From the corruption of the past to the stealing of the present (Read full details)

Right now, in South Africa, debate swirls around the relevance of addressing the Corruption of apartheid era political and economic elite in terms of dealing with present day abuse of power and political privilege. Those who call for the recall of corruptions Past are no other than those presently accused of corruption in the present time. To listen to them is to permit diversion of attention to their present criminality. Others insist that the issue is not about dealing with Past thieves to deal with present ones but to deal with theft itself. To understand corruption it is necessary to acknowledge its history openly in our politics and economics. In Nigeria we remember the era of 10 per cent and the creed of those who labour in the political orchard must benefit from the fruits of the orchard. This reasoning seems to account for the first post independence chairman of Nigerian Railways setting up long haulage truck transport system to compete with the Nigerian railways and claim that he was doing nothing criminal.

Once there is an acknowledgement of corruption, there would be the need to allocate blame and consequently, to punish past corruption. Muhammadu Buhari’s corruption war does not even attempt to identify present thieves, never mind punishing them. Thousands of ghost workers were identified and taken out of the salary list. What of the money they stole on the past? What about punishing them for their crime? There was budget padding in the past. By whom? How much did each participant steal from the public through this system? Are the police preparing to take them to court and if found guilty sending them to goal? High profile cases of corruption are falling on the wayside and it is beginning to look like there’s nothing the matter with our system. Yet, in the name of restorative justice the perpetrators of corruption of the past must be punished. Without restorative justice, there is no possibility of justice in the present time.

Corruption makes it impossible to deal a deathblow to poverty the China and Brazil have been able to deal with it. Corruption makes it impossible to attack unemployment head-on the way it should be attacked. All over the country young men and young women, qualified and unqualified crowd the streets of our towns and cities looking vacant and seeking vacancies that do not exist. Corruption perpetuates inequality, seen as the greatest destabiliser of present society.

Corruption of the past needs to be acknowledged, exposed and its perpetrators punished for the sake of restorative justice in the society, the way that Jerry John Rawlings dealt with it in Ghana. Corruption sets up systems alternative to the official system. Towards the end of apartheid in South Africa, the political and economic elite of the racist political order set up systems to burst international sanctions against the regime. They set up structures with which to buy favours all over the world for the apartheid regime. They also organised to fund their dirty tricks campaigns in South Africa. These criminal activities created criminal networks that still exist even as those who run them live on. The networks provide opportunity for a small group of the elite to steal massive sums of money from the fiscus and cart same out of the country to deposit in foreign banks. One of the duties of the post apartheid government should be “to identify and track down culprits of apartheid era corruption, and Return their plunder to the people of South Africa.” Unfortunately, it seems that the governments that have been in South Africa have lacked the political will to do something about these culprits. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which Nelson Mandela set up did not include looking into the economic crimes of the apartheid era corruption. Even when a report entitled “Apartheid Grand Corruption” was produced in 2006, nothing was done.

In Nigeria where the corruption of the British colonial government is often alluded to, not much has done systematically to exposed its mode of behaviour and what the Nigerian politicians of the post independence era learnt from them in terms of corruption. In one area at least the British colonial government corrupt practice refuses to desert us. The British colonial government lied about the population of Nigeria. Every successive postcolonial government has lied about the population of the country. Today, we cannot say, pato, that this is number of the people who live in Nigeria. Nigerian leadership is characterised by political cowardice, economic brigandage and moral turpitude. As such nobody can take the political decision to call an end to the economic destruction of the country and so claim some moral high ground.

Corruption needs to be seen as a continuity from our past. During the period from 1960 to 1966 we did not have a golden period. One set of politicians ganged up against a smaller but far more visionary group and ran them to ground. It is difficult not to remember what a lady going out with an optimistic young Nigerian in 1959 said to her man: your optimism is baseless because of the crooks and thieves and the plain idiots who will come into power and will steal and plunder the resources of the country as the colonialists had done.

Some totally unprepared young majors armed with only their anger against the politicians did some selective killing and surrendered political power to an even less prepared senior officers. The rest is the tragic history in which the armed forces destroyed our physical infrastructure and scattered our moral infrastructure fragile as it was. Into these two periods of political inability was heaped the 16-year era of PDP and unaccountability and audacity of thieving. Governments arrogantly claim that God gave them power and the people are not to demand explanations from the politicians. Those who steal are persuaded to return some change to the fiscus and everything would be forgotten. If the example of South Africa is anything to go by, those accused of present corruption will be condemned by the corruptions of the past.

From the corruption of the past to the stealing of the present

Senior citizens advocate exercise for healthy living (Read full details)

PHOTO: google.com/search

Senior citizens, 70 years and above, under the umbrella of The Catholic Church of Presentation Parish, Festac town Lagos, have called on the general public to inculcate the spirit of exercising, highlighting the effects towards healthy living and prevention of ailments.

The Guardian gathered that the Parish made it a routine for the elderly ones to feel belonged in the sense that they can still live a normal healthy life irrespective of their age. The aerobics were also accompanied with health talks and checking of blood pressure so as to make sure they are mentally and physically stable for the process.

Sports coordinator of the parish, Vicmorrow Obiekwe, stated that the whole idea is to send a message to people, that exercise removes sickness from the body and also to help the elderly. “With the exercise and relaxation, they cannot do on their own and with time the younger ones will also be part of the whole process,” he said.

Obiekwe advocated that the government should include exercise in its activities even if it is every last Saturday’s of each month to encourage people within their locality to form a body and come together and work out. He also advised the government to make its presence felt by the indigenous people.

Senior citizens advocate exercise for healthy living

Amuwo Odofin clinic intensifies drive to reduce mother, infant deaths (Read full details)

A visit to the Amuwo Odofin Maternal and Child Centre has raised hopes that Nigeria can still get it right in terms of sustainable healthcare delivery and universal healthcare coverage.

The secondary healthcare seen in Amumo Odofin, which is meant to address maternal and child health has been living up to expectations as the patients testify to the quality and affordable delivery been given. A patient who confided with The Guardian, said: “I gave birth to my first child here in 2014, believe me the services is very commendable, though we are all humans. All you have to do as a pregnant woman is just to register with the sum of N15 000 or thereabout and you can come in anytime for your ante natal care. Prior to your delivery, a little amount is required and you will be taken care of properly. As you can see law and order is here. I lost my card since 2015 and am here to get it back. If this is coming from the government, I think in the near future we are going to get it right.”

Meanwhile another expectant mother commended the establishment boasting of how the price was slashed from N20, 000 to N15, 000. Reacting to the long queue, she said that today being the antenatal day, population is expected to be much but everyone will be attended to. A worker who pleaded anonymity said that the establishment is superb, that the number of enrolees is on the increase. Her words: “People always come to back to us because of how we treat our patients, this is one of the best places you can get a quality care as an expectant mother and I urge you to bring your wife.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 births, with no country having a maternal mortality rate of more than twice the global average. Statistics show that approximately 830 women die daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth and 99 per cent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries especially in women living in rural areas and among poorer communities.

Amuwo Odofin clinic intensifies drive to reduce mother, infant deaths

Before Nigeria’s aviation becomes a laughing stock (Read full details)

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja

Democracy is said to be, amongst other things, a system of political administration that allows for clear choices, for reasoned arguments, for the oiling of the wheels of development. Yet, when one considers some of the things people get up to in Nigeria it becomes imperative to wonder whether, for us, democracy does not mean wrongheadedness. Just one example will suffice to elucidate this problem.

It was announced not long ago that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, one of the busiest airports on the African continent, would be shut down for three months. This announced plan to shut the airport is not because seismologists have suddenly found that the grounds of the airport are faced with imminent devastation due to a natural disaster of the sort of earthquake or landslide or volcanic eruption.

No. Those in charge of matters of aviation plan to shut the Abuja Airport because repairs must be effected on its runway! For the simple reason of repairs, the airport would close for business for upwards of three months while the hundreds of flights that touch down at Abuja would be diverted to Kaduna, some 240 kilometres away! While this curious development leaves the international community wondering about our sense of judgment and sense of priorities, what becomes of the thousands of workers that earn their living at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport? Would they be sent packing? Or would they be sent on paid vacation? Or would they be simply forgotten as non-existent commodities?

Outside the obvious economic adversity sure to come from an outright closure of the Abuja Airport, there are other equally gruesome considerations. There are risks associated with shuttling from Abuja and other distant centres of population concentration to Kaduna to board flights. The Abuja-Kaduna highway is particularly prone to vehicular accidents. The contingency of increased usage of that road by travellers to foreign lands usually perceived to be privileged can only excite adventurism and daredevilry in armed robbers and other violent criminals. More than anything else, the incessant killings by herdsmen in southern Kaduna raise the threat to would-be users of the Kaduna Airport by countless notches.

These are dangers that are clearly avoidable. In Biafra during the civil war, the Uli Airport was not closed for a single day despite the fact that it was bombarded almost every night by fighter-bombers of the Nigerian Air Force. Air raids happen this moment and, next moment, trained workers move in and repair all damages, filling craters and leveling up the runway with a solid slate of macadam. That was five decades ago. But in the year 2017, Nigerian authorities are on the verge of closing the country’s Number One connection to the outside world for three months because a runway is to be repaired.

It beggars belief. It calls to serious question the sense of judgment of those who purport to direct Nigeria’s affairs. For those who love this country, the shame is overpowering. Yet, there is an urgent necessity to save face, to point to an alternative that is reasonable, viable and bereft of the pointless complications inherent in an entire closure.

The volume of air traffic at Abuja is increasing exponentially. This means that, whether or not our aviation “experts” appreciate it, the construction of a second runway is inevitable sooner rather than later. May we suggest that, instead of embarking on the foolhardy enterprise of shutting down the Abuja Airport, those touting the harebrained venture should spare a thought for the wisdom of the emergency construction of a second runway that could be completed in the three months that has been slated for mere repairs of the existing runway. The main advantage of this option is that, while the new runway is being constructed, the old one would remain operational. Thus, the embarrassing contingency of shutting down an international airport on flimsy grounds would be averted.

The construction of a runway is not exactly a faculty of rocket science. There is nothing in it that is not thoroughly understood by construction companies operating currently in Nigeria. We have been told that a whopping N5 billion is required for repairs on the old runway. People who should know are insisting that a new runway may cost just as much.

Nonetheless, it must be pointed out that the cost of repairing the existing runway and building a new one is not an issue here. I urge the National Assembly to intervene and approve emergency funding, even to the tune of N10 billion at least for the projects. Once this is done, the runways could be ready for use in no more than six weeks. If necessary two construction giants – Julius Berger and CCECC, say, could be awarded the contracts, working from opposite ends.

To recap, this is the argument: Do not shut down the Abuja airport. Construct a second runway. Once it goes into operation, the old one could be repaired. It is the only sensible choice open to us. The Nigerian Airways since went into oblivion, to the eternal embarrassment of the thinking segments of this country. We cannot allow the total closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport because a runway is to be patched up. That would make us the world’s laughing stock.

• Prince Nwoko, former member of the Federal House of Representatives, was the chairman of the House Sub-Committee of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Before Nigeria’s aviation becomes a laughing stock

UNILAG names multipurpose hall after ex-VC, Jelili Omotola (Read full details)

UNILAG

In recognition of his outstanding achievements while in the services of the institution, authorities of University of Lagos (UNILAG), have named the institution’s 5, 000 capacity multipurpose auditorium after its former vice chancellor, Prof Jelili Omotola (SAN).
Incumbent vice chancellor of the school, Prof Rahmon Bello, told The Guardian, during the ceremony that “people that made the University of Lagos what it is today are now being recognised so that their names can be written down forever.”

Asked why it took this long before the institution deemed it fit to honour him, he responded: “It does not really matter how long it takes, what matters is that the Senate has lived up to its expectation and he is now recognised.”

Adekunle Omotola, the son of the late helmsman noted that, “this year makes it 11 years since my father died, and this is the first time a university is recognizing him. I also know that his legacy is not well situated, but today, I am fulfilled that the legacy has been recognised. We are very grateful to the university for renaming the multi-purpose hall, which he built after him. My father did a tremendous job in this university.

“In fact, in a letter the university authorities wrote to us, they acknowledged that he took the institution to the mega status level it is today. Since my father died, there have been numerous events for him so that his works will give expressions to the young ones that are coming up.”

UNILAG names multipurpose hall after ex-VC, Jelili Omotola

EFCC re-arraigns ex-Air Force chief, Umar over alleged fraud (Read full details)

Former Chief of Air Staff, Mohammed Dikko Umar

Court resumes trial of Fayose’s associate
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar, before the Federal High Court, Abuja over alleged N4.8 billion fraud.

Umar was alleged to have used funds he siphoned from accounts of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) between September 2010 and December 2012 to acquire six choice properties in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna states.

But the defendant who was earlier docked before the Federal High Court in May 2016, had pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba.

Consequently, his lawyer, Mr. Hassan Liman (SAN) had applied for his release on bail.

Liman prayed the court to allow his client to go home on self-recognition as he was previously allowed to do by Justice Binta Nyako, who was formerly in charge of the case.

In a bench ruling, Justice Dimgba directed the defendant to surrender his international passport as well as produce two sureties who must also own landed properties in Abuja.

The court has fixed February 13 and 16 for commencement of trial.

Meanwhile, the on-going trial of Biodun Agbele, an associate of Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose resumed yesterday with the first prosecution witness, Sunday Alade, admitting to have served in the inauguration committee of the governor’s administration.

Alade, who is a manager at the Akure branch of Zenith Bank Plc, told the Federal High Court, Abuja under cross-examination by Agbele’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) that his appointment to serve in the committee was communicated to him in a letter dated September 9, 2014.

The witness in November last year gave a breakdown of how the sum of N1.2 billion was paid into Fayose’s account in different tranches.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba adjourned the matter till today for continuation of trial.

EFCC re-arraigns ex-Air Force chief, Umar over alleged fraud

ISPON sees legislations improve patronage of local software (Read full details)

James Emadoye

Two-day code conference begins today
The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) is of the opinion that legislations on the part of government can adequately improve patronage of local software in the country.

The President of ISPON, James Emadoye, in a telephone interview with The Guardian, yesterday, ahead of the code conference scheduled for Lagos today and tomorrow, said that Nigerians have been largely enslaved to importation of foreign products even in the face of the economic recession.

Emadoye said the problem remains largely on Nigerians, which still go to China and other countries to import ordinarily, things that can be developed in the country, “how can we encourage production through that. So, we need legislation to strengthen software development. Aside from that government too must be committed to it.”

According to him, when the current administration came on board, ISPON visited the Minsitry of Communications and engaged the minister, Adebayo Shittu, “where we drew his attention to an initiative made by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006, where we gave him copies of the initiative and begged that such should be revisited if we must move the sector forward.”

The ISPON president said government, through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) should put in more effort to ensure that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) patronise Nigerian software so as to reduce foreign importation.

Emadoye pointed out that it was dangerous to allow foreign software to be dominant in the country’s businesses, government, education and the military.

To remedy this, the ISPON boss called for investment in local software, asking the Bank of Industry to create a software business desk with at least a N5 billion revolving loan to develop the software sector.

Noting that the year 2016 had held a lot of hope for Nigeria with over N16 billion budgeted for computer software acquisition, he said that the IT profession had hoped that significant progress would have been made in the uses and enthronement of Software Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the code conference, which is being championed by Soar On Technologies Ltd in collaboration with ISPON, is aimed at encouraging Nigerian developers on the need to code more so as to be able to take over software development in the country.

Scheduled to hold at Lagos Digital Village, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos for today and tomorrow, Soar On Technologies urged anyone interested in programming, in need of a programmer, a
programmer desiring a change or payment upgrade to participate in the conference.

The firm said the conference would be an opportunity for entrepreneurs to upgrade their skills, adding that participants can register at http://www.ccn.com.ng.

James Emadoye, the conference would enable Nigerians to see the need to invest on software development, stressing that the country is still very much enslaved to the importation of foreign software, which he claimed has been a major source of capital flight for the country.

Emadoye added that the conference would enable participants to rub minds and chart right path for software industry in the country.

ISPON sees legislations improve patronage of local software

NFF inspectors score Enugu Stadium low (Read full details)

• Rangers FC May Play CAF Champions League Away From Home

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has warned that unless the Enugu State government urgently upgrades the ‘obsolete and dilapidated’ facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium ahead of this year’s CAF Champions League, Nigeria’s representative in the competition, Rangers FC, may end up playing its home matches outside its base.

The CAF Champions League is expected to commence in the second week of February.

Speaking after inspecting various facilities at the Stadium during the week, the NFF delegation expressed disappointment with the poor state of facilities at the 25,000 capacity stadium owned by the state government.

Director of Competitions in the NFF, Bola Oyeyode, who was accompanied by the Federation’s national security
and integrity officer, Christian Emeruwa, and an Assistant Director, Technical, Rafiu Yusuf, insisted that the facilities need to be upgraded to international and FIFA standards.

The visibly angry NFF officials, who were conducted round the stadium by the chairman of Enugu State Football Association, Chidi Offor Okenwa, made it clear that FIFA and CAF do not compromise with standard hence, “things must be put in proper shape.”

Oyeyode said they were in Enugu for the facility tour with a view to ascertaining the true state of the Rangers stadium, so as to enable the NFF prepare and forward a comprehensive report on the facility to CAF ahead of its inspection visit to the stadium.

He however, regretted that the stadium management lacked maintenance culture which resulted to the terrible condition of the sporting edifice, adding that almost all the facilities were dilapidated and in bad condition.

“When you look at the general environment at the stadium, it is nothing to write home about, even the lightening, plumbing, public address system, dressing room, among others, are not in good shape. There are illegal structures everywhere, including beer parlour and eating joints inside the stadium premises. This is highly unacceptable in modern day football administration.”

NFF inspectors score Enugu Stadium low

2baba, Tekno lead stellar cast for eargasm (Read full details)

2Baba poses with fans during the draw at the Ikeja City Mall, Lagos.

As fun loving Lagosians gear up for the Valentine’s Day next month, organisers of Eargasm, a collection of the timeless classics, an enthralling production to be served in the premium ambience of the prestigious Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, have unveiled legendary 2Baba and Tekno as headliners for a

Billed for Saturday, February 11, Eargasm: An Evening of Classic Tunes & Pleasant Surprises, will also feature Adekule Gold, Timi Dakolo, Yinka Davies, Niyola, Kelly Hansome, Acetune, a capella group, Chord and the ever-effervescent Sir Shina Peters. The host for the event is Bovi and DJ Neptune will work the wheels.

The event, which will open with red carpet and cocktails at 7pm, is packaged by Nigeria’s leading hospitality brand, Eko Hotel and Suites in partnership with Buckwyld Media Network, frontline production and content company responsible for hugely successful projects like 2face: Fortified, Buckwyld ‘n’ Breathless, Star Music: The Trek, #GetItTogether and Jos Chillin’.

2baba, Tekno lead stellar cast for eargasm

Ukraine to sign MOU with Nigeria on space technology (Read full details)

Valeri Aleksandra

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Nigeria, Dr Valeri Aleksandra, says Ukraine has concluded plans to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Government of Nigeria on Space Technology.

Aleksandra made this known when he paid a courtesy call on Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology in Abuja on Friday.

He said that such agreement would further strengthen the collaboration of the two countries in the area of science and technology.

According to the ambassador, Ukraine has advanced in space technology which will be of great benefits to Nigeria.

He said that many Nigerians went to Ukraine universities to graduate in Science and Technology.

According to him, Ukraine has its historical origins in the 18th and 19th centuries and is associated, first of all, with the Kyiv Mohyla Academy, University of Kyiv and University of Kharkiv.

“ The founding of Ukraine’s main research institution, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in 1918 by Volodymyr Vernadsky marked an important milestone in the country’s subsequent scientific and technological development.

“Ukraine’s space science advanced rapidly in the aftermath of World War II, with Korolyov, Glushko and Chelomey leading the rocket and spaceflight development in the Soviet Union during the Space Race.’’

In his remarks, Onu said that agreement between the two countries would be of great advantages to Nigeria because science and technology was one area of Ukraine strength.

“It is a future arrangement; they want our space agency to have a very close relationship with theirs. Nothing has been established as of now.

“If you look at the Ukraine history and its achievements, it has some advanced technology in certain areas.

“We are also proposing a MOU between our own ministry and their own ministry, because science and technology is one area of Ukraine strength.

“We will be happy to work with Ukraine at the areas we will learn from the country and also the areas it will learn from us, “he said.

Onu said that such future collaboration would deepen effort of Nigerian to diversify its economy in a sustainable manner by making it knowledge based and innovation driving.

According to him, there is no way one can talk about globalisation without talking about technology, as it is the main factor that is driving all the advances in the world.

He said that government would intensify effort to involve more private sectors in order to develop in a sustainable manner.

“The private sector is in the best position to commercialise research funding to create wealth, job, reduce perversity and improve productivity.

“These are the visions of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and we are working to ensure the vision is fully actualised, “ he said.

Ukraine to sign MOU with Nigeria on space technology

Stars dazzle in Ojukokoro (Read full details)

Linda Ejiofor

For lovers of Nigerian movies, this is an exciting time, as a new gripping comedy – crime-thriller, Ojukokoro, written & directed by Dare Olaitan is set to raise the game and bring fresh excitement. A star-studded project, this is another Nollywood Cinema film with multiple production companies involved.

Created by Singularity Media in collaboration with House Gabriel Studios and BCI Studios, it features award-winning cast including Wale Ojo, Ali Nuhu, Tope Tedela, Somkele Idalama, Linda Ejiofor, Zainab Balogun, Hafiz Oyetoro (Saka) and Seun Ajayi. Others acts in the movie include Zainab Balogun, Hafiz Oyetoro, Emmanuel Ikubese, Kayode Olaiya, Gbolahan Olatunde. Kunle Remi, Seun Ajayi, Sammi Eddi, Lord Frank and Shawn Faqua.

After its successful screening at the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in November, the movie from Producer Olufemi D. Ogunsanwo has been tipped by viewers to become a box office in cinemas this year.

‘Ojukokoro’, which is a Yoruba word is translated as greed in English language, unwraps an intriguing tale about a money-strapped manager of a shady Petrol Station who decides to rob his employers but along the line finds out in a sudden twist that he is not alone in his ambition and that a good reason isn’t always a right one.

According to the talented young producer, the movie will be premiered at different locations very soon before it proceeds on a long cinema run across over 30 theatres in Nigeria.

The writer & Director, Olaitan trained in Film Directing/Screen Writing Degree at the Colorado Film School and aspires to make a big impression with this first effort.

Speaking on the movie, the director said, “Ojukokoro was inspired by the state of events in Nigeria during 2014 elections with the general state of greed in the nation due to the upcoming elections. It is an ensemble cast movie that deals primarily with a heist, which is an avenue that is rarely explored in Nollywood Cinema

“From the conception to execution, the movie that took me three years to produce. I wrote the script when I was fresh from film school with little knowledge of how the Nigerian Film industry operates. It’s nice to finally have an end product after many years of dreaming and scheming,” he added.

Stars dazzle in Ojukokoro

‘My Lagos Diaries’ A rehabilitation documentary series by freedom foundation hit the screen (Read full details)

Pastor, This Present House, Del Balogun (left); Executive Director, My Lagos Diaries, Mrs. Adeola Bali; Coordinating Manager, Freedom Foundation, Sola Bello and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Freedom Foundation, Dr. Tony Rapu at the media screening of ‘My Lagos Diaries’ held at Filmhouse Imax, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos on Thursday

Committed to addressing the ever-mounting and staggering challenges in our society by empowering individuals who are plagued by various categories of social and economic challenges such as drug addiction, prostitution, and armed robbery, Freedom Foundation, a faith based non-profit organisation of the House of Freedom, will today, January 21, publicly premiere a documentary series, ‘My Lagos Diaries’, at the FilmHouse IMAX Cinema, Lekki, Lagos.

Speaking at a media premiere held at the cinema facility in Lekki, Lagos, the Senior Pastor, This Present House and Chairman Freedom Foundation, Dr. Tony Rapu said the documentary series is a first-hand experience of challenges people face trying to survive in the city of Lagos.

He explained that since inception, Freedom Foundation, has transformed and positively impacted several lives in impoverished communities including but not limited to Ejigbo, Ijora, Iwaya, Bariga and Somolu, and led to the creation of this video journal, which documents 10 years of the team’s experiences in these areas.

“From 2006, the team from our ‘God Bless Nigeria’ program and I set out to various communities across Lagos to get a first-hand experience of challenges people face just trying to survive in the city. We went into the poorest of communities in Ejigbo, Ijora, Iwaya, Bariga, Somolu and many others. At each location, we were faced with various situations and challenges that tugged at the heart – real people with real experiences. Some of these experiences were documented on video,” he said.

He adds, “After years of sorting and archiving the footage, we decided to launch a diary-like documentary of a few stories we encountered. My Lagos Diaries’ ultimate goal is to sensitise the general public about the struggles of these underprivileged persons, while providing an opportunity for interested individuals and organisations to support Freedom Foundation’s vision via donations and funding.”

Dr. Rapu further explained that the premiere would launch the 13-week documentary series, which will begin airing online on the Foundation’s YouTube channel as well as on television from the end of February, telling some of the real stories of rehabilitated prostitutes, armed robbers, drug addicts, beggars and other neglected individuals in the society.

“We actively partner with the government, other NGOs, civil society organisations, corporate institutions and individuals to make this mission a reality. At Freedom Foundation, we believe that everyone has the right to live freely, free from addictions, free from sex slavery, free from ignorance and free from poverty,” Dr. Rapu stated.

According to him, the premiere will also feature a private viewing of ‘Reflections’, a unique photo exhibition by Kelechi Amadi-Obi, where he used notable celebrities as models to depict thought provoking poverty scenarios. He added that the exhibition is designed to build further awareness and trigger social change and soul searching amongst Nigerians.

Speaking on the project, the cerebral photographer said, “It was great depicting a visual representation of societal ills using celebrities as models. The process of transforming these celebrities from superstars into drug addicts, beggars and underprivileged individuals was quite a revealing journey.

“The photos tell a story of what these celebrities could have been versus who they are now.  It would take the collective efforts of individuals, government, religious groups and corporate bodies to help transform lives of impoverished people in our society. It is imperative that we use photography to create awareness and help imagine the pain and heart’s cry of the disadvantaged in our communities,” he added.

‘My Lagos Diaries’ A rehabilitation documentary series by freedom foundation hit the screen

‘NJC is not up to date with disciplining of judges’ (Read full details)

Liborous

Apart from the recent shocking revelations of alleged corruption in the judiciary, one of the issues that had worried stakeholders before now borders on judicial independence. In this interview with GERALDINE AKUTU, a Lagos-based lawyer, Liborous Oshoma shares his views about the administration of justice in the country and suggests ways the judiciary could be made more independent.

What do you think about the administration of justice in the country and how can it be improved?
The judiciary cannot be insulated from the problems affecting Nigeria generally as a country because they are people from among us. Gone are the days when judges live secluded lives. Sometimes, you might even visit a judge’s office and discover that it is worse than police office. Just like in some sectors, the way they are appointed, some judges will like to cut corners to ensure that they make ends meet. Being an institution that is ordinarily the last hope of the common man.

It is an institution that watches over those that watch over the rest of us in terms of dispute resolution and punishing offenders to ensure sanity in the society. Then, there is need for us in circumspect, to be very careful in the way we appoint people that should supervise or superintend positions in the judiciary. That is where we have failed largely as a country. No matter how hopeless a society is, once there is a judiciary and police system that is up and doing, there will still be hope in that system because justice would be obtained. But as it stands, we abdicated that responsibility and now we have all manner of people employed in the judiciary just like the police. It became an all comers affair. We did not incline our minds to reforming the judicial sector to meet up to today’s demands as per the dynamism that our society was going through because prosecution starts from investigation. So, once we garbage in, we are definitely going to garbage out. At the end of the day, we woke up too late to discover that we have no judiciary that we can confidently say is free of corruption and other societal problems.

What do you think about judicial independence as it relates to justice dispensation?
One of the things that is done world over is to consistently reform the judiciary to attain that independence and position where they will truly be able to dispense justice without fear or favour. They will be able to look at politicians and ordinary man in the eye to point out their wrong and right. Also, they should have the right tools and remuneration to discharge their responsibilities effectively but if the government is not influencing the judiciary here, the minister or the politician will be doing that. Starting from the way they are appointed to the function of their job, posting, budgeting and even salary, you will find out that at the end of the day, there are so many influences. We have seen situations where governors disagree with the NJC and after that, shut down an entire court system in a state. We have also seen situations in Oyo State where Alao Akala came and had his own chief judge. When he left, Ladoja had his own chief judge. Even Alao Akala’s chief judge had his own chief judge. So, we see things going back and front. In all of these, the NBA has not been in this matter. So, we cannot truly say the judiciary had been independent.

How can these issues be addressed?
We need to go back to the drawing board by having an all inclusive stakeholders meeting where we fashion out how to restructure some of these problems, starting from the way we appoint judges, discipline them and how we assign cases to judges. We need to look at the number of judges we have. In some states, we have so many cases with few judges. This becomes overwhelming for them. The NJC is not up to date with disciplining of judges. As I speak to you, 95 per cent of the members are fronted by one man and they sit on adhoc cases.

Meanwhile, we have judges and justices of the Supreme Court that have served meritoriously without blemish, retired, still writing and serving as head of committee of some states. Such people should be incorporated into the NJC to instill discipline. We should also find a way of expanding the sector and segmenting the court system.

Unnecessary interference from politicians should be handled. In some cases, depending on the level of the judge, some of them collect bribe openly without regard to the laws of the land because they know that if you take petition to the NJC, it will take forever to determine that petition. Nigerian Bar Association should also learn to put its house in order.

In the light of recent developments, should we have stricter regulation between judicial officers and senior lawyers?
Senior lawyers are supposed to exemplify embodiment of nobleness. They must not be found involved in allegation of bribery and corruption. We should expand the scope of NJC to empower them to be able to sit on daily basis to hear matters and also find a way to ensure that people we appoint to judicial positions are people with integrity. We should consistently checkmate them so that they will not be compromised. The senior lawyers are part of the legal profession. So, there should be an effective decentralized policing that will not be attached to the president, governors or local government. By so doing, we will have a policing system that will use the instrumentality of the law to investigate the matter and bring the person to book irrespective of the person’s position or status.

What is your view on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
Alternative Dispute Resolution is a way of settlement. First and foremost, you cannot take criminal matters before an ADR. If it is a commercial transaction and I take you before an ADR, you must be willing to submit yourself to the resolution of that matter, otherwise ADR has no jurisdiction. But if it is in court, whether you are willing or not, the court will give judgment against you. ADR is good for matters that are not contentious. Instead of clogging the processes of our judicial dispute resolution, you take it to ADR but that is not enough to resolve the myriad of cases we have in courts. There is need to decentralise the court system, have more hands and effectively monitor those doing the job.

What is your position on the acting CJN, is it appropriate?
We shouldn’t have a situation where we have somebody acting in that capacity. Well, for now that is what the law says. I think we should amend the law in such a way that when the most senior Justice retires, the next senior one automatically steps in. Currently, the acting Chief Justice who is not yet confirmed might not want to be vocal on issues that has to do with the government and therefore, in cases where the government err, you will see that he might want to be apolitical because he is waiting for confirmation. We have seen that played out in the acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Ibrahim Magu’s case, where the Senate refused to confirm him as the chairman. There are some cases that he will want to act on but because of the powers that be, he will not move because he is waiting to be confirmed. If we truly want to fight corruption, we have to put constitutions in place and allow it to be independent.

‘NJC is not up to date with disciplining of judges’

Awakening the spirit of entrepreneurship (Read full details)

Kelly Nwogu

Young and vibrant Dr. Kelly Izuwa Nwogu, the Managing Director/CEO of Livelihood Homes (owners of ) is passionate about contributing his quota to real estate development and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. In the last five years the serial entrepreneur took the real estate industry by storm developing over twenty three estates spread across the country. The recipient of the Honourary Doctorate from the European American University spoke on the Focus of a CEO in this interview with Nnamdi Nwokolo.

The industry is significantly influenced by the state of the economy, how has Livelihood Homes fared in the last year and outlook for the New Year? Recession like they say is a period of moving from bad to worse, but as a business man, I know what it takes to make sales. I am a trained salesman which is quite different from marketing. What we have done is that having realized that many people are interested in buying properties, but not many will buy at a particular cost, so we scaled down our price to meet the needs and aspirations of everyone. The implication is that we have passed down a large chunk of our profits to the clients to enable them buy properties from us. For example, if we were making a 100% profit, we try to reduce it and give the profit to the clients and it will amaze you that we still sell some of our lands for as low as N80, 000.00 to enable everyone have access to land. We make sure that we sell no matter the situation. We keep on being in business by studying the situation of the economy and bring down the price to meet the demands of the average man on the street.

With your experience, what would you say are the challenge of entrepreneurship in Nigeria? Most people will tell you that the most challenging experience is getting funding to execute estate project development plans. In as much as real estate is a capital intensive industry, I started the company in every sense as a small business. In fact, the first ten acres of land we acquired for development was done without paying a dime. We are the only company that sells a plot of land at #100,000.00 in the whole of the country. Infrastructure is the biggest challenge to enterprise development in Nigeria. Entrepreneurs need to be trained to understand that funding is not the first requirement to start a business. The first thing that is needed as an entrepreneur is the desire to do a particular business at a time as vision attracts provision. They should be encouraged to learn skills that will help them excel as entrepreneurs. Part of what I have done in the last five years is to train people to acquire skills that will help them awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship in them.

What is your assessment of the industry?
There’s still a lot to be done. Most developers today are focused on the high end of the market which even though is very profitable is becoming overcrowded and limited in market size. The real market is in the middle and low income sector and even in the social housing sector. The future of real estate in this country belongs to the company or companies who can accurately figure out a profitable business model to take advantage of the low to middle income housing sectors in Nigeria. That is what we are poised to do in our Blue Sea Estates across the country. Our ultimate goal is to push and disrupt this market positively in such a manner that as long as you have a job or a business that pays you steady income that’s verifiable, you can become a home owner.

From your experience, what are the critical factors for business success?
There’s no organisation that is perfect but when people know you as a trust worthy firm, they’ll learn to endure with you when you are going through some challenges. To build a sustainable business, you have to be patient, focused and innovative. I would say that there are many factors that will combine to guarantee business success including integrity, diligence, focus and perseverance. With the benefit of hindsight, don’t try to copy anybody; be yourself. Integrity and excellent service delivery are critical to business success. Passion is equally critical to building a sustainable business. You cannot build a business around what you don’t have passion for. As the entrepreneur, your passion is what is needed to drive the business. With passion, you’ll constantly look for ways to improve the quality of service of your business.

In the next five years:
With the level of our growth, we intend to be at the centre of real estate development in Nigeria. We are less than ten years in the industry and we have over twenty three Blue Sea estates scattered all over the country and beyond. With our strategic growth plan, we are the organisation to watch out for in the next couple of years. God willing, our organisation will be floating an airline in the next five years. The concept is to help reduce the high incidence of delayed flights in the domestic route in Nigeria. It is sometimes very irritating to have delayed flights for up to five to seven hours, so our entry in the sector will be geared towards bridging the gap in the industry.

What can government do differently in the New Year to help enterprise development?
The government should simply create the enabling environment to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship among the citizenry. The population of the country is increasing everyday, so also is the population of unemployed and hungry people. It will surprise you that some people find it difficult to raise as little as N500.00. Government should do things that can enhance entrepreneurship. Our school curriculum should be changed to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people as the current structure is not doing any good to the youths in particular and the nation at large. I recommend that the government should encourage entrepreneurship.

What informed your interest in farming?
I discovered that farming is the next frontier that will serve as a catalyst for economic recovery. More people should also be encouraged to go into farming to help revive the economy. It will interest you to know that all the cattle I used in empowering the physically challenged people on the first day of January 2017 all came from my farm. I’m trying my best to see how I can help over 23 million physically challenged people in the country who I choose to call special people with special talents. If able bodied men are suffering, what do you think will be the plight of disabled people? What I have done is to empower these set of people by making them see an avenue for prosperity and the way forward is agriculture. My greatest joy is to encourage these people to see prosperity and wealth. The only way to curb youth restiveness in the country is to encourage more people to go onto agriculture.

You’ve achieved a lot at a relatively young age, what does success mean to you?
The true definition of success isn’t perceived as how much money you have in your bank account, but more as how many people you helped in your lifetime. No one’s eulogy will include how many cars they had or how big their homes were. You will be remembered based on your generosity, your kindness, the amount of people you helped in time of need. This is how you want people to remember you and share your life journey as an example to others. Success to me is not having too much money but the fulfillment of one’s purpose on earth. It has nothing to do with neither the wealth you have nor the number of houses you own, but on the number of lives you have touched positively.

What is the driving force in all of this?
My mother is crippled and I’m her only child. Having seen the challenges she passed through raising me, I decided to give back to the society by alleviating the challenges that physically challenged people go through every day in our society. I don’t want to be comfortable alone as I want to make as much people as possible to help live the good life. To be a success or a failure depends solely on your mindset, so I advise the youths to have a change of mindset.

Awakening the spirit of entrepreneurship

Spinal cord injury patient seeks lifeline (Read full details)

Ibenezim

Chukwuemeka Ibenezim, 17, did not know that danger was lurking around the corner when he set out on May 1, 2016 to play football with his mates.

After hours of running around the football pitch in Badagary, the teenager and his mates took a stroll to a nearby swimming pool to take their bath.

Emeka took a deep dive into the water. His mates waited several minutes for him to come out, but he did not show up. Some of his mates even clapped thinking that he was showing off his swimming skills

But sensing that something was wrong, his younger brother, Emmanuel, moved swiftly to the spot where Emeka was last seen, behold; the teenager was motionless and had almost drowned under the water.

Quickly, his mates tried to revive him, but at the end, they discovered that Emeka could not move and had lost control of the use of his legs and hands.

His friends narrated what transpired to his parents.

Quickly, his father rushed him to Badagry General hospital from where they were told that he had a spinal cord Injury.

The x-ray showed that he might have hit his head on the floor of the pool.

He was in Badagry General hospital for one month before he was transferred to a private hospital at Agbara.

While at the private hospital, Emeka who had dreamt of becoming a medical doctor developed bedsores as a result of his inability to change position on the bed.

He was subsequently transferred to the Military Hospital, Yaba.

Eight months after the unfortunate incident, Emeka has not been able to recover. His health condition is said to be getting worse everyday.

A medical team has, however, advised his parents to take him to India where experts could handle spinal cord injury.
His parents, are however, not financially buoyant for such foreign medical treatment.

“I ask, with most sense of humility, that members of the public should come to my assistance. They say it will cost me N10 million to be treated in India. Donation should be paid to Ibenezim Chukwuemeka Ochefije, First Bank, Account No. 3105489299,” the teenager said.

Spinal cord injury patient seeks lifeline

Professional drivers propose 50-year ban on self-driving (Read full details)

An organisation representing professional drivers has called on New York state legislators to ban self-driving vehicles for 50 years, citing the potential eradication of thousands of transport jobs.

The Upstate Transportation Association, which advocates for professional drivers, said it expects Uber and Lyft, the two major ridesharing services in New York City, to convert to driverless cars in a few years.

“It doesn’t do anything for the local economy to have driverless cars, I’m sure there’s a little bit of job creation, but nothing that will match the number of jobs lost.” President of the Upstate Transportation Association, John Tomassi told CNN.

The Independent Drivers Guild, which represents 45,000 of New York City’s professional drivers, said it will fight for the state to keep its current self-driving laws. That means a full ban on all driverless vehicles.

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently pushed for wider legalisation of ridesharing services in the state; the services are currently only available in New York City. Neither the legislature nor the governor have given an opinion on self-driving, though we suspect, like most other tech-centric states, they approve of it.

The adoption of self-driving cars could reduce traffic accidents by 90 percent, according to Google. Other advantages include a possible reduction in parking space, as cars could be sent on errands by owners or used by other members of the family.

It is up for the legislature and the people of New York to decide whether less accidents and parking is worth the loss of thousands of transportation jobs. Some states, like Michigan and Arizona, are pushing ahead with legislation that legalizes self-driving vehicles.

Professional drivers propose 50-year ban on self-driving

Man arrested for threatening to assassinate Trump at inauguration (Read full details)

Why U.S. did not invite Buhari for event, by Fayose
A man has been arrested in Florida, United States for posting online that he would kill President-elect Donald Trump at his inauguration today.

“This is January16, 2017. I was requested to type this in and post it. Yes, I will be at the review stand, the inauguration and I’m going to kill President Trump, President-elect Trump today,” Dominic Puopolo said in a video posted on Monday.

Puopolo, 51, was arrested on Tuesday and allegedly admitted to making the threat. He was ordered for a mental evaluation at a court hearing on Wednesday.

In Nigeria, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, has described the refusal of the United States government to invite President Muhammadu Buhari for Trump’s inauguration as a clear signal that he does not enjoy international relevance any more.

According to a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, Fayose said there is no doubt that Buhari is not in the good books of the incoming U.S. government, arguing that Buhari’s frequent visit to U.S. during Obama administration and the romance was due to the tacit support given to Buhari by Obama to win the 2015 election.

Man arrested for threatening to assassinate Trump at inauguration