Bio, in a televised ad- dress on State broadcaster SLBC on Monday, said the month-long curfew would run from 11pm to 5am. He also banned congregational worship for a month, starting last Friday, and said restaurants and bars will close at 9pm daily. The President also announced that funerals, weddings and all other social events will have a maximum of 50 par- ticipants. The country is grappling with a third wave, which the government says has seen both infections and fatalities rise exponentially. Data from the National Covid-19 Emergency Re- sponse Center (NaCOVERC) show that Sierra Le- one has recorded its highest numbers in June.

President Bio said the new anti-virus measures NaCOVERC says is fueling the third wave talised and 72 percent of beds in treatment and were based on experts’ advice, following careful care centers are occupied. More people are dying data analysis. He also noted the existence of the “More people have tested positive for Covid-19 in and the western area is the epicentre of the latest deadlier ‘Delta’ variant of the coronavirus, which the last few weeks. More people have been hospi- infections,” the President said in his address. “We have assessed the data and carefully exam- ined patterns of infection. We have closely looked at the trends. We believe we must take urgent France resumes joint military steps to stem this third wave of the pandemic in Sierra Leone and thus save lives and protect liveli- hood.” President Bio also reiterated calls for the operations in Mali public to trust the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine Aljazeera for Malian security forces and for the African Union and get the jab. rance has announced it will resume joint and the Economic Community of West African military operations in Mali after suspending States (ECOWAS) to suspend Mali. them early last month following the West Af- F Mali and France play key roles in the fight against Constitutional Court rican country’s second coup in less than a year. a bloody insurgency plaguing the Sahel region. France has about 5,100 troops in the Sahel under its agrees to attend to Following consultations with the Malian transi- Barkhane operation across five countries – Burkina tional authorities and the countries of the region, Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. France “decided to resume joint military opera- Zuma’s application tions as well as national advisory missions, which On June 10, French President Emmanuel Macron n a shocking turn of events, the Constitutional had been suspended since June 3”, the armed announced a major drawdown of France’s military Court will hear former President Jacob Zuma’s forces minister said in a statement. presence in the Sahel where forces have been bat- Irescission application on Monday, tling rebel groups for nearly a decade. The decision to suspend the joint operations came Jacob Zuma applied for a stay of execution of the after Mali’s military strongman Assimi Goita, who Macron said the existing Barkhane operation would order for his arrest on Sunday following his con- led last year’s coup, overthrew the country’s civil- end, with France’s presence becoming part of the viction and sentencing to 15 months in jail for ian transitional president and prime minister. so-called Takuba international task force in which contempt of Court in the Constitutional court on “hundreds” of French soldiers would form the back- Tuesday. That move sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting bone.That Takuba force currently numbers about the United States to suspend security assistance 600 troops, half of whom are French. He also filed an application in the Constitutional Court for the rescission of its contempt of court order against him. He has asked the Pietermaritz- burg High Court for a stay of execution of the order for his arrest pending the outcome of his rescission application. Zuma argued in his rescission application that he would be the first person to be sent to jail by the Constitutional Court since the dawn of democra- cy in the country. He said he had not attended the Zondo Commission on the scheduled days, solely due to his medical condition. Zuma was expected to surrender himself to the Nkandla or Johannesburg central police station as per Constitutional Court ruling. He was found guilty of contempt of court for refusing to appear before the Zondo Commission and was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. France forces ThisNigeria 5 Newsworld Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Saudi Arabia suspends UAE flights due to virus variant Aljazeera from authorities”. The decision was taken due to audi Arabia has said it is suspending flights “the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus pandemic to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia and the spread of a new mutated strain of the vi- and Vietnam to protect against a coronavirus rus”, it added, without explicitly mentioning the S increasingly globally emergent Delta variant. variant. The move announced on Saturday came seven weeks after the kingdom permitted fully immun- First detected in India and now present in at least ised citizens to travel abroad following a ban on 85 countries, Delta is the most contagious of any foreign trips that lasted more than a year. coronavirus variant yet identified. The UAE – a popular leisure destination for many Saudi Arabi- Flights to the three countries will be halted from ans, especially Dubai – announced last week it had Sunday at 11pm, the state news agency SPA quot- recorded cases of the Delta variant and it had sus- ed an interior ministry official as saying. Saudi citi- pended flights to and from India. zens and residents returning from these countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days, it added. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has put major limits on the annual Hajj pilgrimage. It has officially record- Citizens would be banned “from travelling directly ed more than 490,000 cases of coronavirus, includ- Mohammed Barkindo, OPEC Secretary General or indirectly, without obtaining prior permission ing nearly 7,850 deaths. OPEC to resume talks after UAE roadblock today

Aljazeera PEC+ will resume talks on Monday after fail- ing to reach a deal on oil output policy for a Osecond day running on Friday because the United Arab Emirates blocked some aspects of the pact. The standoff could delay plans to pump more oil through the end of the year to cool oil prices that have soared to two-and-a-half-year highs. Without a deal, the OPEC+ alliance could keep tighter restraints on output with oil prices now trading around $75 a barrel, up more than 40 per- cent this year. Consumers want more crude to aid a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise in oil prices is contributing to global infla- Suspended UAE flights staff, due to COVID-19 tion, slowing the economic recovery from the coro- navirus crisis. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Pe- Ransomware hits US companies, security firm troleum Exporting Countries, Russia and their al- might be. Kaseya urged customers in a statement lies, voted on Friday to increase output by around AP 2 million barrels per day (bpd) from August to ransomware attack paralyzed the networks of on its website to immediately shut down servers running the affected software. It said the attack December 2021 and to extend remaining cuts to at least 200 U.S. companies last Friday. The the end of 2022, instead of ending in April 2022, REvil gang, a major Russian-speaking ransom- was limited to a “small number” of its customers. A OPEC+ sources said. ware syndicate, appears to be behind the attack, said John Hammond of the security firm Huntress Brett Callow, a ransomware expert at the cybersecuri- ty firm Emsisoft, said he was unaware of any previous The UAE agreed to release more oil into the mar- Labs. He said the criminals targeted a software sup- ket but refused to support the extension of the plier called Kaseya, using its network-management ransomware supply-chain attack on this scale. There have been others, but they were fairly minor, he said. cuts. Responding to oil demand destruction caused package as a conduit to spread the ransomware by the COVID crisis, OPEC+ agreed last year to cut through cloud-service providers. Other researchers output by almost 10 million bpd from May 2020, agreed with Hammond’s assessment. “This is SolarWinds with ransomware,” he said. He was referring to a Russian cyberespionage hacking with plans to phase out the curbs by the end of campaign discovered in December that spread by April 2022. Cuts now stand at about 5.8 million “Kaseya handles large enterprise all the way to infecting network management software to infiltrate bpd. small businesses globally, so ultimately, (this) has U.S. federal agencies and scores of corporations. the potential to spread to any size or scale busi- If the UAE blocks a deal, the remaining cuts would ness,” Hammond said “This is a colossal and devas- Cybersecurity researcher Jake Williams, president likely stay in place, although there is a slim chance tating supply chain attack.” of Rendition Infosec, said he was already working the pact could fall apart and all countries could with six companies hit by the ransomware. It’s no pump as much as they wanted. Alternatively, the Such cyberattacks typically infiltrate widely used accident that this happened before the Fourth of group could agree to increase output to the end of software and spread malware as it updates auto- July weekend, when IT staffing is generally thin, 2021 but postpone discussion about extending the matically. It was not immediately clear how many “There’s zero doubt in my mind that the timing deal beyond April 2022. OPEC+ sources said UAE Kaseya customers might be affected or who they here was intentional,” he said. had proposed this. 6 ThisNigeriaThisNigeria 17 Monday NovemberMonday 23 – November July 5, – 29,July 2020 11 2021 ThisNigeria 7 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 8 ThisNigeria Business Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

NPA partners LASG on ‘Operation Green’ project he Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is collaborating with the TLagos State Government and relevant security agencies toward commencing a full-scale clean-up op- eration at the two Lagos Ports.

The exercise tagged “360 Degrees Cargo Clearance”, is expected to commence on Monday, July 5, 2021, according to a statement signed by Mr Olaseni Alakija, NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications. It said that the exercise would cover all entry approaches to the Tin Can Island Complex, Lagos Port Com- plex and Kirikiri Lighter Terminals I FIRS extends filing of 2020 tax and II. Also to be covered is the port corridor crisscrossing Tin Can–Co- conut–Sunrise–Mile 2–Orile–Ijora returns by one month Sifax–Ijora Olopa–Lilypond–Area B– Inside Business audit firm who prefers anonymity. 2021 to file up to the 31st July 2021. Wharf Road–Creek Road–Old Dock- yard Road-Seaplane–Apapa Wharf he Federal Inland Revenue Gate. Service (FIRS), has granted a “We are having issues assessing the This extension suspends corre- one-off one-month extension portal and this has made many com- sponding Late Returns Penalty and T panies to delay in filing their returns. interest for late filing for the period “The operations will ensure the clear- to enable taxpayers with December We have been trying to assess the of the extension provided that the ance of shanties, kiosks, abandoned 31, 2020 accounting year-end whose vehicles, machineries, equipment, statutory tax returns were due not portal for about three days now but filing process is concluded on the not successful “, noted the Auditor FIRS TaxProMax Platform and the containers obstructing free flow of later than 30th June 2021 file in their traffic as well as those constituting Company Income Tax returns. who urged the FIRS to further train tax due is paid using the Payment its staff so as to assist companies. Reference Number (PRN) on or be- environmental nuisance or serving as fore 31st July 2021. hideouts for criminal elements. By this extension, taxpayers have up The extension by the FIRS contained till July 31 to file in their tax returns in a Public Notice of signed by the The extension also provides an op- “People who illegally trade or reside using the FIRS new portal. Service’s Executive Chairman, Mu- portunity to tax payers to upload all in these aforementioned places are Taxpayers have complained of dif- hammad Nami will give enough time unused WHT credit notes into the advised to vacate them forthwith. ficulties in filing their CIT owing for the taxpayers to render their TaxProMax not later than 31st July to poor network on the new portal 2020 returns 2021.” The FIRS granted the 30-day “The understanding and cooperation through which companies are ex- extension as a result of glitches ex- of members of the public is solicited pected to file their 2020 tax returns, Nami in the notice stated that “this perienced on its recently deployed during the exercise,” the statement Companies struggle to assess the extension is to provide an opportu- TaxProMax Platform Solution by said, adding that the goal of the clean- portal but many could not for about nity to all taxpayers whose company some taxpayers while trying to com- up operation was to make the ports two weeks according to a staff of an Income Tax returns were due in June plete their annual filing processes. safer and environmentally friendly. Risk of debt defaults in Africa increases – AfDB Inside Business plied for the Paris Club–led Debt Ser- he African Development Bank It stated, “Declining economic out- vice Suspension Initiative. It said, “Building the capacity for debt has stated that the risk of debt put as a result of containment mea- management becomes important, but defaults is increasing among Af- sures against COVID-19 and policy “The risk of defaults on debt, much of there is also a need to revamp the nexus T measures to stimulate the economies which is now non-concessional, has in- rican countries. This statement was between growth, financing instruments, contained in the Strategy for Eco- have heightened debt vulnerabilities. creased. At least 24 African countries and effective governance. “Doing so would nomic Governance in Africa, which have applied for the Paris Club–led ensure that reforms adopted in the con- was launched by AFDB. “Public debt now exceeds 50% of GDP Debt Service Suspension Initiative, text of debt suspension or restructuring in nearly half of its regional member which would free up resources to fight are properly timed and tailored towards countries. Over the last decade, Af- the pandemic,” the document noted. giving credibility back to governments on The economic strategic document rica increased its debt at a faster rate their policy actions. stated that countries have developed than any other region.” It recommended that countries fo- debt vulnerabilities due to decline cus on developing the capacity for “In other words, the fiscal space that in economic output, which was trig- The bank stated that following the effective debt management, as well ensues from debt suspension can be gered by certain policies and mea- increase in public debt stock, there as strengthen growth, financing in- put to use towards public investment in sures to curtail the COVID-19 pan- had been a corresponding increase in struments, and effective governance, strategic sectors and growth-enhancing demic, adding that public debts had the risk of debt defaults, adding that which would be highly beneficial to- governance reforms through fiscal con- exceeded 50 per cent of GDP. at least 24 African countries had ap- wards avoiding any debt crisis. solidation are critical in this context.” ThisNigeria 9 Business Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 OML 130 gas agreements fetch Uwaleke warns FG on he NigerianNNPC, National Petro -partnerstransportation. over $760m loans, leum Corporation (NNPC) and On the recently passed Petroleum In- Tits partners in the Oil Mining “This a very proud moment for all of dustry Bill, the GMD assured the par- Eurobonds Lease (OML 130) Production Shar- us. I understand all the delays, they ties that the fiscal terms proposed in ing Agreements (PSA) and Produc- are completely unavoidable. It is de- the oil reform legislation remain some By Kassim Omomia tion Sharing Contract (PSC) will sirable for us to have full alignment of the most attractive in the global oil inancial Economist and President, earn over $760m from the new of all parties before we proceed. and gas industry, noting that investors Association of capital market Gas Supply Purchase Agreements The end result is that there would have no cause to worry. Academics of Nigeria, Professor (GSPAs) and Gas Entitlement Agree- be clarity around our relationship F Uche Uwaleke, has warned the federal ment (GEA) executed Thursday. and we would be unlocking resourc- In his response, Mike Sangster, Man- government to stop taking commercial es that have been on the table for aging Director of TEPNG, expressed loans, especially Euro bonds. The agreements are part of the many years. We now have a clear delight at the signing of the agree- Corporation’s gas commercializa- line of sight around gas revenue of ments, adding that the parties were Prof. Uwaleke also cautioned that if tion programme involving Total Ex- up to $250million dollars, and also committed to the terms of the agree- government must continue to borrow, ploration and Production Nigeria another $510 million dollars that is ments. especially foreign loans, it must not (TEPNG), China National Offshore applicable to the rest of us,” Kyari only borrow responsibly but source Oil Corporation (CNOOC), South enthused. He commended the GMD and the for long term credits and comply with Atlantic Petroleum Nigeria Limited NNPC for their vigorous pursuit of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007. (SAPETRO) and Prime 130 Limited. He noted that apart from the reve- the aspiration of the decade of gas The sale structure under which the nue boost, the agreements have also programme of the Federal Govern- The Financial economists who spoke agreements were executed is de- opened up an opportunity to have ment. OML 130 is a deep-water block exclusively with TN, on the side-lines of signed to provide a clear delineation the dispute settlement agreement located 130kilometres offshore Niger recent backing of Federal government’s for the allocation of the gas sale pro- for the OML 130 PSC and ultimately Delta at water depths of well over borrowing initiative by the Senate Pres- ceeds to all the participating parties, to have a renewed production shar- 1000metres. The block contains the ident, Dr Ahmed Lawan, noted that the including midstream handling and ing contract which would now guide producing Akpo and Egina fields and critical time the country is faced eco- the relationship going forward. Preowei discovery. nomically, was the time to put a stop to accepting commercial loans especially Eurobonds because they are relatively expensive to service.

He alluded to recent revelation by the Debt Management Office, (DMO), that the fed- eral Government spent a whopping sum of over N1trillion in debt service alone in Q1 of this year, with over N300billion of the sum in servicing Eurobonds.

According to the DMO: “the country spent a whopping sum of over N1 tril- lion in debt service alone in the first quarter of 2021 out of which over N300 billion went to service Eurobonds’’ Professor Uwaleke warned that ‘’this is the time to put a stop to uptake of com- mercial loans especially Eurobonds which From Left: Managing Director of SAPETRO, Mr Toyin Adenuga, MD TEPNG, Mr Mike Sangstar, GMD are relatively expensive to service’’. NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, Rep of CNOOC Mr. Yuguang Pan and MD Prime 130 Limited, Mr. Emeka Phil Ebasie, at the execution of OML 130 Gas Supply Agreements. Though he agreed with the Senate President that government should continue to borrow to fund infrastruc- ture, especially in view of the huge infrastructural deficit in the country NDDC forensic audit in Rivers, which cannot be significantly financed from annual budgetary allocations, but Delta 80% completed he equally noted that the guiding prin- Inside Business been given that the exercise would ects are located in the coastal areas. ciple must be, ‘borrowing responsibly’ he Field Forensic Audit exercise soon be concluded as scheduled. According to Barrister Ero, “the audi- and applying the proceeds very well. in Rivers and Delta States as tors have been visiting various project directed by President Muham- Responding to questions by journal- sites for inspection in batches to verify He argued that for a country like Nigeria T ist who were eager to know the state the physical extent of work done and with development sustainability questions, madu Buhari to ascertain the per- formance of the Niger Delta Devel- of the forensic audit during the physi- we have achieved some measurable re- evidenced by the huge debt service ratio, opment Commission (NDDC) from cal inspection exercise, the NDDC sults to show that a lot of ground have responsible borrowing suggests that man- 2001 – 2019 is on course and has at- State Director, Rivers State, Barris- been covered in this regard, despite agers of the nation’s economy sourced tained 80 per cent completion. ter George Ero and his Delta State the limited numbers of personnel, lo- long-term loans which are concessional counterpart Engr. Emmanuel Audu gistics and security concerns”. and restricted to self-liquidating projects. The field verification of NDDC proj- Ohwaborua alluded that the forensic ects in the Niger Delta Region by Fo- audit has been on in their respective “We must commend Mr. President Explaining further, the expert stated rensic Auditors has been confirmed states in line with Mr. President di- and the Minister of Niger Delta Af- that the Nigeria’s debt burden is ag- by Journalist drawn from different rectives. fairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio for gravated by low revenue generation media organisations to capture ac- insisting on the forensic audit exer- efforts, which describes the choking tivities of the field forensic auditors Barrister Ero revealed that Rivers cise, as this would help to establish debt service to revenue ratio, but at various project sites in Rivers and State which is made up of 23 Local the true state of the projects so that government should look into this criti- Delta States respectively. Government Areas has over 3,000 appropriate actions would be taken. cally, including empowering the State projects listed, making up 35% of The field forensic audit has shown governments to control and develop Apprehension over the conduct of the Commission’s project portfolio, that the NDDC has a lot to showcase resources in their States in order to forensic audit exercise is therefore while Delta State has over 2,000 proj- for the funds allocated to it over the boost exports and diversify the econo- put to rest and assurances have also ects listed and one-third of the proj- years”, he noted. my away from crude oil. 10 ThisNigeria NewsNigeria Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 150 years after, Opobo gets access road By Mudiaga Affe ise to Opobo people. “It was awarded to the tune of N3.1bn. On the Queen’s Town erosion men- The company collected N2bn and it ran fter 150 years of its existence, an- He expressed appreciation to the admin- ace, Wike reminded Opobo people of away from site. Amayanabo of Opobo, go cient Opobo kingdom, an island in istration of former governor Peter Odili the N3.1bn contract that was awarded and ask your son, who is that company ARivers State can now be accessed for conceiving the Unity Road project. when one of their sons was the commis- that collected the money and refused to by road, following the inauguration of a sioner for works to solve that problem. do the Queen’s Town shore protection.” section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Uni- Without the foresight of the former ty road by Governor Nyesom Wike. governor, Wike said it would have The governor said, unfortunately, the He said every Nigerian needs to come been difficult for his administration to company that was awarded the con- to terms with the reality that they are The mood in the ancient and historic complete the Opobo axis of the Ogoni- tract disappeared after it got N2bn mo- better off living together in a united Ni- kingdom of King Jaja of Opobo on Sat- Opobo-Andoni Unity Road. bilisation fee paid to it. geria than otherwise. urday was euphoric, as ecstatic crowd thronged the road and cheering the The governor directed his special Wike said it was baffling that their son The governor, who reflected on the governor for connecting the island by adviser on special projects to liaise could frustrate such a development rich diversity, resources and the es- road to the mainland of the state. with the king and leaders of Opobo project attracted to the area, which sence why God has put every part of on where they desire a new land to be would have solved the erosion menace the country together in a geographic Wike, while addressing crowd of Opo- sand-filled and reclaimed for them by and end the threat of Queen’s Town space called Nigeria, said Nigerians bo, Nkoro, Ogoni, Andoni indigenes at the state government. being washed away. must learn to live in unity. Opobo New Layout, said the comple- tion of the road and its inauguration He also urged the survey-general of “Sometimes, you wrote to me about Performing the inauguration, former was a dream come through for the peo- the state to commence the process the erosion in Queen’s Town. I told the Minister of Agriculture and Water Re- ple of the area and his administration. of land mapping and survey of the al- Amayanabo the other day that the job sources as well as Police Affairs, Ad- ready sand-filled land in the area to en- was awarded when your son was com- amu Waziri, expressed gratitude to the According to Wike, he feels happy to able Opobo people to begin allocation missioner for works. governor for solving critical needs of have fulfilled his 2014 campaign prom- of spaces among themselves. the Opobo people. Lagos cooperatives’ asset base hits N33bn –Commissioner he Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Co- Toperatives, Dr Lola Akande, says part of the achievements of the minis- try was the consolidation of the asset base of its cooperative societies to over N33 billion.

From left: President, Defence and Police Officer’s Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Vicky Irabor; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor; Chairman of the Akande disclosed this in her ad- Pakistanis Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Nadeem Raza; his wife, Begum, during a gala night in honour of the visiting Pakistanis chief in Abuja...recently. dress of welcome at a ceremony to Photo: NAN mark the International Day of Co- operative Society, held at the Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LAS- COFED) Complex, Ogba, Lagos, on Army appoints new PSOs, field commanders Saturday. igerian army appoints new PSOs, field com- Gen. SO Olabanji had been appointed the Commander, Training manders, others The Chief of Army Staff and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), while Maj.-Gen. OA Akintade The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) N(COAS), Maj.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has ap- would be the new Chief of Army Logistics. reports that the International Coop- proved the appointment of Principal Staff Officers erative Day is an annual event of the (PSOs), Field Commanders and other key staff He said that Maj.-Gen. OT Akinjobi has been appointed as the cooperative movement, observed on officers to provide the needed vigour in his com- Chief of Operations (Army), Maj.-Gen. James Ataguba as Chief of the first Saturday, in July, by the In- mand of the Nigerian Army (NA). Army Standard and Evaluation, while Maj.-Gen. KI Mukhtar be- ternational Cooperative Alliance. The Director Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. comes the Chief of Administration (Army). Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a state- The 2021 international day, with the ment on Saturday in Abuja. Maj.-Gen. C Ofoche is the new Chief of Transformation and Inno- theme: “Rebuilding Better Together”, vation, with Maj.-Gen. AB Ibrahim appointed as Chief of Training is the 27th edition of the event. High- Nwachukwu disclosed that the Chief of Operations (Army). lighting the giant strides of the govern- (Army), Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, now becomes ment in the cooperative movement, the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy “Among the new field commanders are Maj.-Gen. Abdul-Khalifa Akande said the support towards the (NDA), while Maj.-Gen. B.O Sawyer is the new Ibrahim who takes over as the Force Commander, Multi National movement remained of paramount in- Director of Defence Information.He also said that Joint Task Force, N’Djamena, and Maj.-Gen. IS Ali who becomes terest. Maj.-Gen. TA Gagariga would move from Army the General Officer Com- Headquarters, Department of Policy and Plans, to manding 3 Division would CHANGE OF NAME the Nigerian Army Artillery Corps as Commander also double as the Command- and Maj.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu becomes the Com- er Special Task Force ‘Opera- I, formerly known and addressed as mander, Infantry Corps. tion Safe Haven’. Adebayo Tosin Carlene now wish to be According to him, Maj.-Gen. MA Yekini is the new “The COAS equally approved Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Maj.- the appointment of Com- known and addressed as Ajuwon Tosin Gen. MS Yusuf takes over as Chief of Defence manders, Commandants of Carlene. All former documents bearing Standard and Evaluation, while Maj.-Gen. Antho- NA Institutions, Directors ny Omozoje is the new Chief of Policy and Plans and other key appointments Adebayo Tosin Carlene remain valid. (Army). at both Defence and Army General public take note. Similarly, Nwachukwu further disclosed that Maj.- levels.” ThisNigeria 11 WeekinReview Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Kanu: Travails of a separatist agitator Stories by Olusegun Olanrewaju will be back soon in the land of Biafra, and I will bring hell with Ime,” Nnamdi Kanu, leader of In- digenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), dared the authorities in 2015. Kanu’s prediction has now come true. He is back in Nigeria, but not in the way he wanted. The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) leader was arrested by Nige- rian intelligence officers in Kenya on Sunday, June 27, 2021 and brought ‘heartbroken’ to Abuja for detention and trial. Kanu has confirmed that he was indeed arrested in Kenya on June 18. Kanu Buhari He said he experienced eight days of bail during trial which began in 2015. campaigns, which were sometimes on the Federal Government to give torture in the hands of Kenyan secu- largely obeyed by the masses, have the IPOB leader a fair trial. rity men before being handed over to He has been calling for concerted often created a semblance of parallel Nigerian security agents. He broke action based on civil disobedience, government in the South-East. However, speaking on a BBC Pid- his silence through his lawyer, If- quasi-military campaigns and politi- gin news programme, Kaduna State eanyi Ejiofor, who he met at the Abu- cal actions like boycotting of polls by The stake is getting higher because governor, Nasir el-Rufai, described ja headquarters of the Department of his people in the South-East, until of a constellation of issues serenad- Kanu’s ordeal as a lesson for other State Services (DSS). the dream of actualising Biafra was ing his arrest. For instance, he is al- ethnic irredentists in the country. achieved. Kanu has been having a run leged to have ‘orchestrated’ the death Kanu’s story has defaced the denials against the wind since he established of some 60 persons in the last four The UN has said it was seeking clari- by Kenyan High Commissioner in Ni- IPOB in 2009. months. fication on the legality of Kanu’s ar- geria and the country’s interior min- A tough-talking Federal Government rest from the Federal Government. istry that their country had no role in Before then, he was a little known says it is arraigning the IPOB leader his abduction and interception. figure, but his popularity soared af- and his group, which has been brand- Speeches Now that he is in Nigeria, Kanu, the ter the establishment of Radio Biafra, ed a terrorist organisation, on 11-count Kanu delivers powerful verbal re- which was broadcasting anti-state pro- charge of treasonable felony, terror- leases which critics often berate as Federal Government says, will be grammes from London where he had ism and illegal possession of arms. ‘hate speeches’. In September 2019, answering charges bordering on trea- settled after leaving Nigeria. A scion at the European Union Parliament, sonable felony, terrorism and illegal of a traditional ruler in Abia State, the The government also promised not he said, “Nigeria has always been a possession of arms. The events that IPOB leader really tried to ‘bring hell’ to spare the sponsors of Kanu, IPOB fiction. The state we now know as Ni- have peaked with his present arrest with him, but the currents may have and their ‘collaborators’ but promised geria was created for British admin- and trial have been long drawn, but now proven too much for his ship. a fair trial. Meanwhile, lawyers and istrative and colonial convenience in it largely rests on alleged jumping of His sit-at homes, keep-off-the-street civil rights groups had earlier called 1914. Igboho: Fire and the storm am fighting because Fulani bandits Initial reports painted an obscure an ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen killed my family members, raped To him, issues like the one captured picture of the events that trended in Ibarapa to vacate the land after I them and the government refused in the quotation above, underscores on the day of ‘invasion’ which ended the killing of his kinsman and he en- to do the right thing for us. That the basis of his hard line campaign in the alleged abduction of Igboho’s forced the same. He started off as is why I have come out to fight for for ethnic nationalism in Yorubaland. wife and six others. They were later a motorcycle repairer and then ven- them”, so says Yoruba activist, Sun- freed in Ekiti State, barely 24 hours tured into automobiles. day Adeyemo, popularly known as The secret police, had in raiding his after their capture. Sunday Igboho. Ibadan compound on Thursday re- Today, he goes about with a band and portedly uncovered cash,arms and Persona a convoy of motorcycles mounted by Igboho, who is no stranger to storms ammunition as well as amulets. The A self-effacing man with a gift of hu- arms and dangerous weapons wield- and controversy, stated this as he DSS said its men stormed his Soka mour, which often portrays him as ing ‘activists who extol his virtues. made reference to the attack on his residence to halt a planned co-ordi- a comedian, Igboho is an acclaimed He is often seen singing and dancing house in Ibadan last Thursday by nated pro-separatist rally slated for Yoruba activist. But some people among his foot-soldiers. operatives from the Department of parts of Lagos last Saturday. view him as an Ibadan-based ‘politi- State Services (DSS). cal thug’. A few months ago, Igboho was cap- tured on camera half-dressed, engag- Igboho, who says he is on a mission ing police officers and DSS opera- to end Fulani invasion in Yorubaland, tives in near confrontation for daring was born on October 10 in 1972, at to arrest him during a clash between Igboho town in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State. the Yoruba and Fulani. Nicknamed after his hometown, Ig- boho later rose to fame following his Suspected to be fetish, he once dem- role in the Modakeke-Ife communal onstrated on TV camera how he ‘in- crisis in 1997, where he played an ac- herited powers’ from his father. tive part. In fact, three weeks ago, he was seen wearing a traditional jumper bearing Described as a business magnate, charms and amulets. activist and philanthropist, many be- lieve Igboho is a voodoo patron and The ‘warrior’ so has some metaphysical attributes. Some questions are trending on the Igboho received rave social media social media as to whether Igboho is Igboho reviews last January when he gave a rebel or a freedom fighter. 12 ThisNigeria Politics Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 The mistake of 1914

Lugard Siollun Obasanjo Buhari

By Eric teniola Sir Ralph Moor was his counterpart in Southern received customs duties and Northern Nigeria Nigeria. did not, a small percentage of customs revenue have just finished reading a book “WHAT from the former was sent to the latter. BRITAIN DID TO NIGERIA” by Max Siol- The two colonies had different colonial person- Ilun, who is an authority on issues that af- nel, legal systems, land tenure laws, educational Yet this was not enough to offset Britain’s cost fects Nigeria. Mr Siollun has written several policies and systems of governance. Their even- of administering Northern Nigeria. Northern books on Nigeria including “SOLDIERS OF tual amalgamation on 1 January 1914 was not Nigeria had been running on a budget deficit FORTUNE, Nigeria Politics from Buhari to sudden. It was the culmination of a process that, for ten years, during which time its revenue Babangida and NIGERIA’S SOLDIERS of as we have seen, began 16 years earlier with the was not enough to meet even half its cost of FORTUNE--The Abacha and Obasanjo Years. recommendation of the Niger Committee. administration. As a result the British Trea- Expectedly his latest book, “WHAT BRITAIN sury paid grants-in-aid to Northern Nigeria DID TO NIGERIA” is very educative and in- Although Lugard is credited as being the ar- (totalling over £4 million) in the 14 years of its formative, the 390page book is published by chitect of Nigeria’s amalgamation, the process existence. C.Hurst & Co.(Publishers) Ltd. One of the ar- started long before he became Northern Nige- ticles in the book caught my serious attention, ria’s high commissioner or the governor-general In 1900 Britain These were non- refundable payments rath- the title which is the mistake of 1914. The of the combined Nigeria in 1914. er than loans, and were in addition to the article summarises what one should know created two £865,000 that the Treasury paid to the Royal about Nigeria on the amalgamation that took ‘These jolly laughing trading black men’ Niger Company as compensation for the revo- place in 1914. Some British accounts of the differences -be countries cation of its charter. Such dependency on the tween the people in the two Nigerians mentioned with similar- Treasury could not continue. Lugard tried to Mr Siollun declared “Perhaps no question (with the usual poor a anthropological insight of raise revenue by imposing taxation on North- makes Nigerians disagree as much as why that era) that ‘the inhabit Northern Nigeria are sounding ern Nigeria but it was not enough. Britain created their country. Nigerians look- very different from the coast Negroes [Southern ing for deeper meaning for their country’s ex- Nigeria]’ and flippantly described northerners names. These As early as 1904 he argued: “Northern Nigeria istence may be disappointed to find that there as ‘black-faced Mohammedan Arabs with an were the is as yet largely dependent on a grant in aid ... I was none. Nigeria’s existence is little more admixture of negro strain’ and southerners as feel myself that economy can only be effected than the outcome of balancing the colonial ac- ‘these jolly laughing trading black men’. protectorates by the realization of Mr. Chamberlain’s origi- counting books. nal scheme of amalgamating Northern and Although this is a very simplistic summary, of Northern Southern Nigeria and Lagos into one single In 1900 Britain created two countries with others offered a more realistic assessment. Sir Nigeria and administration. similar-sounding names. These were the pro- George Goldie, who advocated the amalgama- tectorates of Northern Nigeria and Southern tion of Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria, Southern It is only in this way that Northern Nigeria, Nigeria. For 14 years these two countries admitted that the two countries were ‘as widely Nigeria. For 14 which is the hinterland of the other two, can were separately governed by different high separated government, customs, and general be properly developed, and economies intro- commissioners. Lugard was Britain’s first ideas about life, both world and the next, as Eng- years these two duced into the triple machinery which at pres- high commissioner for Northern Nigeria and land is from China’. Since Britain was aware of ent exists. The country, which is all one and the sharp differences between the two countries were indivisible, can thus be developed on identical Nigerias, why it decide to amalgamate separately lines, with a common trend of policy in all es- them anyway? sential matters.” governed by Just as British entry into Nigeria was different high ‘The material prosperity had been ex- motivated by economic reasons, so was traordinary’ its amalgamation into one country. The commissioners. Lugard’s advocacy of amalgamation ten years duplication of finances and personnel before it actually happened is not surprising. in running two separate colonies in the As Northern Nigeria’s high commissioner, he same area was an impediment to admin- faced the problems of the colony’s dependency istrative efficiency. The need for British on grants from the Treasury and the need to colonies to be self-financing made amal- find alternative revenue sources. Amalgamat- gamation a priority. ing the two Nigerias into one country would not only solve these problems for him, but Since Northern Nigeria had no coast- carried with it a potential promotion, in that line and was landlocked, it did not he would become the governor of the newly receive customs duties, as Southern amalgamated country. Nigeria did. This disadvantage was ex- acerbated because Northern Nigeria For Lugard, the solution to his problems lay in imported goods from Southern Nigeria Southern Nigeria. He observed: “Southern Ni- duty-free, and its costs for transporting geria, on the other hand, presented a picture its goods to Southern Nigeria for export which was in almost all points the exact con- were also high. Since Southern Nigeria verse of that in the north. Here the material ThisNigeria 13 Politics Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

The mistake of 1914 prosperity had been extraordinary. The revenue had almost doubled itself in a period of five years. The surplus balance exceeded a million and a half. The trade of the interior had greatly developed by the construction of a splendid system of roads, and by the opening to navigation of waterways hitherto choked with vegetation ... And so while Northern Ni- geria was devoting itself building up a system of Na- tive Administration and laboriously raising a revenue by direct taxation, Southern Nigeria had found itself engrossed in material development. Before southern Nigerians pounce with glee (as they often this evidence of northern economic dependency on the south, one must pause and reflect that amal- Babangida gamation was a British decision, not a northern one. Abacha Northern Nigeria had no more say in amalgamation than Southern Nigeria did (and probably, if given a The most extraordinary aspect of Nigeria’s amalgama- ceded, represented one of many attempts to repeal the choice, would have objected to it). One of the north’s tion was how little thought the British colonial adminis- 1914 amalgamation (the north also threatened seces- leaders did, after all, later refer to amalgamation as ‘the trators gave to its long-term consequences. sion in 1953 and 1966). mistake of 1914’. The architects of both the 1914 amalgamation and the It is perhaps unsurprising that conflict would arise in ‘Effect an alliance with a Southern lady of Niger Committee’s report of 1898 had no guiding vision this manner. It was difficult to build patriotism and means’ or objective. Not only did the colonial government fail to emotional loyalty to a country created by a foreign The economic disparity between the two Nigerias contemplate the north-south differences, but they paid invader and inhabited by people whose prior loyalties made their amalgamation inevitable. In a light-hearted little attention to how much British rule had amplified had never extended beyond their family, village or after-dinner speech to the Colonial Service Club in the pre-existing differences between the two regions. kingdom. 1913, the secretary of state for the colonies, Lord Lew- is Harcourt, used a metaphor to the impending amal- The introduction of Christian missionaries in the south The lack of British foresight regarding the enormous gamation: “We have released Northern Nigeria from had caused a revolutionary change to the region’s reli- upheaval that amalgamation would cause is astonish- the leading strings (British) Treasury. The promising gious life and created a Western-educated cadre that was ing. For over twenty- five years prior to the merger, and well-conducted youth allowance ‘on his own’ and anxious for independence while the north had little inter- British administrators had year after year mentioned is about to effect an alliance Southern lady of means. I est in rushing into a union with a southern region that the massive cultural, political and religious differences have issued the special licence and Sir Frederick will was so radically different in religious and social ethos. between the north and south. Yet they insisted on perform the ceremony... May the union be and the amalgamation simply to fix an accounting problem. couple constant! British rule had also changed the north by introducing a Christian convert population into the region on the out- Even if amalgamation was a necessity for colonial ad- ‘An enthusiastic practicing paedophile’ skirts of the Muslim emirates. ministrative convenience, one wonders why it was not In 1913, Lugard named the south-eastern Nigeria city reversed or reconfigured when it became apparent of Port-Harcourt after Lord Harcourt. Details of a The British did not consider stabilising the country by that the unified Nigeria would one day become an inde- man’s personal life should not ordinarily occupy much dividing it into territorial units consistent with ethno- pendent self-governing country. space in a history book about two nations. linguistic zones. With no overriding ideological principle behind Ni- However, the continued prominence of Harcourt’s In 1898 the Niger Committee had recommended divid- geria’s creation, it has been left to Nigeria’s post- name in contemporary Nigeria justifies an exception. ing Southern Nigeria into eastern and western regions. colonial governments to find ways to rationalise the Harcourt ostensibly led an ordinary family life. His wife Yet, for unspecified reasons, it did recommend a similar 1914 amalgamation. Nigeria’s territorial evolution has was the wealthy American heiress Mary Burns, who subdivision of Northern Nigeria. followed two opposing trends during its colonial and was a member of the Morgan banking family dynasty post-colonial eras. The colonial era was characterised and the niece of the banker John Pierpont Morgan The colonial government belatedly carried out the Niger by territorial amalgamation, and followed by the coun- (founder of JP Morgan Bank). Committee’s recommendation when it split Southern try’s fragmentation into smaller and smaller territorial Nigeria into the Western and Eastern Regions in 1939, units during the post-colonial era. Starting from 1967, However, Harcourt (or ‘Loulou’, as he was known) yet it left Northern Nigeria intact and undivided. As a post-independence Nigerian governments started un- ‘was an enthusiastic practising paedophile’, who result, Northern Nigeria ended up than twice as large ravelling Britain’s territorial consolidation by fractur- abused both young boys and girls. as the two southern regions combined. Creating a coun- ing both the north and south into smaller states, which try where one region was geographically larger, and had currently number 36. Owing to his status, Harcourt’s paedophilia was largely more people, than all the other region became a constant unknown to the public, and knowledge of it was re- point of contention. It is to Nigeria’s credit that it has developed its own stricted to the elite circles in which he moved. home-grown innovations to reduce tension between The 1914 amalgamation and the fault lines between the the north and south, such as an affirmative action Harcourt abused the son and daughter of his friend north and south remain among the most contentious is- quota system and the alternation of the presidency be- Viscount Esher (Reginald Brett). Esher’s teenage sues in modern Nigeria. tween northern and southern holders. daughter Dorothy was so traumatised after Harcourt tried to sexually assault her that she avoided romantic More than 106 years after amalgamation, the wisdom of Perhaps it is pious to expect a colonial government relationships with men for most of her adult life. this step is still being debated in Nigeria, and the country to have contemplated the long-term consequences of continues to grapple with how to deal with the divisions its decisions on the people of the colony. As demon- Harcourt’s predilection for preying on children was so between north and south and the mutual paranoia they strated again and again in prior chapters, the colonial well known that boys at Eton School (where he was a often have about each other. government’s priority was not to create a new nation fellow) were warned not to be alone with him. with a common ethos. The priority of Colonial Office The most spectacular eruptions of instability in Nigeria officials was to minimize the financial burden to the Harcourt also tried to sexually assault a young boy have emerged on a north-south basis: the military coups British taxpayer, reduce bureaucratic duplication and named Edward James during a party at Harcourt’s of 1966, the civil war of 1967-70, the annulment of the maximize revenue. In that regard it succeeded from country estate. The boy reported the assault to his presidential election of 12 June 1993 and the ensuing po- British perspective. In that regard it succeeded from mother, who mentioned it to others. litical crisis it generated, and the crisis over Sharia law in Britain’s perspective. Nigeria was just a page in a colo- the early 2000s. Each of these controversies has polar- nial accounting ledger”. Harcourt was found dead early the next year after tak- ised the country on north-south lines. ing an overdose of sedatives. Eric Teniola, a former Director at the Presi- The civil war, which commenced after the south-east se- dency wrote from Lagos. 14 ThisNigeria TheBigStory Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 The Clampdown •Please, thread with caution –Nigerians to FG on Kanu, Igboho By Mudiaga Affe, Kassim Omomia, David La- of the challenges in the county. He said, “The government must be more creative in wani and Cajetan Mmuta solving the seemingly intractable security challenges He said, “The right to self-determination is guaranteed facing the nation. igerians have urged the authorities to be cau- by international law. To achieve economic cum political tious in the matter concerning the leader of the emancipation, it has to be done diplomatically, if we must “We used to face challenges from Boko Haram in the NIndigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi disintegrate, it has to be done in peace, not in pieces. North East, bandits in the North West, and IPOB in Kanu, and his secessionist colleague from the South- the East. Now the relative security in the South West West, Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho. “The gospel of freedom propounded by Nnamdi Kanu, is fast deteriorating with the commercialization of kid- the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and Sunday napping and the opening of a new theatre of unrest Their issue, they said, posed some form of threat to the Igboho is not too palatable as the nation has yet to be that the Sunday Igboho saga has become. nation’s existence. healed from the wounds of the Nigerian civil war. “The government must do better in addressing the Kanu, who jumped bail three years ago and fled the “And so, the Nigerian government should put modalities issues that lead to insecurity and not merely fixated country, was re-arrested in a concerted operation by in place for the implementation of true federalism and let with arresting (as we have done in the Nnamdi Kanu security operatives, comprising the International Po- the various regions control their natural resources and case) or violently invading the homes of agitators (as lice (INTERPOL). He was whisked to Abuja last week. do the needful to the Central Government. This will go we have done in the Sunday Igboho case) who many a long way to reduce the ongoing agitation in the country times have legitimate grievances and a lot of local His secessionist counterpart, Igboho, who has been de- drastically. support even if we question the methods by which clared wanted by the Department of State Service, fled The ongoing they are ventilating their grievances. his Soka, Ibadan residence in Oyo State when security “For donkey’s years, the Eastern region has been mar- operatives raided his home last Thursday. clampdown ginalized, so no Igbo has ruled the country after the end “Government must engage more; address youth un- of the civil war in 1970. There is, therefore, a need to bal- employment and other related social problems that But speaking on their clampdown, many Nigerians on Kanu and ance the equation politically as this will also reduce the cause unrest. The justice sector must be revamped warned that their matter could provoke greater tension Igboho will secession agitation. and access to justice by all guaranteed as some of the in the polity if not handled carefully. agitations arose out of the inability of citizens to get not provide “The ongoing clampdown on Kanu and Igboho will not justice in our courts. For instance, Human Rights lawyer, Gloria Ballason, forcefully bring a lasting panacea to the challenges. We while calling on the federal government to be cautious a lasting should rather be careful not to exacerbate the already “On a national context, a nation that seeks peace but in their cases, said the country does not deserve any panacea situation and so allow bandits, killer-herdsmen, and Boko will not do justice among its diverse nationalities is further threat. Haram members to have a field day on the streets”. merely chasing an illusion. If Nigeria will know peace to the again, it must make justice for all its citizens a nation- According to her, with the unending Boko Haram But the National President of Committee for the Defence al creed”, he said. insurgency and other pockets of insecurity issues re- challenges, of Human Rights (CDHR) and former Attorney-General Also, an expert on conflict resolution, Dr. Nosa sulting in killings of people, the authorities should not it will of Edo State, Osagie Obayuwana, said with the trial of the Omorodion, said the existential threat occasioned by attract further crisis with the handling of Kanu and Ig- leader of IPOB, all eyes would be on the Nigerian govern- secession agitations in the country was obvious but boho’s matter. exacerbate ment to see how the case would go. complicated. Omorodion said, “It is apparent in the sense that we The lawyer, who also challenged the federal govern- the already Obayuwana said,“We have had many cases of historical have to address the issues of socio-economic injustice ment to endeavour to be just, noted that it was not han- exacerbated trials not only in Nigeria but across the world. Nelson and inequity raised. There is an urgent need to re- dling the several security breaches in the north as it is Mandela and Fidel Castro were tried. So, there are plenty structure Nigeria along the lines of popular yearnings doing in the south. situation of examples for historical trials. Even in this country, Oba- and aspirations. At the root of this is the call for true femi Awolowo was tried. Anthony Enahoro was also tried. federalism. She said, “Nobody is negotiating with Sunday Igboho, “True federalism will douse tension as the fight to Nnamdi Kanu, yet Federal Government is criminaliz- “So, I think it is a matter that needs to be separated from take power at the federal level to promote ethnic or ing them and treating those bringing the country down sentiments. Specific offences have been alleged, the stage other mundane agenda will be minimized. with kid gloves’’. should be prepared with credible evidence to prove those “There is this desperation to maintain the status quo allegations”. whereby the progressive parts of the country are “This is not the way to go about solving the current brought under perpetual subjugation to the less pro- situation in the country because the approach by the Similarly, a former Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Associa- gressive parts in terms of the quest for knowledge, Federal Government has the propensity to further es- tion, Lagos branch, Stephen Obajaja, said it was unfortu- rejection of primitive religious shackles, and aspira- calate insecurity in the land”. nate that Nigeria has again found itself in dire straits. tion to modernity and the good life.” She argued that it will be difficult for the country to “There is insecurity everywhere you turn and anywhere”, On his part, Austine Osaghae, a mechanical engineer face Boko Haram and at the same time contain the cur- he noted. and human rights activist said, “We have heard a lot rent agitation because like Boko Haram, Kanu got rec- about existential threats lately. So, we might want to ognition and currency because the more he was being Cautioning against the backdrop of the threat posed by think about what this threat is all about. But on the hunted, the more he got sympathizers. their clampdown, Obajaja appealed to the government to whole, the solution lies with the federal government.” be creative in handling their cases. According to him, the president needs to bring ev- Contributing, a rights activist, Marxist Kola, said the erybody to the table so that peace can reign in the right to self-determination and justice was at the core country. ThisNigeria 15 LeadStory Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL Give us

•more...Niger-Delta host communities say 2.5-5% allocation insulting, deceitful

By Mudiaga Affe, Kassim Omomia, one, also queried other grey areas in the bill. Andy Asemota, Ben Ogbemudia, David Besides the three per cent allocation for host com- Lawani and Cajethan Mmuta munities, stakeholders are worried about the re- “It would have been better we never had a PIB. definition of host communities to include any com- It is a deceptive proposal and I am ashamed of cocktail of disapproval has greeted the munity where pipelines pass through. fellow Niger Deltas that are applauding it. I think three per cent allocation proposed by the According to them, the new arrangement smacks it is due to ignorance or insensitive to the real ANational Assembly for host communities of deceit and fraud, particularly for oil-bearing com- nature of the bill. in the Petroleum Industry Bill. munities who suffer the devastation of oil explora- tions. “Again, they said some percentage will go to In fact, many stakeholders say the proposed bill some front-line or bottom-line projects, where is not only fraudulent and deceptive, but also Environmental and human rights activist, Anniko are these projects located? If you dig deep you insulting to the people of the oil-bearing com- Briggs; a former President of the Ijaw Youth Coun- will find out that 90 per cent of these projects munities. cil, Dr. Chris Ekiyor; President, Ijaw National Con- are located outside the Niger Delta. So, the PIB gress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba; former Special that was intended to salvage the Niger Delta has The authorities, these concerned citizens say, Adviser for Arts and Culture in Edo State, Hon turned out to be another way of impoverishing should increase the percentage allocation in the Orobosa Omo Ojo and a legal practitioner, Obuko- us and enriching people who do not have crude bill so as to make more money available to the hwo Obarisi, among others, spoke on the issue. oil. oil-producing communities. Their criticism and demand come as the bill Why stakeholders are not happy “Just like the other interventionist agencies, for awaits final harmonisation by the National As- Okaba, who said the three per cent arrived at by instance, the NDDC, the major contractors are sembly and eventual transmission to President the National Assembly was a paltry sum, added not from the region. Even for you to be appoint- Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. The that it was a ploy to further enslave people who ed into the NDDC, you must have the nod of the have over the years suffered the brunt of oil explo- people outside the region. The same thing with The senate, had last Thursday, approved the bill economic rations. the Amnesty programme,” he added. believed to be the oldest piece of legislation in position of the annals of the country. The debate about the According to him, the people of the region sought Briggs said that the Niger Delta communities controversial bill has dragged on in the hallowed the region 10 per cent instead of the three per cent approved were passing through difficult times occasioned chambers for about 20 years. is the final by the lawmakers. by oil degradation. At the consideration of the 318-clause-bill, the say in the Okaba said, “Just like the 13 per cent derivation for She says, “The economic position of the region House of Representatives had earlier passed oil-producing states which is 87 per cent depriva- is the final say in the economy of Nigeria today a five per cent allocation for host communities economy tion, in the same manner, this 10 per cent for the because there is nothing else that brings in fund as against 2.5 per cent in the draft bill. PIB that was drawn was to ensure peace, but the more money than the oil and gas in Nigeria. You of Nigeria further reduction to three per cent actually shows cannot say that oil and gas belong to the federal The Senate is currently enmeshed in a contro- today that there is a ploy to enslave the rest of us, to im- on one hand and on the other hand say that gold versy over the figure it approved. At the com- poverish us. The three per cent is not what we bar- and bitumen and any other things that are found mittee of the whole, where it deliberated on the because gained for because even the 10 per cent was never in the north belong to the state that they are report, the senators only increased the fund by considered as good enough. found in. It is ridiculous. And it is oppressive. 0.5 per cent, bringing it to three per cent. there is nothing “To worsen the whole situation, a redefinition is “It is looting of other people’s resources when Naturally, the passage of the long-awaited bill now given to host communities. Host communi- you create states that are not viable with the would have brought succour to people of the else that ties are the oil-bearing communities and not where sole intention of using the resources of another oil-producing communities and states, but the brings in pipelines pass through. The pipelines are almost state to keep that other state viable. For exam- people are saying the bill is not what they bar- everywhere, which means that the three per cent ple, Kano has 44 local government areas. It is gained for. more money we are even talking about will be distributed to all not producing anything, even tax wise”. parts of the country and this may amount to maybe Oil-bearing states comprise Akwa Ibom, Rivers, than the oil 0.2 per cent coming to the oil-bearing communi- Ojo, said the three per cent allocated to the host Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, Ondo, Edo, Delta, but with and gas in ties.” communities in the PIB was a collective indict- the thinking of the National Assembly, host com- ment on members of the NASS. munities have been redefined to include com- Nigeria The don, who said it would have been better the munities where oil pipelines pass through. region never had the PIB than having a deceptive Continues on Page 18 16 ThisNigeria Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Opobo kingdom now accessible after 150 years It was pomp and ceremony as the ancient kingdom of Opobo in Rivers State, witnessed the inauguration of a section of the Ogoni-Andoni- Opobo Unity road on Saturday. The state governor, Nyesom Wike, inaugurated the project, which formally heralded an access road to the 150-year-old ancient town. Among eminent persons, who witnessed the memorable event include former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Adamu Wazari; former Governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia; Amayanabo of Opobo, Douglas Jaja, and the Deputy Gover- nor of the state, Dr.(Mrs.) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo. The faces on the occasion… ThisNigeria 17 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Opobo kingdom now accessible after 150 years 18 ThisNigeria LeadStory Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Niger-Delta host communities say 2.5-5% insulting surely resurrect agitations in the region.” Also, Ekiyor kicked against the three per cent given to host communities, saying his people were not happy about it. “We are talking about the people who suffer degrada- tion as a result of the direct impact of neglect. We must begin to change the strategies of this top-bottom ap- proach and embrace the bottom-top approach. “The only solution is that the National Assembly should adjust it and make it meaningful. They shouldn’t take us for a ride. They can’t take our oil resources and develop their places and give us a paltry three per cent. It is not fair. If they are honest and want peace, they should reverse the injustice they have done. They should stop maltreating the minority groups in the country. “I don’t know if our lawmakers were sleeping. We should be mindful of those we send to the state and na- tional assemblies. We shouldn’t send people who are go- ing to look for money only. We should send people who love their areas and this country. We, in collaboration with the governors, recommended 10 per cent. We still Minister of State for Petroleum Timipre Sylva (R) and NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari (L) and others, to brief Senators, during close session on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja insist that is the minimum that is good enough for the host communities,” he added. Continued from page 15 of fraud?” Lawmakers’ perspective The passage, he said, showed that lawmakers from oil- “My big worry is that while many southern senators failed However, speaking to one of our correspondents, producing communities had missed an ample opportu- to stop this robbery of a bill on the floor of NASS, many House of Representatives member, Johnson Oghumah, nity to draw attention to what their people faced daily. southern Nigerians are busy celebrating the passage of explained that the House negotiated and agreed on five this fraudulent PIB because they do not know the content per cent as the acceptable minimum. He said, “The three per cent injected into the PIB is of the bill. When the Joint session of Senate and Represen- The figure, he said, was arrived at to guarantee peaceful a huge and a collective indictment on all the members tative ratifies this bill, it becomes law once Buhari gladly coexistence between the operators and the host com- in both chambers. It is a referendum on them that they signs off. From thence, the North will fight tooth and nail munities. have failed in their capacity to represent the will and the and resist any attempt to amend it.” interest of the South-South people “Five per cent is what we negotiated and agreed in the Describing the passage of the bill as historic, Chairman, House. For me five percent is the acceptable minimum, “I expected them to have used the opportunity to bring Oil-Producing Host Communities in Edo State, Imatiti- considering that the smooth implementation of the bill peace and harmony to the region that lay the golden kua, however, said the three per cent was an insult to host when assented by the President will depend on the eggs, especially with the fear of agitations from the host communities. peaceful coexistence between the operators and the communities. If you ask me they have missed another host communities” he noted. great opportunity to show themselves as gallant people Imatitikua, who is also the President, Orhionmwon Youth Also, a member of the PIB ad-hoc committee in the who believe in community development and harmony. Progressives added, “What can three per cent do to cush- House of Representatives,Kingsley Chima, said the bill The three per cent that is allocated, if care is not taken, ion the effects of the years of the degradation and despo- would not only get more funds for the Niger Delta but might be a recipe for more dangerous restiveness and liation of the ecosystem? Remember that a 10 per cent will bring stability and provide security within the re- agitations in the zone”. equity share was voted for host communities in the bill gion. introduced by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s gov- Similarly, a Delta State-based lawyer, Obarisi, frowned ernment at the time of the militants’ agitations for equity The lawmaker from Imo State added,“So, we would not on the content of the bill, saying it is a ‘coup’ against and fair share in the production quota. have a situation where the host communities would say the south. that they did not get their due share from oil explora- “The same was one of the bargaining lines to check the tion. So, this fund would be sent to the host communi- He said, “It was a ploy to further rob the south that pro- restiveness of the people then. The members of this ninth ties, deductible from the source. What it means is that duces the oil and pay the north that doesn’t produce a senate seem to have forgotten so soon that the 10 per you do not need to go begging for the money to be re- single drop of oil. First, the senate cut down compensa- cent equity share for the host communities was one of the leased to you”. tions payments for host communities from five per cent reasons why the aggrieved Niger Delta people reluctantly to three per cent against the cries of southern senators. accepted the presidential amnesty. Noting that the current mood in the region was joyous, he explained that the affected communities would now “Second, the Senate has redefined host community to “The Federal Government cannot renege on its promise be active participants in activities of oil exploration. mean any community that oil pipeline passes through. now that the region is peaceful. It is ridiculous that the By implication, host communities will now imply all Senate approved in the bill a whopping 30 per cent for the Explaining the provisions of section 240, which deals states that don’t produce oil but have oil pipelines pass- NNPC to explore oil across the country. with the host communities and the fund, Chima said the ing through it. This automatically makes some northern section gave host communities the impetus to partici- states that do not produce oil become host communi- “So, the Senate is more concerned about what they never pate in their resources. ties and henceforth benefit from compensations. Before see than what we have? The host communities should now, host communities were communities that produce continue to suffer from the environmental abuse occa- He noted, “What this means is that five per cent of the oil or have petroleum facilities/ installations in their sioned by the oil exploratory activities without any envi- operational cost by oil companies have been exclusively land. ronmental re-mediation? reserved for the host communities and by host commu- nities. The five per cent would no longer be sent in a “Third, the Senate came up with a new fraudulent jar- “The communities should continue to suffer neglect and proxy. These monies would be sent directly to a fund gon called Frontier Exploration for which they have marginalisation on the altar of national infrastructure de- which would be established by the same host communi- earmarked 30 per cent of NNPC profits to be servic- velopment without their interest being protected by the ties, and which will be managed by the same host com- ing these frontier explorations yearly. Note that all the petroleum law? The house joint committee should look munities.” frontier exploration projects are domiciled in the North- into the danger in passing the bill into law. Chad basin. So, automatically, 30 per cent or more (to- Another House of Representatives member, Dennis Ida- tally about 48 per cent) of NNPC profits will be going “Niger Delta people need nothing less than 10 percent hosa, said there were encumbrances that stood in the to the North that does not produce a single drop of oil, equity share as originally agreed. The National Assembly way of the previous assembly to pass the bill. while the remaining will be shared by the federating should strive to consider the interest of the people who states. Please tell me, what else is the best definition bear the brunt in passing the PIB. Three per cent will Continues on page 19 ThisNigeria 19 LeadStory Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Forced marriage in Nigeria: ...2.5-5%, it’s in order The travail of young girls If you are married, you probably may have realized why the institution of marriage is important and must have –Lawmakers experienced some sweet aspects of the good that comes out of a married life. Or, perhaps, marriage was a liv- ing hell for you or someone you know, as a single person, that you do not find it worthwhile living in marriage. However, there are plenty of hope, good and excitement that go with marriage especially one devoid of any form of coercion, compulsion or force. First, it has to be understood that marriage is a beginning of a new life. A new family and a new everything. For God says, it is not good for a man to be alone. Let us make him a helper – Genesis 2:18, 23. This heavenly injunction is the first recognition of the sacredness of the union called marriage. It is noteworthy that the Biblical injunction does not stop at telling us how God desired that marriage should be but went further to tell us the reaction of the first man upon seeing his bride – Eve. Hear him “At last, this is a bone from my bone, and a flesh from my flesh”. Marriage as a union is not just a mere physical celebration; it is also spiritual and emotional union. Hence, it is commonly expected that one who wishes to go into it must be mentally and emotionally stabilized. The individual must not be a minor. Asides being mentally and emotionally stabilized, it requires a free and unalloyed giving of oneself to the per- son of another. This is because when marriage is freely and voluntarily entered into, it would provide the parties with opportunities to grow in selflessness as they serve each other amongst other sacrifices. To this end, it is safe to opine that parties, especially the woman who is to be married must not just be ready but be seen to be roundly ready and willing to give herself in marriage to the proposed suitor. This giving of self must be utter giving of oneself devoid of all forms of coercion, family/societal influence and threats. Notwithstanding one’s perception of marriage, the hallmark of it all is that it ought to be voluntary. Even global Continued from page 18 best marriage practice recognizes the need for marriage to be based on individual choices. Nigeria as a player in international plain has, in not less than one legislation, recognized the idea behind the voluntariness of marital Idahosa, who is the House Committee Chairman on Legislative Com- union. No wonder the Matrimonial Causes Act, laid down guidelines governing marriages contracted in Nigeria. pliance, said development in the nation’s oil industry had been bedev- In addition to the Matrimonial Causes Act are the various customary rules of different States of the Federal illed by failure to enthrone competitiveness in the industry. Republic of Nigeria which stipulates the basic rules for marriage in Nigeria. Varied as these various rules may be, their common point of agreement is the provision dealing with consent and age of the party (ies). He noted, “I must commend both chambers of the NASS for making Beautiful as the provisions of these rules may seem, it has remained a puzzle so difficult to unravel as to how true its promise to pass the bill within the life span of the ninth as- some communities, clans and States in Nigeria still held tenaciously to their ancient and barbaric traditions of sembly. Not only is the bill passed, but the encumbrances that had imposing men on young and unsuspecting ladies in the name of fulfilling one dead ancient tradition. stood in its way were dealt with. The all-encompassing bill had the In the most recent times, research indicated that there is a high incidence of forced marriage in Nigeria par- inputs of all stakeholders. ticularly amongst the Northern and South Western parts of the country. Sources indicate that the prevalence of forced marriage is dependent on a number of different factors ranging from traditional orientation, religious to “Again, as I have always said that working in tandem with the execu- clan/communities belief, socio-economic status, ethnic group, illiteracy and poverty. tive is a sure way for Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of democracy. While it has been empirically proven that in the north, forced marriage is part of the culture and religion, in This has been demonstrated by the ninth assembly. We don’t need to the South West, it is characterized by religious beliefs and superstitious. Suffice to add that however prevalence rock the boat to make a statement. Ours is to see that the people we forced marriage may seem to appear in the selected areas in Nigeria, it is common amongst the non-urban and represent get what is due them. So, we will continue to work in har- rural dwellers, but “not very common” among the educated populations. In Ogun, a State under the South West- monious relationship with the executive and always point out their ern States, there had been instances of forced marriages under the aegis of traditional belief. areas of default. Sometime in 2014, research revealed that a certain lady {name withheld} disappeared from one Odogbolu community of Ogun State because she refused to marry a certain old traditional chief. An indigene of the com- Also, a national commissioner representing the South-South in the munity who chose to remain anonymous, told our researcher that the lady, a young woman in her late twenties Police Service Commission, Austin Braimah, said the outcome of the then, was said to have been chosen by the gods to marry one chief Adegusi. When it was obvious that the lady bill should be accepted. in question was not going to yield to the barbaric cultural demand, the clan went after her and her family with several threats until the lady vanished from the community and that to date, no one has seen her or know her He said, “After so many years of struggling to put this PIB in place, whereabouts. why can’t we be pleased with this outcome. Even if this is half bread, A similar but most recent event occurred in Akure, the Ondo State capital wherein a family court quashed a it is better than none. Like the constitution, every aspect of it cannot forced marriage of a teenage girl. In this scenario, a Muslim cleric, Alhaji Yusuf Lateef was to make the girl, a 16 be justice. It must continue to go through reforms of judicial interpre- years old secondary school girl his ninth wives. The girl refused and ran away but her parents (for financial gain), tations and amendments. forced her back to Yusuf. The Court, a three-man panel presided over by Justice Aderemi Adegoroye order the return of the girl to her family for care and education and further warned Alhaji Yusuf Lateef to stay clear off the “The present PIB can be improved upon as we operate it. It is wrong girl. for anyone to say that it should not be signed just because a section of From the two scenarios above, it is obviously manifest that whichever form it might take, there is often a it did not completely meet the needs of the host communities. With continuum of coercion used to compel a marriage, ranging from outright physical violence to subtle psychologi- time, we can push for an increase in that section. You don’t throw cal pressure. Though now widely condemned by the educated class in Nigeria, forced marriages still take place away the baby with the bathwater”. in various communities and clans, particularly in some parts of South Western and Northern States of Nigeria. Some scholars object however, to the use of the term “forced marriage” because it invokes the consensual legiti- How Senate arrived at three per cent mate language of marriage (such as husband/wife) for an experience that is precisely the opposite. A variety of During the passing of the bill, Chairman of the Senate Joint Commit- alternative terms have been proposed, including “forced conjugal association” and “conjugal slavery”. tee on the bill, Sani Mohammed Nakudu (Jigawa South West), the The United Nations views forced marriage as a form of human rights abuse, since it violates the principle of co-Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan the freedom and autonomy of individuals. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that a person’s (Akwa Ibom North-East), and the Senate Minority Whip, who is also right to choose a spouse and enter freely into marriage is central to their life and dignity, and their equality as a the Vice-Chairman (Downstream), Senator Philip Aduda (Federal human being. The Roman Catholic Church deems forced marriage as grounds for granting an annulment. Thus, Capital Territory, FCT), dismissed the allegation of bias against the the Holy Church teaches that for a marriage to be valid both parties must give their consent freely. The Supple- host communities in the oil-producing states. mentary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery also prohibits marriage without right to refusal by both parties and requires a minimum age for marriage. Nakudu said the three per cent to the host communities would trans- Year 2013 witnessed the adoption of the first ever United Nations Human Rights Council resolution against late to over half a billion dollars annually from the oil and gas compa- child, early, and forced marriages. The resolution recognizes child, early, and forced marriage as involving viola- nies besides other incentives from the government. tions of human rights which prevents individuals from living their lives free from all forms of violence and that has adverse consequences on the enjoyment of human rights, such as the right to education, and the right to the He added that the three per cent would inspire more firms to invest highest attainable standard of health including sexual and reproductive health, and also states that the elimination in the nation as they would be assured of a reasonable return on their of child, early and forced marriage should be considered in the discussion of the post-2015 development agenda. investments. Conclusively, it is stated that as the world all over has risen against the practice of forced marriage, it is ex- pected that Nigeria, as a community of people on the one hand and a signatory to United Nations Convention, on Speaking Akpan described the three per cent as a bold statement to the second hand, should toe the line and abolish all forms of forced/child marriage by enthroning a society where the global oil and gas industry in the country. He added that the initia- conjugal association must be by exercise of one’s free will. tive would attract global competitiveness and the desired investment in the country’s oil and gas sector. Chima D. Ihekaire, (Esq) is a legal pratitioner He writes in Lagos. 08030767546, [email protected] 20 ThisNigeria Parliament Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Federal varsities: It’s wrong to say Senate shouldn’t endorse more – Babba Kaita blossom of cottage and infant industries to facili- tate the ongoing process of industrialization in Nigeria with multiplier effects on improved Gross Domestic Products (GDP) to better the livelihood of the Nigerian people. Therefore, the efforts of the sponsors of the bills are marvelous and com- mendable one,” Babba Kaita said. Corollary to that, he added, the Senate committee “is poised in reaffirming its commitment in ensur- The Red Chamber ing a high impact legislation that would provide a sound, virile, vibrant and sustainable legislative By Andy Asemota frame work as support for Nigerian educ sector.” In a key note address, the Senate President, Ah- mad Lawan, applauded the committee “for its ecently, the Senate Committee on Tertiary determination to support the actualization of the Institutions and TETFund organized a one- mandate of the 9th Senate while making concerted day public hearing on four bills establishing: efforts to ensure access to education in the coun- R Babba Kaita Federal University of Technology, Offa; Federal try through perfect engagement of stakeholders University of Agriculture and Technology, Aboh; associated with education to the doorsteps of the re- to contribute their quota to this onerous task of Federal University of Gusau and Institute of Infor- spective host communities of the States where the legislation and revamping the Nigerian education mation and Communication Technology, Ogoja, at universities are to be established and as well as they sector,” while also commending the painstaking ef- the National Assembly where the Senate subjected will serve as boosts for the exploration of agricultural, forts of the sponsors of the four bills. the four bills to rigorous interrogations. scientific and technological knowledge in promotion of in-depth and escalating cutting-edge researches, “On its part the Senate will not relent in giving The Senate Committee chairman Ahmad Babba in diverse fields of human endeavour, lauded his col- Nigerians impactful legislations ensuring access to Kaita, said the establishment of the federal institu- leagues namely: Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (Kwara education for all and sundry across the length and tions in various parts of the country will not doubt, South), Senator Peter O yeluka Nwaoboshi (Delta breadth of the country,” Lawan assured. provide the required manpower needs to cater for North) and Senator Sahabi Yau (Zamfara North) and institutional requirements for sustainable growth Senator Stphen A. Odey (Cross River North) reslec- THISNIGERIA gathered that the no fewer than and development of the country. tively for sponsoring the bills. 140 memoranda received by the committee were in support of the federal institutions and the ben- Babba Kaita, who expressed confidence that the “When the envisaged universities take off, they will efits that Nigerians and the nation would derive bills have the potentials of bringing opportunities have impacts on local techniques with pathways for the institutions. Senate blows hot over firearms, pegs N5m fine for violators he National Assembly plans to fight illegal im- er endorsed five million naira fine instead of the two “They further posited that from available statics, porters of firearms into the country and viola- million naira recommended in the committee. provided by the United Nations Regional Centre for Ttors of the Firearms Act with fine pegged at Speaking on the floor of the Upper Chamber presided Peace and Disarmament and Stockpile Management five million naira fine and three year imprisonment. over by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the law in Abuja, it was reported that proliferation of illicit The Red Chamber on Wednesday approved the increase makers pegged the fine at five million naira in view of pro- small arms and light weapons in Nigeria has reached of sanctions among other provisions targeted at prevent- liferation of firearms across the nation with security chal- an alarming proportion. And over 500 million of such ing and curtailing the circulation of illegal firearms in lenges, adding that the bill is a welcome development. He weapons are circulating in the West African Sub-Re- the hands of individuals without valid license across the declared: “I assure this will go along way in supporting the gion, with over 350 million, which represents 70% of country. The decision came on the heels of the report of fight against so much insecurity we have in the country and such weapons that are domiciled in Nigeria. the Senate Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights we believe that this is one worthy bill of presidential assent. and Legal Matters on the bill for an act to amend the Congratulations to the sponsor of the bill.” “They maintained that this development is worri- Firearms Act CAP. F28, Laws of the Federation, 2004. some, hence the need to have this legislation in place THISNIGERIA recalls that in the course of the public hear- in order to provide for stringent punishments to The bill sponsored by Senator Uba Sani (Kaduna ing on the bill, far-reaching contributions on the justification serve as deterrence in the concerted efforts to cur- Central) seeks to upward review of the fine and term for the passage of the bill by the National Assembly were tail proliferation of illicit forearm and all associated of imprisonment made in order to serve as deter- made by stakeholders, who were in attendance, and in their rence to perpetrators as the fine of one thousand nai- unanimous support for the passage of the bill, they made ra (N1000) in the Principal Act proves inadequate. different submissions. Expatiating on this, Sen. Bamidele In the bill, the sum of one million naira fine and im- said first and foremost, the stakeholders applauded the prisonment were proposed, following the debate in the legislative intents of the bill as it is aimed at updating the plenary, the law makers declared that fine was not pu- extant Act to meet the realities of our time. nitive enough to deter illegal importation or sales of the firearms in the country in line with current realities. His words: “They also submitted that its passage will bolster public confidence in the government’s efforts in Submitting the report, the committee chairman, Sen- the fight against proliferation of illegal firearms in the ator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said: “The fine in country. They stated that the bill is apt especially now both extant Act is not commensurate with the grav- that Nigeria is faced with myriad of security challenges. ity of the offence, hence the upward review of the fine in the proposed bill, will serve as deterrent as “They avowed that the intendment of this bill is laud- well strengthen the current efforts geared towards able and it is a bold step towards curtailing prolifera- the control of illicit and illegal firearms influx into the tion of firearms, which if left unchecked, will further country and in the possession of individuals.” exacerbate the raising spate of criminality, currently plaguing the country. Given the present circumstances, the Senate howev- Lawan ThisNigeria 21 Parliament Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Provide 132/133KVA sub-station to Ayedaade Fed constituency, Reps ask REA, IBEDC he House of Representatives has demanded from the Rural Electrification Agency and Tthe Ibadan Electricity Distribution Com- pany, (IBEDC),the immediate installation of a 132/133KVA substation for Ayedaade, Irelowe and Isokan federal constituency in Osun state In a resolution passed by the lawmakers after de- bating and approving a motion titled, ‘’Need to provide 132/133 KVA sub-station in Ayedaade, Ire- The Green Chamber lowe, Isokan Federal constituency’’, sponsored by Honorable Oluga Taiwo, the House expressed con- By Kassim Omomia cern over the epileptic power supply to the con- stituency and charged both the Rural electrifica- tion agency and the Ibadan electricity distribution company to join forces and immediately install a 132/133 KVA substation in the areas to boost eco- nomic life , security as well as living standards of ...Increase Host the people.

Gbajabiamila The resolution reads; “That the Ibadan Electricity community fund Distribution Company(IBEDC) should provide an Electrity Sub-Station in Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan ….Pass Bill to appoint Federal Constituency in order to boost Electricity to 5%, okay PIB Supply within the Federal Constituency. n addition, the green chamber considered the persons with disabilities 318- clause Petroleum Industry Bill It amended ‘’That the Rural Electrification Agency(REA) Isection 240(2) of the Bill to increase the host into high political offices should extend its activities to Electrification in community fund to 5% from the initial 2.5% in the Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency, draft Bill. By the singular feat, the 9th House has imilarly, it passed a Bill which will give compul- sory appointments at high pollical level to per- Osun State Debating the motion, the House noted taken the glory of passing the controversial Bill that the Security and Welfare of the People shall that has been in the National assembly for almost Ssons living with disabilities. always be the primary purpose of government and two decades. The Bill which was sponsored by Speaker of the as such, Government must continue to provide a House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila , suitable environment to boost economic activities Presenting the synopsis of the report before the and secure the life of the citizenry. House finally dissolved into the ‘Committee of the will compel the President and state governors, to ap- point disabled people to the offices of Minister and Whole’ chaired by the deputy speaker, Idris Ahmed The House further aligned itself with the provi- Wase, to consider the reports, Chairman of the state commissioners, has been passed in the Green Chamber. sions of Section 4(4) and item 13 Part II of the PIB Ad-hoc committee, Tahir Monguno, noted that Concurrent Legislative List of the Constitution of the names of the members of the 9th House will the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(as amended) be written in Gold for passing the Bill which has The bill, entitled: “An Act to Amend the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that the National Assembly may make suffered a chequered history in the National As- laws for the Federation or any part thereof on elec- sembly. 1999 to provide for Inclusion and Protection of Per- sons with Disabilities, 2021.” Will amend section 147 tricity and the establishment of electric power sta- tions and for the generation and transmission of He said the Bill is important in the history of Nige- to include the word “and shall include person with disabilities”, after the last word “state” in the last electricity in or to any part of the Federation and ria because of oil which is the mainstay of the coun- from one State to another. try’s economy. Monguno explained by the passage paragraph of subsection 3. of the bill, governance in the oil sector will be by Following the extant provision, it argued on the international best practices. The Bill proposes that section 3 should read: “Any appointment. under Sub-section (2) of this section by significance of electricity as an important infra- structure needed to boost economic activities and According to him, the NNPC shall be unbundled the President shall be in conformity with the provi- sions of sub-section 14(3) of this constitution. improve the security of any locality within the and run like a limited liability company, ‘’the NNPC Federal Republic of Nigeria, such as the request Ltd’’. He said the Bill also creates a commission “Provided that in giving effect to the provisions afore- said, the President shall appoint at least one Minister for the quick provision of 132/133 KVA Electricity that will regulate activities in the sector as well as Substation in Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal provide funds for the Host communities. from each State, who shall be an indigene of such Stars and shall include persons with disabilities. Constituency. ‘’More money will come into the coffers of the gov- ernment treasury through exploration. There shall be good fiscal regime to attract more investments House kicks against lifting of Twitter ban and with the passage of the Bill, the House is about embers have kicked against a proposal by to make history since various passage of the Bill the Deputy Minority leader of the House, Lead Chairman of the joint panel, Hon. Odebunmi eluded past assemblies” the special committee MTobi Okechukwu that the Twitter ban be Dokun had on behalf of the committee presented a chair added. lifted by the federal government. six-point recommendation for adoption of the House, but Deputy Speaker Idris Wase sought to know However, the 318 clauses were passed with an Hon. Okechukwu while at the consideration of the whether the National Security Adviser’s inputs were amendment to section 240 sub- 2, which increased report on twitter ban submitted by the chairman gotten during the investigative hearing, to which the the host community fund to 5% from 2.5. House committee on Communication, Hon. Ode- committee answered in the negative. bunmi Dokun at plenary had called for the lifting of Section 240(2) reads: ‘’ each settlor, where appli- the ban of the micro blog considering the negative Another twist was added soon after by Deputy Minority cable through the operator, shall make an annual consequences it may have on Nigerians. Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, who recalled that the com- contribution to the applicable host community de- mittee was given three core areas in the mandate given velopment trust fund of an amount equal to 2.5% of Recall that the House of Representatives’ joint commit- it, to include; determining the circumstances surrounding its actual operating expenditure in the immediately tee on Committees on Information, National Orientation, the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, the legal authority preceding calendar year in respect of all petroleum Ethics and Values, Telecommunications, Information and upon which the federal government relied on the ban it, operations affecting the host communities for Technology, Justice, and National Security and Intelligence and to invite the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai which the applicable host community development were asked to investigate circumstances surrounding the Mohammed to brief it on the development, stressing that trust was established’’ Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter. its recommendations however failed to address the issues. ThisNigeria 22 Monday April 12, – April 18, 2021 ThisNigeria 23 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 TheBigInterview

‘New PIB is an insult to Niger Delta people’ National Coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), Joseph Evah, speaks on the Petroleum Industry Bill, Niger Delta challenges and the recent arrest of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, among others, in this interview with Mudiaga Affe Evah

Do you see the fight against insecu- ategorically, yes. The people of the Niger the window to know if it is morning or af- rity in Nigeria coming to an end any Delta have rejected the so-called PIB that has ternoon before you answer- that is the posi- time soon? been passed into law. There is no productivity tion. They do not want us to trust them. in our land and you are proposing three per You can imagine the NDDC board mem- ell, I do not think so because just cent? Before you finish the Nigerian agenda, I bers that were sent to the National Assem- last week the Petroleum Industry can assure you that the host communities will bly and they screened and okayed them but WBill (PIB) was passed and the Na- get zero per cent. Before the event, the com- Akpabio went behind to deceive the Presi- tional Assembly is giving a paltry 2.5 or 3 panies settle the powers that be, there will be dent that the board was not granted the per cent to oil-producing host communi- nothing left for the host communities. permission to operate and they are coming ties. For me, the passage of such a bill is with stories of a forensic audit. Is there not a hate speech coming from the National Following a recent threat by a militant forensic audit in Nigerian Ports Authority Assembly against the people of the Niger group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Cor- Delta. to cripple the economy if issues in the poration (NNPC), and other federal gov- Is there not region are not addressed, the Federal ernment agencies? The last NNPC Group Unfortunately, I must also say that our Government recently said they were Managing Director is currently on trial but National Assembly members should be forensic audit already addressing issues in the re- the corporation’s board is functioning. You ashamed of themselves because they are in Nigerian gion, what is your take on this? can see the confusion that these people are no longer honourable in our sights. They This is the very reason why we are complain- creating. have become betrayers. We expected them Ports Authority ing. We can no longer farm in our land. If they to walk out on their colleague when they (NPA), are addressing it, we would have seen it in If you were to propose to the Feder- saw the direction that the so-called bill was the PIB that was passed by the National As- al Government, what are the critical going, but they kept mute because of belief Nigerian sembly. Now that the minister, Akpabio, has areas in the region that need urgent in this kind of settlement life which has en- National turned NDDC into a yahoo-yahoo centre, the attention? tered into their bloodstream. next name he will give to the person heading They already know these things and the Petroleum the commission is General Officer Command- more you continue to remind them, the If the settlement spirit has not entered Corporation ing (GOC), maybe, to reflect when President more they make a mockery of you. Presi- their blood, they would have seen it as an (NNPC), and Buhari was a GOC. dent Buhari was a former military gover- insult. Our people are demanding 10 per nor before he became Head of State. He cent to be given to host communities and other federal Let me say it that we are restraining our- was also a former petroleum minister. He the so-called bill did not even propose five government selves because we are more dangerous than was also a former chairman of the Petro- per cent and our National Assembly repre- the South-East, especially if we want to pro- leum Trust Fund (PTF), so, there is no sentatives are just sitting down there like agencies? test. But we do not want to do that now. Our way he does not know what the agitations a zombie because they have been settled, There boards kind of protest takes a dimension that is very in the region are. Agreed, age is not on his this is absurd. So, this PIB that was passed difficult for human beings to understand, and side, if you have vibrant people around you is provocative. are still that is why we are warning the Presidency just like what Yakubu Gowon did as Head functioning that they are provoking us with the passage of States, the country would have moved The situation is further compounded by of this PIB and unfortunately our children in forward. There is a need to surround our- the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, God- the National Assembly are part of the betray- selves with productive and result-oriented swill Akpabio, who is making a mockery ers. If they are not, the National Assembly people for us to move forward. of the Niger Delta Development Commis- cannot insult us with this PIB. sion (NDDC). The whole situation is just What if the Federal Government upside-down and I do not know the kind of What are the real challenges of the chooses to jettison the screened people we have in the seat of power. region? NDDC board and institute a new The problem is that the leadership of this one, will that be okay for the re- So, are you, therefore, saying that nation is not listening to us. If this govern- gion? Niger Delta people should reject ment says good morning in the name of Niger That will cause another confusion. We are the passed PIB? Delta, you will truly have to check through Continues on Page 26 24 ThisNigeria Sport Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Spartak Moscow: Why we signed Victor Moses ormer Super Eagles dashing winger, Victor Moses has Ffinally signed a permanent deal with the Russian giant- Spar- tak Moscow. Although Chelsea announced last week that Moses is now ‘the property’ of Spartak Moscow but The People’s Team made the an- nouncement in a sensational video post on their Twitter page. The video started with Spartak saying they have an announcement before revealing it’s not about Bar- celona legend Lionel Messi. Team Nigeria land in USA, ready for Olympic relay qualifier It then continued with a highlight reel of Moses’ performance last season. Moses spent last cam- Team Nigeria departs July 6 paign on loan at the club. The former Wigan star impressed • Brume, Adekuoroye Nigeria flag bearers enough, and that made Spartak trigger the option to buy him per- By Babs oyetoro while African record holder in the manently from Chelsea. According to the Director FEAD Dr. long jump Ese Brume will bear the arring any unforeseen circum- Simeon Ebhojiaye, the African Num- flag during the closing ceremony. Moses scored four goals and regis- stance, the first batch of Team ber one who became the first African Lucy Ejike who will be competing in tered the same number of assists in BNigeria contingent is expected to reach the quarterfinal round of the the Para powerlifting will Captain 19 games in the Russian top-flight. to leave the shore of Nigeria on Tues- table tennis event at the Rio 2016 Team Nigeria to the Paralympics The former Nigerian international’s day, July 6 while the second batch Olympics in Brazil was selected to Games. performance helped Spartak finish will leave the country on July 13 for lead the athletes during the National second in the league and qualify for Olympic Games in Tokyo scheduled Sports Federations meeting held in Meanwhile, the first batch of Team Ni- next season’s Champions League. for kick-off July 23rd to August 8th. Abuja. geria contingent is expected to depart the country to Japan on Tuesday, July Meanwhile, the 30-year-old also took Also, as for the Paralympic Games, The 2014 World Table Tennis Player 6 while the second batch departs July to his Twitter page to thank Chelsea the Nigerian team will depart on Au- of the Year who is making his third 13, 2021. for a fantastic nine years in which he gust 8, for a 14-day Pre-Games Train- Olympics appearance will be assisted won a Premier League title, Europa ing Camp (PGTC) in Kisarazu. by the captain of the women basket- Meanwhile, Team Nigeria will com- League, and the FA Cup. However, table tennis sensation Aru- ball team Adaora Elonu. pete in nine Sports at the Olympics na Quadri will lead Team Nigeria to and four Sports in the Paralympics. the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Commonwealth wrestling medalist Weightlifting has been excluded fol- Japan, while Lucy Ejike will lead the Odunayo Adekuoroye will be the flag lowing the failure of its athletes to Paralympics Team. bearer during the opening ceremony, meet the standard. Organisers insist no-fan as COVID-19 cases rise okyo Olympics organisers have months ago as too great a risk. of the International Olympic Commit- warned that they are prepared The possible about-face is being tee, local organisers, the Japanese Tto hold the Games behind closed forced by rising new infections in government, Tokyo metropolitan doors as virus cases rise, leaving Tokyo, the appearance of the rapidly government officials and the Interna- ticketholders in limbo just barely three spreading Delta variant, and fears tional Paralympic Committee. weeks before the opening ceremony. that the Olympics and Paralympics with 15,400 athletes and tens of thou- The government’s top COVID-19 Seiko Hashimoto, president of the To- sands of others entering Japan could adviser, Dr Shigeru Omi, has said kyo 2020 organising committee, said turn into a super-spreader event. repeatedly that the safest option is on Friday that banning all fans from without any fans. the Olympics is still an option with the “The situation of infection changes and Games opening during a pandemic. how it will be is still unclear,” Hashimoto And Yuriko Koike, the governor of Latest announcement would be a re- said in a Friday briefing. “But from To- Tokyo, suggested on Friday that has versal of a decision spelled out 10 kyo 2020’s perspective, we also include been her preference, too. “We will days ago by the organisers to allow up an option of not having spectators.” continue to closely watch the infec- to 10,000 fans to attend. tion situation and think what would Yet another decision on fans could be be best, and mainly consider no spec- Overseas travelling fans were banned announced this week after a meeting tators,” Koike said. Moses ThisNigeria 25 Sport Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Yobo writes off Spain By Babs oyetoro have won through penalty shoot-out talised on another defensive howl- but warned that they needed to up er from Luis Enrique’s side when uper Eagles assistant coach their game in the semi-final if they Xherdan Shaqiri levelled. Joseph Yobo has described the intend to play in the final. SSpanish national team unin- Freuler’s sending off tilted the odds spiring in their campaign in the on- “This Spanish team looks colourless back in Spain’s favour but despite going European championship. and lacked the needed bite upfront. peppering Sommer’s goal in extra- They must go back to the drawing time they couldn’t find a winner. Yobo, who is a regular feature on the board do all the necessary correction Super sports programme since the before their game”, Yobo stressed. When Sergio Busquets hit Spain’s tournament kicked off knocked the first penalty against the post in the Spanish for their lacklustre perfor- It would be recalled that Spain had shootout it seemed Switzerland may mance as he bemoaned their inabil- got off to a flying start to the match pull off another big upset, but while Akanji ity to take their chances throughout when a big deflection off Denis Za- Rodri also failed to convert for Spain the duration of the game. karia took Jordi Alba’s shot past later, errors from Fabian Schar, Man- Yann Sommer but, despite losing uel Akanji, and Ruben Vargas allowed Akanji adds The former Everton strongman not- key man Breel Embolo early on, Oyarzabal to book his side’s place in ed that the winners were lucky to Switzerland battled back and capi- the first semi-final at Wembley. value to Swiss defence igerian born Manuel Obafemi Akanji, who plies his trade with Nthe German club side-Borrusia Dortmund was a key factor in the de- fence of Switzerland in the Euro 2020 Championship before they finally bowed out of the tournament. Akanji stood out among the whole pack in the defence fighting like a tro- jan to ensure that the Swiss national team progress to the semi-final of the on-going tournament, but luck seems to have run against them as they fell to Spain in the penalty shoot-out. Since the ouster of Swiss national team from the championship, foot- ball fans have not stopped to shower praises on the contributions of Bor- rusia Dortmund defence stalwart par- ticularly in the match against Spain, where Remo Freuler was shown the exit via red card in the 77th minute Nigeria Vs Mexico: Super Eagles in training for rough tackle on a Spanish player.

Commenting on Akanji outstanding per- World Boxing Contest formance in the match against Spain, the former Union Bank coach, Yinka Kelvins said: “I was really impressed Tyson Fury sparks with Ajagba, Anderson about the way this guy play in the de- fence. He was a fighter…he played out • In preparation for Wilder fight his heart. He contested for every ball BC heavyweight champion power, he’s dangerous for Fury to be The undefeated 21-year-old Jared and was everywhere on the field. Tyson Fury is getting some sparring with because he can hurt Anderson has proven to be the excellent sparring from dan- him if he lands flush. most beneficial of the sparring “How I wish this guy had been in the W Super Eagles he would have made the gerous knockout artists Jared Ander- partners for Fury (30-0-1, 21 son and Efe Ajagba in preparation Ajagba (15-0, 12 KOs) will be fighting KOs), according to his promoter difference in that department. for his title defence against Deon- Cuban talent Frank Sanchez (18-0, 13 Bob Arum of Top Rank. Also, a football enthusiast, Joshua tay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder on July KOs) in a 10 round fight on the un- Opemipo singled out Akanji in the 24th. The card will be taking place dercard of Fury vs. Wilder III trilogy Although the 6’4″ ‘Big Baby’ Jared Swiss defence saying he was a delight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, match on July 24th in Las Vegas. Anderson isn’t as tall, powerful, to behold in that department. Nevada. or as fast as Deontay (42-1-1, 41 KOs), he’s more of a pressure “Honestly, I felt for Akanji when the Anderson is someone that would be fighter who has two-handed punch- Swiss lost through penalty shoot-out a nightmare for Fury to fight even ing power and unlike Wilder, he because the young man over worked now because he’s relentless, power- throws his shots in combination. himself throughout the 120 minutes ful at any range, and he’s a danger- before the penalty shoot-out. We need ous body puncher. Anderson is a completely differ- a player like this in the Super Eagles ent type of fighter than Wilder, to strengthen our shaky defence”. Jared’s ability to throw nonstop who tends to throw one punch at shots with power would make him a time and doesn’t possess an in- It would be recalled that Switzerland a tough opponent for Fury if they side game. advanced to the quarter final after fought right now. penalties in the round of 16. The team Fury likely having problems get- beat World Cup champion France 5-4 The 6’6″ Ajagba has a fighting style ting the better of Anderson on the in the shootout before they were fi- closer to Wilder than Jared Ander- inside because this is a guy that nally eliminated by Spain through the son. With Ajagba’s lethal rightahand can fight well in close or on the same shootout 3-1. Ajagba 26 ThisNigeria TheBigInterview Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

‘Any new board for NDDC will undermine Buhari’s integrity’ We will still wait for further information on this whole thing because the Igboho mat- ter is not clear yet. For Kanu’s case, there will be the need to establish those behind the killings and destructions in the South- East. I am still surprised because if truly he (Kanu) was sponsoring it, then he should face the law because you cannot sponsor the killing of your people who are clamour- ing for secession. Is it their ghosts that you want to come and govern? My concern is the innocent people that have been killed in the zone in the last five months. I am also worried about the attempt to turn the area into a war zone. Was he involved in these?

Following the FG’s clampdown on some of these agitators, do you think the call for secession will con- Awolowo Buhari tinue? Azikiwe In those days, we used to agitate for the Ni- Continued from page 23 dits attacked the convoy of Governor Abdul- ger Delta Republic or the Ijaw Republic but telling the President that if he has integ- lahi Ganduje of Kano State. Even a lawmaker I did not believe in it. If you want a republic, rity, then he should inaugurate the board in Jigawa State or one of the northern states you should go and do your homework. If you that he sent and has been screened by the was recently killed. So, if anyone is fooling have not done that, then it is injustice. Look National Assembly. Anything about the himself by pampering bandits, they are kill- at the people of Southern Sudan that say Niger Delta, you do not just play with us ing themselves. I know for sure that the gov- they want to pull out from Sudan, till now, like babies because if you come up with an- ernor of Kano State will never move freely they do not have peace because of greed. other board, your integrity will be at stake. again in his state. Certain people are bent on bringing injus- If you have a responsible government you tice even to their state because of greed. will inaugurate that board to show that you So, if they are protecting criminal elements have integrity because nobody nominated in the north who are terrorising them, they Even some senators have brought injustice those people for you. If tomorrow the Pres- are just fooling themselves. They should be to their area because of greed and they ident wants to appoint a puppet as minister ashamed of themselves because the people We are choose to remain there. We are doing injus- representing us, we will not fold our hands. are tormenting them. Three or four years tice to ourselves and by the time they allow ago, they were covering up those who were telling the us to go away, self-destruction will come to Why do you think the military and killing farmers in Benue State, but the tide play. So, people should not just jump and other security agencies are not win- is changing because the criminals are now President start talking about republics when they ning the war against insecurity? attacking them directly. Those playing dirty have not created that awareness of the uni- It is simple. They are looking at the body politics are deceiving themselves and playing that if he ty of purpose. language of the President. Look at what with their lives. happened before he (President Buhari) has integrity, Those who struggled for us to have inde- changed the former service chiefs, it was What is your reaction to the arrest of pendence, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi bad. What kind of thing was that? Even Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indig- then he Azikiwe, among others, may have brought his northern emirs were crying in front enous People of Biafra (IPOB)? this underdevelopment over the years. We of him before he managed to change the I have on several occasions disapproved of should were too much in a hurry. Compare Nigeria service chiefs and this is happening in a the attack on innocent people in the South- to South Africa. South Africa is almost like democratically-elected government. This East. I feel he (Kanu) should face the trial if inaugurate the United States of America in terms of is unacceptable. The service chiefs over- truly he is involved in sponsoring the attacks. development. Although they still have some stayed their years of service and the Presi- It is unacceptable for you to be tormenting the board contending issues, it is a more organised so- dent only covered his face to remove them. the same people you claim to be protecting ciety. If we had delayed our independence, What kind of thing was that? So, with that their interests. No revolutionary crusader that he sent we would have been more developed than kind of situation, you are not encouraging will be burning police stations and correc- the way we are now. We do not need to rush the military personnel. tional centres that are housing your people and has been into self-independence of another republic. and killing them. The policemen killed in po- There was this incident in Taraba State lice stations and other government facilities screened by Across the board, do you think we where some suspected kidnappers were in the South-East are they northerners? They have the leaders that can take us to killed in shoddy circumstances by soldiers, are Igbo people. Let him face the trial and the National loftier heights in the country? till this moment those suspected military let’s see how innocent he is in all these al- personnel have yet to face trial. Policemen legations. Assembly It is very difficult to say with the kind of that went to carry out that operation from politics we are playing because today if you Lagos State were killed because some talk about constitution review and ask our soldiers had compromised. That case is What about the move to arrest Sun- leaders to take us back to the parliamen- gradually dying and you say you are seri- day Igboho, who is an agitator in the tary system they will refuse. You can see ous about fighting banditry. The informa- South-West? that because of the pecks they are getting tion minister will say the government is I will not comment on that until I see the re- they will never support the parliamentary sincere in fighting bandits, but the security action of Afenifere and Oodua Peoples Con- system of government. men that are aiding bandits are protected. gress. We have so far got comments from the Department of State Service, and I feel they Look at what is happening in the National A school of thought believes the should not be the ones alone that should talk Assembly, they will never allow a parlia- onslaught to arrest agitators and in this matter. If we start getting negative re- mentary system because they are enjoying suspected criminals is more severe sponses from the family of Igboho and oth- it the way it is. Look at the calibre of per- in the south than in the north, what ers, we will now know that it is a set up. sons we have as leaders, the political class is your take on this? is so corrupt to the extent that their greed What will be your advice to the Fed- is uncontrollable. If I am to rate them today, Those aiding banditry/kidnapping in the eral Government in handling Nnamdi they will just earn five-per cent because north are only destroying themselves. Of Kanu’s case? Again, if Igboho is even- they are not thinking about the future. They course, it is in the public domain that ban- tually arrested, how will the authori- do not think about 50 years ahead when the ties pursue it? majority of us will be no more. ThisNigeria 27 Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 28 ThisNigeria Entertainment Monday July 5, – July 11 2021

Fresh tears for Davido

An autopsy from the Medical Examiner’s Office reportedly revealed that alcohol was a substantial factor in the death of a 35-year-old Tagbo, who died on his birthday. “The result also showed that he had alcohol and drugs in his system capable of easing a person into the early stages of hypothermia and eventual death.” Ahmed, alias King Jhaffi’s death, followed. It was the first in the year 2020 that rocked the Davido camp, and it occurred on Monday, April 6. Davido had announced Ahmed’s death with tears, asking, “why”? Davido Obama DMW Though the cause of his death could not be ascer- By Olusegun Olanrewaju DJ Olu, whose real name was Olugbenga Abiodun, tained, it was clear that it was a painful loss for Da- died in 2017. vido. or ace music star, David Adeleke, alias Da- vido, it’s another season to mourn. He was the son of the Chairman of Heyden Petroleum When Tijani Olamilekan Ogbeide (36), Davido‘s FHis Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) family and now the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun. personal bodyguard, also known as Teejay DMW has been hit by another tragedy of death, and the passed away on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Afro- camp is distraught. Like Davido’s father, DJ Olu’s father is a billionaire. beat superstar, Davido personally took to his official He was found dead alongside another of Davido’s social media page to express his feelings in a pro- This is because of the loss of his personal aide, friend, Chime Amaechi, in a BMW car parked at a ga- found tribute. singer and artiste manager, Habeeb Uthman, better rage on Banana Island, Lagos, where the music mae- known in stage circles as Obama DMW last week. stro lives. The cause of death Teejay is still unknown, but the Davido bodyguard was said to have been ill at the Obama’s sudden death has thrown the entire mem- It was believed that the duo must have met their un- time of his death. Some sources said he was dia- bers of Davido Music Worldwide into anguish. timely deaths as a result of hard drug overdose. In betic while alive. fact, the Lagos State Police Commissioner at the time, Friends, acquaintances, crew members, colleagues Edgar Imohimi, said substances suspected to be hard Davido was badly shaken by this death, and he took and family members of the popular singer, in their drugs were found in the car of the deceased DJ Olu. to his Instagram page to mourn his bodyguard of network known as as 30BG Gang, gathered last 11 years. Wednesday to lay Obama DMW to rest. He was bur- Next on the death list of the DMW crew was Tagbo Obama’s death is the latest and it was linked to re- ied according to Islamic rites in Epe, Lagos State. Umeike, Davido’s friend, who died on October 3, 2017 spiratory failure. while partying. Obama’s death marked another sad run of deaths Celebrities paid tributes to Obama and took turns trailing the Davido musical clan in a few years. Tagbo‘s death was trailed with high controversy and to post in the comments column of Instagram to drama that made life uneasy for Davido. It was report- mourn the sad loss. Obama was the sixth DMW crew member to die ed that Tagbo died after taking 10 Tequila shots on in four years. Recall that Davido’s personal body- his birthday. Until his death, Obama was a leading Nigerian en- guard, Tijani, died last year. tertainment executive and artistes’ manager. The reason for Davido’s agony in this death was that Also dead among Davido’s friends and close allies in Davido was allegedly present at the scene where his He was highly affiliated with the Davido Music recent years is DJ Olu, a talented disc jockey. friend was gulping the substance. Worldwide family and the 30 Billion Gang. ThisNigeria 29 Viewpoint Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Musings on future of the world and compulsive persons. Resources of countries are duty for the older generations to put out themselves cornered and wasted by rapacious criminals masquer- to ensure that their sweet children and wards grow up ading as leaders. People are dying in the hands of other as responsible and productive all-rounded individuals. people by the hour. Wars, armed conflicts and crises are now some of the most lucrative businesses in the The digital world has not taken – and will never suc- world. If wars and armed conflicts are bad for human ceed in diminishing – the benefits of love and care for beings, the proclivity of the human being for self-de- one another. As fathers, brothers, uncles and guard- struction and self-sabotage is confounding. Besides ians, we of the older generation need to be concerned character and reputational self-injuries, impulsive and about the behaviours of the children and wards under risky behaviours are destroying human beings daily. our roofs and care. We should know that rebellion, The younger generation is most hit by the plague of nonconformity, waywardness and other impulsive self annihilation and debasement. behaviours are attractive socializing tools for adoles- cents and youths. Within their social circle, rebellion Many of the young people are growing up with less is an effective prop. It breaks resistance and courts self-esteem and belief. The clingy ones rely on others acceptance and respect. for their validation and will stop at nothing in trying to please others and the public. Many go to the ridiculous They communicate and assert independence and self- Sam extent of changing their looks, complexion, sex and control to their peers by breaking rules and being dif- even their entire being to please others or access social ferent. Living in denial and believing that you have Kargbo or peer circles. The maladaptive ones sink into depres- done enough for your sweet child to remain and ever sion, self-pity and other personality disorders. Educa- be the dream child is dangerous. Our images are no tion, future higher social and economic statuses, future longer attractive to the younger generation. Not many Many of the young political influence and power are no longer strong mo- adolescents and youths want to grow up in our im- tivations to keep some of the youth away from self- ages. The stricter or more pious we are to them, the people are growing up destruction. Some live in – and for – the now. Their more we prop their rebellious instincts. For the child preoccupation is with self-injury, and their urges are for and ward, nothing will substitute for love and care. with less self-esteem orgies. Self-indulgence and perversion are holy grails Courting and winning their friendships, confidence for them. Family pride and honour no longer mean and fidelity is a must. and belief. The clingy much to the youth. The laws of attraction are turned on their head in the beliefs and philosophy of life of If your world is not about them, they will create their ones rely on others for some young men and women. Positive thoughts do not own and you would not be part of it. One of the most un- their validation and have the same value among them as we know them in forgiving and destructive paths for the younger genera- the books. Weird things and bazaar thoughts resonate tion is drug addiction or substance use disorder. Their will stop at nothing in more with them. age and adventurous minds make them easy and com- mon candidates for drug addiction. Social recreations trying to please others This is in no way suggesting that the older generation is are avenues for the laundering of egos and experimen- any better. In truth, some of the disoriented youths are tations. The money you give to make up for neglect or and the public mere victims of the dysfunctional lives of their parents regular interactions or as a substitute for love and care and/or guardians. Some are products of societies that could be used to buy booze and what could sometimes are defiled and corrupted by the older generation. To first come as recreational drugs or opioids, but will turn here are a good few stories about human beings be sure, every generation bears the genes of the pre- out to be the wrong turn in their lives. that have philosophical and aesthetical appeal. ceding generation. The statements made are to provide TLike every aspect of the universe, the earth and a backdrop for the proposition that this enigmatic and The alarming trend of drug addiction among the human beings have experienced tremendous evolu- evolutionary universe requires the human being to be youth – in particular, female teenagers and school go- tionary progress. Indeed, the worship of God should proactive if it is to live and enjoy the hosting world. ing girls – is most concerning. Young women are into be more if – before creating the universe or cosmic Human beings should expend as much energy and ef- smoking hemp or Cannabis Sativa as much as young world well over 15 billion years ago – He had antici- fort in trying to understand the human being as they men. That drug is no longer in vogue and too normal pated that the world would be this constituted and are expending on trying to understand the earth and to give notoriety in the world of the wild world of the assume its present character and properties. I must the whole of the universe. The human being cannot af- youth. In addition to cocaine and heroin, the attrac- hasten to say that this is not an attempt to suggest ford to lag behind its inventions and innovations. Cre- tions for the big boys and girls in town are Colorado, that the evolutionary process is not occurring within ations and development of all kinds should be about not Loud, Meth and Flakka. Colorado is a deadly synthet- the framework of God’s design and purpose. I possess just the comfort of humanity but preserving humanity ic drug that infuses temporary madness in the user. no alternative knowledge – or anything for that matter a little longer in this complex universe that is fast be- Loud is a slang term for extremely powerful, pungent, – to encourage me to venture outside the theological coming highly irritable and less hospitable. The need and high-quality cannabis. construction that all things are and do happen by the for the accomplishment of the global village project is grace of the omnipotent God, who lives in heaven and becoming existential. In this infancy stage of the digi- A whiff of Loud is said to be capable of giving instant who knows it all and sees it all. tal world, what seems apparent is that the digital world highness. Meth is another name for Methamphet- is heavier and stronger on individualism than it is on amine which is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant No matter which way one views the universe, be you bonding and social harmony. that affects the central nervous system. Flakka is de- a philosopher, theologian or scientist, the inescapable scribed as a man-made drug that is said to be even conclusion is that there is a lot to be done to enable Its social codes seem to promote islands and indepen- more dangerous than cocaine. In addition to these human beings to understand how its substances or dent kingdoms and personalities even within families. genres of dangerously addictive drugs are many other components are related to one another. Although he Patriarchal or family authorities are losing their grips self made concoctions that give “highness” to our is part of it, Man is yet to know much about even the on families. Fidelity to the family is becoming more op- young men and women. earth. What is more humbling is the ignorance of the tional than authoritative. Members of the family can susceptibility of human beings to planet Earth, which now create, connect and be bonded with a world out- The effects of drug addiction among our most vibrant is the most hospitable planet of the universe. Not side that of the family. Parents and guardians now have population are too telling to imagine. That some of many people spare a thought about the possibility of the harder task of creating and walking on the delicate them could kill and have been killing is a cause for the sun swallowing our earth in the not too distant balance between family life and the independent and worry. We cannot afford to sacrifice our children future. The human being is no less complex and enig- guarded lives of the members who make up the fam- and ward for our careers and professional pursuits. matic than the universe. Put in another way, human ily. Lifestyles and orientations do not necessarily have Wealth of any kind and proportion cannot heal the understanding of the universe, the earth and even hu- to be reflective of family values. Such themes as pro- wounds of a dysfunctional family or society. We have man beings is still poor. Wars are fought in further- tecting the family or doing things for the family are be- made the point that the human being is too complex ance of unbridled egos and ambitions. coming anachronistic. Surveilling children, wards and to understand and that by nature, the human being even spouses is of less importance than it was in the is given to self destruction. Be that as it may, we can People and societies are exposed to terror by disgrun- days of yore. I propose that irrespective of the tensions conclude that for there to be good families and peace- tled and vengeful or psychotic individuals. Banditries between the older generations and the younger ones ful societies, we must have good and well brought up and other violent crimes are committed by greedy created by the digital world, there is still the abiding individuals. 30 ThisNigeria Viewpoint Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Nigeria and unchanging face of politicians Impunity reigns in any situation where rules are bro- The case of PDP is perhaps more intriguing, as Chief ken with reckless abandon, where an individual is ex- Valentine Ozigbo and Chief Ugochukwu Uba emerged empted from the consequences of the breach of law or as governorship candidates of the party from parallel due process, and where a person holds out himself as primaries conducted in the state capital, Awka. The above the law and is thus immune from punishment primary election that produced Ozigbo was conducted that should ordinarily have been the consequence of by the Deputy Governor of Edo State Philip Shaibu-led his action. It is actually the bane of leadership in Nige- Committee, while the Chris Uba-led faction similarly ria, where some of those who hold power in trust for organized its own primary election at the University the rest of society take it upon themselves to impose of St. Paul, Awka. Prior to these primaries, the Fed- upon the people, without giving a hoot as to the effect eral High Court Abuja had sacked the state executive of such, on the general psyche of the people or even led by Chief Ndubisi Nwobu. The issue is this; how corporate governance. If people give due regard to the can it be impossible for a political party that has ruled processes established by law for general human con- (or misruled) Nigeria for so many years, to organize duct, then there will be less crisis, less conflicts and in- a primary election in just one State? Given the rate at deed less court cases, although some of my colleagues Ebun-Olu which its elected officers, including governors, are -de have corrected me that this should not be the wish of fecting from the party, the PDP has become more like any serious lawyer, since conflict in itself is part and a shadow of its former self, having not been able to find parcel of human development and progress. Adegboruwa, its bearing since it was booted out of power in 2015. The Constitution in its section 221 has accorded the po- SAN The confusion trailing the primary election of the APC litical parties the pride of place in the determination of would seem to dwarf that of APGA and PDP put togeth- candidates for any election. However, section 87 of the er. The Chairman of the APC primary election Commit- Electoral Act prescribes that “a political party seeking Politicians should tee and Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall organize themselves announced Dr. Andy Uba as the winner of the said hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions” and election, thus throwing up some kind of family contest. that “the procedure for the nomination of candidates by and allow some Andy Uba is a brother to Chief Chris Uba, the factional a political party for the various elective positions shall leader of the PDP State Exco, as well as Ugochukwu be by direct or indirect primaries.” The Supreme Court measure of confidence Uba, the winner of the factional primary election. The has now put the matter of party primaries beyond con- Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, troversy, as a matter purely for the internal affairs of the in the political space, claimed that the primary election was not held. Also, party and therefore not justiciable. In the recent case Chief George Moghalu, who spoke on behalf of 14 other of APC v. Lere, the Supreme Court, on Friday, May 10, as is applicable in aspirants, corroborated Dr. Ngige’s assertion that the 2019, held as follows: “Candidates are expected to ob- other climes purported primary election did not hold. He maintained tain expression of interest and nomination forms, pres- that the figures being paraded are votes that emerged ent their certificates for verification and appear before from the outcome of a fraudulent process. a Screening Committee. This is the stage at which the he real time to know whether political games domestic or internal affairs of the political party are not have changed for the better in Nigeria is when The above scenario has been the trend since the advent justiciable. The court will not dabble into how a mem- Tthere is a major election at stake, such as the of democracy in 1999, manifesting in brazen manipula- ber of the party is screened, or why a member was not upcoming Anambra State governorship election tion of all electoral processes through thuggery and vio- cleared by the party to contest the primary. Put in an- scheduled to hold in November, 2021. By reason of lence, alteration of results, imposition of candidates and other way, before a member of the party is cleared, the the said election, the tempo of political activities in outright subversion of the will of the people, either dur- party has the power to disqualify their member, and is Anambra State has reached its peak with the prima- ing primary or indeed the general elections. It is the un- answerable to no one including the courts. A dissatis- ries of the major political parties, being the ruling All changing ugly face of Nigerian politicians. But then, who fied member’s remedy is to leave the party and seek his Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, All Progressives actually is a politician? According to the learned authors political ambitions somewhere else.” Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, of Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a ‘politician’ is “a person PDP. Just simply following the flurry of events in experienced in the art or science of government”, he Politicians should organize themselves and allow some that State is enough to give any reasonable person is the one “actively engaged in conducting the business measure of confidence in the political space, as is ap- high blood pressure, as it has become a matter of the of a government”. The authors didn’t stop at this posi- plicable in other climes. The Supreme Court gave this more you look, the less you see. From my personal tive description, perhaps knowing human beings as they admonition in the case of APC v. Marafa, as follows: monitoring of political events in the current dispensa- are, particularly the stock of politicians from Nigeria. It tion, not much has changed, that is if things have not is stated further in this Dictionary that a politician could “The democratic system this country adopted was bor- taken an unfortunate turn for the worse. Let us go also be a “person primarily interested in political office rowed from the United States of America and other through the details of the political drama currently for selfish or other narrow usually short-sighted reasons”. Democratic Nations of Europe. Those from whom we playing out in Anambra State. This latter definition aptly captures the true character of borrowed this system are steadily forging ahead in all Nigerian politicians, who go about spending fortunes on areas of endeavour in order to create stress free and Anambra State has been under the firm grip of APGA elections meant to secure a political position of service. economically viable nations. For this great country, since the dispensation of the new democratic order, They go to any length, just to secure victory, including en- some politicians either are ignorant of what party poli- due mainly to the strong influence of the late Ikemba, gaging in very devious schemes such as rituals and even tics is, or out of mischief, have continuously dragged Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, its founder. It has not been murder. One of them actually once declared that politics this nation backward. If care is not taken, this class of a smooth ride however, when it is recalled that a sit- to him is a do or die affair. politicians will drag this nation to the Stone Age, where ting governor was once kidnapped in broad daylight in all of us will be consumed. I once again, as this Court that same State. APGA held its primary election last This is the common story with the average Nigerian has consistently preached, urge this class of politicians week, wherein the former governor of Central Bank, politician, regardless of the political party he claims to play the game according to law and guidelines which Professor Charles Soludo, emerged as its candidate, to belong to, his primary focus is to capture power by they themselves have enacted. It is only when this is through the Chief Victor Oye leadership that has all means possible and thereafter to be in government done that sanity will take centre stage in the domestic been recognized by the Independent National Elec- perpetually. So, if he or his party loses in an election, and international affairs of this great nation.” toral Commission, INEC. However, it would seem he either would not accept defeat or wait for the sun to that INEC has some issues with the APGA and due go down before embracing the winner to dump his own If what we currently witness in Anambra State is just process, as the electoral umpire is claiming that the party and if his former party is able to displace him in the primary election, what then will happen during delegate congress that heralded the primary election the next election, he goes back to that platform with- the main governorship election? It will be good that was not conducted in line with the Constitution and out any thought at all. In the Anambra State example INEC should be on top of its game, in ensuring free, the Electoral Act. Indeed, in a television interview for instance, almost all the candidates have gone round fair, credible and peaceful elections in the State come that I monitored, INEC spokesperson was bantering the three main political parties. November, 2021. Good enough it is an isolated elec- with one of APGA’s stalwarts, Chief Victor Umeh, tion, which means that security agencies will be less on the legality of that process. I was myself wonder- The confusion in Anambra State and indeed almost all burdened and INEC officers will have the opportuni- ing about the interest that INEC seeks to protect in other zones across the country is due to impunity, by ty to deploy all its arsenals to ensure a hitch-free elec- openly engaging in partisan arguments by which it which politicians do not believe in complying with the toral contest. If politicians are unwilling to change has almost transformed itself into a complainant. rules and procedures that they themselves laid down. their ugly faces, the regulator can help beautify them. ThisNigeria 31 Viewpoint Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 President Buhari and his faulty policy of non-restructuring therefore shocked most Nigerians. Suddenly, in Zaria, he civil war. In January, 1991, Czechoslovakia was peace- beat the drums of War, in a speech that is as provoca- fully dissolved by Parliament into Slovakia and Czech tive as it is unpresidential and unstatemanly. He berated Republic. Quebec held a referendum to break away those who are “calling for restructuring and conference from Canada in 1995. The former USSR broke into 15 or what they call ethnic nationality”. Wrongly believing Republics of Russia, Georgia, Belarusia, Uzbekistan, that Nigerians and the youth who daily agitate for a better Armenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Nation, including during the #Endsars peaceful protests Turkmenistan, Latvia, Tajikistan, Lithuania, Estonia are simply separatist secession advocates who wanted and Kyrgzstan. Some of these countries like Estonia to overthrow his lack lustra government, and describing (1.92m) are less than 2 million in population; less than them as “naive and mischievously dangerous” , because the population of the smallest state in Nigeria. Paki- they are “ignorant of war and its consequences”, Buhari stan, India and Bangladesh used to be one country. THE Mike challenged parents to “try and educate their children”. Help me remind President Buhari that many coun- Ozekhome But, Buhari sorely missed the critical issues at stake. tries of the world enthroned a new Constitutional He appeared frighteningly ignorant of the dire need for order by enacting brand new Constitutions after ref- attitudinal change in his strong arm tactics when he erenda of the people. Examples are Egypt (2012), column SAN, PHD declared imperiously like Louis X1V of France, “there South Africa (1999) , Morocco (2011) , Kenya is no way we can separate as a country”. Read this (2010), Eritrea (1994), Iraq (1979), Iran (1979) , around: Nigerians must stay together, whether things Bangladesh (1991), Tunisia (2014) and USA (1787). A leader does not are working or not; agitations or no agitations; disaf- fection or no disaffection; social justice or no social Help me tell President Buhari that he should struggle dictate to his people justice; security or no security. hard within his remaining two years in office to force as to what they himself into the pantheon of great statesmen in history; A leader does not dictate to his people as to what they not better forgotten dictators, absolutists and tyrants. I want. Just like the want. Just like the tail does not wag the dog. It is the wish Nigeria well, or what remains of her. Amen. people that tell their leaders their desires. Buhari daily tail does not wag reminds us of the immortal words of Thomas Jeffer- son: “when governments fear the people, there is lib- When a tottering government the dog. It is the erty. When the people fear the government, there is Twiddles twitter tyranny. The strongest reason for people to retain the The Nigerian Government through the Information people that tell their right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to pro- Minister, Mr Lai Mohammed, suspended indefinitely, tect themselves against tyranny in government”. operations of the Micro-blogging and social networking leaders their desires service, Twitter, in Nigeria. It was a retaliatory action Said John Maxwell, “leaders must be close enough to re- against Twitter for humiliating President Buhari based late to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them”. on his incendiary statement against protesting Nigerians. INTRODUCTION Buhari does neither. He is distant to and disconnected President Muhammadu Buhari shocked most Nige- from his people. He does not care; does not listen to Well, I am not surprised that the Federal Govern- rians when he said those agitating for restructuring their cries, woes, pains, pangs, tears, sorrow and blood. ment has suspended twitter operations in Nigeria. and secession were not only naive, but “mischie- He cares not about their genuine yearnings and desires. Are you? I have always said that this Government has vously dangerous”. He made the statement through a very thin skin for criticism. It is a government that the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilisation and Buhari erroneously believes he knows what the 211 cannot take punches, but delights in always giving Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Shehu, million Nigerian populace wants. He is making a grave punches to adversaries, real or imaginary. in Zaria, at the Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari Peace mistake. No ruler in history has ever perpetually dic- Foundation. I was certainly not one of those Nigeri- tated to, or held down his people with sheer jackboot. What does Nigerian government think Twitter loses ans who were shocked. I was not because as a close Musolini woefully failed, just like Hitler, Saddam Hus- by being suspended? It is just the Nigerian people monitor and commentator on national and interna- sein, Idi Amin, Stalin and Lenin. Ask the bones of Adolf that will suffer, in the same way the Government tional affairs, I didn’t expect anything more from Hitler, Mao Zedong, Pinochet, Gheghis Khan, Pol Pot has been punishing Nigerians in the last six years. him. My thesis is simple, not rocket science: a leop- and Kim Jong. They will tell Buhari how and why they Twitter will not even bother whether Nigerians use ard cannot change its spots. Buhari said he did not failed miserably to dictate to their citizens forever. Twitter or not. We are 210million people in Nigeria. understand what the restructure proponents want, Of this number, only about 33million Nigerians are or what is to be restructured. Aside Self-determination agitating groups (a concept active on social media. Less than 15 million of these recognised anyway by the UNO, EU, AU, etc), I have are on twitter. On the other hand, there are well Buhari erroneously believes that the problem of Ni- not seen nor heard leaders of the ethnic nationalities over 300 million people across the world that uses geria is how to make Local Governments functional in Nigeria ask for outright balkanization of Nigeria. twitter. So twitter will not feel it. It is just like a drop and the Judiciary independent. As important as these What I hear them say in the South, North, East and of water in an oasis. Twitter will not even know that are, President Buhari has merely seen the smaller West (and which I have also crusaded for over three a country has suspended it. So, it is the same be- picture, rather than the larger picture, as President decades) , is restructuring, total devolution of pow- leaguered Nigerian people that will suffer, not the of a hemorrhaging country yearning for urgent res- ers and renegotiation of our suffocating Union ,to en- Federal Government or Twitter, because the Federal cue. So, for those Nigerians who had heaved a little throne social justice, equity, egalitarianism and mutual Government is a minute minuscule aspect of the Ni- sight of relief last week on the little tokenism con- religious and inter-ethnic tolerance and respect. They gerian society, made up of only a few selected elite ceded by Buhari, I sympathize with you. talk about re-engineering the week fabric of Nigeria to that do not care about the common man. make her stay together as a country. During his democracy day address to Nigerians on The Government knows that Nigerians now resort 12th June, 2021, Buhari had appeared to under- Buhari must learn from history. Let me give some partly to twitter to express their dismay and dissat- stand Nigerians’ pains, agony and genuine yearning samples of Nations that were once together and have isfaction with its mis-governance; its opaqueness; its for restructuring. He had said amongst others, that today gone their separate ways. Kosovo, Serbia and lack of responsibility, transparency, accountability he was not unaware of misgivings causing national Montenegro used to be one country. Today, they are and commitment to the Nigerian people. The Gov- discontent in different parts of the country, includ- separate and independent. The Republic of Venezuela ernment knows that Nigerians now express their ing allegations of marginalisation and Constitution was reformed in 1999 with a brand new Constitution as resentment and protest through Twitter, by telling amendment. While saying efforts were on to - ad Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. South Sudan declared the whole world how Nigeria has been turned into a dress these “challenges that this period imposes independence from Sudan in July, 2011. In February, corruption haven, and a sprawling field of butchery, on us”, Buhari had said government was “willing 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. East extra-judicial executions and slaughtering. Those in to play a critical role in the constitutional amend- Timor or Timor-Liste achieved independence from Indo- Government do not want the world to hear about ment process without usurping the powers of the nesia in May, 2002. Palau, with a population of slightly their atrocities. So, they just gleefully tell the world National Assembly in this regard”. He has believed over 21,000 (less than a local government in Nigeria) that they have suspended twitter, and that they that with this process, “we can come out stronger”. became independent from Micronesia on October 1, would soon license other OTT and social media op- 1994. In the same 1994, Eritrea broke away from Ethi- President Buhari’s summersault in just one week has opia after an Haile Selassie- sustained 30 year bloody Continued online at thisnigeria.com The credible print and online newspaper

32 ThisNigeria “Let me tell you somethingMonday July 5,that – July 11we 2021 Parliament Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!” – Golda Meir Former Prime Minister of Israel

Monday July 5, – July 11 2021 Vol.1. No 42 The Backpage Dan Amor Nigeria and threat of a one-party state side from the usual historical rendition that government. By the last quarter of 1963, Nigeria’s ill- by an Igbo Major-General J. T.U Aguiyi Ironsi, threat- Nigeria became a political reality following the fated First Republic had begun its fearful slide to disas- ened to impose a unitary form of government by de- Afusion of the Northern and Southern protector- ter. In 1964, the Federal coalition partners (NPC and cree. But that was the ultimate idea for the command ates of the River Niger area in the interior coast of NCNC) quarreled over results of a decennial census, military structure with diktat. There followed an anti- West Africa in 1914 by Lord Fredrick Lugard, a Brit- which preserved the Northern Region’s edge in popula- Igbo army mutiny, the massacre of many persons ish military administrator, Nigeria actually adopted a tion counted over the rest of the country. Having tasted of Eastern origin who were resident in the North, Federal form of government in 1954. Even though still the fruit of regional power most NCNC members of the Eastern (Biafran) secession of may 1967,and a under colonial rule, party politics thrived in the coun- the Western Regional government refused to support 30-month civil war. try. The leading parties were: the National Council their party on that explosive issue. They abandoned the of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) which stood NCNC for a new regionalist party that aligned with the In anticipation of the Biafran secession, the Federal for political democracy in its classical, individualistic NCNC in national politics. Belatedly, the NCNC closed Military Government abolished the existing regions form; the Action Group of Nigeria (AG) which stood ranks with the now battered Action Group. These par- and reorganized Nigeria into twelve states. This ac- for federalist democracy; the Northern Peoples Con- ties and their Northern allies formed an anti regionalist tion, comparable in its historic significance to the amal- gress (NPC), which exemplified the modernization United Progressive Grand Alliance in opposition to the gamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914 of traditional political authority; and its radical op- Nigerian National Alliance of the NPC and its regionalist and the establishment of a federal form of government ponent, the Northern Elements Progressive Union allies in the South. in 1954, had a dual purpose and effect. It was also de- (NEPU), which espoused egalitarian democracy. As signed to project a national ideal that would help to a strictly regional party, the NPC did not threaten Following a mismanaged parliamentary election at the rally Nigerians in all parts of the country to the cause the Southern parties in their home regions. Since end of 1964, one that was partially boycotted by the of unity. Thus, the civil war destroyed regionalism as a the Northern Region was said to have contained an NCNC and its allies, the NPC resumed control of the Fed- political force. In 1976, seven additional states, making absolute majority of the national population, (though eral Government. But the legitimacy of that government a total of nineteen, were created. a myth of the 1959 population census), the NPC was gravely impaired in the southern regions. Confident- could control the Federal government by monopoliz- ly, and defiantly, anti-regionalists anticipated an Action After a decade of “reconstruction” ,under the super- ing electoral power in the North. Group victory in the Western Region election of Octo- vision of the military (1970-1979), a quasi-federalism ber 1965. This, they believed, would redress the overall had been preserved and strengthened; constitutional As a conservative party, pledged to preserve a re- political imbalance and force the NPC to reappraise its government, with freedom of association to compete formed traditional order, the NPC wished to col- regionalist policies. However, the party in control of the for state power, had been restored. However, the right laborate with conservatives in the Southern regions. Western Regional Government rigged the election. to compete in elections had been restricted to politi- However, the Action Group and the NCNC were cal parties that had demonstrably national, rather than trans-regional parties with strong libertarian and Three months of increasingly violent political unrest ethnic, religious, or sectional, foundations. But politi- egalitarian traditions. They could not come to terms in the Western Region (operation wetie) culminated in cal power was still seen as the exclusive preserve of a with the NPC without repudiating many of their own the coup d’etat of January 15, 1966. At first, the mili- section of the country at the expense of others. political beliefs. The issue of regional versus trans- tary Government was accepted with varying degrees of regional extension was the core of inter-party rela- goodwill in all parts of the country. Hope turned into Out of a total of nineteen applicants, five political par- tions in 1959. After the Federal parliamentary elec- disillusionment and anger when the new regime, headed ties qualified to compete in the federal and state elec- tion of 1959 the NCNC joined with the NPC to form tions of 1979. Three of the five nominees for presi- a government coalition of convenience, while the dent of the Federal Republic in 1979 were presidents AG assumed the burden of parliamentary opposition of major parties during the ascent to independence: to the Federal Government. In opposition, the AG Chief Obafemi Awolowo, presidential candidate of the condemned both regionalism and social inequality, Unity Party of Nigeria in 1979 had been president of including capitalist and (in the North) quasi-feudal the Action Group; Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, presidential social relations. In anticipation of the Biafran candidate of Nigeria People’s Party in 1979, had been president of the NCNC; Alhaji Aminu Kano, presiden- Inevitably, the Action Group split: its conservative secession, the Federal Military tial candidate of the People’s Redemption Party in wing in control of the Western Regional Government Government abolished the 1979 had been president of the Northern Elements broke with the National leadership and embraced the Progressive Party. NPC doctrine of political regionalism. Conservatives existing regions and reorganized in all three Southern regions, including some leaders Nigeria into twelve states. Both Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the successful candidate of the NCNC, were prepared to live with Northern in 1979 (as nominee of the National Party of Nigeria) political supremacy at the centre on condition of po- This action, comparable in and Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim, candidate of the Great Nige- litical security within their own regions and a pro- its historic significance to the ria People’s Party, were rising stars in the Northern portionate share of national power. The principle of Peoples Congress at the time of independence. The ‘’regional security”, was, in effect, a political formula amalgamation of Northern and ability of these and many other politicians of pre-civil for socially conservative capitalist development. Southern Nigeria in 1914 and war vintage to resume political command had been a the establishment of a federal source of wonderment and distress to many members In the aftermath of the Action Group crisis of 1962, a of the radical and technocratic intelligentsia. How, they coalition of regionalist persuasion, including former form of government in 1954, had wondered, could these tarnished leaders survive more members of the Action Group and the Western wing a dual purpose and effect than thirteen years eclipse by military rulers? of the NCNC, gained control of the Western Regional Continued online at thisnigeria.com

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