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Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi Safeguarding the needs of Open Justice through National Judicial Institute

December 10, 2022

by admin with No Comment Judiciary

Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, the administrator of National Judicial Institute, is a man of restraint who upholds dignity and integrity as moral principles. A man concerned with the continued integrity of the bench and the Nigerian justice system, he is also passionate about all things that have to do with the needs of open justice in the country. Nowhere can he get opportunity to make his impact felt in these two areas than this respected Institute. No wonder he resigned from office in 2021, as Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. to take up the National Judicial Institute’s appointment.
The Senate confirmed Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi as Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, just some weeks before his resignation. The confirmation at the senate had followed consideration of a report by the committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
At that time, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said Abdullahi demonstrated sufficient knowledge and full grasp of the law in response to questions put to him on the Independence of the Judiciary; Automation of Court Proceedings; Reform in the Justice Sector; Rule of Law and Compliance with the Provisions of the Constitution, among other legal/jurisprudential issues.
He stressed the appointment of the nominee satisfied the requirements of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 as amended.
Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi has a wide range of experience, comportment, exposure and possesses the requisite leadership qualities of a Judicial Officer to effectively superintend over a court of such magnitude and complexity and can exercise restraint and uphold the dignity of the High Court of the FCT, Abuja and the litigants in the discharge of his official functions,” Bamidele said, adding there was no petition or adverse report against the nominee.
President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier on requested the Senate to confirm the nominee as substantive Chief Judge of the FCT High Court. According to Buhari, the request was made pursuant to Section 256 subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Abdullahi was appointed as the Acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court on 6th January, 2021; a position he held until his nomination for appointment by President Buhari.
Garba Abdulahi was appointed acting chief judge of the FCT high court in January, after his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari. In April, his nomination as substantive chief judge was confirmed by the senate, and he was subsequently sworn in on July 7. But then he resigned to take up appointment with the institute which takes effect from 1st August 2021 is for three years, from the date of appointment. Of course, he would have been due to retire by October 10th last year, when he would have attained the mandatory retirement age of 65 years.
And at the National Judicial Institute, he has been working tirelessly to enhance the depth of Nigerian bench. Welcoming participants to the Opening Ceremony of the 2021 All Nigeria Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts, held at the Andrews Otutu Obaseki Auditorium, National Judicial Institute, Abuja, on 19th November, 2021, Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, delivered a powerful message as the Administrator of The National Judicial Institute (NJI).
The All Nigeria Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts is held biennially by the National Judicial Institute, to fulfil its mandate of providing qualitative continuing judicial education for all categories of Judicial Officers and their Supporting Staff. And it draws Judges and Justices from the Nation’s Superior Courts to associate with one another, exchange ideas and best practices while discussing critical issues affecting the dispensation of justice in Nigeria.
And many see the biennial conference as a stock taking event for Judicial Officers of Superior Courts of Record, for the Conference draws upon experiences from Judicial Officers who attend from all over the country as they converge to reflect upon the activities of the Judiciary with the benefit of hindsight. The end result of this remains the development of strategies, policies and best practices that will improve upon the dispensation of justice in Nigeria
The theme of that conference, was “Promoting Judicial Excellence in the Administration of Justice” which the learned judge described as being timely, considering the role of the Judiciary towards stabilizing our democracy. He said the importance of that role was no more evident than in the provision of Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other provisions of Chapter VII of the grundnorm, which clothes judges with wide ranging powers. He added that constitutional powers similarly thrusts on the Judges a sobering amount of responsibility to fairly, justly, judiciously and impartially exercise Judicial Powers.
About the Conference Hon. Justice Abdullahi disclosed. “Since the establishment of the National Judicial Institute in 1991, the hosting of the All Nigeria Judges Conference has served to remind Judicial Officers of their crucial role in the society. More than ever, the Judiciary is perhaps faced with the need to balance conflicting interests with a bid to ensuring a stable polity. More than ever, lady Justice needs to balance the scale of justice so as to ensure that Nigeria fulfils its true potential as Africa’s Giant. I believe that the Conference will contribute in no small measure to promoting the role of the Judiciary as the Third arm of Government.”
Speaking further he said, it was indeed worth reiterating that the Judiciary, as an arbiter, had an important role to play, by ensuring speedy resolution of disputes, emphasizing that the speedy resolution of disputes; and particularly financial and/or commercial disputes; remains an economic development catalyst, as investors and other financial institutions will remain confident that their investments are safe.
“This puts us on the frontline in providing confidence for citizens and foreign partners through a scrupulous, fearless interpretation of the law and Statutes that govern the subject matter of our Jurisdictions. By synergising together over the next few days, we will acquire new knowledge that will better equip us to fulfil our constitutional mandate.”
He said the institute would continue to foster quality discourse, in line with its statutory mandate to train and retrain Judicial Officers. He pointed out that that was not new, as the Institute had collaborated with other Arms of Government to identify issues and Legislations or guidelines that are likely come before our Courts. The National Judicial Institute and the PTDF recently held a collaborative workshop to enable Judicial Officers to understand the new Petroleum Industry Act and its impact on justice delivery. This is indicative of the Institute’s many workshops all geared towards sharpening the skill sets of Judicial Officers and Support Staff and ensuring a modern, speedy and efficient administration of Justice.
“The Institute proactively identify the training needs of Judicial Officers and Staff. It continues to engage with the Nation’s Judges in Seminars and workshops, which are aimed at building their capacity and expanding their knowledge in all fields based on training needs that National Judicial Institute has identified. Conferences of this nature therefore provide an invaluable forum for discussions on existing thorny issues which could help facilitate the better understanding and appreciation of the judicial process.”
He informed the gathering that the Institute took step to drum technology into the consciousness of judicial officers. And this has enabled the institute to engage Judicial Officers positively and aid their transition to a technology based system with suitable online or remote alternatives to physical hearings. “The upshot of this policy is to operate a digital system that embraces multiple dispute resolution methods that are not only physical but also virtual. Naturally, we will need in all this to safeguard the needs of open justice but I am confident that this is perfectly feasible.”
Since he made his entry last year at the NJI , after many very eventful years at the bench, Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, deserves to hold his head very high as an administrator of the institute. As he is quietly making the NJI well placed to play a pivotal role in deepening knowledge for judicial officers, enhancing judicial integrity and building public trust in the institution of justice and democracy, his time at this hallowed institute will surely go down as one of the most consequential tenures in the leadership of the National Judicial Institute.

Senator Abu Ibrahim on Why Tinubu is the Key for Re-activation of Nigeria

December 10, 2022

by admin with No Comment Politics

“To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do to conclusions”. Benjamin Franklin was right, and Senator Abu Ibrahim believes Nigeria should take his advice by embracing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu- the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election. He affirms that Tinubu has the magic wand to handle security and turn the economy around withina short period.
With this possibility, Tinubu will be key to the reactivation of Nigeria in the areas of peace-building, security, trade, partnerships, and investment, especially now that Nigeria faces some crucial problems.
The country is buried in the middle of a triple threat, one that could decimate socio and public health systems and reverse twenty years of poverty reduction and inequality efforts. A struggling economy and security issues leave little space for optimism. Through creative solutions, from Tinubu, Nigeria will begin to shed entrenched roadblocks and create its own framework for investment and growth.
Senator Abu Ibrahim sees Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a very cerebral person whose success is based on intelligence and wisdom. He is a courageous and selfless person who can change the narratives in many aspects of life such as security, health, education, agriculture, transportation and wealth building. Has done these before when he was governor of Lagos state, and the records are there for all to see.
He believes Tinubu has the entire country as his support base, for he made the coming to power of President Muhammadu Buhari .
“He made Buhari able to win the presidency. He tried three times before then and he failed. But the moment Tinubu came in, Buhari won. So, the over 12 million voters of Buhari in Northern Nigeria liked Tinubu. And that’s why I said the easiest way for APC to win the 2023 presidential election is to get Tinubu and give him the ticket. Once you put Tinubu on the ballot, he will win because the political base of Buhari is with him and that’s about 12 million voters. “
The two of them first met in the Senate under former President Ibrahim Babangida then in 1992. Tinubu was in the Social Democratic Party, SDP while Ibrahim was in the National Republican Convention, NRC. Since then on the two of them have been relating. And that relationship between them played much role in the formation of APC and the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Surprisingly, I was the one who started the issue of Asiwaju and Buhari coming together. I was in the defunct ANPP with Buhari. I was also in CPC with him. Asiwaju is my friend outside the party. So, Tinubu was in ACN, Buhari was in CPC. Buhari contested election three times; he couldn’t win because he couldn’t get the spread of votes across the country. So, one day I suggested to Buhari that the only way he could win was to get the spread of votes across Nigeria and the only way to do that was to get a strong politician from the South. I suggested Tinubu who was immediately invited for a meeting in Kaduna, and the discussion started. That was around 2010. At that time, we were talking of alliance, not merger because the 2011 election was coming. The election was very near then. So, we were talking of alliance. But you know that under the presidential system, forging alliance is very difficult unlike under the parliamentary system. So, unfortunately, that didn’t work. And election took place in 2011 and Buhari lost again. So, after that election, we said let’s start early: we began to talk about issue of merger. Subsequently, I was one of the prime movers of the merger – starting from the alliance between the CPC and the ACN”.
In his views Senator Tinubu is a person who has really prepared himself to move Nigeria forward. After 30-odd years in politics. As soon as he became Governor of Lagos state he strengthened the ties he had earlier on built. While in the Senate, Tinubu began to build relationships across the country. He longed for such roots to be grown to create links and web that can be used to discuss and solve national issues. Right now he is actually activating these links now to move Nigeria forward — as the country needs a break into enduring peace and prosperity.
“We were in the same Senate and we were both Senators. During our contributions to debate on the floors of the Senate, I noticed that Asiwaju was very articulate. I admired the way he usually spoke and we became friends. We had become very close friends before the dissolution of the Senate by the military regime of late General Sani Abacha. So, after the dissolution of the Senate, we continued to interact. We held a meeting in Lagos after the dissolution of the Senate which was termed illegal by the then military government and we were arrested and taken to Alagbon Close where we were detained. But they couldn’t get Asiwaju initially. We were detained and later granted bail because we were accused of trying to overthrow the then military government. We were later granted bail, but they asked us to be reporting back to the security operatives. In the process of our reporting back, somehow they found Asiwaju and arrested him and our bail was revoked and all of us were then detained again. So, we started the process of trying to leave detention again. I became very close again with Asiwaju during our detention. It is a very long story— how we were taken to court, released and so on. So, I knew him from the Senate, to the period of our detention in Lagos for about a month or so. We stayed in the same detention facility and since then, we have been very, very close. “
To him, Tinubu is a stalwart of political creativity. No doubt, he is one of those shaking the Nigerian political and social terrains. Thanks to his exceptional political acumen, good head hunting ability to spot talent over the years, dedicated services to the people. He reflects on the eventful path that brought him to this state. He says Tinubu is one of those who blazed the democratic trail that we are all gainfully treading on today, paying homage to him as one of those men who fill life with excellent portrayals that endure in his memory.
Soon the military began to relax ground after power partners — people like Tinubu and others — joined the fight from exile. Having approached the springtime of that period in Nigeria — a place far from the apprehensive darkness of the General Abacha era. And gradually inched into the freedom of light, a time when the country emerged into the sunlight of democratic culture.
Talk of a man who gently trod the path of public life successfully, bonding with people of different social and religious backgrounds, and very many will give you the name of Senator Bola Tinubu. With his generosity, Tinubu certainly has a lot of IOUs to collect across the country. Is 2023 really going to be payback time? Senator Ibrahim believes so.
Asked about the kind of person Asiwaju is, he says “Asiwaju is a kind person, very generous and somebody who can mentor people. You can see how he did it in Lagos. He is a nationalist; he believes in Nigeria, he believes in the unity of Nigeria. Look at the way he put his cabinet together as the governor of Lagos State – the cabinet was made up of people from various parts of the country. And from then, I realized that he loves Nigeria so much, he believes in the unity of this country, he is a stabilizer— every tribe relates with him easily. He is not a tribalist and he is a very generous person.”
He is one of a few who skillfully navigate the contours of politics and produced benchmarking performance while mentoring so many. In doing so, he is creating links and building network across the country. Anomalously, he is maintaining these links and relationships despite his busy schedule. This explains why people like Senator Ibrahim is able to maintain relationship with him over the years, even at the time both of them were not in the same political party.
“Sometimes, I am surprised too that even when we were in different political parties, we still relate very well. I think that also demonstrated the magnanimity of Asiwaju – if you are his friend, you are his friend for ever and he will do everything possible to maintain that link. When he was governor, I used to go to Lagos a lot to discuss with him. He was a governor, I was in the Senate and we continued to relate.”
He firmly believes that Tinubu is a man of great insight, who knows that the land is endowed with immense potential and resources which a man of good eye for possibilities can steer to greatness. Thus with his capacity for creativity, he has the resolve to unearth, put value and market needs to be at the helm of leadership of the country at this time.
A thinker and leader in every aspect, Tinubu pays keen attention to details and brings to the fore effective planning, resource management and problem solving. These he is presenting to the people as he seeks the electorate mandate to be president of Nigeria.

THE SENATE AND CBN AUTONOMY AS GODWIN EMEFIELE SEEKS TO MOVE NIGERIA AWAY FROM CONSUMPTION

December 10, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Amos Balogun By Kunle Olu Ojo Economy

Leaders have integrity and never compromise it. Integrity is defined as your moral compass, the ability to judge between what is right and wrong and act accordingly. This is what Godwin Emefiele, governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) personifies.
As CBN governor, Emefiele has maintained the integrity of the apex bank in terms of its own side of the framework of economic management through monetary policy. So in terms of monitoring cost, availability and supply of money within the economy, Emefiele has been wonderful, entrenching stability and engendering economic development in Nigeria.
His focus has been to make the CBN work within the context of its enabling Act to deliver value that ensures the sustainable growth of the Nigerian economy and win the country away from consuptioon. So the CBN continues to maintain sound financial structure, promote monetary stability, safeguard the value of Naira and stable exchange rate, proving to be a financial adviser to the federal government in the areas of price and exchange rate management, development financing, building foreign reserves and employment creation.
With his re-appointment by president Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, he introduced various intervention funds to control market failure within the economy. The CBN under his leadership has been resolute at ensuring economic growth and financial stability through strategic policies that will move Nigeria away from consumption to production through critical interventions and policies such as import susbstitution . In promoting import substitution through development financing, CBN rightly removed some 43 imported goods from the list of some items valid for Forex Exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.
Equally, it has consistently resisted the pressures to return to “staggering and undulating foreign exchange rate in relation to the naira due to pressures by speculators, bettors, round-trippers and rent-seekers.
It is such policies that have helped the CBN to navigate the Nigerian economy through economic challenges such as economic recession/stagflation, COVID-19 pandemic, interest rate issues, foreign exchange rates, external reserves, exchange rate, financial inclusion and the gap in the agricultural value chain.

For this reasons, Forbes Media New York earlier in May this year honoured the CBN governor with the Forbes Best of Africa Lifetime Achievement Award.
Forbes in partnership with Foreign Investment Network, FIN, also issued Emefiele with its certificate of distinction.In its letter of award to Emefiele and signed by the President, Customs Solutions Media for Forbes Media, Mr Mark Furlong, Forbes disclosed that it decided to honour the CBN governor on the grounds of his remarkable performance and pace-setting achievements at the apex bank.
“It therefore comes as no surprise that you have brought the same ‘can-do’ spirit to your job as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Although you took over at the CBN in 2014 when the economy was already in the doldrums, the naira weak, oil price falling and Nigeria’s foreign reserves at a very low ebb, three years later you have recorded appreciable progress in salvaging the economic fortunes of your country.
“In keeping with your vision to “…create a people-centered Central Bank by delivering price and financial system stability and promoting sustainable economic development,”
Curiously, at this time that Emefiele is being recognized that the Nigerian Senate is planning to cut down the autonomy of the CBN and thunder down the Nigerian economy.
On 27th September 2022, the senate passed for a second reading a Bill to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007. The Bill is clearly meant to whittle down the powers of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The proposed legislation was sponsored by Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar, who is representing Kwara North Senatorial District at the National Assembly. The senator, in his lead debate, sought an amendment to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Act No. 7 to remove the powers of the governor from determining the appointment of anyone into the services of the apex bank.
Umar proposed that the new Chairman of Board of the Central Bank should have powers to determine salaries and allowances of members, while the governor focuses strictly on administrative duties in the running of the bank.
The senator further argued that the board should be responsible for the annual budget of the bankers’ bank which he said is the global standard.
He said: “A bill for an Act to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act No. 7 of 2007 to enable the appointment of a person other than the governor as the chairmen of the board, divest the board of the powers of determining and fixing salaries and allowances of its members.
At that day’s plenary, the Bill having passed the second reading was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions for further legislative input. The committee is expected to report back in four weeks.
The Bill focuses on three issues. First, the appointment of an outsider as the chairman of CBN Board of Directors; second, fixing the remuneration of board members . Third is the approval of annual budget to be submittesed to the National Assembly (NASS) for consideration.
Analysts say with regard to the three issues above, the Senate seem not to appreciate the sensitive and unique role of a central bank in the economy. They add that this proposed amendments seek to erode the bank’s operational independence contrary to the existing section 1(3) of CBN Act 2007 which states “——the Bank shall be an independent body in the discharge of its functions.”
An economist Dr Taiwo Babalola of Babcock Univeristy say the senators are acting in ignorance, pointing out that they want to completely destroy foreign investors confidenc e in the Nigerian economy.
“Tell me, which foreign investors will bring his money to a clime where the central bank is under the control and manipulations of politicians? Those people are rascals like a man who wants to set his house on fire because a rat has entered there. Why should you plan to push the nation’s economy into disaster in an attempt to destroy the sacredness of an institution just because you have a vendetta agenda against take the present occupant of the office? What are they saying the CBN has done that they want to take the autonomy away?”
Dr Babalola explains that the problems of inflation and foreign exchange crisis come from fiscal failure and failure on the part of the National Assembly, of which the Senate is a part. He adds that the debt burden on Nigeria which the Senate helped create through their lack of principled stance to interrogate the reasons for huge loans.
He referred to the 2020 Macroeconomic Outlook of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). He disclosed that in the NESG stated at that time that Nigeria’s mounting debt profile was a major concern despite the country’s $900 billion worth of dead capital in property and agricultural lands. He argued that while borrowing may be inevitable, especially at a period like this, there are serious concerns at the rate these debts are being piled up. Aside the fact that the funds are not being deployed into projects that generate income, borrowing should not be done in such a way to mortgage the future of the country and its sovereignty. Dr Babalola said.
“Is it Emefiele that approved unsustainable loans for President Muhammadu Buhari? Is it Emefiel that help put heavy debt burden on Nigeria,with 80 of our earnings going for debt servicing? Are they not knowledgeable enough to know that CBN is not responsible for fiscal policy and trade policy?
Mr Abiodun Shopitan, a former director in the CBN believes some elements in the Senate are on a vendetta mission. “We need a high power Central Bank autonomy. That autonomy should not be taken away. the National Assembly shouldn’t throw away the baby with the birth water. Amending CBN Act 2007 is unnecessary. Just because of one man they want to destroy the entire Nigerian economy. That is a no, no, for any sane mind.”
In the opinion of Mr Ganiyu Ogunleye, a former top brass of the CBN, the apex bank currently exercises its regulatory and supervisory independence under the provisions of BOFIA, 2020 Institutional Independence: entails security of tenure of executive management, governance structure composed of experts, freedom to conduct monetary policy as well as open and transparent decision-making process while Budgetary Independence: involves insulation from political pressure, freedom to staff the agency and prompt response to imminent financial sector crisis but subject to clear accountability framework.
“The CBN Act 2007 has provisions to ensure institutional and budgetary independence which should not be tampered with. It should be emphasised that budgetary independence is critical to any central bank’s ability to exercise the three other dimensions of its independence. Neither its lender of last resort role nor its financial system stability mandate can be effectively executed without budgetary independence. Regrettably, the proposed amendments by the Senate will effectively erode CBN independence. It is therefore, recommended that the Senate should let the four dimensions of independence enunciated in this contribution guide its deliberations. The lawmakers are urged to appreciate that the four dimensions of central banks’ independence are internationally accepted, and Nigeria should not be an exception.”
These men of intellect are right indeed that CBN autonomy should not be tampered with. The apex bank has done quite a lot in the areas of intervention funds in its quest to wean Nigeria away from consumption to production and employment generation. Currently, the CBN has 37 intervention funds targeted at stimulating the economy and addressing the issue of unemployment.
The CBN under the leadership of Emefiele introduced various interventions, which were born out of market failure and other critical issues within the nation’s economic space, according to Osita Nwanisobi, CBN’s acting director, corporate communications department.
Now let us take a look at some of Emefiele key achievements so far revealed that the country has recorded significant growth in banks credit to private sector by 92.79 percent year-on-year to N32.64 billion in June 2021 from N16.93 billion in June 2014, when Emefiele became the governor of the CBN.
The huge increase in banks credit growth was driven by the policy of Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), which the CBN under the leadership of Emefiele introduced in September 2019.
Under the Emefiele’s led Central Bank’s development finance initiatives, the Bank granted N756.51 billion to 3,734,938 small holder farmers cultivating 4.6 million hectares of land, of which N120.24 billion was extended for the 2021 Wet Season to 627,051 farmers for 847,484 hectares of land, under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP); for the Agribusiness/Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), the sum of N121.57 billion was disbursed to 32,617 beneficiaries; and for the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF), N318.17 billion was released to 679,422 beneficiaries, comprising 572,189 households and 107,233 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).
Also, Under the National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the Bank released N3.0 billion to 7,057 beneficiaries, of which 4,411 were individuals and 2,646 SMEs. Under the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), N3.22 billion was disbursed to 356 beneficiaries across movie production, movie distribution, software development, fashion, and IT verticals.
The CBN under the N1.0 trillion Real Sector Facility, released N923.41 billion to 251 real sector projects, of which 87 were in light manufacturing, 40 in agro based industry, 32 in services and 11 in mining.
On the N100 billion Healthcare Sector Intervention Facility (HSIF), N98.41 billion was disbursed for 103 health care projects, of which, 26 are pharmaceuticals and 77 are in the hospital services. Similarly, the sum of N232.54 million was disbursed to 5 beneficiaries under the CBN Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention (Grant) Scheme (HSRDIS) for the development of testing kits and devices for Covid-19 and Lassa Fever.
Under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), N36.04 billion was disbursed to 17 Meter Asset Providers, to nine (9) DisCos, for the procurement and installation of 657,562 electricity meters. On the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilization Facility – 2 (NEMSF-2), the CBN released N120.29 billion to 11 DisCos, to provide liquidity support and stimulate critical infrastructure investment needed to improve service delivery and collection efficiency.
All these are geared towards moving Nigeria away from just a consuming nation to producing and exporting country. For this reasons, Emefiele has drawn praises across the waters-Meditteranen, Pacific and Atlantic.

GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2022

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Tayo Are Goverance

This year 2022 will be dominated by events in the political landscape, business and economy. Then there are some notable characters who will shape the polity in the course of the year. These range from politicians, opinion leaders, to business leaders and even entertainers whose activities are bound to shape the future of the country one way or another this 2022.

The 2023 general election is just a year away. As it approaches, the decisions of certain key personalities, organs of governments and agencies in 2022 will shape the country’s political dynamics, Politics, economy and some influential figures will determine shape events this 2022. The national Assembly, the Judiciary and the Central Bank will play much roles this year.

Notable opinion leaders and influential elders including traditional rulers will dominate the public space. These include the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Edwin Clark, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will not resist the temptation of being in the news this year. The name of Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina of African Development Bank (AfDB) will also hug newspapers’ headlines .

As the tempo of political activities rises in the year, key figures in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will dominate the landscape.

Since the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully conducted its National Convention in October 2021, pressure has been on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni to do the same.

After immense pressure from stakeholders, the Buni committee as well as the APC some governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari and approved the March 2022 target for the party’s convention, after more than a year of dilly-dally by the Buni committee. Even before March target was set, a former Governor of Abia State and the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent letter to Buni called for the postponement of the party’s convention in order to reconcile aggrieved members in some state chapters of the party torn by crisis.

But the Buni committee has however resolved to set up sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant structures for the National Convention of the party.

Though, it is not written in the constitution of the party that power will rotate between the North and South, party stakeholders and leaders had at several times claimed that there was an unwritten agreement that power would rotate to the South in 2023.

It is important to note that the Caretaker Committee of the party was only mandated to conduct the party’s convention; it does not have power to zone the party’s presidential ticket. It is however expected that the new National Working Committee (NEC) that will emerge after the convention of the party will be saddled with that task. The ruling party will make strong a decision over its 2022 on the issue of its national convention and the 2023 presidency.

Those to watch out for in the presidential race in the All Progressive Congress (APC) include Senator Bola Tinubu, vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state.

Bola Tinubu

First to declare his ambition is the National Leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu. He has remained most active presidential aspirant of them all, with many groups are already drumming up support for his ambition across the country. And he may have an edge over other aspirants.

Despite narrowly losing out in the race for Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 general election, Tinubu has remained a strong pillar of the APC. Odds seem to favour him to take over from President Buhari, despite the mounting opposition by political enemies. This may happen except President Buhari have a secret weapon about who takes over from him.

Osinbajo:

With the increasing number of groups expressing support for the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and urging him to join the 2023 presidential race, he is definitely going to be on the political radar this year. Osinbajo, even though he has not expressed interest in running for political office in 2023, comes across as someone, who wants to run for president, but is more likely to keep his cards close to his chest for now.

With several groups asking him to join the presidential race 2023, there will be a lot of searchlight on him.

Kayoed Fayemi:

Dr. Kayode Fayemi has also not indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2023. But the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) may not be a joke. In March 2021, members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly endorsed the undeclared presidential ambition of Fayemi. The lawmakers had further pledged their full support to work with well-meaning Nigerians and groups for the realization of having an Ekiti son as the next president. In August 2020 his presidential campaign posters, emerged in some Nigerian cities. That sparked off some public debate on various social media platforms then regarding the possibility of his candidacy.

Electoral Law and Elections

If President Buhari signing the electoral bill into law, the determination of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in 2023 will become realizable. It will certainly help to define the subsequent elections this year and 2023. The law will help to eliminate malpractices and compel politicians to sit up ahead of the 2023 general elections because it won’t be business as usual.

Equally, the two out-of- season elections in Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections scheduled for this year will also benefit from this improved electoral law.

PDP and 2023 Presidency

Where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the 2023 presidency will determine what happens to the party this 2022. The zoning, which will largely be determined by the governors will come on stream this year. The main opposition party had successfully conducted its National Convention where it elected a former President of the Senate, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as its national chairman.

With the zoning of the national chairman to the North, it is expected that the party will zone the presidency to the South, especially given the public mood that favours power shift to the South.

Ayu and the PDP:

The leadership skills of the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyiorcha Ayu, would be tested in 2022. How Ayu would be able to manage the different tendencies in the party and keep them together would determine if his name would be in the PDP hall of fame or infamy. He has started well by identifying APC’s alleged failures and promising to rescue Nigeria from the ruling party. He has continued to remind Nigerians what he terms the good days under the PDP government and also how the APC has allegedly destroyed the country. Ayu has also cited the rising security challenge as one of the reasons the APC should not be allowed to lead the country beyond 2023. He has given himself a target of winning about 25 states in 2023, which sounds like a tall ambition. But the main task for him next year would be to manage the big egos in PDP, especially, some of the governors.

Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition will make a huge impact in the 2022 politics. With a large political network and experience having started his presidential quest in 1993 alongside the likes of the late Chief MKO Abiola, he is likey to spring some surprises. Since 1993, Atiku has remained a consistent feature in every presidential election and his doggedness has earned him a lot of reputation as a credible and strong-willed politician.

Atiku remains a scion of the Shehu Yar’Adua political dynasty that played influential role in the formation of the PDP. If power shifts to the South, his ambition will suffer setback. Age is also not on his side.

Governor Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is a rallying point of the main opposition party. He came into national fame and recognition in the party when as a governor he was able to take over the leadership of the party to the chagrin of supposed political heavyweights in the party.He installed Secondus as the national chairman in 2018 and also ensured his removal in 2021 when both of them became estranged. Despite the fact that the PDP has many colourful politicians, none of them seems to have matched Wike’s political showmanship and audacity. So he will play influential role in the determination of the next presidential candidate of the PDP.

Saraki:

A former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, strongly believes the North-central geopolitical zone has paid its due by working very hard to keep Nigeria together as one united entity and should be given the chance to lead the country. He also thinks he is the perfect man to lead Nigeria, when the tenure of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government ends. The former Kwara State governor has announced his intention to run for the office of the president in 2023. Going by his disposition, Saraki is not going to back down as he seeks the support of people of his region and other PDP leaders towards realising his presidential ambition. He is widely considered qualified, competent and boasting the requisite capacity for the job.

Tambuwal:

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum is a man to watch. Within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he remains one of the most influential members and it is not a coincidence that his name keeps propping up as the likely presidential candidate of the PDP in 2023.

The National Assembly

For the National Assembly, 2022 will be a year of political streamlining with various stakeholders playing its part to shape the nation’s politics in the political moves ahead of the 2023 general election,

The Judiciary

The place of the judiciary in any constitutional democracy needs not be overemphasised. This is why Nigeria, it continues to play a crucial role in the sustenance of the nation’s democracy as well as the survival of the country as a whole.

In order to constantly remind the judges of their roles, the current leadership of the judiciary under the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has not only been talking tough but has also been making serious efforts at repositioning the judiciary and making it the hope and pride of the ordinary Nigerians.

One of the bane in the judiciary is the indiscriminate issuance of injunctive orders by judges particularly in political cases, be it leadership tussle among members of a political party or rightful flagbearers of political parties in an election.

But for the timely intervention of the CJN, the political terrain would have been in disarray as activities gears up for the 2023 general election.

The Economy

Emefiele:

Godwin Emefiele, Governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be one of the key personalities to shape activities in the Nigerian economy this year , 2022. His effort to support domestic production has seen the CBN engaged in a lot of interventions in critical sectors of the economy with potential for high job creation. His effort to make credit flow to the private sector deserves praises, especially, in agriculture, through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), which has revolutionised local rice production and created massive job opportunities for Nigerians. The CBN intervention in the power sector has also helped to stabilise the sector, which had almost been crippled by its legacy debts to the financial industry.

Emefiele helped to broker a deal, which had since kept the ship sailing, despite all odds, and guaranteed improved electricity supply to homes and businesses. The apex bank under Emefiele played a crucial role in ensuring that the economy exited two consecutive recessions through its intervention programmes in key sectors as well as boosting government’s spending to reflate the economy. In addition, this year, the central bank under Emefiele launched a Central Bank Digital Currency, the first in Africa, and the ‘100 to 100’ policy that focuses on job creation.

Going into 2022, the Emefiele-led CBN, in collaboration with the fiscal authority, would be critical in steering the economy towards accelerated growth.

Zainab Ahmed:

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, will play a critical role in shaping the direction of the Nigerian economy in 2022. Nigeria recently launched a five-year National Development Plan (NDP), a replacement to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which expired in December 2020. The finance minister will be expected to drive the process of actualising some of the set goals in the plan before the end of the present administration.

Dangote:

Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is among those expected to shape events next year. While products from his $2 billion granulated urea fertiliser plant hit the market this year, in 2022, his first private crude oil refinery is expected to commence operations in Nigeria. This refinery, expected to be a game changer for the country in 2022, would to be a major forex saver for the country. The Dangote Refinery is under construction in the outskirts of Lagos State, and when fully operational, the $7 billion investment would have the capacity to process about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world.

Otedola: A Critical Factor in First Bank’s Future

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola will be one of the shakers of the Nigerian economy this 2022. He is the Chairman of Geregu Energy Group. He became one of the personalities that shaped 2021, through his strategic investment in FBN Holdings, making him the single largest shareholder in the holding company with a total shareholding of 7.5 per cent and he is going to play a role in determining the future of First Bank, the leading subsidiary of FBN Holdings and an important bank in Nigeria.

Elumelu:

Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Tony Elumelu, is expected to remain focused on building the next generation of entrepreneurs in Africa, which he says is his lifetime ambition. His goal is to impact lives and transform societies in Africa. Through his TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, a $100 million commitment to empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs, he intends to the continent better than he met them. Elumelu is driven by his philosophy of Africapitalism, through which he wants to see the private sector play its role in the economic development of the continent. In 2022, he is expected to continue to promote the development of young African entrepreneurs.

Wigwe:

Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Hebert Wigwe, who this year was involved in an aggressive expansion drive, is not likely to slow down in 2022. The bank is targeting expanding its footprints to 20 countries in Africa. From Nigeria to Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, among several others, Wigwe’s expansion drive has remained on the rise.

Entertainment

Davido: Taking Philanthropy to Another Level

David Adeleke, whose stage name is Davido, made news towards the end of 2021 following his N250 million donation to orphanages across the country during his birthday celebration. The award-winning singer has since set up a five-man committee to supervise the disbursement of the fund. Nigerians would be expecting to see how the committee would distribute the money. In addition, Nigerians would be looking forward to more releases by the award-winning musician in the new year.

Wizkid: A Consistently Rising Star

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid is a very influential musician. He was one of the most influential entertainment icons on the continent last year 2021. This year 2022 won’t be different.

Then he made history when he edged out Drake to win Mobo Awards. He also made history as the most awarded African act after winning the Best International Act and Best African Act awards. His “Essence”, which featured Justin Bieber and Tems, crossed genre lines to top Billboard’s R&B, hip-hop, rhythmic and world charts. Coming up on the one-year anniversary of its release, it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first song with lyrics in Nigeria’s Yorùbá language to debut on the Global 200 chart, with 269 million on-demand global streams, according to MRC Data. 2022 will be a more juicy year for Wizkid.

Burna Boy:

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, commonly known as Burna Boy- singer, rapper and songwriter- will shake national limelight this year 2022. Last year, he made remarkable progress as a musician this year and lived up to his title of African Giant. He won the Best International Act Award this year and also his album, Twice as Tall, won a Grammy, the Best Global Music Album in 2021. He is one of the biggest and most successful African artists. Burna Boy became the first African artiste to bag three nominations consecutively, having won the BET Award in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The year 2022 will surely see the award-winning artist maintain his rising profile.

Mele Kyari:

Events in 2022 will put Mele Kyari in limelight. The action of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will, to some extent, define the direction for Nigeria’s economy in 2022. With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which has been described as a game-changer for the industry, the NNPC would be expected to drive the process of transforming the nation’s petroleum industry into a hub of business opportunities. The Act is also expected to attract huge capital globally into the country’s oil sector, strengthen cost recovery and ensure decent returns on investment. Kyari wil have his plate full this 2022,

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: The Power of Tech and Innovation

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded two successful fintech startups in Africa before launching Flutterwave in 2017. With $15.7 million in funding, the payments company is empowering Pan-African merchants to execute business on global scale.

In 2021, Flutterwave started the year by securing a $170 million deal in the first quarter. New York-based private investment firm Avenir Growth Capital and US hedge fund and investment firm Tiger Global led the Series C round. New and existing investors who participated include DST Global, Early Capital Berrywood, Green Visor Capital, Greycroft Capital, Insight Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Tiger Management, Worldpay FIS and 9yards Capital. The Series C round came a year after Flutterwave had closed its $35 million Series B and $20 million Series A in 2018. The company helps businesses build customisable payments applications through its APIs.

Shola Akinlade: Expanding the Frontiers Beyond Africa

Akinlade is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Paystack, a fintech company. The company provides modern online and offline payments services for users across the continent. It was founded in 2015 and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million in what was then described as one of the biggest exits in the African tech space. Paystack currently services more than 60,000 businesses and millions of individuals scored 27.5 for ingenious storytelling, 28.5 for brand tribe and 31 for brand experience thus ranking it at Number 8 with a total of 87 points. But despite the acquisition, Paystack has continued to operate independently. Stripe had estimated that the African internet economy was expanding quickly, with online commerce in the region growing at 21 per cent year-over-year, which was said to be 75 per cent faster than the global average. Akinlade believes that with the right tools, African creators, developers, and entrepreneurs would be able to do incredible things.

These people listed above as well as the government institutions listed in this story will also be parts of the events to shape the landscape in 2022.

DELIVERS GOOD GOVERNANCE TO MAKE LAGOS WORK FOR ALL BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Godwin Ededuan

Many parts of the world came out of the Covid-19 pandemic poorer. Many states in Nigeria, too, but Lagos State came out of it richer, more vibrant, more digitized, and globalized. Rising prosperity becomes evident not based on who you are or where you live, but what you are doing in the state. Possibilities become open to all as Lagos works for all, courtesy of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Sanwoolu came into office in 2019 on the back of what is termed the THEMES agenda, his development template. The acronym THEMES means: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment Education and Technology. This is being used now to transform Lagos State beyond the imagination of many people, with the state rolling out various highly commendable projects and initiatives to create happiness for all .

A tested and trusted professional, management expert and consummate administrator, Sanwo-Olu’s management skills, administrative acumen and his personal attributes of humility and empathy are making things work out. This is why in just 757 days in office, under very difficult conditions occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic and the unfortunate EndSARS protest, he has been able to record many achievements across the THEMES agenda.

He told Lagos electorate during the electioneering that his administration would governance from where his predecessors had stopped. This is exactly what he has done.

The near abandoned Lagos Homs in Igando was completed and commissioned, the Agege Pen Cinema bridge, which was roughly at 19 to 20% foundational level when he assumed office in May 2019 had been completed, with additional roads network, the Igbogbo Ikorodu housing project, the BRF Housing Estate, Iponrin, Lagos Homs in Lekki, several roads across the metropolis started by the immediate past administration have all been completed and commissioned.

For Governor Sanwo-Olu, it does not matter who started what project. What’s important is completion of those projects for the greatest good of the people. It is all about the people of Lagos State.

Late last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Nigeria as the fourth best country in the World in terms of prompt efforts to curtail and contain the harsh effects of covid 19 pandemic. Arguably Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration effort contributed immensely to this rating. This is because since Lagos is the epicentre of the epidemic in Nigeria, the major contribution to that sterling performance by Nigeria must be attributable to the contribution of the Lagos State government. True indeed. At that time, the governor was able to lead a formidable and efficient professional team which saw to the effective management of the situation, thereby curtailing what would have been a devastating pandemic in Lagos state.

Praises should also go to the Governor with his performance in the area of transportation infrastructural development. Concerned about giving Lagos a reliable intermodal system of transportation, the Governor has been making heavy investments in waterways, the light rail projects as well as road transportation to make life easier for Lagosians.

Two the light rail projects are on the verge of completion. These are the blue and red rail lines.The Blue line is the one on the Lagos-Badagry Express Road. On that rail corridor. The first phase of the Blue Line, which is from Mile 2 to Marina will become operational at the end of this year. Whilst this blue line is an excites Lagosians, the Red line project that is the real talk of the town now.The Red Line is the existing rail corridor that uses Lagos-Ibadan alignment, which belongs to the Federal Government. Lagos state government looked at the composition of the track and checked the need to have a rail track that fits the kind of intra-city train they want. They have a standard gauge, and are building eight stations in all the corridors from Alagbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba and Ebute-Meta, which is the first phase of it. The second phase of it will get to Iddo and eventually terminate at Marina. It will do lagoon crossing to Marina. This will happen at the same time as the Blue line is being completed. So, Lagosians will enjoy actively working trains; two rail lines by the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Sanwoolu is very upbeat about these rail projects. In a recent interview, the governor declares:

“I dare say that we are about the only sub-national anywhere in the world that is being audacious to build a rail infrastructure by itself. People will say Lagos doesn’t have a rail line; they say we should go and check Ethiopia, Egypt and Senegal. I say to them, those are countries; you are right. In Addis Ababa, it is the country of Ethiopia that is building it. So, Lagos felt we need to have our mark there. While growing up, we missed it at some point; about 30, 40 years ago. So, we have been very audacious in this conversation, and we said let us actually do this.”

The State Government has also reduced traffic congestion in some critical parts of Lagos with continuous road infrastructure, junction improvements and opening up more communities with new link roads and bridges.

Residents of Ikorodu are also strong in Sanwoolu’s road master plan. There are ongoing projects, such as Oba Sekumade Road leading to Ogolonto, the Igbogbo-Baiyeku Road and the road that leads to Old Shagamu, Agric-Isawo. The Fourth Mainland Bridge is also a work in progress. This is a 37-kilometre ring-road from Lekki-Ajah axis, crossing the water, going all the way behind Ikorodu, and eventually terminating on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

In Badagry, Sanwoolu is building three jetties to fully utilise the waterways from there to other parts of Lagos. Two of the jetties have been completed and people have started using them. The third one, called the Badagry-Marina, is about to be completed. With 3 jetties already in Badagry, people will be able to move from a place like Ikoyi-Falomo and Liverpool in Apapa and straight to Badagry in about 20 to 25min, without having to come in on the express road.

More than 51 major infrastructural projects such as the Pent Cinema fly over, ramp and road networks, Lagos-Ogun Boundary roads Phase II, Lekki Oniru Traffic Circulation Projects, network of roads in Ojokoro , Somolu and Ikoyi, among others. The administration also constructed and rehabilitated 301 inner roads in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). It also commissioned the Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT lane. The Eleko junction to Epe concrete pavement road construction is ongoing. These road projects were executed to bring comfort and succor to the people of Lagos.

Dear to the heart of the administration is public transportation. The integrated mass transportation initiative of the state, on the watch of Governor Sanwoo-olu, has recorded huge progress with the successful completion of the elevated seas crossing track of the blue line mass transit project. In the master plan, there are about seven rail lines. These include Green Line, Yellow Line, Purple Line and Orange Line. Red and Blue line rails will be the pioneers in the rail sector , Lagos Urban Transport Master Plan, ongoing projects in different parts of the State,

While these intermodal transport schemes are on, road traffic is on the front burner. Sanwoolu has recruited about 1,017 LASTMA officers to ease traffic flow.

The State Government availed itself of the three modes of transportation of roads, rail and waterways to boost public transportation in Lagos State.

In the Agricultural sector, through the Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration has trained many youths in various agricultural practices which has gone a long way to giving them a means of livelihood and sustenance. He has seen to the training of over 12,000 women, thousands of youths in the State have been empowered across the several value chains.

In addition to this , the State witnessed 127% growth in Q1 2021 in revenue inflow. The Lagos State Government has also continued to ensure the training and facilitation of more women, youths and the employed to become employers of labors and to become self dependent.

Also adding to this long list of achievements, are positive activities in the Environmental sector. In this particular area of Environment, Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in close to three years in office has invested significantly in the waste collection capacity of LAWMA as well as significant improvement in drainage management and maintenance. In order to secure a clean Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu donated 30 units of 12-cubic meter trucks, 60 units of 24-cubic meter trucks and 12 hook loaders which is expected to compliment over 850 PSP compactor trucks to enhance service delivery in under-served communities across the State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu has also made significant impact in the lives of millions of Lagosians in the areas of Health and Environment. He believes that nothing should be spared to give Lagosians quality health care and that’s why he has made a lot of intervention in the health sector.

Apart from the comprehensive renovation of medical facilities at various Health Centres and General Hospitals in the State, the State is also developing new facilities, such as the New Massey Children Hospital, New General Hospital, Ojo and a Rehabilitation and Mental Health facility in Ketu Ejinrin. The State Government is also building a 300-bed Isolation Centre and a Research Institute at IDH, Yaba. It has also improved maternal and child health with the provision of the Mother and Child Centres (MCCs) in Eti-Osa, Igando, Badagry and Epe.

Under social welfare programmes, the governor has continued to reach out to the people with various incentives to boost their standard of living, notable in this category is the payment of allowances of N40,000 monthly to 4000 unemployed graduates, including some direct gratification to widows. Grants have also been made available to business owners in the state to provide much needed financial supports and assistance to their various business enterprises, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic which negatively impacted on many businesses including MSME as well as the nation’s economy.

Even in sports, Governor Sanwo-Olu still had the positive disposition to give consideration to Chioma Ajunwa by fulfilling the commitment by donating a three bedroom apartment to her in Lagos as a fulfilment of the House Reward promised her for wining the Long Jump event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Sanwo-Olu has passion for quality education. This has been the driving force behind his numerous interventions to revive things in that sector. In reviving the education sector in Lagos State. For some time now, the bulk of Sanwo-Olu’s attention has been divided between empowering the members of his cabinet with the resources they need for good governance and gunning for the achievement of his digitalization of secondary school education in Lagos.

Late last year, Sanwo-Olu commissioned a structure for education, with 18 blocks serving as classrooms. The newly-constructed Elemoro Community Junior Secondary School was also furnished with sporting facilities, showing that Sanwo-Olu intends to drive the potentials of young Lagosians to the maximum, squeezing out every gift they have for formal (classroom) learning and extracurricular activities.

The Elemoro school is only the latest of Sanwo-Olu’s grand momentum. Sanwo-Olu’s efforts have yielded very ripe fruits, including a mass transformation in mentality regarding formal education. Apart from underprivileged Lagosians who now have access to educational resources and tutoring, even older people can now stretch their minds and allow innovative learning to recondition their lives for the better.

His administration has completed more than 1,097 school projects in just two years, built six secondary schools, provided over 100,000 tables and chairs, provided 2,000 hostel beds in model schools and recruited over 2,000 teachers for public schools. It also introduced EKO EXCEL – an education reform programme targeted at developing highly skilled teachers through training, support and motivation, which has reached about 1,009 schools, 13,000 teachers and 450,000 pupils.

Sanwo-Olu will be remembered, just like Ahaji Kayode Jakande, for prioritizing and improving education, in the years to come.

with regard to security and governance in the State , he is doing much. His administration has worked tirelessly to ensure that Lagos is safe and secure for residents. Hence the flourishing of night economy.

Under Sanwoolu, the state government is working on strategies to ensure that the state’s economy is more diversified, adequately connected, and safe for investors, and this is yielding some results today. For a long time, poor infrastructure and widespread insecurity have made it near-impossible for cities to operate the night economy, leading to massive loss of potential revenues by state government. However, things are changing as Sanwoolu, is making efforts to ensure Lagos residents enjoy the benefits of night economy, and a number of entrepreneurs and small businesses have keyed-in into the dream, against all odds.

Of course, since the return to democracy in 1999, Lagos has shown its desire to become Africa’s model megacity, and one of the ways it has expressed this is through its commitment to running a 24/7 economy. Now with the vibrancy and expansion of the night economy, Lagos hardly sleeps. And many believe that the city has genuine reasons to be awake all the time. Their reason is that millions in the city make their money late at night; defying the daunting challenges those hours often pose.

All over Lagos, men and women and even teenagers are part of the burgeoning tribe whose members make the night their day. Call them kings and queens of the night; that indeed is what they are – people who rule the nights the way the gods do.

A segment of Lagos population in season and out of season runs a potpourri of businesses that keeps the city bubbling with night life, thereby keeping Lagos awake. Among those businesses are foods and drinks, sales of various items, transport services, night clubbing and casino undertaking, leisure, entertainment management and many more. And many believe that a lot of those night-hour businesses contribute largely to the country’s economy.

Of course, Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial capital and largest economy, but with a rapidly rising Gross Domestic Product (Lagos contributes approximately 25% of Nigeria’s total GDP) and an estimated population of about 25 million people, the city is projected to become the continent’s leading economic hub in the nearest future. Expectedly, the government’s strategies to ensure that the state’s economy becomes more diversified, adequately connected, and safe for investors, is yielding much results today. No wonder, the vibrancy and growth of night economy.

This night economy would never have been possible without government investment in security. Now security agencies in Lagos State can boast of modern crime fightingequipment. In June 10, 2021 President Muhammadu Buhari joined Governor Sanwo-Olu to officially handover patrol vehicles and security equipment to security agencies in Lagos State.

The equipment were; 150 Double Cabin Vehicles, 30 Saloon Patrol Vehicles, 1,000 Ballistic Vests, 1,000 Ballistic Helmets, 1,000 Handheld Police Radios/Walkie Talkies, 100 Security Patrol Bikes, two Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), four High Capacity Troop Carriers, two Anti-Riot Water Cannon Vehicles and Office/Command Furniture and other Ancillary Support Resources.

He has also done well in agriculture. Under the Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) Women and Youth Empowerment Scheme (WYEP), 350 have graduated being the batch 1. Out of these beneficiaries, 165 majored in the poultry value chain, 35 in the rice value chain and 150 in the aquaculture value chain. The thrust of the project is to increase farmers’ productivity, production, and improve the processing and marketing of the target value chains, which would foster job creation along identified value chains.

The Imota Rice Mill in Lagos is nearing completion. The 38 metric tonnes per hour mill will be one of the biggest on the continent when completed. It is expected to throw up between 1000 and 1,500 jobs and positively impact the rice value chain that will produce 2.4 million bags of 50kg rice yearly.

The governor also unveiled a five-year master plan that would guide the state’s intervention and investment in agriculture for a long-term return with the objective to reduce food importation and over dependence on finished products from outside the country.

The state government is also in the process of establishing the Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE) to drive fish production in the state. The centre will have a hatchery with a capacity to produce 50 million fish – enough to supply 5,000 smallholder farms. It will also include a 24,000 tonnes feed mill and a 20,000 tonne capacity fish processing centre. He said that the annual demand for fish in the state was 374,000 tonnes, considerably below the state’s current 155,000 tonnes of production.

Going by his track records and achievements in office over the last three years, Sanwoolu has done well, making Lagos work for all.

JAMES FALEKE AND LEADERSHIP THE PEOPLE CAN TRUST

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Dayo Olasege

Hon James Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikeja Federal Constituency , is a model of what of what leadership is all about. Apart from being a model that our leaders are not shallow in understanding that the public’s very existence depend on the decisions they make, he is equally adding values to lives. He focuses firmly on actions that can create and achieve the best results for the people.

Amazingly, he seems to share the same chord of empathy with Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in terms of reaching out to the grassroots to the people, adding values to them. Faleke maintains similar family compound politics as Asiwaju Tinubu, working to help so many people to the top.

He sits at the centre of this compound to listen to his people, dispensing solutions to some issues. Meanwhile many of his contemporaries hid away in impregnable castles with wild dogs and fierce-looking guards at their gates to keep the unwanted away. And while some appear to be driven by self-conscious of survival, building their own wealthy empires and enjoying the luxuries while their people suffer, Hon Faleke is concerned with building human beings. He is after the well-being of members of his constituency, enhancing their welfare and dignity.

Hon Faleke, has for years contributed to sweeten life for the people in different ways, which include road and infrastructural projects, educational development, youth and women empowerment in different forms. He has strengthened the legs of many to walk along the various threads of life without fear. Not all leaders want to go and save their people in towns, the villages and rural areas as Faleke has been doing in his constituency.

Last December, he embarked on massive empowerment projects for the people. He distributed 100 mini-buses popularly called Korope, 30 tricycles, grinding machines and other materials to empower his constituents. Faleke, who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency, said empowering the people was the best approach to winning the war against crime caused by idleness.

Speaking at the Police College, Ikeja GRA, venue of the event, the lawmaker said the disbursement was part of efforts to take youths off the streets and help them live meaningful lives.

“The essence of doing this empowerment is to take most of our youths off the street and we have succeeded in doing that partially. This is the second phase; we saw the outcome of the first phase on our youths, as the lucky ones surprised us with the turnaround in their lives. Some of them now take care of their families and even their communities

“We tried our best to carry everybody along in this second phase, which is majorly for youths and women within the community, not necessarily party members, voters and leaders. As long as you contribute your quota to the development of the constituency, you are entitled to it.

Faleke hailed the Federal Government, saying it had done well in ensuring economic stability for the country.

“This government has achieved a lot, but the disadvantage of insecurity has brought it under the carpet. But all things been equal, and with God on our side, especially as Mr. President has said, we are in the last lap of the fight against insecurity. Everything will work out fine and the economy will be better for it since people will be able to return to their farms,” he added.

He hailed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s selflessness in mentoring many elected and appointed government officials. According to him, the empowerment wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of Asiwaju Tinubu to his (Faleke’s) political ascendancy.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State chapter Chairman-elect, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, hailed Faleke for taking good care of the party members in his constituency and making them feel the positive impact of good governance in the area.

As a result of his sterling performance at contributing to the lives of the ordinary people, the traditional rulers of Ikejaland, conferred him with the title of Atunlushe-Akorede of Ikejaland while his wife, Esther, was also conferred with the Yeye Atunlushe-Akorede of Ikejaland title, on Friday January 14th 2022.

The titles were jointly conferred on the couple by the three traditional rulers monarchs in Ikeja –Alaguda of Aguda, Oba Hakeem Agbaosi Saibu (Ewe-Obaja I); Awise of Onigbongbo, Oba Oluwasegun Adeyemi Ajasa (Olaside I) and Oloregun of Oregun, Oba Olukunmi Olusesan Akingbola (Ikudoro I).

The ceremony attended by prominent personalities, politicians, religious and traditional leaders, captains of industries and community leaders, among others from within and outside Lagos. These included Apostle Ojelabi, Lagos State chairman of the APC, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, among many others who see Faleke as a reliable man of empathy and model of good leadership.

While Faleke and his wife were been celebrated by the people of Ikeja, with the chieftaincy titles, the federal lawmaker was surprised by artisans and technicians in Lagos as the Association of Lagos Artisans and Technicians (ASLAT), Ikeja branch, presented Award of Excellence to him. The award was presented to the lawmaker in recognition of his extraordinary and exceptional Passion and Support to Ikeja Artisans and Technicians

Those who presented the award said Faleke, a former chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and one-time Deputy Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, is a man that has contributed immensely to support artisans and technicians in Lagos State and Ikeja in particular..

An elated Faleke said the double honours showed that the his constituents in Ikeja appreciated all he has been doing for them, especially since he has been representing them in the House of Representatives.

While assuring his constituents that he will not relent in his efforts to serve the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency passionately, he also assured them that the honours bestowed on him by the traditional rulers and ASLAT will be a wake-up call for him to do more for his people for the rest of his life. Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila, who was accompanied by his wife, Salamotu, described Faleke as a reliable man who deserved the double honour.

“Hon. Faleke deserves this title. He has a proven track record, and the people can attest to this fact. I am proud of him, and wish him goodness in all his endeavours. He is a good representative of the people, as evidenced in today’s outing, and we can only pray for him to go higher and higher.”

Mr. Shina Akinyemi, the National Coordinator of the Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), praised Hon Faleke in glowing terms, saying he deserved all accolades and encomium he was getting everywhere. He explained the lawmaker did not just get here in one day or used money as many normally do to get honour, he worked for it.

“In our own case, the Artisans and Technicians in Ikeja Local Government Area, Faleke has been our life support’ for more than 15yrs; assisting us with so many things in kind and cash just to uplift and boost our trades and business. Did you see the last mega empowerment he did, 100 mini busses, 200 tricycles, thousand of working tools and equipment were giving to about 15,000 Artisans and Technicians across Ikeja LGA.

“My brother it has never happened before – Koseleri! No one, I repeat no one has ever done so much for Artisans and Technicians in Lagos State as Hon Faleke has done in the last 15 years. No wonder that title Atunluse (the one who upgrades the city) Akorede (one who brings goodness) combined with our own Award of Excellence fits him and his adorable wife perfectly. We will continue to remain loyal and support him in all his endeavors and aspirations.”

The ability of leaders to shift their thinking and the thinking of those around them is key to the people’s ability to successfully manage their personal and professional lives through any situation. The activities of James Faleke should be a clarion call to them to make the necessary adjustments to enable people in their constituency to thrive rather than just survive.

To do that, leaders will have to grasp the need for a change in thinking focused on actions that can create and achieve the best

results.

Being inspired is important, but it must be more than simply inspiration, which often ends after the ‘feel-good period’. Instead, we will need to see transformation to make many people successfully traverse extreme situation to happiness.

There may be no better quote than this: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.

We find ourselves with no clear path, but with an expectation that leaders will make one for all of us.-and that is what Faleke has been doing.

VIEWPOINT OIL PALAVER AND NEED FOR CAUTION

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Akintunde Ogoh

Oil prices started off on a positive note 2022, defying experts’ prediction of a ballooning surplus, instead surpassing $90 a barrel in the last week of January. Prices and options contracts invoking the prospect of crude spiralling above $100, the commodity is threatening to intensify the inflationary pain felt by major consumers.

But the rally seems a bad news for refined fuel-hungry countries like Nigeria with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) now paying more in petrol subsidy and negatively impacting its contribution to the federation account.

There is a significant worsening of this situation by Russia invasion of Ukraine.

Nigeria, a key OPEC member has also struggled to meet its oil allocation from the producers’ group, with flows of the once-key export grade Bonny Light now trickling out with significant delays. Nigeria is pumping roughly 1.35 million barrels , the lowest figure in years.

Goldman Sachs Group’s head of Global Research, said that only two countries in the world – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – can pump more today than they did in January 2020 before the pandemic really hit demand.

“That could see the oil market tighten over the next three to six months,” he said.

Morgan Stanley expects Brent to climb beyond $90 a barrel by the third quarter and estimates that observable stockpiles fell by about 690 million barrels last year.

Now let us look at how this affects Nigeria. As a result of this rise in price, multiple factors will shape the economy’s direction in 2022. Never forget that electioneering activities are on. This and the potential removal of fuel subsidy to be key drivers of implementing economic policies, coupled with economic fortunes regarding inflation and monetary policy. With economic growth likely to be about 1.6% y/y, buoyed by a decent recovery in the oil sector from a two-year-long recession, as an increase in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s production quota and the low base effect will drive growth. There is prospect for sustained growth in the agricultural and services sectors, supported by strong demand for food and improved internet adoption amid the roll-out of the 5G network. On price movement, we should anticipate inflationary pressures to weigh on the market as the high base effect wears off and the true impact of imported inflation reflects on the headline inflation numbers. Government should therefore be very careful with the subsidy issues. Though one needs to understand government’s position in this area-big dialema. An albatross so to say.

With improving demand, tightening inventories, and questions of OPEC’s ability to ramp further, the directional arrows of progress point to further optimism. Movements in the price of oil are felt more keenly and quickly than that of any other commodity because they pass almost immediately into the cost of end-products such as petrol, diesel and jet fuel. Then the cost of transportation and distribution in a country like Nigeria without functional public transportation that is pocket-friendly

While Nigerians wait with apprehension for the planned removal of subsidy in the year, there were riots across Kazakhstan after the government there allowed the price of liquefied petroleum gas – a key road fuel – to surge. There is a possibility of this in Nigeria if government removes subsidy on petrol. It is therefore incumbent on the government to disregard those calling on it to remove fuel subsidy. Rather, it should concentrarate on diversifying the economy while working towards attaining local refining capacity.

The dynamic means prices will be monitored closely by central bank of Nigeria that is trying to keep a lid on inflation while at the same time fostering economic growth as nations emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why Life Insurance is Essential

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment Insurance

life insurance is very important tool to shield young families. But awareness about and its penetration is very low in Nigeria. This despite the ravages of Covid-19 which did free advertisements for Life insurance in many countries. Coronavirus did what no amount of advertisement by life insurers could do, pushing business for them through insurance penetration in many countries such as India, Pakistan and Thailand to global average. From 2.82% in 2019 to 3.2% in 2020 in India and from 2.90 to 3.4 in Thailand in year 2020.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, many more people are purchasing life insurance policies in the South-East Asian region now. According to the Economic Survey 2021-2022, life insurance penetration rose to 3.2% in the year 2020.

Insurance penetration is measured as the percentage of total life insurance premium paid in a year to GDP. Insurance density is calculated as the ratio of premium to population (measured in US$ for convenience of international comparison). But the situation is different in Nigeria due to lack of awareness about the usefulness of life insurance.

The penetration of life insurance is at a low level of 2.4 percent . In the past , life insurance penetration was a little high. But since around 2011, that has gradually declined over the years and even reached its lowest level in a decade in 2016 at 2.2%. Since then it has seen a marginal improvement and reached 2.72% in 2020.

However, the significant rise in purchase of life insurance by Indians in 2020 can also be gauged by the fact that 44.3% of total premium collected by life insurers in 2020 was from new policies.

Take a look at the case of Abike and her husband Joe, and see the usefulness of life insurance.. Life was not so good to the family when they married initially. But soon her husband got a job as construction worker, operating crane. He was well-paid in that company. He also made extra income from his side working with his wife’s elder brother, Ade in his consulting business. Abike stayed at home raising her first child. She hadn’t worked since the husband asked her not to do so when when the baby was born.

As soon as Abike became pregnant with their second child, James started talking about life insurance. He had developed interest for it at a seminar organized for workers in the company where he worked. He was initially hesitant about it. It was not that he wasn’t thinking like an adult; the topic of life insurance was just scary to him. But an old woman in the neighborhood told him how she had been able to send her children to school through the Life insurance her sick husband had bought for them. Then Tony went ahead to buy life policy for the family. The wife was 35 then, pregnant with their yet-to-be-born third child, and the last thing he wanted to think about was either him or his wife dying.

Little did anyone suspected he could die even in 20 years time. About five years after he had bought the life policy, he died at the construction site where he was working . He passed away on a Tuesday in March 2020. The weekend before his death, he had attended a wedding party and had especially good time together with his friends. That Monday evening, he had gone to the house of one of his neighbors to celebrate with him the arrival of a new born-baby. He was there with his wife and children. By that time the wife was already pregnant for the fourth time. The next morning, he left for work without his wife seeing him. There was an important matter he had hinted her the previous night that he would tell her in the morning. But he left while she slept, I’ll never know.

The woman was sitting in a chair in at home when she heard footsteps coming into the house. She turned only to see her elder brother, Engr Paul, who was, like her husband , was a construction worker. It was he who even took her sister’s husband to the company and secured the employment for him as a crane operator. He looked at her and said, “Bunmi, we have a place to go.”

He pulled her out of the chair, and drove straight her pastor’s house. He had called the pastor on phone, informing him about the what happened. The Pastor greeted them warmly. Then he joined them in the car and Paul drove straight to the hospital. There the pastor held her hand and told her that her husband fell down early in the day and was being attended to in the hospital. Bola’s first words were, “How bad?”

Then the brother just squeezed her hand and said he hope everything would be alright. But when they arrived at the ER, the other construction workers were there. It was hard for them to look at her—and that was when she knew that her husband had died. As soon as the burial was over, the insurance account manager turned up at the door, telling her that the policy cover all the children education till they grow up.

Her story is a reminder that once you have a family—no matter your age—life insurance is absolutely essential. And the time is now for insurance companies themselves to drum the importance of this class of insurance to the people.

HOW PROF MANSUR BAKO MATAZU ENERGIZES NIMET TO KEEP FARMERS AND BUSINESSES PERFECTLY HAPPY

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Benard Ekwegbara Services

Professor Mansur Bako Matazu, DG CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), is system person. He is a man who believes that technology and innovation are ways to unlock the modern world challenges , resolve complexities and make solutions available to the people. To him, these complexities need policy-makers and scientists who can understand and craft well-designed policies to govern and direct the society using their knowledge. As one of these great minds, Professor Matazu is committed to innovation and making things happen. These are what he is doing at NiMet now, building heft for the agency, making it more vibrant in its tasks of getting people ready for the challenges of the immediate future, in regard to climate and weather.

In this way, NiMet is able to better deliver on its mandate of advising the Federal Government on issues relating to weather and climate. The agency is helping sea-going vessels and airlines to promote safe operations, making flying enjoyable experience. It also helps farmers with weather information. No wonder many stakeholders, farmers and businesses rely on it to better prepare for their own activities. Professor Matazu explains the mandate of the agency.

“The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is the Federal Government Agency charged with the responsibility to advise the Federal Government on all aspects of meteorology, project, prepare and interprete government policy in the field of meteorology; and to issue weather and climate forecasts for the safe operation of aircrafts, ocean going vessels and oil rigs, and other socioeconomic sectors, including disaster risk reduction. We observe, collate, collect, process and disseminate all data and information within and outside. Our services cut across aviation, Telecommunication, power and energy, agriculture, Building and construction, Oil& Gas, Disaster Risk Reduction and management, education, defence, marine and maritime, finance and insurance, among others, in support of socio-economic activities in Nigeria.”

Recently, NiMet unfurled the 2022 edition of its yearly Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) to the public in Abuja, with the theme: Strengthening Climate Actions through Timely and Impact-based Climate Prediction for Economic Recovery. It was witnessed by many distinguished individuals which included ministers, CEOs of various government parastatals, and captains of industries as well as the Academia.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Mansur Matazu explained that the SCP, which is “multi-sectoral with co-produced socio-economic implications of the Prediction NiMet and relevant stakeholders, describing it as a veritable tool to notify relevant stakeholders and emergency managers of the anticipated rainfall pattern within the season for necessary mitigation plans. Listen to him.

“The Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is one of NiMet’s flagship products, an invaluable tool that has helped a lot of farmers improve their yields. It has also helped increase and improve the level of preparedness by emergency management agencies, complement the flood prediction by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and served as an advisory tool for many stakeholders at the federal, state and local government levels.”

NiMet, in its 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), predicted that there would be high meningitis occurrence in most part of the northern states of the country this year. Parts of Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa states are projected to have high vigilance for meningitis in the month of February.

This is even as the agency hinted that It is worthy of note that hot, dry, and dusty weather conditions are favourable for the outbreak and spread of meningitis adding that these atmospheric conditions usually occur in the northern part of Nigeria in November to Mid-March, to this end, called for vigilance.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, was also prominent in the presentation. Sirika in his keynote address stressed that moderate vigilance for meningitis is anticipated in the central and other parts of the north, while Imo, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Osun states are expected to be in low watch for meningitis, adding that the coastal parts of the country are likely to have no vigilance for the disease.

He gave a thumb up for Nimet: “It is amazing how assiduously NiMet continues to bring us weather and climatological forecasts touching on different areas of our socio-economic lives in accordance with its mandate. Daily, we are reminded of how interdependent and related these facets of our lives are. However, we must all rise to take up their forecast and respond with appropriate actions for resilience, adaptation and mitigation.”

The following are highlights of the 2022 SCP:

The earliest onset of the planting season (beginning of planting activities), is expected about the 28th February 2022 in the Coastal parts of the country.
Onset of rainfall expected to occur between April and May in the Central states within June to July in the Northern states
Planting season is predicted to be normal over most parts of Nigeria with a few areas having it earlier while some areas having it delayed.
Rainfall cessation dates across most parts of the county in 2022 is predicted to be near the long-term average conditions. The window between the Onset and cessation dates can be regarded as safe periods for the planting of various crops in accordance with their cropping calendars.
Growing season is predicted to last between 250-300 days in Southern parts of the country, and 100 to 200 days in the North.
Areas around Kwara, Oyo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Benue, Bayelsa, and Rivers are likely to experience shorter than normal length of growing season.
Prolonged length of growing season is anticipated in parts of Plateau, Kaduna, Edo, and Imo state.

Stakeholders at the event commended NiMet for the timely release of the predictions. They were of view that this would guide farmers as to suitable time of commencement of the farming season. And they praised professor Matazu for a job well done. But this is not surprising, judging by his background. And he has lived up to the expectation and the trust that President Muhammadu Buhari have in him.

Professor Matazu assumed office as the Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet in March 2021. He took over from Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi following an approval by President Buhari for the re-organization of the Aviation Agencies in line with the implementation of his administration’s Aviation Development Roadmap.

Professor Matazu took over on Wednesday 17, March, 2021 at the conference room of NiMet headquarters, Abuja. That day, he acknowledged the great feat achieved by his predecessor, whom he served as Technical Assistant. He added that Professor Mashi had achieved a lot for the Agency and taken it to a great height to become the best Meteorological Agency in the whole of Africa. Professor Matazu pledged to build on this success, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and promised to run an all-inclusive administration. He noted that the former DG/CEO had always been his mentor.

Professor Matazu holds a PhD in Applied Meteorology from the Federal University of Technology Minna and a post-doctorate degree at Erasmus University, Netherlands. He lectured at Federal University of Technology Minna as well as Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina state before joining NiMet in 2016.

He has published books, Chapters and Peer review articles in both national and international Journals. He is a member of Nigerian Environmental Society, African Forestry Forum, Nigerian Meteorological Society, the Climate Change Network, Nigeria and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Nigeria (REEN).

Professor Matazu was born on 8th January, 1974 in Katsina State. He hailed from Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. This 48 years old Professor holds a PhD in Geography (Applied Meteorology), with membership of the Nigerian Environmental Society, African Forestry Forum, Nigerian Meteorological Society, the Climate Change Network, Nigeria and the renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Nigeria (REEN). He is a former lecturer at Isa Kaita College Of Education Dutsin-Ma, where he lectured in the Department of Geography. He also lectured at Ummaru Musa Yar’adua University, Federal University Dutsin-Ma and Federal University of Technology, Minna.

With Matazu at the helms, NiMet has redoubled its effort to continue to empower and equip farmers and businesses as well as other stakeholders with deep knowledge and relevant timely information about weather and climate. This offers the right tools for all to construct their own future, taking the weather and climate context into consideration.

OTUNBA RUNSEWE AND THE TASK OF A VIBRANT GLOBAL IMAGE FOR NIGERIA

November 26, 2022

by admin with No Comment By Kunle Olu Ojo

Otunba Segun Runsewe, (OON),Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, is a man who has brought dignity to Nigeria and vibrancy to the tourism sector .As they say, creative thinker can’t be easily pigeonholed, Otunba Runsewe, famously known as ‘Mr. Tourism’ and the ‘Face of Nigerian Culture’ is one of these and a strict constructionist. He exhibits an ability to rise above conventional thinking and prejudices and epitomizes what constitutes the right stuff on the public service front. One of the primary measures of greatness on the public service is the impact its players’ activities have on the society at large. And Runsewe’s activities have been having a big impact on the Nigerian public.

On the closing week of April 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari re-appointed Otunba Runsewe, for another term of four years after an eventful first tenure that attracted local and international recognitions to Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage. Runsewe, had been appointed four years earlier in the month of April 2017, and his re-appointment further brightened the future of the NCAC and the creative industry in Nigeria.

At that time of his re-appointment time, many touted his “empathy” and potential for blazing a new trail as a man who understands how to inspire innovation. Some others said that the re-appointment was an eloquent testimony to his meritorious service rendered to preserve and promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, right from his days as D-G of NTDC, down to his first tenure in office as NCAC D-G which began in May 2017.

Otunba Runsewe brought dignity to the sector while maintaining a revered position as a consistent phenomenon in Nigeria’s culture and tourism sectors, having served in different capacities in the last three decades. He has brought dignity to the sector while maintaining a revered position as a consistent phenomenon in Nigeria’s culture and tourism sectors, having served in different capacities in the last three decades. Undoubtedly, his sterling performance during his first tenure as D-G had a huge impact on the Council owing to his positive attitude towards collaboration with stakeholders in the arts and culture industry. His recognition of the vital role of the media and diverse associations under the culture ministry, retreats with Zonal Directors of the Council, and subsequent collaborations with all stakeholders, all went into the tapestry of his success, especially in job creation through arts, crafts culture, skill acquisition; which as a whole, translate to income generation to Nigeria’s economy.

The annual International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC) which holds in Abuja has become art, crafts and culture exhibition ground for many countries across the world that queue up to participate in the yearly event. Apart from job creation, INAC has also become an effective tool for networking, marketing, and promotion of arts, crafts, and cultural products of Nigeria and many other countries.

By dint of hard work, Otunba Runsewe brought rare innovations to the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), rebranding the festival and making it a prime national cultural event state governors vigorously bid to host. Each edition of the festival almost always witnesses youth participants engaged in skills acquisition, waste-to-wealth programs, and free medical services with the distribution of hundreds of eyeglasses.

The 2021 edition was hosted by Ekiti state. And it was glorious. Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, was set agog by NAFEST. Business activities suddenly skyrocketed as a result of the huge influx of visitors from other states of Nigeria. Pounded yam, the staple item in the state’s menu, sold like hotcakes. Nightlife in the state capital also came alive. Visitors could be seen gathering and drinking, both inside and outside the pavilion. Transporters, especially the commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada, made brisk businesses, probably thanking God for bringing NAFEST to Ekiti State. All the hotels in Ado-Ekiti and the environs also ran out of rooms. Visitors had to pair themselves and share rooms because the hotels had no more rooms to offer. From the look of some hotels, it was obvious that some rooms which were not in use due to lack of patronage were hurriedly fixed and offered to visitors. Although such rooms were not in the best of conditions, visitors had no choice but to make do with them in the face of the acute shortage.

Otunba Runsewe said he was very excited that the people of Ekiti State have been empowered through NAFEST. “All the hotels in Ado-Ekiti are fully booked. People have had to be sharing rooms. It may interest you to know that the same thing happened in Canada – they had an event, but they didn’t have enough rooms. They had to build more hotels. So, we are now begging Ekiti people and saying to them: “Before we come back (for another NAFEST), please build more hotels.”

Indeed, NAFEST has been organized to thrill everybody again and again since Runsewe came on board. Recall that the network of NAFEST used to be direct with the directors of culture in the state. Runsewe looked at the history behind the festival and objected to that idea when he came, saying, it was wrong to be doing a program of national interest with just the culture chief executives and directors. He was right, for really the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) started in 1970, after the Civil War. The idea was what could be used to unite the country back and those wise people saw culture as the major product and it was agreed that NAFEST should kick-start the process.

In an interview, Runsewe disclosed that the festival, in those days, used to look like an inter-house sport. He promised that would not happen under his leadership. He has brought some changes that could be seen in the festival. And the nation felt this impact in the last years of the NAFEST event in Ekiti state. It was higher than the editions hosted in Kaduna and Rivers States. Now state governors are beginning to key into this program.

He goes down memory lane of how he was able to rejuvenate the festival some years back.

“Now, for a very long time, the directors had been the engine room of the festival, non-negotiable. But the commissioners were the brainboxes. Neither of these could work without the other and I took a step further, and I said ‘we must go to plead with the governors, because we don’t need to leave everything with the directors, though, a lot of them have good intentions, the person who would give it all the feasibility and support is the governor. So, I took it upon myself to see Governor Nasiru Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna State, and he gave me his words that Kaduna was prepared. Anybody who is close to el-Rufai knows he’s a man of his word and really before we got to Kaduna, he’d instructed the secretary to the government of Kaduna who, held a series of meetings with me, and in fact, I also had meetings with the Chief of Staff. Before, it was not the case. It used to be the NCAC and the directors. In the economy of today that we’re trying to improve, we need to tell the drivers in the states the benefits that this sector would bring, and then, they will see the importance. So, el-Rufai gave the approval and said we’re hosting. I’d like to use this opportunity to commend the Emir of Zazzau, who came out with one of the best Durbar outings since the 1940s. People really came out, even foreigners. We had a fantastic outing in Kaduna, and this was because the governor was committed and gave directives.”

To strengthen international partnerships, Runsewe ensured that the Council participated in foreign mission activities such as the first Asian film festival in Abuja and the French Institute animated films festival. While his first tenure also saw some NCAC staff enjoying training, workshop, and seminar in China, the Council also enjoyed the partnership and cultural exchange programs with notable foreign missions like India, Iran, South Korea, Ghana, Russia etc.

Runsewe’s second time in office as the D-G of NCAC is an indication of President Buhari’s belief that he will do more to put Nigeria in the global limelight. Some commentators believe he has an important role to play in ensuring that our buried histories and neglected aspects of our cultures are dug up and documented while those on the brink of extinction, such as Nigerian indigenous languages are revived through constant usage in both spoken and written communications.

That can be incorporated into the existing festivals. Also, materials and books written in indigenous languages can be archived in a standard library and stored at the NCAC offices. Even achievements and programs of the Council can be documented in books and pamphlets and stored for reference purposes.

With Otunba Runsewe’s pedigree for success, innovative skills, and capacity to turn dead agencies into functional and profitable entities, he has proved himself as somebody who can handle higher responsibilities in a country that has historically had the misfortune of having bad leaders manage its affairs. This trait has won him accolades across the globe.

In September last year, Otunba Segun Runsewe bagged China Man of the Year award. The Chinese community, the Consulate and WUSHU Development Association of Nigeria, bestowed Otunba Segun Runsewe, DG of National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, as the China Culture Man of the Year.

At an impressive ceremony to mark the 2021 mid autumn festival and Chinese national day in Lagos, on Saturday, the Chinese community stated that Otunba Segun Runsewe has worked tirelessly to build a strong cultural tourism relationship between Nigeria and China.

They added that he had, in various ways, convinced the world that Nigeria culture in its diversity has capacity to foster unity and peace among the people of both countries nay the world.

Dr. Matthew Nwaekwe, Coordinator Nigeria/China Business Council, made the presentation at Oriental Hotel, Victoria island, Lagos.

He explained that the Chinese Consulate and the Chinese community in Nigeria were elated at the pace and passion Otunba Runsewe brought to bear on his assignment as Nigeria culture chief, and the conviction to sustain cultural relationship between China and Nigeria.

Creative industries play an important role in the cultural and economic life of many people, embodying tradition and heritage. Specially, the film industry amalgamates an artistic, educational, social, and sometimes even political content, turning into a national identity-bearing agent. Its work combines different contributions and talents, which make it highly complex, a sui generis artisan-artistic-industrial work protected by copyright.

Runsewe is looking at this as Nigeria is rich in tradition and folklore; its creators have the opportunity to create culturally-distinct works for which there is great demand in this increasingly uniform world. The country is known for being at the heart of African music, and for possessing a well developed music industry which has achieved international acclaim. It has a vibrant book publishing industry, with more publishing houses than any other African country and an influential literature, including a Nobel Prize laureate.

The social and cultural impacts of Runsewe’s impact as Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture , will echo for a long time.

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